Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Caitlin wasn't entirely sure how she found herself in the situation she was currently in or rather the position she currently found herself in to be more precise. Things had happened so fast it made her head spin. And now here she was laid back across the main console, the same desk they had been sat at earlier, the entire team gathered around talking, thinking and planning. All working together as the team they are, to take down the latest meta-human to overrun and cause chaos in the city.

There had been some glances between them throughout the day (has been rather for a few weeks now) which wasn't entirely unusual, friends shared looks all the time, right? The odd touch was traded between them too, nothing telling of course, just a hand placed on the small of her back as he walked beside her or how her hand had rested on his forearm in thanks whenever he'd handed her a cup of tea, their fingers innocently brushing when they handed the other a folder but again... Friends touched too on occasion, right? Either way, none of that had suggested the turn events would take a few hours later, not until the gang had started to file out. Joe excused himself with the plan to catch up on some much needed sleep, taking advantage of a very rare early night, while Cisco had somehow managed to coax the rest into heading out to a bar, some drinks to end the night after a long day never hurt anyone he'd claimed, a way to relax. The rest had agreed after a bit more coaxing on Cisco's part, accept for Caitlin who said she wasn't in the mood to be in a bar full of people and Harry passed on the simple fact he just didn't want to go, which wasn't a massive surprise to the others.

Barry had kindly offered to speed her home knowing that her car was in the shop before he left with the others, although touched at the kind gesture, Caitlin politely declined. Instead choosing to book a cab as her ride home. Except that there was over an hour wait for her pick up which wasn't unexpected given that it was a busy Friday night but it wasn't a big deal so the gang filed out leaving Harry and Caitlin behind. Deciding the hour could be put to good use while she waited, Caitlin headed into the med bay, taking in the array of medical instruments still scattered around the room from earlier when she had to patch up Harry, Joe and Barry. Harry offered his help while she waited for her ride and although she'd tried to decline, she failed when he insisted on helping, saying that mess was half his fault due to him being injured earlier anyway. Accepting his help, they then found themselves in the med bay working side by side as they cleaned up.

The time passed by, twenty minutes maybe as they did their chore quicker now with two people, talking about the week they'd had, the latest meta human they had brought down and what they were both working on when they weren't taking down psychotic criminals. But they also talked about general things, normal everyday things going on in their lives, things that any other time there wasn't an opportunity to discuss. And it was probably at that point where things had taken the unexpected turn, when Harry had playfully flicked water at her after he'd washed his hands. It seemed so out of character for him but she'd noticed that he tended to relax more around her than the others.

When she herself was finished, she threw the towel she'd been using at his face softly, turning from him as she laughed she placed a box of latex gloves away in the cupboard and closed the door. Taking a step back, she turned and found herself much closer to Harry than she had been before. They both stopped, their eyes meeting and neither moved or looked away. They were so close together and the tension between them obvious as they stared at each other. It felt like an age had passed by when even now she wasn't entirely sure who had moved first but one of them had, their lips meeting in a tentative kiss that blossomed quickly into more.

Neither really stopped to think about what they were doing, just enjoyed the feel of the other when Harry's hands lifted to cup her face as he deepened the kiss. Caitlin felt herself being moved backwards then, her back hitting the glass beside the open doorway. Harry pressed himself against her while their mouths moved together, tongues fighting, tasting, savouring...

The situation once ignited seemed to progress rather rapidly from there, hands moved over bodies. Her hands gripped the edge of his t-shirt lifting it over his head, a groan ripping itself from his throat when her nails trailed down his chest and over his stomach to his trousers, her hands making quick work of his belt and zipper. His hands hadn't been idle either, sliding down the back of her thighs lifting her up and carrying her through the door but where ever his intended destination had been, they had only made it as far as the main console.

And that's where Caitlin found herself now, laid back slightly on the desk with Harry above her. His weight pinning her into the surface beneath her, his lips trailing across her collarbone as he moved inside of her deliciously slow. Every time he thrust into her, he hit that spot over and over inside of her that made her see stars and Caitlin could do nothing but allow herself to be consumed by what her friend and co worker was doing to her. A part of Caitlin knew that this wasn't such a great idea, he was from another earth for god's sake, they worked together... but the other part, the part that was enjoying the feel of him sliding into her, hearing his ragged breaths and whispered words said into her neck, that part of her was winning by a distance over the other. She could panic later she told herself, for now she allowed herself to just feel. And feel she did because this felt good, beyond good even. Her one hand rested on the small of his back, the other hand rested on the back of his head, her fingers threading in his unruly hair as she moved in time with him, matching his slow steady rhythm perfectly and she knew she was getting close.

"Harder..." She whimpered her demand into his ear, a muttered "Fuck" reached her in reply and he obliged, doing as she requested and with a few more hard strokes, her breathing falling from her lips in shuddering gasps, she fell over the edge, her walls tightening around him like a vice as she pulsed. Her back arched and she cried out, his name falling from her lips in a strangled gasp "Harry..."

Harry groaned at the feel of her squeezing him, so agonizingly tight around him, so good. He increased his pace and then he was following her, falling over the edge "Oh god, Caitlin..." his words were a groan into her ear, his thrusts never stopped not once faltering until he was completely spent. He managed to brace himself on his forearms over her while they came down from their release.

Minutes passed by while they lay there over the table, completely sated, wrapped in each other but it didn't take long for the voice of evil reason to creep back in to Caitlin's mind, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. The hand that rested on the back of his head moved to drop over her eyes and Harry pulled back at the movement, looking down at her.

He could see she still needed a minute and honestly, he didn't have any idea what to say. So instead he pushed himself up, easing back and away from her, he managed to stop the groan that wanted to escape when he pulled out of her body, mourning the loss of her heat around him. He looked back at her to see her hand still covering her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, her lace covered breasts rising and falling at the action. Harry took the opportunity to right himself the best he could, pulling his trouser back up over his hips and buttoning them before he bent down and picked up his discarded shirt, throwing it over his head. He stepped away from her and the table slightly, picking up some of the objects that had fallen to the floor. Behind him he could hear Caitlin moving, giving her a few moments, he placed the keyboard back in its rightful place in front of one of the monitors to the right before he turned and found her slipping her dress over her head, her back to him.

"Caitlin..." he began gently. "I'm sorry..." He wasn't exactly sure what he had been about to say or more accurately apologise for but it didn't seem to matter because she cut him off, her back still to him.

"It's fine Harry, I don't... You don't need to apologise."

It felt like she was trying to let him off easy, giving him an out of the situation and it threw him off balance because he thought they should talk about this, they needed to talk about what had just happened between them. "Caitlin?..." he tried again but this time it was her phone ringing that broke the uneasy awkward silence between them, both knew the call was indication that her ride home had finally arrived.

Caitlin finally turned to him after slipping back on her heels though she didn't met his eyes. "Perfect timing." She quipped, trying and failing to offer him a weak smile, trying to lighten the mood and failing at that too.

"Caitlin, maybe we should..." he trailed off, watching her shake her head no, as she stared over his shoulder.

"I-I don't know what to say to you, Harry. I don't know what..." she said softly, her eyes in turmoil just like her thoughts. She felt so confused as she shook her head. "I just... I need to go." she jerked her thumb behind her towards the door, her phone ringing again only seemed to cement her words.

And just as quickly as the situation had ignited, it fizzled out at the same surprising rapid speed.

Harry nodded, he watched her move passed him towards the door and he couldn't seem to make himself move after her, to see her out as she grabbed her coat and bag as she reached the door. She turned back to him after she stepped slightly out into the hall, "night, Harry" she said softly, warily and then she was gone, leaving behind a very conflicted man, who was just left standing there staring at the spot where she had just been standing. His eyes dropped to the table where he had just had her, he could still taste her, still feel her touch and his only thought was 'what the fuck had just happened?'.

Caitlin walked away from the cortex and moved swiftly down the hallway towards the elevator. Pressing the button, the doors slid open and she stepped in, pulling her coat tighter around her as the doors closed behind her. Her mind was in absolute turmoil about what had just happened between her and Harry, she felt incredibly guilty for leaving so soon after but more than that was the thought of work tomorrow, of coming back to the lab and facing him, facing everyone after what she'd done, with Harry, in the cortex.

Her phone rang again and she answered, apologising to the driver saying she was on her way.

Her brain wouldn't switch off, it keep going back to him and to what they'd just done, having sex together. Maybe that's why she fled as quickly as she had, confused about the feelings it had brought out, knowing that she had enjoyed sharing that moment with him, with Harry... and it terrified her because of how much she wanted it to happen again.

Tbc?... 

Chapter Text

If she was being honest with herself then Caitlin would say that today had been a far better day than she had initially anticipated, she had thought that it would be a complete disaster when she'd woken up that morning still feeling a little sore and completely exhausted, not having had the best night once she'd came home back from the lab. When she had got home she'd gone straight to bed, all but collapsing onto it still dressed not having had the energy to change or even shower. She'd felt emotionally drained as much as psychically. Even feeling like that sleep though, that was almost non existent, her mind not switching off and her thoughts running wild not giving her a break from the memories of what had transpired earlier that night. Eventually around half three in the morning her body had finally given in and allowed her a restless few hours sleep. Getting ready for work had been a task in itself, after dragging herself reluctantly from her bed she'd stood under the scorching hot spray in the shower for far longer than she normally would have. With her forehead leaning against the tile as she tried to not think about the bruising along her right hip from where his hand had gripped her as he moved inside of her or the dark bruising just above her collarbone where his mouth had lavished attention, having not changed when she came home the night before, Caitlin hadn't noticed them until undressing to shower. Psychical evidence on her body of what had happened the night before as if the memories alone weren't enough to torment her.

All through getting dressed and driving to the lab, Caitlin tried to calm herself, saying to herself like mantra that today was another ordinary day and to just concentrate on her job then everything else would be okay. And it had been, at least it had been for most of the day until late afternoon. She'd done a rather impressive job of facing Barry when she had come in and found him sat at the main desk where it had happened, drinking a coffee and talking with Cisco about his suit. Her reasoning was if she could face that then at least she thought she could make it through the rest of the day unscathed except her heart had dropped when Jesse came by. The younger woman strolling into the lab with a happy smile and behind her, was Harry, trailing in after his daughter. He'd been absent most of the day, working on something in his lab and yet almost as soon as he entered the room, his blue eyes found hers and they both just stood there staring at the other. Both having no idea how to deal with this change that has occurred between them so Caitlin internally shook herself feeling like what had happened the night before was written all over her face so she made an excuse and fled to the safety of the med bay away from everyone. Thankfully the others hadn't noticed the intense stare off as they had been to busy talking with Jesse.

Although Caitlin heard Jesse ask in concern as she fled the main room if she was okay, Cisco answering that she'd been a little weird all day but other than that she seemed okay and was probably just tired. That at least raised her spirits, glad to see that she'd somehow managed to hide the turmoil rolling around inside of her and the fact that it wasn't plastered all over her face what had happened last night because she truly did have an awful poker face. What didn't help was that as she had moved around the med bay, finding things to do to occupy herself, she could feel the weight of someone's eyes on her, watching her and she knew it was him without even looking to check. To Caitlin it felt like his gaze was burning into her but when she did actually turn around, he was facing away from her talking with Joe but she knew that he'd been watching her.

The hours dragged by while she finished up in the lab, today being a quiet day for a change and it was still early when she decided to call it a night. Cisco had been off with Harry and Jesse working on the thing that had kept Harry out of the lab for most of the day while Barry had already left having to go back to his actual job at the station, tagging along with Joe, who'd left not long after he arrived, having been by to give an update on the last meta case.

The drive home was longer than expected, hitting traffic due to rush hour and it was a relief when she slid her key into the lock and let herself into the safety of her apartment.

Caitlin dropped her bag beside the door, hung up her coat and wandered through her home heading for her bedroom, where she changed out of her dress and into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a faded Star labs sweater that she'd owned forever before she headed back out going to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she turned to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. Leaning against the kitchen island, she poured herself a glass, reaching into the drawer beside her, withdrawing a few takeout menus. Not having the energy or motivation to cook herself any dinner, unless pizza pockets counted which she knew they didn't, she spread them out before her, eyes straying from Indian to Chinese to Thai but she wasn't paying much attention to any of them.

Caitlin wasn't sure how long she actually stood there, slowly sipping her wine as she stared unseeing at the menus before her. Her thoughts as they had been since last night straying to the man she'd shared that moment with. The doorbell echoing throughout the apartment snapped her back into reality, her eyes narrowing as she wondered who could be at the door because she wasn't expecting anyone to stop by. Walking down the dark hallway, she switched on the lamp on the side table beside the door before reaching for the handle and opening it. She froze when her eyes met Harry's, who was standing on her doorstep staring straight back at her. She forcefully pushed the sudden memory that popped into her head of her kissing him in the med bay, pushing away the reminder of how his mouth moved over hers, how his tongue had teased... Instead she took a deep breath to centre herself.

Instead she dived into a safe zone, work. That was always a safe place to start. "Has something happened?"

Harry shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" When Caitlin just shook her head, he continued "can I come in?"

Caitlin stepped back allowing him room to step through, catching his quiet 'thank you' as he did. Letting the door fall shut, she brushed by him leading the way back into the kitchen, taking the place she had just left, she watched as he stood opposite her on the other side of the island. He braced his hands against the counter and his shoulders slumped when he finally lifted his head and looked at her.

"Wine?" she asked softly, saying something just to fill the silence.

"Please." Was all he said, watching her turn to the cupboard behind her, reaching up for another glass, turning back to him she half filled his glass, sliding it across to him as he reached for it, his fingers grazing along hers.

Snatching her hand back as if she'd been burned, Caitlin dropped her eyes at the touch, staring down into her own glass. She was trying to think of something to say when he spoke.

"How was your day?"

It wasn't what she was expecting from him though in truth she wasn't at all sure what she imagined him coming here to say. She had no idea really what to say.

"Not as awful as I expected." Caitlin admitted warily. "For being such an awful liar and having a crappy poker face, I think I managed okay considering..." She stopped herself from saying what she was about to but he finished it for her.

"Considering you had sex with me? In the lab. A colleague and someone who looks like a man who betrayed you and your friends." His blunt if a little harsh words surprised her making her look up at him, his eyes seemed troubled as he looked at her. "It probably helped that you ran out when I came back with Jesse earlier."

"I-I didn't run out..." She shook her head slightly, then conceded at the unconvinced look he sent her. "Okay, maybe I made a hasty retreat, it had been hard enough facing everyone all day, let alone seeing you and Jesse stroll in together."

A low hum left his throat as he looked at her, lifting his glass to his lips and draining most of the liquid. She could see he was thinking about something and that he was about to voice his thoughts when he said her name softly "Caitlin..."

She cut him off, wanting to stop whatever he was about to say, why she didn't know, maybe it was not wanting to hear him say it was a mistake but also wanting to apologise for something that had been on her mind all day. "I wanted to apologise to you, for leaving so quickly last night after..." Caitlin paused, dropping her eyes from his to stare at the buttons of his shirt. "I just, I didn't know what to say to you."

His eyes softened at that. "I can understand that and you don't need to apologise to me." Harry replied in earnest, hoping she believed him when he told her that. "It was a surprise, it happened so quickly I don't think either one of us really thought about what we were doing."

Caitlin nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of relief at his words. Thinking back to how quickly things had progressed, from talking and cleaning up the med bay to kissing against the doorway before making love across the main desk in the cortex. She felt her pale cheeks redden as she thought about it, it had been good, really really good, she remembered, her blush deepening.

They both stood there in silence until Harry looked down at the counter and noticed the takeout menus. Moving around the counter until he was just a few feet away from her, he pointed at the glass.

"Thank you for the drink and I- I just wanted to make sure things were okay between us." She gave him a small smile which he returned before saying "I should go." And yet neither moved, they just stood there looking at one another and it gave Harry the moment he needed to say what he intended to say earlier before she interrupted him. "As unexpected as it was, I don't regret it, you know." His whispered words were left hanging in the air between them.

Whatever this was, as sudden as it was, it was something. Caitlin knew that deep down. She'd been trying to ignore the little voice in the back of her mind lately, the evilly teasing one that would randomly wonder what he would kiss like, taste like, make love like. Yes it had came as a surprise for both of them, for something to have actually happened but it had felt right what had occurred between them. And for whatever guilt she felt when facing the team, more to the fact that they had done that in the lab, she didn't regret what had happened either. "It was hard, facing you and Jesse today, all of them really, knowing what had happened between us there last night..." She admitted quietly, pausing to gather her courage before charging on and admitting the rest. "But what I found harder was knowing how much I enjoyed being with you, Harry. I liked it, a lot. I can't say that I haven't thought about you before, that I don't find you attractive because I have and I do. I just never expected... but since it happened I can't get it, you, out of my head."

She watched the realisation of her words hit him, his eye flickering over her face before pausing on her lips. And then he's moving, dipping his head down and kissing her, her breath catches as his mouth moves over hers softly. And just like last night, that moment as soon as they touch everything around them falls away as they stumble through her apartment heading for her bedroom, clothes falling and leaving a trail behind them until they fall onto her bed, naked skin pressed tightly together as they lose themselves in each other. Caitlin enjoying the weight of him above her, the time melting away as he begins to make love to her again, the only difference this time is he takes his time, slowly learning her body and loving her, drawing out the act of being together instead of the haste of the night before.

Later they both lay sprawled tangled in the sheets and each other. Harry lying on his back with Caitlin pressed against his side, her elbow bent and her head cradled in her palm, her free hand lay over his heart feeling his pulse slowly returning to normal. She shivers as his fingertips ghosted up her spine and he smirked at the reaction.

Her expression suddenly turned serious, she looked down at him. "What are we doing, Harry?" she whispered softly. "What is this?" Her pretty hazel gaze staring down at him slightly troubled as she bit her lower lip. She didn't understand what was happening between them, the change from friends and co workers to lovers happening so quickly, so intensely that it was overwhelming and confusing yet felt so good, so right to be here with him.

His hand lifted and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing over her lower lip, releasing it from her teeth. He shrugged then he answered her as open and honest as he could. "I don't know."

Caitlin let out a sigh, glad to know she wasn't the only one who didn't have the slightest idea what they were doing. "Yeah, me either." Shaking her head in defeat at neither knowing what this was but she was glad to not be the only one feeling like this, it made the situation better for her, that she wasn't alone.

"But one thing I can tell you, we're not doing anything wrong, Caitlin."

"I know that, it's just..."

He knew what she meant, the situation was awkward with the team, it was for him too. "I get it, I do." He smiled at her reassuringly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her on top of him. He kissed her slowly before pulling back slightly, his eyes finding hers. "But whatever this is, we'll work it out, Caitlin."

She nodded her head, eyes fluttering shut as his hands moved lower down her back over her ass pressing her against him. Her lips brushing his when she questioned softly. "Together?"

"Together." Harry agreed before kissing her again.

The end.