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The One With the Thoughtfulness

"What do you think Caitlin wants for Christmas?"

Barry jumped as Cisco suddenly spoke. Not an unusual thing for him to do but the two had been sitting in silence for the last half hour and Barry had gotten used to it. They were the only two left at the Lab, as Barry had insisted everyone else get as early a night as they could. Cisco's unprompted question seemed overly loud in comparison to the otherwise silent Cortex.

"What?" he said stupidly.

"I was just thinking," Cisco said, leaning back and beginning to spin in his chair. "It's December and she brought us in those Christmas cookies this morning. I should probably get planning Christmas gifts. Do you think there's anything Caitlin wants?"

"Since when do you plan gifts?"

"Are you saying I don't give thoughtful presents? Because I searched high and low over the internet to get you that I'm a CSI – Clever, Scientific, Informative t-shirt last year."

Barry choked back a laugh at remembering that particular gift. "Right. Because I wear slogan t-shirts all the time."

Cisco pursed his lips. "Point. I would totally wear it if I was a CSI. But what would the world of engineering do without me?"

"So many ways to answer that question…" Barry muttered.

"Anyways, what do you think Caitlin would want for Christmas?"

Barry felt heat creeping up the back of his neck. "Dunno." He shrugged, playing for casual. "Haven't really thought about it."

"Hmm, yeah we've got some time left."

And just like that Cisco went back to working in silence. Which was good. As Barry wasn't very decent at lying and he'd actually already thought of, planned, wrapped, and given Caitlin some presents this year…

But they were little things, tokens really, in the grand scheme of things. Especially compared to gift twenty-five - if his idea of a main present worked out.

Barry looked at the time and realised it was approaching midnight. He could do with an early night himself, and he still had to play Santa on the way home.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night," he said.

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

"How much longer are you staying? Want me to wait?"

"I'm fine Barry," Cisco replied. "But tell you what. If I don't text you in half an hour saying I'm at home then I give you full permission to worry and get back here, all Flash and ready to save me. Poor little Vibe me with no way of defending myself, except to wait for you to come be my knight in lightning armour."

"You know it's not nice to joke when all I'm trying to do-"

"Yesterday was a fluke." Cisco interrupted. "Relax and try to remember that, yeah? Besides already got the new communication protocols in place and now I only have twenty-eight minutes to get home before you panic."

Barry shook his head but grinned. "Fine. See you in the morning."

He flashed down the corridor and out of the Cortex, back at his place a second later. The small studio apartment wasn't great, but it had its own entrance, so no worries about neighbours possibly observing his strange comings and goings, and no memories or ties to Iris in any way. As it was small though, he had had to give over some of his living room to his endeavour for Caitlin.

Barry quickly assembled tomorrow's box and carefully packaged the present, wondering if he'd got this right and if she'd like it as much as he thought she would. Glancing at the clock he waited a moment, or rather forty-nine seconds, until it was officially midnight. It was now 5th December and picking up the number 5 box he'd just prepared he flashed to Caitlin's apartment.

Carefully Barry placed the box on Caitlin's door mat, arranging it so it was perfectly straight. A noise form the other side of the door made his head snap up and then he was gone, hiding around the corner at the end of the corridor.

Barry heard the sound of a lock being undone and he knew he should get out of there, let her open her present in privacy but he really wanted to see her reaction. She'd thanked him and shown she liked the gifts, but that was when shed had time to compose herself.

Before he let himself change his mind Barry quickly vibrated himself so light could pass through him, basically making himself invisible.

Caitlin's front door opened and she quickly looked up and down the corridor. Her face pulled in a frown but then changed completely into a smile as she noticed the box. Carefully she bent down and picked it up. Hugging it to herself she slipped the lid off.

"Oh," she sighed as she pulled out the red scarf. It had a thin sparkly yellow thread running through it that gathered and criss-crossed at the ends, almost in the pattern of a snowflake. "How beautiful."

Caitlin wrapped it around her shoulders, whilst being careful not to drop the box, and snuggled her face into as she turned back into her apartment. Her happy, beaming face.

She liked it, Barry thought as he let his body slow down and come to stand as normal. And he found himself grinning helplessly as he headed back home.

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