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[franciscoramon]

ID: goodvibrations

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[causational]

[There's a bit of a delay before the next text comes - it's a lot to process, and some part of him can tell from the way Cisco is phrasing things, the way he's talking around what actually happened when the time remnant came that he's not exactly telling him the whole story. Even with only part of the story, though, Eddie's feeling tentative, a little stung that Cisco hadn't mentioned it before, even though he can clearly see why.

He's not sure if Cisco didn't tell him because it's true that Eobard is still a threat, that what he did is for nothing because a time remnant can come back at any time and...and do what?]

why didn't you tell me this sooner?

[franciscoramon]

[ He didn't think he was going to get out of this that easy. Cisco suddenly wishes they weren't doing this over text, wonders if he should just pick up and go to Eddie's apartment. He texts back as he's getting dressed. ]

it's not like there's one big reason, more like a bunch of little ones

partly i just forgot to. it was months ago and there's been a lot of other intervening stuff that felt more important

also because i don't really understand any of it or how it happened or why, and i hate that i can't wrap my mind around it

also because i don't actually remember lots of it that well 'cause we messed with the timeline and then i kinda almost died and or got erased from existence and just sort of woke up when it was over

also because it was scary and i don't like talking about it

also because i was pretty sure it would depress you and i didn't want to make you sad if i didn't have to

[ He doesn't want to add that last reason. But it's the truth, and he thinks Eddie would be able to tell if he was holding it back. ]

[causational]

[For a moment, the rest of it falls away, and only one part of that sticks out.

'I kinda almost died and/or got erased from existence.'

Suddenly he's breathing too fast and too hard and his heart is pounding and he can feel the heat in his cheeks and if Barry wasn't coming over right now, he'd be going to Cisco, and he's not sure if he'd be hugging him or yelling at him or both.]

you almost died?! why didn't you TELL me?

[He shoots it off almost without thinking, and then a few moments later, he texts again.]

I'm sorry.

I shouldn't be angry at you. I understand why you didn't tell me. It just caught me off guard when he said Eobard is still a threat.

He almost killed you again, Cisco.

I need to do something about this.

[franciscoramon]

[ Well, good, this is going just great. Eddie saying he 'shouldn't' be angry of course means that he is, and is struggling against that. Cisco supposes that he deserves it, even if technically he hadn't ever lied. But omission was almost the same thing and he probably should've brought it up before he was forced to. ]

i told you by the time i was back here it had been months it wasn't really on my mind

and it wasn't like that

ME AND BARRY almost killed me because we were still so angry at him that we said screw the consequences and threw him in the pipeline even though harry told us it would screw things up. we messed with stuff we didn't understand, but barry fixed it and i was fine and there was no lasting damage.

no, you really don't, eddie

[causational]

[It's not anger, exactly. Not at Cisco, at least. That's just a feeling of being stung, a little. Stung that Cisco hadn't told him, even though he knows all the reasons. The anger is at Eobard, for somehow finding a way to come back, to hurt the people he cares about again, despite everything he'd done. Everything he'd given up.]

Almost dying wasn't on your mind?

Oh my god.

Of course you were angry at him. He's an asshole! He can't just keep doing this. And no, I'm not going to blame you and Barry, this is on HIM. It always will be on him.

I'm going to kill him.

[franciscoramon]

babe, i've almost died like a LOT of times doing team flash stuff.

just slow your roll a minute i'm coming over right now and we'll talk about this

i'm not gonna say no to killing him but the moral of that whole damn story i just told you is we gotta be sure we're careful or we could end up hurting ourselves and the people around us more while he stays perfectly fine. neither of us want that.

[causational]

That doesn't make it okay, Cisco. It's never going to be okay.

[He could tell him that Barry is coming over. He probably should. Warn him off, at least until later. But in his mind, this is more important, and he needs to see Cisco right now. The feelings are conflicting, his stomach is clenching and it's selfish, but he just doesn't mention it.]

I guess you're right.

I just feel like everything I gave up was for nothing. You still almost died.

[franciscoramon]

it wasn't for nothing. and it's not lost forever, remember?

i'm sorry i didn't tell you about the time remnant earlier
the whole incident was so scary and confusing, it was easier for me to just try to forget any of it ever happened.
i didn't mean to lie

are you gonna be okay?

[causational]

I know.

And I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Eobard. I'm mad that it happened.
I know you didn't mean to lie. And I know you're going to make it so I can live again.

I'm gonna be okay. I want to see you.

[A moment later, and he follows up with another text.]

Barry is coming to the apartment. But I still really want to see you.

[zethir]

Always do ;)

And selfish is okay. I mean, rationally speaking I'd never wish this on another person. On the other hand I would love it forever if there was even just one other person here who was from Askoupur. Or even just knew of it.

At least you're selfish for reasons that have something to do with the well-being of your friend and his health/happiness/not being killed?

[franciscoramon]

[ As soon as he got hold of the wrench (he totally saw that, Harry), Cisco ducked his entire torso under the sink and was going to just set about repairing things while teasing Harry or chatting about other stuff. But then Harry says it isn't so simple, and Cisco actually feels a pang of remorse. If it were Joe, or Eddie, or Singh, or whoever who didn't know how to do something, he wouldn't be making fun (okay, maybe a very little). He would be explaining, finding a way to help them understand, trying to make it less daunting.

He doesn't owe Harry any less. Just because he's a genius and a CEO and one of the smartest guys Cisco's ever met doesn't mean that he deserves to be mocked when there is something he hasn't learned yet. ]

Get down here, I'ma show you how. So you don't have to call me next time.

[ He adds that last bit, in case Harry gets any ideas about refusing because he is stubborn and proud ]

[franciscoramon]

i was pretty mad when it happened, too.
we managed to get the jump on him before he could do much of anything because i vibed that he was around. bet you can guess how fun that was.

[ Cisco finishes pulling on clothes and texts as he's on his way through the door. ]

i'm coming over.
if i get there before barry i'm gonna hug you a lot.
(if i get there after him i'm still gonna hug you a lot)

[franciscoramon]

yeah i honestly don't know how you do it. if i had shown up and there was no one here i knew... i probably would've been terrified. but you were so chill right from the start.

well, it's actually debatable if he's safer here or there. hard to say.

anyway you should definitely get to know him. he's amazing.

[breacher]

[ Harrison lets out a muted huff but steps back over, stooping down. He snatches up the flashlight that had been sitting on the counter nearby and shines it in, aiming up so it isn't going right at Cisco's eyes. ]

So I don't have to call you, huh.

[ It's a soft murmur. They've gone back and forth over a number of projects, teaching each other small things here and there. Harrison would be lying if he said he'd never picked up anything from watching Cisco at work. But this is different.

He used to know how to get by and cobble something together out of nothing, before everything changed. ]

Watch your head.

[causational]

At least you kept him from doing serious damage, and in the end, you were okay. That's something.

[And he might be thinking it, but he isn't going to say it - that Cisco's ability was useful and good and helped a lot. Maybe he'll put that thought into words later, but he can't find the right ones right now, words that will let him express that without hurting Cisco.]

Thank you. I really, really need the hugs.

He doesn't remember, though. None of it. So we're going to have to tell him about us again.

[franciscoramon]

it is something.

you're just in luck then cuz i have a near infinite supply

i guessed. i can do the honors if you want. i figure... he was cool with it once he'll be cool with it a second time.

[causational]

I'm so glad you're safe. I'm worrying about you in retrospect now.

You know what? I'm lucky to have a boyfriend like you. As kind and intelligent and creative and gorgeous as you.

It's up to you. If you don't feel up to it, I can.

[franciscoramon]

you're gonna make my head so big i'm not gonna be able to fit through the doorway when i get there.

we can play it by ear

[causational]

I'm okay with that. You could use some extra ego-stroking.

Thanks babe. Seriously. I feel a lot better. I'll see you in a few.

[zethir]

The initial adventure is the easy part. It's this lengthy stay that's makes me homesick if I let myself get that way that's going to be my battle, honestly.

At least you have peace of mind of getting to support him here?

And I think I will. He's got a curious mind like you so I guess i know part of why you two get along so well.

[franciscoramon]

Yup. Not really all that interested in a thrilling side career as your on-call plumber. So-

[ Without further hesitation, Cisco plunges into an explanation of what he's doing, as he's doing it. He doesn't simplify what he's saying, in the way that he might if it were Joe listening, but he does move a bit slower than he has to, makes sure Harry can actually see what he's doing with his hands, which tools he's using, how he is checking everything. It's cramped and at an awkward angle (and he does, in fact, hit his head at one point) but it's also kind of fun. Cisco's always been someone who likes understanding how things work, who likes teaching people about how things work, and who especially likes fixing things.

So when the two of them are both on their feet again, Cisco runs the tap and beams when the sink is functioning normally. ]

Voila!

[breacher]

[ There's something almost muted about his responses as Cisco works, from the curt nods to the soft hums, all telltale signs that he's listening and learning. He pulls back when he moves to get up, holding out a hand to help him up and then glances over at the running tap. ]

. . . huh.

[ Part of him wants to go on about how it's different on Earth-2 and— maybe it is. Maybe the rotation of his Earth is slightly different, enough to throw their plumbing onto an entirely different track.

And then, part of him just wants to let Cisco have this one. In the end, that's the part he listens to. ]

Not bad. [ That and a small nod are the only indications of praise that he's willing to give. Harrison pulls out a few towels from a nearby cabinet and starts mopping up the water on the floor, letting them soak it up. ] . . . When did you learn that?

[franciscoramon]

you're not really used to staying in one place for too long, right? so it's gotta be extra frustrating.

[ Cisco's getting to be quite an expert at reassurances, so he quickly adds: ]

but it's not like you're going to be stuck here forever. not if i've got anything to say about it.

exactly.

it's not just that, though. he's one of those people who tries so hard to help everyone else. like a real actual hero.

[franciscoramon]

[ Now that the sink is fixed, Cisco helps Harry to spread out the towels, the two of them falling into sync cleaning up together in the way they often do these days. He picks up one of the sopping towels and holds it over the sink, wringing out the excess as he tries to come up with the answer to Harry's question. It takes a moment or two of silence, Cisco's eyes narrowed in thought as he searches for the right memory. ]

I don't remember exactly, I guess I was probably like, six or seven? I loved taking stuff apart and seeing how it worked and all that, and Dante broke the sink while our parents were at work, so I thought maybe I could fix it before they got home.

[ The unspoken end to that thought, of course, is that Cisco thought if he fixed it, they might be proud of him. That it would make them happy, and they would praise him, look at him the way they looked at Dante while he was practicing piano. But no way in hell is he gonna say that. ]

So I stopped it from leaking and got it working again... mostly, but I did a pretty crap job. It broke again, like, two days later and they had to call a plumber, and when he was fixing it he let me sit there and watch what he did, so I knew how to do it myself the next time.

[breacher]

[ That earns a rare smile from Harrison — small, soft, and reserved. Of course Ramon would have started off young, tinkering with anything he could get his hands on. Harrison was the same in some respects, though he'd never admit it.

So instead, he gives a nod over to the sink instead as he reaches for another towel. ]

And then you knew how to do that.

[ Unsaid is how impressive it is. How a kid not even ten years old could do something that a man nearly fifty years old couldn't. Harrison doesn't need to say it, never does; it comes implied in small, tiny gestures instead, like how he reaches over to pat his shoulder lightly but warmly, with only the slightest bit of stiffness in his fingers. He pulls his hand back and straightens up, grabbing a bucket for them to wring out the wet towels. ]