75 Godiva Street, Monday morning

[vdistinctive]

Eliot didn't sleep nearly as much as Parker and Hardison did, so he was pretty used to being up before they were, getting coffee ready and sorting through his fridge for what to make for breakfast. He'd've been perfectly happy to stay in bed and just stare at his partners and make sure they were still there, but whatever the aliens had been using to sustain them all over the week hadn't really been much more than minimal, and Eliot was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who'd be waking up today starving.

He may have stuck comms on everyone so he could still hear them the whole time, though.

It was weird being in his kitchen without Val sitting at his feet in her eternally frustrated hope for scraps (eternally frustrated from him, anyway, he was pretty sure she still did it because Hardison and Parker were sneaking her things), but Kathy had texted the night before to let him know that her little sister had been taking care of the puppy, and that Kathy was going to keep her in the dorms for one more night. Considering how much time he and the others had spent yesterday in constant physical contact, Eliot could guess why Kathy wanted to keep a nice, warm, happy puppy around for the night, so he didn't insist. He was used to getting shot at and nearly killed, after all, and what had happened in that sim --

Eliot's hand spasmed around his knife and he dropped in to the cutting board and stepped back, leaning his weight into his hands on the counter and just breathing through it as the image of Kathy silhouetted in the doorway ran through his head. He kept his head down a moment longer once the scene finished playing out in his memory, then straightened up, stretched his fingers, and got back to chopping.

He'd have to watch out for that for a little while.

[ooc: for those in the house and the one stopping by -- and anyone else who might decide to drop in and visit. Note: linked thread contains violence and simulated death.]

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"You know, I ain't actually been a guest to an American wedding." Eliot shrugged. "I'm sure Sophie'll let us know eventually. You're not nervous about tellin' them about us, are you?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Nate an' Sophie?" Hardison laughed. "Sophie's probably figured it out before any of us did. An' Nate--he's s'posed to be the smart one. You cool with it?"

[vdistinctive]

Eliot shrugged. "'Course. They're family." He winced. "Not -- I ain't sayin' you have to tell family or anything. Just -- Yeah, it's fine if Nate and Sophie know."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I'mma--" Hardison scrubbed his face. "It's not like I ain't gonna tell her. I dunno...is this really somethin' to say over the phone though? 'Hey, Nana, just so you know, I'm head over heels for not one but two people an' one's a dude. How's your church group?' I ain't even ever told her I liked dudes at all, never mind that I'm plannin' on spendin' the rest of my life with one."

[vdistinctive]

That last bit probably should have been somewhat less of a surprise, since Eliot had already basically declared he'd be spending the rest of his with Hardison and Parker before they'd all even hooked up romantically. Eliot still startled at it, though.

"Fair enough," he said, skipping easily past the startle; he'd had lots of practice at that lately, after all. "You know I'm alright either way, right?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Why?" Hardison asked. "I wouldn't be."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot shrugged. "'Cause sometimes you gotta keep secrets. Just part of life."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Yeah, but not about the people you love," Hardison said. "Nana ain't gotta know about Leverage or how we do what we do, don't gotta know about the number of warrants out for our arrest or countries we can't visit or fatwas we might have declared on us, but that ain't the same. Not at all."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot nodded. He pulled the most recent french toast off the skillet, then turned the heat down and set everything aside so he could turn and face Hardison straight on.

"It is the same. You're keepin' a secret to protect somethin'. You're worried how she'll react. There's nothin' wrong with that."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I'm not ashamed of y'all, though," Hardison said. "I mean, I ain't ashamed of what we do for Leverage, either, but that's, like, legally different." In that she could be charged and held as an accessory if what they did ever got out. "That's like sayin'...I dunno, I wouldn't introduce her to y'all in case you'd react weird to foster moms."

Okay, maybe not really.

"Just...it feels like lyin' about who I really am. An' I don't wanna lie."

[vdistinctive]

"I know you're not," Eliot assured him. "But Nana's the only family you had, before you found us. That ain't a small thing. Hell, I know what it's like to lose your family because you're doin' what you feel you have to do. I don't expect that'll happen to you, but I can understand wantin' to put off findin' out for as long as possible."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I just..." Hardison sighed and busied himself making a cup of coffee. Yes, he needed to really focus on the ridiculous amount of sugar required to make it palatable. "She was the first person to decide I was worth keepin', you know?"

[vdistinctive]

Eliot nodded. "I'm glad she did."