Cisco Ramon One-Shots

Cope

A collection of Cisco Ramon Hurt/Comfort and Angst stories.

This oneshot: After season 3, before Season 4. Mentions of injury, violence, and alcohol use, but nothing too extreme. :)

There are many ways to cope with loss. When Dante died, Cisco chose to block out the world around him, drink alcohol until he was numb, and forget what happened. He resorted to drowning himself in his work, helping the Flash everyday, because it made him forget what happened.

But he never did.

Caitlin had always told him that it wasn't healthy. That he should talk to his friends. Let them help him.

How could he do that when it was one of his friends, his best friend, that had killed Dante in the first place?

Cisco, Caitlin would say, this isn't a healthy way to cope.

He knew that. He knew that it wasn't good for him. But it was how Cisco Ramon coped.

When Cisco lost Barry Allen to the Speedforce, he coped differently. It still wasn't healthy. No one knew how he was dealing with losing Barry, they all thought that it was the new Cisco. The hero. The vigilant. The man who stood strong against crime.

The only people who would see him for who he really was, what he was really doing, would say otherwise. But they weren't here. Caitlin, taken over by Frost's power, and Barry, taken by the ones that gave him his speed.

Vibe took care of the city when the Flash was gone. In the day, he would go out with Wally, but at night...

He was alone.

Cisco found that fighting villains, dangerous criminals, made him feel like he was honoring the Flash's memory, protecting the city Barry used to protect. He didn't care if he got hurt. If this was how he was now, if this is how he dealt with loss, then so be it.

This was how he coped.

He would go home after fighting, get three hours of sleep, and head to STAR Labs for the day. No one noticed, but that was okay. This wasn't healthy, and they would try and stop him if they did know what was happening. Cisco didn't want to be stopped.

He had to keep going, for Barry. For Caitlin. For Dante. For H.R. For Ronnie. For all of the people in his life that he lost.

Cisco would get hurt. All of the time. He would often go home, trail blood across his carpet, and attempt to stitch up his own wounds. He wasn't very successful. His fingers, the fingers that gracefully fixed the Flash's suits, made amazing inventions, were now finicky and shaky. He should've asked for help. But, he dealt with loss alone.

Everyday was filled with pain, either physical, mental, or emotional, but he couldn't stop. Who else would keep their head held high, protect the city?

Barry had told Cisco that they would all look to him now. That he was a hero. Cisco wouldn't stop going, heroes never admitted defeat.

Little did Cisco know, the Speedforce had shown Barry Allen what was going on in Central City. It had shown him Cisco, how he was dealing with Barry's death.

Currently, Cisco is facing five criminals. One of them had proceeded to get a knife in Cisco's stomach, but Cisco continued on.

As Barry watched, he expected Cisco to call Iris or Wally as soon as he was safe. But Cisco didn't. Instead, he went to his apartment, pried off his costume, and attempted to sew the wound closed. Without help.

"Cisco, stop it," Barry said, his voice soft. " This isn't what I wanted." Barry felt tears blossom in his eyes, his breath hitching in his throat as he watched his best friend scream in pain, in annoyance.

When Cisco was done stitching up the wound, he got up, and put his Vibe suit back on, and proceeded to leave his apartment.

Barry realized in fear that Cisco was going out to fight again.

"No! Cisco, don't, please!!!" Barry screamed, praying, wishing that Cisco could hear him. "Stop fighting!! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Cisco didn't hear him.

But, as Cisco watched the city for any signs of crime, he felt a soft naging at the back of his mind, telling him that this wasn't safe. That it wasn't what Barry wanted. But Cisco shook his head, driving the soft voice away.

This was how Cisco Ramon coped. And nothing was going to change that.