Work Text:
Another Earth
I was running. Running away from everything wrong with my life. Iris is gone. Joe's gone. Wally's gone. Caitlin's sided with Bolt, Cisco has gone crazy. Everyone else died from the explosion. I have nothing.
Now I'm running. Because that seemed like the only thing I could do now.
Next thing I know I'm at STAR Labs.
It can't be. STAR Labs was blown up just yesterday.
Am I...Did I...time travel?
I'm at the entrance. A familiar voice pulled me back to reality.
"Barry. Barry are you okay?" A man grabbed my shoulder.
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" I plead, trying to get away from Cisco-er, Vibe.
"What's wrong?"
"You-You turned evil, remember? And...and STAR Labs blew up yesterday and-"
"Woah Barry what are you saying? I wouldn't-" Cisco stopped as he touched my arm.
He was vibing.
A few seconds later he snapped back into reality.
"What did you see?" I ask eagerly.
"You-You aren't Barry. At least this Earth's Barry. Where are you from?"
"What do you mean where am I from? I'm from here...I-"
"Listen, let's get back to the Cortex and I'll explain everything to you."
We enter STAR Labs. It's so weird to go back here. It was just yesterday when it exploded into little bits of concrete and lost dreams.
"Barry. Er-Earth 3 Barry? I don't know okay listen. There is this thing called a multiverse-are you familiar with that?"
I shake my head yes and add, "But that's a theory right?"
"Oh no it's not just a theory. It's real. My Barry has Earth-jumped many times. Imagine: in space there are millions of different earths, same people, same places, but different lives. Different histories. This earth, we call Earth 1. Harry's earth, we call Earth 2-"
"Wait who's Harry?"
"Don't worry you'll meet him later." Cisco sits down on a chair across me. "So, basically, your life is different from my Barry's life. And my life is different from YOUR Cisco's life." He pauses and adds, "By the way how is your Cisco's life?"
I bowed my head down, as if speaking of a deceased friend. "He's gone psycho. He killed...he killed my sister."
Cisco rolled his chair closer to me and pat my back. "I'm sorry my counterpart is evil. I speak in behalf of all the Ciscos in the multiverse."
I smile a little bit and looked at Cisco.
He's a little different on this earth. My Cisco had heterochromia. One of his eyes were a little bit lighter than the other. This Cisco's eyes were darker and purer than his. They were beautiful. I studied every inch of his face. His sympathetic expression seemed to make me feel a little better.
"Your eyes are beautiful." I softly speak, startling this version of Cisco. "I mean, my Cisco had heterochromia and I'm just not used to looking at pure, dark brown eyes."
"Hey Cisco, Iris and I are-what the hell??" Someone who looked like me entered the room. This earth's Barry.
"Hey hey hey Barry hey calm down." Cisco put himself in front of Barry.
"Why-why is he-what the hell is going on?" Barry-Er other me exclaimed, looking confused as hell.
"Barry, take a seat." Cisco instructs and Barry occupies the seat Cisco had before.
"This is Barry-"
"I can see that."
"Let me finish. This is Barry from Earth 3."
"But how does he have the exact same suit that I do I thought your design was yours."
"I don't know. Hey third earth Barry who made your suit?" Cisco nods his head to me.
"Um Hartley made this. You guys do have a Hartley Rathaway, right?"
"Yeah, yeah he's a friend." Cisco answered.
"In the original timeline he wasn't." Other Barry muttered under his breath and Cisco's eyes enlarged.
"He wasn't?"
"Yeah in my original timeline he was nuts and tried to kill me."
"Oh."
"How about your earth? Tell us about it."
"Well, my earth isn't somewhere you'd want to be. STAR Labs exploded yesterday, killing Iris, Joe and Wally. Caitlin's sided with this crazy speedster called Bolt. Stupid name by the way. Hartley was killed last week by this meta we were battling. And Cisco-my Cisco killed my baby sister. Well not so baby she's-was 17." My eyes started to well up and I hid my face to let a tear fall.
"I'm so sorry you had to endure all that. And I understand if you don't wanna leave. I would want to stay in an alien world for a while if it meant I could get away from my troubles." Barry looked me in the eye.
"But the city needs you. Now more than ever. You might not have a team to back you up but you do have yourself and your will to never give up. Just give it some time I promise you'll bury the hatchet with life and find another team to help you. When life closes a door, it opens another, remember?" Cisco adds as Barry nodded.
I smile softly at the both of them and wiped away a tear.
"I don't mean to bother you here but do you have a place for me to crash in before I figure out how to get home?"
"Iris is having a friend over so my guest room's occupied." Barry says, turning to Cisco.
"Uhh yeah I suppose you could stay at my place for the night." Cisco offers and I nod.
"Oh I'd better get going Iris and I and her friend are having dinner out."
"Yeah we'd better get going too." Cisco says as he gestures for us to leave.
"See you tomorrow, Cisco. Barry. We should really get you a nickname."
"Hey um could you like-zip us home I don't really feel like paying for a cab."
"Sure. Your address still the same?"
Cisco nodded and before we know it, we were at Cisco's apartment.
-----
I wake up to a soft mumbling from Cisco's bed. I stood up from the couch to see Cisco, squirming and whispering.
I walked to his bed and I grabbed his arm as I said, "Cisco!"
He jolts awake, letting out a blood-curling scream.
"Cisco are you okay?"
"Yeah I-"
"What did you see?"
"I saw me. Killing a girl. But it wasn't me. I had...powers. I mean more than the powers I have now they-"
"Shh quiet, Cisco. Take it easy."
I sit down beside him on the bed, rubbing his arm.
"Barry, I-" Cisco pauses, as if he was regretful of what he was about to say.
"What is it, Cisco?"
"Was that...your sister?" He asks and I feel a chill run down my spine.
"Her name was Paige." I manage to choke out.
Cisco looks up at me with those chocolate eyes and I stare back, dwelling in them.
I find myself leaning in and soon, our lips were connected. I closed my eyes. I have longed to do this with my Cisco. I can't believe I'm actually doing this with him. Well not him, another him.
We kissed more for a couple of minutes and he finally pulls away.
Cisco's hit with a wave of realization.
"Oh shit sorry, Barry." He puts a hand to his mouth.
"It's okay, Cisco. I've always wanted to do that to my Cisco. You know, before he-"
"Well would you...like to do it again?" Cisco bites his lip.
I smirk and lean in to kiss again.
I don't think I'd ever want to leave this earth.