Maybe it wasn't. But it might be a good idea to at least consider the possibility. [Hartley raised his free hand to run his fingers through Cisco's hair, his palm brushing against his cheek. He watches his face as he talks and then leans in finally, kissing him less with passion and more with something subtler, softer. Just as intimate. An attempt to simply be close, because he sees the tears threatening.]
Zoom's not going to lose us anyone else. We'll find a way, Cisquito. Anyway, I don't think Zoom was recruiting you, was he? [He frowns, remembering.] Reverb was.
I know... I'm sorry. [His voice is quiet and he shuts his eyes against the tears, leaning into that soft kiss a little. He always knows just the thing to say or do to get Cisco out of his own head. He opens his eyes again and leans his forehead against Hartley's.] Promise? [He knows that's not a promise anyone can truly make, but it'd sound nice, maybe make him feel a little better to hear it.
We'll do what we can. And we are good. [Hartley doesn't believe in making promises when he doesn't know beyond a doubt they will be kept, but he's confident and, more than that, he simply wants to be confident for Cisco's sake.]
Simple. If he wanted to recruit you then, but now there was no whisper of such plans, something must have changed for him between then and now. What would be interesting is if and why he actually believed you could have defeated Zoom.
[Not a promise, but close enough. Enough to calm his nerves, at least. The confidence in his voice is almost soothing in its own right.
At Hartley's words, a thoughtful look crosses his face.] You think there was more to it than just not going it alone? [He tips his head slightly. This isn't going to go over well, he's pretty sure.] I could try to find out. He seemed... amicable when he left, maybe.. maybe I could talk him into helping us take Zoom down. [Or Hartley. He could ask. And Cisco hates he jumped to that, even only in his head, because holy fuck is it manipulative and low. ...but as a last ditch effort in convincing him if he resisted, it'd probably work. But he can't even voice the idea because using that against him wasn't right.]
Maybe you should never be left alone with him again, how's that idea? [But he doesn't agree with the general principle of what Cisco is saying, just leaving him alone to talk to someone this dangerous? Not something very high up on his list.] Either way we need to know what he's doing, we can't leave him to try to take over some other Earth or whatever would happen.
That...is an option. [Not the best one, in his opinion, but he can't hate the way Hartley is so protective of him.] You'll be there next time and we'll figure it out. He was so... apathetic, though, I don't really think anything like that is even on his mind, Hartley.
[Paco knew to a degree, before he even did this, that it was probably not his wisest move. He remembered what Cisco said, about being chatty and not minding his company, and after spending most of his day spent looking at an old scappy picture of him, Hart and Dante he'd salvaged in his wallet, he felt like he needed to just get out and away from these feelings. It was almost suffocating sometimes, it felt like he couldn't breath and he was still without a plan or a goal, he was still lost.
And it was easier to be weak in front of himself than anyone else. Not that he currently had anyone else. He supposed he could go back, talk to Cisco a little, maybe borrow that film. He had nothing to watch right now, the silence was too much and he needed something right now before he lost his mind.
He could have planned ahead better and been politer about it but the closest Cisco got to a heads up over what was happening was literally a text that simply said:] I'm coming over
[Cisco said he had to give a warning in future so there, he gave a warning. Approximately thirty seconds before he opened a breach and stepped inside. Still, progress? His glasses were on a high setting and everything was tinted a brilliant blue, he didn't quite see what situation he was walking in on but just knowing Cisco and feeling his presence, he assumed he was alone as per usual. Why wouldn't he assume that?] Vibe, I hope you don't --
[The blue cleared and his eyes set on the scene in front of him. And like that, he paused, his hand still out stretched from creating the breach, the glasses blissfully hiding his eyes as he stood there, frozen, feeling very much like he'd just gotten sucker punched in the chest. Fuck. This was a bad idea. The words died there as he looked at them through a blue filter.]
[He might have said more, but it's at that moment that a breach opens and he reacts instinctively, getting up to put himself between Cisco and whoever might come from the breach, one hand going up to his ear and the other into his pocket so he can find his gloves.
It's not even a surprise to see Reverb, even if he's never seen him before. Someone who looks just like Cisco, but not really. What stops Hartley from saying anything initially is the look on Reverb's face and the realisation sinking in. Oh.
Right. What is he supposed to do with this? Emotions are hardly his forte.]
...Reverb, I assume? [He glances over his shoulder at Cisco for just a moment, wishing he had a manual on how to handle this situation. But how could he?] I'm Piper.
[He doesn't have time to say a word when the breach appears suddenly in the middle of his living room. And there's only one thought in Cisco's head as he realizes who it is coming through that breach:
Oh, no.
Hartley's immediately on his feet and shoving himself between Cisco and his doppelgänger, making with introductions that are hardly even necessary, but a formality all the same.
He's so stunned, frozen to the spot with that gut-checked look on his face and Cisco kinda feels horrible about it, even if it's no one in the room's fault.]
Hey, Paco... [Yeah, that still felt weird. Being on some kind of first name basis with him now. He doesn't bother standing, he's pretty sure any move he makes, Hartley will just keep putting himself between the pair of them. He does shift to sit more properly though and leans forward on his knees.] What's up? [The question feels stupid in the tension of the moment, but he asks anyway just to break the stunned silence.]
[That was Hartley. Hartley. God, this was him and he was talking to him and saying words. At the same time, he was both like and not at all like Hart. He wasn't sure what he wanted or what he felt, he just stared for a few moments before he finally shook himself out of it. He used his arm to adjust his jacket before lowering it, trying to pass off that pause as something other than the shock it was. This was already unpleasant enough without adding anything embarrassing to it.
He could still save this moment and keep himself from looking like a pathetic idiot.]
Piper? Huh. That's real cute. You can call me Reverb.
[He bowed ever so slightly. Nope, not Paco, never Paco, that distance had to be set now. He couldn't bear to hear that name coming from that voice. It'd hurt too much right now. Paco took a deep breath and tried to center himself, he didn't like being on such uneven footing here and yet here he was, confronted with the sight of Cisco and Hartley. Together. Fuck.]
Am I interrupting? [There's a cocky smile on his face, a perfect imitation, a way to hide what he was actually feeling.] Date night? I didn't mean to break up the cuddling action.
[Which he is less suspicious of now that he sees the reaction. He's too familiar with Cisco and entirely too good at reading people to not know that the smile is fake, but he's not about to point it out either. He has his own fake expressions to hide behind.]
So, I hear you're hiding from Zoom. No more plans of overthrowing him?
[That distinction doesn't go unnoticed, it's a small, but hard line of division and it's almost surreal to think what it even means that he's allowed Cisco the option, so he doesn't bother trying right now. Instead, his attention is on the exchange between the two of them.
The lie is easy to spot on his own face and he briefly wonders if it's that obvious with him, to other people. He'd ask Hartley later.]
Diving straight to the point... [He mutters, mostly to himself, not that he's surprised by it or anything. This meeting is just jarring compared to the last one. Cisco looks to his twin, waiting for his answer to that question.]
[Paco looked over at Cisco and raised an eyebrow. Seriously? It's been like what? A day? And his other half already spilled everything. Apparently being quiet and keeping information to himself was not a thing that they both did. Noted. Not that he minded, he supposed he always expected it, it was just not something he adored to know.
He cocked his head to the side and looked in Hartley's direction. Not at him, he couldn't, not yet. He just looked over his shoulder. With the glasses on, it was hard to tell. That was why he kept them on.] I'm not hiding, I'm on vacation. Fun in the sun. We're all entitled to holiday time, even former villains. [He's not really in hiding, he just doesn't want to bait the attention. He doesn't want the fight. He knows he should but -- like he said before, no motivation.] I lost interest. In Zoom, in overthrowing, in everything really. It's not happening. Sorry boys.
[Hartley takes a step toward Reverb, his hand inside his pocket, adjusting the setting of his gloves. He doesn't really think that he'll have to use them, but he wants to be ready just in case.] Shame. We will fight him. Zoom. Very soon.
[They didn't really have a choice. They had plans in the works, but Zoom was smart, Zoom was fast. Unpredictable things happened entirely too often already in their fight against Zoom and he still feels like he hasn't seen the full board.]
What?! [He can't stop the borderline defensive tone from edging into his voice at that look he's getting from Paco.] I don't keep things from him.
[He shifts to the edge of the couch as Hartley steps closer to Reverb. He'd really rather nothing happened, but Hartley would be his priority if things took a turn for the aggressive.] Don't you still want to see Zoom taken down? After everything he's done...he deserves that, at least, if not worse. You know him better than we do, you could help us.
[He wasn't going to lie, he wanted revenge, he wanted to take him down and watch him suffer. He wanted to do to him what he did to Hart but he had failed once before and he had a feeling he'd fail again. He once thought if he had Vibe by his side, he could stop him but Vibe was untrained, he was weak in many ways and if he took him out to face Zoom... well, he could see it happening again. He could see Hart dying and he just couldn't do that.
He couldn't be the one responsible for that again. Before he knew Vibe had Hartley, he never saw him as anything like himself but now, it was too painful to use the other him like that.] He will end you both. He's stronger, faster and you won't survive him. If I couldn't do it, you certainly can't. My advise would be to just leave him in my Earth and avoid opening any breaches to it. I can do my part, I'm sure Cisco can do his. [Paco is a sensible man, he has sensible ideas and assumes others do too. He had no idea that Barry would open a breach to try and take down Zoom for reasons and he had no idea that Cisco had helped him do that.] Let my Earth die. There's nothing worth saving there.
[Someone who has suffered such loss and is so desperate to hide how he feels...
Hartley can relate, more than he'd want to admit. He sees ways that they could manipulate him and he hesitates to even try. He knows words that would alert him to act right now, but he's not sure where it would lead. He only knows Reverb second-hand and because he knows Cisco. It's not enough, not really.
Hartley takes another step forward, so close to Reverb now.]
A breach has been opened.
[There. It's slowly that he raises his hands, to try and remove Reverb's glasses - should he let him.]
He's fast and he's strong, but he's still only one person. We have a whole team of people on this, we can stop him, if we work together. [The feeling is surreal, being the optimist in the room, but it's the only thing he can even think to say that holds any weight at all.
He holds his breath as he watches as Hartley moves, stopping right in front of the other him. Cisco knows he won't hurt him, but beyond that he isn't sure what will come next and he's transfixed on the scene playing out before him.]
[Paco just wanted to abort right now and leave because he had no idea what to do and as much as he wanted to lash out, he just couldn't. He couldn't find the right thing to do or say so he just stood there, uselessly, as Hartley removed his glasses. Fuck. Looking into those eyes, Hart's eyes, he found himself unable to look away. He could never risk Hartley, never, and that meant they had him. He was trapped.]
Hartley. [It was him. God, it was just like him. He felt his heart almost clench and he held his breath, struggling against the wave of emotions that hit him. He fought against the urge to just reach out, fingers twitching uselessly at his side, wanting to just hold onto Hartley, to pull him close and be with him as if he was his own. But he wasn't. This wasn't Hart.] You're cheating. I hope you know that. [He snatched back his glasses and looked away, shaking his head.] You both are. [There's a pause for a moment.] Bravo. Well played, didn't think either of you had it in you.
[There is no taking it back now. Hartley's hand tightens to a fist, but he doesn't step away from Reverb just yet, he doesn't even dare to breathe. Finally he swallows, nods and exhales.] You shouldn't underestimate us.
[Hartley turns his head to look over at Cisco, offering a very vague smile. Tense is an understatement for this situation. He wishes he had the right words, but he honestly doubts the right words even exist in this situation. Comfort. Not something he has ever excelled in anyway.] I'm not him and I'm sorry. But revenge? I'm good at revenge. So for this, Reverb, are you with us? Are you with me?
[Cisco hated where this had landed. He'd wanted to avoid that play of manipulation, had hated himself for even considering the thought, but now it was happening.
Cisco gets to his feet, moving to stand with the pair of them. He knows what he's about to say goes against everything Team Flash should be about, but seeing the way this is hitting Paco, imagining himself in his shoes, he can't see any other way for it to work out.] After everything he's done...what he took from you? You have every right to be there when he goes down. You deserve that much.
[A revenge-fueled pep talk. Who would have ever thought such a thing would exist?]
Look at you two, all pep talks and emotional blackmail. You know my weakness, you want to exploit it but you're too nice to go right in there and lay it bear. It's not about what I deserve, you don't care what I deserve, you care about what I can do for you. [He looked at Hartley specifically because there he was, subtly using his love of Hart but not willing to go all the way. Something held him back. Held them both back. They were too nice for their own good.] You want me to lay my life down for this cause and help you take down Zoom? For you. And all you're offering me is the chance at revenge? You could offer so much more. Or nothing. If you really dug your claws in and went for it, you could have me by the heart in seconds. No need to give me anything. Let's face it, Hartley, you look like him, you already have a hold on it just by that alone. We all know that.
[He shrugged because what was the point of arguing here. It wasn't like he didn't want revenge. He did. He just found the way they went about it kind of cute. Maybe it was all his time around Zoom or Dante but they played so nice, it was almost endearing.] Fortunately for you two, I have nothing better going on. [He really didn't. Clearly. Why else would he be hanging out with Cisco?] We can talk about it. No promises.
I'm not used to using my looks to get ahead. Sorry for the let down. [More equipped to manipulate people than Cisco, sure. But full on taking advantage of something like that? Yes, that was a few shades darker than he tended to get, even in his worst moments.] What were you thinking I'd aim for?
[He looks at Cisco for a moment, then turns back to face Reverb. He's still close to him, the glasses are still down. Hartley puts a hand on Reverb's shoulder and steps even closer so he can catch his eyes, dropping his voice to be closer to a whisper.] Please, Paco. Help me.
[That said he holds his breath for a few moments, then he turns around completely, walking over to the sofa and dropping down next to Cisco. He reaches for Cisco's hand and looks up at Reverb, face carefully composed now.]
It's not just that, because honestly? We're doing it with or without you. Yeah, it'd be a hell of a lot easier with you because you're trained and know what the fuck you're doing and you know him better than we do so obviously you'd be an asset in our corner, but we'll find a way, regardless of what you do.
[He might have had more to say, except whatever it might have been was lost when Hartley said that. That he hadn't expected. Some lines, a person just didn't cross, and Cisco is genuinely surprised that Hartley stepped over it completely in this way. So much that he actually kind of knee-buckled right back onto the couch from where he was standing. His fingers wrap around Hartley's, blindly and instinctively. If he's breathless and gut-checked from that, Cisco can't even process what Paco's feeling right now.]
[ Please, Paco. Help me. It was funny really because Hart never said that to him during the entire time the crisis with Zoom, from start to end. He wasn't like that. It was always run, save yourself or are you okay? because in the end, as scared as he was, as hurt as he was, Hart cared for him. He loved Paco, above all else, he never would have spoken to him like that because he never would have wanted him to feel like this. Like he did in this moment. He could think of all the times Hart had asked him for help but they were never life and death, the stakes were never there. He remembered Hart asking for help when he'd pulled an all nighter at work once and came home to his laptop being wonky and not working right, it wasn't even a real cry for help, just a playful whine as he dropped onto Paco's sleeping form, shoving a laptop in his direction. Tired, uncoordinated and never serious, that was how they asked for help.
They never liked to put each other out if they could and they never needed to ask for help really, they knew each other well enough to know when they needed it. Those little moments when Paco was feeling out of his depths and Hart would touch his arm supportively or when Hart felt he wasn't enough and Paco was there to tell him how perfect he was, as playfully or as seriously as he needed it to be. They would have done anything for each other. Whenever Hart was upset, he knew, he just knew and he was always able to be there. He made a point of it, he'd come from whatever he was doing if a text so much as had a sad tone or Hart had hinted at being lonely. That was how love worked. That was how they worked. They were there for each other. Until the end.
Until those final moments when Zoom had him and there was nothing Paco could do but watch. He couldn't help him, he couldn't hold him, he couldn't tell him it was going to be okay because Hart would know it was a lie. They made eye contact one last time and in that time stopping moment, Paco knew that Hart wasn't asking for help, he wasn't even panicking or angry at him.
His eyes said it all. He loved him.
He loved him and it tore him up inside to stand there and watch. To never be able to say it back to him, afraid he hadn't conveyed it himself, left wondering if Hart truly knew what he felt in that moment as well. He swallowed hard and looked down. Even if Hart would have never said those words to him, to hear them in that voice, in that way, it ran through him like a strike of electricity and all he wanted to do was that. Just that. Help him. It was a useless feeling really, it was far too late.]
No, not really. A pathetic intimation of a man you'll never be. I'd give you two out of ten and that's being generous. [He reached up and grabbed the ring around his neck and held onto it for a moment, just one moment to give himself strength. He thought of Hart and that smile he wore just for him and he forced himself to breath again.] You're right, your old tactic suited you just fine. This isn't Hart material, I never would buy it. He wouldn't ask. [There was a slow exhale as he looked at them and it was there, raw in his eyes, all of that emotion. And like that, it was gone, he slipped the glasses back on to hide it all away.] I would know, he never had to.
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Date: 2016-10-19 11:10 pm (UTC)Zoom's not going to lose us anyone else. We'll find a way, Cisquito. Anyway, I don't think Zoom was recruiting you, was he? [He frowns, remembering.] Reverb was.
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Date: 2016-10-19 11:24 pm (UTC)He frowns a little.] Yeah.. why?
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Date: 2016-10-19 11:51 pm (UTC)Simple. If he wanted to recruit you then, but now there was no whisper of such plans, something must have changed for him between then and now. What would be interesting is if and why he actually believed you could have defeated Zoom.
[The thing about dating a chess master.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 12:26 am (UTC)At Hartley's words, a thoughtful look crosses his face.] You think there was more to it than just not going it alone? [He tips his head slightly. This isn't going to go over well, he's pretty sure.] I could try to find out. He seemed... amicable when he left, maybe.. maybe I could talk him into helping us take Zoom down. [Or Hartley. He could ask. And Cisco hates he jumped to that, even only in his head, because holy fuck is it manipulative and low. ...but as a last ditch effort in convincing him if he resisted, it'd probably work. But he can't even voice the idea because using that against him wasn't right.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 09:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 03:15 pm (UTC)And it was easier to be weak in front of himself than anyone else. Not that he currently had anyone else. He supposed he could go back, talk to Cisco a little, maybe borrow that film. He had nothing to watch right now, the silence was too much and he needed something right now before he lost his mind.
He could have planned ahead better and been politer about it but the closest Cisco got to a heads up over what was happening was literally a text that simply said:] I'm coming over
[Cisco said he had to give a warning in future so there, he gave a warning. Approximately thirty seconds before he opened a breach and stepped inside. Still, progress? His glasses were on a high setting and everything was tinted a brilliant blue, he didn't quite see what situation he was walking in on but just knowing Cisco and feeling his presence, he assumed he was alone as per usual. Why wouldn't he assume that?] Vibe, I hope you don't --
[The blue cleared and his eyes set on the scene in front of him. And like that, he paused, his hand still out stretched from creating the breach, the glasses blissfully hiding his eyes as he stood there, frozen, feeling very much like he'd just gotten sucker punched in the chest. Fuck. This was a bad idea. The words died there as he looked at them through a blue filter.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 04:15 pm (UTC)[He might have said more, but it's at that moment that a breach opens and he reacts instinctively, getting up to put himself between Cisco and whoever might come from the breach, one hand going up to his ear and the other into his pocket so he can find his gloves.
It's not even a surprise to see Reverb, even if he's never seen him before. Someone who looks just like Cisco, but not really. What stops Hartley from saying anything initially is the look on Reverb's face and the realisation sinking in. Oh.
Right. What is he supposed to do with this? Emotions are hardly his forte.]
...Reverb, I assume? [He glances over his shoulder at Cisco for just a moment, wishing he had a manual on how to handle this situation. But how could he?] I'm Piper.
[At least giving him a different name.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 05:22 pm (UTC)Oh, no.
Hartley's immediately on his feet and shoving himself between Cisco and his doppelgänger, making with introductions that are hardly even necessary, but a formality all the same.
He's so stunned, frozen to the spot with that gut-checked look on his face and Cisco kinda feels horrible about it, even if it's no one in the room's fault.]
Hey, Paco... [Yeah, that still felt weird. Being on some kind of first name basis with him now. He doesn't bother standing, he's pretty sure any move he makes, Hartley will just keep putting himself between the pair of them. He does shift to sit more properly though and leans forward on his knees.] What's up? [The question feels stupid in the tension of the moment, but he asks anyway just to break the stunned silence.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 06:00 pm (UTC)He could still save this moment and keep himself from looking like a pathetic idiot.]
Piper? Huh. That's real cute. You can call me Reverb.
[He bowed ever so slightly. Nope, not Paco, never Paco, that distance had to be set now. He couldn't bear to hear that name coming from that voice. It'd hurt too much right now. Paco took a deep breath and tried to center himself, he didn't like being on such uneven footing here and yet here he was, confronted with the sight of Cisco and Hartley. Together. Fuck.]
Am I interrupting? [There's a cocky smile on his face, a perfect imitation, a way to hide what he was actually feeling.] Date night? I didn't mean to break up the cuddling action.
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Date: 2016-10-20 07:02 pm (UTC)[Which he is less suspicious of now that he sees the reaction. He's too familiar with Cisco and entirely too good at reading people to not know that the smile is fake, but he's not about to point it out either. He has his own fake expressions to hide behind.]
So, I hear you're hiding from Zoom. No more plans of overthrowing him?
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Date: 2016-10-20 07:29 pm (UTC)The lie is easy to spot on his own face and he briefly wonders if it's that obvious with him, to other people. He'd ask Hartley later.]
Diving straight to the point... [He mutters, mostly to himself, not that he's surprised by it or anything. This meeting is just jarring compared to the last one. Cisco looks to his twin, waiting for his answer to that question.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 07:43 pm (UTC)[Paco looked over at Cisco and raised an eyebrow. Seriously? It's been like what? A day? And his other half already spilled everything. Apparently being quiet and keeping information to himself was not a thing that they both did. Noted. Not that he minded, he supposed he always expected it, it was just not something he adored to know.
He cocked his head to the side and looked in Hartley's direction. Not at him, he couldn't, not yet. He just looked over his shoulder. With the glasses on, it was hard to tell. That was why he kept them on.] I'm not hiding, I'm on vacation. Fun in the sun. We're all entitled to holiday time, even former villains. [He's not really in hiding, he just doesn't want to bait the attention. He doesn't want the fight. He knows he should but -- like he said before, no motivation.] I lost interest. In Zoom, in overthrowing, in everything really. It's not happening. Sorry boys.
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Date: 2016-10-20 08:41 pm (UTC)[They didn't really have a choice. They had plans in the works, but Zoom was smart, Zoom was fast. Unpredictable things happened entirely too often already in their fight against Zoom and he still feels like he hasn't seen the full board.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 09:14 pm (UTC)[He shifts to the edge of the couch as Hartley steps closer to Reverb. He'd really rather nothing happened, but Hartley would be his priority if things took a turn for the aggressive.] Don't you still want to see Zoom taken down? After everything he's done...he deserves that, at least, if not worse. You know him better than we do, you could help us.
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Date: 2016-10-20 09:51 pm (UTC)[He wasn't going to lie, he wanted revenge, he wanted to take him down and watch him suffer. He wanted to do to him what he did to Hart but he had failed once before and he had a feeling he'd fail again. He once thought if he had Vibe by his side, he could stop him but Vibe was untrained, he was weak in many ways and if he took him out to face Zoom... well, he could see it happening again. He could see Hart dying and he just couldn't do that.
He couldn't be the one responsible for that again. Before he knew Vibe had Hartley, he never saw him as anything like himself but now, it was too painful to use the other him like that.] He will end you both. He's stronger, faster and you won't survive him. If I couldn't do it, you certainly can't. My advise would be to just leave him in my Earth and avoid opening any breaches to it. I can do my part, I'm sure Cisco can do his. [Paco is a sensible man, he has sensible ideas and assumes others do too. He had no idea that Barry would open a breach to try and take down Zoom for reasons and he had no idea that Cisco had helped him do that.] Let my Earth die. There's nothing worth saving there.
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Date: 2016-10-20 10:05 pm (UTC)Hartley can relate, more than he'd want to admit. He sees ways that they could manipulate him and he hesitates to even try. He knows words that would alert him to act right now, but he's not sure where it would lead. He only knows Reverb second-hand and because he knows Cisco. It's not enough, not really.
Hartley takes another step forward, so close to Reverb now.]
A breach has been opened.
[There. It's slowly that he raises his hands, to try and remove Reverb's glasses - should he let him.]
Hide on another Earth or fight with us.
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Date: 2016-10-20 10:48 pm (UTC)He holds his breath as he watches as Hartley moves, stopping right in front of the other him. Cisco knows he won't hurt him, but beyond that he isn't sure what will come next and he's transfixed on the scene playing out before him.]
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Date: 2016-10-20 11:30 pm (UTC)[Paco just wanted to abort right now and leave because he had no idea what to do and as much as he wanted to lash out, he just couldn't. He couldn't find the right thing to do or say so he just stood there, uselessly, as Hartley removed his glasses. Fuck. Looking into those eyes, Hart's eyes, he found himself unable to look away. He could never risk Hartley, never, and that meant they had him. He was trapped.]
Hartley. [It was him. God, it was just like him. He felt his heart almost clench and he held his breath, struggling against the wave of emotions that hit him. He fought against the urge to just reach out, fingers twitching uselessly at his side, wanting to just hold onto Hartley, to pull him close and be with him as if he was his own. But he wasn't. This wasn't Hart.] You're cheating. I hope you know that. [He snatched back his glasses and looked away, shaking his head.] You both are. [There's a pause for a moment.] Bravo. Well played, didn't think either of you had it in you.
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Date: 2016-10-20 11:45 pm (UTC)[Hartley turns his head to look over at Cisco, offering a very vague smile. Tense is an understatement for this situation. He wishes he had the right words, but he honestly doubts the right words even exist in this situation. Comfort. Not something he has ever excelled in anyway.] I'm not him and I'm sorry. But revenge? I'm good at revenge. So for this, Reverb, are you with us? Are you with me?
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Date: 2016-10-21 12:27 am (UTC)Cisco gets to his feet, moving to stand with the pair of them. He knows what he's about to say goes against everything Team Flash should be about, but seeing the way this is hitting Paco, imagining himself in his shoes, he can't see any other way for it to work out.] After everything he's done...what he took from you? You have every right to be there when he goes down. You deserve that much.
[A revenge-fueled pep talk. Who would have ever thought such a thing would exist?]
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Date: 2016-10-21 01:13 pm (UTC)[He shrugged because what was the point of arguing here. It wasn't like he didn't want revenge. He did. He just found the way they went about it kind of cute. Maybe it was all his time around Zoom or Dante but they played so nice, it was almost endearing.] Fortunately for you two, I have nothing better going on. [He really didn't. Clearly. Why else would he be hanging out with Cisco?] We can talk about it. No promises.
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Date: 2016-10-21 01:28 pm (UTC)[He looks at Cisco for a moment, then turns back to face Reverb. He's still close to him, the glasses are still down. Hartley puts a hand on Reverb's shoulder and steps even closer so he can catch his eyes, dropping his voice to be closer to a whisper.] Please, Paco. Help me.
[That said he holds his breath for a few moments, then he turns around completely, walking over to the sofa and dropping down next to Cisco. He reaches for Cisco's hand and looks up at Reverb, face carefully composed now.]
Better?
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Date: 2016-10-21 02:55 pm (UTC)[He might have had more to say, except whatever it might have been was lost when Hartley said that. That he hadn't expected. Some lines, a person just didn't cross, and Cisco is genuinely surprised that Hartley stepped over it completely in this way. So much that he actually kind of knee-buckled right back onto the couch from where he was standing. His fingers wrap around Hartley's, blindly and instinctively. If he's breathless and gut-checked from that, Cisco can't even process what Paco's feeling right now.]
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Date: 2016-10-21 03:20 pm (UTC)They never liked to put each other out if they could and they never needed to ask for help really, they knew each other well enough to know when they needed it. Those little moments when Paco was feeling out of his depths and Hart would touch his arm supportively or when Hart felt he wasn't enough and Paco was there to tell him how perfect he was, as playfully or as seriously as he needed it to be. They would have done anything for each other. Whenever Hart was upset, he knew, he just knew and he was always able to be there. He made a point of it, he'd come from whatever he was doing if a text so much as had a sad tone or Hart had hinted at being lonely. That was how love worked. That was how they worked. They were there for each other. Until the end.
Until those final moments when Zoom had him and there was nothing Paco could do but watch. He couldn't help him, he couldn't hold him, he couldn't tell him it was going to be okay because Hart would know it was a lie. They made eye contact one last time and in that time stopping moment, Paco knew that Hart wasn't asking for help, he wasn't even panicking or angry at him.
His eyes said it all. He loved him.
He loved him and it tore him up inside to stand there and watch. To never be able to say it back to him, afraid he hadn't conveyed it himself, left wondering if Hart truly knew what he felt in that moment as well. He swallowed hard and looked down. Even if Hart would have never said those words to him, to hear them in that voice, in that way, it ran through him like a strike of electricity and all he wanted to do was that. Just that. Help him. It was a useless feeling really, it was far too late.]
No, not really. A pathetic intimation of a man you'll never be. I'd give you two out of ten and that's being generous. [He reached up and grabbed the ring around his neck and held onto it for a moment, just one moment to give himself strength. He thought of Hart and that smile he wore just for him and he forced himself to breath again.] You're right, your old tactic suited you just fine. This isn't Hart material, I never would buy it. He wouldn't ask. [There was a slow exhale as he looked at them and it was there, raw in his eyes, all of that emotion. And like that, it was gone, he slipped the glasses back on to hide it all away.] I would know, he never had to.
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