{We march like fools in this parade of chaos

[myheadisaprison]

PSL with mostlyajerk & trickedya

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[trickedya]

Damn. This rat was so sad. And she always loved these crackers, it was nuts. He huffed a little and watched her, her little head resting on his chest. She was so small, he wanted her to be all better now. "...What?"

Axel looked up from the rat and frowned. Holy shit, for reals? He was coming over? Did they make up? So many questions. In the end, he decided not to be weird. "Cool."

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco makes his way to Hartley's as fast as he can but, hey, sometimes being a descent, non-criminal citizen tacked on travel time. Stupid red lights. And definite cop that he was followed by for two blocks. Goddammit.

Once he's parked, he darts up to Hartley's door and only gives about half a knock's warning before letting himself in. "I got here as fast as I could, there was a co--" Axel's here and they're both crowded around the rat and his heart skips as he assumes the worst. "Is she okay?" he asks softly, as he moves over to join them.

[mostlyajerk]

"I don't know." Hartley didn't look away from the rat for more than half a second to glance Cisco's way, afraid to miss something. "She's not eating and she hasn't eaten in so long, she should be hungry."

Hartley reached out to run a finger down Echo's spine, watching as she kept at least nibbling on the cracker every now and then.

[trickedya]

"She's nibbling, that's a good sign. I stole a lot of medicine and stuff but I don't know what to do with it. She had some vitamins." Axel explained and then he looked up, managing a half smile, it was always nice to see Cisco. "Thanks for joining us, handsome." Also a great step in getting these two idiots back together. Hopefully Echo would be okay and not totally ruin this moment.

"She'll be fine, she's a fighter." He offered her another cracker before pausing and frowning, something twigging in the back of his head as he looked up and gave Hartley a look. "Hey, so, tell me. When did you last eat?" Echo learned by watching, apparently.

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco listens to Axel's explanations and nods a little as he comes to stand beside Hartley, his hand trails gently across his back in a comforting gesture. "Yeah," He nods his agreement with Axel's statement. "She'll be okay."

He locks eyes with Axel for a second. That's not such a weird question, actually, pets can tend to copy their owners and he knows Hartley's not always the best with self-care. He turns his attention to Hartley, curious about the answer.

[mostlyajerk]

"I don't know, check my diary," Hartley snaps impatiently, obviously not actually owning a diary and instead simply irritated by the question. He reaches up to grab Cisco's hand without even thinking about it, looking at his cute little grey rat and her sad lack of energy. He leaned back against Cisco's legs, still stroking Echo with his other hand, which meant that he was leaning on Axel.

"You like crackers, Echo. You should eat them."

[trickedya]

"... God damn it, Hartley. You giant dumbass." Axel used the free hand that wasn't holding the rat to whack Hartley on the shoulder. Hard. Seriously? With this thing all over again. "We've been over this, idiot. You have to eat like once a day or you'll get sick. And you have impressionable young rats here watching you and they learn from you." Axel cuddled Echo in close and gave her a gentle pet. "Has Hartley been silly again?" She responded by only nibbling the cracker a little.

Axel debated this for a moment before getting another cracker and holding it out to Hartley. "Eat the cracker. It's for science."

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco doesn't hesitate threading his fingers with Hartley's, squeezing gently. He's trying not to read into anything right now, but ay dios mio it's hard not to.

"He's right, she's probably copying you." He trails his thumb across Hartley's hand, "You gotta eat, Hart... don't make me start sending you empanada care packages." It's only half a joke. He'd do it, just try him, Hartley.

[mostlyajerk]

"...I'd love empanada care packages." Who wouldn't? He may not always put a lot of priority on food, but that's partly because he doesn't actually have a lot around. Stuff for the rats, always, and usually stale pop tarts and often Thai food he picks up for him. He eats more when he's with either Axel or Cisco. Now apparently both. So he rolls his eyes and eats a cracker, but keeps his eyes on Echo to watch what she's doing.

"Is it working?"

[trickedya]

"See, look, Hartley is eating crackers." Axel whispered to Echo before he shoved another cracker at Hartley and gave him a glare, making sure Echo was watching as he shoved at least two more crackers at Hartley before he got pissy. Echo watched with interest, sniffing around then eyeing the crackers herself. Axel held one out to her and this time, than God, she started eating it.

Axel smirked smugly. "I told you. God, for a genius, you're a real dummy." He held the cracker still and watched Echo chew it. "Someone order Thai food." That'd soon get Hartley eating.

[thisismadfreaky]

"Then I'll make you some." He wasn't about to let Hartley let himself waste away when he could make sure to avoid that.

He watches Axel shove crackers at Hartley and Echo seems to be following suit. He smiles a little. "On it," Cisco says, sliding his phone out of his pocket. "Warita's gonna kick your ass." He says as he makes the call to get delivery from Hartley's favorite Thai place.

[mostlyajerk]

"She won't, she likes me. Mostly because I give her so much business." Hartley leans further forward, lowering his voice a little and apologising to his rat in Japanese a couple of times, telling her how beautiful and great she was and really just hoping that she will be okay.

When he sits back up, he looks from Axel to Cisco and then blinks, lifting a hand to run through his hair. "...I'm sorry. I was-- I am so worried about her, I'm not thinking straight."

[trickedya]

"Just eat some food, maybe then you'll think straight." Axel mocked as he stroked her gently and fed her another cracker. See, she was smart, she recognised she was hungry and she was eating. God damn it, if he'd just known sooner, he wouldn't have had to break into a vet's surgery and a vet's house and saved them both a lot of time. "She'll be fine."

Axel's tone was less biting this time as he smiled at Hartley in a friendlier manner. "You'll be fine too, idiot. You're both just so stressed and upset."

[thisismadfreaky]

"Yeah, you might luck out." Once the order is placed, he slips his phone back into his pocket. "Shouldn't be long."

He watches Hartley and shakes his head at the apology, "Nothing to apologize for, b-- Hart." This was harder in person. He couldn't cover the slips with a simple backspace here. "Look at her chow down," he nudged Hartley's shoulder gently. "She's gonna be okay."

[mostlyajerk]

Hartley pushed his glasses up so he could hide his face in his hands, because now he was finally crying and that was even more embarrassing than this entire situation, inviting the two men he was trying to avoid over, because his pet acted like she was sick and he could't deal. He had to pull himself together, he couldn't break apart like this.

"I shouldn't have asked you two over. I was just..." Scared, panicking and alone. "I needed you."

[trickedya]

"Oh. Okay. Good" Axel looked at Hartley for a while, crying, desperate and hurt and while all he wanted to do was hold him and make it better, it wasn't his place. Fuck. He wanted so badly for it to be his place but it just wasn't. Thank God he was holding Echo, it help hold him back. He slowly moved away from Hartley and turned to look at Cisco, giving him a look that screamed don't just fucking stare, comfort him and swiftly moved away.

"We came. I had to help Echo, she's special. We'll go raid for snacks." Axel needed to give those two a moment, even if it pained him to be left out, because they needed it. They needed to connect. And Echo needed more snacks.

[thisismadfreaky]

He's already instinctively sliding his arm around Hartley when he catches the look from Axel and shoots back his own at him that's mostly where are you GOING because the last thing he needs right now is to be alone with Hartley. But he's gone and he's taken Echo with him and oh, god, oh, god, okay, he can do this. He can totally do this as a friend.

"I told you earlier...if I can't have you...I'd rather have you as a friend than lose you completely. This is what friends do. They're there for each other when they need it." He squeezes Hartley's shoulder gently. "So of course I came when you said you needed me." What other choice did he have?

[mostlyajerk]

Which doesn't make the fact that he even felt the need to tell Cisco that he needed him less annoying. Hartley pushes his glasses back down and tries to pretend that he's not just been crying, his eyes following Axel briefly and then going to the other side of the room, where his enormous rat cage houses the rats that he hasn't been freaking out over. "I don't have anyone but you two, so when I feel like this, I don't know who else to turn to."

He hasn't even noticed how he's leaned against Cisco, settled his head against his shoulder, but here he is now. "This place is a mess too." As was he. He's wearing an old hoodie and Slytherin pyjama bottoms, not exactly his most professional or even an especially alluring look.

[thisismadfreaky]

"And that's okay," he stresses, "you're allowed to have friends, you're allowed to lean on people, Hartley." He knows it's not really Hartley's default setting to do that, but Cisco is glad he felt like he could look to him for that, whatever mess is between them aside. He meant what he said, he'd rather be Hartley's friend than have him just completely dropped out of his life.

Cisco's hand slides up to slowly card his fingers through Hartley's hair. "S'okay. You've seen my place, it's kind of always in a chaotic mess." He smirks lightly.

[mostlyajerk]

"So's mine, really. Right now is just even worse." There isn't much reason to be professional within his own four walls and Hartley has largely given up on professionalism anyway, the one freeing and almost positive effect of being fired the way he was. He turns his head to look at Cisco, hoping that his eyes aren't too red from the tears. "It's funny that I need you so much when it hurts to see you."

[thisismadfreaky]

"Doesn't matter." he says quietly. He isn't all that professional even at work, so Cisco has no real room to talk in that department.

Cisco reaches up with his free hand to brush his thumb across each of Hartley's cheeks, wiping away any remnants of tears still there. "I'm sorry," He says softly as his hand drops back to his lap. "I don't wanna hurt you." The 'I love you' rests heavily in the air between them, but he refrains from saying it because he doesn't think that will help matters.

[mostlyajerk]

"I know." Hartley smiles a little and it doesn't reach his eyes, that follow Cisco's hand when he drops it. "You're-- You and Axel, you're my best friends. So when I'm upset because stuff happened and I had to dump my boyfriend and I miss him and I can't pull myself together, I want to call you, but I can't call you, because you are--" He gestures running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You know who you are!"

So what is he supposed to do? "And I made Echo sad."

[thisismadfreaky]

"I know, I get it, it's-- it's fucked and I-I can't... I can't fix it...and the only thing I could suggest is going to Axel but I know that's not really on the priority list either right now and--" He shakes his head, scrubbing a hand over his face, "it's a mess. We're..." he waves a hand and scoffs lightly, "all a fucking mess."

His face falls when Hartley mentions Echo. "Hey...no, I mean-- It's not like you did anything on purpose, and..." He gives a small, weak smile. "she was just worried about her human."

[mostlyajerk]

"I broke my rat!" The statement may not make overly much sense - or any, really - but the pathos that Hartley exclaims it with is very real and maybe it's not even that surprising that he ends up with his arms around Cisco, hiding his face against his chest. This is too much and he needs Cisco and Axel to be here, but it is also making him feel more raw and reminding him of his own inability to cope with the current situation he's stuck in.

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco doesn't hesitate wrapping his arms around Hartley as he leans against him. Like he could do anything else? He needs the comfort and Cisco will never turn him away for that. He rubs his hand along Hartley's back gently, "It's gonna be okay..."

Empty platitudes were never welcomed, but he believes the words he's saying, at least in regards to Echo. He has no idea what will happen in the situation with the three of them.