"Sure, cool, let's go." Axel grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, putting his hand on Hartley's back and guiding him gently into the direction of the exit. "Go ahead, I'm right behind you."
"You have? Thinking about me? Yeah. Well. Good. You should, I'm very -- thinkable." Damn, he had to play this cool bur he had no cool and he hadn't done this in forever. Or ever. And things with Cyn were kinda, sorta, pretty much not a thing any more. It was a lot at once and -- "Hartley?"
What? "Oh my God. Hartley?" Woah, no, he was not just ducking out. "Dude, you told me you weren't a rogue!" Yes, he was yelling this across the club. He was Cisco, after all, no filter.
Hartley turned around when Cisco yelled his name and started out hiding behind Axel, then realised that was a little ridiculous and moved in front of him instead, straightening up so he could deal with Cisco.
Lisa, who could sense juicy drama waiting here and who would like this conversation to continue unyelled, herded Cisco toward the two, her arm still firmly around him. "What's going on here, hm?"
"I'm not a rogue," Hartley clarified, once Cisco was close enough, "They just wanted me to spend time with them." That was too subtle, wasn't it? "Unlike some people."
"Oh, come on, I invited you out whe shit calmed down but, you know what? Some things happened and I couldn't always make you the top priority. It's a two way street, you could have asked me to do shit too, you know? You never did." Cisco huffed angrily because Hartley was always throwing this at him and he was tired of it. Tired and coming off a break up and hating to see Hartley here with this asshole guy. Who he was probably dating.
And he was with the wrong guy. Asshole.
"Woah, watch your tone, buddy. Don't make melt your fucking face off." Axel sneered because no one spoke to his Piper like that.
"Who do you have helping you out right now? Still the British guy? You know, the one who 'reminds you of me, only he's straight'." Hartley sneered, not wanting to do this. It was just a reminder of what he'd so naively thought he'd have. Friends. Working at STAR labs again. And, yes, much as he tried to tell himself differently, he'd thought Cisco would be with him.
"Don't threaten him, Axel. Remember, we don't do these things." Lisa was unsure what to do. It was the two more heroically inclined people that were truly spitting venom here, the look in Hartley's eyes was lethal. Sad too, but definitely angry. "How about we all just have a round together, hm? Drinks are on me. Come on, boys."
"No, he ditched. Like I said, it wasn't anything to envy, you idiot. I spent a whole year standing still watching my best friend lie to me and people we loved die and--and all you can think of is your problems." Cisco knew he messed up, he knew he should have just manned up and called him and he wanted to, so many times, but it was three days. Three days to collect himself and then Dante died and things just stopped being that easy. "Stop trying to guilt me cause I fucked up! You fucked up too. Maybe if you'd been less of a dick in the first place I--"
Axel grabbed the front of Cisco's shirt and snarled protectively, shoving Hartley behind him. "Lisa, he's a fucking asshole! Lemme hurt him!"
Lisa quickly stepped forward between Axel and Cisco, catching her friend's eyes and shaking her head firmly. "No. Axel, no." She wasn't sure what else to say to dissuade him, but then she noticed that Hartley was leaving, which gave her an opening. "Go catch up to Hartley, Axel, before he runs into traffic."
That said she turned back around and looked at Cisco, putting both hands on his shoulders and catching his eyes as well. "You are still getting that drink, Cisco."
"On it. You're lucky, dickweed!" Axel snapped before he took off running after Hartley, literally running. He wasn't going to let this evening end just because this dude was a total dick and he didn't know what he had in a friend. "Hartley! Wait up."
Cisco took a breath and lowered his head, gritting his teeth harder than he needed. "I don't want a drink." Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why did it have to be like this? What was there timing. He scrubbed his hands over his face to try and hide any tears burning in his eyes. "He never listens to me! He blames me as if I isolated him or something. I didn't, I never-- I never wanted this."
"It's fine, Cisco. You are just both angry. That happens." Lisa had no idea what the story there was, but judging by the looks in both Hartley's and Cisco's eyes, she doubted it was an easy one. So she wrapped her arms around Cisco and ran her fingers through his beautiful hair again and again in a soothing motion. It had always done the trick when she let Leonard do that, maybe it would work for Cisco as well. "Things we don't want happen all the time."
Hartley did wait up, mainly because he realised that Axel wouldn't give up on following him. He pushed his glasses up to wipe at his eyes, then turned to look at him. "Sorry. I shouldn't have..." A lot of things, really. "I'm tired. I should just go home."
"It just shouldn't have happened." All he wanted was Hartley back and to repair what they could have had and everything just came at him at once. And it the pressure, it was too much. Between Barry fucking up, Caitlin being weird and Dante dying, he struggled to keep up with everything else. He really wished that Hartley could have called him, just once, but he knew why. "I don't know how to handle him any more."
Especially after that kiss.
Axel didn't wait, he hugged Hartley as soon as he saw his eyes and just stayed like that, ready to get off if he was pushed. Not the first time that had happened to him. "I'm really sorry. Can I do anything? I can hurt him for you or walk you home or ... something. Leave, I guess."
"Well, he obviously doesn't know how to handle you either." That much was for sure. "Come on, Cisco. You know Hartley is just angry about ninety percent of the time. I'm sure he likes you." Something weird was going on here. "I'm sorry you've been having a hard time though, gorgeous. Life sucks, doesn't it?" Lisa tugged on a strand of Cisco's hair. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?"
"Thank you for wanting to do something." Hartley smiled a little, shaking his head. "You can walk with me. We can buy hot chocolate at Jitters." It was a bit late for coffee, after all. "I'm not good at friendship, you know? I ruin it every time. It just doesn't work out."
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mostlyajerk) wrote2018-01-24 02:00 pm
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"You have? Thinking about me? Yeah. Well. Good. You should, I'm very -- thinkable." Damn, he had to play this cool bur he had no cool and he hadn't done this in forever. Or ever. And things with Cyn were kinda, sorta, pretty much not a thing any more. It was a lot at once and -- "Hartley?"
What? "Oh my God. Hartley?" Woah, no, he was not just ducking out. "Dude, you told me you weren't a rogue!" Yes, he was yelling this across the club. He was Cisco, after all, no filter.
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Lisa, who could sense juicy drama waiting here and who would like this conversation to continue unyelled, herded Cisco toward the two, her arm still firmly around him. "What's going on here, hm?"
"I'm not a rogue," Hartley clarified, once Cisco was close enough, "They just wanted me to spend time with them." That was too subtle, wasn't it? "Unlike some people."
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And he was with the wrong guy. Asshole.
"Woah, watch your tone, buddy. Don't make melt your fucking face off." Axel sneered because no one spoke to his Piper like that.
"Yeah, great. Nice choice of friends, Hartley."
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"Don't threaten him, Axel. Remember, we don't do these things." Lisa was unsure what to do. It was the two more heroically inclined people that were truly spitting venom here, the look in Hartley's eyes was lethal. Sad too, but definitely angry. "How about we all just have a round together, hm? Drinks are on me. Come on, boys."
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Axel grabbed the front of Cisco's shirt and snarled protectively, shoving Hartley behind him. "Lisa, he's a fucking asshole! Lemme hurt him!"
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That said she turned back around and looked at Cisco, putting both hands on his shoulders and catching his eyes as well. "You are still getting that drink, Cisco."
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Cisco took a breath and lowered his head, gritting his teeth harder than he needed. "I don't want a drink." Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why did it have to be like this? What was there timing. He scrubbed his hands over his face to try and hide any tears burning in his eyes. "He never listens to me! He blames me as if I isolated him or something. I didn't, I never-- I never wanted this."
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Hartley did wait up, mainly because he realised that Axel wouldn't give up on following him. He pushed his glasses up to wipe at his eyes, then turned to look at him. "Sorry. I shouldn't have..." A lot of things, really. "I'm tired. I should just go home."
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Especially after that kiss.
Axel didn't wait, he hugged Hartley as soon as he saw his eyes and just stayed like that, ready to get off if he was pushed. Not the first time that had happened to him. "I'm really sorry. Can I do anything? I can hurt him for you or walk you home or ... something. Leave, I guess."
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"Thank you for wanting to do something." Hartley smiled a little, shaking his head. "You can walk with me. We can buy hot chocolate at Jitters." It was a bit late for coffee, after all. "I'm not good at friendship, you know? I ruin it every time. It just doesn't work out."