Chapter Text
When the man pulled the gun, all Caitlin could think was that they always said junk food could kill you, she just never thought it would be so literally.
One moment, she had been standing in line at the convenience store across town with a pack of powdered sugar doughnuts in hand, then next she was in the middle of a robbery.
The cashier was complying but the robber was twitchy and sweaty and it was a bad sign that he hadn't bothered to conceal his face. Caitlin kept her eyes down, tracking things in her peripheral vision, and steeling herself to have to hand over her purse and all its contents.
Her phone abruptly rang and she noted several things in a sort of clinical detachment: the robber startled, jerking the gun in her direction, and she actually saw him squeeze the trigger. I'm going to be shot, she thought but before she could even close her eyes, wind sent her hair into a riot in her face.
She recognized she was being carried at superspeed a heartbeat before she heard the gunshot from far away. As soon as he stopped and placed her on her feet, she was orientating herself -- an alley maybe two blocks from the store? -- even as she said, "You ought to be able to catch him if you--Oh my God!"
The last came as she realized the suit of the speedster next to her was not the familiar red she'd assumed it would be.
"Expecting someone else, Dr. Snow?" the man in the yellow suit asked mildly, his voice distorted and his features blurred as he vibrated in place.
She practically vaulted backwards. "You? You're the one who...? Why? Why would you help me?"
His glowing red eyes narrowed in amusement. "Maybe I was just passing by? Out for a run, let's say, hm? Right place, right time. For you, at least."
"I..." She frowned in confusion, then turned away, walking to the end of the alley and looking towards the direction of the store. "I need to go."
"Back there?" he questioned. "Why?"
"I've got to get--" at the last second, she opted to not say the Flash "--help on the way. Unless you were planning on stopping the robbery while you're in the neighborhood?"
He chuckled. "I've already done my good deed for the day, thanks. I'll leave the heroics to the hero."
When she reached for her phone, she realized that she still had a hold of the doughnut package. "Oh, I didn't pay for these!"
He tsked mockingly. "For shame, starting your life of crime with snack food. Who knew you had a secret weakness for junk food? Any other vices or bad habits you'd like to disclose?"
Was he flirting? He was practically purring and it plucked an odd chord in her chest. She had to force herself to ignore the quite mad impulse to flirt back. "I'll have you know I eat a very healthy diet 90% of the time," she muttered, fumbling for her phone. "You just happened to catch me in part of the 10%. And I'll pay for these when I go back."
Before he could respond, she quickly dialed CCPD and reported the crime, then called S.T.A.R. Labs, where Cisco answered.
By the time she'd hung up from assuring him that she was okay and that she'd tell him all about it soon, she glanced back, expecting her erstwhile rescuer to be gone. To her surprise, he was leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, simply watching her.
She debated whether or not to say anything, then finally figured she owed him that much. "He'll, ah, be here any time." She didn't say who he was but from his scoff, she knew she hadn't needed to.
"I'm sure he will," he drawled. "Foil the bad guy, have his big hero moment. Too bad he didn't get to rescue the girl, though."
It was a none-too-subtle reminder of something else she hadn't yet said. "Thank you for saving me," she said quietly. "I don't know why you did but... thank you."
He strode towards her in a remarkably unhurried stride. His hand blurred across the doughnut package she held and, in a millisecond, it was open and he plucked a doughnut out of it. "Guess you're not the only one who's picked up some bad habits," he murmured. "See you around, Dr. Snow. Try to avoid getting robbed in the future, hm?"
In a streak of red lightning, he was gone, leaving her to stare after him in mystification. From the opposite direction, she heard the whoosh that signaled Barry's arrival. She took a breath and started walking back, trying to figure out what she was going to say once she got there.
Along the way, she had a strong feeling that she was being watched. Impulsively, she paused to eat one of the doughnuts, quite deliberately licking the powdered sugar off her fingers one at a time.
Vices and bad habits, indeed. Well, that should've answered his question, anyway.