Fandom: Leverage
Characters/Pairings: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Rating: G
Length: 647 words
Summary: Leaving Hardison at home, Eliot and Parker go spice shopping.
Originally Posted: January 4, 2022
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An incident at the brewpub had ended with the spice rack ripped off right off the wall and too many spices lost in a sea of broken glass, dirt, and bad guy blood. Eliot needs to replenish what was lost, so the trip to the spice store went to the top of their to-do list.
They leave Hardison at home. “You know this place makes my allergies flare up, woman.” Parker is fully aware that the fancy spice shop makes Alec’s eyes get all red and itchy and gives him sneezing fits, but she also knows that he’s downloaded an entire season of some new Sci-Fi series and is eager to start watching it. She gives him a kiss before they head out.
It’s a small space with a large selection of spices. As soon as she steps through the door she’s bombarded with a stunning array of scents. Eliot takes a deep breath and when he lets it out there’s already a faint smile playing on his lips.
Parker loves when Eliot gets like this. Focused and happy. He teaches her the different herbs and spices and what they’re most commonly used for. She lets his words wash over her as she sniffs the different spices and blends he holds up for her.
The rosemary, green and sharp, reminds her of the pork chops Eliot cooked for them after the dinosaur job at the museum in Wyoming. A fun job and really great pork chops.
Sharp, bitter, sweet. Eliot picks out three different types of peppercorns, one of which makes her sneeze.
Dried hot chilis with names like Puya, Pequin, and Pasilla; make her think about the jars of hot sauce Eliot made for everyone one Christmas.
Bay leaves for soups and stews. Whole nutmeg resembling adorable little nuts smell like spicy incense in the best possible way. She’s seen Eliot grate them fresh with his micro-thingy when making his special gingerbread cookies. Cookies that he sometimes lets her help decorate when she promises not to eat them all. A promise she always finds hard to keep.
Eliot has her sniff three different jars of cinnamon before he places each one in the basket. According to him, each has its own very distinctive flavor and scent but they mostly just smell like cinnamon to Parker, though she has to admit one smells a little more astringent than the others.
Eliot’s smile gets bigger as he adds more jars to his basket. Parker can see his shoulders relax as the tension leaves him with every whiff. He weaves tales for her of meals created and eaten. Some from a long time ago and others more recent. She bumps his shoulder with hers and smiles.
Parker picks out a large bag of cloves and slides them into their basket. Rich, earthy, and pungent. She likes decorating oranges with cloves, something Hardison taught her one holiday season. They smell nice and make her think of Christmas. Parker loves Christmas.
Eliot smiles when he sees her. “We can pick up some oranges on the way home if you want.”
Parker claps her hands, hugs Eliot, and goes off to explore on her own.
In the checkout line, Eliot pays with cash. Secreted away in Parker’s pockets is a small cellophane bag filled with pretty stars that smell like licorice, another filled with sticks of cinnamon, and in one pocket is a small jar of saffron tucked away for safekeeping.
Eliot shoves a couple of extra twenties in the tip jar because he knows she can’t help but liberate a few items for herself.
He takes her hand as they exit the store. She looks up and sees the sun finally peeking out from behind the clouds. She smiles, and skips across the parking lot, tugging a reluctant Eliot along with her. It’s these little ordinary moments that Parker likes best.
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