Sometimes They Lose
Title: Sometimes they Lose
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg
Genre: Parker, Nate/Eliot
Verse: BlackKing!WhiteKnight!Verse
Summary:There are wolves in the world and sometimes they win. But sometimes they lose.
Notes:This is the last part of the "In The Shadow of a Gunman" arc. This follows Sometimes They Win, Sometimes It Helps, Sometimes Things Go Wrong, and Sometimes The Truth is Important
Nate hadn’t been sure what to expect. Sure he had a plan. He always had a plan. But his current plan was one of those plans you had just for the sake of having a plan because you always had a plan. He was relatively sure it would go out the window before step three.
It ended up being thrown out only shortly after step one. The plan had not taken into account Parker.
It defiantly hadn’t anticipated her and Eliot in the top floor apartment’s kitchen, Parker cutting up vegetables while being closely watched by Eliot.
He hadn’t expected to find that soft, relaxed smile on Eliot’s face, most of the earlier tension gone.
They continued without acknowledging Nate’s presence until the vegetables were thoroughly diced when Eliot liberated the cutting board and dumped the vegetables into a frying pan. Parker turned the shiny knife she’d been using in her hand, inspecting it with a sort of reverence, even as she gave a sort of half hearted wave to Nate with her free hand.
Nate figured Eliot must have told her how much those knives cost.
Without even looking over his shoulder Eliot called out. “Parker!” She reluctantly put it into the sink. When he spoke again it was gentler, almost apologetic. “Hey Parker, can you give us a few minutes? Head down to the other apartment. I’ll bring this along when it’s done.”
Parker’s lips twitched like she was biting back a comment for once then she smiled and nodded. “Alright.” She said with an exaggerated huff. “I guess I can’t complain when mommy and daddy want to have their fights in private.”
She was out of the room and gone before Eliot finished turning to… well however he’d react to that. Nate was pretty certain there had been at least a glance toward the block of very expensive knives.
“Mommy and Daddy huh?” Nate commented, walking across the kitchen to war one arm around the annoyed hitter. “I’d say we have rather strange children.” It hurt a little, any mention of children always did, but not as much as it had a year ago. “And what does that make Sophie?”
Eliot turned and stopped anything else Nate might say by putting a steaming hot large chunk of carrot in the offending open mouth. “We aint their mama and Daddy.” He said with a very forceful huff. Nate just smiled amused, trying not to burn his tongue on the hot carrot, choosing not to make the comment likely to end up with him sleeping on the couch tonight.
Between the cooking, and the gardening, and the hair, and the backing up of Nate’s plan, and not to mention how mother bear Eliot got if any of the others were threatened… well the team might have two dads but if anyone was the mom it was Eliot.
Apparently Eliot was not nearly as amused by that as Nate was.
Nate managed to finish the bit of carrot, still watching as Eliot worked over the pan. “What are you doing?” He asked after another few moments.
“Stir fry.” Eliot answered. “Was workin’ in the garden when Parker dropped by.” Funny, before he’d worked with thieves Nate had never been used to the term “dropping by” being more or less literal. “She helped out for awhile but got hungry and said she didn’t like raw vegetables but agreed to try some stir fry.” Eliot reached up, grabbing something from the shelf above, twirling it before adding it to the pan.
Nate watched in silence for a moment or two, just taking in how relaxed Eliot was compared to earlier that night. There was still tension, still the usual watchfulness that Eliot never really lost, but it was eased off just a little bit, maybe a little bit more than before.
“Talked to Hardison.” Eliot said, breaking the silence before Nate could figure out words. He turned from his food, pressing Nate into a chair at the counter before turning back. “Caught me checking up on him.” He let out a long breath. “He… I told him ‘bout what I dreamt last night.” Nate tried to deny that it stung a little to know Hardison was the one Eliot had told. As if guessing, and really it probably wasn’t hard to guess, Eliot continued. “It aint you Nate. Sometimes he comes to me when he has nightmares, I figured if it didn’t go both ways he’d stop.” He paused a moment and sighed. “and it helped.”
Nate gave a bitter smile and rose from where he’d been sitting, wrapping his arms around the younger man. “Sometimes it does.” He let one arm go, moving the pan off the burner before stepping back and nudging Eliot to get him to turn around to face him. As usual Eliot did as requested, though he avoided Nate’s eye, looking around and away. “Eliot.”
“What?” Eliot asked, a growl back in his voice as he finally met Nate’s eyes.
“You’re going to be fine.” Nate stated calmly. Eliot started to say something but Nate shook his head. “No, you aren’t fine now, but that’s alright.” He rested his hands on Eliot’s shoulders and smiled. There was a little proof right in that motion. A month ago any contact, even Nate had caused a reaction. It had been so tiny only Nate or Sophie could see it but it was there.
It wasn’t there anymore.
“Eliot, I’ve been sober. I’ve been drunk. I’ve tried drowning myself in a bottle and lost more than I already had in the process. I know what it is to not know what you can do besides try to keep control you’ve got left. It’s always this hard. And sometimes time can only do so much.” Nate sighed, watching Eliot resist the temptation to pull away, physically and emotionally. It was Eliot’s habit to not deal, to push it away, to make it something else. It was how the black knight had been born and how he’d survived the years since with minimal emotional scaring considering circumstances.
Nate was about to say something when Eliot turned away, giving into temptation and running.
Eliot was almost to the door when Nate finally found words to say. “Eliot. Sometimes they lose to.”
Eliot stopped and sighed, hand on the door knob. “Did you mean what you said?”
Nate didn’t ask what Eliot was reffering to. They didn’t always say what they meant and somehow this question meant a lot more than one thing. Did he mean it when he said Eliot would be okay? Did Nate mean it when he said he understood what Eliot was going through?
Did Nate mean it when he said he loved Eliot?
“Yes.” Nate said simply.
Eliot sighed again and he turned the handle. “Take those down to Parker for me and make sure she eats them. “ He was halfway out the door when he called back. “I’ll be home in time to make dinner.”
Nate turned back to the stir fry, poking at it with a spatula before putting it back on the heat. It was just a stir fry. How hard could it be? Certainly not as hard as getting Parker to eat some vegetables.
He wasn’t sure where Eliot was going or what would be the fallout of this in the end. He wasn’t sure if Eliot would be better or worse for the venture.
But Eliot had said he’d be home in time for dinner, and Nate knew that if Eliot said he’d be home he’d be there. They’d figure out what came next when it happened.
There were wolves in the world, and sometimes they win.
But sometimes they lose too.
Previous: Sometimes the Truth is Important
Next: Thoughts on Old Rules, New Homes, and Kitchen Knives
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg
Genre: Parker, Nate/Eliot
Verse: BlackKing!WhiteKnight!Verse
Summary:There are wolves in the world and sometimes they win. But sometimes they lose.
Notes:This is the last part of the "In The Shadow of a Gunman" arc. This follows Sometimes They Win, Sometimes It Helps, Sometimes Things Go Wrong, and Sometimes The Truth is Important
Nate hadn’t been sure what to expect. Sure he had a plan. He always had a plan. But his current plan was one of those plans you had just for the sake of having a plan because you always had a plan. He was relatively sure it would go out the window before step three.
It ended up being thrown out only shortly after step one. The plan had not taken into account Parker.
It defiantly hadn’t anticipated her and Eliot in the top floor apartment’s kitchen, Parker cutting up vegetables while being closely watched by Eliot.
He hadn’t expected to find that soft, relaxed smile on Eliot’s face, most of the earlier tension gone.
They continued without acknowledging Nate’s presence until the vegetables were thoroughly diced when Eliot liberated the cutting board and dumped the vegetables into a frying pan. Parker turned the shiny knife she’d been using in her hand, inspecting it with a sort of reverence, even as she gave a sort of half hearted wave to Nate with her free hand.
Nate figured Eliot must have told her how much those knives cost.
Without even looking over his shoulder Eliot called out. “Parker!” She reluctantly put it into the sink. When he spoke again it was gentler, almost apologetic. “Hey Parker, can you give us a few minutes? Head down to the other apartment. I’ll bring this along when it’s done.”
Parker’s lips twitched like she was biting back a comment for once then she smiled and nodded. “Alright.” She said with an exaggerated huff. “I guess I can’t complain when mommy and daddy want to have their fights in private.”
She was out of the room and gone before Eliot finished turning to… well however he’d react to that. Nate was pretty certain there had been at least a glance toward the block of very expensive knives.
“Mommy and Daddy huh?” Nate commented, walking across the kitchen to war one arm around the annoyed hitter. “I’d say we have rather strange children.” It hurt a little, any mention of children always did, but not as much as it had a year ago. “And what does that make Sophie?”
Eliot turned and stopped anything else Nate might say by putting a steaming hot large chunk of carrot in the offending open mouth. “We aint their mama and Daddy.” He said with a very forceful huff. Nate just smiled amused, trying not to burn his tongue on the hot carrot, choosing not to make the comment likely to end up with him sleeping on the couch tonight.
Between the cooking, and the gardening, and the hair, and the backing up of Nate’s plan, and not to mention how mother bear Eliot got if any of the others were threatened… well the team might have two dads but if anyone was the mom it was Eliot.
Apparently Eliot was not nearly as amused by that as Nate was.
Nate managed to finish the bit of carrot, still watching as Eliot worked over the pan. “What are you doing?” He asked after another few moments.
“Stir fry.” Eliot answered. “Was workin’ in the garden when Parker dropped by.” Funny, before he’d worked with thieves Nate had never been used to the term “dropping by” being more or less literal. “She helped out for awhile but got hungry and said she didn’t like raw vegetables but agreed to try some stir fry.” Eliot reached up, grabbing something from the shelf above, twirling it before adding it to the pan.
Nate watched in silence for a moment or two, just taking in how relaxed Eliot was compared to earlier that night. There was still tension, still the usual watchfulness that Eliot never really lost, but it was eased off just a little bit, maybe a little bit more than before.
“Talked to Hardison.” Eliot said, breaking the silence before Nate could figure out words. He turned from his food, pressing Nate into a chair at the counter before turning back. “Caught me checking up on him.” He let out a long breath. “He… I told him ‘bout what I dreamt last night.” Nate tried to deny that it stung a little to know Hardison was the one Eliot had told. As if guessing, and really it probably wasn’t hard to guess, Eliot continued. “It aint you Nate. Sometimes he comes to me when he has nightmares, I figured if it didn’t go both ways he’d stop.” He paused a moment and sighed. “and it helped.”
Nate gave a bitter smile and rose from where he’d been sitting, wrapping his arms around the younger man. “Sometimes it does.” He let one arm go, moving the pan off the burner before stepping back and nudging Eliot to get him to turn around to face him. As usual Eliot did as requested, though he avoided Nate’s eye, looking around and away. “Eliot.”
“What?” Eliot asked, a growl back in his voice as he finally met Nate’s eyes.
“You’re going to be fine.” Nate stated calmly. Eliot started to say something but Nate shook his head. “No, you aren’t fine now, but that’s alright.” He rested his hands on Eliot’s shoulders and smiled. There was a little proof right in that motion. A month ago any contact, even Nate had caused a reaction. It had been so tiny only Nate or Sophie could see it but it was there.
It wasn’t there anymore.
“Eliot, I’ve been sober. I’ve been drunk. I’ve tried drowning myself in a bottle and lost more than I already had in the process. I know what it is to not know what you can do besides try to keep control you’ve got left. It’s always this hard. And sometimes time can only do so much.” Nate sighed, watching Eliot resist the temptation to pull away, physically and emotionally. It was Eliot’s habit to not deal, to push it away, to make it something else. It was how the black knight had been born and how he’d survived the years since with minimal emotional scaring considering circumstances.
Nate was about to say something when Eliot turned away, giving into temptation and running.
Eliot was almost to the door when Nate finally found words to say. “Eliot. Sometimes they lose to.”
Eliot stopped and sighed, hand on the door knob. “Did you mean what you said?”
Nate didn’t ask what Eliot was reffering to. They didn’t always say what they meant and somehow this question meant a lot more than one thing. Did he mean it when he said Eliot would be okay? Did Nate mean it when he said he understood what Eliot was going through?
Did Nate mean it when he said he loved Eliot?
“Yes.” Nate said simply.
Eliot sighed again and he turned the handle. “Take those down to Parker for me and make sure she eats them. “ He was halfway out the door when he called back. “I’ll be home in time to make dinner.”
Nate turned back to the stir fry, poking at it with a spatula before putting it back on the heat. It was just a stir fry. How hard could it be? Certainly not as hard as getting Parker to eat some vegetables.
He wasn’t sure where Eliot was going or what would be the fallout of this in the end. He wasn’t sure if Eliot would be better or worse for the venture.
But Eliot had said he’d be home in time for dinner, and Nate knew that if Eliot said he’d be home he’d be there. They’d figure out what came next when it happened.
There were wolves in the world, and sometimes they win.
But sometimes they lose too.
Previous: Sometimes the Truth is Important
Next: Thoughts on Old Rules, New Homes, and Kitchen Knives