Archive of Our Own ^beta

Everyone knew how it worked. When both soulmates were born a name appeared on their left wrist. This name would be special, a name that would only ever be used by your soulmate, sometimes it was mundane and sometimes it made no sense up until the moment your soulmate said it.

Harrison Wells thought the whole concept was ridiculous, he was a man of science and had no interest in his life being governed by a worldwide fairy tale. As he grew up he was pleased with every year no name appeared on his wrist. The universe obviously agreed with him and decided he could make his own decisions in life. He didn’t necessarily believe he was better than everyone else, merely more evolved. He was smart enough though not to broadcast his lack of a name to the masses knowing he would be unlikely to gain a favorable reaction. His mind became his most valuable tool, seeing him through university at the top of his class, honors in masters and his pick of doctorate programs. He made discoveries and breakthroughs that had his peers green with envy and found him heaped with plaudits. He also found the most amazing woman, fell in love, got married and produced in his opinion the most beautiful little girl in creation. He also spent most of his life ignoring the fact that at the age of twenty-five the word ‘Harry’ had scrawled itself across his wrist. He didn’t know what horrified him more, that his soulmate was twenty-five years younger than him or that they had the gall to call him something as ridiculous as ‘Harry’. He had assured his then girlfriend, later wife, that he had no interest in his soulmate and that he never would. He could never imagine loving anyone the way he loved her. She had laughed and believed him and they were happy together for the rest of her life. And if everyone chose to believe the band around his wrist covered her name for him then he wasn’t going to do anything to dissuade that train of thought.

Harrison buried his wife and his heart along with her. The little of it he kept was given to his daughter and that was enough for him. He threw himself into work and raising Jesse, closing himself off to other people and he was fine with that. He didn’t need anyone else. By the time Jesse went to college Harrison was at the top of his game in every field he ventured into. However once Jesse moved out the house seemed too quiet and work wasn’t keeping him distracted enough. On one of his calls with Jesse his daughter suggested that he agree to one of the visiting professor positions he was always being offered. She teased that he could shape the minds of the future. The thought frankly appalled Harrison but the more he considered the more he realized that it would at the very least keep him busy. He reviewed the offers and found that he was the most intrigued by the email from Central City University. Its reputation had been growing over the last few years and he appreciated the effort they were putting into their science department. He sent them an email inquiring if the position was still open and turned back to the project he was currently working on. He had barely delved back into his work when his phone pinged. He picked it up absentmindedly and his eyebrows rose when he saw an email from CCU telling him they would be honored to have him and when could he start? Before he could second guess his choice he replied saying as soon as they wanted. He knew he could still do his own work while he was teaching and the company basically ran itself so he had no worries there. He knew Jesse would be happy too that he was getting out and not, in her words, ‘moping’.

A month later Harrison was walking the corridors of CCU and contemplating the imbeciles he was currently surrounded with. Customary scowl in place as usual he marched to his office hoping for a bit of peace and quiet and nearly groaned out loud when he saw the Dean standing by the window. He made his scowl less prominent.

“Can I help you with something?”

The Dean smiled.

“Ah Dr. Wells! I just wanted to let you know that your TA will be along shortly.”

Harrison stared at him blankly.

“My what?”

The Dean’s smile remained undimmed. He knew what he would be dealing with when he made the job offer, Harrison Wells’ reputation preceding him as usual.

“Your TA. He’ll be assisting you with your classes and helping you with anything you need while you’re here. You’re very lucky, he’s an exemplary student with a great mind and an eagerness to learn.”

Harrison couldn’t help thinking that if the man in question was as ‘exemplary’ as the other students he’d dealt with today he wasn’t holding out much hope for competence. But he obviously had no choice so he would just have to grit his teeth and bear it.

“Of course.”

“Well I don’t want to keep you, I’m sure you have a lot to do.”

Harrison nodded and waited for the Dean to leave before letting out a breath and sinking into his chair. He was just starting to relax when he groaned. He’d forgotten to ask the TA’s name. Oh well, he’d probably just refer to him as ‘TA’ anyway. He turned to his laptop and got to work organizing what he needed for his classes for the rest of the day. Harrison was lost in his work for an indeterminate amount of time when he heard a knock on his door. He barked at them to come in and finally looked up from his work to see a young man, probably early thirties, grinning from his doorway.

“Well? What do you want I’m busy?”

“I’m your TA? Cisco Ramon?”

Harrison frowned.

“Aren’t you a little old to be a TA?”

The grin became slightly strained.

“This is actually my second go at college.”

Harrison’s expectations plummeted. So the ‘great mind’ he was saddled with had already dropped out of college before. Great. He gave a sigh of exasperation and stood up after checking the time.

“Fine. Well I have class now so I assume you’ll be tagging along?”

At this point the grin was clearly forced.

“I am and don’t worry I’ve TA’d before so I know what I’m doing.”

So he was also someone else’s cast-off. This day just got better and better. He shoved his laptop in his bag and marched out the door leaving Ramon to hurry after him. They walked to the class in silence and Harrison was happy that at least Ramon wasn’t a chatterer. He dropped his bag onto the desk and the conversation in the room died and was replaced with tension.

“I received your assignments and I must say they were spectacularly lacklustre. I am resetting the assignment and this time I expect you to actually put some effort in.”

An indignant voice spoke up from the back.

“What if we already put effort in?”

“If that was you putting effort in then I have no idea why you’re even bothering with this class.”

He saw a few faces pale and drop. He wasn’t here to sugar coat or hand hold, their work would be a reflection on him and he would not be responsible for giving them false egos. He pulled handouts from his bag and they were snatched from his hand by a pissed off looking Ramon. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the TA and moved to set up his laptop. The rest of the class went smoothly and at the end he reiterated his statement about the assignment and walked out of the class with Ramon trailing after him. The routine repeated for the rest of the day and the only thing that changed was that Ramon seemed to become increasingly more pissed off as the day went on. Harrison was annoyed by the end of his classes for the day. He had been expecting a better quality of students but so far only a few showed promise. He walked into his office and paused when he realized Ramon had followed him in.

“Was there something you wanted?”

“Did you have to treat all your students like that?”

Harrison frowned.

“Like what?”

“Like they weren’t worth the time.”

“Most of them aren’t.”

Ramon looked at him in disbelief.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Maybe once you have a college degree you’ll understand the difference between a good student and a bad one.”

“Once I have- I already have a degree you ass. And a Masters! I’m back at college to further my education.”

Harrison shrugged as he took the seat behind his desk.

“That’s not my problem.”

“Not your- you are the problem!”

Harrison raised an eyebrow at the irate TA. Ramon leaned forward and braced his hands on the desk.

“Do you know why I’m your TA?”

“No but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“When the call went out that the Harrison Wells was going to need one people flooded the office with applications. And then your second day here everyone but me removed themselves from the running. But I thought ‘hey, there’s no way the guy’s as bad as everyone makes out, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt’. And you know what? I was right, you’re not as bad, you’re worse.”

“Oh no, how will I go on.”

Ramon’s hands balled into fists as he visibly seethed.

“Educators have a responsibility to guide students not to annihilate their confidence without giving them a chance. You may be a genius but you’re a shit professor.”

Now that one Harrison felt. He prided himself on being good at whatever he turned his hand to but he had worried he wasn’t made for this and Ramon was making it very clear that he wasn’t.

“Thank you for that insight Ramon, you can go now.”

Ramon pushed off the desk and grabbed his bag from the floor where he had apparently dropped it before storming out of the office. Harrison figured that would be the last he’d see of Cisco Ramon. However, the next day when he entered his office he paused as he took in the sight of Ramon lounging in the seat in front of his desk. He continued to his seat and pulled out his laptop. They remained silent as Harrison set about printing the handouts he needed for his classes that day. Finally he looked to the other man.

“I had assumed you wouldn’t be back.”

Ramon snorted.

“And normally you’d be right but when I went to the office to remove myself as TA I was basically begged to stay. Apparently you’re ‘impossible’ and ‘a nightmare to work with’, plus if I stay as your TA for a year I get to present some of my projects to the head of the department with the possibility of being funded. Of course they were were careful not to word it as a bribe when they actually said it.”

“So you’re selling yourself?”

“Hey man I know you probably don’t remember what it was like when you started out, like a hundred years ago or whatever, but if there’s a chance for me to get my ideas seen I’m going to take it.”

“So I’m stuck with you.”

Ramon grinned wide.

“Looks that way doesn’t it.”

Then he shrugged.

“But look on the bright side, I’m only stuck with you for a year.”

“I thought we agreed I was stuck with you?”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Ramon stayed in the office playing on his phone until Harrison had to go to his first class then dutifully followed him. He started out cheerful but as the day went on the grin eventually molded into a frown. It caused Harrison some modicum of sadistic pleasure though he’d never admit to it. They ended the day back in Harrison’s office in the same places as the morning. Harrison made himself a coffee.

“Thanks I’d love one.”

He raised his eyebrows in Ramon’s direction. The man in question had resumed smiling and nodded to the coffee machine. Harrison maintained eye contact as he sipped from his mug and walked back to his seat. He was treated to rolled eyes and a huffed breath as Ramon hauled himself out of the seat and grabbed his own cup of coffee before returning to his place. Harrison flicked through some of the assignments on his desk in disdain.

“The previous professor must have been completely inept to pass these people.”

“What, you think we’ve just been sitting around sipping mai tais before you got here?”

Harrison looked up sharply.

“I don’t know what you’ve been sipping but it obviously wasn’t anything that contained talent.”

Mock understanding flooded Ramon’s voice.

“Oh I see. Someone hasn’t had enough coffee today.”

He raised his mug to his mouth. He’d better not-

Slurp.

“No.”

Slurp.

“No.”

Sluuuuuuurp.

Just then a student knocked on the door and unfortunately for her Harrison merely transfered his glare from Ramon to her. She balked and he could see her taking a steadying breath.

“Um, hi Dr. Wells. I just wanted to check that you got my assignment.”

“Did you send it to me?”

“Um yes?”

“Then I obviously have it.”

“Oh. Of course.”

She paused for a moment.

“I was also wondering if I could get some feedback on-”

“Is there a sign on my door with my office hours listed?”

“Yes?”

“And does that sign state that my office hours are open or closed right now?”

She was starting to turn red.

“Closed.”

“Then why are you bothering me?”

She apologized and all but fled down the corridor. Harrison rolled his eyes before transferring his attention to his laptop.

“You asshole.”

Harrison glared at Ramon.

“I beg your pardon?”

Ramon looked unimpressed.

“Glare at me all you want, I’m not a terrified teenage girl. I mean, do you even know who she was or what she wanted?”

“Ashton Majors, third year Theoretical Physics major. She was one of the few assignments that showed promise.”

Ramon’s mouth dropped.

“If you know that then why didn’t you say something to her?”

“Office hours are closed and the rules are there for a reason. I can hardly show favoritism.”

“Favor- You don’t even show if you like people never-mind favoritism! Are you ever going to tell her she shows promise?”

Harrison rolled his eyes.

“People work harder when they feel they need to fight for results otherwise they get complacent.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“Thank you.”

“Wasn’t a complement.”

Harrison decided to ignore the younger man and took a sip of his coffee.

“What if you had a teenage daughter in college and she had a professor that treated her the way you’re treating these kids? Would you be happy about that or would you want to kick his ass?”

Harrison took another sip as he schooled his features before lowering his mug.

“Don’t you have any work of your own to do?”

Ramon shook his head as he stood up and made his way out of the office.

“Whatever. See you tomorrow jackass.”

Harrison grabbed a pen and began marking assignments but a few minutes in he admitted defeat and sat back in his chair. He considered Ramon’s words. If a professor treated Jesse the way he treated his students would he be happy? He rubbed his forehead and sighed. He would probably have had them fired within a week of the semester starting and ensured they never worked again. Jesse often told him that his standards were too high and exacting. That just because he was a genius he expected everyone else to keep up too. She’d probably point out that these students were only beginning to learn their trade and could hardly be expected to know everything. He decided he needed something stronger than coffee and that he could grade papers just as easily at home. The next morning he arrived in his office with a plan in mind. He had only just set everything up when Ramon swanned into his office. The younger man made straight for the coffee machine. He waved a cup in Harrison’s direction.

“You want one?”

Harrison frowned slightly.

“Yes. I’ll have it-”

“Black like your soul and bitter like your personality?”

Harrison swallowed the beginnings of a smile before Ramon could see it.

“Quite.”

They worked mostly in silence, with Harrison mentioning one or two things in particular he needed Ramon to do that day. Eventually his first class of the day was coming up and they headed out. Things continued in the normal vein up until his third class. When it was finished and everyone was packing up Harrison called out.

“Ashton Majors? I’d like a word.”

It was like someone pressed pause as everyone froze in silence for a moment before rushing out of the room. Clearly they didn’t want to get caught in whatever was about to happen. Majors approached his desk with a look of fear badly concealed on her face. Dear God surely he wasn’t that bad.

“Yes Dr. Wells?”

His voice was brusque when he spoke.

“I wanted to let you know that your last assignment was acceptable. Your ideas aren’t there yet but they show promise.”

She just blinked at him and he raised an annoyed eyebrow.

“That was the feedback you were looking for yes?”

“Yes! Yes it was. Thank you Dr. Wells, I’ll work harder on developing my theories.”

She thanked him again and he nodded. She all but ran out of the room, beaming all the way. He rolled his eyes and finished packing up. He turned to leave and paused when he saw Ramon. He’d forgotten he was in the room. Ramon was looking at him with an indecipherable expression on his face.

“What?”

His face cleared and he grinned.

“Aw, the tin man does have a heart.”

“Ramon?”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“Sure thing.”

Ramon was still grinning when they went to the next class but he had at least calmed down by the end of the day. He didn’t sit down when they got back to the office.

“Do you need me for anything? I just have this thing I’ve got to go to.”

Harrison rolled his eyes as he emptied his bag onto the table.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow Harry.”

Harrison froze before looking up. He was sure his expression gave nothing away.

“What did you call me?”

Ramon grinned.

“Well it’s not really professional for me to keep calling you ‘asshole’ or ‘jackass’ and I have to call you something.”

“Then might I suggest my name.”

The grin was still there.

“Aw that’s no fun.”

“I don’t care if it’s fun or not, it’s what I’m called.”

Ramon shrugged.

“Well tough because Harry’s what I’m going to call you. So suck it.”

Ramon waved over his shoulder as he left the office. Harry dropped into his chair and finally gave into the urge to clutch his burning wrist. It couldn’t be. He refused to believe it. He slid the band off his wrist and looked in disbelief at the red around the edges and slightly raised ‘Harry’. It looked like it had just been tattooed on. He knew what that meant, everyone did. It meant the soulmate bond on his end was sealed and there was no going back. He leaned over and pressed his forehead to his desk top.

Shit.

Fuck.

This couldn’t be happening.

Cisco Ramon could not be his soulmate.

Over the weeks that followed Harry made an effort to stay distanced from Cisco, believing that if he just ignored the situation and removed the unwanted variable he could pretend nothing had changed. If his wrist burned when Cisco smiled or laughed then there was no need to share that information. And against his will he found himself relaxing in the other man’s presence, at ease in a way he hadn’t been in a long time. So when Jesse called him one night and asked how things were going at the University he could answer in all honesty that it was going well. She tried to hide her surprise but he heard it and couldn’t help the stab of hurt he felt. He busied himself with a product he was working on as he continued to talk to her. He mentioned that the workload was eased by the somewhat competent TA he had been assigned. Jesse was intrigued and asked about him. Harry wasn’t sure what he said exactly but Jesse laughed.

“He sounds cute, maybe you could introduce us the next time I’m home.”

A sudden, vicious stab of jealousy and anger tore through Harry. He pulled in a sharp breath and steadied himself. Jesse asked worriedly if he was okay. He assured her he was fine, he’d just shocked himself with a tool. She scolded him for not being more careful and he smiled softly as he reminded her that he was the parent in this situation. She laughed and they talked a little longer before finally saying goodbye. Once he ended the call Harry sat back in his chair and stared ahead. He had been jealous of his own daughter. But why? It was irrational. There was no saying they would even ever meet. He realised he was gripping his wrist and let go, shaking himself and getting back to work.

The next day he was in his college office sorting through papers when Cisco sauntered in. He headed straight for the coffee machine and hummed to himself as he made their coffee. He now knew that Harry preferred to have some moments of silence to prepare for the day and, after putting the other man’s extremely bitter coffee in front of him, would take his own seat and go through his own work until Harry was ready. Harry sighed in aggravation and muttered halfheartedly that he should do academia a service and take a blowtorch to the papers in front of him.

“You’re getting soft in your old age.”

Harry narrowed his eyes at a smiling Cisco.

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that the Harry I met that first day would probably have fed those papers through his shredder by now.”

Harry rolled his eyes and shuffled the pages on his desk.

“Apparently that’s ‘a waste of resources’ and ‘damaging to the environment’.”

Cisco laughed.

“Of course you were reprimanded.”

“Not reprimanded, more like warned in advance.”

Cisco laughed again and Harry fought his own smile. He quickly cleared his throat and sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

“Well, let’s get this over with. What inane pop culture do you feel the need to discuss today?”

The younger man grinned and propped his elbows on the desk.

“So I’ve been continuing my re-watch of Doctor Who…”

Harry raised his eyes to heaven as he rolled up his sleeves and crossed his arms over his chest. He frowned when silence followed and looked to Cisco. The man looked distracted. Harry gestured.

“Well, and?”

Cisco jerked and flushed. He cleared his throat and burst into a speech about the Eleventh Doctor. Harry half listened but from what he could gather the medic in question was a ‘dork with great hair’. Harry bit back a smile as he thought of someone else that fit that description. Eventually he had to interrupt when it was time to head to his first class.

The day went on without anything too eventful happening. He was delayed after one or two classes when students came up to him with questions about the work. When this had first started he replied with barely there patience, but now he found himself content to help his students. Sometimes he’d look up and catch Cisco looking at him with something that seemed like pride but then Cisco would usually make a face at him leading Harry to roll his eyes and turn his attention back to the student. He was held up longer than usual after his last class of the day when a group of students accosted him with ideas for a project. By the time he reached his office he was more than done. He threw his bag on his desk and dropped into his chair with a groan

“I miss the days when they feared me.”

He heard a snort and the sound of the coffee machine working.

“Sure you do.”

“You sound disbelieving Ramon.”

“Maybe because I see how passionate you get with them now. Honestly I think half of them are in love with you.”

There was something strange in his voice and Harry turned his head to frown at him. Cisco just grinned and handed him a blessed cup of coffee. Harry took a life reviving pull from it before noticing that Cisco hadn’t poured himself one. That was unusual. In fact the younger man seemed to be hovering uncertainly by the door. Harry regarded him with some confusion.

“In a hurry to get somewhere?”

Cisco blushed and gripped the strap of his bag.

“Uh, actually, yeah. I have, like, a date?”

Harry felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. He forced himself to take a sip of his drink.

“You sound unsure.”

If possible Cisco bushed even harder.

“No, I mean… it’s definitely a date. She seems nice, I met her in class and… she’s… nice.”

“You already said that.”

Cisco seemed to flounder and Harry waved a hand.

“Very well begone and, I don’t know, paint the town red?”

Cisco laughed.

“Dude you’re so old.”

Harry was convinced he imagined the tone of fondness this was said in. Cisco left with a wave.

“See you tomorrow Harry.”

Harry made a noise of agreement and stared at his cup until he was sure the other man was gone. He let out a shaky breath and dropped his cup to the desk with a clink. There was an agony in his name that pulsed in time with his heart and he gave in to the urge to grip his wrist. If he had been in denial with Jesse then there was no escaping the source now.

I met her in class.

Dude you’re so old.

He grit his teeth and lowered his head. Of course Cisco would never see him as something other than a boring old man. Why would he want to spend time with him when he could spend it with girls his own age? That was why he felt jealous when Jesse mentioned meeting him. He knew she stood more of a chance with Cisco than he ever did. He admitted to himself that he looked forward to his days because they started with Cisco. He loved the easy camaraderie that they had developed, that Cisco always knew what to say whether to force him to face his shit or to try and make him laugh. He loved the way Cisco’s face lit up when he talked about whatever new thing fascinated him. They could also debate for hours, had indeed been hunted from the office by the cleaning staff on more than one occasion. These were the times when it was on the tip of Harry’s tongue to suggest they grab a coffee but he always stopped himself. And Cisco never offered either so Harry figured at least he still had his dignity.

But he wanted… wanted a touch, a brush of fingers or lips, to know the taste of Cisco’s laughter and what it would take to have him look at Harry the way Harry knew he looked at him.

He wanted.

And wanted.

And that was all he would ever have.

Wanting.

By the time Harry made it to his office the next day he was feeling more composed. He had had a talk with himself the night before and come to the conclusion that he could be content with what he had now. He was happy to have any part of Cisco, even if it could only be professional. Harry had barely made it three steps into his office before he was glaring. Why was it so god damn hot? Unfortunately Cisco wasn’t there yet so he had to search out the information himself. One curt phone call later and he was informed that the heating was broken in a number of the offices and that maintenance was working on it. Harry ended the call in annoyance before opening all the windows in the room. It was still intolerably hot so he shucked off his jacket, undid the top two buttons of his black shirt and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. He then weighed up his options but ultimately decided he couldn’t do without his coffee so he compromised by drinking it standing against the windows while he looked through work.

He was eventually jerked out of his concentration by a choking sound. He looked up to see a wide eyed Cisco standing in his doorway.

“What are you wearing?!”

Harry frowned in confusion and looked down at himself.

“The same thing I always wear?”

Cisco gestured.

“But, you’re-”

He cut himself off as if he had clearly explained himself. Harry’s eyebrows crept up and they just stared at each other. Eventually Cisco threw up his arms and entered the office.

“Fine, be like that!”

Harry nodded in complete confusion and went back to his work. He could hear Cisco getting his drink and decided to cause himself some agony by nonchalantly asking him:

“So how did the date go?”

Harry looked up again at the sound of a cup being knocked over and watched as Cisco flushed and moved it upright.

“It was fine.”

“Just fine?”

Cisco shrugged.

“Yeah. Turns out we don’t really have a lot in common so I doubt there’ll be another one.”

Harry nodded in what he hoped was a sympathetic manner while inside he celebrated as if he had won a Nobel Prize.

“Why the hell is it so hot in here?”

Harry deadpanned.

“Me.”

Cisco promptly choked on his coffee and Harry hid a grin in his. Cisco tried to control his laughing so he could breathe and when he calmed down he couldn’t contain the mischief on his face.

“If you’re not careful word’ll get out you have a sense of humor and then people definitely won’t be afraid of you any more.”

“Heaven forbid.”

Cisco snorted into his coffee. Harry tossed the work on his desk and leaned against the window.

“So. Pop culture.”

Cisco needed no further prompting and launched into a rundown of the latest Doctor Who episodes he’d watched. Harry hoped he was hiding the fondness he felt. They stayed like that for a little while before Harry reluctantly indicated that they had to go to class. He grabbed his bag and made his way to the door.

“Aren’t you going to put on your jacket?”

Harry frowned at the slightly strangled way the question was asked and shrugged.

“I’ll be coming and going all day so there’s no point. Now come on, I’m not going to be late to my class.”

After that slightly strange start to the day it just continued to get weirder. There was a strange atmosphere in some of his classes with some students hyper focused and some oddly unfocused. He also had more students approach him after his classes and thus found himself running slightly behind. By the time he reached the sanctuary of his office at the end of the day he was completely baffled. Cisco seemed to take pity on him and offered to spike his coffee. Harry gave him an amused look but couldn’t help noticing he’d been on edge all day as well. He was just about to question him when there was a knock at his door. He looked up to see a young woman smiling at him, he recognized her from one of his classes.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“Hi Dr. Wells, I was working on that extra credit paper you offered and I’m embarrassed to admit I’m stuck. Would you be able to give me some private time to discuss it?”

She bit her lip shyly and Harry nearly let out a sigh of relief. Finally something normal he could deal with.

“Of cour-”

“Sorry his office hours are over, guess you’ll have to come back another day!”

With that Cisco all but slammed the door in the poor girls face. He then threw himself into his chair and continued drinking his coffee while Harry looked at him in disbelief.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Cisco smiled at him but the was an edge to it.

“What? Your office hours are over and you’re the one who said you have to stand by them so you don’t play favourites.”

Harry had to admit he had said that. But-

“It’s just unusual for you to be the rude one.”

Cisco just hmm-ed and shrugged.

“She can always come back when the heating’s fixed.”

Harry was officially lost.

“What in gods name does the heating have to do with it?”

There was a pause.

“I just thought she might be uncomfortable in the heat is all.”

Harry supposed that made sense. He couldn’t help feeling there was something else going on but at that point he was tired and annoyed and just wanted to go home. He sighed.

“I think it’s time we both called it a day.”

“Really?”

“I think we’ve both done more than enough today.”

“Nice! There’s a Star Wars marathon on tonight and if I rush home I should make it in time.”

Harry shook his head fondly. A nerd with great hair indeed. That gave him an idea for a little fun. As he packed his bag he bid Cisco goodbye.

“Until tomorrow Eleven.”

He was pleased with himself until he realised that there was dead silence in his office. He frowned, had Cisco already left? He looked up from his bag to see an ashen faced Cisco standing on the other side of his desk. He panicked, wondering what was wrong, until the younger man whispered.

“What did you call me?”

Harry worried he’d insulted him.

“It was a joke, I thought you’d find it funny.”

“Funny.”

“Yes, it’s just like a nickname, or a-”

That was the moment Harry realised what had happened. He paled and abortively moved to grab his own wrist but Cisco caught the movement and understanding flooded his face. He took a step back.

“Cisco-”

“No.”

With that he yanked open the door and fled the office. Harry sank down into his chair and stared at the empty doorway.

No.

It was always going to end this way.

The next day rolled around and there was no sign of Cisco. Harry had a brief email stating he wasn’t feeling well and would be out for the rest of the week. It was only Wednesday. Harry sighed and decided not to reply, he figured Cisco would prefer that. Harry prepared for the day and went through his classes on autopilot constantly aware that there was something missing. The next day continued on in much the same way and by the time he was back in his office after his last class he was frustrated with himself. He made himself a coffee and sat down at his desk. He worked through the situation in his mind as he drank.

He was not some preteen heartbroken their crush didn’t like them back, he was a grown man. Did his wrist throb and his heart ache when he remembered the expression on Cisco’s face when he left? Yes but that was something that he was just going to have to start learning to ignore. If Cisco came back Harry would explain to him that he expected nothing and that he was happy to just continue as they have been, friendly colleagues. Harry’s heart rebelled but he squashed that down. He would rather have some of Cisco than nothing. A sharp nod to himself he set his cup aside and focused on grading papers.

Harry had never been happier for Friday. When he finished for the day he packed his bag and made his way home intent on burying himself in his own work for the weekend, only resurfacing when he reluctantly had to do college work. However that was stalled when just as he entered his house his phone rang. He half sighed and half growled at the intrusion but brightened slightly when he saw Jesse’s name.

“You finally remembered you have a father then?”

He could practically hear the eye roll.

“Hi dad.”

He smiled.

“Hi sweetheart, how’s college going?”

He put the phone on speaker and left it on the kitchen counter as he dropped his bag on it before making his way to the fridge.

“It’s great! I still love my classes oh, and I went to a chess boxing match a couple of days ago.”

“A chess boxing match.”

“Yeah it was awesome!”

“Whatever you say.”

“Also…”

Harry frowned and turned to the phone as she trailed off.

“What?”

“Okay so don’t go all overprotective but I may be seeing someone?”

Harry glared at the phone.

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I am, we’ve been dating for about a month and I really like him. His name’s Wally and he’s a really great guy, I think you’d like him.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“He’s smart and you’re smart, and he treats me well.”

“Does he care about you?”

“Yeah he does.”

A pause.

“Fine, I’ll allow it.”

“Wasn’t really asking for permission but thanks. Honestly you’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would.”

Harry closed the fridge door deciding this was a coffee conversation, and sighed.

“Love is complicated enough without me making it harder for you.”

Jesse laughed.

“Why, have you got a big romance going on I don’t know about?”

Harry froze and paused just a little too long.

“Oh my god you do! Are you serious? Who is it?!”

Harry shelved the coffee idea, this called for something a lot stronger.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No, I know you and I know when you’re trying to deflect. Is it serious? Is it casual? Oh god please don’t tell me it’s a friends with benefits situation because you’re my dad and there’s some things a daughter should never know.”

Harry swallowed a mouthful of scotch and debated with himself. In the end he decided that if he didn’t tell someone he was going to go crazy.

“I met my soulmate.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“We both said each others names.”

“Wow, that’s… wow. And is it a good thing? How long have you known?”

She sounded cautious and curious. Harry sighed.

“He said my name some time ago but I didn’t tell him. I said his name a couple of days ago and haven’t seen him since.”

“Him?”

“Yes. My TA.”

“Well you were never one to take the easy route.”

Harry huffed a laugh and stared into his glass. There was another pause in the conversation and Harry eventually spoke up.

“Does this bother you?”

“What?”

“Knowing that my soulmate is male and so much younger than me.”

“Of course not! Age is just a number and I would be disappointed in you if you think him being a guy would bother me.”

Harry let out a quiet breath of relief.

“I’m happy for you, you don’t deserve to be alone, you deserve all the love in the universe.”

She sounded fierce and Harry swallowed back his emotion.

“Well I don’t think he agrees with you.”

“What? Why?”

“I said his name on Tuesday and aside from an email claiming he’s sick I haven’t heard from him. He fled the room when he realised.”

“That nerf-herder!”

That jerked a laugh out of him. There was a brief bout of colourful swearing that Harry vaguely thought he should reprimand her for.

“Maybe he just needs time to absorb it.”

Harry swallowed.

“You didn’t see his face.”

“Motherfracker.”

“I would have stopped you watching science fiction years ago if I’d known you were just using it to pick up swear words.”

“Well it’s too late now.”

Harry laughed.

“That it is.”

There was a lull in the conversation.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

A sigh.

“If he comes back to work with me I’ll tell him I don’t expect anything from him other than professional civility. If we can get back to what we had then I’ll be happy. If not I’ll be content with what I can get.”

“But that’s not fair to you.”

Harry shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“But-”

“It’s my decision Jesse and that’s that.”

Jesse made a sound that managed to convey exactly what she thought about that and Harry rolled his eyes. She really did pick up some of his worst habits.

The next week dawned and Harry faced it with some trepidation. He spent the morning getting ready and trying to prepare himself for each logical conclusion he may face in the coming hours. Of course this mean that by the time he was on the campus grounds he was already facing mental exhaustion. He shook himself with a frown and reiterated to himself that he was a grown man that would be content no matter the outcome. A brief nod settled him as he strode towards the entrance.

“Excuse me, Dr. Wells!”

He froze. He knew that voice. He spun around just in time for his daughter to throw her arms around his neck with a laugh. His laugh was partly shock.

“Jesse? What are you doing here?”

“You know the welcome could be warmer.”

He grinned and crushed her to him. She gripped him back and he hadn’t realised until just then how much he had missed this. She pulled away and dropped down with a big smile on her face. Harry found himself more emotional than usual and bent his head to press a kiss to the top of hers. He leaned back to look at her.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? Don’t you have class?”

She shrugged

“I have a friend taking notes so I’m not missing anything. And it kinda felt like being here was more important.”

She looked at him and he could see the sad tinge to her smile and knew that it was his dilemma that had prompted her unannounced arrival. His expression softened.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Hey what are daughters for?”

He smiled down at her but it turned rueful.

“As happy as I am I still have classes today so I can’t show you around.”

She perked up.

“I thought you’d say that, which is why I have a map of the campus on my phone and a desire to explore. How about I meet you after your last class?”

He would have to stop smiling before word got around. He did have a reputation to uphold.

“Sounds good. I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“Awesome. Now go in there and blow some minds!”

She gave him a quick peck on the the cheek and sped off to god only knew where. Harry shook his head fondly and made his way into the building. He was thinking about what he and Jesse could do later as he approached his office. He froze. Cisco was sitting in his usual spot. Harry pulled on his professional air and entered the space, dropping his bag on the desk and turning to make himself a cup of coffee. Cup in hand he took his seat and started to go through the process of preparing for the day. He could hear the other man drink his coffee but said nothing. His pettiness had won out over logical thought and decided that Cisco could be the one to talk first since he had been so keen to avoid it. When it was time to head for his first class he grabbed what he needed and left. Cisco followed him in silence.

That’s how the day continued, silence reigning between them. The few times Harry had caught a look at Cisco had left him in confusion. The younger man looked angry where as Harry had expected him to look disgusted or uneasy. He couldn’t figure out what the other man was thinking and that bothered him. Whenever they were alone Cisco would avoid eye contact and frankly Harry was becoming pissed off himself. By the time they reached his office at the end of the day Harry was more than ready to leave. He sat at his desk to unpack and pulled out his phone to see where Jesse was.

“So that’s it? We’re just not going to talk about it?”

Harry kept a blank expression in the face of Cisco’s anger.

“Talk about what?”

He was angry, so sue him. Cisco turned and slam the door shut before facing Harry again.

“Maybe the fact that we’re fucking soulmates!”

Harry leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

“We could have talked about it sooner but you were ‘sick’.”

Cisco almost imperceptibly flinched.

“I’ve been here, everyday, willing to talk about it but you weren’t, so you don’t get to throw a tantrum because things aren’t going your way.”

Cisco looked at him in disbelief.

“A tantrum. That’s what you think is going on here?”

Harry looked back, unimpressed. Cisco ground out his next words.

“I needed space you ass, I needed to deal with something as mind altering as finding my god damn soulmate!”

“And I don’t suppose it matters what I think at all.”

Cisco glowered at him.

“Oh I think we both know what you think about it.”

There was a brief look of hurt on the other mans face that had Harry feeling as if he was missing something. He frowned.

“What-”

Cisco threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Do you know what it feels like for someone like me to be tied to someone like you?”

Harry’s mind blanked. He didn’t know what expression he was making but it had made Cisco pause mid-rant. Harry stood up and put what he needed in his bag, doing it all on autopilot. He shouldered his bag and faced Cisco.

“Well if that’s how you feel I guess we don’t have much more to say. If you’ll excuse me.”

He made to move past Cisco but the shorter man blocked him.

“What do you mean if that’s how I feel?”

“I mean you’ve made how you feel for me clear and I won’t force my presence on you longer than necessary.”

Again Cisco blocked him. Harry glared, why wouldn’t he do them both a favour and let him leave. Cisco was clearly working through something in his head because suddenly he looked horrified. He threw his hands up in front of Harry to keep him in place.

“No, fuck- no I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Cisco, it’s fine, just let me leave and we can figure this out tomorrow. I have to meet someone so just…”

He made a waving gesture to indicate that Cisco should get out. Of the god damn. Way. But Cisco’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

“Who’re you meeting?”

Harry frowned at the change of subject.

“What?”

“I said, who are you meeting?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your-”

“It’s her isn’t it? The girl that was hanging all over you this morning.”

Eyes narrowed.

“Choose your next words wisely Ramon.”

“I wasn’t even gone a week, you couldn’t have waited? Or was she there all along, was she the reason you didn’t want me to know?”

Harry was now officially baffled.

“Cisco I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Cisco spat out angry words.

“Do you know what it’s like to find out that the scientist your classmates in college legitimately had an altar to in their dorm room, that guy is your soulmate? Or how about finding out that the guy who’s sex in a black suit, who likes coffee so bitter he might as well chew the beans, who hides a wicked sense of humor, or who’s the most passionate man you’ve ever met, that guy is your soulmate. That somehow the universe has fucked up so colossally that they saddle him with you. And that moment when he says your name and the world goes off kilter, because you realize he already knew. And he hid it from you and you have no idea for how long so you run. And maybe you hole up in your apartment like a coward just trying to process. But then you’re in front on the college after agonizing for days only to see him wrapped around another woman, smiling at her the way you thought he only smiled at you and you realize. Maybe he never wanted me. Do you know what that’s like?”

Harry was dumbfounded. He tried to figure out what to say but he was waiting too long and Cisco’s shoulders started to droop. He pulled up a shaky smile and stepped to one side.

“Sorry man, I shouldn’t have dumped that on you. I know- it’s fine. It’s fine. You can go and tomorrow I’ll get them to set you up with a new TA and neither of us will ever have to relive this mortifying situation again. Okay?”

Harry was just staring at him. How did he not understand? Cisco’s smile dropped.

“You know what, this is your office so I’ll just…”

He grabbed the door handle.

“3.”

Cisco turned in confusion.

“What?”

Harry set his bag back down on the desk and took a step towards Cisco.

“There are three people in my life I’ve ever loved. My wife, my daughter, and you.”

Cisco’s hand dropped from the handle and he stared at Harry in confusion.

“What’re you-”

“The reason I didn’t tell you was because I thought you would be so horrified at having me as a soulmate that you would quit and then I would be left without you. Because even before I loved you I couldn’t stand the thought of going through a day without you. You make me feel like I can be more than the parameters I’ve set for myself. With you I find the balance that always eluded me. I don’t think the universe fucked up because honestly I can’t imagine any better outcome in my life. And if you’ll have me, I’ll be yours.”

They had slowly been gravitating towards each other as he spoke, an invisible tether pulled taut. Cisco tentatively reached out and placed his hand over Harry’s heart which he knew was beating like a hummingbirds. Harry brushed Cisco’s hair behind his ear as they took the final step to close the gap between them. Cisco looked up with a slightly cheeky grin.

“So you’ll be mine?”

“I already have been and will continue to be if you want.”

Cisco lifted onto his toes.

“I want.”

The words were whispered as lips met lips. It was a slow exploration, teeth, and lips, and tongues melding and clashing. Mapping out places no longer denied. They stayed that way for seconds, for infinities. By the time they were satisfied Cisco’s hair was a disaster and Harry’s shirt was a creased mess but their soft smiles didn’t care. Cisco pressed up for a brief kiss and smiled up at him.

“Hi Harry.”

Harry felt a slight pulse in his wrist and leaned down to return the kiss.

“Hello Eleven.”

Cisco laughed and Harry knew he felt it too, the finally settled rightness. They were content in their bubble until Harry’s phone vibrated multiple times in a row. He glared at the offending item and grabbed it, checking the screen with a groan. He fired a quick text back and turned to a curious Cisco.

“So how would you feel about meeting my daughter?”

The other man raised his eyebrows.

“Your daughter? Isn’t she in college in another state?”

“Yes but she came down to surprise me. You saw her hugging me this morning.”

It took a second for the meaning to sink in and the Cisco turned bright red. He buried his face in his hands.

“Oh god I have never been this embarrassed in my entire life and that includes the time I accidentally flashed the school assembly.”

“We’ll have to talk about that over coffee.”

“Can’t, sorry, I have throw myself out the window.”

Harry huffed a quiet laugh and grabbed his bag before taking Cisco’s hands in his own and meeting his eyes.

“If I’m honest, had the roles had been reversed I would have had the same reaction.”

“Not true. You would’ve been way meaner.”

Harry grinned.

“True. So, coffee with Jesse?”

Cisco let out a breath and rolled his neck.

“Sure, let’s do this.”

“You’re going for coffee not heading into war.”

“They kinda look like the same thing not gonna lie. Just promise me you’ll step in before I embarrass myself.”

Harry smiled as he took his hand, leading him out of the office.

“As you wish.”