Saturday; Text to Action

[feelthelightning]

I'm gonna be a little late. Had to run into work on my day off for a bit.

The text was sent at around 5pm and it wasn't exactly a lie. It just had nothing to do with CCPD work. It had to do with stopping a train from derailing. And now he was waiting for a bruise over his left eye to heal before he could show up. Because it would be gone in 30 minutes max and if his bruise disappeared while he was having dinner with her it might seem suspicious.

He was just glad Caitlin and Harry had managed to create an anti venom for the chameleon's venom so quickly or he would have had to call off the date entirely. He still had no leads on who killed the chameleon or what went down in that bar. If he didn't know better, it had been Snart's Cold gun, but he was off with the Legends fixing time. Whatever had done it, made sure the Meta wouldn't get back up.

It was roughly 6:45 when he finally showed up at he place in a dress shirt and waistcoat with matching slacks. He had a bottle of wine in one arm and a bouquet of flowers in the other. He knocked on her apartment door, careful not to drop anything.

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[feelthelightning]

As it was right now, the damage was minimal. She'd told him immediately as soon as she figured out who he was and promised to cut ties with Thawne. They'd all been tricked by him one way or another, so he couldn't blame her for being naive.

Barry cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb under her eye to wipe away the tears that had collected there. "Of course." He then wiped his own eyes with his arm and smiled at her.

"Thawne and Sylar really are similar. Thawne wanted my power too. But he couldn't figure out how to steal it. ...which is funny, because Harry figured out how to do it in no time flat and Thawne spent his entire life obsessing over me. Oh, but Harry's on our side now, so don't worry about that!" He thought he should probably clarify. "How about after things settle, I take you to the Lab?"

He looked around as everything stayed frozen still around them. "We're not in the Speed Force, but you're connected to it right now, through me. That's why you can feel it. Thawne's is Negative. His is all anger and hatred. Mine is happiness and love. I run fastest when I'm happy because that puts me in sync with the Speed Force." Barry's expression was warm as he explained but then shifted to confusion. "Thawne showed you the Negative Speed Force?"

[infinite1ups]

"Sylar can heal like me now, that's what he wanted. I haven't seen him in years, and I know he could find me if he wanted to." The thought of Barry trying to face Sylar was enough to make her shiver. But she hadn't seen her old nemesis in years, not since the Sullivan Carnival. Sylar didn't have super speed, but he had other powers he might be able to use to hurt Barry if he took it upon himself to try and ruin her life again. What if he could take powers from Metas too? "If he does show up, I don't want him anywhere near you."

Claire leaned into Barry's touch, then turned her head to press a kiss to his palm. "I'd like to see the Lab. It'll be nice to see Harry again, and meet you other friends."

She didn't believe for a second that Dr. Wells would have been against Barry, though she appreciated the clarification all the same. Harry had been so kind to her, he... shit. He knew about her agreement with Thawne. Clearly he'd kept his word. Maybe he assumed (correctly) that she'd end up doing the right thing. Still, she'd need to talk to him.

She looked around as Barry did, amazement in her eyes as she truly noticed how quiet everything was. Like they were in their own little bubble, similar to when Thawne had taken her hand and showed her, but also so different.

"Just like this, he took my hand and we were in the thing..." she trailed off, brow furrowed, then quickly piped up again, "Flash Time! I remember now, he was so annoyed at the name. And we ran to Arizona from California just because I was curious to know if he could run up a waterfall. I think he was really trying to show off and answer all my questions, 'cause he knew I liked it. He put his Reverse Flash suit on with the ring and everything."

It was so obvious, in hindsight. He probably didn't actually care about her at all, and geeking out together about abilities was all a show, to win her trust. Villains like him knew how to play the part so well. "He said the Negative Speed Force would change me, that I probably couldn't handle it because I didn't have enough anger and hate. It sounded like he was truly concerned about me, but I know now that I was just being naive." Claire had wanted to believe there was good in him, that they could figure out how to use her ability to help people together. She knew that technology was possible, after the Waverider. Now she could just let the STAR Labs team take a crack at it.

"I understand what he meant now, though. And he was right. This, with you, feels way more my speed." She realized her word choice and giggled. "Pun not intended, but I'm sticking with it."

[feelthelightning]

"So, I guess he's gone around collecting abilities? Is that what he does? Or did he specifically want yours?" Barry asked with a concerned crease to his brow. But he did catch onto what she might be getting at when she insisted she didn't want Sylar anywhere near him. "We don't know if he can steal powers from Metas."

"Everyone will be thrilled to meet you and I'm sure Harry will be glad to see you again, even if he doesn't act like it. He can be kinda prickly on a normal day." But when Barry had been talking about Claire, he swore Harry looked oddly fond, so maybe she'd made a bigger impression on the man than even Wells himself realised. He leaned his forehead against hers, just happy to drift in the frozen moment with her for as long as they could. And hey, in Flash Time, the Pizza wouldn't get too cold.

Barry snorted a little laugh at that. The fact that the name Flash Time pissed Thawne off was just a small delight. He reach into his pocket and pulled out his own Flash ring. It was almost identical to Thawne's, except the space behind the lightning bolt wasn't gold, it was red. "Oh, right, you haven't officially met The Flash, have you?" He said with a soft laugh and put the ring on. "I can't say what was going through his head for certain, but I can say I've never seen him to show concern unless he wanted something or as a manipulation tactic. So, why he'd warn you about the Negative Speed Force kinda surprises me."

Her pun pulled an even brighter smile back onto his features. Look, he's usually the one who puns. "No, don't you dare. If you're gonna pun like a champ, own it." He teased.

[infinite1ups]

"Yeah. I... was the only one who could survive the process." And that was all she wanted to say about it for now, except to add, "So I don't want him to get curious and try."

It did seem like Harry had his guard down when they met, which had been understandable given the circumstances. She felt like they'd bonded over having such similar father-daughter relationships, albeit while they were on the opposite sides. Her eyes closed just briefly as Barry leaned his head against hers, fingers tracing lightly over his back. The pizza getting cold had been a concern, but she understood Flash time well enough now to know she didn't have to worry about it so long as they were tucked away like this.

"Hey, I said I'm standing by it," Claire teased back. Seeing the symbol on the Flash ring had her thinking about the day they met - thinking about The Flash made her think about the drink at Jitters. Two things stood out to her, in hindsight. The realization made her perk up, smile brightening. "That jolt! You zapped me, didn't you? And that's your drink." She blushed, then, remembering what she'd said when she tried it. "Guess I did get to see how good you really are."

[feelthelightning]

His features turned a bit grim. "So not just a kind of power stealing in a harmless way?" He was glad she survived, but he hated that this guy probably stole the powers of others and had killed them in the process. "I've played keep away from deadly Metas before." Still, he didn't want to test whether the guy could steal Meta powers if he could help it.

"I didn't mean to!" He defended, but didn't deny it. "The zap was an accident. I got excited and accidentally lost control of my electricity." But he next comment made him blush. He laughed nervously. "You did, but how about this..." He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers, giving her ample time to pull away or push him away if it was too soon.

[infinite1ups]

Claire had hardly been upset about the little zap. It hadn't hurt her, and clearly it had been an accident. She thought it was funny and adorable, more than anything.

That question about Sylar was going to have to wait until later. There was no way she wanted to think about those grisly details when they were wrapped up in this perfect moment. Especially not when Barry was moving in for a kiss. Her head tilted to meet him, like she'd been waiting for him to do it. And she had, really. They were talking about being in love already, of course it wasn't too soon.

She returned the kiss softly and kept it brief, but she was still a bit breathless when she pulled away. Her cheeks flushed hot, and she might have sworn her knees got a little weak. Maybe that wasn't just a cliche after all.

"Yeah... really good. Better than I imagined."

[feelthelightning]

Barry framed her face with both hands as they kissed soft and slow. Slow wasn't a mode he'd known in a long time, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries here. He was far too in love. Almost like be needed her touch just so he could keep breathing.

When she did finally pull back for air, he fixed her with dazed green eyes. "Maybe Jitters should name a drink after you too." Was it cheesy to say? Probably. But Barry was and always would be a cheese ball.

"Now that the Flash is out of the bag, our second date can be anywhere in the world that you want. And I'll make sure it's as breathtaking as you are."

[infinite1ups]

When she told him she liked cheesy, it was the truth. So the suggestion that Jitters name a drink for her only prompted a giddy little laugh and another wave of blushing. "Me? I'm not that much of a hero, at least... not publicly. But if I had one, there'd probably be lots of whipped cream. And maybe sprinkles."

The talk of a second date had her flying high, just when she thought she couldn't get happier.

"You're already taking my breath away, so I don't think breathtaking will be too difficult for you." See? Claire could be cheesy, too. "I trust you, I could let you surprise me. Maybe something a little more romantic than my kitchen?"

But then, moments like this were exactly the kind of memories she wanted to make here. She hadn't had a place to really call home in a long time, because everywhere she tried to settle before her life on the road had turned either traumatic or tragic, or both. It spoke volumes about the craziness she'd been through that she felt Central City was a better start than most. Of course, meeting Barry had a lot to do with that.

It's been really hard to flip between Harry and Barry today. x-x

[feelthelightning]

"And caramel." He added with sheer adoration in his eyes. "Because you're impossibly sweet."

Barry pressed another kiss to her lips, brief and chaste this time. "I dunno. I'm enjoying our time in your kitchen." One more soft, sweet kiss, then he let go and stepped back, letting them out if Flash Time. "But we should probably eat. The longer I'm burning energy on super speed, the faster my glucose levels tank. And I deliberately didn't fill up after saving a train so I'd have room for dinner with you." He admitted sheepishly.

"On that note, I should probably apologise. I was delayed by work, but not at CCPD. So I technically lied. Being The Flash has been hard on my dating life because crime doesn't care if I have plans."

[infinite1ups]

"Well now, that's just the pot calling the kettle black." Barry was the sweetest, as far as she was concerned. Those kisses could almost give her a toothache, but mostly they were just making her starry-eyed. "Yeah, this is the first of many dates in my kitchen, I hope."

Reality seemed to snap back into place as he stepped away and let her go. The soft sounds of the city outside almost surprised her. But what he said next drew her attention back to him.

"You saved a train? Babe, you don't have to apologize for that. You weren't ready to tell me about The Flash yet, it's okay." She grabbed her pizza cutter (which yes, she did buy specifically for this date because she realized she didn't own one) and sliced up the pizza. It was still warm enough to enjoy, but the pan had cooled down enough to move to the table with her bare hands.

"I get it, I usually have to eat after I heal from something big. When I got home after the bar fight, I totally demolished some nachos," Claire explained with a little laugh, motioning for them both to sit down. The topic reminded her of her conversation with Thawne, and while she didn't want to mention his name again, she was still curious.

"So, wait... do you heal too?"

[feelthelightning]

"I hope so. It's a lovely kitchen." Not just because it now held memories of their first kiss. Okay, yes, maybe that's the reason.

Babe. That made his heart flutter. Her acceptance made it soar even higher. "Uh, yeah, I did. It was nothing really. A fight with a Meta caused a rockside that would've derailed a train, so I had to phase the train through it. I'm getting used to phasing huge objects." He tried his damndest to downplay it. No one got hurt and that was how he judged a mission as simple.

Barry had sort of shadowed her around the kitchen just watching her as he spoke until she motion for them to sit at the table. He did just that. "Your body compensates for your healing with hyper-metabolism, which is why you get hungry after you heal. That energy has to come from somewhere. It's the basics of thermodynamics. Nachos, hotdogs, and pizza are great for a refuel."

The question surprised him a bit. "I do, yeah. I break a bone and so long as it gets set, it heals in a few hours. Cuts and bruises are faster. I was waiting for a bruise to heal away before our date. I didn't wanna show up here with a black eye and have it heal before pizza was ready. That would raise some questions."

"I metabolise medicine too quickly to be sedated. Pain meds don't work either. Most poisons and venoms usually don't last, or at the very least, I can out heal the damage until Caitlin can make a cure. I also can't get drunk." He gestured to their wine glasses. "Cait made a 500 proof alcohol for me once and it buzzed me for about ten seconds. Cisco made... something that wasn't alcohol, but it had me drunk all night. Too drunk. Like I was the most plastered guy in the club. We don't mess with that anymore." He laughed.

[infinite1ups]

In all honesty, the 'babe' had slipped out, it just felt natural. She barely noticed except that maybe he seemed all the happier when she said it. This kitchen is where their relationship was truly starting, she thought. For that reason it'd always be a special place.

"Yeah, makes sense. My dad and I have talked about that some. He's no expert or anything, definitely not a scientist, but he's worked with people like me for a long time. He used to know someone who had regeneration like me, so he told me what he knew."

Claire served them each up some pizza, the plates already on the table from when she'd prepped ahead of time. They hadn't really had a conversation about pizza toppings before, but she figured she couldn't go wrong with the classic cheese and pepperoni. And at first bite, she was impressed with her efforts, so she was sure he would be too. She looked almost in awe as Barry talked about the healing aspects of his powers.

"Questions, sure, but it's always a treat to meet people who can do what I can do." Especially when it was someone she was falling so hard for - which in this case was definitely a first. Before meeting Thawne, and then Barry, the only ones she knew who could heal were only able to do so because of her. One was her uncle, and the other was Sylar.

It was something that had endeared her to Thawne, that couldn't be denied, but with Barry... Claire felt elated. She would always worry, just maybe a little less.

"Okay, I think experimenting with your friends might be a lot of fun, if that's what you're getting up to. I've never been drunk. My first drink of alcohol was after my ability manifested." The same night she'd ended up in the morgue. She was leaving that part out for now. They'd shared enough darkness, and she wanted the rest of this date to happy.

"I experimented with whatever I could get my hands on," she admitted sheepishly. "I learned how to make special brownies and ate like half the pan before I realized nothing was happening. They were delicious, though."

[feelthelightning]

Barry's favourite toppings were pepperoni, olives, and jalapeños but just pepperoni would do perfectly. He certainly wasn't about to complain. And with the first bite, he had absolutely no reason to, either. It was great! Don't mind his surprise and hum of delight. He's used to Iris's attempts at cooking when she suddenly decide he and Joe need a 'treat' meal. She can't even make pancakes correctly from a box. The real meals he gets were usually Joe's cooking.

"This is amazing!" He blurted out after swallowing his first bite.

He watched her with the most puppy-dog loving eyes as she said she liked meeting people like her. "Questions I wasn't ready to answer just yet. But now, I'm an open book." He thought it best not to bring up that Zoom nearly killed him recently, even with his healing factor. He'd broken Barry's back. Felicity had reacted poorly to the news and they weren't even officially ever dating, so he doubted that would go over well with Claire. Then he'd technically died when Harry tried to get his speed back for him. That probably wouldn't go over well either.

"That was not what I was getting at, at all." Barry laughed. "But if you want to, I'm sure they'd love to help. I just recommend we stay at the lab when we drink anything Cisco prepares." He didn't need part two of Sad Flash crying over chicken wings.

Barry nearly choked on a laugh when she admitted she'd made special brownies. "Maybe you'll like Cisco's concoction." He teased playfully with a bright smile.

He was happily chowing down on his pizza between replies to their conversation.

[infinite1ups]

Barry was adorable and goofy enough sober, she could only imagine how he might be drunk. She wasn't sure how she'd be, maybe even more bubbly, or she'd possibly give into her angsty tendencies. There wasn't much in between, she didn't think.

Already flying high, Claire was practically soaring when he tried the pizza, and gave his approval. She beamed at him from across the table, pausing for a sip of wine.

"Told you pizza was a homemade meal," she teased. Snart had encouraged her to brag about her badassery, not her prowess in the kitchen, but there was one she felt far more confident about. "Wait 'til you try the pie.

Her usual apprehension at being tested by any kind of scientist or doctor melted away when it came to Barry's friends. He trusted them, and she trusted him. She also trusted Harry.

Claire blushed when he teased her, shrugging bashfully. "I had a lot of time on my hands when I was traveling. But mostly it was fun, living on the road."

[feelthelightning]

"Yes, you did." He agreed with a thoughtful smile. "I can't wait!" The wine went great with the pizza, even if the thought of wine and pizza was an odd one. Pizza was generally seen as casual and wine was usually classy.

Barry was pretty sure once she met Cisco and Cait, that she'd see them more like friends than scientists, even though all three of them were technically scientists. Harry was probably the closest out of all of them that might come off less personable. But he had come a long way as a person since he first stepped through that breach in the STAR Labs basement.

"My mom travelled around Europe when she was younger. I can literally run around the world, but... I don't get out much. So I can't imagine how fun it would've been too road trip around."

[infinite1ups]

She already thought of Harry as a friend, whether or not he was aware. After saving him, she felt a sort of protectiveness over him. Not that he needed it, but the similarities between their father-daughter dynamics were too strong to ignore.

Noah would be glad she had someone like Harry in her orbit. Maybe they could meet when her dad came to visit.

Claire finished off another bite of pizza before speaking up again, "I haven't gotten to see much of the world, just bits of Canada and Mexico. I did go to all fifty states. Took a trip to Alaska and Hawaii with my dad to get the last two. It's still a little weird to be in one place, but... weird in a good way."

[feelthelightning]

"Then, how about I set up date number two in Italy? I'll make us a reservation and run us there." He was starting to think, maybe he could do that for a few more of their dates too. Different countries. Since he could run them there in the blink of an eye, transit wouldn't cost a thing.

Their father-daughter bonding had also endeared Harry to Claire too. He was going to hate knowing she was dating Barry, because that meant he had one more person he would have to pretend he wasn't emotionally adopting. Jesse saw through him and knew Team Flash had become a surrogate family. It was why she pushed him to stay on Earth-1.

"Hey, now that you know, I can also set up that shelf of yours with super speed. Instead of pretending to be normal when I put it up."

[infinite1ups]

Italy?! Okay, maybe was swooning a little. Barry was already sweeping her off her feet, now he was somewhere up in the stratosphere when the bar had been so low he could have simply stepped over it. And Claire was ecstatic. Her dating history had been... less than stellar.

What a fool she'd been to have written it off as a possibility, to have resigned herself to occasional casual flings or staying single altogether. Of course she deserved to be loved like this.

"Italy would be so beautiful," she said, sighing dreamily. "Rome is an obvious choice. Or the canals in Venice would be romantic."

She was already making plans of her own. As much as she enjoyed the thought of letting Barry run her around the world for romantic dates, she wanted to plan some things for him, too. More home-cooked dinner dates, maybe a picnic...

"Nothing wrong with pretending to be normal once in a while. Not gonna lie, I mostly suggested it 'cause you seemed so eager to help and I thought it'd be cute for us to do together." What Claire left unsaid was how it was also a convenient, innocent excuse to get him in her bedroom, but she did blush thinking about it.

[feelthelightning]

"I may have to leave in the middle of our dates, but I'll always come right back when I'm done. So, after our dinner, we could always walk around and take in the sights." Hey, he wouldn't say no to more dates in her kitchen. Or picnics.

"I am eager to help! Especially if it means I get to spend more time with you." Barry reached across the table to take her hand.

[infinite1ups]

She slipped her hand into his, practically glowing with adoration. "Yeah, guess it comes with the territory when my boyfriend is a hero."

They hadn't exactly made it official, but it sounded so nice to call him that.

"For once in my life, I'm greedy. I want as much time with you as possible. For the big things, the little things, all of it. You got me."

[feelthelightning]

That made him giddy and it showed in his goofy smile. "Just, y'know, don't go shouting that to the rooftops. Despite how happy it makes me to hear it. Your boyfriend is a cop." He gave her hand a squeeze. Well, call it official now.

Barry snagged another piece of pizza. "Love is allowed to be greedy. I want to spend all of my time with you that I possibly can." He couldn't wait to introduce her to his family and friends.

[infinite1ups]

"I can brag about you without spilling the beans, don't you worry." After all, Claire could talk about how proud she was that he helped people, and it wouldn't be a lie. That pride was already there now as she looked at him.

She grabbed another slice of pizza, as well. Between the two of them, they could probably finish the whole thing and be ready for pie. Cooking for herself got so boring, so she was excited to be able to cook for Barry. And his friends - she was sure they wouldn't turn down homemade baked goods at STAR Labs, and she couldn't wait to treat them.

"We can be attached at the hip, I'm fine with that." It was the honeymoon phase, for sure. But she also hoped she always felt this happy and excited about their relationship. She was going to make sure to work at holding onto that feeling. "For now my schedule is pretty open, and I'm usually awake. Won't be hard for me to make time when you're free."

In truth, she rarely slept. It was fine, technically she didn't need to...

[feelthelightning]

"I just don't want anyone to target you because of me." The Flash him or officer Barry Allen.

With their metabolism, they could easily finish the pizza and pie together. But he was trying to behave himself. The funny part would be the looks on Team Flash's faces if she did start bringing them baked goods. Cisco would never let her leave, he was sure of that.

"Wait, you're usually awake? Don't you sleep?" There was a mix of genuine curiosity and concern there. Barry liked to cuddle! If she didn't sleep, how would he get cuddle time? He wouldn't subject her to the boredom of just lying down for hours with him if she couldn't sleep. Yes, he was having an existential crisis over cuddling.

[infinite1ups]

That had crossed her mind as a possibility, of course. The same with him being targeted because of her - though she'd been laying low these days, it wasn't quite as likely. Still, she actually did want to be careful now. More careful than ever.

"I, uh... usually just keep going until I pass out for a few hours. I haven't really slept since the bar fight" she admitted, shrugging. When she actively tried, she often ended up tossing and turning, which she hated. "It's hard to get comfortable alone, and sometimes I get nightmares. But it's fine! A little nap here and there and I'm good to go."

Cuddle time will probably fix her, actually.

[feelthelightning]

"It upset you that much?" She'd expressed being uncomfortable with the idea that the venom could hurt her, but it was apparently much more than that. "If you need a snuggly space heater in your bed so you can sleep, I will be a perfect gentleman. Consider me a Flash-shaped body pillow." He wanted her to be able to sleep and if she was feeling insecure after the fight with chameleon, he wanted to drive her nightmares away.

"You know I won't let anyone hurt you like chameleon did, right."