"Ooh, this is interesting," Caitlin expressed gleefully as she scrolled through a website.
"What's interesting?" Cisco asked monotonously. He was leaning back in his seat with his feet propped up on the table, throwing a tennis ball in the air, over and over again, in his boredom. (It was a slow day at STAR Labs).
"I was just searching if there were any interesting Christmas activities happening in the area, and apparently there is this really cute parade taking place in Blue Valley."
"Meh."
Caitlin frowned. "Oh, come on! From the pictures they have from last year's, all the floats are creatively designed and prettily lit up" - she looked over at her friend who still looked unconvinced - "Didn't you say you wanted to take Cynthia to something Christmas-y, since Earth-19 has a rather grotesque way of celebrating?"
The mechanical engineer paused just as he was about to throw the tennis ball back up. He looked over at the doctor, eyebrows raised. "I did…" he said measuredly.
She grinned. "This would be a perfect way to show her how we celebrate Christmas. Not to mention, it's going to be at night, meaning it's going to be colder, and you guys could snuggle under a blanket and drink hot chocolate as the parade goes by," she detailed, her eyes glinting a bit wistfully, wishing she had someone to do that with, but she quickly pushed that thought aside.
Cisco watched her for a beat, his face thoughtful, before dropping his feet to the ground and standing up. "You're going to invite Barry too, right?"
Her heart skipped a beat at just the sound of his name. She licked her lips. "Yeah...Why?"
He nodded his head, mumbling things under his breath, more to himself than at her.
"Cisco!"
His head snapped up. "Huh, what? Nothing. Nothing! Just wondering," he said, shrugging innocently enough. "I don't need you cramping my and Cynthia's style by third-wheeling."
The doctor playfully scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Gee, thanks, Cisco. You sure know how to make a girl feel welcomed."
He chuckled. "Oh, you'll be thanking me for real at the end of that night though," he hollered on his way out.
Caitlin's face scrunched all up. Thanking him for what?
…
On the day of the parade, Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Cynthia all met in the speed lab, wearing their warmest winter clothes and armed with the essentials of what they'd need - blankets, chairs, and a thermos of delicious hot chocolate. For clandestined travel, a breach was then created to a deserted alley in Blue Valley that was not far from the parade, but secluded enough to pop out unseen.
"Wow!" Caitlin let out in awe as the group exited the alley. The town had been lavishly decorated for the Christmas season. Everywhere they looked had garlands and lights and snow and more!
"It's like Christmas threw up," Cisco muttered, looking at the same sights with distaste.
Caitlin frowned just as she saw Cynthia swat at Cisco's arm. "I think it looks great."
The mechanical engineer ducked his head, slouching. "Me too, me too," he meekly insisted.
The doctor shook her head at the pair, laughing quietly to herself. She was glad they got back together; they were good for each other.
"Well, I love it." Caitlin stated, fondly looking at the town, the festiveness feeling in the air inflating her lungs and going straight to her heart.
"I love it too," she then heard Barry say close to her ear, giving her goosebumps that she was glad her winter layers were covering. She turned her head, seeing Barry next to her, already looking at her with a heart-bursting grin. "It's like they created their own little Winter Wonderland."
"It does look like that," she agreed, smiling at the description he used. "The website showed more of the parade stuff, so I wasn't expecting the town to look like...this," she continued, gazing at her surroundings once more - she honestly felt like a little kid who found Santa's workshop. "It's so beautiful!"
"Yeah...it is…" Barry said, and when Caitlin turned back to him, he was still looking at her, his expression serene.
But her attention was quickly torn away as an arm came abruptly down on her shoulders. "Where are we setting up shop, Snow Patrol?" Cisco asked. "If I hold these chairs much longer, my arms might fall off."
Caitlin rolled her eyes at her friend's theatrics before she took out a map of the parade route. "We could try here," she said pointing to a particular street that seemed to be just a couple blocks north. "It's towards the end of the route, but maybe then not many people will be lining up there just yet," she reasoned.
Cisco looked at the map intensely, thinking over it for a moment. "Sounds good enough to me," he said, readjusting the chairs in his arms before walking towards the designated area with Cynthia following closely behind him.
As Caitlin began to follow them, Barry appeared at her side, hands shoved into his black parka jacket, matching her pace for them to walk together. "So, uh, what made you want to do all of this?"
Caitlin shrugged, shoving her own hands into her pockets. "We always seem so busy around this time of year, but it's been quiet, so I wanted to try and do something Christmas-y."
The speedster nodded thoughtfully. "Well thanks for inviting me.".
"Of course," she responded automatically, playfully knocking into his side. "I love hanging out with you."
She noticed the tips of his ears were turning beet red. "I...I really love hanging out with you too," he responded gently, his eyes holding a sense of conviction, like he was trying to say something else too.
"Hey! You two!" they then heard from down the road. Both of the scientists snapped their heads forward to see that it was Cisco, waving his hands. "Can you pick up the pace a little?!"
.
"I think this is a good enough place," Cisco stated as he found an open spot along the street big enough for the four of them. He then unceremoniously let the chairs that he had been carrying drop with a flair.
"Cisco!" Caitlin bemoaned.
"What?!" he let out. "They're fine!"
The doctor sighed, reaching down to pick up the chairs, only then to realize that there were only two. "Why are there only two chairs?"
"They're two-seater chairs. So me and Cynthia get one," he started as he picked up one and set it up for him and his girlfriend, "and then you and Barry get the other," he finished simply enough, though he was smirking at her.
Caitlin squinted her eyes at him, scrutinizing every inch of his face 10 times over. Vibing may have been Cisco's thing, but when it came to Cisco, she could do a little vibing of her own after knowing him for so long; he was up to something.
"What?!" he exclaimed upon seeing her calculating eyes, acting scandalized. "These two chairs were half the price of four single ones!"
"If you don't want to share one, I can just sit on the curb," Barry quietly offered from behind her.
Caitlin whirled around to face her speedster friend. "What? No! Don't be ridiculous! I don't mind at all," she insisted, and she really didn't. It was just that, recently, it had felt harder and harder to hide her feelings for the brave forensic scientist. And while she was up for spending some quality time with him, she didn't think she'd be doing so this closely.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes flickering unsurely towards Cisco before back to her.
"Of course," Caitlin let out, opening up the chair and patting the seat next to her as she sat. "I was just not expecting this. That's all," she told him, and she swore she heard Cisco snicker at that, but when she looked over, he was turned away, cozying up next to Cynthia on their own two-seater.
Barry took the offered seat next to her, and because of the lack of space, their shoulders and hips and thighs were all aligned, brushing each other with every move. She felt like every single one of her nerve ends were screaming, a pull to him so palpable. His body heat was engulfing her air, his voice sounding so clear and gentle in her ears, and a sudden aroma wafted over to her, making her think of freshly baked Snickerdoodle cookies - her favorite.
"Is that new cologne?"
Barry bashfully chuckled. "Um, yeah. I'm trying something new," he answered. "Do - do you like it?"
He was asking for her opinion? "Yeah, yeah. It smells really good, actually." She leaned closer, getting a better whiff of it. "Do I smell cinnamon? I love that smell."
"I know," he blurted out, before his eyes widened. "I just, I remember you saying that before-So do you know what kind of floats there are going to be?" he said all rushedly, the tips of his ears reddening for the second time that night.
Caitlin's brows arched downwards at the whiplash of subjects, but proceeded to answer his question after a shake of the head. "Um, not really; it seems to change a lot from year to year. Most of them are handmade from the people of the town, supporting local charities and organizations. It looks cute from the pictures though," she said with a shrug.
"All I know about parades are from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day one that they have on TV each year," Barry admitted sheepishly. "So when I think of parades, I think of massive balloons and lip-singing."
The doctor chortled. "Yeah, I don't think there will be too much of that," she joked, and they both laughed, and Caitlin couldn't help but focus on his peaceful face, watching him watch the other parade viewers settle in their seats and at the guys walking up the road with carts filled with holiday knit knacks and food. "You've really never been to a parade before?"
His attention swiveled back to her. "No…uh..." he began with a roll of his shoulders, "It was hard to. First with my dad, since he was a doctor and always on call. And then same with Joe, but because he was a cop..."
She bobbed her head, acknowledging his statement. "Well I'm glad your first time is with me," Caitlin said innocently enough, not really thinking until she saw Barry's shy, amused smirk. "Oh, wow, that came out wrong!" she fretted.
But Barry only chuckled, purposely bumping into her shoulder. "No, it's fine. I like that you are involved in popping my parade virginity," he teased, and it made Caitlin flush from her cheeks down to the tips of her toes.
"Yes, well…" she let out breathily, before swallowing with a definitive nod. "Glad to be here."
His body shook briefly with silent laughter, flashing her a wide grin that creased the corner of his eyes and mouth. He always looked the most handsome when his smile was genuine and carefree like that. Caitlin swiftly shook her head and diverted her gaze, trying to dismiss the way he made her all giddy inside, knowing nothing was going to come of it. To distract herself, she picked up the blanket that had been left by her side and laid it out over her lap.
"Hey, do you mind sharing that blanket? I'm getting a little chilly."
"There aren't anymore blankets?" she puzzledly asked, knowing Cynthia had been the one holding the stack earlier.
Barry looked around. "Just yours and the one Cisco and Cynthia are sharing."
Her mind dinged. "Cisco," she frustratingly whispered to herself; she should've known better when Cisco said he'd handle the chair and blanket situation. "Here," she said, lifting the blanket off her lap and handing it to Barry.
The speedster immediately shook his head, trying to hand it back. "I don't want to take it from you."
"No, honestly, it's fine," she said. "I'm a metahuman with cold powers, so I don't get cold that easily, remember?"
His shoulders slouched. "Oh...right..." he said, the smile he sent her way lacking its usual authenticness as he reluctantly took the blanket.
"Caity, Caity, Caity," Killer Frost then snarkily trilled inside her head. "Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"
Caitlin mentally scoffed. "What are you talking about?" she thought, conversing with Frost.
"He's not cold either, Dr. Nimrod."
"Then why would he…?"
"Seems like the hero is trying to make a move," she said, before grumbling ever so quietly in the recesses of their mind, "...finally."
The doctor's heart spiked as she looked at Barry, who had his head turned, talking to Cisco and Cynthia about something. Caitlin's teeth nawed on her bottom lip, pondering the possibilities. Was he really trying to make a move, or was he just being sweet and thoughtful Barry? She could feel Frost rolling her eyes.
"Actually, on second thought," Caitlin piped up, causing Barry to turn to her, "mind if we share that blanket after all? I - I wouldn't want people thinking I'm immune to the cold or..or they might start thinking I'm a meta or something," she said, wincing slightly at the poor excuse, but Barry didn't seem to pick up on it, or at least mind, as his eyes brightened.
"Right...Right!" he said, nodding along with the logic. "Good thinking."
Her face burned with a blush as Barry hurriedly spread the blanket out to cover them both. It all felt so intimate, and it made her think of crazy actions like laying her head on his shoulder. But she refrained, instead she looked forward, watching parade march by, pointedly trying to ignore her friends burning presence.
"So, did you go to parades often?" Barry asked moments later as a marching band finished their rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
Caitlin nodded her head, a content smile creeping up on her face as the flashbacks of past parades flew by her eyes. "When was I was a little girl, there was this Christmas parade near my hometown - a lot like this one, actually."
"That must have been great."
"It was...my parents would make a whole weekend out of it - with Christmas movie marathons, baking, shopping…" she trailed off, reminiscing. "We even had these gingerbread house competitions, and oh, my..." but she trailed off, noticing that Barry was looking at her rather intently. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she suddenly asked, wiping at her cheeks self-consciously.
Barry chuckled, shaking his head amusingly. "No, no," he quickly reassured her. "Just...continue what you were saying, please."
She took a breath. "Um, I think I was just going to say that my mom was terrible at putting together the houses, and that my dad was just as bad at decorating the gingerbread houses. The man had literally no sense of design."
"Hmm." He leaned forward, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her amusingly. "And how were your gingerbread house skills?"
"Pretty good the last time I did it," she said. "Though I was like 12 at the time."
His expression turned thoughtful. "We should have a competition of our own sometime soon, because I am a master gingerbread house creator and decorator extraordinaire."
"Oh you are, are you?"
He cheekily grinned. "Oh yeah, for sure. No one ever came close."
"Was that because no one else was trying?" Caitlin quipped, causing Barry to let out a whooped laugh.
"Hey! That was mean," he said playfully indignant before he poked her in the side, causing her to squirm giggily at the action.
His eyebrows jumped up intriguingly. "Are you ticklish, Dr. Snow?" he innocently asked, but the grin threatening to overspill his face meant he already knew the answer as his hand hovered over her side.
"Barry," she started cautiously, but was soon interrupted by her own giggles as he began tickling her mercilessly.
She shrieked, barrels of laughter escaping from her throat as Barry smilingly continued. She writhed in her seat, her body folding in on herself as she tried to combat the tickles. But all of a sudden, Barry's end of the chair collapsed, making Caitlin slide down and fall on top of Barry with an 'oof'.
The speedster looked up at her with wide eyes. "Are - are you okay?"
Panting - from the tickles she just underwent and the scare of the fall - Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You?"
Barry nodded too, and God she could count every freckle on his ridiculously good-looking face.
"Whoa there," they then heard Cisco say, finding him standing nearby, "this is a family event, you two."
Both the scientists crinkled their foreheads puzzledly before looking down and realizing the positions they were currently in. Not only was Caitlin half straddling Barry, but his one hand was flush against one of her breasts while one of hers were near his crotch. They both immediately snatched their hands away, blushing madly as they let out a chorus of sorrys.
Caitlin quickly got up to her feet and immediately leveled her long-haired friend with a glare. "Cisco," she began gratingly, her nose flaring, "may I have a word with you?"
"What possibly - ah!" he said, yelping as she roughly snatched his arm and walked him a few paces away so that Barry couldn't hear them so clearly.
"What are you doing?" she whispered to him frustratingly.
"Trying to enjoy the parade!"
"More like trying to embarass me in front of Barry!"
"I didn't do anything!"
She folded her arms across her chest. "So you just happened to be standing right there when our chair collapsed?" she asked dubiously.
"I got up to get hot chocolate!"
"And a brand new, store-bought chair just so happened to break at that precise time?"
"I guess that's what happens when you buy cheap chairs…?" he answered with a shrug.
The doctor defeatingly sighed, seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with the mechanical engineer. If he had done it, he wasn't going to be admitting to it any time soon. "Can you at least fix the chair then?"
He grinned. "Of course. I just so happen to have a screwdriver on me." Caitlin narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I always have one on me, and not just for when I'm planning on rigging chairs in the hopes of getting my two best friends together."
Her brain whirled, mouth sputtering. "Wait, what?!"
Cisco's eyes widened. "Imma fix that chair for you," he rushedly said before scampering away.
Caitlin frowned at her friend's back. She knew he had been up to something, but to actually know that he was trying to get her and Barry together left her feeling slightly unsettled. What if Barry didn't want to be set up with her?
"Oh, please," Frost scoffed. "The boy looks at you like you've just descended from Heaven all the damn time."
The doctor bristled. "No, he doesn't."
"Look at him right this second."
The doctor refrained from rolling her eyes as she shifted her gaze to where she last saw Barry, only for her heart to jump high in her chest when she saw him already looking her way. And as their sights caught each other, he heisently flashed her a smile, before bashfully dipping his head and averting his eyes. His ears tinged scarlet once more as he spoke to Cisco in hushed whispers, stealing glances at her every so often as he did.
"See? He can't keep his eyes off of you."
Caitlin swallowed. "Shut up," she told Frost before walking back over, all the while trying to calm her heart from beating itself right out of her chest, which was becoming increasingly difficult the closer she got to Barry. It didn't help that Cisco sent her a smug wink as he saw her approaching, twirling his screwdriver in hand as he waltzed back over to where he was sitting with Cynthia.
"Is it fixed?" she asked Barry, who had been standing in front of their chair, looking at it contemplatively.
Barry nodded uneasily before turning to her. "I'm still a little scared to sit on it though," he joked.
Caitlin let out a small giggle, but agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't fixed; it's definitely something Cisco would do to further torment us."
He winced. "Yeah, about that..." he said, trailing off momentarily to rub the back of his neck, "I'm sorry."
Her eyebrows crinkled. "What are you sorry for?"
The speedster hesitantly laughed. "Cisco, um...he means well, but he's been extra persistent about something today..." Barry reluctantly detailed. "And I'm sorry if that's become somewhat of a nuisance for you."
"It's not your fault," Caitlin insisted, waving the matter off while her stomach clenched and swirled. Was Cisco being persistent towards Barry the same way he was being persistent towards her?
"I feel bad though, so let me take one for the team," he said, squatting down cautiously onto the chair. Once seated, he moved around, testing its durability. "I think we're good now," he said, looking up at her with a beaming smile that only enticed one to spring up on her own face.
"That might have been the bravest thing you've ever done," she teased as she took her seat next to him.
He let out a belly laugh. "Well, if it keeps my favorite doctor safe, it's worth it," he told her gently as he draped their blanket over their laps, like they had been before their fall, his smile towards her so soft and sheepish, leaving her endeared and entranced. No matter how hard she fought it, she fell a little more in love with him a little more and more everyday.
Barry suddenly chuckled, breaking Caitlin from her thoughts. "What?" she curiously wondered.
He merely shook his head with laughter as he hiked his thumb over his shoulder. Caitlin's eyes followed the trajectory to then see Cisco and Cynthia in a heavy liplock. And their hands, well, they were moving quite a lot under their shared blanket, and the doctor wasn't sure if she wanted to analyze that further.
"Oh my," Caitlin said, laughing as she looked away. "Well, they certainly are...in the Christmas spirit."
"That they are," Barry agreed, taking a quick look back at the duo before swiveling his attention to solely on her. "But I have to admit," he started, cocking his head to the side, looking at her a bit apprehensively before taking the plunge, "I'm kind of jealous…"
"Jealous?" she repeated laughily. "Jealous about what? Do you have the hots for Cynthia or something?" she teased.
"What? Huh? No!" Barry rapidly drilled out with wide eyes. "Not-not that Cynthia isn't a very attractive woman," he quickly amended. "It's just...I'm jealous that Cisco has someone that he can be like that with, you know?" he told her, and she couldn't help but notice his pupils were ridiculously dilated, making his beautiful emerald eyes almost as dark as the night's sky.
She bit down on her lip and she noticed his eyes flickered to the impression her teeth were making, his Adam's apple bobbing, before his gaze found hers again. Caitlin didn't need Frost's help or Cisco's prodding this time to know what Barry was really saying.
Without warning, she closed the already short gap to press a gentle peck against his mouth. "You mean like that?" Caitlin breathlessly asked, pulling away just enough to study his face.
He had a mixture of surprise and awe overtaking his features as he blearily blinked his eyes back open. "Y-yeah," he stuttered out, nodding as he looked downwards at her lips again. "Can - can we do that again though? I wasn't ready."
Her cheeks flamed as she let out a timid giggle. "Yes," she said as they smilingly leaned back into another kiss.
Barry's warm hand cupped her cheek as his warm lips moved against her own. He was just so warm, always so warm, and that warmth always melted her guarded walls and thawed out the iciness in her veins. All she wanted to do was pull him impossibly closer so that she could bask in it.
A huge wave of music then sounded from a float that had turned onto their street. It permeated into their senses and interrupted their kiss, reminding them that they were out in public. The duo begrudgingly separated, cheeks red and smiles shy.
"Maybe - maybe we should continue this later," Barry commented quietly, making Caitlin's blush deepen and her heart flutter.
"Yes, that would probably be for the best," she replied with a laugh so gleeful and pumped with happiness. She felt like she was shining as bright as the lights on the floats meandering by.
"Do you think we can go to this again next year? You know, if we have time. Because I'm really enjoying this parade thing," he said, putting his arm around her back.
She snorted as her head naturally found its way to Barry's shoulder, the cinnamon smell of his cologne pleasantly tingling her nose. "If you're serious, I would love to come back."
His hold on her tightened. "Very serious," he mumbled into her hair before nuzzling his head down against hers.
Caitlin let out a content sigh, her heart feeling big and full. "It sounds perfect."
…
"Soooooo," Cisco sang out as he sidled up next to her. The parade was over and they were all walking towards the alley they had arrived in - Barry was walking ahead, talking animatedly to Cynthia about Christmas on Earth-19, leaving Cisco to hang back with Caitlin, a smug grin taking up his face. "Do you have something to tell me?"
Caitlin gave it a second's thought before shaking her head. "Not that I can think of…"
The long-haired man visibly deflated, his lips turning downwards. "Not something about a certain speedster maybe…?" he prompted.
"Nope."
Cisco sputtered. "But - but, I saw you two. You kissed and were cuddling all throughout the parade!"
"Were we?" she asked breezily.
"Yes!" he exclaimed impatiently.
Caitlin shrugged. "You must have been looking at a weird angle."
"No, no, no," he insisted. "I know what I saw."
The doctor finally broke her facade as she smiled, letting out a laugh. "You are too easy sometimes."
"You are so mean! So cold!" he whined. "Why do you torture me? I have invested a lot of time into this!"
She raised a brow. "You have, have you?"
"Yes," he stated exasperatedly. "Because if I waited for you guys to get together, we'd be waiting and 5 or so years. Years, I tell you! You both needed a push!"
"Or a fall?" she suggested pointedly with an unamused purse of her lips.
Cisco nervously laughed. "Hehe, y-yeah, I thought sharing a seat and blanket would do the trick, but the chair falling, I think that was a nice touch. Definitely made sure everything was put into motion," he shared, and Caitlin snorted, causing the mechanical engineer to look at her peculiarly. "Everything is in motion, isn't it?"
The doctor looked ahead at Barry, who was still talking to Cynthia. He must of felt her gaze, however, since she soon found his eyes locked with hers, causing smiles to break out on both of their faces. He sent a wink in her direction, that left Caitlin's insides feeling fuzzy, before he turned back to his conversation with the bounty hunter. "Yeah…" she started, her lips growing into a wider grin by the second. "Yeah, things are in motion."
Cisco beamed.
"Oh, and Cisco?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you," she said graciously.
He smirked. "Told you you would say that," he told her, to which Caitlin fondly rolled her eyes at. "But you're welcome, Snow Patrol. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Cisco."
A/N: Another update! (Wow, this is taking me forever to finish and I hate myself for it lol). Hope you enjoyed it! Would really appreciate reviews - they are probably my main motivation to finish this series. lol.
ALSO, I uploaded a Snowbarry Valentine's oneshot titled "of disaster dates to something more," so if you haven't read that yet, give it view! :)
REVIEW REPLY:
thomasmagyar15: Aww, something with Barry and Frost would be cute. I'll have to think on it though, since nothing is coming to mind at the time. Thanks for the suggestion and for reading/reviewing! :)
MayaMarie: Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Pete dude 44: Oooh, like when Barry shows up at the party with Caitlin! ahhh! lol. Poor Caitlin just got interested into someone again only for her best friend and him to clash, at first, of course though! lol. I will see. That would probably be for something separate than this series though. Thanks for the idea and for reading/reviewing!
Raquel: Thank you for reading and reviewing!
ellek: Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing!
pmbb: So glad you enhoy how I write them. I try my best! lol. Thanks for reading/reviewing!
666: Thanks so much for your kind words. And thanks for reading/reviewing! :)