"Great!" Cisco replies, genuinely excited for their shopping plan (and
not just to spend more time with Hartley, though that is definitely a
contributing factor). There's a part of his brain that's already
thinking of the sorts of options he might have, for toys and treats
and dog beds and bowls and the like, but it's largely eclipsed by the
rest of his brain that's admiring Hartley's smile, thinking about
shopping for all that with Hartley, sharing his excitement.
There are a lot of new experiences tied up here for Cisco and he's
never felt this comfortable and happy with someone this quickly
before. He's so grateful that he's getting to share all of this with
Hartley, all thanks to Past Cisco sending a drunken text message (and
proving that good things do occasionally come from drinking tequila).
"You can absolutely get the next one," Cisco agrees with a smile, and
he realizes that they're probably going to start just switching off
easily like couples do, not as worried about protocol and manners as
they would be if they were still trying to feel things out. But,
honestly, Cisco doesn't care who pays as long as he gets to keep going
on dates with Hartley.
"And you're welcome. I had a really, really good time too. I'm so glad
we did this," he goes on, still smiling (he's not actually sure he
could stop if he tried), soaking in the feeling of walking down the
street hand in hand with his new boyfriend. To say he's proud would be
an understatement; he knows he's the lucky one here, having someone as
handsome and amazing and intelligent wanting to be with him.
He knows he's got a lot to offer too, but after a life of being passed
over, ignored, hated, and misunderstood, it's so nice to have someone
who is interested in his time, who wants to be close to him, someone
who shares his passion for science, who can both keep up with him and
challenge him, who knows, intimately, what he does and who he is. The
fact that Hartley is really attractive is just a bonus, really, but
Cisco can't say he minds that at all.
When they reach Hartley's building there's a part of Cisco that's sad
their walk is over, but the anticipation of what is (likely,
hopefully) to come pushes the feeling away quickly. Cisco bites his
lip as Hartley unlocks the exterior door and goes inside when Hartley
ushers him in first. From there Cisco follows Hartley to his
apartment, looking around at the interior of the building and noting
the architecture, the wiring and exits and other things he's learned
to pay attention to since he started working with Barry. "Did you live
here when you worked at STAR Labs before?" Cisco asks, partially out
of curiosity and partially to fill the silence and quiet the excited
fluttering in his stomach.
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"Great!" Cisco replies, genuinely excited for their shopping plan (and not just to spend more time with Hartley, though that is definitely a contributing factor). There's a part of his brain that's already thinking of the sorts of options he might have, for toys and treats and dog beds and bowls and the like, but it's largely eclipsed by the rest of his brain that's admiring Hartley's smile, thinking about shopping for all that with Hartley, sharing his excitement. There are a lot of new experiences tied up here for Cisco and he's never felt this comfortable and happy with someone this quickly before. He's so grateful that he's getting to share all of this with Hartley, all thanks to Past Cisco sending a drunken text message (and proving that good things do occasionally come from drinking tequila).
"You can absolutely get the next one," Cisco agrees with a smile, and he realizes that they're probably going to start just switching off easily like couples do, not as worried about protocol and manners as they would be if they were still trying to feel things out. But, honestly, Cisco doesn't care who pays as long as he gets to keep going on dates with Hartley.
"And you're welcome. I had a really, really good time too. I'm so glad we did this," he goes on, still smiling (he's not actually sure he could stop if he tried), soaking in the feeling of walking down the street hand in hand with his new boyfriend. To say he's proud would be an understatement; he knows he's the lucky one here, having someone as handsome and amazing and intelligent wanting to be with him. He knows he's got a lot to offer too, but after a life of being passed over, ignored, hated, and misunderstood, it's so nice to have someone who is interested in his time, who wants to be close to him, someone who shares his passion for science, who can both keep up with him and challenge him, who knows, intimately, what he does and who he is. The fact that Hartley is really attractive is just a bonus, really, but Cisco can't say he minds that at all.
When they reach Hartley's building there's a part of Cisco that's sad their walk is over, but the anticipation of what is (likely, hopefully) to come pushes the feeling away quickly. Cisco bites his lip as Hartley unlocks the exterior door and goes inside when Hartley ushers him in first. From there Cisco follows Hartley to his apartment, looking around at the interior of the building and noting the architecture, the wiring and exits and other things he's learned to pay attention to since he started working with Barry. "Did you live here when you worked at STAR Labs before?" Cisco asks, partially out of curiosity and partially to fill the silence and quiet the excited fluttering in his stomach.