chapter two
Barry avoided STAR labs for the rest of that day. Luckily, no metas had caused havoc, so he could sit in his bedroom at Joe's, moping in his embarrassment for the rest of the night. The following day, however, he and Joe were sent out to a crime scene that, upon further inspection, seemed meta related.
"So the guy was beaten to death? How does that sound like a meta?" Cisco asked after he and Joe had told the team about the case.
"Because the guy was beaten to a bloody pulp within a second," Joe revealed. "The victim's co-worker left work right after him and saw this guy throw one punch. The murderer, and our alleged meta, then ran away. But like I said, the victim was beaten; his skull was caved in."
Barry saw Caitlin wince, but she didn't say anything. She actually hadn't said anything since they entered the cortex. She hadn't even looked at him once.
"So if this is a meta, it would be one with excessive strength, given that he caused maximum damage in a short time frame," Harry commented out loud.
The speedster nodded as he moved his gaze from his personal physician to Harry. "That's what we are thinking, but we don't know for sure yet. We did manage to secure some of the murderer's DNA," Barry said, holding up a bag in his hand that held the DNA. "He didn't pop up on any of our databases as a former criminal, but we at least wanted to make sure he was a meta before proceeding…" Barry said, trailing off as he looked back over to Caitlin, extending the bag towards her since this was her expertise.
She looked blindly unaware, instead her eyes were staring blankly into the distance until Cisco nudged her. "Oh!" she let out in surprise, "Yes, I can do that," she said, reaching to retrieve the bag, noticeably - to Barry anyway - avoiding any physical contact during the exchange.
Barry sighed as she stalked off to her lab without even a backwards glance. He really made of mess of things, didn't he?
"Dude, what is going on?"
The forensic scientist broke his gaze from where Caitlin had last been to swivel his attention to his other friend, who was looking at him confusingly. It was then that Barry noticed that Harry and Joe were both gone - when did that happen?
"What do you mean?" Barry instead asked. "We're trying to catch a meta - just like any other day," he continued with a slight chuckle. "You should probably check out some of the surveillance from the surrounding streets."
"Already on it," Cisco stated dismissively, still looking at him peculiarly. "But not what I was talking about. What's going on with you and Caitlin? The vibe was mad tense in here - I sense these things!"
Barry could already feel his ears burning just thinking about what happened the day before.
"Did you guys get into a fight or something?" Cisco pressed, this forehead wrinkling in concern.
Frowning, Barry bobbled his head around. "Or something…" he mumbled.
"Well then stop - or better yet, fix it," the long-haired man stated as he began to fiddle around with his computer, bringing up multiple files of footage from the security cameras near the crime scene. "Because we can't successfully take down metas if you two are acting weird. Plus, our Stranger Things marathon is tomorrow and we're not rescheduling!"
Letting out a huff of amused laughter, Barry simply nodded, knowing what Cisco said was true. He needed to talk to Caitlin. And soon.
"I think I found our guy," Cisco then proclaimed.
But first they had to catch this meta.
…
Barry woke up with a start, his heart racing. His sight was blurry too, but luckily his vision was getting clearer each time he blinked. Soon enough he was able to make out the distinct features of Caitlin's medical lab and he immediately relaxed under the knowledge of being in a familiar and safe environment.
"Cait," he rasped out, knowing she couldn't be far - she never was.
As if she possessed super speed herself, she was at his side in an instant, her brows knitted as she looked down at him with concern. "Barry," she let out softly, and by her tone he knew she was relieved. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
He scrunched down his face, his eyes still not completely clear from the fog he just woke up from. "Confused," he confessed, his mind whirling for an explanation. He couldn't even remember the last thing that happened, just that they had left to go seek out the meta. "What happened?"
"You got punched by the metahuman," she explained, her eyes downcast. "Your skull had a hairline fracture but you're completely healed now," she explained, gesturing to an x-ray of his skull looking perfectly intact and injury free.
"Did we at least catch the guy?"
Caitlin shook her head. "No," she told him regrettably. "Once you got hit, I made Cisco transport you back here as soon as possible," she shared, her hands unsteady by her sides. "I couldn't risk it."
"How long was I out? Please don't tell me another 9 months," he lightly joked.
The ends of her lips lifted ever so briefly. "No," she assured him, "I've been waiting for you to wake up for about 5 hours now though…"
He could tell she had been scared, and not just because he could see the faint outline of tear tracks dried on her cheeks. "I'm fine, Caitlin," he tried to reassure her, sitting up in the bed to further prove his point.
She nodded her head, her bottom lip getting tugged down by her teeth. "I know. It just...it looked a lot worse than it actually was," she admitted, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "You looked so bad - so bloody -"
Barry reached over to touch her arm, trying to comfort her. This hadn't been the first time he'd seen her shaken up over one of his injuries, but each time he wished it would be the last. "That's why Cisco padded the cowl. Not to mention, I have a pretty hard head," he jested, trying to lighten the situation and get her to feel better.
She merely nodded, her eyes trained on where his hand was resting against her forearm, deep in thought. "I'm sorry," she eventually said.
"Sorry? Sorry for what? That the meta got away? Caitlin, it's fine. You made the right call."
She finally looked back up at him, their eyes meeting; the intensity behind it sent a chill down his spine. "No, yeah, I know," she answered. She bit down on her lip again, suddenly apprehensive. "I meant, I'm sorry - about yesterday, and earlier today," she then clarified.
His heart jumped at the mention of yesterday, but Barry was quick to ignore it and began shaking his head. "No, no, no, you don't have anything to be sorry for," he assured her, swiveling around on the bed so that his legs dangled off the side and he was facing her fully. "I'm the one who is sorry."
"Barry, you couldn't help it. It's a natural, biological reaction. So unless you're hiding another special ability from me, I don't think you can control that," she amusingly spoke.
Barry let out a puff of laughter, feeling himself blushing but nevertheless smiling. "No. No, I cannot."
They shared a look before they both fell into giggles. "We were acting like teenagers, huh?"
Barry nodded, his lips still spread wide. "We were. But hey, at least I don't look like teenage me anymore. That guy was beyond awkward."
Her brown eyes lit up. "Ooh, now I want to know what you looked like…" Caitlin teased. "Makes me want to head over to Joe's house and ask him for some old photos."
"No, no, no," Barry immediately protested, wagging his finger at her. "You'd be blinded by my bad bowl-haircut, and I kinda looked like a giraffe since apparently my neck wanted to grow before the rest of my body caught up."
Caitlin giggled into her hand, obviously trying not to laugh at his past self's appearance, but Barry found that he didn't mind. In fact, he kind of liked the idea of taking her to Joe's and just spending the evening with her going through old photo albums and recalling on the old memories they surfaced. Sure he looked awkward as hell during that time - who didn't? - but if it made her laugh like it was right now, it would be worth it.
"I was so skinny too," he continued, before looking down at himself. "I'm still skinny. Maybe that's why I get thrown around like a rag doll so much. Maybe when we catch this meta, you could isolate the changes in his DNA and mix up some muscle buffing therapy for me. My slim frame is a clear, physical disadvantage."
She frowned. "I like that you're on the skinnier side."
Barry merely raised a single brow, clearly amused.
"I-I mean," she stuttered, backpedaling, "Not that it matters what I think - If you really want me to engineer something, I will. How buff were you -"
"Wait, wait," Barry said, holding up his hand to halt her nervous babble, "I think we should go back to the part where you said you liked my physique," he boasted, wiggling his eyebrows.
Her mouth was opening and closing much like a fish. "I-I didn't say that. I-"
"You totally love my body," he interrupted, tongue in cheek, watching her as her face progressively turned beet red. "Admit it, Dr. Snow," he playfully commanded, poking her on the side which elicited a giggle to spurt from his personal physician.
"I was just trying to say that being on the skinnier side is actually an advantage for your abilities. If you were too big and buff, your speed might decrease and your agility might suffer...Barry, stop!" she laughingly insisted as Barry started tickling her sides.
"Just say it, Caitlin," he said, his fingers wiggling around her waist, his hands too fast for her to stop.
"No," she insisted with a sly grin, propelling Barry to tickle her harder.
She squirmed into his hold, laughing against his t-shirt clad chest, which only made his heart feel whole with an indescribable emotion that he yearned to keep. He'd give anything to keep her this close, to get to hold her without preamble.
"Barry…" she managed to plead through her giddiness. "Please…"
He dramatically sighed before relenting. "Fine, fine," he said as he stopped his tickling madness.
She leaned back from his chest with residual giggles still spilling from her lips. However, she remained close, leaning against his legs for support as she tried to catch her breath.
Barry took a moment to study her. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful and she shone so brightly against the dull walls of her lab. Tears from her laughter were gliding down her face, repaving over the fear-induced stains from earlier. He smiled serenely at her as he lifted his hands to cup her face, letting the pads of his thumbs gently wipe her tears away.
She instantly quietened under his touch, watching him under her eyelashes with a soft, curious look.
The space between them fizzled, like he could feel all the particles in the air between them buzzing. The hands that had been cold against his back yesterday, now felt like they were burning through his suit's pants. The atmosphere was so thick and so heavy that he couldn't possibly break from this moment even if he wanted to.
Caitlin's eyes were growing darker as her pupils dilated wider and wider, and he was falling into that abyss, finding himself leaning a fraction closer and closer. His eyes flickered to her rose-colored lips, being further enticed by the way they gleamed in the room's lighting. And when he gazed back up to her eyes, his breath hitched when he saw that she had been looking at his lips too.
Her eyes fluttered closed as he drew nearer. He closed his own as their noses brushed. And before he knew it, his lips delicately touched against Caitlin's.
He held her face in his hands gently, kissing her sweetly. The kiss stayed soft and light for the first few moments as their lips took the time to map out and explore, taking in all of the textures and sensations that accompanied it. Barry's senses were consumed by all that was Caitlin - from the smell of her Vera Wang perfume and coconut-vanilla shampoo to the feel and taste of her lips against his. He could only begin to compare it to what he imagined floating on a cloud would be like - so peaceful and docile and liberating.
But then Caitlin's hands slid themselves just a little bit higher up his thigh, grasping at them ever so lightly. It made Barry let out a whimper into her mouth and brought out a carnal instinct within him that turned the kiss a little more desperate and rough, with tongues intermingling and teeth clashing. He trailed one of his hands down from her face, letting it skim over her curves, only to stop at her hip where he then tugged her closer to him, needing to feel more of her against him.
Caitlin broke the kiss, panting into his shoulder. "Barry...we-we can't," she breathed out. "We're at STAR Labs…"
But before Caitlin could utter a single word further, Barry had flashed them out, depositing them at a second location a mere second later.
Disoriented, Caitlin took in her surroundings for a moment, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Did you - did you run us to my apartment?"
Barry suddenly felt shy, bowing his head ever so slightly. "Well...you said we couldn't at STAR Labs…so..." he shared his reasoning with a sheepish smirk.
She only stared off to the side blankly, biting down on her lower lip; it worried Barry, knowing that the certain idiosyncrasy meant she was definitely bothered by something. "Is this alright? Cait?"
At the sound of her name leaving his lips, whatever had been bothering her seemed to have melted away as she got up on her tiptoes and wound her arms around his neck to place a searing kiss against his mouth that nearly made him forget his own name. "Yes," she whispered huskily against his lips, pulling him by the shirt as she took the necessarily steps to her front door.
His lips lifted into an elated grin as he molded himself against her back, kissing and nipping at all the parts of her neck he could reach. He could only chuckle against her skin when he heard her keys jingling messily against the lock, knowing his actions were making it harder for her to complete the simple task.
Once they were inside, Caitlin turned around and pushed him up against the door, consequently shutting it. The action was bold and rough for someone he usually considered cautious and soft, but Barry couldn't deny that it wasn't hot. The odd grooves digging into his back barely even registered in his mind - not when her whole body was pressed up against him as she slanted her mouth over his again.
Her hands trailed down his sides as she deepened their kiss, working their way under his STAR Labs t-shirt, bunching the fabric higher and higher up his chest. Instinctively, he broke their connection to pull the shirt off, throwing it carelessly away before immediately swooping down to recapture Caitlin's lips, turning her around in the process so now that she was up against the door.
Barry detached his lips from hers and started a hungry trek downwards. He pressed open kisses along her jaw before descending down the column of her neck, taking pleasure in the way her hands were clawing at his back as she swallowed under his ministrations and craned her neck backwards to give him more access. When he finally reached the neckline of her work blouse, he kissed each patch of naked skin he unearthed as he unfastened each button, only to kiss his way back up her torso as he finished, making his way back to her plump lips like his earlier kisses had just been breadcrumbs he laid out so that he could find his way back.
Breaking away again, he helped ease her shirt off of her shoulders, his eyes ranking in the swell of her breasts popping out of her bra. His hands expanded along her sides and up her back, mesmerized by the feeling of her soft skin under his calloused fingers. He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder and ran them along her collarbone all the while his fingers unhooked the undergarment, feeling it fall between them and shivering as he felt her pert nipples graze against his chest.
Caitlin's hands took this time to feel up his own body, tantalizingly moving from his broad shoulders, to his pecs, and smoothly along the indents of his abs. It wasn't long, however, before they wandered to the lightning belt around his waist, unclasping it, and then unzipping the red polymer. Her fingers flitted through the opening, cupping his manhood over his boxer-briefs, causing the speedster to let out a soft gasp as he instinctively grinded up into her touch, his whole body was pulsing.
"Cait," he expelled breathily near her ear, his body leaning up against her in his want. If he wasn't fully aroused before, he was now. And if they didn't move from where they were soon, they'd be having sex against her apartment door - and as hot as that sounded, he didn't want their first time together to be like that.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and rampant, searching his and eventually nodding at him, understanding what he was asking without having to say a word, just like they've been known to do. So she guided his lips back to hers in an intoxicating kiss as she directed them to her bedroom, not even paying attention to the side table nor picture frames on the wall as they clumsily knocked into them on their way, only giggling against each other's lips as they continued to kiss and walk to their destination.
They fumbled onto her bed sideways, their legs tangling as they both kicked off their shoes, hearing them thunk against her bedroom floor. Caitlin's hands tugged at the top of his pants, trying to pull them down. He lifted his hips in an effort to help, but Caitlin still had to break free from their kiss and move off the bed to help him ease out of the skin-tight bottoms.
Of course he could have taken his and her bottoms off in a millisecond, but his mind was so foggy and muddled with hormones and desire that the thought hadn't even crossed his mind until his pants were already half-way down and Caitlin was on her knees in front of him. Even then, his mind couldn't seem to compute or send its proper signals to do anything but stare at his beautiful (topless) doctor unabatedly; all the while thinking that he could definitely get used to this.
When the task was completed, she stood up, flashing him a coy smile as she reached behind her back, unzipping her skirt and allowing gravity to let it drop, the fabric pooling at her feet. She then took the necessarily step forward to the bed, crawling between his legs, shamelessly grazing herself over the bulge visible through his boxer-briefs, eliciting a hiss to escape out of Barry's mouth, his ears pounding from the sound of his heart working overtime.
With a smirk, Barry rolled them over so he was on top, rolling his hips down against hers, causing them both to let out low groans of pleasure. He lazily spread kisses all over her chest, while his hands sensually roamed any patch of skin he could reach. As his lips descended to her breasts, he sucked at each nipple, letting his tongue whirl around the areolas attentively, letting his teeth lightly graze them, enticing muffled moans to escape from Caitlin that swelled the speedster up with pride.
Leaning back on his knees, he ran his hands up her calves and down her thighs, feeling her squirm as he inched closer to her core. He brushed his thumb over the slit of her panties, feeling her wetness already seeping through the fabric - the hardness of his dick was never so apparent than it was right then.
He reached down to grab the band of her panties, beginning to slide them off. Caitlin lifted her legs up and together in an effort to help. Afterwards, he went to kick off his own underwear. And then there she was, and there he was - both completely bare and vulnerable. Barry looked back down at Caitlin expectantly, giving her this moment to back out if she wanted.
She licked her lips as she looked up at him. "The drawer on the left," she spoke up, gesturing to the piece of furniture with a tilt of her head.
The speedster leaned over to open the drawer, easily finding the condom his doctor had obviously been directing him to. He fitted it on before settling himself in between her legs once again, positioning his penis against Caitlin's pink flesh. He then pushed himself into her, slowly but fully, his dick welcoming the warmness of her core. The speedster stayed stationary for a few moments, letting them both grow accustomed to the the feeling of his length in her, before he started pulling himself in and out of her at a gentle speed.
Barry's heart pounded as he gazed down at her, appreciating the red flush blossoming across her body and the way her breasts jiggled as he thrusted into her. Caitlin's hair was fanned across her pillow and her luscious, bruised lips were parted as soft, erotic hums spilled from them as they moved. She was just utterly breathtaking and so beautiful - inside and out.
He leant down, laying a languid kiss against her lips."You're beautiful, Cait," he murmured against her, his thoughts catapulting out of his mind and through his mouth. He leaned back just enough to catch her eyes fluttering open, her lashes ticking his own.
"Thank you," she said quietly - bashfully.
Her cheeks were burning with a blush as red as his suit, and Barry couldn't help but find the action endearing, making his heart flutter further. In that moment, he just wished he could tell her everything - tell her how much this meant to him to be with her this intimately and just how he was falling for her. But he didn't want to spook her with intense feelings. Not yet. So instead, he was just going to have to show her as he made love to her.
Barry continued to push himself in and out of her, his lips hovering over her collarbone, kissing and licking and sucking his way along her chest. He nuzzled his face in the junction of her neck, pressing soft kisses up before teething at her earlobe, causing her to squirm and giggle through her soft pants.
Seemingly impatiently, Caitlin grabbed the back of his neck, guiding his mouth back to her lips, her tongue sweeping into his mouth, seeking out his own. He vaguely felt her lift her legs, wrapping them around his waist, spurring Barry to quicken his pace - something he hadn't even noticed he did until his ears picked up on Caitlin's headboard hitting against the wall with every thrust.
"Ooh, Barry," Caitlin whimpered out as they broke their kiss, her hips starting to lift to meet his thrusts, causing him to plow deeper into her.
"Fuck," he expelled huskily, starting to feel the coiling in his stomach begin. "Ah, Cait."
He reached down between them with his right hand, flicking and teasing at Caitlin's clit with his thumb as he picked up the speed of his thrusts just a notch higher. Caitlin squirmed pleasantly against him, letting out low, embedded groans as she kissed along his throat, her hands needy against his back.
Knowing he was close, and that she wasn't far behind, Barry vigilantly began vibrating the necessary parts of his body, urging her orgasm closer. Caitlin's eyes rolled back as her mouth popped open in euphoria, her nails digging into his back as she let out a mighty moan. Her walls were contracting against his cock, which then pushed him over the edge as he ejaculated.
He rode out both of their orgasms, his hips progressively moving slower and slower until he stopped completely, panting. He looked down at Caitlin, seeing her exhausted and spent, eyes half open, but seemingly glowing because of the thin layer of perspiration they had worked up. He smirked, feeling satisfied as he pulled himself out and fell to the opposite side of the bed, catching his breath for a moment.
When his breathing was back to normal, he then carefully took off the condom and got up to throw it into the trash bin Caitlin had in her adjourning bathroom. While in the bathroom, he cleaned himself up a little further, not wanting to be sticky in case Caitlin maybe wanted to cuddle - because Barry definitely did, if the dopey smile on his face at just the thought of it meant anything.
After exiting her bathroom, however, Barry was quick to discover that Caitlin had fallen asleep. He chuckled, shaking his head fondly at his doctor, not even disappointed since he knew she had been through a lot in the past couple hours - not to mention it was well into the early morning of the next day and he was feeling tired too.
With that, he lifted her sheets up and over her body, tucking her in. "Goodnight, Cait," he whispered, kissing her tenderly on the forehead, before picking up his things and leaving the room.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! This is far from the last time you'll see them like this, but be warned there is going to be some angst and all to go with it. lol. Please review with your thoughts! I love to hear what you're thinking, especially after this chapter ;)
