Usually, the world around Barry was a blur as he ran, smeared colors and streaks of light. But if he focused in just the right way, he could freeze the world whipping past him so it felt like he was jogging along through a wax museum full of people going about their routines. He liked that. The world could be surprisingly beautiful in ultra-slow-motion.

He'd perfected it so he could zip through a crowd without knocking anybody over, or running into walls, or anything else embarrassing like that. Sometimes, though, it was involuntary. Particularly when he was surprised by something.

Something like Cisco's hand, sliding up Caitlin's thigh, his fingertips slipping under the hem of her dress as she sat on the workstation in a way she never, ever did.

Like Caitlin's fingers, pushing up Cisco's shirt, her hand with its short, unpainted doctor's nails pale against the golden skin of his lower back as he stood between her legs.

Like her knee hooked over his hip, her shoe slipping loose, swinging from her toe, a moment from clattering to the floor.

The way Cisco's hair spilled over her shoulder, the ends curling around the edge of her short sleeve, as he pressed his smiling mouth to her neck.

Her curved lips, lipstick smeared, parting in the very beginnings of a gasp that Barry might be able to hear, long and low and stretched out, if he listened.

He didn't listen. He spun in place and sped out again, skidding to a stop all way out in the Star Labs parking lot, where he slumped against a light pole, panting, trying to make sense of what he'd just seen.

How long had that been going on?

He swallowed hard and wiped his forehead, trying desperately not to picture what was probably happening in there right now, whether Cisco's hand was all the way up her skirt, whether she'd pulled his shirt off completely -

Well, this explained why Cisco had oh-so-casually asked whether he planned to stop by during his lunch break, and why he'd sounded so chipper when Barry had said, no, he was probably going to have to work through lunch to finish up some backlog. A miscalculation on his part, as it turned out.

Wow, he really should have texted to let them know he was coming by.

He shook his head again and willed his heart to stop thudding madly in his ears. He should feel guilty about this. He did feel guilty about it. They clearly wanted to keep it between themselves, or he already would have heard.

He definitely, definitely should feel guilty about being more than a little turned on.

He bolted, zipping toward the Central City Picture News building. He had enough presence of mind to stop in an unobtrusive place, but not quite enough to stop himself from bounding through the doors and into the news room.

"Barry! Hi," Iris said, looking up. "You said you had to work through lunch."

"Hi," he said. "Got done early. Hi."

She frowned at him. "Are you okay? You look a little flushed."

"Sure, fine, um, you wanna go to lunch?"

"What, right now?"

"Yeah."

Her brows lifted, but she reached for her purse and called over her shoulder, "Linda? I'm going to lunch early, okay?"

Linda glanced up, saw the two of them, and said, "No problem!" in a way that meant I'll cover, you go do your superhero thing.

Silently blessing her, Barry grabbed Iris's hand and pulled her out the door.

She trotted after him. "Bare, what is it? I didn't get any - mmff!" She broke off in the middle of her sentence when he pulled her into the alley and into a scorching kiss.

After a moment of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, pressing her body along his. He reveled in the taste and feel and smell of her, which had become so deliciously, amazingly real in the last two months.

When he lifted his head, her eyes were hazy, but they cleared and glinted with laughter. "Oh, that kind of lunch."

"Yep," he said, running his hands down her sides and kissing her again.

She giggled. "Not that I'm not interested, but what brought this on so suddenly?"

He nipped at her earlobe. "Can I tell you after?"

"Mmmmmm," she murmured, sliding her hand around his waist and under his shirt. He thought of Caitlin's fingers on Cisco's skin, and he shuddered. The shudder vibrated up and down his body, and Iris gasped. "Well," she sighed. "All right."

FINIS