Down the street, a blur of red and lightning crossed the road and was gone an instant later. 12 seconds. Then it went past again, a junction closer. 10 seconds. Leonard Snart knew the route perfectly, it was erratic, non-sensical really, but always the same. Six seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Shoot.
Just as he fired the Cold Gun at the ground, the blur of red sped over it, falling as the floor turned icy beneath him. He slammed into the dirt at the mouth of the alley in which Leonard stood.
"Well, if it isn't Central City's greatest hero!" Leonard stepped forward, resting his gun on his shoulder.
The speedster groaned and slammed his fist against the floor before rising an instant later. He quickly glanced around to assess the situation, no doubt checking to see if their were any citizens he needed to whisk out of harms way.
"What do you want, Cold?" He asked, apparently satisfied, but keeping an eye on the Cold Gun.
"We need to talk."
"Talk? How about we talk about that stunt you pulled with the metahumans?" The Flash sped forward until they were mere feet apart.
"I actually had a topic of discussion planned." He replied, unfazed.
"I don't care what you had planned. What's to stop me taking you to the station right now? You betrayed me!"
"In my defence, it's your own fault for trusting me. I am a criminal, after all." He paused for a moment. "A criminal who has a computer rigged to tell everyone who's under that mask if I don't tell it not to."
Leonard couldn't help but shoot him a smug grin, but he did notice the anger in the other man. Maybe it was time to placate him, to tread carefully. He waited for him to respond, no doubt taking hurried instructions from that team of his.
The Flash, Barry, crossed his arms. "You want to talk, start talking." He stared the other man in the eyes, finally removing his gaze from the Cold Gun.
Leonard carefully returned the gun to its holster - a peace gesture, if you will. Barry didn't lower his gaze. "I've got a problem with a metahuman. I hear you're the man to talk to about that."
"Yeah, there's a few of them about now."
Leonard just shrugged. "A man's got to protect his own interests, kid, especially when someone like you actively opposes said interests." He noted that the speedster flexed his jaw at the word 'kid', self-esteem issues, maybe? "But that's what I'm not here to talk about, Flash." He drew out the name, mockingly. "Well, not exactly."
"What do you mean 'not exactly', Cold?"
"It's that Mardon fellow. He's causing me and mine some trouble."
He wasn't expecting the other man to laugh at that. "Wait, let me get this right. You want my help to catch the guy that you set free when I was trying to lock him up? That about right? That's rich, even for you."
Leonard ignored the question because, well, yeah, he had a point there. "He's making a name for himself in the underground. Making it clear that he's back and ready for hire. Can't blame you for missing it, seems like you've got a lot on your plate. How is Harrison Wells, by the way?"
The kid ignored his question, no surprise there, but he could tell it grated on him. Probably not the smartest move, but it was just so fun to mess with him. "We haven't heard anything from him. No weird weather patterns, and the first person he would come after is either me or Detective West."
"He's being smarter this time. Taking small jobs, building up loyalties. Taking my jobs."
"So you want me to get rid of your competition, is that it?"
"That's correct, and you want that man locked up safely again. It's mutually beneficial." Leonard didn't mention that he also wanted him out of the picture because being the Flash's nemesis was his thing, and kind of a big part behind the Captain Cold image. He already had to deal with that yellow speedster and he was not going to split that with this two-bit weather boy.
"Our last mutually beneficial arrangement ended with Weather Wizard getting out in the first place." Weather Wizard? Really? He really needed to nip this in the bud.
"Ah, but you see, that wasn't mutually beneficial. Not on my part. Even with this... Weather Wizard... kicking up a storm, the additions to my Rogues' Gallery have more than made up for it. But this? This is different. We have an arrangement and face it, Flash, you'd rather have me out here than him."
The kid finally lowered his eyes and Leonard knew he had won. Mardon was a killer, and the Flash and his team would do anything to save innocent lives. It was admirable, really, his willingness to do whatever was necessary. If it wasn't for his ridiculous morality, he would have made a great criminal."Fine. We'll take care of him. Just stay out of my way." He was gone a second later, and Leonard couldn't help but grin. There was no way they would find him without his intel, and they all knew it. He guessed it would be less than a day before their next rendezvous.
Leonard returned to the safe house to find his sister playing with her Gold Gun and Mick absent, so no complaints there.
"All work out how you planned?" Lisa asked, looking up as he walked in and deposited his gun and parka on the couch beside her.
"To perfection. I expect to hear back from the boy tomorrow." He walked round to the small kitchen, pulling out a frozen meal. His sister followed, taking the box out of his hand and putting it back before pulling some fresher ingredients from the cupboards.
"What if he manages to pull it off without you?" She asked, clearing the workspace beside the small oven.
Leonard returned to the couch and lay back on it, watching her over the counter. "He won't. He needs me, and me approaching him first makes it all the more likely he'll come back to me."
Lisa sighed as she moved a pot of water onto the hob. "I don't understand this thing you have for the kid, Lenny."
He raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Thing? There's no 'thing'. He's a tool, and a useful one at that. Best to keep him close."
She didn't respond, just looked at him for a moment whilst he stared back. After a few seconds that dragged on for hours - is that how the Flash felt all the time? - he caved. "It's a game, sis, it's a show. I've just got to play my part."
She shrugged and returned to her cooking. "Sometimes I think you're just lonely, Lenny. I know how hard it can be to find someone in this life."
Leonard snorted, covering how close to home she had hit. He could count on one hand the number of friends he had, and still have more than enough fingers left over to flip you off. "I definitely don't have that sort of 'thing' for the Flash."
"He does look pretty good in that leather."
"Really, Lisa? You're going there?"
"And it would be kind of hot. Fucking your nemesis in secret after battle."
He groaned, getting off the couch, turning his back to her, and heading towards the cupboard on the other side of the room to get the maintenance tools for his gun. "I do not need my little sister talking to me about sex." He also did not need her to see the flush rising in his cheeks because, yes, that would be hot. "And I don't have a thing for that kid. He's a pain in the neck, and probably not even old enough to drink yet."
"You're already thinking up excuses as to why it wouldn't work. That's what you always do whenever you find a guy that you might actually like." Sometimes he thought that damn girl knew him better than he knew himself, except that no he definitely did not have a thing for that kid.
He walked round the table and laid out his gun, back still to the kitchen. "Stop projecting your issues about that little sidekick of his onto me, sis."
"Getting defensive too? I can practically hear the wedding bells." She poured some chopped vegetables into the now bubbling pot. "And for the record, I've got Cisco exactly where I want him."
"On a first name basis with the boy, huh?" He smirked, trying to turn the teasing onto her for once.
"I'd be on a first name basis with the Flash too if you'd actually tell me what it was." He could practically feel her frowning at the back of his head.
"I made a promise, and I'm true to my word. He doesn't mess with any of us, and the Flash's secret identity remains secret."
"I wouldn't tell anyone." There was a petulant lilt to her voice. "And you never used to keep secrets from me."
"Things change, sis." He rested back on the chair, thinking about the Flash in light of his sisters words. Things certainly do change.
AN: I have no idea where this is going. All I know is this fandom needs way more ColdFlash fics. And that I also love how much of a dork Leonard is about being Captain Cold. Anyway, not sure when this will update. I still don't have anything close to a plot aside from "they have to work together so they can fall in love". I've also noticed I'm way too heavy on the dialogue, so I'll work on that. Any reviews would be appreciated, especially if you have any ideas because I got nothing.