Memory of a Gunman
Title: Memory of a Gunman
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg-13
Genre: Nate/Eliot
Verse: BlackKing!WhiteKnight!Verse
Summary: It was a close call in more ways than one.
Notes: Tag to The Lost Heir Job
“Today was close.”
The words, Nate’s words, almost startle him out of the headspace he’d slipped into. He had almost been drifting off, “safe” in the bed he shared with Nate, the older man spooned up against his back, holding him, steady breaths soft against his neck a constant.
It was disarmingly normal, so much like any other night they shared when the team was stable and life bordered good.
“No closer ‘n normal.” Eliot mumbled back. Yeah. Today had been “close”. He still could hardly believe their luck and come on, who besides Nate would discover an actual Lost Heir.
But in the end everything had worked out.
And the team now even had a new grifter, though Eliot had mixed feelings about her and wasn’t exactly alone but that was a bridge they’d cross or burn when they had to.
The job was over. Things had worked out. Everyone was safe at home (hell Sophie had even begun regularly phoning in to let him know she was safe).
“A little.” Nate said, pulling him back again. Eliot had a growing feeling Nate had a point he wanted to make.
One Eliot wasn’t too entirely happy about.
“We made it out alright.” Eliot said. “Get some sleep Nate. Tomorrow we have ta start dealin’ with Tara.”
“Parker told me about what happened with the cops.” Nate said, ignoring the suggestion.
“I don’t fight cops.” Eliot said, sharper than he’d meant to. He didn’t, not if he had a choice. “’f Anythin’ you should be talkin’ to Parker. Girl’s taser happy.”
Nate was silent in response for a long time.
Just as Eliot thought he had fallen back asleep the response came, soft words barely above a whisper. “I know you were close to going Black Knight today.”
Eliot’s breath left in a hiss like he’d been sucker punched. Maybe he had. He certainly had been taken off guard. “I…” He started.
“Be honest.” Nate said over him, voice just hintingly sharp, just barely reminding Eliot of the longstanding rule they’d broken not too many months ago that the first time Eliot lost control of The Black Knight was the day he lost his place on this team.
“It was close.” Eliot finally muttered, admitting out loud why he had made such a point to not fight those cops. It had been too close.
And he wasn’t letting The Black Knight loose on a couple of police, especially with Parker in the blast radius.
“What happened?” Nate asked, the unspoken questions of ‘what pushed you that far’ and ‘how can we keep that from happening again?’ very clear.
Eliot thought back, to the sight of the gunman with Nate in his sights. To the half a heart beat he froze instead of acting. To the surge of old fears and old… everything… that had gone through him as he flashbacked to the gunman in that job with the Private School and everything that had been going through his head then and the new fears of losing one of his people.
‘If something happened to Nate, or Joey, or anyone on your team…’ Stanley’s voice floated through his head. ‘if something were to happen…’
After that half a heartbeat, after he’d reacted and moved… he couldn’t remember. There had been a gap there between where he’d heard himself calling out to Nate and when he was regrouping with Nate and Parker that he couldn’t remember like when the Black Knight took over.
After that everything had been a mess and mixed together and there had been too many questions to fight, too much of a chance it would happen again.
“What happened?” Nate asked again.
‘Do you really think you’d be okay?’
Eliot opened his eyes, staring into the darkness of the room, the oblivion waiting there outside this one almost safe place, and answered.
“I don’t know.”
Previous: These Seats are Better
Next: Roar in the Night
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg-13
Genre: Nate/Eliot
Verse: BlackKing!WhiteKnight!Verse
Summary: It was a close call in more ways than one.
Notes: Tag to The Lost Heir Job
“Today was close.”
The words, Nate’s words, almost startle him out of the headspace he’d slipped into. He had almost been drifting off, “safe” in the bed he shared with Nate, the older man spooned up against his back, holding him, steady breaths soft against his neck a constant.
It was disarmingly normal, so much like any other night they shared when the team was stable and life bordered good.
“No closer ‘n normal.” Eliot mumbled back. Yeah. Today had been “close”. He still could hardly believe their luck and come on, who besides Nate would discover an actual Lost Heir.
But in the end everything had worked out.
And the team now even had a new grifter, though Eliot had mixed feelings about her and wasn’t exactly alone but that was a bridge they’d cross or burn when they had to.
The job was over. Things had worked out. Everyone was safe at home (hell Sophie had even begun regularly phoning in to let him know she was safe).
“A little.” Nate said, pulling him back again. Eliot had a growing feeling Nate had a point he wanted to make.
One Eliot wasn’t too entirely happy about.
“We made it out alright.” Eliot said. “Get some sleep Nate. Tomorrow we have ta start dealin’ with Tara.”
“Parker told me about what happened with the cops.” Nate said, ignoring the suggestion.
“I don’t fight cops.” Eliot said, sharper than he’d meant to. He didn’t, not if he had a choice. “’f Anythin’ you should be talkin’ to Parker. Girl’s taser happy.”
Nate was silent in response for a long time.
Just as Eliot thought he had fallen back asleep the response came, soft words barely above a whisper. “I know you were close to going Black Knight today.”
Eliot’s breath left in a hiss like he’d been sucker punched. Maybe he had. He certainly had been taken off guard. “I…” He started.
“Be honest.” Nate said over him, voice just hintingly sharp, just barely reminding Eliot of the longstanding rule they’d broken not too many months ago that the first time Eliot lost control of The Black Knight was the day he lost his place on this team.
“It was close.” Eliot finally muttered, admitting out loud why he had made such a point to not fight those cops. It had been too close.
And he wasn’t letting The Black Knight loose on a couple of police, especially with Parker in the blast radius.
“What happened?” Nate asked, the unspoken questions of ‘what pushed you that far’ and ‘how can we keep that from happening again?’ very clear.
Eliot thought back, to the sight of the gunman with Nate in his sights. To the half a heart beat he froze instead of acting. To the surge of old fears and old… everything… that had gone through him as he flashbacked to the gunman in that job with the Private School and everything that had been going through his head then and the new fears of losing one of his people.
‘If something happened to Nate, or Joey, or anyone on your team…’ Stanley’s voice floated through his head. ‘if something were to happen…’
After that half a heartbeat, after he’d reacted and moved… he couldn’t remember. There had been a gap there between where he’d heard himself calling out to Nate and when he was regrouping with Nate and Parker that he couldn’t remember like when the Black Knight took over.
After that everything had been a mess and mixed together and there had been too many questions to fight, too much of a chance it would happen again.
“What happened?” Nate asked again.
‘Do you really think you’d be okay?’
Eliot opened his eyes, staring into the darkness of the room, the oblivion waiting there outside this one almost safe place, and answered.
“I don’t know.”
Previous: These Seats are Better
Next: Roar in the Night