The Flash - Would You Fight The Stars (Hartley & eventual Hartmon)

Stand Alone

A/N: I started writing this late Dec 2017, shortly after watching S1 of The Flash because something in how Wells screwed over Hartley really resonated in me. Since canon didn't appear to be doing more with that, I wanted to explore what drove Hartley to such extremes when he was also a person willing to admit to being wrong when his colleagues, and the city, were on the line.

This first chapter covers the point up until when Hartley is fired in canon. I don't know when I'm going to get around to writing more because the following parts are much harder to write (I have about 1k on those so far), lots of whump/medical and technological things to figure out for those. One day I may write more, just no promises it's any time soon.

I wanted to post this chapter up as it is, sort of standalone for now, as part of Hartmonfest2019 and the prompt 'Hartley character fic'. The Cisco/Hartley in this is merely one-sided attraction, setup to this fic hopefully going more in that direction in much later chapters (so probably counts as slowburn) but for the time being this is working through why Hartley has that antagonism for him alongside other feelings he'd like to ignore.

Many thanks go to unwittingcatalyst and SophiaCatherine for betareading on this chapter, especially for their encouraging comments as I wrote this so long ago and got nervous about posting it.

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Harrison Wells was a man who knew strategy, one of the reasons Hartley so thoroughly enjoyed a game of chess with his mentor. When Cisco Ramon knocked on the glass partition to Hartley's office on his first day of work, searching for Wells, it was no coincidence he found him whilst Hartley was there to witness it. Wells wanted to present Ramon, wanted Hartley to see his competition.

Looking from the oblivious, awed engineer complete with a geeky t-shirt and then to Wells' neutral face glancing back at him, Hartley started to doubt his own win. It made him wonder if Wells could have thrown the game to put him in a better mood. Or to try to lull him into a sense of complacency before sweeping the rug out from underneath his feet. The game wasn't ever over with Wells. Wells reassured Hartley he was still his guy but with Wells words often said one thing yet meant another. Ramon was most definitely there to challenge him. Whether he would be temporary as Hartley predicted remained to be seen.

A week later and it had become painfully obvious Cisco and Hartley didn't get on. Cisco irked Hartley in no small way because he never let him have the last word. Ramon was technically competent but irreverent. He scoffed at Hartley's foreign turns of phrases, seemingly uncultured, or rather, popular cultured as he put it. And ever since Hartley had poured scorn on his t-shirt choice Ramon had taken it upon himself to wear the most blatantly geeky t-shirts possible. That they were relatively form-fitting did nothing to help his concentration when Ramon was around, which was almost constantly with him on the same team, though at least he managed to turn his stares to glares, thankfully concealing any sign of his body's embarrassing betrayal. Ramon might've been a pretty boy but looks wouldn't save his ass. Hartley waited to see how far Ramon would push his indiscretions with work protocols. He rankled him as much as possible, eager to see if he could shake loose something to use against him or at least disturb his concentration as much as Hartley found his worn down by the constant sniping.

But Cisco Ramon didn't break. Wells overlooked the lack of dress code, the lack of hygiene with the incessant eating, the lollipops, the red vines, near ceaseless chewing or sucking sounds surrounded him in his work environment. Hartley would have begged for some silence if it hadn't meant admitting some kind of defeat.

Months later, Ramon was still there. Still flaunting himself around the labs in brash colors, logos emblazoned, high fiving. Making friends, jovial with everyone, except him of course. Cisco was still in his face and he hated him more than ever. Wells would make a point to come visit their latest addition and take his time discussing developments. Hartley played nice when Wells was around, half out of respect and half because he wouldn't rise to the bait in front of Wells. Wells had to have known they'd bring out all the worst qualities in each other, he could only conclude he wanted that. Hartley could not entirely figure out why though.