Disclaimer: I do not own The Flash (2014) in any way.
Barry rotated his right arm in an attempt to alleviate the pressure that had gathered between his shoulder blades. Caitlin was taking longer than usual to clean her medical equipment and he was was growing restless. It had already been an hour and he had long ago run out of activities to keep himself amused.
He let out a low groan as his arm rotated the third time, feeling a pinching sensation in the joint.
Caitlin whipped around at the sound, a surprised look on her face. She could have sworn Barry had left hours ago with Cisco when the latter offered for anyone to join him at Big Belly Burger for dinner. While she tried to limit her caloric intake, Barry didn't have that worry and it was rare that he would turn down that opportunity.
"Barry, you scared me." One look at Barry's pained expression wiped the smile off her face as she rushed to his side. Her hands swatted where Barry's hand rested on his opposite shoulder, searching for what was bothering him. "Where does it hurt?"
"I'm fine. Just a little sore, that's all." Normally Caitlin would have let his speed healing handle the issue, but she couldn't ignore the pained look in Barry's eyes. They hadn't had a metahuman incident in a few weeks and she couldn't allow the Flash to be out of commission when one was bound to surface. She ignored the fact that it was actually Barry Allen's discomfort that had her snap into action.
"Barry, lay down for a minute. Have you been stretching regularly? How much water have you drank today? I told Cisco not to push you on the speed track—"
"Cait, seriously, I'm fine. Just finish up and I can take you home." Barry interrupted. Caitlin shot him an icy glare. "Okay, okay, just for a minute." He eased himself onto the table he had been leaning against, afraid of what an annoyed Caitlin would do to him.
Several minutes passed by as Caitlin examined Barry's torso before she came to a conclusion.
"You just pinched a nerve, thantkfully nothing serious, but I told you not to overdo it." Caitlin diagnosed, a stern look on her face. "I'm prescribing you a night of relaxation and a hot bath." She smirked, happy to have found the issue and a solution so easily.
"See, I told you it wasn't a big deal!" Barry moved to jump off of the table, but Caitlin's hand on his chest brought him to a stop. "What?"
"Barry, I'm serious. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but you need to stay in optimal health. Your job is to save Central City and as your personal physician mine is to save you. So I'm going to take you home and make sure you take it easy. Okay?" Before he could so much as nod, Caitlin was already half way across the room, gathering her coat and bag.
Barry shook his head, a grin on his face, before following Caitlin out to her car.
Caitlin unlocked the door and stood to the side to allow Barry to enter his apartment.
"Go ahead and put something comfortable on and I'll start dinner."
"You really don't need to stay. I'm not even hurt."
"Barry, please just listen to me for once. I want to stay, so I'm going to stay. Besides, I could use a relaxing night in too." Barry was used to Caitlin commandeering his apartment at least once a week so it was no surprise how she immediately made herself at home. Caitlin went over to the kitchen, leaving Barry to do as she said.
"Cait?" Barry called from his room ten minutes later.
"Yes?" Caitlin responded as she stirred the sauce she started heating up.
"I'm probably going to regret asking, but I could use a hand."
Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Be right there!" She set the wooden spoon down and wiped her hands before heading to Barry's room down the hall. The sight to greet her was not one she was going to soon forget. Barry was standing in the center of his room, joggers hanging low on his hips, arms trapped in a long-sleeved t-shirt above his head. Caitlin couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"No really, Dr. Snow, keep laughing. I'll wait." Barry panned.
"Hold on." Caitlin walked over to Barry and began loosening the material around his arms, careful to not bend his sore shoulder any more than it already was.
Barry's head popped out of the top of his shirt, his hair now a complete mess. "Thanks. I figured it would be better to just ask for help instead of having you set a dislocated shoulder."
"Hmm, smart man." Caitlin raised her hand to attempt to fix Barry's mussed hair. He couldn't help but place his hands on her waist as she did so. The contact brought Caitlin half a step closer to the scarlet speedster. The mood in the room quickly shifted as their gazes locked. It was as if the tension building between them for weeks was coming to the surface and was seconds from spilling over.
"Thanks for coming over, Cait." Barry's voice dropped an octave as he spoke. His head mirrored the tone of his voice, lowering towards Caitlin's. Their eyes both glanced at one another's lips in the pause before Caitlin spoke.
"Of course, Barry." Caitlin murmured as she titled her head up to meet Barry's in a gentle kiss. She smiled against his lips. She didn't realize just how long she had been waiting to do that. "I couldn't keep that in any longer."
"I'm glad you didn't." Barry laughed, resting his forehead against hers.
Caitlin placed another kiss on Barry's lips before turning back to the door. "C'mon, Barry. You're not getting out of helping me with dinner."
She knew they had a lot to discuss, but for the moment she was going to get her relaxing night in with Barry Allen.
Wow, I haven't written anything in years. But I've recently gotten way too into The Flash and I have no one to discuss it with. In my attempt to feed the beast that is my obsession with this show (and Snowbarry), I had to write this. It's not much, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks!