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Chapter Text

Cisco watched helplessly as Chester studied the device in his hands, hoping that it would kick in and work once more. They needed that device in order to get back to their own time, and if they couldn’t…they would be stuck in the 90’s forever. They would forget all that they went through and believe that they were kids once again. Cisco had gone through it before, and it was not pleasant.

He could still remember the fear that had paralyzed him as he looked at a stranger, a stranger who was actually a friend, anxiety gripping his heart, and all he wanted to do was escape. He shouldn’t be out here. He needed to go home. Please, please, please, please…

Cisco snapped back out of his thoughts when Chester spoke up, his usual energy dampened by worry.

“I think I have the parts to fix this at Grandma Runk’s.”

“Should we go there, then?”

“Actually…” Chester sighed. “I used it to make a robot when I was five. And that was in 1996.”

“Two years ago.” Cisco whispered, running his hand through his hair desperately. He didn’t even want to consider what would happen if they couldn’t fix this. Both of their lives would change drastically. Not only would two adults have the mindset of children, but Barry and Caitlin and the whole team would be stuck not knowing that there was a temporal force out there. The Speedforce would be in danger.

And, Kamilla…would she ever see him again? Even if the young Cisco, the original timeline Cisco, grew up and lived his life, he would end up here, stuck in the 90’s at thirty years old. It would be horrible.

“Okay.” Chester clapped his hands together and pointed across the street. “I think there’s a tech shop nearby, and one on Main street. Should we split up and meet back here in 15 minutes?”

“Sure. I’ll take the one on Main, I need a walk.” Cisco said, and he walked away, leaving Chester behind him. He didn’t bother to look back, but he knew that Chester was staring after him, the kind guy probably concerned about Cisco’s well being. Cisco knew that he should’ve cared, but he didn’t right now. All that Cisco could focus on was the underlying feeling of anxiety, worries of their present situation and their future.

How could him thinking he was seven years old again bother him so much? Or, was that not the issue at all, and old feelings were coming to haunt him? Cisco wouldn’t be surprised. There was only so much he could go through in one day that would shock him.

Cisco tossed the hat off his head and into a trashcan, frustrated. He could feel his hands shaking and he begged himself to not fall into a panic attack. He hadn’t had a panic attack in years, he didn’t want to get one now.

He took a deep breath and saw the store right in front of him. He put on a brave face and walked in, smiling at the tired employee that stood behind the counter.

As Cisco explained what he needed to find, the woman sadly shook her head.

“We don’t get another shipment of those until next week.” She explained, and Cisco nodded.

“Aiight, no worries! Thanks!”

The woman eyed him strangely as he left, and Cisco wasn’t curious as to why. He couldn’t talk like people in the 90's. He probably sounded super weird, and no doubt looked strange too. Not many guys had super long hair like him at this point in history. Or at any point, for that matter.

Cisco sighed and sat down on a bench, putting his head in his hands. Time travel. Why was it always time travel? There was literally nothing more that he hated. Time travel led to Dante’s death, and Cisco certainly didn’t want it to lead to his own.

He knew that he didn’t have much time until he had to meet up with Chester. Hopefully Chester had had better luck, or else he wasn’t sure what else they would do.

After he quickly bought some new clothes, clothes that weren’t yellow, and made his way back to the meeting point, glad that he looked somewhat better than before, according to his standards. But, he knew that his sense of style was very different from the common style in 1998.

Chester was already waiting when Cisco arrived, both of his hands empty.

“Dude, you changed your outfit?” Chester asked, and Cisco shrugged.

“I didn’t like the yellow. Did you find anything?”

“Nope.”

“Neither did I.”

Chester glanced back at the huge trash bin behind them, and Cisco turned away as he heard the other man jump into it, cringing. He loved old tech, he really did, but he would never dumpster dive for it.
Instead, he picked up the newspaper that was discarded on the ground and searched through the bylines, hoping that someone was selling the tech they needed. His eyes quickly glanced over the news articles, until one caught his eye.

Central City Scientists Teach Students about Latest Breakthroughs.

Cisco’s palms began to sweat as he read the article, hoping that his suspicions were correct. Chester continued the search in the dumpster behind him, but the noises fell on deaf ears, Cisco’s search becoming all he knew.

The presentation was happening at one pm, at the school….donating money…

Finally. The scientists’ names that were participating.

Marcie Elena, Robi Matthew, Peter Gustavo, and Armando Ramon.

He knew it. His brother was here. And Armando would have the tech they needed. He had to.

He didn’t have time to think about what seeing his brother would mean. What would happen. All he knew was that Armando Ramon might have been the last chance they had to get out of this horrible situation.

Cisco quickly got to his feet as he checked the time on a cheap watch he bought earlier. It was already three. The presentation started at one. It could already be over. Cisco knew that they had to catch Armando before he left.

“Ches! I know what we have to do! Get out of the trash bin!”

Chester looked at him curiously but obeyed, hopping out of the trash and straightening his clothes. Cisco began to run to the school as soon as Chester’s feet hit the ground, the taller man following him quickly.

“Dude! What’s the plan?”

“No time to tell you right now! We have to get to school before it’s too late!”

“The school? But, we were just there!”

“Trust me!”

Their sneakers pounded against the sidewalk as the school came into view, and Cisco could see a couple of people exiting the building, all of them older than the typical student. Cisco saw someone that looked like the photos of Armando his mom hung on the walls of his childhood home, and he picked up his pace.

“Cisco, what…” Chester exclaimed, and Cisco slowed to a stop, pulling Chester behind a truck, out of Armando’s view.

“Listen. I’ll explain later but you cannot say my name in front of him, alright?” Cisco told him sternly, and Chester’s eyes widened.

“Dude, sure, but what’s going on?”

“Call me Carlos, okay? I’ll do all of the talking.”

Chester nodded, and Cisco made his way to Armando, who had stopped by a car, which Cisco knew to be his car from the photos, and was watching the school with a distant expression. Cisco felt his throat close up at the sight. That distant expression, one filled with satisfaction and acceptance, was one that Cisco actually remembered, and he remembered it fondly. They called it the Mando look.

Until now, Cisco hadn’t realized how alike he and Armando looked. They both had dark hair and dark eyes, but Armando was taller and more built than Cisco could ever hope to be. Yet, it was clear to Cisco that they looked like brothers. They were brothers.

It was at that second that Cisco realized what he was about to do. He was going to go and talk to his brother, the brother that had been dead for over 15 years, without Armando realizing that it was him.

How was Cisco supposed to do this? How could he talk to him?

Cisco knew that his hands were shaking again, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and gain a little bit more composure. Armando was a really nice guy, he wouldn’t be bothered if Cisco didn’t appear professional, but Cisco knew that if he didn’t pretend he wouldn’t be able to do this. He was going to fake everything about how he was really feeling in order to talk to him.

Armando looked up when the two of them made their way to him.

“Hello! Can I help you two with anything?”

Cisco smiled and stuck out his hand. “Hi, you’re Armando Ramon, right? The scientist?”

Chester’s eyes widened and his mouth parted at the name, but, thankfully, Armando didn’t seem to notice.

“Yup, that’s me. And you are?”

“I’m Carlos Moreno, and this is my friend Chester.” Cisco said, gesturing to Chester, who gave a small wave. “We’re inventors, and we were looking for some rare parts. We’ve literally looked everywhere, but no luck. We heard that you were in town, and, if by some miracle you have what we’re looking for, we’ll pay a lot to take them off your hands.”

Armando laughed. “Wow, you seem desperate. What do you need?”

Cisco went on to tell him the materials he needed, while Chester stared at Armando with shock. He was acting so natural around complete strangers, and it was clear that he loved technology as he chatted eagerly with Cisco. Chester could see the resemblances between the…brothers? Father and son? No, Armando seemed too young to be Cisco’s dad, but wasn’t Dante Cisco’s only sibling?

Chester turned his attention back to what they were saying as Cisco chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah, it’s some rare stuff.”

“No kidding. But, I think I have some at the motel I’m staying at.” Armando replied with a smile. “I would be happy to give the parts to you, and, if you want, I can also help you with whatever you’re building, too.”

Cisco smiled, though Chester could tell that it was strained. “Really? You’d be willing to do that?”

“If you want. I’ve been so busy with so many formal things it’s been a while since I’ve done some good old fashioned engineering.”

Chester turned to Cisco and shrugged. “We could use a hand.”

“Alright, it sounds like a plan. Meet me at the motel in an hour, and we’ll get going. I’m in room 15.”

Cisco nodded and shook Armando’s hand once more.

“Thanks, we’ll see you there.”

Chester and Cisco gave Armando one last wave and walked away, sitting down at a park bench as soon as they were far enough away.

“Dude, you have another brother? And he’s a scientist? Or is he your dad?”

“Brother.” Cisco mumbled numbly, all of his false confidence and professionalism gone.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Does Barry even know?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” Cisco’s voice cracked and he pulled his feet onto the bench, hiding his face into his knees. “Just…we’re going to get help and that’s all that matters.”

Cisco took even breaths as they sat in the sunshine, people walking past them in a flurry of activity. Chester had gotten up after a while and purchased a couple of sandwiches for the two of them. When he got back, Cisco had emerged from his hiding spot, eyes red and hair messier than usual.

Cisco gave a small smile to Chester as he got his sandwich, opening it hesitantly.

“How much time do we have until we’re meeting him?” Cisco asked quietly, and Chester shrugged.

“I think about ten minutes. It’ll only be a two minute walk.”

Cisco nodded and bit into his food, chewing it slowly.

“I’m sorry, Ches.” He said. “I was rude.”

“It’s okay, dude, I shouldn’t have pushed for answers.”

Cisco sighed. “I should’ve been more clear with what was happening. And, yes, Armando’s my brother. He’s an incredible scientist and engineer, and when I saw his name in the paper I knew that he could help us.”

Chester sat down with a frown. “Why don’t you talk about him?”

“He died when I was 12. Don’t get me wrong, he was a great brother, but…it hurts, you know? The more I remember him, the worse it feels, so I guess seeing him brought up emotions I was ignoring? I don’t know, Ches, I really don’t know.”

Chester reached out to wrap Cisco in a hug but pulled away, despite knowing Cisco super well he never had to help Cisco like this ever before. Did he like hugs? Was it best to just leave him alone?

“I can go by myself, Cisco.” He finally said, making Cisco pull his attention towards him. “You told Armando everything he needed to know, and I’ll figure out stuff as I go.”

Cisco shook his head. “No. In order to get out of this mess we need to both work as a team. And, who knows? Maybe our brotherly instincts may come in handy.”

“Alright, dude, but I’m here for you.”

Cisco gave a sad smile. “Thanks, Ches. I appreciate it. Now, should we go and meet him?”

Chester nodded and got to his feet, helping Cisco up after he did so. Once the garbage was in the garbage can, the two made their way to the apartment. Chester just really hoped that bringing Cisco along wouldn’t bring any issues.

Cisco shouldn’t have to interact with his dead brother to get back to their time. It was reopening old wounds, bringing up painful memories, and Chester didn’t want to hurt Cisco. But, they needed help desperately, and Armando seemed like their only option right now.

But maybe, just maybe, Cisco spending time with his brother would maybe help him, in ways that no one could really know.

All Chester could do was hope for the best.

Chapter Text

Like what they expected, Armando’s motel room was small, yet was covered in all sorts of pieces of tech and discarded clothes everywhere, just like Cisco imagined. Armando was always the messy one, even messier than Cisco himself, and that was saying something.

Armando gestured to the mini fridge as he searched around his apartment, looking for the pieces that Cisco and Chester needed.

“There’s pizza in there, if any of you guys are interested.”

Chester eagerly took the food while Cisco sat on the couch awkwardly, looking everywhere but at his brother. It was strange being around him. Very strange. But, it’s what they had to do.

“So, may I ask you two something?” Armando asked as he picked up some tools. Cisco nodded.

“Go for it.”

“I looked up both of your names on the internet. There is a Chester who lives around here, who looks a lot like you, but he’s currently seven years old.”

Chester froze at the words, a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth.

“What? No, I’m not seven .”

Armando raised his eyebrow, disbelieving. “Okay. but, the super weird thing was that Carlos Moreno doesn’t exist.”

Cisco nodded, knowing that he couldn’t keep up the lie anymore. His brother was good at reading people. It was strange how he was remembering all of these things about the brother he barely knew.

“So.” Armando continued. “What’s going on?”

“Would you believe us if we told you we were from the future?” Cisco said, and Chester looked at him with shock.

“Dude! That’s not information you just give out!”

“Well, you saying that proves what I just said, Ches.” Cisco said with a sigh. Armando grinned.

“Wait. You two are from the future?”

Cisco nodded. “Yes. 2022.”

“No. Way. Are you serious? Then, why do you need my help?”

Cisco held up the machine that was destroyed. “We need this to get home, but it got busted.”

Armando took it from him, and inspected it.

“This is destroyed, wow. I can see why you’d need help.”

Cisco didn’t tell him that he knew how to fix it. He didn’t have the eagerness to. Or the energy.

"I should be able to fix this, but why in the world are you here?" Armando asked, looking back up at him again.

"Not in our own free will. We're still trying to find out how we got here, but we need to get home as soon as possible."

Armando nodded. "Alright. Well, this shouldn't take too long, especially with an extra set of hands. Chester, do you know where the restaurant in town is?"

Chester nodded. "Sure, why?"

Armando gestured to the top of the device. "We're going to need an extra conducting piece for the top here, and I know that the restaurant throws out a bunch of stuff like that. Could you maybe go dumpster diving for it?"

Chester grinned, casting a quick, knowing glance at Cisco. "Sure, dude, I'll be qui-" He stuttered, seeing worry evident in Cisco's features. He suddenly realized what he was about to do. How could he leave Cisco alone with his deceased brother? Was that a good idea?

Cisco waved his hand dismissively, as if he knew what he was worried about. "Don't worry about it, Ches, you go."

Chester took his answer, and walked out the door hesitantly, grabbing one more slice of pizza on the way out. Cisco then turned to his brother, raising an eyebrow.

"You go dumpster diving, too?"

Armando beamed. "Yup. I come from a poor family, it was all I ever did as a kid. You don't?"

Cisco shrugged. "Never really wanted to. Isn't it dangerous?"

"A bit, but not as much as other things. You can find a lot of good stuff in the trash."

Cisco turned back to the tools scattered in front of him, picking up the ones he thought they would need.

"Can we get started?”

Armando nodded. “Sure.”

The two of them dove into the science behind the device, and Cisco felt his anxiety spike up again as he worked, knowing that if this didn’t work they would be stuck here. He soon forgot who he was working with and only tried to focus on the task at hand.

He didn’t even realize that he was breathing heavily until Armando put his hand on his shoulder, making Cisco look up, tears in his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Cisco pulled away from the touch, trying to compose himself.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just, today’s been so rough and so much and I just can’t…”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Armando said, getting to his feet. “I completely understand. You’ve been through a lot, I can’t imagine how hard it is.”

He led Cisco to sit down on the couch once again and rubbed his back comfortingly, unfazed that a stranger was sobbing in his motel room.

“I’m so sorry, I’m ruining everything.” Cisco mumbled, forcing himself to stop shaking, but Armando shook his head.

“Don’t be, I don’t mind. My youngest brother has anxiety, and he has anxiety attacks all of the time. It’s not your fault.”

Cisco knew that what he was saying was true, Cisco did have anxiety, even as a kid, and Armando knew how to help him. He always did.

Armando didn’t cease trying to comfort him as Cisco shook, soothing the other man as he slowly eased out of the attack.

“You’re okay, Cisco, you’re okay…” Armando said, and Cisco looked up at the name, tears in his eyes.

“What?”

Armando gave a small smile. “Do you really think I couldn’t recognize my own brother? You’re my own flesh and blood.”

Cisco didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Armando, holding on desperately.

“Mando, I…”

“You don’t need to explain, Paco. I know. What you’re going through….I know it’s hard. And, I can imagine how seeing me, all young and everything, would be strange.”

Cisco couldn’t say anything about that. He knew he couldn’t.

A knock on the wall broke their hug, and the brothers turned to the door, Chester standing there awkwardly.

“Um, you know, I can go, or, something…”

Armando shook his head. “Stay. I think Cisco’s doing okay now.”

Chester’s eyes widened, but he stayed silent.

“Sure, dude, uh, I got the pieces you needed.”

“Perfect.”

Armando picked up the bag of materials Chester had found, looking through it until he found some that could work. He then bent over the device and focused on it once again, leaving Chester and Cisco alone, well, as alone as they could be in the motel room.

“Dude.” Chester said, sitting down on the couch beside Cisco. “Are you okay? How does he…know?”

Cisco sighed, rubbing his cheeks free of tears. “Brotherly intuition, I guess. And, I had an anxiety attack, but I’m fine.”

Chester’s eyes widened, but he nodded.

Once Cisco composed himself, he began helping Armando with the device once again, while Chester watched, dropping his input in as they worked. Armando seemed thankful for the advice, cracking jokes about futuristic tech being too different. Cisco worked along with him silently, but he would cast small glances to his brother.

“So, I’m guessing you two can’t say much about the future?”

“Probably not., but this is my first time time traveling, so…” Chester said, and Armando chuckled.

“You guys do stuff like this a lot?”

Cisco shrugged. “I guess.”

With the three of them working together it didn’t take long for the device to be finished, and Armando gave it to Cisco confidently.

“All fixed.”

Cisco smiled. “Thanks, Mando, I…I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, Paco, I’m always happy to help you. And I’m glad that I could help your friend too. And, Cisco?” Armando put his hands on Cisco’s shoulders, looking into his eyes sterny. “It’s okay to be honest about your feelings, you don’t have to be strong all of the time. It’s okay to be scared, or need help. It’s part of life.”

Cisco felt tears burn behind his eyes at the words, never hearing them before, especially from his brother. But, he was right. If Cisco had just been honest to Chester about being scared, maybe he wouldn’t have had the anxiety attack. They could’ve talked about this, and he would’ve been in a better place mentally.

He thought back to all of his battles of insecurities and worries over the years, from all the way back to locking Ronnie in the Pipeline to today. All of it would’ve been better if he was honest.

“I…”Cisco’s voice broke with emotion, and he wiped tears that fell onto his cheeks. “Thanks. I…I needed that.”

Armando pulled him into one last hug. “I’m proud of you, Cisco, you turned out great. I always knew you were going to be incredible.”

Cisco couldn’t say anything to that, but he clutched his brother tighter, and he knew that Mando understood.

He soon reluctantly pulled away and tried to compose himself, looking down at the device.

“We should probably go.” He mumbled, and Armando gave a sad smile.

“You should. Don’t you have a future to get back to?”

Chester watched concerned as Cisco looked up to his brother numbly, nodding.

“Then go. It was really great meeting you, the both of you. I look forward to seeing you grow up.”

“I look forward to it, too.” Cisco replied, his voice soft, and Chester knew that Cisco was about to cry again. “I love you, Mando, you’re….you’re a great brother.”

Armando smiled. “I love you too, Paco, but you really have to go.”

Chester took Cisco's shoulder and began leading him away.

“Thanks again, Armando!” Chester called, and Armando waved as they left the motel room. Cisco cast one last glance at his brother, but turned away as his eldest brother closed the door with one last wave.

“Are you okay, Cisco?” Chester asked when they had walked a fair distance away. Cisco shook his head no.

“I’m not. I’m really not. I….I didn’t want to say goodbye.”

Chester wrapped Cisco in a hug, knowing that the engineer needed it.

“But you got to see him again, right? That should count for something.”

Cisco managed a small smile. “I guess. It was really nice hanging out with him.”

“I bet, he’s incredible. I can see why you admire him, the man’s the engineering equivalent of a legend.”

Cisco drew away from the hug, taking a couple of deep breaths. “Yeah. And, right now, he’d want us to get home. So we should.”

Chester turned on the device and watched for the readings.

“It looks like we should go to school again.”

“Then let’s go. Barry needs our help.”

Chester eyed Cisco warily. “But, if you need to talk…”

“When we get home.” Cisco said shortly, and Chester decided not to push it.

“Okay, dude. When we get home.”