Fic: Burn (1/2), Crossover Leverage/A:tS, NC-17

[elebridith]

I have a 'verse. *looks stunned* Somehow my Angel/Leverage crossover has evolved into a verse. I have no idea how that happened, but here it is. Hope you like it!

Oh, and The Smile? First pic in my sidebar. *g*

Burn (1/2)

elebridith

Fandom: Crossover A:tS/Leverage

Rating: NC-17. Slash, swearing. Teeny spoiler if you haven't seen "The Two Horse Job".

Complete.

Beta'd by
havenward , with endless patience for my crazy run-ons. She also wears now the badge of "The Southernifyer". A million thanks, hun, this wouldn't be here without you! *smishes*

Pairings: Eliot/Lindsey. Very minor Sophie/Nate. Pre-Parker/Hardison.

Disclaimer: Not mine, no one, nothing. Just playing...

Set in my Face Value!Verse. About two months after Face Value chapter three. The whole thing can be found here.

Summary: He was pretty sure that it was written all over his face - and with immaculate timing Eliot turned his head and looked his way.

Special thanks to
honeyjojames for all the bunny feeding! *hugs*

Banner by

charlies_dragon !




Lindsey ran a hand through his short brown locks. He felt a little frustrated. Or more accurately, a whole lot frustrated.

All in all, life had finally gone uphill after he had come to Chicago. Nathan had decided to trust him enough to join the team, and the others had more or less reluctantly accepted it. He still wasn't sure that the team believed everything he had told them about his previous life as lawyer from Evil, Inc., but he guessed that their own lives had been crazy enough to give him a benefit of doubt. He'd already worked a job with them and had taken up combat training lessons with Eliot to stay in shape. The others had gotten used to his physical resemblance to Eliot some time ago, but to differentiate it at least a little bit he'd cut his hair short again and had dropped the Urban Cowboy look in favor of a more casual style.

He was keeping a low profile at the moment. Lindsey McDonald had officially died in Los Angeles, but he already had a new identity thanks to Alec's talents. He had adamantly insisted on picking his new name by himself - he had no intention of ending up with a last name like Skywalker or the like.

In about two months he would have an apartment of his own. Nathan had overheard a conversation that a couple who lived in the same building as them would move out and sell their rooms. Although Nathan didn't have a problem letting him stay in his guest room Lindsey wasn't willing to take advantage of his generosity longer than necessary. So Nathan had pulled some strings to get him on top of the list of interested buyers and everything was in clean sheets now.

Money wasn't a problem. Like all good Wolfram & Hart employees Lindsey had stashed away some cash under a false name on a hidden bank account... just in case. As it turned out, it wasn't as hidden as he had hoped - the account had already been frozen as he tried to access it a week after his "death".

I wonder if Wolfram & Hart knew about everybody that did this? Probably.

Hardison had taken up the challenge, gleeful as ever. And within a week he had managed to transfer the money from the frozen account to another one he'd set up for Lindsey. He was not explicit on details, but somehow the transfer looked as if it had been made a week before Lindsey's official expiration date and the money had gone into a Swiss account that had been wiped two days later. Alec had chuckled a lot at the thought of some poor W & H employees still searching Switzerland for the hidden cash.

Lindsey decided that Leverage Consulting & Associates could be described as a bunch of friends. In a very loose way, maybe, but friends nevertheless, and in the past two months he had found a place among them and it felt damn good. Team. And meaning it.

There was just one little thing.

He already knew a lot about the others. About Nathan's son, and Alec's enthusiasm for science fiction. He even knew Sophie's favorite perfume. (By pure chance it was the same one that Lilah Morgan had preferred, which had irritated him a lot in the first days, but now he'd gotten used to it.)

Parker was still a little mystery, not because she didn't tell anything but because he was never sure what he could believe or not. Which meant he was in the dark for only one team member.

Eliot Spencer. He's like a freakin' oyster. Why do I know nothing about him?

It wasn't like he didn't know anything at all - oh no. He knew that the man was a kick-ass fighter, didn't like guns, was engaged once - oh sorry, it was only a Promise Ring - could cook like a chef if he felt like it and had a shitload of anger bottled up inside him. So that was quite a lot - but none of it even scratched the surface.

Why doesn't he like guns? Where'd he learn to cook? Where'd he come from? What... Damn. I'm doing it again.

He wanted to know more about the man who had saved his life. Wanted it so badly that it almost reached the point of obsession, but he'd learned one thing very quickly - one does not, absolutely not, ask Eliot Spencer about his private life. Not if you don't want to receive a death glare and rude comments. Especially not if you're the one getting combat training from him. A whole set of bruises that could be translated as "don't ask me private questions ever again" were proof of that. It would have been a whole lot easier if he could just dismiss Eliot as a cold-hearted bastard who just happened to save him and probably regretted it by now.

Wish it would be that simple. It's not. Not with what he...

Lindsey couldn't forget the way Eliot had pulled him out of his self-loathing two months ago. And there was so much more - giving Sophie a shoulder massage after a very narrow escape from a runaway truck that left her really shaking, knowing everyone's preferred snacks when shopping for supplies, recording Alec's favorite TV show without asking while the hacker was out for a job. Although he dismissed every thanks with a shrug and a grunted don't mention it, small details like that proved the existence of a soft spot in Eliot Spencer. Proved that he cared, even if he did a stellar job of hiding it.

Who are you, Eliot?

They were sitting around the table after a particularly spectacular con, celebrating. Nate had brought champagne, Parker was already a little tipsy and Alec amused everyone by re-enacting a funny scene from the scam he had been pulling. Everyone was laughing, and as Alec heaped some praise on Eliot's head the guy actually smiled. Lindsey had seen the smile before - sometimes deliberately for some part he was playing, sometimes mockingly, very seldom just naturally, but never like this. Honest, real, even with a little affection, playing the praise down but flattered about it nevertheless.

Lindsey's breath got stuck in his throat. His own smile faltered as he realized what exactly he was thinking just then.

God, I want to kiss him. Kiss that smile just right off his lips. And keep it for me. And just when did that happen? I'm not… I don't…

He was pretty sure that it was written all over his face - and with immaculate timing Eliot turned his head and looked his way.

Lindsey doubted at first that Eliot had seen it - he had quickly put back on his cocky grin and said something about more drinks, avoiding Eliot's glance for the next minutes. But when he looked into his direction again, he knew that the other man had. A cold unreadable stare was directed at him, the smile completely wiped out, and Lindsey was just glad that no one else had noticed so far. He was suddenly sober again, made a hasty excuse about using the restroom, stood up quickly and practically fled the room.

Alone in the bathroom, he dropped into the next chair and ran his fingers through his hair again, then curling his fingers up and pulling roughly.

Shit. I'm fucked.

***

Eliot didn't mention The Look. Not the next day, not later. Lindsey tried to act as normal as possible, and in the end was almost convinced that he had been imagining Eliot's Don't-Even-Think-About-It expression. On the other hand he couldn't shake the feeling that Eliot avoided being alone with him more than usual, outside of combat training. And a few times he caught Eliot looking at him with a weird expression that he couldn't read at all. All of this left him more and more uneasy.

Three days later, Lindsey sat in the kitchen, waiting for some tea to get ready, playing absently with some cookies. Not because he was hungry but just to give his fingers something to do. He lifted his head and smiled as Nathan came in. "Hey. Had a good day?"

Nathan smiled back and nodded. "Tired now, but yeah." He grabbed a cup, sat down on the opposite site of the table and eyed Lindsey curiously. "Everything all right?"

Lindsey sighed and smiled a little reluctantly. "Yes. No. Don't know actually."

Nathan gave him a sympathetic look. "He's practically impossible to figure out."

Lindsey looked up, a little surprised. "Am I that obvious?"

"That you're trying to get through to Eliot? Yeah. Blatantly obvious." Nathan grinned. "And so far you've failed, and got frustrated about it. Don't worry, it's nothing personal. We've known him a lot longer than you and we actually don't know much about him either."

Lindsey sighed again, frustration showing more and more. He rubbed his temples. "And why's that, Nate? Who... is he?"

Nathan shook his head. "He doesn't tell. Of course there are files with the basic facts, and I assume you have already read them. But you know as well as I do how little a file really says about a person."

Lindsey huffed out a small resigned laugh. "No kiddin'."

Nathan stood up, fetched the tea and poured two cups, silent for a moment. Then he continued. "I would call him a friend, if just for the lack of a better word, and I'd trust him with my life. But do I know him? No."

Lindsey shook his head. He felt the now-familiar despair creeping in that showed itself every time he hit another Eliot-shaped wall. He could barely keep it out of his voice. "So where does he go when he ain't sleeping on your couch? Has he got any other friends? Or family?"

Nathan shrugged. "He has a small apartment on the other side of the town, under a false name. As for other friends? I doubt it." He slowly took a careful sip of the hot tea and looked up again. "Eliot knows that if he loses control when he fights, people die. And I guess he applies that rule on the rest of his life too."

***

Lindsey yawned and turned the TV off. Nathan had gone to sleep immediately after finishing his dinner, but Lindsey had stayed up, trying to distract himself from thinking about Eliot. About his reaction. About his own very confused feelings. It had worked, until that moment when he stood up from the couch and heard the door open.

Eliot entered the room and stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Lindsey. He looked surprised at first, then alarmed. "Hey. You're still up - something happen?"

Lindsey slowly stepped forward around the couch, unsure of how to go on. "No, I just wasn't tired."

Eliot nodded absently. And there was this look again, just for a second. And suddenly Lindsey knew what it reminded him of. Cornered animal. Ready to strike. What the hell? He almost expected a snarl, but the expression was already gone, replaced by the usual calmness. He hesitated a moment, but then blurted out "Where have you been?" Come on. Tell me. Give me something.

Eliot glared at him, now clearly annoyed. "None of your business." He abruptly turned away and headed towards the kitchen.

And that was it. Lindsey decided that he had had enough of this. No more patience. "Hey!"

Eliot stopped and turned around. He only arched an eyebrow, looking a little amused at the sharp tone of Lindsey's voice. "What?"

Lindsey narrowed his eyes. "The hell is wrong with you?"

Now it was both eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Lindsey tried to control his anger, keep his voice down not to wake Nathan. "Is there a reason why you keep shutting me out? You've gone through a lot of trouble getting me out of Los Angeles, you probably know my life by now as well as I do and I still don't know shit about you! I don't want your whole damn back story here, but could it hurt you to, y'know, loosen up?"

Eliot gave him a hard look. "You think because I saved your sorry ass that means you mean a damn thing to me? Sorry. Don't work like that."

Lindsey's eyes now glared daggers and he balled his hands to fists. "And you say there's something wrong with Parker! I call bullshit, Eliot. I think I got some right to know something, anything about you." He grinned, showing his teeth. "Or are you just afraid that I could get under your skin?"

It was a low blow, he knew it. He had barely a second to see the flare of anger in Eliot's eyes before the man launched at him. Grabbing Lindsey's shirt with one hand, Eliot shoved hard against his shoulder with the other and delivered a kick against his ankles at he same time. Lindsey stumbled backwards and they both fell to the floor since Eliot didn't release his grip. As they hit the ground Eliot let go of the shirt. He moved lightning quick and had Lindsey's wrists suddenly in a tight grip on the floor over his head, pinning Lindsey down with his weight.

His voice was still dead calm despite his anger. "Fighting dirty, Lindsey? Good. Seems you've learned at least one lesson I taught you. Now let's see what you make of this one."

Lindsey was trapped. The fingers around his wrists were too strong to twist open and Eliot had moved his feet in a manner that prevented Lindsey's legs very effectively from moving. He could see the smug expression on Eliot's face as he struggled helplessly against him, but there was also something else behind it. Something he really couldn't place. What kind of game is he playing now? He snarled and bucked his hips upward in another futile try to throw off the hard body above him, and then his eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

Oh. Now that's… OH.

He let his expression morph to a wicked grin and very slowly and deliberately repeated his movement. A small growl told him that he'd gotten the message out loud and clear. Eliot stared angrily down at him, although Lindsey wasn't sure anymore if the anger was directed at him. Eliot tilted his head, eyes blazing.

"Losing control, huh? That's what you want? Not me, boy. Not yet."

And Lindsey had not even a heartbeat before the other man lowered his head and kissed him. It wasn't tender. Not in the slightest. It was almost an attack, a hard smash against his lips complete with teeth and tongue. Lindsey still couldn't move his arms or legs, but he didn't mind just now.

Yes.

He kissed back just as feral, trying to catch Eliot's lower lip with his teeth, and another buck of his hips convinced him that he hadn't been imagining things before. Eliot pulled back suddenly, leaving them both panting heavily. He stared at Lindsey's face as if he couldn't decide if he should go on or back off, and Lindsey used the opportunity to finally twist one of his hands free. Sensing Eliot's momentary conflict he dug his fingers in Eliot's long hair without hesitation, trying to draw him back into another kiss. Eliot grinned, refusing to give in but pressing his hips down harder for a moment before he abruptly moved back and got to his feet again. He dragged Lindsey up in the process and then gripped his shoulders hard and pulled Lindsey flush against him.

They looked at each other for a moment, faces only inches apart. Lindsey could feel Eliot's fast breathing against his heated skin and didn't dare to move. After what seemed like hours Eliot's eyes closed for a moment, then the angry tension melted a little and the grip on Lindsey's shoulders was still tight but didn't hurt anymore.

"Bedroom. Now." Eliot's voice was pure want and hell if it wasn't the most arousing sound Lindsey had ever heard. It almost caused his knees to give in, but Eliot pushed him forward and they stumbled into Lindsey's bedroom, kissing again. Eliot was already tearing at Lindsey's shirt and made an impatient sound as some of the buttons refused to work. Finally he simply ripped it open. "Hope this isn't your favorite."

Lindsey shook his head, giving a little breathless laugh. He shuffled off the remains, grabbed the belt of Eliot's jeans and used it to push him over to the half-made bed. As they dropped on it Lindsey managed to end up on top of Eliot. He pressed down on him and shook his head. "And I thought I'd freaked you out the other day."

Eliot smirked. "Takes more than that. 'M very flexible." He grabbed Lindsey's arms and flipped them both over.

Lindsey grinned back. "Fine by me." It had been a long time since he'd been shoved around like this but any objections he might have had flew out of the window as Eliot lowered his head and pressed his mouth to Lindsey's jaw. He was using his teeth a little less aggressively than before, slowly biting and licking his way down. Lindsey closed his eyes, moaned a little and let his head fall back. "Fuck… yes…more…"

He could hear soft chuckling as he tangled his fingers in Eliot's hair, trying to pull him further down and not really succeeding. "Nuh-uh, Lindsey. My pacing here. Not taking orders from you…"

Lindsey growled. "No orders. Fine. Have it your… oh God!" He arched his back up with a sharp hiss as Eliot's mouth found the soft flesh below his left collarbone. Skin. Now.

He lifted his head slightly while his hands tore almost desperately on the shirt that Eliot still wore. He pulled it out of the jeans and managed at least to rip the front open so he could finally get his hands on bare skin. He raked his fingernails down Eliot's back and a sharp intake of breath told him that he had just hit the right button. Eliot finally gave in to his urging hands and lowered his whole body down. Their naked chests pressed together, hands and mouths everywhere they could reach; lips, teeth and nails, hungry, wanting.

Lindsey ground his hips upwards, already breathing hard and fast, seeking friction against the body covering him. "Fuck, Eliot… stop fucking… teasing me…" Lindsey gasped. " Will you… touch me already?"

Eliot's lips moved to Lindsey's left ear, ghosting over the soft skin directly under it which completely removed Lindsey's ability to form words. He could feel Eliot's hands slowly sliding down between their bodies and then working on the buttons of his jeans. The only sounds coming from him now were moans deep in his throat and harsh panting, the words ohGodyespleasenow only sounding in his head but not coming out. He threw his head back with a small cry as Eliot softly bit down on his earlobe, voice now a deep low purr.

"I wanna see you fall apart, Lindsey. Lose control. Burn."

Eliot's hands rested for a moment and then touched. It only needed a few firm strokes and Lindsey cried out, a hoarse, choking sound that was muffled by the fierce kiss Eliot claimed his mouth with. He dug his fingers into Eliot's back, holding on for dear life as the force of his orgasm sent rippling waves through him. He was vaguely aware that Eliot's body stiffened for a moment and then the grip on his hips tightened and Lindsey more felt than heard a rough sound against his lips that might or might not have been his name.

He didn't know how much time had passed. It seemed hours until he was able to breathe properly again, and he still didn't want to move a limb or open his eyes more than a tiny bit. But seeing Eliot looking down at him with a very unguarded and almost vulnerable expression was kind of unexpected. He managed a little smile.

Eliot didn't smile back. He just stared at him, looking stunned and a little disbelieving. Then he lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips softly over Lindsey's lips. Lindsey's eyes fluttered close and only opened again as the caress was suddenly gone and he felt the other man move to stand up.

"What…?" He slowly sat up and frowned. "Where are you going?"

Eliot looked at him and Lindsey could see the defenses coming up again. "Back on the couch. Where else?"

Lindsey shook his head. "No." He reached out and placed his hand on Eliot's upper arm. "Stay." He looked into Eliot's eyes. "Please."

Eliot hesitated, and then closed his eyes for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Lindsey nodded and was rewarded with one of those rare brilliant smiles that for seconds wiped away every trace of the generally unflappable fighter. His eyes lit up at the sight. Mine.

Eliot dropped back on the bed again, now wearing a mixture of amusement and concern on his face. And still a trace of that smile.

"You do realize that the others will find out as soon as I open that door in the morning?"

Lindsey grinned, his self-confidence back in place. "And that should bother me? Why? Is Nate going to burn me at the stake?"

Eliot chuckled. "No, he won't. There will be a few comments and the usual dirty jokes, Hardison will probably choke on his coffee when he finds out because he's still sure that I have a thing for Parker, but if you're okay with that…" He shrugged and stood up again.

Lindsey looked confused. "Hey - where… I thought…"

Eliot looked down on him and arched his eyebrows. "I'm gonna fetch a fresh sheet. Don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping under a wet and sticky one." He smirked and left the bedroom.

Lindsey eyed the messy sheet under him and had to grin. He used a dry spot to clean himself up a bit and then kicked the whole thing on the floor just as Eliot returned. The new sheet landed on top of him and as he finally wrestled himself out of it Eliot had changed into boxers and examined now the shredded remains of his shirt. He sighed and stripped it off. "Might as well give them a good show later."

Lindsey laughed, then yawned and stretched like a cat as Eliot slid beside him. "I really thought I'd blown everything to pieces the other day." he said softly.

Eliot tilted his head. "Well, your expression wasn't exactly subtle. And you looked pretty freaked out yourself." He chuckled, but only for a second.

"I didn't want it. Didn't want me to want it. Being close always means trouble."

Lindsey smiled, already more than a little sleepy. "Glad you made an exception to the rule." His eyes fell close and he could feel Eliot shift into a more comfortable position next to him. He was vaguely aware of Eliot's arm sliding reluctantly halfway around his waist before he drifted off to sleep completely, his head almost resting on Eliot's shoulder.

Part Two here.