âHey, itâs cold outside. At least wear a jacket.â With Jeremy and Nick from No Good Nick?
Thanks for the prompt! I had fun writing this, even if it is relatively short. Itâs set post the end of the show, and itâs just pure Thompson siblings fluff.
Word count: 661
~~~
The door to Molly and Nickâs room opened to reveal Jeremy, who was looking at Nick with playful excitement sketched on his face.Â
âNicole Franzelli Thompson, you did not tell me you have a date.âÂ
He closed the door behind him and immediately joined Molly and Nick in sitting on Nickâs bed. Molly had an open magazine resting on her knees and was doing Nickâs nails according to the picture on the page, while Nick was playing music from her phone. She paused the song that was playing and looked at Jeremy.Â
âHowâd you find out?âÂ
âDad told me.â Jeremy said. âHeâs just about bursting with pride. Mom, on the other hand, is going through the many scenarios of how your date could go wrong. If youâre not back by 7pm, she might just call the cops on your new boyfriend.âÂ
Nick laughed. âTell her that everythingâs fine. Iâll be home safely, I promise.âÂ
âAnd,â Molly finished Nickâs pinky finger and closed the jar of nail polish. âLuckily for Nick, her trusted best friend slash sister is on nail polish and makeup duty.âÂ
âSo, tell me about him.â Jeremy said. âWhatâs his name? And his address, in case you come home crying.âÂ
âHis name is Will.â Nick said. âAnd Iâm not giving you his address, for that exact reason.âÂ
âOh please, like you could beat him up with those noodles you call arms.â Molly teased.
Jeremy feigned an offended gasp. âRude. I come to help my beloved adoptive sister get ready for her date, and this is the treatment I get. Unbelievable.âÂ
Nick smiled at Jeremyâs playful tone. âDo you usually go all Older Brother on Mollyâs boyfriends?â
âI donât know.â Jeremy shrugged, looking at Molly. âMolly hasnât had a boyfriend.âÂ
âIâm way too busy with my Volunteer Squad to have time for a boyfriend.â Molly said. âWhen you strive for helping the world, you have to make sacrifices.âÂ
âYâknow, Molly used to tease me all the time about not having a girlfriend before I came out.â Jeremy playfully elbowed Molly. âNow Nick and I both have boyfriends, and itâs your turn to step up, Mol.âÂ
âSure.â Molly rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. âIâll get right on that.âÂ
âSo,â Jeremy turned back to Nick. âWhere are you two going for your date?âÂ
âThe movie theater on Stokes. Then weâll probably walk to the park from there, maybe get hot chocolate and just chat.âÂ
âThatâs so cute!â Molly grinned. âI hope to hear all the details the very second you get home.âÂ
âDonât worry,â Nick chuckled. âI promise Iâll tell you everything.âÂ
âTell Will that if he doesnât treat you right, heâll have to hear from me.â Jeremy said. âMe and my noodle arms.âÂ
âAh, at least youâre accepting it now.âÂ
Nick playfully rolled her eyes at the both of them. âRelax. Willâs a sweet guy.âÂ
The doorbell rang from downstairs, causing the three of them to share looks of excitement with one another.Â
âSpeaking of Will,â Nick got up from the bed. âThere he is.âÂ
âHold on, blow on your nails for me.â Molly said. Nick did so, and she took Nickâs hand in hers to inspect the nail polish and ensure that there werenât any mistakes. âPerfect.âÂ
âAlright, I gotta go. I donât wanna keep him waiting.âÂ
âHey, itâs cold outside. At least wear a jacket.â Jeremy reached over and grabbed Nickâs signature bomber jacket to hand it to her. âWe wouldnât want you catching a cold on your first date, now would we?âÂ
âThanks.â Nick took the jacket from him and slipped it on. She hesitated for a moment, looking at the both of them with a warm, loving smile.Â
âWhatâs that smile for?âÂ
âOh, nothing.â She said. âItâs just⌠really nice to have siblings.âÂ
Molly and Jeremy matched her warm smile. While they had been siblings their whole lives, they understood her sentiment.
âWeâve got your back.â Jeremy squeezed her shoulder affectionately. âNow, go. Willâs waiting.âÂ
Without another word, Nick ran out of the room and met Will downstairs.
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protective sentence starters
as requested. Feel free to change pronouns or anything else !
âDonât you hurt a single hair on his/her/their head.â
âHands off!â
âWhat do you think youâre doing to him/her/them?â
âIâll never let you go.â /Â âDonât ever let me go.â
âDonât ever leave my sight again.â
âI got your back.â
âWhere are you going? Itâs not safe out there!â
âDo you trust me?â
âBe more careful next time. I donât want to bandage you up again.â
âHey, itâs cold outside. At least wear a jacket.â
âIâd die for you.â
âYouâll back off if you know whatâs good for you.â
âGet behind me NOW.â
âHere, I have an extra weapon.â
âDuck, you idiot!â
âGo on without me.â
âWell what did you expect would happen while youâre walking alone at night? Come on, letâs get you away from that creep.â
âHey. Pal. Iâve got a gun/knife/fist/weapon and Iâm not afraid to use it.â
âYou can stop hugging me now.â
âYou scared the shit out of me. Iâm never going to stop hugging you.â
âQuit babying me! I can protect myself.â
âIâll always be there to save you.â /Â âI know youâll always be there to save me.â
âIf you even THINK about touching him/her/them, Iâll kill you.â
â[choked up] I thought I lost you.â /Â â[choked up] I never thought Iâd see you again.â
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Tell me the one fic you associate with my username. In exchange, Iâll tell you a secret about that story.
It can be a scene that was deleted or never written or character motivations or even a story from my shameful past.
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Killervibe Fic Week Day Seven: Fairytale
Word Count: 7.3k
Notes: This is so late Iâm not even sure if I can consider it a part of fic week anymore, but I worked way too hard on this to let it go to waste. Itâs 21 pages on Google Docs. Itâs my longest fic for fic week. Iâve been working on this one for a while, so I hope you guys enjoy!
Warnings: guns, bullets, description of a gunshot, bullet wound. Cisco says fuck. like. exactly one (1) time. It could be a PG-13 movie.Â
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
They call her Killer Frost.
Cisco had heard the stories since he was a child. They told of a woman who was supposedly born from the ice, her body as old as the Earth itself, her immortal feet walking amongst the dirt and snow since the dawn of time. Her eyes have seen humanity rise and fall, her ears have heard the sobs of mankind, her fingers could either bless or curse with just one touch. She wasnât a god, for people did not worship her. Rather, she was nature. She was the beauty of the snowy forests in which she lived. She was the harshness of blizzards and the delicacy of snowflakes. She was the calm before the storm, and the damage left behind once itâs gone.
Growing up, Cisco and his brother Dante would always ask to hear those stories again. Killer Frost fascinated them. Their mother would tell them the same story each night before bed, and each night they fell asleep in complete awe of the mysterious ice queen.Â
Both boys grew up wanting to be an adventurer. They played with sticks in their backyard and pretended to be fending off any danger that might arise. Dante got a childrenâs adventuring kit from his parents for his birthday one year, much to his younger brotherâs dismay. Cisco stole that kit from him so many times that it became partly his, despite Dante complaining each time. The brothers once found a stray cat in the woods behind their house, and they imagined it as a magical creature they had stumbled upon in their travels. They ended up befriending and adopting the cat, and Dante later brought the cat along with him when he moved out.Â
When Dante started his first ever expedition, his parents were overwhelmed in their support for their son. They told everyone that would listen about what a great adventurer Dante would be, and how they simply couldnât wait to hear about all the amazing things heâd find. And their pride wasnât misplaced. Dante Ramon became a remarkable adventurer, admired by many, and the well-deserved winner of a few awards. He was the first person to get close to Bigfoot. He discovered a ring of faeries and brought back pictures to show it. He befriended some dwarves in Russia. He slayed a hostile vampire and saved a city in the process.Â
It seemed that Danteâs great achievements became the topic of all of Ciscoâs conversations with his parents. His brother did this, his brother did that. Danteâs name was his motherâs favorite word. She and Ciscoâs father were bursting with pride and affection for their older son, while their younger son was lost in his brotherâs shadow. The longer it went on, the more Cisco became aware of the fundamental truth: Dante could do no wrong, whereas he could do no right.Â
Dante got married to a beautiful girl named Melinda Torres. His mother cried upon receiving the news of their engagement, his father patted him on the back in congratulations. Cisco was best man, and he gave a speech in front of everyone, looking back on past memories he shared with Dante and commemorating how far heâs come to become the man he is today. Cisco was happy to be by his brotherâs side on his big day, but he couldnât help but feel a lingering feeling of jealousy deep down. Not because of the marriage itself, but because it was just one more event with his brotherâs name in lights. One more gathering in which everybody was looking at Dante Ramon, adventurer extraordinaire. It was just one more opportunity for Dante to outshine him.
But then, two years later, they received the news that changed everything.Â
Dante had been killed by a pack of werewolves while on an expedition. His family had been told first, but the press found out in a matter of days. He had a funeral immediately. His family members, no matter how distantly related, came to say goodbye to the boy they had known and whose blood they had shared.Â
While Danteâs family werenât the only ones mourning his loss, Cisco mourned the most out of them all. He looked back on his childhood memories and remembered all the good times the two of them had shared. Every laugh, every playfight, every smile. The hours they spent playing together as kids. Cisco even looked back on their childish bickering fondly. He had lost his only brother, his childhood playmate, his partner in crime, his best friend.Â
Except⌠Cisco lost those things a long time ago. They were all victims of his jealousy. Cisco not only mourned the loss of his brother, but he also beared the weight of his regret. He regretted letting his spite get in the way of his relationship with his brother. It was never Danteâs fault. Dante didnât ask to be the favorite. He rightfully earned his praise. Now Dante was gone and Cisco was out of opportunities to reconnect with his brother, all because Cisco refused to let go of his childish envy when he had the chance.Â
Two months after Danteâs death, Cisco got a call from his mother asking him to meet her at his childhood home. When he got there, he found her sitting in one of the wooden chairs surrounding the dining room table, with a cardboard packing box on the table in front of her.
âCome, sit.âÂ
Cisco sat in the chair opposite her.Â
He had about a million questions. Why did she want to meet him here? Why did she want to meet at all? What was the purpose of talking to him now, after all those years of not caring?Â
Despite all his questions, he only voiced one. âWhatâs in the box?â
âOpen it.â She said. âSee for yourself.âÂ
Cisco did so. Upon opening the box, Cisco gasped, and took out its contents to hold it in his hands ever-so-gently.Â
âDanteâs adventuring kit. I havenât seen this since we were kids.â Cisco said. âWhereâd you find it?â
âIt was in his room.â Mrs. Ramon spoke delicately, as if she was trying her best to stay strong despite her mourning. âYour father and I were going through his stuff and we found it. I thought it would be best to give it to you.âÂ
He went through its contents. A cheaply made pair of toy binoculars, a cheaply made flashlight that ran out of batteries years ago and never got a replacement, a handbook on the many different kinds of fantastical creatures out there.
âI want you to have it.âÂ
Cisco met his motherâs eyes with an incredulous expression, as if asking if she was sure. âYou do?âÂ
She nodded. âYou loved that kit as a kid. You and Dante, always playing in the backyard, always asking me for more stories about noble adventurers. You should have it.âÂ
âI couldnât. Itâs Danteâs.âÂ
âHe isnât here, mijo.â Her gentle voice reflected her own pain on the topic, but still she stayed strong. âLook, I know I havenât been the best about encouraging your own aspirations like I did Danteâs. Iâm sorry about that.âÂ
The apology took Cisco off guard. He wasnât sure how to respond at first. Does he tell her âItâs okayâ, even when itâs not? Does he tell her about all the times in his youth he cried into his pillow because he knew he would always be second-best? Did it take Dante dying for his parents to remember they had a second son?Â
He decided against it, telling himself that his mother apologizing was a good thing, because it means that maybe the future will be different. So, instead he simply smiled.Â
âThank you.â He said. âI appreciate the apology.âÂ
âAre you still planning on becoming an adventurer?âÂ
Cisco shook his head. âThat was a long time ago.âÂ
âYou should.â She said. âIt was your dream. You and Dante alike. Donât give up on that now.âÂ
âI dunno,â He sighed. âI donât want to steal Danteâs spotlight.âÂ
âYou arenât.â Mrs. Ramon met his eyes with a sincerity that he couldnât explain. âHonor your brother by becoming an adventurer. Carry out his legacy. Finish what he started.âÂ
Cisco furrowed his brow. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âWhat was the one legend that you and Dante always admired? The one that Dante dreamed of finding for himself, but never did?âÂ
His eyes grew as the realization dawned on him.
âKiller Frost.â The words came out as a soft exhale.Â
Mrs. Ramon nodded. âContinue Danteâs lifeâs work. Find Killer Frost. Be an adventurer not in spite of Dante, but to remember him.âÂ
âAre you sure Iâll have what it takes?âÂ
âOf course you will. Youâre my son.â She said. âThe Ramon family needs an adventurer. I may not have supported you as much as I shouldâve, but that changes now. I will encourage you every step of the way.â Â
A smile grew on Ciscoâs face.Â
âThank you.âÂ
Mrs. Ramon walked around the table to brush Ciscoâs hair behind his ear and place a soft, motherly kiss to his forehead.Â
âI believe in you, mijo. Go show the world what youâre made of.â
And so, with that, Cisco started his career as an adventurer. He started off small and built his way up. In the first year, he searched forests for elves and faeries, ventured out into the sea in hopes of finding mermaids, visited Nessieâs lake, and even found a wild griffin. Meanwhile, on the side he researched as much as he could about Killer Frost. He visited libraries and read ancient books about her. He discussed the myths with locals who live near places sheâs supposedly been sighted. Heâs looked up everything he can about every alleged sighting. The most recent alleged sighting happened about ten years ago and was told by a man named Bartholomew Henry Allen. Cisco grimaced. Thatâs an unfortunate name. He looked up Bartholomew in hopes of interviewing him for more information, only to discover that Bartholomew had died a few years back. He was killed by a man named Eobard Thawne. Cisco grimaced again. Thatâs an even more unfortunate name.Â
It wasnât until the December of Ciscoâs second year being an adventurer that he decided he was ready to start tracking down Killer Frost.Â
He gathered information from various alleged sightings in hopes of pinpointing possible places Frost could be. She stayed in snowy biomes, ones with thick forestation, natural wildlife, and high elevation. There was one place that had all of those things. Far up north were taigas covered in snow, with high steeps of rock in which many natural caves could be found. He figured that was his best bet.
So he camped. He packed his travel backpack with all the compact packing methods he had taught himself growing up, so that he could fit everything he needed into one large backpack. He bought a compact tent that folded itself into the size of a small purse, and he attached that to the bottom of his backpack. He knew a trick to fold entire outfits into compact rolls as to fit more into smaller spaces. He was sure to pack lots of winter clothes as well as miniature heaters and heating pads to prepare him for the biome. He brought food that wouldnât go bad and that he could prepare easily without any extra equipment. He carried a knife for self-defense, and so that he could hunt animals in the case that he ran out of food. He made sure to wear silver jewelry to protect him from werewolves. After losing his brother to them, he wanted to be safe.Â
With that, Cisco embarked on the expedition that would change everything.Â
Days and nights blurred together. Cisco brought along a handheld notebook and a miniature pencil, and he logged each day he spent in the forest, or else he wouldâve lost track. He adjusted to his camping life after his first week, and it got easier from there. When Dante was alive, he would tell Cisco stories of his expeditions, and heâd talk about how hard it was to live out in the wilderness for long periods of time. The past year had been consisted of a ton of time in the wilderness for Cisco, so now he finally understood what he meant.Â
One morning, Cisco was inside his tent when he heard foosteps outside. He reminded himself to stay calm, and assured himself that it was probably just a deer. He grabbed his knife and held it out defensively, and prepared to open the tent flap and run out. He purposefully kept his breathing calm and slow, so that the animal outside couldnât hear it. He ensured that he was still wearing his rings of silver and a silver chain around his neck, and then he opened the flap.Â
The second he did, he screamed.Â
It wasnât a deer. It wasnât werewolves or a bear, either. It was a woman.
Her hair was white as snow. Her lips were frozen and pale. She had no blood running through her veins, no heartbeat to keep her alive. Her skin was a ghostly color with a light blue undertone, like ice personified. Her eyes were a piercing white, as intense as the eyes of hawks but with the harsh cold of the Antarctic Ocean. And yet, they were staring at Cisco with fear and surprise and intrigue, all at once.Â
There she was.Â
The lady from the myths, the woman Cisco had longed to see in the flesh, the reason for this entire expedition, standing right before him.Â
Killer Frost.
In Ciscoâs head, the moment he saw Killer Frost, heâd be gasping in awe at her beauty, recording this incredible sighting down in his notebook, never to forget it. He definitely didnât imagine himself holding the tent flap open with one hand, holding his knife in the other, staring her in the eyes, and screaming his head off.Â
Ciscoâs scream startled Frost, who was already greatly on edge. She started screaming as well, and she held her hands up defensively, her palms facing Cisco, conveying that she was ready to shoot ice blasts at Cisco at any given moment.Â
Cisco never thought his greatest achievement would be standing in front of one of Earthâs most majestic myths while they were both screaming at the top of their lungs.Â
Once Cisco registered that it was Killer Frost and not some scary werewolf, he shut his mouth and cut off his scream, but his mouth was only shut for a second before he opened it again, this time gaping at her in surprise. It was Killer Frost. The Killer Frost. The very being he had hoped to see.
He dropped his knife and it clattered to the ground. He didnât mean her any harm. His mind was still processing. The wheels in his head turned as he stared at her, half-expecting it to all be a dream.Â
For an ice queen, she was gorgeous.Â
âWhatâre you doing here?!â She snapped. Her voice didnât sound human. It sounded like ice and wind and harsh blizzards and deadly winters.
âI, uh-â Great. Ciscoâs first words to the great legend Killer Frost and he stammers. âI came here to see you. I had heard the stories about Killer Frost and I wanted to see you for myself.âÂ
âI see.â She glared at him, as if she hadnât just been screaming with him a moment earlier. âLeave now, and I will spare you.â
âI donât mean you any harm.â Cisco raised his hands in surrender. âI promise.â
She scoffed. âYou humans are so alike. You all say the same things, and theyâre all lies.â
âIâm not lying.â Cisco assured her. âHere, Iâll show you.â
He gently kicked his knife out of the tent and it landed softly on the snow next to her feet.Â
âThatâs my only weapon.â He said. âNow itâs over by you. If I were to reach for it, you could stop me.â
Frost slid the knife behind her using her foot. âThat was reckless. Whatâs to stop me from killing you?âÂ
There was a certain smug twinkle in his eyes. âTrust.âÂ
She raised an eyebrow at him.Â
âYouâre a very strange human.âÂ
Cisco laughed. âBelieve it or not, I get that a lot.â
~~~
The sun was beginning to set along the west horizon. A fire crackled and danced before them, putting on a show of red and orange, burning the wood underneath it and forming a thin stream of smoke above it. They heard calls from a distant owl, but they couldnât see where it was hiding. At one point, Cisco saw a white hare jump into a bush, and he smiled and commented on how adorable it was.
Cisco had invited Frost to stay at his campsite. She didnât respond, but the fact that she still remained even hours later gave Cisco his answer. After Cisco had gone through so much to find her, the last thing he wanted was for her to leave. Plus, she made surprisingly good company.Â
âYou hurt yourself.âÂ
âWhat?â Cisco furrowed his brow.Â
Frost pointed to a spot on his ankle, just above his shoe, where he had a few scrapes. They were enough to draw blood, but still, hardly an injury. They were already starting to heal.Â
âOh, that.â Cisco waved his hand dismissively. âI walked too close to a thorn bush this morning and it scraped my ankle.âÂ
She laughed. Her laugh was icy and inhuman, and yet at the same time, surprisingly warm and genuine. âHumans are so fragile.âÂ
âI guess we are.â He shrugged. âI never really thought about it. What about you, then? Do you not get injured?âÂ
Frost shook her head.Â
âHuh.â He said. âThat must be nice.âÂ
Cisco reached over and grabbed his backpack, and started rummaging through it. He pulled out a whole bag of granola, and started eating fistfuls of it straight out of the bag. Frost watched him with a raised eyebrow, her piercing eyes studying him up and down with an inquisitive look.Â
âWhatâs that?âÂ
âGranola.â Cisco tilted the bag in her direction. âWant some?âÂ
She shook her head. âI donât eat.âÂ
âCan you?âÂ
Frost furrowed her brow. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âIf you chose to eat, would you be able to?âÂ
âI⌠guess so.â She said. âWhy?âÂ
âDo you want to try?âÂ
Still a bit startled from the offer, she hesitantly took a handful of granola and placed it in her mouth and began to chew. She made a face of disgust a few moments later, and spit it out onto the snow.Â
Cisco couldnât help but laugh. âNot a fan, huh?âÂ
âIt tastes bad.âÂ
âWell, not all foods taste the same. If itâs the taste you donât like, then you can try something else.â Cisco reached into his bag and pulled out some beef jerky he brought. âHere, try this.âÂ
She took the piece that he offered her and bit into it. She chewed it hesitantly at first, then slowly warmed up to chewing it at a faster pace, then swallowed. She ate the rest of the strip in a matter of seconds.Â
âYeah, thatâs way better.â She said. âWhatâs it called?âÂ
âBeef jerky.âÂ
âHuh.â She blinked. âEating is kinda fun. What else do you have?âÂ
âI have lots.â Cisco zipped his bag open completely and started rummaging through the contents. âI have apples, raisins, dried peaches, cereal, energy bars, instant noodles, instant rice-â He cut himself off when he accidentally knocked his wallet out of his backpack. âOops.âÂ
Frost picked his wallet up off of the snow and brushed it off. âWhatâs this?âÂ
âMy wallet.â He zipped up his backpack. âIt holds money and other important stuff.â
She opened it out of sheer curiosity, and pointed to the picture on the inner flap. âWhoâs that?â
âMy brother, Dante.â Cisco said. âHe died about two years ago. Iâve kept his picture in my wallet ever since. Itâs my way of remembering him. Well, that, and becoming an adventurer.âÂ
âYou became an adventurer to remember your brother?â
He nodded. âDante was an adventurer. Iâm continuing his legacy.âÂ
âLegacies.â Killer Frost scoffed. âI never understood that about you humans. Live your own life, not your brotherâs.âÂ
Cisco faltered, unable to think of a reply. She hadnât said much, and yet her words carried meaning. Cisco recalled a saying he heard once, âa life lived for someone else is a life wastedâ. Frostâs words reminded him of that saying.
âHas anyone ever told you youâre very wise?âÂ
âI donât exactly socialize with humans much.âÂ
âRight, of course.â Cisco said. âHave you ever had conversations, like this, with a human before?âÂ
She didnât respond. It wasnât the first time Frost had stayed quiet when Cisco asked her a question she didnât want to answer. She was selective, one moment sheâd answer any question Cisco asked, and then, radio silence. He didnât necessarily blame her, but it was a bit frustrating with how unpredictable it was.Â
âItâs getting late.â She said. âDoesnât your body require sleep to function?âÂ
Cisco nodded. âItâs the curse of being mortal.âÂ
âGet some rest, then.â Frost stood up. âItâs time I left anyways.âÂ
âHey, Frost?âÂ
She turned to face him.
âIâm glad you spent the day with me.âÂ
Frost met his eyes with a certain⌠regret. Worry. She hesitated for a moment before simply nodding and walking off without saying anything.Â
~~~
The next day, the sun shined bright as Cisco walked across the padded snow, calling Frostâs name at the top of his lungs. He had ventured into the woods trying to find her, to no avail.Â
A white weasel heard Ciscoâs voice and dashed into a bush.Â
âHm.â Cisco stopped walking and turned to stare at the trail of footprints he had left behind him. âIf I were a beautiful immortal ice queen, where would I hide out?âÂ
He decided to search for caves. He walked along large rock precipices, searching for any openings he could find.Â
Eventually, he found one. It was a smaller cave, maybe about seven feet in height and eight in width. It was dark, and the pathway stretched around the corner, so if Frost was there, he couldnât see her.Â
âFrooooost?âÂ
The word echoed.
He walked further into the cave, and turned around the bend. He didnât have to walk far. Right past the bend was a smaller round portion of the cave, about the size of a small hut. There she was, sitting with her back to the rock. She saw Cisco and her eyes widened to twice their size.Â
âHey, Frost.â He held up his bag of beef jerky. âI brought some beef jerky.âÂ
âWhatâre you doing here?â Her voice rebounded against the cave walls. Cisco couldâve sworn he felt the cave shake. âGo away!âÂ
The harshness in her tone took Cisco off-guard. All he could do for a second was stand and blink. âOh, I-Iâm sorry, I didnât mean to intrude-âÂ
She flicked her hand and a wall of ice grew in between her and Cisco.Â
âLeave.â Her words were muffled from the ice, and yet still powerful. âNow.âÂ
He did so.Â
~~~
Cisco stared at the roof of his tent. He had put up a small camping lantern the night before, and although he had turned it off, he hadnât bothered it to take it down, even though it was morning and the tentâs walls were thin enough to let the natural sunlight through. He had wrapped himself up in a thick heat blanket and zipped up his sleeping bag so that it completely covered him, and yet he was still cold. He was eating from a bag of almonds, and was simply dropping them into his mouth from above. He missed a few times, and they fell onto his pillow instead.Â
He had been awake for over an hour. He had moved around and gotten dressed and started his day, but he came back to his sleeping bag when he got cold.
Although he tried not to, he couldnât stop thinking about his last interaction with Killer Frost. The fear in her eyes, the anger in her tone. The wall of ice between them.
Did he just blow his chances of ever seeing her again? Does she hate him now?Â
Cisco shivered, despite the three layers he was wearing. He pulled the blanket closer to his face and curled up for extra warmth.
âCisco?âÂ
The voice came from outside his tent, but it was not the location of the voice that got Ciscoâs attention, but the person it belonged to. Her voice sounded icy and yet soft, inhuman and yet gentle. There was only one person it could be.Â
Cisco crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the tent.Â
âFrost?âÂ
She was looking at him with a level of awkwardness that he never wouldâve expected from a majestic immortal being. It was almost off-putting.Â
âCan I come in?â She asked.Â
He nodded, and so she did. Cisco zipped the tent back up, and Frost sat down with her hands in her lap. Unfortunately, her presence only made Ciscoâs tent colder, so he got the blanket and wrapped it around his body again.Â
Frost opened her mouth to speak, but a few seconds of hesitation passed before words came. âI got you these.âÂ
She opened her hand and revealed a few berries. They were coated in a thin layer of frost, but edible.Â
âTheyâre Fayeberries.â
âWhoa.â Cisco gently plucked them from her palm and held them in his hand. âIâve only heard about these in books. Do they really taste like your favorite meal?â
Frost nodded.
Cisco let the frost thaw and plopped one in his mouth. âThey taste like my motherâs enchiladas. Cool.â
âI wanted to apologize.â She looked as if the words for difficult for her to say, but she spoke them anyways. âFor how I acted.âÂ
âI just want to know why.â Cisco kept his voice even. âDid I do something wrong?âÂ
âNo.â Frost shook her head. âNo, not at all. Itâs not you.âÂ
âThen what is it?âÂ
âYouâre human.â She sighed, frustrated with herself. âAnd I didnât want to make the same mistake twice.âÂ
Cisco furrowed his brow. âWhat does that mean?âÂ
She hesitated. âDo you remember when you asked me if I had known a human before?âÂ
He nodded.Â
âThe answer is yes.â Frost said. âIt was about a hundred years ago, give or take. His name was Hunter Zolomon. He came into this forest, plentiful as it was back then, and he found me. We talked, and for a moment, I was starting to care for him.â
âWhat happened?âÂ
âThe next thing I knew, there were fifty humans crowding the forest trying to find me and take me away from this forest.â Frost said. âHunter had told them where I was. He didnât care about me, he only wanted recognition amongst the other humans.âÂ
âThatâs awful,â Ciscoâs words came out as a soft whisper.Â
âAfter that, I was convinced that humans were liars.â She said. âWhen I met you, I was hesitant. But you, youâre different. Honestly, the moment you tossed me your knife and made yourself vulnerable⌠thatâs when I knew you werenât Hunter.âÂ
âIâm not here to hurt you.â Cisco said. âAnd thatâs a promise. I know some humans are awful, but Iâm good on my word, I swear.âÂ
âI realize that.â Frost said. âYouâre a very strange human, Cisco. And I want to get to know you.âÂ
Cisco couldnât help the grin that was forming.
âIn return, I promise to stop holding stuff back.â She said. âYou can ask me anything.âÂ
âAlright,â Cisco thought for a second. âDo you have a name? I mean, besides Killer Frost.âÂ
âNo.â Killer Frost said. âNames are a human concept. I am nature. The humans have come up with several names for me over the years. Killer Frost is just one of many things theyâve called me. The Greeks called me Khione. I was quite fond of that one.âÂ
âI read about that.â Cisco said. âThe name âKiller Frostâ came from harsh winters.âÂ
Frost nodded. âI am everything ice is. The beauty of it, and the danger.â
âDid you used to be human?â Cisco asked. âLike in Greek mythology, when humans were turned into gods?âÂ
She shook her head. âI was never really born in the way you humans mean it. I was formed from icicles. Iâve always been like this. I donât age, I just am.âÂ
âAlright, one last question.â Cisco said. âDoes this jacket make me look cute?âÂ
Frost erupted into icy laughter.
âYouâre cute for a human, Cisco.âÂ
Cisco found himself blushing. Why was he blushing?Â
~~~
Frost frequented Ciscoâs campsite often after that day. They talked daily, as they were the only ones keeping each other company in the vast icy forest. She invited him into her cave, and they could sit and talk, away from the biting cold of the forest. They would light a fire for when Cisco got too cold. Frost had no need for warmth, but she liked admiring the bright colors as the flames danced back and forth.Â
âOne of my favorite memories from when I was a kid is sitting by the fire on a cold winter day and drinking hot cocoa that my mom made.â Cisco said. âCampfires kinda remind me of that.âÂ
âWhatâs it like, growing up?â
âUh, I donât really know how to explain it.â Cisco scratched the back of his neck. âItâs something so normal that you kinda take it for granted. You can look back on your memories from when you were younger, but you canât remember things from when you were super young. Like, no one remembers anything from when they were a baby.âÂ
âWhy not?âÂ
Cisco shrugged. âYour longterm memory doesnât start until youâre two or three or so.âÂ
âHumans are such a weird species. You need to eat and sleep to live, you grow up, and you donât even retain all your memories.âÂ
He laughed. âI guess itâs weird, when you put it like that.âÂ
âIâve been alive since the start of humanity.â Frost said. âHumans have such short lives compared to that.âÂ
âWell,â A smug-yet-silly grin grew on Ciscoâs face. âYou donât look a day over 30.âÂ
âHuh?â Frost furrowed her brow.Â
âNothing,â He shrugged it off. âItâs a joke.âÂ
She smiled.Â
âSometimes I wonder what itâs like to be human.â She admitted. âI wish I could experience that, even just for a day. I get curious too, after all.âÂ
âMaybe you can.âÂ
Frost furrowed her brow. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âI have a hat and a scarf in my backpack. I could give you my bushy coat.â Cisco said. âWe could disguise you enough to pass you off as human. Then maybe we could find a local town. Explore a bit.âÂ
âReally?â A smile started to grow on her face. âYou think it would work?âÂ
Cisco nodded.Â
âThereâs a town not too far from here.â Frost said. âIf we leave in the morning, we could walk there.âÂ
âThen itâs a plan.â Cisco met her eyes with an uplifting smile. âTomorrow, you get to be human for a day.âÂ
~~~
They had tied up all of Frostâs hair in Ciscoâs beanie. Cisco had gotten the thickest scarf he had brought on the trip and wrapped it around her neck, propping it up so that it covered the bottom half of her face. He had an extra bulky coat which he had her wear, partly to cover the paleness of her skin, and partly because it would be suspicious to not wear a coat in this weather.Â
âHere, I have contacts.â Cisco dug into his bag and brought out a box of them. âTheyâre the disposable kind, so you can wear them.âÂ
Frost held them in her hand. âWhat do you do with these?âÂ
âPut them on your eyes.â Cisco said. âItâs always tricky to do it for the first time. Here. Hold your eyes open.âÂ
He took the contacts and gently placed them on her eyes for her.Â
âThere you go.â He said. âI donât have a mirror, or else I would show you how human you look right now.â
âWow.â Frost exhaled, creating a soft puff of swirling snow. âWeâre really doing this.âÂ
âWeâre really doing this.â Cisco nodded. âJust donât be suspicious, and donât let anyone look at you too closely, and youâll be fine. Iâll be with you the whole time in case you need me to cover for you.âÂ
âThank you, Cisco.â Her eyes practically melted with gratitude. âIt means a lot that youâd be willing to do this for me.âÂ
âOf course!â He said. âWe will, however, need a fake name for you. I canât exactly call you Frost when weâre in the town.âÂ
âDo you have any ideas?âÂ
Cisco thought for a moment. âCaitlin.âÂ
She laughed. âWhy Caitlin?âÂ
He shrugged. âI dunno. It was just the first thing I thought of. Besides, Iâve always liked the name Caitlin.â
âAlright then.â She said. âCaitlin. Itâs a nice name.âÂ
âCaitlin Snow.â He decided. âBecause you represent ice and snow.âÂ
âWouldnât that be obvious?âÂ
He shook his head. âNah.â
When it was time for them to head out, Cisco put on a thick coat of his own and gave Frost a pair of gloves from his bag to hide her hands.Â
The walk didnât seem like long, not to Cisco. They say time flies when youâre having fun. Sure, logically, the town was quite a ways away from Ciscoâs campsite or Frostâs cave, but Cisco got caught up in telling Frost about his childhood memories that he didnât even notice. He would tell her funny things that Dante used to do in middle school, and Frost would laugh in that way she always does, the laugh that always made Ciscoâs heartbeat race.Â
âThere it is,â He spoke when they were close enough to see buildings. âHereâs your shot at being human for a day.âÂ
It was a pretty small town. The buildings were old and plain, and overall unimpressive. Wooden signs hung above the doors in order to differentiate one building from the next, because otherwise they were identical. Snow blanketed all the rooftops in the town, including the small well in the townâs center. Windows showed families inside, cuddled up next to the fire. Women were knitting, men were drinking, children were playing.Â
âSo this is humanity.â
âThis is a very, very small slice of humanity.â Cisco said. âBut, yes. Itâs humanity.âÂ
They walked further into the town and discovered a snowman outside one of the homes. It had childrenâs gloves as its hands, implying that a child made it, maybe on their own, maybe with the help of a parent or two. Its coal smile seemed to be welcoming them into its home.Â
âWhatâs that?â Frost asked.Â
âThatâs a snowman.â Cisco said. âHave you never made a snowman before?âÂ
Frost shook her head.Â
âHuh, imagine that.â Cisco whistled. âYou literally are snow, or at least the embodiment of it, and youâve never made a snowman. Here, we need to rectify that.âÂ
Cisco pulled Frost off to a corner of the town away from the buildings, and started packing up snow to roll in a ball.Â
âSee, you get something like thisâŚâ He rolled it along the snow on the ground, demonstrating it for Frost. âAnd then you roll it until itâs big enough to be your base.âÂ
âOr you could do it the easy way.âÂ
Frost waved her hand, and a flurry of snow emerged from her fingertips and wrapped itself around Ciscoâs attempt at a snowman base. It grew, and grew, and grew, until it was about the size of the base they saw on the other snowman, and oh-so-perfectly round. She made the torso and the head with two more perfect circles, and the buttons and facial features were made out of chunks of ice. It was the most flawless snowman Cisco had ever seen.Â
âThat works too!âÂ
She shrugged. âMagic makes things convenient.âÂ
âYâknow,â Cisco said. âSince Iâm holding snow anyways, there is another time-honored tradition for having fun in the snow.
âWhat is it?âÂ
Cisco tossed the lump of snow at her.
âSnowball fights.âÂ
The snow erupted across her face, causing her to explode into her usual icy laughter.Â
âYeah?â She asked, still laughing. âHow about this?â
She twirled her finger and created her own snowball from scratch, which she grabbed and held in her hand. She made playful eye contact with Cisco and smirked. There was a mischievous glint in her piercing white eyes as she threw the snowball at him.Â
âYou got it!â Cisco grinned, brushing the snow out of his hair. âThatâs the essence of snowball fights.â
âHumans have so much fun.â
âReally?â Cisco asked, confidence twinkling in his eyes. âThen how come I have the most fun when Iâm around you?â
Frost blushed a shade of light blue.Â
âHere,â He fixed Frostâs scarf for her. âLetâs go see what this town has to offer.âÂ
They found a pub nearby, indicated by a worn-down wooden sign with faded letters that were hardly readable anymore. Cisco held the door open for Frost, and the two of them walked in.Â
The pub was full of townsfolk. There were big, burly men with brown beards drinking beer at the far end of the bar, and they all turned to look at Frost and Cisco when they walked in. Frost gulped and stared at her feet. Cisco laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.Â
Cisco sat at the bar and gestured for Frost to take the seat next to him.Â
âDo you want a beer?â
Frost furrowed her brows. âWhatâs that?âÂ
âItâs a human drink. It tastes awful and it messes with your brain, so you legally have to be 21 to drink it.âÂ
âThen why do people drink it?â
Cisco shrugged. âNo idea.âÂ
He ordered a beer for himself.Â
âI get the feeling that people are staring at me.â Frost muttered. âIâm not used to it, and I donât care for it.âÂ
âTrust me, Iâve been there.â Cisco said. âFrankly, I havenât seen a single person in this town that isnât white, and that isnât a very good look.âÂ
âDo you think they can tell that Iâm not human?âÂ
âNah. Humans are very good at seeing what they want to see. Theyâre just staring because weâre not townsfolk.â Cisco said. âAnd besides, whatever happens, Iâll be right by your side.âÂ
âThank you.â Â
Soon enough, the bartender slid Ciscoâs beer to him. He took a few sips and turned to Frost.
âYou wanna try some?â He offered.Â
âUm⌠okay.âÂ
She took it from him and held it in her hands ever-so-delicately. The stares of the townsfolk sent chills down her spine. Closing her eyes as to tune them out, she hesitantly raised the glass to her mouth and went to take a sip.Â
âOh, no.âÂ
The dread in Ciscoâs voice concerned Frost. She opened her eyes, and gasped.Â
As soon as her lips had touched the liquid, it had turned to ice. And the whole pub saw.Â
She turned to Cisco. âIâm so sorry, I didnât mean to-â
Cisco didnât have time to reply. The men who had been sitting at the other end of the bar were now drilling holes in Frostâs spine with their glares. They packed a lot of hate in one look. Frost looked more terrified than Cisco had ever seen her before. They stood up, and grabbed guns from holsters at their waists that Cisco and Frost hadnât noticed previously.
âFuck.â Cisco muttered. âRun.âÂ
They scrambled out the door. Cisco grabbed onto Frostâs wrist and kept running. He turned behind him and saw the men from the pub following behind them.Â
He felt his heart pounding in his chest. âOh, god.â Â
Not fast enough. An ear-splitting gunshot sounded in the air, and Cisco felt dread sink in his chest. The bullet flew through the air and perfectly hit Frostâs chest⌠then it kept going, leaving Frost unharmed. It was as if the bullet had gone through a cloud.Â
âYouâre immune to bullets.âÂ
She nodded.Â
He let out a sigh of relief.
âThank god.â Cisco said. âOkay, letâs get out of here before-â
Too late. By the time they heard the gunshot, the damage had already been done. Ciscoâs breath hitched, cutting off his words as he fell onto his knees, clutching his now-bloody gut.
âCisco!âÂ
More bullets flew through her head as she bent down to Ciscoâs side. He was still breathing, but he was badly injured. She picked him up, flicked her hand and created a wall of ice between her and the men, and ran as fast as she could.Â
She ran far away from the town, all the way back into the woods. She surrounded herself with trees and bushes, and every so often she tossed ice blasts behind her with one hand to ensure she wasnât being followed. The further she ran, the more her fear solidified, and the more her eyes welled up with tears. They streamed down her face, but she didnât care. When she was sure she was far enough away from the town, she collapsed onto her knees, and laid Cisco down in front of her.Â
âIâm so sorry, this is all my fault, I wanted to go to the town, I blew my cover, I- I- Iâm so sorry-â
âHey,â Even when he was fighting the pain in his gut, he still managed to look at Frost as if she was the only thing that mattered in his life. âDonât be sorry. Iâm glad-â He winced. âIâm glad I met you. You⌠you gave my life meaning.âÂ
âNo, no, no-â If she had a heartbeat, it would be pounding. âThis canât be the end, it canât be-â
An idea popped into Frostâs mind. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Cisco with newfound hope.Â
âI can save you.â She said. âI can make you immortal. Like me. But you have to be okay with it. Thereâs no going back. Thereâs no going back to your human life once I do it.âÂ
Fighting the pain, he reached out and grabbed her hand.
âDo it.âÂ
She nodded.Â
Frost leaned down and softly, lovingly placed a kiss on Ciscoâs lips. The moment the contact happened, Ciscoâs lips froze over and turned a shade of blue. His hair transformed from its usual black into a white that matched the snow his head laid on. His bullet wound froze over and healed instantly. He let out a soft exhale, the last breath he would ever need to take. His heartbeat stopped in his chest, and his body heat dropped to freezing temperatures. He wasnât alive anymore, but he wasnât dead, either.Â
He opened his chilling white eyes and sat up.Â
~~~
They call him Frostbite.Â
Children heard the stories. They told of a human who won over Killer Frostâs favor enough for her to make him immortal in the last second of his life. He walks with Frost side-by-side, hand-in-hand. They are equals, they are lovers, they are partners in crime. They were not gods, for people did not worship them. Rather, they were nature. They were the beauty of the snowy forests in which they lived. They were the harshness of blizzards and the delicacy of snowflakes. They were the calm before the storm, and the damage left behind once itâs gone.Â
They were not married, for their bond was much stronger than marriage. They were soulmates, through and through. And, as long as snow and ice existed on the Earth, so would their eternal love.
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Killervibe Fic Week Day Six: Soulmates
Word count: 1233
Notes: Based off of the soulmate au where anything you write on your skin shows up on your soulmateâs body as well. This is a bit of a shorter fic compared to some of the other ones Iâve posted for fic week, but I hope you enjoy!
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
The first thing Cisco learned about his soulmate was that she likes to doodle. He figured she does it when sheâs bored. At various times of day, Cisco would look down and see a flower or a star doodled on his arm in black ink. It was always simple designs, nothing too complicated. She would spend minutes doodling different types of flowers all down her arm. Cisco would stare down at his arm and watch it unfold. The inked line seemed to have a mind of its own as it manifested itself on Ciscoâs skin.Â
The second thing Cisco learned about his soulmate was that she was forgetful. She wrote a lot of reminders on the palms of her hands. They were sometimes to-do lists, consisting of things like âtake out the trashâ or âdo math homeworkâ or âask Mom about Fridayâ. Sometimes, they were reminders about tests or big upcoming projects. Cisco would look down at his hand and see âEnglish essay due Mondayâ written on it. Other times, they were grocery lists. Cisco always knew when his soulmate was out of milk because heâd find it written on his hand. Whenever his soulmate completed a task, sheâd scratch it off in black ink. Cisco would look down at his hand and see the words âmath homeworkâ scratched off, and heâd know that she finished whatever homework she had to do.Â
The third thing Cisco learned about his soulmate was that she loved science. He would find names of famous scientists written on his wrists, or sometimes she would doodle the classic atom symbol. Once, she wrote down a reminder for an upcoming science fair. Every once in a while, Cisco would find famous equations written on his palm, used in both science and math. Cisco recognized a lot of them, being interested in mechanics himself. Whoever his soulmate was, he already admired her for her mind.Â
Cisco didnât write on his skin much. He didnât write on his skin at all, as a matter of fact. He never really felt a need to. He wasnât terribly forgetful, and when he needed to write stuff down, he did so in a notebook or agenda. He didnât doodle much, and if he did, it wasnât on his skin. After all, the doodles from his soulmate were enough. He was always interested to see what she would draw next, but never once was he interested in contributing to the art.Â
That is, until one day. His soulmate was writing study notes on her palm, mostly equations from what Cisco assumed to be her science homework. Cisco noticed the ink appearing on his hand as she wrote it out. He watched the black ink form numbers and letters and symbols, and he recognized a lot of the equations she wrote down. So, when she accidentally wrote one of the equations down wrong, he knew.
Cisco picked up a pen and began to write.Â
That should be a 2, not a 6.Â
It was a simple sentence, scrawled onto his wrist in Ciscoâs sloppy handwriting. After a moment, he decided to add a smiley face to the end to indicate he wasnât being hostile.Â
For a few seconds, it was radio silence. Nothing was appearing on his wrist. His soulmate had gone quiet.
Then, he got a response.Â
Thanks.
One word.Â
He replied.Â
Youâre welcome.Â
A beat.
So youâre my soulmate?
No, Iâm just some random person with the ability to contact you via ink on skin.
What?
Sorry. That was sarcasm. I guess you canât really tell tone when itâs written.Â
Oh.
He and his soulmate talked in that way until their arms looked like a 7th grade paper note passed between two friends in class. Cisco told her a bit about himself, like that he loves technology and engineering, he has a brother, he likes old movies. He found out a few things about her, like that sheâs taking Biology, sheâs an only child, sheâs participated in local science fairs for five years in a row.Â
But most importantly, he found out her name.
Caitlin Snow.
And for the first time, Cisco knew his soulmateâs name.Â
Nice to meet you, Caitilin. Iâm Cisco Ramon.
Nice to meet you, Cisco.
After that day, it became a regular thing. They would communicate via scribbles on their hand, little notes to each other at the beginning of the day, and random doodles that theyâd think the other one would like. They got to know each other pretty well. Hardly a day went by when one of them didnât write something to the other. They considered each other good friends, and would often smile when they saw the ink appear on their wrist.Â
This continued for years. When Caitlin and Cisco graduated high school and moved on to college, they still kept in touch. Ciscoâs friends would see the writing on his arms and friendly-tease him about it, and Cisco would just blush and change the subject. Over the years, Cisco found that he was taking after Caitlinâs handwriting after seeing it so often. They were small changes, such as writing his âyâs and âaâs the same way Caitlin did. Caitlin, on the other hand, started writing her â5âs the same way Cisco did.Â
When Cisco got the job at Star Labs, he was both ecstatic and nervous. He spent the morning of his first day telling himself that it was gonna be fine and reminding himself to breathe. That day, he walked into Star Labs for the first time with an optimistic outlook. He had already met Dr. Wells, and he couldnât wait to start working for him. Star Labs was full of geniuses through and through, and that day, he became one of them.Â
Ciscoâs first few hours didnât go so great. Hartley Rathaway was in charge of showing him around, and so, for hours, Cisco was targeted to Hartleyâs endless criticism and petty remarks. Not so great for a first day. He simply rolled his eyes and reminded himself that thereâs more to this job than rude pricks with underlying jealousy.Â
But, through it all, Cisco persisted. And, as it turns out, it was worth it.Â
âHartley, it looks like you have met your match.âÂ
A woman walked up to Hartley and Cisco, slow-clapping at Hartleyâs expense. She met Cisco with a warm smile and outstretched a hand.Â
âIâm Caitlin Snow.â She said. âItâs nice to meet you.âÂ
âWait,â Cisco blinked twice. âYouâre Caitlin Snow?âÂ
Caitlin tilted her head. âYeah, why?âÂ
âIâm Cisco Ramon.â Cisco smiled, and shook her hand. âItâs nice to finally meet you.âÂ
âNo way.â Caitlin couldnât stop herself from grinning.Â
Cisco nodded, the only confirmation she needed.
Caitlin and Cisco hugged, much to Hartleyâs confusion. Hartley raised an eyebrow, but didnât press. Instead, he just walked off. Cailtin and Cisco laughed, partly at Hartleyâs reaction, partly from the adrenaline of meeting their soulmate and long-time pen pal.
That evening, when Cisco got home, he picked up a pen and pressed it to his skin.
Meeting you was everything I had hoped and more.Â
He didnât have to wait long for a response.Â
And you. Iâm looking forwards to working with you.
He smiled.Â
So am I.
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Killervibe Fic Week Day Five: Flashpoint
Word Count: 5014
Notes: Before this fic, I had never written anything in the Flashpoint universe, seeing as how the Flashpoint timeline only existed for one episode before Barry restored the timeline to normal, but I gotta say⌠This was really fun. Killervibeâs Flashpoint selves are so drastically different from their normal selves, and I got to experiment with new character types, and I loved that. Flashpoint!Cisco is a dick, but deep down, he does secretly care, he just puts on an arrogant persona for show, and that character type was really fun to write. Especially when heâs paired with Flashpoint!Caitlin, who is a humble, reserved eye doctor, aka his polar opposite.Â
Disclaimer: This is a tiny bit divergent from how the actual Flashpoint episode took place, but if I didnât change the events around a bit, I wouldnât have anything to write a fic out of.Â
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
Cisco Ramon has had women fawning over him for years. Being the richest man in America has its benefits. The more his bank filled up, the sexier he became. He was on magazine covers, Buzzfeed articles, internet gifs. All of that deemed him one of the most desirable men in the country. He could get anyone he wanted, men and women, without having to even try. All he had to do was give them a flirtatious wink and use the sexy deep voice that he had spent so long perfecting in front of the mirror, and they were his.Â
But then he met her. And suddenly, none of that mattered anymore.Â
Everything in his life, his riches, his fame⌠it all felt trivial in comparison to her. The way he felt when he met her for the first time was unlike anything he had ever felt before, for anyone. He never knew he was missing something in his life until she came and filled that gap. He met her yesterday, and yet somehow, he felt like he had known her for an eternity. He felt like he had stood by her side through thick and thin, talked with her, laughed with her, cried with her. He felt like he knew her. He felt like he loved her.
But, as it turns out, the only thing he actually knew about her was her name.
Caitlin Snow.
That new speedster- Barry, he said his name was- had said she was a part of their team. A scientist, apparently.Â
It all made Ciscoâs head hurt. He just wanted answers.
âHey, stringbean.â
Cisco had followed Barry out into the corridor with the intentions of stopping him in his tracks. It worked. Upon hearing Ciscoâs voice, Barry stopped walking and turned around to face him.
âYâknow, you ask me to call you Mr. Ramon, and yet you refuse to call me by my name.â Barryâs tone was more amused than accusatory, like he was speaking with an old friend. Maybe in his eyes, he was.Â
âOh Iâm sorry, are you the richest man in America?â
âNo.âÂ
âDidnât think so, stringbean.âÂ
âRight.â Barry rolled his eyes ever so slightly at Ciscoâs lack of humility. âI assume you wanted to talk about something?â
âThis Caitlin Snow. You said she was part of your team in this other timeline?âÂ
âOur team. And yes. Where Iâm from, Star Labs is still a thing. You and Caitlin are both employees there. Youâve known each other for years, youâre best friends. Practically inseparable.âÂ
âBest friends, huh?â
Barry blinked. âYeah, why?â
âThatâs it?âÂ
âWhy, do you think thereâd be something more?â Barry asked.
âNo, no.â Cisco shook his head, but his tone and hurriedness to answer the question left Barry unconvinced. Noticing this, Cisco elaborated. âItâs just⌠Iâve only known her a day, but something about her makes me feel⌠weird. I feel like Iâve known her for years. I feel like I can trust her with my deepest secrets. Listen, no one knows my deepest secrets except me and myself alone. Especially not some girl I met yesterday.âÂ
Barry tilted his head to the side, and a smirk formed on his face. âYou feel love.âÂ
Cisco laughed. âYouâre delusional.âÂ
âI know it sounds crazy, but hear me out.â Barry said. âIris said the same thing.â
âAbout you?âÂ
Barry nodded. âI think, what youâre describing with Caitlin, itâs the same thing. Your love for Caitlin, in the timeline Iâm from, is so strong that you can sense it, here, in this timeline.â
âThis alternate timeline shit is messing me up.â Cisco said. âThis isnât an alternate timeline. Itâs my life. This is the life Iâve lived since the day I was born.âÂ
âTo you, yes, butâŚâ Barry slid his hands into his jean pockets. âNot to me.âÂ
âThatâs insane.â Cisco sighed in defeat. âBut whatever. I donât want to think about that right now. Just tell me how to deal with⌠this.âÂ
Barry shrugged. âThe normal way. Talk to her. Tell her how you feel.âÂ
âAbsolutely not.â Cisco shook his head. âFeelings are gross. No thanks.âÂ
âIf Iâm right, and these feelings are part of my timeline shining through, then⌠itâs incredibly possible that Caitlin feels the same way.â Barry said. âYou just have to ask.âÂ
âYou said yourself that weâre supposedly just best friends in your timeline.â Cisco said. âWhat if the Cisco from your timeline is just some miserable pining loser and I was unfortunate enough to get his gross ass feelings in this timeline? I donât want it. Make it go away. Do some speedster shit or something, Iâm out.âÂ
âI canât fix this.â Barry said. âThis is up to you.âÂ
âThatâs a crappy deal.â Cisco scoffed. âI was perfectly fine with my life up until a day ago when a literal stranger came into my building and told me that my entire life, everything Iâve ever known is just some alternate timeline he made by recklessly time-traveling.âÂ
âReally?â Barry raised an eyebrow. âYou havenât once thought that there was something missing, something not quite right?âÂ
Cisco hesitated. Barryâs words had hit harder than heâd like to admit.Â
âYou donât know me, stringbean.âÂ
Barry laughed. âYes, I do, Cisco. You and I have been friends for years.âÂ
âNo.â Cisco shook his head. âNo, you donât. You know the Cisco Ramon in your timeline. Whoever he is, heâs not me.âÂ
âI know you well enough to know that you have a heart.â Barry said. âYou act tough for show, but deep down, you care.âÂ
Cisco struggled to think of a response for that. Luckily, he didnât need to. Before he could answer, a scream sounded from the cortex, causing both Cisco and Barry to forget their conversation and rush to see what the matter was. Barry sped into the cortex, and Cisco ran up behind him not long after.Â
The Rival himself was standing in the middle of Ramon Industries, holding two guns pointed at Caitlin and Wally. The scream had come from Caitlin, whereas Wally gulped and looked to Barry and Cisco for help.Â
âWell, well, well.â The Rival kept the guns pointing straight at the hostages, but turned his head to face Barry. He sized him up and down, staring especially at his shoes, how they were worn down from speeding everywhere. âTwo speedsters. Isnât this a treat?â
Barry instantly regretted speeding into the room.
âYou donât need to put innocent people in harm.â Barry said. âYou want speedsters, right? Put the guns down, and weâll work something out.âÂ
The Rival laughed. âBrave move, trying to save your friends. But youâre gonna have to do a little more than that to make me happy.âÂ
âWhat do you want, then?â Barry raised his voice to a shout.Â
Cisco eyed him with a newfound respect. This Caitlin and this Wally⌠they werenât the same ones Barry knew in his timeline, and yet he was still desperate to save them, no matter the cost.Â
âYâknow, robbing the city is fun, but⌠it gets a bit boring without a little competition.â The Rival tilted his head and puffed out his lip in a mocking pout, then exploded into laughter. âSo I challenged the Flash. But then⌠just to my luck, another Flash shows up, here, in my city! Whatâre the odds? Two Flashes, two speedsters to challenge me!âÂ
âThen, fight the Flash. Leave these civilians alone.â Barry took a step forwards, staring directly at The Rival. The Rival only narrowed his eyes at him.Â
âNice try.â The Rival said. âItâs funny how much you can find out from eavesdropping. Like, for instance, listening in on just one little conversation can tell you the very identity of your cityâs local masked runner.â He narrowed his eyes, staring directly at Wally. âWally West, is it?âÂ
Wally gulped.Â
âMaybe the speedsters just need a little extra motivation. After all, I canât be a proper rival if I donât raise the stakes, now can I?â The Rival cackled. âHostages are great for that. Maybe Iâll just⌠take these two with me, and you two can come find them!âÂ
Barry and Wally simultaneously cried out, but it wasnât fast enough.
The Rival released the guns from his hands. Red lightning surrounded him, and everything else seemed to slow down. He surged forwards and grabbed Caitlin in one hand and Cisco in the other, and he was out of the building before the guns even clattered to the ground. Wally and Barry raced after him with their own streams of lightning following behind, but The Rival was gone.Â
~~~
Cisco rubbed his head and winced. The Rival had thrown him against the ground rather violently, and the impact had left a bump and a searing pain. He had blacked out for a couple seconds, but even just those couple seconds were enough for the Rival to tie him and Caitlin together using handcuffs around their wrists and one large rope around their torsos. The Rival left without saying a word. The last thing they saw was his red lightning, then he was gone, and the door shut behind him.Â
Cisco could feel Caitlinâs back pressed up against his. The rope dug into his chest, but when he tried to wiggle himself more room, he only further constricted Caitlin.Â
âStop breathing so loud.â He hissed.Â
âIâm not breathing any louder than normal.âÂ
âI can hear it, and itâs loud.âÂ
Caitlin only sighed. If she rolled her eyes, Cisco didnât see.Â
The two of them could hardly move without bumping heads against each other. In the movies, the hostages were usually at least tied to chairs or a pole, but in their unfortunate case, they were just abandoned on the dirty ground with the rats and cockroaches.Â
âWas it really necessary to tie us to each other?â Cisco grumbled. âHandcuffing us wasnât enough? Nooo, we have to be back-to-back like in the movies.âÂ
âStop whining.âÂ
âStop whining?â Cisco nearly laughed, in a dry, humorless way. âIn case you havenât noticed, weâre hostages in the middle of God-knows-where, tied together and left for the rats! This isnât exactly my idea of a fun vacation!âÂ
âIâm tense too, I just know that whining isnât going to solve anything.âÂ
âOf course, silly me.â Cisco rolled his eyes, as if his heavily sarcastic tone wasnât enough.
âIs it possible for you to actually act your age, or am I going to have to treat you like a damn six-year-old?âÂ
Ciscoâs eyes grew wide at Caitlinâs harsh tone. He wasnât necessarily upset that she had snapped at him, mostly just⌠surprised.Â
âI didnât think you had that in you, Kiddie Eye Doc.âÂ
âLike I said.â She grumbled. âIâm tense.âÂ
âHey, I get it.â He said. âLetâs focus on trying to get out of here. Do you by any chance have some kickass powers that will help us escape?âÂ
Caitlin shook her head.Â
âDammit.â Cisco sighed. âMe neither.âÂ
Cisco scanned the area. They were in some kind of empty warehouse, but Cisco had no idea where. It was big, and there were rotting wooden crates lying around in stacks that Cisco suspected hadnât been touched in a very long time. In just the time heâd been there, Cisco had spotted two different rats, and he could hear the squeaking of more behind the crates. The warehouse had small windows for letting light in, but they were positioned just below the roof, possibly fifteen to twenty feet high. They were cracked open just enough to let bugs in. Right now, they were allowing light from the full moon outside to shine into the warehouse, supplying the only light source that Caitlin and Cisco had to go off of. The warehouse door was old and tattered, but it was made secure by chains and a lock.Â
âHow well can you pick locks?â Cisco tilted his head as far back as he could, his best attempt at facing Caitlin when they were tied back-to-back.Â
âWell, when I was a kid I loved reading Nancy Drew books, so sometimes Iâd lock my bedroom door and try to pick the lock back open just for fun.â Caitlin said. âI would wear hair pins in my hair just in case I ever needed to pick a lock.âÂ
âWow,â Ciscoâs jaw dropped open just a bit, and the corner of his lips almost formed an impressed smile. His eyes glimmered with a look of surprise, and⌠newfound respect. âKiddie Eye Doc has a rebellious side.âÂ
âI was in the ninth grade. Itâs been years,â Caitlin said.Â
âWell, unless you have a better option, thatâs the most weâve got to go off of.â Cisco said. âDo you have a hair tie on you right now?âÂ
Caitlin nodded. âIâm wearing a few in my hair right now.âÂ
âThatâs perfect!â Cisco practically lit up. âThen we have a plan!âÂ
âWe do?â Caitlin raised an eyebrow. âHow am I supposed to pick the lock when my hands are tied?âÂ
Cisco bit his lip. He hadnât thought of that.Â
âWeâll cross that bridge when we get there.â
âThis plan isnât very thought-out.â Caitlin pursed her lips. âArenât you supposed to be a genius?âÂ
Cisco scoffed. âExcuse you. I am a genius, thank you very much.â Â
âYour plan has about a million holes in it.âÂ
âWell, at least Iâm actively trying to formulate a plan.â If Cisco couldâve made eye contact with her, he wouldâve glared at her. âLook, do you wanna get out of here or not?âÂ
Caitlin sighed. âFine, weâll try your way then.âÂ
âOkay. We stand up on the count of three.â Cisco said. âOne, two, three-â
Cisco stood up before Caitlin was ready, which caused Caitlin to stumble, which caused Cisco to fall with her. The both of them found themselves on the ground once again, and they hadnât even been up for a solid two seconds.
Cisco sighed. âAlright, take two.âÂ
Caitlin counted this time, and yet Cisco still got up before she did, and the imbalance threw them off.Â
âMaybe we should say âstand upâ or âgoâ after we count.â Caitlin suggested. âThat way, we can indicate exactly when we stand up.âÂ
âWe have that. Itâs called âthreeâ. You stand up on three.âÂ
âI am standing up on three!â
âNo, youâre not. Iâm standing up on three. Youâre standing up after three.âÂ
âWell maybe that wasnât clear enough.â Caitlin sounded like the self-righteous teacherâs pet of every 8th grade class. âIt was my understanding that we would stand up after you finished saying the word three-â
âNo! We stand up on three! That means, when I say it!âÂ
Caitlin scoffed. âYouâre impossible.âÂ
âYouâre impossible.âÂ
She rolled her eyes. âVery mature of you.âÂ
âLook, I donât know about you, but I really want to get out of this crummy ass warehouse, so letâs at least try one more time and actually get it right.â Cisco would have rubbed his temples had he been able to freely move his hands.Â
âFine.â She sighed. âOne more try.âÂ
They agreed to count to three at the same time in order to avoid confusion. They spoke slowly so that they could be in sync, but even then they were a little off. And yet, on three, they stood up. Both of them, at the same time, thank god. They stumbled a bit, but they quickly regained their balance and managed to stay upright. They both sighed in relief.Â
âWe did it!â Cisco cheered. He wouldâve pumped his fist in the air, or maybe even hugged Caitlin in his excitement, if he had been able to freely move his arms.Â
âLook at us!â Caitlin was grinning. âWeâre standing!â
âWe could do it after all!â
Maybe it was the euphoria of the moment. Maybe it was the underlying adrenaline of their situation. But, in that moment, standing upright in that abandoned warehouse, their backs pressed to each other⌠Cisco and Caitlin started laughing. They giggled like schoolchildren, not really sure why.Â
Cisco leaned the back of his head against Caitlinâs shoulder and sighed happily.Â
âAlright, letâs try walking towards the door.â Caitlin said. âSlowly.â
âAlright.â
Caitlin shuffled her feet forwards ever-so-carefully. Cisco followed suit, trying to keep up with Caitlin, even when he couldnât see her feet.Â
âOkay, this is going nowhere.â Caitlin sighed after a full minute of meticulous shuffling. âIâm going to start taking bigger steps.â
âHow big?â
âIâll start small and get bigger.â
âOkay.â
Caitlin took a small step at first, and Cisco tried to match with his own step of equal distance. Caitlin stepped once more, and once more Cisco matched it. They began stepping in the direction of the door, slowly but steadily.Â
Then Caitlin took a step that was a bit too large. The movement tugged Ciscoâs chest a bit too forcefully, and he lost his footing. He stumbled and fell to the ground, pulling Caitlin along with him.Â
âSHIT!â Cisco cursed. âThat was way too big of a step.â
âOh, so itâs my fault we fell?â Caitlin spit out a bit of dirt that got into her mouth when they fell. âYouâre the one who stumbled.â
The two of them struggled against each other, trying to sit upright but lacking the coordination with the other that they needed in order to do so effectively. Eventually, they managed, but it took a solid thirty seconds.Â
âGreat.â Cisco scoffed and rolled his eyes. âThis is pointless. Weâre never escaping. The headlines are gonna say âCisco Ramon, richest man in America, found dead in an abandoned warehouseâ.â
Caitlin wouldâve glared at him if she had been able to make eye contact. âI guess itâs true, what they say about you.â
âWhat is?â
âThat you only ever care about yourself.âÂ
Cisco didnât know how to reply to that. He knew it was pointless to try to deny it. He knew it was true. He was arrogant, sure, but one thing he would never be was an idiot.Â
âI guess it is.â He said after a long pause. He spoke with a low, quiet tone. He tried to sound casual, but he was afraid it didnât convey that way.Â
âI donât want to believe it.â She said. âI donât want to see you as the person the media makes you out to be.âÂ
âEven if thereâs truth to it?âÂ
Caitlin hesitated. âSurely you werenât always thisâŚâ She trailed off.
âThis what?â Cisco pressed. âCocky? Arrogant? Dickish?âÂ
âClosed-off.âÂ
Oh.Â
Cisco hesitated.Â
âI wasnât.â He said finally. âI used to be different. I used to⌠care.âÂ
âYeah?â Caitlin asked.Â
âI had a brother.â Cisco shuffled his shoe against the dirty warehouse floor as he talked. âDante Ramon. He was two years older than me, but when we were young, people would ask if we were twins. Not because we looked alike- I take more after our mom, he takes more after our dad- but because we were inseparable. As kids, we would play in the backyard and go âexploringâ together. Weâd play with old Pokemon cards. Weâd watch old movies together and share popcorn, and heâd complain because I ate most of it, so Iâd make more. Weâd play pretend and make up our own fantasy worlds, with knights and elves and dragons. As we got older⌠things changed. I was more interested in technology, engineering, inventing things. He was the concert pianist⌠and the golden child. He was always our parentsâ favorite, and I never knew why. He always got our parentsâ approval without even trying, and I envied that. That jealousy is kinda what drove us apart, and itâs why I grew up to crave fame and attention. Itâs bad, I know.âÂ
âItâs basic psychology.â Caitlin said. âYou were second best in your childhood, so you crave the spotlight as an adult.âÂ
âYeah.â Cisco said. âAnyways, in my early 20âs, I realized just how much I missed my brother. So, I reached out to him, and we started to reconnect. We went out for a drink every once in a while to catch up. We watched old movies together like we used to do when we were kids. I started to really feel like I had gotten my brother back.âÂ
âWhat happened?âÂ
âHe died.âÂ
Cisco stared at the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut, but he ignored it. He hated that feeling. It was the same feeling he got at Danteâs funeral. It was the same feeling he got when he had to pack up the movies that reminded him of his brother. It was the same feeling he got right when he was about to cry. He hated crying.Â
âIâm so sorry.âÂ
âDonât be. Itâs not your fault.â Cisco let out a deep sigh and continued. âIt happened in a car accident. Dante was driving home after dark, and a drunk driver came out of nowhere and swerved right into his car. I got the call the next day telling me⌠telling me what happened.âÂ
âThatâs why youâre closed-off.â Caitlin said. âBecause youâve been hurt.âÂ
âAfter Dante died, I immersed myself in my job. I tucked away all my feelings. To me, it was better to not feel at all than to feel pain.â Cisco made a face of disgust. âFeelings. Emotional attachments. I hate the lot. Itâs all gross, and I can do just fine without it.âÂ
âYou canât just lock away your emotions.â Caitlinâs voice was gentle. âYou need them. Theyâre a part of being human, no matter how hard you try to suppress them.âÂ
âNo thanks.â Cisco said. âThe press sees me as just another arrogant rich prick anyways. Why not live up to the expectation?âÂ
âBecause youâre more than that.âÂ
Cisco scoffed. âThat part of me died with Dante.âÂ
âNo, it didnât.â Caitlin shook her head softly. âIf you were truly emotionless, you wouldnât have opened up to me just now.âÂ
He felt a twang of regret. âI⌠donât really know why I did that. I donât open up to anyone. Ever. Especially not people I just met.âÂ
âAnd yet you did.âÂ
Cisco recalled the conversation he had with Barry.Â
Thatâs different. You arenât just any random stranger to me.
Not that he would ever admit that, of course.Â
âIâm glad you opened up to me.â Caitlin spoke again after a momentâs pause. âItâs good to know youâre not heartless.âÂ
âThanks, I guess.â Cisco tried his hardest to maintain his natural nonchalant tone. âAnd, uh⌠itâs good to see youâre more than just a kiddie eye doctor.âÂ
To Ciscoâs surprise, Caitlin laughed.
âThanks, Cisco.âÂ
And for once, Cisco didnât mind that she called him by his first name.Â
âIs it weird that, uhâŚâ Cisco didnât know what he was saying. He spoke without thinking, his words coming out without his control. His blush increased with each individual word. âI feel like Iâve known you for a long time. I feel like I can trust you. I guess thatâs why I opened up.â He cringed. âNo, thatâs weird. Nevermind. Forget I said anything.âÂ
âI get what you mean.âÂ
Cisco perked up. He couldnât look at her directly, but he raised his head and tilted it slightly in Caitlinâs direction.Â
âYou do?â
Caitlin nodded. âIt is weird, and yet⌠I feel the same way towards you. I feel like Iâve known you for years. I guess thatâs why I so desperately wanted to believe you were more than what they say about you. You proved me right.âÂ
Cisco was glad Caitlin couldnât see his face, because in that moment, he smiled, and he blushed, like a damn eighth grader talking to their crush. He could feel butterflies in his stomach, which only made it worse. He had known her for one day. Even if it was because of this timeline shit that Barry keeps mentioning, it was still weird.
âOh. WellâŚâ Cisco hated this feeling. He felt more humble than he had felt in years, and he hated humility. It made him feel vulnerable, and weak. âGood to know itâs mutual.âÂ
âIt is.âÂ
âYâknow, Kiddie Eye Doc, youâre not that bad.â Cisco said. âI guess, if I had to be trapped here with anyone, Iâm glad itâs with you.âÂ
âThanks.âÂ
Cisco couldnât see her expression, and he couldnât tell from her tone whether she was expressing genuine gratitude or if she was being sarcastic. He wasnât about to ask.
He was about to speak, but the sound of thumping caught his attention. The metal door shook with each pound, as if someone was trying to break it open.Â
Then the thumping stopped. And, for a moment, it was quiet.Â
Caitlin gulped. âDo you think that was The Rival?âÂ
âWho cares who it was? Theyâre gone now.â
And then a figure phased through the door, leaving a trail of lightning behind them. The speedster was moving so fast that all Caitlin and Cisco saw was a vague blur.Â
Cisco felt a sinking dread in his gut. Caitlin was right, The Rivalâs back-
But then he realized something. The lightning was yellow. The Rivalâs lightning was red.
The figure ran to the far side of the warehouse before stopping. His lightning faded, and his body was no longer a blur. He wore a red suit instead of The Rivalâs black one, and he looked at Cisco and Caitlin with a sense of friendly familiarity, not malice.Â
A wave of relief washed over Cisco, and he couldnât stop himself from grinning.
âStringbean!âÂ
Barry sighed. âIâm saving your life and you still wonât call me by my name.âÂ
âSorry.â Cisco said. âSeriously, thanks for saving us.âÂ
Wally phased through the door a few seconds later and skidded to a stop next to Barry.Â
âI talked to my dad. Heâs gonna take The Rival to CCPD.â Wally said. âHeâs already in meta-cuffs so he wonât try anything.âÂ
âOkay, good.âÂ
In a flurry of lightning, Barry untied both Cisco and Caitlin. The two of them stood up and stretched, finally free from the ropes binding them together. Cisco met Caitlinâs brown eyes, and he smiled. Not his usual cocky, arrogant smile⌠but a genuine, sweet one.Â
And she smiled back.Â
âAlright,â Barry said. âLetâs get out of here.âÂ
~~~
Cisco took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing himself, and then swung open the door and walked in.Â
There was a sign above the front desk that displayed the words âCentral City Ophthalmologyâ in big, bold letters. What stood out was the ugly shade of green and the rather unflattering font they had chosen. All throughout the inside of the building were advertisements of smiling models in various types of glasses. Their smiles looked noticeably fake, but as far as marketing goes, it wasnât terrible.Â
He walked up to the front desk.Â
âHi, Iâm looking for a Dr. Caitlin Snow.âÂ
The receptionist looked up at him. âDo you have an appointment?âÂ
âOh, no, Iâm not here for an eye appointment.â He said. âI just wanna⌠talk to her.âÂ
She raised an eyebrow, but let it be. âDr. Snow gets off of work soon. You can talk to her then.âÂ
Cisco opened his mouth to ask her when Caitlin got off work, when he heard a familiar voice.
âCisco?âÂ
He looked up to see that Caitlin had walked into the lobby area. She was looking at him with a perplexed expression, as if silently asking him what his reason was for coming.Â
His eyes lit up upon seeing her. âKiddie Eye Doc!âÂ
She laughed at the nickname.
âI heard you ask for me and I got curious.â She said. âWhy are you here?âÂ
Cisco searched for an answer to that question, but words failed him. âCan I talk to you⌠somewhere private? Itâll only take a second, I swear.âÂ
Caitlin furrowed her brow in confusion, but agreed. The two of them stepped outside.
âIâll admit,â Caitlin said. âIt is nice seeing you.âÂ
âYeah?â Cisco raised an eyebrow.Â
âDonât let it get to your head.â Caitlinâs tone was teasing, the same way sheâd talk to a friend. Is that what they were?Â
Cisco laughed.Â
âSo what brings you here?âÂ
âWell, I wanted to see you. Thereâs something about being kidnapped and tied to each other that makes you feel a little bit closer to that person once itâs over. We bonded a bit, donât you think?â Cisco ran his hand through his hair. âAnd uh⌠Iâve been thinking about that a lot lately. Iâm not the best with feelings, that much is a given, but⌠Iâm willing to try.âÂ
Something about Cisco seemed different. His general demeanor, how he held himself, how he spoke. He wasnât cocky, he wasnât boasting. He wasnât holding himself up high. He was sincere. He spoke with a soft, genuine tone, compared to his usual tone, which was arrogant and self-righteous. He stumbled a bit over his words, an imperfection that he wouldnât have dared shown when he was maintaining his prideful reputation.
He truly was trying to be a better person, and it showed.Â
âThatâs mature of you.âÂ
âI was wondering if youâd be interested in possibly having dinner with me sometime.â Cisco was blushing now. Cisco Ramon. Blushing. âItâs totally fine if not-â
Caitlin smiled.Â
âIâd love to.â
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Killervibe Fic Week Day Four: Free Day
Word Count: 5840
Notes: Based off of the popular headcanon that Lia (Noraâs best friend from the 5x18 flashforwards episode) is Killervibeâs adopted daughter, due to the fact that she parallels both Cisco and Caitlin in a lot of ways, has a similar personality to Cisco, and displays a lot of Ciscoâs mannerisms, even in just the one episode she appears in. This is also a bit canon divergent, because Barry never disappears in this fic, and Nora gets her powers a lot sooner than she does on the show. This fic honestly ended up being a bit more centered around Lia than it is around Killervibe, but itâs still a Killervibe fic because Caitlin and Cisco are married and theyâre raising a kid together.Â
Warnings: character death (albeit one that was shown in the actual show), mourning, brief mention of a funeral
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
Lia was five.Â
Cisco held her on his shoulders and walked around the kitchen humming a melody. Lia couldnât stop giggling. Her dad bounced her around playfully and Lia would shriek with laughter every time. He would twirl around, and she would hold onto him and cheer happily.
âI have to put you down now, sweetie.â
âAww!â Lia protested. âBut this is fun!â
âIâm sorry.â Cisco said, setting her gently on the ground in front of him. âBut I have to make dinner, and itâs hard to do that with you on my shoulders.âÂ
âThen I wanna help!â
Cisco smiled. âYouâre gonna help me make dinner?â
Lia nodded.
âWell, thank you, kiddo. I appreciate the help.â Cisco ruffled her hair affectionately. âWeâre going to need the meat from the freezer. Can you go get that out?âÂ
âYeah!â She ran over to the fridge and pulled open the freezer door, then she climbed up on the doorâs railing to get better leverage, and rummaged through the freezer until she found what she was looking for. She shut the freezer closed and hurried back over to her dad, proudly presenting the meat.Â
âGood job!âÂ
Lia beamed.Â
Cisco got out the stuff that was too high for her to reach or too heavy for her to hold, but he let Lia get out everything she could. Before long, they had set out all the ingredients on the counter, and Cisco showed her how to prepare it.Â
âFirst, you cut the meat. Iâm going to do this because I donât want you to hurt yourself, but you can watch, and when youâre older youâll know how to do it.âÂ
âOkay!âÂ
Cisco cut the meat into small sections and tossed them onto the pan to cook. Lia watched intently, sitting on the counter and dangling her legs as she did.Â
Fifty minutes later, the two of them had prepared a full meal.Â
Caitlin joined them, commenting on how good it smelled. Cisco made her a plate and Lia presented it to her, beaming with pride.Â
âMommy! I helped make dinner!âÂ
âReally? Look at you, being helpful!â Caitlin took a bite of her food and turned back to Lia. âWell, you did good, because itâs delicious.âÂ
âThank you!â Lia said. âDo you think I could be a chef one day?âÂ
âYou can be whatever you want to be, sweetheart.âÂ
Caitlin kissed the top of Liaâs head. Lia grinned, and ran back to Cisco to get her own plate of food.Â
~~~
Lia was six.Â
It was Motherâs Day morning. Caitlin woke up to her husband and daughter greeting her with breakfast in bed, something they did for her every Motherâs Day. And, every year, she thanked them with the same amount of surprise she did the year before. There were eggs, bacon, toast, and a yogurt parfait, which was all Caitlin needed.Â
âThank you, guys!â Caitlin said. âThis looks great.âÂ
Cisco sat on his side of the bed and hoisted Lia up on his lap. âLia was really excited about helping prepare the eggs this year.âÂ
Lia nodded, as if confirming Ciscoâs words. âHappy Motherâs Day, Mommy!âÂ
âThanks, sweetheart!âÂ
âMommy, I have something for you!âÂ
âLia, I thought we were giving her the presents at lunch?â Cisco asked.Â
âI know, but I just canât wait! Iâm excited!âÂ
âAlright,â Cisco chuckled. âGo bring her your gift.âÂ
Lia hopped off the bed and ran into the other room to get it. When she returned, she was carrying a small pot of flowers and a single paper.Â
âDaddy took me to the store to pick out flowers for you!â Lia said, handing her the flowers. âHe said these are your favorite.âÂ
They were white lilies, placed in a beautiful decorative assortment with some light blue daisies for color. She had always loved lillies, and the white and blue color scheme fit well for her. She turned to Cisco with a warm, grateful smile.
âAnd then I drew this for you!âÂ
Lia gave Caitlin the paper she had been holding. It was a drawing done in colored pencil, depicting a triangular slice of pie.
âIâm not good at drawing people, but then I remembered that time we made pie together and I drew that!â Lia said.
Caitlin couldnât help the smile growing on her face. She hugged Lia tight and kissed her forehead.Â
âThank you, sweetie. I love it.âÂ
âYouâre welcome!â Lia said. âThanks for being the best Mommy ever.âÂ
âEver?â Caitlin laughed.Â
Lia nodded. âThe best Mommy in the whole wide world!âÂ
âWell, thatâs all because I have the best daughter in the whole wide world.âÂ
Lia giggled. âThanks, Mommy.âÂ
~~~
Lia was eight.Â
She groaned because Nora had won Mario Kart for the sixth time in the last hour.
âHow are you so good at this?âÂ
Nora shrugged. âIâve had a lot of practice. I play against my dad a lot.âÂ
âI never knew Uncle Barry was good at Mario Kart.âÂ
âHeâs not, really.â Nora leaned forwards and grabbed some chips off of the plate on the table. âI win against him all the time. Uncle Wally is really good, though. I play against him and Aunt Jesse whenever they come to visit. Sometimes Aunt Jenna will play with me, but sheâs busy with homework and studying.âÂ
âLetâs play one last round.â Lia said. âIâm bound to win at least one.âÂ
âIf youâre sure.â Nora picked up her controller again. âIâll be Peach.âÂ
Lia selected Rosalina for her character. âI get to pick the course this time. Which means absolutely no Rainbow Road.âÂ
âWeâve done easier courses.â Nora said. âI still won.âÂ
âNo need to brag.â Lia scoffed. âAlright, letâs do Yoshi Circuit. I like that one.âÂ
The race started, and Nora took off with the boost at the beginning. Lia sighed. She was already in first place.Â
Lia picked up every power-up that she could find in hopes of getting something that would help. At one point, she hit Nora with a red shell and pulled into first place, and she cheered at her victory. However, her cheer caused her to lose her place as Nora took the opportunity to hit Lia with a blue shell and reclaim her position.Â
Inevitably, Nora finished the race in first, and Lia pulled in third.Â
Lia sighed in resignation and turned the tv off.
âFine, you win.â
âWe can play something else if you want.âÂ
Before Lia could reply to Noraâs offer, the sound of footsteps cut her off and caused the two of them to look at the source of the sound. Cisco walked downstairs, twirling his keys in his hand, and turned to the girls on his living room couch.
âI have a question for you two,â He said. âWhat would you say to going out and getting Big Belly Burger?âÂ
Their response was simultaneous. âYes!âÂ
Cisco smiled. âI thought so. Câmon, letâs get in the car.âÂ
Both girls ran into the garage and scrambled to climb into the backseat of Ciscoâs car. Cisco followed behind and got in the driverâs seat. When he started the car, he put on the radio so the kids could listen to music.Â
The kids played rock-paper-scissors in the backseat until Cisco pulled into the drive-thru.Â
âOkay, tell me your orders one at a time.â Cisco said. âIf I canât hear you, then I canât order anything for you.âÂ
Lia told him her order, and then Nora. Cisco got the both of them the meals they wanted, and when the food came, he stretched backseat to hand them their food.Â
âThanks, Dad!âÂ
âThanks, Uncle Cisco!âÂ
Lia took a huge bite out of her burger. Nora dug into her fries first, saving her burger for later.Â
Cisco drove a bit further until he arrived at the park. They brought their food to a picnic table in the shade, and ate there. The kids traded their Happy Meals toys and shared fries, and drank the smoothies they had ordered until they got brain freeze.
âWhen youâre done with your food, then you can go play.â Cisco gestured towards the playground. âBut you have to be done with your food first.âÂ
âOkay!âÂ
The kids wolfed down their food as fast as their eight-year-old mouths could chew. They threw away their trash only after Cisco reminded them to, then raced to the playground. Nora naturally won, which caused Lia to only sigh once more.
âOne more time!â Lia insisted. âIâm going to win this time.âÂ
Nora laughed. âIf you say so.âÂ
Cisco watched the kids play with a smile on his face, then turned back to his burger.Â
~~~
Lia was eleven.Â
She woke up to snow and the news that school had been canceled. For a sixth-grader, thereâs no better thing.Â
Caitlin told her that if she bundled up in winter clothes, then she could go outside. Lia got dressed into her warmest winter coat and furry winter boots, and Caitlin put on a scarf, hat, and mittens.Â
Lia ran outside and twirled around in the snow until she got dizzy, then she laid on the ground and made snow angels.Â
Her parents invited the West-Allens over to enjoy their day off school. Barry and Iris stayed inside and talked with Caitlin and Cisco over a cup of hot coffee, while Lia and Nora played around in the snow. They got as much snow together as they could and tried to make a snowman, but it ended up just looking like a deformed pile of snow.Â
The kids ran inside and convinced their parents to come out and enjoy the weather with them, and eventually the parents gave in. They put on their coats and walked out into the snow, leaving footprints as they did so.Â
âWe tried to make a snowman, but it didnât work out so well.â Nora sighed.Â
âYou just need to know how to properly make a snowman.â Cisco said. âMy brother and I used to make snowmen all the time when we were kids. Here, Iâll show you.âÂ
He began gathering a small round lump of snow and shaped it into a ball as if he was making a snowball. Then, he rolled it against the snow and watched it grow in size.Â
âYou donât just lump the snow together. There has to be a method to your madness.â He said. âYou have to roll it out, like so.âÂ
The two families all joined forces in rolling out the snow and forming it until it looked more like an actual snowman. Once they had the base, then they rolled out another ball of snow for the middle, then they made the head. Lia and Nora went searching for stones that they could use as buttons, and Caitlin went and got a carrot from inside for the nose.Â
âHeâs missing a hat.â Lia said. âSnowmen in the movies all have hats.âÂ
âWell, we donât have any stereotypical top hats if thatâs what youâre looking for.â Caitlin said.Â
âMom, can you make one?â Lia asked. âPlease?âÂ
âAlright.â Caitlin said. âFor you.âÂ
She took her gloves off and handed them to Iris to hold. She concentrated for a second- it only took a second. Her eyes glowed a bright icy white, and her hair changed to match. Snow swirled from her fingertips and clumped together on the top of the snowmanâs head to form a nice, perfectly shaped top hat like the one Lia wanted. The second she was done, her eyes reverted to their normal state, and her hair melted back to brown.Â
âThank you!âÂ
âThere it is,â Nora looked at the snowman with the same pride a mother would look at her child. âOur perfect snowman.âÂ
âHe needs a name.â Barry said. âWhatâre we gonna name him?âÂ
âHmâŚâ Lia pondered.Â
âWhat about Ronald?â Iris suggested. âHe looks like a Ronald to me.âÂ
âRonald the Snowman.â Nora laughed.Â
âI like it.â Lia said. âRonald the Snowman it is.âÂ
No one saw it coming. It happened when everyone was distracted by the snowman. They only saw the aftermath.Â
Barryâs chest had a white puff of snow right in the center. He had felt the impact and looked up at Cisco, who was holding another snowball in his hand and snickering.Â
âGotcha.âÂ
âOh yeah?â Barry smirked. He leaned down and picked up snow off the ground to form his own snowballs for payback. With his speed, he formed four snowballs in no time at all, and sent them all flying at Cisco. âHowâs that for payback?âÂ
Cisco brushed the snow off his jacket. âOh, itâs on, Allen.â
Iris and Caitlin watched the two of them and laughed to themselves.
âI swear, even now they still act so much like kids sometimes.â Iris said.Â
âYou wanna join them?â Caitlin asked.
âOh, absolutely.â Iris nodded. âLetâs team up so we can win against them.âÂ
âDeal.âÂ
The kids were all too keen on the idea of a snowball fight. They grabbed as much snow as they could carry, and prepared to defend themselves against their parents.Â
Before long, their snowball fight was an all-out war⌠but all in good fun. Loyalties shifted throughout the game. Iris ended up allying herself with Barry, and Caitlin with Cisco. The kids joined their parents. Turns out the West-Allens are really good at making snowballs. Iris and Nora were tough competition to beat, but Lia and Cisco managed. With their powers, all bets were off. Caitlin could create new snowballs from thin air and pass them on to her husband and daughter. Cisco could open breaches and drop them on the West-Allens while he stayed a far ways away, safe from any snowballs they might throw in retaliation. Barry and Nora could use their speed to make a bunch of snowballs within seconds, and to attack their opponents before they knew what was happening.Â
At the end of the day, Caitlinâs endless supply of snowballs and Ciscoâs breaches declared the more useful tactic. The Ramon family was declared the winners, and both families went inside for a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire.Â
Nora and Lia talked and laughed, sipping their hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows on top. The adults all chatted with each other and enjoyed their own beverages.Â
The West-Allens stayed for dinner as well. By the time they went home, Lia was sad to see them go. She hugged Nora tight, despite the fact that sheâd see her at school the very next day.Â
Lia decided then and there that snow days were her favorite.
~~~
Lia was fourteen.Â
High school hit her hard. The workload was tons more than she was used to, the school was bigger, the teachers were new, and whatâs more, Nora went to a different high school, so Lia was alone and friendless.Â
She found herself tapping her pencil against the kitchen table, trying to will her mind to focus but to no avail. The clock ticked as seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. She groaned and grabbed her hair in her fists, but nothing helped.Â
There was a math test tomorrow in first period, and yet she understood nothing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldnât get the answers right, and she was doomed to fail.Â
âHoney?âÂ
Lia looked up to see her mother, looking at her with an expression of concern.Â
âYou okay?â She gently brushed Liaâs hair behind her ear. âDo you need help?âÂ
As much as Liaâs pride urged her to deny the offer, her better judgement said otherwise.
âYes.â She said. ��Desperately.âÂ
âIâll help, then.â Caitlin pulled up a chair and sat down so that she could better look over Liaâs assignment. âYouâre doing math?âÂ
Lia nodded. âItâs confusing, and itâs hard, and I hate it.âÂ
âIf you approach it with that attitude, then you wonât learn.â Caitlinâs voice was gentle and guiding. âHere, letâs take it one step at a time.âÂ
âI tried that, I donât even know where to start!â Liaâs frustration got the better of her, and she snapped. âHigh school is so much harder than middle school. I wish I could go back to when things were easy, and simple, and I didnât have to worry about stupid complicated math problems, or kids that think itâs weird that Iâm adopted, because apparently thatâs a bad thing, or- or-â Lia started to choke up a bit on her words. She felt a lump in her throat forming. As much as she hated it, tears started to well up in her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. âOr having to feel alone at school because Noraâs going to some fancy charter school that I didnât get into, and I have to face the fact that Iâve really only had one friend my whole life and thatâs because you and Dad have been friends with the West-Allens since before I came along! Eating lunch at school sucks because I have to sit out in the hallway when I donât know anyone and I just stare at the blank pages of a book I donât really want to read, just so I look a little less awkward!â Her tears were streaming down her cheeks now, but she didnât care. âAnd on top of that, Iâm- Iâm confused, and I wish I could talk to Nora about it but Noraâs always busy with homework, and I know itâs not her fault, and Iâm not angry at her, I just⌠feel so alone, and lost, and⌠itâs so complicated.â
âSweetie,â Caitlin wiped Liaâs tears from her face. âIâm sorry youâre feeling this way. If you were confused, you couldâve just talked to me.â
âNo, thatâs-â Lia shook her head. âYou donât get it.â
âThen help me understand.â
Lia stayed silent for a long moment. Caitlin wondered if she was ever gonna talk. Lia just cried into her hands, and sniffed, and blew her nose into a tissue. She was conflicted, fighting an inner battle between her emotions and her better judgment. She was pained, that much was clear. Something was troubling her, and she knew that it would hurt to speak it aloud, but she also knew that it was something she had to say.Â
âI⌠I think I like girls.â Lia muttered, finally. âAnd boys. I think? I donât know. Itâs all so confusing, and I just wish I could figure myself out already without all this contemplating nonsense.â
âOh, honey.â Caitlin hugged her daughter. âThereâs no rush to figure yourself out. Thatâs your journey, and thereâs no beginning or end to it. Whoever you are, your dad and I will love you just the same. But you canât force it. You have to figure yourself out at your own pace.âÂ
Lia sniffed. âThanks, Mom.â
âIâm sorry you feel alone at school. Would you want to join some clubs to try to meet new people?â
âThat sounds scary.â Lia said. âNew environment.â
âI get that.â Caitlin said. âWell, how about this? This weekend, you and Nora can go out shopping, see a movie, whatever youâd like, and youâd get to spend some quality time together. I canât promise that Nora will be free every weekend, but maybe you girls could come up with a plan to get together and have a sleepover maybe once a month, just to catch up. And Iâm sure your dad wouldnât mind hosting dinners with the West-Allens more often.â
Lia smiled through her tears. âThat sounds like fun.â
âBut for now, letâs just focus on this math problem.â Caitlin said. âI promise, life will work itself out, but you have to take it one step at a time.â
âOkay.â She picked her pencil back up. âIâm ready to try.â
âThatâs my girl.â
~~~
Lia was eighteen.Â
Various packing boxes sat before her. Her college dorm was a lot smaller than she had expected, but from what she heard, that was normal. By some hint of luck, both Lia and Nora had been accepted into Central City University, and their request to be roommates was approved. Nora had finished unpacking in mere seconds. Granted, she used her speed, and Lia unfortunately was left to unpack at a normal human pace.Â
âThe worst part about being adopted,â Lia sighed. âNot inheriting powers.âÂ
âDonât worry. I gotcha.â In a flurry of yellow and purple lightning, Nora emptied out all of Liaâs boxes and arranged her posters, decorations, and other belongings along her space. She skidded to a halt, and turned to Lia. âHowâs that? If you donât like it, I can undo it.âÂ
âThat looksâŚâ Lia looked at her newly decorated space in awe. âWonderful. Thank you.âÂ
âAnytime.â Nora flopped down onto her bed. âJust one of the perks of having a speedster for a best friend.âÂ
âAnother perk is never letting said speedster best friend forget the time she sped-run right into a stop sign.â Lia gently shoved Noraâs shoulder in a friendly-teasing gesture.Â
Nora groaned at the memory. âThat hurt like hell. I had a bruise on my face for three whole days.âÂ
âHey, three days is not a lot.â Lia sat down next to Nora. âBe glad you have speed-healing.âÂ
âIâd be lost without it.â Nora said. âWhen I got my powers, the first thing Dad taught me was how to brake. Thank god for that.âÂ
âAnd yet it only works if youâre paying attention to whatâs in front of you.âÂ
âYeah, yeah.â Nora chuckled.Â
âOh! I wanted to ask.â Lia spoke suddenly, as if it had just occurred to her. âApparently some other freshman in a dorm not too far from ours are having a movie night tonight. Some girl passed me in the hallway earlier and asked if Iâd want to go.âÂ
âDo you wanna go?âÂ
Lia shrugged. âIâll go if you do. Otherwise, Iâll pass.âÂ
âWell, how about we have a Netflix night tonight, just the two of us?â Nora said. âWe can binge more classic tv shows from when our parents were in college, and even better, Iâll run to the store and get snacks. Iâll buy some chocolate for me and some licorice for you.âÂ
âYou know me so well.â Lia smiled. âThat sounds great.âÂ
âHey, whatâre best friends for?â Nora said. âYou get Netflix pulled up. Iâll be back in a sec with snacks.âÂ
She sped out the door, leaving a trail of purple and yellow lightning behind her.Â
~~~
Lia was twenty.Â
The steak was warm and well-cooked. Her mom had prepared green beans and mashed potatoes. The West-Allens had brought over some food as well. Barry had prepared it, seeing as how heâs always been better at Iris than cooking. No one would ever admit that to Iris, but they knew it was true. Too many times in Nora and Liaâs youth, Nora would complain that her mom was cooking that night because her dad was busy.Â
The Christmas tree was lit up and decorated with ornaments. They had decorated it together, both the Ramons and the West-Allens, just earlier that day. After all, Christmas Eve should be spent with family, and the West-Allens were exactly that.Â
Lia had spent the last few weeks shopping for both her parents, Nora, and Barry and Iris. As a college kid living off of frozen pizzas and ramen, she didnât have too much to spend on gifts, but she was proud of what she ended up getting, and confident that they would like it.Â
âI hope the weatherâs been treating you well.â Caitlin reached for the gravy. Â
âActually, I got a pretty bad cold last week.â Lia said. âIt sucked ass, but Nora made me hot tea, which was nice of her.âÂ
Nora shrugged. âIt was the least I could do.âÂ
âColds are the worst.â Caitlin sighed. âIâm glad youâre better now, though.âÂ
âActually, something exciting happened not too long ago.â Nora turned to Lia. âTell them, Lia.âÂ
âOh! Right!â Lia smiled, and turned to everybody else at the table. âNora and I went to our first pride about two weeks ago! It was Central Cityâs local pride parade. Nora had this huge lesbian flag that she was wearing as a cape, and I had face makeup with the bi pride colors.âÂ
âThat sounds like fun!â Cisco said.Â
Iris smiled. âIâm glad you girls got to go.âÂ
âI already canât wait for the next one.â Nora said. âWe met all sorts of cool new people.âÂ
âYâknow, Wally and Jesse went to a pride parade on Earth-2 not too long ago.â Barry said. âThey had a bi pride flag and everything.âÂ
âOh, cool!â Lia turned to Nora. âI didnât know your uncle was bi.âÂ
Nora nodded. âUncle Wally, Aunt Jesse, and Aunt Jenna. I have a lot of bi relatives.âÂ
âHowâs Jenna doing, by the way?âÂ
âSheâs doing good.â Nora said. âShe loves her new job as a therapist. She says the empath powers really work well for her.âÂ
âI can see why.â Lia said through a bit of mashed potatoes.Â
The friendly conversation continued until dinner was over. They talked in the living room and watched The Polar Express, one of Liaâs favorite movies from when she was a kid, and when the movie was over, they called it a night.Â
The next day was Christmas.Â
Lia didnât wake up at 5am like she used to do every Christmas morning when she was a kid, but she did wake up when the others did, and the group ate breakfast and admired the Christmas lights. When they decided it was time, they passed around the presents from under the tree and opened them one at a time.Â
She bought Nora a new pair of sneakers, because she constantly wore down her old ones by speeding everywhere. They were cute, and matched Noraâs style perfectly. Even better, they fit perfectly.
âThese are so cute!â Nora grinned. âThanks!âÂ
âYouâre welcome!â Â
Lia had saved up her money to buy an old vintage movie set. They were the classics, from all the way back before her dad was born. She wrapped it carefully and handed it to her dad, and his face glowed up upon seeing it.Â
âOh my god, sweetie, thank you!â Cisco squeezed his daughter tight. âThis is amazing.âÂ
âI was thinking sometime we could get Twizzlers and watch an old movie or two together.â Lia said. âJust you and me, like a father-daughter movie night.âÂ
âCount me in.â Cisco grinned. âI canât think of a better way to spend my afternoons.âÂ
As for her mother, Lia had spent some time knitting her a scarf. It was white and blue, like Frostâs preferred color scheme, and it had little snowflakes across the rim.Â
âIâm not the best at knitting, but Iâve been learning.â Lia said. âAnd I figured youâre cold a lot with your powers, so I made that for you.âÂ
Caitlin held it in her hands, rubbing the soft material and tracing the snowflakes with her fingers.Â
âItâs beautiful.â Caitlin exhaled softly, in awe. âThank you. I couldnât ask for a better gift.âÂ
âYouâre welcome, Mom.âÂ
As the families talked and shared the holiday together, it started to snow ever so lightly outside. That White Christmas went down in Liaâs memory of one of her favorites.Â
As the day came to a close, Lia was reminded of exactly how wonderful her family is.Â
~~~
Lia was twenty-eight.
Twenty-eight short years fulled to the brim with happy memories, only to be cut short so abruptly.Â
No one expected it. No one could have predicted it.Â
It wasnât supposed to happen like this. Lia was supposed to live a long and fulfilling life. She was supposed to get married and give Cisco and Caitlin grandkids. She was supposed to be Aunt Lia to Noraâs kids, and vice versa. She was supposed to spend so many more holidays with her family. Her parents werenât supposed to outlive her.Â
But fate had other plans.Â
On that ill-fated day, Lia interfered with the wrong evil speedster. On that day, Godspeed left her for dead. On that day, Lia Ramonâs life ended.Â
No more movie nights with her dad. No more pride parades with Nora. No more snow days with her mom.Â
Lia was gone.
Every sweet moment that she had shared with her loved ones was history. They lived on as memories, but that was all they had left of the girl they knew. The girl that Cisco and Caitlin had raised.Â
Nora was driven into a rage. Itâs always easier to be angry than to be sad. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to yell, she wanted to scream. She wanted to track down Godspeed and make him pay. She wanted someone to blame this on, and she wanted justice.Â
Except⌠justice wouldnât bring Lia back.Â
Godspeed was sent to jail, and Nora had lost her scapegoat for her anger. Instead, she was left with an emptiness. As if she had lost a part of herself, and now there was just a big hole in its place. She wouldâve rather have lost her arm than have lost Lia.Â
Nora found herself falling into a depression.Â
Cisco and Caitlin didnât know how to cope with it at first. They couldnât go on with their lives like normal, but it hurt too much to face the truth. They left Liaâs stuff untouched, because they knew they couldnât so much as see it without experiencing the pain that came with it.Â
Liaâs funeral felt dismal.Â
Cisco started crying during the eulogy. Thatâs when it really hit him that his daughter was gone. He sobbed into some tissues that Caitlin had brought, and leaned on Caitlinâs shoulder for support.Â
After the funeral, Cisco and Caitlin went home and finally mustered up the courage to go through Liaâs old childhood bedroom.Â
Everything in there was attached to some memory of their daughter, and it stung. It just added salt to the wound, but it needed to be done. They needed to pack up Liaâs stuff, they couldnât leave it out in her room forever. Besides, Lia needed to be honored, not forgotten.
So, together, Cisco and Caitlin went through her room.
Both of them were crying. Their eyes were red and puffy, and their noses were sore. They had brought tissues along with them, and they were going through them quickly. And yet, they found the strength in them to smile despite their tears. They found sweet, treasured memories in the midst of their pain.Â
âThis was her favorite stuffed animal when she was five.â Caitlin sniffed and held up an old, tattered stuffed animal in the shape of a bunny.Â
âMr. Snuggles,â Cisco took it and held it in his hands, looking at it with a certain fondness, mixed with nostalgia, and regret, and pain. âShe took it everywhere with her.âÂ
âAnd then one time she lost it at a Target.âÂ
âWe had to search for it in every aisle.â Cisco recalled the memory with a sad smile. âEven some of the employees helped look for it.âÂ
âWe found it in the toy section,â Caitlin said. âNext to the Legos.âÂ
Caitlin set the stuffed animal in a box.Â
âOh, itâs the old cd player.â Cisco picked it up and dusted off the top. âSheâd put cds in here and weâd listen to music and have dance parties to old songs.âÂ
âI remember that.â The memory made Caitlin smile. âI used to love watching you two dancing like you didnât have a care in the world.âÂ
âThere was that one time when I convinced you to join us, remember?â Cisco asked. âThe three of us, just dancing together, like time didnât exist and we were immortal.âÂ
Caitlin nodded. âShe was adorable, dancing as a toddler.âÂ
âShe was.âÂ
Cisco set the cd player in a box.Â
âLook at this,â Caitlin held up a pink frilly dress and a matching toy wand. âShe used to wear this around the house and say she wanted to be a princess when she grew up.âÂ
âShe mustâve been about five then,â Cisco rubbed the dressâs scratchy material in between his fingers. âShe wanted to be everything. A princess, a chef, a ballerina, a wizard.âÂ
âRemember when she wanted to go to space?âÂ
Cisco nodded. âWe always told her the same thing.âÂ
âYou can be anything you want to be.â Caitlin said. âAs long as you set your mind to it.âÂ
âWhen she got her job as a CSI, she made us the proudest parents in the multiverse.â Cisco smiled, thinking about the day he got an excited phone call from Lia telling him about the big news.Â
âHoney, we were already the proudest parents in the multiverse.âÂ
âThat is true.âÂ
Caitlin set the dress in a box.Â
With each item, a new memory. Each happy memory came with a bittersweet aftertaste, each sad memory came with a twang of regret. But no matter what, they knew they werenât alone.Â
Cisco grabbed Caitlinâs hand. He held it gently, rubbing her palm with his thumb comfortingly. He met her tear-stained eyes with a look of compassion, understanding, empathy.Â
âHey, I know this is hard.â Cisco said. âItâs going to be hard. This isnât something we can recover from easily. But⌠itâs going to be okay. Because we have each other.âÂ
More tears streamed from the corners of Caitlinâs eyes. They followed the same path down her cheeks that her other tears did. She had been crying so much that they formed a visible trail down the sides of her face, but she didnât care. The warmth in Ciscoâs eyes was enough to remind her of how loved she was.Â
âWeâre going to get through this, together.â Cisco wrapped his arms around Caitlin and pressed a kiss to her wet cheek. âOne bit at a time. Weâll take things slow. And, with time, life will get better. I promise. Iâll be right here with you, every step of the way.âÂ
âThank you, Cisco.âÂ
It took them a long time to recover from that loss. But life moves on. And, eventually, they healed. They counted on the other, and they provided the support that their partner needed. With time, they learned how to enjoy life again.
After all, itâs what Lia would have wanted.
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Killervibe Fic Week Day Three: Doppelgangers
Word count: 3111
Notes: Thank you to @thatkillervibe for proofreading!!
Tags: @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
âAw, man! Thatâs the third mosquito bite Iâve gotten since we got here,â Ralph whined, rubbing his arm where the mosquito bit him. âEarth-31 sucks.âÂ
âEarth-1 has mosquitos too, Ralph.â Barry said.
âNot this many!â
âRalph, you can shapeshift,â Cisco said. âCanât you just⌠magically make your bug bites disappear or something?â
âNo, it doesnât work that way.â Ralph grumbled. âBelieve me, Iâve tried.â
âIt would be impossible.â Caitlin piped up. âMosquito bites itch because of the bodyâs reaction to the mosquitoâs saliva, which has already entered his blood once the mosquito bites him. Although Ralphâs cells can multiply and allow him to stretch or change his appearance, he canât take the saliva out of his blood once theyâre in there, nor can he stop his bodyâs reaction to it.âÂ
âGreat.â Ralph sighed. âI have bug spit in me.âÂ
Cisco stumbled over an overgrown tree root and he wouldâve fallen if he hadnât grabbed onto the tree next to it. The moss and the wet leaves stuck to his shoes as he treaded through the deep forest, and the humidity caused him to sweat, especially in the thick leather of his Vibe suit. Ralph was right. Earth-31 does suck.
âWell, hopefully we wonât have to be here long.â Barry said. âIf this is the place that Cisco vibed, then the meta couldnât have gone far. We can have him arrested and go home by the end of today.âÂ
âThis is definitely it.â Cisco pointed to a tall tree a few yards ahead of them. âIn my vision, the meta was standing next to that tree.âÂ
âHow can you tell?â Caitlin asked. âIt all looks the same.â
âYou see that stream over there? I saw that in my vibe as well.â Cisco pointed. âThat tree was closest to it.â
âWell, thatâs good.â Barry said. âHe should be around here somewhere.âÂ
âNot to point out the obvious, but this is one thick forest.â Ralph said. âHow are we gonna find one guy in this place when the trees are barely three feet apart?âÂ
âRalphâs got a point.â Caitlin said. âNot to mention, this forest probably stretches for miles.âÂ
âAlright, then weâll split up.â Barry said. âIâll go with Ralph. Cisco, you go with Caitlin. I can cover ground a lot faster if I run, and Cisco can breach to different parts of the forest. That way, we have much better chances of finding him.âÂ
Cisco shrugged. âSeems fair to me.âÂ
âThen itâs a plan. Weâll meet back by the stream in a few hours.âÂ
Barry grabbed onto Ralph and ran off at super-speed, leaving just Cisco and Caitlin to venture off to the rest of the forest. The two of them continued walking forwards, minding their step as they did so.
âThis forest kinda makes me nostalgic.â
âReally?â Caitlin looked at him. âHow so?â
âWhen Dante and I were kids, we used to go exploring in the woods behind our house. Weâd find sticks in the woods and pretend to battle each other with them, and then weâd go and find cool-looking rocks to bring home and show our parents,â Cisco said.Â
âAww, thatâs sweet,â Caitlin smiled. âI take it you two used to be a lot closer.âÂ
âWe were thick as thieves when we were kids.âÂ
âWhat changed?âÂ
Cisco shrugged. âWe grew up. We each went on different paths, I suppose. Dante was the concert pianist, the golden child, the chick magnet. I was his nerdy younger brother, collecting tech magazines and going on for hours about how a computer works. My brother bathed in his glory. I didnât get any of it.âÂ
âIâm sorry.â
âIt is what it is,â Cisco said. âI envy you for being an only child.âÂ
âActually, it got pretty lonely growing up,â Caitlin said. âI was ten when my dad disappeared, and after that, my mom was distant and obsessed with her work. She hid all her emotions away out of fear. She didnât want to get hurt again. But in doing so, she only drove me away.âÂ
Cisco offered a sympathetic smile. âI guess none of us had a normal childhood.âÂ
âHonestly, have our lives ever been normal?âÂ
Cisco laughed at that. âNo, I donât think so.âÂ
âAt least weâve acknowledged it.â
There wasnât much Cisco could think to say to that, so he decided to let it go. The next few minutes consisted of silent walking, with the occasional warning to the other person telling them to watch their footing.Â
âWeâve been walking in one direction for far enough. If he was here, we wouldâve found him by now,â Cisco said. âIâll breach us to the other side of the forest, maybe weâll have better luck there.â
âYouâre probably right.âÂ
Cisco held his hand out in front of him, and formed a breach big enough for him and Caitlin to walk through. Before they could, however, a figure ran up and grabbed Cisco by the collar of his Vibe jacket, and ran through Ciscoâs breach, yanking Cisco along with him. The breach closed the second that Cisco went through, leaving Caitlin stranded on the other side.Â
Once the breach closed, the figure tossed Cisco onto the ground. He had just managed to get himself up in a sitting position when he got his first good look at the man that had grabbed him.
âItâs you!â Cisco exclaimed. âThe one I saw.â
âAnd youâre tracking me.â The meta matched Ciscoâs emphasis mockingly.
âYou heard us?âÂ
âItâs not hard to hide in these woods,â He spat. âI canât have you and your friends following my trail. Fortunately, without you theyâll have a much harder time.âÂ
âYou think I pose the biggest threat?â Cisco asked. âWhat, cause Iâm a breacher?âÂ
âExactly.âÂ
âWell, youâre wrong,â Cisco said. âWe have a speedster on our team. Heâs who you really have to be afraid of.âÂ
âYeah?â The meta gave an unamused, vaguely threatening chuckle. âWell, without their breacher to vibe my location or breach anywhere in the forest, Iâm at least safe for now. I can take on this speedster when he comes.âÂ
Cisco was trying to formulate a witty reply in his head when a long stream of ice came out of nowhere, knocking the meta against a tree. He managed to gather himself in time to run away before anybody could catch him. He was long gone in the trees in just a few seconds.
Cisco stood up, his heartbeat racing in his chest. He turned to his savior with a grin on his face.
âCaitlin! Howâd you get here so fast- you were all the way across the forest- nevermind that, though, thank you so much for saving me--â Cisco paused a moment to catch his breath, and furrowed his brow. âWait. Youâre not in your Frost form. You just shot that stream of ice, how are you not Frost?âÂ
Meanwhile, Caitlin was staring at him like she had just seen a ghost. âCisco?!âÂ
Cisco raised an eyebrow. â...Yes?â
âItâs really you?â Caitlin poked his shoulder, as if making sure he wasnât a hologram. âBut⌠this shouldnât be possible!âÂ
âUhâŚâÂ
âWait.â Caitlin studied him from head to toe. Her expression seemed⌠disappointed, but not surprised. âYouâre from another Earth, arenât you?â
âWhat do you mean?âÂ
Caitlin tried again. âAre you from this Earth?â
âNo.âÂ
âThatâs what I thought,â Caitlin sighed. âYouâre a doppelganger.â
Cisco blinked. âWait, so that meansâŚâÂ
âWhatever Caitlin you think I am, Iâm not her.â Caitlin- no, not Caitlin- said. âIâm from this Earth. Surely youâve encountered doppelgangers before, breacher.âÂ
âYeah, of course,â Cisco said. âSorry. My mind is still reeling. A minute ago, I was walking with Caitlin- my Caitlin- on the complete other side of the forest, then I open a breach only to get straight-up abducted by the very person weâre trying to catch, then not even thirty seconds later, Iâm saved by the doppelganger of the exact person I was just with!â Cisco gestured wildly with his hands. âItâs been a very crazy 60 seconds!âÂ
Caitlin smiled. âYou remind me of the Cisco of my Earth.âÂ
âI assume thatâs a compliment,â Cisco said. âUnless the Earth-31 Cisco is a supervillain. Wouldnât be the first time.âÂ
âItâs a compliment, I assure you,â Caitlin said. âItâs nice to meet you, doppelganger-Cisco. You can call me Caity.â
âCaity?â Cisco raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. âI prefer it to Caitlin. It just fits me better.â
âAlright then⌠Caity.â Cisco said. âIâm Cisco. From Earth-1.âÂ
âEarth-1? Whatâre you doing here, then?âÂ
âI had a vibe about the meta-criminal here, the one that was just here. We came here to catch him.â Cisco said. âWait, whatâre you doing here? In this forest, I mean.âÂ
â...Camping.âÂ
It was an obvious lie, but Cisco decided not to press.
âI need to find my friends.â Cisco said.Â
âIâll help you.â Caity said. âI know these woods fairly well.âÂ
âYou will?â Cisco smiled in his appreciation. âIâd love the help. I recognized the sliver of the forest I had seen in my vibe, but⌠Iâm a long ways away from that now.â
âOf course.â Caity said. âAfter all, youâre Cisco, even if youâre not the one Iâm familiar with.âÂ
The two of them started walking through the woods, talking along the way.Â
âThe Cisco on this Earth, whatâs he like?âÂ
âFunny. Witty. Charming.â Caity responded. âHe always knew the best way to make me laugh. Oh, and caring. Thatâs one of his best qualities. Thereâs nothing more important to Cisco Ramon than his friends.âÂ
âThat does sound like me.â Cisco said. âI guess this Cisco and I arenât too different after all.âÂ
âWhat about the Caitlin of your Earth?â Caity asked. âWhatâs she like?â
âSheâs⌠beyond words, really.â Cisco said. âSheâs incredibly smart, and sheâs sweet and loving and kind, and so brave. I can always count on her when I need a friend. Sheâs helped me through some of my worst times. I donât know what Iâd do without her.âÂ
âHow long have you guys been together?â
The question took Cisco off guard. âWhat? Oh, no, weâre just friends. Best friends, nothing more.âÂ
âI see.âÂ
âSo,â Cisco changed the subject. âI take it the Cisco of this Earth is a breacher as well?âÂ
Caity nodded. âI take it the Caitlin of your Earth has ice powers? You recognized me after you saw my ice blast.â
âYup.â Cisco said. âAlthough, her powers work a bit differently than yours.âÂ
âHow so?âÂ
âWhen she uses her powers, she gets white hair and white eyes.âÂ
âLucky.â Caity said. âI want white hair. Thatâd be badass.âÂ
âShe is badass.â Cisco said. âYou should see her in full-out Frost mode. She could do some serious damage if she wanted to.âÂ
âYouâre pretty powerful, too.â Caity said. âThat is, if youâre anything like my Cisco. You can vibe, and breach, and shoot vibe blasts, and-âÂ
âIâve met some pretty powerful breachers before.â Cisco said. âIâm kinda the least powerful out of the ones Iâve met, though. I dated a breacher once and she could do wonders with her powers. Iâm not like that.âÂ
âIâm sure you could get better with practice.â Caity said. âHow long have you had your powers?âÂ
âFive years.â Cisco said. âBut to be fair, for a long time I was more focused on doing away with my powers than using them.âÂ
âWhyâs that?âÂ
âWhen I first got my powers, I thought they were a curse.â Cisco said. âMy first ever vibe, I watched myself die. It happened in an erased timeline. My friend, heâs a speedster, had changed the timeline and brought me back to life in doing so. I wouldâve had no memory of it ever happening if it werenât for my powers.âÂ
âYikes.â Caity grimaced. âI can see why that would make you hate your powers.âÂ
âOh, believe me, I did, at first.â Cisco said. âBut⌠that changed. They grew on me. The more I used them, the more comfortable with them I became. Now theyâre a part of who I am. Iâd be lost without them.âÂ
âI always envied Ciscoâs powers.â Caity said.Â
âI do like that I can go anywhere I want at any time.â Cisco said. âItâs convenient.âÂ
âThe Cisco I knew loved to breach to different places and see what the universe has to offer.â Caity said. âHe was always willing to go exploring new places, and his powers made that possible.â
Something about Caityâs tone seemed off with Cisco, but he couldnât quite seem to place a finger on it until now. The realization left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
Caity talked about her Cisco the same way that Caitlin talked about Ronnie.Â
âEvery time youâve brought up Cisco,â Cisco said. âYouâve spoken about him in the past tense.âÂ
Caity nodded slowly, her movements solemn. She was looking at the forest floor, choosing to focus on the moss growing on the tree trunks instead of facing Cisco.Â
âFor years, Cisco and I were a superhero crime-fighting duo.â She said. âThe two of us versus any metas that dared cause trouble. We were practically inseparable. That is, until about two years ago. We were up against our strongest foe yet, a speedster by the name of Eddie Thawne. He was terrorizing people, killing them, all for a sick little game. We managed to stop him, but⌠Cisco paid the price. He sacrificed his own life to save everyone.âÂ
âIâm sorry.â Cisco said. âI take it seeing me only served as a reminder of what you lost.âÂ
âRather, the contrary.âÂ
Cisco tilted his head. âHow so?âÂ
âIf I can help you, even in just a small way, then maybe it can be my way of⌠paying my respects to Cisco.â Caity said. âHonoring his memory.âÂ
âI never thought of it that way.â Cisco said. âWait, is that why you were in this forest? To help me?â
Caity shook her head. âNo. I had no idea you were going to be here. Finding you was completely by coincidence.âÂ
âThen what were you doing in the forest?âÂ
âI donât expect you to know this, seeing as how youâre from another Earth.â Caity said. âBut this forest actually holds some significance here. The meta youâre tracking, the one in this forest, I reckon he doesnât care much about this forestâs meaning, but I do. Thereâs an old rumor that the spirits of your loved ones can see you in this forest, and that you can venture into this forest to pay your respects to them. Itâs sentimental, I know, but I was here because I was missing Cisco. Never would I have guessed that I would run into his doppelganger here, and be granted with an opportunity to actually do something to honor him.âÂ
âWell, Iâm happy to offer that for you.â Cisco said. âAnd frankly, I could use the help. This forest is huge, and I have no idea where my friends or the meta is.âÂ
âActually,â Caity stopped walking and turned to Cisco, like an imaginary lightbulb had just lit up over her head. âThis didnât occur to me before, but thereâs a small hill about midway through the forest. Maybe you could breach to the hill and get a higher view point, and maybe youâd be able to see your friends from there?â
âItâs worth a try.âÂ
Cisco formed a breach in front of them, but when they stepped through it, they discovered that the hill wasnât empty like theyâd thought. Cisco immediately recognized his friends before him, surrounding the hill, on high alert. They watched as the breach closed behind Caity and Cisco, and for a few seconds they were frozen, processing what they saw.Â
But then the meta ran up from behind the hill and punched Ralph in the gut, and Cisco realized what was going on.Â
There wasnât time to explain, not now. Cisco shot a vibe blast at the meta, knocking him onto the ground, and Ralph pinned him down with a stretched-out arm until Barry was able to get meta-cuffs on him. Only once the meta was secured did the team take a moment to regain their breath. Killer Frost morphed back into Caitlin, and Ralph stretched his arm back to its normal length.Â
Then the team turned to Caity, and Cisco standing beside her.Â
Caitlin was staring at her with the most shock. âYouâre⌠my doppelgänger.â
âCisco told me about you. Itâs nice to finally meet you.âÂ
Caitlin raised an eyebrow in interest. âCisco told you about me?âÂ
Caity smiled. âAll good things, I swear.âÂ
âLook, Caitlin,â Cisco teased. âYou finally have a doppelganger that isnât a villain.âÂ
âYouâre one to talk.â Caitlin said. âWeâve met one doppelganger of yours and that was Reverb. Very evil dude.â
âHey, Iâll take it. At least itâs better than what Harry has to be doppelgangers with.âÂ
âWhich one?âÂ
Both Caitlin and Cisco erupted into a fit of giggles, like schoolchildren sharing an inside joke. Caity looked between the two of them with a knowing smirk, but didnât say anything.Â
As the team was getting ready to head back to their own Earth, Caity pulled Cisco aside.Â
âThereâs something else I never mentioned.â She said.Â
Cisco raised an eyebrow. âWhat is it?âÂ
âBack when Cisco and I were hero partners⌠I developed a crush on him. For years, I was hopelessly pining for him, and too much of a coward to ask him out. He died before I got the chance to tell him how I feel.â Caity said. âDonât make the same mistake I did. Tell Caitlin how you feel.âÂ
âWhat? But I donât...â
Caity didnât say anything, but her expression told Cisco that resisting wasnât worth the trouble.
âYou donât have to pretend with me.â Caity said. âIâve been there. After all⌠I think Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow are soulmates in every universe.âÂ
Cisco took one last look over to where Caitlin was standing with the others. She laughed at something Ralph had said. The sun shined on her face as she threw her head back, and her brown hair bounced ever so slightly. Just the sight gave Cisco butterflies in his stomach.Â
He turned back to Caity. âThank you.âÂ
Caity smiled at him. âDonât mention it.â
âCisco! You ready to go?âÂ
Barry had called him from where they were standing. Cisco looked over at him and then back to Caity.Â
âGoodbye, Cisco Ramon.âÂ
âBye, Caity.âÂ
Cisco ran off to join his friends. He formed a breach set for Earth-1, and waited as his friends all passed through it, Barry taking the hand-cuffed meta along with him. Cisco turned and waved to Caity one last time⌠then he stepped through the breach, never to return to Earth-31 again.
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Killervibe Week Day Two: Canon Divergent
Word Count: 1051
Notes: You remember that one episode in season one when Cisco died in an erased timeline? That episode sure was angsty, wasnât it? I wonder what could make it even angstier. Oh, I know!
Takes place during 1x15, in the few minutes in between Ciscoâs death and when Barry resets the timeline.
Disclaimer: When I refer to Dr. Wells in this fic, Iâm referring to Eobard Thawne in disguise as Dr. Wells, but seeing as how Caitlin doesnât know his real name at this point, Iâm calling him Dr. Wells.
Warning: Major character death (albeit one that was shown in the actual show, but still); mentions of blood and fatal wounds; coping with a betrayal; coping with loss of a best friend; blaming oneself for something that isnât their fault; angst without a happy ending
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
Caitlinâs mind was still reeling. When Cisco had told her that he suspected Dr. Wells, she thought he was mistaken. Not that she doubted Cisco, of course, but⌠it was Dr. Wells. He wasnât evil. Or at least she thought.
She couldnât shake the image from her mind. She was in Jitters, ordering the coffee to go, and she turned around and he was gone. Like that. The only thing left behind was his wheelchair. Dr. Wells has been paralyzed ever since the particle accelerator explosion. It just wasnât possible. He couldnât so much as stand without his wheelchair, and for him to have left Jitters in the few seconds it took for Caitlin to order the coffee⌠Forget just being able to walk. He wouldâve had to have been a speedster.
Which means Cisco was right all along.
Dr. Wells isnât just working with the Reverse-Flash.
He is the Reverse-Flash.
Their boss is the man who killed Barryâs mother.
All Caitlin could feel was the adrenaline. There were a million thoughts racing through her head. The only thing faster than them was her heartbeat, thumping in her chest at a thousand beats per second. She had looked up to Dr. Wells since the very first day she came to work for him. He wasnât just her boss. He was her hero. He helped her, guided her, inspired her. He was her friend. He helped her cope with Ronnieâs death. A day ago, Caitlin wouldâve vouched that Dr. Wells was one of the most compassionate men she knows. Now, Caitlin knows the truth.
Heâs a murderer.
Her heartbeat froze in terror as a thought occurred to her.
Ciscoâs in trouble.
Cisco was investigating Dr. Wells. If Dr. Wells knew he was in danger of being found out, who knows what awful things he could do to Cisco.
She ran into Star Labs calling Ciscoâs name. Each time she spoke it, she became more frantic, her heartbeat raced a little faster. Her mind started to fill up with fears, the dread started to sink into her stomach. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before continuing.
The basement.
Of course. Cisco said he was going to be in the basement.
Caitlin ran down the hallways, all the way to the Star Labs basement. The adrenaline made her run faster than she ever had before, but she didnât care about how fast she was running. All she cared about was seeing Cisco again.
Finally, after what felt like centuries, the doors opened, letting Caitlin into the basement.
The sight sickened Caitlin so much she wished she had never stepped foot into the basement at all.
There he was. Cisco Ramon, her best friend in the whole wide world, the only person who truly knew how to make her laugh since Ronnie passed away, the guy who brought her chocolates and a movie when she was feeling down, the guy she had spent countless lunches at Big Belly Burger with, laughing endlessly at some joke. He was just a few yards away from her.
And he was dead.
She was too late.
Caitlin rushed forwards and kneeled by his side. There was a fresh wound right in the middle of his rib cage, directly where his heart is. Wet blood stained his shirt. His lifeless eyes were still wet with tears that hadnât quite dried.
âNo, no, NO!â
This was all her fault. If only she had stalled Dr. Wells for a bit longer. If only she had arrived sooner. If only she had been there. Sheâs a doctor, she couldâve done something, anything to save him, she wouldâve given her own life in his place if she had to-
Caitlin couldnât breathe. She couldnât see, she couldnât feel, she couldnât hear her own pained screams. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she didnât care enough to wipe them away. She felt lightheaded, but she didnât care enough to do anything about it.
Her heart twang with regret. If only she had more time. She wouldâve binged the Walking Dead with him no matter how confusing it was to her, she wouldâve brought him Big Belly Burger to repay him for the time he bought her lunch, she wouldâve treasured each and every moment they shared. She wouldâve told him how much he meant to her.
Ciscoâs laugh could light up a whole room. His eyes twinkled with enthusiasm whenever he spoke about his favorite classic movies. Caitlin always chastised him about his enormous sweet tooth, but sometimes heâd share his candy with her, even though he never shared with Barry. He ordered the same thing each time at Big Belly Burger, but every time without fail heâd study the menu for a few minutes as if he was going to change it up this time. He never did.
Caitlin grasped Ciscoâs hand in hers as she sobbed.
Now sheâd never experience any of that again.
Her best friend was gone. The person who knew her best, the person who could make her laugh when she was feeling down, the person who stood by her side no matter what⌠gone.
Caitlinâs tears felt heavy against her cheeks.
The lump in her throat only intensified, making it harder to swallow or breathe. She clutched Ciscoâs shirt in her fists, holding onto him even though she knew he would never respond, even though it hurt her more to hold him and not feel a heartbeat.
This was all Wells.
He killed Cisco.
Caitlin didnât know how, but⌠she was gonna make him pay.
She clenched her fist with a newfound rage, and stormed out of the basement.
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Killervibe Fic Week Day One: Fake Dating
Word Count: 3063
Notes: Occurs in the place of 5x07 (the season five Thanksgiving episode).
Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
âI need a really big favor.â
Cisco looked up from the tech he was working on and faced Caitlin. âYeah?âÂ
âI need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.âÂ
Cisco raised an eyebrow. âThatâs quite the request. What for?âÂ
âMy mom invited me to Thanksgiving with the extended family this year. I tried to get out of it by telling her I was spending Thanksgiving with my boyfriend, but then she insisted that I bring my boyfriend along with me.â Caitlin said. âI had to tell her it was a boyfriend. She wouldnât have gotten off my case if it were anything else.âÂ
âSo you need me to pretend to be that boyfriend?â Cisco asked. âWhy not Barry?âÂ
âHeâs spending Thanksgiving with Iris and Nora. This is his first Thanksgiving with his daughter, Iâm not gonna take that away.â Caitlin said. âPlease, man, youâre my only option.â
âAlright.â Cisco slowly nodded. âIâll do it.â
âOh, thank you so much.â Caitlin beamed. âAnything you need in return, itâs yours.âÂ
âIf I ever need a favor, Iâll be sure to let you know. Besides,â Cisco met her eyes with a soft, caring gaze. âIâm not about to subject my best friend to the wrath of a judgemental mother alone. I know what thatâs like. My mom was always asking me when Iâm gonna get a girlfriend, when Iâm gonna get married, when Iâm gonna give her grandchildren.âÂ
âSee? Thatâs why I need you.â Caitlin rested a hand on Ciscoâs shoulder. âYou get me.âÂ
âHey, you know Iâm always here for you. Even if that includes being your fake boyfriend for some family Thanksgiving you donât really wanna go to.âÂ
âLike I said.â Caitlin chuckled softly. âYou get me.âÂ
~~~
The smell of food filled the entire house. The turkey was still warm from the oven, golden-brown and rich, and surrounded by plenty of sides to go around. Cisco hadnât left Caitlinâs side since they got there, and even now, he was sitting in the seat next to her. He was mostly making harmless small-talk with Caitlinâs relatives, talking about his job at Star Labs or his family, anything they asked. A few of them asked about his relationship with Caitlin. As someone who kept a whole secret superhero identity, Cisco had gotten used to lying. However, he found that lying about being in a romantic relationship with Caitlin was a lot easier than he expected.
âSo, Cisco,â Caitlinâs mother passed the mashed potatoes to him, along with a side of gravy. âHow did you and my daughter start dating?âÂ
âWell,â Cisco looked over at Caitlin to his left, meeting her eyes with the softest loving gaze he could muster. It wasnât hard, looking at her. Then he turned back to Caitlinâs mother. âCaitlin has been my coworker and best friend for years. Spending all that time with her, I got to know her as the truly amazing, wonderful person she is⌠the feelings came naturally. I eventually mustered up the courage to confess, and well⌠look at where we are now.âÂ
âAww, thatâs sweet!â One of Caitlinâs cousins piped in.Â
âCisco is truly the best boyfriend I could ask for. We go for coffee dates at Jitters so often, the staff practically recognizes us. If Iâm having a bad day, all it takes is one text and this guy will show up at my door with chocolates and a movie. Heâs the most thoughtful, most considerate guy I know, and Iâm so lucky to have him in my life. And IâŚâ Caitlin laced her fingers in with Ciscoâs, and gently squeezed his hand in hers. âI love him.âÂ
âYou guys are too cute!â
âAlright, enough.â Caitlinâs uncle teased. âYouâre gonna make the rest of us jealous.âÂ
Everyone at the table laughed heartily, and the conversation changed. Instead, they were discussing sports and the Macyâs Day Parade, and Caitlin and Cisco were off the hook. It was only when Caitlin let go of Ciscoâs hand to grab some green beans that they both realized how long she had been holding it. Cisco and Caitlin both blushed, and then desperately tried to change the subject.Â
Cisco was asked multiple times about what he does at Star Labs, but Cisco didnât mind explaining. Caitlinâs family seemed to respect that he was a mechanical engineer. They asked about what itâs like living in Central City with all the meta attacks, to which Cisco tried to answer in the most vague way possible as to not reveal that heâs a meta himself, and one of the heroes stopping the attacks. Caitlinâs mother seemed particularly skeptical of Ciscoâs answer on that question, but Cisco understood why. Dr. Tannhauser knows about her daughterâs superhero life. It wouldnât take a genius for her to gather that Cisco is involved, too.
After dinner, Caitlin and Cisco helped clear off the table. The leftover food was placed into containers or wrapped in tin foil to be saved for later. Caitlinâs mother offered Cisco some leftover turkey to bring home with him, and he took it because he didnât want to be rude. He figured he could have it for dinner one night when he didnât feel like cooking or stopping by Big Belly Burger on the way home from work.Â
The evening was coming to a close and the sun was setting in the distance. And yet, no one was quite ready to leave. The kids were upstairs playing with action figures, the adults were downstairs talking. Cisco and Caitlin managed to get away from the small talk for a bit, and Caitlin decided to bring Cisco upstairs and show him around her childhood home. After all, the house was a large part of Caitlinâs childhood, and she wanted to share that with her best friend.Â
âThis was my bedroom for twelve years.â Caitlin said. âOver there, I had a bulletin board with notes, pictures, postcards, et cetera. And over here,â Caitlin opened up her closet and took out an old, battered stuffed animal. âI had all my stuffed animals. This one was my favorite when I was about ten. I think his name was Oscar.âÂ
Cisco took the stuffed animal and held it ever-so-gently in his hands. âHe looks like an Oscar.âÂ
Caitlin walked over to the other side of her room, where she had a telescope positioned so that it was looking right out her window. She turned to Cisco. âMy dad got me this telescope for my ninth birthday. I had practically begged him for it for years.âÂ
âWow, this is nice.â Cisco walked over and peered through the telescope. âYou can see Mars from here.âÂ
âMy dad and I spent so many nights together just looking at the stars, identifying constellations.â Caitlin said. âHe would make some astrological pun and I would laugh, and heâd make another and Iâd keep laughing. Mom would hear us down the hall and remind us that itâs late, and it was a school night. Dad would just make me promise to wake up for school the next day, and weâd continue looking at the stars until one of us got too tired.âÂ
Cisco wasnât entirely sure what to say. Caitlin grabbed a photo frame off of her dresser and showed it to Cisco. Cisco blew off some of the dust.Â
It was a picture of the Snow family. Caitlin looked about eight or nine in the picture. Her brown hair was woven into two little twin braids that rested on her shoulders. She was wearing a floral print dress and holding hands with both of her parents on either side of her. Her dad was smiling in the camera with a loving gaze that Cisco had never seen from Thomas Snow, and her mom was laughing- something Cisco had never seen Carla Tannhauser do. Cisco held the picture delicately in his hands.
It wasnât just a picture. It was a piece of Caitlinâs childhood.Â
âWe did a photoshoot in the park for our Christmas cards. The photo turned out really nice, so Mom got it framed. Iâve had it ever since.â Caitlin said. âThose were simpler times, yâknow? That was before Dad was Icicle, before I was Killer Frost, before Mom grew distant. Back when my main worry was stupid Lexi LaRoche.âÂ
Cisco wrapped his arm around Caitlinâs shoulder, offering her a comforting side-hug. He set the photo back down on her dresser, then turned back to Caitlin and brushed her hair behind her ear. âYou know Iâm here for you, right? No matter what happens with Icicle, no matter what happens with Cicada. You and I, weâre a team. I dare fate to try to seperate us. Iâm always going to have your back.âÂ
âThank you, Cisco.â The warmth in Caitlinâs eyes reflected her gratitude more than words ever could. âAnd, you know⌠The present is certainly different from the past, but itâs not necessarily worse.âÂ
âYeah?â
âYeah.â Caitlin nodded. âBecause right now, youâre here with me.âÂ
Cisco couldnât stop himself from grinning. âYouâre a sap.âÂ
âYeah, yeah, maybe so.â Caitlin laughed. âCâmon, letâs head out. Itâs getting late.â
The two of them walked back downstairs and said their polite thank yous and goodbyes to Caitlinâs family before heading out the door. Cisco twirled the keys around his finger as he walked down the sidewalk, and only stopped once they reached the car, in order to open and start it. Once Cisco had pulled out of the driveway, Caitlin began searching the radio for something to listen to.Â
âWhy are they playing so many songs from 2009-2010?â Caitlin asked.Â
âI have no idea, but Iâm not complaining.â Cisco shrugged. â2009 songs werenât half bad.âÂ
âYou also unironically like Rick Astley so I donât know if I trust your music taste.âÂ
âOuch. That hurts.âÂ
âWhat, me saying I donât like your music taste?âÂ
âYes, exactly that. I hold my music taste in high regards, thank you very much.âÂ
âWait- shh.âÂ
Cisco glanced at Caitlin with a curious eyebrow raised, silently asking her what the matter was. Caitlin only leaned forward to adjust the volume on the radio, making the current song loud enough for Cisco to hear.Â
âOh my god, theyâre playing Poker Face.âÂ
Caitlin nodded. âCisco, this is like our song.âÂ
âFrom the very first time we met Barry.â Cisco said. âIt feels like forever ago.âÂ
âFive years is a long time.âÂ
âSing with me.âÂ
Caitlin laughed. âWhat?âÂ
âSing along with me.â Cisco looked at her with a certain playful glint in his eyes, one that he knew she couldnât say no to. âCâmon, you know the lyrics.âÂ
âYouâre driving!âÂ
âSo? Iâve been driving long enough to know how to focus on the road and sing at the same time.â Cisco said. âBesides, thereâs not that many cars out tonight.â Â
âIâm not the best singer.âÂ
âWho cares? Itâs just us.â Cisco offered his signature smile, the one he knew Caitlin couldnât say no to. âCâmon. Sing with me.âÂ
âOh, alright, alright.â Caitlin gave in. She couldnât resist smiling a bit at Ciscoâs playfulness. He always knew the best way to persuade her. âBut you start.âÂ
âAlright, deal.âÂ
Cisco started off humming the tune, then progressed into actually singing the words. Caitlin joined in, singing quietly at first, but she got gradually louder as she grew more comfortable. Cisco was right. She knew the lyrics. It was only the two of them. There was no harm in letting loose a little.Â
Towards the end of the song, the both of them were belting the lyrics into air-microphones they pretended to hold in their hands. When the time the last note played, they burst into a fit of giggles, sounding less like adults and more like schoolchildren. Cisco was intent on staying focused on the road, but he took the liberty of taking one hand off the wheel to playfully shove Caitlinâs shoulder.Â
âSee? I knew youâd have fun.âÂ
âAlright, alright. You were righ-â
Caitlin trailed off as she heard the car engine began sputtering and slowing down. She looked at Cisco, who met her eyes with a concerned gaze of his own. He trailed off to the side of the road and managed to park the car on the dirt before it completely broke down. The two of them immediately unbuckled and got out of the car to take a look at what went wrong. Cisco popped the hood to try to understand what happened, but even he couldnât figure it out.
âMaybe your carâs just old.â Caitlin suggested.
âHey, donât insult her like that.â Cisco rubbed the side of the carâs hood, as if comforting it. âShe works great for her age.â
Caitlin laughed. âYouâre a weirdo.âÂ
âOh my god.â Cisco gasped, as if a realization had just dawned on him. âThe battery.âÂ
âWhat about it?âÂ
âI was supposed to replace the battery and I completely forgot.âÂ
âAh, so thatâs it.âÂ
âLook, in my defense, life has been kinda crazy for us lately. We had just defeated Devoe- and Devoe was rough- when Barry and Irisâs daughter from the future shows up, and just her being here is causing timeline changes everywhere, and apparently now thereâs a new supervillain named Cicada, and he can dampen our powers with that dagger of his. So yeah, I maybe forgot about a few things from my non-superhero life.âÂ
âI donât blame you.â Caitlin said. âI know firsthand how crazy life has been.âÂ
âHang on, maybe I can call someone for help. I wonder if Barryâs willing to come get us.âÂ
âCouldnât you breach us?âÂ
Cisco held up his hands, showing Caitlin the white bandages tied around them. âMy powers are still dampened from the shrapnel, remember?âÂ
âRight. Sorry. Itâs been a long day.âÂ
âItâs okay. Lemme call Barry or Iris and see if they can come get us.âÂ
Cisco made a quick phone call. Caitlin decided to wait in the car, so she got back in the passengerâs seat and waited to hear from Cisco. Once Cisco hung up, he climbed into the driverâs seat next to Caitlin and placed his phone down on the dashboard.Â
âBarryâs coming to pick us up.â He said. âHeâs taking Irisâs car. We can call a tow truck for my own car, seeing as how thereâs no way Irisâs will be able to tow it.âÂ
âAlright.â Caitlin said. âSo I guess now the only thing to do is wait.âÂ
âIâm sorry. Youâd probably be home by now if we hadnât broken down.âÂ
âWhatâre you apologizing for? Itâs not like you planned on it.â
âYeah, I know.â Cisco sighed and leaned back against his seat. âStill, though. Even with your familyâs constant questions⌠Iâm glad I came with you tonight.âÂ
âYeah?â Caitlin turned to him. âEven though my uncles wouldnât stop asking you about baseball?â
Cisco laughed. âI was really confused. I really havenât got a clue about baseball. But yes, even then.âÂ
âWell, good. Iâm glad you came out with me tonight, too.âÂ
âHonestly, itâs better than eating store-bought turkey while watching Star Wars alone in my apartment, which is honestly probably what I wouldâve done.â
âHey, I wouldnât have let you be alone for Thanksgiving. I wouldâve invited you over.âÂ
âThatâs nice of you. Thanks.âÂ
âYâknow,â Caitlin readjusted her position so that she could face Cisco without leaning her neck. âI have to admit, Iâm kinda glad Barry and Ralph were busy.â
âWhy?âÂ
âBecause⌠I donât think it wouldâve been quite this special if I had done it with Barry or Ralph. Barry, heâs married. Ralph, heâs not really my type.â
âWhat, and youâre saying I am?â It was initially a joke. Cisco followed it up with a chuckle, as if implying the idea was absurd.Â
Caitlin didnât respond.Â
âWait.â Cisco met Caitlinâs eyes with a million emotions at once as he realized what Caitlinâs silence meant. âYouâre sayingâŚâÂ
âLook, CiscoâŚâ Caitlin took a deep breath as she mentally prepared her next words. âThereâs another reason why I really wanted you to go with me tonight. Why I wanted you to pretend to be my boyfriend. Because, if Iâm being honest with you⌠I like you. As more than a friend.â She hesitated. âGod, I sound like Iâm in middle school. But itâs the truth.â
Cisco paused. He took a moment to process the confession he had just gotten. The wheels in his head were turning, his heartbeat raced in his chest. He sighed, then found his words.
âYou wanna know why I was so good at pretending to be your boyfriend tonight? I mean, none of your family members suspected a thing. Acting has never really been my forte. I took some acting classes with Dante back in high school, but we both sucked and inevitably dropped out. My point is, I can sell a fake story to cover up my hero alter ego when I have to, and I can lie when something really depends on it. But pretending to be in love with someone⌠I think I could only pull that off if it were at least partially true.âÂ
âWhatâre you saying?âÂ
âRemember when I told your mom that story about how we got together?â Cisco said. âWell, the whole part about me catching feelings for you... that was true.â
Caitlinâs eyes widened. âYou⌠have feelings for me?âÂ
âDonât act so surprised. With your intelligence and your charming personality, Iâm surprised anyone can look at you and not fall completely in love.âÂ
She blushed. âI just⌠never thought my feelings were reciprocated.âÂ
âNeither did I.âÂ
âIâm glad we did this then.âÂ
âYâknow, CaitlinâŚâ Cisco tapped his fingers against the leather car seat. âI think I have a great idea for how you can cash in that favor you owe me.âÂ
âYeah?âÂ
âWeâll go out together, somewhere where itâs just us. We can talk and joke and Iâll buy you coffee. Itâll be a date. Our first real romantic one.â Cisco studied Caitlinâs expression for a reaction. âHow does that sound?âÂ
Caitlin reached for Ciscoâs hand and laced her fingers into his, holding his palm gently in hers. It was just like she had held it back at dinner, only this time, it wasnât for show.Â
âThat sounds wonderful.â
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8 + 9 for Killervibe please x
Deja Vu
Request: amnesia + secret relationship
Ship: Killervibe (Cisco Ramon x Caitlin Snow)
Characters: Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Barry Allen, Iris West-Allen, Ralph Dibny
Word count: 5376
Notes: Thanks so much for the request!! Sorry it took me a bit to upload!! I hope you enjoy. Special thank you to @thatkillervibe for beta-reading and offering feedback!! This one shot doesnât take place at any specific point on the show, but in my head I saw it as taking place post-season five, but in an au where Cisco doesnât lose his powers in 5x22.Â
Tags: @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath
~~~
To say that tensions were high would be an understatement. To say that Team Flash was stressed would also be an understatement. They werenât just stressed. They were at a stage of emotion that only led to hair-pulling and temper tantrums. There were two metahumans ganging up on Barry, another on Ralph, and another on Cisco. Iris was on comms, frantically trying to take control of the situation at hand. A four-person meta-gang wouldâve been hard for them on any day, but it was even worse considering the fact that they were down a member. While every member of Team Flash was stressed down to their core, Cisco was taking it the worst of them all. After all, the member they were lacking just so happened to be the one Cisco knew best.
The metahuman facing Cisco let out a creepy giggle as she flicked her wrist, causing dark green superhuman vines to rise up through the pavement and wrap around Ciscoâs legs. As his breathing quickened, he forced himself to stay calm, and instead tried opening a breach underneath him. However, to his dismay, the breach only faltered and faded out of existence the moment it touched the magical vines.
âSilly Vibe,â the villain cackled. It wasnât the time, but Cisco mentally coined her as Green Goddess. âYou thought that would work. But, as it turns out, thereâs no escape. Nowhere to run to now.âÂ
âUh, Iris, now would be a great time for those meta-cuffs.â Cisco huffed into his comms. âI can feel these vines getting tighter, and I really donât wanna say goodbye to my legs today.âÂ
âIf you havenât noticed, Cisco, Iâm a little busy at the moment!â was the reply he got.
Through his comms he could hear Barry panting as he exhausted himself trying to take on two metas at once, and Ralph saying âOw ow ow ow ow!â repeatedly. He had no idea what was going on, as the four metas had separated them early on in the battle and now Cisco had no visuals on either of them, but he figured Iris was busy with whatever Ralph was up against.Â
The vines surrounding his legs only squeezed tighter and tighter. Cisco gulped. That was definitely gonna bruise.Â
After a moment, Irisâs voice returned to his comms. Whatever had just gone on, she was noticeably winded from it. She took a moment to catch her breath before muttering âCisco, the extrapolator might be your best invention yet.âÂ
âIs that a yes on the meta-cuffs then?âÂ
Iris didnât take the time to reply. Instead, she just opened a breach right behind Green Goddess and clasped the meta-cuffs on her before she had time to react. The shimmering blue breach closed behind Iris, who gave an exhausted-but-triumphant thumbs up to a now vines-free Cisco. Within seconds, a flash of lighting appeared in front of them and faded once as Barry came to a skidding halt, holding two metahumans in meta-cuffs. The second he stopped, he buckled over from sheer exhaustion, taking in huge gulps of air.Â
âCisco, do you think you couldâŚâ Barry made a weak gesture to indicate he meant a breach. âI donât think I can run back to the lab. Not right now.âÂ
Cisco nodded, and formed a breach that engulfed all of them and brought them back to the lab. Ralph had already collapsed onto a chair, presumably from when Iris came and rescued him only moments before she came to Ciscoâs aid. Once Barry took a moment to sit down and catch his breath, he was feeling better already, and he turned to Iris with a grin.Â
âWe did it.â Barry said, first to Iris, then repeating it to Ralph and Cisco. âWe did it, guys.âÂ
âWhat, you think this is a win?â Cisco had already crashed into a chair and rolled up his pants legs up to his knees in an attempt to investigate the damage on his legs. âWe wouldâve been screwed if Iris hadnât come and saved our asses. I can hardly stand up because of what that Green Goddess did to me.âÂ
âHey, nice name.âÂ
âDo not change the subject, Ralph.âÂ
âLook, I get it! Does it look like I was playing around? I had two metas coming at me at once from different angles. Ralph got an electric shock to the chest. Iris was having to juggle all three of us.â Barry said. âAll Iâm saying is, it was hard, but we got through it. Thatâs celebratory.âÂ
âWhat, so we can just ignore the elephant in the room? You canât live in denial forever, Barry.âÂ
âWeâve tried everything we can think of to get her back, Cisco, and nothing is working! What do you expect us to do?âÂ
âSo what, weâre just supposed to give up on her? Turn our backs on our friend? All these years working with you, I never thought you were a quitter!âÂ
âBarry, Cisco!â Iris intervened before the argument got worse. âWe all miss Caitlin. Weâre all a little tense. I get it. But fighting isnât going to help anyone.âÂ
They knew she was right. Barry and Cisco both sighed and backed down.Â
âWeâve tried everything.â Barry spoke with a much calmer tone now. Instead of getting defensive, he instead sounded⌠regretful. âWe tried tracking her kidnapper. We canât get an identification on him because of his mask. We tried tracking his mask. Turns out itâs sold from pretty much every Halloween store in the city. We even tried tracking Caitlinâs cold signature. Nothing.â
âItâs hard when we know virtually nothing about the guy who took her.â Ralph pitched in. âI mean, Iâve had to drop many cases before because there just wasnât enough to go off of.â
âThis isnât some random P.I. case, Ralph.â Cisco said. âThis is Caitlin.âÂ
âI know, but he has a point.â Iris spoke with a sympathetic tone. âWe know virtually nothing about her kidnapper. We know he was a meta. We know his powers have something to do with the mind. Thatâs⌠pretty much it.âÂ
Cisco bit his lip. As much as he didnât want to admit it, he knew they were right. What else could they possibly do?Â
âCaitlinâs a strong girl. Sheâll be able to hold her own until we can rescue her. Sheâll be okay, I promise.â Barryâs words were meant to be reassuring, but somehow they only stung.Â
I just donât know if I can do this without her.
When Cisco looked around Star Labs, all he saw was memories of Caitlin. The time she worked late to help him with a project that he just couldnât quite figure out. The time they spilled Big Belly Burger sauce in one of the computers and blamed Hartley. The time Cisco found Caitlin crying so he just read off a bunch of corny puns he found online until she laughed. The time they placed a bet on how much ice cream they could eat in one sitting and both got stomach aches afterwards.Â
Cisco saw history in the walls. He recalled the day he realized that Caitlin was his best friend, and the day he realized she was so much more. Every nook and cranny of Star Labs was taunting him with memories- memories that brought a smile to his face, and memories that felt like blows to his already-sunken heart.Â
Without Caitlin, Star Labs would never feel like home to him.
âI just need to get out of here. Iâm going to Jitters.âÂ
âAre you sure your legs will be okay to walk?âÂ
Cisco stood up, and instantly regretted it. The pain came searing through his legs the second he applied pressure, which made it a hassle to even just stand up. And yet, Cisco decided he could live with it.Â
âIâll be fine.âÂ
Sure enough, he made it through. He breached to Jitters instead of driving to make it easier for him, but he made it nonetheless. He figured the pain would eventually wear off if he just pressed on through. Either that, or heâd just make it worse. Either one.Â
He got in line and mentally decided on an order without having to look at the menu. Youâd think Team Flash practically lived at Jitters with how often they met there for casual coffee chats, or just an early morning pick-me-up.Â
The lady in front of him placed her order and moved on to find a table, and Cisco stepped up to the counter. He had opened his mouth in preparation to state his order, but the second he met the cashierâs eyes, everything stopped. He forgot his coffee order, his name⌠everything he had ever known. None of that mattered to him anymore, not after he saw her.Â
Brown eyes, but not just any brown eyes. The most perfect brown eyes Cisco had ever seen in his life. They were the eyes that lit up with passion when she was talking about everything scientific, everything medical. They were the eyes that twinkled with fondness every time they met Ciscoâs. They were the eyes that gave Cisco a playful glare whenever he made a bad joke, but also the eyes that sparkled with the laughter she was trying to keep in. They were the eyes that shined with the beauty of a thousand stars. Gentle, joyful, calming. Her gaze never failed to stir up the butterflies in Ciscoâs stomach, and he never grew tired of the feeling.Â
âCaitlin?!â
Caitlin blinked, clearly startled. She stared at Cisco for a short moment before speaking.
âIâm sorry. Who are you?âÂ
~~~
Her legs dangled off of the bed in the Star Labs medical bay. She looked around the place with a mixture of confusion and awe in her eyes, she met everyoneâs gazes with an unfamiliar distant look. As everyone else stood around her, Cisco had gotten a chair and sat, fiddling with his thumbs and trying not to look at Caitlin. Just hearing her voice was painful enough. He knew that if he met her eyes and only saw her blank stare in return, his heart would shatter all over again.
âYou really donât remember anything?â
âThatâs the fourth time you guys have asked me that.â
âSo thatâs a no.â Ralph sighed.Â
Barry turned to Cisco. âYou said you saw her at Jitters?âÂ
Cisco nodded.
âToday was my third day on the job.â Caitlin said. âI had to get a new job, seeing as how I didnât remember enough about who I am to show up to my last one. Iâm assuming this is it, though?âÂ
âThis is Star Labs.â Barry said. âYouâre our bio-engineer, and resident doctor. Do you know your name?â
âCaitlin Snow. Thatâs what it said on my driverâs license.â Caitlin said. âWhen I woke up with no memory of who I was, that was the first thing I checked.â
âSo, what exactly do you remember?â Barry asked.Â
âWell, a few weeks ago I woke up in some abandoned warehouse with no memory of how I got there or who I was. I was alone. I know how to drive, but I donât remember ever learning. I couldnât tell you my name or age or anything about me, until I checked my wallet.â
âYou had your wallet on you when you woke up?â Ralph asked. âYou were kidnapped and abandoned, but he left your wallet?âÂ
âHe didnât want money.â Barryâs voice was solemn. Cisco recognized that look from when they were up against Devoe, or when Cicada had injured Nora. âHe mustâve kidnapped Caitlin for a different reason.âÂ
âKidnapped?â Caitlin raised an eyebrow. âThat sounds intense.â Â
âCaitlin,â Iris spoke with a gentle tone, careful not to overwhelm Caitlin. âDo you remember the warehouse you woke up in?â
Caitlin nodded. âI wrote down the address in case I needed to go to the police.âÂ
âSmart move.â Iris said.Â
âOkay, then thatâs our next move.â Barry decided. âTomorrow, we go check out the warehouse and stop this meta once and for all.âÂ
Nods of agreement followed from Ralph, Cisco, and Iris.
âSo then itâs settled.â Barry said. âIâll head over to CCPD and fill Joe in on whatâs happening. He can get CCPD on alert.âÂ
With that, he walked out of Star Labs.
~~~
The stars shimmered against the nighttime sky. Cisco leaned forwards against the balconyâs metal railing and stared up at the moon, his mind still racing from the events of that day. It was getting late, but Cisco was still at Star Labs. Just earlier that day, he couldnât find it in him to stay, but now, he couldnât find it in him to leave.Â
He heard footsteps coming from the Star Labs lounge behind him, and turned around to see Caitlin walking up to him. She stepped with hesitation, as if silently asking permission to join him. Cisco nodded and stepped aside as if allowing room for her to stand next to him.
âIâm surprised youâre still here.âÂ
âI wanted to stay a bit longer.â Caitlin said. âItâs weird, but⌠I wanted to check out this place. I think part of me was secretly hoping that if I could explore this building, somehow it would help me remember something from my life.â
âDid it work?â
Caitlin shook her head. âItâs pointless.â
âThatâs okay. Nobody expected you to get your memories back in one day.âÂ
She leaned her body against the railing and sighed. âThereâs just so much I donât understand. Iâm so confused, and I know everything would make sense if I could just remember, but itâs⌠not that easy.â Â
âWhatâre you confused on? I could try to explain.âÂ
âHow did I end up in that abandoned warehouse? Why was I kidnapped? Why did they take me if not for money?âÂ
âAh.â Cisco said. âThatâs a bit of a long story, but Iâll try to put it simply. Do you know what a meta is?âÂ
Caitlin hesitated for a moment, as if trying to come up with an answer. âSorry, but I donât think I do.â
âThatâs okay.â Cisco gave her a gentle, reassuring smile, and went on to explain it. âA meta, or a metahuman, is someone with powers.âÂ
âLike⌠Iron-Man?âÂ
âFamously a hero without powers, but yes, you have the right idea.â Cisco said. âYears ago, there was this particle accelerator that malfunctioned, and it exploded, causing a large ripple of dark matter to spread throughout the city. That dark matter infected certain people and physically changed their DNA structure, giving them superhuman abilities.â
âSo superheroes are real?â Caitlin said. âYouâre serious?âÂ
Cisco nodded. âAbsolutely serious. In the few weeks that youâve been conscious, have you heard of The Flash?â
âThe Jitters drink?â
Cisco laughed softly before shaking his head. âThe drink is named after the superhero. You see, when that particle accelerator went off, it made villains, but it also made heroes. The Flash was struck by lightning and sent into a coma, and when he woke up nine months later, he was given the ability to run faster than the speed of light.âÂ
âNo way. So thereâs a hero with super-speed, here in this very city?âÂ
âYup.â Cisco nodded. âAnd you havenât even heard the craziest part.âÂ
âWhich is?â
âThe Flash just so happens to be Barry Allen.âÂ
Caitlinâs eyes grew twice their size as the realization dawned on her. âNo way. The guy I met earlier was a superhero?â
âBut wait, thereâs more.â Cisco said. âWeâre all superheroes. Iâm known as Vibe. Ralph- you met him earlier- is Elongated Man. Iris is the team leader. She doesnât have powers, but sheâs just as heroic without them. And you⌠you were Killer Frost.âÂ
For about thirty seconds, all Caitlin could do was blink and process what she had just heard. âIâm a hero?â
âOne of the best.â Cisco said. âYou have cold powers. Everything ice and snow.âÂ
âMy last name is Snow, and I have ice powers?â Caitlin tilted her head. âThatâs convenient.âÂ
Cisco couldnât hold back a smile at that. âYouâd be surprised at how many villains we face that have names sounding like they came right out of a comic book.â
âIâll bet.â Caitlin hesitated for a moment, then something occurred to her. âThis whole thing, me being kidnapped, me losing my memories⌠it happened because Iâm a superhero, didnât it?â
Cisco nodded. âMy guess? He didnât kidnap you for money. He kidnapped you to handicap the Flash. It was a lot harder to face metas without you helping out, and I think thatâs what he wanted.â
âHow did it happen?â
âWellâŚâ Cisco let out a brief sigh, and began to tell the story. âAbout a month ago, CCPD started getting reports of various attacks from throughout the city. It was a different person each time, but they all had one thing in common: when the culprit was brought in for police questioning, they would always claim to have no memory of the event. We suspected that there was a meta with mind-control behind these attacks. A few days later, CCPD got an anonymous tip telling them to check out the Central City Park that night, and theyâd have their guy. Well, CCPD went, and it turns out it was a trap. Joe called Barry and told him what was happening, so we all showed up to the scene. But this meta was⌠powerful. He could get inside our heads and throw us off our rhythm. Before we knew what was happening, he took you and got away.âÂ
âWow.â was the only response Caitlin could muster. âSo thatâs how he erased my memory, then. He had powers.â
Cisco nodded.
A moment passed between the two of them, neither one saying a word. It felt so strange, and yet, it felt so comfortable. Cisco knew that she didnât remember him, but one look at her and all he saw was Caitlin. His Caitlin. Caitlin, the one heâs been falling for a little more each day for the past six years.Â
Then she spoke.
âCisco?â
âYes?â
âIâm sorry.â
Cisco tilted his head in his confusion. âSorry? You have nothing to be sorry for.âÂ
âThis whole thing must be really hard on you.â Caitlin said.
âThatâs not your fault.â Cisco said. âFor the past month, all Iâve wanted was for you to come back. And now youâre back, but itâs⌠not the same. Yeah, itâs hard, but you shouldnât blame yourself. I donât expect you to remember, I donât expect you to make it up to me. Youâre the most amazing person I know, Caitlin. I just wish you knew that.âÂ
Caitlin met Ciscoâs eyes.
âYou and I⌠we werenât just friends, were we?âÂ
Cisco shook his head. âHowâd you know?â
âThe way you look at me.âÂ
âCaitlin, what we have, itâs⌠escaped definition.â
âBut itâs love?â
âYes. Itâs love.âÂ
âDo the others know?â
âNo.â Cisco said. âYou and I have worked together for years. We became instant friends, and for a while, that was all it was. But as the years passed, we survived every little crazy thing together, we never left the otherâs side, and⌠the feelings formed on their own. We were in denial for a long time. I dated other people, I thought that I could move on from you if I found someone I loved just as much. But it never happened. Not a single soul in the universe is as perfect for me as you are. Youâre practically my soulmate. Then you confessed. And I realized that our love for each other was mutual. After that, we started dating in secret. The team was going through a lot at the time, and frankly we both wanted to keep it on the down-low for now. But then you were kidnapped. After all these years, I finally had you, and then I lost you. Just like that, you were gone. For a whole month, I had no idea if I was ever going to see you again.â Â
âAnd now I donât remember anything.â
âBut youâre here.â Cisco said. âWeâll get your memories back one way or another, I promise.âÂ
âWhat if we canât?â Caitlin asked. âI mean, you said yourself that things were so much harder without me helping you out, but without my memories, I canât help. I supposedly have powers, but I donât have the slightest idea how to use them.âÂ
Cisco paused for a moment, then his whole face lit up. âWait. I have an idea.âÂ
âYeah?âÂ
âWhen you use your powers, you become this whole other persona. You physically transform into Killer Frost. If you could transform now, maybe that would be enough to trigger your memories.âÂ
âBut⌠I donât know how.â
âItâs okay, just try.â Cisco said. âIt was hard for me to use my powers at first, too. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and focus on becoming Killer Frost.âÂ
Caitlin inhaled a shaky breath, stood up straight, and closed her eyes. Cisco watched with a hopeful grin, crossing his fingers and wishing for the best.
A beat. Nothing.
Caitlin let go of the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. âI canât do it.âÂ
âThatâs okay.â Cisco placed a gentle hand on Caitlinâs shoulder reassuringly. âYou did your best. Thanks for trying.â
âI should be getting home soon. Itâs late and Iâm starting to get tired.âÂ
âDo you want me to take you to your apartment?â Cisco asked.Â
âYou sure youâd be okay driving me?â
âWho said I was gonna drive you?â Ciscoâs eyes twinkled with a hint of playfulness. âI never did tell you what my powers were. Watch this.âÂ
Cisco outstretched his palm and concentrated for a few seconds. Before long, a bright blue shimmering breach appeared in front of the two of them.
âWhoa. You can make portals?â
He nodded. âWe call them breaches. They can take me anywhere I wanna go in the multiverse at any time.âÂ
âMultiverse?â Caitlin raised an eyebrow. âThe multiverse theory is real?âÂ
âYeah. We have a couple friends from different universes, actually.âÂ
âAlright, I definitely wanna know more about that. But not tonight.â Caitlin started to step through the portal, but turned back and met Ciscoâs eyes one last time. She smiled in a way that made Ciscoâs heart melt. âGoodnight, Cisco.âÂ
He smiled back.
âGoodnight, Caitlin.âÂ
~~~
The day was just getting started as Team Flash gathered in Star Labs and prepared their ambush on the warehouse Caitlin woke up in. Cisco brought a granola bar and was snacking on it. Ralph was tapping his foot against his chair. Caitlin sat in the cortex, keeping quiet while everyone else made plans.
âAlright, everyone has to be on high alert. He doesnât know that weâve found Caitlin, so thereâs no way he can be expecting us, but we canât let our guard down. Heâs bested us once before, letâs not give him the chance to do it again.â Barry said.Â
âI searched the address Caitlin gave and found this warehouse near the edge of the city.â Cisco set his granola bar down and pulled his search results up on the computer screens. âIn other news, Iâve been brainstorming a name for this guy. Iâm thinking⌠Mind Master.â
âYou really like alliterative names, huh?â Barry raised an eyebrow.
Cisco shrugged. âThey sound nice.â
Everyone was suited up and ready to go. Cisco threw away his empty granola bar wrapper, sighed, and outstretched his hand. A shimmering blue breach appeared before the team, ready to transport them right to the warehouse.Â
âWait.âÂ
The team turned around. The voice had belonged to Caitlin, who was now standing in front of her seat, staring at them with a look of determination that reminded them all of her old self.Â
âI want to go with you.âÂ
Barry spoke up. âCaitlin, without you being able to access your powers-â
âI know, but Iâm the only one whoâs actually been in the warehouse. And if this guy took away my memories⌠maybe he could give them back.âÂ
âShe has a point.â Cisco said.
âIf she wants to go, let her go.â Iris reached into the cabinet behind her and pulled out an energy rifle. âHere, Caitlin. To defend yourself.âÂ
Caitlin took it. âWhatâs this?â
âItâs an energy rifle. Basically a fancy gun, but it shoots energy instead of bullets.â Iris said. âJust pull the trigger, youâll be fine.âÂ
âOkay, I donât mean to rush us here, but Iâve been holding this breach open for like, almost a full minute, and itâs very draining.âÂ
âRight. Sorry, Cisco.âÂ
With Caitlin now holding the energy rifle, the team stepped through the breach and into the unknown.
The warehouse was dark, empty, and cold. It felt unwelcome, like the creepy mansion youâd expect in an old cheesy horror movie. Chills crept down their spines as they treaded lightly into the unknown.Â
âThis is the place.â Caitlin confirmed.Â
âYikes. You woke up here, all alone?â Ralph raised an eyebrow. âRespect.â
âWell, itâs not like I had a choice in the matter.â
âLetâs just find Mind Master and get out of here.â Cisco said. âThis place is creeping me out.â
âItâs⌠empty.â Barry said.Â
You really fell for the same trick twice? The Flash isnât as smart as I thought.
They didnât hear the voice. It wasnât spoken. It appeared in their heads, as if it was a thought, but it wasnât their own. It was his.
âThatâs him.â The tremor in Ralphâs voice reflected the fear they all felt. âHeâs here.âÂ
Do you think I wouldnât expect you to find your friend again? Do you think I didnât expect you to try to find me?
âHe led us here.âÂ
âThis is my fault.â Caitlin looked like she was gonna be sick. âI brought you here. This is on me.âÂ
âNo.â Cisco reached out and laid a hand on Caitlinâs shoulder reassuringly. âDonât think that. Itâs not your fault.âÂ
A purple mist surrounded them, clouding their view of the warehouse. They heard footsteps somewhere nearby, but they couldnât tell where. Whether it was real or just in their head, they had no idea.Â
Then they saw him. Walking through the fog towards them, there he was. The master behind it all.Â
A deep, hearty, intimidating laugh escaped his throat.Â
âYou lot are no match for me.â
Cisco shot a vibe blast out of his palm. The blast was aimed right for Mind Masterâs chest and it should have hit, but to the teamâs dismay, it only passed right through and instead left an impact on the wall behind them. Magic Masterâs image glitched and disappeared, gone from sight.
He lowered his hand in defeat. âIt was a hologram.âÂ
âWow.â Ralph muttered. âThis guyâs no joke.âÂ
Barry cursed under his breath. âOnce again, he could be anywhe-â
Caitlinâs shriek cut Barry off. Mind Master had taken advantage of the distraction and was pinning Caitlin up against the wall, facing the team with a sly grin.Â
âTry and stop me now, heroes.âÂ
Caitlin was practically whimpering. Cisco felt his heart pounding in his chest. He hated seeing the panic on Caitlinâs face. She could get out of there, if only she remembered how.
âCaitlin, you can take him. You gotta transform.â Cisco stepped forward, meeting Caitlinâs eyes and trying to appear as calm as possible in spite of the situation.Â
âI- I donât know how.â
âThink about what motivates you. Fear, anger, spiteâŚâ Cisco recalled all the times he would get Caitlin to transform in the past. âI know you can do it. I believe in you.âÂ
âOops. Not soon enough.â Mind Master raised his fist and aimed it at Caitlin.
âNo!â
A flash of lightning whipped past them, soaring through the air with enough force to blow Ciscoâs hair in front of his face. Before they knew it, Barry had knocked Mind Master onto the ground, freeing Caitlin from his grasp. After that, all the others saw of the fight was Barryâs yellow lightning and Mind Master dodging, throwing punches.Â
Until Mind Master got away.
Cisco didnât register what was happening until it was too late. He felt a force throwing him back, knocking him against the ground. He looked up and saw Mind Masterâs fist only inches from his, his eyes holding more malice than the Reverse-Flash. Cisco shut his eyes and his heart skipped a beatâŚ
âNo!â
The voice was all so familiar, and yet distorted at the same time. She spoke with a hint of an echo, a magical voice perfectly fit for the person it belonged to. It was icicles and blizzards and the crunch of fresh snow beneath a travelerâs foot, and yet it was warm, and sweet, and so very Caitlin, all at the same time.
A blast of icy whirlwinds knocked Mind Master off of Cisco and against the wall with enough impact to render him too weak to fight back. Barry grabbed the metacuffs and put them on him before he could try anything else. Mind Master slumped in defeat, his powers no longer at his expense.
Cisco got up and faced his savior. Sprinkles of white were dancing around her fingertips. The frozen mist was still fading around her. Her hair sported a shade of white that matched the piercing frostiness of her eyes, the ones that were looking at Cisco with a warmth someone wouldnât normally expect from an ice queen.Â
Killer Frost.
âYou did it.â Despite his heart still thumping in his chest, he couldnât stop grinning. âI knew you could.âÂ
âIt worked.âÂ
âWhat?âÂ
âIt worked!â
Frost shut her eyes and exhaled the breath she had been holding. The ice around her faded, her hair reverted to its natural warm brown, her eyes lost their frozen touch. Her grin was accented with her natural warm brown aesthetic, the excitement in her expression was something so genuinely her. She ran up to Cisco, not caring about anything in the world except for him. She cupped his face, and she kissed him.
âI remember.â She huffed, a joyful grin stuck on her face. âI remember everything.âÂ
~~~
âSo, when were you two planning on telling us about your relationship?âÂ
Cisco and Caitlin laughed. Iris was looking at them with a sparkle in her eyes, one that showed how happy she was for the both of them. The heroes were all still a little worn out from the battle beforehand, but Caitlin hadnât been able to stop holding Ciscoâs hand since they left. Even now, in Star Labs, Caitlin was leaning against the chair that Cisco was sitting in.Â
âJust throwing it out there, I totally called it.â Ralph said.Â
âYou did not.â Barry raised an eyebrow at him.Â
âI did! Remember when I pulled up Ralphâs Guide To A Healthy Relationship and I said, âhuh, Cisco and Caitlin would be great for each otherâ.âÂ
âThat doesnât count. You said the same thing about Kamilla when Cisco was dating her.â
âIâm supportive of all Ciscoâs romantic interests!âÂ
Cisco laughed softly at the teamâs playful bickering, and reached into the deskâs bottom drawer to pull out a Twizzler. He offered one to Caitlin, who took it and held it in front of her teeth.
âThis monitor is old.â Cisco said. âI think this is the same one from that time maybe about six years ago when we spilled Big Belly Burger sauce on it-â
Caitlin laughed. âDidnât we blame it on Hartley?âÂ
âYeah, we did!â
âDr. Wells was pissed.â
âOh well. Hartley was a dick anyways.â
The two of them shared memories and giggled to themselves like schoolchildren for one long, precious moment. When it ended, Cisco was simply looking up at Caitlin with lovestruck eyes.
âWhat?â Caitlin smiled.Â
âNothing.â Cisco shrugged. âIâm just glad to have you back.âÂ
Caitlin leaned over and kissed Cisco one more time. âIâm not leaving. Ever again.âÂ
âYou didnât leave. You were kidnapped. And for the record,â Cisco tucked Caitlinâs hair behind her ear. âThe next person who tries to take you away is going to have to pry you from my cold, dead hands.âÂ
âYeah?â Caitlinâs voice reflected her amused smile. âI thought I was the one with the cold hands.âÂ
âYou just had to make a cold joke, didnât you?âÂ
âYou love it.â
Cisco chuckled softly. âI do.â
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send me two numbers + a pairing and iâll write something combining two tropes
Fake relationship
Bed sharing
Body swap
Mistaken for a couple
Enemies to lovers
Friends to lovers
Soulmates
Amnesia
Secret relationship
De-aged
Time travel
Arranged marriage
Roommates
Road trip
A/B/O
Mutual pining
Sex then love
Reunion
Outsider POV
Misunderstanding
Domestic
High School/College AU
Sex worker AU
Historical AU
Mob AU
Coffeeshop AU
Office AU
Fantasy AU
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What I find really odd about fanfic in general is that you can almost tell what kind of a person is writing it, you know??
Like some people are really poetic in their descriptions, some people almost drown in the feelings they write, others create dialogue that flows so well it feels like youâre watching real people discuss things in front of your eyesâŚ
I just really love that aspect of it, and I love placing writers in a kind of âhey look theyâre a descriptions/feelings/dialogue kind of personâ box so to speak. Itâs such a pleasure reading it when itâs written so individually
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Reblog if you write fanfiction!
Writeblr has a lot of original WIPs which is fantastic, but I want to see how big the fanfiction community is too!
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100 dialogue writing prompts.Â
make this into a fun ask meme. send a ship + a number!
01.  âIâm not even sure why youâre here.â
02.  âYeah, well, your pun game is weak.â
03.  âWhat the hell is that and why are you wearing it?â
04.  âAnd that doesnât scare you?â
05. âDude, you canât just make stuff up.â
06.  âI donât know if I want to know the answer, but what are you doing?â
07.  âYou might be right, but you donât have to be so mean about it.â
08.  âI look at you and I think, âsunshine. Literal sunshine.â Itâs annoying.â
09.  âI shouldâve told you back then, but I didnât want you to leave.â
10.  âIâm outta here. Have fun.â
11.  âYou assume correctly.â
12.  âItâs not like I love you or anything.â
13.  âI dare you to kiss me.â
14.  âI know youâre the president of the Anti-Social Club, but why donât you join me?â
15.  âArenât you tired of this?â
85 more prompts under the cut!
Keep reading
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The Daughter of Barry Allen
TV Show: The Flash
Characters: Nora West-Allen, Iris West-Allen, Barry Allen, as well as Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Ralph Dibny (briefly)
Warnings: Sexist/insensitive comments, self-doubting, mentions of sexism/racism/homophobia
Word count: 2335
Notes: Follows the canon, takes place in early season five. Thanks to @the-frosty-doctor and @narniasfinestavengingsociopath for proofreading!!
Tag list: @angsty-hoodie @ciscoatthedisco @thatkillervibeÂ
~~~
Barry and Nora sped into the cortex in two individual streams of lightning that faded as they came to a stop. Both of them were wearing their triumph on their face in the form of a grin, as were all their friends, who had watched the whole thing go down on computer screens.
âHigh-five for the best father-daughter hero team-up ever!â Barry held his hand up and Nora met it with a high-five. âYou were awesome out there, Nora.â
âThanks, Dad!â Nora beamed with pride.
âYou both were.â Iris slid her hand into Barryâs, and looked at both Barry and Nora with a loving gaze. âThereâs not a single metahuman in Central City that my wonderful husband and brilliant daughter canât handle.â
Barry lightly kissed the top of Irisâs head, then turned towards Cisco. âHey Cisco, we got a name yet?â
âHm, letâs see. A metahuman who can summon objects out of thin air...â Cisco spun in his chair as he thought of a name. âWhat about-â
âGenie?â Caitlin suggested.
âHey, Caitlin, you know Iâm the designated nicknamer,â Cisco teased. âAlthough that oneâs actually pretty good.â
âWell, whatever his name is, heâs in the pipeline now.â Ralph said. âHe wonât be robbing any more banks for a long time.â
âThe mediaâs already reporting on it.â Nora announced, scrolling through her phone. She read off a headline. â âThe Flash and new female speedster, XS, successfully defeat a new metahumanâ. That was fast.â
âWhat if Cicada sees that?â Iris bit her lip. âWe know Cicadaâs targeting metas. I donât want him targeting Nora or Barry.â
âActually, on that-â Cisco rolled his chair over to the computers, and he pulled up a bunch of articles that had been written on the Flash and XS over the course of the last few months. âThe media has been reporting on Barry and Nora for some time, and Cicada so far hasnât targeted them.â
âWhat if itâs only a matter of time before he does, though?â Caitlin asked. âI donât know if thatâs something we can risk.â
âWell, thatâs when something occurred to me.â Cisco said. âDo you guys remember when Cicada attacked me, Barry, and Ralph? Ralph and I were injured, and Cicada had the upper hand on Barry. He couldâve easily killed him and it wouldâve been over, but then Nora showed up and called out, âDad!â. Cicada got up and left Barry alone.â
âHe left Barry alone because he has a daughter.â Ralph said. âSo youâre saying Cicada wonât target Barry or Nora because of that?â
âIâm just saying, ever since we found out Cicadaâs identity, we know that the only reason he hates metas is because they put his little girl in the hospital,â Cisco shrugged. âI think Barry and Nora are safe. If he hurts Nora, then he puts Barry in the same position that heâs in now.â
âAnd besides,â Caitlin said. âMy immunity gives us an advantage. My powers arenât affected by Cicadaâs dagger, so if he were to take away Barry and Noraâs speed or Ciscoâs breaches or Ralphâs elasticity, at least we still have me.â
âExactly.â Cisco nodded.
âSo youâre saying the media reporting on Barry and Nora wonât pose any new threats?â Iris asked.
âIf my theory is right, then yup.â Cisco said.
âWell then,â Iris turned to Nora. âIâm glad Central City is finally getting to know what an amazing young woman you are.â
âAww, Mom.â Nora wrapped her arms around her in a hug. âThank you.â
âYouâre welcome, Nora.â
~~~
Nora walked into Jitters, reciting her friendsâ orders in her head. When she had offered to get coffee and bring it back to Star Labs, she didnât expect everyone to take her up on it.
She looked at the drink menu and tried not to smile. One thing she loved about this coffee shop was their tendency to name their drinks after Central City heroes and villains. There were drinks called the Flash, the Killer Frost, the Kid Flash, even one called the Zoom if you ordered from the secret menu. Noraâs personal favorite drink was the Killer Frost, although she had yet to get a drink from Jitters that she didnât like.
The line at Jitters was long, and Nora internally sighed. Waiting is annoying for anybody, but for a speedster, each second feels like an eternity.
âHave you heard about the latest Flash news?â
The voice came from the person in the line in front of Nora. They were two friends, guys, about college-aged, reading headlines off their phones. Nora didnât mean to listen in on their conversation, but she couldnât really help otherwise, especially knowing that they were talking about the Flash.
âYeah. Yesterdayâs attack at Central City bank, right?â
âUh huh. It was the Flash and the new girl speedster. You know, the one thatâs been helping out lately?â
âI donât know why the Flash needs a sidekick. I mean, whatâs the point? Heâs been able to take on so many other metas on his own. Why does he need a partner now?â
âEspecially a girl. I mean, not to be sexist, but guys are stronger and typically more capable. The girlâs gonna have to try so much harder to do what the Flash could do in seconds. Donât even bother. Just leave it to the Flash.â
Nora fidgeted with her bracelet. She took a deep breath, and tried to keep herself calm. Itâs okay, Nora. Just ignore them. Just buy the coffee, and get back to Star Labs.
âShe doesnât even seem that experienced. She messes up a lot.â
âThatâs just girls for you. Theyâre too emotional and less experienced, they slip up easier.â
âIâm worried sheâs just gonna slow him down. He could handle things so much easier without having to worry about a girl relying on him.â
âRight? She canât even do anything on her own without the Flash there.â
The line was taking forever to get through, and Nora was just getting more anxious to get away. She knew that she shouldnât let it get to her, but the more they talked, the angrier she got.
She wanted to prove that she wasnât a mere hindrance. She wanted to prove that, despite being new to using her powers, she was capable. She wanted an opportunity, anythingâŚ
Thatâs when her phone rang.
âNora, thereâs a robbery at the corner of 6th and 8th.â Her momâs voice came through the phone. âYour dad will be there soon. You can forget the coffee, just get there.â
Bingo.
âActually, Mom, tell Dad not to worry. I got it.â
She hung up the phone, and sprinted into action.
Purple and yellow lightning streamed behind her as she ran. She had changed into her hero suit in a split second, and it only took her a couple seconds more to arrive at the scene.
âThat purse isnât yours.â She faced the thief, standing up straight and trying her best to make herself seem intimidating. She had seen her dad do the same countless times, all she had to do was imitate it.
âWhatâre you gonna do? Threaten me?â The thief laughed. âYou picked the wrong person to mess with, girl.â
He held his hands out and they started to spark with electricity. The yellow surged from his forearms to his fingertips, reflecting the malice in his eyes.
So, heâs a metahuman. No biggie, I got this.
Nora took a deep breath, preparing herself. Her intent was to steady herself and then attack, but her moment of vulnerability was all that he needed to make his move.
The metahuman shot threatening sparks from his hands, and they flew through the air before hitting Noraâs chest. She was thrust backwards and onto the ground, her breath escaping her upon impact. Shocks of electricity surged through her body, forfeiting her ability to register her surroundings. The last thing Nora felt was her head on the gravel before she fell unconscious.
~~~
She woke up on a hospital bed in the Star Labs medical bay. The first thing she made sense of was the electronic beeping of the medical equipment surrounding her. The second thing was her mom sitting beside her bed.
âMom?â Noraâs voice reflected how groggy she felt.
Iris gasped and turned around to face Nora. âYouâre awake! Oh, thank god. Are you okay?â
Nora nodded, rubbing her eyes and yawning. âHow long was I out?â
âNot long, maybe 45 minutes.â Iris said. âIt wouldâve been a lot longer if it wasnât for your speed healing abilities.â
âDid they get the metahuman?â Nora asked.
Iris nodded. âHeâs in the pipeline now.â Â
âLook-â
âSave it.â Iris gave her daughter a stern look. âNora West-Allen, what the hell were you thinking? Going after that villain alone was incredibly irresponsible of you. You couldâve died! Youâre lucky your father got there in time to bring you back to Star Labs.âÂ
âOh, so this is all about Dad now?â Nora muttered, sinking into the white pillows. âIt always is.â
âWhat could you possibly mean by that?â Iris scoffed.
âDad can do anything, canât he? Heâs the Flash, people look up to him. But the second that a new speedster shows up, she canât do anything right, sheâs a hindrance at best-â
âWhoa, whoa, whoa.â Iris cut her off. âWhatâs this about?â
âEarlier today, at Jitters, I overheard some guys talking about the latest meta attack that Dad and I were involved in. They were talking about me being the Flashâs new sidekick, and they didnât think he needed one. They said that, because Iâm a girl, Iâm only going to mess everything up and get in the Flashâs way. I guess, when you called me about the meta attack, I saw it as a way to⌠prove myself, in a way.â
âSo thatâs why you wanted to face him alone.â Iris said. âWell, now at least I can understand why. Iâm sorry those guys said those things, that was completely out of line. Youâre an amazing superhero, and Iâm proud of everything youâve done so far. If they saw everything that your dad and I have seen in you these past few months, theyâd know that youâre an amazing, capable young woman.â
âThey donât see that, though, and thatâs the problem.â Nora said. âIâm never going to be held to the same standards as Dad. Part of it is because heâs been a speedster longer, and the city already loves him.â
âWhatâs the other part?â
Nora hesitated. âThe guys from earlier said that I wasnât capable just because I was a girl. Not because of me, but because of my gender. And that wonât be the last time Iâm held to different standards because of things I canât control. Iâm a girl, Iâm biracial, and on top of it all, Iâm lesbian. People are always gonna view me differently because of those three things. Dad doesnât have to worry about any of that.â
âAs sad as it is, bigotry will always be a part of society. Itâs unfair, and it sucks, but thatâs how it is.â Iris said. âBut, thereâs a flip side to that, too. For every bigot you meet, youâll have a hundred supporters to defend you. Those are the people you need to focus on. The thing about bigots is that⌠theyâre not very smart. Their opinion means nothing. It doesnât define you, you define you. And thereâs millions of people out there just like you. There are people in Central City who will see themselves in XS. For every bigot, thereâs a few more people who will look up to XS for staying strong and not being afraid to be herself.â
Nora sighed. âItâs hard being the daughter of the Flash.â
âHow so?â
âI mean, itâs normal for kids to idolize their parents, but my dad is not only my hero, but an entire cityâs hero. He has a literal museum in his name. The Flash Museum, a complete record of all of Dadâs accomplishments, everything he did right and nothing he did wrong. Heâs immortalized in golden statues, heâs written into textbooks, heâll be remembered for years to come.â Nora said. âAnd⌠thatâs quite the reputation to live up to. Thereâs no way Iâll ever be as amazing as Dad.â
âSweetie, you already are.â Iris said. âYouâre sweet, funny, kind, and incredibly smart. You never cease to impress me. Youâre every bit as amazing as your father, and if the bigots out there donât realize that, thatâs their problem. We donât expect you to be this perfect, flawless hero. Not even your dadâs perfect- heâs human, and so are you. We just expect you to be you. Youâre not the daughter of the Flash, youâre the daughter of a man who loves you for who you are. Youâre the daughter of Barry Allen.â
A small smile grew on Noraâs face. âThe Flash is Barry Allen, Mom.â
Iris laughed. âYou know full well what I meant.â
âI know.â Nora nodded, laughing softly. âAnd thank you. Everything that youâve said- it really does mean a lot.â
âIâm glad.â Iris said. âBut there is one more thing.â
âWhich is?â
Iris folded her hands in her lap. âYou have to understand that you canât just go taking on metahumans by yourself. Thatâs reckless, and incredibly dangerous. When you hung up on me back at Jitters and ran off on your own, I was scared. And then your dad found you unconscious, and we all were worried about you. This is about your own safety.â
Nora bit her lip. âI know. Iâm sorry.â
âJust⌠promise me you wonât do it again.â
âI promise.â
âGood.â Iris took Noraâs hand and helped her up. âLetâs go show the others youâre okay. They were worried too, yâknow.â
Iris hesitated for a second before walking out of the medical bay.
âYou know I love you, right?â
Nora nodded.
âI love you too, Mom.â
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Mini Killervibe Ficlet
Loosely based on the short Killervibe ficlets that @thatkillervibe has been doing, where the ficlet is only a couple sentences long, but it still tells a story.
~~~
Cisco walked into the cortex with a pep in his step, greeting Barry with a smile and turning to Caitlin lovingly.
âGood morning. You know I love you, right? Youâre the best girlfriend in the world.â He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
âWow, thatâs quite the way to be greeted.â Caitlin offered a surprised-but-pleased smile. âI love you too babe, but... Why are you so cheerful today? Is it a special occasion?â
âEvery day I spend with you is a special occasion.â Cisco said, tucking Caitlinâs hair behind her ear and kissing her again.
Cisco proposed later that day.
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