The Sky Rains Red, Part 9, Leverage, NC-17
Fandom: Leverage (Vamp!Nate verse)
Title: The Sky Rains Red, Part Nine ( Index)
Pairings/Characters: Nate/Eliot, Nate/Eliot/Hardison, meniton of Sophie and Sterling
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3837
Summary: Eliot and Nate both have a lot of adjustments to make, from how their relationship is going to change, to all the ways that Eliot is different now and when they both realize that Hardison is now an intrigal part of their lives, they might all suffer the consequences.
A/Ns & Summary: Nine chapter of at probably twelve. Blood!kink (hello, Vampire!). Violence. Violent sex. Written for the amazing and awesome Raggedy_Edge.
Eliot
He closes his eyes and shifts in the seat of the truck, turns his face away from Nate. He can feel her, tugging on him. He's hungry, not just a little hunger either. It gnaws at him. He wants blood and meat, hot and fresh.
His heartbeat echoes through him as they drive past people spilling out of a bar onto the street. Somehow he imagines that he can taste them, hear the blood rushing through their veins, feel the bursting of their hearts as he-
"Eliot?" Nate's voice grates over him, pulls him back.
Eliot blinks and exhales slowly. His hands are nearly gone to claws, the change just there, just under the surface, ready to come out. He focuses his breathing, concentrates on control. "I'm okay," he says after a few minutes, his voice deep.
"No, you're not." Nate reaches for him and Eliot pulls away, though there isn't much of anywhere to go in the little cab of the truck.
"Hungry." Eliot admits, licking his dry lips.
Nate nods. "Okay. We'll get you something."
Eliot snorts. "It ain't like I'm talking about drive thru here, Nate." He can feel Nate looking at him. "I need something…fresh." He can feel the blush as he says it, embarrassed to need something like this.
"Eliot, you need to kill. Come to me.
Nate steers them away from their destination, heading them out of town, up into the hills. When he stops the truck Eliot just stares at him.
"You need to eat. Go hunt something. I'll be here when you're done." Nate says.
Eliot shakes his head. "I don't know…"
Nate reaches over the seat for his hand. "I do. I know that this whole thing is fucked up and you're scared and you're not sure of anything. But the cat needs to hunt, hell, the vampire does too. Let those instincts guide you."
He still isn't certain, but he opens the door. The scents of the place are intoxicating, pulling at him.
"You might want to leave your clothes here." Nate says, coming around to Eliot's side. "I don't have another change of clothes for you."
Eliot nods slowly. He can already smell an animal nearby and the cat inside him wants it. He pulls the shirt off and tosses it on the seat while he kicks off his shoes. Nate takes his jeans as he pulls them off and he supposes it should feel wrong somehow that he's standing there naked, but instead it feels liberating.
He's breathing heavy with need as he steps away. "Stop fighting it." Nate says. "Let it come."
He isn't sure he has a choice, but somehow he doesn't really want Nate to see it, the transformation. He fidgets, then heads for the trees. He can still smell Nate when he stops holding back. His body contorts and he howls in pain as he drops to all fours, watching his arms fill out and cover in coarse hair. Claws grow out of his fingers and the hunger growls out of his mouth as his jaw cracks and opens.
It's invigorating and terrifying and when it's over Eliot's thoughts are somehow separate from the part of his brain that is tracking the smell of a deer. He can still sense Nate, can still recognize that he needs to deal with his hunger and get back to him so that they can go after the bitch that did this to him, but at the same time he knows by the scent that this deer is young, moving toward him, knows to lie low in the brush, knows when to pounce to surprise it and bring it down.
The blood rushes over his claws and face as he falls on it, ripping it open to get at the heart, craving the heat of it, letting the blood run over his face as he eats. He roars into the wind, then pauses, sniffing the air.
Another cat hunts nearby…hunts him…he turns, licking at his face.
Eliot, I need you.
He cocks his head and listens to the other cat moving. He moves slowly toward her, the smell of her. She slinks through the trees toward him, her body long and lithe and covered in gold fur. She stops and waits, the voice in his head whispering to him, calling him closer.
Eliot stops across the clearing from her. He wants her, desperately craves her touch, her approval, and yet…somehow he knows that to take another step would be signing himself over to her. He can't see the trap, but he knows it's there.
She sits, licking her whiskers. Her form shifts and she's a woman with long brown hair streaked in gold kneeling in the brush. "I won't hurt you, Eliot," she says, holding her hand out to him. "I made you. I want you."
He tilts his head, his eyes scanning around her. Her voice resonates inside him, and he wants her too. He shakes his head, hair falling around his face. "You did this to me." Eliot says, his voice strange in his ears.
She seems surprised to hear him speak without shifting back to his human state. Her delight sings across the clearing at him. "This is better than I could have anticipated. Come with me, and let me teach you."
He sees the movement now, on either side of her, the black cat that bit him and another, stealing through the brush on their bellies to get close enough to spring on him. He can feel Nate getting nervous. He can sense the other cats too. If Eliot doesn't move soon, Nate will come in to try to help him, and probably end up dead.
"Leave the vampire to my kitties, Eliot. He doesn't concern you now." Katja says, her hand held out to him.
"You obviously don't know me very well, bitch." Eliot says, spitting the words and backing off a step. "You touch him, I'll tear you to pieces myself."
He springs for the nearest tree, claws digging in to haul himself up and jumping to the next. The others are following, and he can't lead them to Nate, can only hope Nate gives him enough time to get clear.
One of them is in the trees behind him. The other is following on the ground. Eliot grins, watching as the one on the ground gets close enough. The black one is nearly on top of him when he drops out of the tree, claws out.
He slashes at the cat's throat and back and rides it down, springing away just in time to avoid the black one following. He pounces after Eliot and they roll through the leaves and clinging brush. Eliot yells as claws dig into his side, grabbing at the big paw and yanking it away.
He flips them, digging his back claws into the cat's lower back and biting hard into its shoulder. They fall in a bloody mess and the cat tries to crawl away, getting only a few steps before collapsing. Eliot's panting as he shifts back to human form. The other cat is shifting too, a tall black man laying naked in the leaves, his back and shoulder bloody and ripped.
He is alive, if only barely. Probably won't stay that way long. Eliot sniffs the air around them, but Katja was gone. He hefts the man over his shoulder and heads back toward Nate.
"I was starting to worry-" Nate says, turning and stopping as he sees Eliot with the unconscious man. "What's this?"
"The bastard that bit me." Eliot says, dumping him onto the grass beside the truck. The man groans as Nate moves to squat beside him. "I ran into him and a few friends."
"Thus why I was worried." Nate responds distractedly, reaching out for the bleeding shoulder, but pulling back before touching it. "He's in bad shape."
Eliot pulled his jeans on. "Won't ever walk again. I think I cut his spinal chord. Probably won't live for long. Figured we could get some information out of him."
Nate exhales. "I don't know if I can even get him awake enough to talk." He leans in, lifting the man's head. "Hey, hey….can you hear me?"
The man gurgles, spitting out blood. His eyes open, flicking from Nate to Eliot. "Told her it was a bad idea." He swallows, his head falling back. "Fucking vampires."
"Well, that was helpful." Nate says as he stands, wiping his hands on his pants and looking up as Eliot pulls on his shirt.
"Don't look at me, I was trying not to get killed." Eliot says.
"Hardison called." Nate offers as Eliot shoves his feet into his shoes. "He's waiting for us."
Eliot frowns, but nods. Hardison. Who Nate was feeding from.
"Hey." Nate is suddenly in his space, hands on his face. "Stop." His kiss is hard, shoving Eliot into the truck. "This isn't his fault."
Eliot wants to shout, to shove Nate off of him, but he wants to drag him closer and taste him too. "I'm trying." Eliot says through clenched teeth. "This isn't easy."
"I know. But we'll make it work." Nate insists, kissing him again.
It calms him some and Eliot nods when he feels his control in place. "I'm good."
"Are you?" Nate asks. "Can you handle seeing him? He's waiting at home."
"He's in our house?" Eliot asks, anger ratcheting up again.
"Sterling and Sophie are at the office." Nate says as he steps away. "I thought maybe you'd want a shower, some rest."
And Nate needs to feed, Eliot knows. It's maybe more obvious to him now that his senses are all on high alert. He hasn't fully recovered from his own ordeal and dealing with Eliot has taken a lot out of him. "I'm being selfish." Eliot climbs into the truck and resigns himself to the fact that Hardison is a part of this now, in ways none of them could have anticipated.
"No one can blame you." Nate replies as he gets behind the wheel. "This is fucked up." He rubs his hand over his face. "I never meant for you to be…but you were different, and Hardison…he's terrified, you know…"
Eliot looks at him with surprise. "What?"
Nate's mouth is a thin line, his face pale. Eliot can taste the hunger that lingers almost continually in him. "The first time…I…barely warned him, didn't ask…" He shakes his head. "He passed out before I'd even…" He grabs Eliot's hand then, squeezing it once. "I've only tasted him three times and I've never gone past drinking what I needed. You understand?"
Eliot nods tightly. "I get it."
"I'm with you, Eliot. Hardison is…well, he's a friend and as soon as we're through this crisis I will never touch him again."
Eliot takes it for what it is, a passionate plea to keep him from killing Hardison, but he knows it's one Nate won't keep. He knows because he's been in Hardison's shoes. "You know we haven't ever made each other any promises, Nate…you don't owe me anything."
Nate lets go of his hand and grabs the back of his head, dragging him across the seat. "You can be a thick headed son-of-a-bitch, Eliot Spencer." His lips close over Eliot's and his tongue surges into his mouth. "I'm telling you I'm not leaving you."
It's maybe as close as either of them have come to declarations of love or intention and Eliot swallows, nodding slowly. "Okay. We'll work it out." Eliot offers, sitting back. "Lets go home."
Hardison is waiting for them when they get there, fidgeting at the kitchen table with his laptop. He gets up, his eyes darting between them. "I, uh…I got some supplies."
Eliot can taste the fear now, especially when Hardison looks at him. He's got to give the man props that he's even there given how scared he is. He decides to give him some time to settle down. "I'm going to shower." Eliot says, glancing at Nate.
"Yeah, okay. We'll be out here when you're ready."
He turns his back and walks away. Nate won't feed with him there. Eliot knows he won't. He heads into their bedroom, yanking clothes off and dropping them. The light in the bathroom is stark and hurts his eyes. Blood still covers him, dried and cracking off his skin. There are marks from the fight, wounds already mostly healed in his side. That was one advantage to his new nature he supposed. He'd always healed quickly, but this was unheard of.
He starts the water, turning it up hot and stepping in. He actually catches himself purring at the feeling as it slicks over his skin. He shakes his head and turns his face into the spray. All in all it's been less than forty-eight hours since his world got turned upside down.
They still don't really have a clue what he is exactly, or what he's capable of. They'd talked about it, him and Nate, in the basement of their office building where they spent the day, waiting for the sun to go down. He is strong, as evident by the way he'd just shoved the vault door off its hinges. His senses are acute, more so than they ever could be as a human.
There are parts of himself beyond his control now though, the need for the hunt, to feed, to feel the heat of blood pouring out of a still beating heart…and he wonders whether that's vampire or cat. It was clear with the deer that he wanted the blood as much as the meat.
Then there was Katja. There is no doubt in his mind that the cat inside him wanted her, wanted to go to her…and he wonders if he let her get close enough to him whether he could control that.
The water is starting to run cold when he finally turns it off, stepping out and reaching for the towel. The apartment is quiet. He wraps the towel around his waist and pads out to find Nate laying on the couch, an open bottle on the floor beside him. He hasn't fed, Eliot can tell. In fact, he hasn't so much as touched Hardison. He's feigning sleep, so for the moment, Eliot leaves him and goes to the kitchen.
Hardison looks up, blinks, then goes back to his computer. Eliot sighs and goes to the fridge. There are empty blood cartons on the counter, so Nate had something in him, but Eliot knows it isn't enough. He knows because it isn't enough for him either.
He pulls out a beer and opens it, downing half of it in one go before he realizes that he doesn't really know if he should. He licks his lips and sets it aside to wait and see how he reacts. Hardison is watching him, his eyes wide.
Eliot knows he needs to put him at ease, even though what he wants is to make sure he understands that Nate belongs to Eliot. He swallows and licks his lips. "You okay?" He doesn't exactly look at Hardison as he says it.
"Me?" His voice doesn't exactly squeak, but it isn't his strongest either. He clears his throat. "Man…you…" He gestures at Eliot.
Eliot nods. "I'm…okay."
"Okay? Is that what you are?" Hardison asks. "I would be completely freaked out if I were you."
Eliot moves fast, faster than he means to, suddenly leaning into Hardison's space. "You aren't me. You can't ever be me." His heart races and he can smell the vague scent of Nate on his skin, the trace of where Nate fed last. His eyes rivet on the spot, high up on his neck, just under his ear. Without thinking about it, he licks over the spot and Hardison freezes.
His arousal takes Eliot by surprise, the taste of his skin changes, the fear backs off a little. Just a little though. His hands shake as he tries to figure out what to do with them. Eliot can tell by the taste that it's been a long while since Nate fed, probably not since Eliot was drugged and sleeping. He forces himself back.
Hardison's eyes are wide as they meet his. "You…" he clears his throat again. "Do you need…" he gestures at his neck and Eliot smiles as gently as he can.
"No, but Nate does. If that's okay."
"Nate said-"
Eliot shushes him with his lips, kissing him, startling him. "Nate is being stupid. If you can, if…if it's okay with you, he really needs some…and he needs to see that I understand."
He tugs Hardison up out of the chair, but the skinny hacker digs his feet in. "Wait. Wait."
Eliot suppresses the desire to just drag him to Nate and force the issue. "What?"
"I’m not saying no." Hardison says, holding up his hands. "I'm just…I need to understand what this is…because I saw what it was with you, how it started and where it went and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
Eliot nods, because he gets that. Eliot had no idea what he was getting into the night he seduced Nate into feeding from him, but Hardison did. Unfortunately it was too late for him. "If you don't want it, Hardison, you should leave now, get on the next plane out of the country and stay gone. You're already in his system, and maybe he's been kind about it, but the sex is a part of it. You can't tell me you don't already know that."
Hardison looks away, then back again. "And you?"
Eliot rubs his neck. "I can't give him what he needs. At least not with blood. Not when I need it myself."
Hardison shakes his head and lifts a hand as if to touch him before he drops it. "No, I was talking about the sex part."
Eliot blinks. "What?"
Hardison's heart rate nearly doubles and the fear is creeping back into his eyes, but it's on pace with something else. "I mean, that kinda puts me between you and him, doesn't it? And if I'm…"
Eliot gets it now, flushing with a sudden lust that he thinks must be from the cat. "I…I don't trust myself…I don't want to hurt you."
The disappointment rolls off Hardison in waves and Eliot grabs him without thinking, dragging him into a possessive kiss that runs straight to his cock, tenting the towel. His blood roars with need and he feels his body come alive with the change.
He forces himself to release Hardison and step back, breathing hard as he forces the beast back inside him. "I…can't." Eliot says harshly through his teeth. "Not now."
"Okay, I can see that." Hardison says, backing off himself now.
"Nate." Eliot says. "Nate needs you."
"I tried, man." Hardison says.
"Not hard enough."
Eliot turns him and pushes him out into the living room, ripping open his shirt as they went. "Hey."
Nate sits up, a question on his face, a question that Eliot answers by shoving Hardison at him. "Eliot?"
"Feed." Eliot says.
"What?" Nate looks up at Hardison who is straddling over his lap, then to Eliot.
Eliot crowds in behind Hardison, reaching around him to open his pants and ease his cock out of his pants. He hisses into Hardison's skin, fighting the urge to change. "Feed." His voice is deep, rumbling in his chest and making Hardison shiver. "We all know you need it. We all want it. Do it."
Nate shakes his head. "Kiss him." Eliot whispers in Hardison's ear. Hardison moves a little awkwardly, but kisses Nate and Nate makes a strange sound. Eliot's nails are nearly gone to claws, but it gives him an idea. He lifts his hand to Hardison's skin, just over his collarbone.
Hardison's head falls back against him as he draws blood and Nate's eyes lead his mouth to the wound. He licks over it, then sucks and Hardison is bucking up at him, groaning. The smell of come fills the air and Nate pulls back, blood smeared over his lips. Eliot shoves Hardison aside to taste those lips, licking at the blood, then chasing it into Nate's mouth.
His towel is lost in the struggle that follows, and he tears at Nate's pants, both of them desperate. Nate pulls his hands away when nails slice into his stomach, shoving Eliot backwards.
He lands on the coffee table and it cracks, dropping him to the floor. Nate is on him instantly, his eyes black, his fangs bared. Eliot roars as they fall together, turning in an attempt to get some leverage. Nate gets his hand around Eliot's cock, using it to keep him in place. Nate's cock bites into him, fucking him hard with Eliot half turned over, his leg lifted up onto Nate's shoulder.
Nate turns his head and bites into the meat of his calf, hard and deep and the pain pushes Eliot closer to the animal. He roars again, but Nate has him pinned as he finishes, coming inside him.
Eliot starts when a mouth touches his cock and Nate is still inside of him. "Hardison…" Nate's voice is a warning, but Hardison doesn't heed it, just sucks more of Eliot into his mouth, taking Nate's hand away.
"Nate." Eliot gasps as it gets harder not to change and Nate pulls out of him, dropping his leg and pushing him fully onto his back, pinning him in a different way as Hardison swallows him and Eliot's body trembles with the effort.
Then Nate is kissing him, his hands held in an iron grip to keep him from hurting Hardison. "Fuck!" Eliot can't get more than that out as a way of warning Hardison, and he's coming, Hardison's mouth milking him and riding him all the down until Eliot actually whimpers and Nate lets him go to reach behind him for Hardison.
Eliot pants under Nate who isn't getting up just yet. Hardison backs off though, falling back onto the couch. Nate shakes his head and Eliot nods to him. "I'm okay."
"You're fucking insane." Nate counters, climbing off of him and helping him up.
"You're just figuring that out now?" Hardison asks.
"You're not any better." Nate says, pointing at him.
"Don't blame him." Eliot reaches for his towel. "Although that blow job idea was the stupidest thing he's ever done."
"He's sitting right here." Hardison says. "And it tamed you right quick, didn't it?"
The growl came unbidden and Eliot thinks if it were possible, Hardison would be white as he jumped off the couch and circled around, keeping Nate and as much furniture as possible between him and Eliot. "I think I should check on the search I was doing."
"I'm gonna kill him." Eliot growls.
Nate stops him from following Hardison, shoving him back toward the bedroom. "Later. Right now we need him to find Katja."
Title: The Sky Rains Red, Part Nine ( Index)
Pairings/Characters: Nate/Eliot, Nate/Eliot/Hardison, meniton of Sophie and Sterling
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3837
Summary: Eliot and Nate both have a lot of adjustments to make, from how their relationship is going to change, to all the ways that Eliot is different now and when they both realize that Hardison is now an intrigal part of their lives, they might all suffer the consequences.
A/Ns & Summary: Nine chapter of at probably twelve. Blood!kink (hello, Vampire!). Violence. Violent sex. Written for the amazing and awesome Raggedy_Edge.
Eliot
He closes his eyes and shifts in the seat of the truck, turns his face away from Nate. He can feel her, tugging on him. He's hungry, not just a little hunger either. It gnaws at him. He wants blood and meat, hot and fresh.
His heartbeat echoes through him as they drive past people spilling out of a bar onto the street. Somehow he imagines that he can taste them, hear the blood rushing through their veins, feel the bursting of their hearts as he-
"Eliot?" Nate's voice grates over him, pulls him back.
Eliot blinks and exhales slowly. His hands are nearly gone to claws, the change just there, just under the surface, ready to come out. He focuses his breathing, concentrates on control. "I'm okay," he says after a few minutes, his voice deep.
"No, you're not." Nate reaches for him and Eliot pulls away, though there isn't much of anywhere to go in the little cab of the truck.
"Hungry." Eliot admits, licking his dry lips.
Nate nods. "Okay. We'll get you something."
Eliot snorts. "It ain't like I'm talking about drive thru here, Nate." He can feel Nate looking at him. "I need something…fresh." He can feel the blush as he says it, embarrassed to need something like this.
"Eliot, you need to kill. Come to me.
Nate steers them away from their destination, heading them out of town, up into the hills. When he stops the truck Eliot just stares at him.
"You need to eat. Go hunt something. I'll be here when you're done." Nate says.
Eliot shakes his head. "I don't know…"
Nate reaches over the seat for his hand. "I do. I know that this whole thing is fucked up and you're scared and you're not sure of anything. But the cat needs to hunt, hell, the vampire does too. Let those instincts guide you."
He still isn't certain, but he opens the door. The scents of the place are intoxicating, pulling at him.
"You might want to leave your clothes here." Nate says, coming around to Eliot's side. "I don't have another change of clothes for you."
Eliot nods slowly. He can already smell an animal nearby and the cat inside him wants it. He pulls the shirt off and tosses it on the seat while he kicks off his shoes. Nate takes his jeans as he pulls them off and he supposes it should feel wrong somehow that he's standing there naked, but instead it feels liberating.
He's breathing heavy with need as he steps away. "Stop fighting it." Nate says. "Let it come."
He isn't sure he has a choice, but somehow he doesn't really want Nate to see it, the transformation. He fidgets, then heads for the trees. He can still smell Nate when he stops holding back. His body contorts and he howls in pain as he drops to all fours, watching his arms fill out and cover in coarse hair. Claws grow out of his fingers and the hunger growls out of his mouth as his jaw cracks and opens.
It's invigorating and terrifying and when it's over Eliot's thoughts are somehow separate from the part of his brain that is tracking the smell of a deer. He can still sense Nate, can still recognize that he needs to deal with his hunger and get back to him so that they can go after the bitch that did this to him, but at the same time he knows by the scent that this deer is young, moving toward him, knows to lie low in the brush, knows when to pounce to surprise it and bring it down.
The blood rushes over his claws and face as he falls on it, ripping it open to get at the heart, craving the heat of it, letting the blood run over his face as he eats. He roars into the wind, then pauses, sniffing the air.
Another cat hunts nearby…hunts him…he turns, licking at his face.
Eliot, I need you.
He cocks his head and listens to the other cat moving. He moves slowly toward her, the smell of her. She slinks through the trees toward him, her body long and lithe and covered in gold fur. She stops and waits, the voice in his head whispering to him, calling him closer.
Eliot stops across the clearing from her. He wants her, desperately craves her touch, her approval, and yet…somehow he knows that to take another step would be signing himself over to her. He can't see the trap, but he knows it's there.
She sits, licking her whiskers. Her form shifts and she's a woman with long brown hair streaked in gold kneeling in the brush. "I won't hurt you, Eliot," she says, holding her hand out to him. "I made you. I want you."
He tilts his head, his eyes scanning around her. Her voice resonates inside him, and he wants her too. He shakes his head, hair falling around his face. "You did this to me." Eliot says, his voice strange in his ears.
She seems surprised to hear him speak without shifting back to his human state. Her delight sings across the clearing at him. "This is better than I could have anticipated. Come with me, and let me teach you."
He sees the movement now, on either side of her, the black cat that bit him and another, stealing through the brush on their bellies to get close enough to spring on him. He can feel Nate getting nervous. He can sense the other cats too. If Eliot doesn't move soon, Nate will come in to try to help him, and probably end up dead.
"Leave the vampire to my kitties, Eliot. He doesn't concern you now." Katja says, her hand held out to him.
"You obviously don't know me very well, bitch." Eliot says, spitting the words and backing off a step. "You touch him, I'll tear you to pieces myself."
He springs for the nearest tree, claws digging in to haul himself up and jumping to the next. The others are following, and he can't lead them to Nate, can only hope Nate gives him enough time to get clear.
One of them is in the trees behind him. The other is following on the ground. Eliot grins, watching as the one on the ground gets close enough. The black one is nearly on top of him when he drops out of the tree, claws out.
He slashes at the cat's throat and back and rides it down, springing away just in time to avoid the black one following. He pounces after Eliot and they roll through the leaves and clinging brush. Eliot yells as claws dig into his side, grabbing at the big paw and yanking it away.
He flips them, digging his back claws into the cat's lower back and biting hard into its shoulder. They fall in a bloody mess and the cat tries to crawl away, getting only a few steps before collapsing. Eliot's panting as he shifts back to human form. The other cat is shifting too, a tall black man laying naked in the leaves, his back and shoulder bloody and ripped.
He is alive, if only barely. Probably won't stay that way long. Eliot sniffs the air around them, but Katja was gone. He hefts the man over his shoulder and heads back toward Nate.
"I was starting to worry-" Nate says, turning and stopping as he sees Eliot with the unconscious man. "What's this?"
"The bastard that bit me." Eliot says, dumping him onto the grass beside the truck. The man groans as Nate moves to squat beside him. "I ran into him and a few friends."
"Thus why I was worried." Nate responds distractedly, reaching out for the bleeding shoulder, but pulling back before touching it. "He's in bad shape."
Eliot pulled his jeans on. "Won't ever walk again. I think I cut his spinal chord. Probably won't live for long. Figured we could get some information out of him."
Nate exhales. "I don't know if I can even get him awake enough to talk." He leans in, lifting the man's head. "Hey, hey….can you hear me?"
The man gurgles, spitting out blood. His eyes open, flicking from Nate to Eliot. "Told her it was a bad idea." He swallows, his head falling back. "Fucking vampires."
"Well, that was helpful." Nate says as he stands, wiping his hands on his pants and looking up as Eliot pulls on his shirt.
"Don't look at me, I was trying not to get killed." Eliot says.
"Hardison called." Nate offers as Eliot shoves his feet into his shoes. "He's waiting for us."
Eliot frowns, but nods. Hardison. Who Nate was feeding from.
"Hey." Nate is suddenly in his space, hands on his face. "Stop." His kiss is hard, shoving Eliot into the truck. "This isn't his fault."
Eliot wants to shout, to shove Nate off of him, but he wants to drag him closer and taste him too. "I'm trying." Eliot says through clenched teeth. "This isn't easy."
"I know. But we'll make it work." Nate insists, kissing him again.
It calms him some and Eliot nods when he feels his control in place. "I'm good."
"Are you?" Nate asks. "Can you handle seeing him? He's waiting at home."
"He's in our house?" Eliot asks, anger ratcheting up again.
"Sterling and Sophie are at the office." Nate says as he steps away. "I thought maybe you'd want a shower, some rest."
And Nate needs to feed, Eliot knows. It's maybe more obvious to him now that his senses are all on high alert. He hasn't fully recovered from his own ordeal and dealing with Eliot has taken a lot out of him. "I'm being selfish." Eliot climbs into the truck and resigns himself to the fact that Hardison is a part of this now, in ways none of them could have anticipated.
"No one can blame you." Nate replies as he gets behind the wheel. "This is fucked up." He rubs his hand over his face. "I never meant for you to be…but you were different, and Hardison…he's terrified, you know…"
Eliot looks at him with surprise. "What?"
Nate's mouth is a thin line, his face pale. Eliot can taste the hunger that lingers almost continually in him. "The first time…I…barely warned him, didn't ask…" He shakes his head. "He passed out before I'd even…" He grabs Eliot's hand then, squeezing it once. "I've only tasted him three times and I've never gone past drinking what I needed. You understand?"
Eliot nods tightly. "I get it."
"I'm with you, Eliot. Hardison is…well, he's a friend and as soon as we're through this crisis I will never touch him again."
Eliot takes it for what it is, a passionate plea to keep him from killing Hardison, but he knows it's one Nate won't keep. He knows because he's been in Hardison's shoes. "You know we haven't ever made each other any promises, Nate…you don't owe me anything."
Nate lets go of his hand and grabs the back of his head, dragging him across the seat. "You can be a thick headed son-of-a-bitch, Eliot Spencer." His lips close over Eliot's and his tongue surges into his mouth. "I'm telling you I'm not leaving you."
It's maybe as close as either of them have come to declarations of love or intention and Eliot swallows, nodding slowly. "Okay. We'll work it out." Eliot offers, sitting back. "Lets go home."
Hardison is waiting for them when they get there, fidgeting at the kitchen table with his laptop. He gets up, his eyes darting between them. "I, uh…I got some supplies."
Eliot can taste the fear now, especially when Hardison looks at him. He's got to give the man props that he's even there given how scared he is. He decides to give him some time to settle down. "I'm going to shower." Eliot says, glancing at Nate.
"Yeah, okay. We'll be out here when you're ready."
He turns his back and walks away. Nate won't feed with him there. Eliot knows he won't. He heads into their bedroom, yanking clothes off and dropping them. The light in the bathroom is stark and hurts his eyes. Blood still covers him, dried and cracking off his skin. There are marks from the fight, wounds already mostly healed in his side. That was one advantage to his new nature he supposed. He'd always healed quickly, but this was unheard of.
He starts the water, turning it up hot and stepping in. He actually catches himself purring at the feeling as it slicks over his skin. He shakes his head and turns his face into the spray. All in all it's been less than forty-eight hours since his world got turned upside down.
They still don't really have a clue what he is exactly, or what he's capable of. They'd talked about it, him and Nate, in the basement of their office building where they spent the day, waiting for the sun to go down. He is strong, as evident by the way he'd just shoved the vault door off its hinges. His senses are acute, more so than they ever could be as a human.
There are parts of himself beyond his control now though, the need for the hunt, to feed, to feel the heat of blood pouring out of a still beating heart…and he wonders whether that's vampire or cat. It was clear with the deer that he wanted the blood as much as the meat.
Then there was Katja. There is no doubt in his mind that the cat inside him wanted her, wanted to go to her…and he wonders if he let her get close enough to him whether he could control that.
The water is starting to run cold when he finally turns it off, stepping out and reaching for the towel. The apartment is quiet. He wraps the towel around his waist and pads out to find Nate laying on the couch, an open bottle on the floor beside him. He hasn't fed, Eliot can tell. In fact, he hasn't so much as touched Hardison. He's feigning sleep, so for the moment, Eliot leaves him and goes to the kitchen.
Hardison looks up, blinks, then goes back to his computer. Eliot sighs and goes to the fridge. There are empty blood cartons on the counter, so Nate had something in him, but Eliot knows it isn't enough. He knows because it isn't enough for him either.
He pulls out a beer and opens it, downing half of it in one go before he realizes that he doesn't really know if he should. He licks his lips and sets it aside to wait and see how he reacts. Hardison is watching him, his eyes wide.
Eliot knows he needs to put him at ease, even though what he wants is to make sure he understands that Nate belongs to Eliot. He swallows and licks his lips. "You okay?" He doesn't exactly look at Hardison as he says it.
"Me?" His voice doesn't exactly squeak, but it isn't his strongest either. He clears his throat. "Man…you…" He gestures at Eliot.
Eliot nods. "I'm…okay."
"Okay? Is that what you are?" Hardison asks. "I would be completely freaked out if I were you."
Eliot moves fast, faster than he means to, suddenly leaning into Hardison's space. "You aren't me. You can't ever be me." His heart races and he can smell the vague scent of Nate on his skin, the trace of where Nate fed last. His eyes rivet on the spot, high up on his neck, just under his ear. Without thinking about it, he licks over the spot and Hardison freezes.
His arousal takes Eliot by surprise, the taste of his skin changes, the fear backs off a little. Just a little though. His hands shake as he tries to figure out what to do with them. Eliot can tell by the taste that it's been a long while since Nate fed, probably not since Eliot was drugged and sleeping. He forces himself back.
Hardison's eyes are wide as they meet his. "You…" he clears his throat again. "Do you need…" he gestures at his neck and Eliot smiles as gently as he can.
"No, but Nate does. If that's okay."
"Nate said-"
Eliot shushes him with his lips, kissing him, startling him. "Nate is being stupid. If you can, if…if it's okay with you, he really needs some…and he needs to see that I understand."
He tugs Hardison up out of the chair, but the skinny hacker digs his feet in. "Wait. Wait."
Eliot suppresses the desire to just drag him to Nate and force the issue. "What?"
"I’m not saying no." Hardison says, holding up his hands. "I'm just…I need to understand what this is…because I saw what it was with you, how it started and where it went and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
Eliot nods, because he gets that. Eliot had no idea what he was getting into the night he seduced Nate into feeding from him, but Hardison did. Unfortunately it was too late for him. "If you don't want it, Hardison, you should leave now, get on the next plane out of the country and stay gone. You're already in his system, and maybe he's been kind about it, but the sex is a part of it. You can't tell me you don't already know that."
Hardison looks away, then back again. "And you?"
Eliot rubs his neck. "I can't give him what he needs. At least not with blood. Not when I need it myself."
Hardison shakes his head and lifts a hand as if to touch him before he drops it. "No, I was talking about the sex part."
Eliot blinks. "What?"
Hardison's heart rate nearly doubles and the fear is creeping back into his eyes, but it's on pace with something else. "I mean, that kinda puts me between you and him, doesn't it? And if I'm…"
Eliot gets it now, flushing with a sudden lust that he thinks must be from the cat. "I…I don't trust myself…I don't want to hurt you."
The disappointment rolls off Hardison in waves and Eliot grabs him without thinking, dragging him into a possessive kiss that runs straight to his cock, tenting the towel. His blood roars with need and he feels his body come alive with the change.
He forces himself to release Hardison and step back, breathing hard as he forces the beast back inside him. "I…can't." Eliot says harshly through his teeth. "Not now."
"Okay, I can see that." Hardison says, backing off himself now.
"Nate." Eliot says. "Nate needs you."
"I tried, man." Hardison says.
"Not hard enough."
Eliot turns him and pushes him out into the living room, ripping open his shirt as they went. "Hey."
Nate sits up, a question on his face, a question that Eliot answers by shoving Hardison at him. "Eliot?"
"Feed." Eliot says.
"What?" Nate looks up at Hardison who is straddling over his lap, then to Eliot.
Eliot crowds in behind Hardison, reaching around him to open his pants and ease his cock out of his pants. He hisses into Hardison's skin, fighting the urge to change. "Feed." His voice is deep, rumbling in his chest and making Hardison shiver. "We all know you need it. We all want it. Do it."
Nate shakes his head. "Kiss him." Eliot whispers in Hardison's ear. Hardison moves a little awkwardly, but kisses Nate and Nate makes a strange sound. Eliot's nails are nearly gone to claws, but it gives him an idea. He lifts his hand to Hardison's skin, just over his collarbone.
Hardison's head falls back against him as he draws blood and Nate's eyes lead his mouth to the wound. He licks over it, then sucks and Hardison is bucking up at him, groaning. The smell of come fills the air and Nate pulls back, blood smeared over his lips. Eliot shoves Hardison aside to taste those lips, licking at the blood, then chasing it into Nate's mouth.
His towel is lost in the struggle that follows, and he tears at Nate's pants, both of them desperate. Nate pulls his hands away when nails slice into his stomach, shoving Eliot backwards.
He lands on the coffee table and it cracks, dropping him to the floor. Nate is on him instantly, his eyes black, his fangs bared. Eliot roars as they fall together, turning in an attempt to get some leverage. Nate gets his hand around Eliot's cock, using it to keep him in place. Nate's cock bites into him, fucking him hard with Eliot half turned over, his leg lifted up onto Nate's shoulder.
Nate turns his head and bites into the meat of his calf, hard and deep and the pain pushes Eliot closer to the animal. He roars again, but Nate has him pinned as he finishes, coming inside him.
Eliot starts when a mouth touches his cock and Nate is still inside of him. "Hardison…" Nate's voice is a warning, but Hardison doesn't heed it, just sucks more of Eliot into his mouth, taking Nate's hand away.
"Nate." Eliot gasps as it gets harder not to change and Nate pulls out of him, dropping his leg and pushing him fully onto his back, pinning him in a different way as Hardison swallows him and Eliot's body trembles with the effort.
Then Nate is kissing him, his hands held in an iron grip to keep him from hurting Hardison. "Fuck!" Eliot can't get more than that out as a way of warning Hardison, and he's coming, Hardison's mouth milking him and riding him all the down until Eliot actually whimpers and Nate lets him go to reach behind him for Hardison.
Eliot pants under Nate who isn't getting up just yet. Hardison backs off though, falling back onto the couch. Nate shakes his head and Eliot nods to him. "I'm okay."
"You're fucking insane." Nate counters, climbing off of him and helping him up.
"You're just figuring that out now?" Hardison asks.
"You're not any better." Nate says, pointing at him.
"Don't blame him." Eliot reaches for his towel. "Although that blow job idea was the stupidest thing he's ever done."
"He's sitting right here." Hardison says. "And it tamed you right quick, didn't it?"
The growl came unbidden and Eliot thinks if it were possible, Hardison would be white as he jumped off the couch and circled around, keeping Nate and as much furniture as possible between him and Eliot. "I think I should check on the search I was doing."
"I'm gonna kill him." Eliot growls.
Nate stops him from following Hardison, shoving him back toward the bedroom. "Later. Right now we need him to find Katja."