The loft above Luke's, Saturday morning

[vdistinctive]

Eliot's clothes had all wound up in the general door to couch area, and it wasn't like he had any spares lying around (and trying to wear Hardison's would make him look like a kid playing dress-up), so after a quick shower (when did Hardison and Parker get all this hair stuff? And why was it all the stuff Eliot used?), he wandered out into the living room area in nothing but a towel to at least find his shirt before he got started on breakfast. (He'd learned early in his cooking career that you just didn't work with those kinds of temperatures without covering your chest. And aprons didn't count.)

And froze, grabbing onto the towel to hold it in place, when he spotted the twelve year old girl standing over by the door.

"The kitchen staff downstairs said you'd be up here," she said.

"Um," said Eliot.

"Why are you living with Uncle Hardison and Aunt Parker?" she asked.

"Um," said Eliot.

"You guys need to clean up in here better, Daddy." She nudged the crumpled pile of pants by the couch with the toe of her shoe. "Mummy would not approve."

Eliot rubbed his hand down his face. "Goddammit, Fandom."

[ooc: generally for the assortment of folks currently at or soon to be arriving at the loft, with bouts of slowplay on all sides, but also open!]

Comments

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker came out of the bedroom with messy hair, wearing one of Hardison's t-shirts.

"...who's messing with us?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Help him, Parker! He was being clung to by a small child who was calling him 'Papa'! "Sorry, babe, but the only words I can think of right now are not the kind that are supposed to be said in front of little ears."

[my2dads.livejournal.com]

"Which ones?" Ada asked. "I know lots of words like that!"

[vdistinctive]

Eliot stared from the small girl calling him "Daddy" to the other smaller girl calling him "Daddy" and then back to Hardison. It was entirely too early to deal with this.

"Fandom," he said. It was guess, but he'd been around long enough to know it was a good one. He snatched his jeans up off the floor and looked back at the first little girl. "Look, just -- bear with us. Who the -- who are you?"

[hitorgrift.livejournal.com]

Joey grinned. "Oo!" she raised her hand. "I'm, uh -- Adelaide St. James." She winced. "No, wait, hang on, I can do that better. Ask again."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"What's your name? Aren't there people looking for you? How did you get in here? Why ... why?"

WHY. WHY, UNIVERSE, WHY. There was supposed to be pancakes and snuggles this morning!

[hitorgrift.livejournal.com]

"Rebecca Rose Rushmore," Joey said in a posh British accent she did not have a second ago. She offered Parker her hand. "It's very lovely to meet you."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Hi. Parker. Just. Parker." Shaking her hand, feeling kind of dazed, Parker said, "You sound like Sophie. Our friend Sophie. Who is ... off dating Nate and directing theaters. Do you know her?"

Because all fake British people know each other, clearly. Or maybe she was picking up on a resemblance?

[hitorgrift.livejournal.com]

"Uncle Nate?" Joey shrieked, and burst into laughter. "EW!"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes I don't get it either," Parker admitted. "Rebecca. Um. If that's what your name is.... whyyy aren't you with your Uncle Nate?"

[hitorgrift.livejournal.com]

Joey shrugged. "Mummy and Daddy don't like to leave me alone with Uncle Nate. Not since that time we went to the park to play chess and he got drunk and we ended up stealing the Empire State Building."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Well, that answers one question," Hardison said to no one in particular. They only knew one person that committed to having a ton of fake names.

[vdistinctive]

"What?" Eliot glared at him. "No it doesn't!" He was standing in Hardison's apartment wearing a towel and holding his pants and nothing had been explained, dammit.

[hitorgrift.livejournal.com]

"Daddy," Joey said very seriously. "You should really probably put your pants on, now."

[vdistinctive]

"I'm not your -- what are you --" Eliot shook his head. Complete sentences were not happening here. It was time to bail. "I'm going to go put my goddamn pants on."

And he stalked back towards the bedroom to get dressed (involving stealing one of Hardison's shirts, since his was still on the floor near the door) and freak out for a few moments.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Daddy. Daddy. Daaaaaddy." Parker drew the word out, then shook her head. "Nope!" Then headed for the kitchen. Maybe coffee would make this make sense.

[vdistinctive]

"Dammit, Parker!" Eliot came back out wearing pants and pulling one of Hardison's t-shirts over his head. "I ain't nobody's daddy!"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker stared at the tiny girl in horror. "Where did she come from? We have to give her back!"

Also, hang on, she needed to get underwear on now.

[my2dads.livejournal.com]

"What do you mean where did I come from, Auntie Parker?" Ada asked. "Is this like a birds and the bees thing? Cause we had that talk already. After I saw the video."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Which video?" Yay, underwear. Wait. "Aunt?!"

Don't feel yay don't feel yay (okay maybe a little yay) but also NOT THE MAMA, WHEW.

"I was talking about-- I have no idea. I'm confused."

[my2dads.livejournal.com]

"You don't like bein' called Mom," Ada said, confused why she had to explain this to Parker. "You say that there's less pressure about messin' me up if I call you Auntie instead."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Parker had an acute feeling of embarrassment that that this little kid knew that. "Okay, in all the freaking out, I missed your name. And. Is there another mom, somewhere? Who we should call or something?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Yeah, baby girl," Hardison agreed. "Who's your mom? We should try to get in touch with people, let 'em know you're okay. You don't wanna make your mom worry bout you, right?"

[my2dads.livejournal.com]

"I don't have a mom, silly!" Ada said, laughing. "I have you, and Daddy, and Aunt Parker!"

How many more parents did they think she needed? Three was already more than most kids had. Especially three parents who lived together.

She held the sides of her tiny jean skirt and gave them a little curtsy. Fairy tales and Disney movies were currently very big in their house. "I'm Ada Grace Hardison-Spencer," she said. "Pleased to meetcha!"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

That was really, really cute. Even Parker could tell that.

Hardison-Spencer.

"Did they get married?!" Wow. "Was I there?"