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Central City was never a more beautiful sight as it was during the holiday season. The lights all around brought an awe that would bring a smile to anyone's face. There were garlands, bows, and tinsel just about anywhere you stepped foot. And to top it off, it decided to snow this year. The air was filled with happiness and kindness, and an overall weird but nice feeling in the air. The beginning of a new year was lingering on everyone's minds, a chance to start over and avoid whatever mistakes were made in the past.
The West Family including Barry and Cisco had gathered at the Central City Police Department's first annual Christmas party. Caitlin, who had made a quick stop to buy a last minute dress, wasn't far behind. Barry and Cisco stood at the bar — Barry's idea since he had a clear view of the entrance — discussing whatever new sci-fi movie Cisco had recently watched.
"Dude, you have to come over and watch it with me?" Cisco's excitement filled up the room. His hands waving in the air, his voice getting increasingly louder.
"Yeah, for sure, you really seemed to like it huh?" Barry replied, a little distracted eyeing the door waiting for Caitlin to arrive. "What was so good about it anyway?"
"Umm yeah!" He defended, in awe of the movie's performance, "there were giant robots fighting each other! Oooh, like this one part when..."
Cisco's voice drifted away, getting lost in the atmosphere. The sight of Caitlin Snow appeared before him. She was almost too much to behold. She looked absolutely stunning . Her delicate curls fell over her shoulders. They complimented her off-the-shoulder wine dress that synched right at her waist and flared out a slightly, just inches above touching the ground. Along with her dress, she brought a small golden purse. Her award-winning smile topped everything off, paired with a lipstick matching the shade of her dress.
His rapid, speedster heartbeat skipped abruptly when he laid his eyes on her. Gently his eyes traced up and down her body, admiring every inch. Her eyes still cast down as she entered the room quietly, trying to make herself appear smaller not to grab the attention of those around her. But he knew she was too breathtaking not to notice. Just her walking in a room caused a pit in his stomach, burning with nerves and a tinge of jealousy, knowing he wasn't the only one who had his eyes on her.
But once she gazed up meeting Barry's eyes, however, there were only butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. Both of them inhaled sharply, a whirlwind of emotions bottled up inside of both of them, just waiting to burst.
Caitlin never doubted that he wasn't going to look absolutely handsome, but she wasn't quite prepared to have her heart flutter as much as it did. Her heart was beginning to fall again, not for just anyone, but for Barry . And as hard as she tried she couldn't ignore these feelings. All of her past loves had been stripped away from her and even though she'd calculated and recalculated the possibly of her and Barry ever being a thing, she couldn't keep her heart from longing for him.
He was one of her best friends, a man that had been there for her when she was in some of the darkest moments in her life. Her life had always revolved around him, patching him up, guiding him through the process of becoming The Flash and somewhere in between falling in love. And in the end, she was always in his too. Their lives were intertwined whether they wanted them to be or not.
It was as if they were the only two people in the room. She broke his trance with a soft smile and a slight wave. He gestured back at her by raising his beer in the air and gesturing for her to come closer to their little group. Barry wouldn't have taken his eyes off of her if he hadn't been interrupted by Cisco's nudge to his arm, "Dude, you're drooling."
"I was not..." He trailed off, tearing his eyes away from her figure, to meet Cisco's.
"Sure, dude." He patted his shoulder and took a swig of his drink, "Whatever you say."
"I wasn't I swear I was just — " He crossed his arms as he hopelessly tried to justify his position, "I mean she just looked — "
"It's fine Barry, you don't have to lie to me." He rolled his eyes knowing Barry was being highly unreasonable.
"But I wasn't — " He defended himself further, "I was just —"
"Caitlin!" Cisco interjected, glancing over at Barry as if to say 'stop making a fool of yourself'. "So nice of you to join us."
The three of them mingled with each other for the most part. They were visited by Iris, Joe, and Wally on occasion but they never seemed to leave each other's side.
"I can't believe that Christmas came so fast this year?" Caitlin stated as she shifted in her seat grabbing hold of her purse.
"You didn't forget about us now, did you?" He asked playfully pretending to be offended, "Well at least not me, Barry on the other hand..."
"Hey?" He glanced up over at Cisco who was trying to hold back his laughter.
"Of course not. You guys are my best friends, I could never forget!" She rummaged through her purse, Cisco waving his eyebrows without her noticing. He wondered whether it was due to the anticipation of the gift or whether it was Caitlin's use of 'best friend' being used on Barry too. Of course, it was more likely the latter but he tried ignoring whatever type of meddling Cisco was throwing their way. "Plus, I got them together!"
Caitlin pulled out their gifts: two Last Jedi tickets — to one of the most comfortable theaters, with the biggest screens and reclining chairs — and two little lightsaber keychains.
"I know it's not much, but" she continued, placing their gifts in their hands as she searched their facial expressions for some type of response, "I hope you like it?"
The joy on their faces were moments she wished she could capture forever. She had never seen her two favorite dorks happier.
"Now don't go trying to battle each other with those mini lightsabers." A giggle escaped her lips.
"No promises" Cisco replied, giving her one of the cheesiest grins. With arms wide open he replied, "Come here!" He pulled her into a giant hug almost squeezing the life out of her. "You're the best! I don't know what'd I do without you."
"Me either," Barry grinned, joining the both of them, creating a cozy and warm group hug. "Thank you so much, Cait."
"Of course, you guys are everything to me. You're my family."
"Ahh, yes," Cisco added reaching down to grab the gifted wrapped box next to him. "And family knows exactly what one wants."
"Wait? Is this what I think it is?" The utter shock and disbelief filled her mind, the drop of her jaw said it all. "No, no. You didn't?"
She glanced up at both of them checking the faces to make sure they weren't messing with her. But once she saw their beautiful, genuine smiles on their faces, urging her to open the box, the little science nerd in her freaked out just a little .
"Oh my goodness." Her hands slid over the box as she read the words, confocal microscope. " How did you guys know? I can't believe it!"
"Well, I heard you mention it over the mics when you guys were betting on me!" He paused relishing in their half-guilty expressions.
"And we both added our money up, along with a little help from Harry, to get it for you," Cisco added.
"Ahh," She let out a slight squeal before hugging the box, "I can't believe it's all mine! I love you guys!"
"We love you too." They both added together before they exchanged another group hug.
❅ ❅ ❅
A few hours had passed, as they rambled on about their lives, a few scientific developments, and the current metahuman threat at hand. But soon the conversation turned into a geek fest over Star Wars. Caitlin, who wasn't caught up on all the episodes yet — much to their disappointment — excused her self to refill her glass of wine.
She glided over the room toward the bar, glancing around the room taking in all of the beauty all around her. Patiently she waited for her refill, all the while getting lost in her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Cisco had urged Barry to go meet her. He noticed how he would marvel at all of her features when she would talk. And the way her smile sparkled a little brighter every time he talked and made every excuse to have his body next to hers. Of course, neither of them ever realized it themselves.
"Hey," Barry snuck up behind her as he maneuvered over to her right side brushing her shoulder. "You alright?"
"Hmm?" She snapped out of her deep thought, his hand cupping her shoulder. "Oh yeah, I'm fine" Her beautiful brown eyes met his, beaming at him.
"So I, I was wondering if, maybe you would like to dance? I mean only if you want to," He rubbed the back of his neck and could feel his face burning as he shook his head waiting for rejection. "Don't feel like you have to..."
"I would love to Barry." She set her glass down adverting her eyes from his.
"Really?" He mumbled under his breath, as he extended his hand in the most cheesy way possible making a goof out of himself. He hadn't really thought this far ahead.
She giggled a little at his disbelief and his exaggerated extended hand. It was as if she was a princess and him her handsome prince. They gently held hands and he guided her to the dance floor.
They situated themselves on the semi-empty dance floor, his heart was racing. He didn't know what to do with his hands or if he should look into her eyes. For if he did, he feared he'd get lost in them unable to find his way back.
"I actually don't know how to dance..." He confessed, his brows furrowing. "I mean besides, you know, making a fool of myself."
"It's okay, Barry" she reassured him, "here let me show you."
She placed his hand just above her hip, her body tensed up a little bit as he fastened his grip. He pulled her in just a tad, almost as second nature and she reassured him it was alright, even if she could barely catch her breath. Then she intertwined her fingers with his.
"See, you've got it. Then you just kind of—" she trailed off, swaying to the right leading him to follow.
He grinned as he tried so desperately to get it right, if not to learn it for himself, to learn it for her. He didn't want to let her down, it was his idea to dance after all. He began to notice her giggling at him but once he met her eyes, she instantly felt the tone change and her smile faded as she stared into the expanse of his heavenly green eyes.
"Cait" he breathed, his lungs barely able to catch the required amount of air to say her name. It was as if his chest was being pressed on by some unknown force — The Force perhaps — and all of a sudden looking at the woman in front of him he could no longer breathe.
Up until this moment, there were a million things circling around in his mind. Thoughts of everything that they had gone through together. Their first meeting in STAR labs that had somehow led to this moment. Him becoming The Flash, him going from girl to girl trying to get his head out of the failure of the unrequited love that was Iris. Even when he had gotten the girl of his dreams, his supposed happy ending had instead turned into a downward spiral. Perhaps it was everything all at once — him going into the speed force, the evil Nazi attack, and the Thinker's plans that ruined it all — or maybe it was just never meant to be. Everything, leading up to his divorce were never happy memories, he always felt like if he'd just changed one simple thing or rather if he hadn't changed the timeline maybe things would be better.
But amongst the bleakness that followed his divorce, he'd found something in Caitlin, something worth fighting for. Something that moved his heart, and eventually made his heart stumble every time they touched. Maybe that little spark had always been there since they had met — in their stolen glances across the room, their lack of personal space, and their minds always in sync — but he was simply too blinded to see it. And maybe deep inside he never thought he could be what she needed him to be. He would never forgive himself for not pursuing her sooner, but it just wasn't the time. At least that's what he had to keep telling himself to keep himself sane.
"Barry?" Her eyebrows furrowing with worry, not knowing what he was to say next.
"I'm so sorry." He tilted his head down, his grip loosening from her hand.
"For what?" she asked as her eyes glanced at his features. Her heart ached, she could tell he was fighting a battle in his mind.
What was there to be sorry about? Frost, was all she could she could think of. By now she was more in-tuned with her powers, but she was still horrified of what could happen if one day she just snapped.
He was tormenting himself, she had seen that look in the mirror more times than she could count. She wanted so badly to help fix him, but she knew better than anyone that if she was still broken, there was no way she could fix him before fixing herself first.
"For letting you down. So many times," His voice broke, his heart pounding at the thoughts of his stupidity and the nerves combined. He ducked his head, "I'm such a — "
His thoughts flashed back to the times when he was so caught up on Iris that he had completely abandoned his friends. He didn't regret loving Iris and being there for her, he would always love her. But abandoning Caitlin and Cisco was something he would never think he would do, especially when they needed him most. Cisco had lost both of his friends for so long, both of them disappearing in a blink of an eye. And Caitlin, the most precious, and loving human being, was fighting literal demons all on her own. But he was so consumed with making sure Iris loved him, that he had failed the one who really needed him.
Even after he had said he was going to correct his mistakes, that he was going to fix her, he let his fears get the best of him. He had let all of his mistakes take over, never thinking that he would be able to help any of them.
Caitlin remembered that so clearly, leaving Team Flash. Both sides of her, battling against the other, somewhere deep down she thought that maybe Barry would come after her. Maybe he would have seen all that Savitar had seen in her, the beauty of Killer Frost and the beauty in Caitlin Snow. He could have had both, still, he could still have both.
But the world needed him, and for that, she couldn't be upset. She couldn't be mad at him for doing what she knew he needed to do. Caitlin knew that calling all too well. The one that would make her jump at the chance to help anyone in need, and she never doubted that Barry would do the same. That was who he was.
She often wondered though, if he hadn't had to leave, would he have come for her? Would their lives be drastically different? Maybe, just maybe they would have both come to the realization that they both needed each other. Kind of like in the movies, they could've fallen in love. But it had all seemed like a dream, a wild and crazy dream that would never come true.
They had both gone through hell and back, but nothing could tear them apart. It was like the universe kept them together like it was on their side. Barry and Caitlin, quite the pair.
"You're perfect." She interrupted. They stopped moving, both of her palms cupped his face forcing him to look back at her. Her brown eyes seeping right through his.
She could see the pain in his eyes, the regret, and the disappointment. She breathed in sharply as she bit her lower lip. Shaking his head he grabbed the backs of her hands, never losing sight of her eyes.
"I'm far from it. I'm a mess Cait."
"You're a beautiful mess." She stared deeply at him trying to transfer all of her emotions through her eyes. "You're only human, Barry." Her thumbs glided over the stubble on his cheeks, "You're the Barry that I" she gulped, "that I fell in love with."
It had been a while since she had committed to that word. She knew the consequences of falling this deep in love again. She knew the pain that came with loss all too well, but she was willing to risk it all for him. Her heart couldn't keep its self at bay any longer and if she didn't act on her feelings soon, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She stepped in closer to him, tiptoeing a bit as she touched their foreheads together. Her heart felt like it was beating as fast as the speedster's in front of her. She prayed that he wouldn't sense the fear in her, but he knew exactly what she was feeling. His hands left her's, still on his face, his fingers brushed her cheeks as he leaned closer to her.
His lips gently brushed hers. His fingers grasped the back of her neck as they tangled themselves in her hair. Her lips lingered with the taste of the red wine she had been sipping on earlier. And her grip on his face tensed for fear of losing him again.
They pulled away and her hands found their way to his chest, she smiled before he lifted her chin with his thumb making his way back to her lips. The second kiss more tender than the first, peppered with shorter kisses at the end. Her heart fluttered under his touch. The feeling of being wanted by him made her toes curl.
Once their desire for each other's taste had been quenched, they pulled apart, now holding each other's arms. Both of them smiled giddily at each other, a huge relief falling off of their shoulders. They both took deep breaths trying to steady their racing hearts.
Caitlin looked down as she spoke, "Well, that was — "
"Perfect." He stated the corners of his mouth unable to control themselves. They both let out tiny laughs and gazed back into each other's eyes. "I have to admit," he added, his eyes shifting down to her lips, "I've been wanting to do that for a while."
"Well, I can't blame you" she teased, tossing a little bit of hair over her shoulder.
"You are terrible Dr. Snow," he remarked as he pulled her in a little closer. She hummed softly in reply, "but that's one of the many things I love about you."
"I know." She placed her head in the crook of his neck. He gently placed his hands on her waist and they continued swaying to the music, this time he took the lead. He kissed the top of her head, and he kept her close.
"I don't know what I would do without" she whispered, her breath tickling Barry's neck.
"You won't have to know," he replied taking in an uneasy breath. She nuzzled her face into his neck even further. "I'm not going anywhere."
Not for now at least, but the future was still unknown. For now, they were at peace in each other's arms. Everything that had been leading up to this point was worth it because they were wrapped in each other arms. They didn't think about the future or the things that could go wrong, no what if's, no mistakes, no tragedies. All they knew was that whatever life threw at them, with each other by their sides they were unbreakable.