[Pairings: Barry Allen/Ray Palmer and Barry Cisco Caitlin
Warning: Slightly injured baby.
AN: This is somehow both pre and existing relatoonship I guess? Also, you may notice a random 1 in the fic towards the middle. My cat added that and I don't have the heart to delete it. He's a good fuzzy son. Feedback is always welcome.]
[January 21st 2016, 10:24AM]
Barry's eyebrows pulled together when he heard a knock at the door. He knew Iris was out with her boyfriend. He wasn't sure who else would come out to see him on four pm on a Tuesday. He had an unofficial day off. He was on call, he didn't have to go in but they would call him if there was something he needed to look at.
He got to the door and answered it. At the door stood Raymond Palmer. Barry stared at him for a moment. "Uh, Dr Palmer? How can I help you?"
"Hey, Barry!" He stepped inside the front door. "I need a favour," his expression was slightly sheepish.
"Uh, sure, let me suit up-"
"That won't be necessary."
"Are you sure about this, Ray?" Barry couldn't identify the source of the voice.
"I trust Barry." He spoke with a certainty that surprised Barry.
"Okay," a dark haired woman appeared from behind him, holding a small infant against her chest. She didn't seem to be pleased about the circumstances.
"Oh um, hello," Barry smiled awkwardly. "Come in," he moved to the side and both adults entered. He knew better than to leave babies in the cold.
"Listen, we can't tell you a lot about what's going on. But we need you to watch this little guy for a while. Maybe a couple hours. It might not even feel like we were gone."
Barry was confused at first, but Barry trusted the Legends. "You can't tell me anything ?" He accepted a bag from Ray.
"Assassins are coming for this baby. This location is random enough to throw them off for some time. It's safe here until we handle things."
"My team and I will do everything we can," Barry nodded firmly and opened his arms.
The woman he didn't recognise handed the child over. "He needs his head supported."
Barry nodded. "Joe or Caitlin can help me with anything I can't figure out," Barry explained, coddling the infant in his arms easily.
"Good. We have to go now," Ray said smoothly. He hesitated though. Lingering to watch Barry for a moment. He wanted to step forward and claim his lips in a kiss, or even just a peck on the cheek, but he didn't.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He shook his head. "Thank you, Barry." He turned to follow the woman out.
"Wait, uh- what's the baby's name?"
"I can't tell you that."
They were gone and Barry closed the door. "Okay," he got a better look at the baby now.
He was wrapped in a hospital blanket. His head covered with a blue cap. "Hey, buddy," he smiled a little. He briefly remembered a child care class he took with Iris when they were sixteen. He found himself wondering what an assassin could want with a baby this small.
The baby yawned and gazed up at him with curious, slightly unfocused eyes. it caused a small smile to spread across Barry's face. He observed a scrape on the infant's cheek and headed into the kitchen.
He carefully laid the infant on a blanket on the carpet before receiving his phone from the pocket of his jeans. He dialed Caitlin.
"Hey, Barry!" Barry could hear Caitlin's smile though the phone. "What's up?"
"What do you know about babies?"
"Hm. I don't know a large amount. I didn't specialize in Pediatrics. but I'm sure I could help you!"
"Can you come by and have a look at this baby? Ray Palmer showed up with a baby and He's got a scrape on his cheek."
"How old is the baby?"
"I have no idea. Days? Hours maybe. He's in hospital dressings."
"I'll be right over."
[10:45 AM]
"Why is Cisco here?" Barry raised his eyebrows.
"He just came with me." Replied Caitlin.
"I've got the magic baby touch, my man," Cisco laughed. "I have about six little cousins and they always got ditched with me."
Soon they moved to the kitchen sink to address the injury. Barry stood idly and even Cisco seemed stumped, despite claiming to be baby-savvy.
Caitlin sighed. "Here, test the water with your elbow, your hands are tougher- is it too hot? Skin on your elbow is more sensitive than your hands."
"I don't think so." replied Barry, his elbow into the very small bowl he filled with water.
"Then it should be fine." Caitlin coached him though cleaning up the spot on the infant's cheek.
"What's the little guy's name?" Caitlin asked as she placed a tiny bandage over the area to keep it clean.
"I'm not allowed to kno-" The baby began to wail before he could finish speaking. "Hey, Hey, shhh." He tried to soothe, he clammed up. Panic clear on his face.
"Rock him and see if he stops, but he's probably hungry."
Cisco rolled his eyes and took the baby from Barry and started to rock him for a bit. Nothing seemed to help though.
"How often does he need to eat? They left a diaper bag." Barry said as Cisco rocked the still nameless child.
Cisco gently held the baby to his chest, moving slowly. "Yeah this isn't helping, he needs food." He confirmed after a few minutes.
"I'll show you how to make a bottle," Caitlin retrieved the 1 diaper bag and started to go through it.
She produced a plastic container from the bag. it was small and had a brown packaging. She so grabbed a bottle. "It's pretty easy, all the instructions are right here."
Barry watched her make the first bottle and warm it up before handing it to him. "Thanks, I don't know why they came to me?" He took the baby from Cisco.
"Can you imagine the death glare Ray would get if he showed up at Oliver's door with a baby?- Watch his head!" She rushed to support the babies head when Barry looked as if he was about to falter.
"I'm being careful," he rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't drop a baby." it took a few tries but the infant eventually accepted the bottle.
When the bottle was empty, Caitlin spoke again. "They didn't give you any other information?"
"No. Just that this baby is apparently in some kind of danger. Ray said … this was a safe place though? I don't know why he meant by that."
"Uh, you know you have to burp him, right?" Cisco raised an eyebrow.
"Yes I know I have to burp him!" Barry made a face. "That's like baby 101."
[12:30PM]
"Should we name him?" asked Cisco suddenly. "What are we supposed to call him for however long we're stuck with him."
Caitlin, who was currently holding the baby spoke first. "We can't just name the baby. It's not ours."
"I don't know," said Barry. "Is he going to get confused?"
"No. He doesn't even know what's going on," Cialtin gave a heavy eye roll. "but you can't just name someone else's baby."
"Lets call him Chewie!" Cisco suggested, opening a bottle of Pepsi.
"No. What if we just call him Don? Like Don Lockwood."
"Boys." Caitlin said seriously, but the boys began to bicker.
"Han Solo."
"Danny Zuko."
"Spock."
"No fictional alien names. Link Larkin!"
"Stop trying to name the baby!" Caitlin smacked Cisco's arm. "I can't listen to you bicker."
"Well, we're not calling him 'the baby'!"
Barry snorted. "Yeah, that's kinda cold."
[8:45 PM]
Barry laid on the sofa with the baby on his chest. He sang in a low voice. " Singin' in the rain. I'm singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again. " Before he sang the next line there was a knock at the door.
Caitlin got the door, Cisco was passed out in a nearby chair. At the door stood Ray. "Hello, Doctor Snow! I take it all is well here?"
"Yes, did you get everything sorted?" Caitlin asked.
"Yes, we did." Ray nodded but he seemed a bit beat up. His eyebrow was parched up and he had some cuts and bruises.
Ray came inside as Barry stood carefully, still singing softly, doing his best not to jostle the infant.
Ray beamed at him. "Thank you so much Barry. You didn't run into any trouble?"
"Besides crying? Not really." he shook his head. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Barry awkwardly offered the baby back to Ray who took him.
"Sorry. Thank you for everything. Can I just ask one more favour?" Ray put the diaper bag over his shoulder as he spoke.
"Yeah, of course." Barry gave a firm nod, crossing his now empty arms.
"I need you to promise that you won't be mad at me in 2020."
"Uhm," Barry's eyebrows pulled together. " I promise I won't he mad at you in 2020?" He laughed uncomfortably. "But. You have to tell me the baby's name. Cisco kept calling him Han Solo and I was calling him Don."
"Raymond Palmer." Ray laughed, no harm in them knowing now.
"So it was-"
"I have to go, sorry. I'm late for something really important in 2020." He left then, leaving Barry confused.
Ray returned to the jump ship fifteen minutes later. "Are we all set to go? I have a very important date to make."
"You're getting all sappy," Zari nudged his arm.
Ray carefully strapped his baby self in. "Yeah."
"Was it weird interacting with him? Barry I mean." Zari double checked the belts on the car seat. "I mean, is it going to be weird to go back now?"
"No," he shrugged his shoulders. "If anything it just makes me more excited to get back to him."
[March 14th 2020]
Ray only ran into one more obstacle after safely returning baby Ray to 1981. Soon, back in his own time, he met up with Barry between church pews. The Speedster reached out and brushed some debris from the shoulder of his suit.
"Baby-you got back okay, I see," Barry smiled as he adjusted his lapel. "You look amazing, but you're late."
"You promised me you wouldn't be mad back in 2015," Ray grinned back at him, giving his arms a light squeeze.
"Cheap trick, Dr. Palmer I barely knew you, but I'll allow it. Think it's against the rules to kiss you before you go down the aisle?"
Ray grinned before leaning in and pressed a kiss to Barry's forehead. "The Professor might lecture me for dawdling later, who knows." he turned and looked down the aisle, standing under a simple chuppah was Martin Stein.
He shot Ray an impatient look. The sight made Ray rush Barry forward while looking as casual as possible to their surrounding family and friends. Ready to take on the next adventure, no matter what it was, together.