Cisco Ramon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cisco_ramon) wrote2016-07-06 11:16 pm
cisco_ramon) wrote2016-07-06 11:16 pm
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I refuse to allow myself to get kidnapped today. Absolutely refuse. So I'll definitely see you at 6.
Cisco sends his last text and he hopes it makes him sound cooler than he feels because he's already sort of freaking out. Not in a bad way or anything, he's just always anxious about first dates, though he really shouldn't be with Hartley. It is their first date, yes, but it's not like Cisco needs to try to make a good first impression, considering how well they know each other already.
Still, even as amicable as things have been between them for the last year or so, Cisco hasn't forgotten (and likely will never forget) the way he'd felt when he met Hartley for the first time. It was a lifetime ago now, and as much as Cisco knows that Hartley's attitude back then had been strongly influenced by the situation with his parents (and growing up as a rich only child), remembering some of Hartley's words back then still stings.
But Hartley's ire has mellowed significantly since then, and Cisco has, for all intents and purposes, forgiven Hartley for being so unnecessarily jerktastic at the beginning. Over the last few months in particular Cisco's found himself looking forward to the opportunities they have to work together, and eventually he'd started to realize it wasn't just because he enjoyed Hartley's scientific perspective and intellect.
And now, thanks to the inhibition lowering power of tequila, Cisco and Hartley are going to go out on a real, actual facts date. Of course plans being finalized before ten AM means Cisco has eight hours to agonize over everything he could say or do wrong to screw things up. Rather than spend too much time in his own head he makes the not quite so brilliant decision to go for a run (despite the fact that he hasn't participated in any prolonged cardio in a reasonably long time). By the time he gets home he's a sweaty, exhausted disaster, but his hangover is effectively gone too, so he's going to call it a win (even if it means he won't be able to walk tomorrow).
He spends the rest of the afternoon trying (and failing) to distract himself from overthinking the date. He gives himself several pep talks (which really only make him more anxious), and tries to remind himself that Kendra actually did like him, he only got trumped by 4000 years of reincarnation, so he is totally worthy of being someone's boyfriend. Not that he expects to walk away from dinner as part of a couple (though he doesn't think he'd mind if he did); he just really, really wants things to go well.
Finally around five he lets himself shower and shave and get dressed. He decides to wear a well cut, short sleeved button up shirt rather than any of his t-shirts because he's honestly not sure if Hartley hates them and thinks they're juvenile or if that was all part of his past general, unfounded dislike of Cisco. The Thai place isn't fancy at all and there's no reason to get dressed up, but Cisco still finds himself dithering about whether or not to wear a blazer. Finally he opts not to; it's warm enough he doesn't need the layers and, as much as he feels like he needs to do something to make himself more attractive, he knows it's better if he goes into this just being himself.
Cisco doesn't live that far away and the weather is really nice so he walks to the restaurant, forcing himself to take it slow and breathe so he's as calm as possible when he finally gets there. It turns out he takes it a little too slow and he arrives a few minutes late, spotting Hartley waiting near the doors. He hopes Hartley won't be irritated with his tardiness, but he can't say he hates the few seconds he gets to spend admiring Hartley before he knows Cisco's there, noting the way the afternoon sunlight turns Hartley's eyes a striking, crystalline blue, the attraction Cisco's felt for months reaffirming itself as Cisco takes in each of Hartley's handsome features.
"Hey," he says when he's a few steps away to get Hartley's attention. "I'm sorry I'm late. Barry must be rubbing off on me a little," he adds with an apologetic smile.
Cisco sends his last text and he hopes it makes him sound cooler than he feels because he's already sort of freaking out. Not in a bad way or anything, he's just always anxious about first dates, though he really shouldn't be with Hartley. It is their first date, yes, but it's not like Cisco needs to try to make a good first impression, considering how well they know each other already.
Still, even as amicable as things have been between them for the last year or so, Cisco hasn't forgotten (and likely will never forget) the way he'd felt when he met Hartley for the first time. It was a lifetime ago now, and as much as Cisco knows that Hartley's attitude back then had been strongly influenced by the situation with his parents (and growing up as a rich only child), remembering some of Hartley's words back then still stings.
But Hartley's ire has mellowed significantly since then, and Cisco has, for all intents and purposes, forgiven Hartley for being so unnecessarily jerktastic at the beginning. Over the last few months in particular Cisco's found himself looking forward to the opportunities they have to work together, and eventually he'd started to realize it wasn't just because he enjoyed Hartley's scientific perspective and intellect.
And now, thanks to the inhibition lowering power of tequila, Cisco and Hartley are going to go out on a real, actual facts date. Of course plans being finalized before ten AM means Cisco has eight hours to agonize over everything he could say or do wrong to screw things up. Rather than spend too much time in his own head he makes the not quite so brilliant decision to go for a run (despite the fact that he hasn't participated in any prolonged cardio in a reasonably long time). By the time he gets home he's a sweaty, exhausted disaster, but his hangover is effectively gone too, so he's going to call it a win (even if it means he won't be able to walk tomorrow).
He spends the rest of the afternoon trying (and failing) to distract himself from overthinking the date. He gives himself several pep talks (which really only make him more anxious), and tries to remind himself that Kendra actually did like him, he only got trumped by 4000 years of reincarnation, so he is totally worthy of being someone's boyfriend. Not that he expects to walk away from dinner as part of a couple (though he doesn't think he'd mind if he did); he just really, really wants things to go well.
Finally around five he lets himself shower and shave and get dressed. He decides to wear a well cut, short sleeved button up shirt rather than any of his t-shirts because he's honestly not sure if Hartley hates them and thinks they're juvenile or if that was all part of his past general, unfounded dislike of Cisco. The Thai place isn't fancy at all and there's no reason to get dressed up, but Cisco still finds himself dithering about whether or not to wear a blazer. Finally he opts not to; it's warm enough he doesn't need the layers and, as much as he feels like he needs to do something to make himself more attractive, he knows it's better if he goes into this just being himself.
Cisco doesn't live that far away and the weather is really nice so he walks to the restaurant, forcing himself to take it slow and breathe so he's as calm as possible when he finally gets there. It turns out he takes it a little too slow and he arrives a few minutes late, spotting Hartley waiting near the doors. He hopes Hartley won't be irritated with his tardiness, but he can't say he hates the few seconds he gets to spend admiring Hartley before he knows Cisco's there, noting the way the afternoon sunlight turns Hartley's eyes a striking, crystalline blue, the attraction Cisco's felt for months reaffirming itself as Cisco takes in each of Hartley's handsome features.
"Hey," he says when he's a few steps away to get Hartley's attention. "I'm sorry I'm late. Barry must be rubbing off on me a little," he adds with an apologetic smile.
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The look on Hartley's face when Cisco comments on the apartment makes Cisco think that Hartley might have been a little nervous about Cisco's opinion of it, and it makes Cisco smile. Back when they first worked together Hartley seemed to always be on the lookout for ways to criticize Cisco or his work, and he definitely had no interest at all in Cisco's thoughts on anything. It's just another in a long line of subtle differences in their relationship now, things that prove to Cisco that he's not wrong about his feelings for Hartley, that Hartley has genuinely changed and become a better person. Cisco does worry, momentarily, how Hartley will feel about the state of his apartment. The space here is clean and organized, and there isn't a person in the world that would think anything about Hartley's apartment was messy.
Cisco's place, on the other hand, is a bit... cluttered. It's not a pigsty or anything, he just never really has guests over so he's let his creativity sprawl a bit over the years. He probably ought to go out and purchase a few more plastic bins to contain the plethora of electronics and tools he doesn't currently have a home for, especially now that he's on the verge of adopting a dog. Hopefully Hartley won't mind too much helping him sort through some of that stuff; he's really bad about throwing away tech, always sure he's going to wind up needing it for something later.
His bedroom is pretty well organized, at least. He owns a lot of t-shirts, but they fold well and it's easy to keep his dressers tidy, and his closet is virtually empty because he doesn't own a whole lot of clothes that need to be hung up. If nothing else he and Hartley can hide from the dog proofing in progress by going to Cisco's room. He has a television in there, so they can watch movies at least, so hopefully Hartley won't think Cisco only has one kind of thing in mind.
Cisco grins when Hartley tells him the names of his rats, and it's another little hint at Hartley's more playful side, especially the fact that Hartley hasn't renamed Splinter or Flash. Hamelin is self explanatory (and earns Hartley even more respect in Cisco's mind, how steadfastly Hartley is embracing the Pied Piper theme -- next time they get a metahuman that needs a name, Cisco's going to give the naming rights to Hartley, just to see if that dedication can extend to names beyond his own), but Cisco is really curious why, out of all the scientists Hartley could have chosen, he named one of his pets after Galileo. Thinking about it, Cisco thinks he might go with Telsa (obvious) or Ampère himself, in that scenario.
Carefully, Cisco drops into a crouch, Flash and Splinter racing back a few paces away from him with the movement. But they don't stay away long, moving close to him again a few steps at a time, and he reaches out with an upturned palm, resting the back of his hand on the floor. One of the two closes in enough to sniff the end of his middle finger, and, as if he decides Cisco is trustworthy, he puts one of his little paws on the tip of Cisco's index finger, making a soft squeaking noise that calls the other rat over to investigate himself. Cisco doesn't want to scare them so he doesn't move to pet them, but he hopes that one day they'll be comfortable enough to let him hold them. They used to keep rats in the lab at work, but several of them didn't survive the particle accelerator explosion, and Caitlin was adamant they release the rest to a rescue. She'd never liked using them for experiments anyway, thought it was a cruel way to conduct biological tests, and Cisco definitely didn't disagree.
"Why Galileo?" he asks then, keeping his voice soft as he turns his eyes up to Hartley from where he continues to kneel on Hartley's floor, both Splinter and Flash wandering across his palm and around his feet, smelling his fingers and his shoes.
[ooc: I think they do, too! I really love how much backstory you have for Hartley, and it's so much fun reading everything you write! It's a heck of a lot of fun to play off your tags, and I'm enjoying the whole thread very much! I hope you're having a nice week so far!]
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And Hartley's looking forward to learning a lot more about Cisco. All the things he never had the chance or the interest in learning in the years they worked together. And he's looking forward to seeing Cisco with a dog. He has a feeling he'll be an excellent pet owner. Any dog he gets is bound to adore him. The rats have barely met him, and Flash already seems to like him, if the paws on Cisco's finger is anything to go by (and since Hartley know his rats pretty well, it is). He watches as Splinter inches closer as well, unable to hide his curiosity. "Don't worry, it doesn't take them long to warm up to people," he says, giving Cisco a pleased smile.
"He's not really as well known for this in particular, but Galileo was one of the first to understand sound frequency. He demonstrated that the frequency of sound waves determined the pitch." he says, lifting Galileo up from his pocket. "I've already had rats named Da Vinci and Mersenne." Leonardo DaVinci was the first person to discover that sound traveled in waves, and Marin Mersenne was the first to measure the speed of sound in air. Hartley has a thing for naming his rats after physicists who worked with sound. "Galileo and Hamelin were lab rats before I brought them home, so it seemed appropriate to name at least one of them after a physicist."
He allows Galileo to climb up onto his shoulder, but makes sure to keep a hand on him so he doesn't get any ideas and try to jump down to Cisco's shoulder. He can already tell Galileo's just as curious as the other the two rats, while Hamelin is content to watch from the comfort of the couch. "I wasn't the one experimenting on them. While I recognize its importance and contributions to science, animal experimentation really isn't my cup of tea at all," he says, because he doesn't want Cisco to misunderstand. "In fact, it didn't appear as though they were being experimented on at all when I took them, so I'm not sure what they were doing there." Hartley's dying to ask Cisco about that, but he's not sure how to do that without giving away exactly where it was he got Hamelin and Galileo. He doesn't think Cisco would get angry or try to take them back, but it might be better not to risk it.
[ooc: Thanks! I doubt we'll ever get much backstory for Hartley on the show, so I figured I'd make one for him and explore him a bit. I love your Cisco btw! He's really IC and a lot of fun to play off of. He's my favorite character on the show, so it's awesome getting to thread with your Cisco! I hope you're having a nice week too!]
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Cisco grins down at the rats running around him, both of them seemingly accepting Cisco's presence in their home and deeming him 'not a threat'. Cisco's glad, because he hopes he'll get to be around them frequently in the future, considering he's dating their daddy. It really is sweet, the way Hartley treats them, how they run around his house and behave themselves, his little furry army.
Cisco turns his eyes back up to Hartley when he explains why he named one of them Galileo, and again Cisco's reminded that Hartley's interest in sound isn't just a hobby. The hearing aids Hartley uses are really incredible, a feat of technology more powerful than anything on the consumer market. The first non-explosive set Cisco had developed when Hartley had been incarcerated in the Pipeline had been a stopgap as he'd been wholly unable to reproduce exactly what Hartley had engineered himself. Beyond sound amplification, they'd had a complex wavelength filter build into them that not only filtered out ambient noise and counter acted Hartley's permanent, unbearable tinnitus but allowed for fine adjustments to be made either automatically (if the soundscape changed suddenly) or manually (for specific situations). Cisco's replicas had been basic, only able to remove ambient noise and cancel the tinnitus.
A few months later, after Hartley had willing helped Team Flash on a few projects despite still being their prisoner, Cisco had agreed to work with Hartley to make a more functional set of replacements. At first Cisco had done all the work, guided by Hartley's instruction, but eventually Cisco had given Hartley the tools he needed to complete the work himself. Cisco suspects the design of the set Hartley's using now has been upgraded and modified several times since the version Cisco had helped with, and Cisco finds himself interested to know what Hartley's changed. He has a mind to ask when Hartley mentions that two of his pets were lab rats previously, and it brings back to mind his thoughts from before about Caitlin and the rats at STAR Labs.
"Caitlin never liked that the other bio engineers at STAR Labs used rats for their testing either," Cisco remarks, moving to carefully stand, Flash and Splinter squeaking and standing up on their hind legs to see what he's up to, one of them climbing onto his shoe and testing the length of his shoelace with its teeth. "I think she eventually convinced them to stop, and, after the particle accelerator explosion, she took the ones we had left to a rescue." Cisco thinks about it for a moment, watching Galileo on Hartley's shoulder, watching as the rat sniffs along Hartley's collar. He never spent as much time in the biology lab as Caitlin had so he doesn't know how many rats they had at the end, but he's starting to get the idea that maybe Hartley'd been liberating rats from STAR Labs before Caitlin had.
"Wherever they are now, I'm sure they're being well taken care of," Cisco says, giving Hartley a little smile. He might be making the wrong connection, but if he's not he wants Hartley to know he's glad those rats are happy and safe. Considering when Hartley probably took them, if he truly had, he might have even saved their lives.
"I agree, by the way," he adds, wanting Hartley to know how he feels about animal testing himself. "I don't think scientists should test on animals unless there's no other way, and then only when it's really important." He thinks back to what Hartley said before, about testing his flute, and he knows Hartley's going to be as sure as he can be that it's safe before he does any testing at all, but Cisco wonders if having to use animals to test it is why the project has stalled the way it has. It makes Cisco wish there had been some way they could have kept Thawne imprisoned rather than sending him back to his proper timeline. Cisco can't think of anyone he'd rather use as a test subject than the man who had betrayed and used all of them for no reason beyond his own ego.
[ooc: I think the backstory you're writing is great! I love Hartley and I think the way you've fleshed him out is interesting/engaging and totally fitting with his character. And thank you! I'm so happy you like the way I'm playing Cisco! I really like him too and, as always, I wish the show did more with him. That's a big part of why I like RPing him, so he can get the attention he deserves, hee.]
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But who knows? Maybe Cisco coming here to observe his experiment with the flute will make it easier for him to ask for his help in the future. Perhaps now they can work together in a way they never could when they were coworkers. At the very least, he'd like to be able to show Cisco his work. Which he will, starting with his flute. But first, he really needs to figure out if he should be honest about where he got his rats.
Hartley sets Galileo down onto the floor with the others, watching as he scurries over to sniff at Cisco. "How well did you guys keep track of the rats you kept there?" he asks, debating for a moment whether or not to fess up before finally coming to a decision. It's pretty obvious now that STAR Labs won't want them back, especially now that there's only Cisco, Caitlin and Barry left. Well, and Harry. But Hartley can't imagine him giving a crap one way another about the whereabouts of rats Hartley stole long before Harry stepped foot on Earth 1. Besides, if Galileo and Hamelin ever run into any health issues their vet can't figure out, it might be good to have the option to turn to his allies at STAR Labs and find out what they know about what experiments, if any, were run on his pets before he took them. "So, hypothetically... it wouldn't bother you if someone happened to encounter the rats at STAR Labs and decided to take them home?" he finally asks.
It's a relief that Cisco seems to feel the way he does about experimenting on animals. Hartley's never been comfortable with that sort of thing, and while he used to visit and play with the rats at STAR Labs on occasion (back when he was still employed there), he had always been grateful that none of his experiments required animal testing. Until now, that is. Truthfully, he's dreading using the flute on animals. But he's done everything possible to make sure he won't accidentally harm anything or anyone, and when he does use it, he doesn't intend to take any unnecessary risks with his test subjects. He doesn't need them to do anything dangerous or mind-blowing to test his hypothesis. Still, he wishes there were a test subject available that he wouldn't feel guilt about experimenting on. It really is a shame Harri— Eobard no longer exists.
"I'm a little nervous about using the flute," he confesses, watching as Flash climbs onto Cisco's hand. "It's never been necessary for me to test my tech on animals before now." But if this works, it could someday benefit not only human beings, but animals as well.
[ooc: I'm hoping the show will do more with Cisco and his powers in season 3. I'm dying to see them explore his character and his cautious transformation into Vibe more.]
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Cisco smiles down at Galileo as Hartley puts him on the ground, watching him join his bothers (or at least Cisco thinks they're all males – he can't really tell the difference without looking at them more closely) in investigating Cisco's shoes. He looks back up at Hartley's question, a crease appearing between his brows at the tone of it. "Uh, I think there are still records in the archive somewhere," he replies. "I'm pretty sure they were tattooed with ID numbers," he adds, thinking back to some of the conversations he'd heard Caitlin have with Fake Dr. Wells back when the lab was still fully staffed.
But it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Hartley's getting at, and Cisco looks back down at Galileo, who is chewing on the hem of one of Cisco's pants legs. "If you tell me which tattoos yours have, I'll get you the records," he says as he raises his gaze to Hartley's again, smiling at him softly. "When the particle accelerator exploded two of the rats in the bio lab were killed," he goes on, frowning a little at the loss of their little lives. "Caitlin took three to the rescue. So, really, STAR Labs should thank you for finding your two a good home," he says. "You probably saved their lives."
Then Hartley confesses how he feels about having to test his flute on rats (ones, Cisco assumes, that aren't Hartley's pets), and Cisco wants to be closer to Hartley in that moment, careful to step around the scurrying creatures still underfoot as he moves to stand close enough to Hartley to reach out and take his hand. "Maybe there's some more sensitive diagnostics we could do, simulations on the computer," he offers, giving Hartley's fingers a squeeze. "I bet Caitlin would have some ideas if we asked her. Or Harry even, assuming we catch him on a less douche-y day," he adds with a soft laugh.
"I feel like we can figure this out," he says then, more serious. "You and me, maybe eventually Team Flash too," he continues. "You're one of us now, Hartley. I know any of us would be more than happy to help you." He pauses for a moment, looking into Hartley's eyes, feeling another in a long line of little surges of affection. "I want to help, I want to be there for you, for anything. For everything."
[ooc: I hope so too. I would love love love for him to get more involved helping Barry. And I can not wait for him to get a suit, hee! Also I'm sorry again for being so slow. This week has been crazy. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday.]
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Hartley doesn't say anything else for a moment. He's letting it sink in that Cisco not only seems to not mind that Hartley stole STAR Labs property, but he's also willing to help him learn more about said 'property'. "Thank you," he says, giving Cisco a warm smile. "I have their ID numbers written down. I'll give you the paper I have them written down on in a bit," he says, giving him a grateful look. "I'm glad Caitlin took the others to a rescue and gave them a chance to find a good home. I know a lot of labs prefer to euthanize former animal test subjects. I'm glad that wasn't the case with you guys."
Hartley considers what Cisco says next, wondering if maybe there is a way to to test his flute while also avoiding testing it on animals, at least for a little bit longer. "Eventually testing it on something living will be necessary. There's no way around that," he says, his tone regretful. "But it wouldn't hurt to give your ideas a try before it comes to that," he says, giving Cisco's hand a light squeeze. "Talking to Caitlin might be a good idea. I'm not sure about Harry though. Can we trust him?" he asks.
He's about to say more, but it's all forgotten as Cisco speaks again. Cisco has been surprisingly wonderful all evening, and now he's being so supportive and kind in a way Hartley hasn't experienced in a long time. He's not sure how to tell Cisco just how grateful he is, but perhaps he can show. Hartley's heart races and he holds Cisco's gaze for a moment longer before finally cupping his cheek and leaning in to kiss him on the lips. He hadn't planned for their first kiss to happen while they were surrounded by curious rats, but he just can't help himself any longer. He's wanted to kiss Cisco since before they left the restaurant.
[ooc: I can't wait for Cisco to get a suit either! There's so much potential with him and I hope the writers take advantage of that. And don't worry about being slow! I've been a little slow too. Hopefully now that it's the weekend I'll have more time for tags.]
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The last of Hartley's rats, Hamelin, finally joins his brothers in investigating their new visitor, and they all seem calm and curious and not at all agitated by Cisco's presence. Cisco's so glad they don't seem to think he's a threat, partially because he's always believed animals can sense the good (and bad) in people and he's glad he seems to pass muster there, but mostly because he wants to feel welcome here, by Hartley and his pets.
He's even more glad that he can help Hartley with his pets already, even if that's only in pulling the medical and experimentation records for the two rats Hartley took from STAR Labs. "Caitlin would never let that happen," he says when Hartley mentions euthanasia. "Not unless the animals were suffering. I wouldn't either," he adds quickly, because while it had been Caitlin's decision to take the rats to rescue, Cisco would have done the same thing, if it had been left up to him. That or he'd have taken them home himself.
Talking about the flute, Cisco still has a very strong desire to try to convince Hartley to skip any tests he might want to do on animals and just test the flute on him. Some part of him thinks that his powers could protect him, though he really has no idea why he thinks that way. There's no science to what he can do, at least none that he can use to determine what the scope of his powers are. He knows he can manipulate matter and energy, and, because of Reverb, that there are ways he can do it that he hasn't even figured out yet, but he doesn't know what part of him makes that possible. But he feels that if he can project himself into other dimensions, can see things that are going to happen before they do, that some part of him can harness sound and vibration with enough skill and precision to destroy another person's nervous system that he should be able to withstand whatever Hartley's flute could do to him.
But he's not sure how to say all of that to Hartley, not when all Hartley wants to do is keep him – keep anyone – from being hurt. "Harry's... Well, Harry," Cisco replies, and he can't say he trusts Harry because there's a part of him that doesn't at all. Maybe it's Harry's antagonistic personality or the fact that he has Dr. Wells' face, but even as much as he's helped them, Cisco's not sure he won't turn on them eventually. "Maybe we'll just talk to Caitlin about it for now."
There's more to say as far as this conversation goes, but every word Cisco might have used falls out of his brain when Hartley reaches up to touch his face. He holds his breath as their gazes meet, and Cisco gets caught in Hartley's eyes (god, those beautiful, blue eyes). His heart is already thundering in his chest when Hartley closes the distance between them and their lips touch, a gentle brush of soft skin. Even just that first bare contact makes Cisco's world spin on its axis, and Cisco lifts a hand to the back of Hartley's neck, holding softly as he moves to deepen the kiss, making it just a little harder, Cisco's mouth moving to catch Hartley's lower lip between his own.
[ooc: I hope so too! Both Cisco and Carlos have so much to offer this show and I'm always rooting for more character development with the great "side" characters on these shows. I'm failing at weekend so far (it's 3AM), but I hope I can get more on track before Monday. Work is always getting in the way of RP fun. I hope your weekend is going well! Thank you for being so awesome and patient!]
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"I'm glad," he says after a moment. "One of the reasons I rarely had anything to do with animal test subjects was because I could never get behind euthanizing the healthy ones when they could easily go to a good home instead." He understands some animals need to be put down, especially the ones suffering. Sometimes it's a humane thing to do. But he never saw the sense in killing something healthy and capable of leading a happy life.
Speaking of healthy and happy, he's sure that's something the flute could help with if he could only bring himself to move forward with the necessary experiments. The whole thing had started because he was looking for a new form of pain management (for his tinnitus in the beginning, but now it's about much more than that) and he started looking more deeply into music therapy and hypnotism. Truth be told, he has no logical reason to believe the flute will cause harm to any test subject, human or otherwise. But he can't help but be way anyway. This is new territory for him and fear isn't always logical.
But he's not thinking about any of that right now. All he's thinking about, all he can think about is the warmth of Cisco's face against his hand the lips pressed against his own. It's even better than he hoped it would be, especially when Cisco rests his hand against the back of his neck and deepens the kiss. It's so hard not to get lost in this perfect, addictive moment. He knows it hasn't been long, but it feels like he's been waiting forever for this kiss. Hartley's other hand slides into Cisco's hair, his fingers combing through the soft strands as he presses closer and begins to lose himself in the kiss.
[ooc: I'm so sorry I haven't been around! My niece and her kids are here until tomorrow evening, so it's been hard to get to most of my tags the last couple days. I'll be able to get back on track soon though! I hope you're having a great week!]
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The more time Cisco spends with Hartley, the more he realizes what a kind, sensitive soul he is, and it only further drives home why Hartley had been so ready to snap after he'd been rejected not only by his parents but by his mentor (and surrogate father figure) as well. It makes Cisco want to know more about Hartley's childhood, if his parents ever spent time with him and cared for him, or if they did the cliched thing where they hired nannies and tutors to do all of those parental duties for them. Cisco's parents had never been the type to coddle or dote (at least not him), but even as hard as they were on him he'd always felt loved and protected and cared for.
Whatever Hartley's upbringing, there's a part of him that is compassionate and courageous and giving, and even after everything with his family and Dr. Wells those things remain intact. Cisco's getting a front row seat to them tonight, and he wonders if Hartley spent a lot of time keeping others from seeing who he was on the inside, trying to protect himself from being taken advantage of or hurt. The fact that he's letting Cisco see all of that is more of a gift than anything else, and if Cisco wasn't already kissing Hartley, he wouldn't be able to resist showing his gratitude.
But he is kissing Hartley, and it feels amazing in ways Cisco can't make his brain quantify. It gets even better when Hartley sinks his fingers into Cisco's hair, his fingertips grazing Cisco's scalp before sliding through the strands, and Cisco can't help the little moan that rises in the back of his throat. Cisco's hand brushes up the back of Hartley's head, his fingers moving to catch the soft curls at the nape of Hartley's neck, holding them gently as the kiss continues to deepen. Right now it's still only lips involved, but they're shifting and overlapping, pressing in and catching, and it's not long before Cisco can't hold back anymore, his hand flattening on the back of Hartley's head so he can hold him steady, Cisco's mouth pressing in and his tongue reaching to follow the line of Hartley's lower lip. Maybe this is too much too quickly, but Cisco doesn't think it is; if Hartley ends the kiss, he'll back off (and he won't be upset about it), but until that happens (or they run out of breath), Cisco isn't at all interested in stopping.
[ooc: No worries at all! Seriously, I will keep replying to this forever, so don't feel bad if you can't get replies out quickly. I'm not doing so great myself (though mine is mostly due to work stress), so I completely understand. I hope you had fun with your niece and her kids! And that you're getting to relax now that you have your house back to yourself, hee!]
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But now here he is, taking a chance with someone who not that long ago would have been the last person he would have trusted enough fall head first into a relationship with. A relationship that's off to a pretty good start if the way Cisco's responding to his kiss is anything to go by. Hartley's never had a first kiss grow this intense this quickly before, and he hadn't actually intended for things to progress at such a fast pace. He hadn't had any ulterior motives when he initiated this kiss. But he can't say that he's not pleased about way things are going. It just feels so... right. He wants this, all of it. He wants Cisco's fingers on the back of his neck and his lips warm and firm against his own. He wants to feel Cisco's long, soft hair between his fingers and he wants to give him a reason to moan again. He wants to see where this moment will go.
Hartley's lips part against Cisco's, allowing to kiss to deepen and grow more heated. He's nowhere near ready for this to end yet, so he's choosing to follow Cisco's lead. If Cisco doesn't want this to go too far, he'll understand (he hasn't forgotten that being with a man is still brand new territory for Cisco), but for now he wants to enjoy this for as long as it's allowed to last. And if things do go further between them, well, he certainly won't complain.
[ooc: Thank you for being so patient and understanding! I did have fun while they were here, but it's definitely nice having my house to myself again.]
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It isn't until Hartley presses closer, when they both tilt their heads to deepen the kiss, does Cisco think about the fact that he's kissing another guy, and then it's only because he catches just a hint of stubble on Hartley's jaw as his chin brushes it. At the same time he feels the rims of Hartley's glasses press against his cheekbone, and all those two things serve to do is remind him that he's kissing Hartley, the person who's been the object of his crush for the last few months, that this all started because he let himself slip and tell Hartley how he felt. Though that's not exactly true, because Hartley doesn't really know exactly how much he'd been pining, or all the things he's already thought about doing with Hartley (though that was all before he ever imagined it would be a possibility). Faced with some of those things in reality Cisco will probably freak out a little (mostly out of fear of doing them wrong), but kissing is something he can do all day, and kissing Hartley feels like a dream come true.
The other thing is that Hartley isn't backing off. He'd been the one to (smartly) suggest they take things slow, make sure they had a connection before things got physical, and though their chemistry has been incredibly good so far, Cisco's been careful to pay attention to any cues that Hartley might want to take a step back. But, as the kisses continue, Cisco doesn't sense anything but a shared desire to not stop, possibly ever, and soon he loses track of any pretense of pacing, wrapping his arms around Hartley's neck and bringing their bodies even closer together.
By the time Cisco has to pull away to catch his breath they've been kissing deeply for several long minutes. Cisco's mouth is tingling and his heart is thudding in his chest, and though he doesn't move back very far he can see Hartley's lips are red and bee-stung, his face flushed and his eyes dark and half-lidded. Cisco feels like he has electricity running through him, his body trembling as he fights to calm his breathing just a little.
"You are a really, really good kisser," he says, his voice breathless and husky, his gaze moving between Hartley's amazing eyes and his beautiful, kiss bruised lips.
[ooc: Of course! And thank you for the same! I'm enjoying this thread with you very, very much! I'm so glad we found each other to write these two with. <3]
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It doesn't occur to Hartley until Cisco presses their bodies closer together that there are probably much more comfortable places they could be making out than the floor. His couch (he's trying not to get too far ahead of himself, so he's purposely avoiding thinking about the very comfortable bed in his room) is literally right there in front of them. But that means breaking the kiss and moving, which doesn't seem all that appealing at the moment. Especially since Cisco doesn't seem any more inclined to put an end to this than Hartley is. So that thought falls away to the back of his mind for the time being and he focuses on how good it feels to have Cisco so close. It's been such a long time since he's allowed himself to be intimate with another person like this. Even the simple touch of Cisco's hand against the back of his head makes him feel like his heart is going to pound out of his chest.
But they both need to breathe, so the kissing does end eventually, though the pleasant tingling and the rush of warmth spreading through him are still there. Hartley's heart is still racing in his chest as he tears his gaze away from Cisco's lips to meet his eyes. "Thank you," he murmurs, a warm smile playing at the corner of his lips. "You're a really good kisser too. That was..." Indescribable, really. He isn't sure how to put what he's feeling right now to words.
"Was that okay?" he finally asks instead. "It wasn't too much, was it?"
[ooc: I'm enjoying this thread too! And I love having the chance to explore the relationship between these two. <3 Btw, are you having problems with notifs too? My notifs have been coming really late and some haven't come at all yet.]
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Cisco laughs breathlessly in response, because his heart is beating so fast he can barely make words and because Hartley's so sweet, making sure Cisco's okay, that what they're doing is okay. He's loved the conversations they've been having all night, the connections they're making, the bond they're building, and he wants to know so much more, wants to talk to Hartley about his work and his life and what he wants for the future. But right now he doesn't want to stop being close to Hartley, he doesn't want to stop kissing him, and he doesn't want Hartley thinking he's taking anything too far.
"It was so much better than okay," he finally says, cupping Hartley's cheek with one hand, sliding his palm back along the line of Hartley's jaw and then down onto the side of his neck. His voice sounds kind of wrecked and he's more than a little proud it doesn't end up breaking or hitting his upper register, because he's really, really into Hartley, more than he even thought he was before. He shifts his hand to catch the curls at the back of Hartley's neck again, tugging softly, his gaze moving over Hartley's face, looking in his eyes then at his lips, his chin, his nose.
"And it wasn't too much," he adds as he shifts his eyes back up to Hartley's again. He licks his lips, and he feels shivery, nervous and excited all at once. He's not forward when it comes to these things, he never asks for what he wants because he's always afraid he'll ask for too much and the person he's with will change their mind. But he already feels more wanted by Hartley than he has by anyone else in his life, he already feels comfortable enough to be himself completely. He swallows and licks his lips again, his fingers threading further up into Hartley's hair.
"I'm not, uh. I'm not ready to stop yet," he admits softly. "You know, just, just so you know," he fumbles, afraid of being pushy, wanting to be respectful of Hartley's boundaries and his desire to take things slowly. And Cisco's not in a hurry, he's not, but they're really hitting it off, and Hartley's his boyfriend. They have lots of time and there's no rush, but Cisco isn't afraid to do more, he wants to do more, as much as Hartley does at least. And he might as well be honest about it.
[ooc: Yes, me too! It's even better than I hoped it would be, and you're wonderful. Thank you for giving me a chance! Ugh, the notifications, what a mess all weekend. I think they're finally working correctly again now, though. I hope. I'm sorry it's taken so long to reply to this, my brain has been a mess lately. But I'm still loving it so much! Thank you for being patient with me! <3]
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He leans in, giving Cisco another soft (but this time brief) kiss on the lips. "I haven't kissed anyone in... a depressingly long time, but I enjoy kissing you," Hartley says, letting his hand fall from Cisco's hair to take link their fingers together as he slowly gets up and pulls him over to the couch with him. If there's going to be more kissing, and he hopes there will be, it should happen somewhere more comfortable than the floor where they're surrounded by... Well, no, the rats appear to have lost interest in them at some point and are now doing their own thing in various areas of the apartment (Hamelin's napping peacefully in his cage while Galileo grooms him and the other two are playing with their toys). Oh well, the couch is still much more comfortable than the floor.
"I'm not ready to stop either," he confesses, sliding his fingers into Cisco's hair again. "I just wanted to make sure none of this is too... weird for you." What with Hartley being a man and his former enemy and all. But to Hartley's relief, none of that appears to be an issue at all. Though he supposes if it were going to be an issue, that issue would have arisen before Cisco expressed a desire to be in a relationship with him. "And I don't want you to feel rushed into anything you might not be ready for." Which isn't to say Hartley doesn't want to do more, because he absolutely does and it's probably obvious. But he's perfectly content to move at Cisco's pace and he wants Cisco to know that.
[ooc: Thank you for tagging me that first time. I don't get the chance to play with Ciscos often and yours is amazing! And no worries about slow tags! It was a bit overwhelming when tags started flooding in, plus my kids start school soon so I've been a little slow myself anyway. But I'm almost all caught up on tags and things should be calmer after tomorrow's orientation. I should be back to tagging normally soon.]
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Of course it isn't a challenge or a chore at all, kissing Hartley, it's a complete and utter pleasure, both literally and figuratively. Hartley raises his hand and slips his fingers into Cisco's hair, and Cisco sighs a soft moan at the feeling of it, already loving how Hartley touches him. Hartley's gentle concern only fans the flames, and Cisco has to bite down on his lower lip to keep from blurting out everything on his mind all at once. He's never had sex with another guy and he's probably not ready to do that tonight, not in the full sense of the word, but he can't think of anything else he's not more than ready to do with Hartley.
"It's not weird at all," he assures his boyfriend, lifting his own hand to cup the side of Hartley's neck again. "And I've... I've thought about some things. With you," he goes on, feel his face go hot when the images rise in his mind. "I've thought about being naked with you, about being on top of you, having you on me," he tells Hartley, his thumb stroking Hartley's skin. "I've thought about touching you, putting my hands on you, your skin..."
He takes a breath, letting it out slowly before he goes on. "Last night I thought about wrapping my fingers around you, making you come," he admits, his voice a ragged whisper, and he swallows hard. "We don't, it doesn't have to go that far," he says in a rush. "But I'm not... I don't feel rushed. I feel comfortable with you, I trust you," he says, his hand moving to Hartley's shoulder, squeezing. "I want you, Hartley. It doesn't have to be tonight, but I definitely want you."
[ooc: I think I've only seen one other Hartley around bakerstreet, but I haven't tagged them. I like your Hartley so much I don't want to tag with any other ones. Oh yeah, back to school time sounds crazy! I don't have any kids myself (just two cats, hehe), but I have coworkers whose kids are going back soon and they seem to have a million errands to run. Good luck! I'm glad you're getting your tagging time in, at least. It's good for stress relief! :)]
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Hartley combs his fingers through Cisco's hair, enjoying the soft moan that follows. As relieved as he is to find out that they're on the same page and that Cisco won't be running off after being faced with the reality of kissing another man, Hartley's a little surprised by how direct and open Cisco is being about all of this. He probably shouldn't be surprised. Cisco's always been a fairly direct person and he's never had a problem saying what he feels or what's on his mind. And Hartley's grateful for that, because it means he doesn't have to wonder or guess how Cisco feels about what they're doing or what he wants. Luckily, Hartley tends to be pretty upfront as well.
A pleased sigh escapes Hartley's lips as Cisco cups the side of his neck. "That's fortunate. I've been thinking about those same things myself." Though admittedly not quite as long as Cisco has, since this is all still so new to him that he's still having a hard time believe it's actually happening. Especially the way it's happening. Who would have guessed just hearing Cisco talk would turn out to be so... arousing? "I've been thinking about what it would be like to touch you," he says after a moment, deciding that if Cisco can be so honest about what he wants, then maybe he should be too. He doesn't want Cisco to think any of this is one-sided. "What it would be like to undress you and feel your bare skin beneath my hands. I think about what it would feel like to have your body pressed against mine, to run my fingers through your hair and hear you moaning my name as I make you come."
Perhaps this is a bit fast, considering their relationship is barely an hour long and Hartley doesn't often slide into the sexual side of things so quickly, but he wants Cisco in a way he hasn't wanted anything in a very long time. And as long as Cisco wants him back and everything happens at a pace they're both comfortable with, maybe that's all that matters. "I want you too," he murmurs, holding Cisco's gaze. "You're right, it doesn't have to be tonight, but I... trust you." Given how hard it's been for him to trust in the past, he's surprised by how easily he can admit that. "And I do want you too. So how about we just see where the evening takes us?"
[ooc: Aww, thank you! <3 I've actually played with one of the Hartleys. It was a comics!Hartley meeting show!Hartley kind of thing, which was fun and about as weird as you'd expect. They were really good though. Anyway, I've finally finished the last of my school shopping last night and the kids start school this Monday, so things will get less hectic soon and I'll be able to get back on track. Thank you so much for being so patient <3]
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As Hartley continues to speak, Cisco can barely believe what Hartley's saying, that he's been thinking about Cisco that way too, wanting him, fantasizing about him. He licks his lips and watches Hartley's eyes, his mouth, and the sound of Hartley's voice makes Cisco's temperature tick up another notch, his body overheated and trembling with arousal. He's so turned on by what Hartley's saying, so keyed up, that he can't stop the little moan that rolls out of him when Hartley says make you come, and Cisco realizes that if they don't do that tonight, together, they're probably both going to be doing it on their own as soon as they can. Cisco's so hard he feels like he's going to explode or implode or spontaneously combust until there's nothing left but ash, and his hand falls to Hartley's shoulder, holding on, grounding himself, keeping himself together.
"Okay," he says, his voice low but sure, his eyes fixed on Hartley's. "Let's see where it takes us," he clarifies, just in case Hartley needs him to, loosening his grip on Hartley's shoulder. There are a dozen things going through his mind, thinking about pulling Hartley into his lap or pushing Hartley down against the couch cushions and getting on top of him, putting his hands up the back of Hartley's shirt, or reaching into the vee of Hartley's thighs to see if he's as turned on as Cisco is, dragging Hartley's palm against him so Hartley can feel his desire. He doesn't do any of those things, only leans in and brushes his lower lip against Hartley's, doing it again before he presses into a gentle kiss, both of his lips trapping Hartley's upper one softly before he eases back, meeting Hartley's eyes. It's just a start, a new one, the first step toward whatever end awaits them.
[ooc: That sounds really interesting and fun! I haven't tagged any of the other Ciscos, but I've tagged many Barrys, and they're all very different, hee. Good work getting the school shopping done! I don't envy you that at all. I'm glad things are going to start settling down for you, too. And it's no problem at all! I love your tags, so I don't mind waiting a few days for them. Thank you for being patient with me too! <3]
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He also wonders what it would be like to feel Cisco's body firm, bare and hard pressed against his own, to feel his warm hands brushing along his skin... And he wonders if it's obvious how turned on he is right now. It feels obvious. He can't remember the last time he was this hard or the last time he wanted anyone as much as he wants Cisco right now. Hartley can't take his eyes off him and Cisco's grip on his shoulder feels warm and perfect, and as much as he might want more, this simple touch is enough for him right now. Hartley smiles when Cisco agrees, relieved that they're both willing to see how things go, that he's not taking this step forward alone. Cisco's right there with him, wanting the same thing, and willing to see where this shockingly amazing night takes them.
Hartley shifts a little closer as Cisco leans in to give him a gentle kiss. He smiles warmly, feeling a burst of affection as they both ease back from the kiss, and god, their relationship has come such a long way from what it had been when they first met. It still amazes him that they can have this after years distrust and dislike. For better or worse, their relationship has always been a work in progress and now it feels like they've finally slid into something that works for them. Something new and refreshing that leaves him feeling hopeful for the future. "Can you imagine what the us from two years ago would have thought if they could see us now?"
[ooc: Haha yes, there are a lot of Barrys. I have a Barry too, but I struggle with his voice more than I do with Hartley's so I don't play him as much. But thanks for being so awesome! <3 I finally got my sleep schedule back on track (the kids have to get up SUPER early for school), and I finally caught up on my tags this morning, so I'll be around more often now.]
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"I guarantee my past self would think I'd lost my mind," Cisco replies with a lopsided smile. "And he'd be partially right," he goes on, licking over his lower lip, stroking his hand down the length of Hartley's arm, catching his hand and squeezing it. "Because I'm crazy about you," he finishes with a grin, fully aware how terrible the line is even as he says it. But the thing is, as cheesy and cliché as it is, Cisco means every word.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," he apologizes, dropping his hand to Hartley's knee, tracing little patterns with his fingertips over Hartley's trousers. He watches his fingers move for a moment before he raises his eyes to Hartley's again, and it's almost like the angry, bitter version of Hartley that Cisco met at STAR Labs years ago was a hallucination, because he can't see that person at all, here in front of him now. All he sees is a guy he really, really likes, someone he wants to spend a lot of time getting to know, wants to build a future with. He sees his boyfriend, his first, and it feels so right he could burst.
"Forgive me?" he asks, his tone soft and sheepish as he trails his fingers a little higher, touching the center of Hartley's thigh.
[ooc: Do you? I had no idea! I honestly can never tell who plays who in these things, hehe. I have a journal for barry, but I've never actually played him. I'm glad you're getting your sleeping schedule back in order! I, on the other hand, made a mess of mine the end of last week, and then I had friends in town this weekend (I took them to a bunch of local breweries) and I didn't have as much downtime as I'd hoped (so I was only tagging short things here and there, mostly from my phone). But I should be around more now that the week is started up again. Sorry for the big delay! I hope you had a nice weekend!]
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"My past self would probably throw a fit," Hartley says before laughing quietly at Cisco's pick up line. His past self also probably would have mocked Cisco within an inch of his life for the corny flirting. But luckily for both of them his past self isn't there, and instead of being annoyed, his current self is fondly amused by Cisco's flirting. It's corny, but endearing nonetheless. It's exactly the kind of thing Cisco would say.
But Hartley's amusement soon fades, quickly turning into arousal when Cisco's hand drops to his knee. He's unable to look away from Cisco's hand for a moment, mesmerized by his fingers and way they're trailing higher up his thigh. He can feel the heat of Cisco's hand even through the fabric of his jeans and it's so tempting to move his hand higher. To let Cisco feel what this is doing to him right now. Instead Hartley shifts a little closer, letting his own hand drift beneath Cisco's shirt to brush against his side. "Consider yourself forgiven," Hartley murmurs, meeting his eyes again as he leans in to brush his lips against Cisco's. He can't quite remember what he's forgiving Cisco for, but it probably doesn't matter. What does matter is Cisco's hand on his thigh, the warm, bare skin beneath Hartley's hand, and the way he feels gazing into his boyfriend's eyes right now.
He wonders if it's too soon to ask Cisco if he'd like to spend the night. He's enjoying their evening together, and he'd rather it not end if it doesn't have to. They wouldn't even have to do anything (though he certainly wouldn't mind if they did), he'd be perfectly happy just being close to him.
[ooc: Haha, yup! I've been playing Barry a little bit longer than I've been playing Hartley, though not as often these days. Barry can be a pretty fun character to play though. And no worries about the delay! This thread is always worth the wait and you've been super patient with me. I hope you had an awesome time with your friends and are having an amazing week!]
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All Cisco can think, right now, is how badly he wants to crawl into Hartley's lap, how desperate he is to feel Hartley's hands on more his naked skin, how he wants to do the same thing to Hartley, touch him everywhere. Hartley looks so good in his clothes, but Cisco's absolutely certain he looks even better out of them, and he's more than a little anxious to prove himself right. They've just started this adventure together, and he knows they need to be aware of the steps they're taking, careful and cognizant of the path they're forging, but Cisco doesn't want to leave anytime soon, doesn't want to stop where they seem to be heading together. The hand on Hartley's thigh slides a little higher, and Cisco curls his fingers gently around the muscle, feeling it to tight beneath his touch.
"Hartley," he starts, and, god, he has no idea what to say, worried that anything that comes out of his mouth now is going to sound stupid. He takes a shaking breath, his eyes moving over Hartley's face, so close that he can feel all of Hartley's exhalations against his skin. He's terrified of messing this up, but he can't not say something, won't be able to keep the way he feels from boiling over eventually. It's better if he says something now, while his brain is still sort of functioning.
"I really, really want you," is what he manages, and it's so obvious, but getting it out in the open can't be a bad thing. Or at least Cisco hopes not. "Like, I know you know that," he goes on, trembling with nerves and also with his very real (and apparent) arousal. "But I... Right now, I'd really like..." He swallows, trying to fight through the rest of his thought.
"Can I take your shirt off?" he asks then, sort of abruptly changing tactics, and he laughs breathlessly at his own outburst, adding hastily, "please?"
[ooc: First things first: I am so so SO sorry for taking so long to reply to this. I went out of town on vacation the first week of September, and the week leading up to it was a completely insane, stressful mess, trying to get things done at work before I left. I had high hopes to catch up on my RP tags while I was out of town, and while I got a few things replied to, I mostly failed epically. I got home on Tuesday night, then managed to come down with a cold on Thursday, which has put me down for the count for the last two days.
I'm really tired and still a little muddle-headed, but I feel so bad for leaving you hanging for so long. You are a wonderful writing partner and I am (and have been) enjoying this thread SO much. I hope you'll accept my sincere apologies for being such a terrible writing partner lately. Please forgive me!
Anyway, I hope you're doing well, and having a great weekend! I've missed writing with you lost, and I watched "Flashback" last night, so I'm having an enormous flood of Hartley love that I want to shower all over you and your lovely muse.]
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It feels like this is the start of something. Something big, intimate and meaningful. It should probably be terrifying, it's still only their first date and a lot has already happened (and he's hopeful more will happen before the night's over), but right now all he's feeling is desire and excitement and the happiness that comes with being in a new relationship. It's such an amazing feeling and what's even more amazing about it is who is making him feel this way. As weird and complicated as his history with Cisco is, this still somehow feels right. This connection between them feels right.
"I want you too," Hartley murmurs. It's taking all of his self-control not to kiss Cisco again or push him against the couch and crawl on top of him, but Cisco is trying to say something and Hartley wants to hear whatever it is while he's still capable of thought. If Cisco wants to slow things down a bit, he'll understand, but he somehow doubts that's what Cisco is trying to tell him. Still, it's a very pleasant surprise when Cisco asks if he can take his shirt off.
Hartley smiles, letting out a relieved laugh. "Go for it. I'm all yours," he says, leaning in to give Cisco a quick kiss before reluctantly sliding his hand away from his side. "Is it okay if I take your shirt off afterwards too?" Because he'd really like to run his fingers along more of Cisco's bare skin. As much of it as Cisco will allow.
[ooc: No worries, you are totally forgiven! Real life comes first. And you definitely didn't screw anything up! I hope you're feeling better now, but if not, make sure you get plenty of rest and take all the time you need to get better! Hartley and I will always be here when you return.
And I'm so sorry it took me so long to reply myself. I was at my brother's house babysitting for a few days when you tagged and between making sure his house stayed in one piece and having to get up earlier to make sure my kids got ready for school, I haven't had time to get to my longer tags. But I'm home now, so it'll be easier to get back into the swing of things.
I love tagging with you and threading with your Cisco is so much fun, so I'm really glad you still want to keep going with it <3 I hope you're having an amazing week!]
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And now they're both here, both of them putting all that old animosity to rest permanently, finding trust and affection and attraction for each other. They both understand what it's like to be overlooked, to be betrayed, to have their hearts broken in a way that makes it hard to want to put themselves at risk of that happening again. Cisco knows, no matter what happens, he is going to be kind and careful with Hartley's heart. And, though the realization is almost terrifying, he's already certain he wants to offer his to Hartley.
Anyway, if Cisco wasn't ready before, he definitely is when Hartley laughs (god, even his laugh is beautiful) and gives Cisco permission to start taking his clothes off. The quick kiss is so perfect and unexpected that it sends a shiver through Cisco's body, and he has to nod in reply to Hartley's question, his brain taking a long moment to catch up.
"Um yeah," he finally says with a warm, breathless laugh. "You can feel free to do pretty much anything you want with me," he adds, still smiling as his face heats with a blush, reaching out to open the top button of Hartley's shirt. He's good with his hands, used to working with little screwdrivers and precision soldering on circuit boards, and he's pretty sure that's the only reason he manages to get his shaking fingers to cooperate at all, moving on to the second button, and then the third.
"God, Hartley," he murmurs, unbuttoning the rest of Hartley's shirt and tugging the ends out of Hartley's pants. "It's been, like, a ridiculously long time since I've been with anyone like this," he admits softly, his eyes on where Hartley's bare chest is showing through the split of his shirt. He lifts his eyes to Hartley's face as his hands slip over Hartley's shoulders, pushing the shirt off them, down Hartley's arms. "And I am really, really into you. Like, so into you," he babbles, not telling Hartley anything he doesn't already know but unable to stop himself from saying it again and again.
[ooc: I had high hopes of replying to this right away last week, but then work got totally insane (again) and I sort of checked out over the weekend. The short version is I changed software teams at work about two months ago (I'm a software engineer) and I'm in the middle of the learning curve on the new application, so I'm suffering from that knowledge overload sort of exhaustion coupled with stress of trying to get stuff accomplished without missing deadlines. This week has, so far, been much better than the last three or so, though, and I am determined to keep up with my tags now, dang it!
And, of course, no worries if it takes you a few days to get back as well! These long tags are awesome, but they do take a lot more time and brain power, so I completely understand doing the easy ones when you have a few minutes here and there. You're a great writer and I love this thread so much, all of your replies are completely worth the wait. Seriously, I'm so glad we found each other. I love these two together so much, and I'm glad you're still enjoying it so much as well!
I hope you're having a great week! I'll talk to you soon! <3]
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His boyfriend... He wonders if he'll ever get used to thinking of Cisco that way. Their relationship is so new, but it feels surprisingly good to know that that's what it is; a relationship.
"Good to know," Hartley murmurs with a pleased grin as Cisco begins to unbutton his shirt. "Because there's a lot I'd like to do with you." Starting with getting him undressed. He's always distantly wondered what Cisco would look like beneath those t-shirts he always wears and now, when the thought isn't so distant, he wants nothing more than to finally find out. He wants to see Cisco's bare skin and feel it beneath his fingertips, beneath his lips... There's so much Hartley wants to see and feel and he wonders if Cisco feels the same way right now. If he wants to touch and see Hartley. If his body is tingling with warmth and desire the way Hartley's is right now. If the way Cisco is looking at him is anything to go by, he suspects that what he's feeling is very much mutual.
"It's been a while for me too," Hartley confesses as his shirt slides down his arms and he sits there, half naked and his heart pounding as Cisco looks at him. He's not the kind of person to get self-conscious or nervous about his looks, even when he's half-naked and turned on in front of his boyfriend and former enemy, but he still can't help but hope Cisco likes what he sees so far anyway. He wants whatever happens between them, whatever steps forward they take together, to memorable in the best ways possible.
Hartley gives him a soft smile before finally reaching up to start undoing Cisco's shirt. "I'm pretty into you too. Before seeing you tonight I hadn't expected to feel so... strongly for you, but I suppose you've always been pretty good at taking me by surprise," he says, meeting Cisco's eyes as he undoes the buttons of Cisco's shirt, one by one until all that's left to do is slide the shirt off his shoulders.
[ooc: Thank you for being so patient with me! <3 I'm so glad you're still interested in continuing this thread. I'm finally feel satisfied with how my tag came out. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of tagging now that I'm mostly caught up with everything and stopped trying to remember what I had written before.
And feel free to take as much time as you need! Longer tags definitely take more time and require a bit more brain power, which is one of the reasons they're so much fun. I'd gladly tag this thread and any other forever. I'm glad we found each other too and I'm having a lot of fun writing with you :)]