"babe. Lil' mama. Sweetheart. Why are you jumping into traffic again? We finished the job"
That was all the warning Hardison got before his wonderful, unpredictable girlfriend dropped off the comm lines, leaving him wondering where she was going.
Eliot was downstairs in the basement of the building they had taken over for the quick job they were wrapping up. He was... Actually, what was Eliot doing?
"Hey, Eliot. Whatcha doing down there? We have to wrap up in here and do the gloat... Oh, and I lost Parker again"
"Damn it, Hardison! Whaddya think I'm trying to do?! And take a breath, man. Parker can handle herself, and if she's running off it usually means she has a good reason"
"yeah, no, I know, but I just... You know Parker. I just wish she would talk to us more. Y'know?"
Hardison had to stop and turn off his own comm for a moment. He knew, deep down, that Eliot was simply trying to take his mind off of Parker running off. Unfortunately, the if-then chart Eliot's mind ran on went something along the lines of, 'if sad, then punch. If scared, then cook. If hacker freaking out, then do not act abnormally. If hacker talk, then roll eyes,' where Hardison's was more of an, 'if sad, then why? And how? And what can we do? And when should we do it? And where's Eliot? And why am I making decisions, this is not what we agreed to damnit Eliot!' it's really more of an if-and chart.
He knew that the hitter cared about him, the many night shared in a bed far bigger than needed told him that. The calm moments they had, just the three of them, when they didn't have to worry about who saw told him that. But sometimes Eliot forgot that his words come off harsh, and with the stress of almost getting caught, missing that corner guard, and Parker running off, Hardison can't help the small tears that form in his eyes, nor the tension in his jawline as he keeps it from quivering.
It's a lot! Sue him! He's in the process of running three different teams, making sure his nana's bills are paid, and keeping his siblings all above board! A man's allowed to cry every once in a while!
Static breaks through his overwhelmed concentration long enough for him to catch the tail end of Parker's message.
They'd had to leave the pub as a main hub just because it picked up popularity, which was not the worst thing in the world, at least to Hardison. Eliot got to cook, Parker got to sneak around, and he got to watch the two people he loves most in this world do the things they're best at. However, due to the newfound popularity, they all figured a smaller house in relative obscurity would work best.
Hardison still went to visit the brewpub at least once a week, just to make sure Amy was keeping it in good hands. Many of the people caught in the cross hairs of the jobs Leverage had pulled ended up working at the pub, so she had a lot to handle. She was good at that, though.
Hardison bolted up, fear lancing through his veins as worst case scenarios filled his mind. Parker dead, Eliot dead, everyone dead. In this line of work, they all know the hazards, but Hardison would like to keep his partners alive and well, thank you.
He dashed down the hall only to find Eliot already behind the wheel of Lucille 4.0 (Don't ask about Lucille 3. It's a painful memory) with one of the mixtapes already playing. Small worry lines were etched into the beautiful face of the man he loved.
The second Hardison's seatbelt clicked, Eliot was off, tearing down back roads as Hardison tried really hard not to panic. The comforting presence of Eliot's hand on his upper thigh helped, but not a lot. He needed Parker, needed her resolute determination and her blunt but caring words.
After a lifetime of driving and the longest sunset ever, the two men arrived at the brewpub. They were met with Amy's sheepish visage grinning back at them with a clear, 'this was not my fault' look on her face. Eliot burst into the room, expecting flames or blood, but all the two men found was a single, three seated table, with the most beautiful woman in earth sitting down, pride gleaming in her eyes.
"I finally surprised you guys!" Parker's eyes shined so brightly Hardison didn't even have the energy to tell Parker that she surprised them everyday, and always for the better. God, he loved this woman.
"that you did, darlin'. Wanna tell us whatcha got here?"
"oh! Right! So, Amy helped me pick out the menu, and at first I was going to call you, Eliot, but then that would ruin the surprise, so I know you like country food and Hardison likes weird food, so we came up with stew, and then I was thinking about that show with a guy named Stuey in it and I couldn't remember so we figured out it was family guy and then for dessert we have chocolate!"
The grin Parker gave them was worth two billion polar stars, all the diamonds in the world, and then some.
Eliot was the first to respond, with a hesitant, "what's all this for, though? Alec 'nd I, we were getting kinda worried. You just ran off with nothing to follow."
"it's our anniversary, silly! Sophie tells me that those are important things to remember, especially when you love someone, and I love you both so much. It's a little weird. Kind of uncomfortable, but I'm getting used to it. The whole, loving and relying on people to be there outside of the job thing, I mean. anyway, you two, but especially Hardison, put so much effort into all of our surprises and I wanted to do something to show that I care, because the years that I have known you guys have been the best of my life. I love you both. Now let's eat!"
And that was when Hardison let the tears break. Finally be could see; they weren't mocking him or ignoring his boundaries of communication, she was just trying to be thoughtful and he was just confused. God, did he love his two idiots more than anything in the world. He would give up hacking if it meant he got ten more minutes with these two.
Rough, chapped lips met his own in a sweet kiss, and he wrapped his arms around Parker to convey the thoughts in his mind. They did that a lot-- talk with their lips but not their voices. Softer lips made scratchy with stubble found gentle purchase on his shoulder, and the three of them embraced like that for nowhere near as long as he wanted.
This was his home. His hitter and his thief. A trio for the ages. Let the world try to take them from him. After all, he has the Leverage.
