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Luke's, Monday

"Hey boss," the cook greeted when Eliot came in. "Just so's ya know, there's a --"

"No," Eliot said, walking right past him towards the office.

"Okay, but --"

"Nope." Something crashed behind him, but Eliot didn't turn to look. "Don't want to know."

"Oh geez," the busboy breathed. "How did it get so big?"

"Close the freezer!" the dishwasher shouted. "Close the goddamn freezer already!"

"But --" the cook tried again. Eliot smacked a specials list into his chest and walked past again, this time headed for the dining room.

"It's going to be a normal week, dammit," he said.

"Technically, though, for around here --"

"Normal!"

Today's specials
Triple chocolate beef & bean chili
Baked potato with brussels sprouts and bacon
Orange soda cake

Luke's was open.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fine, Eliot. If you didn't want Hardison to talk dirty, that was just fine. You were the one missing out.

"Like, Parker said, we're basically makin' up the rules of our relationship as we go along. We ain't gonna say no to somethin' just cause it doesn't fit the traditional view of what a relationship's supposed to look like." If they did, they wouldn't have Eliot and that wasn't worth even considering. "You wanna see other people, that's cool. We can work with that, so long as everyone's safe about it."

He cupped his chin in his hands and rested them on the table, giving Eliot a flirty grin. "Did notice you dodgin' Parker's question, though. What do you want?"

"If you want specifics, it'll have to wait 'til my damn staff ain't around to eavesdrop," Eliot said with a smirk. Which drooped after a moment when he realized he wasn't actually answering the question. Which wasn't exactly fair, considering he was the one who'd insisted on talking things out.

Why did he think this was a good idea? He hated talking.

He shoved his hair back from his face and sighed. "I don't --" I don't know was a sucker's way out. "I ain't movin' into that apartment," he said. "I got a nice house, dammit. But, y'know. Y'all are welcome there."

Well. That was a start, at least.

Parker considered that for two seconds, then shrugged. "I'm good with that." She grinned a little wider. "So I can sneak in now? And not get yelled at?"

This wasn't so bad, talking about practical things. Feelings were hard. Actions were pretty straightforward.

She leaned into Hardison, and hummed. "Maybe... warning? If you have overnight company? So we don't meet them like we met Navaan?"

"Welcome there how?" Hardison asked. "Like she said, welcome to break in? Keys? We can leave stuff there?"

He'd mentioned moving into the apartment, even though it was just to say he didn't want to--was that an invitation for them to consider? Some specifics needed ironing out now.

"Warnin's good, yeah. Also warnin's for how you feel about...showin' stuff, I guess." He remembered all the times Eliot came over to wrap him in a hug only to push him away and pretend like it had been Hardison's idea in the first place. "It's a little late to try to hide anythin' on this island, but..."

Hardison was naturally affectionate. Hugs, kisses, random caresses came more easily to him than, say, Parker. Would that be a problem?

"Yeah," Eliot said, waving his hand. "Alla that. Just -- no sneakin' up on me." Not that he was easy to sneak up on, but Parker was one of the few people he knew who could manage it. "And, you know, warning when you're gonna be showin' up wanting me to cook for you." Not that that would stop Hardison from showing up and complaining about Eliot's complete lack of hot pockets and artificially flavored sodas.

"The rest of that -- hell, I don't know." He really hadn't done the relationship thing in a very long time. And he'd never done more than flings with guys before. "We'll have to figure that out as we go, I guess."

Parker made a face at that caveat, because really, sometimes people just didn't notice she was there. "Not deliberately," she bargained, then looked over at Hardison, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It's not easy. Showing it. But." It could be worth it, for how happy it made Hardison when she tried. She looked over at Eliot. "It's not like when we're on a job. Or in class. It's different."

As illustrated by the happy smile he was wearing now, just by that bit of unsolicited affection. It made his whole everything light up, it really did.

"Which would you rather?" he asked. "Tryin' stuff an' seein' what doesn't work? Or slow-playin' it to see what does?"

Eliot rolled his eyes. "Figures you'd be suggestin' slow-playing it."

"I'm just waitin' for you to tell me that I don't have to."

"How 'bout you try somethin' I don't like and I'll do my best not to break your fingers?"

Idle threats were how Eliot expressed his love.

Parker snorted at him. "You get to type for him the first time that happens."

Totally not idle threats were Parker's way of annoying Eliot, which was another way to express love!

"Why we always gotta resort to threats an' bodily injuries?"

And then there was Hardison. Being Hardison. Who didn't need ways to express love, he just did it!

"What? I said I'd try not to break your fingers."

This was what happened when you fell in love with emotionally crippled people, Hardison.

Or, you know, ones with really warped senses of humor as well as fondness for stuff like tasers and distinctive weapons. Parker snickered at Eliot and leaned into Hardison again, more touch to ground him.

"We can go on the job in the Keys and figure some of this out without squirrels talking about it."

Seriously, squirrels. It's like you have nothing better to do.

"Y'all do know we are goin' skinny dippin' though, right? Because I was promised skinny dippin' an' I aim to collect."

See? Why talk about bodily injury when they could discuss sexytimes on warm, sandy beaches? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?

"Skinny dipping," Eliot confirmed. "We should rent a boat. The beaches down there are probably getting pretty crowded."

Parker did a little sitting dance toward Eliot, then back toward Hardison. "Road trip," she sing-songed. "Shotgun!" Then she paused. "That's what you're supposed to say, right?"

"If you wanna sit up front, yeah," Hardison replied. "Orrrr, insteada driving through the Great Redneck Strip, we could fly! First class even!"

Why did he get the feeling he was going to be outvoted on this?

"It's a pretty boring drive," Eliot admitted. "We could fly to Miami, drive down from there."

"Hey remember that time we landed a jet on the highway there?" Parker grinned. "We should definitely check that out again."

"Remember that time I had to hack a bomb on the plane from a thousand miles away?" Hardison grumbled. "With no respect or appreciation or--orange soda cake!"

Speaking of respect and appreciation...he was beaming at Eliot now. And leaning across the table to try to give him a kiss in thanks.

Time to see if his fingers got broken. Either way, he was getting orange soda cake out of the deal.

"Right, that time when you were too busy playin' mmph."

Oh hey, just casually kissing. He could get used to that.

"It took you this long to notice that?"

Parker was snickering. And playing with Eliot's hair. Seriously, this relationship stuff? Definitely cool.

"I was busy!" Hardison protested, not mentioning that he was sometimes also not particularly observant. "Babe, give him another kiss from me while I get a slice of cake."

Orrrr flagged down the busboy and had him bring a slice over while he watched. One of those.

Eliot leaned back and looked at Parker with a satisfied smile. "He walked in complainin' about that specials board," he observed.

Luke's, Monday

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