Guy's Night Out

[run_barry]

After everything that's been going on lately, the time has come for a break. A planned visit from a friend is just the thing and with no major crisis going on at the moment, it's the perfect time to make that happen.

So, with an itinerary that includes science, food and video games, Barry is excited to bring Yamato in from Milliways for another trip to Central City.

Opening the door from the bar that's a broom closet in S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry gestures Yamato through.

"Here we are," Barry says with a smile. "Welcome back, dude."

The corridor, like most of rest of S.T.A.R. Labs that doesn't get used by Team Flash much, is usually pretty dimly lit, but today the passageway is bright in anticipation of their guest and the science that's about to commence.

Nodding down the hallway, Barry says, "Cisco and Caitlin are in her lab and we're all set up for you."

Comments

[run_barry]

Barry glances at Caitlin who looks at him concerned, and then Cisco who looks a little helpless, then focuses on Yamato.

"Of course you didn't," Barry says, shaking his head a little.

Cisco and Caitlin remain quiet for the moment while Barry continues.

"I know you wouldn't deliberately do something like that, Yamato."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato's shoulders stiffen more as Barry starts talking, fully expecting him to yell or tear into him. When that doesn't happen, he relaxes a little, even if he's still tensed like he expects the calm to change to anger any second.

"If it starts acting up again, I can rein it in and keep it under control. I'm prepared for it now, it just -- it just caught me off guard," he says, talking a little too quickly, still not making eye contact.

He slowly relaxes his jaw, rubbing a hand over it, and then over the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he says again. "Are you okay?"

[makes_the_toys]

"Pretty sure it caught us all off guard," Cisco pipes in. "I mean yeah, it's Christmas time, but the forecast didn't say anything about a Winter Wonderland hitting today."

[run_barry]

"I'd really just like to know what happened," Barry says, arching his shoulders expansively in a lost gesture. "I'd rather not set it off again."

Barry can't help noticing the tension, or how Yamato isn't really looking at him, and it's a reminder that they are still sort of working through things. Barry's definitely not mad, but now that it's on his mind he makes a conscious effort to tread a little more carefully.

GP goes running by and Barry watches him splash into another puddle on the floor before turning and nodding to Yamato.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There really wasn't much for me to do out there, just check up on people and clear the road in a couple of spots. Everything was pretty fine, the cops can handle what was left."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato takes a moment to try to force himself to relax, because it's becoming clear now that he doesn't need to be braced for anything, there's no anger incoming, Barry isn't going to suddenly announce that he hates him.

It mostly works. Forcing relaxation can only do so much, but he pushes himself to make eye contact with Barry, and to try and be less tense. He still looks like he's wound tighter than a badly made clock, but he's better.

"If it happens again, I'll stop it before it does anything," he says firmly. "But -- yeah, we should figure out what happened. I don't exactly know."

Beat.

"Um, and I should mop up all the water I got over your lab."

[run_barry]

"At this point I think it's Cisco's job to clean up," Caitlin notes, looking down at the puddles. "It's his space bird making a mess with it all."

Yamato doesn't really look a whole lot better, but Barry can see that he's trying and so Barry hopes that they're swinging back towards things being okay.

Trying to keep the positive note Barry says, "If nothing else I guess this means your Crest isn't completely dead or dormant."

Looking at Cisco, Barry asks, "Cisco, you wanna get something set up?"

[makes_the_toys]

"Hey, he wouldn't be splashing if there weren't puddles in the first place," Cisco argues. "Besides, it's instincts, he's a water space bird."

GP runs and does a belly flop into a puddle, splashing around and then hopping up to shake off water everywhere.

"He's also kind of a jerk," Cisco adds, frowning at GP.

Cisco nods to Barry and says, "Yeah, I'll get a mop and some scanners."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Cisco's right, I can clean it. It won't take long," Yamato says, shaking his head. "It's the least I can do."

He crouches to scritch GP's head, taking a second to just push himself to relax a little more.

"Yeah, I guess so," he says to Barry. He touches his limiter for a moment, just testing the temperature. "But I don't have my powers back or anything like that, it's gone dormant again."

He rubs the back of his neck, thinking. "It shouldn't have freaked out like that. There's not a lot of stuff that can make it even react at all, let alone do that."

[run_barry]

"Alright, just don't feel guilted into it, okay?" Caitlin replies.

Barry thinks about it for a moment and then says, "What are the things that you know would make it react?"

[makes_the_toys]

"That's a good place to start," Cisco notes. "That and what were you guys doing to him at the time when it did?"

GP is happy to receive scritches and trills while butting his head into Yamato's hands to direct the petting.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato gives GP another quick scritch, then stands up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"They were just giving me an MRI, kid," he says to Cisco, shrugging a shoulder.

To Barry and Caitlin, he says: "Depends on the reaction, and it kind of all looks the same from the outside. It gets excitable if it thinks it has a chance to fight Taichi's Crest, it can sometimes lash out angrily if it thinks something's trying to get into my head and meddle with my thoughts."

He grimaces for a moment, then shakes his head.

"But I think this was more like panic, and the only things that I've seen make it panic are the Dark Ocean and the Infection," he adds.

[run_barry]

Listening to Yamato, Barry's expression turns to concern and he looks over at Cisco.

"Cisco?"

[makes_the_toys]

"Checking now-- " Cisco says, turning to his computer station and punching keys on the keyboard.

"Nope, Prism's still chilling in the Pipeline, wasn't him messing with anyone's head."

"That's not really how Bivalo's powers work anyway," Caitlin notes. "He would have had to make eye contact with Yamato and I'm pretty sure one of us would have noticed that."

"Alright, well, looks like we've gotta do more testing," Cisco says, throwing his hands up. "I'll go get my stuff."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Sorry," Yamato says to Cisco, ducking his head. "Oh, and er, if you bring me a mop, I'll ..."

He gestures at the puddles.

Leaning against the console slightly, he shuts his eyes, thinking. "It's definitely not Dark Ocean emergence either. Apart from the fact that it for sure doesn't even exist in this universe, if it was it'd affect me as well, and I'd have known about it."

Yamato's memories of what Dark Ocean emergence does to him are extremely vivid. He's sure he'd recognise it again.

[makes_the_toys]

"Are you kidding? This is science, man, I live for it," Cisco says excitedly as he heads for the door.

"I'll get the mop," Caitlin says, following after Cisco.

GP sees them going and squawks, chasing after Cisco.

[run_barry]

"We'll meet you back in Caitlin's lab," Barry calls after Cisco.

Turning to Yamato, Barry rubs his hands together as he considers the situation.

"So that narrows it down to the Infection or it getting excited about a fight." And Taichi definitely wasn't here so...

Glancing over his shoulder in the direction Cisco and Caitlin left, Barry then looks back at Yamato and asks, "Do you think it-- maybe, thought I was trying to hurt you, again? Or was a danger to it?"

Yamato had given his Crest to Barry to hang onto, maybe it took exception to that after what happened in Milliways.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato's gaze flicks over to Barry. After a moment, he shakes his head again, meandering over to Barry and lifting one hand to tap the back of his knuckles against Barry's forehead.

"Nah," he says lightly. He pauses, before adding wryly: "I mean, it really doesn't give a fuck if I get hurt. And even if it did -- it might not understand a lot, but I think it'd at least understand that I trust you."

It's the Crest of Friendship, after all. That's part of its whole thing.

[run_barry]

Barry nods, accepting Yamato's answer and glad that he doesn't think it was him, and reassured that Yamato still trusts him.

"Alright well, we'll figure it out," he promises.

"And... don't worry about what happened, okay?" Barry adds after a moment. "Everything's cool."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato ducks his head. "Thanks. I mean it, I was worried that -- ... well, I guess it doesn't matter."

He's glad that Barry isn't angry. He's even more glad that nobody got hurt.

"You know," he says slyly, cracking his neck. "Pretty sure I said way back that I'd give you a really awkward hug once I could, Gramps. Would've done so earlier, but I didn't want to hurt those old man bones of yours, y'know?"

There's no glass wall to save you from being hugged now, Flash.

[run_barry]

Glad that they're both reassured and things are okay now, Barry smiles.

Giving a chuckle to Yamato's threat realized, Barry puts up an arm to invite the hug.

"Yeah, I remember. Bring it in."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato laughs, cracking his knuckles before moving in for the hug, throwing his arms around Barry's shoulders.

It's not a long hug, but Yamato squeezes Barry pretty tightly before he pulls back, giving Barry an awkward but happy grin.

[run_barry]

Barry returns the hug, giving a lauging 'ulp' on the tight squeeze and clapping Yamto on the back.

"Ahem." Standing in the doorway with the mop bucket in tow, Caitlin clears her throat and gives them a bemused expression when they break.

"I think Cisco is ready whenever you two are," she says smiling.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato turns pink, and just barely avoids asking how much of that hug Caitlin saw, settling instead for wandering over and taking the mop bucket.

"Thanks. I'll just clean up here and then we can go."

Yamato is nothing if not an efficient cleaner, and it doesn't take long at all for him to mop up the puddles, setting the bucket neatly in one corner once he's done.

"Okay, let's go find Cisco."

[run_barry]

His own smile a touch embarrassed, Barry touches a hand to his chest to indicate the suit.

"I'm gonna go get changed," he says, exiting in a whoosh.

Caitlin just smiles, helping out by using a rag to wipe down the few wet spots left on the desks and console.

When Yamato is ready she gestures out of the Cortex, ready to lead the way back to her lab.

"I know you and the guys have plans after this," she says along the way. "So we can run the next tests and let you go, and I'll compile a report to get to you before you head back to your world."

A beat, and then she gives a small chuckle. "You would think that would be more strange to say, 'your world', but it really doesn't feel that weird at all."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"You sure? I know Cisco wanted to shove me on a treadmill and get 'active diagnostics,'" Yamato says, cocking his head.

He flashes a wry smile at the mention of how strange -- or not strange, as the case may be -- other worlds are.

"It's the kind of thing you get used to pretty fast. I'd already been dragged to another world when I first ended up in the bar properly." Which is to say, the first trip he sort of remembers, because the ones when he was eight are a blank for him. "So it was just more of the same. Didn't feel that weird."