Work Text:
Eliot's pretty sure he's the only one who noticed the day his world began to fall apart. It was just an ordinary day. They'd all somehow ended up at Nate's apartment - something they'd all started to do more and more even when there was no job on the go. Eliot had just been idly flipping through the newspaper and rotating his right shoulder - seemed like it was always getting sore these days. Still, he figured it was nothing an ice pack or - even better - a deep tissue massage couldn't fix.
And then Parker dropped into the seat beside him - that girl had absolutely no concept of personal space at all - and poked him in the arm.
It shouldn't have been a big deal; it was just part of who she was - part of who they were - but somehow, that day was different.
Eliot acted without thinking. Pure reflex.
His free hand shot out and captured her wrist before she could poke him again, and he squeezed.
The shock (and pain, don't forget the pain…) in her eyes cut him to the core and he let go almost instantly.
Before she could say anything he was on his feet and heading for the door. The way out.
He needed to think about what had just happened. He'd spent his whole adult life learning to master his instinct and emotions. Learning control. And in a fraction of a second he'd felt that control slip and he'd acted like a bear with a sore head. Not like him at all, despite the teasing he endured from Hardison.
And he was terrified he knew what was happening.