"Dude. That was insane." Cisco laughed as he helped me clean the Flash suit which was currently covered in ashes. "I mean, even I'm having a hard time getting mad at you for dirtying up my suit." That mark earned a dirty look from yours truly.
Barry or the Flash, take your pick, managed to save a couple who got into a car accident. The car was flipped and had crashed into a power pole causing the electrical wires to fall into the spilled car oil. Barry had gotten the couple and himself out in time before they had all burned to crisp.
The only reason I was at S.T.A.R Labs was because Barry and I planned to go out to a fancy restaurant, but now I'm squatting near the leg of the suit with a rag in hand trying to not dirt on my pants and help clean the suit I helped build. Squatting wasn't the most conformable thing to do in the heels I was in, but I didn't dress this good for my clothes to get dirty!
"Okay, when are we going to start considering it my suit?" Barry ask as he spun in the desk chair nearby.
"For starters you can help clean in." I toss him a rag which he catches effortlessly.
"I'd be comfortable calling it our suit." says Cisco.
"All in favor say 'I'."
"I." Cisco and Barry chuckle.
"Tonight was the fastest you've ever run." says Caitlin as she enters the room.
"Yes, your training is paying off. That couple is alive tonight because of you." Dr. Wells complements who also has joined the group.
"I can still get faster. I know I can."
"And you will one day, I'm sure. But for today, I'd say you've fulfilled your save quota. Proper rest is what you need, as do we all." says Dr. Wells as he exits the room.
"Better yet, what we all need is a proper drink. Who's up for a round?" Cisco asks.
"Oh, dude, we can't. Maddison and I have reservations at this restaurant." explains Barry as he gets his coat. I toss my rag over to Cisco before standing up.
"Oh that's way your all dressed up." Cisco says motioning towards Barry and I. "Don't stay up to late, you hear? I want her home before twelve."
"Yeah okay dad." I laugh while linking arms with Barry.
"And no funny business you hear." Cisco continues pointing a playful finger at us.
"But if you do, use protection." Caitlin joins in.
"Caitlin!" I yell.
"No promises." Barry smirks down at me.
"Barry!" I scowled, feeling my face heat up. Hopefully my makeup helps hide my tomato face.
"I think it'll be safer if you use protection." Caitlin says titling her head.
"No, I know that. I meant the funny-"
"That's it were going." I say tugging at his arm while making my way to the elevators.
"Have fun!" Cisco yells.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was roughly eights o'clock in the morning based on the sunlight seeking into my bedroom. With my body aching, I stretched out my arms and legs and was surprised to not have hit another body since Barry had spent the night. However, I did feel a dip in the bed so someone was there.
I opened my eyes to see Barry sitting on the edge of the bed in just his underwear looking down at his phone in his hand.
"What's wrong?" I ask seeing the tension in his arched shoulder.
"Work." Barry sighed rubbing his tired eyes. With the blanket still wrapped around my small figured I scooched over behind Barry and wrapped my arms around his shoulders letting my head rest on his back.
"And?" I ask dragging the word.
"I'm needed at Iron Heights." Barry tells me resting his hand over mine that hang loosely over him. I know Iron Heights is where his dad is kept after being wrongfully convicted of his wife's murder. Barry goes there at least once a week to talk to his dad so I can't see how going there today would be any different.
"What's different about going this time?" I ask.
"There's a chance I'll see my dad. Like face to face without the stupid glass. I know it's highly unlikely, but-" Barry trailed off and shifted.
"But what?" I ask.
"But- but I'm scared that if I do see him. I don't know. I'll do something selfish." Barry admits.
"Like break him out?" I ask out loud understanding what he's getting at.
"Yeah." Barry heavily sighs. "With these powers I can get him out of that hell hole. Ever since I got them all I could think about is saving him and just being with him."
"And there's nothing wrong with thinking that." I say rubbing his shoulders causing Barry to ease under my touch. "But I know you Barry. You won't do it because we both know you want to get him out the right way. Plus, knowing Henry, that's not the way he'd want to get out either."
"But what if-"
"You won't. Seeing him will just motivate you to work ten times harder on getting him out. You'll do the right thing because your Barry Allen."
"Has anyone told you how cheesy you are." Barry turns to give me a smirk.
"Shut up! You love it." I giggle.
"Yeah and I love you." Barry smiles, turning round to give me a kiss.
"Who's cheesy now." I say between kisses.
"Still you." Barry chuckles. He pushes me down onto the mattress and pins my wrist above my head while he trails more kisses down my neck.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I ask while trying to catch my breath.
"I'm the Flash, remember. I have time." Barry smirks before sucking on my sweat spot. Diffidently going to need makeup to cover that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a normal day at work. My boss was hating me from afar and insulting my work to my face. Gina was still asking about Barry and I, but mostly about Barry and Austin was still taking pictures of me thinking I didn't notice
"Are you done?" I ask glaring at Austin from behind my computer. I watch as he slowly lowers his camera from his face.
"I was just checking my lens." Austin lies.
"Yeah. I'm sure you were." I chuckled. "That's why your flash went off."
"It's not my fault the camera loves you. You look great in all these pictures I've took of you."
"Austin, no camera loves me. If anything Photoshop does for it's the only thing that can make me look pretty."
"Lies and we both know it. How else would you have gotten a handsome man like Mr. Allen." says Austin as he walks over to my desk. "They don't make men like that anymore. If he was gay and not dating my best friend I would totally show him a good time, if you know what I mean."
"Austin!" I scowled, but I couldn't mange to hide my smile. "Your starting to sound like Gina."
"Comparing me to her? Now that's low even for you."
"Sorry. I'm stressed."
"Why was the sex not good." Austin ask as he sits on top of my desk.
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask. Surly I was going death, but then again this is Austin.
"Unless it's work. Is that what you're stress about." Austin ask ignoring my question.
"Yes, I'm stress from work, but lets back track. What did you say?"
"Unless it's work?" Austin ask.
"No, before that."
"Oh! Me asking if the sex was bad?!" Austin ask a playful smile lingering on his baby face.
"Wow say it any louder." I hiss while looking around to see if anyone was staring. "Why would you say something like that."
"Honey, you have that after sex glow. That and I'm no beauty expert, but I know you're covering that hickey near your neck." Austin shrugs like it's no big deal.
"Is it that noticeable." I ask taking out my phone to check.
"No. I just notice the small things. But was it bad?" Austin ask?
"Austin." I glare at him, but he gave me that look that meant 'I'm not going to stop asking until you answer me.'
"Good." I say dryly.
"Just good?"
"Fine. Amazing, fantastic, breath taking. Are we done?" I ask.
"Yep." Austin smiled widely. He loves getting on my nerves. "Anyway, back to the topic of work cause you do know your sex life isn't appropriate to disuse during our work hours, right?" Austin teases.
"Bit me." I mumble.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop. I have good news I've been dying to tell you."
"And what's that?" I ask as I review my article.
"I got Tyler to agree." says Austin as he slips me an envelope. I open and peak inside to see to tickets to the Central City Film Awards being held on Saturday.
"Shut up." I gasp.
"I'll send you the dress code through text and hold onto these bad boys." says Austin reaching over for the envelope.
"But how?" I ask once he puts them away.
"What's the fun in telling you. I rather leave you guessing." Austin smirks.
"You know what I don't care. Thank you!" I scream whiling running over to Austin to wrap him in a deadly hug.
"Anytime honey, but loosen that tight grip of your before you kill me." Austin laughs.
"Sorry." I giggle pulling back to look into his sparkling green eyes. "You are the best gay friend a girl could ask for."
"I know." Austin shrugs with a cheeky smile. "And don't you worry your little head. This piece is going to be your best one yet. Even our stubborn boss will see that."
"I hope your right."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is a bullet wound." says Caitlin as she dabs at Barry's neck with a tissue with hydrogen peroxide. "You're lucky it just barely broke the skin."
I did my daily visit to S.T.A.R Labs and Dr. Wells informed me about this new meta human that was involved with the case at Iron Heights. Someone managed to break out with the assistance of a meta and Barry was able to track them down. Long story short the two got away and Barry was left with a gun shot wound that, as Caitlin mention, only barely broke a layer of skin. Did I ever mention how much I hate guns?
"Guess I'm a lot faster than a speeding bullet." Barry joked with a smug expression. Dr. Wells rolls in as Barry puts back on his sweater. "Shawna Baez. She can teleport." Barry tells him.
"Wow, that's pretty cool." I mumble. Now that's a super power I wouldn't mind having.
"As in, 'Beam me up, Shawna?'" Caitlin ask.
"Yes, of course." Dr. Wells replies seeming to have put something together. "Quantum entanglement. The ability to manipulate interconnected particles over an infinite distance. Or, as Einstein put it, 'spooky action at a distance.'"
"Every time I got close, she'd disappear. It was like we were playing a game of-"
"Peek-a-boo!" Caitlin interrupts gaining stares from the rest of us. "Come on. Can't I name one?"
"Cisco wouldn't approve." I inform her.
"How am I supposed to catch her if I don't know where she's gonna be?"
"Everybody has limits, Mr. Allen." says Dr. Wells as he starts to wheel away. "Now that we know Shawna's powers, we'll focus on those limits."
"All right. Let me know. I'm gonna change. I gotta go help Iris with her paper." says Barry as he heads to get his pile of clothes.
"By help you mean help her write the article as Barry Allen. Not as The Flash, right?" I asked.
"Yes, as Barry Allen." Barry chuckles as he pecks my forehead.
"Didn't you guys say that Shawna girl and her boyfriend, Clay, go to local bars a lot?" I ask them.
"Yeah, why?" Caitlin perks up from her chair.
"Well, I'm gonna make myself useful and look into the places they went to. Try to figure out their hang outs and maybe look for people that might know them that happen to work there." I say rolling over to a computer.
"Good luck." Barry calls out as he leaves.
"You to!" Caitlin and I call back. Once Barry was completely gone I got straight to work trying to track down the couple. So far I've figured out they went to two low key bars in Central City when Clay wasn't in jail. I couldn't trace down any other places like local grocery stores or deli's. They seemed to really love hanging out at bars.
While I was typing away on the computer, Caitlin was looking at a microscope. Most likely looking at a cell sample Barry collected of Shawna's to figure out her powers limits.
"If I had teleoperation powers I would go all over the world. First stop would be London." I say, trying to start some small talk.
"What about your powers?" Caitlin ask not picking her head up from the lens.
"What about them." I ask shifting in my seat.
"Well, what have you been doing with them lately?"
"Did Cisco set you up to this? This sounds like a Cisco conversation." I sigh.
"No. I'm just curious."
"I haven't been using them. Unless to shook Gina from time to time." Caitlin finally looked up at me titling her head to the side with amusement. "In my defense she's flirting with my mans to my face." That earned a laugh from her. "But other then that I haven't really use them."
"And why do you think that?" Caitlin ask.
"I don't know." I admit. "Maybe I'm afraid of killing someone if I lose control. Or maybe it's that lady I've been telling you about. It's like she showed up when I started using them again and left for a while when I stopped. She gives me the creeps."
"Cisco has been trying to track her down using CCPD software, but hasn't found anything."
"And I appreciate that, but I feel like it's best if I don't use it. Something tells me that lady wants me to use it and I don't want anything to do with her."
"Well, just know were here for you." says Caitlin.
"Thanks." I smiles. Jut then, my phone goes off and it's Barry. "Hey, you're on speaker phone." I tell him once I answer.
"Hey. What bars did Shawna and Clay frequent?"
"Um, mostly south side dive bars." I tell him. I thought he was out helping Iris. "Why?"
"I was just gonna check 'em out. See if they fall into any old habits." Barry says.
"That's a good idea. We'll join you." says Caitlin. The expression on my face most have said everything because Caitlin gave my arm a shove.
"Oh, okay. See you guys there." Barry says before hanging up, sounding surprise himself.
"Caitlin Snow! I would never picture you being so quick to go to a bar." I smile, quickly getting my purse.
"Oh shush. Meet me there, I have to get change. Can't go in this." Caitlin says pointing down to her scrubs.
"Who knows. Maybe you'll pick up a cute nerd."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Caitlin should be here soon." I tell Barry once I take a seat across from him in the bar. The lights were dimmed and the place was a little crowded since we came on Karaoke Night. At the moment a very drunken man was singing Let It Go to the crowd. Some clapped an encouraged his singing while others snickered at his off key moments. "What happened with Iris?"
"She had dinner plans with Eddie and his family." Barry explains.
"Oh, I see." I say. "They're slowly growing on me."
"Yeah, but I miss the three of us just hanging out."
"Me too. But we all got to grown up at some point." A breeze comes in from the bar door opening and in enters Caitlin wearing a stunning sparkling black dress that was short compare to the pencil shirts she usually wears. As Caitlin walked up to us Barry and I looked at her mouth jarred and eyes wide.
"What?" Caitlin asked her smoky eyes looking at us scared.
"What? Oh um nothing. It's just-"
"Well, you look really nice." Barry finished for me. She did look nice, it just caught us both off guard for we never saw this side of Caitlin. We've went to bars before, but usually right after work so we were still wearing our normal clothes.
"I don't always dress like a high school principal." Caitlin joked as she took a seat beside Barry. "So, this is where Shawna Baez and Clay Parker used to hang out?"
"It is, according to the files." I say taking a sip of my club soda. The drunk man who was singing The Frozen song just a few minutes ago was walking over to our table.
"How you doin'?" He asked as he eyed up Caitlin.
"Did the drunken man with vodka spilled all over his shirt just try to pick up Caitlin with a F.R.I.E.N.D.S line?" I ask Barry.
"Yep." Barry snorted.
"Um, not interested." Caitlin politely smiled.
"But-"
"She said no bud. Keep walking." I smile up at the guy trying to shoo him away. The guy finally took the hint and made his way to his table, but not before tripping over his own feet and falling face first on his face. "Wasn't he nice."
"Thanks." says Caitlin. "Can I be honest with you guys?" Both Barry and I node. "I thought maybe I could come to the bar today and try to-"
"Mingle?"
"Well, yes, but not the word I would use. It's just I keep telling myself to move on from Ronnie since, you know, he can burst into flames and doesn't want anything to do me, but I haven't. Cisco made me realize that I keep telling myself I've moved on, but I haven't and so I came here tonight with you guys to at least try." The whole time Caitlin was telling us this she was fiddling with the rings on his finger, clearly nervous.
"Well," I began, reaching over for Caitlin's hand. "Barry and I would be honored to be you wing men and women. And if you don't find anyone us three can just have one hell of a time."
"Well, here's to liquid courage." says Caitlin as she picks up a drink Barry had ordered a while ago and chugged it down.
"Uh, that is very fast." Barry says as he watches her, eyes wide. Once Caitlin is finish she slams the glass on the table. "Drank all of it." Barry mumbles impressed.
"Excuse me?" Caitlin calls out to a waitress. "I would like to start a tab."
"Should we be worried?" Barry whispers in my ear.
"I kind of want to see how this turns out." I admit with a devilish smile. "Let her have this."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four shots later and Caitlin was buzzed. Like really buzzed. She was saying the funniest of things that had me gasping for air. Barry went to go get water and I made a trip to the girl's room. I made Caitlin promise to stay in her seat, but when I got back she was gone.
"You've got to be kidding." I started looking around at other tables, but didn't see the red head anywhere so I made my way over to Barry who was trying to get the attention of the bartender.
"For real?" Barry asked seeming to have no luck with the guy.
"We have a problem." Before I could finish telling Barry the predicament we were in, a shrek from the mic sounded hurting my ear drums.
"Mr. Barry Allen! Come on down! Or up." Caitlin drunkenly shouted into the mic.
"I'm not doing it." Barry mumbled to me as he waved hand signals to try to tell Caitlin to cut it out. "Come up here with me. Oh, come show 'em what you got. Come on. Barry! Barry! Barry!" Soon enough the whole crowd was chanting his name making it harder for him to say no.
"Barry! Barry! Barry!" I joined in.
"Madison! Really?" Barry pouted, hating the situation he was in.
"Hey, if you can't beat them, join them. Barry! Barry! Barry!" Barry rolled his eyes and started jogging over to the small stage.
"Ooh, look at him go. He's so fast! Ooh, shh!" Caitlin giggle while trying to shush herself. I couldn't help, but mentally face palm while making my way closer to the stage.
"You know I'm not much of a singer. And you're not much of a drinker." I hear Barry mumble to Caitlin.
"We are gonna bring this place down." Caitlin says as she leans towards the mic.
"Okay, just," Barry put his hand on Caitlin to steady her. "Good girl." The beat to Summer Nights started to play and the two got ready. Caitlin was well, having fun that's for sure which was adorable and Barry was trying so hard not to laugh while singing along. I was able to record the whole thing on my phone to show a sober Caitlin later. She's totally going to kill me, but it'll be worth it.
When they got to the end the whole room was cheering including me. I meet the two back at the table and suppressed a giggle as I watched Caitlin stumble into her seat.
"You're fast and you can sing?" Caitlin cooed. "What can't you do?" She ask as she reached for her drink.
"Stop you from drinking, apparently." Barry replies.
"I'm not even sure that was mine." Caitlin says making a face."I have to go to the bathroom."
"Okay." Barry chuckled.
"And I'm going to take you." I say grabbing Caitlin's arm. "Come on." Once in the bathroom Caitlin did her business and came out tumbling. "You okay, Cait?"
"I don't know." says Caitlin holding her head upright. "I think I want to head home."
"I think that's a good idea." I smile lightly. "Let's go get Barry and take you home. How's that sound?"
"Good." Caitlin mumbled as she took my hand. When we get back to the table I notice a pretty girl with curly brown hair tap her phone with Barry's and walk away with a smirk. I don't want to be the jealous girlfriend and before you say it Gina doesn't count. She's just annoying, but this girl was pretty, like the pretty intimidating type.
"Hey." I approached Barry with Caitlin now behind me. He just looked up and smile not even mentioning the girl, but for some reason that just made me even more worry.
"Guys." Caitlin speaks up holding onto her chair for support.
"Yeah?" Barry ask.
"I don't feel so good." Caitlin admits.
"Oh, we should go." I tell Barry as we go on either side of her and help her towards exit. Halfway to the dumpster Caitlin stops and hunches over to throw up.
"You okay?" Barry ask as he rubs small circles on Caitlin's back while I hold her hair back.
"No." Caitlin says before throwing up once more. Once Caitlin was done throwing up her guts Barry super speed us to Caitlin's place. I've never been to her place, but you could diffidently tell it was her home. Everything screamed Caitlin with the classic yet basic interior design.
"Are we still running?" Caitlin ask as Barry and I help her to her bedroom.
"No, we're here." I inform her.
"Vodka and super speed. Not a good combination." Caitlin wines making Barry chuckle.
"Come on." Barry says as he takes off her leather jacket.
"So, who was the girl?" Caitlin ask, basically reading my mind.
"Who?" Barry ask, looking confused
"That girl from the bar. She looked real into you, but you can't be with her because you have Madison." Caitlin says pointing a lazy finger at him. She tosses her heels off and try to get the back of her dress zipper down. I gave in and went to help her.
"Oh Linda? Yeah, she helped me get the bartenders attention so I could close my tab." Barry explains.
"Was that before or after she flirted with you?" I ask sounding more bitter then I attended. Barry looked over at me shocked.
"I don't know if she was flirting with me. She just showed me this cool app she had that when you tap your phone with someone else's it transfers your contact information to them." The closer he got to finishing his sentence the more his words trailed off. "Oh, I guess she was flirting with me."
"How did you not realized she was flirting with you?" I ask.
"Maybe it's because that's the last thing on my mind. It wasn't like I planned on flirting back." Barry replies with a bit of sass. He's expression looked annoyed perhaps from my accusations. "You're not really mad at me because she flirted with me, are you?"
"I never said I was mad." I replied under my breath.
"A little help, please." Caitlin drunkenly pouted as she struggled to peel off her tight dress. When Barry looked over at Caitlin he quickly turned back around since she was in her bra.
"Um..."
"I got it." I sigh wanting to drop the topic as a whole. I quickly helped her into her silky spotted pajamas. "You can turn around now."
"You guys saved me from that evil dress." Caitlin lazily pointed to where her dress now laid on a nearby chair.
"Just get in bed." Barry chuckled as he usher her to her queen size bed, tucking her in.
"Did you sneak a peek? At my goods?" Caitlin joked with Barry.
"I wouldn't be much of a hero if I did." Barry replied.
"Yeah, but it's okay if you peeked a little. You deserve a peek for all the good stuff you do." Looking between the two of us with her kind eyes.
"Drink lots of water." Barry tells her as he crouched down to her level and rubbed her legs to comfort her.
"Thank you guys for tonight." Caitlin smiled. "I sang." she giggled.
"Anytime." I smiled down at her pushing a stand of hair away from her face. "Night, Cait." Barry and I went to head out, but was stopped by Caitlin's tired voice.
"Wait," We turned to looked at her. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Both of us share a look before silently settling on a mutual agreement.
"Sure, yeah." Barry says taking a seat by Caitlin feet. I on the other hand pulled up a chair close to her bed and we both watched her fall asleep. Once she was out cold, Barry and I headed for the door to her bedroom and closed it as quickly as possible.
"Now what?"
"Now we head home." I replied heading for the door to leave.
"I was referring more to our conversation." Barry explained. "About what happened at the bar."
"I overreacted in all honestly. I shouldn't have acted so... jealous."
"Jealous? But why?" Barry asked leaning on a doorframe to the living room.
"Did you see her! She looked stunning. It's not that I don't trust you because I know your not the cheating type, but-"
"No I get." Barry cuts me off. "If I saw some guy at the bar try to make a move on you I would be jealous to."
"But to take it out on you that isn't fair."
"I do have her number. You can take it out on her." Barry smirked.
"Haha very funny Allen, but no thank you." I lightly laughed.
"I could delete it to."
"You can do whatever you want with it." I tell him gaining a side ways look from Barry clearly not convinced. "No, really! This is me showing you that I trust you and your judgment."
"Okay." Barry smiled bringing me in for a hug. "And stop degrading yourself, you're way better looking then her."
"Thanks Barry." I snorted. "Speed me home please and we can binge watch some Netflix till sleep takes over our bodies."
"Sounds like a plan." Barry laughs. Picking me up and speeding home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I don't think I ever addressed this but Austin is inspired a bit by Connor Franta. I just love him and figured if I was going to incorporate a gay best friend for dear Maddy, Connor would be perfect!
I mean look at him! Loves!