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This is a fire alarm. Please leave the building immediately by the nearest available exit.
“Hell no.”
Hartley looks over at the alarm clock on his night stand.
It's four fucking in the morning.
This is a fire alarm. Please leave the building immediately by the nearest available exit.
He tries putting his pillow on his hand to muffle the sound but it's no use. He ends up dragging himself out of his bed whit his blanket wrapped around him, and forgetting his glasses.
There are a dozens of people in diverse states of undress waiting outside for the alarm to stop so that they can either go back to sleep or continue studying.
“Who thought it would be a good idea to have a fire drill during finals week?”
Hartley turns to the person talking to him and squints.
“You okay?” the stranger asks.
“Forgot my glasses.”
That makes the other laughs. He has a nice laughter, thinks Hartley.
“Well, your bad, you're totally missing out on my awesome body,” he says and Hartley perceives a note of self-consciousness behind the joke.
“The name is Cisco, by the way,” he adds.
“Hartley.”
“Nice to meet you Hartley.”
Cisco has a nice voice, warm even if it is a bit hoarse with sleep. He is around Hartley's height and has long brown hair, and that is about it for the description, because Hartley is basically a mole without his glasses.
“I haven't seen you around,” Cisco continues and Hartley kind of wants him to shut up so he can sleep on his feet.
“It's a big building.”
Before Cisco can talk some more, the alarm finally ends. Without missing a bit, everyone goes back inside and they are both swiped up by the crowd.
“See you around,” Hartley hears Cisco say, but when he turns around, he can't spot him.
For once, fire drills are not that bad.
Hartley is busy reading his nuclear physics notes in the park, when someone sits next to him.
“Hey, Hartley. What's up?”
The man, probably another student, looks at him with a huge smile on his face. He is strangely familiar but Hartley can't place him anywhere.
“And you are?”
“Hm, Cisco? We talked last night when there was the fire alarm? Sorry, I saw you sitting by yourself and I thought I could come to chat with you a bit, but you're clearly studying so I should probably just go before I make a fool of myself, or like, a bigger fool.”
Hartley raises an eyebrow.
“I'm rambling, aren't I?”
“You are.”
The blush that covers Cisco's face and neck is aesthetically pleasing, Hartley idly thinks as he observes the other.
He is not exactly Hartley's type, he usually prefers tall broad men, but there is something utterly charming to Cisco's geeky appearance and he even finds himself smiling at the “Keep Calm and Han Shot First” shirt that he is wearing.
“You were right,” Hartley says.
“About what?”
“I was missing out on your body. Really glad I thought of my glasses today.”
Cisco blushes even harder, his mouth opens but no sound comes out of it.
“Gotta dash, handsome, I've got an exam in ten minutes.”
Hartley chuckles lightly at his look of utter surprise and walks away feeling considerably less nervous than he was before.
“It's strange, isn't it?”
Hartley smiles, but does not look up at Cisco.
“What is?”
“Before that fire alarm, I never saw you, and now you're everywhere I go.”
Cisco sits down in front of him. They are at the library, it's almost midnight and, as finals week is coming to an end, students across campus are more tense than ever. Hartley even saw two girls fighting dirty for the last bag of chips in a vending machine.
“So, what's your major?”
At that, Hartley finally looks at Cisco and his answer gets struck in his throat. His hair is tied up in a messy bun and he's got a stubble. This should not be legal, really not.
“Physics,” he manages to say.
“Cool. Mine's mechanical engineering.”
Hartley is at loss for words, so he simply starts working again, thankfully he has always been one to completely focus on his study.
Finals are over and the only thing Hartley wants to do is sleep for a month and never be bothered again.
Unfortunately, Lisa did not get the memo.
“I will not go to your stupid party, Snart.”
“Come on, don't be such a joy-killer, Rathaway. You have to celebrate the end of the year with us!”
When Lisa Snart decides on something, it is impossible to change her mind.
“Alright, but I won't stay long.”
“We'll see about that”, she says like she knows something he does not.
“What are you not telling me?”
Lisa's only answer is a wink and a quick kiss on his cheek, and she's gone.
It's noisy and there is too many people, everything that Hartley cannot stand.
He's been at the party for almost an hour and he is already exhausted. He should not have bothered, yes Lisa would have been disappointed and would have annoyed him for weeks, but at least he wouldn't have had to suffer through three Florida's songs.
“Hartley?”
Now, he understands Lisa's mysterious smirk and he regrets ever telling her about his tiny crush on Cisco.
“Cisco.”
“Hey, man! I didn't take you for the partying type.”
“I'm not. Lisa forced me.”
“Snart? Why am I not surprised?”
“You know her?”
“You could say that. I don't know, we had a class together first term and we had to do a group project together. Yesterday she saw me and she threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't go to her party. I don't know why, I mean, we're not really friends, but whatever, it's fun.”
Hartley is going to kill her. Probably.
“You shaved,” he blurts out.
“Hm, yeah, I didn't think I could pull it off.
“You did.”
Once again, Cisco is blushing but he tries to laugh it off.
“Wanna get out of here?”
“Please.”
They end up walking in silence to a diner where they order fries and burgers. It's kind of cliché, but Hartley don't mind for once. It's a change from his usual dates, at least Cisco is good company and he seems sincere.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.”
“Hartley, you wound me. You know what, I'm going to ask anyway because I am a rebel.”
Hartley just smiles.
“Lisa told me that you had, I quote, 'a huge crush' on me. Is it true or am I just getting my hopes up?”
Hartley is definitely going to murder Lisa.
This time, it's his turn to blush.
“Would it be a bad thing if I did?”
“Hell no, dude, it'd be great to be honest. But like, no pressure. It's fine if you don't. I mean, lot of people don't. Oh no, now I'm just sounding pathetic, please stop me because if I start rambling I will literally never – ”
“I do have a 'crush' on you, Cisco.”
“Oh, cool.”
Hartley rolls his eyes, but he is smitten and he knows it.
In the end, he does not kill Lisa. Instead, he buys her a scarf to thank her.
He hates her smug face.
(He really doesn't.)