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

[infinite1ups]

That sounded exactly like the Barry Allen she'd come to know and love. She couldn't help feeling a little proud. Truly, she'd gotten herself the best fiancé imaginable.

Claire had spent enough time with her dad to know at least some of the significance Oliver's seating choice. Noah would have chosen similarly. As Barry pulled out her chair, she flashed him a grin and took her seat. Her jeans and blouse weren't exactly shabby, but they certainly weren't the type of attire that would usually fly in a place like this.

Expensive taste, indeed. She would try not to get distracted thinking about Barry in a suit and tie. Browsing the menu, she considered Felicity's question and stubbornly refused to use her phone to translate any dishes. Poulet was chicken, and she knew a few other food terms.

"Mostly I think I just wanted to live somewhere I hadn't already been. Somewhere I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me. Traveling as much as I had before I settled down tends to leave a trail, even when I was trying to lay low and use aliases." Which... sounded very suspicious. "Going public as an evolved human the way I did wasn't the best idea."

But now she was running around as a masked hero. How long before someone recognized her, even with the mask?

"Pommes de terre means potato. It literally translates to like, ground apples," Claire said to Barry as if she was extremely pleased with herself for knowing this information. But in a delighted way, not a know-it-all way. "I... have a few friends who speak French."

In pre op. Sorry for short tag

[feelthelightning]

"Going public is always a tricky decision." Oliver said in that wisend mentor tone. "Sometimes your hand is forced. Sometimes it feels like the right thing to do. But it always has consequences." Felicity started to reach for Oliver's hand but stopped herself before she made it too far.

Barry flushed and offered her a smile. "I never took any language classes. Kinda wish I had. Caitlin speaks French. Cisco speaks Spanish." Wells/Thawne spoke Latin. But that didn't count anymore and he didn't ask Harry if he did as well. Without Hartley around it didn't matter much. "Ground apples." Barry repeated with an amused smile. "They don't look like apples."

Don't be sorry! Thinking of you, hope it's all going well. <3

[infinite1ups]

"It was... impulsive and reckless. Even if it was for what I thought were the right reasons. I was tired of having to hide who I am, and I just wanted to live my life without people trying to hunt me down." There was some irony in hiding while on the road after her public reveal, but even in that, Claire had felt liberated.

The sentiment around evolved humans wavered in the public eye, but other events and individuals popped up to take away the attention. All of the initial hubbub around her jump had died down. Now she rarely got recognized.

She grinned at Barry, utterly adoring. He was just so dang cute! "I took some Spanish in high school, but the whole regeneration thing led to a lot of stuff happening that made me miss school, so I don't really remember much. I ended up just getting my GED." There was always a small sense of shame and regret over not getting to have a proper high school graduation. It wasn't really her fault, but that didn't stop her from blaming herself and seeing it as a personal shortcoming.

"My dad's last partner at the Company, René, taught me a little French. And a couple friends I met up in Canada." She gently bumped her shoulder against his, giggling. "Do you know what you're going to order? I think I've decided."