SnowHarry prompt: not-a-date date!

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Caitlin glanced at Harrison for a second before looking at the tickets in his hand.

"No. Not a date, Snow. Just…" Harrison sighed as he started to realize this was a terrible idea after all. "I simply wanted to ask if you would join me for the evening… it would be a shame to let these tickets go to waste."

"Tickets to a… monster truck rally." She repeated the words, slowly and carefully, hearing her heart beating wildly against her chest, even though he had outright said that this wasn't a date.

"Ramon can't make it, he has other plans with someone named Lisa… and he offered me the tickets." Shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, Harrison turned to go, knowing that asking Caitlin to see monster trucks was probably laughable to her. "And Barry is busy with Joe and Iris. Some family dinner with the long-lost son."

He wasn't about to tell her that she had been the first choice in his mind… odd as it was… his feelings towards the woman were… complicated now that she was no longer with Garrick. Harrison knew he didn't want to come across as trying to be someone for Caitlin that he couldn't be. In all honesty, he just wanted… a friend… were they friends? He didn't know.

"Wait." What came as a surprise to him and to Caitlin herself was when she reached out and grabbed his hand without a second's thought.

For a moment the two of them simply stood there, face to face, mere feet apart from each other; in the silence of the Cortex, Caitlin knew that no matter what her feelings were towards this Harrison, the man who had saved her life from Grodd, the man she had saved after getting shot at, the man who was alone and out of his… world… she should at least try to take a step forward in their… acquaintance. After all, he had been the first to make a move and ask her out… or not… not on a date… but out. And in the weeks since she had realized her feelings for Jay had been misplaced, Caitlin found herself coming to terms with the truth that she had always been drawn towards Harry. The strange and unique circumstances of his arrival were complicated given how much he had resembled the Harrison Wells she had known for years, but after spending months with Harry, Caitlin had been able to differentiate the two men. She had no idea what was going on in his mind, he still was focused on getting his daughter back, fighting to stop Zoom and helping Barry in whatever way he could, but the idea of just… taking a step back to breathe… made Caitlin feel like maybe Harrison was trying to find a sense of normalcy in the midst of everything, if it was even possible.

"I've never seen monster trucks before." Was all she said to him, a small smile forming on her face.

There was no need to say anything else. Even if it wasn't a date, it was still something, and right now, Caitlin knew that both of them could use the night off.

"It's been a while since I've seen them myself." Harrison replied back, wanting to talk to Caitlin about this. "Back home… it was a big deal… I used to try and make it once a year at least."

"You know, I don't think I would have pictured scientists like us having a fondness for monster trucks, but I see the appeal." Caitlin grinned as she found that slipping into a conversation was easy enough.

Harrison didn't say anything for a moment… Caitlin had said 'scientists like us' which was something he hadn't… no one really used his name together with theirs before. Except his family. Jesse and her mother. Together they were a family who always went with 'we' and hearing someone else… hearing Caitlin say it so nonchalantly made him wonder if maybe he shouldn't have stated that this wasn't a date so bluntly.

"Well I'm sure you'll stick to that opinion by the end of tonight." He said to her at last, walking over to grab his jacket and baseball cap.

"Are you sure that's the best disguise you have?" Trying her best not to laugh, Caitlin bit her lip at the sight of Harrison trying to be inconspicuous now that he was about to go out in public.

"I can't really show my face to this world now can I?" Harrison didn't know what else to do; he remembered Officer Spivot recognizing him… or rather his doppelganger even with the disguise on.

Caitlin took a step closer to him and met his blue eyed gaze for a brief second before reaching up to remove said disguise, hoping her blush wasn't visible in the dimly lit Cortex.

"If you ask me, the idea of Harrison Wells going to see monster trucks is something no one would even dream about." She said in a soft voice, well aware of the distance between them. Or the lack of it.

"But…" He was ready to protest when Caitlin made another bold move and covered his lips with a finger.

"It'll be okay. You don't wear glasses, you aren't in a wheelchair and even your hair isn't the same as the other one. Plus you'll be with me. If anyone recognizes us, we can just… disappear into the crowd." Caitlin had no idea where this sudden change had overcome her, but she felt a thrilling rush and didn't want it to stop.

This was what being around Harrison did to her on a daily basis if she thought about it… fighting meta-humans was Barry's responsibility… but every time she and Harrison worked together side by side trying to help him, that adrenaline rush was always there. And tonight she wanted to grab onto it as much as she wanted to just be with him.

"After you then… Caitlin." Harrison grinned as he gave in to her reasoning; whatever would happen once they left the Lab was not in his hands, but if they were together then maybe he'd make it back in one piece this time.

A/N: This was inspired by House & Cameron's date from season 1!