75 Godiva, Saturday night

[vdistinctive]

Eliot considered swinging by the diner to get his spare change of clothes, but honestly, all he wanted was a nice, hot shower in his own damn bathroom. He'd been in worse spots, certainly, and for much longer.

But he wasn't sure he'd ever been in weirder.

Val went barrelling over as soon as he put his key in the door, and he swooped down to scoop her up and let her lick his chin even though he had god only knew what still stuck in his beard. "Honeys," he called. "I'm home!"

[ooc: for thems as live here]

Comments

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Well, obviously. Just cause I wanna stay doesn't mean I don't think that it's crazy," Hardison laughed. "Also, you didn't have me 'n Parker here back then. It'd be different if we weren't all together."

[vdistinctive]

"Didn't know I could have you," Eliot pointed out. "Hell, that's a big reason why I moved here in the first place."

It was a lot easier to pine from afar when you actually had some physical distance between you and the objects of said pining.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Just like I said, crazy."

Honestly, Eliot. They'd bought you a pub.

[vdistinctive]

You know what's a good way to give someone a present? Say "here, I got you a present." Not running the present really poorly in hopes that the recipient steps in and fixes it for you.

"For the last time, man, you can't just sidle up to someone and hope a relationship eventually happens."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

And yet it had worked! Almost like they'd known him, or something...

"I dunno," Hardison mused. "Seems to have worked for me, though."

[vdistinctive]

"You," Eliot said, pointing to Hardison with his beer. "Were very, very lucky."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Had been and still was.

"Hey, Parker and I had a plan for you!" Hardison protested. "We weren't sittin' around hopin'!"

[vdistinctive]

"Uh huh. How long was Plan E in the works?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Unfair!

"We were about to make our move when you scooped us!" Hardison said. "You did it deliberately, too!"

Which was a nice way of not answering, yes.

[vdistinctive]

"Yeah, and that plan only took me maybe a week. Woulda been faster, but prom just made such a nice setting for it."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"You just liked messin' with us," Hardison accused. "Makin' us think you were gonna hook up with someone else."

[vdistinctive]

"Y'all planned wooin' me like it was a con."

They got what they deserved that night. The whoooole night.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hell yeah they did.

"It's me an' Parker," Hardison said. "What do you think we have more experience with, connin' or wooin'?"

[vdistinctive]

"So, what, you're mad at me for not knowin' what you two were thinkin' when you admit you have no experience lettin' folks know what you're thinkin'?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Except you knew damn well what we were thinkin'," Hardison reminded. "Probably thought you were cute, gettin' us all riled up an' worried over nothin'."

[vdistinctive]

"We already established y'all got what was comin' to ya at prom." Even if only the narrative had actually agreed with him. "You were bein' snippy about me not figurin' out what y'all were up to durin' the whole 'being cagey about it for years' stage."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Only cause you were bein' snippy about us supposedly tryna hope our way into a relationship!"

Jeez, guys, get a room.

[vdistinctive]

Let's see how tight this circle of arguing could get!

"You tryin' to deny that was your first plan?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Damn right I am!" Hardison's arms were crossed over his chest now. "Cause you somehow missed the brew pub!"

They really did love each other, gentle readers.

[vdistinctive]

This was just how they showed it.

"Right, the restaurant you were just hopin' I'd notice you bought for me."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Theirs was a special kind of love.

"Who else would I buy it for?" Hardison asked. "Man, I only heard you complain about breweries for years first!"

[vdistinctive]

"How the hell should I know?! You bought a Ferrari to sell that damn Iceman con. It ain't like you're thrifty."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"...How many cars do you own?" Hardison asked. "I mean, besides the world's ugliest orange Camaro. I shouldn't even count that. It's less a car an' more a penance masqueradin' as a paint job."

Shots fired.

[vdistinctive]

"It's a Challenger," Eliot growled. "And it's damn gorgeous and you know it." And Eliot had let Hardison soup up the engine which if anyone wanted to talk about subtle signs of love and trust. . . . "I buy cars, yeah. And I buy kitchen stuff. I ain't bought a building in damn near every city I ever lived in, like some people."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

And Hardison had spent the better part of a week making sure he knew everything about Challengers and how they worked before he'd even touched it. Because, again, love and trust.

"Those buildings serve a useful purpose! Gives us a base of operations that nobody's gon' poke at! An' real estate is a damn useful investment!" Because money was a thing they'd ever have to worry about. Hardison knew a lot about investing. "Not like your orange Cadillac."