Fic: St Nicholas' Home for Troubled Youth
Title: St Nicholas' Home for Troubled Youth
Rating: PG
Pairings: underage!Eliot/Parker, priest!Nathan/nun!Sophie
Summary: Leverage AU: At St Nicholas' Home for Troubled Youth, Eliot, Parker, and Alec look to Father Nathan and Sister Sophia for guidance.
Notes: Nate's a priest and Sophie's a nun. Eliot is seventeen, Parker fifteen, and Alec seven.
“Do you sit in your room, alone at night, watching hockey fights?”
Eliot looked up at Sister Sophia from where he was wedged on the couch beside Parker, with Hardison balanced on both of their knees. He still hadn’t recovered from Parker’s comment about Pinocchio. He was pretty sure he was the only one who read her bedtime stories and he made a goddamned point to stay away from that kind of story.
“Yeah,” he allowed. “You never know when you’ve got to fight a guy on ice.”
The sister gave him that look that she usually reserved for Parker and Eliot didn’t like it. He didn’t say anything, though it worried him. He was almost seventeen now. She and Father Nathan didn’t need to keep him around forever, not like Parker and Hardison, if they thought he wasn’t needed. They all knew he’d make it if they left. He could find a way. He hadn’t been here long enough to lose street contacts.
Father Nate walked in, as if one cue, his dog collar askew and his hair rumpled. Eliot was willing to bet serious money that he’d been arguing with Father - Monsignor Sterling about what to do with the last of the kids at St Nicholas’ Home for Troubled Youth. He had overheard Sister Maggie and Sister Tara St Colman talking about it when he was supposed to be doing chores earlier that week.
Sister Tara had already put in for a transfer. She wanted to be a teacher at some fancy school up in Maine. Eliot bet that they never had to deal with troubled children at St Ignatius Preparatory Academy. It sounded like the kind of place families with more money than sense - or love - sent their kids. Sister Tara would fit right in, Eliot had thought decisively.
Sister Maggie was a lot nicer. She wasn’t sure when the Home was dissolving, but she had asked their Mother Superior to be sent to another home, one out in Los Angeles. She loved working with children, she said; it was her calling. She hoped Fathers Nathan and James would come as well, but she didn’t know how to ask them.
Eliot assumed that this meeting - secret meeting Sister Sophia said, secret from Father Sterling and Monsignor Blackpool - was about the Home closing. Sister Sophia and Father Nate called them their proteges, even if little Alec had only come to St Nick’s six months ago, when his Nana died. Parker had been at St Nicholas’ even longer than Eliot - long enough that nobody used her full name, not even Monsignor Blackpoole when he was still here. And Eliot, he wasn’t looking forward to going back outside. The last home the system had placed him in had been with Damien. He didn’t like to think about that.
“St Nicholas’ School for Boys is closing,” Father Nate started.
“Home for Troubled Youth,” Parker interrupted.
“Yes, well, until you came, we were the school for boys,” Father Nate told her, not unkindly. “And we’re closing. The diocese says that we’re out of funding.”
Eliot held Parker’s hand tightly and wrapped his other arm around Alec. Parker had been his first friend at the Home and together, they took care of Alec. He thought Parker knew enough about the system to know they’d be split up in a heartbeat. Alec was seven and too old to be wanted by most families. He and Parker were more likely to end up in juvie than any place good.
He wondered if Damien was still out there, would take him in if the streets got too rough. He wondered if he could bargain himself to save Parker and Alec. He didn’t think Damien would want Parker. He would just have to protect Alec. He would find a way to kill Damien if he touched Eliot’s boy.
“Don’t look so scared,” Sister Sophia said, adjusting her habit. “We have a plan.”
“What kind of plan?” Hardison asked.
He was so young and so small and so very, very innocent. Eliot still didn’t know how he ended up in a place like St Nick’s, but the protection afforded by himself and Parker preserved that innocence. And when he and Parker couldn’t be around, they made sure Sister Sophia or Father Nathan were. No one got to Alec without getting through them first.
“I’m leaving the priesthood.” Father Nate punctuated the statement by removed his collar and tossing it in the corner.
Eliot felt Parker’s hand tighten around his and imagined her eyes widened, just like his did. He couldn’t imagine Nate as anything other than a priest. Father Nathan had been the defacto leader and confessor of St Nicholas’ Home since forever. They wouldn’t have made it through Sammy Ford’s death or the weird scandal with Monsignor Blackpoole without Father Nathan there to guide them. No one would have made it through their first confession or confirmation if Father Nathan hadn’t stepped in when Monsignor Sterling was too hard on the boys.
Sister Sophia slapped Father Nate, but with affection, the way she always did when the five of them were alone. Eliot wondered if this was the last time it would happen. Mother Superior Elisabetta - who was way hotter than any Mother Superior had a right to be - probably already had a transfer in mind for Sister Sophia. It hurt somewhere inside Eliot’s chest, like he was losing his Mama again.
“We’ve petitioned to have custody of you,” Sister Sophia continued, glaring at Father Nathan. “And we just received the letter today. As long as we can prove a viable home, you can stay with us.”
“We?” Eliot asked, as Parker’s nails dug into the fleshy part of his palm.
“Both of us,” Father Nate said, reaching over to grab Sister Sophia’s hand. And really, that was more than Eliot ever needed to know. And at least it meant that Sister Sophia probably wasn’t being moved by Mother Superior.
“Does that mean you’re having sex?” Parker asked loudly.
“What’s sex?” Alec asked, tugging on Eliot sleeve, looking younger than his seven years.
“Nothing you need to know about,” Eliot growled, wanting to cover Hardison’s ears, but unwilling to let go of Parker’s hand. He stared at the adults, looking from Sophie to Nate, mentally stripping them of their robes and habits and putting them into street clothes instead. “We got a place to live?”
Sophie clapped. “We found the perfect place in Southie. It’s got four bedrooms and two floors-”
“I’m sharing with Eliot,” Parker said, sharply, interrupting Sophie without a second thought.
Parker had bunked with him for three years now, ever since that creep Kelly ran her out of her private room in the west wing. Sophie was the one who did bedchecks and she never said anything at all when she found Parker tucked up tight under Eliot’s arm. And when, a week after Alec arrived, he found his way snuggled safely between them, she didn’t talk about that either. It was about then, though, that Nate started bringing Alec to their private lessons, about forgiveness and Jesus and the problems of the world. Alec didn’t understand most of it, but he did like spending more time with Eliot and Parker.
Nate rolled his eyes. “We already bought a full sized bed for Eliot. But you have to at least pretend to have your own rooms.”
“You mean lie?” Parker’s eyes lit up wickedly. She loved lying, especially if it was for Eliot or Alec or Nate or Sophie. Eliot got the impression that her home before St Nick’s either really encouraged that behavior or tried to beat it out of her. When he’d first seen the scars on the skin of her back, Eliot had made the private vow to make each and every one of Parker’s homes pay for what they did to her.
“Yes. Lie.” Sophie bit her lip. “I do think that if you’re sharing a bed with Eliot, it might be better to give Alec his own space.”
Hardison clutched more tightly at Eliot’s shirt and he did his best to keep from glaring at her. “He stays with us as long as he wants to.”
Nate nodded in that slow, sure manner he had. It made him impressive at the lectern and Eliot assumed it would do him well in civilian life. Whatever kind of life they had in mind.
“Do I get to lie to Sterling, too?” Parker asked, almost too eagerly.
“Yes, Parker. You get to the monsignor.”
“Awesome!” Parker kissed Eliot and tossed Alec in the air. And really, that was the only decision Eliot needed.
Rating: PG
Pairings: underage!Eliot/Parker, priest!Nathan/nun!Sophie
Summary: Leverage AU: At St Nicholas' Home for Troubled Youth, Eliot, Parker, and Alec look to Father Nathan and Sister Sophia for guidance.
Notes: Nate's a priest and Sophie's a nun. Eliot is seventeen, Parker fifteen, and Alec seven.
“Do you sit in your room, alone at night, watching hockey fights?”
Eliot looked up at Sister Sophia from where he was wedged on the couch beside Parker, with Hardison balanced on both of their knees. He still hadn’t recovered from Parker’s comment about Pinocchio. He was pretty sure he was the only one who read her bedtime stories and he made a goddamned point to stay away from that kind of story.
“Yeah,” he allowed. “You never know when you’ve got to fight a guy on ice.”
The sister gave him that look that she usually reserved for Parker and Eliot didn’t like it. He didn’t say anything, though it worried him. He was almost seventeen now. She and Father Nathan didn’t need to keep him around forever, not like Parker and Hardison, if they thought he wasn’t needed. They all knew he’d make it if they left. He could find a way. He hadn’t been here long enough to lose street contacts.
Father Nate walked in, as if one cue, his dog collar askew and his hair rumpled. Eliot was willing to bet serious money that he’d been arguing with Father - Monsignor Sterling about what to do with the last of the kids at St Nicholas’ Home for Troubled Youth. He had overheard Sister Maggie and Sister Tara St Colman talking about it when he was supposed to be doing chores earlier that week.
Sister Tara had already put in for a transfer. She wanted to be a teacher at some fancy school up in Maine. Eliot bet that they never had to deal with troubled children at St Ignatius Preparatory Academy. It sounded like the kind of place families with more money than sense - or love - sent their kids. Sister Tara would fit right in, Eliot had thought decisively.
Sister Maggie was a lot nicer. She wasn’t sure when the Home was dissolving, but she had asked their Mother Superior to be sent to another home, one out in Los Angeles. She loved working with children, she said; it was her calling. She hoped Fathers Nathan and James would come as well, but she didn’t know how to ask them.
Eliot assumed that this meeting - secret meeting Sister Sophia said, secret from Father Sterling and Monsignor Blackpool - was about the Home closing. Sister Sophia and Father Nate called them their proteges, even if little Alec had only come to St Nick’s six months ago, when his Nana died. Parker had been at St Nicholas’ even longer than Eliot - long enough that nobody used her full name, not even Monsignor Blackpoole when he was still here. And Eliot, he wasn’t looking forward to going back outside. The last home the system had placed him in had been with Damien. He didn’t like to think about that.
“St Nicholas’ School for Boys is closing,” Father Nate started.
“Home for Troubled Youth,” Parker interrupted.
“Yes, well, until you came, we were the school for boys,” Father Nate told her, not unkindly. “And we’re closing. The diocese says that we’re out of funding.”
Eliot held Parker’s hand tightly and wrapped his other arm around Alec. Parker had been his first friend at the Home and together, they took care of Alec. He thought Parker knew enough about the system to know they’d be split up in a heartbeat. Alec was seven and too old to be wanted by most families. He and Parker were more likely to end up in juvie than any place good.
He wondered if Damien was still out there, would take him in if the streets got too rough. He wondered if he could bargain himself to save Parker and Alec. He didn’t think Damien would want Parker. He would just have to protect Alec. He would find a way to kill Damien if he touched Eliot’s boy.
“Don’t look so scared,” Sister Sophia said, adjusting her habit. “We have a plan.”
“What kind of plan?” Hardison asked.
He was so young and so small and so very, very innocent. Eliot still didn’t know how he ended up in a place like St Nick’s, but the protection afforded by himself and Parker preserved that innocence. And when he and Parker couldn’t be around, they made sure Sister Sophia or Father Nathan were. No one got to Alec without getting through them first.
“I’m leaving the priesthood.” Father Nate punctuated the statement by removed his collar and tossing it in the corner.
Eliot felt Parker’s hand tighten around his and imagined her eyes widened, just like his did. He couldn’t imagine Nate as anything other than a priest. Father Nathan had been the defacto leader and confessor of St Nicholas’ Home since forever. They wouldn’t have made it through Sammy Ford’s death or the weird scandal with Monsignor Blackpoole without Father Nathan there to guide them. No one would have made it through their first confession or confirmation if Father Nathan hadn’t stepped in when Monsignor Sterling was too hard on the boys.
Sister Sophia slapped Father Nate, but with affection, the way she always did when the five of them were alone. Eliot wondered if this was the last time it would happen. Mother Superior Elisabetta - who was way hotter than any Mother Superior had a right to be - probably already had a transfer in mind for Sister Sophia. It hurt somewhere inside Eliot’s chest, like he was losing his Mama again.
“We’ve petitioned to have custody of you,” Sister Sophia continued, glaring at Father Nathan. “And we just received the letter today. As long as we can prove a viable home, you can stay with us.”
“We?” Eliot asked, as Parker’s nails dug into the fleshy part of his palm.
“Both of us,” Father Nate said, reaching over to grab Sister Sophia’s hand. And really, that was more than Eliot ever needed to know. And at least it meant that Sister Sophia probably wasn’t being moved by Mother Superior.
“Does that mean you’re having sex?” Parker asked loudly.
“What’s sex?” Alec asked, tugging on Eliot sleeve, looking younger than his seven years.
“Nothing you need to know about,” Eliot growled, wanting to cover Hardison’s ears, but unwilling to let go of Parker’s hand. He stared at the adults, looking from Sophie to Nate, mentally stripping them of their robes and habits and putting them into street clothes instead. “We got a place to live?”
Sophie clapped. “We found the perfect place in Southie. It’s got four bedrooms and two floors-”
“I’m sharing with Eliot,” Parker said, sharply, interrupting Sophie without a second thought.
Parker had bunked with him for three years now, ever since that creep Kelly ran her out of her private room in the west wing. Sophie was the one who did bedchecks and she never said anything at all when she found Parker tucked up tight under Eliot’s arm. And when, a week after Alec arrived, he found his way snuggled safely between them, she didn’t talk about that either. It was about then, though, that Nate started bringing Alec to their private lessons, about forgiveness and Jesus and the problems of the world. Alec didn’t understand most of it, but he did like spending more time with Eliot and Parker.
Nate rolled his eyes. “We already bought a full sized bed for Eliot. But you have to at least pretend to have your own rooms.”
“You mean lie?” Parker’s eyes lit up wickedly. She loved lying, especially if it was for Eliot or Alec or Nate or Sophie. Eliot got the impression that her home before St Nick’s either really encouraged that behavior or tried to beat it out of her. When he’d first seen the scars on the skin of her back, Eliot had made the private vow to make each and every one of Parker’s homes pay for what they did to her.
“Yes. Lie.” Sophie bit her lip. “I do think that if you’re sharing a bed with Eliot, it might be better to give Alec his own space.”
Hardison clutched more tightly at Eliot’s shirt and he did his best to keep from glaring at her. “He stays with us as long as he wants to.”
Nate nodded in that slow, sure manner he had. It made him impressive at the lectern and Eliot assumed it would do him well in civilian life. Whatever kind of life they had in mind.
“Do I get to lie to Sterling, too?” Parker asked, almost too eagerly.
“Yes, Parker. You get to the monsignor.”
“Awesome!” Parker kissed Eliot and tossed Alec in the air. And really, that was the only decision Eliot needed.