[ Cisco considers saying something, when Eddie gets frustrated, says that he's repeating himself, and stops speaking. But he knows that there is going to be no perfect resolution or closure that Eddie will reach today. Despite the nature of this holiday, that sort of thing is elusive, and cannot be forced. Especially not when the wounds are so relatively recent. So Cisco keeps quiet, and waits for Eddie to move on.

The direction he moves in surprises Cisco a little. He'd expected Joe, Eobard - someone from back home. But the surprise only lasts for a moment. When Eddie voices that next resentment, he nods, slowly, contemplative. ]

I didn't know that.

[ Eddie is someone who was taught to think of things in terms of success and failure, had seen his relationship with Taako as one that failed, and was thus an embarrassment or waste of time. Cisco sighs, resting his weight against Eddie a little more, a reminder of his solidness, his presence. It's a tricky thing, figuring out how he's going to say what he wants to, without it sounding like he's invalidating what Eddie feels. ]

I think... the way things ended with Taako... it taught you what you needed.

[ Cisco chews at his bottom lip for a moment or two, before he explains in the best way he knows how: ]

In science, there's no such thing as an actual 'failed experiment'. It's just as valuable and informative when you do all the work - the setup, the planning, the research, the hours and hours, all that hope - and in the end, you find out the answer is no. That you were wrong. Doing all that teaches just as much about the world, y'know? We need to confirm what doesn't work, before we can make something that does. And I think, with Taako... you confirmed that you really needed to be somebody's top priority.

[ Then Cisco touches their foreheads together, nuzzling his nose against Eddie's. His voice has gotten softer, a little raspy with emotion. ]

Besides, we found each other eventually. I know it took us a little while, but... we got here.