[semi-open] it was so quiet

[franciscoramon]

who: established cr (anybody who has interacted with cisco before)
what: cisco kills someone in self-defense, is a m e s s
when: june 8
where: various
warnings: death, guilt, will add as needed

Cisco doesn't have very many people he considers enemies, and almost none of them are in the Quarantine. But there is one. One motherfucker on his radar: the guy who stole schematics from him and Tony Stark and tried to sell the stuff (through a third party, of course, because the coward didn't want to show his face) at the tech expo back in March. Cisco doesn't know the guy's name, or where he works, or what world he came from, or anything about him. Well, anything except two things. Cisco knows what he looks like, and he knows the guy can turn invisible. That was how he'd stolen the designs. Cisco wouldn't have ever solved it, probably, if it hadn't been for his powers - and even that was mostly just luck.

He and Tony had tried to set up a sting operation, catch the guy in the act the next time he snuck into either of their workshops. But he must have had allies, because their trap was never sprung: he never came back, and so Cisco moved on. It was always there in the back of his mind, though. Unfinished business. A loose thread.

So when Cisco is out walking through the city one day and sees the guy, just wandering through the club exhibition like he's thinking about taking up badminton maybe, Cisco almost doesn't believe his eyes. He rubs them, looks again... and he isn't sure. Not one hundred percent. So he walks over, with purpose, a frown just beginning to form between his brows.

"Hey..."

And then he gets the confirmation he needs. Because the second the guy looks up and sees Cisco striding towards him, he clearly recognizes Cisco. Cisco's heart is racing, and he's expecting confrontation, sure. But he's definitely not expecting the guy to whip a laser gun out of a shoulder holster and just open fire in the middle of a crowded club faire. Cisco reacts on instinct, diving out of the way, though he feels a stinging heat against his cheek. He raises his fingers to it and they come away bloody.

No time to think about that, though, because everything bursts into chaos - everyone at the booths around them runs away - panic, commotion, gawking, and the guy still coming towards him. Cisco rolls back onto his feet, pushing his hair out of his face and holding up both hands, placating.

"Whoa! Whoa whoa, come on, man, there's no need to get all shoot-y here-"

Evidently, knowing Cisco is unarmed and trying to negotiate is only encouragement; the guy fires again, and as Cisco dodges, he loses sight of him. Which, of course, is when the guy goes invisible. Cisco yells at all the people nearby, telling them to get out of there. He can't see where the guy is, but the laser gun makes a sound when it fires, just far enough in advance of when the beam of light arrives that Cisco can get out of the way - for the most part. His shoulder gets hit, which is when he starts firing back.

The fight is short but ugly, and at every moment Cisco is convinced he's going to get shot and die and it's going to be so pointless, or some bystander is going to get in the way and they're going to get hurt. It feels like it lasts forever, but it's probably only about three minutes until he gets lucky, and one his vibe blast makes contact. He knows, because the guy goes visible again as he's flying through the air. Cisco isn't sure, later, if it was the blast that killed him, or the way he hit the back of his head against the corner of that table on the way down. Either way, the guy dropped, like a sack of potatoes, and didn't move. At all.

The next few minutes were even more of a blur than the fight itself. Running over. Trying to get the guy to respond. Realizing he wasn't breathing, that there was blood all over. Calling out for help. Standing back, shaking all over, as medics showed up - too fast, someone in the crowd had probably called them. There were police, too. They all know Cisco, of course; he makes some of the tech they use, and recognizing the face of the officer who walks up to him is just another level of surreality. Cisco explains, in stuttered and broken words, what had happened. He sees other cops talking to the people in the crowd - apparently plenty of them had stayed close enough to see what happened, are giving their account.

He keeps asking the woman interviewing him if there's any news from the hospital, did the ambulance get there, did they resuscitate him, bring him back? There is all kinds of fancy tech, all manner of magic. The guy was just unconscious, anyway. Just passed. Nothing really serious.

The officer seems to realize, belatedly, that not all the blood on Cisco is someone else's, and that his shoulder is injured. She insists on shepherding him into her car, then, to take him to the hospital to get checked up. On the way there, she gets a call, and Cisco listens to her monosyllabic answers like he's trying to crack a code.

She tells him that the person who attacked him came from a species that were immune to the effects of magic, that the people at the hospital had done everything they could, but they hadn't been able to save him. Then, her stoic professionalism cracking a little, she tells him that everyone knows it wasn't his fault, that about two dozen people saw him just come at Cisco out of nowhere. She says there isn't even going to be that much paperwork, and Cisco feels like he's going to be sick. He doesn't even know the guy's name, and how does he even start to ask that, when apparently, he'd killed him?

Comments

❗️ for eddie

[franciscoramon]

[ In the squad car on the way to the hospital, it finally occurs to Cisco that he should tell Eddie what's happened. His hands are covered in blood, and he wipes them on his jeans. Even still, they're shaking so badly it takes him a dozen tries to send: ]

some guy attacked me at the club thing
the one who stole designs
he shot at me a lot and i hurt him

[ His brain is still in denial, deep enough that he doesn't even realize it, exactly. ]

they told me he died i guess

[causational]

[While Eddie hadn't gotten sick during the recent nanoplague like Cisco had, he's still on desk duty. Whatever the guy with the lightning had done to him, it had kept the magic and advanced tech in this place from working even through the healing process. And he's almost there, on his own, but not quite ready to be out in the field yet.

So he's been doing paperwork all day, and when he hears his phone vibrating, it's a genuine relief, he reaches for it with a smile on his face that fades almost immediately when he reads the messages.

Cisco, attacked at the club expo, being shot at. That the attacker is dead at Cisco's hands.

Almost before he's done reading, Eddie is standing up and pulling his suit jacket on over his shoulder holster, the one Cisco had made him with its secret hidden toys, ears ringing with shock, uncertain what to think or how to respond. He pops in to let his boss know, he explains, and he's out in the car before he can reply, hands shaking.]

are you ok? where are you?

[franciscoramon]

[ Logically, Cisco knows Eddie is at work, that it might be a long time before he has a chance to check his phone. That the time between him hitting send and getting a reply isn't necessarily time that Eddie is spending staring at his phone, horrified, judging, appalled. But it could be. And suddenly, it all starts feeling horribly, horribly real.

Eddie's short reply helps, a little, but the catastrophizing wheels are turning in Cisco's head, building up a momentum that is going to be hard to stop. ]

they're taking me to the hospital
just for a check i'm not hurt muc
much

[ Cisco stares at the screen of his phone, the scene replaying in his head - the way it has done about a dozen times already. He should have thought about it. The trajectory of the blast. The angle of the table. He should have held back more, figured out a way to see his attacker first before striking out blindly. ]

it all happened really fast

[ And maybe it is presumptuous - after all, maybe Eddie had no intention of doing so - but Cisco sends, a few seconds after: ]

you dont' have to come i know how sick of the hospital you are
i'm okay

[causational]

[There's a certain level of shock, there are a few moments where Eddie stares at his phone while he sits in the car, trying to reconcile the idea of Cisco, his kind, gentle, sweet, sensitive Cisco, having killed someone. It's almost impossible to wrap his head around, because killing someone is so antithetical to what Cisco is, even if it was accidental.

And he can't imagine how Cisco must be feeling right now. How awful. It's obvious enough in how he's typing, the errors and the stilted sentences. Eddie's mind latches onto words, here and there, the way Cisco says he's not hurt much, that he doesn't have to come...and then Eddie is typing, fast and clumsy.]

i'm already on my way baby
how bad are you hurt?
i'm gonna be there
i'm gonna take care of you okay?

[And then he's driving, as fast as he can get away with, brows furrowed in concentration, manages to make it to the hospital in half the time it would usually take. He shouldn't, but he uses his siren and lights to get through a few intersections because he can't be away from Cisco, not right now.]

where are you? ER?

❗️ for tony

[franciscoramon]

[ The next day, it occurs to Cisco, through the haze, that he should let Tony know. Tony had been involved, after all. Not in what happened yesterday. But in the lead-up to it. He should know how that particular story ended. ]

you remember that invisible guy who stole designs from our workshops?

[ As if Tony were likely to forget. But Cisco isn't going to just dive in with "by the way, I killed a guy". ]

[buildsomething]

[The response is pretty immediate, the two message close together.]

Yeah, course.

Shit, did he get something else?

[franciscoramon]

no, he didn't
i just thought i should let you know he's dead
so you don't gotta worry about that happening

[ He doesn't realize how cryptic all that might sound by text; he isn't exactly thinking completely straight at the moment. ]

[buildsomething]

Wait, what? What happened?

[spellslots]

[Taako isn't always the best at staying in contact; sometimes he just kind of gets busy and forgets to reach out to people, but he usually tends to send a stupid meme or comment on someone's instagram or some other minor contact.

He's texted Cisco a few times in as many days and the responses have been... lacking, to say the least. It's not unusual for Cisco to lose himself in a project, but this is even worse than that, enough to worry Taako a little. So after a couple of locate persons, to make sure Cisco is home and that Eddie isn't (things are still just a little awkward), Taako pops himself to the front door. Normally he'd just go straight inside, but he knocks today, in case something really is wrong.

Through the door, he calls out:]

Cisco, darling? It's Taako.

[franciscoramon]

[ In the twisted up logic in Cisco's brain right now, he'd been doing Taako a favor, not talking to him, in the aftermath of what happened. He'd leaned on Taako so many times before when stuff was so awful he couldn't take it. This time, though, he tells himself that he doesn't deserve comfort from anybody. He's already gotten way more than he should have; to seek out any more would prove that he is an awful person, and even telling Taako what happened would be like seeking out support. And Taako could see through his bullshit way too well to talk to him and just fake it. So really it was a foolproof plan. He just needed a few days to get his shit together and then they could go back to normal and everything would be fine.

Except, of course, when Taako turns up at his place, and that wasn't an outcome he had planned for. Which just goes to show what a mess he is right now. Cisco thinks, for a split second, about pretending he isn't home. But that runs the risk of making Taako think he's unwanted there (which he is, a little, right now, but not like that!)

So Cisco opens up the door. There are traces on his face that he'd been crying recently - his nose a little red, cheeks a little puffy, but nothing to do about that now. Maybe he can play it off as allergies (as if that has ever worked in his entire life). He gives a little smile that doesn't come close to reaching his eyes and says: ]

Hey, aren't you that guy from TV!

[ It's... a stab at humor, anyway. Cisco waves Taako inside, shutting the door behind him. ]

[spellslots]

[Taako has seen Cisco post-cry often enough to know exactly what it looks like; it's more than just the red nose and puffy cheeks, it's the tired look in his eyes. Worry flits across Taako's face as he wonders what exactly is the cause of all this, because as far as he knows nothing super weird has happened lately.

He doesn't push it immediately, simply humming at the joke as he walks inside, waiting until they're in the living room to turn and face Cisco.]

What happened?

[It's a gentle question, but he wants an answer.]

[franciscoramon]

[ The smile drops off Cisco's face quickly enough that it was obvious how tenuously he'd been maintaining it in the first place. He brings up a hand, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes dropping away from the clear concern on his friend's face. He is silent for a long moment, struggling against his feeling that if he talks about it, it's the same as looking for sympathy, and he doesn't deserve sympathy, and realizing that Taako has no clue, and that silence will only upset or hurt him, and hasn't Cisco done enough damage already. ]

It's- [ The words come out jerky, uneven: ] -been, um. A bad week.

[ With a little exhale, Cisco rubs a hand over his eyes and perches on the couch. If he is going to tell him, it isn't really a standing up kind of a story. ]

Do you... remember what I told you about that guy who snuck into my workshop and stole schematics?

[ He had told Taako about it at the time - not as anything dangerous or deeply upsetting, but more just to vent, to talk about the sheer nerve of some douchebags. Stealing was one thing, but stealing designs and then claiming them as his own? ]

[dancingmd]

It's been pretty quiet at the hospital over the past week, now that the last of the victims of the nanobot plague have come safely out of their comas, including Beverly herself. Mostly, she's been doing paperwork, playing catch-up after her illness. Then... the call comes in at the ER. An unknown man, a fight at the club exhibition, was hit by powerful concussive blasts from a superhuman. Vital signs not good. Beverly joins the team trying to save him, but it's futile, even with the help of the mages on staff. Within minutes, he's gone. Still, it isn't over - the police are bringing in the superhuman, who was also injured in the attack, though not nearly as severely.

As soon as Beverly sees him walk through the doors with the officer, all the color drains out of her face. Cisco. One of the nurses moves to help him, but Beverly takes the bandages out of their hands and brushes right past the startled officer. "I know him," is all she offers in explanation.

"Cisco," She gently takes his hand, careful not to exacerbate any of his injuries. "Cisco, I'm here, you're going to be okay."

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco had of course texted as soon as he heard Beverly was awake again, but he hadn't seen her since the coma - for weeks and weeks. So it is strange, to lift his eyes and see that the woman walking over in the white coat is her.

He knows he mustn't look great, but isn't aware of quite how much of a mess he is. There blood all over his clothes - some from his obviously wounded shoulder, some from trying to revive the guy after he stopped moving. The small injury on his cheek from the laser gun is shallow, but it has bled a surprising amount, down his chin and neck, and some of his hair is sticking to it as the blood begins to dry. He's visibly trembling, and there is something stunned in his expression, like he doesn't quite know where he is or what's happening.

He lets Beverly take his hand - it's still a little bloody, but she's got gloves on - and lead him away from the gawking eyes of the waiting room. They move to a little area that is partitioned by curtains, with a portable exam table. Cisco looks from Beverly to it, unsure if he's supposed to hop on, wondering how much she knows about what happened. ]

I'm not hurt.

[dancingmd]

[Except he is, physically and mentally. The nurse pokes her head around the curtain, to see if they need any help, but Beverly waves her off. She wants to minimize the number of strangers Cisco has to deal with right now.]

Sit down and we'll get you all cleaned up, all right?

[As soon as he sits, she takes a soft, dampened cloth to his face to gently start wiping away the blood so she can get a clearer look at his injuries. Fortunately, it seems the bleeding has mostly stopped - it's not surprising that it took so long, though, given that it's a head wound.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco lets himself be moved, sits still and quiet as she wipes his cheek clean. It all feels like it happened a few seconds ago - that first shot, the one he just barely missed. Would that have killed him, if he'd been slower? Would the other guy be sitting here and would Cisco be the one who is wherever they'd taken the body?

He closes his eyes, as if that would stop his thoughts. It doesn't. ]

You're not asking me what happened.

[ He isn't exactly at his best right now, but he is still observant. Beverly is a doctor. Cisco has been to the ER before. He knows that the usual procedure involves asking what happened, getting it in the patient's own words. And besides that... she would be curious. Worried. They're friends, after all. There's only one logical explanation. ]

So... you know, right?

[ Cisco opens his eyes again, looking at her for confirmation, even though he's fairly certain of the answer. They'd brought the guy here before him (still 'the guy', Cisco still hasn't got any clue what to call him, even in his thoughts...). Beverly might have heard about it, maybe even seen him get brought in. ]

a few days later... when Keith notices a distinct lack of Cisco around town

[tempredmental]

[Knock knock.]

Hey... you still live here?

[Bad joke, considering his own pseudo-brother's girlfriend just went home, but Keith was dealing...]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco didn't turn into a recluse intentionally. He was just finding more and more excuses every morning why he could get just as much work done in the little satellite workshop he'd put into Eddie's old bedroom. And more excuses why he didn't need to go out for more groceries - there were things that had been sitting in the pantry for ages! And more excuses why he wasn't interested in any of the parties and events in town. After all, the last time he'd thought "hey why don't I stop by the _____" someone had ended up dead.

The knock in the middle of the day is unexpected; even moreso is the voice coming through the door. Cisco opens it up, puzzled. Keith had come by a few times before, to play video games and hang out, but they'd made arrangements beforehand both times. He's never just... turned up before, and Cisco's mind being where it is, he jumps instantly to assumptions, and panic.

He asks: ]

Yeah, I'm here. What happened?

[ Cisco doesn't look noticeably different. His clothes, his hair, all are the same. But there's a distinct lack of his usual smile, his usual easy-going friendliness. ]

[tempredmental]

[Keith shook his head a little as Red poked out from around Keith's legs to look into the house.]

Nothing. At least for me. But, what about you? I haven't seen you in a while. I was wondering if you were okay.

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey has definitely noticed a lack of...light in Cisco. It wasn't like him to be distant and quiet. That was usually her thing, but whenever she pulled that, he showed up at her home with food and wanting to check in on her. He was her family--her brother, and something was very off about him.

She made a small bag of food: gummy bears, sour worms, oreos, candies, and sandwiches on French rolls for them to eat. She doesn't know what's happened, but...something had changed, and she wanted to know what.

So, she heads to his home, knocking on his door and hoping he was home..

If not, she would camp right outside until he did.]

[franciscoramon]

[ He hadn't been keeping it from Rey. Not intentionally. Not systematically. He hadn't lied to her. He just... hadn't gotten around to telling her, just yet. He had plenty of excuses why he hadn't. After all, how does one go about even starting that conversation? Oh, hey, just thought I'd let you know, if I seem a little off today it's because I killed somebody and I've never done that before, and it's messing me up!

It doesn't help that he cares for her so much, and that he isn't sure exactly what she will think about it. She deserves the truth. She's already been lied to and betrayed by too many people. But if the truth makes her think less of him, makes her distance herself from him... Cisco isn't sure how he'll deal with that.

That is why, when he opens the door to see her standing there, her young face grave with worry and set with determination, he feels a twist of guilt in his stomach. ]

Rey! Sup? C'mon in.

[ She'd noticed something was up. She's here to confront him. That much he knows, right away, and it sets him alight with anxiety. He lets her in, but moves away from her, pretending he had been tidying up before she arrived and that he is going back to it, but really it is just an excuse to move around and vent some of that nervous energy, to keep his hands busy and to not look at her. ]

How're- what's- um, how's stuff?

[ He really is the multiverse's worst liar. This façade of casual conversation wouldn't fool a baby. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey was prepared to sit or stand at the door until Cisco came home, or Eddie did. She was concerned for one of her best friends. They don't suddenly pull away unless something happened. This she would make her business. If Cisco wasn't feeling well or in trouble, she wanted to help in anyway she could.

It's a surprise to have the door open and see Cisco there. He doesn't look ill, so maybe he wasn't sick...but that still doesn't explain why he's distant.]

Hey...

[She greeted, stepping inside, already feeling anxiety coming off of Cisco. he pulled away from her and went to do something--cleaning? He won't look at her. That's a big red flag.]

Cisco.. [She moved a little closer to him, waiting to see how he'd react.] I brought food--I thought you might be hungry. There's even gummy worms...

[A beat.]

Are you okay?

arrives l8 w starbucks

[scholiast]

(Everything has been pretty... quiet on Cisco's end, lately. Lucretia doesn't immediately find this strange; they aren't as close as he and Taako are, for example. They see each other from time to time and she appreciates his company where ever she can get it, but they don't talk every day or anything. What pings her to something being a little off is that he seems to have forgotten to chase her up about charming Eddie's pendant.

But it's fine, he's probably been pretty busy? Helping with Eddie's recovery, dealing with his own life. Lucretia gives him a couple extra days space before she decides to send him a message.)

Hi Cisco
How are you? Sorry to message you out of the blue but I was just thinking that I haven't heard from you in a while and thought I'd
Yep. How's work, how's Eddie?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco's mind has been working in a particular way, lately. Because he is feeling guilty, because he can't stop thinking about what happened, he assumes it is at the forefront of everyone else's minds, too. It's self-centered, and he knows that, but he can't seem to stop.

So when Lucretia texts out of the blue with mild inquiries into how he is doing, Cisco just assumes that she knows. That this is the polite overture to some pointed questions about how he is handling the whole killing someone thing. After all, it's not like it was a secret, and... and Beverly had been the one who looked after him, when they brought him to the hospital. Cisco doesn't think it would be a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality for Beverly to say he'd been there, after a fight in which he'd killed someone. Or maybe it would be. He doesn't know the rules about all that.

Or maybe she had heard from someone else. The whole thing had been very public. And while it's possible that she really is just checking in, that there's no hidden agenda behind the words.... Cisco is wary. ]

you don't have to apologize
i'm always happy to talk to you
but please don't front:
are you really just checking in or did you hear something?

[ Weird, ominous answer there, Cisco. ]

[scholiast]

(Yes, this is absolutely a strange answer to get back. Lucretia considers this reply for a moment, trying to think if Taako had dropped any random information about Cisco to her lately, but of course she comes up empty-handed. After all, the reason she'd sent him this message in the first place was due to having not heard from him in a little while.)

No fronting!
Well actually
I mean I *was* messaging you because I wanted to set up a time to come and look at Eddie's pendant, get that squared away
But I am genuinely interested in how you're doing as well, I promise

(A less graceful slide into the subject than she'd been hoping for. Hopefully Cisco isn't offended.)