#westvibe fake dating

[fauxsciencedork]

Hi people hi. 

In honor of the day, enclosed is a scene from Something in My Heart that is part of the next chapter if that chapter every gets finished. (I literally have like 10k more written, right through to the end, but with so many skips and filler scenes that I haven’t written that it just isn’t a done story yet. It’s annoying.)

ANYway here’s Cisco and Joe having some fun. 

“It’s six o’clock on a weekday, I am forty...” His eyes narrowed at Cisco. “...something years old...”

Cisco laughed, muffling it less than subtly.

Joe’s mouth twitched. “And I’m not the kind of man who dances around his living room to no music, even when I don’t expect my kids to be home any minute.”

“Ohh. No music. I see the problem.” Cisco grinned and grabbed his phone, tugging it from his pocket. “Luckily I never go anywhere without music.” He pulled up his playlists and sorted through, sneaking a glance up at Joe. “Now. What does a Joe West dance to?”

Joe couldn’t hide his amusement, though he planted himself more firmly on the couch, folding his arms over his chest. His eyebrow rose artfully as Cisco studied him.

A challenge. Excellent. Cisco stopped on a song, considered, slid down to another one and beamed at the screen. “Okay, this one’s a no-brainer, but I’m gonna play it anyway because I like an easy win.”

“No jazz, no blues. No fair using your knowledge against me.”

“Pfft, like anyone’s gonna shake their ass to the blues.” Cisco raised the volume on his phone and hit the screen with a grin.

Joe’s eyes went wide as soon as he heard the first notes. “Oh, that’s bordering on stereotype.”

“Maybe, but you’re still gonna dance to it.”

The sound on his phone’s speaker was amazing, which was one reason he shelled out money he didn’t have for it. By the time the lyrics started - “Do you remember/the twenty-first night of September...” - Joe was already moving his head to the beat.

Cisco grinned and came in, setting the phone on the coffee table and holding out a hand. He got his hips moving at the same time, singing along quietly.

“Come ooooon,” he coaxed, sliding closer to the couch and making grabby hands at Joe. “You know you wanna. ‘As we danced in the niiiiight, remembah...”

Of course Joe wasn’t really going to hold out. Cisco knew that much about him by now. Underneath his stern dad-cop act Joe loved to cut loose, even if only in small everyday ways. Cisco considered it a duty and an honor these days to assist him with that as often as possible.

So he didn’t gloat (much...out loud) when Joe sighed and reached out and clasped his hand, and let Cisco pull him up. He just grinned and danced backwards to give him room.

Joe shook his head even as he took up the dance, all shoulders and elbows and snapping fingers. He even started singing along with Cisco, and they did their best to drown out the phone entirely.

“I knew you were about this,” Cisco said after the chorus, twirling backwards and nearly running back into the coffee table.

Joe huffed a laugh, reaching out to steady him. “I’ve forgotten more about this song--”

“--than I will ever know, yeah yeah.”

Joe’s steadying hand slid down Cisco’s arm and gripped his hand. “Come on, junior, show me what you think you know.”

Cisco moved in closer obligingly, trying not to grin too big. “You think I can’t boogie?”

“I’ve heard stories about you on a dance floor, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I see I have something to talk to Iris about during our next coffee date.”

“My daughter is a journalist, she’s very accurate in her reporting.” Joe tugged at Cisco’s arm, pulling it up.

Cisco twirled in under his arm, and broke away with a laugh. “My cabbage patch is legendary, for the record.”

“Noted, but wrong decade for this song.”

“Oh, you want some seventies?” He backed up and busted out some moves.

Joe laughed. “I can’t tell if Iris was right or not. What the hell do you know about some bus stop?”

“A lot. Because, one: I’m awesome.”

“Is there a two? Get back here.” He held out a hand.

Cisco danced back to him. “Doesn’t need to be a two. One covers it.”

“Uh huh. I bet you learned that just to impress me.”

“Nah, I would’ve thought that was before your time. Anyway my Youtube search history is regularly deleted, so. Try proving it.”

“It was before my time.” Joe chuckled, pulling him in close, arm staying at his waist as he danced. “And I’m a cop, I have access to computer forensics guys.”

“But I’m the guy your forensics department calls for tech support, so.” Cisco moved in closer than he probably had to, but what the hell. It was just more comfortable these days to be closer.

He grinned up at Joe, shimmying his hips a little smugly.

Joe grinned right back down at him, looking loose and happy. “That’s probably true. I guess we’re at a stalemate.”

They were almost up against the dining room table by then, as the chorus rang out for the third time. Joe tugged Cisco’s arm up again to twirl him.

He spotted what he thought was movement near the front door, but was laughing too hard as he spun to put it together.

At least for a second, until the applause started.

Joe’s hand clenched for a moment, like he was fighting the urge to drop Cisco’s, or grab him harder, hard to tell which. He stopped moving, though, peering over at the doorway before looking back at Cisco.

“Oops. You called it, look at that.” Cisco grinned, though he felt his face heating up as he buried his face against Joe’s shirt.

Joe chuckled, arm coming around his shoulder as he spoke over his head. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Get in here before I decide it’s chore night.”

“Hey, no, no laughing.” Wally spoke first as the West and West-Adjacent kids - all three of them, all there at the same time, what were the odds? - thudded down to the living room. “You got moves, I’m impressed.”

“Which one of us?” Joe patted Cisco’s arm as he moved off to greet his kids.

Iris moved down past him, approaching Cisco with eyebrows raised. “Nice timing. Did you hear us coming or something?” she murmured, hugging him lightly.

“Nope.” He tried not to notice the surprise in her eyes as she pulled back. He shrugged. “Joe just looks like a dude who needs to dance more.”

“I agree.” She smiled after a moment, bright and warm. She squeezed Cisco’s arm. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She went over to hug her dad, and Barry took her place, grinning much too broadly as he pulled Cisco in with a quick five. “I almost got my phone out, but Iris stopped me.”

“Pssht. You think I’m embarrassed? Put us on YouTube, we’ll be famous.” Cisco made a mental note to pay for her coffee next time. “You’re cool with me being here, right?”

“Of course.” Barry shrugged, looking sincere. “Though walking into this living room with that music playing gave me flashbacks to getting woken up early Saturday mornings. I can practically smell the Pine Sol.”

Cisco laughed. “Fabuloso, but I feel ya either way.”

Barry leaned in a little, his gaze going towards Joe. “I told Joe the other day that now that I know about you two I can’t believe I ever didn’t see it. You’re the only person outside of his kids who can make him look that happy.”

Cisco threw an arm around his shoulder, feeling and accepting and then ignoring a spark of guilt. “Luckily since you’re not formally a West you won’t have to call me Dad when it becomes official.”

Barry burst into laughter, and then just as suddenly choked it off. His eyes went wide. “Wait, is that...a thing? That might happen? What official? Official...what?”

Cisco grinned. “Just a joke, man, breathe.”