[100_tales] A Friend In Need
Title: A Friend In Need
Author: defy_n_gravity
Prompt: 100_tales: 055. Kindness
Characters: Parker, Michael Westen
Rating: T
Words: 754
Disclaimer: I have no claim on Leverage or Burn Notice or any of their characters. Just using for fun.
Warning: n/a
Author's Notes: Follows this piece in my Eliot/Fiona series, but you don't have to read it to follow. No real spoilers for either show in this one, unless you haven't seen Leverage since before the S3 finale.
Summary: “You have a bad guy after you! We're the good guys! We're supposed to help!”
Michael let himself into the loft and immediately saw a familiar blond sitting on his counter eating a cup of yogurt. It wasn't uncommon at all for him to find people in his loft eating his yogurt, and being who this was she could be up to a lot worse.
He sighed and tossed his keys down as he walked over to her. “Parker,” he greeted.
She looked up, her legs swinging and banging into the counter a bit. “I'm tired of blueberry.”
“Let me know you're coming next time and I'll fill up with something else,” he replied.
“Eliot said you're in trouble,” she shrugged.
“I'm not in trouble.” He rolled his eyes at the fact that Eliot seemed to think he needed help.
“You're always in trouble,” Parker shot back. She hoped down to her feet and took a step towards him. “And I think he's worried about Fiona. He said he had a thing he had to do, and the others said okay, but...” She glanced down, mixing up her yogurt a bit, and she shrugged again. “I wanted to help.”
Michael's lips turned up just slightly at that. Parker was yet one more person that had seemed to stick themselves to his life whether he liked it or not, and while she got on his nerves more often or not, he did hold a certain amount of affection for her. Especially with the way she actually seemed concerned about him at times.
He sighed and walked past her to the fridge so he could get a yogurt for himself. “There's nothing to help with.”
“You just don't want Eliot around.”
“I never said that.”
“He's not so bad. You two should stop hating each other,” she said.
“We don't-” Michael closed his eyes and took a breath, then shook his head. “Thank you for coming to visit,” he said instead, fixing her with a smile.
“There's no job right now,” she replied. “Hardison has some new games, Eliot's worried about Fiona, and Nate and Sophie are sleeping together now.” She paused and tilted her head. “Did you know that?”
“No. I can't say I did,” he answered. He hardly knew the other three.
“Yeahhh,” she nodded.
Michael leaned back against his counter top and tried to come up with a response to that, but he really didn't have one. “I...don't know what I'm supposed to say to that.”
“Me either. It's kind of weird.”
“Parker. It's not really...appropriate to share other people's business like that.”
“It's small talk,” she replied, walking over and pushing herself up on the counter again.
“No, small talk is talking about the weather or what books you've been reading.”
“Oh. That sounds boring.”
“It is. Small talk isn't meant to be entertaining,” he explained.
“So what should we talk about instead?”
“How about when you're going home?”
“When we're done helping you.”
“Parker.” He set his eyes at her.
“Michael,” she mocked, returning the gaze.
“We've talked about this.”
“You have a bad guy after you! We're the good guys! We're supposed to help!”
Michael sighed again and set his yogurt down. “I appreciate your concern, but I don't want you wrapped up in this. It's bad enough that everyone else is, but I don't need to add two more heads to that.”
“It's not your choice,” she said stubbornly. “Eliot likes Fiona so he has to help, and you're...” She huffed a bit to get the words out. “You're my friend. So...I have to help, too.”
He smiled a bit at that and his eyes softened. “I'm your friend?”
She nodded, looking down. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Duh.”
He took that in and considered it for awhile. “I'm...not going to convince you to go home anytime soon, am I?”
She looked up at him, her chin tipping up. “No.”
Michael thought again, returning to his yogurt and issuing a longer sigh. After several beats he spoke up again. “Can you do me one favor?”
“What?”
“Please don't take the Charger for a joyride this time.”
Parker rolled her eyes. “Fiiine.”
“And no visiting my mother.”
“But-”
“Parker,” he warned.
“Okay! Jeez. I still say everyone should know how to pick a lock,” she muttered.
Author: defy_n_gravity
Prompt: 100_tales: 055. Kindness
Characters: Parker, Michael Westen
Rating: T
Words: 754
Disclaimer: I have no claim on Leverage or Burn Notice or any of their characters. Just using for fun.
Warning: n/a
Author's Notes: Follows this piece in my Eliot/Fiona series, but you don't have to read it to follow. No real spoilers for either show in this one, unless you haven't seen Leverage since before the S3 finale.
Summary: “You have a bad guy after you! We're the good guys! We're supposed to help!”
Michael let himself into the loft and immediately saw a familiar blond sitting on his counter eating a cup of yogurt. It wasn't uncommon at all for him to find people in his loft eating his yogurt, and being who this was she could be up to a lot worse.
He sighed and tossed his keys down as he walked over to her. “Parker,” he greeted.
She looked up, her legs swinging and banging into the counter a bit. “I'm tired of blueberry.”
“Let me know you're coming next time and I'll fill up with something else,” he replied.
“Eliot said you're in trouble,” she shrugged.
“I'm not in trouble.” He rolled his eyes at the fact that Eliot seemed to think he needed help.
“You're always in trouble,” Parker shot back. She hoped down to her feet and took a step towards him. “And I think he's worried about Fiona. He said he had a thing he had to do, and the others said okay, but...” She glanced down, mixing up her yogurt a bit, and she shrugged again. “I wanted to help.”
Michael's lips turned up just slightly at that. Parker was yet one more person that had seemed to stick themselves to his life whether he liked it or not, and while she got on his nerves more often or not, he did hold a certain amount of affection for her. Especially with the way she actually seemed concerned about him at times.
He sighed and walked past her to the fridge so he could get a yogurt for himself. “There's nothing to help with.”
“You just don't want Eliot around.”
“I never said that.”
“He's not so bad. You two should stop hating each other,” she said.
“We don't-” Michael closed his eyes and took a breath, then shook his head. “Thank you for coming to visit,” he said instead, fixing her with a smile.
“There's no job right now,” she replied. “Hardison has some new games, Eliot's worried about Fiona, and Nate and Sophie are sleeping together now.” She paused and tilted her head. “Did you know that?”
“No. I can't say I did,” he answered. He hardly knew the other three.
“Yeahhh,” she nodded.
Michael leaned back against his counter top and tried to come up with a response to that, but he really didn't have one. “I...don't know what I'm supposed to say to that.”
“Me either. It's kind of weird.”
“Parker. It's not really...appropriate to share other people's business like that.”
“It's small talk,” she replied, walking over and pushing herself up on the counter again.
“No, small talk is talking about the weather or what books you've been reading.”
“Oh. That sounds boring.”
“It is. Small talk isn't meant to be entertaining,” he explained.
“So what should we talk about instead?”
“How about when you're going home?”
“When we're done helping you.”
“Parker.” He set his eyes at her.
“Michael,” she mocked, returning the gaze.
“We've talked about this.”
“You have a bad guy after you! We're the good guys! We're supposed to help!”
Michael sighed again and set his yogurt down. “I appreciate your concern, but I don't want you wrapped up in this. It's bad enough that everyone else is, but I don't need to add two more heads to that.”
“It's not your choice,” she said stubbornly. “Eliot likes Fiona so he has to help, and you're...” She huffed a bit to get the words out. “You're my friend. So...I have to help, too.”
He smiled a bit at that and his eyes softened. “I'm your friend?”
She nodded, looking down. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Duh.”
He took that in and considered it for awhile. “I'm...not going to convince you to go home anytime soon, am I?”
She looked up at him, her chin tipping up. “No.”
Michael thought again, returning to his yogurt and issuing a longer sigh. After several beats he spoke up again. “Can you do me one favor?”
“What?”
“Please don't take the Charger for a joyride this time.”
Parker rolled her eyes. “Fiiine.”
“And no visiting my mother.”
“But-”
“Parker,” he warned.
“Okay! Jeez. I still say everyone should know how to pick a lock,” she muttered.