75 Godiva Street, Saturday Afternoon

[geniuswithasmartphone]

So, everything was terrible again. Hardison was pretty sure that Tony and his TA were evil, Eliot had brought home a version of Kathy that needed babysitting a lot more than she needed to be out heroing, there were slugs pretty much everywhere, and last night Eliot had insisted they all sleep down in the panic room in the basement. Which was actually more like a 'panic suite' because Eliot had built it and he was kind of extra about things, but even so, it was a little more claustrophobic than Hardison was comfortable with. He'd found himself calculating how much air was available in their hidey hole, which wasn't something he'd done since they'd moved from Portland.

That itchy restlessness hadn't left him, even when they'd all come back upstairs for brunch. He needed to get out for a little while. Do something. Spend some time in the open air while feeling useful. So once the meal was over, Hardison grabbed for his jacket and his laptop bag. A walk across the island to the school for some quality research time would hopefully settle him.

[Open for housemates and visitors!]

Comments

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker went and got him one of the bags of ice they kept in the freezer for this kind of thing, without further comment. At least on the punching.

"What do you want, Eliot? No shoutiness."

[vdistinctive]

Oh sure, Parker, ask the impossible.

"I want us safe."

[whoisalicewhite]

Why not, Eliot? Because you were asking for the impossible or at least the wildly improbable too.

"Hardison's going to wear his earbud. You'll know if he really does need help, the minute it happens. The second it happens."

[vdistinctive]

"What if I can't get to him in time?" Knowing Raven was here would help, when she arrived. She could fly, and he knew she was more than capable in a fight. "I know I'm not makin' sense," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Feels like -- like with Gaunt. Like I'm gonna lose everything if I'm not careful enough."

At least there weren't any bear traps.

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker squeezed his free hand, and said, half-kidding, "Would it help if I didn't let go of you? Or sat on you?"

[vdistinctive]

"I don't know," Eliot said, and took a deep breath. "Maybe."

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker tugged him over to the nearest chair, nudged him to sit down, then settled into his lap, one arm around his shoulder. "This isn't any hardship. Cool."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin against her shoulder and tried to breathe.

"Sorry."

[whoisalicewhite]

"Don't be." Parker gave him a kiss, and squeezed his fingers. "It's freaky and creepy and it hurts. You hate this stuff. And ... I just want to make it better." Somehow.

[vdistinctive]

"I should be better at this," Eliot said. "I used to be better at this."

He used to have his whole emotional center on lock-down. There really wasn't much of a comparison.

[whoisalicewhite]

"When did it change?" Parker wondered. Because it kind of had, Eliot's ability to stay cool, but it had been gradual enough that she wasn't sure when that happened. She asked, a little more quietly, "Are we making it worse somehow?"

[vdistinctive]

"No." Eliot said, hanging on a little harder. "Maybe. A little. But that's a good thing. Most of the time."

[whoisalicewhite]

You were getting the most dubious of dubious looks there, Eliot.

[vdistinctive]

"Openin' yourself up to people is worth the hurt," Eliot explained. "This is just -- this is a lot of hurt."

[whoisalicewhite]

Okay, that, she got. "Ohh." She considered that, putting her head on his shoulder. "Same here. For you. And Hardison." Parker swallowed, and said, "Sorry if it's rough on you, though."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot just hung on tighter.