Card Three - Story #1
2/8/11 05:39![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
telarynTitle: Missed Opportunities
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telaryn
Word Count: 1476
Fandom: Leverage
Characters: Eliot/Sophie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: In the middle of a job, Eliot and Sophie have to confront their growing feelings for each other.
Author's Note: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
angst_bingo, for the prompt "pretending to be married".
She was trying to be unobtrusive about it, but Eliot saw when Sophie finally slipped the com out of her ear. “Nate,” he said quietly.
The mastermind was off on one of his rambling monologues again, not really listening to what anyone else was saying. Or not saying… “Nate,” Eliot repeated – his voice stronger this time. Sophie's eyes met his for only a moment before she turned away, but it was enough for him to see how deeply Nate's issues were starting to cut into her. “She's off-com,” he went on calmly. “She's not listening to you anymore.”
”She's not the only one,” they all heard Parker mutter.
The network was silent for several heartbeats. Eliot watched Sophie go to the window – still keeping her back to him. The view from their room was beautiful, even in the dark. Decorative lights in the trees and bushes had turned the nighttime landscape into a virtual fairyland.
”Clarissa keeps saying it distracts the children,” Lord Effington had said earlier to Eliot, as the two couples strolled among the trees. ”I say what's the point of having money if you can't use it to make life better for your progeny?” The evening had been disturbingly normal, if a bit more highbrow than Eliot was used to. After two days in the company of Lord and Lady Effington, he had to admit that if he hadn't seen Hardison's proof he would have had a hard time believing they were the brains behind one of the most insidious and far reaching black market operations in Europe.
”Eliot,” Nate said finally, ”tell her I'm sorry.”
He didn't know what it said about him that he kept from telling the other man to stuff his apologies. Instead he said, “She knows. I'm going off-com too – I still haven't finished sweeping this place, and we're both exhausted.”
”I'll just bet you are,” Hardison snarked. “Boating – picnics...hard life you two are living there.”
Eliot pulled out his own com before the hacker was finished.
“Said he was sorry did he?” Her back was still to him. Eliot huffed out a quiet breath, sorting through his possible responses.
“You know he did,” he said finally. “He always does, and then he jumps right back into the same old fucked up behavior cycles. Beats the rest of us why you put up with it.” He deliberately made it a statement instead of a question, and by the time she turned towards him he'd gone back to checking the room for cameras and listening devices.
“Eliot,” she said after a minute – trying to get his attention. He finished checking under the bedside table before looking at her.
“You know sleeping with him ain't exactly helpin' matters.” He desperately wanted to say more – to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing – but it wasn't his business. As long as it wasn't affecting the work, he was determined to stay professional about it.
Of course if the look on Sophie's face was any indication, bringing up her recent sexual activities had scored an unexpected hit. “I suppose it was foolish to think we were hiding anything from you,” she admitted finally. “Do Parker and Hardison know?”
Eliot simply looked at her.
“Okay,” she sighed, breaking eye contact. “This isn’t awkward at all.”
Dammit, Eliot thought. It boggled his mind how two such intelligent people could be so fucking clueless sometimes. “If the two of you could just be happy with each other, we’d all be happy for you.” He couldn’t help pausing – the tightness in his chest as he said the words wasn’t unexpected, but it also wasn’t anything he planned on sharing with her anytime soon.
“But you and I both know that’s the one thing he can’t let himself have,” Eliot forced himself to finish. “And you know what happens when his issues bleed too far into the job.”
She did know – they all knew. Eliot was privately relieved that Sophie didn’t even try to defend Nate – that was definitely a more involved conversation than he was ready to have right now. Instead she said, “What do you think I should do?”
Taking the opening, intentional or not, Eliot said, “I think you should get ready for bed while I finish my sweep. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need some rest if we’re going to be dealing with his Lordship tomorrow.”
****************
Whether he’d meant it like that, Eliot’s words were such an obvious dismissal that Sophie wasn’t sure how to react at first. Damn the man! she thought, standing there like a school girl while Eliot calmly went back to work. Nobody – not even Nate – had ever gotten under her skin the way Eliot could. He came at her from her blind spots; when she least expected it, he would be inside her emotional walls, making her feel and think things she didn’t want.
Of course the whole thing would be easier if you didn’t have such a horrible crush on him, she chided herself. Going to her suitcase, she pulled those things she would need to get ready for bed, and stalked into the embarrassment of riches the Effingtons called a “guest bathroom”.
Once she’d secured the door behind her, Sophie leaned against it and considered her situation. While Nate might be a good man at heart, Eliot was an honorable one – and in the past few years, Sophie had come to deeply appreciate the distinction between the two states of being. The fact that both men had each in their own way managed to develop a level of resistance to her charms made the whole thing that much more exciting.
Taking Nate to her bed had helped diffuse some of that nervous excitement where the mastermind was concerned, but she still felt the occasional nervous flutter in interesting places when she was around Eliot. Especially when she was alone with him.
And the fact that Nate had gotten there – wherever ‘there’ was – first, meant Eliot’s most attractive quality was also making Sophie’s life extremely frustrating at times. No matter how she might try to spin their current situation, as long as Nate was in her bed and in her heart Eliot would never make an untoward move on her.
************
”You understand that you’re going to have to live the part.” Nate had made a special point of repeating the phrase until Eliot was ready to punch him. Despite their outward show of acceptance and bone-deep civility, the plain truth was that the Effingtons hadn’t gotten to where they were in the international black market by completely trusting anyone.
So he’d done the sweep and set Hardison’s counter-measures as instructed before changing into his own sleep gear. And in a few minutes, when Sophie came out of the bathroom, they would get into bed together; the perfect picture of a married couple for any servant that might “accidentally” enter their room in the middle of the night.
“I’m a twitchy sleeper,” he said, without turning around. Sophie had tried to open the door quietly, but he’d sensed her. Even if he couldn’t see her, his body always seemed to know exactly where she was.
“If you get up in the night,” he went on, finally pivoting to face her. Look at the face, he reminded himself. Getting caught appreciating the way the satin nightgown she’d put on outlined her curves would not help their current situation. “If you…ah…get up in the night, touch me and tell me where you’re going. Even if it looks like I’m asleep.”
“You mean you want me to wake you up?” she asked – clearly confused.
Eliot shook his head, smiling slightly. “I’m not sure how it works or why – all you need to do is say it. I hear it on some level, and it keeps me from getting…protective.”
Sophie’s smile was genuine; Eliot felt thing tighten pleasurably in his body. “I can remember that,” she said. “Anything else?”
Shrugging, he lifted the covers. “You need to get in first.” His smile broadened slightly – this all sounded a little ridiculous whenever he had to say it out loud.
“So you can be between me and the door,” she said – sparing him the awkwardness. “I get it.” She moved towards the bed, then stopped when they were almost touching. “Are we going to be all right with this?” she asked, looking up into his eyes all of a sudden.
She was so close – the urge to kiss her was suddenly so strong Eliot nearly took a step back. “We have to be,” he said quietly; letting her see a hint of what he was feeling.
Bowing her head momentarily, Sophie put a hand on his chest. When she looked up again, her character mask was firmly back in place. “Yes,” she said. “Yes we do.”
Author:
telarynWord Count: 1476
Fandom: Leverage
Characters: Eliot/Sophie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: In the middle of a job, Eliot and Sophie have to confront their growing feelings for each other.
Author's Note: Written for
angst_bingo, for the prompt "pretending to be married".She was trying to be unobtrusive about it, but Eliot saw when Sophie finally slipped the com out of her ear. “Nate,” he said quietly.
The mastermind was off on one of his rambling monologues again, not really listening to what anyone else was saying. Or not saying… “Nate,” Eliot repeated – his voice stronger this time. Sophie's eyes met his for only a moment before she turned away, but it was enough for him to see how deeply Nate's issues were starting to cut into her. “She's off-com,” he went on calmly. “She's not listening to you anymore.”
”She's not the only one,” they all heard Parker mutter.
The network was silent for several heartbeats. Eliot watched Sophie go to the window – still keeping her back to him. The view from their room was beautiful, even in the dark. Decorative lights in the trees and bushes had turned the nighttime landscape into a virtual fairyland.
”Clarissa keeps saying it distracts the children,” Lord Effington had said earlier to Eliot, as the two couples strolled among the trees. ”I say what's the point of having money if you can't use it to make life better for your progeny?” The evening had been disturbingly normal, if a bit more highbrow than Eliot was used to. After two days in the company of Lord and Lady Effington, he had to admit that if he hadn't seen Hardison's proof he would have had a hard time believing they were the brains behind one of the most insidious and far reaching black market operations in Europe.
”Eliot,” Nate said finally, ”tell her I'm sorry.”
He didn't know what it said about him that he kept from telling the other man to stuff his apologies. Instead he said, “She knows. I'm going off-com too – I still haven't finished sweeping this place, and we're both exhausted.”
”I'll just bet you are,” Hardison snarked. “Boating – picnics...hard life you two are living there.”
Eliot pulled out his own com before the hacker was finished.
“Said he was sorry did he?” Her back was still to him. Eliot huffed out a quiet breath, sorting through his possible responses.
“You know he did,” he said finally. “He always does, and then he jumps right back into the same old fucked up behavior cycles. Beats the rest of us why you put up with it.” He deliberately made it a statement instead of a question, and by the time she turned towards him he'd gone back to checking the room for cameras and listening devices.
“Eliot,” she said after a minute – trying to get his attention. He finished checking under the bedside table before looking at her.
“You know sleeping with him ain't exactly helpin' matters.” He desperately wanted to say more – to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing – but it wasn't his business. As long as it wasn't affecting the work, he was determined to stay professional about it.
Of course if the look on Sophie's face was any indication, bringing up her recent sexual activities had scored an unexpected hit. “I suppose it was foolish to think we were hiding anything from you,” she admitted finally. “Do Parker and Hardison know?”
Eliot simply looked at her.
“Okay,” she sighed, breaking eye contact. “This isn’t awkward at all.”
Dammit, Eliot thought. It boggled his mind how two such intelligent people could be so fucking clueless sometimes. “If the two of you could just be happy with each other, we’d all be happy for you.” He couldn’t help pausing – the tightness in his chest as he said the words wasn’t unexpected, but it also wasn’t anything he planned on sharing with her anytime soon.
“But you and I both know that’s the one thing he can’t let himself have,” Eliot forced himself to finish. “And you know what happens when his issues bleed too far into the job.”
She did know – they all knew. Eliot was privately relieved that Sophie didn’t even try to defend Nate – that was definitely a more involved conversation than he was ready to have right now. Instead she said, “What do you think I should do?”
Taking the opening, intentional or not, Eliot said, “I think you should get ready for bed while I finish my sweep. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need some rest if we’re going to be dealing with his Lordship tomorrow.”
****************
Whether he’d meant it like that, Eliot’s words were such an obvious dismissal that Sophie wasn’t sure how to react at first. Damn the man! she thought, standing there like a school girl while Eliot calmly went back to work. Nobody – not even Nate – had ever gotten under her skin the way Eliot could. He came at her from her blind spots; when she least expected it, he would be inside her emotional walls, making her feel and think things she didn’t want.
Of course the whole thing would be easier if you didn’t have such a horrible crush on him, she chided herself. Going to her suitcase, she pulled those things she would need to get ready for bed, and stalked into the embarrassment of riches the Effingtons called a “guest bathroom”.
Once she’d secured the door behind her, Sophie leaned against it and considered her situation. While Nate might be a good man at heart, Eliot was an honorable one – and in the past few years, Sophie had come to deeply appreciate the distinction between the two states of being. The fact that both men had each in their own way managed to develop a level of resistance to her charms made the whole thing that much more exciting.
Taking Nate to her bed had helped diffuse some of that nervous excitement where the mastermind was concerned, but she still felt the occasional nervous flutter in interesting places when she was around Eliot. Especially when she was alone with him.
And the fact that Nate had gotten there – wherever ‘there’ was – first, meant Eliot’s most attractive quality was also making Sophie’s life extremely frustrating at times. No matter how she might try to spin their current situation, as long as Nate was in her bed and in her heart Eliot would never make an untoward move on her.
************
”You understand that you’re going to have to live the part.” Nate had made a special point of repeating the phrase until Eliot was ready to punch him. Despite their outward show of acceptance and bone-deep civility, the plain truth was that the Effingtons hadn’t gotten to where they were in the international black market by completely trusting anyone.
So he’d done the sweep and set Hardison’s counter-measures as instructed before changing into his own sleep gear. And in a few minutes, when Sophie came out of the bathroom, they would get into bed together; the perfect picture of a married couple for any servant that might “accidentally” enter their room in the middle of the night.
“I’m a twitchy sleeper,” he said, without turning around. Sophie had tried to open the door quietly, but he’d sensed her. Even if he couldn’t see her, his body always seemed to know exactly where she was.
“If you get up in the night,” he went on, finally pivoting to face her. Look at the face, he reminded himself. Getting caught appreciating the way the satin nightgown she’d put on outlined her curves would not help their current situation. “If you…ah…get up in the night, touch me and tell me where you’re going. Even if it looks like I’m asleep.”
“You mean you want me to wake you up?” she asked – clearly confused.
Eliot shook his head, smiling slightly. “I’m not sure how it works or why – all you need to do is say it. I hear it on some level, and it keeps me from getting…protective.”
Sophie’s smile was genuine; Eliot felt thing tighten pleasurably in his body. “I can remember that,” she said. “Anything else?”
Shrugging, he lifted the covers. “You need to get in first.” His smile broadened slightly – this all sounded a little ridiculous whenever he had to say it out loud.
“So you can be between me and the door,” she said – sparing him the awkwardness. “I get it.” She moved towards the bed, then stopped when they were almost touching. “Are we going to be all right with this?” she asked, looking up into his eyes all of a sudden.
She was so close – the urge to kiss her was suddenly so strong Eliot nearly took a step back. “We have to be,” he said quietly; letting her see a hint of what he was feeling.
Bowing her head momentarily, Sophie put a hand on his chest. When she looked up again, her character mask was firmly back in place. “Yes,” she said. “Yes we do.”
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
2/8/11 12:43 (UTC)(no subject)
2/8/11 13:12 (UTC)Dunno what's involved in the amnesty round, but might be worth checking out. If nothing else, they've got an impressive master list of prompts you can pick from.
(no subject)
2/8/11 13:21 (UTC)Love this sweetie, so heart-breaky!
teeny tiny beta point - is there a missing word here? "but Eliot saw when Sophie finally slipped com out of her ear." - the or here?
(no subject)
2/8/11 23:40 (UTC)And thank you - I've loved these two as a possible pairing ever since The Tap Out Job. Now that she and Nate are actually *together* - the angst possibilities are really endless. *g*
(no subject)
2/8/11 16:50 (UTC)(no subject)
2/8/11 23:38 (UTC)(no subject)
3/8/11 02:33 (UTC)Seriously, I love this. And I love the idea of Eliot/Sophie as a source of UST angst. The whole want-to-but-can't can be so deliciously fun.
(no subject)
10/8/11 06:34 (UTC)