Caitlin let out a squeak, but that might have been from the giant pickup that had just cut her off. "Learn to drive, fucknugget!" she yelled out the window. She looked guilty at Iris. "Sorry. I yell a lot when I'm driving. Cisco says it's because I repress my rage everywhere else."

Iris pried her fingers loose from the oh-fuck bar. "See, that's kind of what I'm talking about. How close you two are."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people have mentioned it to me, the way you guys are always hanging out. Taking lunches together, going on slushee runs, texting each other memes in the middle of the day, things like that." Cisco was in the engineering department, a floor away from biosciences. Iris hadn't been that tight with work buddies who sat the next cubicle over.

She wasn't about to repeat the salacious speculations she'd been treated to, because they sounded like people with dirty minds and no proof, but the fact that there was speculation at all concerned her, and it should concern Caitlin.

"We're totally professional at work," Caitlin said. "Really. The memes - "

"It's not about the memes," Iris said. "It's about how everyone knows that you have a boyfriend at home."

"Uh, yeah?"

"Well, I hear Cisco also has a girlfriend. And you two might think that just makes everything okay, but people talk when they see a man and a woman this close at work."

"You know," Caitlin said. "Cisco's bisexual, and pretty open about it. If I were a man, would we be having this same discussion?"

"Probably not," Iris acknowledged. "Which isn't fair, I know. And I have no idea what your relationship with your boyfriend is like. Or Cisco's with his girlfriend. For all I know, all four of you have brunch together every Sunday."

"Uh - "

"But when it comes to the way you act in the office, I have to mention it. You understand, right?"

"Of course," Caitlin said. "It's your job. I just never realized that people noticed. Or cared."

"Welcome to the planet," Iris sighed. "People's favorite topic of discussion is each other. So, you'll be more mindful, right? Of how things look?"

"Sure," Caitlin said. "We can do that."

Cisco took a swig of his orange soda. "Wait, wait," he said. "So the new HR lady sat you down and said, 'you gotta stop hanging out with that Cisco Ramon, he's just too blisteringly sexy?'"

"Her name is Iris, and she didn't say it like that," Caitlin said. They were taking an afternoon break together in the courtyard, under one of the big shade trees, drinking their drinks and splitting a bag of grapes. (Caitlin had won Rock, Paper, Scissors; Cisco would have gone for the Cheez Doodles from the vending machine.)

"So I'm not blisteringly sexy?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "It wasn't official or anything."

"That's a relief. My permanent record is clean."

"Cisco, stop. This is serious."

"I just think it's pretty rich, getting scolded about keeping things professional by someone who's married to a guy from the chemistry division."

"That's different, she doesn't handle Barry's paperwork, and that's not the point. She wasn't scolding me. She wasn't nasty. She was just gently pointing out that people talk and we should be aware of that."

"They just suddenly noticed how much we hang out? I've been here three years."

"From the sounds of it, they noticed all along. There were just other things to talk about. Now that things are getting a little better around here, I guess things that didn't seem like a big deal then, do now." She fixed him with a beady gaze. "The point is, we have to do something about this."

"Yeah," he said, biting his grape in half. "I guess we do."

For a few weeks after their talk, Iris thought Caitlin had taken her words to heart. But then the scientist got engaged. She came in with a diamond ring sparkling on her left hand and didn't say anything about it until people pointed it out. She accepted congratulations with a smile, but Iris noticed that she and Cisco seemed even more inseparable.

She couldn't count the number of times she ran into the engineer in the biosciences hallway, taking Caitlin a donut from the break room, or the way Caitlin's name was always blinking on Cisco's IM software when Iris had to stop by the engineering division. And they were definitely taking lunches together more often.

"Uuuuughhhhh," she groaned to Barry as they drove to Caitlin's house two weeks later. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"Why not?" Barry asked. "It's an engagement party. Should be nice."

"She told me that she invited Cisco. Her exact words were, 'I would never leave him out.'  It's going to be so weird meeting Caitlin's fiance, knowing how much she and Cisco hang out at work."

"Why?"

"Babe. I've talked about work spouses before, right?"

"Um - "

"You know, when you have a really close friend of the opposite sex at work . . .  no?"

He shrugged.

"Okay, think Jim and Pam on The Office."

"Weren't they actually married?"

"Not in the first few seasons. They were just hanging out all the time and had all sorts of in-jokes. They were dating other people, but everyone was rooting for them to get together anyway. You know how TV shows do that. When it's obvious a couple belongs together from their first scene but they just have to drag the tension out."

"Okay, that's TV. This is real life. People are friends in real life."

"Friends is fine. It's when they start getting so close that it turns into an affair, either emotional or physical. And then the drama leaks over into work, and then the next thing you know, I'm pulling overtime doing the dismissal paperwork because one of them keyed the other's car when they broke up."

"Babe," he said. "Babe, I think working HR at the paper scarred you for life. This is Mercury Labs. People aren't that crazy here."

She leveled a look at him. "The last director before Tina McGee was removed from his office in handcuffs. The last HR head is currently in Bali with half the pension fund."

"Not everyone is that crazy here," he corrected himself.

"I'm just saying. It can go real bad."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you have a work husband?"

She looked at him fondly. "Yes. He's adorable, he works in the chemistry division, and his name is Barry Allen."

His face relaxed and he rolled his eyes. She blew him a kiss, knowing he would blow it back. "Seriously, though," he said. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Cisco is crazy about his girlfriend. A few weeks ago, he asked me for tips on making a really romantic proposal."

Iris blinked. "Wait, he what?"

"Yeah, he wants to marry his girlfriend. So, see - "

"When was this?"

"A few weeks ago, I said. Oh, you think he got the idea from Caitlin getting engaged?" He glanced at the GPS, which was directing him to turn right down a tree-lined suburban street.

"When exactly?"

"God, I don't know. Does it matter?"

"I'm not sure," she murmured. She shook her head. "Whatever. You're right. I'm probably seeing doom and scandal where there's nothing. This is going to be fine."

"Right. Help me look for the address."

"Oh, there!" Iris pointed at a gingerbready Victorian with beautiful flowerbeds. "I recognize Caitlin's car in the driveway. And . . . Cisco's . . . next to it . . . " She trailed off.

"Huh," Barry said, pulling up next to the curb behind a few other cars. "Guess he got here early."

"Uh-huh," Iris said distantly. She climbed out of the car, still staring at Cisco's car parked next to Caitlin's.

When Barry rang the bell, it was Cisco who answered it. "Hey, you made it! What's that?"

"It's for Caitlin," Iris said, holding out the bottle of wine. "Hostess gift."

"Awww, sweet, she loves this kind." He took it from her. "I'll put it in the kitchen. You guys want anything? There's beer, soft drinks, wine - "

Barry sniffed the air. "Do I smell meatballs?"

"Oh yeah, come get a plate! Kitchen's this way."

Iris watched Cisco weave his way through the people in the living room, saying quick hellos, and responding with smiles to their words. "Is it me, or does he seem really, really at home here?"

Barry shrugged. "He's probably over here a lot." He kissed her cheek. "Want a white wine?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "Sure. Go get your meatballs, babe."

Barry grinned at her and set off in search of a plate he could inhale.

She wandered around the room, momentarily lost in the crowd of family members and outside-work friends, none of whom she knew. It was a pretty house, just the kind of place she could see Caitlin keeping. Glossy hardwood floors, perfectly coordinating furniture, gauzy curtains in the windows, pictures on the mantelpiece. She stepped up to look at them.

That was where Barry found her a few minutes later. "Hey," he said, mouth full. "These are awesome. You should have some." He handed her a glass of wine. "So did you get to meet Caitlin's fiance?"

"I think you were talking with him," she said.

Barry craned his neck, peering back at the people in the kitchen. "Which one?"

She reached up and took his chin, redirecting his gaze to the pictures on the mantel -

Which were full of Cisco and Caitlin.

Cisco and Caitlin in formal wear at some kind of family wedding, Cisco and Caitlin sprawled on a picnic blanket grinning at each other, and most of all, Cisco and Caitlin kissing, smiling against each others' lips, clearly madly in love.

"Whoa," Barry said. "Cisco is Caitlin's boyfriend?"

"Fiance," Iris corrected.

"When did that happen?"

"Awhile ago, by the looks of it." She shook her head, staring at the photos. "Unbelievable."

"Huh," Barry said. Suddenly he grinned. "So that means - "

"I know what that means," Iris grumbled, elbowing him. "Can you go get me some of those meatballs?" They did smell amazing.

"Sure," he said, chortling to himself.

Iris turned to scan the room, and almost immediately spotted Caitlin, making her way in from another room. Caitlin saw her at the same time. Iris gave her a little wave, and Caitlin worked her way through the people the same way that Cisco had, saying hellos and welcomes, and accepting congratulations.

Finally, she stood in front of Iris. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," Iris responded, smiling wryly at her. "This is a really lovely home you two have."

Caitlin's face scrunched. "You figured it out."

"Mhmm. And I kind of feel like a moron."

Caitlin pressed her hands to her cheeks, laughing and looking regretful at the same time. "I'm so sorry! In the car last month, I couldn't figure out why you were even saying that at first. It never crossed my mind that you didn't know. I mean, we had to tell Becky, and our address is the same on all our paperwork, and we're listed as each other's emergency contacts."

Iris shook her head. "I can't even begin to explain how much Becky's filing system was a nightmare. We'll be lucky if we get it sorted out by Christmas. But why the secrecy with everyone else?"

Caitlin toyed with her engagement ring. "Well, when I started there five years ago, I just never talked about my private life. It's not my style, really. Even after I met Cisco and we got serious about each other, I just said I had a boyfriend and not much more."

"I can understand that," Iris said. Women in a male-dominated profession always had to walk a razor's edge of how much personal information they gave out. Too little and you came off as a cold and soulless workaholic, too much and you were that woman who couldn't talk about anything but her boyfriend. You couldn't win.

"Then, when Cisco got the job in the engineering division, he didn't want to mention it at first because he didn't want people saying he just got hired because I worked there. He can be proud like that. And the longer we went like that, the more awkward it would have been to say, 'so you know the boyfriend I've been with the past several years? It's actually Cisco.'"

"So when I warned you off from hanging out with your own boyfriend - "

"I meant what I said. I had no idea people cared. And then of course, Cisco thought it was just the funniest thing that people thought we were cheating on each other with each other."

Cisco's big laugh rang out over the party. Iris glanced through into the kitchen to see Barry swatting his shoulder and laughing, too. She narrowed her eyes at Cisco, who grinned hugely back at her. Clearly the whole situation had tickled him pink.

His eyes shifted over to Iris's right, and softened. Okay? he mouthed, and out of the corner of her eye, Iris saw Caitlin nod.

He blew a kiss, and Iris turned to see Caitlin smiling back at him, eyes soft.

How had she never noticed the way they looked at each other before? She had, Iris answered herself. But she'd chalked it up to cheating waiting to happen, not a devoted long-time couple.

Caitlin examined her anxiously. "Are you mad?"

"Mostly at myself," Iris said. "That'll teach me to listen to rumors instead of checking out the facts on my own." She shook her head. "I should have sat you down and said, 'so tell me what your relationship is with Cisco' instead of launching right into an unofficial scold. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't that much of a scold."

"So am I deputized to tell everyone the truth on Monday morning?"

"Not just you," Caitlin said. "We've invited a few other people from work that we've been wanting to get to know better, and both of us are going to take in pictures to put up by our desks. It'll get around." She grimaced. "I'm not looking forward to the next week or so."

"It'll die down." There would be lots of talk in the breakroom and over the company Slack, but the next scandal would come along soon enough.

"So now that you know I'm hanging out with my fiance and not just a work pal, does the scold still count?"

"Mmm, as long as you're not making out in the stairwell or having quickies in the stationary closet, you're probably okay."

"Well, there was this one time - "

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there. There are some things that, as your HR professional, I absolutely cannot know, capisce?"

Caitlin giggled. "Got it."

"Great." Iris linked her arm through Caitlin's. "So, now that we've got that cleared up, show me the rest of the house."

The DJ is a lanky, nerdy thing, very much similar to old pictures of Barry Iris showed Cisco from their days in high school. He tapped the kid on the shoulder, waiting for him to stop bopping to this horrible excuse of a song and remove his headphones.

“I’m sorry, Friday? What year is this, 2011?”

“I think it’s pretty rocking.”

Cisco groaned. “Okay, how much are they paying you for this gig? Fifty? Eighty? One Hundred?” Cisco slid over several twenty from his pocket. “I will double whatever they’re offering if you play something better. I’m desperate.”

The boy looked at the cash longingly, but shook his head.

“Sorry Sir, this song was requested.”

“By who?” Cisco cried, trying to forget that this dude called him sir. He may not be twenty-three anymore, and he may be wearing an itchy fake mustache, but god forbid anyone actually starts treating Cisco like an old irrelevant man.

The DJ pointed out a bossy girl teetering in heels wearing a flower crown.

“Oh Lord, she’s just as crazy as her father,” Cisco muttered under his breath. Of course it had to be Yelena, Dr. Sinister’s fourteen year old daughter.

Cisco rolled his eyes and left the DJ to his horrible life choices, maneuvering around the cheering pre-adolescent children on the dance floor as they slosh their orange crush over the rims of their red solo cups.

“It’s no use,” Cisco grumbled to Caitlin, who was leaning against the wall as Friday faded out and Miley Cyrus circa 2008 started next. He grabbed two drinks from a passing caterer tray. 

He peered into the first glass.

“Shirley Temple?” Cisco guessed, handing the pink concoction to Caitlin.

“Thanks,” she said. She took a careful sip, grimaced, then rolled her eyes at finding Cisco covering his ears like a child.  

“What do you expect?”  She said, and Cisco let out a long tired sigh. He hates when she excuses crazy situations they get themselves into with logic.  “This is a teenage dance hall converted into a makeshift club for the birthday party of a 14 year old who happens to be best friends with the daughter of Barry’s newest arch nemesis.”

“What I expect is to not have to fear that my brain will bleed out of my ears before the end of the day!”

“You’re being so dramatic,” Caitlin laughed, “As if you don’t love Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.”

Cisco scoffed, offended. “I’m sorry but Poker Face cannot even compare to Fly On The Wall and you know it.”

A teenager came up to them then. “Excuse me, are you two the chaperones?”

Caitlin bended down, “Yes! My name is Katherine Rodriguez and this is my husband, Arlo. We’re Sonya’s parents.”

The kid gave Caitlin and Cisco a once over. “You two don’t look anything like her.”

They shoot each other a quick look before both replying at the same time.

“She looks like her grandmother.”

“She’s adopted.”

Caitlin stepped on Cisco’s foot. “Uh, what we mean is we adopted Sonya when she was three but we were told she looks like her maternal grandmother.”

The girl snapped her gum, “Yeah, whatever. We’re, like, not friends or anything.”

Cisco tilted his head to the side and squinted. “Is there a point to this or…”

The girl seemed to remember the reason why she came and perked up, “Oh this is, like, tbh, really awkward now, but I just wanted to let you know that I caught her picking on Yelena. Maybe you should go and see what’s going on.”

Yelena Sinister. Dr. Sinister’s daughter. Perfect. The plan was working.

Caitlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and blinked innocently. Cisco snorts. Is that how Caitlin thought it looked to be motherly? He’d tease her later about it if he didn’t find it so weirdly endearing. “Oh, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Caitlin said, placatingly.

The kid looked skeptical, but put her hands up as if to say Oh well I tried  and turned back to the buffet table.

“Arlo?” Cisco exclaimed, scandalized, once the girl was out of earshot.  

“It rhymes with Cisco!” Caitlin defended, peering over the crowd for Nora. “It should be any moment now.”

“Are you sure she knows what she’s doing?” Cisco asked.

Caitlin nodded, “It’s Nora. She practically begged us to let her do it. Besides, you know she’d do anything to help her dad with a mission. Even if it means crashing a lame party and going by the terrible fake name Sonya.”

Cisco stopped sipping his club soda to retort, “Like Sonya is so much worse than Arlo.”

Cisco could feel they were just about to get into an epic bickering match over names when a man about five years older than Cisco comes towards them. 

“Excuse me,” The man interrupted politely.

He was tall and somewhat handsome, but very obviously not naturally blonde. However, Cisco supposed it wasn’t fair to judge. Caitlin was sporting a ginger wig, like she was channeling a young Molly Ringwald and Cisco’s own fake mustache and goatee Iris forced onto him made him laugh so hard the first time he saw himself in a mirror, they almost flew off his face.

“Are you the other chaperone?”

The question was pointed at Cisco.

“Yes, I’m Arlo,” Cisco introduced himself, and he really did have to fake the smile. He shook his hand, “And this is my wife, Katherine.”

“Oh!” The man flushed pink and began to stutter. “Oh, we met before.”

Caitlin began to flush too, and Cisco sensed he was missing something.

“Really...When was this?” Cisco asked.

“I believe you were with the DJ. You know, it’s so refreshing to hear our children listen to appropriate songs, thank you for reminding the DJ of that.”

Caitlin hid her laugh in a cough as Cisco’s fake smile turned into a pained expression.

“Well, yes. That’s my job, protecting the children,” Cisco said smoothly.

The man turned to Caitlin.

“I’m so terribly sorry, Katherine. I didn’t know you were married or else I never would’ve said those things.”

Cisco raised an eyebrow, “I’m sorry, what? Wait...Were you flirting with my wife?”

Cisco found himself getting ticked off, and it was weird, how he didn’t even have to pretend to feel vindictive. How he had no real claim at all over Caitlin but he still wanted to put his arm around her waist and drag her the hell away from this man.

Cisco didn’t like the way he looked at her. Cisco didn’t like the way she looked at him either, especially with her all flustered like this.  

Caitlin put her hand on Cisco’s arm, sensing his discomfort. “I thought Eric was being friendly, I swear. It didn’t click until just now.”

Caitlin’s explanation felt sincere, and Cisco felt himself unwind when Caitlin kissed his cheek, for show, obviously, but still, it was a nice gesture for him...Or was it for Arlo? Cisco was starting to get confused.

For what it’s worth, the man truly did seem like he wanted a hole to swallow him up.

“I’m so sorry I flirted with your wife, man. I was just saying she looks so young to have a teenage daughter.” Eric paused to look at Cisco, “I mean, so do you. Also, I couldn’t help but notice neither of you wear wedding rings.”

Oh damn. Cisco knew they forgot something.

Caitlin smiled tightly. “We’re both allergic to gold, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Of course. Again, my apologies. Anyway, whose parents are you again?”

“Sonya.”

“How old is she?”

Cisco and Caitlin both spoke at the same time. Again.

“Eleven.”

“Fourteen.”

This was why Cisco and Caitlin hated working undercover.They sucked. 

All three chuckled awkwardly.

Cisco cleared his throat, “We adopted Sonya when she was three...” He began, and Caitlin continued on for him when he began to falter.

“Exactly, so she’s really fourteen in age but we’ve only had her for eleven.”

They linked their arms together, smiling charmingly.

Speaking of their fake daughter, Cisco was hoping Nora picked up the pace so they could call Dr. Sinister already and get him out of his lair. Barry must’ve been staked out there for over two hours now.

Nosy Eric, as Cisco began to call him in his head, even though he probably doesn’t deserve it, frowned. “My daughter never mentioned her before. How does she know Vanessa?”

“Who?” Cisco frowned.

“Vanessa? My daughter.” Eric began to grow impatient, “The birthday girl.”

“Oh, right, I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over this wholesome music!” Cisco replied, snidely.

Caitlin jabbed an elbow into Cisco’s rib. “Sonya was invited by Yelena. They go to piano lessons together.”

“I see. Wait a minute...Yelena doesn’t go to piano lessons. She does ballet.”

Thankfully, Nora swooped in and saved them when a loud crash followed by shrieking caused everyone to swerve their heads to see what the commotion was.

Cisco, Caitlin and Eric ran over to the dessert table where Nora was bent over, hands on her knees, laughing her ass off at Yelena who was on the floor, covered head to toe with hot melted chocolate from Vanessa’s chocolate fountain.

“You little bitch!” Yelena cried, slipping in the gooey mess as Vanessa stood several feet away completely stunned.

“Language!” Eric scolded at her, but it became very clear he agreed. 

The snitch that advised Caitlin and Cisco crossed her arms over her chest and sighed loudly, “I warned you.”

All of their friends were pointing and laughing, which would’ve made Cisco feel a little bad if she wasn’t the spoiled brat spawn of one of Earth’s most despicable metahumans. 

It was time to spring to action.

Cisco offered Yelena a hand as Eric began to scream at Caitlin about Nora ruining his daughter’s party.

“Your daughter did this?! I thought you said they were friends!” Eric accused, snapping at the teens to put their phones away.

“I can’t believe Sonya did this, I’m so sorry,” Caitlin apologized profusely, pretending to be aghast.

Cisco looked at his goddaughter straight in the eye and mentally psyched himself to sound as fatherly and as angry as possible when all he wanted to do was laugh. She quirked an eyebrow challengingly with a mischievous smirk.

“Sonya Isabella Rodriguez how dare you,” he scolded, “Your mother and I raised you so much better than this. Have you not one ounce of shame? This behaviour of yours is out of hand!”

Nora pinched her fingers together discreetly, telling him to tone it down a notch.

“But Daaaaaaaaad!” Nora whined, “You would’ve done it too if you knew what she’s like!”

“I don’t care,” Cisco said, “You’re coming home immediately. Apologize to this poor girl right away. Also you’re grounded.”

Caitlin rushed to the table to get napkins and wiped off the chocolate from Yelena’s hands.

“Here,” she said, whipping he phone out where it was conveniently left at the dial page. “Call your parents, honey. They’ll pick you up.”

Smart move, Cisco thought. Now Caitlin will have Dr. Sinister’s cell phone number, a valuable asset for tracking him in the future, and potentially finding out where else he goes.

Teary-eyed and humiliated, Yelena took Caitlin’s phone gingerly and called her father. She began wailing into the phone, and Cisco continued to fake berate Nora until she hung up.

“My daddy is coming right away to pick me up,” Yelena sniffed, picking her wilted flower crown from off the sticky floor.

Cisco shuffled Nora towards her. “Yelena, Sonya has something she’d like to say.”

Caitlin grabbed her cell back,  texting Barry that Dr. Sinister should be leaving any minute, and that he should go ahead the moment the coast is clear.

Yelena shot Cisco a death glare she definitely learned from her father. “Your daughter is a fake ass wannabe weirdo who doesn’t even go to our middle school! I never invited you! Nobody knows who you are! How dare you crash Vanessa’s party!”

Nora’s jaw dropped, “Yeah, well you’re a prissy princess daddy’s girl! Even worse, your dad is a total psycho!”

Yelena gasped, then lunged at Nora, slapping her right across the face.

Cisco sent Caitlin a panicked look. Name calling and slapping fights that could end up exposing their fake identities during their undercover mission was not part of the plan.

“Okaaay! That’s enough! We’re going home now!” Cisco said in a rush, dragging Nora away by the collar of her skater dress. Quickly, Nora sped the three off to the dance hall’s lobby where Cisco opened a breach and they all quickly jumped through it and into Star Labs.

~.~

Iris startled at the control board of the cortex. She surveyed the three of them catching their breath and narrowed her eyes. 

“Why is there chocolate all over my eleven year old daughter’s hair?”

Nora threw both her hands up in the air, “You were the one who said Uncle Cisco and Aunt Caitlin needed me to get into the party!” 

Iris opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Well... Yes, but it was their job to end the party and get Dr. Sinister out of his lair! Not yours.”

“Hey,” Said Cisco, putting a hand on Nora’s shoulder. “We were the ones that let   Nora get involved in the mission, and she did an excellent job, if not slightly carried away at the end, but who could blame her.”

Iris massaged her temples, “You couldn’t have pulled the fire alarm or something?”

Caitlin shrugged sheepishly, “...We didn’t think of that.”

“Sweetie, come here,” Iris said to Nora, but at that moment Barry’s voice crackled over the intercom system, requesting Iris and Cisco for help.

 He must have found something in Dr. Sinister’s lair.

“Ah crap,” Iris sighed, “Caitlin, do you mind?”

Caitlin shook her head and beckoned Nora over to the Med Bay, “Here, let’s get you cleaned up.”

She made Nora sit on the examining table and wet some paper towels to wipe the chocolate out of her hair.

“That was fun,” Nora said happily.

“I”m glad you thought so, but I’m sorry you got hit. Does it hurt?”

“Not really,” Nora reached towards Caitlin’s head to take off the red wig. “You looked like Kim Possible.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Caitlin smiled.

“Aunt Caitlin, can I ask you a question?”

Caitlin turned off the water faucet, and turned towards her, all ears.

“Sure,” Caitlin replied.

“I saw that guy talking to you. Why didn’t you get his number?”

Caitlin raised an eyebrow at the little speedster. This wasn’t what she had in mind when Nora asked to chat. 

“It would’ve blown the cover. I was pretending to be married to Uncle Cisco, remember?”

“But you’re not in real life!”  Nora objected.

Caitlin handed her a junior sized Star Labs sweatshirt and sweatpants to change into. Nora hopped off the table to get dressed.

“Yes,” Caitlin agreed, “But that man didn’t know that. I didn’t want his number anyway.”

“Why not?” Nora asked innocently.

“I just didn’t.” 

“So if you’re not with anyone, and you’re not really with Uncle Cisco, then why haven’t you or Uncle Cisco ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

Caitlin paused, taken aback. It was true that she had been single for a long time, but coincidentally, Caitlin had never been more content in her life than she was now. She had her life back in order, she had struck up an unlikely friendship with her alter ego, who had been less Killer and more Frost for several peaceful years. She made amends with her mother and was in fact really proud of her work with Barry, Star Labs and her personal research.

 “I can’t speak for Uncle Cisco but I’m happy with my life as is. I don’t need anyone new.” Caitlin looked out the window at Cisco, giving Barry directions of what kind of tech to look for in Dr. Sinister’s lab and sighed wistfully.She was right. She didn’t need anyone new. It was an old friend that she had wrapped around her finger.  

Nora followed her gaze.

“You looked awfully happy pretending to be Mrs. Rodriguez, though,” Nora pointed out.

Caitlin blushed. It wasn’t lost on her that there was a lot of truth to that statement. “I was playing pretend,” Caitlin insisted, knowing how weak that sounded..

Nora put a hand on her hip sassily, pursing her lips a lot like her mother.

“Were you, though?” She pressed.

Caitlin ruffled the damp hair of Nora’s head, shutting down the conversation all together. She loved the kid, but she sure was Barry Allen’s daughter, meddling in personal affairs.  “You’re all good to go. Why don’t you run home to your brother. I’m sure he misses you.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Caitlin opened a drawer and handed her a lollipop. Nora rolled her eyes. “I’m too old for these.”

Cisco peeked his head in at that moment, his faux facial hair all gone, “No no,” He admonished, “You’re never too old for candy.”

He snatched Nora’s lollipop out of her hand, unwrapped the plastic and plopped it in his mouth. “Your loss my gain,” he said, muffled around the candy.

“Just think about what I said,” Nora told Caitlin, then sped out the building.

Cisco leaned forward. “What was she talking about?”

Caitlin fiddled with her medicine drawers. “Um,” she said lightly, shaking her head like it was no big deal, “Just about us being Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez. She didn’t quite believe that we were acting.”

Cisco sat in down heavily in Caitlin’s office chair. “But you told her we were…” 

“Of course.” 

Cisco sighed. “Right.” 

Caitlin turned around, curious at Cisco’s tone of voice. “Why, you wish we weren’t?” She felt overly conscious about the way her heart  sudden quickened in pace.

Cisco made a contemplative humming noise, “Weeeellll,” he dragged out the word, avoiding Caitlin’s gaze. He toyed his dress shoes into the floor as he swiveled left-right-left in her chair and removed the candy from his mouth. 

“Arlo might’ve been a little jealous that a man was interested in his wife. It made him feel a bit stupid. Arlo has this amazing beautiful woman and he never really tells her enough what she means to him, he always kind of assumed she knew.”

“Ah,” Caitlin responded. Cisco glanced up at her, vulnerability written all over his face. “What does Katherine think?”

Caitlin lifted a shoulder, nonchalant. “Katherine was too wrapped up in her feelings about Arlo to even notice that another man was interested. Katherine felt silly that she lost her touch. And then she felt not so silly, because who was she trying to impress, if Arlo cared about her so deeply without her even having to try?”

“Really?” 

They weren’t joking anymore. 

Caitlin nodded. “Yeah.” 

“I do,” Cisco breathed. “Care about you deeply. So much. For so long.”

Caitlin felt like she might die. In a really good way. In a ‘I ate three belly burgers and had one milkshake too many but I’m so very happy’ way.

“Is this Arlo talking or Cisco?” Caitlin teased, holding her breath.

Cisco stood up and grabbed Caitlin’s hand, tugging her towards him. “It’s Cisco,” He said softly, seriously. “It’s me. I’d be lying if I said you’re not who I want. Who I think about all the time. Who I’d want to be my partner in crime not just when we fight crime.”

Caitlin squeezed their joint hands. “That’s a relief. Caitlin feels the same way.”

Cisco moved closer, following Caitlin with his eyes, beaming. He leaned in just as Caitlin placed her hands on his waist when Nora zipped back into the Med Bay with her twin brother in tow, scaring the two half to death.

They jumped into each other’s arms as Nora crowed in victory. “Thank you speedforce!” She exclaimed, “I did it! You owe me ten bucks!”

“Congratulations,” Don cheered as unenthusiastically as a kid could sound. “No offense, but I thought it was never going to happen.” He handed Nora a crumpled Hamilton.

“See, I told you it would work!” She stuck her tongue out at Don smugly.

Suddenly all the puzzle pieces clicked. “Wait a minute…” Cisco said, shaking his head at Nora, impressed. “We’ve been bamboozled! You were the one that put the idea that we should be your fake parents in our heads! You set us up!”

“To be fair,” Nora pointed out, “You are our godparents, so it’s not like it’s that unrealistic.”  

Caitlin tilted her head, thinking that reasoning over. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Who cares!” Nora cried, “You’re together now!” 

“Okay, thank you, we owe you. Now let us have our moment!” Cisco said, ushering the Tornado Twins away. 

They zoomed off, and Cisco could hear Iris yelling after them as he pulled the curtain around the bed. 

“Now,” Cisco said, winking, “Where were--Mmmph!”  

When Cisco had received his own brown paper bag of hot, puffy, aromatic cheese buns, he paused to stare down at Caitlin as she perched on the window ledge outside the bakery, savoring her first bun.

"Really?" he said. "You're going to sit here and eat them?"

She licked a smear of melted butter off her thumb. "Let me put it to you this way. Really? You're going to take your fresh, delicious, four-and-only-four-to-a-customer cheese buns from Cameron's, back to Star Labs? Where there are currently two speedsters with insatiable appetites, plus Ralph?"

He contemplated that. "You're right. Move over." He sat hip-to-hip with her and fished his first bun out of the bag. "Mmmmm," he groaned when he bit in.

"I know," she sighed, wiping her mouth and diving back into her own bag for her second. "How do they do it?"

"Wishcraf'," he said, voice muffled through his mouthful.

She nodded. Magic had to be the only explanation.

Cisco finished his first bun and sighed with pleasure. "What is Ralph still doing here, anyway?"

"I genuinely don't know," she said. "Wasn't he moving to Iowa?"

"I thought so. Guess he changed his mind." He reached for the next bun in his bag.

When they'd finished two each, he said, "Thanks for texting me."

"Of course." She rested her bag of buns on her knee, looking out at the day. The summer sun beamed down out of a deep blue sky, surrounded by puffy white clouds. In the park across the street, people were picnicking on the grass, a couple of kids were playing frisbee with a golden retriever, and a soft breeze rustled the green leaves on the trees. "This is nice."

He licked his fingers. "Best cheese buns in the city."

"That, but - this too. Just taking a break and enjoying the moment. Not because we beat somebody or rescued somebody or won at something. Just because the moment's here. When was the last time any of us did that?"

"Long time," he said. "Seems like we've been careening from disaster to disaster for - wow. God. Years."

"That's what it feels like."

"When was the last time we had a movie night, even?"

"Oh, that's been a long time," she said. "Since before Killer Frost." Before Cynthia, she wanted to say, but didn't. They hadn't talked about his breakup very much even though it had been nearly four months now.

She thought he was doing better lately. But he was good at putting on a face, and the events of the past year or so had put a distance between them that made her distrust her own ability to see under it.

"We should do that again," he said. "Movie night."

"Mmmm," she said, ducking her head under the guise of rooting around for the next bun in her bag.

He'd been making noises like that lately. Let's hang out, let's get a drink, wanna catch that movie together? Like he was trying to rebuild the way things used to be with them.

But she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to their previous dynamic.

Not that she didn't want to spend time with him. There was a reason she'd texted him and not anybody else when she'd seen the cheese buns come out.

But she wasn't sure she wanted to hang out with him as just friends.

Scratch that.

She knew she didn't want to be just friends. She wanted to be more.

It had been laying in her heart like an egg for so long she didn't know when it had arrived. She'd kept it in a corner, trying to ignore it, telling herself that between Killer Frost and Cynthia Reynolds, she'd lost her chance.

But when he'd broken up with Cynthia, the shell had cracked. Over the past months, something soft and wet and new had pushed its way out, and had shown itself unwilling to pushed off to the side. It cheeped and pecked at the inside of her chest every time she saw him now.

She'd seen the icons for dating apps on his phone, so he was at least thinking about getting out there again. But swiping right on an app and trying on a relationship with someone he'd known as long as she and Cisco had known each other - well. Those were different things.

He didn't pursue the idea, instead singing along with a snatch of a poppy summer hit blaring from a car sitting at the light. When it moved on, he said, "Have you seen the video for that?"

"No," she said, although she had. "Show me?"

The video was as cute and bouncy-fun as the song, and she smiled over it, leaning into his shoulder as he angled his phone so she could see. They swiped through a few other videos, finishing up the cheese buns.

When they were both done, he held out his hand for her paper bag. She crumpled it up and handed it to him, then got up, swiping dust off her rear as he went down the street a few steps to chuck the bags into a handy trash bin.

When he came back, he said, "You want a ride back?" He flared his fingers in a breaching motion.

"Well," she said. "I was thinking I'd walk, actually. It's not too far." She'd been walking around the city a lot lately. She told the others that it was because she needed the exercise, but the truth was, she needed the quiet thinking time that belonged only to her.

He looked around. "We could do that."

"You don't have to," she said, feeling a flush of pleasure in her stomach. "Just because I am."

"I know," he said. "Shall we?"

They matched strides, talking about the videos they'd watched, about summer movies coming out, about the food festival that would be held in the park over the weekend. Anything besides all the work waiting for them back at Star Labs. Not that today was particularly wild, comparatively speaking. But it felt like they were stealing this time for themselves.

Or maybe Caitlin just felt that way.

Halfway back, the clouds started to move in over the sun. Caitlin glanced up. "Was that a sprinkle?"

Cisco held up his hand flat. "Yep. Hey, I wonder if I could maybe make a breach right over our heads to catch the rain - "

She rooted around in her purse. "Or we could use this," she said, coming up with an umbrella.

"Well, sure, if you want to be normal about it," he said. But he ducked under the umbrella's shelter as drops began to patter against the floral design.

It was the best kind of summer shower, soft and bath-warm, with a light breeze and no hint of lightning or thunder. Snuggled up close under the umbrella, they had to walk slower so as not to trip each other. When they kept bumping elbows, he hooked his arm through hers, and they walked on, connected.

Conversation fell away, and Caitlin listened to the drum of raindrops over their heads. This close, she could smell Cisco's scent, the clean smell of his shampoo and the earthy tone of his soap and something else that was just him. She caught his eye, and he turned his head and smiled at her.

She smiled back.

All too soon, they walked up the front path to Star Labs. Under the overhang in front of the entrance, Caitlin shook her umbrella free of loose water droplets and collapsed it.

"Hey," he said. "Earlier? You didn't really say anything about movie night. When I mentioned it."

"Didn't I?" she said airily. "It's a good idea. Boost team morale. Do you still have that projector? We could set it up in the cortex, get pizza for everyone - lots of pizza - "

"That'd be fun, sure," he said. "But I meant just us."

"Oh," she said, her heart fluttering like frantic wings. Maybe just friends would be enough. Maybe if they spent enough time together as friends, she could work out if he was open to more, or maybe she'd find out that his friendship was what she'd been wanting and missing, not -

He swallowed. "Just friends if you want," he said. "But actually I've been thinking lately. What if we tried being more?"

She thought Say something, Caitlin, you idiot.

When her idiot self did not say anything, he looked away, shrugging a little as if to indicate that it was all the same to him. "Or not. Hey, I know it's a crazy time. You're still trying to figure out the Killer Frost thing, and we're all trying to fix Nora's screw-up, so if you want we can, like, table this discussion until things settle down and - "

"No," she finally managed to say, and he turned back to her quickly. "No, let's not table that discussion - I - " She fumbled. He looked like he didn't know whether to downcast or excited. "Cisco, I would like us to be more. I would. Now."

His face relaxed. "You sure? I mean, it’s so crazy right now."

She put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. Then she leaned forward, and kissed him.

He caught his breath against her lips - she felt it. Then his hand came up and pressed against her hair, and he kissed her back.

He smiled at her when they pulled apart, eyes alight. "So that's a yes, you're sure."

She smiled back. "I think if I had waited for things to be not crazy, we wouldn't have had cheese buns and a walk in the rain just now," she said. "I think we have to start taking the time for ourselves, and not waiting for it to free up."

"I think you could be right," he said.

She kissed him one last time before they had to go inside. In her heart, wings spread wide.

"Think I got it working," he said. They were taking a lazy Saturday together, following up on a Friday night date that had been interrupted by mayhem. So far the day had featured morning sex, waffles, and an attempt to watch some TV that had been stymied by the cable going out.

"Legally?"

"Don't ask me questions I can't answer." He kissed her cheek and put his arms around her waist. "Whatcha making?"

"Grilled cheese." She poked at the sandwich cooking in the pan. "You want one?"

"Sounds good. Sure."

"Okay." She turned to the fridge. "I'm making mine with Swiss. But I've got Muenster, Colby Jack - "

"Mmm," he said. "What else?"

She heaved a sigh and pulled a plastic package out of the cheese drawer. "Or this."

His jaw dropped. "What's that doing in there?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I got some on my last grocery run."

"You hate American cheese!"

"It's literally labeled processed cheese product," she grumbled. "They can’t even legally call it cheese. I don't know how you can eat it."

"Cheez," he said. "With a z. And I like the way it melts."

"It melts like that because it's mostly additives."

"But you got it for me," he said.

She shook her head. "You like it. And it's not like it'll go bad."

He laughed and hugged her. "I love you."

She pulled back to stare at him. "What?"

"I said I love you," he said, realizing that it was true. He did. He'd always loved her, but now he knew he Loved her. Capital L love.

She blinked a few times, like Bambi if Bambi had run headlong into a branch. "Because I got you horrible cheese?"

"Yes," he said, taking her face in his hands. "Because you got me horrible cheese.” He kissed her on the lips. “Because you kiss me whenever I ask,” kiss, “and I always want to hang out with you,” kiss, “and you're smart and tough and beautiful and nerdy and weird,” each adjective punctuated with another kiss. “And I love all of that so much. And I wanted to say it."

She’d gone soft, her eyes big and shining. “Cisco,” she said. “I love you too.” And this time, she kissed him.

They kissed until the smoke alarm went off, and Caitlin had to yank the pan with the scorched-black grilled cheese sandwich off the burner.

Okay, maybe there had been a little drama in this moment.