{I see your face appearing Like an unexpected song

[myheadisaprison]

PSL with auricular_acuity

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[thisismadfreaky]

With Zoom taken care of, things are a little quieter around the city. Not perfect, of course, there's a rogue meta here and there, but nothing too huge on the horizon as far as anyone has noticed. He's at Jitters on his way into work. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

At least until he walked out, coffee in hand and there was a breach and someone stumbling out of it and knocking into him. "Shit!" He shouts as hot coffee sloshes out of the cup in his hand. "What the f--" but as he finally takes in everything happening, he realizes who had just crashed into him. "Hartley?"

[auricular_acuity]

On some level, Hartley expected Reverb to screw him over. What he doesn't understand, is how he did it - or why.

All he knows is he met the meta for a second time - for a real hookup, he hopes - and all that happens is that the meta pushes him. His stomach wrenches as the world swirls around him, and he stumbles backwards, slamming into someone and whirling around--

--To see Reverb.

"W-what did you do?" he exclaims, stumbling back and raising his hands defensively. "What--" He looks around, eyes wide with panic as he realizes that this is not the hotel room anymore. "You kidnapped me!"

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco's eyebrows shoot up and he holds his free hand up as if to say stop. "Whoa! Back up. No, I did not kidnap you." He's just going to set that record straight real quick. "I haven't even seen you since the thing with the time wraith, dude. What is going on?"

They may not be besties, but Hartley is kind of a friend these days. Ish. In that weird outlier space that's above acquaintanceship, but below friendship. He's a little concerned about whatever happened to make that kind of accusation fly.

[auricular_acuity]

"What are you talking about?" Hartley exclaims. How could Reverb say he hasn't seen him? He looks around himself desperately. "We were going to spend the night together, and now I'm--where is this place?"

[thisismadfreaky]

"Wha--" There's an awkward huff that can't quite believe called a laugh that escapes him. Spend the night. Together. With Hartley. "I have no idea what you're talking about, are you sure you didn't hit your head or-- or like, get hit by some illusionist meta?"

The question leaves Cisco really confused. Since when does Hartley not recognize the best coffee shop in town? He glances at the storefront behind him and then back at the other man. "....Jitters?" Because what else could he mean, really?

[auricular_acuity]

It is Jitters. Not a coffee place Hartley has really spent a lot of time in, but now that the meta points it out, he does recognize it. He's a little fuzzy with wine, and perhaps that's part of why he's so slow on the uptake.

"I don't understand... we were at the hotel."

[thisismadfreaky]

"Hey," Cisco reaches out to gently touch Hartley's arm. "why don't you come with me to STAR Labs...I can have Caitlin check you over and make sure you're okay." He kind of hopes Hartley will be agreeable to that at least. If he comes back to the lab, maybe Cisco can figure out what happened and why he's so convinced they were...on a date, from the sounds of it?

[auricular_acuity]

"Huh?" Hartley trembles under Cisco's fingers, still looking at him with confusion and fear. "STAR Labs? You go there?" He thought STAR Labs was against metas.

And who's Caitlin anyway?

He is on the edge of agreeing to go, if only because he doesn't really want to piss the meta off, when he realizes that it's light outside. Is it possible that Reverb drugged him? He's so confused.

"I...I should probably be getting home. My parents'll be wondering where I am by now."

[thisismadfreaky]

He pulls his hand back when he can practically feel the fear rolling off of him in waves. Everything about this meeting is so strange. "Hartley, I work there... you know that. That's how we met." It seems like the more time goes by, the less sense anything Hartley is saying makes.

Cisco stares at him, confused. "What are you talking about? I'm...pretty sure it's been literal years since you really talked to them. At least...last I knew...? Did something change?" He is completely aware he doesn't have quite enough contact to know everything about Hartley's life, but...they were semi-friendly these days, he liked to think he'd be told about something so huge as a reconciliation with his parents.

[auricular_acuity]

None of this makes any sense. "We met on the street... less than a week ago," he says uncomfortably. Why would the other man think he doesn't have a relationship with his parents?

At least it doesn't really seem like he's trying to kidnap Hartley, but he's not really doing much to calm him down. Everything he says just makes no sense.

[thisismadfreaky]

He's frowning as he tries to sort this out in his own head. Nothing between them is adding up like it should. The more he thinks about it, the more one thing tugs at the back of his mind. "If I say speedster...who's the first one that comes to mind?" If he was right... if this wasn't his Earth's Hartley, he might say someone besides the Flash. It's not entirely foolproof, the Flash probably existed on multiple other Earths, too, but...it was a start.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley frowns faintly. There are a few options, but honestly as he looks at Reverb, there's only one that comes to mind first. "Zoom?"

[thisismadfreaky]

"Ay, Dios mío, you're from Earth-2." He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a breath, trying to figure out how to explain all of this. "Look-- y- you're... this is an Earth that's....largely identical to yours, but the people you know back home are...probably pretty different."

One thing is bugging him, though. "But-- how did you get here?"

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley scratches the back of his neck, frowning at Cisco doubtfully. "I told you already, Reverb. You pushed me, and I fell. You said something about a permanent vacation."

He swallows, the truth starting to dawn on him. "And there was a guy there who looked just like me. Was that...another me?"

[thisismadfreaky]

"Rev-- whoa, no," Cisco holds up a hand to halt the conversation right there. He points to himself, "Me? I'm not Reverb. The whole..." he waves his hand in front of his own face and gestures down his body. "guyliner, decked in leather thing is so not my schtick."

"Yeah," He nods slowly at the question. "my...guess at this point is it was the version of you I know from here."

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley's brows draw together and he nods slowly. "I'll hear you out. What I saw... it made no sense. You're saying I fell through a...a wormhole?"

[thisismadfreaky]

He shrugs a little, "More or less. I mean...it's complicated, but it's something Reverb can do." And for now, Cisco's just...not going to mention that it's also something he can do. He shakes his head a little, "I don't know why he'd want you here, though. That's...curious."

But instead of leaving it at at that, in true Cisco fashion, he starts rambling, mostly to himself in a 'thinking out loud' sort of way. "I mean-- other than the fact that a pair of doppelgangers together on one Earth and in the same city would cause him problems if he's planning something with my Earth's version of you. But..." He frowns. "I have no idea what he'd want with him. Seems so random."

He pauses and tilts his head, focusing his attention on the Hartley in front of him again. "Were you...or-- or your parents doing anything particularly huge or novel in the industry recently? Or..." He shakes his head. This is all just a stab in the dark, really. He can't imagine what Reverb is up to.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley shifted his weight, frowning. "Do you think the other me is in trouble? He didn't seem like he was." He shook his head thoughtfully. "Nothing in particular. I mean, I'm working on a number of projects, and we're always trying to push out new products."

[thisismadfreaky]

"I don't know...Reverb isn't really the friendly type, to my knowledge." He runs a hand across the back of his neck, frowning at the answer to his question. "I don't know. I don't get it, but... will you come with me? To STAR Labs?" Because right now, he doesn't have the fainest idea of what else to do.

[auricular_acuity]

"Trust me, I've seen the news," Hartley says fervently. "I know what he's done. He...he seemed okay, though. Until he pushed me and sent me here."

He nods. "I'll come with you."

[thisismadfreaky]

"He was probably just playing you." It's said so matter-of-factly that Cisco only realizes after it's out of his mouth how blunt and terrible it sounds. "I mean-- because that's what he does. Not- not because I think you'd be easily played or anything. ....I'm gonna shut up now."

"Okay, good." Cisco shoves a hand through his hair and tries to shake off the awkward of that moment. He nods at him to follow and leads the way to the lab. He has no idea what to do after Caitlin checks him out, though.

He wanders back into the room once Cait has wrapped up and everything checks out fine. "Hey..." he bites the inside of his cheek. "what's your plan from here?"

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley's lips compressed. "I figured...he was," he admitted uncomfortably.

Then he shut up and followed Cisco to STAR Labs, looking around with his mouth faintly open. "Wow, it's so different." His eyes widen when he sees Caitlin, his jaw dropping. "You look really different."

At least seeing Caitlin - who looks completely different from Killer Frost - helps to convince him that what Cisco said was true. This really isn't his world.

He turned his head to see Cisco, feeling some relief at his return. "I... don't know. I suppose I could go home for tonight, but I need to figure out how to get to my real home."

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco's glad that he's starting to believe him, it'll make being here easier. At least until they can get him home. Cisco hasn't mentioned that he could, technically. They need to figure out what Reverb is doing with their world's Hartley before making any sudden moves.

"Yeah, um...I'll help you figure out where his place is. But I...I wouldn't really suggest just rolling up to your parents house. It probably wouldn't go the way you expect." He gives him a small, sad smile. It would be really disheartening for that to be thrown at him out of nowhere, especially since from all that he's picked up, this Hartley has a better relationship with his parents.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley's brows pinched. "Why? Do you think I'm really different from him?" Perhaps Reverb's double believes that Hartley would wind up getting caught out as the impostor he is.

"What's he like? Is he really different from me? Is he...bad, like the other you?"

[thisismadfreaky]

He shrugs, "I don't really know. But yo-- his parents they disowned him. Awhile ago." He rolls his lips together and his gaze drops for a second after that admission because it feels too heavy for what was mostly a light and purely curious question before it.

Cisco makes a face, and spreads his hands a little. "I wouldn't say he's on Reverb's level. He has his dick moments, got really hell-bent on a revenge streak for awhile, but...I don't think it's the same."