AN: Partly inspired by pdljmpr6's fic Embrace and Jess and I realizing that Parker and Eliot constantly touch.
Eliot Spencer and Parker (who had no last name) were very similar. The team would probably deny that flat out; heck Eliot himself would. But to the random few, there were a lot of common occurrences with the Hitter and Thief. One being their need to touch.
Neither person liked to be touched unaware, you had to give them full warning and even then they cringed. Eliot would grumble or Parker would go wide-eyed and tense up. But with each other they could touch or hug anytime and never do any of those things.
Usually it was away from their team members but Nate was slowly beginning to realize their connection. Either that or he'd been sober for way too long and it was his brain's way of begging for a drink.
It started on missions. Eliot would tap Parker's shoulder to gain her attention. Or she in turn would grab his hand and help him to the car if he was seriously injured. Then came the poking. Whether it be 'exploring' the hitter's injuries or just plain bickering. Batting each other's hands away for the remote or the last piece of Eliot's homemade masterpiece that night. After that Nate noticed - in between his bouts of drunkenness - that the two would be sitting closer. He didn't know if that was Parker's need for comfort or Eliot acting on his protectiveness.
There were quite a few moments where they hugged. The grumbling slowly stopped. And Parker's crazy smile disappeared. Both seemed perfectly content just to hold each other.
The thing was, neither spoke of it. They just seemed to drift towards each other. When Parker was overwhelmed or overly bored, not realizing she was bouncing on her toes, Eliot would slowly come up and rest his hands on her shoulders. Just enough pressure where she felt calmed. Then he'd smile and continue on arguing with Hardison or planning with Nate.
When the Hitter would slink off to tend to his wounds in private, he found the Thief silently breaking into his house and carefully pressing a hand to his ribs. Stilling him and helping bandage the worst of it.
Most of all, Nate noticed they didn't flinch with each other the way they would when one of the team or a stranger touched them. It wasn't a matter of trust; they trusted the team as much as five thieves could. It was just their...connection. It was them.
Somehow The Hitter and his Thief always kept physical contact. Always grounded the other. It was contentment and peace that filled their minds if only for a few moments.