Fic roundup
Sep. 20th, 2010 10:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_rosegift ficlets written for the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
castleland birthday week.
The Kiss; PG-13; Leverage; Parker/Sophie
Parker, perched on the stool, was bent over the table, her lips locked onto the plastic straw in her drink.
Sophie, sitting opposite, watched with some fascination. Parker had barely drunk half an inch of lemonade but had spent almost ten minutes toying with the straw, her tongue sometimes darting past her lips to reposition the plastic tube.
Parker was watching the door over Sophie's shoulder. Sophie was using the mirror behind the bar to see behind her - when she could tear her eyes away from Parker. That Parker was wearing a very low-cut and very tight red dress wasn't helping Sophie keep her mind on the job.
The straw was suddenly abandoned and Parker sat up straight, both hands now on the table-top, ready to move. "She's here."
Sophie nodded. "Eliot," she said softly.
"On it," his voice said into her ear. He was the other side of the club, posing as a bouncer, with his own task to complete.
Sophie slid to the floor, adjusting her skirt around her legs. Parker did the same, tugging at the dress in a way that made Sophie long to move forward and smooth the velvet material over the other woman's curves.
Swallowing hard, Sophie contented herself with touching Parker's arm in a companionable way. She gestured and they followed the tall brunette as she headed past the bar and down a corridor.
Abruptly their target turned and looked directly at them. Parker shoved Sophie against the wall and to Sophie's surprise their lips met. One of Parker's hands was on Sophie's thigh while the other remained on her shoulder. Sophie was too stunned to react or she might have embraced Parker. Desire arose enough to make Sophie respond at least to the searching kiss.
Parker withdrew as suddenly as she'd pounced, glancing down the hallway. The brunette had been convinced it seemed, and had continued on and was entering a room to their right.
"Parker," Sophie said, too overwhelmed for anything more coherent to pass her lips.
"I was providing cover," Parker said.
"That seemed the most appropriate way to do so?"
She shrugged. "It is a gay bar."
"No, Parker, it's not," Sophie said.
"Gay bar?" Eliot asked in her ear. "What are you two doing?"
"I'm seeing it on the security feed but I'm not believing it," Hardison put in over the comm.
"It's not?" Parker asked, confused. "Must have just been that one couple then." With a shrug she made her way toward the door the target had gone through.
Sophie leant against the wall a moment longer. Parker's nonchalance said the kiss was nothing, that this boundary she'd just crossed had just been business. Sophie wanted it to be more than that, despite her startled protestations. If she'd had just a moment's warning, Sophie thought, she could have enjoyed the experience a lot more.
Then again, Parker was nonchalant about everything. She may have enjoyed the kiss, might be willing to do it again. The subject would have to be broached carefully in a way that left no room for one of Parker's quirky misunderstandings. Later, Sophie thought, getting her mind back on the job at hand. Much later, and preferably after some much needed alone time to relive the moment and relieve the tension first.
Cooperation, PG-13, Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison
Eliot wasn't sure when it happened, when he stopped thinking of Parker as merely insane; he only knew the moment he acted on his new feelings towards her. She'd finished a bowl of cereal and he'd said, "Hey, you've got a bit of milk."
She'd touched the spot he was pointing to on his own lip. "Did I get it?"
Eliot leant in. "Let me look."
And then he was kissing her.
"I guess that's one way to make sure," Parker said when he drew back. Not quite the response he was hoping for, but she was still a little insane after all.
And then Hardison, who'd been decrypting something over at the laptop, stormed over and punched Eliot in the mouth.
*
"What happened to you"? Sophie asked.
"Nothing," Hardison mumbled. Eliot had returned the punch immediately, giving him a black eye.
"Was an accident," Eliot said stubbornly. Hardison's lucky hit had made his lip bleed.
"Eliot kissed me," Parker informed Sophie. She was sitting on the sofa between the two men. She'd kicked both of them, hard, in the shins to punish them for their ridiculous behaviour.
"I see." Sophie raised her eyebrows. "I'm not getting involved. Sort it out between yourselves. Use your words not your fists. And remember jealousy is not a particularly attractive quality in a man."
When Sophie had left the room, Hardison said reluctantly, "I'm sorry. I over-reacted."
"Yeah, well, I shouldn't have hit you back," Eliot said.
"There's no need for you to be jealous of me," Parker said. "I'm sure Eliot loves you."
It was a typical misunderstanding for Parker and a typical Eliot reaction to get angry and deny any feelings for Hardison. But Hardison went very quiet and looked at the floor.
"Hardison?" Eliot asked.
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not." Eliot looked at the ceiling. How to not hurt Hardison without leading him on? "I'm sorry. I'm just not gay."
Hardison lifted his head. "Neither am I. Not strictly. I just don't see why we have to be all into the labelling. I mean, do you only need one operating system, one web browser, one decryption program?"
Eliot shrugged.
"No," Hardison said. "There's variety. Variety is good."
"Are you saying you want to make out with me?" Eliot asked, trying to get his head around the concept.
"I want to make out with Parker," Hardison said. "I just don't mind if you want to make out with her at the same time. After that, we'll see how it goes. I'm open to opportunities is what I'm saying. And let's be honest, you're a very handsome man."
Eliot blinked a few times.
Parker stretched, languidly. "You are cute," she said. "Does that mean you're not making out with me anymore?"
"No. I think it means both of us want to," Eliot said.
"Threesome," Parker said with a grin. "Kinky. Okay, Shall I get undressed or does one of you want to do it for me?"
"Clothes stay on," Eliot said. "For now."
There was kissing while the other man fumbled for second base, and then a switch in the roles. Then Parker's blouse was unbuttoned by Eliot as delicately as if she were a fragile package he were unwrapping and Hardison took his t-shirt off. After that things took on a life on their own, so to speak.
*
"That was fun," Parker said.
"Yeah," Eliot said.
"We going to have to work on your communication skills," Hardison said. "That was amazing."
Sophie stood at the bedroom doorway, hands on her hips.
"When I said work it out between yourselves this wasn't what I had in mind."
"We used our words," Parker assured her, unconcerned at her nakedness. "A threesome takes more coordination than you might think. And cooperation."
"Umm, yeah, it was a real team building exercise," Hardison said, clearly embarrassed.
Sophie was momentarily speechless. "Just change the bedsheets," she said at last. "I'm sure Nate doesn't want to sleep in his bed after you three have defiled it." She walked away.
"Defiled? That's just nasty," Hardison mumbled. He put one hand out of the bed to search for his boxer shorts.
"She'll tell Nate anyway," Eliot said, sounding concerned.
"And? Not like he can fire us." Parker kissed Eliot and then leaned over to kiss Hardison. She'd decided balancing out the affection was the best way to stop further fist fights. She scrambled out of bed and began dressing quickly. "I'm going to go and some cereal. Anyone else want some?"
Secret, PG-13, Firefly (post BDM), Mal/River
Robbins counted the coins. He looked up now and then to gaze at River. Mal, Zoë and Jayne were all in strategically placed positions to react if something untoward occurred, but it was River who paced around, glancing everywhere and nowhere, that Robbins was drawn to.
"Seems to be all here," he said at last, reaching for a cashbox. "People think it's odd, paying money to buy other money, but these are real collectables you know."
"I'd rather have something I can spend," Mal said.
Robbins nodded and reached into the box, eyes once again on River.
"I'll thank you to keep your eyes on the transaction," Mal said, stepping forward and putting himself in Robbins's eyeline. Robbins's bodyguard stirred, but Robbins held out a hand.
"Forgive me. I only look, never touch. I'm married, you know. It's just that your daughter's a fine looking woman, Captain. A credit to you."
"Daughter?" the blood drained from Mal's face. Robbins didn't notice, now hurrying to complete the exchange before it got violent.
"There we are. A pleasure doing business with you." Robbins stood, rubbed his hands together, a fixed grin on his face. Everything in his manner said, "Go away," but it took River touching Mal's shoulder for him to recover his senses, gather up the payment, and leave.
*
"Thought she was his daughter," Jayne explained to Simon, waving a fork around as he did so. There was much hilarity at this, except from River and Mal.
Mal stood.
"Wait, there's dessert," Kaylee said. "Just give me a moment to clear the plates away."
"Not hungry." Mal left the dining area.
"What's got into him?" Jayne asked, quickly moving on to the more pressing concern of, "Can I have his dessert, too?"
River tipped her head. "Do not dare, Jayne. He'll want it later. Mine can wait also, Kaylee. I need some air."
River headed off and climbed down the ladder into Mal's cabin.
"You shouldn't follow me," he said.
"But I came to comfort you."
He sat on the bed. "No point saying I don't need comforting, is there?"
"No. I can tell you're upset." River sat next to him. "Robbins made a mistake, that's all. Your protectiveness made him wary."
"He's right, though. I'm old enough to be your father." He sighed. "I wish it wasn't so."
River nested into him, head on his shoulder, and he put one arm around her. "It's all right. I don't mind."
"I do. It makes me feel dirty, which hurts, because I love you, River. I wish I didn't, because that would make things easier." He kissed her hair. "That's why we haven't told the others. They can't know."
"We're not doing anything illegal. Two consenting adults in a healthy relationship." River leaned up to kiss him. "They're starting to suspect, you know. Zoë, especially. And you shouldn't tease Simon and Kaylee about their engagement while you're sneaking around behind their backs."
"What if they think it's wrong? I couldn't bear to have them all look at me like – well, like I look at Jayne, sometimes, to be honest…I don't know." Mal sighed. "Tell me it's going to be okay, little one. Look into the future and tell me it all works out."
"I can't see that far," she reminded him. "But we'll make it the best future we can."
castleland birthday week.The Kiss; PG-13; Leverage; Parker/Sophie
Parker, perched on the stool, was bent over the table, her lips locked onto the plastic straw in her drink.
Sophie, sitting opposite, watched with some fascination. Parker had barely drunk half an inch of lemonade but had spent almost ten minutes toying with the straw, her tongue sometimes darting past her lips to reposition the plastic tube.
Parker was watching the door over Sophie's shoulder. Sophie was using the mirror behind the bar to see behind her - when she could tear her eyes away from Parker. That Parker was wearing a very low-cut and very tight red dress wasn't helping Sophie keep her mind on the job.
The straw was suddenly abandoned and Parker sat up straight, both hands now on the table-top, ready to move. "She's here."
Sophie nodded. "Eliot," she said softly.
"On it," his voice said into her ear. He was the other side of the club, posing as a bouncer, with his own task to complete.
Sophie slid to the floor, adjusting her skirt around her legs. Parker did the same, tugging at the dress in a way that made Sophie long to move forward and smooth the velvet material over the other woman's curves.
Swallowing hard, Sophie contented herself with touching Parker's arm in a companionable way. She gestured and they followed the tall brunette as she headed past the bar and down a corridor.
Abruptly their target turned and looked directly at them. Parker shoved Sophie against the wall and to Sophie's surprise their lips met. One of Parker's hands was on Sophie's thigh while the other remained on her shoulder. Sophie was too stunned to react or she might have embraced Parker. Desire arose enough to make Sophie respond at least to the searching kiss.
Parker withdrew as suddenly as she'd pounced, glancing down the hallway. The brunette had been convinced it seemed, and had continued on and was entering a room to their right.
"Parker," Sophie said, too overwhelmed for anything more coherent to pass her lips.
"I was providing cover," Parker said.
"That seemed the most appropriate way to do so?"
She shrugged. "It is a gay bar."
"No, Parker, it's not," Sophie said.
"Gay bar?" Eliot asked in her ear. "What are you two doing?"
"I'm seeing it on the security feed but I'm not believing it," Hardison put in over the comm.
"It's not?" Parker asked, confused. "Must have just been that one couple then." With a shrug she made her way toward the door the target had gone through.
Sophie leant against the wall a moment longer. Parker's nonchalance said the kiss was nothing, that this boundary she'd just crossed had just been business. Sophie wanted it to be more than that, despite her startled protestations. If she'd had just a moment's warning, Sophie thought, she could have enjoyed the experience a lot more.
Then again, Parker was nonchalant about everything. She may have enjoyed the kiss, might be willing to do it again. The subject would have to be broached carefully in a way that left no room for one of Parker's quirky misunderstandings. Later, Sophie thought, getting her mind back on the job at hand. Much later, and preferably after some much needed alone time to relive the moment and relieve the tension first.
Cooperation, PG-13, Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison
Eliot wasn't sure when it happened, when he stopped thinking of Parker as merely insane; he only knew the moment he acted on his new feelings towards her. She'd finished a bowl of cereal and he'd said, "Hey, you've got a bit of milk."
She'd touched the spot he was pointing to on his own lip. "Did I get it?"
Eliot leant in. "Let me look."
And then he was kissing her.
"I guess that's one way to make sure," Parker said when he drew back. Not quite the response he was hoping for, but she was still a little insane after all.
And then Hardison, who'd been decrypting something over at the laptop, stormed over and punched Eliot in the mouth.
*
"What happened to you"? Sophie asked.
"Nothing," Hardison mumbled. Eliot had returned the punch immediately, giving him a black eye.
"Was an accident," Eliot said stubbornly. Hardison's lucky hit had made his lip bleed.
"Eliot kissed me," Parker informed Sophie. She was sitting on the sofa between the two men. She'd kicked both of them, hard, in the shins to punish them for their ridiculous behaviour.
"I see." Sophie raised her eyebrows. "I'm not getting involved. Sort it out between yourselves. Use your words not your fists. And remember jealousy is not a particularly attractive quality in a man."
When Sophie had left the room, Hardison said reluctantly, "I'm sorry. I over-reacted."
"Yeah, well, I shouldn't have hit you back," Eliot said.
"There's no need for you to be jealous of me," Parker said. "I'm sure Eliot loves you."
It was a typical misunderstanding for Parker and a typical Eliot reaction to get angry and deny any feelings for Hardison. But Hardison went very quiet and looked at the floor.
"Hardison?" Eliot asked.
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not." Eliot looked at the ceiling. How to not hurt Hardison without leading him on? "I'm sorry. I'm just not gay."
Hardison lifted his head. "Neither am I. Not strictly. I just don't see why we have to be all into the labelling. I mean, do you only need one operating system, one web browser, one decryption program?"
Eliot shrugged.
"No," Hardison said. "There's variety. Variety is good."
"Are you saying you want to make out with me?" Eliot asked, trying to get his head around the concept.
"I want to make out with Parker," Hardison said. "I just don't mind if you want to make out with her at the same time. After that, we'll see how it goes. I'm open to opportunities is what I'm saying. And let's be honest, you're a very handsome man."
Eliot blinked a few times.
Parker stretched, languidly. "You are cute," she said. "Does that mean you're not making out with me anymore?"
"No. I think it means both of us want to," Eliot said.
"Threesome," Parker said with a grin. "Kinky. Okay, Shall I get undressed or does one of you want to do it for me?"
"Clothes stay on," Eliot said. "For now."
There was kissing while the other man fumbled for second base, and then a switch in the roles. Then Parker's blouse was unbuttoned by Eliot as delicately as if she were a fragile package he were unwrapping and Hardison took his t-shirt off. After that things took on a life on their own, so to speak.
*
"That was fun," Parker said.
"Yeah," Eliot said.
"We going to have to work on your communication skills," Hardison said. "That was amazing."
Sophie stood at the bedroom doorway, hands on her hips.
"When I said work it out between yourselves this wasn't what I had in mind."
"We used our words," Parker assured her, unconcerned at her nakedness. "A threesome takes more coordination than you might think. And cooperation."
"Umm, yeah, it was a real team building exercise," Hardison said, clearly embarrassed.
Sophie was momentarily speechless. "Just change the bedsheets," she said at last. "I'm sure Nate doesn't want to sleep in his bed after you three have defiled it." She walked away.
"Defiled? That's just nasty," Hardison mumbled. He put one hand out of the bed to search for his boxer shorts.
"She'll tell Nate anyway," Eliot said, sounding concerned.
"And? Not like he can fire us." Parker kissed Eliot and then leaned over to kiss Hardison. She'd decided balancing out the affection was the best way to stop further fist fights. She scrambled out of bed and began dressing quickly. "I'm going to go and some cereal. Anyone else want some?"
Secret, PG-13, Firefly (post BDM), Mal/River
Robbins counted the coins. He looked up now and then to gaze at River. Mal, Zoë and Jayne were all in strategically placed positions to react if something untoward occurred, but it was River who paced around, glancing everywhere and nowhere, that Robbins was drawn to.
"Seems to be all here," he said at last, reaching for a cashbox. "People think it's odd, paying money to buy other money, but these are real collectables you know."
"I'd rather have something I can spend," Mal said.
Robbins nodded and reached into the box, eyes once again on River.
"I'll thank you to keep your eyes on the transaction," Mal said, stepping forward and putting himself in Robbins's eyeline. Robbins's bodyguard stirred, but Robbins held out a hand.
"Forgive me. I only look, never touch. I'm married, you know. It's just that your daughter's a fine looking woman, Captain. A credit to you."
"Daughter?" the blood drained from Mal's face. Robbins didn't notice, now hurrying to complete the exchange before it got violent.
"There we are. A pleasure doing business with you." Robbins stood, rubbed his hands together, a fixed grin on his face. Everything in his manner said, "Go away," but it took River touching Mal's shoulder for him to recover his senses, gather up the payment, and leave.
*
"Thought she was his daughter," Jayne explained to Simon, waving a fork around as he did so. There was much hilarity at this, except from River and Mal.
Mal stood.
"Wait, there's dessert," Kaylee said. "Just give me a moment to clear the plates away."
"Not hungry." Mal left the dining area.
"What's got into him?" Jayne asked, quickly moving on to the more pressing concern of, "Can I have his dessert, too?"
River tipped her head. "Do not dare, Jayne. He'll want it later. Mine can wait also, Kaylee. I need some air."
River headed off and climbed down the ladder into Mal's cabin.
"You shouldn't follow me," he said.
"But I came to comfort you."
He sat on the bed. "No point saying I don't need comforting, is there?"
"No. I can tell you're upset." River sat next to him. "Robbins made a mistake, that's all. Your protectiveness made him wary."
"He's right, though. I'm old enough to be your father." He sighed. "I wish it wasn't so."
River nested into him, head on his shoulder, and he put one arm around her. "It's all right. I don't mind."
"I do. It makes me feel dirty, which hurts, because I love you, River. I wish I didn't, because that would make things easier." He kissed her hair. "That's why we haven't told the others. They can't know."
"We're not doing anything illegal. Two consenting adults in a healthy relationship." River leaned up to kiss him. "They're starting to suspect, you know. Zoë, especially. And you shouldn't tease Simon and Kaylee about their engagement while you're sneaking around behind their backs."
"What if they think it's wrong? I couldn't bear to have them all look at me like – well, like I look at Jayne, sometimes, to be honest…I don't know." Mal sighed. "Tell me it's going to be okay, little one. Look into the future and tell me it all works out."
"I can't see that far," she reminded him. "But we'll make it the best future we can."
