Hartley and Cisco saw hundreds of people, all running in opposing directions and hitting each other on the way to wherever it was they were going. They let go of each others' hands and began trying to calm people down. Hartley grabbed a man who was trying to run over another man, and kept him at bay while Cisco made sure the one on the floor was doing okay. Suddenly Hartley felt like he had been hit with a battering ram. As he fell on the floor, he noticed from the corner of his eye that the cause of his fall was a large man that looked big enough to be a metahuman. Fortunately the giant didn't step on his head, but walked over him and started chasing the crowd while making a loud sound that sounded like a mix of growling and whistling. "Hart!" Cisco yelled, and started helping him up. Hartley got up, and for a moment he could only think about Cisco's hands around him. He glanced at Cisco's worried expression and, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm alright", he assured him after he leaned back.

Cisco seemed surprised, but smiled. "Okay, we have to let Barry know we have a giant running amok." He touched his ear piece and relayed the message to Barry. He then looked at Hartley. "How are we going to get these people to calm down if we have a giant here?"

Hartley shrugged. "Well, technically we need to evacuate the building, and now that the giant showed up, everyone is trying to leave, so all we need to do is make sure people don't get trampled. By the giant, or other people."

Cisco shrugged too, and they decided to go in different directions in order to cover more ground. Hartley went to the left of the hall, and Cisco to the right.

Hartley met a huge number of people trying to flee, but they were stopped from doing so by a door that was apparently locked. The thieves had jammed the doors to the fire escape so the people they were trying to rob wouldn't leave. That didn't stop the crowd from pushing against the door. "Let me through!" Hartley found himself shouting. People turned around to look at him, and he was suddenly flustered. How was he going to help anyone? Then he noticed a coat stand next to him. He grabbed it, and motioned people to move out of the way. Then he closed his eyes, and ran to the door and pushed the stand against the door as hard as he could. He opened his eyes. The door seemed unharmed. The crowd seemed nervous. Hartley walked back to his starting point, closed his eyes again, and tried again. This time, the glass parts of the door finally gave in and he heard a loud crash as the glass split into small shards. He opened his eyes, and set the coat stand to his side, and reached through the door to open the door from the other side. Immediately after the door opened, people started running through, not caring much whether they pushed against him on their way. You're welcome, he thought. He figured the best way to avoid getting hurt was to go with the crowd, and not against it. So, he walked forward, and after finding himself on the other side of the door, he took a right and hid behind the open door. It took maybe two minutes, but finally all the people had managed to run through the door and into the fire escape. He turned around and went back in to find Cisco.

Cisco was staring at the metahuman infront of him. He thought he had managed to blend in with the crowd, but then all of them started running in one distinct direction, and he was perplexed over the reason why they all suddenly decided to run towards that one door, specifically. After the crowd dispersed, all that was left was him, and the metahuman clearly in charge of the raid.

"Barry!" He shouted, hoping that his friend was listening to his ear piece. He waited a moment, but no Flash.

The metahuman, whose skin was glowing red, took a few steps towards him. "Wait! I'm warning you. If you harm me, the Flash will come and save me, and you're in for a world of hurt."

The metahuman smiled. He walked up to him, and grabbed Cisco by the neck. He found it difficult to breath as the man began closing his grip around his neck. He gasped for air and tried to fight, to hurt the other man, to hit him, scratch his arms. It didn't help. He could feel himself losing consciousness.

Suddenly the grip loosened, and he fell on the floor, free to breath. He coughed and laid his own hand on his neck, fearing another attack. When he looked up, he saw Barry who had tied the meta's hands with rope, and came to check his condition. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Was that the last one?"

"There's one left. Are you going to be okay?"

Cisco's breathing was starting to calm down. "Sure. Go."

Barry hesitated. Then he saw something behind Cisco. "Take care of him. I have to go take out the other one." Then he wooshed away.

Cisco turned to see Hartley kneeling down next to him. Hartley reached out and laid his right hand behind his neck and caressed the red marks left by the meta strangling him. Hartley looked at him tentatively, seemingly wondering what to do next.

Cisco nodded, trying to indicate to Hartley that he was fine.

Hartley blinked, seeming to accept the gesture. He leaned in, then hesitated, but after Cisco leaned in as well, he planted a lingering kiss on one of the red marks on his neck. He suddenly felt shy.

After Hartley leaned back, he shifted his position and sat down, and laid his left arm under his back, so he was in Hartley's arms, leaning back and looking up at Hartley.

Hartley reached out again, and trailed the red marks on his neck with his mouth, planting more kisses on his skin as he closed his eyes and stretched his neck further up, to expose his neck and make it easier for Hartley to kiss it. He felt such joy, such a feeling of being loved that he hadn't felt in a long time, perhaps never.

He noted that Hartley was starting to plant kisses on his jaw, on his cheek, and was nearing his mouth. He placed his hand on Hartley's cheek, and so when Hartley shyly reached his lips, he leaned in and pulled Hartley further in. Hartley gently bit his lower lip, and then tilted his head so he could kiss him wholeheartedly, and Cisco returned the gesture most enthusiastically.

He felt the floor under him as Hartley laid him down on it and then hovered over him, never breaking the kiss.

He wrapped his arms around Hartley's neck and enjoyed the kisses he planted on him.

Suddenly they heard a voice.

"Cisco? We need you at the entrance. Is Hartley there? Come over here", Joe demanded in the ear piece.

Cisco and Hartley's lips parted, and looked at each other awkwardly. "Yeah, Joe, we're on our way", Cisco replied, blushing a little. Hartley's head was leaning against his head, and Cisco felt rather than heard his chuckle.

Hartley got up and reached out his arm to pull Cisco up. They smiled at each other and started running towards the entrance where their friends were waiting for them.