Who: Cisco Ramon and Barry Allen What: Getting to know each other. When: Lunchtime. Where: Crescent Moon Bayou. Warnings: Low. Status: Complete.
Barry didn’t know Cisco very well. Not at all, actually. But the dude knew him – or a version of him – and that was enough for Barry. Enough to agree to meet up with the man. After all, the other version of Barry couldn’t be too different from this version. And Barry had become accustomed to a variety of different versions of himself. Especially after being sent home and meeting an eighteen-year-old version. Plus two different Bruces.
He was becoming a pro at this.
So he had suggested they meet at Crescent Moon Bayou after his shift. He was frequently hungry, and he doubted food was going to be turned down in any situation. He hoped not, at least. He was seated at a table in the corner, waiting patiently for the other man to arrive. …while eating some delicious fried okra and hush puppies while waiting.
He hoped Cisco wouldn’t hold it against him for eating while waiting.
Cisco wasn’t sure what to expect. This entire shift in his life had thrown him for a loop, and now there was a Barry who didn’t know him. He hadn’t been the best at socializing though, and Barry invited him out-so he agreed.
Still, he took his time thanks to his own anxiety. He frowned a bit, putting on a hoodie in spite of summer. He just wore it as a sort of comfort blanket. A Star Trek hoodie he’d picked up from the comic shop he’d visited with Ned on arrival.
Long dark hair was tied back in a ponytail. He pulled out the headphones he wore and pocketed them as he approached. “Hey Barry.” He tried to not be horrifically awkward and raised an eyebrow at the food. “Hungry?” Some things never changed, and it made him actually feel more comfortable around him. The tension he felt melted somewhat. He sat across from him. “I’m Cisco.” He gave a small smile. He didn’t hold anything against the other man, he knew exactly how speedsters were.
Barry grinned as the man approached, and at his words. “I am always hungry, Cisco,” he told the other man. “Something I have heard is similar to any other Barry with powers.” He shrugged a bit, and popped a hush puppy into his mouth. “The last Barry I met had to eat a lot, too, once the lightning struck him.” Yes, he’d met another Barry. In a different universe. It was weird.
He’d also known three different men named Bruce Wayne. All looked different, yet all were Batman.
“Nice to meet you, Cisco,” he said. “I’m Barry, though I’m sure you figured that much out.” Way to state the obvious, Barry. Good job. Really.
Impressive.
“Are you hungry?”
“Figured that one out all by myself. “ A gentle tease as he ordered himself a soda at least to start. “Ten thousand calories you need, to be exact.” Was that creepy that he knew that?..Maybe. But he was the one that had solved a lot of Barry’s issues when it came to food and needing to eat so much so often. He just hadn’t exactly stated why yet. “The average person needs about two. You require ten to sustain the speedforce.” He gave it a bit of thought. As young as he looked, he was pretty well spoken when it came to science and related topics. Though he said it as casually as one might order a pizza on a Tuesday night.
“Yeah..I could eat. Sort of forgot to earlier.” He’d been bad about remembering it on the flip side. He didn’t need as much, and was a little out of sorts. Tended to forego the food when there was internalizing happening. “What’s good here?”
“Everything is good here,” he said. “But it depends on what you are in the mood for. I like their gumbo and their jambalaya and their red beans and rice.” Barry was never very picky about his food, though, so he liked pretty much everything here. “Do you like fish?” he asked. “They have good blackened fish here.”
He gasped softly at Cisco’s admitting he had forgotten to eat. “I don’t think I could ever forget to eat,” he told him.
“...I didn’t realize you knew all that. You… seem to know me better than I thought.”
“No fish.” Cisco made a face. He wasn’t a fan ever since the King Shark incident. A little too close to home. I think I’ll go with the jambalaya.” He could get behind that. Spicy was good. Jambalaya was promising.
“Yeah, it’s been a weird few weeks..fooding schedule isn’t really up to par I guess. Actually having no schedule is a bit weird for me..” He admitted uncomfortably. When he got stressed sometimes he just flat out forgot. Caitlin usually made him eat, but Caitlin wasn’t there.
“Does STAR Labs mean anything to you?” He asked as their waiter came by to take their orders, and he placed his of the Jambalaya and a coke.
“No fish. Understood.” Barry completely understood the aversion to fish. Not everyone was a fish fan. Barry was a fan of most foods, including fish, but he understood that people had their preferences. There were foods he liked better than others. “The jambalaya is an excellent choice, by the way.”
Barry nodded slightly at Cisco’s words, and then pushed the plate of hush puppies and fried okra toward him. In an attempt to share. “I won’t bite your fingers off if you want some before the jambalaya gets here.” He popped another hush puppy into his mouth, as he considered what Cisco had said.
“Not having a schedule is strange, I agree,” he said. “It’s strange that I work for a pizzeria and a cajun food restaurant here, too. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it all.” It was strange, really. But he liked it here well enough. In general.
“I’m familiar with STAR Labs. Why?” he asked.
Cisco was admittedly a bit depressed and lost without the Lab and without his home. Eating wasn’t exactly on his list of preferred activities when things were wrong. Things were very wrong just then. “I’ll be okay. I know you need it more than me.” He gave a small chuckle, it wasn’t like he was about to admit said depression though. No Caitlin to call him out about it, so he was going to just try to cope the best he could.
“A little strange…but I’m guessing there isn’t much crime in a town we can’t leave.” He frowned a bit as he poked at one of the hush puppies idly before taking one. “I don’t like it. I finally found a place I belong and now…” He gave a faint smile and shook his head. “Maybe that’s a little deep for a first meeting.” An apologetic sort of look as he ate a fry that arrived. Yes he’d gotten an eclectic meal.
“Star Labs was basically my second home. I made that suit for you. Or well, my you.”
“Cisco,” Barry said. “You cannot convince me that you do not need food, just because I need to eat more than you do.” Barry wasn’t usually one to share his food, but he was willing to share with Cisco. Especially after that comment. “Besides, you won’t know what you’re missing if you don’t try it.”
Because he thought the hush puppies were delicious. That wasn’t just because he worked at the restaurant, or just because he liked Hope. They were pretty good.
Barry tilted his head slightly at Cisco’s words. “I understand. I felt like I belonged with the Justice League, and then I got pulled here. I didn’t know anyone. There were people who knew a version of me, but there really wasn’t anyone I knew from home here.” He wasn’t exactly sure he’d handled himself well during that time, either. “But Diana is here. And so is Bruce.”
Then he had an idea, and he blurted it out before giving it any more thought. “I know I am not the Barry you’re used to, but do you want to move into the farm house? There’s plenty of room. Diana and Billy Batson live there – so do Pietro and a little girl named Judith. They’re from different worlds, though.” Then, after a moment, “I’ll have to ask them if it’s okay, of course, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.”
When it came to food, Cisco wasn’t nearly as needy as others. In fact he was quite picky at times. He had a hard time especially when it came to depression and eating. If he wasn’t feeling great, food was the first thing out the window. Normally he enjoyed it, but just now he was being pulled in so many different directions that it was hard to deal with.
“I wasn’t really expecting to have to start over from nothing again when it was hard enough the first time.” He paused and finally took one of those hush puppies with a roll of his eyes at the scolding. “Fine fine. Eating, see?” He did eat one, they were good. It seemed to help his mood a little as much as he didn’t want to admit it. “I just went to dinner with someone in my world who kidnapped and tortured me. If that tells you anything where my heads been.” He gave a bit of a laugh at the idea that he’d gone and gotten drinks with Snart of all people. He really needed someone around.
Raising an eyebrow at the house Barry mentioned he shrugged. “I mean I don’t want to invade your space, so if they’re okay with it? I know it’s probably weird being around someone who knows you down to your DNA…” Himself he meant. He literally studied Barry’s DNA at one point to help him become the Flash in the first place. “I don’t know any of those names…but if they’re okay with it…” He was trying not to feel like a fish out of water, but he did. To an extreme.
“Who tortured you?” he asked. Perhaps that was someone he would want to avoid. He liked Cisco and didn’t particularly want to think about him being tortured. He wasn’t too sure he would really like anyone who would torture someone like Cisco.
“None of us were expecting to start over, but here we are. Gott make the best of it, right?” At least, that’s what he was trying to do.
“I don’t think you would be invading anyone’s space,” Barry said. “There’s plenty of room at the Farm House. There’s five bedrooms, plus a loft. Diana has the loft, so we have an extra bedroom.” And he was honestly hoping that he would eventually move in with Diana in the loft. But that was in the future, they hadn’t quite gotten there in their relationship just yet. “And I would like to know more about myself and my DNA,” he admitted.
“It doesn’t really matter. Things are just…weird is my point. I’m not really sure where I fit in all this.” He frowned a little as he looked over at the food that arrived. It was really very strange. He now had two jobs, but not even two jobs could keep up with STAR Labs.
Cisco tilted his head a little at that comment and looked amused for a moment. “You two really are pretty similar.” It was the first real smile he’d been able to crack the entire day. He had a few things to work on in that world apparently. Barry however, wasn’t a shrink to unload it on.
He was quiet in consideration and then nodded his agreement. “If they’re okay with it..then yes. I’d like that. I’m..actually not great at living alone.”
“Neither am I,” he admitted. “Which is why I like living at the Farm House. There’s lots of people there, and it makes it easier.” Plus, he liked the people he lived with. Which made it even better. “Plus I think Judith will like you.” Judith liking him was important. If she didn’t like the people she lived with, then, well. They wouldn’t get along with the adults in the house.
“I’ll ask them but I am sure they’ll be okay with it.”
He hoped they would be, at least.
“Now. Let’s eat.” Which was a good decision, because the food arrived just then. “Then I’ll ask Diana and Pietro.”
“I used to live alone…but I spent all my time at the Lab so it didn’t matter as much then.” He admitted with a small smile. It was easier when he had people who knew him there to just be at work all the time.
“Yeah? Okay.” Cisco was a bit slower when it came to adjusting to things. It was going to take him some time, but this would probably help. Having Barry, even if it was a different Barry was a solid step in the right direction.