[ It may seem strange, but the main thing that Cisco feels when Claudia starts to sob is relief. It's all too clear from how quickly she breaks and from the shuddering sound of her crying that she really needed it, and Cisco is glad he is here to hug her through it, petting the hair on the back of her head in a mindless, soothing way. It doesn't take long before she's got it out of her system, and as soon as she moves away he drops his arms, lets her go without protest or comment. There's a bit of a damp spot on the sleeve of his shirt but he couldn't care less.

He waves a hand at Claudia's apology as it to wave it away, but he doesn't tell her not to apologize. That would probably only make things worse, he senses, and he is pretty sure he knows what she is going through. They have that in common: both of them people whose emotions run deep, but who are more used to being the wisecracker than to having moments of genuine vulnerability in front of others. So he just shuts the door and follows her to the couch, sitting and knitting his fingers together, looking down at them as he considers what to say. ]

I shouldn't've told you like that. I didn't mean to freak you out. I mean, I meant to freak you out just enough that you'd get he's super dangerous but I didn't mean- y'know.

[ And this is the disadvantage compared to texting. Cisco drops his head, gnawing at his thumbnail as he struggles to gather his scattered thoughts and express himself somewhat coherently. ]

I'm not dead. Not anymore. I should've said that right away. You remember how I told you I can remember timelines that get rewritten? Him killing me got undone, okay?