Luke's Diner, Thursday

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison hadn't finished his set stained glass artwork based on museum security blueprints, so he gathered up all his materials and headed over to Luke's to grab some lunch while he kept working. He claimed a booth off to the side and set out all of his art supplies--only to get distracted by whatever the kitchen had prepared. It smelled warm and spicy and Hardison needed to flag the busboy down and order a serving of everything being prepared.

At that was when he noticed the busboy wasn't bussing tables, but instead was standing next to the piano they'd somehow wheeled into the corner, crooning 'As Time Goes By.'

"Hang on, you need some accompaniment," Hardison said, sliding onto the piano bench. He was going to ask about this later. Probably. "But anybody calls me Sam an' we're gonna fight."

Today's Specials
Chicken Bastilla
Berber Tangine
All served with Khobz
Kaab El Ghazal



[No OCD]

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"When the hell did this place turn into a seedy lounge?" Eliot asked. He could also wonder why the hell there were art supplies all over one of his tables, but -- it was Hardison. There was no need.

[omg, there's a Moroccan place near my parents' house that has the BEST bastilla. And now I'm sad I can't just fuck off to another state and have one right the hell now. . . .]

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison and the busboy just exchanged glances. "No respect for the classics," Hardison tsked.

[vdistinctive]

Hey now, let's not pretend that Rick's was anything but a seedy lounge.

"I am shocked, shocked," Eliot said. "To find art supplies in this establishment."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

It totally was.

"Makin' a present for Parker," Hardison said, giving the piano a little trill. "Got inspired by class."

[vdistinctive]

"Oh yeah? You know she's still afraid of horses, right?"

Eliot had heard about Summer's "free as a horse in a field" drawing, yes.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"C'mon, we both know that's what I'd give you," Hardison teased. "Go check out what I'm doin'. You'll get it."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot made a few grumbling noises as he went to do just that. If said grumbling noises sounded suspiciously like "or a wolf", Eliot would deny all knowledge of what you were talking about.

He'd had both a horse phase and a wolf phase, okay? And had grown out of neither.

"Is that the Egyptian Museum in Cairo?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Eliot was totally going to get some kind of wolf piece during the semester. Just he wait.

"Yup," Hardison said proudly, abandoning the piano in favor of his boyfriend and also the steaming plate of bastilla one of the servers had just brought out. "The one underneath it is the Getty Trust."

The Louvre was in there as well. Because it was the Louvre. And Parker.

[vdistinctive]

"She's gonna love 'em," Eliot said. ". . . They're totally going to end up hanging on the Christmas tree next year."

Along with all the goodies she'd stolen from the three museums.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Yeah, probably," Hardison said with a grin, stealing a kiss from his favorite boyfriend. "But I figure the best way to get her to appreciate art is startin' with what she thinks is art an' workin' from there."

[vdistinctive]

"Yeah, man, I know," Eliot pointed out, kissing back. "I been doing the same thing with her and food. Even got her breakin' into museums just to look at the artwork there, for awhile."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"We are such good boyfriends," Hardison declared. "Look at us, all sexy an' thoughtful an' shit."

[vdistinctive]

"She's lucky to have us," Eliot agreed. "And we're lucky to have you. I thank you yet for what you helped Kathy with?"

He had, about half a dozen times. But it was warranted.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

But it warmed him every time. "Glad you liked it," Hardison said, ducking his head. "She came with the idea an' just needed some help with the execution. Glad to." He grinned down at Eliot. "Besides, I knew it was gonna make you smile."

Made everything worth it, right there.

[vdistinctive]

Smile wasn't even the word for it. Eliot lit up thinking about it. "Hell, man, I'm impressed you managed to keep it a secret."

And hadn't just ditched the idea after their argument before the holidays.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hey now. They might have fought, but Hardison wasn't going to stop working on a project that would make Eliot that happy just because he was angry.

"Man, now why you gotta go say somethin' like that?" he protested, mostly out of habit. "Here I am, doin' nice things for you an' your kid, an' you out here sayin' you're surprised I could keep it quiet, like I wasn't a thief for years."

[vdistinctive]

Unfortunately, Eliot still had a tiny voice in the back of his head telling him he was going to ruin this. He was a lot better at ignoring it, but that didn't mean it was gone.

"You were the kind of thief who went around braggin' about your exploits." Said the guy whose name was not just infamous but feared in his circles. "Y'all just stuck funny names on yourselves when you did it."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison had bought MC Hammer's mansion when they were trying to 'lay low.' It was possible that Eliot had a point.

"Thus keepin' my real identity a secret!"

[vdistinctive]

"Yeah, y'all hackers are masters of subterfuge."

Again, Eliot's rep was built around his real, legal name.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

You know, the narrative had an excellent point. "I'm sorry, O Man of Mystery, what nom du guerre did you use while whoopin' everybody's ass, exactly?"

[vdistinctive]

"That's completely different," Eliot said. "I wasn't a thief, I was in retrievals. It's a whole different -- culture."

It was so nice that they could be basically married and still enjoy flirting so much.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

It really warmed the heart to see them so in love.

"The kind of culture that says 'Yeah, use my real name, I want folks to be able to look me up in my high school yearbook.' I see," Hardison said, nodding. "Very imposin'."

[vdistinctive]

"The kinda culture where folks see I'm usin' my real name and understand it's because I ain't afraid of anyone." It was like the long hair, really. It was self-defense 101 not to give your opponent something to grab onto, but people on Eliot's level were just too badass to care.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"So what you're sayin' is you came up with that whole explanation just to stop folks from askin' why you don't have an alias," Hardison surmised with a nod. "Okay right."

[vdistinctive]

"Your alias was 'Hardiman'. I got nothin' to prove to you."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"That ain't an alias, that's my comic alter-ego!"

...There were better defenses.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot shook his head. "Ain't seein' the difference."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"One wasn't--" generally "--used for thievin'!"

They were so happy together!

[vdistinctive]

"Really. Our first job in Portland. That wasn't thieving?"

You named Eliot "Mr. Punchy", Hardison, he was going to remember that real clearly.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"That was different," Hardison informed him. "I gave us code names for the con. Cause I was usin' game theory. An' then--cause we--if you'd just--dammit, man, it ain't my fault you don't know the difference!"