Wednesday, on a boat, somewhere near Trinidad & Tobago

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker was staring at the fish through her goggles, watching them zip around and ignore Eliot's lure on the line. Breathing carefully through her snorkel, she snapped another picture of them with her underwater camera. After a little bit, she pulled her head and torso out of the water, to follow the rest of her body back onto the boat

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"Which one's that, darlin'?"

Eliot had his feet propped up against the edge of the boat, his attention as much on admiring the way Parker looked when she came splashing back up out of the water as it was on his actual fishing. He wasn't shooting for any big game fish this time -- not after the whole "ethics of fishing" argument he'd gotten into with Hardison last time they'd gone out on the water -- and he had alternate plans for dinner if he didn't end up catching anything worth cooking, so the rod didn't need a whole lot of attention just now, anyway.

He felt better than he had in weeks. Another brilliant plan courtesy of their resident mastermind.

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker pushed herself up, then swayed her way over to Eliot, flopping down next to him and holding up the camera so he could see her latest catch.

"He's like a porcupine fish! With stripes!" She leaned into Eliot, shooting a grin over at Hardison while she was at it. "You'd let that one go if he was dumb enough to take your bait, right?"

Parker would happily take any credit Eliot wanted to give her, because she was so relieved the guys weren't fighting or moping any more.

[vdistinctive]

"'Course," Eliot said. "It's too small." And, you know, venomous. "Careful around those, darlin'. They can sting."

[whoisalicewhite]

"Ah. Okay, no trying to pet the porcupine." Parker snickered to herself, leaning one damp shoulder on Eliot's. "We should go to that beach bar tonight. Maybe dance on the sand a little after dinner."

[age_of_the_geek]

Hardison had retasked a satellite to get that wifi out here on the ocean, but he had it and now he was leaning back in a chair, practically soaking up the sunshine while idly poking away at his computer. Honestly, he was barely paying attention to what was on the screen, just enjoying the feel of sunlight on his skin, the keys beneath his fingers, and the gentle rocking of the boat beneath them.

"In my defense," he said, all lazy good humor for the first time in weeks, "I didn't know when I bought the boat that we'd end up in space an' have to tow it through a portal any time we wanted to go somewhere."

[vdistinctive]

"Woulda been weird if you did," Eliot pointed out. "Spaceship island is still pretty weird, even for Fandom."

[age_of_the_geek]

"But, c'mon," Hardison said, drawing out the word. "It's still damn awesome, right? Even with all the extra bother an' expense?"

[vdistinctive]

"You mean the boat, or the space thing? 'Cause the boat's fantastic. But I could do without lookin' out over Candyworld when I'm walkin' my dog."

He tried running out there exactly once. He'd had to buy himself a new pair of running shoes afterwards. That chocolate mud did not come out.