Caitlin Snow could feel a headache forming, that little tinge niggling in her head as the bass from the Christmas music her neighbors were playing reverabated against her wall. She tried to block it out as her eyes read from one line to the next, but the music was just too loud that it was too distracting to comprehend much of anything.

She tried studying in her living room, but the noise still carried over. She even reached out to a friend, but they weren't answering any of her texts, and Caitlin didn't want to just show up unannounced, just in case she interrupted something with her new boyfriend. With a pout, she realized she had nowhere left to go since it was getting late and most of the university's amenities were closed or going to be closing, including the library and cafeteria.

Caitlin sighed. All semester long, she never heard a peep from her neighbors - from what her roommate described them as were "two nerds who spoke way too fast and way too much about nerdy movies" - so she was definitely surprised when after settling herself down to study that she was almost immediately interrupted by loud music coming from their place.

She closed her textbook in defeat. She was peeved that people didn't seem to have any common decency these days. That these people never seemed to care that they could be disturbing others from studying or sleeping or calling their mother (not that she would be doing much of the latter). She didn't want to get the university's security involved, but maybe if she asked them to turn it down a little, it could be more bearable to deal with.

She got up from her bed, striding out of her room and out the door, making a beeline to her neighbor's. She bit her lip, contemplating if she really wanted to go through with this. Would they just laugh at her? Definitely a probability, but she wasn't going to let that discourage her - it wouldn't be the first time she was laughed at for her regimented studying. That same roommate she spoke of before even said that Caitlin would probably get along with these neighbors since she was "a nerd too". (Caitlin didn't really like her roommate).

Taking a needed breath and steeling her face, ridding it of any apprehension, she knocked loudly on the door.

She stood there for a few moments, wondering if the music was too loud to even hear her knocking, when the door swung open to reveal a tall and lanky brunette guy with a slick, cool, James Dean type hairstyle that did not at all match his Harry Potter Christmas sweater. His striking green eyes widened ever so slightly as they fell on her, his Adam's apple noticeably bobbling in his throat.

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for her greeting, but when she realized she wasn't going to get one, she cleared her throat. "Um, hello?"

His eyes blinked really fast, his focus becoming a little more clearer. "Oh! Um, hi. What can I do for you?" he asked rapidly, before looking over his shoulder at the massive crowd behind him, a look of realization making its way across his face. "Oh, right, you're here for the party." He stepped to the side, giving her room to enter.

"Actually," she said, a strained smile on her face. "I'm not here to party" - that earned her a raised brow - "I actually wanted to talk to one of the tenants for a moment. Do you know either of them?"

"I'm one of them," the stranger spoke, smiling as he outreached his hand. "I'm Barry."

Caitlin tentatively took his hand, shaking it, all the while trying to ignore the tingles erupting under her skin from the contact. "I'm Caitlin - Caitlin Snow, you're neighbor."

Both of his eyebrows jumped at that. "You're our neighbor?"

"Right next door there," she answered, looking towards her own apartment door on the left.

Barry's gaze followed hers. "You're Janet's roommate?"

"Unfortunately," she said, the quip spilling from her lips like an automatic response. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had said that out loud.

Luckily, a rumble of a laugh expelled from Barry. "She's not very nice."

Caitlin allowed herself to giggle too, even letting a smile stay fixed on her face after she said, "No, no she isn't."

Her neighbor just stared at her for a moment, his eyes gentle and soft as he regarded her. He shook his head after a second, smiling bashfully. "Um, so, if you're not here for the party, why are you here?" he then asked, licking his lips and stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.

Right, she was here for a reason. "Well, you see, your music is playing really loudly and I'm trying to study-"

"Study? Study for what? Finals ended today."

She found his genuinely confused expression to be adorable, though she quickly shoved that thought to the side. There was no time for distractions aka cute, adorkable boys. "I'm a med student," she disclosed. "So it details a lot of hard work and lots of things to learn. And even though we'll be leaving for break soon, I don't want to forget anything and I want to get a leg up on the upcoming semester too."

"I see..." he let out. "You know, my dad is a doctor, actually."

She solemnly nodded. "Mine was too."

He frowned for a moment before some of the color in his complexion desaturated. "Oh, shit. I'm - I'm so sorry."

Caitlin shook head. "It's fine - I mean, it's not 'fine' but it's fine since it was a while ago, not that time completely heals those types of wounds, but you know, I've grieved and dealt with it, kinda," she said all in one rapid-fire sentence that ended with her taking a giant deep breath.

His lips were pushed up against each other, the ends tilted upwards like he was trying to suppress a grin. "I get it," he told her softly, eyes burrowing into hers like they were seeing into her soul. "Like how on some days, the pain, it hurts worse than the day when it happened."

"Yeah…" she agreed breathily, surprised that someone seemed to understand how she felt. She cleared her throat, diverting her eyes. "So, as I was saying, could you maybe turn your music down a little bit?"

"Why don't you join us?"

She stared at him blankly. "Did you not just hear everything that I said?"

He smiled a full-toothed smile, one that wrinkled the sides of his eyes, as he let out an amused chuckle. "Yes, I heard everything you said. But one night isn't going to make you forget everything…you know, as long as you don't drink excessively, of course, which I don't recommend."

Caitlin surprised herself as she giggled at him once again.

In response, he beamed proudly. "So, what do you say?" he asked, gesturing towards his apartment where she could see throngs of people clustered together dancing, talking, and playing games.

She let out a sigh, biting down on her lower lip, struggling with what she knew she should do and what she was being tempted to do. "I really shouldn't…"

He respectfully nodded. "Okay," he said simply, still smiling at her, though it felt bereft of the same level of excitement from earlier. "I'll go turn the music down a little bit for you."

"Thank you," she gratefully let out

He turned to grab the door, slowly closing it as he watched her lightly. "It was nice to meet you, Caitlin."

She swallowed, getting lost in his tender gaze. "You too," she managed to say as a swarm of butterflies occupied her stomach as she watched him finally close his door with a soft click.

.

As she settled back into her room, she was happy to find that the music was reasonably lower. She opened her textbook, determined to get the studying she needed. But no matter what she did, she still couldn't focus on the words. Her mind was instead focused on the lanky boy she just met. She gazed at her bedroom wall, the one that was shared with his apartment, wondering what he was doing. Was he dancing and singing to the current song playing, 'Jingle Bell Rock'? Was he talking to his friends? Was he at all thinking about her too?

Caitlin leaned forward, letting her hands massage her forehead. All she wanted to do tonight was study, but now here she was, thinking about some boy. But he didn't seem like just some boy. He seemed like a really nice guy - a great one, even. He had been so respectful and understanding of her within the few minute span that they had talked and it had left a deep impression on the her. And his smile, it was so genuine and free, and it accentuated his beautiful and soulful green eyes, sucking her into a peaceful existence when she had found herself staring into them, her heart thrumming.

She bit her lip. People were always saying that she needed to live a little more. Plus, one evening couldn't hurt, right? If anything, she'd make a new friend.

Not giving herself time to talk herself out of it, she quickly checked herself over to make sure she was presentable, then strode back over to Barry's apartment door, knocking on it once again.

This time the door opened much sooner. However, it was not Barry who answered much to Caitlin's disappointment. Instead, it was a shorter guy with black, shoulder-length hair. He was sporting a clever Star Wars themed Christmas t-shirt and reindeer antlers on his head.

"Hey, are you here for the party?" the guy asked.

"Um, yes?" she answered unsurely. "Do you know where a Barry might be?"

"Oh, you know Barry?" the long-haired man asked, grinning at this new information.

"Kinda," she answered. "I talked to him earlier. I'm the neighbor on the left over there," she continued, gesturing towards that way.

"Then we're neighbors too!" this new guy proclaimed. "I'm Cisco! I'm Barry's roommate." He then waved her into the apartment. "I think I saw Barry towards the stereo," Cisco said, pointing to the direction of where that was.

"Thank you," Caitlin said before meandering her way through the crowd and towards where she hoped Barry was.

Once she cleared the entryway and into the main area, she saw Barry by the stereo system. He was talking to another girl, one shorter than her with beautiful dark skin, and a well-built blonde guy, who the girl was draped over.

She swallowed down her nerves as she walked further into the room. Eventually, Barry's eyes flickered up, maybe catching the movement in his peripherals, and their gazes connected. Her heart fluttered as his smile widened at her approaching figure.

"Caitlin!" he exclaimed as she stopped in front of him. "Hey - um, hi!"

The other guy and girl next to him shared a looked, smirking to themselves. "Hey, Bar, we're going to mingle some more with other people, okay?" the girl said, looking at him knowingly. Not waiting for a response, she then turned and pulled the blonde guy with her to the other side of the room.

Barry smiled sheepishly as he looked from his departing friends to back to her. "So...you decided to join the party after all?" he asked before immediately frowning. "Or-or is the music still too loud? I can lower it more if you'd like-" he continued, reaching out towards the stereo to do just that, but Caitlin caught his arm, stilling his actions.

"The music is fine," she assured him, trying not to pay attention to the way her hand was burning from where she had touched him. "But you were right, one night off isn't going to make me forget everything." She then offered him a tiny smile that speedily morphed his face back into the grin that she was quickly growing to adore.

"So you're here for the party? Awesome!"

She slightly winced, wringing her hands. "To be frank, I have no idea what to do at these type of things," she admitted.

He chuckled, almost relieved. "Neither do I," he confessed. "This is really just my friends' party - Iris and Eddie," he said, looking across the room. Caitlin followed his gaze and saw the couple that he had been talking to earlier quickly turn away, as if they didn't want to be seen watching them. "They couldn't host their End-of-the-Semester-Slash-Christmas Party at their dorms, so they asked if they could have it here."

"I thought it was out of the ordinary for you guys to have a party, you know, since-"

"We're nerds?" Barry interjected with a lopsided grin.

"Noooooo," Caitlin let out over a laugh. "It's just you guys are generally quiet," she explained. "Plus, calling you a nerd would be like the pot calling the kettle black."

Barry chuckled. "I guess the studying thing from earlier would qualify you as that."

"Exactly," she agreed, dipping her head down shyly. "Though that probably sounds more lame than anything."

"Naw," he was quick to assure her. "You're just someone who knows what she wants and is willing to work hard towards that."

Her face burned with a blush. "Thanks," she said back quietly. People like her roommate and old schoolmates often ostracized her for that behavior.

"What was that?" Barry then asked. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. It's starting to get kinda loud in here."

"I said 'thanks'!" she repeated, this time louder so he could hear her.

He nodded. "Would you maybe want to head out on the balcony? No one is out there and it might be easier to talk."

"Sure," she agreed, hoping it would be a lot quieter. She didn't come to the party to celebrate and drink; she came because she was simply curious about Barry and wanted to get to know him more.

He smiled before beaconing her to follow him to the sliding glass door just a few meters away. He pulled the door open and with it a gush of cold rushed in, which felt good when they were in the hot, cramped apartment, but it left Caitlin shivering as she stepped out onto the balcony.

"No wonder no one is out here. It's cold!" Caitlin remarked humorously, turning to find Barry already holding out a denim jacket for her. She smirked as she wordlessly took the jacket he offered, happy to find that it had sherpa lining that was already keeping her warm as she fastened it.

"This is an interesting jacket," she commented, noticing the patches scattered all over. A couple were superhero themed - like Superman - others were sports related, but one in particular caught her eye. "CCPD? Are you from Central City?"

Barry beamed. "Yeah, yeah, I am. I have a CCPD badge in particular though because Iris' dad, who is like a 2nd father to me, is a detective there, but I'm hoping to work there too one day," he shared.

"So you want to be a cop?"

He quickly shook his head. "Oh, no. I don't know if I could run around, chasing the bad guys," he confessed over a faint laugh. "I actually want to become a forensic scientist."

Caitlin's eyebrow piqued with interest. "So you're a fellow man of science," she noted admirably. "So what interested you with that? Was CSI you favorite show as a kid?"

"Heh," Barry let out awkwardly before rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, actually…"

Caitlin suddenly got the sense that maybe his reasoning was very personal. "You don't have to tell me."

He walked up to the balcony's railing, his hands latching onto it tightly. "No, no, I want to. It's just always so hard to say," he said, blowing out a breath. "Um, when I was a kid, my-my mom was...murdered," he said quietly, swallowing, and Caitlin couldn't hold back the small gasp that fell from her lips. "And they never caught the guy."

"Oh, Barry, I'm so sorry," she expressed, her hand reaching out to his arm, trying to find some way to comfort him. "I-I never would have asked if-"

"You didn't know," he interrupted, flashing her a placating grin. "And like you said earlier, it's fine, though it's not," he continued, his eyes gleaming a bit mischievously. "I won't give the long-winded response that you did though."

"Hey!" she let out, though she quickly dissolved into giggles, and Barry wasn't far behind.

"So…" Barry started after their laughter resided, "do you have your heart set on a particular hospital or something? Since you're going to be a doctor."

Caitlin shrugged. "Not really. Though I've been looking into STAR Labs. They've got amazing fundings and magnificent machines."

He furrowed his brows. "I thought you were a med student?"

She ducked her head. "I am," she let out. "But I also have two doctorates, one particularly in bioengineering, and that's been my main passion, I have to admit."

"Wait, wait, wait," Barry said, turning his whole body towards her, a funny smile tugging at his lips. "How old are you? Are you secretly 30 or something?"

"I'm 21," she let out, laughing at his adorably confused face. "I've just...skipped a lot of grades as a kid…" she feebly explained.

"Heh, no kidding," Barry let out, shaking his head in amazement. "Jeez, forget nerd. You're just a certified genius," he let out his eyes wide in shock. "Dr. Wells would be crazy not to hire you."

Caitlin's own eyes widened. "You know of Dr. Wells?"

"Of course!" His eyes lit up. "He's like my hero!" Barry gushed. "If - if it didn't sound like such a line, I'd ask you back to my bedroom so I can show you the stack of his scientific journals that I have but..."

The med student blushed at the implication. She cleared her throat. "Maybe some other time then..."

"Heh," he let out, swallowing. "But I do have proof here and now that I'm a huge fan."

She slightly smirked, her eyes lightening, intrigued. "Then show me the proof."

Her neighbor reached out, gently grabbing a hold of her left shoulder. Her breath caught at their closer proximity, staring up at him in bewilderment. He then swiftly moved her hair off her shoulder, and she swore she saw his forest green eyes glance downwards at her lips for a second, making her heart thump wildly in her chest, before his eyes flickered back to her shoulder.

"I have a STAR Labs patch right here," he pointed out..

Caitlin maneuvered her neck around to see what he was referring to and there indeed was the labs' logo patched into his denim jacket. She just hadn't seen it before because it was towards the back, on her shoulder blade.

"Dr. Wells has been talking about building a particle accelerator soon, and what we could learn from that is just...astronomical! It's a whole new way of looking at physics. It will literally change-"

"-the way that we think about everything," she finished.

"Exactly." He smiled, a twinkle in his eyes gleaming.

She smiled too, but dipped her head, finding herself shy under his soft gaze.

It was then that small, white flakes floated down between them, prompting them to look up and notice that it had started to snow, the rate of their descend only getting quicker.

"I guess we should head back in," Caitlin said, a sadness tainting her words since, despite the cold, she would have stood out there on the balcony with Barry all night long.

Barry nodded his agreement, pulling the handle of the door to slid it back open. However, once they both started entering the apartment again, a voice shouted from the back of the room. "Look! Mistletoe!"

She and Barry's heads shot straight up, immediately noticing the green plant over the doorway that was definitely not there before they went outside. Their gazes both slowly lowered from the Mistletoe to shyly meet each other's eyes; his face was crimson with embarrassment and she knew she probably looked much the same.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, before cursing someone under his breath - but it was too low to make out who in particular he was blaming. "I - I didn't plan this. I promise. I wouldn't want you to kiss me. I mean, yes, I would want you to kiss me, you know, if you wanted to, but I wouldn't want you to kiss me because you felt pressured to do it because of some plant that for some reason people kiss-"

Caitlin leaned up on her tippy toes to press her mouth delicately against his, interrupting him from talking any more. But Barry apparently had no issue with the intrusion since she would feel his lips twitch into a smile against hers, spurring the same reaction to happen to her own. Barry then cupped her face, deepening the kiss.

It wasn't until they heard the hoots and whistles from their rowdy audience that they pulled apart, both dipping their heads down coyly, embarrassed by their little show. Ears tinged red, Barry quickly took her hand and guided her through the apartment and out the door, into the hallway..

Closing his front door, he turned to her. "Hi," he said timidly.

"Hi." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry about all of that," he apologized, hiking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the kiss, or maybe it was the party, or maybe both.

She swallowed. "You don't have to be sorry," she let out, "unless...unless you didn't like it."

"No!" he immediately let out, before clearing his throat, laughing uneasily. "I - I mean, no, I - I really enjoyed that."

She felt like her face was on fire. "I did too," she admittedly softy, a serene smile overtaking her face.

His lips spread into a soft, bashful smile. "Um, then would you like to go out tomorrow?" he asked.

Caitlin bit down on her lip to suppress her glee. "I'd love to, but I'm heading home tomorrow."

Her neighbor frowned, shoulders slouching briefly. "Oh."

"Barry," she said, reaching out to take ahold of one of his hands, smiling at him with amusement. "I live in Central City too - it's how I knew about the CCPD..." she reminded him.

His eyes immediately lit up. "Oh!" he repeated, but this time with more excitement. "So then, do you happen to know of Jitters?"

"I love Jitters."

"Then how about Friday?"

She smiled. "Friday would work."

"Then it's a date," he said, squeezing the hand that she was still holding, causing the butterflies that had been fluttering around her body all night to multiple.

"It's a date," she confirmed happily.

A/N: Just a little AU meeting. Let me know what you think! :)

REVIEW REPLY:

TCGA: GOOD. I'm glad it did not disappoint because then I would be majorly majorly sad :( But it means a lot to me that you think they still sound like themselves while falling in love. And yes, despite their scenes lacking on the show, the Thanksgiving scene still shows us that that spark that we all love and adore is still there. Ahhhhhhhh, so here's to holding on to that! Lol! Thank you for reading and reviewing! :))))))

Chocolate X My Mouth: I thought the Santa as the officiant was a nice touch lol, so I'm happy that you thought so too. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Taitlin: Very happy that you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Augusthippie1993: Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Stars90: Thank you for reading and reviewing!

ShanouNash: Tbh, when I was first writing this, it was starting to get all angsty, about her never going to get married, but I didn't want that for 12 days, so I had them coming up with wedding ideas instead. So glad I thought of that! Lol. Thanks for reading and reviewing as always!

Scarlet Ocean: Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Supersnowbarry: Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)