Leverage Bingo Round 1 Fic #1.12: like the words are new to you
Title: like the words are new to you
Author:
alinaandalion
Rating: K+
Spoilers: Up through "The Bottle Job."
Characters: Eliot, Tara
Summary: Post- "The Bottle Job." Eliot and Tara talk about Sophie's absence and Nate's return to drinking.
Notes: Written for
leverage_bingo. Prompt: The Bottle Job
Word Count: 529
“Is this seat taken?”
Eliot looks up from the beer he’s nursing at the bar and gives Tara a half-smile. “No, darlin’.”
She slides onto the stool beside him and plucks the bottle from between his hands, taking a swig before sliding it back to him.
“Thanks for that,” she says as she smirks at him.
He just gives her a mock salute with the bottle and lifts it to his mouth. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going home.”
She traces a pattern on the top of the bar and looks at him out of the corners of her eyes. “Thought I would come back and see how you’re doing. You looked worried earlier.”
“We got the job done. Not worried anymore.”
“He’s drinking again.”
Eliot places his beer on the bar and sighs. “Yeah, I saw.”
“And it worries you,” she murmurs, her hand landing on his arm.
“He can do what he wants,” he says as he shrugs her away.
“Sophie told me…”
“Have you even talked to her about this?” he asks, cutting her off.
She raises her eyebrows. “Have you?”
He shakes his head and pushes his hair out of his face. “Don’t want her to worry.”
“Same here.” Her lips quirk a little, and she stares intently down at the bar. “I didn’t understand until now why she left.”
“She left to go find herself.” He cocks his head to the side and takes a swallow of his beer. “At least, that’s what she told us.”
“No, that is why she left.” She puffs out a sigh and shakes out her long blonde hair. “It’s just that I didn’t think it should matter. We’re grifters, so who cares who we are? We can just make it up as we go. But, being here, seeing all of you…”
When she trails off, he waits; when she just presses her mouth into a thin line, he nudges the bottle in her direction. She drinks and doesn’t look at him.
“I didn’t understand why it would be a problem until I realized that as long as people don’t know who you are, when you aren’t even sure, you don’t have any roots.” She gives him a small smile. “And that’s important to her now. Because of all of you.”
“She tell you all that?” He doesn’t look at her, but he smirks a little.
She pushes his arm playfully. “Don’t be like that. I’m very good at reading in between the lines.”
“And, you know her.”
“I do.” Her eyes get a faraway look, and a few lines appear around her mouth. “Friends are hard to come by in our line of work.”
“So, you keep the ones you have,” he replies with a nod of his head.
“Exactly.”
He swigs down the rest of his beer and pushes himself off his stool with a grunt. “Come on. I haven’t eaten, and I have some lasagna in my fridge.”
“Is this a date?” She laughs a little, her eyes sparkling.
“No, darling. Just dinner with a friend.” He nudges her with his shoulder. “You coming?”
She gives him a wide smile. “Of course.”
Author:
alinaandalion
Rating: K+
Spoilers: Up through "The Bottle Job."
Characters: Eliot, Tara
Summary: Post- "The Bottle Job." Eliot and Tara talk about Sophie's absence and Nate's return to drinking.
Notes: Written for
leverage_bingo. Prompt: The Bottle Job
Word Count: 529
“Is this seat taken?”
Eliot looks up from the beer he’s nursing at the bar and gives Tara a half-smile. “No, darlin’.”
She slides onto the stool beside him and plucks the bottle from between his hands, taking a swig before sliding it back to him.
“Thanks for that,” she says as she smirks at him.
He just gives her a mock salute with the bottle and lifts it to his mouth. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going home.”
She traces a pattern on the top of the bar and looks at him out of the corners of her eyes. “Thought I would come back and see how you’re doing. You looked worried earlier.”
“We got the job done. Not worried anymore.”
“He’s drinking again.”
Eliot places his beer on the bar and sighs. “Yeah, I saw.”
“And it worries you,” she murmurs, her hand landing on his arm.
“He can do what he wants,” he says as he shrugs her away.
“Sophie told me…”
“Have you even talked to her about this?” he asks, cutting her off.
She raises her eyebrows. “Have you?”
He shakes his head and pushes his hair out of his face. “Don’t want her to worry.”
“Same here.” Her lips quirk a little, and she stares intently down at the bar. “I didn’t understand until now why she left.”
“She left to go find herself.” He cocks his head to the side and takes a swallow of his beer. “At least, that’s what she told us.”
“No, that is why she left.” She puffs out a sigh and shakes out her long blonde hair. “It’s just that I didn’t think it should matter. We’re grifters, so who cares who we are? We can just make it up as we go. But, being here, seeing all of you…”
When she trails off, he waits; when she just presses her mouth into a thin line, he nudges the bottle in her direction. She drinks and doesn’t look at him.
“I didn’t understand why it would be a problem until I realized that as long as people don’t know who you are, when you aren’t even sure, you don’t have any roots.” She gives him a small smile. “And that’s important to her now. Because of all of you.”
“She tell you all that?” He doesn’t look at her, but he smirks a little.
She pushes his arm playfully. “Don’t be like that. I’m very good at reading in between the lines.”
“And, you know her.”
“I do.” Her eyes get a faraway look, and a few lines appear around her mouth. “Friends are hard to come by in our line of work.”
“So, you keep the ones you have,” he replies with a nod of his head.
“Exactly.”
He swigs down the rest of his beer and pushes himself off his stool with a grunt. “Come on. I haven’t eaten, and I have some lasagna in my fridge.”
“Is this a date?” She laughs a little, her eyes sparkling.
“No, darling. Just dinner with a friend.” He nudges her with his shoulder. “You coming?”
She gives him a wide smile. “Of course.”