Fic: Free Time (Leverage, Eliot/Quinn)
Title: Free Time
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Eliot/Quinn
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 504
Summary: Eliot spends a lot of his free time with Quinn now.
A/N: Ficlet written for ishilde because she did an amazing job with her reverse bang and because she’s wonderful - hope you like this!
Time off for Eliot used to mean hours to sit and think about all of the bad things he’d done in his life. When the others would be catching up with friends - Sophie - or playing computer games - Hardison - Eliot would throw himself into training at his gym. Or he’d teach himself a new skill because skills meant safety, more options on a con if something went wrong. More than that, though, skills meant something else to think about, being able to picture a certain fighting style or a map of a country in his head instead of the faces, the eyes, of the people he’d killed.
Now, though, time off for Eliot means Quinn. Hours spent walking the dog, talking open and honest in a way that Eliot hasn’t spoken for years. Time off means having someone to spend it with, being able to just sit on the couch and not speak, warm body pressed against his telling him he isn’t alone.
Time off, today, apparently means cooking one of his favourite dishes, Quinn sitting on the counter watching as he chops vegetables and adds seasoning and stirs the sauce.
“Why’d you learn all this anyway?” Quinn gestures at the pots and pans, looking genuinely interested.
Eliot smirks. “Girls. At first. And then I realised I actually enjoyed it - it’s relaxing.”
“So you learned to cook so you could impress your dates?”
“Yeah.”
Quinn laughs, not holding back at all, and then turns more serious, meets Eliot’s gaze. “Well, you certainly impress me.”
“Good.” He adds a little more pepper to the sauce. “Huck still asleep?”
“See for yourself.”
He swats at Quinn’s legs but does turn around to look. Quinn’s puppy is definitely asleep, curled up in the spot on the couch where Quinn usually sits. “He snores almost as bad as you.” He snorts when Quinn kicks him - lightly, always lightly - and brandishes his spoon. “Watch it, or you’ll go hungry.”
Quinn mock gasps, hands clasping over his chest. “You wouldn’t be that mean.”
“Try me.” But he grins and swaps the wooden spoon for a teaspoon, scoops up a little of the sauce for Quinn to taste. “Here. But watch, it’s hot.”
Quinn nods and leans in to try it, tongue darting out to catch a stray drop. He closes his eyes for a second, swallows, then opens them again. “Remind me never to turn down your cooking.”
“It’s good?”
“It’s good.”
Eliot tastes it himself, adds a touch more salt, and then nods. “Right. I’m going to leave this for ten minutes, pop out and grab us some wine. Can you handle the dishes?”
“Sure.”
“Really?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Quinn scowls in a way that Eliot knows isn’t serious at all. “I do help.”
“I know you do. Be back in a few minutes.”
When Eliot gets back he finds Quinn curled up on the cough next to Huck, the dishes on the counter not even touched. He can’t even bring himself to pretend he’s mad.
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Eliot/Quinn
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 504
Summary: Eliot spends a lot of his free time with Quinn now.
A/N: Ficlet written for ishilde because she did an amazing job with her reverse bang and because she’s wonderful - hope you like this!
Time off for Eliot used to mean hours to sit and think about all of the bad things he’d done in his life. When the others would be catching up with friends - Sophie - or playing computer games - Hardison - Eliot would throw himself into training at his gym. Or he’d teach himself a new skill because skills meant safety, more options on a con if something went wrong. More than that, though, skills meant something else to think about, being able to picture a certain fighting style or a map of a country in his head instead of the faces, the eyes, of the people he’d killed.
Now, though, time off for Eliot means Quinn. Hours spent walking the dog, talking open and honest in a way that Eliot hasn’t spoken for years. Time off means having someone to spend it with, being able to just sit on the couch and not speak, warm body pressed against his telling him he isn’t alone.
Time off, today, apparently means cooking one of his favourite dishes, Quinn sitting on the counter watching as he chops vegetables and adds seasoning and stirs the sauce.
“Why’d you learn all this anyway?” Quinn gestures at the pots and pans, looking genuinely interested.
Eliot smirks. “Girls. At first. And then I realised I actually enjoyed it - it’s relaxing.”
“So you learned to cook so you could impress your dates?”
“Yeah.”
Quinn laughs, not holding back at all, and then turns more serious, meets Eliot’s gaze. “Well, you certainly impress me.”
“Good.” He adds a little more pepper to the sauce. “Huck still asleep?”
“See for yourself.”
He swats at Quinn’s legs but does turn around to look. Quinn’s puppy is definitely asleep, curled up in the spot on the couch where Quinn usually sits. “He snores almost as bad as you.” He snorts when Quinn kicks him - lightly, always lightly - and brandishes his spoon. “Watch it, or you’ll go hungry.”
Quinn mock gasps, hands clasping over his chest. “You wouldn’t be that mean.”
“Try me.” But he grins and swaps the wooden spoon for a teaspoon, scoops up a little of the sauce for Quinn to taste. “Here. But watch, it’s hot.”
Quinn nods and leans in to try it, tongue darting out to catch a stray drop. He closes his eyes for a second, swallows, then opens them again. “Remind me never to turn down your cooking.”
“It’s good?”
“It’s good.”
Eliot tastes it himself, adds a touch more salt, and then nods. “Right. I’m going to leave this for ten minutes, pop out and grab us some wine. Can you handle the dishes?”
“Sure.”
“Really?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Quinn scowls in a way that Eliot knows isn’t serious at all. “I do help.”
“I know you do. Be back in a few minutes.”
When Eliot gets back he finds Quinn curled up on the cough next to Huck, the dishes on the counter not even touched. He can’t even bring himself to pretend he’s mad.