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»You just think I'm just a ~~dick~~ jerk cuz i won't give you what you want

bc u wont give me what i want bc im not a guy

u did it for len

u dont think i deserve what he has

SEXISM

[He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as he stares at the series of texts he'd just received. She's not giving up or in on this.

He knows she's close to the guy, and he doesn't actually doubt Snart's never gonna let anything happen to the kid if he has any say in it, but facts on the table? Leonard isn't the best guy. So, as much as he doesn't want to break her idea of him? Maybe it's time to make an actual impression on her.]

»All right, I'm gonna explain some stuff to you. But I'm not doing it over texts.
»Meet me in the dining room in 20 if you want to discuss it.

[And if she chooses to follow up on that invitation, she'll find Cisco perched at one of the tables with a 2 liter of soda, 2 cups, and a pack of Twizzlers.

Get ready for a dose of hard reality, Maya.]

[She'll be there, but not without a gratuitous heaping of eye-rolling.]

If you set this up just to make nasty remarks, I'm out of here.

I didn't. [He motions vaguely for her to sit across from him, but he won't push it beyond that.] it might feel that way, but...I just want you to understand some things.

Do you know how Leonard even came to be in possession of the cold gun? Before, back home, I mean.

He has it 'cause you made it for him. What about it?

[This sounds like a trap. Is this a trap?]

The first one, he stole from me, actually. [He points out, complete with pointing in her direction with a Twizzler. He drops his hand and that line of thought.] And I didn't make the new one because he asked so nicely.

[He frowns slightly, still grappling with himself over telling her this. He doesn't want to cause a rift between them or make her feel unsafe around someone she trusts, but... he reminds himself it's only the truth. And she deserves that much.] Leonard-- and Mick, and their crew kidnapped me and forced me to make him a new one.

[She shrugs, staring at him evenly. There's nothing wrong with either of those things. He's even mentioned the theft before -- why should it matter more now?]

You mean the crew that rides around on the spaceship? [She's not entirely sure that's a real story and not just something he made up to make Riley happy.]

Different crew. [He says it off-hand, almost dismissively and pointedly adds:] The criminal one.

[His gaze drops for a second but he makes sure to look at Maya when he admits the next part. She needs to see the honesty and sincerity he's speaking with for herself.] They forced me...and I didn't have a choice, because if I didn't...they were going to kill my brother.

[He waits for a long moment to let the weight of that statement sink in before he continues.] I'm not telling you this to twist you around, but damn girl, you are stubborn. [He shakes his head slightly.] Me and Leonard aren't friends. [At least, they're not back home. He isn't entirely sure what they are here. It's not exactly a friendship so far but there's, maybe, an understanding? It's complicated, Cisco doesn't try to think much about the way things with Leonard have shifted for him here.]

I didn't even make this one just because he asked, Maya. In my first couple days here, he dragged me to his room under threats. It was more subtle and he did--technically--ask nicer this time. But I can honestly say I don't really know what he would have done if I refused. [He leans forward slightly.] I'm not trying to scare you, I genuinely don't think you have anything to worry about, but...maybe next time someone tells you they really aren't just being a sexist jerk, take their words for what they're worth.

[Being this heavy-handed and serious isn't something Cisco does often, and because of that, those moments when he is come across very clearly.] I know you're at the very specific age to rebound against anything authority or adult shaped and you're quick to wanna ignore the practical stuff, but Maya, I don't want you or your friends getting hurt. This gun that Leonard carries around with him is not a toy. It's a weapon. Plus, tech goes faulty, Wonderland is literally insane and you never know what it might make you do that would normally be entirely out of your depths to even consider. You'd never forgive yourself if you accidentally encased one of your friends in ice.

I'm not saying no because I'm a jerk or because I'm being sexist. I'm being a responsible adult and not giving teenager something on par with military grade weaponry. And I think if you put the haughty, put-out teenager thing aside, you can probably understand that it's not personal.

[Oh. So this is how it's going to be. She just came out to throw some lowkey shade and maybe get a burger out of the deal and suddenly all this is being thrust upon her. She stays quiet while Cisco speaks, while he talks at her more than he talks to her because he's not interested in what she might have to say in the middle.]

But you made it for Lenny. So if tech goes faulty, he could hurt me just as much. Is that more okay?

[She hasn't quite processed the other end of that, though. It's too complex and dripping with emotions she doesn't want to confront.]

[He shakes his head.] No, it's not. But there's a big difference in a demand from a fourteen year old girl and a demand from a grown man with a gun.

So what you're saying is that you do what he tells you to do because you're afraid of him. If you're that scared, why don't you keep a gun around and defend yourself with it?

Yeah...I guess so. [Maya stating it that plainly feels awkward and vulnerable, but...she's not wrong. He lets out a soft huff and shakes his head.] I don't even have a good answer for that. I don't know. [Maybe he's just gotten too used to having Barry around to save the day.]

[She says everything plainly. It's important to be honest with yourself and understand all the ways you're broken.]

Maybe it's something to think about. You shouldn't let yourself get pushed around if you're feeling bullied.

I guess in some ways, I'm just used to it. [He admits with a slight, one shouldered shrug.]

Don't you have friends to make you feel good a out yourself?

[He smiles a little at that.] Yeah, I have some pretty great friends. The not-so-great feelings about myself are cemented from years of sucky parents and a jerk older brother. [That's putting it lightly, really, but he's been heavy enough with her today.]

[ She frowns. ]

You shouldn't say that about your brother. Families shouldn't hate each other. You need to stick together as much as you can.

Some families don't work that way, Maya. Mine happens to be one of 'em. [He gives her a small, sad smile. What she's saying reflects her age a lot, and the belief she still has left in people, and the world. It's nice to see, despite everything.]

You have a family. And it's a whole one, from the sound of it.

[ Her eyes narrow. ]

Appreciate what you've got while you've got it.

Edited 2017-01-01 16:48 (UTC)

I would if they ever bothered to care. I've been the outsider in my own family with everyone but my grandmother since I was nine years old. They don't care, Maya, why should I?

Because they stayed.

[It's a small, short statement, but she says it like it means something important anyway.]

You're right. I left. At nineteen...because I didn't fit what they wanted for me, I didn't belong in my own family. [He wouldn't say it out loud, but he definitely didn't feel wanted there. Why stay in a place like that?

But he does pick up on the significance and the weight in her words. His voice is soft with an edge of careful caution-- there's no pressure for her to answer him, if she doesnt want to.] Who left you?

Everyone leaves, sooner or later.

[She shrugs.]

Sometimes they get mad. Sometimes they get frustrated. Sometimes they think you're never gonna change and they're better off without you.

Did you start a different family after you left? [That's how it usually goes, isn't it?]

Not for a long time. The family I have now is built around my friends. [But he realizes he needs to point out something important.] I do still talk to my parents and my brother, and see them, it's just...in small doses, because we really don't get along at all.

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