[ It's a temporary arrangement; the best possible solution they can come up with, when Earth-1 suddenly finds itself plus one Harrison and Jesse Wells, and minus one Jay Garrick.
Joe's house is a no-go, since Wally started staying there. Easier for him than staying in the apartment where his mother's absence is so raw, where reminders of her are on every single surface, in every object. They don't even ask Caitlin; they all know better than to impose on her after what just happened to Jay. (Cisco doesn't doubt he will be over there at least once a day for the next few weeks, the way he was after she'd lost Ronnie. He will sit close to her, braid her hair, bring her ice cream, talk to her about his ongoing attempt to engineer an actual, functioning Star Trek style phaser. Do whatever it takes to get her mind off the pain. But for tonight, he knows, she just wants to be alone.)
And of course, motels and hotels are out of the question. They could register the room under another name, let Cisco pay for it, but there is always a chance someone would recognize Harry as the supposedly-deceased, definitely-a-murderer Harrison Wells. The last time that happened he'd ended up with a bullet in his chest. So private accommodations are the only way, and Cisco's apartment just happens to have a spare room. It's not very big, and there's not really anything in it, except for a twin bed that's only ever been used by Caitlin. Still, it's clean, and private, and a big step up from being chained in a cage in Zoom's evil lair. So Cisco makes the bed, gives Jesse some of his old pajamas and a new toothbrush, leaves her to shower off the grime of four months captivity.
Four months. He really doesn't want to think about what that does to someone.
His next move is to put clean sheets on his own bed, to shove the worst of the mess into hampers or the closet and out of the way, so that Harry can sleep in his room. It seems less of an imposition than when Harry set himself up working in Cisco's lab that first day. That place is more home to him than this apartment. Besides, it's just how things are done. While he was growing up, any time his parents had relatives visiting from out of town, Cisco would get bundled out of his room to sleep on the sofa. ]
We can deal with everything else tomorrow.
[ Everything else is a long list; Cisco knows it. But it's hard to feel too daunted by it, considering what they've just accomplished. Compared to facing down Zoom, setting up a new life in a new world is child's play. ]
[ He sits at the edge of Cisco's couch, staring ahead into the distance while Jesse showers and Ramon does— whatever he's doing in his room. He hadn't stopped to check, hadn't really felt much like moving since he sat down. Doesn't really feel like moving, anyway, until Jesse steps out of the bathroom, hair wet, clothes clean. He pushes himself up and walks over to usher her back into the guest room, gently guiding her into the warm bed with the fresh linens where he can tuck her in, kiss her forehead, and step back and leave knowing she'll be safe. He's not trying to hover and smother her with his presence, not really, but his heart aches a little when he turns off the light and closes the guest room door. She'll be fine. She's safe now.
Harrison rubs at his face, looking up and over in Cisco's direction. "Everything else." He hadn't even started to think about what "everything else" entailed. Then again, moving universes hadn't been something he'd really thought about until five minutes before Barry had asked. It was the only place they'd be safe, so— they had to. Unfortunately, the only place they'd be safe was also the place where the man with his face had terrorized a number of people before confessing to a murder. They couldn't just take that back.
He leans against the door frame, giving him a slow nod. ]
[ When he agreed to put them up, Cisco had known what he was signing up for. He expected a bit of colorful commentary about the decor, the size of the place, the general cleanliness. But he hasn't heard a peep from Harry about it. About anything, really. And Cisco can see why; he looks exhausted. Which makes sense; the man has been non-stop for the last four months, trying to rescue Jesse. They'd climbed all the way up those cliffs, had seen Zoom come within inches of killing her. Zoom had almost killed him, too, at least twice that day. And then Jay had died right in front of them, and Harry had been trapped in another world from everything he's ever known.
Bound to take it out of a guy. ]
Here, c'mon.
[ Cisco has a feeling that if he doesn't encourage him a bit, Harry might try to sleep sitting on the floor outside the guest room. An understandable impulse, but not exactly ideal. So Cisco puts a hand on Harry's shoulder, nudges him into the main bedroom ]
You know where I am if you need me.
[ And with that, he shuts the door, leaving Harry to get some much needed rest. Which he does, long enough that Jesse and Cisco have a slightly awkward, mostly wonderful breakfast (both of them carefully avoiding talking about Zoom, or Earth-2, or anything from the day before). Iris comes by around 10 and Cisco sends the both of them off shopping, takes the opportunity to get his apartment into some semblance of order, waiting for Harry to emerge from his hibernation. ]
[ It's only been a week and a half since they'd come to stay with him, but it feels like much, much longer. Probably because Cisco isn't used to spending anywhere near this amount of time in his apartment. Usually, the majority of his day is spent at S.T.A.R. Labs. But since Jay had been killed, since the breach was closed, he has spent much more time here. Working on making it possible for Harry and Jesse to live in this world, permanently if need be. Also working, in an unacknowledged but no less real way, on helping them deal with the ordeal they had been through.
Jesse, Cisco finds, is every bit as quick and bright and wonderful as Harry had boasted. Harry was right. At first, she is skeptical of the idea that she might need to see a professional, to talk about the months she had spent in captivity. Cisco reassures her he knows someone discreet, someone he had seen for himself, for a little while. That, at least, gets her attention. Jesse, Cisco is learning, responds best to absolute honesty. Which is why, when she asks what had happened that meant he needed to talk to someone, he tells her. Not all the details - not even half, but the outline of it. Her father's doppelganger had been bodysnatched by a bad man from the future, said bad man from the future had been someone Cisco trusted, until he betrayed and murdered him. It had meant telling Jesse about Barry's ability to time travel, about his own powers, but it had been worth it. She agreed to give it a try.
Even though he is pretty sure Harry wouldn't approve, Cisco also gently misuses his access to the CCPD's records to help her look up some of her friends. Of course, they're not really her friends. They are doppelgangers of them, and Cisco warns her, at least ten times, that they might be completely different. But she knows her own mind, and appears to be every bit as stubborn as the man who'd raised her.
Harry, meanwhile, is coping... less well.
Cisco tries to leave him be, tells himself Harry just needs time. It hasn't even been two weeks yet, and between Jesse's isolation and Caitlin's awful grief and keeping Barry from self-destructing out of guilt, he hasn't had a whole lot of time to worry about Harry.
That is, until it is just past 3 AM, and Cisco wakes up. He isn't sure what woke him up, at first, until there is another sound. A worrying one. His mind is instantly racing, thinking danger, a metahuman attack, a breach that they had somehow missed, Zoom here, in his apartment. He pads down the hallway as quietly as he can, peers in through the cracked door of his bedroom, phone in his hand, ready to hit the distress button that will summon Barry, when he sees... Harry. Just Harry. He must have knocked something off the foot of the bed, that had woken Cisco up. But he doesn't care about that, now. Because it's all too clear to him that Harry is having a nightmare. A pretty terrible one, from the looks of it.
After a moment's indecision, Cisco comes into the room, crouches down by the bed. ]
[ Harrison and Jesse race through the winding hallways of S.T.A.R Labs, descending down into the basement, down where the particle accelerator had leaked dark matter barely two years prior. A gust of wind and a crackle of blue lightning follow them — taunting them, he knows, because he can get them whenever he wants, it's only a matter of time. He turns his head only briefly to see just how far behind them he is and when Harrison turns back, Jesse is gone. His breath catches in his throat as he skids to a halt in front of the speed cannons, turning wildly in an effort to find her. He can't leave, he can't leave without her, not again, not now, not ever.
"Looking for something?"
He jerks his head back, turning abruptly to see Zoom a distance away, to see his hand vibrating quickly, hoisting something— someone up by it, penetrating their chest neatly. Harrison makes a choked noise, scrambling forward to get a better look. Zoom seems to very kindly acquiese by letting the body flop uselessly off his hand, rolling it over until Jay Garrick lay dead at Harrison Well's feet, the blood beginning to stain the front of his leather coat. His glassy eyes stare up at the ceiling, past Harrison, mouth still partially open in shock. Harrison swallows hard and takes a step back. Garrick was dead. The Flash was dead and it was his fault and Garrick was a fool and a coward but he didn't have to die—
There's a sudden pull and he can feel himself being hoisted up and jerked around until he's face to face with Zoom, lightning crackling around his pitch black eyes. Harrison reaches a hand towards his pocket and the speed dampener he's sure he had there — he had it there, it had to have been, why would he . . .
The dampener is dangled in front of his face as Zoom lets out a vicious laugh that resonates throughout the room. He tosses it aside like it's nothing, shoving Harrison up against the wall like a rag doll and gripping at his neck with one hand, claws digging in.
"Time's up, Wells."
It's hard to struggle against his iron-like grip when the pain is already so overwhelming. Harrison chokes and gasps and kicks his legs, trying to break free, trying—
His eyes snap open and he finds himself face to face with Ramon. In Ramon's bed. An entire universe away from Zoom. Harrison exhales, a shaky breath, and rolls over so he can quietly wipe some of the cold sweat from his brow. After a moment, he rasps out a response. ]
I'm awake. I'm up.
[ Jesse. He should check on Jesse, needs to check on Jesse, make sure she's there, that she's safe. He pushes himself up, still shaking, and heads for the door. ]
[ It hadn't taken them long to find a new place once they had a solid plan of action. What took Harrison and Jesse as long as it had, really, was the fact that they were both still recovering from the whole ordeal, and Jesse seemed to be responding well enough to being around other people. And grudgingly, Harrison would have to admit that he didn't mind staying at Ramon's as much as he'd lead one to believe. But they needed their own space. Harrison was a creature of habit and Jesse needed somewhere where she could be alone for a bit, decompress, and allow herself to be a scared seventeen year-old girl upset at the world, her father included. While he appreciated her ability to put on a brave face after a day and lift her head high, Harrison knew damn well that she needed to let it out more than she had.
So it wasn't a coincidence that he'd decided to spend a late night at S.T.A.R. Labs. He'd contacted Jesse to let her know he'd be late — running modules and waiting for them to process — and not to wait up for him for dinner. That would give her a good few hours to herself. Hopefully, productive ones. At best, she'd walk down a few blocks to the West residence and have dinner with them (and he could tell he was improving, since the thought of her walking just that far didn't send him into a panic). At worst, he'd come home to find her door locked, light pouring out underneath it, and have to endure the silent treatment for a day or two. It was a risk he was willing to take.
He pushes away from one desk with a foot, chair sliding across the room to another one with ease. It was funny how with just a little bit more sleep, the squeaking of the wheels wasn't nearly as irritating as it used to be. With a soft hum, Harrison reaches over to flick some music on and pulls up some of the research he and Barry had poured through when making the breach reactor charges. He leans back in his chair and starts to flip through them, idly glancing up occasionally to check the progress of his modules on the other machine. ]
[ Cisco shows up around 8:30, follows the sound of the music from the cortex to his lab. Or, what used to be his lab. It's been de fact his-and-Harry's lab for some months now. He'd given up that fight a while ago.
The fight about Harry's questionable taste in music, however, is still ongoing. As soon as Cisco steps in, he turns down the volume by a dozen or so clicks - there is a purpose for it this time, though, beyond just spite. He looks at the line of Harry's back as he is reading, tilting the chair back. If he's not careful, the whole thing will tip; Cisco's made that mistake before. ]
Guess who's hosting a sleepover with Iris and Caitlin, at my apartment?
[ Cisco delivers it as good news, and it is. Jesse making friends with anyone on Earth-1 is a very good sign, as is the fact that she felt comfortable enough making plans of her own. Maybe it would be good if she found a few friends her own age, but Iris and Caitlin at least already know a little about her. Cisco can understand how that might be ideal, considering the amount of explaining it cuts out of the equation.
(And he is glad, too, that empathy for what Jesse is going through was enough to draw Caitlin out of her cocoon of sadness; even if it's only for a night) ]
It was all pizza and nailpolish and Netflix when I left. I expect they'll still be awake by the time we get back.
[ We, not you. Cisco had come bearing more than just that one bit of good news. He has a bag slung over one shoulder, which clinks faintly when he puts it down. He takes out a leather portfolio, first, and after, a six-pack of beer. He can't suppress the grin that's tugging at his mouth as he says - ] Catch! [ And lobs the portfolio to Harrison. ]
A present, from Joe and me.
[ Inside the portfolio are an assortment of carefully forged documents. Birth certificate, social security card, driver's license, student records, medical records. All under the name of Jesse Wells. All showing her to by the daughter of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan, born in Starling City sixteen years before. The work of coming up with a way to distinguish Harry from Thawne and his crimes is still underway, but Jesse and Cisco and Joe had all agreed on this: she wasn't going to change her name, take on a different identity, just in case they didn't manage to remove suspicion from Harry. She might be mad at him for dragging her from her world, but she still didn't want to pretend to be a person who wasn't his daughter.
And Cisco has an inkling, what that will mean to Harry. How relieved he will be that they are making progress, settling Jesse in. Which is why he brought the beer. If anyone could use a little celebration, it's Harry. They hadn't celebrated, when they got Jesse free. Jay's death had overshadowed that. But now... well, better late than never. Cisco opens two bottles, holds one out to Harry with raised eyebrows. ]
[ The following morning, he's not really that hung over which is both a blessing and a curse. Good in that he doesn't have to work with a headache and the like, which is helpful now that he's back in the labs, analyzing the modules that had finished running overnight with ease.
But not so great given that his excuse for his behavior from the previous night is now all but gone. He couldn't have been that drunk, right?
Harrison removes his glasses and sets them down on the counter, rubbing at his face idly. Maybe if he ignored it, it would all go away? Unlikely, given how persistent Ramon could be. Maybe a metahuman would attack and they'd be far too distracted to actually discuss matters, giving it more than enough time to blow over. He could only hope, anyway.
He pauses, glancing up at the screen, then reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a pair of earbuds, plugging them into the computer before popping them into his ears and turning up his music. If that wasn't a clear sign to leave him alone until he was ready, nothing was. Or at least, so he hoped. Then again, "until he was ready" was mostly code for "not in this lifetime" and he damn well knew it. But those were minor details. Ish. ]
[ Cisco has gone through about 50 separate emotional states since he woke up and remembered what had happened the night before. He's done regret, excitement, shame, relief, confusion, anger, embarrassment, happiness, humiliation, arousal, detachment, hope, and misery. When he shows up to S.T.A.R. Labs and sees Harry at work, earbuds in, pointedly ignoring him, he doesn't even know what he's feeling. The closest word to it, he thinks, is determination. Not to let this be the end of it. Not to let Harry ignore the conversation and leave him twisting in the emotional wind all by himself.
But he doesn't press the issue; not first thing in the morning. He lets Harry work for a few hours, working himself in silence. Just establishing that they can be near one another without things erupting, one way or another.
It isn't until it's almost noon when Cisco decides, out of the blue, that he's waited long enough. He gets up and comes over to where Harry is sitting, standing next to his chair, arms folded. Simply waiting. ]
[ Caitlin had sent Cisco a link to an article, a few years back, about the biochemical underpinnings to why some days felt ten times longer than they actually were. Turns out there is a scientific explanation - something about stress situations, and brain chemistry, and evolution. He can't remember the details, but he knows that today is one of those days. When he comes back to his apartment that evening, it feels like a year has passed since he left it that morning. He'd been so happy. Barry had bested Trajectory; they'd triumphed again over the latest metahuman threat.
He returns to his place in a fog. It's shock, he knows. It'll pass - if not tonight, then tomorrow, and then the full weight of it will hit him. But for now, he feels suspended. Numb. Cisco tries to distract himself: turns the tv on, then off again. Skims his favorite youtube channels, vine, ends up tossing his phone onto the couch beside him and just... sitting there. At some point he gets himself a beer, but takes a few sips and then just stares at it.
Gradually, inevitably, self-recrimination creeps into his thoughts. If he'd worked harder on mastering his powers, he could have prevented all of this. If he'd thought to vibe off Jay's helmet right from that very first day he wandered into the cortex, and Barry threw him in the pipeline, he never would have had the chance to worm his way into their lives in the first place. But he'd been scared, and stupid, and gullible. ]
[ Funny, how over the course of one day he'd gone from mourning Jay Garrick to cursing his name.
Harrison had only briefly lingered with the others after Barry's abrupt exit, telling them in a clipped tone that Jesse had left town. It was fine. She would be fine. Deep down, past all his fears and anxieties, he knew it would be better in the end, that she was right. She always was at the end of the day. But that didn't mean it had to sit well with him. He'd stormed off to an empty lab to knock a few beakers clear across the room and yell for a bit into a void. It barely helped at all. Cleaning up the mess he'd made, sweeping up the shards, wasn't much better.
He spent — he doesn't know how long he spent staring at the wall blankly, rerunning moments in time in his mind. Was it all a lie? Probably. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Though things had ended on less than ideal terms, he'd thought— well. It was hard to register, Jay being the very same man who'd tormented him for months, who held his daughter in captivity, who'd very nearly killed him several times over. Jay had saved him — was that all part of the plan, too?
Harrison rubs at his face. Normally, he'd seek out Jesse and sit with her in those quiet moments when he'd rather not be alone. But she was gone. The next person that came to mind was . . . well. He'd thoroughly mucked that up. And then Garrick had effectively taken all of his very logical reasons and crushed them into fine paste. What he'd been so sure of only weeks ago now just seemed like excuses. And he was so, so tired.
He pushes him up and stalks the halls of the labs, glancing into one empty room after another. Realizing that everyone had left already, he heaves a sigh, then scoops up his coat and hat and heads for the door.
It doesn't take him long to get to Cisco's and he slows his pace when he enters the building, making his way towards his apartment. Harrison had been all determination on the way over, only focused on getting to his destination. But now he was here and he still didn't quite have a plan of action or even an idea of one; he just functions on instinct.
Lifting his hand quickly, before he can change his mind, he knocks on the door three times sharply. ]
[ Cisco is a scientist. He is a professional. He is an adult. He might not seem all that mature at times, between the wardrobe of graphic tees, the diet of candy and junk, the enthusiasm for all things nerdy, but all of those are conscious choices he makes. He'd tried for a while, in college, to blend in - to act older than his age, act like he had the same background as all the other students. In the end he just felt like a fraud, an imposter who was going to be called out at any moment. So he'd given up on fitting in, but that doesn't mean he's not mature.
Except when Harry comes in to their shared lab that morning, all his focus and discipline and maturity fly right out the window. Because he's not wearing his usual combination of ill-fitting dad jeans and loose sweaters. Instead, he's in slacks and a suit jacket, the crisp white button up underneath open at the neck. And he's also wearing his glasses, which is doubly unfair.
When Cisco realizes he's been rather obviously staring, he recovers his cool enough to ask, unconvincingly: ]
What's the occasion?
[ That staring was definitely confusion over the change of wardrobe and nothing else. Yep. Definitely that. ]
[ He's not quite sure what instigated it. Maybe it was the talk with Barry about the direction for them to take STAR Labs and how fired up he'd found himself getting over a project that technically wasn't even his brainchild to begin with. Something had seemed so off about the labs here on Earth-1. Even when they were being torn apart by Zoom, his STAR Labs was so full of life, of ideas and innovation. It was the last bastion of hope amidst the terror that Zoom brought to Central City. And he'd looked the part of a man everyone could look up to. After Jesse was stolen away, for the longest time, he'd felt like he couldn't be that man anymore. At least, not until recently.
Or maybe it was when he eyed his closet one morning and found it depressingly sparse and realized just exactly how depressing that was. When it came to things like fashion and his general appearance, Harrison Wells generally did not give a single shit. But even he had his limits and apparently, he'd crossed them in a big way at one point. Caitlin had made an off-handed suggestion about varying it up, about how "Dr. Wells" had. He'd made a pointed remark about their "Dr. Wells," but he'd also pulled on his coat and baseball cap and made his way to the nearest department store discreetly. (or as discreetly as a man in a baseball cap can, anyway.)
Whatever the reason, he'd decided that enough was enough this morning. He was going to be a goddamn professional and do what Barry Allen had put off for ages by getting STAR Labs's affairs in order. And then figure out their "Harrison Wells" problems, but details.
Harrison almost immediately notices the staring and proceeds to roll his eyes at Cisco, stepping over to his computer. ]
[ He didn't know what he expected. Harrison still wasn't crazy about this whole "open the breach" idea and if Joe West hadn't rightly pointed out that he was their best shot at keeping Barry Allen and the others alive, he would still be digging in his heels and refusing to participate. But he'd contributed, fixed Reverb's glasses and put the choice in Cisco's hands. The fact that he'd run was . . . well, concerning, but also his choice. If there's one thing Harrison has learned about Cisco Ramon over the past few months, it's that it's best to nudge him and then let him come into it on his own. Forcing him has never ended well.
(it is, in part, why everything is so damn slow with the two of them; after everything, Harrison would never forgive himself if he'd found that he'd pushed Cisco too far too fast.)
For Barry Allen to come in and inform everyone that Cisco's suddenly had a change of heart and is completely willing to open the breach— well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened there. Harrison grits his teeth, setting a screwdriver down and storming off in the direction of Cisco's workshop. He knows he should take a pause before going in, talk with Snow first. But damnit, Ramon's his— partner and he knows better.
He pushes the door open, not even bothering to knock or greet him. Instead, he stares over at Cisco, trying to meet his eyes with a flat, intense stare of his own. ]
[ Just about the last thing that Cisco expects at that moment is for Harry to come bursting into his workshop, hurling accusatory questions. It's been something of an emotional afternoon - an emotional few days - so his reaction is different from the usual. He doesn't snip at Harry not to slam doors, or ask what's got his cardigan in a twist, or attempt to derail him with a little not so innocent flirting and innuendo. Cisco's humor has always been his defense, been a weapon, but today he can't seem to keep hold of it, to make it work for him. ]
What?
[ It sinks in that Harry's not just blustering or complaining, the way he does a great deal of the time. No, he seems... genuinely angry. Cisco's stomach feels like it was suddenly and unceremoniously filled with lead. Any of the lingering reassurance he'd felt after Barry's speech evaporates all too quickly. ]
I thought... but you brought the goggles? You said you were gonna help? Did you change your mind?
[ Because this has to be about the breaches, itself, not about Cisco. Certainly not about things between him and Barry. The idea that Harry would butt in - would even care - is too weird to entertain. ]
[ It's been a long day and he knows he should follow Jesse home and rest. He knows it and yet, he still told her to go on ahead — that he trusted her, that he knew she'd be safe, and also that their apartment was only a few blocks away all things considered so he had no legitimate reason to be all that worried. He really should be sleeping and letting his wounds heal, but Harrison holes himself up in one of the workshops instead, staring at a monitor blankly. Barry's speed — or lack thereof — is still a problem and is going to continue to be a problem until they fix it, somehow. He knows how, deep down, but— it's lunacy to even suggest it without doing some amount of research first, diving deep into the files on the S.T.A.R. Labs servers and reviewing everything Eobard Thawne poured into his own particle accelerator.
But it's hard to do even that when his head is throbbing, a constant pounding distracting him over and over. He lifts a hand to take off his glasses and rub at his forehead, wincing at the soreness starting to set in in his joints. Ice might have been a good idea. Any sort of medical attention, really, but it's not like they could go to a hospital. Jesse had glared at him until he'd let her give him a quick inspection, before reassuring her that he was fine and distracting her with other matters. Now, well. Now, he might regret that just a little bit.
Harrison sighs and reaches over to turn off the monitor, then leans forward and rests his head against the desk momentarily. He'd get back to it shortly. ]
[ Cisco's voice coming from the doorway is small, incredulous. For a few moments he just stands there by he open door, a bag of ice in his hands, looking at Harry where he is slumped over. He feels like there is a huge lump in his throat that's making it hard to talk, hard to breathe normally. And his heart is racing - from leftover adrenaline from their confrontation with Gray, from worry over the bruise he can see on Harry's temple, and from fear that Harry is going to say something cold that will make it clear that absolutely nothing has changed.
It feels like years have passed since their fight the other day. With everything that had happened - Zoom taking Wally, taking Barry's speed, taking Caitlin, and then Harry himself being captured... but maybe Harry hasn't forgiven him. He hasn't done anything to deserve that forgiveness, really. The bag of ice is an olive branch as much as anything else.
Cisco closes the door behind him and walks cautiously over to Harry, setting the bag down on the desk near to him. Pointing to the bruise, he says: ]
That looks like it stings.
[ He should leave it at that and go. He shouldn't say anything more. ]
I'm glad Jesse's back.
[ The last thing Harry needs right now after everything he's been through is to deal with Cisco, who he really must still be pissed at. The unselfish thing would be to go. Give him his space. Respect his desire to be alone. Instead, his voice is a rasp and his eyes are suddenly wet as he blurts: ]
[ It isn't until Cisco gets back to S.T.A.R. Labs, exhausted but riding high on their victory, that he finds out about Harry.
He'd come in all ready to find Harry, standing there with his arms crossed and that particular smile he gets any time he is pleased and exasperated with Cisco at the same time. Because his little cosplay plan had worked. Mostly. It had kept Black Siren from destroying any more buildings until the pulse neutralized all the Earth-2 metas. Sure, their cover had been blown and he'd had to do ... whatever it was he'd done to knock evil Laurel out, but all's well that ends well, right?
Harry isn't there waiting for him, though. Cisco looks around and sees Joe and Jesse in the med bay, and in the bed- ]
Oh my god, Harry!
[ Cisco runs in, right up to he side of the cot, not even bothering to take off the goggles, first. ]
[ Harrison Wells is nothing if not predictable. He's not sure how or why, exactly, Jesse's headphones failed the way they did, but the moment she began to cry out in pain, he ran to her side and put his over her ears. It's okay, honey, it's okay — it wasn't, not really, not in the slightest, but it was still better than seeing her in pain, having her collapse in front of him yet again.
Not that it made the piercing static feel any better as it completely overwhelmed his system. Harrison was only grateful that his tolerance wasn't nearly as high as the metahumans of his world and the pulse knocked him out within seconds.
He'd already slowly begun to stir when Cisco runs in as Jesse took his hand, rubbing her thumb against the back of it gently. Harrison smiles up at her weakly, before blearily shifting his eyes about, in the general direction of the commotion, and his eyes widen almost instantly in a mix of surprise and fear. There's a sharp intake of air as he recoils, staring up shock at Reverb— Reverb? How—
Jesse has to lean in, press a hand against his shoulder to push him back down against the bed gently — dad, dad, it's not him — but the tension still remains in his confused haze. ]
[ Jesse had made it very clear: now that Zoom was really and truly gone, she was going back home to Earth-2. She'd also made it clear that she didn't expect him to come back with her and that it was fine, that it was just nice to see him happy here. And he was. Happy here, anyway. It had been a long time since Harrison had really felt something along those lines, and recent developments had had something to do with that. Things with Cisco had been . . . he wouldn't say great because nothing about their lives was really all that great right now, but it was a bright spot. It was something new, fresh, something that felt genuinely good. If he were the type to be more open about his feelings, he might even admit that he'd like to see where it goes without the threat of Zoom lurking in the back of their minds.
But Jesse was going home and he couldn't abandon her.
That had been the whole point behind coming to this Earth to begin with. Save Jesse, to hell with the rest of the world. Worlds. After his wife had passed, they were all the other had left in the world. Of course, Jesse is more forgiving than he is — or maybe she was just too young to remember the "family" that wasn't there for them after her passing. He'd never felt close, himself. All he needed was his science. And Jesse. The former he could do no matter where he was. The latter . . . where she went, he'd follow. Zoom had trapped her in his own flavor of hell and he'd dragged his broken spirit through it until he could pull her out. How could he even consider anything else?
There were other matters, other things to consider — that he still had much to atone for on Earth-2 and helping pull things back together was a good way to start, that his company needed his guidance to be rebuilt from its ashes, that Central City still needed its "savior" and maybe he could finally make good on that title. But the driving force was her. It was always her.
Didn't make his heart ache any less.
Harrison waits by Cisco's lab, quietly cleaning off the pulse laser. Jesse had already gone back to their apartment to finish sorting out their affairs — he'd leave that to her. But Cisco at least deserved to know his decision the minute it had been made. At least it would be quick, in theory. Like ripping off a band-aid. They'd have maybe a day (if he had any choice, a few hours — he was never one for long goodbyes) and then that would be that. They'd move on one way or another. ]
[ Cisco intends to make the most of this victory. They'd beaten Zoom, for real. Not just trapped him on Earth-2, not just locked him up like all the other villains. Because he isn't like the other villains. But he's dead, and gone, and Cisco is going to wring every last bit of joy out of that. He hadn't had the chance, when it had been the Reverse Flash. It had been too close to a pyrrhic victory - with Eddie dead, and Ronnie dead, and the singularity ripping the city to pieces. Barry and Caitlin and Iris and even Joe had been left hollowed out by it, and so jubilation hadn't really been appropriate.
Things aren't exactly perfect, this time around. Barry had lost his father. Caitlin is still going to be dealing with the trauma of her kidnapping for a long time. But everyone else is alive, and safe. So as far as Cisco's concerned, it's time to pop some bottles.
Which is why he greets Harry with far more than his usual enthusiasm. The door to the lab has only just swung shut before Cisco is bounding over to him, throwing arms around his neck and kissing him with dizzy enthusiasm. Or, at least, he is at first. It only takes a moment to feel that Harry's response is not what it should be. Cisco draws back, grinning, voice coaxing as he asks: ]
C'mon, we won! Live a little-
[ But Harry doesn't look grudging or grumpy or tired or anything like that. He looks... pale. Still. Cisco's stomach sinks with dread, heartbeat speeding up in sudden worry. Had something else gone wrong? What could have gone wrong? Couldn't he just have this one moment to be happy and nothing else? ]
[ For all that Cisco knows he's got game when it comes to planning dates, and for all that he thinks he knows Harry pretty well, it is nearly impossible to put together an actual date that he thinks Harry stands a chance of enjoying. The fact that he has to stay somewhat incognito doesn't help. It also doesn't help that, even if he didn't need to, he seems to have fallen into some distinctly hermitish habits. Part of that might be missing Jesse, but Cisco thinks he's also just never learned to enjoy himself. Sure, he'd been busy being a CEO and a single dad and a world-renowned genius. But he's still a human being, and human beings need fun. Maybe not as much as oxygen or water, but still.
Cisco's never been one to balk at a challenge, though. So he tells Harry that they are going on a date that weekend, and no, it's not optional. His itinerary for the day is meant to optimize the whole thing - mostly, in part, by making it possible for them to avoid other people. Restaurants are unpredictable, so Cisco prepares a picnic. A science museum with an emphasis on physics would probably be more interesting to Harry, but there's also a much greater chance that the two of them would get into an argument about something or other, there. So he picks a natural history museum. Still interesting, but (hopefully) less controversial.
It's not an auspicious start when, on the morning of their date, he wakes up to see that Harry has already left and gone in to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco had meant for them to leave together from the apartment. But he is undeterred, and a half an hour later he opens the door to the workshop, a picnic basket slung over one arm, an outfit that is at least a little nicer than his usual, and a look of grim determination. ]
Don't pretend you forgot, 'cause I know for a fact you didn't.
[ In the week or so since he'd come back to Earth-1 for good, Harrison had mostly kept to himself — himself and Cisco, anyway, with the occasional appearance at S.T.A.R. Labs. He'd had an excuse or two for the first few days: he was tired, he was still settling in at Cisco's, they had to clean up and make room for him, and so on. But the ache in his chest never quite went away.
(he imagines it probably would have been worse if he'd stayed on the other side of the breach, though.)
So when Cisco suggests — "suggests," more like tells, he's well aware that he didn't have much of a choice, as harmless as it was — that they go on a date that weekend, he gives him one of his usual incredulous looks before promptly ignoring that statement and going back to whatever he was doing at the time. If he wants them to go on a date? He could certainly try.
Still. When Harrison ducks out of the apartment that morning, he does take a moment to actually run a comb through his hair once or twice and makes a point of wearing a grey shirt with a black cardigan — nothing out of the ordinary for him, but not nearly as casual as he has been. The only thing that surprises him about Cisco coming to the workshop to drag him out is how long it takes for him to show up. He turns in his chair, giving him a slight smirk. ]
[ It's not like he'd been keeping it a secret from everyone, exactly: Cisco just didn't think there was ever really a good time to casually bring it up in conversation. Not really any 'by the way's that matched up well with 'the anniversary of my murder's coming up soon!'. Besides, even if he could think of a way to mention it, Cisco believes that his friends - and his partner (the word still feelings unwieldy and awkward in his mind) - would be happier if he didn't. Cisco knows they forget about it. Forget that it happened. Never entirely, of course. Him remembering that timeline had been the catalyst for too much important stuff. But when they're talking to him on a day-to-day basis, it's not incorporated into their view of him as a person. Not the same way Barry's parents' deaths are, for him. Not the same way losing Ronnie is for Caitlin.
Cisco can tell, when Harry and Caitlin are bent over test tubes and he says Snow in that dry, fond way of his, that he thinks of her as someone shaped by Hunter's betrayal. He knows that when he vibes, lets Harry talk to Jesse, he never forgets about all those months she spent in that cage.
But for better or worse, when they look at him, he can tell they forget. Because he doesn't bring it up much anymore (it's a chicken-and-egg puzzle: do they forget because he doesn't talk, or does he not talk because they forget?), because he jokes and smiles and eats so many jelly beans he gives himself stomach aches. He's always taken pride in being the unofficial morale booster, in being able to make his friends smile even in the worst situations. But as that day on the calendar creeps closer, it starts to weigh on him heavier. He still smiles and cracks wise and tries not to draw attention to it, but gradually, behind the happy façade, the dread mounts.
Cisco makes it until the day before the actual anniversary without (as far as he knows) tipping Harry off that anything's wrong. It's such a frivolous thing that gives him away; Harry wants him to get the laptop from the basement, where the biggest breach was, where once their speedster trap had been. Cisco has been down there at least a thousand times in the last year, and it had (almost) never been a problem. But out of nowhere, inconvenient and unwanted, when Harry asks today his response is swift, breathless, gut-wrenching panic. ]
You go get it.
[ He thinks he does a good job, all things considered, at making it sound like a sassy smart remark and nothing else. ]
[ The good thing about working with — and then living with — someone in close proximity was that an unspoken language had developed over the course of the past few months. It was easy enough for Harrison to pass something off to Cisco and then reach in and pick up where he'd left off without having to play twenty questions or stare at the project for an extended period of time before giving up and just asking. It made things easier and it suited Harrison just fine. A hand on the shoulder here, a nudge there, and the two of them functioned well enough.
It had a few unexpected side benefits, though. "Benefits," since Harrison still wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or not. They'd come to know each other well enough that the smallest things became tells to one another. Cisco was able to easily call him out on any number of things that might have been wrong, able to discern a random temper tantrum from something actually gnawing at him. And it went both ways. Here and there, Harrison could pick up on small details, things that gave away Cisco's mood as well as his general frame of mind.
He'd never thought of himself as the emotionally supportive type, especially considering the fact that he'd been called emotionally stunted by most people on a good day. So it doesn't sit with him much, or rather, he's more quick to gloss over something that may strike a normal person as off since that sort of thing doesn't resonate with him nearly as much. But with Cisco, it's . . . not so much different as it is more noticeable to him. He can tell when his energy starts to flag, like something's sapping at him, or when his tone shifts, words becoming slightly more clipped with anxiety. Nothing that would raise the alarm with him — not yet, anyway — but enough for him to quietly file it away in the back of his head.
It's not until he's on his back, underneath a large machine and adjusting a few calibrations, that it becomes more apparent. An off-handed question — well, more like a demand for him to get the laptop didn't seem to warrant that sort of response. Harrison frowns, pulling himself out from under the machine and pulls his goggles up, glaring over in Cisco's direction with one eyebrow raised. ]
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franciscoramon) wrote2015-02-21 01:38 am
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Joe's house is a no-go, since Wally started staying there. Easier for him than staying in the apartment where his mother's absence is so raw, where reminders of her are on every single surface, in every object. They don't even ask Caitlin; they all know better than to impose on her after what just happened to Jay. (Cisco doesn't doubt he will be over there at least once a day for the next few weeks, the way he was after she'd lost Ronnie. He will sit close to her, braid her hair, bring her ice cream, talk to her about his ongoing attempt to engineer an actual, functioning Star Trek style phaser. Do whatever it takes to get her mind off the pain. But for tonight, he knows, she just wants to be alone.)
And of course, motels and hotels are out of the question. They could register the room under another name, let Cisco pay for it, but there is always a chance someone would recognize Harry as the supposedly-deceased, definitely-a-murderer Harrison Wells. The last time that happened he'd ended up with a bullet in his chest. So private accommodations are the only way, and Cisco's apartment just happens to have a spare room. It's not very big, and there's not really anything in it, except for a twin bed that's only ever been used by Caitlin. Still, it's clean, and private, and a big step up from being chained in a cage in Zoom's evil lair. So Cisco makes the bed, gives Jesse some of his old pajamas and a new toothbrush, leaves her to shower off the grime of four months captivity.
Four months. He really doesn't want to think about what that does to someone.
His next move is to put clean sheets on his own bed, to shove the worst of the mess into hampers or the closet and out of the way, so that Harry can sleep in his room. It seems less of an imposition than when Harry set himself up working in Cisco's lab that first day. That place is more home to him than this apartment. Besides, it's just how things are done. While he was growing up, any time his parents had relatives visiting from out of town, Cisco would get bundled out of his room to sleep on the sofa. ]
We can deal with everything else tomorrow.
[ Everything else is a long list; Cisco knows it. But it's hard to feel too daunted by it, considering what they've just accomplished. Compared to facing down Zoom, setting up a new life in a new world is child's play. ]
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Harrison rubs at his face, looking up and over in Cisco's direction. "Everything else." He hadn't even started to think about what "everything else" entailed. Then again, moving universes hadn't been something he'd really thought about until five minutes before Barry had asked. It was the only place they'd be safe, so— they had to. Unfortunately, the only place they'd be safe was also the place where the man with his face had terrorized a number of people before confessing to a murder. They couldn't just take that back.
He leans against the door frame, giving him a slow nod. ]
Tomorrow. [ A pause. ] Or the next day.
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[ When he agreed to put them up, Cisco had known what he was signing up for. He expected a bit of colorful commentary about the decor, the size of the place, the general cleanliness. But he hasn't heard a peep from Harry about it. About anything, really. And Cisco can see why; he looks exhausted. Which makes sense; the man has been non-stop for the last four months, trying to rescue Jesse. They'd climbed all the way up those cliffs, had seen Zoom come within inches of killing her. Zoom had almost killed him, too, at least twice that day. And then Jay had died right in front of them, and Harry had been trapped in another world from everything he's ever known.
Bound to take it out of a guy. ]
Here, c'mon.
[ Cisco has a feeling that if he doesn't encourage him a bit, Harry might try to sleep sitting on the floor outside the guest room. An understandable impulse, but not exactly ideal. So Cisco puts a hand on Harry's shoulder, nudges him into the main bedroom ]
You know where I am if you need me.
[ And with that, he shuts the door, leaving Harry to get some much needed rest. Which he does, long enough that Jesse and Cisco have a slightly awkward, mostly wonderful breakfast (both of them carefully avoiding talking about Zoom, or Earth-2, or anything from the day before). Iris comes by around 10 and Cisco sends the both of them off shopping, takes the opportunity to get his apartment into some semblance of order, waiting for Harry to emerge from his hibernation. ]
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Jesse, Cisco finds, is every bit as quick and bright and wonderful as Harry had boasted. Harry was right. At first, she is skeptical of the idea that she might need to see a professional, to talk about the months she had spent in captivity. Cisco reassures her he knows someone discreet, someone he had seen for himself, for a little while. That, at least, gets her attention. Jesse, Cisco is learning, responds best to absolute honesty. Which is why, when she asks what had happened that meant he needed to talk to someone, he tells her. Not all the details - not even half, but the outline of it. Her father's doppelganger had been bodysnatched by a bad man from the future, said bad man from the future had been someone Cisco trusted, until he betrayed and murdered him. It had meant telling Jesse about Barry's ability to time travel, about his own powers, but it had been worth it. She agreed to give it a try.
Even though he is pretty sure Harry wouldn't approve, Cisco also gently misuses his access to the CCPD's records to help her look up some of her friends. Of course, they're not really her friends. They are doppelgangers of them, and Cisco warns her, at least ten times, that they might be completely different. But she knows her own mind, and appears to be every bit as stubborn as the man who'd raised her.
Harry, meanwhile, is coping... less well.
Cisco tries to leave him be, tells himself Harry just needs time. It hasn't even been two weeks yet, and between Jesse's isolation and Caitlin's awful grief and keeping Barry from self-destructing out of guilt, he hasn't had a whole lot of time to worry about Harry.
That is, until it is just past 3 AM, and Cisco wakes up. He isn't sure what woke him up, at first, until there is another sound. A worrying one. His mind is instantly racing, thinking danger, a metahuman attack, a breach that they had somehow missed, Zoom here, in his apartment. He pads down the hallway as quietly as he can, peers in through the cracked door of his bedroom, phone in his hand, ready to hit the distress button that will summon Barry, when he sees... Harry. Just Harry. He must have knocked something off the foot of the bed, that had woken Cisco up. But he doesn't care about that, now. Because it's all too clear to him that Harry is having a nightmare. A pretty terrible one, from the looks of it.
After a moment's indecision, Cisco comes into the room, crouches down by the bed. ]
Harry. Yo, Harry. [ Cisco reaches out, shakes Harry's shoulder gently, coaxingly ] Wake up, man.
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"Looking for something?"
He jerks his head back, turning abruptly to see Zoom a distance away, to see his hand vibrating quickly, hoisting something— someone up by it, penetrating their chest neatly. Harrison makes a choked noise, scrambling forward to get a better look. Zoom seems to very kindly acquiese by letting the body flop uselessly off his hand, rolling it over until Jay Garrick lay dead at Harrison Well's feet, the blood beginning to stain the front of his leather coat. His glassy eyes stare up at the ceiling, past Harrison, mouth still partially open in shock. Harrison swallows hard and takes a step back. Garrick was dead. The Flash was dead and it was his fault and Garrick was a fool and a coward but he didn't have to die—
There's a sudden pull and he can feel himself being hoisted up and jerked around until he's face to face with Zoom, lightning crackling around his pitch black eyes. Harrison reaches a hand towards his pocket and the speed dampener he's sure he had there — he had it there, it had to have been, why would he . . .
The dampener is dangled in front of his face as Zoom lets out a vicious laugh that resonates throughout the room. He tosses it aside like it's nothing, shoving Harrison up against the wall like a rag doll and gripping at his neck with one hand, claws digging in.
"Time's up, Wells."
It's hard to struggle against his iron-like grip when the pain is already so overwhelming. Harrison chokes and gasps and kicks his legs, trying to break free, trying—
His eyes snap open and he finds himself face to face with Ramon. In Ramon's bed. An entire universe away from Zoom. Harrison exhales, a shaky breath, and rolls over so he can quietly wipe some of the cold sweat from his brow. After a moment, he rasps out a response. ]
I'm awake. I'm up.
[ Jesse. He should check on Jesse, needs to check on Jesse, make sure she's there, that she's safe. He pushes himself up, still shaking, and heads for the door. ]
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So it wasn't a coincidence that he'd decided to spend a late night at S.T.A.R. Labs. He'd contacted Jesse to let her know he'd be late — running modules and waiting for them to process — and not to wait up for him for dinner. That would give her a good few hours to herself. Hopefully, productive ones. At best, she'd walk down a few blocks to the West residence and have dinner with them (and he could tell he was improving, since the thought of her walking just that far didn't send him into a panic). At worst, he'd come home to find her door locked, light pouring out underneath it, and have to endure the silent treatment for a day or two. It was a risk he was willing to take.
He pushes away from one desk with a foot, chair sliding across the room to another one with ease. It was funny how with just a little bit more sleep, the squeaking of the wheels wasn't nearly as irritating as it used to be. With a soft hum, Harrison reaches over to flick some music on and pulls up some of the research he and Barry had poured through when making the breach reactor charges. He leans back in his chair and starts to flip through them, idly glancing up occasionally to check the progress of his modules on the other machine. ]
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The fight about Harry's questionable taste in music, however, is still ongoing. As soon as Cisco steps in, he turns down the volume by a dozen or so clicks - there is a purpose for it this time, though, beyond just spite. He looks at the line of Harry's back as he is reading, tilting the chair back. If he's not careful, the whole thing will tip; Cisco's made that mistake before. ]
Guess who's hosting a sleepover with Iris and Caitlin, at my apartment?
[ Cisco delivers it as good news, and it is. Jesse making friends with anyone on Earth-1 is a very good sign, as is the fact that she felt comfortable enough making plans of her own. Maybe it would be good if she found a few friends her own age, but Iris and Caitlin at least already know a little about her. Cisco can understand how that might be ideal, considering the amount of explaining it cuts out of the equation.
(And he is glad, too, that empathy for what Jesse is going through was enough to draw Caitlin out of her cocoon of sadness; even if it's only for a night) ]
It was all pizza and nailpolish and Netflix when I left. I expect they'll still be awake by the time we get back.
[ We, not you. Cisco had come bearing more than just that one bit of good news. He has a bag slung over one shoulder, which clinks faintly when he puts it down. He takes out a leather portfolio, first, and after, a six-pack of beer. He can't suppress the grin that's tugging at his mouth as he says - ] Catch! [ And lobs the portfolio to Harrison. ]
A present, from Joe and me.
[ Inside the portfolio are an assortment of carefully forged documents. Birth certificate, social security card, driver's license, student records, medical records. All under the name of Jesse Wells. All showing her to by the daughter of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan, born in Starling City sixteen years before. The work of coming up with a way to distinguish Harry from Thawne and his crimes is still underway, but Jesse and Cisco and Joe had all agreed on this: she wasn't going to change her name, take on a different identity, just in case they didn't manage to remove suspicion from Harry. She might be mad at him for dragging her from her world, but she still didn't want to pretend to be a person who wasn't his daughter.
And Cisco has an inkling, what that will mean to Harry. How relieved he will be that they are making progress, settling Jesse in. Which is why he brought the beer. If anyone could use a little celebration, it's Harry. They hadn't celebrated, when they got Jesse free. Jay's death had overshadowed that. But now... well, better late than never. Cisco opens two bottles, holds one out to Harry with raised eyebrows. ]
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But not so great given that his excuse for his behavior from the previous night is now all but gone. He couldn't have been that drunk, right?
Harrison removes his glasses and sets them down on the counter, rubbing at his face idly. Maybe if he ignored it, it would all go away? Unlikely, given how persistent Ramon could be. Maybe a metahuman would attack and they'd be far too distracted to actually discuss matters, giving it more than enough time to blow over. He could only hope, anyway.
He pauses, glancing up at the screen, then reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a pair of earbuds, plugging them into the computer before popping them into his ears and turning up his music. If that wasn't a clear sign to leave him alone until he was ready, nothing was. Or at least, so he hoped. Then again, "until he was ready" was mostly code for "not in this lifetime" and he damn well knew it. But those were minor details. Ish. ]
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But he doesn't press the issue; not first thing in the morning. He lets Harry work for a few hours, working himself in silence. Just establishing that they can be near one another without things erupting, one way or another.
It isn't until it's almost noon when Cisco decides, out of the blue, that he's waited long enough. He gets up and comes over to where Harry is sitting, standing next to his chair, arms folded. Simply waiting. ]
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He returns to his place in a fog. It's shock, he knows. It'll pass - if not tonight, then tomorrow, and then the full weight of it will hit him. But for now, he feels suspended. Numb. Cisco tries to distract himself: turns the tv on, then off again. Skims his favorite youtube channels, vine, ends up tossing his phone onto the couch beside him and just... sitting there. At some point he gets himself a beer, but takes a few sips and then just stares at it.
Gradually, inevitably, self-recrimination creeps into his thoughts. If he'd worked harder on mastering his powers, he could have prevented all of this. If he'd thought to vibe off Jay's helmet right from that very first day he wandered into the cortex, and Barry threw him in the pipeline, he never would have had the chance to worm his way into their lives in the first place. But he'd been scared, and stupid, and gullible. ]
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Harrison had only briefly lingered with the others after Barry's abrupt exit, telling them in a clipped tone that Jesse had left town. It was fine. She would be fine. Deep down, past all his fears and anxieties, he knew it would be better in the end, that she was right. She always was at the end of the day. But that didn't mean it had to sit well with him. He'd stormed off to an empty lab to knock a few beakers clear across the room and yell for a bit into a void. It barely helped at all. Cleaning up the mess he'd made, sweeping up the shards, wasn't much better.
He spent — he doesn't know how long he spent staring at the wall blankly, rerunning moments in time in his mind. Was it all a lie? Probably. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Though things had ended on less than ideal terms, he'd thought— well. It was hard to register, Jay being the very same man who'd tormented him for months, who held his daughter in captivity, who'd very nearly killed him several times over. Jay had saved him — was that all part of the plan, too?
Harrison rubs at his face. Normally, he'd seek out Jesse and sit with her in those quiet moments when he'd rather not be alone. But she was gone. The next person that came to mind was . . . well. He'd thoroughly mucked that up. And then Garrick had effectively taken all of his very logical reasons and crushed them into fine paste. What he'd been so sure of only weeks ago now just seemed like excuses. And he was so, so tired.
He pushes him up and stalks the halls of the labs, glancing into one empty room after another. Realizing that everyone had left already, he heaves a sigh, then scoops up his coat and hat and heads for the door.
It doesn't take him long to get to Cisco's and he slows his pace when he enters the building, making his way towards his apartment. Harrison had been all determination on the way over, only focused on getting to his destination. But now he was here and he still didn't quite have a plan of action or even an idea of one; he just functions on instinct.
Lifting his hand quickly, before he can change his mind, he knocks on the door three times sharply. ]
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Except when Harry comes in to their shared lab that morning, all his focus and discipline and maturity fly right out the window. Because he's not wearing his usual combination of ill-fitting dad jeans and loose sweaters. Instead, he's in slacks and a suit jacket, the crisp white button up underneath open at the neck. And he's also wearing his glasses, which is doubly unfair.
When Cisco realizes he's been rather obviously staring, he recovers his cool enough to ask, unconvincingly: ]
What's the occasion?
[ That staring was definitely confusion over the change of wardrobe and nothing else. Yep. Definitely that. ]
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Or maybe it was when he eyed his closet one morning and found it depressingly sparse and realized just exactly how depressing that was. When it came to things like fashion and his general appearance, Harrison Wells generally did not give a single shit. But even he had his limits and apparently, he'd crossed them in a big way at one point. Caitlin had made an off-handed suggestion about varying it up, about how "Dr. Wells" had. He'd made a pointed remark about their "Dr. Wells," but he'd also pulled on his coat and baseball cap and made his way to the nearest department store discreetly. (or as discreetly as a man in a baseball cap can, anyway.)
Whatever the reason, he'd decided that enough was enough this morning. He was going to be a goddamn professional and do what Barry Allen had put off for ages by getting STAR Labs's affairs in order. And then figure out their "Harrison Wells" problems, but details.
Harrison almost immediately notices the staring and proceeds to roll his eyes at Cisco, stepping over to his computer. ]
I felt like it, Ramon. That's the occasion.
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(it is, in part, why everything is so damn slow with the two of them; after everything, Harrison would never forgive himself if he'd found that he'd pushed Cisco too far too fast.)
For Barry Allen to come in and inform everyone that Cisco's suddenly had a change of heart and is completely willing to open the breach— well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened there. Harrison grits his teeth, setting a screwdriver down and storming off in the direction of Cisco's workshop. He knows he should take a pause before going in, talk with Snow first. But damnit, Ramon's his— partner and he knows better.
He pushes the door open, not even bothering to knock or greet him. Instead, he stares over at Cisco, trying to meet his eyes with a flat, intense stare of his own. ]
Why did you just roll over for Allen like that?
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What?
[ It sinks in that Harry's not just blustering or complaining, the way he does a great deal of the time. No, he seems... genuinely angry. Cisco's stomach feels like it was suddenly and unceremoniously filled with lead. Any of the lingering reassurance he'd felt after Barry's speech evaporates all too quickly. ]
I thought... but you brought the goggles? You said you were gonna help? Did you change your mind?
[ Because this has to be about the breaches, itself, not about Cisco. Certainly not about things between him and Barry. The idea that Harry would butt in - would even care - is too weird to entertain. ]
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But it's hard to do even that when his head is throbbing, a constant pounding distracting him over and over. He lifts a hand to take off his glasses and rub at his forehead, wincing at the soreness starting to set in in his joints. Ice might have been a good idea. Any sort of medical attention, really, but it's not like they could go to a hospital. Jesse had glared at him until he'd let her give him a quick inspection, before reassuring her that he was fine and distracting her with other matters. Now, well. Now, he might regret that just a little bit.
Harrison sighs and reaches over to turn off the monitor, then leans forward and rests his head against the desk momentarily. He'd get back to it shortly. ]
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[ Cisco's voice coming from the doorway is small, incredulous. For a few moments he just stands there by he open door, a bag of ice in his hands, looking at Harry where he is slumped over. He feels like there is a huge lump in his throat that's making it hard to talk, hard to breathe normally. And his heart is racing - from leftover adrenaline from their confrontation with Gray, from worry over the bruise he can see on Harry's temple, and from fear that Harry is going to say something cold that will make it clear that absolutely nothing has changed.
It feels like years have passed since their fight the other day. With everything that had happened - Zoom taking Wally, taking Barry's speed, taking Caitlin, and then Harry himself being captured... but maybe Harry hasn't forgiven him. He hasn't done anything to deserve that forgiveness, really. The bag of ice is an olive branch as much as anything else.
Cisco closes the door behind him and walks cautiously over to Harry, setting the bag down on the desk near to him. Pointing to the bruise, he says: ]
That looks like it stings.
[ He should leave it at that and go. He shouldn't say anything more. ]
I'm glad Jesse's back.
[ The last thing Harry needs right now after everything he's been through is to deal with Cisco, who he really must still be pissed at. The unselfish thing would be to go. Give him his space. Respect his desire to be alone. Instead, his voice is a rasp and his eyes are suddenly wet as he blurts: ]
I was so worried.
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He'd come in all ready to find Harry, standing there with his arms crossed and that particular smile he gets any time he is pleased and exasperated with Cisco at the same time. Because his little cosplay plan had worked. Mostly. It had kept Black Siren from destroying any more buildings until the pulse neutralized all the Earth-2 metas. Sure, their cover had been blown and he'd had to do ... whatever it was he'd done to knock evil Laurel out, but all's well that ends well, right?
Harry isn't there waiting for him, though. Cisco looks around and sees Joe and Jesse in the med bay, and in the bed- ]
Oh my god, Harry!
[ Cisco runs in, right up to he side of the cot, not even bothering to take off the goggles, first. ]
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Not that it made the piercing static feel any better as it completely overwhelmed his system. Harrison was only grateful that his tolerance wasn't nearly as high as the metahumans of his world and the pulse knocked him out within seconds.
He'd already slowly begun to stir when Cisco runs in as Jesse took his hand, rubbing her thumb against the back of it gently. Harrison smiles up at her weakly, before blearily shifting his eyes about, in the general direction of the commotion, and his eyes widen almost instantly in a mix of surprise and fear. There's a sharp intake of air as he recoils, staring up shock at Reverb— Reverb? How—
Jesse has to lean in, press a hand against his shoulder to push him back down against the bed gently — dad, dad, it's not him — but the tension still remains in his confused haze. ]
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But Jesse was going home and he couldn't abandon her.
That had been the whole point behind coming to this Earth to begin with. Save Jesse, to hell with the rest of the world. Worlds. After his wife had passed, they were all the other had left in the world. Of course, Jesse is more forgiving than he is — or maybe she was just too young to remember the "family" that wasn't there for them after her passing. He'd never felt close, himself. All he needed was his science. And Jesse. The former he could do no matter where he was. The latter . . . where she went, he'd follow. Zoom had trapped her in his own flavor of hell and he'd dragged his broken spirit through it until he could pull her out. How could he even consider anything else?
There were other matters, other things to consider — that he still had much to atone for on Earth-2 and helping pull things back together was a good way to start, that his company needed his guidance to be rebuilt from its ashes, that Central City still needed its "savior" and maybe he could finally make good on that title. But the driving force was her. It was always her.
Didn't make his heart ache any less.
Harrison waits by Cisco's lab, quietly cleaning off the pulse laser. Jesse had already gone back to their apartment to finish sorting out their affairs — he'd leave that to her. But Cisco at least deserved to know his decision the minute it had been made. At least it would be quick, in theory. Like ripping off a band-aid. They'd have maybe a day (if he had any choice, a few hours — he was never one for long goodbyes) and then that would be that. They'd move on one way or another. ]
Ramon.
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Things aren't exactly perfect, this time around. Barry had lost his father. Caitlin is still going to be dealing with the trauma of her kidnapping for a long time. But everyone else is alive, and safe. So as far as Cisco's concerned, it's time to pop some bottles.
Which is why he greets Harry with far more than his usual enthusiasm. The door to the lab has only just swung shut before Cisco is bounding over to him, throwing arms around his neck and kissing him with dizzy enthusiasm. Or, at least, he is at first. It only takes a moment to feel that Harry's response is not what it should be. Cisco draws back, grinning, voice coaxing as he asks: ]
C'mon, we won! Live a little-
[ But Harry doesn't look grudging or grumpy or tired or anything like that. He looks... pale. Still. Cisco's stomach sinks with dread, heartbeat speeding up in sudden worry. Had something else gone wrong? What could have gone wrong? Couldn't he just have this one moment to be happy and nothing else? ]
What's wrong?
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Cisco's never been one to balk at a challenge, though. So he tells Harry that they are going on a date that weekend, and no, it's not optional. His itinerary for the day is meant to optimize the whole thing - mostly, in part, by making it possible for them to avoid other people. Restaurants are unpredictable, so Cisco prepares a picnic. A science museum with an emphasis on physics would probably be more interesting to Harry, but there's also a much greater chance that the two of them would get into an argument about something or other, there. So he picks a natural history museum. Still interesting, but (hopefully) less controversial.
It's not an auspicious start when, on the morning of their date, he wakes up to see that Harry has already left and gone in to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco had meant for them to leave together from the apartment. But he is undeterred, and a half an hour later he opens the door to the workshop, a picnic basket slung over one arm, an outfit that is at least a little nicer than his usual, and a look of grim determination. ]
Don't pretend you forgot, 'cause I know for a fact you didn't.
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(he imagines it probably would have been worse if he'd stayed on the other side of the breach, though.)
So when Cisco suggests — "suggests," more like tells, he's well aware that he didn't have much of a choice, as harmless as it was — that they go on a date that weekend, he gives him one of his usual incredulous looks before promptly ignoring that statement and going back to whatever he was doing at the time. If he wants them to go on a date? He could certainly try.
Still. When Harrison ducks out of the apartment that morning, he does take a moment to actually run a comb through his hair once or twice and makes a point of wearing a grey shirt with a black cardigan — nothing out of the ordinary for him, but not nearly as casual as he has been. The only thing that surprises him about Cisco coming to the workshop to drag him out is how long it takes for him to show up. He turns in his chair, giving him a slight smirk. ]
I didn't.
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Cisco can tell, when Harry and Caitlin are bent over test tubes and he says Snow in that dry, fond way of his, that he thinks of her as someone shaped by Hunter's betrayal. He knows that when he vibes, lets Harry talk to Jesse, he never forgets about all those months she spent in that cage.
But for better or worse, when they look at him, he can tell they forget. Because he doesn't bring it up much anymore (it's a chicken-and-egg puzzle: do they forget because he doesn't talk, or does he not talk because they forget?), because he jokes and smiles and eats so many jelly beans he gives himself stomach aches. He's always taken pride in being the unofficial morale booster, in being able to make his friends smile even in the worst situations. But as that day on the calendar creeps closer, it starts to weigh on him heavier. He still smiles and cracks wise and tries not to draw attention to it, but gradually, behind the happy façade, the dread mounts.
Cisco makes it until the day before the actual anniversary without (as far as he knows) tipping Harry off that anything's wrong. It's such a frivolous thing that gives him away; Harry wants him to get the laptop from the basement, where the biggest breach was, where once their speedster trap had been. Cisco has been down there at least a thousand times in the last year, and it had (almost) never been a problem. But out of nowhere, inconvenient and unwanted, when Harry asks today his response is swift, breathless, gut-wrenching panic. ]
You go get it.
[ He thinks he does a good job, all things considered, at making it sound like a sassy smart remark and nothing else. ]
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It had a few unexpected side benefits, though. "Benefits," since Harrison still wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or not. They'd come to know each other well enough that the smallest things became tells to one another. Cisco was able to easily call him out on any number of things that might have been wrong, able to discern a random temper tantrum from something actually gnawing at him. And it went both ways. Here and there, Harrison could pick up on small details, things that gave away Cisco's mood as well as his general frame of mind.
He'd never thought of himself as the emotionally supportive type, especially considering the fact that he'd been called emotionally stunted by most people on a good day. So it doesn't sit with him much, or rather, he's more quick to gloss over something that may strike a normal person as off since that sort of thing doesn't resonate with him nearly as much. But with Cisco, it's . . . not so much different as it is more noticeable to him. He can tell when his energy starts to flag, like something's sapping at him, or when his tone shifts, words becoming slightly more clipped with anxiety. Nothing that would raise the alarm with him — not yet, anyway — but enough for him to quietly file it away in the back of his head.
It's not until he's on his back, underneath a large machine and adjusting a few calibrations, that it becomes more apparent. An off-handed question — well, more like a demand for him to get the laptop didn't seem to warrant that sort of response. Harrison frowns, pulling himself out from under the machine and pulls his goggles up, glaring over in Cisco's direction with one eyebrow raised. ]
Excuse me?
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