Damn. Hartley's brows crease with consternation, and his hand shifts to Cisco's shoulder, putting a slight pressure on him without actually trying to restrain him.
"Come now, how can I keep my reputation as a metahuman supervillain intact if I can't kidnap the hero once in a while," he says, trying for a playful lilt to his tone. "I thought it'd be fun... I thought you were enjoying my little game."
His mouth moves wordlessly for a moment because... well, until this last bit, he was kind of enjoying the whole thing, but... this isn't how this is supposed to work. Right? No. No! He's not questioning that. It isn't. That's now how this works!
"But...why... why didn't you just meet me somewhere like a normal freaking person? You didn't have to knock me out and--" he waves a hand around in a vague flourish. "drag to me some undisclosed location!"
Another set of words that he doesn't dare actually speak burn at the end of his tongue. An achingly painful question he doesn't have it in him to ask because he isn't sure he really wants the answer. And isn't it too soon to be debating morals with him anyway? This is just a fling. For fun. Not something serious. They couldn't be...
Hartley's heart is beginning to race and his frown is back. He'd hoped that Cisco would see this as just part of the fun and not make a huge deal out of it. Hartley's plan relies on Cisco not insisting on being allowed to leave.
He cups Cisco's cheek and leans in. "Who amongst us is normal? I thought you'd appreciate a bit of a thrill...and some time without any distractions."
Note, Hartley, he hasn't actually asked to leave at all. He's just confused and shocked by this particular turn of rather unexpected events.
"I..." The rational part of him is still screaming that something about this is all wrong, it's sending siren bells and red flags everywhere in his head. But another part of him, a part that seems to be winning out, finds a dangerous calm in that hand on his cheek. His tongue darts out over his lips as he considers the whole thing. "It's just us?" his voice is soft this time, no longer too loud and colored by surprise of the situation. "And no possibility for distractions?"
God, what trouble was he getting himself into? Wasn't this like text-book beginnings of Stockholm Syndrome or something? But how can he really hate the idea when all he can think about is the last night he spent with Hartley and how a repeat of that couldn't be the worst thing in the world?
Hartley saw victory in the way Cisco was starting to relax, the way his eyes had begun to flicker with doubt instead of anger. He leans closer, their lips just a breath apart. "Just us," he purrs. "We're completely safe, here."
"Okay," he mutters, closing the tiny bit of remaining space between them, hand sliding up to cup the back of Hartley's head and pull him deeper into the kiss, while the other reaches to grab a fistful of his shirt and tug him down as he lays back against the bed.
Maybe he should have paid more attention to that phrasing. The implications of that word. Safe. Because there was intent and there was meaning there, and any other time he might have noticed. But right now he doesn't care because he'd rather get lost in Hartley instead.
Hartley's more glad than he's ever been that Cisco just doesn't have his attention to detail. He hums happily as Cisco finally responds and their lips meet, going eagerly down on top of the other man as Cisco tugs at his shirt.
This is fine. This is going to be just fine. He'll keep Cisco happy and distracted, and by the time Zoom finishes whatever it is he's doing, it'll all be over and safe to come out. Hartley can have plausible deniability, and Cisco will live. All he has to do is keep Cisco distracted long enough.
He slides a knee between Cisco's legs, and plunders Cisco's mouth with his tongue. No one can say that this particular mission is a chore.
His fingers curl and tug a little at the hair twisted between them and he leans up into him as Hartley presses against him. He can't help being as eager as he is, the muscle memory of the last time they were together has his nerves on fire already with the curiosity of what tricks he might have in mind for this time.
His free hand slides under Hartley's shirt, ghosting across his stomach, clawing lightly across his chest. This shirt needs to go.
Hartley's more than happy to respond to that advance from Cisco. He grins and draws back just enough to wrench his shirt up over his head and toss it aside. Then he's diving back in, kissing Cisco passionately as his own hands slide up under what is undoubtedly a nerdy t-shirt.
"I'm so glad you were willing to trust me, Cisco," he murmurs. "It means a lot, after everything."
He really kind of loves how easily Hartley answers that silent request and when he's close enough again, Cisco shows the appreciation in form of a kiss, a little rough and equally passionate.
"You've helped when I really needed you before," he mutters back, "and while you might be a dick sometimes, I don't think you're inherently evil, either." his breath is hot against Hartley's skin as he trails kisses down the side of his neck. He really hopes he's not wrong about that last part.
"I'm not evil," Hartley says, a little too hastily.
He jokes about being a 'supervillain' but he doesn't really believe that he's evil at all. He wanted to expose the evil of STAR Labs, and he can acknowledge that he's made some mistakes, but what he's doing here is to protect someone he cares about - downright heroic.
He kisses Cisco on the temple, his hands moving over the other man's body covetously.
"But you want other people to think you are." For some reason. Something about keeping people at arm's length, probably. Cisco can understand that sentiment-- the closer you let people get, the easier it is for them to hurt you and sometimes you just get tired of being hurt.
"I don't," Hartley said, frowning. Did he want people to think he was evil? "Not you, anyway." Not anymore. He thought maybe it was more that he didn't care if people thought he was evil. All that had mattered to him was getting revenge and exposing Harrison for the evil man he was.
Cisco worries his lip between his teeth as he stares up at the frown etched across the other's features. "Sorry..." he mutters softly, tracing his thumb across Hartley's cheekbone. "kinda killed it, didn't I?"
Hartley shakes his head, his expression softening at the worry on Cisco's features. It feels good that it matters to Cisco. It actually really does matter to Hartley what he thinks of him.
What a change.
"No," he assures him, shaking his head. "No, it's my fault." He bends his head again to kiss him. "I shouldn't let myself get caught up in the past, when I can be caught up in the present."
Cisco leans up into the kiss, smiling against Hartley's lips at those words. Who would have ever thought he'd find himself feeling so swept up by Hartley Rathaway of all people? Cisco certainly never would have believed someone if they'd tried to tell him a few years ago that this is where he'd be. But he can't think of any reason he'd change it.
Hartley relaxes into the kiss as Cisco continues to respond, putting his worries and cares away. He wouldn't have thought this would happen, either, but attraction had fed an impulse and now he's here, putting it all on the line.
And all he wants to do for at least the next couple of hours is enjoy this. So he sets to stripping Cisco of every last stitch of his clothes.
Cisco collapses next to Hartley, a wide grin on his face as he glances over at the other. He shifts a little to curl into his side, pillowing his head against Hartley's shoulder. Before this--whatever it is, he's not quick to label it--had started, Cisco had been alone for a long time and it's kind of nice to just...not be alone sometimes. His fingers slide down Hartley's arm, until he reaches his hand, where he pauses to draw idle patterns against his palm.
He doesn't know what to say, which feels odd and foreign, but one corner of his mouth is tugged up in a half-hearted smile. This is just...nice. The sort of moment he wishes didn't have to end, but would inevitably always end far too soon.
Hartley had also been alone, so very alone, for so long. At least Cisco had friends and coworkers... it was no wonder that Hartley had gone a bit squirrelly - and gotten attached so quickly.
He raises his head slightly to look at Cisco's face while the other man traces patterns on the palm of his hand. This moment of quiet idleness is precious, he knows, and he doesn't want it to break.
He buries his face against Cisco's shoulder, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.
"You don't know... how important you are," he whispers. To me, he means, but his courage fails right before he can say those last two little words.
He reaches up and cards his fingers through Hartley's hair when he hides his face against his shoulder. The slightest frown etches into his features, accompanied by an army of butterflies fluttering in his stomach at that quiet admission.
Important. He isn't used to people thinking of him that way. Sure, he has his friends and his place on the team, but...it's not the same. This feels different. Deeper, somehow.
"Really?" He says softly, still twisting his fingers through Hartley's hair.
Hartley's stomach twists. Cisco doesn't sound like he's going to make fun of him - which is a nice change, too - but he hasn't exactly returned the sentiment.
Well, he's apparently embarked on this course, somewhat impulsively, and now he can't exactly back out.
"Really," he says, resting his hand on Cisco's chest. He can hear his heartbeat, and feel the pulse against his palm. It's calming, compared to the nervous pounding of his own heart. "I don't know...how you feel about me, and that's all right. But you should know that... my life hasn't exactly been great lately. And it's been a whole lot better with you in it." He swallows hard. "I'd do a lot to avoid losing that."
There's a nervous stutter in his heartbeat as he really takes in what Hartley is saying. He'd been busy convinving himself he was thinking too much into this, diving too deep, too quickly and trying to remind himself to be casual because of course that's all it was. Hartley wouldn't pursue him, not seriously.
And yet...
He's almost frozen, uncertain of how to process it. So, instead, he just reacts, reaching over to tilt Hartley's chin up, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. It's short, but sweet, and Cisco's fingers trail across his cheek and jaw as he pulls away and finds his words.
"I don't wanna lose you either." He says softly, his eyes locked on Hartley's own so he can see the sincerity reflected there. The fingers of his free hand slide down to lock with Hartley's. "I was...worried. That maybe this wasn't..." he shakes his head, "real, for the lack of a better word." A smile flutters across his face, small but bright and genuine. "It's...really good to know we're on the same page."
None of it sounds as profound as it did in his head, but it's there, it's real. And he means every word of it.
Hartley's eyes slide shut on the kiss, but open again as Cisco locks onto his face and begins to speak. Then they widen with surprise at Cisco's words.
That smile is like... well, Hartley doesn't think he's ever seen anyone smile like that. Not at him. And it warms him all the way through. A little nervous flutter stars up in his chest, different and happier than the frightened nausea he'd had before.
"It's real," he assures him. Then he smiles self-deprecatingly. "Whatever that means. I'm navigating blind, here."
"We'll figure out what it means together," he says softly, squeezing Hartley's hand gently in his own before bringing their linked hands up to press a kiss against Hartley's fingers. He's not sure how they landed where they are, but... Cisco's glad they have.
He wonders, idly, if this potential to be...this had always been there, burning between them behind short words and icy glares.
Hartley's had time to wonder that himself. It had been so easy to slip from hatred to affection, though it had helped when Hartley realized that Cisco was nearly as much of a victim of Harrison as he had been.
He leans up and kisses Cisco on the lips again, slow and sweet, just enjoying the right to do it. "Together," he agrees, grinning brightly. "Yes."
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no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 03:56 am (UTC)"Come now, how can I keep my reputation as a metahuman supervillain intact if I can't kidnap the hero once in a while," he says, trying for a playful lilt to his tone. "I thought it'd be fun... I thought you were enjoying my little game."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 04:17 am (UTC)"But...why... why didn't you just meet me somewhere like a normal freaking person? You didn't have to knock me out and--" he waves a hand around in a vague flourish. "drag to me some undisclosed location!"
Another set of words that he doesn't dare actually speak burn at the end of his tongue. An achingly painful question he doesn't have it in him to ask because he isn't sure he really wants the answer. And isn't it too soon to be debating morals with him anyway? This is just a fling. For fun. Not something serious. They couldn't be...
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 04:32 am (UTC)He cups Cisco's cheek and leans in. "Who amongst us is normal? I thought you'd appreciate a bit of a thrill...and some time without any distractions."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 05:28 am (UTC)"I..." The rational part of him is still screaming that something about this is all wrong, it's sending siren bells and red flags everywhere in his head. But another part of him, a part that seems to be winning out, finds a dangerous calm in that hand on his cheek. His tongue darts out over his lips as he considers the whole thing. "It's just us?" his voice is soft this time, no longer too loud and colored by surprise of the situation. "And no possibility for distractions?"
God, what trouble was he getting himself into? Wasn't this like text-book beginnings of Stockholm Syndrome or something? But how can he really hate the idea when all he can think about is the last night he spent with Hartley and how a repeat of that couldn't be the worst thing in the world?
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 06:00 am (UTC)Maybe he should have paid more attention to that phrasing. The implications of that word. Safe. Because there was intent and there was meaning there, and any other time he might have noticed. But right now he doesn't care because he'd rather get lost in Hartley instead.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 06:04 am (UTC)This is fine. This is going to be just fine. He'll keep Cisco happy and distracted, and by the time Zoom finishes whatever it is he's doing, it'll all be over and safe to come out. Hartley can have plausible deniability, and Cisco will live. All he has to do is keep Cisco distracted long enough.
He slides a knee between Cisco's legs, and plunders Cisco's mouth with his tongue. No one can say that this particular mission is a chore.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-20 07:03 am (UTC)His free hand slides under Hartley's shirt, ghosting across his stomach, clawing lightly across his chest. This shirt needs to go.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-22 02:48 am (UTC)"I'm so glad you were willing to trust me, Cisco," he murmurs. "It means a lot, after everything."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-22 03:38 am (UTC)"You've helped when I really needed you before," he mutters back, "and while you might be a dick sometimes, I don't think you're inherently evil, either." his breath is hot against Hartley's skin as he trails kisses down the side of his neck. He really hopes he's not wrong about that last part.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-22 06:08 am (UTC)He jokes about being a 'supervillain' but he doesn't really believe that he's evil at all. He wanted to expose the evil of STAR Labs, and he can acknowledge that he's made some mistakes, but what he's doing here is to protect someone he cares about - downright heroic.
He kisses Cisco on the temple, his hands moving over the other man's body covetously.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-22 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-23 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-27 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-27 06:16 am (UTC)What a change.
"No," he assures him, shaking his head. "No, it's my fault." He bends his head again to kiss him. "I shouldn't let myself get caught up in the past, when I can be caught up in the present."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 03:20 am (UTC)And all he wants to do for at least the next couple of hours is enjoy this. So he sets to stripping Cisco of every last stitch of his clothes.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 06:45 am (UTC)Cisco collapses next to Hartley, a wide grin on his face as he glances over at the other. He shifts a little to curl into his side, pillowing his head against Hartley's shoulder. Before this--whatever it is, he's not quick to label it--had started, Cisco had been alone for a long time and it's kind of nice to just...not be alone sometimes. His fingers slide down Hartley's arm, until he reaches his hand, where he pauses to draw idle patterns against his palm.
He doesn't know what to say, which feels odd and foreign, but one corner of his mouth is tugged up in a half-hearted smile. This is just...nice. The sort of moment he wishes didn't have to end, but would inevitably always end far too soon.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 04:54 pm (UTC)He raises his head slightly to look at Cisco's face while the other man traces patterns on the palm of his hand. This moment of quiet idleness is precious, he knows, and he doesn't want it to break.
He buries his face against Cisco's shoulder, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.
"You don't know... how important you are," he whispers. To me, he means, but his courage fails right before he can say those last two little words.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 05:45 pm (UTC)Important. He isn't used to people thinking of him that way. Sure, he has his friends and his place on the team, but...it's not the same. This feels different. Deeper, somehow.
"Really?" He says softly, still twisting his fingers through Hartley's hair.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 05:54 pm (UTC)Well, he's apparently embarked on this course, somewhat impulsively, and now he can't exactly back out.
"Really," he says, resting his hand on Cisco's chest. He can hear his heartbeat, and feel the pulse against his palm. It's calming, compared to the nervous pounding of his own heart. "I don't know...how you feel about me, and that's all right. But you should know that... my life hasn't exactly been great lately. And it's been a whole lot better with you in it." He swallows hard. "I'd do a lot to avoid losing that."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 06:43 pm (UTC)And yet...
He's almost frozen, uncertain of how to process it. So, instead, he just reacts, reaching over to tilt Hartley's chin up, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. It's short, but sweet, and Cisco's fingers trail across his cheek and jaw as he pulls away and finds his words.
"I don't wanna lose you either." He says softly, his eyes locked on Hartley's own so he can see the sincerity reflected there. The fingers of his free hand slide down to lock with Hartley's. "I was...worried. That maybe this wasn't..." he shakes his head, "real, for the lack of a better word." A smile flutters across his face, small but bright and genuine. "It's...really good to know we're on the same page."
None of it sounds as profound as it did in his head, but it's there, it's real. And he means every word of it.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-29 07:00 pm (UTC)That smile is like... well, Hartley doesn't think he's ever seen anyone smile like that. Not at him. And it warms him all the way through. A little nervous flutter stars up in his chest, different and happier than the frightened nausea he'd had before.
"It's real," he assures him. Then he smiles self-deprecatingly. "Whatever that means. I'm navigating blind, here."
no subject
Date: 2016-12-31 05:27 am (UTC)He wonders, idly, if this potential to be...this had always been there, burning between them behind short words and icy glares.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-31 06:22 am (UTC)He leans up and kisses Cisco on the lips again, slow and sweet, just enjoying the right to do it. "Together," he agrees, grinning brightly. "Yes."