Barefoot Summer
By: Riley
Summary - Barry and Cadence spend a summer morning away from metahumans. Prompted from tumblr's 'Soft Summer Prompts' list.
"You know what you need?"
"An electrician?"
Barry smiled over his shoulder. Cadence, who was kneeling next to him, smiled back before she turned her gaze back to the AC Unit. Even with the cover open and its mechanical guts spilling out, neither of them knew what they were looking at. It didn't help that it was hot. And being a fire metahuman who already had a different sense of temperature around her, if she thought it was hot, then things were already too bad. Ten in the morning and he was already sweating.
Bobbing his head back and forth, Barry said, "Technically I am an electrician." He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm.
Cadence lifted an eyebrow. "Just because you can throw lighting anytime you want doesn't mean you're an electrician, Tholly." She nodded towards the unit. "Do you know what's wrong with it?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Barry said. With the flat of his palm, he flipped the cover back to the unit shut. "That's what I was going to say. You need to get your landlord to check it out." With a long sigh, he leaned back and stretched out along the ground. Closing his eyes, he rested his hands on his stomach.
"If you didn't know what you were doing, then why did you decide to help?" Cadence asked.
"Because I thought I could actually fix it."
"You're good with computers, not with appliances."
"Well, maybe I wanted to see you."
"I could tell from how fast you came flying up my fire escape."
"Shut up, Cade."
Cadence laughed to herself, as she always did when she gave Barry a hard time. Standing up, she went to the light switch on the wall and glanced at the ceiling as she flipped switches. The lights flickered for a second then shut off and she turned the fan on. The cool air breezed around the room, gently lowering to the floor and Barry let out a low sigh of relief. Cadence stretched out next to him, placing her head by his but elongated her body in the opposite direction. She mimicked his stance, resting her hands on her on her stomach.
The two laid there in silence for a long moment, listening to the sound of each other's breathing as they relaxed on the floor. Cadence lifted her knees, pressing her bare feet to the hardwood floor of her living room, taking in the cool air that blew down around them. At least, she was. Cadence's eyes fluttered open when she felt a hand press to her shoulder and push her away.
She whipped her head to Barry. "What are you doing?"
"You're making me hot," he said.
"I've heard that plenty of times before, but not as a complaint."
Barry burst out laughing. "Shut up, Cade!"
Cadence lifted her hand and, stretching it above her head, reached for Barry's stomach to lightly smack him. Barry laughed and hit her back before the two dissolved into a tickle fight, their laughter filling the apartment. Finally, Barry scooped Cadence up into his arms and raced the two to her bedroom. It was cooler there as she habitually kept the window to her fire escape open to let him in.
They continued to laugh and tickle each other for a few more moments until the air became too stuffy. The lack of the AC Unit was definitely starting to be noticed. As a matter of fact, Barry was starting to feel a little tired. He stretched out along her bed, crossing his legs at the ankle as he pressed his face into his pillow. Cadence curled up onto her side, tucking herself into a tight ball as she pressed her face into her own pillow. With half her face hidden, Cadence smiled a cute smile at him.
Barry smiled back, his eyes fluttering shut.
When he awoke a half hour later, he brought up a hand and ran it through his hair. Having been facing the window, he turned around towards Cadence and smiled. He shifted closer to her, curling his legs upward, bare feet gently touching hers. He didn't want to wake her up yet.
Cadence's hair fanned across the pillow, her face still half hidden. One of her hands gently lay beneath her right cheek, the other gently placed on the bed, as if only making it halfway to hold his hand. A smile stretched across Barry's face as he watched her, a low sigh escaping him. Her eyelashes fluttered, though she continued to sleep quietly. Her breathing was deep and even, and with the small smile on her face it looked like she was having a pretty good dream.
The only thought that ran through his head while watching her was how lucky he was to have her. Her white tank top contrasted sharply against her tanned skin, and her breathing was deep and even. One thought ran through his head, repeatedly: how lucky he was to wake up to her each morning. Barry leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, leaning back when she started to stir. Cadence brought up a hand and rubbed at her eye before both opened and she stared back at him.
Barry smiled at her for a few seconds then said, "Morning." He reached out and smoothed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
Lifting her arms over her head, Cadence stretched like a cat. "It's been morning, Tholly."
Barry reached out and grasped her outstretched hand. Cadence curled her fingers around his, immediately relaxing further against the feel of his fingers against her skin. Cadence didn't move from her position, the broken AC not seeming to bother her so much anymore. She just continued to lay there, listening to the sound of Barry's gentle breathing. Barry continued to watch her.
And she must've noticed because her smile widened as she said, "Stop staring at me."
Barry brought up his free hand to play with her long hair, running his fingers through the silky strands that slid through his fingers like water. Shuffling forward, Cadence snuggled against Barry, resting her head on his chest, her arm around his waist. Barry lowered his head and rested his chin on top of her head, still playing with her hair. They laid like that for a long time, almost as if afraid that if they spoke or moved the city would suddenly burst into flames and they had to take care of whatever crisis revealed itself.
It was a long while before Barry spoke and when he did, he spoke in a whisper. "How did I get so lucky?"
"I'm the lucky one," she said.
Barry shook his head. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I love everything about you."
Even though he couldn't see her face, Barry know Cadence looked skeptical. "Everything?" Her tone betrayed the expression on her face, though there was a teasing lift in the background.
Barry brought her hand to his lips and started to kiss her fingertips. "I love the way your eyes shine when you smile. I love the way you laugh. I love the way your nose wrinkles when you smile and laugh, even though you hate it. I love the way you care about everyone around you, even if you do 'mom' us sometimes. I love the intense look you get on your face when you're working. I love the way you love Brady. I love the way you're so spirited and determined, not allowing anything to get you down."
Cadence sat up and watched him as he continued to list things off. Barry lifted himself up, resting his head on his upraised hand. His other hand still clasped onto hers, gently stroking the skin with his thumb. "I love the way you sing under your breath when you're doing something tedious; whether at work or STAR Labs, or doing chores. Even if you're not great at it."
Barry pulled on her hand until he was lying back on the bed and she laid on top of him, her chest flush against his and her head resting on her crossed arms. Cadence's hair fell over her shoulder and dusted his arm. Barry smiled up at her. "I love the way you look at me. I love how I know you're always there for me." He brought up his thumb and stroked her cheek. "And I'm always there for you."
Cadence wiped away a tear that came to her eye and leaned forward, resting her forehead against Barry's. She kissed his forehead then lowered her head to give him a sweet kiss before nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. Barry reached up and wrapped his arms around her.
A sight of content escaped Cadence's lips as she listened to Barry's heartbeat. His heartbeat was always a little fast and she realized, this time, hers was beating fast to keep up with his.
THE END