Fic: Cryptic Shenanigans
Title: Cryptic Shenanigans
Fandom: Leverage
Genre: Gen, an attempt at humour
Word Count: 531
Summary: It all starts with a rubix cube. It goes downhill from there.
A/N: Written for Team Grifter for the gift-giving challenge at leverageland. Gift for mizzy2k
It all starts with a rubix cube.
Nate loves things like that; puzzles, things that he can work out. And he’s a real pro with rubix, quick and calm. That’s not the problem.
The problem starts when Hardison spots it. It’s on the kitchen counter, the colours all jumbled up because Nate likes to sit and twist it around while he’s thinking about other problems.
Hardison walks across the room to retrieve - because he can do that too - some gummy frogs, pauses for a moment and turns to look at Nate. “You couldn’t do it?”
Nate shakes his head. “Of course I could. I just mixed it back up when I finished.”
Hardison doesn’t look convinced but he shrugs and picks up the cube instead of the packet of frogs. “Bet I can do it in under five minutes.”
Eliot scoffs from his place on the floor, where he’s arranging counters into a floor plan of their mark’s house. “There’s no way you’ll do that.”
“I can.” Hardison points at his own chest. “I am the King of puzzles, the Sultan of logic.”
“You’re the princess of the fools, more like.” Eliot chuckles at his own joke.
“I’ll show you, then.” And that’s why Hardison spends the next twenty minutes trying to solve the cube before he finally gives up, mixes it up even more and hands it to a smirking Eliot. “You do it, then.”
Eliot just smiles. Then he takes the cube, sits back down on the floor and twists until he’s solved the puzzle. He glances at the clock and raises his eyebrows at Hardison. “Three minutes.”
And Hardison can’t just take that lying down. “It is so on.”
---
The next day, Hardison walks into McRorys and drops a pile of paper down in front of Eliot.
Eliot finishes his beer before he asks: “What’s this?”
“It’s Sudoku.”
“No, I know what it is. Why is it here?”
“It’s here, Eliot, because we’re going to see who can complete all of them in the fastest time.”
Nate laughs, choking a little on his drink. “I think he’s still upset about the whole rubix thing.”
Eliot shrugs and looks Hardison in the eyes. “You’re only going to be more upset when this is done. You got a pen?”
It’s a close thing - Eliot is quicker than Hardison had expected and Hardison’s pen starts to run out towards the end - but half an hour later, Hardison tosses down the pencil that he had switched to using down and shouts in glee.
Eliot scowls.
---
The next week is filled with crosswords and all sorts of trivia, every spare moment between working used to try and prove who is better. They even keep at it in the van, while they’re waiting for Sophie and Nate to finish up with the con, for Parker to get out of the building.
And then it all goes wrong and they have to work out how to get Nate and Sophie out of captivity while simultaneously helping Parker get out from her hiding place unseen.
It turns out that, together, Hardison and Eliot kick ass at solving problems. They work better as a team.
Fandom: Leverage
Genre: Gen, an attempt at humour
Word Count: 531
Summary: It all starts with a rubix cube. It goes downhill from there.
A/N: Written for Team Grifter for the gift-giving challenge at leverageland. Gift for mizzy2k
It all starts with a rubix cube.
Nate loves things like that; puzzles, things that he can work out. And he’s a real pro with rubix, quick and calm. That’s not the problem.
The problem starts when Hardison spots it. It’s on the kitchen counter, the colours all jumbled up because Nate likes to sit and twist it around while he’s thinking about other problems.
Hardison walks across the room to retrieve - because he can do that too - some gummy frogs, pauses for a moment and turns to look at Nate. “You couldn’t do it?”
Nate shakes his head. “Of course I could. I just mixed it back up when I finished.”
Hardison doesn’t look convinced but he shrugs and picks up the cube instead of the packet of frogs. “Bet I can do it in under five minutes.”
Eliot scoffs from his place on the floor, where he’s arranging counters into a floor plan of their mark’s house. “There’s no way you’ll do that.”
“I can.” Hardison points at his own chest. “I am the King of puzzles, the Sultan of logic.”
“You’re the princess of the fools, more like.” Eliot chuckles at his own joke.
“I’ll show you, then.” And that’s why Hardison spends the next twenty minutes trying to solve the cube before he finally gives up, mixes it up even more and hands it to a smirking Eliot. “You do it, then.”
Eliot just smiles. Then he takes the cube, sits back down on the floor and twists until he’s solved the puzzle. He glances at the clock and raises his eyebrows at Hardison. “Three minutes.”
And Hardison can’t just take that lying down. “It is so on.”
---
The next day, Hardison walks into McRorys and drops a pile of paper down in front of Eliot.
Eliot finishes his beer before he asks: “What’s this?”
“It’s Sudoku.”
“No, I know what it is. Why is it here?”
“It’s here, Eliot, because we’re going to see who can complete all of them in the fastest time.”
Nate laughs, choking a little on his drink. “I think he’s still upset about the whole rubix thing.”
Eliot shrugs and looks Hardison in the eyes. “You’re only going to be more upset when this is done. You got a pen?”
It’s a close thing - Eliot is quicker than Hardison had expected and Hardison’s pen starts to run out towards the end - but half an hour later, Hardison tosses down the pencil that he had switched to using down and shouts in glee.
Eliot scowls.
---
The next week is filled with crosswords and all sorts of trivia, every spare moment between working used to try and prove who is better. They even keep at it in the van, while they’re waiting for Sophie and Nate to finish up with the con, for Parker to get out of the building.
And then it all goes wrong and they have to work out how to get Nate and Sophie out of captivity while simultaneously helping Parker get out from her hiding place unseen.
It turns out that, together, Hardison and Eliot kick ass at solving problems. They work better as a team.