[ Harrison gestures towards it uselessly. If he were anywhere else, he'd pick up the phone and call someone to fix it or tell one of his assistants to make the call. If push came to shove, he'd try looking around online for a potential solution. But right now, none of those were options, and Harrison would never hear the end of it from Jesse if she saw the state of the kitchen. ]
— I managed to shut the water off, at least. It's been overflowing all morning.
[ Cisco waits a couple moments more for the of course not, Ramon and the real explanation, but it would seem that none is forthcoming. It really was just a clogged sink. He looks between it and Harry, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He wonders momentarily if Harry just called him to do it because he was lazy and thought it was beneath him, but he knows Harry too well to believe that for more than a moment. Harry is a lot of things, but lazy isn't one of them, and he isn't someone to foist work off unless. ]
[ He looks cagey for half a second before heaving a sigh. There was no real point in lying when Cisco had hit the nail on the head. Harrison shifts about uncomfortably for a moment. ]
— no. No, I don't. I haven't— it's been years, Ramon, and it's—
[ At that, he futilely waves a wrench about. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't blame it on the differences between the Earths. ]
Are you going to help me or not?
[ There's no heat in any that; if anything, it's more defeated than anything else. From the state of the kitchen, it's clear that Harrison wrestled with it all stubbornly for at least a good long while before he gave in and messaged Cisco. ]
[ Cisco does nothing to disguise the delight in his voice or on his face; he knows he's right from the moment that Harry doesn't snap a sarcastic reply, and he has every intention of enjoying this moment of being the more competent between them. It's not like he's got an inferiority complex or anything: Harry is older than him, so naturally he usually has more experience at just about everything. But apparently that doesn't cover basic household plumbing. ]
I think I could unclog a sink since I was about ten years old. Without turning the kitchen into a splash zone.
[ Even as he is teasing, Cisco is pulling a hairtie from his pocket and putting up his hair, so that it won't get in his way as he squats down and peers at the pipes underneath the sink. Which look like- ]
What did you even do down here, man, this is a mess....
[ An exasperated statement accompanied by an exasperated sigh. Harrison only softens slightly when he sees Cisco tying his hair back, ready to dive in, and takes a step back himself. ]
Things are— it's different on my Earth, okay? And it's been years since— you just call a damn plumber when this happens, you don't dive in head first.
[ Excuses, excuses, and lame ones at that, he knows. Harrison shakes his head, crossing his arms tightly. ]
I didn't do anything to it. It was like that this morning, after breakfast. And then it got worse. I shut off the water there— [ At that, he uncrosses his arms long enough to gesture at a valve. ] — which, I should add, is not where that valve should be, thank you.
Yeah, maybe other people just call the plumber, but now me. I dive in. I'm a diver. And you're - gimme that [ He interrupts himself, gesturing towards the wrench, waving Harry to bring it to him. ] you're mister 'I was solving Einstein when I was an infant', I woulda thought with all that understanding of phyyysics and the uuuniverse - [ He draws a few of the words out, sing-songy, even as he is ducking his head under the sink and starting to go to work on the pipes there. ] - that a simple little backed-up sink would be no sweat?
[ Teasing aside, maybe he shouldn't be surprised Harry doesn't know something like this. He probably has people for this kind of thing. Even before he had people, like he'd said, he had had the money to call people to do it. Cisco is wondering what other basic tasks he would have difficulty with, now. ]
So you tellin' me you've got an opinion on where the valve should be even though you don't know how to unclog a sink without causing the second flood?
[ With a grunt, Harrison practically tosses the wrench over in Cisco's direction. "Practically" because he isn't a complete animal, but he still can't seem to resist giving things a light heave-ho. ]
It's on a different side, Ramon, where I'm from.
[ He lets out a small huff but takes another step back to give Cisco some space, frowning. He lets the silence settle for a moment or two before adding in a murmured, grudging: ]
[ 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 ]
[ 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. ]
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. ]
[ 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?
[ 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.
[ 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. ]
[ Maybe it's the smile, or Harry's hand on his shoulder, or the fact that in telling the story Cisco how he'd felt as a kid. How badly he had wanted... well, something like this. Not to be adored and half-worshipped, the way his parents adored and half-worshipped Dante. But he'd longed and schemed and strived for just a little affection and appreciation. It might seem simple, to someone else. For Cisco, who had never had the chance to get accustomed to it much less expect it, it feels monumental, every time.
So he ducks his head, smiling in silent delight. It's strange, to actually feel proud of himself. ]
Yeah, guess so.
[ For a little while now Cisco has been dithering, putting this off - mostly because he still felt awkward and guilty over the whole thing, and the right moment really hadn't come up for it. But right now... it seems right. So Cisco reaches into the pocket of his jeans and draws out Harry's watch - the one he'd broken, when he was Reverb. The one he had fixed. ]
[ Strange, how he'd forgotten about it until Cisco held the watch out in front of him. He'd written it off as destroyed months ago, after Reverb had crushed it back in the workshop. His wrist had felt strange without it, but he hadn't exactly missed it, either. Harrison reaches over to take it back, slipping it back on with ease, not even bothering to check if it actually still works or not. If Cisco said he was going to fix it, then he would have fixed it. If not, well. He can always give him hell for that later.
More importantly, it felt right, having it on his wrist again. ]
Thanks.
[ It's a soft, murmured bit of gratitude as he wrings out the last of the towels into the bucket. He straightens up, dusting himself off, then washes his hands before he starts to pull out a few things — a few pots, a box of noodles, some vegetables, and a small container of meat. ]
You sticking around for dinner? Jesse should be back in an hour or so.
[ The way Harry says that - it's like he doesn't even have to invite Cisco, like Cisco is just... belongs here, as a matter of course. Which Cisco supposes is kind of true. He has a key. He can come and go and whatever Harry had said at the time, it isn't just so Harry can text him to walk Pythagoras or fetch him things. He's welcome here. ]
Yeah. [ Cisco tucks his hair behind his ear. ] Yeah, dinner sounds awesome.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ Harrison gestures towards it uselessly. If he were anywhere else, he'd pick up the phone and call someone to fix it or tell one of his assistants to make the call. If push came to shove, he'd try looking around online for a potential solution. But right now, none of those were options, and Harrison would never hear the end of it from Jesse if she saw the state of the kitchen. ]
— I managed to shut the water off, at least. It's been overflowing all morning.
no subject
[ Cisco waits a couple moments more for the of course not, Ramon and the real explanation, but it would seem that none is forthcoming. It really was just a clogged sink. He looks between it and Harry, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He wonders momentarily if Harry just called him to do it because he was lazy and thought it was beneath him, but he knows Harry too well to believe that for more than a moment. Harry is a lot of things, but lazy isn't one of them, and he isn't someone to foist work off unless. ]
You don't know how to fix it, do you?
no subject
— no. No, I don't. I haven't— it's been years, Ramon, and it's—
[ At that, he futilely waves a wrench about. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't blame it on the differences between the Earths. ]
Are you going to help me or not?
[ There's no heat in any that; if anything, it's more defeated than anything else. From the state of the kitchen, it's clear that Harrison wrestled with it all stubbornly for at least a good long while before he gave in and messaged Cisco. ]
no subject
[ Cisco does nothing to disguise the delight in his voice or on his face; he knows he's right from the moment that Harry doesn't snap a sarcastic reply, and he has every intention of enjoying this moment of being the more competent between them. It's not like he's got an inferiority complex or anything: Harry is older than him, so naturally he usually has more experience at just about everything. But apparently that doesn't cover basic household plumbing. ]
I think I could unclog a sink since I was about ten years old. Without turning the kitchen into a splash zone.
[ Even as he is teasing, Cisco is pulling a hairtie from his pocket and putting up his hair, so that it won't get in his way as he squats down and peers at the pipes underneath the sink. Which look like- ]
What did you even do down here, man, this is a mess....
no subject
[ An exasperated statement accompanied by an exasperated sigh. Harrison only softens slightly when he sees Cisco tying his hair back, ready to dive in, and takes a step back himself. ]
Things are— it's different on my Earth, okay? And it's been years since— you just call a damn plumber when this happens, you don't dive in head first.
[ Excuses, excuses, and lame ones at that, he knows. Harrison shakes his head, crossing his arms tightly. ]
I didn't do anything to it. It was like that this morning, after breakfast. And then it got worse. I shut off the water there— [ At that, he uncrosses his arms long enough to gesture at a valve. ] — which, I should add, is not where that valve should be, thank you.
no subject
[ Teasing aside, maybe he shouldn't be surprised Harry doesn't know something like this. He probably has people for this kind of thing. Even before he had people, like he'd said, he had had the money to call people to do it. Cisco is wondering what other basic tasks he would have difficulty with, now. ]
So you tellin' me you've got an opinion on where the valve should be even though you don't know how to unclog a sink without causing the second flood?
no subject
It's on a different side, Ramon, where I'm from.
[ He lets out a small huff but takes another step back to give Cisco some space, frowning. He lets the silence settle for a moment or two before adding in a murmured, grudging: ]
. . . it's not so simple.
no subject
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 ]
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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!
no subject
. . . 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
So he ducks his head, smiling in silent delight. It's strange, to actually feel proud of himself. ]
Yeah, guess so.
[ For a little while now Cisco has been dithering, putting this off - mostly because he still felt awkward and guilty over the whole thing, and the right moment really hadn't come up for it. But right now... it seems right. So Cisco reaches into the pocket of his jeans and draws out Harry's watch - the one he'd broken, when he was Reverb. The one he had fixed. ]
Uh, been meaning to get this back to you, too.
no subject
More importantly, it felt right, having it on his wrist again. ]
Thanks.
[ It's a soft, murmured bit of gratitude as he wrings out the last of the towels into the bucket. He straightens up, dusting himself off, then washes his hands before he starts to pull out a few things — a few pots, a box of noodles, some vegetables, and a small container of meat. ]
You sticking around for dinner? Jesse should be back in an hour or so.
no subject
Yeah. [ Cisco tucks his hair behind his ear. ] Yeah, dinner sounds awesome.