Dropping In

[swoopyhair]

Once he'd gotten word from Noah that it would be safe, Peter was eager to visit Central City and see Claire. It was nice to hear she'd finally settled down, and something he expected to happen sooner or later. What he didn't expect, however, was to hear she'd gotten herself into a relationship. At least not so soon after moving in.

But he understood all too well what it was like to fall in love with someone at first sight. He was glad that it seemed to be going much better for his niece than it had for him.

There was also some lingering curiosity about the dream he'd had. The one where he was in that weird room with Claire and a bunch of people he didn't know - her friends, he would later learn after talking with Noah. He assumed he'd meet them eventually, though maybe not today. It would make sense if she wanted to introduce him slowly and let them build up trust in him. She'd never been so open with her relationships that he could remember - the last one he knew anything about had been with Gretchen and even then he barely had met the woman. Peter didn't want to push too hard and end up distancing himself from Claire all over again. He was all too aware that his involvement with Sylar had put a strain on them, and he wanted to use this time to try and set things right.

Claire had texted her address just after moving in, so he knew right where to go. But rather than teleport directly into the apartment, Peter popped into the hallway. He was planning to surprise her, and now that he was there, he hoped she was home so he didn't have to text her and ruin the surprise.

He knocked twice, then waited for her to answer.

Comments

[iamnotuptight]

As soon as Peter showed his own alarm for Claire's health, Harry looked vindicated. "She listens as well as my own teenage daughter." He sighed. "...but if she hadn't been there, Rathaway would've probably killed me without hearing me out." He admitted.

Cisco looked uneasy. "Prisoners make is sound like... we're some kinda medieval dungeon. We hold Meta criminals in power dampening cells for the police because they aren't equipped to hold them just yet. And the last time there were Metas being held somewhere that wasn't here, some no-good assholes got their hands on them. General Eiling wants to turn Metas into super soldiers to fight wars. He nearly got Barry and Firestorm. So we're careful about who can access Meta-human criminals. ARGUS is trying to set up a safe, secure place for special case Metas like King Shark while Iron Heights is building Meta containment cells. They've got a couple, but not enough."

Jesse looked over to Peter. "For example, Mirror Master is down there. He can use any reflective surface like a wormhole and travel through it. So he has to be held in a completely matte cell. And Peek-a-Boo can teleport anywhere in visual range, so she has to be held behind one-way glass."

"They were down there. But because of the nature of their powers, they're kept hidden. Cisco Breaches them their meals. The Pipeline is the old particle accelerator. The cells are the old copper tubing retrofitted by Cisco and Dr. Wells--"

"--Thawne." Harry interrupted Caitlin.

"Yes, sorry, Thawne, with Meta power dampening tech. They don't stay down there forever." Cait clarified. "Just until they can be moved."

[swoopyhair]

Peter, having the same regeneration ability as Claire, knew all too well that it shouldn't take an hour to heal from, well, anything. Unless there was something in the kill spot - she'd saved him from that once. He trusted her ability more than most others, because of his own experience, but her recklessness and self-sacrifice still worried him.

Of course, he had the very same penchant for self-sacrifice, even without regeneration. It was how he'd met Claire in the first place, after all. So he had to look a little proud of her for saving Harry's life, knowing he would have done exactly the same.

The explanation about the Pipeline and those contained within made sense, once it was all laid out. He had to admit that he admired the idea. It was something that might have helped the Old Company not be so... terrible. Maybe it's something the New Company can look into developing. Surely someone like Mohinder Suresh could help. He knew Noah Bennet had to be kicking himself that something like this didn't exist ten years ago.

"Heh, Peek-a-Boo." Claire giggled. "That's cute." And there was a certain kind of irony around keeping Thawne in a cell he helped to build. "I don't like this General guy. He sounds too much like those government goons who wanted to use the Formula to make Evo soldiers. And Danko, who wanted to lock us all up."

"No thanks to my brother," Peter said bitterly. "Nathan was the one whispering those ideas in the President's ear. Tracy's managing to undo all that with this new administration."

"Probably a good thing it's not a medieval dungeon," Claire piped up cheekily. She didn't want to think about her biological father. "Then you'd have me asking for flails and whips."

[iamnotuptight]

Harry was a bit of a hypocrite on that front. He'd made it clear he didn't have a problem trading his life for any of theirs, but he didn't want the same treatment. It had panicked him that Hartley had dropped her protecting him.

Cisco certainly did brag to Thawne's face about locking him in a cell he helped create. Probably not his most sportsman like moment, but it felt like the only win they'd had over Thawne and he had wanted to savour it.

Caitlin smiled brightly as Claire approved the nickname and Cisco rolled his eyes, huffing. "Fine! Yes, you named one." Which only added insult to injury because he didn't name Mirror Master, either, Harry had, and both had adopted the nicknames. Then Cisco's expression turned grim. "Eiling was bad news bears. He keeps giving us shit, too. But he's kinda backed off since Gorilla Grodd, a Meta-gorilla mind controlled him into doing some shit. Eiling worked with Thawne briefly before Thawne kicked him to the curb."

Cait took over. "We were working with a highly intelligent gorilla project. Thawne didn't like the way Eiling treated Grodd, so he broke off the partnership. Thawne and I bonded with Grodd." She looked sad. "But he escaped and vanished after the particle accelerator exploded. ...anyway, Eiling wanted to weaponise gorillas like Grodd into soldiers. That wasn't what we were doing here at STAR Labs. Grodd got his revenge on Eiling by subjugating him to mind control for months."

"But don't worry. He's in a gorilla sanctuary on my Earth now that was built for highly intelligent gorillas like Grodd so they can be with others of their kind, away from human interference." Harry explained. He didn't like the explanation about Nathan though. Peter's brother. And he was sure he'd heard the name at least once before. "This is your biological father? Why would he do that?"

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Cisco jumped on the whips and flails comment. "Girl, we don't kink shame here, but what you and Barry get up to in the bedroom stays in the bedroom." He teased. Revenge for making him blush so much with the Becca comments.

[swoopyhair]

A... gorilla. Just when Peter thought he'd heard it all. The things he missed, keeping himself too busy to read the news. He was still not going to ask about aliens. The superpower stuff he could handle, easily, but multiple Earths and intelligent gorillas were wild enough for one day.

"Yeah, that's my bio-dad," said Claire, shooting her uncle a uncertain glance. Why was Nathan the way that he was? "Probably a mix of self-loathing and ambition, I'd guess. I don't think he wanted to be an evolved human."

He had to admit, s uh E wasn't wrong. "Sounds about right. Plus he let himself be influenced by the absolute worst people. Which was always frustrating for me, because I looked up to him. But swear he wasn't completely terrible. He did the right thing when it truly mattered."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't say he was irredeemable, no." Just like she'd told Thawne - it took a lot for someone to get to that point.

Cisco's levity was much appreciated, even if he made her blush up a storm. 'Cisco! I--" There were a few seconds of stammering before she recovered quickly and smoothly. "I was talking about the battlefield, but if that's where your mind goes, well. You'll get along with Becca just fine." Nice try, Bestie, but her revenge on your revenge was immediate.

Peter, on the other hand, was pretending not to hear any of it. He didn't need to know anything about Claire's bedroom, thank you very much.

[iamnotuptight]

Probably for the best, because not only was there the whole Kara and Clark thing from another Earth being aliens, but the whole Dominators thing nearly wiping out to Earth recently which was also a problematic one. Though it also involved time travel AND aliens. Sorry, Peter.

"Yeah, well, tough break. 'Cause Cait and I don't wanna be Metas, either. We don't always get what we want." Cisco said bitterly. He already didn't like her bio dad. Anyone who sounded like Eiling was not a good person in his book. Besides, anyone who upset Claire deserved to get punched in the nose in his opinion.

Harry was a bit more understanding. "Sometimes doing the right thing in the end is all we can hope for."

Cisco was briefly winning then right back to blushing. Dammit Claire!

Peter wasn't the only one pretending not to hear it. Harry and Jesse were tuning the two out too.

[swoopyhair]

Peter didn't time travel anymore unless he absolutely had to, but it was still something he can wrap his mind around - he'd even met a future version of himself from another timeline. He just wasn't ready for life on other planets.

For all of Claire's bitterness toward Nathan, and the things he'd done, she still missed him, occasionally. Or maybe she missed the father she wished he could have been. She'd seen glimpses of that man, entirely too fleeting. Harry's words hit home. Shit, now he was out here reminding her of both dads? Dad Energy off the charts, as she was in the habit of saying now.

"I adore you both exactly as you are," Claire said earnestly. "And I'm not just saying that 'cause Cisco's Vibes are helping to save my life. The negative aspects of what you can do don't define you."

"Claire's right," Peter agreed. "But I understand how difficult it can be. I had my powers taken from me once, then when I got them back I could only borrow one at a time until Sylar helped me evolve my ability. Having one at a time made things simpler, but I could never predict which one I'd need more at any given time. But now I like the way my power changed. It's more focused on the empathic part."

She savored that small victory over Cisco. "Sorry, Bestie. You were ahead for like five seconds."

[iamnotuptight]

Harry had a lot of Dad Energy to give, even if he had a lot of flaws.

Cait shook her head immediately. "We'd never think you were that shallow, Claire." Caitlin argued immediately. "But there are just no positive aspects to my power. It's not even mine. It's Killer Frost's power."

"My power is... it's dirty. It was given to me by Thawne. It'd be a different story if I'd been born with it. I could live with the visions, as horrific as they can be. But you should hear him talk about my power. Gifts he calls them. Bestowed by him, like I should thank him or something. I'm grateful that I can use this curse to save lives, but that's as close as I'll get to accepting them." Cisco looked down at his hands. Unfortunately, Peter's story didn't do as much to convince him that his powers were a good thing as much as it nudged him into the direction of thinking what it might be like if someone could take them from him. He'd probably thank them.

In the quiet lull, Caitlin cleared her throat and tugged Harry's sleeve. "Let's get these two back to my lab so I can clean their cuts and dress them. I don't mind company or an extra pair of hands." She offered Peter a smile.

[swoopyhair]

"I don't mind helping, if needed." Or just hanging around. Peter totally understood why Claire was so happy here. She was surrounded by caring, funny, and bright friends. He also got why Noah was so happy for her. The new friends she'd made on the road were spread out and while they'd occasionally be mentioned here and there, she never really introduced them to her family.

Noah had met a couple of them, but Peter didn't know this, because he'd been too busy working double-shifts. As rewarding as he found his work, though, he was glad he took this break from the hospital.

"I can clean up here and meet you guys back in the Cortex," Claire offered. "But... Cisco? When you say Thawne gave you your power, is that something he really could have done intentionally?" They all knew how Thawne manipulated people. How could he pick and choose who became a Meta? It felt like his mind games - after all, he'd been so adamant about telling her she was special and remarkable. When talking about the future plan, he'd played that up, presumably to his own ends, whatever those might have been. He sounded so hurt in that voice message, but she couldn't truly know if he actually hoped she'd help him, or if he had other plans in mind for his future self. It would have been easy for Thawne to leave himself clues about her so when she popped up he'd know she was significant despite that version of himself not meeting her yet.

[iamnotuptight]

Cait was far too happy that Peter agreed to help. Honestly, even if he just kept her company in the Med Lab, she'd be happy.

"When... when we had Thawne in the Pipeline, I..." Cisco was hesitating heavily, because no one knew he had this conversation with Thawne. He'd deleted the footage so no one could stumble across it because of what Thawne said. Then Harry showed up and outed him almost immediately anyway. "When I told him I remembered a timeline where he shoved his hand into my chest and crushed my heart right after calling me a son, he said he had always suspected I'd get powers. But he wasn't certain until right then. Even he couldn't remember that timeline since Barry accidentally erased it." Cisco was absentmindedly rubbing his chest. "He acted like he was glad I had them. He had the gall to show sympathy that I could remember my own death." Cisco wasn't crying! You're crying! He angrily wiped tears from his eyes. The anguish of betrayal was strong again.

Harrison tugged his sleeve free from Caitlin's hold and slung his uninjured arm around Cisco, pulling the kid's face into his chest in a one-armed hug. Harry didn't do casual hugs for anyone but Jesse, though he made exceptions for goodbyes and whatever the fuck this was, because Cisco was crumbling. He was also probably the last face Cisco wanted to see right now, so the hug hid that while allowing him to provide comfort.

Jesse put a hand on Claire's shoulder. "I'll clean up the coffee and broken mugs. You go with them. Keep Cisco in one piece for me, okay?" She smiled and gave Claire's shoulder a squeeze.

[swoopyhair]

Peter's hand found Caitlin's almost subconsciously, but held on loose enough for her to pull away if she wanted. Yet again he found himself wondering how the hell Claire had gotten herself mixed up with this Thawne guy. He remembered the warnings not to get too close, because yeah, something called the Negative Speed Force probably was bad for someone with an empathy-rooted ability like his. But damn if it wasn't tempting to have a word with him, at least.

Though for all the pain he'd obviously caused, Peter was tempted to do more. He wouldn't, because he trusted the team's judgement. He'd just revel in any opportunity to help take the asshole down.

Claire immediately regretted asking, as soon as she saw the change in Cisco's expression. How stupid of her - obviously it'd be something that would've pained him to talk about. Though in a way she'd expected an answer more about the logistics of things, rather than Thawne's mind games. Still, she should've known better.

"Okay." She nodded at Jesse, feeling too guilty about asking to argue. "I-- I'm sorry, Cisco." Tentatively, she pulled away and stepped closer to Harry and Cisco, her hand resting on the latter's shoulder. "I should've been more thoughtful." Which... she knew she usually was, but her impulsive nature still occasionally lent itself to speaking without thinking.

[iamnotuptight]

Cait gave his hand a squeeze when it found hers. She knew how easy it was to want to give Thawne a piece if your mind for all the trauma he put Barry and Cisco through.

Cisco shook his head and reached up to touch her hand. "It's okay." He said, muffled by Harry's shirt. He pulled back and almost obviously avoided looking up at Harry for the moment. "You didn't know. You just want to help. And you'd think I'd be over my trauma by now." He was blaming himself not her.

"Stop that." Harry said gruffly. He figured Claire would agree. She didn't like seeing Cisco belittle himself any more than Harry did.

"Come on. Med Lab." Caitlin said gently, steering the group to the hall with her free arm.

[swoopyhair]

Peter was the good duck following along with Caitlin, headed back toward the Med Lab. Mostly because he didn't want to let her go so long as she was letting him hold her hand. At least until it was time to get to work, of course.

Claire absolutely agreed, and gave Harry a quick smile as she took over with the Cisco-wrangling, gently guiding him to follow Peter and Caitlin. It was fairly obvious that he didn't want to look at Harry.

"If only trauma worked like that," she said quietly, almost amused. But in a general way, not poking fun at Cisco. "We'd all be a hell of a lot more well-adjusted." There were things from a decade ago that still haunted her. It wasn't something to just get over. "I know asking questions about Thawne and your powers is a friggin' minefield. You're right, I do just want to help - but I'll still be more careful."

At the Med Lab, Peter (reluctantly) let go of Caitlin to let her work and help out wherever needed. She called the shots; wherever she'd need him, there he'd be.

[iamnotuptight]

"I'm gonna have to learn to deal with it a bit better if we're gonna be dealing with any of Thawne's shit to help with this God of Speed." Cisco said softly. He hated that Claire would be talking to him, but he knew it was their best shot and he wouldn't put his own comfort over her life. No way in Hell!

Cait buzzed around the Med Lab and cleaned both Cisco's and Harry's wounds, ensuring she got every shard of ceramic from the cuts. In the end, they weren't as bad as they looked. Cisco winced and hissed and put up his usual dramatic antics while Harry was stoic as ever.

"Seriously, Cisco, it's just a saline rinse!" She chided and he huffed at her. She turned to Peter with a sheepish smile. "Could I get you to wrap his hand for me while I stitch Harry up? He'll probably bitch less with someone he doesn't know as well." She ignored the terse, "Hey! Cisco shot her way then moved back to Harry.

Cisco glared at Cait as she walked away then softened his gaze on Claire. He was only somewhat avoiding looking at Harry now, but trying to make it less obvious. He just needed to get Thawne out of the forefront of his mind. What made it worse was looking at Harry made him panic and Harry could read him like an open book. The look of panic made Harry upset and that made him more upset so it was a feedback loop of upset because he knew Harry couldn't help that Thawne stole his face and Harry couldn't help that his face was a source of trauma for him. It might have amused him when he first arrived, but now it just hurt.

[swoopyhair]

"New coping mechanisms aren't a bad idea," Claire conceded, settled in nearby as Peter and Caitlin worked. She ever so subtly tried to position herself to keep Harry out of view.

Peter took over and started to wrap up Cisco's hand. The theatrics almost amused him, because it still wasn't nearly as bad as many of his other patients. "Bitch away," he said with a grin, "I can take it."

"You don't have to see Thawne when I talk to him." Claire knew that was a point of contention without even having to ask. "You can sit it out, it's okay. And if you want, I'll give you the Cliffs Notes after. It's gonna be a while before this even happens, anyway - I still have to test the V-9 and train with Barry, first."

Claire smiled wide, managing to keep herself from wiggling with excitement. "I can't wait for that part. I'd like if you were there for at least some of it." There was that innocent look that wasn't at all innocent. "Maybe get a little inspiration for some projects you might be working on..."

[iamnotuptight]

"We aren't going to send you into a situation like that without all hands on deck. I'll be on comms with Cait and Harry for sure, so I'll have to hear that sorry bastard's voice." He grumbled. And despite the offer from Peter, he behaved himself, only wincing and wiggling a bit as he wrapped his hand, almost like a kid.

"That's my voice too, you know." Harry griped.

"Kinda... but not?" Cisco argued. "Same vocal cords, but you two just sound different. I don't know how to explain it." Cisco shrugged. "You sound like Harry. He sounds like a psychotic murderer who kicks puppies in his spare time. At least I'm pretty sure the puppy kicking is limited to Thawne." Harry threw a roll of gauze at Cisco.

"Hey! That was sterile!" Cait snapped. But she let it go mostly because it seemed like Cisco's mood was looking up after getting bullseyed by the soft roll. He was grinning again. Between that and Claire's distraction, he was right back in full spirits.

"Oh, dude, we're totally testing so many things! You have no idea! I have so many cool things you'll like! If this V-9 works, I can even mod a quick injection system for you in your s--" suit! He snapped his mouth shut, eyes darting to Peter in a panic. "Imeanwe'llseeifitworks." He fumbled over his words rapidly.

[swoopyhair]

Claire shut right up when it came to the topic of how Thawne sounded. Cisco was right that Harry sounds like Harry, but she didn't really get the full brunt of Thawne's... crazy.

The voice memo came to mind, how hurt he'd sounded. Almost vulnerable. And how, when he was showing off his powers and gently chiding her for being so reckless, he almost sounded sweet. It was just part of the manipulation, she reminded herself, again. But... when he lifted her chin and said she was remarkable, it felt like he meant that.

She quickly pushed all those thoughts away, instead jumping on Cisco's lifting mood and hitching a ride. "Hell yeah! It's gonna be so freakin' cool. I can't wait to--"

"For your what, Claire?" Peter couldn't sound as stern as Noah, but there was still a clear tone of concern in his voice. "You're not really getting... weapons or something, are you?" He knew how reckless and vengeful Claire could be. She didn't need that kind of power.

"My suit." He was going to find out eventually, anyway. "I dunno about that weapons, but running at those speeds... you saw how Jesse had to change into that special suit. Regular clothes will burn off once you're going fast enough. If I'm gonna be borrowing speed, I'll need to be protected. You might too, actually, since you already picked it up from Barry." She looked to Cisco, uncertain.

"I... I guess you have a point." The Speed Force could protect a speedster's health, but they were on their own when it came to the wardrobe. He supposed that made sense. It didn't fully ease his worries about Claire, though. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"As careful as I can be." It was the best she could do.

[iamnotuptight]

Cisco clapped his uninjured hand over his mouth when Peter put on his best attempt at a dad tone. He wasn't quite Joe or Harry, but it still made the young genius squeak. He hadn't meant to get Claire in trouble!

"It's a tri-polymer. Friction-proof and fire-proof. I make one for all my speedsters. Running naked just seems unhygienic. Barry has to run below a certain speed when he's wearing street clothes or carrying someone so he doesn't accidentally burn their clothes off. He uh... learned that the hard way. But it was a memory none of us will forget. Poor Felicity." He wouldn't mention the actual weapons he was making for her. That seemed like a topic neither of them were ready to broach just yet.

"She's in the best hands. We may get dinged up quite a bit, but we're more careful with others' lives than our own." Harry offered as he lifted his now stitched and bandaged arm. "The suit is also a layer of body armour to an extent." Not enough to impede motion, but enough to hold up. It survived most of Barry's regular abuse.

Cait returned to Peter's side and sought out his hand this time with a smile. "We'll take good care of her, I promise."

"And I can totally make a suit for Peter, too, if he's gonna be using that speed!" Cisco said with a grin.

[swoopyhair]

"I'm sure as hell not running naked," Claire said with a laugh. "And I'd rather keep my wardrobe from being singed." She found plenty of other ways to ruin her clothes, thank you very much.

Ways that would no doubt earn her a look from Harry, just as they had from Thawne, so she was keeping mum about that.

Peter relaxed some at Cisco's explanation. If it was good enough for the 'real' speedsters, Barry and Jesse, then he and Claire should take the same precautions. And he really did trust that they were in good hands. Not just because he liked the way Caitlin sought his hand out to hold. He gave her hand a squeeze, returning the smile warmly.

"I'm usually more careful with others than myself," Peter admitted, but he wasn't going down on that ship alone. "Claire, too."

He should have expected his niece to be ready for it, because of course she was. "Yeah, no regard for your safety whatsoever when you dove off that balcony to save me at Homecoming. You didn't even know me. You didn't know you'd heal."

A flush rose across Peter's face, and he quickly waved off her words, smiling sheepishly. "I just knew I had to save you. Save the cheerleader, remember?"

Fortunately, she decided to be merciful and not press the issue. "Cisco's very good, he'll make you something amazing. So... about this quick injection system. Do you mean something that could help me use V-9 on the fly?" Keeping him talking about tech was probably the best distraction.

[iamnotuptight]

"Let's not take any more swan dives off tall surfaces, shall we?" Harry pointed looked between Claire and Peter. "I thought you were the sensible one." He scolded.

Cisco grinned and hopped off the medical cot, walking across the room to the counter. He picked up the red vial of V-9 Caitlin had lying out for testing and the injector gun Harry crafted. "We usually inject V-9 with this," He loaded the vial into the gun, which almost looked like a high tech glue gun. It clicked in place and he pressed it to his wrist but didn't depress the trigger. "You administer it into your wrist or arm. But I can wire a quick shot into your suit so you can hit it on the go if you need to. No clunky gun required. It's how you'll get away from Thawne if you need to. After Barry's trained you, of course." He put the loaded gun down smiled at her like a proud kid looking for praise.

Caitlin giggled at Cisco's excitement and found herself leaning into Peter's calming presence. "But he'll wait to make that modification until after you've trained with Barry, right?" She sounded like a teacher. He reluctantly nodded.

"Right. Your suit's pretty much done. Still working on the gloves, but other than that, it's a go."

[swoopyhair]

"Sensible? Might be the first time anyone's accused me of that." Peter laughed softly, then faltered. "I'll... do my best. Swan dives usually are a last resort, but I also can't fly anymore."

Claire had a look on that was almost accusatory, but playfully so. See? It wasn't just her.

They watched, Peter with clear interest, Claire with unabashed delight, as Cisco demonstrated the injection gun.

"That's so cool! Thawne will get suspicious if I meet with him suited up, though," she said thoughtfully. After all, she'd literally told him she wasn't about to put on a suit and go play hero. Maybe she could suit up under her street clothes. "Gosh, I can't wait to see it. I bet whatever you come up with is gonna be brilliant." Finally, she wouldn't just feel like a victim, which meant way more than she could say without getting all emotional about it.

"It's still just for special circumstances, right? Like Thawne and the God of Speed? You can't just... Put yourself out there like that, Claire." Peter was putting his foot down as gently as he could. "It's too dangerous."

"What, it's okay for you, but not me? My friends are helping me be safe and feel empowered to protect myself. More than anyone else has, except my dad. And Meredith." That was a blow, and it was meant to be. How many times had she begged Peter for guidance and protection only for him to keep his distance?

Maybe he was more sensible than he gave himself credit for, because instead of arguing with her, he fell silent.

"I'm... gonna get a brownie." Claire excused herself to go back to the Cortex.

[iamnotuptight]

Cait hated the fighting and the tension. She understood both sides. She'd originally been completely against Barry suiting up and fighting crime but he'd argued, just like Claire. He'd been dead set on saving lives and stopping others with powers now that he had powers himself. Now that he could make a real difference. Claire's argument had been so similar in feeling to Barry's. And Barry had even fought dirty in the argument too, just like Claire.

She rubbed Peter's back softly. "She's a lot like Barry." Cait said when Claire left the room. "We won't let anything happen to her, whatever she decides to do. But pushing her will only make her do something rash without a lifeline to fall back on." It happened with Barry once. They'd pushed him too far, trying to make him see things their way and he ran without the team's help. Thawne warned them it would happen and what would happen if it did and Barry got hurt. She didn't want to see that for Claire.

"I made her a mask too. It'll protect her identity." Cisco said quietly. "We're kinda used to this whole superhero thing, y'know." He stepped out into the Cortex with Claire and bumped his shoulder into hers in a subtle playful way. "Hey, Bestie. Any brownies left for the wounded?"

[swoopyhair]

Peter knew how she could be. And didn't let himself forget what a wonder it was that she didn't go down the wrong path out of rebellion when he pushed her away. He'd all but abandoned her. Caitlin's support was just the thing he needed. His arm looped around her shoulder for a quick hug as she rubbed his back.

"You're right. She's done it before. It's better that she has your support where she didn't have mine." As much as it pained him to admit it. He could at least try to explain, though. "There was this alternate future. Claire was... changed. Evil. She hated me, tried to kill me. So when I got back to my present, I distanced myself from her. I thought me teaching her how to protect herself was the reason she went down that path. I didn't see the irony in it until later, how pushing her away would be so much worse..."

Claire quickly rubbed at her eyes with one hand as Cisco bumped her. She was ready to say she definitely hadn't been crying, just dust in her eye or something. "Hey. There's plenty left. I made a big batch." She nudged the container in his direction. "I'm... sorry about Peter. It's not you guys he doesn't trust, it's me. He watched me hijack an airplane to save him and a dozen other crazy things. He was there for the Ferris wheel jump. I'm sure he thinks I'll be trying to do more of that if I suit up."

[iamnotuptight]

Cait returned the hug, offering as much support as she could. She'd never been good at that side of things, but he needed it. "She needs you now. And I think you might need her. Neither of you should do this alone. No matter what future is thrust our way, we'll face it and conquer it together. That's how we work here at Team Flash and it's worked pretty well so far. She won't be going evil and she won't be dying."

"Allen's rubbing off on you, Snow." Harry grizzled but it held no actual bite to it. There might even be some hidden fondness in there somewhere.

Cisco plucked a brownie from the container and looked it over like he'd never seen one before, giving her her dignity. "You know, you're allowed to cry if you need to. You didn't judge me for it. And don't worry about it. He's worried about you. He's allowed a bitchy pass for that." He broke off a corner of the brownie and popped it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed before continuing, "Does someone need a hug?"

[swoopyhair]

He did need her. Always had. It was a blessing that she had pushed so hard to stay connected, for him to visit and be part of this new life she was building. Now, more than ever, he understood why.

You're totally my hero, she told him in that Odessa holding cell after Homecoming. She still needed him.

"Going it alone didn't work out so well for me," Peter admitted. He hadn't been completely alone, Sylar had been around some. But... The more time he spent with Team Flash, the more he was reminded of the importance of having support. Claire needed it, for sure, but so did he.

"Yeah, we'll take care of her. And each other. You're pretty good at it already." He smiled at Caitlin. She was better at offering support than she gave herself credit for. The hug alone helped, but her words went a long way, too.

"I didn't even like letting Barry see me cry," Claire admitted with a huff of a laugh. But she'd never judge anyone else for it. Even if seeing Cisco cry broke her little heart nearly as much as when Barry did.

She finished the last bite of her brownie then turned to hug Cisco gently around the middle. "If I ever turn down hugs, and I'm not, like, covered in slime or something, assume I've been body-swapped." Besides, she wouldn't be surprised if he might need another one after all the Thawne talk.

[iamnotuptight]

"Then stay here with us. I have contacts at Central City Hospital. They're always looking for staff. I can put in a word for you." Totally not her trying to spend more time with him. Nope. But Claire would probably like having him around too.

Harry glanced at Caitlin but didn't say anything. He seemed surprised but not displeased. He just hadn't expected that of Cait of all people.

"This is a safe space, chica." Cisco happily hugged her back, big and tight, trying not to get brownie crumbs on her clothes. He definitely needed it too. "I'll keep that in mind. You, me, and Barry, we're all three pretty huggy. Cait and Harry, not so much. Cait is more than Harry."