Luke's, Friday evening

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker was avoiding all that stuff about the students' parents being here this weekend. Partly because what little she knew about most of her former students was that she didn't want to meet their parents unless she got to kick them, and it was all just oogy.

Meanwhile, there was comfort food. And comfort ice cream.

SPECIALS
Decadent

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"You know, we usually like to have some protein on that specials menu. Somewhere." Eliot had spent most of the day getting both the loft and his house spotless for Nana. And Luke's, as spotless as you could get a working diner, anyway. He leaned into the kitchen as he went past. "One of y'all get me a bananas foster. And -- add some rum."

Sure, he'd already met Nana. But now Nana was coming into his space, and he had to make sure she knew it was good enough for her boy.

[whoisalicewhite]

"There's a chocolate-covered-bacon milkshake recipe I found," Parker offered. "That's protein. Do you think Nana would like that?"

See, now, being ready for Nana: that was something she was willing to think about. Eliot was getting all super-domestic, Parker was wondering if stealing Nana a present from somewhere in D.C. would be appropriate. Or was that more of a going-away-again-we'll-miss-you present?

[vdistinctive]

"Her taste buds maybe," Eliot said. "Her heart. . . ?" Maaaaybe not. "She gave me some of her recipes when we were in Chicago. But then -- you know -- she's comin' all the way here to eat her own food. . . ."

He wasn't used to this part. How long had it been since he'd had a home base to even invite important people into?

[whoisalicewhite]

"She's coming all the way here to see Hardison. Alec," Parker corrected herself, fingers knotting together. "And, you know. Our house. And your puppy. And our lives. And eat any food that is good, so you are in the clear, you know that, right?" She leaned over to glare at one of the cooks. "MAKE HIS SHAKE FASTER. Nana is coming! Nana is coming!"

The dishwasher guy gave her an incredulous look. That might have become a refrain over the last few days.

[age_of_the_geek]

Hardison was babbling. In fact, Hardison had been babbling ever since he'd picked up Nana from the gate. It was entirely possible he'd been babbling before then, too, just to prepare what he was going to say to Nana when he saw her, but at least there hadn't been an audience for that.

"...an' this is Luke's," he said, holding the door open for his Nana, her carry-on slung over his shoulder. "I ain't sure why it's called that an' we ain't renamed it to Eliot's yet, but that's another day. An', uhh, this is the specials board, an' these are the booths, an'...."

[foster_nana]

"Parker's the one who made the specials, huh?" Nana asked, looking around the diner with assessing eyes and an approving smile. "Not enough Hot Pockets to be your doing and Eliot, at least, understands food groups."

[vdistinctive]

"We got some of those on the menu even if they ain't on the board just now," Eliot assured her. Funny how just seeing her walk in made all the anxiousness about whether "his place" would be good enough or not just disappear. "Ma'am," he greeted with a somewhat rueful smile, both for using that term instead of "Nana" like she told him to in Chicago, and for the fact that Archie was still lurking somewhere eating all his good cheese. "Your trip alright?"

[whoisalicewhite]

"NANA!" Most of the staff flinched, then recovered when Parker rushed over and held her arms out awkwardly for a hug. "Isn't the diner great? The island is cute, right?" She checked on Hardison, who maybe needed to take a breath. "Oo, I have a surprise too, Hardison!"

The surprise was being introduced to the freezer at the moment, while nibbling the excellent appetizers. He'd be back in a bit.