Okay, one more OT3-focused rambling post before I jump into S3.
I got to thinking about the dynamics and the ways each of their "love languages" is expressed thus far because it's really quite fascinating. I mean, not only do we have the dynamic combination of Nice Normal Guy (relatively speaking, of course), Not So Nice Not So Normal Guy, and Very Strange Girl, we also have the individual dynamics of:
Nice Normal Guy + Not So Nice Not So Normal Guy
Nice Normal Guy + Very Strange Girl
Not So Nice Not So Normal Guy + Very Strange Girl
Hardison, as our Nice Normal Guy, naturally tries to express affection to the other two the way any Nice Normal Guy would. And sometimes it lands, but other times... it doesn't. He's in many ways quite extraordinary, but when it comes to being emotionally stable, properly socialized, and trauma-free, I feel like he's been handed the best cards out of the three.
Parker, our beloved Very Strange Girl, is full-on cat-coded on the other hand, so at this point, I feel like the best she knows how to do when it comes to Hardison is try not to run away from a scenario and feelings that are new and unfamiliar to her as a means to express her willingness to give him a chance. And he might not realize it yet, but it's actually big. Very big. Just by sticking around and not shutting down his tentative attempts to court her, she's saying "I like you and I want to try".
And like I said, it's easier with Eliot. Eliot is not Normal™ either, not really. Eliot is Safe. Eliot doesn't have vaguely terrifying expectations. So she will sit on his armrest, and lean on him and poke and jab at him, to let him know she finds him safe and knows he would never hurt her even if she pushes his boundaries.
And because Eliot is also a little bit cat-coded, he does get it. So he allows her into his personal bubble -- and even carefully invades hers right back -- to in turn let her know that he wants her to feel safe and that he likes it that she finds him safe. (Plus, you know, as there's clearly some level of mutual attraction involved, close contact feels nice.) Of course, since Eliot as a polyglot is also able to express this with words... he does: not only does he find a way to verbally say "I would do anything for you" once, but twice. The earnest offer to kill Rand for her is of course the big one, but I keep thinking of "Parker made me do it". You know?
Manly Emotionally Constipated Bro-ness (and late 00's toxic masculinity-laden cultural mores) demands such things to remain unexpressed verbally between two Bros, though, so for now at least Eliot will let his actions speak for him when it comes to Hardison. He'll bitch, he'll grumble, he'll bicker, he'll vehemently deny any mushy feelings (again, "Parker made me do it"), but he'll be there. Hardison's a dude, right? He'll get it.
(...Poor Hardison.)
Anyway, I probably didn't say anything that hasn't been said before a thousand times by now, but eh. Onwards!
