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paynesgrey_ficsFandoms: Arrow, The Flash
Title: The Other Side of Lonely: Chapter 2
Characters/Pairings: Laurel Lance, Cisco Ramon, Cisco/Laurel (BlackVibe), other characters mentioned
Rating: M (eventually)
Genre: Action/Romance
Warnings/Spoilers: Loosely based on the season 1 finale of The Flash, and the season 3 finale of Arrow. Adult situations in future chapters.
Notes: Written for the Summer Mini Challenge for the "wave" prompt.
Links: AO3 | FFnet
Summary: Fighting alone on the streets of Starling City, the Black Canary could use a little help from a friend. Enter: Cisco Ramon.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Two
Cisco pulled up next to Laurel’s car and parked in a small lot across from a large apartment complex. He grabbed a few bags from his car, and he turned around and looked at the looming red apartment building with white shutters. Several lights were on in the complex except for one on the side, which he assumed to be Laurel’s.
He turned his head as he heard a “beep” and saw Laurel locking her car and tilting her head toward the building, motioning for him to follow. He quickened his pace and fell in step beside her as they walked through a gate and into a small lobby.
Cisco took in the scenery as they headed into an elevator to her floor. He couldn’t find the words to speak, and neither could Laurel, apparently, as they stood together giving each other nervous smiles.
“What are in the bags?” she finally asked, and Cisco almost forgot he was carrying them.
“My tech, well, some of it. There are two more bags in the back of my car. Most of them are smaller, more mobile tech that I keep in the van at Star Labs. But it should be good enough to take with us and monitor you while you’re out there. Most of the systems have been Felicity-upgraded, so of course, they are very handy,” he said.
Laurel nodded appreciatively. “Great,” she said, and he followed her down the hall to her apartment door. He watched her unlock it and direct him inside. He looked around at the decor, admiring the brick next to the white geometric walls. He directed his attention to her scarlet couch and then to the small coffee table in front of it. Well, it was supposed to be a table. Mostly it looked like a mountain of paper on four wooden legs.
She sighed. “Sorry for the mess. As you can see this is how I track criminals.”
“Law records,” he guessed.
“Yep, most of the cases I’m working on, but crime in the city has been thin lately so I started delving into questionable cases,” she said.
“Huh, what sort of questionable cases?” he asked, looking around desperately for a place he could sit, let alone set up his gear.
“Oh, mostly cases where it was obvious a juror or judge were bought off. Cases where police had bumbled evidence even though it was clear the accused was guilty. Some of them are mob cases, so you know the paper trail goes wild there,” she explained. She went through open sliding doors to another room with her desk, and began clearing a spot for him. She met his eyes. “Go ahead and set up here. I’m going to get ready.”
“Um, okay. I’ll go get my other bags first,” Cisco said. “I need to have all the complete equipment.”
“Fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked,” she said. She crossed her arms. “I take it you know how to get back here?”
“Haha,” he said. “I wouldn’t forget.” As he left, he could feel her watching him walk out the door.
When Cisco returned, Laurel’s bedroom door was closed and he could sense movement coming from the room even behind the closed doors. He wondered if the doors in her place were really that thin, but instead of standing there like a creeper he decided to get to work by setting up his tech. He built a mini-server in her office room, and started connecting all the accessories before booting up and launching the system. He’d then mirror the system with his tablet (thanks to Felicity) and get it ready for when he’d follow the Black Canary out in the field.
Normally, he didn’t go into the field, but he felt it’d be weird hanging out in Laurel’s apartment by himself when she was fighting alone on the streets. Plus, he felt a protective wave come over him when it came to Laurel. Oh, he knew she could take care of herself, but what if she got in a bind and needed him? What if he could save her by being closer than just hanging out in her place? He wouldn’t dare leave Laurel to fight alone, not when he’d come all the way from Central City to see her.
Well, Laurel wasn’t the only reason he came to Starling City. He had to get away from the wreckage that the Reverse Flash had left behind. Barry was still healing from injuries that he’d sustained trying to stop the black hole, and even though he was able to at least walk around, Caitlin worried that he’d get side effects from the time traveling as well as exposure to unknowns in that black hole. Barry was already having weird dreams, and on some occasions he wasn’t himself. The only people he’d allow near him sometimes were Iris and Joe, even though Caitlin and Cisco were there to help him.
Caitlin was more useful to Barry than Cisco was at the moment, and some days, while picking up the pieces of a fragmented Star Labs, Cisco felt like he was going in circles to nowhere. The tedium of cleaning up what the fake Dr. Wells had left them started to gnaw on Cisco’s senses and feed fire to his emotions. He felt like destroying the rest of Star Labs several times, wanting to enact his rage on something when he could no longer lash out at the true source. He’d even been short with Caitlin sometimes, nasty and unkind, and when she called him out on it, he knew he needed a break.
They thought maybe he needed family at this time, but Cisco knew his family would only suffer from his moods. Plus, they wouldn’t understand. Perhaps his brother might, but Cisco didn’t want to burden him either. He needed time on his own. Before he knew it, his body had taken him to Starling City while his mind was in a daze.
Then, the moment he saw the Starling City sign, he thought of ADA Laurel Lance.
And here he was.
Cisco sniffed when he started to smell something delicious, and he looked down at his work and didn’t realize how involved his mind was on connecting all the computer equipment. He was almost finished; he just had to start Felicity’s program and mirror his tablet with the server host with all his sophisticated programs.
He paused for a second, delighting in the delicious smell coming from Laurel’s kitchen. He hadn’t even realized she had come out of her bedroom or was cooking at all.
Quickly, he began the final program sync before setting down the tablet and heading out of Laurel’s small office. He followed the fine cooking smells of oils and spices to the source.
Then, Cisco stopped dead in his tracks. Before him, his eyes fell upon the loveliest scene he had ever encountered in his entire lifetime.
The Black Canary was making ravioli. In her Black Canary outfit; well, minus the gloves but still — here she was in all her black leather glory over a hot stove preparing food. He remembered her form one last time, knowing he could now die and go to heaven happy. His eyes took in her blonde wig, the black mask, the skin-tight shiny costume, and of course, his tech around her neck: the Canary Cry.
“Are you going to stare at me all night or eat this?” she asked, slightly annoyed at his silence. He looked up bewildered and met her tilted head and pursed lips. She tried to look angry at him, but Cisco wasn’t fooled. He liked that about her. She had a slight edge to her, a sharpness to her feminine tone that gave him an indescribable rush.
Oh, man, he was going to Hell for the thoughts he was having now.
“Uh… for me?” he asked dumbly.
“You said you were hungry,” she said as a matter-of-factly.
“Yes… but you said you weren’t,” he challenged. Then, Cisco saw her smirk. How was he still standing up on his dumb shuddering knees when she looked at him like that?
“I didn’t make this for me. Eat up,” she said. “I’m not much of a cook, but I’ve been trying. I just don’t have any time to make anything that requires a lot of effort.”
“No, no, it’s cool. This looks...uh, delicious. I haven’t had anyone cook for me in a long time,” he said.
Laurel cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s not really cooking. Just ready made.”
He grinned and squinted at her. “Do you want to take the compliment or not?”
“Depends,” she said with a light smile, walking from the stove over to him. Cisco couldn’t help but love the way she moved in that outfit. He tried not to think of the glorious way she would look without that outfit too. When she stood by him, she held up a bowl of ravioli, all scooped and ready for him. “I’ll guess I’ll have to take the compliment after you finish this.”
Cisco took the bowl from her, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He felt - intimidated and enamored all at once. “Um, okay,” he said, playing it off with a laugh. “I’m sure you want to get going...So, thanks,” he said.
Laurel smiled prettily. He almost expected her to say, “You’re welcome” to go along with that smile. Instead, she beamed at him and said, “Now hurry up.”
He knew that it wasn’t smart to argue with Laurel Lance - no - the Black Canary when she just cooked him dinner and was now watching him impatiently. So, Cisco reluctantly took his eyes away from her and glanced at his food before digging in.
To be continued...
Title: The Other Side of Lonely: Chapter 2
Characters/Pairings: Laurel Lance, Cisco Ramon, Cisco/Laurel (BlackVibe), other characters mentioned
Rating: M (eventually)
Genre: Action/Romance
Warnings/Spoilers: Loosely based on the season 1 finale of The Flash, and the season 3 finale of Arrow. Adult situations in future chapters.
Notes: Written for the Summer Mini Challenge for the "wave" prompt.
Links: AO3 | FFnet
Summary: Fighting alone on the streets of Starling City, the Black Canary could use a little help from a friend. Enter: Cisco Ramon.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Two
Cisco pulled up next to Laurel’s car and parked in a small lot across from a large apartment complex. He grabbed a few bags from his car, and he turned around and looked at the looming red apartment building with white shutters. Several lights were on in the complex except for one on the side, which he assumed to be Laurel’s.
He turned his head as he heard a “beep” and saw Laurel locking her car and tilting her head toward the building, motioning for him to follow. He quickened his pace and fell in step beside her as they walked through a gate and into a small lobby.
Cisco took in the scenery as they headed into an elevator to her floor. He couldn’t find the words to speak, and neither could Laurel, apparently, as they stood together giving each other nervous smiles.
“What are in the bags?” she finally asked, and Cisco almost forgot he was carrying them.
“My tech, well, some of it. There are two more bags in the back of my car. Most of them are smaller, more mobile tech that I keep in the van at Star Labs. But it should be good enough to take with us and monitor you while you’re out there. Most of the systems have been Felicity-upgraded, so of course, they are very handy,” he said.
Laurel nodded appreciatively. “Great,” she said, and he followed her down the hall to her apartment door. He watched her unlock it and direct him inside. He looked around at the decor, admiring the brick next to the white geometric walls. He directed his attention to her scarlet couch and then to the small coffee table in front of it. Well, it was supposed to be a table. Mostly it looked like a mountain of paper on four wooden legs.
She sighed. “Sorry for the mess. As you can see this is how I track criminals.”
“Law records,” he guessed.
“Yep, most of the cases I’m working on, but crime in the city has been thin lately so I started delving into questionable cases,” she said.
“Huh, what sort of questionable cases?” he asked, looking around desperately for a place he could sit, let alone set up his gear.
“Oh, mostly cases where it was obvious a juror or judge were bought off. Cases where police had bumbled evidence even though it was clear the accused was guilty. Some of them are mob cases, so you know the paper trail goes wild there,” she explained. She went through open sliding doors to another room with her desk, and began clearing a spot for him. She met his eyes. “Go ahead and set up here. I’m going to get ready.”
“Um, okay. I’ll go get my other bags first,” Cisco said. “I need to have all the complete equipment.”
“Fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked,” she said. She crossed her arms. “I take it you know how to get back here?”
“Haha,” he said. “I wouldn’t forget.” As he left, he could feel her watching him walk out the door.
When Cisco returned, Laurel’s bedroom door was closed and he could sense movement coming from the room even behind the closed doors. He wondered if the doors in her place were really that thin, but instead of standing there like a creeper he decided to get to work by setting up his tech. He built a mini-server in her office room, and started connecting all the accessories before booting up and launching the system. He’d then mirror the system with his tablet (thanks to Felicity) and get it ready for when he’d follow the Black Canary out in the field.
Normally, he didn’t go into the field, but he felt it’d be weird hanging out in Laurel’s apartment by himself when she was fighting alone on the streets. Plus, he felt a protective wave come over him when it came to Laurel. Oh, he knew she could take care of herself, but what if she got in a bind and needed him? What if he could save her by being closer than just hanging out in her place? He wouldn’t dare leave Laurel to fight alone, not when he’d come all the way from Central City to see her.
Well, Laurel wasn’t the only reason he came to Starling City. He had to get away from the wreckage that the Reverse Flash had left behind. Barry was still healing from injuries that he’d sustained trying to stop the black hole, and even though he was able to at least walk around, Caitlin worried that he’d get side effects from the time traveling as well as exposure to unknowns in that black hole. Barry was already having weird dreams, and on some occasions he wasn’t himself. The only people he’d allow near him sometimes were Iris and Joe, even though Caitlin and Cisco were there to help him.
Caitlin was more useful to Barry than Cisco was at the moment, and some days, while picking up the pieces of a fragmented Star Labs, Cisco felt like he was going in circles to nowhere. The tedium of cleaning up what the fake Dr. Wells had left them started to gnaw on Cisco’s senses and feed fire to his emotions. He felt like destroying the rest of Star Labs several times, wanting to enact his rage on something when he could no longer lash out at the true source. He’d even been short with Caitlin sometimes, nasty and unkind, and when she called him out on it, he knew he needed a break.
They thought maybe he needed family at this time, but Cisco knew his family would only suffer from his moods. Plus, they wouldn’t understand. Perhaps his brother might, but Cisco didn’t want to burden him either. He needed time on his own. Before he knew it, his body had taken him to Starling City while his mind was in a daze.
Then, the moment he saw the Starling City sign, he thought of ADA Laurel Lance.
And here he was.
Cisco sniffed when he started to smell something delicious, and he looked down at his work and didn’t realize how involved his mind was on connecting all the computer equipment. He was almost finished; he just had to start Felicity’s program and mirror his tablet with the server host with all his sophisticated programs.
He paused for a second, delighting in the delicious smell coming from Laurel’s kitchen. He hadn’t even realized she had come out of her bedroom or was cooking at all.
Quickly, he began the final program sync before setting down the tablet and heading out of Laurel’s small office. He followed the fine cooking smells of oils and spices to the source.
Then, Cisco stopped dead in his tracks. Before him, his eyes fell upon the loveliest scene he had ever encountered in his entire lifetime.
The Black Canary was making ravioli. In her Black Canary outfit; well, minus the gloves but still — here she was in all her black leather glory over a hot stove preparing food. He remembered her form one last time, knowing he could now die and go to heaven happy. His eyes took in her blonde wig, the black mask, the skin-tight shiny costume, and of course, his tech around her neck: the Canary Cry.
“Are you going to stare at me all night or eat this?” she asked, slightly annoyed at his silence. He looked up bewildered and met her tilted head and pursed lips. She tried to look angry at him, but Cisco wasn’t fooled. He liked that about her. She had a slight edge to her, a sharpness to her feminine tone that gave him an indescribable rush.
Oh, man, he was going to Hell for the thoughts he was having now.
“Uh… for me?” he asked dumbly.
“You said you were hungry,” she said as a matter-of-factly.
“Yes… but you said you weren’t,” he challenged. Then, Cisco saw her smirk. How was he still standing up on his dumb shuddering knees when she looked at him like that?
“I didn’t make this for me. Eat up,” she said. “I’m not much of a cook, but I’ve been trying. I just don’t have any time to make anything that requires a lot of effort.”
“No, no, it’s cool. This looks...uh, delicious. I haven’t had anyone cook for me in a long time,” he said.
Laurel cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s not really cooking. Just ready made.”
He grinned and squinted at her. “Do you want to take the compliment or not?”
“Depends,” she said with a light smile, walking from the stove over to him. Cisco couldn’t help but love the way she moved in that outfit. He tried not to think of the glorious way she would look without that outfit too. When she stood by him, she held up a bowl of ravioli, all scooped and ready for him. “I’ll guess I’ll have to take the compliment after you finish this.”
Cisco took the bowl from her, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He felt - intimidated and enamored all at once. “Um, okay,” he said, playing it off with a laugh. “I’m sure you want to get going...So, thanks,” he said.
Laurel smiled prettily. He almost expected her to say, “You’re welcome” to go along with that smile. Instead, she beamed at him and said, “Now hurry up.”
He knew that it wasn’t smart to argue with Laurel Lance - no - the Black Canary when she just cooked him dinner and was now watching him impatiently. So, Cisco reluctantly took his eyes away from her and glanced at his food before digging in.
To be continued...
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