Author's note; I wanted this to be super sweet and fluffy, and I think it turned out good. Hope you like it!
Your first week of healing dragged on like the 5 minute space between lunch and recess for an energetic child. Someone stayed at the lab at all times in order to keep you covered in wet towels. Cisco had even built you a misting machine that spritzed you with fresh water at the press of a button. It made you feel like the produce section at the supermarket, but you appreciated it.
Changing back to having legs could be detrimental to your healing at the moment, so you were stuck in bed.
Thankfully, you were hardly ever bored, between observing the well-oiled machine that was Team Flash and the nearly endless library of movies, shows, and books you had access to on the tablet you had been given.
You were in the middle of watching The Princess Bride one evening when Cisco pulled up a chair next to you.
"You, my friend, have good taste in movies." He offered you a twizzler, which you gladly took.
"What brings you to my corner?" You raised an eyebrow quizzically, pausing the movie so you wouldn't miss anything.
"Is it a crime to be curious what a friend is doing?" Cisco feigned offense, but ended his statement with a chuckle. "Okay that's not totally why I'm over here. I finished the scale prosthetics and I wanted to see if you wanted to take them for a spin."
Cisco produced a roll of silicone from his pocket, unfurling it to reveal the sculpted scales on the outside. It was, of course, perfectly shaped to cover your healing wound with a bit of adhesive. It was also gorgeous, an iridescent green with glitter embedded in the material.
"Wow. That's really cool but I don't know if I'm cleared to swim yet…"
"It's been a week. As long as we're liberal with the adhesive, and you don't do too many crazy swimming things, you should be fine. Besides, Cait already took a bunch of those stitches out. That means you're healing swimmingly." A smug, cheesy grin spread across his face. You smacked his arm, but a similar smile appeared on your face.
"Okay, terrible puns aside, what Cait doesn't know can't piss her off. Come on. Let's go swimming."
"Sounds good to me."
Twenty minutes later, Cisco had finished applying the piece to your tail. As the adhesive dried, he dashed off to do something else, leaving you alone in the medbay. You admired the way the seafoam green contrasted your color-shifting scales, and the care that was put into it made you smile.
Cisco reappeared in the doorway, having donned Star Wars print swim shorts and a STAR Labs t-shirt. You raised an eyebrow.
"What? It's not like you can get up and walk into to the tank."
"So what? You're gonna carry me?"
"How else would you get there?" Cisco scooped you off of the hospital bed, dumping the towels off of your lap, and hoisted you into his arms. You let out a squeak at the sudden contact, your eyes as wide as tea saucers. He chuckled, the sound echoing deep in his chest.
"Hang on, cutie." You looped your arms around Cisco's neck and clung tightly. You hadn't been picked up and carried since highschool, so the feeling was incredibly foreign and strange. Cisco was warm, warmer than you expected, and strong. His arms curled around you as he carried you bridal style with a smug smile on his face.
"You're awful quiet." Cisco mused. He smelled like fall, like spice cake and coffee and apples, with a touch of something you couldn't place.
"I'm not exactly used to this." You responded, shutting your eyes and nuzzling into his neck.
"What, you never been carried before?"
"Not in a long time, and that was because some dude shoved me in a locker and it broke my ankle." That made Cisco laugh.
"Well enjoy it while you can, princess, because we're here."
Somehow, you were so distracted that you were already at the top of the lift, looking out over the shimmering blue water that filled the tank. Cisco had decked out the tank since you had last seen it, setting pool floats loose on the top and coating the bottom in river rocks. Lanterns floated on the top of the water. Cisco set you down in an inflatable donut, giving you a gentle push out into the water. You sighed at the coolness of the liquid on your skin, having missed the feeling. Cisco turned on some music before taking off his damp shirt.
"Wow, giving me a strip tease before you've even taken me to dinner?" You joked, shooting Cisco a playful grin. He laughed, and the sound was music to your ears.
"I mean hey. I did bring you big belly burger yesterday." Cisco winked at you as he sat down on the edge of the lift.
"That you did. What a gentleman." You teased, sliding out of your donut float and submerging yourself. Cisco watched you glide through the water and smiled. He sat on the edge of the tank, dipping his feet into the water and letting himself stare for a little while. You surfaced next to him, resting your upper body on the platform.
"So, you going to join me? Or did you put on a swimsuit for nothing?" You teased, poking him in the thigh. You took a moment to let your eyes wander. Cisco wasn't Oliver Queen, who was all bulging muscles and raw strength, or Barry, who was sleek and lean and streamlined, but he certainly was pleasing to the eyes. His shoulders were pleasantly broad, and he was well toned from building machinery.
"I was enjoying the view." Cisco reached out and brushed his fingertips against your face, pushing back a wet strand of hair. You blushed and smiled, leaning into his touch slightly. You brought your hand up to his, pressing his palm to your cheek. With a smooth, strong movement, you grabbed Cisco's arm and pulled hard, dragging him into the water. He fell in with a shriek and a splash.
You let go of his arm once he was all the way in, and let yourself laugh. He pulled himself up onto an inflatable raft, coughing and spitting. You surfaced just enough to look at him, only your eyes peeking up above the water. Cisco looked a little bit like a wet cat. You stared at each other, tense, for almost a minute. Cisco was the one to break the silence.
"I can't believe you just did that." You filled your mouth with water and spit it at him as if you were a fancy Italian fountain. He just blinked at you.
A second later, he launched himself over the float and tackled you into the water. Both of you careened towards the bottom, a flood of bubbles escaping your lungs. You struggled playfully, wiggling your fins as if you were actually trying to escape his arms. He eventually had to come up for air, but only after you 'admitted defeat'.
When both of you surfaced, you heard a very angry throat-clearing from the floor.
Cisco winced, and you both turned around.
Caitlin stood on the floor, arms crossed, with an apologetic-looking Barry behind her.
"I'm so sorry, I tried to stop her."
"WHAT are you DOING?" She sternly asked, doing her signature wobble-walk towards the tank. It was surprisingly intimidating.
"Uh… swimming?" You answered quietly. Caitlin looked at your tail through the glass, peering critically at the prosthetic attached to it. She looked between the fin, you, and Cisco for almost a solid minute.
"Just get out of the tank and be grateful I'm not going to lock the medbay doors from now on." She waddled out, Barry in tow.
Cisco turned to you. A laugh bubbled up from his throat, and you felt a flutter in your chest. He took your hand and started guiding you towards the platform, and at the same second, Cisco Ramon stole your heart.
