Hartley talks about being a child and all Cisco wants in that moment is to know what Hartley looked like back then, if he had a happy childhood, if he had friends he ran around his neighborhood with, if he laughed and plotted schemes, if he had fun. Cisco had trailed after his brother for years when he was a kid, only to be pushed back and teased, a nerd from the very start. He had friends, though, played games and messed around, fell down and hurt himself, laughed the whole way. Cisco wishes they could have known each other back then, wonders what they'd each be like if they'd grown up together, having a friend who had the same drive, scientific minds and quirky personalities. Cisco would have loved to have a friend like Hartley when he was younger, someone who would have understood Cisco's mind, would have been nice and supportive instead of confused and critical.

"I don't live with Dante now, no," he says, thinking about Hartley's rats, about Hartley's kind soul, about what must have happened with Hartley to make him as unhappy and angry as he was when Cisco met him. Cisco knows about Hartley's parents, and that would be more than enough to break Hartley's spirit, but Cisco wonders if there was more on top of that, if Hartley had ever felt truly accepted and understood by anyone. "Do you like dogs or cats better?" Cisco asks, because he thinks he likes both, and, because he hopes he'll be spending much more time with Hartley in the future, he wants to know which Hartley would be most comfortable around.

"I'm relieved," Cisco says, offering Hartley a smile. "The Princess Bride is one of the most amazing films of all time. But, you know, if you ever want to see it again, I own it on Bluray," Cisco tells Hartley, tucking his lower lip beneath his teeth. "If you'd be interested in watching it with me, I mean."