Cisco understands Hartley's reluctance where it relates to coming to S.T.A.R. Labs, even though they've never explicitly discussed it. For all their animosity when they worked together, Hartley and Cisco had a few fundamental things in common, including that they considered Harrison Wells (or the man they though was Wells) something of a father figure. Hartley's parents (with their closed minds and old fashioned mentalities) had disowned their son when they learned of his sexuality, and while Cisco's weren't nearly as awful, Cisco's relationship with his parents had been strained for a long time as well. Fake Wells had mentored both young men, had treated them both (at least for a time) like his own children. At the end of the day they'd both been betrayed by a man they cared for and trusted, had both had their lives irrevocably changed by the particle accelerator explosion Wells had perpetrated.

The day Harry showed up, Cisco had barely been able to hold himself together. It's gotten easier with time, but there's still a part of Cisco that feels sick when he meets Harry's eyes, still a level of irrational fear Cisco can't completely swallow. Hartley had been back to S.T.A.R. Labs a few times after he'd finally been released from the Pipeline (when they'd discovered that Wells was really Thawne), but Cisco still remembers the day he'd come in after Harry had turned up, the way all the color had drained from Hartley's face, and he'd watched the disbelief and anger flash through Hartley's eyes as Caitlin explained how Wells could still be alive. Since then nearly all of Hartley's consultations had come via phone calls or offsite meetings. Cisco gets it, he really does, and as much as he trusts Harry now, he can understand why Hartley wouldn't. Maybe this will help bridge that gap, bring Hartley further back into the fold. They could use his expertise, and Cisco would not at all mind getting to see more of him, even in a work related capacity.

He's glad, after the digression into work related talk, that Hartley is still smiling. He never really noticed before, but Hartley hardly ever smiled when they first worked together, and when he did it was often a smirk or something closer to a scowl. But the expression on Hartley's face tonight is bright and sparkling and genuine, and it makes Cisco's heart flutter in his chest. Hartley has a beautiful, contagious smile, and Cisco feels more than a little proud that he's put one on Hartley's face more than once.

"Well make our first toast to Jose Cuervo," Cisco says, grinning. "And probably also Caitlin, since she's the one who was buying me the shots," he adds with a laugh, imaging a theoretical future where Cisco offers a toast directly to her for unwittingly bringing them together. He's thinking way too far ahead of himself, he knows, but he can't help it. He's already completely smitten. He clears his throat.

"I'm glad we're doing this, too. I want to get to know you, Hartley. Like, really get to know you," he admits. "I want to know what your childhood was like, what you do on the weekends, what your favorite movies are. I want to know the little things, like how you take your coffee and what food you like when you're having a bad day, and the big things too, like what your hopes and dreams are for the future." He pauses for a moment to take a breath, watching Hartley's eyes. "And I want to know what it's like to kiss you, or hold your hand, to just be with you without an agenda. I know this is new and it's early and I'm not at all in a rush. I guess I just want you to know, as of right now? I'm all in."