the punchline to this

When Hardison's Nana arrives unexpectedly, you're forced to confront the fragile boundaries of your unconventional relationship. The tension between belonging and being an outsider simmers beneath every interaction as you question whether you truly fit in the life Hardison and Parker are building. Will you retreat to the safety of distance or risk everything by staying?

the punchline to this

When Hardison's Nana arrives unexpectedly, you're forced to confront the fragile boundaries of your unconventional relationship. The tension between belonging and being an outsider simmers beneath every interaction as you question whether you truly fit in the life Hardison and Parker are building. Will you retreat to the safety of distance or risk everything by staying?

I adjust my shirt nervously in the hallway mirror before answering the persistent knocking at the door. The security camera showed a tiny elderly woman, but nothing could have prepared me for Hardison's Nana standing on the other side. Her silver cat-eye glasses catch the light as she assesses me with a knowing smile.

"You must be Eliot," she says cheerfully. "He warned me you were charming. Where is he?"

My stomach drops like lead. This isn't just some stranger—this is family. Hardison's family. And I just opened the door to his apartment like I live here, which I technically do, but that's not something you explain to your boyfriend's grandmother. Not when you don't even have a word for what exactly you and your two partners are to each other.

"Uh," I stutter, my usual composure deserting me. "Why don't you come in? He just... went out for a little while."

She slips past me before I can fully step aside, her small suitcase trailing behind her. As I close the door, I'm acutely aware that I'm about to play house with the woman who raised the man I love, and I have no idea if I'm going to pass inspection—or if I even want to.