Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Character:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Collections:
Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
Stats:
Published:
2020-11-05
Completed:
2010-08-29
Words:
1,905
Chapters:
2/2
Kudos:
11
Bookmarks:
2
Hits:
2,171

Complicated Man

Summary:

Prompt - "When you are with me, I'm free, I'm careless, I believe (My Sacrifice - Creed)

Chapter 1: Part 1

Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own them, various producers and studio executives who make more money than I can imagine own them. I'm not making any money. 

Chapter Text

Eliot Spencer is a complicated man. You scoff, but he’s like his hair. In the shadows it’s shiny as a crow’s wing, some days it curls, others it’s board straight. When the sun kisses that mane, it’s the color of a new penny with hidden depths of gold. Simple clothes, simple man, right? Don’t let the package fool you. He’s a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

When I look at my team, I label them according to their strength. Grifter, hitter, hacker, thief.

They sit in their boxes, and I pull them out as I need them, then put them back when I’m done.

But Eliot…Eliot won’t stay in ‘his’ box. He’s as fine a thief as Parker, cleans up prettier than Sophie, and from his sly looks at Hardison, the whole technophobe thing…probably a con.

He gives me a run for my money. He cocks that damn eyebrow, and I’m going back over the plan…just in case. He sits with that infuriating smirk…you know the one…that says he already has your queen he’s just waiting for you to realize you’re caught.

The man is so slick, he had me in his bed and addicted…well…I really enjoyed the tutorial. It was too late, I was caught.

I on the other hand…am a simple man.

Good scotch, good food, good sex, the package isn’t important. I’ve gotten cerebral in my old age, a game that runs smooth. I’m a simple man. Except when I slip into the abyss labeled, ‘Sam’.

During the Dubenich job I cut Eliot deep by telling him that ‘we’re not friends’. Instead of backing off, he got that little shit eatin’ grin and left me to Sophie’s tender mercies.

No matter how I acted, he’d poke fun…like during the game to save Paul’s church.

“You quit priest school to be an insurance cop and now you lead a band of thieves…nice.”

Smartass…complicated…still a smartass.

He lulled me into complacency. I forgot the other Eliot Spencer. I only saw ‘civilized’ Eliot and forgot ‘feral’ Eliot behind blue/grey eyes.

Until Miami. I was pushing. I was waiting for them to break. I could justify that…they were thieves. Denial ain’t just a river.

Eliot called my bluff. I looked up and I my blood ran cold. I looked into the stormy eyes of the number one retrieval specialist in the world…He accomplished that without a gun.

Two thoughts ran through my mind. One, I was sorry I drove Eliot to that edge, and two, maybe I would see my son in the afterlife.

Sophie showed us she has more guts than brains by stepping in Eliot’s path.

With a look of disdain, he turned his back, showing he didn’t consider us a threat, and left the suite, Hardison and Parker trailing him like wolf pups.

They pulled away from Sophie and me. They’d lost faith. I could see it during briefings. After setting a plan they would look to Eliot. It was all very subliminal, but body language was Eliot’s thing. He read more in minute twitches than I could on the plasma screens.

Civilized Eliot warily returned. By the time Sophie concocted her plan for Blackpoole, I almost coaxed the retrievalist into letting me back in his bed.

I didn’t realize what I had until I lost it. When it was just Eliot and me, I didn’t have to be the White Knight or the Black King. I didn’t have to be anything other than what I am. A man lost in his grief. A man lost in the alcohol trying to ease that pain. A man trying to be more functioning than alcoholic.

I had that with Eliot. One evening…I think it was after Kentucky…Eliot sat on the balcony with his guitar. I couldn’t place the song, but I remembered the words. Probably only because of the things that man’s voice does to my libido…but I digress…

When you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice

Then Sophie took everything. Our home, our family…everything.

We split the 8 million and agreed to scatter. I watched Eliot moving gingerly, the feral once again prowling behind those eyes…away…away from me, I froze. I watched them walk. As they moved away, I saw the youngest’s paths moving to intercept the enforcer. Moving to his safety.

It’s been two weeks since we scattered. I’m still incredibly pissed, I miss Eliot. All of Eliot. I even miss being annoyed by Alec and startled by Parker acting like a demented jack-in-the-box.

Depressed and half past drunk, I slid into bed. I wasn’t asleep long when the covers shift and the bed dips.

“Wha…the…who?”

“Ssshh…settle down, now.” The gravelly voiced soothed.

“How did you?” I rolled over to see that much missed face.

“That’s what I do…Come over here and kiss me.” He growled low.

I’m free and we fly.