4Forum Block
Stacked With: MC4A (T3; LiCK; FR); Hogwarts
Individual Challenges: Short Jog; Lovely Triangle (Y); Yellow Ribbon (Y); Yellow Ribbon Redux (Y); New Fandom Smell (Y); Gryffindor MC [x2]; Ravenclaw MC; Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent [x2]; Brush (Y); Quiet Time [x2]; Providing Leverage (Y); Thief MC; Hitter MC; Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Real Family; Team Player; Letter of the Day [x2; Y x1]; Old Shoes (Y); Themes & Things A (Y); Themes & Things B (Y); Feeling So Logical [Joyful]; Black Ribbon (Y); Black Ribbon Redux (Y); Time for Change (Y); Clowder (Y); Themes & Things D (Y)
Representations: Autistic Harry Potter & Parker; Parker/Hardison/Spencer
Prompt: Beauty Therapy 8 - Write about a character playing with another's hair
Word count: 1,265
Note: This is a standalone oneshot but does exist in the same universe as The Boy Who Lived (to be a thief).
"So," Nate was saying as Parker happily braided Eliot's hair, "what we need is someone who can find and get into something that doesn't seem to exist. Carroway isn't letting Sophie anywhere near his mysterious hideout and no one on his staff seem to know where it is exactly."
Alec was typing away furiously on his computer as he tried to locate a paper trail to the place that held what they needed to bring Carroway down but didn't seem to exist outside of Carroway's head. Eliot was listening intently but relaxing; he had already tried to get the location using his own skills and nothing had worked, there was currently nothing for him to do.
Parker hummed as she tied off the braid she had been working on and said, "I know a guy. He can help."
"What makes you think this guy can help?"
"Because he's good. He even trained with Archie for little bit and he's as good as me but in a different sector so it's okay."
Nate looked around the room to check for the others' opinions and saw them all agreeing to bring in Parker's friend. He nodded. "Okay. Call him up and see if he's available."
Parker looked down at her hands that were tangled in more strands of Eliot's hair and pouted a little. She liked playing with Eliot's hair and calling Harry meant she would have to stop doing so for a while. Eliot raised a hand and Parker reluctantly let go of his hair to take it.
He smiled at her. "I'll still be here when you get back."
She pet his hair once before jumping up and going upstairs to contact Harry in private. She may know about his secret world but that didn't mean she was allowed to tell anyone about it—even her new family. She felt bad about it but before there had previously been no reason for them to know, so she didn't mind too much.
Closing the door, she pulled out the small diamond she carried with her everywhere. Harry had known that she'd never lose the valuable, sparkly item and had imbued it with magic to allow her to contact him if she needed his help in a job. She nicked herself on the gem and waited.
Soon enough, the image of Harry appeared in front of her, grinning and pocketing a small object. "Hey, Pan." Pan, a name she only heard from Harry and short for Pandora—he had given her the nickname when she had finally fully opened up to him. "Need me to work my magic on two very specific people?"
Parker huffed a laugh, feeling protected but not smothered in a way that until recently only Harry could create. "Alec and Eliot are fine," she replied. "I think we have a magical case."
"Let me grab Neville and Luna and I'll be there. Stealth or open?"
Her grin was matched perfectly by her brother in all but blood.
"He say yes?" Nate asked when Parker returned downstairs.
Parker nodded and resettled herself behind Eliot, picking up where she had left off. As she weaved the strands among each other she leaned forward and whispered, "Don't freak out, they're friendlies."
Eliot made an inquisitive noise but nodded—which caused her to lose a few pieces of hair—and settled more firmly in the couch as he prepared himself to not react to whatever Parker had in mind.
"When will he arrive?" Nate pressed.
Parker grinned. "Soon."
Almost as soon as she said that, there were three cracks resounding through the room and there were three people standing in the room where there had been no one before. Eliot tensed but relaxed when Parker pulled on his hair. Alec tried to jump backwards but only succeeded in falling over his chair and yelping in shock. Sophie made a small sound of shock but recovered quickly from years of grifting experience where the con changes almost instantly. Nate looked to Eliot and raised an eyebrow when he saw the hitter still sitting on the couch.
Parker did one more cross of Eliot's hair and then leaped up to throw herself at Harry. Harry caught her and boosted her up into the air so she could somersault before falling back down into Harry's waiting arms and tight hug.
"Hi, Harry," she said.
Harry hugged her tighter. "Hey there, Pan."
Nate cleared his throat and Parker clambered around to Harry's back and sat on his shoulders to look at her leader. It had been too long since she had seen her brother, she had no desire to leave him right now and she knew Harry didn't mind her using him as a jungle gym—he hadn't at first, too battle honed and abused to be comfortable with such enthusiastic moves without the trust that had eventually grown between the two of them.
"Are you going to introduce us to your friends, Parker? And maybe explain how they appeared out of nowhere?"
Parker nodded. "This is Harry, Neville, and Luna. They're The Silent Snake."
Alec stumbled as he went to retake his seat. "You know The Silent Snake?" he asked incredulously. While Harry and his team normally operated in the wizarding world, they occasionally came out to play in the Muggle one as well and the name was well known—though the only evidence they existed was the crimes they committed.
Parker shrugged. "Yes."
Harry grinned slightly at Alec's reaction and his sister's nonchalance. He turned his attention back to Nate and asked, "Who's the mark?"
"Adrian Carroway. He has a secret hideout where we think he keeps all his illegal items but we haven't been able to find any trace of it. Parker thinks you might be able to help."
"Probably warded. Luna?"
Luna turned around and Disapparated to see what she could scope out. Neville moved over to the kitchen island and started sorting through potions and ingredients for things they might need. Harry went where Parker guided him through pulling his hair and ended up next to Alec and Eliot.
"Meet my brother," Parker said. "Harry, this is Alec and Eliot. Alec makes robots to replace me and Eliot has nice hair."
Alec went to protest for the thousandth time that the robots he created were not intended to replace Parker and instead help her when he saw the glint in her eyes and knew she was teasing him. Eliot frowned at his distinctive characteristic being nice hair but the braids currently woven throughout his hair proved that Parker loved playing with it.
Harry smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you. Parker has put you on the Do Not Harm list, I hope you stay there."
"We plan to," Eliot said, recognising the fellow soldier in Harry.
Alec nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
"Yay," Parker said, distracted by running her hands through Harry's hair and wondering how long it would take her to braid the whole lot into tiny braids.
Harry just smiled as he felt his sister's hands move over his scalp. Alec was looking between him and Neville with near worship. Nate and Sophie were talking quietly in the corner of the room, glancing over at them occasionally. Eliot moved into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients, carefully avoiding Neville's spread of items. Harry and Parker remained where they were—Harry staring out of the window he was standing in front of and Parker absently weaving strands of hair together as she let her mind tick over the con she had just pulled Harry into.
