A rush of wind flew by Cisco, blowing his hair into a mess. He quickly brushed it back into place and looked up at Barry, now standing in the doorway.
"Hey guys, how's it going? Any new meta's today?" Barry asked. He glanced at his suit in the corner, legs itching to be speeding through the city.
"Sorry, dude, no bad guys yet," Cisco answered, "But Doctor Wells does want you to do a few new tests today, just to see if your powers have changed at all in regards to any other physical abilities."
"Oh. Okay." Barry made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his voice. Dr. Wells entered the room.
"Ah, Barry, nice of you to finally join us this morning." He said, looking down at his watch meaningfully before meeting Barry's eyes. "Did Caitlin tell you what we'll be doing today?"
"Cisco did, yeah. Sorry I'm late, I got caught in some, uh... bad traffic?" Caitlin rolled her eyes, not lifting her head up from her work. Wells looked at Barry pointedly.
"Barry, even if you weren't the fastest man alive, you don't have a car. Now please, just get on the treadmill so we can record your top speed for this week." Cisco laughed quietly at this, unsuccessfully trying to hide his smile. He walked over and joined Wells at the monitors.
Barry shuffled over to the cosmic treadmill and changed into his STAR Labs clothes. He stepped onto the machine and began to run, soon just a blur of motion to the scientists.
Cisco couldn't suppress the awe he felt at seeing Barry in action. Part of him still couldn't believe that something so incredible was real. He looked at the speed measurement on the screen. 744 mph and slowly counting. If he hit 770 mph, then...
"Hey Doctor Wells, what's gonna happen if Barry makes a sonic boom in here? I mean, we know he can do it, but, uh..."
"Don't worry, the whole place has been reinforced with that in mind. If and when he does reach it, nothing will happen to us or the facility." Cisco nodded, not entirely convinced, but he had to trust him.
Barry'speed hit 770 mph. Cisco heard a loud boom and felt vibrations go throughout the room. Barry's blurry form sparked tremendously from the velocity. Very impressive, Cisco thought.
Barry slowed to a stop and stepped off the treadmill panting. Sitting down, he took off his shirt to cool down and used it to wipe the sweat off his face.
Cisco jogged into the room and sat down next to him.
"Dude, that was awesome! You hit sonic speed again! That's like the second time within the past two weeks." Cisco said, excitement written all over his face.
"Ha, thanks." Barry panted. He flopped onto his back, using the crumpled shirt as a pillow.
Cisco smiled and nodded. Barry shut his eyes, and Cisco's gaze fell onto Barry's bare chest and stomach, watching them rise and fall with his breathing. A small blush crept onto Cisco's face and he looked away.
Caitlin walked in and Barry opened his eyes halfway to look at her.
"Barry, you're late for work. Again." She said, arms folded.
"Oh, shoot!" Barry exclaimed. He shot up and sped out the door, grabbing his clothes. He stopped at the main entrance for a second and shouted, "Bye guys, see you tonight!" Then he was gone in a flash.
Cisco sighed to himself. He was beginning to develop a crush on the speedster, and he hated it. He knew that Barry was in love with Iris, and from what he'd seen of their interactions, it was pretty obvious that she returned his feelings. So why did he have to be crushing on someone who he stood absolutely no chance with?
Cisco stood up and walked out of the room, back to his desk. Caitlin glanced over at him, furrowing her brows.
"Hey, Cisco, something on your mind?" She asked.
"What? No. Why do you ask?" He tried to shrug it off, masking his inner thoughts with a confused smile.
"You just looked... frustrated. Or something."
"Oh, yeah, I was just thinking about working on that new suit. Since Barry wrecked the last one, y'know?"
"Mm. Sure." Caitlin remained unconvinced, but returned to her desk anyway.
"Well," Cisco mumbled, dodging the subject, "Better get back to that."
Cisco heard Barry zoom into the room. He looked up from his project.
"Hey Cisco," Barry walked towards him, "Where is everyone?"
"They went to go get coffee at some shop 'round here."
"Did they go to Jitters?" Barry asked, a smile creeping on his face. "That's where Iris works. She's so great..."
Cisco looked up at him, raising his eyebrows.
"-At making coffee, I mean!" Barry blushed.
"Dude, it's fine. I already know you have a massive crush on her. Remember?"
"Hah, yeah. Right." Barry looked a little embarrassed.
"Anyways," Cisco said, trying to move the subject away from Iris, "They'll be back soon, so you can just chill for now." Barry nodded. He cleared some space from the desk and sat on top.
Cisco went back to tinkering with some equipment. His mind wandered to how cute Barry had looked when he was blushing. He tried to wave it away and focus on his work, then he realized Barry was staring at him. Cisco's face grew hot. He turned to look at the man on his desk.
"What?" Cisco asked, suddenly very self-concious. Barry shrugged.
"Nothing, just thinking."
"About...?"
"Cisco, do you have a crush on anyone?"
Cisco's blood froze. He began to panic mentally, and tried not to look like a startled deer. He laughed nervously.
"Uh... maybe." He said quietly. Barry leaned in, resting his elbows on his legs. He smiled at Cisco, raising his eyebrow's slightly.
"So, who is it?" Barry teased.
"I'm not going to tell you!" Cisco sputtered, thoroughly flustered.
"Aw, come on! At least give me a hint. Like... do I know them?"
"...Yes." Cisco caved, still frowning. He figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him just a little bit.
"Is it Caitlin?" Barry asked. "'Cuz you guy's would actually make a really cute couple." Cisco scrunched up his face in mild shock.
"No! Caitlin's like a sister. That would just be... weird."
"Well, okay. Is it..." Barry paused to think, "Is it Felicity?"
"Nah, she's not really my type."
"Then, what is your type?" Barry asked, hoping the answer would help narrow down the crush in question.
Cisco hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Barry that he was bi, preferring the less curvy gender, as it would probably lead him to the answer that Cisco dreaded the discovery of. He decided to go for it.
"My type is more... masculine. But don't get me wrong, the ladies are nice too."
"You're... oh. OH." Barry's eyes widened as he realized what Cisco had meant. "Dang it, now there's like five more people it could be!"
Cisco nodded. He hoped Barry would give up soon, he wasn't sure how long he could hold out without giving something REALLY big away.
"Wait, so is it-"
"Hello, Barry." Dr. Wells interrupted as he came into the room with Caitlin. "When did you get here?" Cisco let out a small sigh of relief. Saved by the Wells, he thought.
"About fifteen minutes ago. Cisco told me you guys were getting coffee. Did you go to Jitters?" Barry asked, completely forgetting his previous conversation.
"Yes, and we saw Iris there. She said to tell you hello for her. She really is quite a lovely young woman."
Barry grinned.
"Yeah." He agreed.
"Are you ready to finish those tests?" Dr. Wells asked, gesturing to the other half of the room.
Barry nodded and walked over. He changed, then began doing the tasks as Dr. Wells gave them.
Cisco watched him, absent-mindedly chewing on a pen. Although he didn't look, he could feel Caitlin scrutinizing him, but whatever she was thinking, she kept to herself.
Over the next few weeks, Cisco's feelings for Barry only grew. He was having a hard time hiding his crush, as subtlety wasn't his strong suit. Caitlin had been giving him suspicious looks, and Cisco knew it was only a matter of time before she confronted him.
It was the end of the day, Dr. Wells and Barry had already left, and Cisco and Caitlin were just cleaning up their spaces, getting ready to go home. Caitlin walked to Cisco and he looked up at her.
"Are you going to tell me what's been going on with you? You've been acting like you've got some big, horrible secret." Caitlin said.
Cisco sighed. He knew he'd have to tell her now, otherwise she would only continue to bug him about it until he gave in. He ran his fingers through his hair.
"I... I have a crush on Barry." He admitted. Caitlin looked surprised. "I know, it's stupid. He likes someone else, and even if he didn't, well, he wouldn't like me. But he's just so... nice and cute and funny and smart and kindhearted and... ugh. I think I kinda, almost am in love with him."
He hung his head in his hands. Caitlin came around the desk to the side Cisco was on and began to rub his back soothingly.
"Oh, Cisco," She whispered, voice full of pity, "Maybe he would like you, you never know. Maybe you just need to tell him."
"So, what? He can reject me and laugh in my face? No, I'm not gonna do that." Cisco slumped onto his desk.
"Oh, come on, Barry wouldn't do that." Caitlin said, rolling her eyes. "You should definitely tell him. In fact, I triple-dog-dare you to." She folded her arms. Cisco looked up at her incredulously.
"No fair! You can't use the power of the triple-dog for this!" Cisco exclaimed.
"I just did," She said smugly, "And now you have to do it. That is, unless you're too... chicken." Cisco glared at her as she began flapping her arms to tease him.
"Fine. I'll do it." He said begrudgingly, "But he's just gonna reject me, so there's really no point."
"Look at it this way," She offered, "At least then you'll know he doesn't like you, and then you can move on."
"Right..." Cisco replied glumly.
"And hey, if it doesn't work out, ice cream's on me. But it'll be fine, don't worry." She smiled, hoping to encourage him.
Cisco nodded and stood up, ready to go home and be done with this conversation. He waved to her as he left.
The next day, Cisco came into work extremely nervous. He was fidgety all day, and kept glancing at the clock. Towards the end of the day, he finally had a chance to talk to Barry alone.
"Hey, Barry, can I talk to you real quick?" Cisco asked.
"Sure, what about?" Barry replied.
"Uh, just some stuff." Caitlin looked over at Cisco, understanding what he was about to do. She caught his eye and winked before leaving the room.
Cisco walked closer to Barry, but still remained a few feet away. He took a deep breath as Barry stared at him in confusion.
"Do you remember a little while ago when I told you I had a crush on someone?" Cisco asked. Barry nodded slowly. "Well, it's kinda gotten stronger for the, um, person, but like, not that that strong. Not like LOVE strong. Maybe. I think."
"Okay," Barry drew out the word as he tried to make sense of what Cisco's babbling, "So, are you going to tell me who it is yet? Or do we have to do another round of the guessing game?"
Cisco bit his lip and looked at the ground. He was seriously considering chickening out right now. But, he figured, it was probably already too late for that.
"The person is... well, it's..." He regretted starting that sentence already, but before he could let himself give up, he blurted out, "Barry, I think I love you." Cisco froze, eyes wide, afraid of how Barry would react, yet still unable to look away from the speedster's face.
Barry was shocked. He had obviously not been expecting Cisco's answer. He stood still for a few moments, then looked sadly towards the ground. He swallowed and breathed in, raising his eyes to meet Cisco's.
"I'm sorry, Cisco," Barry paused, "But... I don't return your feelings."
Cisco grimaced, as though the words had physically wounded him. He had known this was going to happen, he thought, so why did it still hurt so bad?
"I know." He responded quietly. Cisco looked away and hugged his arms to his body, like he was trying to hold his heart together.
Barry could see the pain of heartbreak in Cisco's face. He couldn't stand seeing his friend hurt like this. He closed the distance between them and pulled Cisco into a hug.
Cisco's body stiffened from the unexpected contact, but within a second he sank into the hug, feeling the warmth and trying to enjoy it while it lasted. He felt Barry move his head down by Cisco's ear.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He murmured, squeezing Cisco tighter. "I don't know if it means much, but you're one of my best friends, and even if it's not in the way you want, I do love you, Cisco."
Cisco nodded and put on a melancholy half-smile, resting his head on Barry's collar.
"Thanks. I mean it." Cisco began to pull himself out of Barry's grip, but he was stopped by two hands lifting his head up. Barry leaned down and kissed Cisco chastely on his forehead.
Cisco blushed. "Well, uh, you should probably get going then. I still have to finish some stuff here, don't want Doctor Wells to be getting on my case tomorrow." Barry nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, I've got a dinner with family to get to. See you tomorrow, I guess." He waved goodbye and sped out the doors.
Cisco slumped to the floor and leaned against his desk. His heart hurt, but at least Barry had handled it well. He had been so nice to Cisco about it, trying not to hurt his feelings and even comforting him. Another stupid reason to love him so much, he thought angrily.
Caitlin walked in and saw Cisco sitting on the ground. She hurried over to him.
"How did it go?" She asked, already knowing the answer by his crestfallen expression. Cisco turned to face her.
"Let's just say you're going to be buying me a lot of ice cream tonight."
She smiled sympathetically and helped him up.
"Alright, let's go." Cisco nodded and they walked out the doors.