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"Caitlin!" The word accidentally slipped out of his mouth, but nobody minded. They were all focused on the battle between Killer Frost and a meta-human Cisco had dubbed Ice Wizard. Wally was safely in S.T.A.R. Labs, tending to several injured limbs, while Killer Frost had arrived at the scene.
Shockingly, Killer Frost was currently losing. Ice Wizard had been trying to kill her, while she was trying to simply capture him. At that moment, Ice Wizard shot out sharp deadly icicles at the white-haired hero. She had been too busy blasting her own attacks to notice the thin dagger of ice hurling towards her.
When she finally saw it, it had been too late, and her feeble attempt to counter it only blunted the icicle. It smashed into her head and knocked her out cold. If Julian squinted, he could see a small stream of blue blood trickling down her forehead.
The blonde watched in panic. "Cisco, vibe me there, now!"
The young engineer immediately complied, and they found themselves right behind Ice Wizard, who was advancing menacingly towards Killer Frost.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Julian exclaimed as he sprinted ahead of Ice Wizard. The Brit grabbed Caitlin by the arm and dragged her into the portal Cisco created. "Cisco, bring us to my apartment!"
They landed in an otherwise tidy room. Caitlin and Julian had landed directly on a couch, crammed on top of each other, while Cisco landed in a more dignified manner on the carpet.
The CSI muttered something insulting towards Cisco under his breath as he wiggled out of his awkward position beneath the ice cold meta-human. Goosebumps had formed on his skin. "She'll stay with me," he told Cisco.
Cisco nodded. "I'll call you when the bed at S.T.A.R. Labs is ready."
Julian sighed as he gazed towards the beautiful white-haired woman lying on his couch. He stroked her arm sadly. He missed Caitlin Snow.
After about half an hour, he had carried a stool beside the couch and sat on it, idly waiting for Killer Frost to wake up.
After an hour, the Brit put the kettle on and read a book patiently.
Two hours. Julian watched his clock tick away.
Three hours. Cisco had texted, saying that Wally couldn't move yet. The engineer caught Ice Wizard himself. It wasn't that unusual. With Barry, Jay, and Jesse gone, they needed all the meta-human heroes they could get.
Four hours. Julian was content to watch Killer Frost sleep. So what if it seemed creepy? Nobody knew what he was doing anyway.
Five hours. Now, Julian was concerned. Cisco texted that Wally was ready, but Julian told him to not bother. He was going to take care of Caitlin himself.
The blonde sighed and held her hand. "Cait, please wake up," he murmured.
Julian hadn't meant to. It wasn't even that late, but it had been a long day. He dozed off, head beside Killer Frost.
He jolted awake, and checked the time. 9:01 in the evening. The couch was empty. Killer Frost had left.
He ran outside, searching, in vain. When he finally gave up and went back inside, Killer Frost greeted him at his doorway. "What, did you really think I'd leave without saying good-bye?" she smirked.
Julian was relieved. "You're awake!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were kidnapped or something."
The meta-human's face colored just slightly. Over the months, Julian learned it was her way of blushing. Frost explained, "I thought you were expecting company. The table was laid for two."
"Oh! Yes!" Julian cleared his throat. "Would you care for some dinner?"
Killer Frost smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
They spent dinner like old times, talking and laughing. Julian felt a pang of both warmth and regret. He really did miss Caitlin Snow.
After dinner, they immediately reverted back to their awkward relationship as Killer Frost and Julian Albert. "Thank you for the meal, Julian," the former said politely.
Julian nodded, forcing a smile. "My pleasure. If you want...you can stay for the night?" He hoped that now she glimpsed at how life would be with him she would finally agree to move in, and join them permanently, not as some on-call hero.
Killer Frost's smile stiffened. "No, thank you," she said, as if they rehearsed the whole conversation beforehand. "As you saw, I have some training to do." She chuckled drily.
Julian sighed. "Alright...but, if you ever want to stay anytime, my door is always open to you."
Killer Frost smiled a real smile, this time. "Thank you, Julian. But I really need to go." She wanted those words to be strong, confident, and frank, but instead it was quiet and soft.
The CSI gazed into her blue eyes uncertainly. "Yeah. Of course."
They parted, both regretting each one's last words.