Entry tags:
Fic: Wrapped in a Warm Blanket (Pre-Parker/Eliot/Hardison, PG)
Title: Wrapped in a Warm Blanket
Author:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sheryden
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1087
Pairing: Pre-Parker/Eliot/Hardison
Spoilers: Anything up to "The Reunion Job" 3.02. I reference something minor from "The Morning After Job" 3.13, but it really doesn't spoil anything.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Eliot would be shirtless in every episode.
Summary: When Eliot has a bad day, Parker and Hardison show up to make it better.
Notes: This was written forschmoop_bingo for the prompt "bad day."
Eliot pulled off his boots and threw them across his living room. The resulting thuds of one boot, then the second against the far wall made him feel marginally better than he had when he’d walked through the door. Letting out a breath, he dragged himself over to the sofa and dropped squarely into the middle.
Despite the team’s success during their most recent job, today had been a bad day. He’d taken a beating, as usual. And he’d a bitch of a time getting the other guys to go down and stay down. He wondered fleetingly if his body was trying to tell him he ought to retire.
If today had been any indication, the team probably wouldn’t miss him anyway. As he’d trudged away from his end of the job, Eliot had listened over the comms as the others had danced and had drinks and had generally enjoyed each other’s company. Not a one of them had bothered to check in with Eliot or to let him know they gave a damn that he’d made it out of another job alive.
As he sat there in the dark, staring at nothing in particular and feeling more than a little sorry for himself, Eliot became aware of a presence a few feet behind him. He didn’t have to look to know that it was Parker. He knew by now how she sounded when she breathed and when she crept into a room.
Closing his eyes and letting his head drop against the back of the sofa, he said, “You just gonna stand there?”
Parker slid quietly over to the sofa and leaned over the back, resting her weight on her forearms. “Hardison said we should use the door, but knocking on your door would have felt weird.”
“You’re weird,” he said. “You have fun at your little party?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, poking at Eliot’s shoulder. “High school is very strange.” She wandered over to the entrance, undid the locks, and pulled open the door, just as a panting Hardison appeared in front of it. “Took you long enough,” she said.
Hardison pushed into the apartment carrying two plastic bags and a handful of DVDs. “Hey, man,” he said in Eliot’s direction. “I got Chinese.”
Eliot groaned a little as the scent of food wafted into the living room. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now. “You get Kung Pao Chicken?”
“Yeah,” Hardison said. He sat the bags and DVDs on the coffee table in front of Eliot. “You okay?”
Eliot let out a breath and ignored the question. It was a loaded one, and he had no idea how to answer it without sounding like a whiny child who didn’t get invited to a play date. “There’s a bottle of your stupid orange soda in the fridge,” he said. “And paper plates in the cupboard on the left.”
“I know where you keep your paper plates,” Hardison said with a grin. “What do you want to drink?”
“Something that’s not orange soda,” he said.
“Yeah,” Parker said. “Something that isn’t orange soda.” She grinned at Eliot and sat down next to him.
By the time Hardison emerged from the kitchen with the drinks, Eliot had pulled out the containers of food and was already halfway finished with an eggroll. He watched as Parker walked over to the entertainment center on her knees and deposited a DVD into the player.
Hardison sat glasses of iced Doctor Pepper—it was one of Eliot’s secret guilty pleasures— on the table, then he sat down on the other side of Eliot. “That’s a nice TV, Mr. I Don’t Own a TV.”
Eliot scowled at him. “You ever gonna let that go? I told you I bought it a couple of months ago.”
Hardison smirked at him and heaped some chicken fried rice onto a plate. “So,” he said. “You okay?”
Popping the last of the egg roll into his mouth, Eliot ran his fingers through his hair. “Not really,” he said. “It’s been a sucky-ass day.”
“And we didn’t make it any easier when we left you hanging on the other end of the comms.”
Eliot shook his head. “I get it. You guys were all doing the couples thing.” He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I just wanted to be acknowledged.”
“Listen, man. Okay, first of all, it wasn’t a couples thing.”
“You don’t have to explain.”
“Will you shush?” Hardison said, nudging him with his shoulder. “I’m trying to be warm and fuzzy here. Look,” he said. “We just caught up in the moment. We never meant to ignore you.”
“We got worried when we couldn’t hear you yelling at us anymore,” Parker said. She was still sitting on her knees next to the DVD player.
“We care about you, man,” Hardison said. “More… more than you know. We’ll try to tell you more often.”
“Okay,” Eliot said, suddenly feigning interest in his Doctor Pepper. “It’s cool.”
After a moment, Hardison held out his arms. “Hug it out?”
Eliot bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Why are you always trying to hug me?”
“You’re soft and cuddly.”
Hardening his expression, Eliot made a fist. “Call me cuddly again.”
“You know it’s true,” Hardison said, grinning broadly. “Give us a hug.”
Without warning, Parker came up behind Eliot and flung her arms around his waist. She laid her head on his shoulder for a moment, then looked up at Hardison. “He is cuddly!”
Hardison leaned in and gave Eliot a quick embrace before releasing him and digging into his rice. “I told you,” he said. “Eliot’s a big old teddy bear.”
Eliot laughed and shook his head. “There’s something wrong with you now.”
“So is everybody happy?” Parker asked, bouncing in her seat.
“Yeah,” Eliot said with a smile. “We’re all happy now.”
“Okay!” She hit the play button on the remote control. "Ghostbusters!"
“Seriously?” Eliot shot Hardison a look. “We’re letting her pick out movies again?”
Hardison chuckled. “I vetoed like three Disney movies, man. I had to bend somewhere.”
Parker patted Eliot on the knee. “This is fun!”
Shaking his head again, Eliot piled some food onto his plate, grabbed another egg roll, and sank back into the sofa. He was sandwiched tightly in-between Parker and Hardison, and it felt like he’d been wrapped in a warm blanket. Smiling, he focused his attention on the movie, and let the soreness and tension of the day begin to melt.
My Master Fic List
***
Author:
sherydenRating: PG
Word Count: 1087
Pairing: Pre-Parker/Eliot/Hardison
Spoilers: Anything up to "The Reunion Job" 3.02. I reference something minor from "The Morning After Job" 3.13, but it really doesn't spoil anything.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Eliot would be shirtless in every episode.
Summary: When Eliot has a bad day, Parker and Hardison show up to make it better.
Notes: This was written for
schmoop_bingo for the prompt "bad day." Eliot pulled off his boots and threw them across his living room. The resulting thuds of one boot, then the second against the far wall made him feel marginally better than he had when he’d walked through the door. Letting out a breath, he dragged himself over to the sofa and dropped squarely into the middle.
Despite the team’s success during their most recent job, today had been a bad day. He’d taken a beating, as usual. And he’d a bitch of a time getting the other guys to go down and stay down. He wondered fleetingly if his body was trying to tell him he ought to retire.
If today had been any indication, the team probably wouldn’t miss him anyway. As he’d trudged away from his end of the job, Eliot had listened over the comms as the others had danced and had drinks and had generally enjoyed each other’s company. Not a one of them had bothered to check in with Eliot or to let him know they gave a damn that he’d made it out of another job alive.
As he sat there in the dark, staring at nothing in particular and feeling more than a little sorry for himself, Eliot became aware of a presence a few feet behind him. He didn’t have to look to know that it was Parker. He knew by now how she sounded when she breathed and when she crept into a room.
Closing his eyes and letting his head drop against the back of the sofa, he said, “You just gonna stand there?”
Parker slid quietly over to the sofa and leaned over the back, resting her weight on her forearms. “Hardison said we should use the door, but knocking on your door would have felt weird.”
“You’re weird,” he said. “You have fun at your little party?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, poking at Eliot’s shoulder. “High school is very strange.” She wandered over to the entrance, undid the locks, and pulled open the door, just as a panting Hardison appeared in front of it. “Took you long enough,” she said.
Hardison pushed into the apartment carrying two plastic bags and a handful of DVDs. “Hey, man,” he said in Eliot’s direction. “I got Chinese.”
Eliot groaned a little as the scent of food wafted into the living room. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now. “You get Kung Pao Chicken?”
“Yeah,” Hardison said. He sat the bags and DVDs on the coffee table in front of Eliot. “You okay?”
Eliot let out a breath and ignored the question. It was a loaded one, and he had no idea how to answer it without sounding like a whiny child who didn’t get invited to a play date. “There’s a bottle of your stupid orange soda in the fridge,” he said. “And paper plates in the cupboard on the left.”
“I know where you keep your paper plates,” Hardison said with a grin. “What do you want to drink?”
“Something that’s not orange soda,” he said.
“Yeah,” Parker said. “Something that isn’t orange soda.” She grinned at Eliot and sat down next to him.
By the time Hardison emerged from the kitchen with the drinks, Eliot had pulled out the containers of food and was already halfway finished with an eggroll. He watched as Parker walked over to the entertainment center on her knees and deposited a DVD into the player.
Hardison sat glasses of iced Doctor Pepper—it was one of Eliot’s secret guilty pleasures— on the table, then he sat down on the other side of Eliot. “That’s a nice TV, Mr. I Don’t Own a TV.”
Eliot scowled at him. “You ever gonna let that go? I told you I bought it a couple of months ago.”
Hardison smirked at him and heaped some chicken fried rice onto a plate. “So,” he said. “You okay?”
Popping the last of the egg roll into his mouth, Eliot ran his fingers through his hair. “Not really,” he said. “It’s been a sucky-ass day.”
“And we didn’t make it any easier when we left you hanging on the other end of the comms.”
Eliot shook his head. “I get it. You guys were all doing the couples thing.” He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I just wanted to be acknowledged.”
“Listen, man. Okay, first of all, it wasn’t a couples thing.”
“You don’t have to explain.”
“Will you shush?” Hardison said, nudging him with his shoulder. “I’m trying to be warm and fuzzy here. Look,” he said. “We just caught up in the moment. We never meant to ignore you.”
“We got worried when we couldn’t hear you yelling at us anymore,” Parker said. She was still sitting on her knees next to the DVD player.
“We care about you, man,” Hardison said. “More… more than you know. We’ll try to tell you more often.”
“Okay,” Eliot said, suddenly feigning interest in his Doctor Pepper. “It’s cool.”
After a moment, Hardison held out his arms. “Hug it out?”
Eliot bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Why are you always trying to hug me?”
“You’re soft and cuddly.”
Hardening his expression, Eliot made a fist. “Call me cuddly again.”
“You know it’s true,” Hardison said, grinning broadly. “Give us a hug.”
Without warning, Parker came up behind Eliot and flung her arms around his waist. She laid her head on his shoulder for a moment, then looked up at Hardison. “He is cuddly!”
Hardison leaned in and gave Eliot a quick embrace before releasing him and digging into his rice. “I told you,” he said. “Eliot’s a big old teddy bear.”
Eliot laughed and shook his head. “There’s something wrong with you now.”
“So is everybody happy?” Parker asked, bouncing in her seat.
“Yeah,” Eliot said with a smile. “We’re all happy now.”
“Okay!” She hit the play button on the remote control. "Ghostbusters!"
“Seriously?” Eliot shot Hardison a look. “We’re letting her pick out movies again?”
Hardison chuckled. “I vetoed like three Disney movies, man. I had to bend somewhere.”
Parker patted Eliot on the knee. “This is fun!”
Shaking his head again, Eliot piled some food onto his plate, grabbed another egg roll, and sank back into the sofa. He was sandwiched tightly in-between Parker and Hardison, and it felt like he’d been wrapped in a warm blanket. Smiling, he focused his attention on the movie, and let the soreness and tension of the day begin to melt.
My Master Fic List
***