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Eliot glanced over from the bar, where he was making sure the garnishes were fully stocked for the evening to where Parker and Hardison had their heads bent close together. He knew when they'd started talking they'd been going over some details for an upcoming job. But they'd since abandoned that topic and while he wouldn't normally care what else they talked about, they kept glancing at him with looks that would only mean trouble. For him. He went back to cutting lemons, limes, and oranges into wedges and wheels, aware of Parker and Hardison approaching the bar.
"We want to ask you something." Parker fidgeted, belying her calm tone. Personal question then, Eliot surmised, and one they didn't think he'd like.
"Okay," Eliot replied, setting the paring knife down in the middle of the cutting board and bracing his hands against the edge of the bar. Not quite relaxed, but open and 'I will not immediately stab you for asking said question'.
"We, uh, we would like to take you out tomorrow night."
"Okay," he replied after a beat with no further explanation, confusion coloring his tone.
"On a date," Hardison added in exasperation with a roll of his eyes at Parker. Turning his attention back to Eliot, he said, "We *could* construe it as a 'thank you for everything you've been doing for us' but that would take more than dinner and we want to be honest about our intentions from the start. We've both been feeling a bit more than friendly toward you lately and we think you may be feeling the same."
"A bit more..." Eliot trailed off with a huff of a chuckle and picked up the paring knife to resume cutting up the fruit. "What have you been reading lately, Hardison?"
"I told you that cowboy romance was a bad idea," Parker hissed as she poked Hardison hard in the side. "So?" she asked Eliot.
Eliot laughed at the two of them. "A date?" he asked, a bit incredulous.
They both nodded. "The new sushi place down the street."
Eliot had met the owners, an older couple from Japan, at the market not long after they'd arrived and started up a passing friendship with them. It was tempting, but -
"He's doing that thing with his eyebrows," Parker said to Hardison. "I thought he likes sushi."
"He does," Eliot confirmed.
"But he doesn't think the date's a good idea," Hardison added.
Parker pouted. "Why not? We didn't read him wrong, did we, Hardison?"
"No, we didn't, mama. Eliot's just not used to believing he deserves good things."
"Ooh, does that mean we get to show him the power point?"
"You made a power point presentation for why I should date you?" Eliot asked with a raised eyebrow, as he put the knife down to put the fruit in their little bins.
"Among other things," Hardison replied. "And, yeah, you could list all the reasons this is a bad idea." His voice softened. "But you deserve good things too, Eliot. Let us give you that."
"Threesome relationships ain't easy," Eliot countered.
"They don't have to be hard, though. Give us a chance," Hardison said quietly, placing his hand over Eliot's.
"Let us be the pretzels to your peanut butter," Parker added, placing her hand so it was half on Hardison's and half on Eliot's wrist, "or hummus or whatever. That hummus you made the other day was really good."
Eliot couldn't help but laugh. "One date," he conceded. "I ain't promising anything past that."
"Fine, fine," Hardison replied. "We're willing to take it slow."
The next evening, Eliot looked at himself in the mirror and tugged at the bottom of his black vest to pull out nonexistent wrinkles. He finally had to admit everything looked good and he was ready to go.
He'd been thinking a lot over the past day about what he wanted with Hardison and Parker and when it had gone from protecting his crew (and therefore payday) to protecting his family to protecting the two people most important to him. And the answer to both was he didn't know. The second part had crept up on him over the past five years, though he'd had an inkling after Hardison had been buried alive. As to the first... He hadn't allowed himself to believe he was worthy of having someone love him for so long that realizing he wanted however much of their love they were willing to give for however long they were willing felt like a physical thing in the pit of his stomach.
Eliot shivered at the memory of Parker and Hardison putting their hands on his. It was such a simple thing and he'd had more bodily contact with them over the years, but this time the simple gesture held so much promise it threatened to overwhelm the walls he'd built over the years. After everything that had gone down when he'd worked for Moreau, he'd never wanted to be in that position again. But this time.... He might actually be willing to be vulnerable again.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled softly to himself that they were being so formal to pick him up for their date when any other time they would've just barged in. When he opened the door, he noticed Parker wore one of her Alice White outfits, but for the first time actually looked comfortable in it as herself. Hardison was dressed similarly to Eliot, but in contrast to Eliot's white shirt and plain black vest combo, Hardison wore a lavender button down and an embroidered deep purple vest that looked good on him. They both also wore dark jeans and black shoes.
"Ha! I knew it!" Parker said with a pleased smile and a pinch at Hardison's side.
Hardison glared at Parker before saying to Eliot, "You look great. You ready to go?"
Eliot nodded, shutting the door behind himself. "You both look great too."
As they walked to the restaurant, they debated the pros and cons of a job they were considering before Hardison said, "You're probably enjoying knowing you're going to have to order for me."
"Yes, I'm going to order you a large sashimi platter," Eliot replied dryly.
"Damn it, Eliot! You *know* I don't like raw fish!" Eliot rolled his eyes as he and Parker laughed.
When they entered the restaurant, Eliot was greeted warmly by Honoka, the wife, who looked at Parker and Hardison and grinned slyly at Eliot, who gave a quick nod, expression revealing nothing. They were ushered to a table near the kitchen and while they sat, she disappeared, returning shortly with a small carafe of sake and three cups and followed by her husband, Hiroto. Eliot made the introductions, switching easily between English and Japanese before Honoka poured the sake.
/"We have a menu if you would like to look at it,"/ Honoka said.
/"These two would be useless with a menu,"/ Eliot replied with a laugh. /"Why don't you decide? They'll eat most things that don't actually look raw."/ His gaze flicked to Hardison, who narrowed his eyes in suspicion, before returning to Honoka - who looked pleased. /"And I'll be happy eating anything authentic Japanese. It's been too long since I've been."/
/"I would still like to discuss your experiences training here versus in Japan,"/ Hiroto said. /"But not tonight, since it appears to be a special night."/
Eliot nodded on agreement as Honoka said, /"I know just what to make,"/ before excusing herself and her husband.
"What was that about?" Parker asked as Eliot took a sip of sake.
"We'll be having the chef's special tonight," Eliot replied. "Hiroto and I trained at the same place, though not at the same time."
"I don't know if that's better or worse," Hardison said before taking a sip of sake and making a face. "What is this?"
"Nihonshu." At their blank looks, he added, "Sake - rice wine."
"Is it supposed to be warm?"
"Some versions are. Others are cold."
Parker took a sip and smiled. "It's odd. I like it. Can I have yours if you don't want it?" Hardison pushed his cup to her. She hoarded it with her own and said, "And I still don't think your plan's gonna work - it's too ambitious. Though it's not as bad as the first few jobs you planned."
Eliot nodded in agreement and Hardison sighed. They began hashing out a better plan and pointing out where Hardison's would go wrong. Eliot had to admit he loved this. He was with two of his favorite people in the world and doing something he loved. And he was going to say yes to them and whatever bits they were willing to give him.
They finished up as Hiroto brought out a tray with bowls of steamed rice and miso soup.
"Now this I can get behind," Hardison replied, accepting the bowl of soup. When handed a pair of chopsticks, he replied, "Eliot - what are these for?"
"To eat with. You can sip the broth."
The rest of the meal was spent with Eliot teaching Hardison and Parker the correct way to eat a Japanese meal and Parker and Hardison goofing off. And Eliot loved every second of it.
"We like this for you," Hardison said as they finished up their tea.
Parker nodded in agreement. "You obviously enjoy teaching and food and teaching about food."
Hardison looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, we could probably do something with that. What about a monthly cooking class at the brewpub?" Eliot scowled and Hardison quickly added, "I know - it's not exactly Toby's kitchen, but it wouldn't be for aspiring chefs anyway - just members if the community. And the draw of a cooking class in a brewpub could work. Do stuff in line with what we'd sell - how to make the perfect burger, steaks, ribs, marinades and sauces, maybe even some fish. Do some specialty nights like how to make sushi. Could outfit some camp stoves or hot plates."
"I'll think about it," Eliot replied. It did sound like fun.
They ended up back at Hardison's apartment watching Ratatouille and Eliot was pretty sure Hardison was trying to get a rise out of him, so he made some grumbling noises, but overall it was a cute movie and he agrees with the idea of the power of food. But the best part was Parker snuggling against him on the couch with her head on his shoulder at the beginning of the movie and Hardison reaching across behind her to put his hand on Eliot's shoulder and would gently squeeze and massage it from time to time.
At the end of the night, they walked him across the hall - which he told them was silly, but he appreciated just the same. They all hesitated for a moment, not wanting the night to end. Then Parker broke the tension with an annoyed huff and a roll of her eyes before leaning in to give Eliot a chaste kiss on the lips. Frozen in surprise, Eliot didn't respond and Parker pulled away with a hurt look in her eyes.
"That's what you're supposed to do after a good date, right?" she asked worried and looking between Hardison and Eliot.
"Yes, Parker," they both replied. Eliot added, "I just wasn't expecting it, but I did like it. Want to try again?"
She smiled, relieved, as Eliot cupped her jaw to tilt her head up, but kept the kiss chaste as they tried again and Eliot gave her a taste of everything he was feeling. When they pulled apart, her cheeks were flushed. "Yes, more of that in the near future, please," she said and Eliot chuckled, low and warm, his hand coming down to rest in the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
When he turned to Hardison to make a crack about him wanting a kiss too, Eliot saw Hardison was flushed and his eyes were dark with desire. Eliot curled his free hand around Hardison's neck and pulled him down for a chaste kiss of his own. That snapped Hardison out of his daze and he responded just as sweetly as Parker had.
"Yes," Eliot told them. "I'd love to date both of you for as long and however you'll let me."
"Then you're going to be stuck with us for forever," Parker replied, grinning.
"We're happy to hear that," Hardison replied. "We'll give you time to absorb and see you tomorrow."
After that, everything and nothing changed.
The next morning, Parker and Hardison let themselves into his apartment, as usual. And Eliot made them breakfast, as usual. They discussed their job while they ate as usual.
But there were also lingering touches and stolen kisses - initiated by Parker and Hardison because Eliot still didn't quite believe he was allowed. And a tension he hadn't realized had been building between them was now gone.
They ran their con and it went off without a hitch - which was nice and gave Hardison an ego boost. (As well as reinforced simpler is better.) And when they returned home, there was another movie night - this time with Eliot being cuddled between Parker and Hardison. And there was nothing about what his life was becoming that he'd change.