A Dozen Roses
It's a long day and Cisco's exhausted. All he wants to do is go home, stand under a hot shower until his shoulders finally un-knotted, and then curl up under his blankets. He's trying not to think about the fact that Valentine's day is a few days away and, once again, he has no one to share the day with.
Except... when he gets to his apartment's front door, there's a red rose in the door handle. A post it note that probably started off on the handle too had fallen to the brightly colored, Halloween themed, cute owl door mat that Cisco had been unable to bring himself to pack away after last October. Cisco picked it up and a smile tugged at his mouth. Curling script read, "be my valentine?"
The handwriting is familiar, but Cisco can't quite place it. But he doesn't get any bad vibes off the paper. Instead he feels a soft, warm, reassurance. His powers seem satisfied that this is a good thing, so... Cisco plucks the rose from the door handle and lets himself inside. He adds it to a small vase of water and places it on his dresser before heading into the shower.
There's another red rose waiting for Cisco in his lab in the morning. No note this time, but he picks it up and twirls it thoughtfully. There is a very narrow number of people with access to his lab. And he can't imagine any of them doing this.
Caitlin's... not a sister, but they're platonic soulmates or whatever. Caitlin would not be making romantic overtures towards Cisco.
Barry was too wrapped up in Iris and Eddie to be interested in Cisco this way and Cisco's not interested in Barry (or Iris and Eddie) that way anyway. Similarly, Iris and Eddie are too wrapped up with each other and making overtures to Barry to pay Cisco this kind of attention.
Joe thinks of Cisco as yet another one of his kids, so that rules him out. Harry cares about Cisco's wellbeing, but not romantically and Cisco doubts Harry'd make the first move if he did like Cisco that way. Jesse is too new and barely knows Cisco and hasn't left STAR Labs since arriving on this Earth, so she couldn't have planted the first rose anyway.
Hartley... that thought makes Cisco flush a bit. Things with Hartley had shifted over the last year. They weren't work rivals anymore. They were friends. They were... there was a mutual attraction there. Cisco was certain of it. But that didn't automatically mean Hartley was his secret admirer. He was just... the one Cisco wanted to be his admirer.
He fetched a glass of water to stick the rose in and if he was, perhaps, a bit drawn to staring at it during the morning... who could blame him?
A third rose is delivered at lunch time, along with a soft, fuzzy little teddy bear and a message reading, 'for the man with the most beautiful smile'.
Caitlin smirked and raised an eyebrow when she saw. "Someone's got it bad for you."
Cisco grinned, hugging the teddy bear close and adding the third rose to the second in his lab. "Seems that way."
Rose number four is in the door handle again when Cisco gets home that evening. No note this time.
Cisco pulls out his cell phone and almost calls Hartley. But he chickens out as he stares at his contacts. Because... what if it isn't Hartley?
In the morning there are two more roses on his doorstep in a pretty vase. Cisco moved the other four roses into the vase. Half a dozen roses. A very romantic gesture... and Cisco wished he knew who it was.
He... could finger print the post it note. Just to be sure it was Hartley who left it.
But that'd probably be way too much effort when, considering tomorrow was Valentine's Day and whoever it was - Hartley, most likely or so Cisco had convinced himself - was surely working up to a big reveal.
And... it was only right that Cisco was prepared for that reveal, right?
So he made a pit stop on his way into work. It was a Saturday, so it wasn't like he needed to be there exactly on time.
There are no more roses by the time Cisco gets home and he won't admit it out loud, but he's a little disappointed not to have another rose in the door handle. Tomorrow is Valentine's day - a Sunday this year - and his current plans are to sleep in until noon. Unless he had a reason to get up in the morning...
He's perusing his fridge, trying to decide on dinner, when there comes a knock at his door. And Cisco slammed the fridge door shut in order to rush to his front door.
The door opened to reveal Hartley Rathaway, standing there with six more red roses. They both blushed and smiled at each other.
"Hey Hartley," Cisco greeted.
"Cisco. These, uh..." Hartley held out the roses. "These are for you. Will you be my Valentine?"
"Yes," Cisco replied, accepting the flowers and taking a moment to enjoy their scent. Then Cisco stepped forward and brushed a kiss against Hartley's lips, twining his free hand with Hartley's and drawing him into the apartment.
He's got a box of chocolates waiting inside that Cisco just happens to know has all Hartley's favorites. He might have hedged his bets there.
Cisco's all too pleased to have been right.
(Cisco doesn't get out of bed until noon. But he certainly wasn't sleeping all morning. Hartley saw to that.)