Caffeine Fix

[run_barry]

Things are finally starting to calm down in Central City. The epidemic is starting to let up, and those affected are on the road to wellness. The antibodies Caitlin developed (and farmed in Cisco) were shared with CCPD first and now the department is regaining its ranks from the previously bedridden.

Barry could probably do with a vacation sometime soon, but with Yamato's help, and short stints at the comm from Cisco and Caitlin, The Flash has seen Central City through the crisis.

With a break in the chaos achieved at last, there's only one way to celebrate. Coffee.

Holding the front door to CC Jitters open, Barry gestures Yamato inside with a flourish.

"And here we are, best cup of coffee in Central City."

It's the typical trendy sort of joint, high-tables with modern stools, couches and overstuffed chairs, and a hipster huddled with their laptop in every semi-dark corner.

The air is fragrant with the smells of fresh-ground roast, and behind the counter an espresso machine sputters under the deft control of a barista, while another woman loads fresh pastries into the bakery case.

Comments

[run_barry]

"Dude, none of what happened could've been helped. Things went pretty badly in Yamato's world and he did what he could to handle it. Things were pretty crazy here and I was just trying to help get the city through it."

Barry gestures with his hands, palms out.

"The rest... I needed help, and telling the truth was the easiest way to explain Yamato. And it's definitely Camera Commander's fault that your tech got destroyed."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Suit notwithstanding, that one might be my fault. Mine and ..." It occurs to him partway through that sentence that Barry might not want anyone to know it was Eddie who shot him. "... Others."

The sting of it is lessened some by what Barry said at the time, and the fact that they caught the Commander is a decent enough balm for his pride, but he still absolutely blames himself for that plan failing and Barry getting shot.

"I get it, you're angry with us," he adds, ducking his head a little. "But Barry was doing the best he could to keep the city safe, and he was working on a cure, you can't put the blame for any of this on him."

[makes_the_toys]

"Here I've been worried about GP out there in the world alone and it's you two I should've been building vests and bodyguard drones for."

It doesn't matter that the situations were rough, or their explanations make sense. At least most of what happened happened because Cisco was down and Barry didn't have a team backing him up. And the rest is because Yamato is some kind of nutbar.

Feeling guilty and frustrated, the only course Cisco sees to deflect those feelings is to stay mad at them.

"I blame both of you, and I am so disappointed right now. Like, Firefly being cancelled levels of disappointment, but instead of hating on Fox I have to be angry at Mal and Jayne for it."

[run_barry]

Barry casts a quick glance at Yamato when Eddie's name is almost dropped, then shakes his head.

"Really not your fault," he says, knowing he'll probably never be able to convince Yamato of that, but not about to give up trying.

"Cisco, c'mon... " he sighs. "I know it sounds bad but, the stuff we do gets rough sometimes, you know that. We handled it as best we could, and on the other side of it now, everyone is okay."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato still doesn't understand any of those references, so he gives Cisco a quizzical squint.

"I think Cisco would disagree with you on that," he remarks to Barry, raising an eyebrow. He's pretty sure that would bear out, even if part of him knows that Cisco wouldn't exactly be the most objective judge on that matter right about now.

Cisco's remark about being disappointed hurts a little (or more than a little, but Yamato's not going to admit that one), so he withdraws into his shell some, his shoulders hunching inwards and his expression going flatly neutral as his gaze moves from looking at Barry and Cisco to intently looking at his coffee.

[makes_the_toys]

"Well it sure wasn't my fault," he snaps, then grumbles at himself for snapping.

Running a hand through his hair, he studies the tabletop for a moment, then looks up and catches sight of Yamato and the way he's looking now.

Frowning and letting out a sigh, Cisco says, "You guys don't get it. How freaky it is to think about one of you dying. Or, maybe you do and you just handle it better than I do. Either way, I hate it, and I'd just appreciate it if you did it a little less."

[run_barry]

Barry gives Yamato a pointed look. He will keep arguing Yamato about this. Although, maybe not right now...

"Again, we're sorry, man," he says to Cisco. "Freaking you out is definitely the last thing I wanna do."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Barry gets a pointed look directed back at him in return. Yamato's not entirely sure whose side Cisco would take in that debate (and part of him is morbidly fascinated to find out and get it over with), but he's still pretty sure he needs to make amends to Cisco over how that plan turned out anyway.

He doesn't look over at Cisco, but he does reach over to give the guy's head a light shove. "Sorry, kiddo. Didn't mean to freak you out."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco raises a hand to push him off, finally easing a little.

"Yeah, well, you did. And I almost want to say that you have to let Barry name you to make it up." Almost, but as funny as that would be it would hurt Cisco's nom de guerreian sensibilities.

"I guess we're cool, though. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help either of you out through all of that."

[run_barry]

"Not your fault," Barry says to Cisco before he pouts. "And c'mon, don't make my name's punishments. They're not that bad. It's almost like an honor, really."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Kid, you don't need to apologise for that. You got sick, there's nothing anybody could've done about that," Yamato says. "... But please don't make me take one of Barry's names. That's a cruel and unusual punishment. It's probably a war crime."

Don't be that guy, Cisco. Don't subject him to a Barry Name.

He huffs out a sigh, knocking one foot against the leg of the table. "Getting everything out in the open, though," because he's being eaten away at by his nerves over this, "I did screw up while doing your job. Or, I think I did, Barry disagrees."

Which helps.

"I suggested using a transport with some of CC's captured henchmen as bait to draw him out, because otherwise he was going to go underground and we wouldn't be able to find him for months. I didn't expect him to have tracked our communications back to S.T.A.R. Labs, but he had, and he cut off our comms and sent GirderMax after me, and by the time I'd taken down the robot and got comms back online, Barry had been hurt. We got CC's location out of it, but some of the henchmen got away," he says, carefully leaving out Eddie's involvement. "Barry healed up pretty quick, and we got both those henchmen and CC behind bars eventually, but."

He shrugs. "I still figure I should apologise to you. You trusted me to fill in for you, and things went wrong, at least for a while, so -- sorry."

That, at least, clears up everything they haven't told Cisco, and even not knowing his reaction, Yamato still feels like he's gotten a weight off his chest.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco scoffs first at Barry, then listens quietly as Yamato talks about what happened. He glances over quick at Barry when Yamato brings up him being hurt, giving Barry a quick assessing once over before looking back at Yamato.

"I'll say not the greatest of plans," he says after a moment when Yamato is finished. "But not the worst, either. I mean, it worked. And didn't involve Barry having to accomplish any untested feats on the fly."

So... less insane than some of the other plans the team has come up with in the past.

Maybe thinking about it awhile Cisco could come up with an alternate plan he would've used in the situation, but then again maybe he would've suggest the same thing. It doesn't change or help anything to second guess now, so he pushes aside those thoughts.

Relenting in his anger, which was more just upset feelings and guilt, he nods.

"He's alive, and you guys caught all the bad guys so, shit going awry or not it looks like you two handled the situation. And I guess I get why you didn't tell me before. I appreciate you telling me now."

[run_barry]

"The learning curve was pretty steep on this one, sometimes that's how it is," Barry notes.

"Again, sorry Cisco. Now that everything is back under control again I promise to take it easy for the next few days."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato gives a quick nod. That's a very, very far cry from how badly he was imagining that could have gone, after all. He nudges one fist against Barry's shoulder, and then the other against Cisco's.

"If you two are both okay with it, I guess I am too."

Mostly. Eighty-six percent. Yamato's well aware that he's bad at letting go of his guilt, but he can live with this.

"Hey, did Barry mention that while I was forcing him to eat breakfast before we came here, he agreed to do some gentle sparring sometime? You're welcome to come watch when I gently kick his ass."

He's joking. Mostly.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco throws Yamato a smile.

"Gentle sparring, huh? How gently are we talking? On a scale of ripping off robot arms to feather tickles." he asks, laughing.

[run_barry]

Barry flashes Yamato a smile, glad it's all good between them.

Threats of gentle ass kickings turn that smile into a look which he throws at both them.

"Hey, I thought the point was to keep me in one piece. And besides, who says I won't be the won to win?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I mean, I would say closer to feather-tickling than arm-ripping, but that all depends on how hard Barry pushes me," Yamato says, wryly. "If he gets me on the ropes, I might have to up my game."

He throws a grin at Barry, nudging him. "Fair point, you might be the one kicking my ass. Bring your A-game and I guess we'll find out."

[makes_the_toys]

"Oh, but now hey, what're the rules? Because if Barry can use his speed then I'm sorry Yams, but he'll totally run lightning circles around you." That's just science.

[run_barry]

"Well this isn't a fight, fight," Barry says. "It's training. I'm definitely not going to try and hurt him."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Yeah, that's true," Yamato says, grinning. "If he's moving a hundred times faster than me, it'll be over pretty quick. But I was figuring we'd do it with no speed."

He gives Barry a quick glance, sobering slightly. "Speed's a useful tool, after all, but you don't want it to become a crutch, and for that you need to know how to fight at regular person speed. And not just that -- you'll need to know that stuff if you face another speedster, or someone with slowness powers."

Beat. "All jokes aside, I'm not going to try and hurt you either. We'll take it at a pace that works for you."

[makes_the_toys]

"Slowness powers? Like who, the Incredible Slug?" Cisco laughs, knocking back the last of his drink. "Slo-Mo? Nope, I got it, Molasses."

[run_barry]

"No, I get it," Barry replies, just a touch uncomfortably. "Now that I know losing my speed is a possibility it's better to be prepared."

It's something he's meant to work on, but just hasn't devoted much time to yet.

Giving Yamato a nod, Barry says, "I trust you, man."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Cisco, obviously he'd be called the Hsalf," Yamato says, patiently. "Because he'd be the opposite of the Flash. I'll also accept The Incredible Slowness Guy."

Because Barry is, after all, the Amazing Fastness Guy.

He shakes his head, giving Barry a quick smile. "I'm glad you do. And don't worry, you'll do just fine," he says. "And on the highly unlikely chance that you don't, just remember that I trained Jyou 'Shut My Eyes, Windmill My Arms, and Scream' Kido, and I already know for a fact you're better than that."

[makes_the_toys]

"Gesundheit," Cisco says, because clearly whatever Yamato just said was some sort of awkward sneeze and not a lame attempt at naming their next evil villain.

"Both of those are chopped right now, and if you keep sneezing nonsense I'm definitely going to tell Caitlin she needs to give you a shot before you go."

[run_barry]

"Here we go again... " Barry sighs as it looks like Yamato and Cisco are about to get into the name game again.

"I'm just gonna throw one out there. What about, The Slowmeister?"

When Yamato brings up Jyou and his style Barry gives it some consideration, "Maybe I should fight him."

He's kidding of course. Mostly. There was maybe a time when that was basically Barry's style. Pre-speed, of course.