Fic: Hope (Leverage, Nate/Eliot, R)
Title: Hope
Author: sheryden
Rating: We'll say R, to be safe. Nothing graphic.
Word Count: 2181
Genre: Slash
Pairing: Nate/Eliot
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None, unless m/m relationships bother you.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Eliot would be shirtless in every episode.
Summary: Space AU (yes, really). With the earth in its final days, Nate Ford books passage on a transport ship to the colonies. Little did he know he'd run into an old flame.
Notes: This was written for hc_bingo for the prompt "earth blowing up (escaping into space)" and au_bingo for the WILD CARD prompt (Future: In Space!!!).
Also: Is anyone out there willing to beta for me once in a while? I don't need a hardcore beta, but rather just someone to bounce ideas off sometimes. I would really appreciate it. :)
This was Nate Ford’s first time in space. For years, he’d avoided space travel-most people did, according an article he’d read in The Times a couple of years ago. He’d always told himself he just never had a valid reason to travel in space. The Division had never really had reach outside the earth’s boundaries, so he’d never had to travel for work. And he never took a vacation. And even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have spent a mint just to tour the moons of Jupiter, or whatever the hell people did. Nate Ford had been perfectly happy being earthbound and remaining blissfully ignorant about the ins and outs of space travel.
However news of an impending and horrific death had a way of changing a man’s mind about things.
From the observation deck of The Unity, the earth looked the same as it always had. On the surface, though, where Nate had been only hours ago, it was clear that the end could happen at any moment.
He wasn’t alone at the observation deck. Many of the refugees-or colonists, as the perky ship’s steward liked to call them-were scattered across the deck. Some of them were in groups or at least couples. Most, like Nate, were alone.
Nate was used to being alone. He’d been divorced for a couple of years, and his father, the only family he had, was in the wind somewhere. Nate had no idea if the old man even made it off the planet. But suddenly, standing on the deck of this enormous ship with a crowd of strangers, he felt more alone than he had in years. He was a man without a planet now. A man without a proper home.
As he let this idea sink in, Nate scanned the other passengers. He looked not only at the surface, but he tried to imagine what might lurk underneath. It was a remnant of his days with the Division, he supposed. Every person had a story, and reading between the lines could often make or break a case.
As Nate’s eyes drifted toward the far end of the observation deck, he was surprised to come upon a familiar face. Eliot Spencer- rogue, ex-soldier, and most importantly, Nate’s former partner. Back in the old days, when they’d both worked at the Division of Planetary Crime, Eliot had been a hell of an agent, one of the best the Division had ever seen. He and Nate had been partners, best friends, and occasional lovers over the years.
Then it had all come crashing down. He and Eliot had worked a smuggling case where children had been used to transport stolen merchandise. Kid cases had always gotten to Eliot more than any others. The Division had been working the case for months and had finally planned to set a trap to capture the head of the smuggling ring. Someone had tipped the guy off, though, and he had escaped, killing one of the children and critically injuring Eliot and one other officer in the process.
The case had been tragic enough, but to make matters worse, Nate and Eliot had later discovered that an old buddy of theirs at the Division had been on the take and had been the one to tip off the smugglers. To Eliot, an avowed idealist, the news had been a devastating blow. The system he had trusted had been tainted by corruption. After that, Eliot had gotten angry and disillusioned with the job.
One day, he had finally snapped and walked away from it all, becoming the very thing he and Nate had once chased. And Nate. Nate had stuck to his moral high ground back then. At first, he’d even sworn to chase Eliot to the ends of the earth.
A couple of years ago, though, Nate had realized how right Eliot had been. Though there had been good officers within the Division, something in the system had been broken for a while. Nate hadn’t exactly gone rogue when he’d left, but he’d made sure the Division head wound up sporting a pretty impressive black eye. After he had broken ties with the Division, he thought about tracking Eliot down, but instead, he’d wound up retiring to Boston, trying and failing to figure out who he was.
As he watched Eliot mill around the observation deck, Nate felt an odd flood of relief wash over him. He’d wondered about Eliot since the evacuation had started. Seeing him safe and standing a few feet away calmed Nate’s nagging fears and reminded him that maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought. Maybe this was a chance to reach out to Eliot and heal old wounds.
Taking a breath, Nate squared his shoulders and walked over to his old friend. “Hey,” he said, waving slightly.
Eliot glanced at Nate, and for a moment, a look of shock flickered across his face. With a smirk, he said, “You’re chasing me all the way to the colonies? I’m honored”
Nate shook his head. “I’m done with that. Have been for a while. And I’m pretty sure you knew that.”
“Yeah,” Eliot said, flashing a sloppy grin. “I heard talk. When you quit a job, you do it with a flourish.”
“My dad always said I was melodramatic.” Nate smiled and took a good look at Eliot. The years had been kind to him. His backside looked as good in a pair of tight jeans as always, and his arms… Well, Eliot had always accused Nate of having an arm kink. Smacking Eliot on the shoulder, Nate asked, “Who’d you sleep with the get passage on a luxury transport?”
“The Captain.” Eliot gazed at him and licked his lips. “How’d you manage?”
“I lied,” Nate said. “A lot. And strategically.”
Shaking his head, Eliot said, “Right. So, where’s the wife?”
The wife. Maggie Collins, formerly Maggie Ford. They had never exactly been a storybook couple, but they’d made it work for a while. They had even thought about having kids. But like most of Nate’s relationships, it had crashed and burned, and Maggie had headed for the hills.
“That’s over,” Nate said. “Haven’t seen her in a year, but I heard she got off a few weeks ago. Colony A-5.”
Eliot threw back his head and laughed. “They’re really gonna have to come up with better names for these places.”
“Yeah.” Nate shoved his hands into his pockets, wondering why he was so nervous around someone he’d known for years. Swallowing, he asked, “So are you here… alone?”
His lips curving into a smile, Eliot said, “Not anymore.”
***
Nate sat with Eliot in the dining room and sipped at a glass of pretty impressive whiskey. If he had to escape from certain death, a luxury transport ship definitely beat the mass evac ships that most of the planet’s refugees had to contend with.
As Nate took a bite of pasta, he noticed a slight blond woman shuffle past their table. She looked out of place among the relatively well-to-do passengers of The Unity. Of course, Nate couldn’t talk. He had wrangled his way on board through charm and manipulation.
Eliot leaned closer to Nate and whispered, “She’s a stowaway. I saw her sneak on board.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t say anything?”
“Why would I say anything?” Eliot asked. “I have no desire to see anyone get blown to pieces when the earth finally goes supernova. Besides, I admire her survival instinct.”
Nate watched as the woman disappeared into the hallway. “I think supernova is just for stars,” he said.
Shooting Nate a glare, Eliot tossed back a shot of whiskey. “Well, whatever’s gonna happen,” he growled. “My point is she has just as much right as anyone to survive this.” Eliot started to pick at the cuff of his shirt. “So, you know anyone who stayed behind?”
“What? Intentionally?” Nate shook his head. “I can’t imagine who would stay.”
Slouching down in his chair, Eliot folded his arms across his chest. “There are some who don’t think the earth’s gonna go boom,” he said. “It’s like any disaster. People don’t want to believe it.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Nate said. “So, how many you think will get left behind? People who want off, I mean.”
Eliot ran his fingers through his hair. “I try not to think about it,” he said. “I have enough crap to keep me up at night.”
“Well, how many more evac ships will there be? It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of time left.”
“Officially? None, Nate. We’re done. The last ones left right after The Unity.”
“None?” Nate felt the blood drain from his face. “There has to be a lot of people still down there, Eliot. I mean, Boston was pretty empty, but…”
Letting out a breath, Eliot started picking at his food. Back when they had been partners, Eliot had only picked at his food when he was trying to sort out the aftermath of a bad case in his head. “Some people are saying this disaster a chance to purge the undesirables,” he said.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning there are a lot of people who didn’t get a ticket on an evac ship.” Eliot clenched and unclenched his fist. “Come on, Nate. Seriously. Do you think they’re gonna empty the urban slums and gather up all the poor peasants from all the little farming villages?”
“I don’t know what I thought,” Nate said. He took a long swig of whiskey and closed his eyes. He was far from being an idealist-the Division had torn that out of him years ago. But he wanted to believe that humanity had hope, and that the universe still… worked.
Laying a hand on Nate’s forearm, Eliot squeezed a little and said, “Come on. Let’s go back to my cabin.”
***
Breathless and spent, Nate let his head drop onto Eliot’s shoulder. He could feel Eliot’s fingers threading through his hair, and he could feel Eliot’s warm breath against his neck. Nate placed a quick kiss on Eliot’s shoulder, then pulled out of him and rolled onto his back.
With a smirk, he nudged Eliot with his shoulder and said, “So am I better than the Captain?”
Eliot chuckled. “Yep. No contest.” He rolled onto his side and rested his head against Nate’s chest. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Nate said. “I’m just thinking.”
“Lost in thought. That’s different for you.”
“Mmm.” Nate placed a hand Eliot’s back and started to rub circles between his shoulder blades. “I guess the reality of all of this is finally starting to sink in. We no longer have a planet.”
“Yeah. But we’re still alive.”
“Yeah, I know,” Nate said. “And I’m grateful. But I keep thinking about all of those people who…” He let his voice trail off, not knowing quite how to finish the thought.
Eliot propped himself up on one elbow. “Nate, if you keep thinking about this, it’ll drive you out of your mind. Don’t go there.”
Nate let out a breath. Eliot was right, and he knew that. But he couldn’t seem to shake the ache that had started to take hold of him since he’d boarded The Unity. He ran a thumb along Eliot’s bottom lip. “What are we gonna do with ourselves?”
“I don’t know,” Eliot said. “There’s a whole galaxy out there, though. We’ll figure something out.”
“What’s the point?”
“What do you mean?”
Nate closed his eyes. “Think about it. All the problems, all the corruption. They’re not gonna go away. They’re just gonna be picked up and deposited somewhere else. Nothing’s gonna change. We’re just transplanting the problem. The fucking Division will probably have an office on our colony.”
Eliot took Nate’s hand in his and squeezed. “Well, maybe we could be part of the solution.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since I left the Division… I’ve been traveling a lot, trying to find the bright spots in the world. And believe me. They’re out there.” He placed a kiss on Nate’s palm. “I’ve tried to help here and there. I haven’t made much of a difference, but… I figure it’s something.”
Nate opened his eyes and gazed at Eliot. “That girl. You snuck her onto the ship, didn’t you?”
A smile ghosted across Eliot’s face. “Maybe.”
Chuckling, Nate pulled Eliot into his arms. “You’re still an idealist after all these years.”
“There’s still hope.” Eliot ran a hand along Nate’s chest, letting it rest over Nate’s beating heart. “Help me,” he said. “Help me make a difference out there.”
“How can we possibly make a difference?”
“A little bit at a time,” Eliot said.
Yeah, the guy was definitely still an idealist. How the fuck he managed to hold onto that after all he’d seen and that had happened, Nate had no idea. But hope was better than darkness, and part of Nate wanted to believe that he and Eliot could make a difference.
Pressing a kiss to Eliot’s lips, Nate said, “Why not? Let’s take on the galaxy.”
Master Fic List
***
Author: sheryden
Rating: We'll say R, to be safe. Nothing graphic.
Word Count: 2181
Genre: Slash
Pairing: Nate/Eliot
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None, unless m/m relationships bother you.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Eliot would be shirtless in every episode.
Summary: Space AU (yes, really). With the earth in its final days, Nate Ford books passage on a transport ship to the colonies. Little did he know he'd run into an old flame.
Notes: This was written for hc_bingo for the prompt "earth blowing up (escaping into space)" and au_bingo for the WILD CARD prompt (Future: In Space!!!).
Also: Is anyone out there willing to beta for me once in a while? I don't need a hardcore beta, but rather just someone to bounce ideas off sometimes. I would really appreciate it. :)
This was Nate Ford’s first time in space. For years, he’d avoided space travel-most people did, according an article he’d read in The Times a couple of years ago. He’d always told himself he just never had a valid reason to travel in space. The Division had never really had reach outside the earth’s boundaries, so he’d never had to travel for work. And he never took a vacation. And even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have spent a mint just to tour the moons of Jupiter, or whatever the hell people did. Nate Ford had been perfectly happy being earthbound and remaining blissfully ignorant about the ins and outs of space travel.
However news of an impending and horrific death had a way of changing a man’s mind about things.
From the observation deck of The Unity, the earth looked the same as it always had. On the surface, though, where Nate had been only hours ago, it was clear that the end could happen at any moment.
He wasn’t alone at the observation deck. Many of the refugees-or colonists, as the perky ship’s steward liked to call them-were scattered across the deck. Some of them were in groups or at least couples. Most, like Nate, were alone.
Nate was used to being alone. He’d been divorced for a couple of years, and his father, the only family he had, was in the wind somewhere. Nate had no idea if the old man even made it off the planet. But suddenly, standing on the deck of this enormous ship with a crowd of strangers, he felt more alone than he had in years. He was a man without a planet now. A man without a proper home.
As he let this idea sink in, Nate scanned the other passengers. He looked not only at the surface, but he tried to imagine what might lurk underneath. It was a remnant of his days with the Division, he supposed. Every person had a story, and reading between the lines could often make or break a case.
As Nate’s eyes drifted toward the far end of the observation deck, he was surprised to come upon a familiar face. Eliot Spencer- rogue, ex-soldier, and most importantly, Nate’s former partner. Back in the old days, when they’d both worked at the Division of Planetary Crime, Eliot had been a hell of an agent, one of the best the Division had ever seen. He and Nate had been partners, best friends, and occasional lovers over the years.
Then it had all come crashing down. He and Eliot had worked a smuggling case where children had been used to transport stolen merchandise. Kid cases had always gotten to Eliot more than any others. The Division had been working the case for months and had finally planned to set a trap to capture the head of the smuggling ring. Someone had tipped the guy off, though, and he had escaped, killing one of the children and critically injuring Eliot and one other officer in the process.
The case had been tragic enough, but to make matters worse, Nate and Eliot had later discovered that an old buddy of theirs at the Division had been on the take and had been the one to tip off the smugglers. To Eliot, an avowed idealist, the news had been a devastating blow. The system he had trusted had been tainted by corruption. After that, Eliot had gotten angry and disillusioned with the job.
One day, he had finally snapped and walked away from it all, becoming the very thing he and Nate had once chased. And Nate. Nate had stuck to his moral high ground back then. At first, he’d even sworn to chase Eliot to the ends of the earth.
A couple of years ago, though, Nate had realized how right Eliot had been. Though there had been good officers within the Division, something in the system had been broken for a while. Nate hadn’t exactly gone rogue when he’d left, but he’d made sure the Division head wound up sporting a pretty impressive black eye. After he had broken ties with the Division, he thought about tracking Eliot down, but instead, he’d wound up retiring to Boston, trying and failing to figure out who he was.
As he watched Eliot mill around the observation deck, Nate felt an odd flood of relief wash over him. He’d wondered about Eliot since the evacuation had started. Seeing him safe and standing a few feet away calmed Nate’s nagging fears and reminded him that maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought. Maybe this was a chance to reach out to Eliot and heal old wounds.
Taking a breath, Nate squared his shoulders and walked over to his old friend. “Hey,” he said, waving slightly.
Eliot glanced at Nate, and for a moment, a look of shock flickered across his face. With a smirk, he said, “You’re chasing me all the way to the colonies? I’m honored”
Nate shook his head. “I’m done with that. Have been for a while. And I’m pretty sure you knew that.”
“Yeah,” Eliot said, flashing a sloppy grin. “I heard talk. When you quit a job, you do it with a flourish.”
“My dad always said I was melodramatic.” Nate smiled and took a good look at Eliot. The years had been kind to him. His backside looked as good in a pair of tight jeans as always, and his arms… Well, Eliot had always accused Nate of having an arm kink. Smacking Eliot on the shoulder, Nate asked, “Who’d you sleep with the get passage on a luxury transport?”
“The Captain.” Eliot gazed at him and licked his lips. “How’d you manage?”
“I lied,” Nate said. “A lot. And strategically.”
Shaking his head, Eliot said, “Right. So, where’s the wife?”
The wife. Maggie Collins, formerly Maggie Ford. They had never exactly been a storybook couple, but they’d made it work for a while. They had even thought about having kids. But like most of Nate’s relationships, it had crashed and burned, and Maggie had headed for the hills.
“That’s over,” Nate said. “Haven’t seen her in a year, but I heard she got off a few weeks ago. Colony A-5.”
Eliot threw back his head and laughed. “They’re really gonna have to come up with better names for these places.”
“Yeah.” Nate shoved his hands into his pockets, wondering why he was so nervous around someone he’d known for years. Swallowing, he asked, “So are you here… alone?”
His lips curving into a smile, Eliot said, “Not anymore.”
***
Nate sat with Eliot in the dining room and sipped at a glass of pretty impressive whiskey. If he had to escape from certain death, a luxury transport ship definitely beat the mass evac ships that most of the planet’s refugees had to contend with.
As Nate took a bite of pasta, he noticed a slight blond woman shuffle past their table. She looked out of place among the relatively well-to-do passengers of The Unity. Of course, Nate couldn’t talk. He had wrangled his way on board through charm and manipulation.
Eliot leaned closer to Nate and whispered, “She’s a stowaway. I saw her sneak on board.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t say anything?”
“Why would I say anything?” Eliot asked. “I have no desire to see anyone get blown to pieces when the earth finally goes supernova. Besides, I admire her survival instinct.”
Nate watched as the woman disappeared into the hallway. “I think supernova is just for stars,” he said.
Shooting Nate a glare, Eliot tossed back a shot of whiskey. “Well, whatever’s gonna happen,” he growled. “My point is she has just as much right as anyone to survive this.” Eliot started to pick at the cuff of his shirt. “So, you know anyone who stayed behind?”
“What? Intentionally?” Nate shook his head. “I can’t imagine who would stay.”
Slouching down in his chair, Eliot folded his arms across his chest. “There are some who don’t think the earth’s gonna go boom,” he said. “It’s like any disaster. People don’t want to believe it.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Nate said. “So, how many you think will get left behind? People who want off, I mean.”
Eliot ran his fingers through his hair. “I try not to think about it,” he said. “I have enough crap to keep me up at night.”
“Well, how many more evac ships will there be? It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of time left.”
“Officially? None, Nate. We’re done. The last ones left right after The Unity.”
“None?” Nate felt the blood drain from his face. “There has to be a lot of people still down there, Eliot. I mean, Boston was pretty empty, but…”
Letting out a breath, Eliot started picking at his food. Back when they had been partners, Eliot had only picked at his food when he was trying to sort out the aftermath of a bad case in his head. “Some people are saying this disaster a chance to purge the undesirables,” he said.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning there are a lot of people who didn’t get a ticket on an evac ship.” Eliot clenched and unclenched his fist. “Come on, Nate. Seriously. Do you think they’re gonna empty the urban slums and gather up all the poor peasants from all the little farming villages?”
“I don’t know what I thought,” Nate said. He took a long swig of whiskey and closed his eyes. He was far from being an idealist-the Division had torn that out of him years ago. But he wanted to believe that humanity had hope, and that the universe still… worked.
Laying a hand on Nate’s forearm, Eliot squeezed a little and said, “Come on. Let’s go back to my cabin.”
***
Breathless and spent, Nate let his head drop onto Eliot’s shoulder. He could feel Eliot’s fingers threading through his hair, and he could feel Eliot’s warm breath against his neck. Nate placed a quick kiss on Eliot’s shoulder, then pulled out of him and rolled onto his back.
With a smirk, he nudged Eliot with his shoulder and said, “So am I better than the Captain?”
Eliot chuckled. “Yep. No contest.” He rolled onto his side and rested his head against Nate’s chest. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Nate said. “I’m just thinking.”
“Lost in thought. That’s different for you.”
“Mmm.” Nate placed a hand Eliot’s back and started to rub circles between his shoulder blades. “I guess the reality of all of this is finally starting to sink in. We no longer have a planet.”
“Yeah. But we’re still alive.”
“Yeah, I know,” Nate said. “And I’m grateful. But I keep thinking about all of those people who…” He let his voice trail off, not knowing quite how to finish the thought.
Eliot propped himself up on one elbow. “Nate, if you keep thinking about this, it’ll drive you out of your mind. Don’t go there.”
Nate let out a breath. Eliot was right, and he knew that. But he couldn’t seem to shake the ache that had started to take hold of him since he’d boarded The Unity. He ran a thumb along Eliot’s bottom lip. “What are we gonna do with ourselves?”
“I don’t know,” Eliot said. “There’s a whole galaxy out there, though. We’ll figure something out.”
“What’s the point?”
“What do you mean?”
Nate closed his eyes. “Think about it. All the problems, all the corruption. They’re not gonna go away. They’re just gonna be picked up and deposited somewhere else. Nothing’s gonna change. We’re just transplanting the problem. The fucking Division will probably have an office on our colony.”
Eliot took Nate’s hand in his and squeezed. “Well, maybe we could be part of the solution.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since I left the Division… I’ve been traveling a lot, trying to find the bright spots in the world. And believe me. They’re out there.” He placed a kiss on Nate’s palm. “I’ve tried to help here and there. I haven’t made much of a difference, but… I figure it’s something.”
Nate opened his eyes and gazed at Eliot. “That girl. You snuck her onto the ship, didn’t you?”
A smile ghosted across Eliot’s face. “Maybe.”
Chuckling, Nate pulled Eliot into his arms. “You’re still an idealist after all these years.”
“There’s still hope.” Eliot ran a hand along Nate’s chest, letting it rest over Nate’s beating heart. “Help me,” he said. “Help me make a difference out there.”
“How can we possibly make a difference?”
“A little bit at a time,” Eliot said.
Yeah, the guy was definitely still an idealist. How the fuck he managed to hold onto that after all he’d seen and that had happened, Nate had no idea. But hope was better than darkness, and part of Nate wanted to believe that he and Eliot could make a difference.
Pressing a kiss to Eliot’s lips, Nate said, “Why not? Let’s take on the galaxy.”
Master Fic List
***