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]

"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."

[infinite1ups]

"I mean, it wasn't just that." It was partly why, more than she wanted to say. Admitting to the weakness always made it feel too real. But this was Barry, if she couldn't let herself be vulnerable with him, then who could she?

“We could turn this date to a slumber party, if you wanted," she added after a long pause, blushing fiercely. "I'll feel better with you here. And... I know you'll keep me safe."

There, Claire. Was that so hard?

[feelthelightning]

Barry didn't even give a verbal answer. A gust of wind and crackle of yellow lightning and the speedster was gone. About two seconds later the gust was back with an overnight bag in one arm and a pillow in the other. "I'll make sure it's the best slumber party you've ever had." He set his things down on the couch for now then rejoined her at the table.

[infinite1ups]

She barely had time to react before Barry was back, and she giggled as the gust of wind from his return blew her hair into her face. A hand lifted to push it back into place, and she fixed him with a fond look. "Most of my slumber parties were with the other cheerleaders, and I was trying too hard to make them think I was cool. I don't think you'll have any problem topping that."

He wouldn't have much difficulty surpassing the best nights of her life, in general, Claire thought.

"Evolved human speedsters ain't got nothin' on you. You'd leave them in the dust."

[feelthelightning]

"Other cheerleaders? Remember that thing I said about you being out of my league? Yeah, you just proved it. You were a cheerleader! I was a nerd who got bullied until Iris started beating up my bullies for me and they decided pushing me down the stairs wasn't worth the ass-kicking they'd get from her for it." Barry laughed.

He was pretty sure if she was trying to impress them, they weren't worth her time, though. Because anyone with eyes and two brain cells could tell she was an amazing person to be around.

"Not to brag, but they do call me the fastest man alive. Though I wouldn't mind a friendly race with them."

[infinite1ups]

"No way. I never really felt like I fit in with them," Claire admitted. "They were always so mean. Then my regeneration manifested and I felt even more like an outcast, but it put my priorities in check. Jackie, the cheer captain and my former best friend, made fun of Zach, and I... punched her in the face. That and some other stuff made me look like someone who was standing up to the popular crowd, I guess. The nerdy kids organized to get me voted Homecoming queen. The other girls were pissed. I think we would've gotten along just fine."

She was leaving out the parts about how she didn't get to be crowned, that Jackie died that night when it should have been her instead, and how the other stuff was crashing the quarterback's car into a brick wall. One day she planned to tell him, but not tonight.

"My uncle Peter might want to race you. But his ability - he's an empath. He kind of sponges powers from others around him. I'm not sure if it works with Metas or if it'd be safe." Barry reminded her of Peter in some ways. It was the earnest desire to save people, mostly. That heroic streak. She didn't always see eye-to-eye with her uncle these days, but she liked to think he'd be happy for her here when she they eventually caught up. "Assuming that evolved humans can't absorb Meta powers, though, you'd beat him."

[feelthelightning]

Oh-ho! You decked her? I-I mean, I'm not supposed to advocate for violence, but I know how good it feels to stand up to your bullies." The supersonic punch he delivered to his old school Billy's face after the jerk became a Meta who could turn himself to steel was as satisfying as it was physically painful to Barry. Sure, he broke his hand on Girder's face, but he also beat him!

"I mean, if you think it'd be safe, I wouldn't mind experimenting with you uncle's ability. There's also the question of whether the Speed Force itself could be transferred like that. Or how the dark matter in my DNA would affect him. See, Meta powers come from the dark matter that bonded to and altered our DNA. It might... make him some kind of hybrid. Evolved Meta-human. I'd say we let Caitlin and Harry do a little research into it first before he tries to copy Meta powers." You activated nerd mode, Claire.

[infinite1ups]

"Yeah..." she blushed. Jackie may have had that coming, but she didn't deserve the end she got. "I like to think we made up when it mattered, though." Her last act was to tell Claire to run when Sylar was attacking, and she'd never forget that.

Nerd mode was the perfect distraction from those memories. She was so enamored by Barry's rambling that she didn't even think about how it was precisely what had caused her and Thawne to form such a bond when they met. "Chances are it could do nothing, then. It might be that our abilities don't interact with Meta powers at all. Definitely better to have your friends run tests first, though. I'll be happy to help any way I can. And I'll warn Peter before he decides to come visit - in general, I mean. I won't tell him it's because of you."

[feelthelightning]

What a coincidence! That was also Girder's last act. He told Barry to run when Blackout attacked to kill Wells/Thawne. Then died from the injuries he sustained from Blackout. Tony had been a jerk, but Barry didn't think he deserved to die. Especially not as a distraction. Barry had been so angry with Wells for using Tony like that. So, they were both keeping a similar story from the other.

"Wouldn't want anything terrible to happen if he accidentally absorbed a Meta and the dark matter reacted badly. But if it does turn out to be safe, I wouldn't mind giving it a shot for science. I want us to be able to learn from each other. Teaching you all about Metas sounds like it would be a blast!" He'd already scarfed down another piece of pizza. "Cait might be able to use a tissue sample from you to see how it reacts to dark matter."

[infinite1ups]

Sylar had mistaken the other blonde cheerleader for the one he was looking for: Claire. A senseless death, in her mind. All of that sacrifice to save her from Sylar, for naught. He got her anyway, and she survived it.

"I'd love that." Now, Thawne crossed her mind, how her arrangement with him was supposed to be more or less the same thing. But this was miles better. She could truly trust Barry in a way she was certain she could never trust Eobard. After all, she was trusting Barry with her heart.

"Tissue, blood, whatever you need. I'll regrow most of it," she said cheekily. They were easily polishing off the pizza, and she reached for the wine to pour them each a little more. How funny, she thought, that neither of them could get drunk. It really did pair well with the food, though. "But it might also help to get evolved human samples from someone without my regeneration. Peter heals like I do, but it won't hurt to run variables, just in case." She could do nerd time, too.

[feelthelightning]

Blackout had gotten to them too, in the end. Barry realised that he was being his own power inhibitor, not Blackout, and let Blackout overcharge himself on Barry's own lightning, which knock Blackout out. He couldn't handle that much electricity. But Wells had offered himself up to Blackout to save Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin in the end, which restored Barry's faith in him.

The difference here, was that Barry was willing to let the Evolved Humans test their powers on him in return. Thawne would never have suggested it. He was interested in Claire's ability to heal, that had been genuine. Wanting to figure out how and if it was something that could be used to help others en mass was genuine. He had wanted to be a hero once. But seeing himself throughout time as Barry's worst enemy instead, that everything he'd dedicated his entire life to was never a possibility for him, broke him in irreparable ways. Thawne lost his mind at that point and there was no going back.

"Hey! Don't say it like we're gonna cut off an arm or something! Tissue swabs are usually pretty harmless. Even knowing you have a healing factor, we'd never do anything to hurt you. I think it kills Caitlin a little inside every time she has to do some lifesaving surgery on me while I'm wide awake because she can't sedate me." Cait could seem like an ice queen at times, but she bottled up a lot of emotion. She just didn't know how to handle it around people. After losing her fiancee Ronnie, and then Jay making her fall in love with him only to find out he was actually Zoom, she was more open with them as a whole.

"We can work with any Evolved Humans who want to learn more. I'll trust your judgement on who we let in the door. I just don't want anyone to feel pressured one way or another. But, you have to know, if we extend an invitation like that..." Barry let that hang for a moment, because he didn't quite know how to bring it up. "That could bring some dangerous people to Central City." He decided to leave it there. She hadn't wanted him near Sylar. If word got out that STAR Labs was doing research into how Meta and Evolved Human powers interact, that could be a siren call.

[infinite1ups]

"I know, I know. I trust no one is gonna go mad scientist on me." Claire laughed softly, then leaned back in her seat as she considered the rest of what he was saying.

"It's something to keep in mind, for sure. For now it's just ideas, but we can discuss it with your friends, and I'll talk to my dad about it. It's probably a conversation we can have with him when he comes to visit. Just something for the future, maybe." Claire might have been diving headfirst into this relationship, but this stuff would require more careful planning. Things she definitely wanted to consult others about.

If Peter was right and Sylar was truly trying to be better, they might not have to worry about him at all. She wanted to trust her uncle; at one point he was someone she trusted more than almost anyone. His dealings with Sylar made that hard, though she had such a soft spot for him that things weren't beyond repair.

"We can get all our ducks in a row before we make any moves. I especially want to see what my dad thinks. For all we know there could be evolved humans in Central City already, either hiding their abilities or whose abilities haven't manifested yet. Dr. Suresh has a list; they can be found."

[feelthelightning]

"The whole me being a Meta thing isn't gonna be a deal breaker for your dad, is it?" He wasn't sure how to go about explaining most of this without revealing that fact. Anyone who worked closely enough with STAR Labs ended up looped in eventually.

"Sorry, I have trouble turning my science brain off sometimes." He admitted sheepishly. Barry was getting ahead of himself, she was right. They needed to talk to the team and other involved parties first. But spitballing ideas like this was how he and his team usually came up with solutions. The fact that he could do that with her already showed how well they meshed.

[infinite1ups]

"Are you kidding? If you decide to tell him, he'll probably be relieved. He'd be happy to know I'm with someone who can... protect me." It felt so silly to say, because she couldn't be hurt. Well, she usually couldn't be hurt. The chameleon changed everything. "It'll go a long way toward convincing him I'm safe here. Pretty sure I have him worried after I told him about the bar fight, and I'd bet that's why he's coming to visit already."

But Claire meant what she said. If he decided to tell. It was Barry's secret and his decision. She was just like Leonard Snart when it came to that.

Her hand reached to take his and give a little squeeze. "I really like your science brain. It's so cute when you get excited and start rambling. I could listen to you all day."

[feelthelightning]

That made him want to tell her dad. But it felt like a selfish notion to want to tell him and put him in potential danger just to reassure him that Claire was safe. He'd have to think more on that. "I'd protect you whether I had powers or not."

Every time they touched, his heart fluttered. The squeeze was comforting and he gave her hand one in return. "Don't say that, you'll encourage me to ramble." He brought her hand up to kiss the back of he knuckles. "We've nearly completely demolished this pizza. Are we ready for dessert?"