Fic: Imaginary Friends (Methos/Eliot) All
Title: Imaginary Friends
Series: Chasing Death
Fandoms: Leverage/Highlander
Pairing: EliotSpencer/Methos
Summary: In which Hardison is brought into the fold.
Eliot had a Hardison. Well, Hardison considered, whomever Eliot had wasn't nearly as good as he was, so it was more like Eliot had a Hardison-lite. What worried Hardison was the fact that he still couldn't track him. Everyone they associated with, worked with, came into contact with, Hardison had vetted, whether it was client, rival or co-worker. Hardison didn't like not knowing. The group's electronic security rested on his shoulders as much as their physical security rested on Eliot's. Besides, they all had fairly dodgy acquaintances, but Eliot's always seemed more-so. Hardison tapped at the keys, so focused on following the trail of their stalker, that he missed Parker settling down near him, eating her latest cereal obsession straight out of the box.
"Is that Era of the Dragon?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," Hardison said distractedly. He'd managed to trace the hacker to one of his guild members, which wasn't worrying at all. Really.
"I like him," Parker said, pointing to the hacker's avatar. "He's sneaky."
"He's a bard," Hardison scoffed.
"That's just what he wants everyone to think," Parker said with an impish grin.
"You know who he is?"
"Adam. He makes really good toasted cheese."
"How do you know who this is?"
"It's Adam," she said with a shrug. Hardison figured that made some sort of sense in her head, even if it didn't in his.
"This is very important, Parker. I need to know who Adam is." He'd been stalking the team for almost two years, at least, tracking their movements, cleaning up after them. There was no way someone knowing that much about them could end well.
"He's my friend. Only I'm not supposed to let anyone know." She paused and cocked her head to one side. "Oops."
"Your friend?" Hardison asked, and he couldn't help be a little sceptical. She'd never mentioned him before and her ability to make and keep friends seemed to extend only to Peggy. He didn't count the team. They weren't friends, they were family.
"He makes food and pretends to be bunny sometimes, so I can sleep."
"You sleep with him!?" If anyone asked, Hardison would deny the way his voice went up on 'sleep'.
"Only when Eliot's not there."
"You sleep with Eliot, too!"
"No silly, he does."
"Eliot has a boyfriend?" Hardison was sure there was a portal that he'd fallen through. There was no way that this was really happening.
"Partner," Parker corrected.
"Partner," Hardison repeated, deadpan.
"Wait a minute. If Eliot's shacking up with a hacker, what's with the attitude towards me?"
"Adam's not a hacker."
"Then what is he?"
"Leverage."
...
"Come on," Parker said, dragging Hardison by the hand. As much as he dreaded the situation, he couldn't help but appreciate her small hand in his. It was callused and strong, but somehow still delicate; it was everything Parker was.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?"
"Why shouldn't we?"
"Because there's at least one dangerous man in there who won't like the fact that we're barging in like this."
"Don't be silly, they love me. I'm their favourite," Parker argued, pulling him forward.
"It's me I'm worried about," Hardison muttered.
Parker pushed open the front door of the apartment and grinned back at him.
"Pooky, I'm home!"
"Pooky," Hardison squeaked. They were so going to die for that.
"Hey Parker," Eliot said from where he stood in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove, "make yourself at home."
Parker immediately launched herself over the back of the sofa and settled into the seat. Hardison stood awkwardly in the entryway, straps of his backpack gripped tightly in his hands, wondering what about Eliot was different, because there was definitely something indefinably different about him. It had to have something to do with the tall, thin man leaned casually against the counter, watching Hardison as though he were a particularly difficult firewall.
Hardison risked a look around, surprised at what he saw. This wasn't Eliot's place. Hardison knew that if only because he'd made sure to know where everyone stayed in case there was an emergency. Yet, Eliot's jacket was casually draped over the back of a chair as if he was at home here and there were Eliot's knives on the kitchen counter, Eliot's guitar resting against one of the chairs in the lounge and, most noticeably, Eliot's katana resting on a stand next to the bookcase.
Eliot turned then, pot in hand, and stared at Hardison. Eliot shifted somehow that had nothing to do with muscles or stances and Hardison realised that that was what had been different. This was the Eliot he was used to. Somehow tense, even when he was relaxed.
Oh, he thought.
"Oh." Hardison only realised he'd said it out loud when everyone looked at him, but that was the least of his worries, because all he could think was that Eliot still didn't trust them. Or didn't trust himself with them and that was equally bad. Though, strangely, Parker seemed exempt from that, because it was only when Eliot realised Hardison was there that he'd changed. Was it the same for Nate and Sophie?
"C'mon kid," Adam said. "You show me how you tracked me down and I'll show you what I've been up to."
"I already know what you've been up to," Hardison said, but it lacked his usual confidence. He followed Adam anyway, still caught up in thoughts of Eliot.
"Do you?" Adam asked mildly, but there was cunning in his eyes that made Alec wary. He remembered that this was the man who'd been cleaning up after Eliot and him, to his chagrin, for quite some time now and if Alec was even a little less spectacular at what he did then it would have gone completely unnoticed.
"What?" Hardison asked when they were out of Eliot's earshot. He wasn't even sure what he wanted an answer to. The man, Adam, smiled at him, but it was sharp and severe. Hardison gulped.
"Come on, Daragh," Adam said, indicating the computers he had setup. "Let's kick ass."
"You're on, Athanas," Hardison said, because this was familiar territory. Hardison paused, thinking back over the games they'd played and the questions he'd always had. "You're the bard. How on earth haven't you died yet?"
"Dual specialisation."
"As what?"
"Try and find out," Adam said with a crooked smile.
Hardison rested his backpack on the floor and pulled his laptop out of it.
"Oh, you have no idea who you've challenged."
...
Yes, I shamelessly ripped off Dragon Age, sort of. Though it doesn't have dual specialisations. Also, Methos is totally an assassin masquerading as a bard. Other members of the guild include Timothy McGee, Penelope Garcia and Zane Donovan.
Series: Chasing Death
Fandoms: Leverage/Highlander
Pairing: EliotSpencer/Methos
Summary: In which Hardison is brought into the fold.
Eliot had a Hardison. Well, Hardison considered, whomever Eliot had wasn't nearly as good as he was, so it was more like Eliot had a Hardison-lite. What worried Hardison was the fact that he still couldn't track him. Everyone they associated with, worked with, came into contact with, Hardison had vetted, whether it was client, rival or co-worker. Hardison didn't like not knowing. The group's electronic security rested on his shoulders as much as their physical security rested on Eliot's. Besides, they all had fairly dodgy acquaintances, but Eliot's always seemed more-so. Hardison tapped at the keys, so focused on following the trail of their stalker, that he missed Parker settling down near him, eating her latest cereal obsession straight out of the box.
"Is that Era of the Dragon?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," Hardison said distractedly. He'd managed to trace the hacker to one of his guild members, which wasn't worrying at all. Really.
"I like him," Parker said, pointing to the hacker's avatar. "He's sneaky."
"He's a bard," Hardison scoffed.
"That's just what he wants everyone to think," Parker said with an impish grin.
"You know who he is?"
"Adam. He makes really good toasted cheese."
"How do you know who this is?"
"It's Adam," she said with a shrug. Hardison figured that made some sort of sense in her head, even if it didn't in his.
"This is very important, Parker. I need to know who Adam is." He'd been stalking the team for almost two years, at least, tracking their movements, cleaning up after them. There was no way someone knowing that much about them could end well.
"He's my friend. Only I'm not supposed to let anyone know." She paused and cocked her head to one side. "Oops."
"Your friend?" Hardison asked, and he couldn't help be a little sceptical. She'd never mentioned him before and her ability to make and keep friends seemed to extend only to Peggy. He didn't count the team. They weren't friends, they were family.
"He makes food and pretends to be bunny sometimes, so I can sleep."
"You sleep with him!?" If anyone asked, Hardison would deny the way his voice went up on 'sleep'.
"Only when Eliot's not there."
"You sleep with Eliot, too!"
"No silly, he does."
"Eliot has a boyfriend?" Hardison was sure there was a portal that he'd fallen through. There was no way that this was really happening.
"Partner," Parker corrected.
"Partner," Hardison repeated, deadpan.
"Wait a minute. If Eliot's shacking up with a hacker, what's with the attitude towards me?"
"Adam's not a hacker."
"Then what is he?"
"Leverage."
...
"Come on," Parker said, dragging Hardison by the hand. As much as he dreaded the situation, he couldn't help but appreciate her small hand in his. It was callused and strong, but somehow still delicate; it was everything Parker was.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?"
"Why shouldn't we?"
"Because there's at least one dangerous man in there who won't like the fact that we're barging in like this."
"Don't be silly, they love me. I'm their favourite," Parker argued, pulling him forward.
"It's me I'm worried about," Hardison muttered.
Parker pushed open the front door of the apartment and grinned back at him.
"Pooky, I'm home!"
"Pooky," Hardison squeaked. They were so going to die for that.
"Hey Parker," Eliot said from where he stood in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove, "make yourself at home."
Parker immediately launched herself over the back of the sofa and settled into the seat. Hardison stood awkwardly in the entryway, straps of his backpack gripped tightly in his hands, wondering what about Eliot was different, because there was definitely something indefinably different about him. It had to have something to do with the tall, thin man leaned casually against the counter, watching Hardison as though he were a particularly difficult firewall.
Hardison risked a look around, surprised at what he saw. This wasn't Eliot's place. Hardison knew that if only because he'd made sure to know where everyone stayed in case there was an emergency. Yet, Eliot's jacket was casually draped over the back of a chair as if he was at home here and there were Eliot's knives on the kitchen counter, Eliot's guitar resting against one of the chairs in the lounge and, most noticeably, Eliot's katana resting on a stand next to the bookcase.
Eliot turned then, pot in hand, and stared at Hardison. Eliot shifted somehow that had nothing to do with muscles or stances and Hardison realised that that was what had been different. This was the Eliot he was used to. Somehow tense, even when he was relaxed.
Oh, he thought.
"Oh." Hardison only realised he'd said it out loud when everyone looked at him, but that was the least of his worries, because all he could think was that Eliot still didn't trust them. Or didn't trust himself with them and that was equally bad. Though, strangely, Parker seemed exempt from that, because it was only when Eliot realised Hardison was there that he'd changed. Was it the same for Nate and Sophie?
"C'mon kid," Adam said. "You show me how you tracked me down and I'll show you what I've been up to."
"I already know what you've been up to," Hardison said, but it lacked his usual confidence. He followed Adam anyway, still caught up in thoughts of Eliot.
"Do you?" Adam asked mildly, but there was cunning in his eyes that made Alec wary. He remembered that this was the man who'd been cleaning up after Eliot and him, to his chagrin, for quite some time now and if Alec was even a little less spectacular at what he did then it would have gone completely unnoticed.
"What?" Hardison asked when they were out of Eliot's earshot. He wasn't even sure what he wanted an answer to. The man, Adam, smiled at him, but it was sharp and severe. Hardison gulped.
"Come on, Daragh," Adam said, indicating the computers he had setup. "Let's kick ass."
"You're on, Athanas," Hardison said, because this was familiar territory. Hardison paused, thinking back over the games they'd played and the questions he'd always had. "You're the bard. How on earth haven't you died yet?"
"Dual specialisation."
"As what?"
"Try and find out," Adam said with a crooked smile.
Hardison rested his backpack on the floor and pulled his laptop out of it.
"Oh, you have no idea who you've challenged."
...
Yes, I shamelessly ripped off Dragon Age, sort of. Though it doesn't have dual specialisations. Also, Methos is totally an assassin masquerading as a bard. Other members of the guild include Timothy McGee, Penelope Garcia and Zane Donovan.