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Barry should probably be doing something useful, like helping at the tragically understaffed police station, brainstorming plans to beat Zoom with the team, or even just hugging Caitlin, whom they just got back. Instead he’s running down the streets of his city because he has his speed back, and he can’t resist the miracle of the lightning running down his veins again, making his heart beat a frenetic tempo and his feet hit the ground at a rhythm faster than ever before.
He realizes he still has a problem with controlling the additional speed the tachyon enhancer gives him when one second he’s running down Main Street and the next a breach is forming around him. He bursts out of it in the middle of a fight between a swirling tornado about one story high, and a small, compact guy wearing leather. The guy dodges a bolt of lightning coming his way with considerable ease for a non-speedster, and shoots back what are probably vibrations out of his hands. The meta who was in the middle of the tornado is thrown backwards and the winds circling around her break down.
Is that… Cisco ? Vibe, rather. Or maybe Reverb? Barry takes advantage of his speed-enhanced senses to quickly look him over in more detail. He’s wearing his blue Vibe goggles, alright. The short-sleeved dark blue get-up with red accents is unfamiliar - and it really shows off his arms. Cisco’s long hair is gathered in a bun at the base of his neck. He looks confident. Powerful. Barry doesn’t even realize he’s dropped into normal speed and is just staring now.
Cisco has just slapped a pair of handcuffs that look a bit like a miniature Boot on the meta when he looks up and sees Barry. “Flash? What are you doing out on your day off? I had it under control, you know,” Cisco says, sounding just a bit vexed.
“I’m sure but, um, I’m not the Flash that belongs here. I think I’m on the wrong Earth,” Barry replies sheepishly. “It’s happened before. I can just run fast enough again, and I’ll be back home in no time."
“Well, my friend,” Cisco puts an arm around his shoulders, “Could I ask you to drop off this bad girl off to the precinct real quick? Then you can use the particle accelerator to run back.”
Barely a minute later, Barry is in STAR Labs and puts Cisco down in front of the entry to the Pipeline. Cisco moves his goggles up high on his forehead and goes to the touchpad to put in the access code. “So,” Cisco begins, “I remember my Barry having the same problem a few years ago. What makes you sure this is an alternate Earth and you didn’t jump forward in time?”
Barry hasn’t even considered that possibility, which is probably silly of him, but in his defense, he’s only travelled to the past before, relatively speaking. But now that Cisco has taken the goggles off, he sees that Cisco has crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes, and his short beard only underlines the impression of maturity he exudes. He’s clearly a bit older than his Cisco, and it looks good on him.
“The first time I used the tachyon device, I found myself in an alternate National City and met a superpowered alien. I just thought the same thing had happened again. But you’re right, it could be time travel. What year is it here? I’m from 2016 – I just got out of the Speed Force, and we got Caitlin back from Zoom.”
Cisco’s walking into the pipeline and shoots him a look. “I probably shouldn’t tell you when we are, ‘cause this sounds like my past. We’d better sent you back quickly before you have the chance to learn things you shouldn’t know yet.” Barry puts himself in a starting position. “Thanks for the help, Cisco.” Cisco smiles back at him. “Safe travels back. See you in a bit.” And Barry starts running. He runs once around the accelerator. And then again. And again. After the fifth loop, he slows down in front of Cisco. “Something’s wrong, I’m not going as fast as I should.”
Cisco frowns, and twists off the Flash emblem to get to the tachyon device. It's stopped glowing. “Oh, I had forgotten about that. The device has a flaw and goes on the fritz after it gives you a couple of big boosts. I won’t fix the flaw because that’s a job for your Cisco and Harry, but don’t worry – I’ll get it back in working order in a hot sec.”
***
Barry is munching on a calorie bar as Cisco tinkers with the device. It’s been almost half an hour and he should be bored out of his mind, but watching Cisco get all absorbed in solving a problem is its own kind of entertainment. “Should be done once I solder this circuit,” Cisco mutters. “Can you pass me the smallest soldering iron on the tray, babe?”
“Babe,” Barry repeats, stunned. “Are you my… Are we dating?” Cisco’s eyes widen. “Um, no, no, why would you think that, I just call you that sometimes. You know, as a joke.” He seems to hear how unconvincing he’s sounding. “Ah shit, what the hell. I knew I was gonna fuck up at some point. Yes. Yes, we’re dating.”
“We’re dating,” Barry echoes. He can’t help but blurt out, “But what happened with Iris, then?” Barry winces. That was insensitive of him.
“Way to make a guy feel good about himself,” Cisco laughs a bit shakily. “I mean, I know the two of you have this destined-for-each-other thing going on, but I thought I was done feeling inadequate because of it.”
Barry is feeling a bit overwhelmed, not to mention he hates himself for putting that look on Cisco’s face. “No, no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean– Wait. Did you just imply that my future self is cheating on you with Iris? Or vice versa ? How could he– Do I need to punch him for you?”
“Calm down, you aren't cheating on me! There's no cheating of any kind involved! Man, were you always this melodramatic? We’re all dating each other, okay?” Cisco sighs and sits back down on his chair, looking a bit lost. “And I really hope telling you that won’t change the timeline, because things are going great right now – for the three of us and for the city – and I would hate for things to get messed up. Fuck,” Cisco passes a hand on his face, looking down, “time travel is always a headache and a half.”
Tentatively, Barry takes his hand and kneels in front on Cisco, trying to catch his eye. He feels like he’s going to burst with excitement and hope at the news that one day, he might be in a relationship with the two people he loves the most in the world. But right now, Cisco is apparently under the impression that he’s not as important to him as Iris is, and that cannot stand.
“Cisco,” Barry begins haltingly, trying to find the right words, “I’m so sorry I made you feel like you don’t matter to me as much as Iris, or if it sounded like I’m not happy future me is dating you. It’s just that… Iris has just told me about her feelings for me and that she wanted us to be together, so I was surprised when I thought we wouldn’t be. But you’re so incredibly important to me, okay ? It’s such a gift to know that, if I do things right, I’ll get to be with you someday. Because I thought that it wasn’t an option, and I want you with me always, however you want me.”
Barry pauses, breathes out. “I love you. I love you and I hope future me tells you that every day.” Cisco is smiling now, eyes suspiciously glistening. “You’re such a romantic sap, Bar. And, yes, he does.”
Cisco tugs Barry upright by his hand and presses a soft kiss on his cheek, just at the edge of his mouth, like he kept himself at the last second from kissing him there. His beard tickles, just a little. “C’mon. Let’s finish this and get you back where you belong.”