[ There is something so reassuringly Harry about that answer. It isn't that the last Dr. Wells never teased him - he did. He'd had a playful side; it was just that Cisco had had to coax it out of him. Left to his own devices, he was polite, serious, sober. Cisco had always been the one to tease out a thread of fun, of light-hearted competitiveness, in him.

But Harry's teasing is entirely another thing. It needs no prompting from Cisco, half the time. It is also ruder, more straightforward, more genuine than anything Dr. Wells had ever said to him. If the first man with that face had ever told Cisco not to flatter himself, it would have devastated him. But he's a little older now, a lot less innocent, and Harry hasn't got the same hold over him as Eobard Thawne. ]

Sounds to me like someone who is afraid of a challenge.

[ Cisco keeps looking at Harry - at the stillness of him, the way his hands are held in loose fists. There would be one easy way, to find out. He could kiss him, here and now. Lay it out in the open between them, cut through the crap and the double-talk. His eyes flick down to Harry's mouth and then back up, just for a second.

But he doesn't. Not because he's afraid (well, mostly not). But because it wouldn't be fair to Harry. For once, the power differential between them is tilted in Cisco's favor, and he recognizes it. Harry is staying here because there is nowhere else safe for him, for his daughter. Cisco should not use that to his advantage. Shouldn't make advances that might be unwelcome, make him feel unsafe here.

So a little of that warmth, that audacity, goes out of Cisco. He sets it aside for now and says, in a softer voice ]

You think you can get back to sleep, or you want me to make us some coffee?