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[ Cisco believes Taako, when he says all that. He's not always the best at telling when people are lying and when they aren't - even people he's as close to as Taako - but still, it has a ring of truth about it. Cisco knows, after all, that the reason Taako and Eddie hadn't worked out was because Eddie wanted to be with someone who didn't have a 'something more important'.

He is also sure that, after that breakup, Taako would've been careful to make sure any future romantic partners were cool with that. It would make sense, if he understood not being top priority, Rin might be in a similar position. Cisco doesn't know what Rin's 'something more important' might have been, but... he can accept the likelihood of its existence. ]

Okay. Okay, I get that.

[ Cisco swirls his drink, watching the vodka and ice cream and whipped cream all getting mixed together, a sugary boozy mess. He's not sure if he should leave it there, go back to his petty distractions. But Taako was the one who had brought the topic up, so he thinks maybe it will be alright if he keeps talking about it, a little, at least until his friend gives signals that he doesn't want to. ]

Still blows, though. I mean, even if you knew it was a possibility, or even, like, an inevitability. You had so little time.

[ Then again, maybe that would've only made the whole thing harder. ]

Yeah, its...

[He's sad, logically he knows that he's sad and that he has every reason to be, but right now it feels as if it's sort of outside himself, as if he's looking in on it. Compartmentalizing has always been a skill of his, there's no time for reflecting on feelings when the world is a little too dangerous, maybe this is just an extension of that.

The whole time he'd curled up with Lup there had been tears threatening, but that's not the case right now, he can talk about it without risking too much emotion.]

You know what I do regret, actually? Taking so fucking long to make a move. We'd been going on dates for months but I didn't think he was that into me. We could've had more time if I hadn't like, pulled a Barold.

[Which is to say: didn't do anything about his feelings for way too long]

[ Cisco nods as he listens, understanding the exact feeling of regret Taako's describing. Sure, the circumstances were different, but he'd been there. He'd felt that kind of regret when Ronnie had died, the second time, and Cisco realized he was gone for good, and he'd wasted so much time he could've spent with him. Or even when Eddie had sacrificed himself, and Cisco realized he'd never really gotten to know him properly. At least this place had made it possible to have a second chance, there.

And who knows. Maybe in the vast and unpredictable universe, Rin and Taako would cross paths again, get a second chance. Or maybe they wouldn't. ]

You were doing the best you knew how to do.

[ Cisco can't exactly in good conscience tell Taako to be more reckless, less cautious with people. That would just end in hurt, and he doubts it would be possible in the first place. But one bit of advice that he can give is: ]

Guess the take-away here is that you should never underestimate your own charm. And if you catch yourself doubting again, just say to yourself, "don't be Barry".

[ He bumps his shoulder into Taako's, a very small smile curling at the corner of his mouth. ]

'Don't be Barry' is the motto of my fucking life.

[That's unkind to Barry, but razzing on the dude is practically a past-time for Taako and it's how he shows that he cares. Although he also picks on people that he doesn't like, so sometimes it's hard to tell.]

Can't argue about my charm, though, that's an objective fact, ya know? I'm practically beating 'em off with a stick.

[He means that as much as he usually does, for all that it sucks that Rin left him, it isn't something that effects Taako's ego. He knows it doesn't have anything to do with whether or not he was good enough.]

Hey, mine too! For different reasons, natch.

[ Sorry, Barry Allen. Only not that sorry, because it is worth it to razz his friend a little, too, especially if it can make Taako smile, or distract him from how shitty he's feeling for a few moments.

It is reassuring, hearing Taako speak about himself fo confidently. Cisco knows that, were the positions reversed for the two of them, things would be very different. He had a nasty habit of blaming himself, of thinking of himself as undesirable. Even as his confidence has improved, in his time in this place, that possibility is still there. And even though he knows Taako is more self-assured than him, even the most stable people had to question their worth from time to time, right? ]

Hey you can always hit up Poe, right?

[ HE'S FULLY KIDDING, TAAKO. Sure, Taako had said Poe confessed to a certain degree of attraction, but he suspects the last thing his friend wants right now is more complications and emotional entanglements, and the second-last-thing is a meaningless rebound. ]

[It's good that Cisco is fully kidding because that's exactly how Taako responds to the comment, snorting a little as he laughs.]

Tempting as that suggestion is, and it is pretty tempting - [Poe is very handsome, if not necessarily the sort of dude he usually goes for.] - I think I'm gonna just be chill for a while, you know? I mean, I said that last time and this shit still happened cause Rin was super fucking charming and like, exactly my type, fuck.

[He was doomed from the start, honestly.]

But uh, I've got this thing with Kravitz, whatever it is, when I'm back in Fearun.

He was really charming.

[ Cisco does remember Taako saying that he was going to stay single for a while, after him and Eddie had split. But (and he doesn't think it's just his imagination), at least this time it seems to come less from a place of thinking he failed at a relationship. From the sound of it, Rin had left for reasons of his own, and Taako's not taking it as something he did wrong.

He has been hesitant to bring Kravitz up, for the most part, because he could tell that Taako wanted to avoid the subject. It must be weird, he knows. Knowing that that relationship is waiting for him when he returns to his world, but not yet having really lived through it. Not being anywhere where he can see or talk to the guy. ]

You do. And plenty of people to keep you company 'til then.

[ He clinks his glass against Taako's, smiling, eyes warm and fond. Cisco's not going to spout a bunch of stuff about dating not being the end-all be all, but he decides not to get into it. The fact is Taako has a lot of people around him who love him. His sister, his crewmates, and so many friends that he has made in this place. Rin leaving stings, Cisco's sure. But he isn't alone. ]

And so handsome.

[It's wistful (and true) but in a way that's leaning more towards light and joking than anything else; Taako isn't quite at the point where he's going to be able to properly make light of the situation, but he can at least ease up on the sadness pedal for a moment.]

I mean, I'm stuck with you, so I dunno if it's good company.

[Be nice.]

[ Cisco lays a hand against his chest and reels back, mouth open in an 'o' of dramatic offense. The truth is, he's far from being actually hurt. He knows, because he knows Taako, that if Taako didn't want him here, he wouldn't be here. It's as simple as that. So he sees the playful insult for what it is, and responds accordingly. ]

I, your dear friend, who has brought you offerings of ice cream and libations of the finest vodka, am going to generously pretend I did not hear that.

Edited 2018-02-23 23:26 (UTC)

[In a moment of genuine affection, Taako leans over to plant a kiss on Cisco's cheek. Maybe it's the fact he just lost someone he cares about, maybe it's the alcohol, but he just... wants to be honest for a second.]

Let's-- hey, let's blame the vodka for this one, but you're one of the best things about this place. You know that, right?

[ Cisco smiles wide, head ducking forward after Taako plants that kiss on his cheek, looking surprised and embarrassed and pleased all at once. He knows that heartfelt declarations of affection aren't really in Taako's nature, and he's happy to go without them. He knows Taako likes him, because he shows it in a dozen different ways. But it's still good, once every blue moon, to hear it, too. ]

Definitely the vodka's fault.

[ He reaches over and tips a little more of the alcohol into his glass, saying as he does: ]

And yeah, of course I know. I'm hot shit.

[ There's an airiness in the reply that goes against Cisco's surprised reaction just a moment before - obviously fake, that kind of jokey self-confidence that he'd so often used in place of actual self-esteem. But he doesn't just leave it there. Not when Taako had the guts to be honest, and straightforward. ]

I also know I wouldn't be half as cool if I'd never met you.

[ He doesn't mean anything as simple as fashion tips or dope adventures (though there had been some of both). What he means is the way he's changed, in the months they've known one another. He'd been not in the best place, when he came to Riverview. Isolated, distrusting, lonely, with a very low opinion of himself. And lately... it's been easier, not hating himself. A lot of that was down to Taako. ]

You're one of the best things about this place, too.

[ There's a momentary pang that comes from the knowledge that someday, he will be the one who is sad, when Taako is leaving. But Cisco quickly resolves that it won't matter as much; he'll figure out breaches by then. He's not going to let something as silly as the multiverse keep him from visiting his best bud. ]

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