It's Friday—have a little random fic.

Semi-established J2 AU/Leverage Crossover.
Eliot Spencer/Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles.
PG.1200 words.

Okay. Take me out back and shoot me, right between the eyes. Kid!fic. What was I thinking? First established in matalinolukaret's fic here.



Eliot's already been kicked out of the kitchen three times. Yes, Jensen's perfectly capable of bringing water to a boil and no, Jared will not set the kitchen en flambe—and besides, they know where the fire extinguisher is just in case. It's really hard for Eliot to stay put in the living room when he can smell that the carbonara has a little too much garlic and if Jensen doesn't get the pasta going soon, it's going to be way past al dente.

But he goes when Ryan yanks Eliot's hand at Jared's say-so and pulls him to the couch, right in the middle of the new dinosaur puzzle Jensen brought home.

"Which one's your favorite?"

Tiny hands grab a piece of the pressboard, flipping it over to show a brown, scaled dinosaur complete with claws and a cartoonish snarl.

"Yeah? And what's it called?"

"T-Rex!"

Eliot flips another piece. "What about this one? Do you know its name?"

The kid's nose scrunches—adorably mimicking Jared's favorite mystified expression. Then he lights up. "Raptor!"

"Bingo, that's my favorite."

"T-Rex is bigger," Ryan defends, making sure his piece lords over all the other dinosaurs. "And meaner."

Eliot's only an expert at paleontology—and even then it's mainly what he learned from Jurassic Park—when he's arguing with a four year old.

"But the raptor is small, and quick." His piece stalks Ryan's and the kid starts grinning. "Can't hear him coming."

Ryan yelps when Eliot's cardboard dinosaur leaps onto his hand; when he jumps, most of the pieces spill to the floor.

"See? A perfect attack," Eliot says, grinning just as widely as Ryan at the new game. "But you know, raptors like big prey too."

"Like what?"

He crouches and Ryan giggles. "Like little kids who wear blue t-shirts and play with puzzles."

Ryan's eyes go wide a second before Eliot gently pounces on him, pushing him against the back of the couch and tickling under his arms. He may be Jared's kid according to science, but Ryan has Jensen's exact laugh - shy and bashful at first, like he's trying to hold it back, until you really get him going. And then it's bright red cheeks and a grin that just won't stop, wide smile that pushes his cheeks; Ryan is squirming in Eliot's hold and yelling for his Dads when he catches a breath.

Jared appears first, moving in and swooping Ryan off the couch in a move a gorilla's mama would be proud of. Hell, Jared may be part gorilla.

"What's happening out here?"

Obviously Jensen's been abandoned to produce dinner for four by his lonesome.

"Eliot's a raptor," Ryan is taking deep breaths, leaning against Jared's shoulder.

"Is he?" There's a devil's smirk on Jared's face. "Did you tell him about your favorite dinosaur?"

A wobbly nod.

"T-Rex's got nothing on a raptor," Eliot teases, more to Jared than Ryan.

"Nuh-uh, it's bigger and stronger," Jared mocks, sounding just like Ryan. Then to his son, "should we show him?"

Another enthusiastic nod.

"Oh no—no..." Eliot tries to back away but can only go so far with the couch behind him. Then it's a father-son coordinated effort that brings all three of them to the floor.

Eliot can't tally the number of times he's had Jared writhing on the floor for wholly different reasons, but it doesn't do to think of those now with Ryan trying to climb over his stomach and help Jared tickle the life out of him. He barks out a laugh right in Jared's ear and takes a brief second amidst the battle to swipe his nose along Jared's jaw—warm, scratchy, and smelling a little like garlic and parmesan. Then it's right back to fighting off the Padahands—now available in gigantic and miniature.

Jensen's socked foot appears in the corner of Eliot's eye—big daddy coming to investigate. But he doesn't even get a chance to ask why his boyfriend and Eliot are messing around on the floor with Ryan squished and giggling in between. Jared's hand latches onto Jensen's ankle and yanks him right into the fray. Eliot hears one startled yelp before Jensen and Ryan wordlessly turn to gang up on Jared, fingers going for all those ticklish spots Eliot knows they've learned well.

Someone sneaks a kiss to Eliot's throat, but there are too many limbs flailing and laughter from every side to tell who. Well, it's probably not Ryan—he's laughing and moving amongst the three of them, trying to tickle whoever's stomach is in reach. Could have been Jared—the big giant's arm is around Eliot's shoulder trying to paw at Jensen. But when Eliot cranes his neck he catches a warmth in Jensen's eyes as he's trying to avoid Jared's reach. Perfect lips—there's the culprit. He's never seen Jensen's classic reserve dissolve faster than when he's carefree and easy with his family.

And whoa there—that hand is definitely wandering out of bounds. This time, Jared's smirk gives him away. While Jensen's pushing the four of them apart, hazel eyes make a promise of Round Two later—a private and hopefully way more naked match for the three of them after Ryan is asleep, better suited to Jared and Jensen's king-sized bed behind the safety of a locked door.

Jared lays back, panting. "Who's watching the stove?"

"It's all off," Jensen says as he flops back against the couch, tucking into Eliot's side. "Pasta might be a little mushy."

Jared and Jensen both shoot a glance towards Eliot, but he keeps smiling. He stands, sweaty palm on Jensen's knee for leverage.

"Mmmm, mushy linguine," Eliot hums, grabs Ryan under the arms and swings him towards the kitchen. Behind them, Jared and Jensen help each other up. "How's that sound, Ry?"

~

Later, Jared and Eliot are like paperweights on the bed, comfortable on top of the sheets with Jensen—dead-to-the-world and snuggled under the comforter—in between. Eliot's still too sweaty to join him, worn out from grown-up time but feeling better than he has in a long while. It's a different kind of good—more complex than the idea of having friends again, something he's gained a lot of over the last year.

It's not quite family either, the traditional definition anyway. Eliot's not exactly alone in the world—he does have a family contrary to Hardison's opinions that he was raised by lazy panda bears in a zoo somewhere—but it's not like the one he's stumbled over here. Three pieces fitting in the space for two. Wrestling before dinner, sex afterward when the dishes are done and the bedtime story passes muster. Eliot only lets himself think about it when things are quiet like this, laying awake and trying not to listen for anything over the sounds of Jared and Jensen's deep breathing, the hum of the heat kicking in.

And Eliot fits here, just like he fits on the bed to Jensen's right side, hitting Jared's arm every so often where it lays across Jensen's hip. He knows he's gotten lucky—a crew and a family that want him.

Like always, he wonders how long it'll last.


fin.



Thanks to matalinolukaret for giving this a once over. ♥ Officially, I have two universes for this in my head. This one, the OT3, I blame entirely on matalinolukaret. The other, an Eliot/Jared kid!fic, is just as awesome, and penned first by earthquakedream. This is just my meager little contribution.

And, I'm out.