"I want to run some tests on you."
"I'll be genetically indistinguishable from my Earth-1 counterpart; your tests will reveal nothing."
"Great! Still gonna run 'em."
"Be my guest."
He gave her permission to run the tests, which made Caitlin grateful. There was no need to insist. Instead, he followed her willingly to the lab, walking with her as Wells had never done. His shirt was removed. The EKG monitors were placed on his skin, her hands pressing them into place against him. She took deep breaths to keep her own heart's rhythm calm in the process.
"Whatever he had done to you," said this new Wells, misinterpreting her nervousness, "I can assure you I am not him, and I highly doubt we're much alike outside of our physical appearance."
"We'll see." She kept her response short, not looking directly at his face as he watched her.
She was already too aware of their physical similarities. The same eyes, the same lips - probably the same smile, though she had yet to see this one grin. The resemblance, of course, is what motivated her to run the test. There were a few differences, too - was the Earth-1 Wells's body so firm? The whole thing made her heart flutter more than she wanted to admit.
The machine beeped, indicating its readiness to take in readings. Caitlin continued going through the motions, pressing buttons on her monitor to observe the different statistics. But in her heart, she knew that wasn't the reason he was there. She wanted to see him with her own eyes, take him in fully. Now that he was looking away from her, she allowed herself to admire him even more.
His face was firm with his brows forming a crease in his forehead. Caitlin knew the look and understood that it meant he was miles away. As she always did, she wondered where his mind had landed, and if he pictured her there next to him. No, of course this Wells did not. They had only just met.
As all of these thoughts ran through her mind, she found her eyes straying from his face and studying the rest of his form. She felt a streak of guilt, using this time for some sort of voyeuristic pleasure instead of for study. But even the guilt couldn't keep her head from tilting as she admired the man before her.
The tests were done mostly in silence. Caitlin would occasionally tell him to do something - move a particular way, lift his head or hand. As he did so willingly, she involuntarily noticed which muscles tightened and flexed. Though Wells was not a traditionally muscular man, she considered him still to be exceptionally fit.
Even though this Wells was sitting down, his foot was tapping impatiently. He turned to look at her. The guilt flushed through her again, and, as though she had been caught staring when shouldn't have been, quickly looked back to the screen. For the first time in the entire exam, she actually noticed the readings on the screen: Exactly the same as the previous Wells.
"Are we done here?" He asked impatiently.
"Not quite," she answered, focused intently on the screen. She wasn't ready to let him go yet. She wanted to keep him there and continue to study him in ways that weren't scientific before finding a way to bring up a conversation about his personal life. But his impatience was growing, and she was running out of excuses to keep him there.
"All done," she said. As soon as the words left her lips, he was removing the EKG and replacing his shirt over his body. Caitlin instantly missed the sweet sight of skin and wished she could run fast enough to return to the previous moment. The only way this was reflected for Wells to see, however, was in a quick grimace. She hoped he thought it was about his recklessness with her equipment.
Whatever he thought of her reaction, he certainly noticed it. After her grimace, he paused and stared at her. Then, with a breath, he moved towards her. She stood there, letting him come to her.
The distance between them closed quickly. His body, his arms, his face, his lips. They were all in front of her, easy for her to reach, to touch. To hold onto and never let go. She breathed in a gasp and his scent came with it, a wonderful smell that felt both foreign and familiar to her. She couldn't get her eyes to focus on one part of him, though she did everything in her power to concentrate on his own eyes. Her heart was instantly pounding in her chest, a swift and loud rhythm that almost drowned out his words.
"Caitlin," he started. The word sounded so nice. "I want you to know that I appreciate you being so thorough. I hope that, despite whatever the other me has done, we can work together on defeating Zoom. I really think we have the potential make a great team."
It took her a moment too long to process his words. The pause lingered before she said, "me too."
Even after she had said the words, it felt as though the moment continued to linger. His breath touched her skin, and she felt her own breathing grow unsteady from the intimacy. In that moment, it seemed to Caitlin, that his own eyes strayed to her lips. She finally admitted to herself what she wanted, and hoped that he would grab her, pull her close and kiss her right then. She felt her own hand by her side lifting, starting to reach over to feel his skin once more.
Then the moment was over. Wells pulled away and attempted a brief smile. She smiled weakly back at him before he turned to leave. Caitlin was left to herself, to regain her composure and to convince herself that he hadn't felt that spark at all. But after that moment, her mind would always wonder.