Alec Hardison (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} geekking) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} valloic,@ 2021-10-03 12:24:00 |
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WHERE: Vallo City: Morningside Apartments
WHEN: August 23rd, 2021 (Backdated)
WHAT: Hardison shows up in Vallo and Eliot has to keep him calm.
WARNINGS: N/A
STATUS: Complete
"Believe me I tried to find the cracks that would show otherwise but we are in a fantasy movie."
WHEN: August 23rd, 2021 (Backdated)
WHAT: Hardison shows up in Vallo and Eliot has to keep him calm.
WARNINGS: N/A
STATUS: Complete
Hardison had spent a full twenty minutes pacing back and forth in front of Eliot, ranting and raving, carrying on like they had all the time in the world for Hardison to have a breakdown. Because, sure, they had shown him a fairly well put together video explaining what the fuck was going on. Sure, they used words like 'magic' 'portals' and 'stuck,' like they were going out of style.
Did Hardison buy any of it though? No.
Because he wasn't an easy mark. Except...
Eliot was telling him it was all real. And Eliot, he wasn't someone that was tricked easily. And Hardison trusted Eliot with his whole damn world, so now it was just a matter of his brain catching up to what his heart was telling him was true: that magic was real and they were stuck in the middle of it.
By the end of his shouting and denials, he was breathing heavily, but slowing down. Finally, he flopped down onto Eliot's couch next to him, where he leaned back and let his head lay on the back of the couch. Closing his eyes, he asked quietly, one more time, "For real?"
Usually Eliot would find a place to interject or find a way to encourage Hardison to calm down but unusual circumstances led to him quietly sitting on the couch, mug of tea in his hands and casually sipped as he watched Hardison pace back and forth in front of him. He was slightly impressed as every time he thought Hardison would run out of steam, he found another subject connected to the overarching theme of the rant. Eliot didn’t blame him in the least this time around. Vallo was a goddamn odd place and so were the circumstances.
When Hardison finally flopped down beside him, Eliot’s knee nudged up against his and he looked over at the hacker. “For real, man. You know how I feel about conning team and even more so family,” he said quietly. “‘s real as it gets. Believe me I tried to find the cracks that would show otherwise but we are in a fantasy movie.” He took another drink of tea as he glanced out at the room without really seeing anything, more lost in his own thoughts.
“I really didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself. I know what can be faked, what we’ve faked, but this ain’t it. Far as I can tell there ain’t no way back either.” Eliot had his own stake in getting back but Hardison, the networks he built to help people and Parker, that was a whole other thing entirely and as much as he didn’t want to tell him that, it was better to just be honest about it. He clapped a free hand on his knee. “‘m sorry.”
The pain in his heart was real and it was strong. There was so much back home that needed him, that he needed in return. Parker, the teams, the people they helped...it helped a little, to know that in some weird ass way that it was like he was still there, but he wasn’t the one getting shit done and getting the love of a good woman. How could he live with potentially never seeing her again?
Feeling Eliot’s hand on his knee, he let out the shaky breath he was holding in an attempt to calm the overwhelming panic that was threatening to overtake him and this entire situation. He focused on Eliot’s presence, his comforting weight pressed up next to him, that hand on his knee…
Opening his eyes finally, he straightened up and looked over to Eliot. “I believe you and you have nothing to be sorry about.” A few years ago, Hardison might have had to verify everything for himself, but Eliot...Eliot had wormed his way into his heart just like Parker had and that bought a lot of trust with Hardison. The kind of trust where you put your whole life in that person’s hands.
Reaching down to clasp Eliot’s hand in his, he squeezed it, but didn’t let go. “So what do we do now?”
“I can be sorry that you wound up here in this situation with no way back. What’d you call it, empathy?” The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up, an attempt at humor in a somber moment. He’d watched Hardison in the quiet between them and by now he knew him well enough to see the full weight of what was going on sink in. There wasn’t much good about it looking back, leaving someone to figure out how best to move forward while missing home.
These days he didn’t even question his feelings about Hardison or Parker, Sophie or Nate, Brianna, even Harry had somehow wiggled in though he was still earning his way and still hadn’t gotten Eliot’s trust entirely. The people he swore to protect and would do so to his last breath. Hardison and Parker though, they were special. Maybe Eliot couldn’t define it because it didn’t fall within the bounds of a typical relationship but they were important. Part of him felt guilty for the glimmer of happiness that Hardison was there while missing Parker as well. The trio.
Eliot’s grip tightened on Hardison’s. “I think we figure out how best we’re gonna live in this place for as long as we’re here, however long that’s gonna be,” he said finally. What that meant, he had no goddamn idea, but figuring it out felt a little less daunting now. “With, you know, the elves and trolls and shit.”
The laugh that Hardison gave at that troll comment was just slightly hysterical, but he managed to bring it back in so he didn’t seem or sound completely deranged. “Man, let’s just go get drunk and get some tacos. Everything always feels a little better with booze and tacos.” It was just a fact of life and, also, Hardison truly needed to be in an altered state to not completely lose his shit.
It wasn’t a long term solution but Hardison just arriving and trying to take it all in, he deserved that much. Eliot found some small amusement though that the man who could quote sci fi and fantasy without so much as a falter was dealing with wrapping his mind around fantasy creatures really existing. “Let’s go do it, man. First round’s on me.”
Did Hardison buy any of it though? No.
Because he wasn't an easy mark. Except...
Eliot was telling him it was all real. And Eliot, he wasn't someone that was tricked easily. And Hardison trusted Eliot with his whole damn world, so now it was just a matter of his brain catching up to what his heart was telling him was true: that magic was real and they were stuck in the middle of it.
By the end of his shouting and denials, he was breathing heavily, but slowing down. Finally, he flopped down onto Eliot's couch next to him, where he leaned back and let his head lay on the back of the couch. Closing his eyes, he asked quietly, one more time, "For real?"
Usually Eliot would find a place to interject or find a way to encourage Hardison to calm down but unusual circumstances led to him quietly sitting on the couch, mug of tea in his hands and casually sipped as he watched Hardison pace back and forth in front of him. He was slightly impressed as every time he thought Hardison would run out of steam, he found another subject connected to the overarching theme of the rant. Eliot didn’t blame him in the least this time around. Vallo was a goddamn odd place and so were the circumstances.
When Hardison finally flopped down beside him, Eliot’s knee nudged up against his and he looked over at the hacker. “For real, man. You know how I feel about conning team and even more so family,” he said quietly. “‘s real as it gets. Believe me I tried to find the cracks that would show otherwise but we are in a fantasy movie.” He took another drink of tea as he glanced out at the room without really seeing anything, more lost in his own thoughts.
“I really didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself. I know what can be faked, what we’ve faked, but this ain’t it. Far as I can tell there ain’t no way back either.” Eliot had his own stake in getting back but Hardison, the networks he built to help people and Parker, that was a whole other thing entirely and as much as he didn’t want to tell him that, it was better to just be honest about it. He clapped a free hand on his knee. “‘m sorry.”
The pain in his heart was real and it was strong. There was so much back home that needed him, that he needed in return. Parker, the teams, the people they helped...it helped a little, to know that in some weird ass way that it was like he was still there, but he wasn’t the one getting shit done and getting the love of a good woman. How could he live with potentially never seeing her again?
Feeling Eliot’s hand on his knee, he let out the shaky breath he was holding in an attempt to calm the overwhelming panic that was threatening to overtake him and this entire situation. He focused on Eliot’s presence, his comforting weight pressed up next to him, that hand on his knee…
Opening his eyes finally, he straightened up and looked over to Eliot. “I believe you and you have nothing to be sorry about.” A few years ago, Hardison might have had to verify everything for himself, but Eliot...Eliot had wormed his way into his heart just like Parker had and that bought a lot of trust with Hardison. The kind of trust where you put your whole life in that person’s hands.
Reaching down to clasp Eliot’s hand in his, he squeezed it, but didn’t let go. “So what do we do now?”
“I can be sorry that you wound up here in this situation with no way back. What’d you call it, empathy?” The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up, an attempt at humor in a somber moment. He’d watched Hardison in the quiet between them and by now he knew him well enough to see the full weight of what was going on sink in. There wasn’t much good about it looking back, leaving someone to figure out how best to move forward while missing home.
These days he didn’t even question his feelings about Hardison or Parker, Sophie or Nate, Brianna, even Harry had somehow wiggled in though he was still earning his way and still hadn’t gotten Eliot’s trust entirely. The people he swore to protect and would do so to his last breath. Hardison and Parker though, they were special. Maybe Eliot couldn’t define it because it didn’t fall within the bounds of a typical relationship but they were important. Part of him felt guilty for the glimmer of happiness that Hardison was there while missing Parker as well. The trio.
Eliot’s grip tightened on Hardison’s. “I think we figure out how best we’re gonna live in this place for as long as we’re here, however long that’s gonna be,” he said finally. What that meant, he had no goddamn idea, but figuring it out felt a little less daunting now. “With, you know, the elves and trolls and shit.”
The laugh that Hardison gave at that troll comment was just slightly hysterical, but he managed to bring it back in so he didn’t seem or sound completely deranged. “Man, let’s just go get drunk and get some tacos. Everything always feels a little better with booze and tacos.” It was just a fact of life and, also, Hardison truly needed to be in an altered state to not completely lose his shit.
It wasn’t a long term solution but Hardison just arriving and trying to take it all in, he deserved that much. Eliot found some small amusement though that the man who could quote sci fi and fantasy without so much as a falter was dealing with wrapping his mind around fantasy creatures really existing. “Let’s go do it, man. First round’s on me.”