Chapter Text
“No shower this time?” Eliot asked half-heartedly as he and Savannah stumbled from the gym to their bedroom, groping and kissing their way along the hall. She shushed him as they pushed through the bedroom door and nearly slammed it behind them. They hit the bed, and shirts were tossed aside. Eliot shuddered as he savored the feeling of her flesh against his. The Underwear On Rule was still in effect, of course, but Eliot was really starting to enjoy the Delayed Gratification Effect that came from it, as well as the level of intimacy he achieved with Savannah, especially for how long it took her to open up to him.
It may not have seemed that long to some, but Eliot was used to charming people into telling him things; violence wasn’t always his key. It certainly wasn’t the key with Savannah. There was still mystery though, but it made the intimacy more delicious, both the physical and the otherwise. However, it also fed that little fear worm, the one that told him he would wake up alone like so many nights before. It helped that he knew she had that fear on the occasional nights that she would wake with a start and grab him like one of them was falling, he was never sure who.
There was a knock at the door. Eliot and Savannah stopped, looking at each other in confusion. Parker and Hardison never came to the bedroom door when they needed something, they just texted. In a split second, there was unison realization of what day it was, right as a female voice asked, “Savannah?”
It was Sophie. They weren’t ready to face Sophie with their ill-advised pairing. The unguarded doorknob turned. Eliot found himself thrown on the other side of the bed out of the line of sight from the door as it opened. Staying out of sight, Eliot snuck a peek to see how Savannah was going to pull off looking so disheveled alone in her room, except when he looked up, Savannah’s shirt was on and her hair was pulled back.
“Heeeey Sophie, what’s up?” Savannah asked, catching her breath.
Sophie seemed curious but not suspicious. “Glad I finally found you. Hardison says it’s about time. We’re supposed to meet down in the conference area. Would you happen to know where Eliot is?”
Savannah fiddled with her messy ponytail. “You know, he was in the gym with me just a minute ago. We just got done sparring. He might be in the shower now, but I can get him and we’ll meet you down there?”
“Sparred pretty hard? You’re all red.”
Savannah shrugged. “Well, I can’t go easy on him.”
Sophie laughed, “That’s true. Already got a bit on ego that one.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Hurry along, dear. We can’t miss this,” Sophie pressed as she patted Savannah’s shoulder and headed down the hall. Savannah closed the door as qucikly and quietly as she could.
Eliot popped up to an upright position. “How did you get dressed so fast?” he asked frantically looking for his shirt.
“Academy cocktail, I can move really fast when properly motivated. Eliot. Eliot! This is your shirt,” she told him, peeling off the white muscle shirt and handing it towards him.
“Oh. Why’d you grab my shirt?” he asked as he pulled it on.
“I was moving fast, I just grabbed a shirt.” She crawled over the bed, snatched up her shirt, and started digging in her dresser. “Now, go wet your hair, spray this on, and hand me my hoodie,” she instructed, handing him an aerosol can of men’s body spray with only one arm through the arm hole in the tank top.
“Okay. Why am I wetting my hair?”
She finally got her shirt on all the way. “Because I told her you were in the shower!”
“Right. Oh, about that, um, you don’t go easy on me because of my ego?”
“Seriously? Get a move on!”
“I’m goin’!”
“Meet you down there,” she said, grabbing and pulling on her unretrieved hoodie and jogging down the hall towards downstairs. Eliot dampened his hair, spritzed on a little too much body and headed downstairs.
Nate, Sophie, and Savannah were sitting in front of the big screen in the conference area. There was a bowl of popcorn and a dish of gummy bears in front of them that they were snacking on as they watched the screen and waited anxiously. Eliot took a stool next to Savannah, hoping he looked casual enough. Fortunately, Sophie was too wrapped up in anticipation to care.
The screen showed a high quality live feed of the roof. Parker walked out onto it and called out, “Hardison? What did you want to meet on the roof for? Are you okay? I know you hate it up here. Hardison?” She took a few steps forward and looked around searching for signs of the hacker.
Finally, she noticed the harness at the edge of the roof with a note attached, “You know what to do.” Parker picked up the harness and held it tentatively before stepping into it. The screen switched to Hardison hanging off the side of the building from an identical harness. It appeared he attached the camera to the side of the building, so they could see him and Portland below him. He looked incredibly nervous, but he kept smiling and glancing up. He was very obviously making sure to not look down. One hand had a white-knuckle grip on the rappelling rope, the other clutched a red velvet box. It was open and revealed a gold ring with a five carat diamond, a two carat emerald on either side.
Parker dropped into view, face scrunched in concern. “Hey, what are you doing out here? Are you--” She spotted the ring. “Oh.” A grin broke from ear-to-ear, and her eyes glistened.
“You...you know, I h-had a whole speech prepared a-about how I can't see a happy life without you and-and how I...see this high up, I forgot everything, b-but I wanted...you to know that I--”
She grabbed his harness, and pulled him closer. “Hardison, just say the thing, and we can get you back to solid footing!”
He laughed nervously. “Parker...Parker, will you m-marry me?”
“Yeah,” she squealed, yanking his lips to hers.
“Thank--” Hardison was cut off when Parker jerked the cords, rocketing them upward and out of frame. The other four rushed up to the roof to meet them. They got onto the roof as Parker was helping Hardison step out of his harness. He plucked the ring out of the box still clutched tightly in his hand and took Parker’s. Their eyes locked onto each others’ as he slid the ring onto her finger. “I forgot...I love you, Parker.”
“I love you, Alec.”