Chapter Text
Hartley sprinted through the pouring rain, leaning forwards against the wind. Damn, it was cold, and he was soaking wet, and the wind was too strong to even risk opening an umbrella. But still, he absolutely had to get to work today, to finish up the last tests on the structure of the-
Lightning arched through the sky somewhere nearby, and the ground trembled. Hartley frowned, looking up at the black sky (a mistake, as his glasses were immediately covered in freezing raindrops) and as another bolt of lightning crashed nearby, he ducked inside the nearest shop.
“How can I help-” Cisco started, looking up from his phone. (He didn’t usually spend time on his phone during work hours, but who was going to show up at a bakery in the middle of a hurricane?) He trailed off as he saw the young man leaning back against the door, hair plastered over his eyes and suit dripping onto the floor.
“I’m just here to wait for the storm to let up a little,” said the man, in what Cisco thought was a more hostile tone than strictly necessary. He started to pace impatiently across the fire, and Cisco winced as he saw water puddling across the (newly cleaned) tiles.
After a few minutes, the storm showed no signs of subsiding. “My name’s Cisco,” said Cisco, breaking the silence. “Cisco Ramon.”
“Hartley Rathaway,” muttered the other man with an irritated look through his glasses. Now that he had started to dry out, Cisco could see that he was really… well, pretty cute. And- wait.
“Hartley Rathaway? Like the physicist?” asked Cisco, leaning forwards over the counter, and Hartley raised an eyebrow as he nodded slowly. “Dude, I read one of your papers just the other day, and-”
“Impressive,” said Hartley, cutting him off, and looked out at the streets again. The warm smell of baked goods that he had noticed as soon as he entered the store was becoming overpowering, and if he was going to be stuck here until the rain let up, perhaps he could buy something.
Hartley walked to the glass display case and looked at the rows of tempting cookies and brownies, trying to seem indifferent. A plate of cupcakes with sparkling indigo frosting and elaborate galaxy motifs caught his eye, and he bent down for a closer look.
Every cake was carefully frosted, and the galaxies were made from silver frosting and tiny pearls- every one different, but every one symmetrical and, well, perfect. “You like the galaxy cupcakes? I decorate them myself,” said the young man behind the counter, and Hartley looked up.
Cisco took a quick breath and added, “You can have one on the house, if you want. I mean, if you don’t want one-”
“I’ll pay for it,” said Hartley, taking out his wallet and counting out a few bills. Cisco nodded, taking quick glances at Hartley as he popped what he thought was the best of the cupcakes into a white cardboard box. Before he folded up the flaps, Cisco took a moment to scribble his number onto a scrap of paper and tuck it inside (because hey, you never know.)
“Looks like the weather’s starting to improve,” he said with a smile as he handed Hartley the box. The other man nodded and fiddled with his glasses for a moment, looking almost as if he wanted to say something before he whisked out the door.
When Hartley reached work, once again dripping, he pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it, plucking out the scrap of paper with deft fingers. For a long time, he looked at it, and then stuffed it into his pocket. After work. He was running late enough as it was.