Chapter Text
P: Sophie is always saying how anniversaries are important.
H: yeah, babe. They mean a lot to her.
P: I never used to understand why but I think I'm starting to. I thought either all the days you spend with someone are special or things aren't going right. But I guess it's like a reminder. It doesn't have to be any specific day of the year or whatever, it just has to be a thing that happens at regular intervals. Just, hey. Remember to treat your special people like they're special.
H: yeah, I guess that makes sense. Do you wanna start celebrating something like that for us?
P: we already have the rule that you call me at least once a week. That's so much better than one fancy day out of the year that people get mad at each other for missing.
Do you think Sophie is mad at Nate right now?
H: Maybe. She's probably feeling a lot of things.
P: ugh. Feelings are complicated. I don't know what I should do.
H: I don't think she needs you to make a big deal out of it.
P: Actually
I do.
I think she would like it if we made a big deal about it and then she can tell us not to and sound annoyed.
H: really?
Huh. That doesn't sound totally wrong.
P: yeah, because she doesn't actually want to be babied, she just needs a reminder. That even though Nate can't be here, she still has the rest of us. She still has family.
H: Makes sense.
P: oh good. Even when I'm better at people than I used to be I'm not always good at Sophie.
W: oh great master of information, what the hell am I supposed to do to remind Sophie that I'm family? I don't know much about her and I'm not sure how true what I do know is.
H: Parker sent you my way, huh?
W: Yep. She is bound and determined to make this plan work and I am at a loss.
H: hey, I think just the fact that you're making an effort will mean something.
W: right. Super helpful.
H: listen, I have a video file that I finally managed to track down because she mentioned that she couldn't find it once. You know how to burn a DVD?
W: If I run into trouble I'll ask Breanna.
B: Alec.
Alec, why did a box of printouts just arrive at headquarters addressed to me?
H: So you know that big chunk of text my algorithm has been playing whack-a-mole with for the last while?
B: yeah, I remember you showing me the error codes, so you could keep me in the loop about the security for the team. It's a lot of text. I was like, what, is someone writing a novel about these guys?
H: Bet you thought you were kidding.
B: Oh, shit, really?
Don't tell me it's been published already.
H: Not quite. The box has all the copies of the galley I managed to divert. Not all of them. You guys need to stop the book from getting published. It's got client info, too.
B: Jeez.
Alec, I know you have world saving shit going on, but this seems big. Maybe you should come back for this one.
H: no time. Wish I'd gotten the info sooner, but this is going to press, like, now. You need to start getting stuff in motion today.
B: Right.
You know what today is, right? Parker has us all doing dumb nice things for Sophie so she can pretend to be above all of it.
H: yeah. I know.
I hope this doesn't throw in too much of a monkey wrench. But I think being busy might help too.
B: I hope you're right.
P: This book keeps calling me legendary. Legendary! Can you imagine?
H: don't play, you like the fact that most other thieves know who you are.
P: maybe. But I don't want to be a legend. Do you know what legend means?
H: uh. Means everyone knows your name?
P: it means everyone knows stories about what I've done. it means I'm a myth. I'm made up or I'm magic. I'm a character that gets passed back and forth until I'm barely me anymore.
The best thieves never get caught. The best thieves are only whispers.
Legends are loud. Legends are impossible. They're not real and they're not sneaky. They're just. Projected images.
H: I don't think the book means it that way.
P: The book MAKES it that way.
H: shit. Yeah, I see it. Okay, go take this guy down.
H: you doing all right, man?
E: Yeah I
It's stupid.
H: nah, nah it's not. This book is getting under all our skin. Whoever this guy is, he doesn't know us. He shouldn't know the things he does know.
E: it's not like they got it totally wrong. I do spend a lot of time hurting people.
H: Eliot. I know how hard you work to make sure that's not all you are. You got so much on your resume, I wouldn't know where to put you if I didn't need you right where you are. Protecting Parker. Keeping her an Breanna and Sophie safe.
There ain't time in the day to be every kind of incredible you are.
E: back atcha.
H: fuck I wish I could be home right now.
E: miss you too.
So what bothers you about the book? You should get a chance to complain about it same as us. You got kinda pigeonholed too, looks like.
H: actually
You know what it is?
In the book I date Parker, right? But it's like. Normal. It's like, some "boy, girl, can I make it any more obvious" shit. It doesn't have any of what makes dating Parker so great. And it doesn't have anything about us.
E: would you really want it to?
H: hey, I don't want any of this printed up anywhere. All I want is my best guy and my best girl.
And I just
it still bothers me sometimes that I can't be as loud about loving you as I can about loving her.
E: yeah, I know.
H: I love you, Eliot Spencer.
E: love you too, you doofus.
I guess I do hang on to seeming dangerous and scary, cause I need to be. Guess I would like the book even less if it had all the rest of my private stuff in it. If it told the world I'm soft for you.
H: yeah, I get that. And most of the time I'm just thrilled you let me see your squishy marshmallowy bits.
E: hey, you know. Breanna's okay, you can tell her if you want.
H: good, cause uh… about that.
E: couldn't keep it from her, huh?
H: she's my sister. And she knows how to keep that stuff on the downlow. She's had girlfriends who weren't especially. Uh. Out.
E: okay. Yeah.
Wish the world was a little softer so I could be softer in it more of the time. But we can be ourselves with this family, and Bre is part of this family now.
H: oh, my heart. All the warm fuzzies, it's too much!
I'll be home as soon as I can.