"Sounds delicious." He says, pulling out food containers to sort which one was his and which was Hartley's.
That question throws him off for a moment and he pauses as he grabs a spring roll. "I..." He squints slightly. "What?" Why, oh why does Hartley always over-think things? (Spoiler: It's probably the same reason Cisco invests too many emotions in things).
"They're great, I have some left." Because apparently overtired and wanting muffins led to him buying way more than anyone could reasonably eat. Hartley calmly opened his container and reached for the chopsticks, purposely not looking Cisco's way. It makes it a little easier.
"I'm wondering what it took to go from the jerk you hated to--" With a pause, he gestures down himself. "This."
Cisco isn't a fan of this turn in the conversation, mostly because as much as he can be wordy he's not always that eloquent with them and this isn't something he even feels he can put into words, really. Suddenly, he's glad for the distraction of dinner because otherwise he'd be overly fidgety right now. At least this way, he has a reason to keep his hands busy and occupied.
He pauses and tips his head. "I mean, I was always attracted to you, but we got off on massively wrong footing when I started at STAR Labs. You didn't really show much outside of that back then." He shrugs a little, busying himself with his food again, "So...I guess around the same time you showed me you were more than just a jerk, my perception of you changed some and..." He shrugs again and gives an awkward, half-laugh, "I don't know. I actually got to know you and...here we are."
"You were always attracted to me, yes? Good to know." And with that knowledge - and a smug grin - Hartley decided to leave good enough alone and focus on eating. Once he was somewhat satisfied in this era, he somehow ended up with his head on Cisco's chest, listening to his heartbeat as they shared the bottle of tequila - glasses long forgotten - mostly seeking ways to keep Cisco babbling. It was cute, almost calming and therapeutic in a way.
"You," he said, kissing Cisco's jaw, "You are so cute when you're drunk. I just get angry."
When dinner's over, and an overly significant amount of the tequila has disappeared, Cisco's curled against one end of the couch with Hartley tucked against his chest. This is one of those perfect moments, the kinds he kind of wishes he could just curl up in and live inside of, the ones he never really wants to have to end.
His fingers twist idly in his boyfriend's hair, whatever thing he was rambling about a moment ago forgotten when Hartley's lips find his jaw, "Mm...it happens." He mumbles and tilts his head to catch Hartley's lips against his in a fumble of a kiss. He may be a little too drunk to be coordinated right now. He chuckles softly and presses a kiss to Hartley's forehead. "You're not angry now." A beat. And he tilts his head to look down at him, "right...?" He might be squinting comically suspiciously at him now.
"Not right now, no. Get me started on any of my topics and you're in for a rant." Right now, he steered clear of SJW territory, too busy admiring Cisco's lower lip, his upper lip, his eyelashes, the warmth of his body against him and the knowledge that he got to touch him, kiss him, be with this beautiful man. How did any one failure such as him get to be so lucky? "It's hard to be angry while looking at you."
"Mmm...no rants." He shakes his head, a slight smile on his lips. His nose crinkles at the last comment, "Oh, yeah? Why'ssat?" He's certainly had enough alcohol for his words to mash together.
"Because, Cisquito, you're beautiful." Everything about him was, really, in Hartley's esteem. No wonder he didn't want to get angry, no wonder he couldn't bear losing him. "Inside and out. Even when you're drunk like this and even when you have a crush on Axel."
He smiles a little at the compliment before it fades into something flustered, "I d...what?" For all that Hartley was observant, Cisco could be equally oblivious, even of himself sometimes.
But the tequila might be making it a little easier to break through the instant knee-jerk reaction to deny deny deny and having the idea set out so....plainly almost made it easier to see. "Maybe..." he admits quietly, holding his fingers up, spaced an inch or so apart. "a little."
"M-hm. Maybe..." Hartley Cisco's hand in his and gently prodded his fingers to open up more. "...a lot." He still ended up smiling, turning his head to the side to kiss said fingers. "Do you still like me too or do I have to currently be into exploding things to get your love?"
There was a loud crash behind them as Axel basically rolled through the window and landed on the floor. Oh boy was he glad that Hartley moved the does from by the window, he used to stand all over his notes and Hart would get pissy.
"Hart, I beat my old record and I got out in like two hours or s--" He stopped mid sentence and looked up sheepishly. Whoops. He was interrupting their romance. "... Oh. My bad."
Cisco's face is scrunching up at Hartley's 'correction', "No, you always have my--" He's cut short when the crash makes him jump and steals his attention.
"Hi, Axel." If he had been trying to lie before--which, he wasn't, since Hartley really seemed to be taking all of this in stride, even though that just confused him more in his current state--there was no lying now in the way he lit up with that little greeting. Not that he was making his way to move and untangle himself from Hartley. He was comfy here.
"Hi, Axel." Hartley just rolled his eyes, although he seemed amused overall, running his fingers through Cisco's hair as he moved his hand away from Cisco's. "Look, it's your crush."
He stage-whispered, clearly not actually attempting to hide it. Apparently he was just drunk enough that this alone was fairly entertaining. "You two like each other."
"This again? Hart, dude, don't." Don't bring that up when he could be horribly rejected by Cisco, who could be offended/not into it/grossed out and then all of his fantasies would be ruined and he'd have to hate Hartley. And who could hate that adorable little grumpy face? No fair.
Axel wandered into the room and crossed his arms, shrugging a little. "You two like each other, remember? You're dating again. It's adorable and annoying. Congrats!"
Cisco leans into the touch when Hartley's fingers card through his hair and he laughs a little, swatting playfully at his boyfriend's arm. "Shut up."
There's an extra hint of sarcasm--or Cisco's really drunk and reading into it, whatever, who cares, it's there okay--in Axel's words and Cisco frowns up at him for it. But he doesn't say anything about it. Not yet.
"The couch is too small for a cuddle pile." He says suddenly, like it's the most logical thought in the world. "Come on," Now he's untangling himself from Hartley, only to tug him to his feet as he gets up and as they stumble by (probably mostly Cisco's fault, really), he grabs Axel's arm with his free hand, "you too."
"I'm just saying, Cisco just admitted it." Hartley shrugged his shoulders and, as Cisco was threatening to fall all over himself, he got up and helped Cisco to not do that. He only felt a little dizzy himself, still mostly sober. "What, you want to take him into bed?"
He wasn't even surprised, but he still wasn't sure about going quite that far. At any rate, he followed them both, mostly keeping Cisco upright. "Apparently we are all cuddling now. Cool."
"Cisco just admitted wha-- wait, woah what? This is ... huh. This is weird." Usually Axel was the one making everyone uncomfortable, confused and loved! That was totally his jam. And now he was being dragged along for cuddles and Cisco had a crush on him? For reals? ... Well, he liked this more than a lecture so, you know what? Whatever. He was down for it. "Oooh slumber party."
Axel grinned and bounced a little, looking excitedly at Hartley. "I love cuddling." He seriously did. So much.
Cisco only shoots Hartley a silent 'babe, plz' look when he made the comment about taking him to bed. He was not going there. This was strictly a cuddling adventure, kthxbye.
Once they're all piled on the bed--Cisco on the side against the wall, Hartley in the middle, Axel on the outside, there was an order, it was Important--Cisco settles, resting his head on Hartley's shoulder, one hand lacing his fingers over the top of Hart's while he uses the other to walk his fingers across his boyfriend's chest.
"He's not lying, you know." He says, eyes darting over to Axel.
"Why would I lie about that?" Hartley rolled his eyes, tightening his hand around Cisco's and not entirely sure how he felt about this development. He had cuddled with Cisco, cuddled with Axel, never with them both at the same time. He still wasn't sure he could trust Axel, but then. When was he ever sure he could trust anyone? "Cisco isn't that subtle when he has a crush. I know the symptoms."
Axel didn't exactly cuddle, not like he would have if it was just him and Hartley or him and Cisco. He was suspect, uneasy, looking like it was a trap. He hid his mistrust behind a silly smile as instead, he sat upright and leaned on Hartley's body, looking at Cisco with a curious expression. "You like me? ... Oh boy, that's dumb. You don't wanna do that. That is not going to end well for you. Back me up here, Hart."
"I didn't say you would." The scrunchy confused face says he's too drunk at this point to connect the implication to his own statement. Sorry, Hart.
He tilts his head and peeks over at Axel, smiling a little. "I don't always make the best decisions. And also I didn't really choose to like you, I just do." His gaze falters, eyes dropping down to watch his own fingers tap an idle rhythm against Hartley's chest.
His voice is quieter with his next words, a frown creasing across his forehead. "even though I probably shouldn't and I kinda feel bad about it." His eyes dart back up to Axel, "Not that liking you is necessarily bad," even if technically it is asking for something chaotic, "but I shouldn't like you like that, or anyone else." Now he's looking at Hartley again. "It's not fair." To you. It's unspoken, but it's there, in the guilty way he looks at him. Cisco's grip on Hartley's hand tightens a little.
His gaze drops away from both of them again, lips drawing together as he tries to sort out where to go from there. It's all kind of a lot, and he probably wouldn't have said any of it out loud without the tequila. He can't decide if it might have all been better left unsaid. "Emotions are weird and hard and confusing." Such a novel idea for the two he's laying here with, clearly. They neither have any experience with ignoring their feelings because of that exact sentiment. Nope. Not at all. "It's supposed to be easy and clear cut and solid and it's nothing like that at all." And he's pouting now. Emotions are totally rude and unfair.
"You're right. Probably isn't fair." Hartley frowned, turning his head to look up at the ceiling, even though Cisco is looking at him. Perhaps because Cisco is looking at him. "I don't think I expect fairness out of life anymore."
While he listened to Cisco, he tried to process this. Emotions were weird, hard and confusing and Cisco wasn't making this any easier on him by being drunk, being sweet, being Cisco. Hartley didn't want to lose him. However...
He finally looked at them again, first Axel, then Cisco. Leaning back on his elbows and raising his eyebrows. "So what is it, Cisco? Do you want to be with Axel more than you want to be with me?"
"You can like two people at once. Who ever said you have to like one person at a time only?"
Well, Hartley, maybe? He wasn't sure. Axel was all for liking two people. He liked two people right now, they were both in bed with him but unfortunately he'd learned the hard way that if he liked them, he wanted them to be happy. And this? it had the potential of making them both very unhappy. Axel backed up a little bit, even if he hated himself for doing it.
"Hartley, he loves you, don't be an idiot. It's okay, like, people get crushes. And I am ridic hot and charming. He doesn't love me more, he's just endeared." Axel beamed a fake smile and shuffled away from them, ready to get up and slip away. "Look you two have your happy reunion, I should really just..." Yeah.
Before he could even get his mouth to catch up with his brain, Hartley certainly would hear the suddenly quicker pace of Cisco's heartbeat as panic rises and settles in his chest. "What?" He sits up, staring at Hartley, equal parts shocked and a little scared. "No, I-- that's not what I meant."
This is it. He'd just gotten Hartley back and he was already ruining everything. Cisco regrets saying anything at all. He sits, for a long moment, leaned halfway over his knees, palms pressed to his eyes as he tries to process everything. He hears Axel talking, getting ready to leave and he doesn't want him to, not really, but he doesn't think saying as much would help anything right now so he doesn't.
What he does, instead, is lower his hands away from his face and look up first at Axel, "I like him," then at Hartley, "but I'm in love with you..." He shrugs one shoulder, eyes dropping to his own fingers, twisting a bit of the sheet between his fingers. "it's different."
The people pleaser in him wants to over-explain it all, to reassure Axel because it all sounds so much like he just doesn't matter, which at this point he isn't sure he can say is exactly true. And to soothe away whatever doubts Hartley may be forming in his mind because nothing has changed in how Cisco feels about him. But he forces himself not to do that, to immediately go into some huge babble about it all because he thinks it would look worse, somehow.
"Stay, Axel." To make sure the words would be listened to, Hartley reached out and what was intended to just be him holding Axel's arm. Instead he somehow ended up with an arm around him and then he fell back on the bed, pulling Axel down on top of him. Well then. He didn't think he was very drunk, but apparently his balance had been affected.
As had his sense of humour, given he was now laughing over this. Or, perhaps, over the whole ridiculous situation the three of them were in.
"So, what, Cisquito? You want to date both of us?"
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Date: 2017-03-08 12:46 am (UTC)That question throws him off for a moment and he pauses as he grabs a spring roll. "I..." He squints slightly. "What?" Why, oh why does Hartley always over-think things? (Spoiler: It's probably the same reason Cisco invests too many emotions in things).
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Date: 2017-03-10 01:38 am (UTC)"I'm wondering what it took to go from the jerk you hated to--" With a pause, he gestures down himself. "This."
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Date: 2017-03-10 02:29 am (UTC)He pauses and tips his head. "I mean, I was always attracted to you, but we got off on massively wrong footing when I started at STAR Labs. You didn't really show much outside of that back then." He shrugs a little, busying himself with his food again, "So...I guess around the same time you showed me you were more than just a jerk, my perception of you changed some and..." He shrugs again and gives an awkward, half-laugh, "I don't know. I actually got to know you and...here we are."
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Date: 2017-03-10 09:29 pm (UTC)"You," he said, kissing Cisco's jaw, "You are so cute when you're drunk. I just get angry."
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Date: 2017-03-11 02:19 am (UTC)His fingers twist idly in his boyfriend's hair, whatever thing he was rambling about a moment ago forgotten when Hartley's lips find his jaw, "Mm...it happens." He mumbles and tilts his head to catch Hartley's lips against his in a fumble of a kiss. He may be a little too drunk to be coordinated right now. He chuckles softly and presses a kiss to Hartley's forehead. "You're not angry now." A beat. And he tilts his head to look down at him, "right...?" He might be squinting comically suspiciously at him now.
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Date: 2017-03-11 06:21 pm (UTC)Not that he hadn't often pulled it off.
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Date: 2017-03-11 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-03-19 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-03-19 08:43 pm (UTC)But the tequila might be making it a little easier to break through the instant knee-jerk reaction to deny deny deny and having the idea set out so....plainly almost made it easier to see. "Maybe..." he admits quietly, holding his fingers up, spaced an inch or so apart. "a little."
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Date: 2017-03-20 11:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-03-20 11:51 pm (UTC)"Hart, I beat my old record and I got out in like two hours or s--" He stopped mid sentence and looked up sheepishly. Whoops. He was interrupting their romance. "... Oh. My bad."
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:06 am (UTC)"Hi, Axel." If he had been trying to lie before--which, he wasn't, since Hartley really seemed to be taking all of this in stride, even though that just confused him more in his current state--there was no lying now in the way he lit up with that little greeting. Not that he was making his way to move and untangle himself from Hartley. He was comfy here.
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:09 am (UTC)He stage-whispered, clearly not actually attempting to hide it. Apparently he was just drunk enough that this alone was fairly entertaining. "You two like each other."
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:14 am (UTC)Axel wandered into the room and crossed his arms, shrugging a little. "You two like each other, remember? You're dating again. It's adorable and annoying. Congrats!"
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:22 am (UTC)There's an extra hint of sarcasm--or Cisco's really drunk and reading into it, whatever, who cares, it's there okay--in Axel's words and Cisco frowns up at him for it. But he doesn't say anything about it. Not yet.
"The couch is too small for a cuddle pile." He says suddenly, like it's the most logical thought in the world. "Come on," Now he's untangling himself from Hartley, only to tug him to his feet as he gets up and as they stumble by (probably mostly Cisco's fault, really), he grabs Axel's arm with his free hand, "you too."
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:27 am (UTC)He wasn't even surprised, but he still wasn't sure about going quite that far. At any rate, he followed them both, mostly keeping Cisco upright. "Apparently we are all cuddling now. Cool."
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:30 am (UTC)Axel grinned and bounced a little, looking excitedly at Hartley. "I love cuddling." He seriously did. So much.
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Date: 2017-03-21 12:38 am (UTC)Once they're all piled on the bed--Cisco on the side against the wall, Hartley in the middle, Axel on the outside, there was an order, it was Important--Cisco settles, resting his head on Hartley's shoulder, one hand lacing his fingers over the top of Hart's while he uses the other to walk his fingers across his boyfriend's chest.
"He's not lying, you know." He says, eyes darting over to Axel.
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Date: 2017-03-21 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-03-22 07:06 pm (UTC)Axel didn't exactly cuddle, not like he would have if it was just him and Hartley or him and Cisco. He was suspect, uneasy, looking like it was a trap. He hid his mistrust behind a silly smile as instead, he sat upright and leaned on Hartley's body, looking at Cisco with a curious expression. "You like me? ... Oh boy, that's dumb. You don't wanna do that. That is not going to end well for you. Back me up here, Hart."
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Date: 2017-03-23 12:10 am (UTC)He tilts his head and peeks over at Axel, smiling a little. "I don't always make the best decisions. And also I didn't really choose to like you, I just do." His gaze falters, eyes dropping down to watch his own fingers tap an idle rhythm against Hartley's chest.
His voice is quieter with his next words, a frown creasing across his forehead. "even though I probably shouldn't and I kinda feel bad about it." His eyes dart back up to Axel, "Not that liking you is necessarily bad," even if technically it is asking for something chaotic, "but I shouldn't like you like that, or anyone else." Now he's looking at Hartley again. "It's not fair." To you. It's unspoken, but it's there, in the guilty way he looks at him. Cisco's grip on Hartley's hand tightens a little.
His gaze drops away from both of them again, lips drawing together as he tries to sort out where to go from there. It's all kind of a lot, and he probably wouldn't have said any of it out loud without the tequila. He can't decide if it might have all been better left unsaid. "Emotions are weird and hard and confusing." Such a novel idea for the two he's laying here with, clearly. They neither have any experience with ignoring their feelings because of that exact sentiment. Nope. Not at all. "It's supposed to be easy and clear cut and solid and it's nothing like that at all." And he's pouting now. Emotions are totally rude and unfair.
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Date: 2017-03-28 09:11 pm (UTC)While he listened to Cisco, he tried to process this. Emotions were weird, hard and confusing and Cisco wasn't making this any easier on him by being drunk, being sweet, being Cisco. Hartley didn't want to lose him. However...
He finally looked at them again, first Axel, then Cisco. Leaning back on his elbows and raising his eyebrows. "So what is it, Cisco? Do you want to be with Axel more than you want to be with me?"
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Date: 2017-03-28 09:35 pm (UTC)Well, Hartley, maybe? He wasn't sure. Axel was all for liking two people. He liked two people right now, they were both in bed with him but unfortunately he'd learned the hard way that if he liked them, he wanted them to be happy. And this? it had the potential of making them both very unhappy. Axel backed up a little bit, even if he hated himself for doing it.
"Hartley, he loves you, don't be an idiot. It's okay, like, people get crushes. And I am ridic hot and charming. He doesn't love me more, he's just endeared." Axel beamed a fake smile and shuffled away from them, ready to get up and slip away. "Look you two have your happy reunion, I should really just..." Yeah.
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Date: 2017-03-29 02:36 am (UTC)This is it. He'd just gotten Hartley back and he was already ruining everything. Cisco regrets saying anything at all. He sits, for a long moment, leaned halfway over his knees, palms pressed to his eyes as he tries to process everything. He hears Axel talking, getting ready to leave and he doesn't want him to, not really, but he doesn't think saying as much would help anything right now so he doesn't.
What he does, instead, is lower his hands away from his face and look up first at Axel, "I like him," then at Hartley, "but I'm in love with you..." He shrugs one shoulder, eyes dropping to his own fingers, twisting a bit of the sheet between his fingers. "it's different."
The people pleaser in him wants to over-explain it all, to reassure Axel because it all sounds so much like he just doesn't matter, which at this point he isn't sure he can say is exactly true. And to soothe away whatever doubts Hartley may be forming in his mind because nothing has changed in how Cisco feels about him. But he forces himself not to do that, to immediately go into some huge babble about it all because he thinks it would look worse, somehow.
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Date: 2017-03-31 06:35 pm (UTC)As had his sense of humour, given he was now laughing over this. Or, perhaps, over the whole ridiculous situation the three of them were in.
"So, what, Cisquito? You want to date both of us?"
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