UST
“What's an UST?” Parker cocked her head at him from the floor, where she'd been sitting cross legged, elbow deep in a pinata for the last he doesn't know how long.
And it's at that point that Hardison realized he must have been talking aloud. He floundered, all but waving his hands frantically around his laptop screen, trying to come up with something to explain away the acronym that Parker was chanting on the ground. She shuffled the pinata, sing songing to herself.
“Ust. Ust, ust, usssst. It sounds like lust but less fun.”
Hardison buried his face in his hands, groaning, “Parker, no...” into his palms.
For a minute, there was no sound in the room except the soft whir of his laptop and the scuffle of Parker's fingers in the pinata.
“UST is a, uh... it's an acronym.”
“Oh. What's it mean?”
“It's...” Hardison sighed, “It stands for unsatisfied sexual tension. It's used a lot in comics and fan stories to describe the relationship between two characters that fans think should get together.”
Parker furrowed her brow, dumping the pinata out on the floor. She looked up at him, and Hardison shifted under her considering gaze. “You read that kind of stuff?”
“Well, you know, I come across a lot of stuff in, you know, research and stuff...”
“It's okay if you do,” Parker offered him a brightly colored candy, shrugging her thin shoulders. “Everyone has hobbies.”
He took it, feeling a little like he'd been caught with his pants down. “It's not really a hobby or anything. It's just something I saw, once or maybe three times.”
Parker shrugged again, then shot him a wicked little smile.
“I think Nate and Sophie have ust.”
Hardison smiled back at her, mostly out of amusement. “It's UST, Parker. It's not a word.”
“Whatever. I think Nate and Sophie have it.”
“Girl, they got it bad.”
She considered him again for a moment, and Hardison resisted the urge to squirm. Nana oughta be proud of him.
“It's not contagious or anything, right?”
Hardison shrugged one shoulder, unwrapping the candy. “You can't catch it if you've already got it.”
“Oh.” Parker frowns at the pinata, shaking it a little. “Wait, what?”
He grinned, and wisely kept his mouth shut, turning instead back to his computer and the five more chapters of UST that had started this in the first place.
And it's at that point that Hardison realized he must have been talking aloud. He floundered, all but waving his hands frantically around his laptop screen, trying to come up with something to explain away the acronym that Parker was chanting on the ground. She shuffled the pinata, sing songing to herself.
“Ust. Ust, ust, usssst. It sounds like lust but less fun.”
Hardison buried his face in his hands, groaning, “Parker, no...” into his palms.
For a minute, there was no sound in the room except the soft whir of his laptop and the scuffle of Parker's fingers in the pinata.
“UST is a, uh... it's an acronym.”
“Oh. What's it mean?”
“It's...” Hardison sighed, “It stands for unsatisfied sexual tension. It's used a lot in comics and fan stories to describe the relationship between two characters that fans think should get together.”
Parker furrowed her brow, dumping the pinata out on the floor. She looked up at him, and Hardison shifted under her considering gaze. “You read that kind of stuff?”
“Well, you know, I come across a lot of stuff in, you know, research and stuff...”
“It's okay if you do,” Parker offered him a brightly colored candy, shrugging her thin shoulders. “Everyone has hobbies.”
He took it, feeling a little like he'd been caught with his pants down. “It's not really a hobby or anything. It's just something I saw, once or maybe three times.”
Parker shrugged again, then shot him a wicked little smile.
“I think Nate and Sophie have ust.”
Hardison smiled back at her, mostly out of amusement. “It's UST, Parker. It's not a word.”
“Whatever. I think Nate and Sophie have it.”
“Girl, they got it bad.”
She considered him again for a moment, and Hardison resisted the urge to squirm. Nana oughta be proud of him.
“It's not contagious or anything, right?”
Hardison shrugged one shoulder, unwrapping the candy. “You can't catch it if you've already got it.”
“Oh.” Parker frowns at the pinata, shaking it a little. “Wait, what?”
He grinned, and wisely kept his mouth shut, turning instead back to his computer and the five more chapters of UST that had started this in the first place.