[ Cisco doesn't know the first thing about sharing space with teenage girls. He only has a brother, not a sister, and should probably take Harry at his word. But something about the way he says it seems... fishy.
Harry had lied to them for a while about agreeing to help Zoom get Barry's speed. Cisco knows about that lie and he'd come to terms with it, more or less. But... there are other times. Times when he is sure that Harry is not telling him the truth, but can't figure out why he would do so. Certainly not for reasons of tact, knowing Harry. Politeness isn't exactly high on his list of priorities.
So why does Cisco have the feeling that he's being deceitful, right now? ]
The biggest thing we're going to need to worry about your identity.
[ Cisco joins him at the small table, starts drumming his fingers against its surface. He's had a few hours to think about this, and while there are a lot of different options, one in particular seems best to him ]
I think we might want to give up on passing you off as anyone but Harrison Wells. Your face is too recognizable, and I assume that you're not gonna want to hide indoors for the rest of your life. You're gonna want to go places, to work. To have a life. So I was thinking. Why not tell the truth? Or, part of it. Hear me out.
[ Cisco waits for Harry to look up at him, meet his eyes, before he continues ] I figure, even with the breaches closed, telling the public about the whole Earth-2 situation is a universe-sized can of worms that we don't want to open. The multiverse and time travel are pretty much no-gos as far as public explanations. People don't get the science behind them, and they're gonna feel like it's a lie, no matter how much evidence we throw at them. But you know what science people do get? Cloning.
[ Harrison stares at him flatly as he starts to explain his idea. He'd thought about it briefly when he first came to this Earth and found out everything there was to find out about its Harrison Wells. At the time, he'd decided to blend in, stay in S.T.A.R. Labs for the most part, and not speak to anyone if he didn't have to. It had worked out at the time, but now . . .
He crinkles his nose when "cloning" gets mentioned, then lifts a hand to pinch at the bridge of it. ]
Ramon. Explaining why Harrison Wells has a perfect clone my age is just as complicated as explaining Earth-2 to the world at large. And. [ He lifts a hand at that as a sign that he's not finished. ] And. That then puts Jesse in a precarious situation. The daughter of the scientist's clone? Come on.
[ He'd thought more about what Jesse would do on this Earth. Just because he had to deal with this particular "problem" didn't mean that Jesse should suffer the same fate. It would be best for her to change her last name, hold her head high, and go out into the world and do as she sees fit. At the same time . . . after all he'd gone through to get her back, Harrison can't just claim she isn't his daughter. That's not an option. Nor is claiming she's the other Wells' child.
Harrison leans back with his coffee, rolling his eyes. ]
Unless you want to claim that the other one was a clone.
I mean, he was the imposter, so yeah, obviously that's the logical way to do it. [ Don't you eyeroll at him, Harry. He will eye-roll right back, thanks very much ] It's either that or fake a birth certificate and go full-on evil twin. I thought that this at least sounds a little less like a telenovela. But y'know, that's just me. If you think you've got a better idea, bring it.
[ Somehow, he doubts Harry will have anything better in mind, when he's only halfway into his coffee, and hasn't had as much time to really consider the notion. So Cisco isn't really expecting him to answer, and forges on without giving him the chance. ]
Jesse'll be easier. She hasn't got a double, here, and no one knows her face, unlike you, so we can just fake some documents and we're good to go. I'm sure between Joe and Oliver and Felicity one of them knows a guy who knows a guy who can handle that sort of thing.
[ Cisco looks down at his hands, suddenly pre-occupied with a small scratch in the surface of the table, which he traces with a finger as he says ]
Have you uh. Thought about asking her if she'll want to see someone? [ Cisco knows he's being vague, knows Harry will snap at him to just say what he means, so he clarifies before he even has the chance ] Four months is a really long time. It might... be a good idea, if she's willing to give it a try.
[ Harrison scrubs at his face with one hand, considering. It would take a lot of finagling as he was genetically identical to Thawne, making it difficult for him to prove he wasn't that Wells. Then again, that Wells was supposed to be paralyzed and he was clearly walking without any sort of assistance. Nor was he a metahuman. Theoretically, they could say the clone staged the accident and that's what Detective West and Cisco discovered in Star City back then, but—
He sips his coffee and stares ahead flatly in annoyance. ]
. . . can't believe I'm even considering it.
[ Jesse. Of course it would be easier to take care of her and allow her to wander freely once she felt up to it. But the thought of her identity not somehow being linked with his made his heart ache, and he grimaces down towards his coffee mug. What Cisco was saying was logical. And whatever was best for Jesse was what he needed to do.
He rubs at the side of his mug with his thumb, brows furrowing. ]
I've . . . yeah. [ He lets out a sigh. No use in denying it. It was the first thing he'd thought once they'd let the dust from the journey to this Earth settle, once she'd sat down and stared up at him with a sort of emptiness in her eyes. She wouldn't talk to him, he knows. Daring rescue or no, he had kept the truth about the particle accelerator from her. Why should she talk to him about everything she endured? ] It's— difficult, with Jess. [ A pause. ] I mean, setting aside the truth about our identities, she tends to be smarter than most doctors and therapists which is not ideal if she doesn't want to cooperate. I can't force her.
Well, extensive plastic surgery isn't an option we should rule out, either.
[ It's not a serious suggestion, though. Cisco just says it to needle at Harry, because... it's what he does. ]
Maybe I should talk with her. [ Cisco meets Harry's eyes when he makes the suggestion, sees the worry there, the weariness, and more than a small amount of sadness ] I mean, she's, what, seventeen? And you're her dad. If she's anything like I was at that age- [ As if such a great time had passed ] - she's going to automatically reject the idea if it comes from you. She'll think you're treating her like a kid. If the idea is coming from me, it hasn't got that problem. Plus, I can do the whole it sure helped me speech.
[ Which is a kind of a confession, and thus communicates additional meaning when Cisco adds ] I know a woman who can handle smart and occasionally uncooperative.
[ Even more tentatively than he'd made the first suggestion, Cisco ventures: ] Could always set up a time for you to meet her, too.
[ He snorts at the surgery suggestion, which is as good as any dismissal, and leans back, taking a sip of his coffee as he considers Cisco's offer. It makes more sense to have someone like Cisco make the suggestion to Jesse — he's more her peer than Harrison is, with the added "bonus" of having gone through a traumatic experience himself. "Bonus." He takes another sip to mask his inward disgust at having even thought the phrase. Cisco was too young to have gone through some of the things he had, and Harrison wasn't even entirely sure how deep the rabbit hole went. He saw it occasionally, the glances his way, the deflections, and it made him fairly certain that Eobard Thawne crossed several lines in his time masquerading around as Harrison Wells.
So. A solid suggestion all around. ]
— please. [ It comes out quickly. He's not a polite person by any means but when it comes to Jesse, all bets are off. He sets his coffee mug down and folds his hands together. There's a lot more he could say — I'm surprised she even went out with Iris, she didn't get to say goodbye to anyone, she was isolated for four months and I'm terrified she's going to isolate herself further here — but words seem to fail him. ] If you can.
[ The next suggestion makes him tense up immediately, fingers tightening together, and the response is immediate: ]
[ Cisco is a little surprised by how willing Harry is to go along with his suggestions. He had thought he might be resistant to the idea that Jesse might need therapy (guilty over the fact that it had taken him four months to save her), that he might resent Cisco saying he should bring it up when he's only just met her. But it's clear from the immediacy with which he gives that no that he is willing to be reasonable when it comes to Jesse's mental well-being, but definitely not his own.
He thinks about arguing the point, telling Harry that stubbornness is a bad reason to avoid doing something that might help him. But Cisco catches himself before he speaks. That reflexive tightening of his hands, the stiffness of his shoulders - it doesn't look like pride. It looks like fear, and the denial was a byproduct of that. Cisco isn't really in a position to criticize. His voice is quieter as he says. ]
That's exactly what I said, the first time Joe suggested it. I thought... the stuff that was bothering me, it didn't really count. It wasn't like Barry, or Iris, or Caitlin. They had 'real' reasons to be upset. Took me a month and a half to change my mind. So, if that happens for you, too, just lemme know. And, I guess. If you think it'd be easier talking to me than a stranger, well. You know where to find me.
[ It's probably get him something on the spectrum between an eyeroll and a derisive remark, knowing Harry. But he had to at least say it. Cisco stands up, patting Harry's shoulder absently as he goes to pour himself some of the coffee, too. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
franciscoramon) wrote2015-02-21 01:38 am
no subject
Harry had lied to them for a while about agreeing to help Zoom get Barry's speed. Cisco knows about that lie and he'd come to terms with it, more or less. But... there are other times. Times when he is sure that Harry is not telling him the truth, but can't figure out why he would do so. Certainly not for reasons of tact, knowing Harry. Politeness isn't exactly high on his list of priorities.
So why does Cisco have the feeling that he's being deceitful, right now? ]
The biggest thing we're going to need to worry about your identity.
[ Cisco joins him at the small table, starts drumming his fingers against its surface. He's had a few hours to think about this, and while there are a lot of different options, one in particular seems best to him ]
I think we might want to give up on passing you off as anyone but Harrison Wells. Your face is too recognizable, and I assume that you're not gonna want to hide indoors for the rest of your life. You're gonna want to go places, to work. To have a life. So I was thinking. Why not tell the truth? Or, part of it. Hear me out.
[ Cisco waits for Harry to look up at him, meet his eyes, before he continues ] I figure, even with the breaches closed, telling the public about the whole Earth-2 situation is a universe-sized can of worms that we don't want to open. The multiverse and time travel are pretty much no-gos as far as public explanations. People don't get the science behind them, and they're gonna feel like it's a lie, no matter how much evidence we throw at them. But you know what science people do get? Cloning.
[ Do you see where he's going with this, Harry? ]
no subject
He crinkles his nose when "cloning" gets mentioned, then lifts a hand to pinch at the bridge of it. ]
Ramon. Explaining why Harrison Wells has a perfect clone my age is just as complicated as explaining Earth-2 to the world at large. And. [ He lifts a hand at that as a sign that he's not finished. ] And. That then puts Jesse in a precarious situation. The daughter of the scientist's clone? Come on.
[ He'd thought more about what Jesse would do on this Earth. Just because he had to deal with this particular "problem" didn't mean that Jesse should suffer the same fate. It would be best for her to change her last name, hold her head high, and go out into the world and do as she sees fit. At the same time . . . after all he'd gone through to get her back, Harrison can't just claim she isn't his daughter. That's not an option. Nor is claiming she's the other Wells' child.
Harrison leans back with his coffee, rolling his eyes. ]
Unless you want to claim that the other one was a clone.
no subject
[ Somehow, he doubts Harry will have anything better in mind, when he's only halfway into his coffee, and hasn't had as much time to really consider the notion. So Cisco isn't really expecting him to answer, and forges on without giving him the chance. ]
Jesse'll be easier. She hasn't got a double, here, and no one knows her face, unlike you, so we can just fake some documents and we're good to go. I'm sure between Joe and Oliver and Felicity one of them knows a guy who knows a guy who can handle that sort of thing.
[ Cisco looks down at his hands, suddenly pre-occupied with a small scratch in the surface of the table, which he traces with a finger as he says ]
Have you uh. Thought about asking her if she'll want to see someone? [ Cisco knows he's being vague, knows Harry will snap at him to just say what he means, so he clarifies before he even has the chance ] Four months is a really long time. It might... be a good idea, if she's willing to give it a try.
no subject
He sips his coffee and stares ahead flatly in annoyance. ]
. . . can't believe I'm even considering it.
[ Jesse. Of course it would be easier to take care of her and allow her to wander freely once she felt up to it. But the thought of her identity not somehow being linked with his made his heart ache, and he grimaces down towards his coffee mug. What Cisco was saying was logical. And whatever was best for Jesse was what he needed to do.
He rubs at the side of his mug with his thumb, brows furrowing. ]
I've . . . yeah. [ He lets out a sigh. No use in denying it. It was the first thing he'd thought once they'd let the dust from the journey to this Earth settle, once she'd sat down and stared up at him with a sort of emptiness in her eyes. She wouldn't talk to him, he knows. Daring rescue or no, he had kept the truth about the particle accelerator from her. Why should she talk to him about everything she endured? ] It's— difficult, with Jess. [ A pause. ] I mean, setting aside the truth about our identities, she tends to be smarter than most doctors and therapists which is not ideal if she doesn't want to cooperate. I can't force her.
no subject
[ It's not a serious suggestion, though. Cisco just says it to needle at Harry, because... it's what he does. ]
Maybe I should talk with her. [ Cisco meets Harry's eyes when he makes the suggestion, sees the worry there, the weariness, and more than a small amount of sadness ] I mean, she's, what, seventeen? And you're her dad. If she's anything like I was at that age- [ As if such a great time had passed ] - she's going to automatically reject the idea if it comes from you. She'll think you're treating her like a kid. If the idea is coming from me, it hasn't got that problem. Plus, I can do the whole it sure helped me speech.
[ Which is a kind of a confession, and thus communicates additional meaning when Cisco adds ] I know a woman who can handle smart and occasionally uncooperative.
[ Even more tentatively than he'd made the first suggestion, Cisco ventures: ] Could always set up a time for you to meet her, too.
no subject
So. A solid suggestion all around. ]
— please. [ It comes out quickly. He's not a polite person by any means but when it comes to Jesse, all bets are off. He sets his coffee mug down and folds his hands together. There's a lot more he could say — I'm surprised she even went out with Iris, she didn't get to say goodbye to anyone, she was isolated for four months and I'm terrified she's going to isolate herself further here — but words seem to fail him. ] If you can.
[ The next suggestion makes him tense up immediately, fingers tightening together, and the response is immediate: ]
No.
no subject
[ Cisco is a little surprised by how willing Harry is to go along with his suggestions. He had thought he might be resistant to the idea that Jesse might need therapy (guilty over the fact that it had taken him four months to save her), that he might resent Cisco saying he should bring it up when he's only just met her. But it's clear from the immediacy with which he gives that no that he is willing to be reasonable when it comes to Jesse's mental well-being, but definitely not his own.
He thinks about arguing the point, telling Harry that stubbornness is a bad reason to avoid doing something that might help him. But Cisco catches himself before he speaks. That reflexive tightening of his hands, the stiffness of his shoulders - it doesn't look like pride. It looks like fear, and the denial was a byproduct of that. Cisco isn't really in a position to criticize. His voice is quieter as he says. ]
That's exactly what I said, the first time Joe suggested it. I thought... the stuff that was bothering me, it didn't really count. It wasn't like Barry, or Iris, or Caitlin. They had 'real' reasons to be upset. Took me a month and a half to change my mind. So, if that happens for you, too, just lemme know. And, I guess. If you think it'd be easier talking to me than a stranger, well. You know where to find me.
[ It's probably get him something on the spectrum between an eyeroll and a derisive remark, knowing Harry. But he had to at least say it. Cisco stands up, patting Harry's shoulder absently as he goes to pour himself some of the coffee, too. ]