The office is quiet for once. No planning a con, no monitoring surveillance feeds, no arguing over the best way to infiltrate a secure building. Just the rare sound of the team relaxing in different corners of their converted workspace.

I'm perched on the edge of the table in the conference room, watching Hardison work on his latest project across the room. He's hunched over a custom-built computer rig, muttering to himself as his fingers fly across the keyboard. The soft glow of multiple monitors illuminates his face, casting shadows that make him look younger, softer, than usual.

We've been dancing around this thing between us for months now. A kiss here, a lingering touch there, but nothing real. Nothing defined. Every time I get close to telling him how I feel, something in me panics and I pull back.

"Hey," he says without looking up, "you've been staring for like ten minutes. Everything okay?"

My cheeks flush. I didn't realize I was being so obvious. "Just... thinking," I say, which isn't exactly a lie.

Hardison finally looks up from his screens, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger. His expression softens when he meets my eyes. "About what?"

Before I can answer, Eliot appears in the doorway, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Food's ready," he grunts, but there's no real annoyance in his voice. "And if you two are gonna eye-fuck across the room all night, at least do it over dinner."

My face burns hotter as Hardison laughs, unfazed by Eliot's bluntness. "Come on," he says, standing and offering his hand. "Let's eat before Eliot decides we don't deserve his cooking."

I take his hand, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine, and follow him toward the kitchen. But as we pass the stairs leading to the roof, something stops me. "Hey," I say, tugging gently on his hand, "wanna go up top for a minute? Before dinner?"

He studies my face for a moment, those warm brown eyes seeing more than I want them to. "Sure," he says finally, smiling softly. "Lead the way."

We climb the stairs to the roof in silence, the city sounds fading as we ascend. The cool evening air hits me as we step outside, and I move to lean against the low wall at the edge, looking out at the glittering skyline.

Hardison stands beside me, not too close but not keeping his distance either. Just... present. Which is more than most people have ever been for me.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asks after a minute, his voice low and gentle in the evening breeze.

I take a deep breath, feeling the familiar panic rise in my chest. This is it. I can tell him how I feel, take the risk, or I can make some joke and run away again. The roof feels suddenly very small, the city stretching out below us feeling both comforting and overwhelming at the same time.

I turn to face him, my heart pounding in my ears. This is the moment where everything changes - one way or another.