Hardison held Parker close for another beat longer, savoring the moment. "Come on, let's sit down," he finally said.
She nodded against his chest, and Hardison waited for her to unwind her arms from his waist before releasing her. He always made sure that she made the first move, because he didn't want her to feel him letting go.
In some ways, Parker was still insecure about their relationship, despite his constant assurances that he wasn't going anywhere. He could see it in her eyes every now and then, the brief flashes of uncertainty that flit by during times when something causes her to doubt herself. It could be anything - a person, an event, or sometimes even a word, and Hardison hated the fact that her past has made her lack confidence when it came to relationships.
This was why he was always finding opportunities to remind her he's staying until she kicks him out (which, he hopes, is never). From going to museums all around the world so she can case out the security systems, to the crazy bungee jumping dates, where she goes, he follows, even though diving off 1000 feet skyscrapers (okay, maybe he's exaggerating a little bit) aren't exactly the hacker's forté. He wanted Parker to know that come hell or high water, she wasn't getting rid of him so easily.
His plan seemed to be working; slowly, like baby steps, she was opening up to him. She allowed him to see the moments of vulnerability no one has ever seen, and he was even properly introduced to Bunny. Hell, Archie approved of him too. Gaining the approval of Parker's father figure was something Hardison was very proud of, because it meant that she trusted him.
Hardison took out the picnic blanket from the basket, and spread it on the ground, then like the gentleman his Nana raised him to be, gestured for Parker to sit down first. She plopped down in the center, and looked up at the 'sky' in awe.
"It's so sparkly," she said.
Hardison chuckled as he settled down beside her and rummaged through the basket to find his bottle of orange soda. Pouring them both a cup, he handed one to Parker, who was studying the lights dancing across her arm. "See Parker, a picnic under the stars can be a lot of fun too," he said.
She was silent for a moment, before reluctantly agreeing. "I guess. But I still think jumping off a hot air balloon is cooler."
"We'll do that someday," Hardison promised her.
Parker put down her cup, and shuffled slightly so she could lay down with her head in Hardison's lap. He smiled, and gently combed his fingers through her blonde hair. She looked up at him, then poked him on the chin.
"Tell me another story about you and your Nana, Alec."
He smiled at the use of his first name; she only used it when no one else was around. "Well…" Hardison thought for a while, trying to think of one he hadn't told her yet. "The summer I was twelve, Nana took me and the other kids to a river for a picnic. When we got there, she kept reminding us not to get our clothes wet because she forgot to bring a change of clothes for us, and said whoever got wet would have no ice-cream. I really wanted that ice-cream, and if it weren't for stupid Billy, I would've gotten it."
"What happened?"
"Well, Billy dared me to catch a fish with my hands, so…"
"Let me guess," Parker asked. "You fell in?"
Hardison grinned sheepishly. "No, I caught the fish. But when I turned around to show him, I lost my balance and landed butt-first into the water. Man, Nana was angry."
Parker watched as Hardison recalled the events of that day with a fond smile. Even though she wasn't an expert at reading people like Sophie, she knew that he missed his Nana. The last time he saw her was when they first begun dating, and he had taken her to see the incredible woman that had raised him. Parker liked her immediately; she had a no-nonsense attitude most people would misinterpret as 'strict', but yet when she talked about her foster children, that loving smile she had was identical to the one on Hardison's face.
"You miss her, don't you?" the thief asked after a while of comfortable silence.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"We should go visit her again. On our next date."
"Really?" Hardison seemed surprised. "But what about the hot air balloon?"
Parker shrugged. "We can always go on our next next date."
He chuckled at her use of words and beamed. "Okay."
Almost an hour later, Nate and Sophie entered the room with their hands linked between them.
"You know, we should go out tonight," Nate suggested. "We haven't been out to dinner in a while."
"Ooh, a bit of a romantic today, are we?" the British woman smiled at him. "There's this Italian place…"
She trailed off when they saw their hacker and thief lying on the ground, fast asleep. Parker curled up by Hardison's side with her head on his stomach, while he had one hand on her shoulder and the other one cushioned behind his head. The stars projecting from whatever Hardison installed in the room covered the pair like a blanket, and though it didn't look like a particularly comfortable position, both of them had the same peaceful, content look on their faces.
"We should wake them up before they get neck injuries," Nate said quietly.
Sophie shook her head. "No, let them sleep. Hardison will awaken soon."
"Are you sure? Having a hacker and thief who have sprained their necks isn't exactly ideal."
Instead of answering him, Sophie simply tugged Nate back out the door, and shut it gently so the two inside could enjoy their rare moment of normality.
FIN
A/N:
Idiot 9: Well, here you go, another baby produced at midnight:P The ending of The First Contact Job was waaaay too adorable to ignore, but since I have been a bit busy lately, this story has been sitting at the back of my head for a while. So, as usual, read and review pretty please!