fandomtownies | Luke's, Monday

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Luke's, Monday

"But you could catch so many on your little morning -- whatever!"

"Run," Eliot said, pouring himself yet another cup of coffee. He wasn't even a griffon anymore. Why did his shoulders still hurt from flying around? "It's called a run. And I'm not going to spend it starin' at my phone."

"You have no sense of wonder," the busboy said, shaking his head. "No imagination at all."

Behind him, the cook and the dishwasher very carefully aimed the cook's phone, giggling delightedly at each other.

Eliot wondered if Hardison might have a way to just shut down cell service in the entire diner.

Today's specials
Actualy, you know, food. Because it's a diner.
Not a pokewhosit gym thing.
I don't care what it says on your app.

Luke's was open ~~and flying OCD free today~~.

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But that would cut down on Hardison's ability to catch his own tiny monsters! And he was already so behind after being a pony for a week.

"Sup," he murmured when he came in, eyes glued to his screen. "I'll have a special."

You know, one of the menu items that wasn't actually listed.

"How many things have you walked into 'cause you ain't lookin' where you're going?" Eliot asked.

"Yo, this is augmented reality!" Hardison argued, barely glancing up from his phone. "It shows what's going on in the real world, too!"

When he was actively trying to catch one anyway. And no, that didn't actually answer Eliot's question.

"Complete with a giant cartoon blind spot. You gonna put that thing away and actually interact with the reality you're tryin' to augment, or am I gonna have to kick you outta my diner and my bed until the novelty wears off?"

The diner, Hardison could handle. There were plenty of restaurants around here that did delivery. Or take-out, now that Hardison had a reason to be out and about. But getting kicked out of bed...

"I'm cool, I'm cool!" Hardison said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He only had like thirty more seconds on his incense anyway and the stop wasn't in range of the diner. "I woulda figured you'd be all over this thing. I already walked up and down them stairs by the park for an hour, lookin' for one of the rare monsters."

"Oh yeah. You know I'm all over things that make me stare at my phone instead of paying attention to my surroundings." Eliot rolled his eyes. "You managed to spend more than five minutes outside at a time. Congrats."

"I meant for me," Hardison said, rolling his eyes right back. "You know, since you like to complain that I don't go outside an' run around."

Whereas now he had to, to make sure his eggs got hatched!

"Man, what? You got a chaos-hangover or something?"

"People been wanderin' in with that crap all day. Tryin' to walk back into the kitchen, the freezer, my office. One guy walked smack into the door, he was starin' at his screen so much. You'd think we'd had enough cartoons on this island lately, but no. . . ."

Pardon Eliot while he proved to be more resistant to this new game than most grandmothers.

Hardison just nodded and let Eliot rant, surreptitiously gesturing to the busboy. They were both on the same team. Cook and the dishwasher were on another and currently held the gym nearby. Hardison and the busboy had Plans.

"Yeah, yeah, it must be terrible, havin' all these people likin' somethin'," Hardison agreed. "Wait. Did that one person say what was in the freezer he was tryna get?"

If it was a legendary, Hardison was going in.

Eliot just gave him a Look for that one.

There were polar bears in that there freezer, Hardison. And sometimes tentacle monsters. Also, it was cold.

That's why there were parkas, Eliot! Parkas!

"Not worth it," the busboy hissed, under the guise of bringing Hardison a soda. "Same ones are spawning in Caritas."

Hardison gave the kid a nod as he took his orange soda. "I was just askin'," he said innocently. "Not like I'm plannin' on goin' in there!"

...Now.

"Uh huh." Don't think he didn't see you two. You were not as sneaky as you thought you were. "Do me a favor and try not to get yourself trapped or killed chasing after fake monsters."

Hey! Hardison was as good at sneaking as he was at accents!

"C'mon, man! I'm smarter'n that!" he protested, looking innocent. "At least I'm goin' after fake monsters this time!"

Case in point.

"Uh huh. And what's this collection of fake monsters get you, exactly?"

"A great mood after a week of bein' a damn pony," Hardison said smugly. "An' a temporary ceasefire in my constant feud with your staff."

Beat.

"Well, a ceasefire with a third of 'em." He held his fist out to the busboy who bumped it on his way to the kitchen.

"An' what's your grumpy insta-hate of anythin' electronic an' fun got you today?"

Eliot could sprain something, rolling his eyes that hard. "I don't hate fun. But playin' your phone game doesn't mean you get to break the social contract. You still don't walk uninvited into other people's kitchens and things. You still have to do your jobs!" This towards the kitchen, naturally. "And you still gotta look at people when you're talkin' to 'em. When you're askin' 'em to do things for you. Like, say, get you lunch?"

"Hey now," Hardison said, raising a finger. "I said you hate anything electronic an' fun. Tell me I'm wrong about that. An' I wasn't orderin' lunch from you, I was orderin' it from him. He understands."

Parker leaned into him, pointy chin on his shoulder. "How many have you got? Did you get the one on top of the Rocky Bits?"

"Up to fifty-three!" Hardison said proudly, showing her his phone. "There's one all the way up there?"

He sounded crestfallen.

It was a legendary, wasn't it?

Of course it was.

"Yeah. Well, about a fourth of the way down from the top. I can show you?" Parker offered. "Did you get the one under the pier?" Only reachable at low tide? Unless you swam down there. Heh.

"Yo, can I maybe just give you my phone an; have you grab it?" Hardison wheedled. "You know you're so much better at climbin' that stuff than me, mama."

Don't do it, Parker. You get Hardison on a climbing date if you played your ~~AR videogame~~ cards right.

Parker gave him a side-eye for that, and asked innocently, "But where's the challenge in getting it twice?" A beat, and then, "Of course, I'm happy to help you get it...."

Hardison gave her saddest, most puppiest eyes he could. "You really gonna make me climb up there, mama? Really?"

Clearly she was in league with Eliot.

Parker gave him a teeny peck on the lips, then put her chin back on his shoulder. "You're really not going to come with me? Really?"

Parker's sad eyes were nowhere near as sad as Hardison's. But she was trying! Trying hard!

"You had fun when we climbed all those buildings. And it's been a while."

"Fun's an interestin' way to put it," Hardison grumbled, chasing her lips to give her a better one. "Oh all right."

Did you hear that sigh, Parker? Did you?

"When you wanna go?"

Yes she did, and she gave him full props for the resignation in that sigh.

Also, a deeper kiss, mwah!

"... I have my class tomorrow during third period. Do you want to go after? Or Wednesday, if that's better."

"Whenever you want, mama," Hardison said, perking up a bit under that kiss. Because Parker kisses were even better than legendary monsters. "Should we invite Eliot along?"

"Hmmm. Yes." She grinned at him. "Although it's kinda fun to just be with you sometimes. And you guys have fun on your man-dates too."

"All we do on our man-dates is bicker," Hardison objected. Which, really could have been shorted to 'all we do is bicker' and still be fairly correct.

And they enjoyed their bickering, so there was that, too.

"But that's why I asked. I love spendin' time with both y'all, but I like spendin' just one-on-one time with each of you, too. Either way, I'm happy. Except when y'all think you're cute an' push me offa high things."

Parker poked her head out of one of the vents, then did a back-flip out of it to land on her hands, then bounce up to her feet.

"I miss the low-gravity." Not that you could tell by the way she was running around the island.

"Definitely made things interesting," Eliot agreed.

Not that the island had needed any help in the "interesting" department the last week.

Parker grinned, then fluffed his hair. "I also kind of miss your feathers. But not the beak. I need to get wings the next time I turn into something." As was inevitable. "Did you see where the island is now? It's really trashed. Like, nuclear apocalypse, kind of trashed."

Eliot shook his head. "You gotta wonder about Fandom's tastes."

He was planning to keep off the local planet. It'd been his MO for most of the summer already.

Whereas Parker was feeling the need to go stretch her fingers (into other people's pockets) and might be starting some fights over there.

"You could do some of your outdoor survival stuff there. Maybe." Maaaybe not. "Why are you stretching your shoulders like that?"

"Upper back's tight as a drum," Eliot said. "Apparently not havin' wings anymore doesn't meat I get to get out of sore muscles from spendin' a week usin' 'em."

"That's no fair." Parker hummed, considering, then offered, "I could try to loosen it up a little? Not a masseuse, but..."

"Sure," Eliot said. "Mostly just gonna be a matter of stretching and time, but it's worth a shot. Thanks."

Parker went around his back and dug her knuckles into his shoulder-blades, and said, "I want to braid your hair after work tonight. I think it would look cool. Maybe like that guy on ~~meta for~~ Game of Thrones."

Eliot snorted. "Alright. I warn you, I mostly look like a reject extra from some western."

Like he hadn't braided his hair before.

Parker snickered as she dug her fingers in behind his jaw and ears, then back down to his shoulders. "There might have to be pictures, then." Sent to Sophie, yup.

Eliot's attempt at a grumpy "harrumph" came out more as a soft moan.

God she was good with her hands.

"Soph'll get a kick out of those."

Parker giggled into the back of his neck. "I promise to tell her not to show them to Nate."

Whether that was beyond Sophie's control or not? Was a good question.

"I think we should do a job soon. A short one. It's been too long."

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Luke's, Monday

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