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storypaint) wrote2015-02-16 12:51 pm
storypaint) wrote2015-02-16 12:51 pm
Entry tags:
[Leverage] all you had to do was stay (Eliot gen)
Title: all you had to do was stay
Fandom: Leverage
Length: 710 words
Prompt: comment_fic: Leverage, Eliot, The stray cat who sits at his window gets fed well on the nights he shows up.
Pairing: Eliot gen
Other: Set pre-canon.
Excerpt: Eliot had conflicting thoughts about the idea of a home base. He had one, because he'd spent years dreaming about it while he was in the service. It was a beautiful house too, far enough out of the city that he'd know if someone bad was headed his way, and secure as he could make it while allowing plenty of natural light. He went there in-between jobs, but never during. It was like a reward in that way.
Eliot had conflicting thoughts about the idea of a home base. He had one, because he'd spent years dreaming about it while he was in the service. It was a beautiful house too, far enough out of the city that he'd know if someone bad was headed his way, and secure as he could make it while allowing plenty of natural light. He went there in-between jobs, but never during. It was like a reward in that way. He just couldn't get out of that mindset.
Of course, it was a terrible idea to have a home base, because that meant someone could track you there. He had decorated with that idea in mind (although his favorite tool was always his hands). He bought furniture and kitchen appliances and treated himself to nice things. Even if he had to burn the place to the ground someday to cover his tracks, he didn't see why he couldn't enjoy it now.
He had no idea where the cat had come from. Well, from another cat, reasonably, but he didn't think he had any cats on his land, because he knew there were foxes and coyotes. The cat didn't seem to care. Eliot found him on the windowsill on a warm night. Eliot opened it with the intention of leaning out and having a drink, maybe looking at the stars for a while. He liked the immensity of the sky; against it, his sins seemed very small.
The sky was there, but so was a scraggly orange cat missing half his left ear. He was curved into a comma, the end of his tail twitching lazily. He opened a golden eye and looked at Eliot, and then closed it again.
"I don't want a pet," Eliot said to the cat. He shut the window to prove his point. The only thing worse than having a home base, in his business, was having someone you really cared about. That was like painting a target onto their chest. Eliot had plenty of dates, but no relationships. That worked just fine, scratched all his itches.
He sat in his library instead and paged through a cookbook until he finished his whiskey. Then he went to bed.
*
The cat wasn't there the next day when Eliot opened the window, and he was secretly disappointed, which bothered him. He called some people and lined up a job for the next day.
He spent two weeks in Bolivia and when he came home, he almost tripped over the cat napping in the sun on his doorstep. He nudged it with his foot until it got up and moved two feet before flopping down again. Eliot ignored it and went inside.
He made a three-course dinner for one and when he was done, he took a few scraps and put them on the windowsill where he'd seen the cat the first time, feeling kind of ridiculous about it. Probably he'd just teach the raccoons that he was a softie.
There was a thump and Eliot drew back into the shadows until he registered that the thump was much too light to be an intruder. The cat appeared. He sniffed the bowl, and then turned his back to it and curled up, putting his tail over his nose.
"Seriously?" Eliot said to it. The cat didn't say anything. Eliot felt even more ridiculous. He shut the window with more force than necessary. The cat didn't move.
The food was gone in the morning, and so was the cat.
*
After the conclusion of Leverage's first job, Eliot was tired. He still wasn't sure it was a good idea to be hooking up with that crew, but he wanted to see where it led. If he didn't like where it was going, well. None of them could take him in a fair fight, and he wouldn't fight fair, if it came to that.
When he opened the door, the cat slipped into the house, negotiating between Eliot's boots with ease. He sat down near the fridge and looked expectant.
Eliot reached into the grocery bag he was balancing on one arm, and pulled out a can.
"You don't get people food every night," he told the cat, but the cat started purring anyway.
Fandom: Leverage
Length: 710 words
Prompt: comment_fic: Leverage, Eliot, The stray cat who sits at his window gets fed well on the nights he shows up.
Pairing: Eliot gen
Other: Set pre-canon.
Excerpt: Eliot had conflicting thoughts about the idea of a home base. He had one, because he'd spent years dreaming about it while he was in the service. It was a beautiful house too, far enough out of the city that he'd know if someone bad was headed his way, and secure as he could make it while allowing plenty of natural light. He went there in-between jobs, but never during. It was like a reward in that way.
Eliot had conflicting thoughts about the idea of a home base. He had one, because he'd spent years dreaming about it while he was in the service. It was a beautiful house too, far enough out of the city that he'd know if someone bad was headed his way, and secure as he could make it while allowing plenty of natural light. He went there in-between jobs, but never during. It was like a reward in that way. He just couldn't get out of that mindset.
Of course, it was a terrible idea to have a home base, because that meant someone could track you there. He had decorated with that idea in mind (although his favorite tool was always his hands). He bought furniture and kitchen appliances and treated himself to nice things. Even if he had to burn the place to the ground someday to cover his tracks, he didn't see why he couldn't enjoy it now.
He had no idea where the cat had come from. Well, from another cat, reasonably, but he didn't think he had any cats on his land, because he knew there were foxes and coyotes. The cat didn't seem to care. Eliot found him on the windowsill on a warm night. Eliot opened it with the intention of leaning out and having a drink, maybe looking at the stars for a while. He liked the immensity of the sky; against it, his sins seemed very small.
The sky was there, but so was a scraggly orange cat missing half his left ear. He was curved into a comma, the end of his tail twitching lazily. He opened a golden eye and looked at Eliot, and then closed it again.
"I don't want a pet," Eliot said to the cat. He shut the window to prove his point. The only thing worse than having a home base, in his business, was having someone you really cared about. That was like painting a target onto their chest. Eliot had plenty of dates, but no relationships. That worked just fine, scratched all his itches.
He sat in his library instead and paged through a cookbook until he finished his whiskey. Then he went to bed.
*
The cat wasn't there the next day when Eliot opened the window, and he was secretly disappointed, which bothered him. He called some people and lined up a job for the next day.
He spent two weeks in Bolivia and when he came home, he almost tripped over the cat napping in the sun on his doorstep. He nudged it with his foot until it got up and moved two feet before flopping down again. Eliot ignored it and went inside.
He made a three-course dinner for one and when he was done, he took a few scraps and put them on the windowsill where he'd seen the cat the first time, feeling kind of ridiculous about it. Probably he'd just teach the raccoons that he was a softie.
There was a thump and Eliot drew back into the shadows until he registered that the thump was much too light to be an intruder. The cat appeared. He sniffed the bowl, and then turned his back to it and curled up, putting his tail over his nose.
"Seriously?" Eliot said to it. The cat didn't say anything. Eliot felt even more ridiculous. He shut the window with more force than necessary. The cat didn't move.
The food was gone in the morning, and so was the cat.
*
After the conclusion of Leverage's first job, Eliot was tired. He still wasn't sure it was a good idea to be hooking up with that crew, but he wanted to see where it led. If he didn't like where it was going, well. None of them could take him in a fair fight, and he wouldn't fight fair, if it came to that.
When he opened the door, the cat slipped into the house, negotiating between Eliot's boots with ease. He sat down near the fridge and looked expectant.
Eliot reached into the grocery bag he was balancing on one arm, and pulled out a can.
"You don't get people food every night," he told the cat, but the cat started purring anyway.