A/N: Okay guys, sorry that this chapter is coming out later than I expected...between the holidays and a couple family emergencies, I haven't had much time to write. However, this prompt from Guest was SO much fun to write and I hope you all enjoy this slightly-late holiday chapter!

(We are taking a break from Captain Cold for a minute, though!)


"So, who are you taking to the big Christmas party tonight?"

Barry glared at Eddie with irritation and ignored his question.

"Because," the man continued, obviously not aware that this was a sore spot for Barry, "Iris is dying of curiosity. She says that you won't tell her either."

"There's a good reason for that," Barry muttered under his breath.

"Hmm?" Eddie paused, obviously having missed Barry's comment.

"Nothing," Barry said curtly, hoping to end the conversation.

Finally, Eddie took the hint and smiled. "Well, I guess it'll just be a surprise then. See you tonight!"

"Yeah," Barry mumbled with a complete lack of enthusiasm. "Tonight."

"How was I supposed to know that everyone was bringing dates?" Barry ranted, pacing around the lab and throwing his arms in the air in frustration. "No one mentions it - not even once - until today. And now, EVERYONE suddenly wants to know who I'm going with."

"Dude, chill." Cisco was the only one present in the main part of the lab, so he had been forced to bear the brunt of Barry's tirade. "Not the end of the world."

Barry thought briefly about going, about seeing Iris cuddling up to Eddie all night, about everyone else with a date and him left alone. "Not the end of the world," he agreed grumpily, flinging himself into a chair. "But I can fight the end of the world. The only thing I can't do is get a date."

Cisco leaned towards Barry and shot him a knowing smile. "I know the perfect solution."

Sighing, Barry mentally prepared a suitable refusal for when Cisco offered to make him a robot girlfriend or something similar.

"Ask Caitlin," Cisco whispered, jerking a thumb to where they could see Caitlin through the glass leading into her mini-lab, bent intently over a microscope.

"Thanks, Cisco, but that's a terrib-" Barry stopped in mid-word as what Cisco had actually suggested sunk in. "Caitlin? What?"

"She's single. And a woman."

"But she's...Caitlin!" Barry protested. It wasn't that he didn't want to go with her - actually, going with her sounded much too good to be true. She was probably the only woman that could make him enjoy himself despite Iris and Eddie. But asking her out...he didn't want to ruin their tenuous relationship before she was ready.

"She's single; you're single," Cisco replied, rolling his eyes at Barry's protests. "And you need a lady."

Logically, Barry couldn't come up with a rational excuse. Cisco's suggestion made perfect sense. However, what if she said no? What if she had an awful time? What if this ruined everything he had worked so hard to develop with her? "She wouldn't want to go," he finally said dismissively.

"Ask her," Cisco ordered, his gaze glued to his computer screen again.

Somehow, Barry found himself wearing a suit and escorting the most beautiful woman in the room.

It was all a blur.

"We should probably move out of the doorway," Caitlin whispered into his ear. Her comment should have made him move, but instead he just found himself distracted by the feel of her warm breath against his skin. "Barry," she insisted, tugging him out of the way. Somehow, he managed to snap out of it and follow her out of the doorway and over to the back wall.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" he asked, losing his focus again as he looked at her. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder forest green dress that highlighted her eyes and made her skin glow in contrast with the deep colour. Her hair hung in loose waves, creating a tempting curtain falling down her slender neck. He longed to reach out and touch it, to move the strand aside and see if her skin was really as soft as he imagine.

"A couple times," she smiled. The gesture brought his attention to her lips, which…

Mentally, Barry hit himself. No. He couldn't be thinking about her lips. She was his friend, and he wasn't going to push anything that she didn't want.

"How about I introduce you to some of my friends?" Barry changed the subject desperately ripping his eyes away from her lips to look around the room. "Iris and Eddie have to be around here somewhere. And Joe's gotta be here too."

"Uhh, Barry," Caitlin laid a hand on his arm. "You realize that I've met them all before, right?"

He stared at her for a second. "Yep. I just thought that-"

She cut him off before he could give her his half-formed excuse. "Barry, what's going on? Why are you acting so...nervous?"

"I…" he started, hoping against hope that something would save him from having to tell Caitlin that she was too beautiful and he couldn't seem to stop thinking about her.

"Barry!" a voice interrupted, and he glanced up, relieved to see Iris dragging Eddie through the crowd towards their position in the back of the room. "You made it!"

"Yeah, we're...here," he said lamely, still at a loss for words. Luckily, Iris was more than capable of continuing a conversation without his help.

"And Caitlin," she continued, letting go of Eddie's hand long enough to hug Barry's date. "You look stunning."
Their conversation continued while Barry shook Eddie's hand. He could tell that the other man was happy to see Barry with a date; it was obvious that he didn't always like how close Iris and Barry were.

"You guys do realize that you're standing under the mistletoe, right?" Iris interrupted Barry's thoughts, pointing towards the ceiling with a knowing smile.

Barry glanced up, confirming that the plant was really overhead, and then glanced over at Caitlin.

His heart started beating more quickly.

"Come on Barry, give her a kiss," Eddie encouraged.

Caitlin's eyes met his, and he saw permission there, so he leaned in and pecked her lips so quickly that he barely even felt the contact.

Iris put her hands on her hips - a gesture that invariably meant she was going to lecture Barry. "A real kiss," she emphasized the word 'real.' "It's a Christmas tradition."

"Are you okay with this?" Barry asked, looking at Caitlin again. He couldn't deny that he wanted...okay, really wanted to kiss her, but he wanted to make sure that it was what she wanted too.

She bit her lip, which nearly made Barry groan at the sight, then met his eyes again and nodded.

Deliberately, Barry stepped towards her and put one arm around her waist, pulling her towards him so that they were centered under the mistletoe. With his other hand, he gently brushed a loose strand of her hair back from her face, allowing himself to enjoy the sensation of her skin - softer than he had imagined - against his fingers. Then, he leaned in and his lips met hers in a soft, tender caress. It was everything Barry had hoped it would be, and more. Her scent intoxicated him, her taste excited him.

"Yeah, Barry!" Iris' surprised exclamation reminded him that he was at a party and that now was probably not the ideal time to continue kissing Caitlin like that. "That's what we're talking about!"

Regretfully, Barry pulled back and took in the sight of Caitlin - her lips still slightly parted, her eyes wide.

"Wow," she breathed, touching a hand to her lips automatically.

"Yeah," he echoed, again forgetting Iris and Eddie's presence. "Wow."

"We're...just gonna go," Iris grabbed Eddie's hand and pulled him away, but Barry barely noticed.

"That was some kiss," Caitlin commented, obviously trying to gather her composure.

Realizing that he was still holding her in his arms, Barry released his grip, allowing her to step away. However, he kept one hand gently resting on her back, feeling the heat from her skin through the thin material.

"I'm glad I asked you to come," Barry said, changing the subject slightly.

"So am I," she replied, looking straight ahead. However, Barry could see evidence of a slight smile on her lips, and that made him smile too.

Maybe Christmas parties weren't so awful after all.


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