Christmas had never been easy.

Festivities at the Ramon household had always been full of the usual family judgment: the hero worship of Dante and everything he touched, making way for the constant belittling of all Cisco's life choices. It had become a tired pattern.

But Cisco had actually been looking forward to this Christmas. He had been looking forward to spending the festive season with Dante. He'd relished the fact that he had been looking forward to spending the festive season with Dante.

And so this year is worse than all the previous ones combined. He goes to the parties, he goes through the motions, he goes through the chatter. But it feels off. He tries on the smiles, even braves laughter. But it feels off. He wants to be in his own world, keep to himself, but it is the time for giving, after all, so he partakes in the festivities.

It still hurts to look at Barry. Cisco isn't sure what hurts more – the fact that his brother is gone, or the fact this closest friend had a hand in his death. The wound is still fresh, and how is he supposed to hold himself up for the length of time that it will take to heal?

When he's had too much of giving, he decides to escape. He cries off early from Iris's New Year party. He loves the girl, and it has been fun and all – but, well there had been a few too many moments where he'd stopped in the middle of a crowd, breathless and frozen with the knowledge that here he was, ringing in a new year that wasn't going to have Dante in it. It had been too much. And too little.

Iris gives him that knowing look of hers, and a hug that squashes out whatever breath he'd had left in him. He gives some attempt at a smile and beats a hasty retreat before the lump in his throat can threaten to become anything else.

S.T.A.R. Labs is quiet, for once. There had been a time when it used to just be him, Caitlin and the humming computers. These days, though, it's always bustling. There's always a meta to be caught, another day to save, some new apocalypse to cancel.

Today he's glad for the empty quiet. He leaves the ceiling lights off, only flicking on the desk lamp. It mutes out the rest of the world. And for a while as he drowns himself in his project, he's there, almost, almost at the edge of that quiet content that could be called happy.

The quiet is so intense, that when hears the sudden loud hum his heart drops to his stomach. It's the sound of –

"The breach?" he mutters in disbelief. It couldn't be. Unless – he flails out of the chair, slip-sliding down the hallway, his mind zipping to all the horrible possibilities. Had something gone wrong in Earth 2?

He slides to a stop at the door. And he can't help it. His mouth drops open. The visitor, who had been crouched on his knees, pulls himself up.

"You planning on catching flies with that thing?" His tone is painfully ironic, with that particular drawl that drives Cisco up the wall.

God, how he's missed it.

Cisco snaps his jaw shut. "I thought something was wrong in Earth 2?"

Harry takes a step forward. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Because you're here? Which Barry and Caitlin aren't, by the way, so we should call them no-"

Harry cuts him off. "There's nothing wrong." He runs a hand through his already rumpled hair.

And Cisco desperately wants to join him in the hair rumpling.

Harry takes another step forward, a small frown on his face. "I might ask you the same thing, however," he murmurs. His eyes scrutinise Cisco's face, and in his glasses Cisco can see himself reflected back, looking confused, lost.

Cisco blinks, tries to readjust his face. "Nothing." He coughs. "Nothing's wrong."

Harry's frown deepens.

"Well, you know, within the context of S.T.A.R. Labs." Cisco laughs. "There's still the usual - there are still metas wreaking havoc, always someone wanting to mess things up, and-"

"Cisco."

Cisco's breath hitches. A single word, and said so softly that he might have almost missed it. Said with that look in Harry's eyes, that look that's so hard to pin down, but seems to pin Cisco to the spot, paralysed with fear, paralysed with longing, and Harry's standing there, too close, too warm, too much, and Cisco needs to reassess.

He takes a step back.

"Why are you here?" His voice sounds faint, but he can't quite clear his throat. "Shouldn't you, ah, shouldn't you be celebrating New Year's with Jesse or something?"

"We've already had our celebrations," says Harry, taking a casual step forward. "She's off with her friends now."

Cisco nods absentmindedly. "Right, right." He shuffles back some more. Why is he suddenly finding speech so difficult? "And – and, so you're here because…?"

"Because," says Harry, closing the distance between them again. His hand lifts to brush Cisco's chin, tilts his head up.

Cisco has only a moment to admire Harry's eyes, so close, so clear, before Harry's lips are on his, Harry's breath mingling with his own, Harry's warmth suffusing his hands, and Cisco is certain he will no longer be able to breathe again.

Harry pulls away, and Cisco gasps, as a drowning man might. Harry, too, is panting, glasses slightly askew, hair even more rumpled. Had Cisco done that? It makes him ridiculously proud.

"Because," says Harry again, brushing his lips against Cisco's. "It's New Year's. And this is the only earth with you in it."

Please leave your reviews at the door :)