Title: Blind Date Fiasco
Author: Starcalista
Fandom: The Flash
Characters/Pairing: Barry Allen+Caitlin Snow (snowbarry), Cisco Ramon, Iris West, Eddie Thawne, Joe West
Prompt: "Cisco, Eddie and Joe setting up Barry and Caitlin on a blind date," Prompt from snnowfrostt on tumblr.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 2,476
Summary: AU since Eddie is alive. Cisco, Eddie, Joe and Iris sets Barry and Caitlin up on a blind date. However, Barry being Barry and Caitlin still thinking that Barry has feelings for Iris, things don't go exactly as planned.
Warnings: None, I think
Notes: This is also posted on my tumblr. This story will be a two or three parter. Anyway, here is part 1. Hope you like it. :)

x

"Come on Caitlin," Cisco pleads, following her to her lab, "It's just one date, how bad could it be?"

"Cisco, you know that I don't do blind dates," Caitlin turns around, stopping him in his tracks.

"Well, yes…" Cisco replies uncertainly, trying to find something, anything that would make her go, "But you will definitely like him. Besides, you owe me one."

"Owe you for what exactly?" One of Caitlin's eyebrows lifted and the look in her eyes could have made Cisco cower if he didn't know the Caitlin Snow that would do anything for the people she cares about. He's just glad that he's considered in that category, because he doesn't know what she would do to him if this thing goes south. He just hopes that she doesn't maim him. He still couldn't believe he got the short end of the straw in this plan between Joe, Eddie and him (literally – they had drawn straws – no one wanted to be at the end of Dr. Snow's wrath. Barry was the only person brave – or foolish, depending on how you see it – enough to antagonize her daily). It really should have been Iris doing this. He is sure that Caitlin wouldn't kill her being the only other woman in this little team of theirs and Caitlin loves not being the only woman that have to deal with the guys. Unfortunately, Iris already called dibs on convincing the other party.

"Don't you remember that you recently lost a bet to me? And winner can ask the loser to do anything? Remember?"

Caitlin groans, remembering the incident, "Really? You want to use the winnings of that bet to force me into a blind date?"

"Hey, I'm just helping you get a life here. You haven't really been going out since you and Ronnie mutually broke it off," Once again her glare stops him in his tracks, and he puts his arms up in surrender, "Okay, sorry, I shouldn't have said that. No need to get violent,"

Caitlin sighs, hopefully letting go of her anger and asks, "So when is this date anyway?" Putting an emphasis on the word 'date', showing that she still doesn't like the idea of it.

He hopes that when Caitlin finds out who the date really is, she would actually thank him instead of kill him. "This Friday at 7, at that new restaurant you've been meaning to go to."

Before she could answer him back the alarm goes off at the monitor and Caitlin is already calling Barry as he hurries over to the monitor. It seems like it will be just another crime fighting day in Central City.

x

The week blurred by for Caitlin and the Friday that she promised Cisco she would go on the blind date came before she knew it. At first she tried all she could to get out of it, feigning sickness, telling him that she has other dates (with Netflix and her bed, though he doesn't have to know that), but then he just had to guilt trip her, because a promise was a promise and she did say that she would do anything. Though really, she was more hoping it was along the lines of doing his chores or accompanying him through one of his movie marathons. Definitely not going on a blind date with someone she had never even met. Plus, he had given no clues whatsoever as to what kind of person the date would be. I mean, he could be a rapist or a murderer for all she knew. Okay, she guesses that that was a bit over the top. There was no way that Cisco would set her up with a douche and even less with a rapist or murderer. But she has never liked blind dates and she never would.

So choosing a modest dress (she didn't want to give her date the wrong ideas), she decided to just go there, meet up with him, get through with it, try not to bore herself and not schedule a second date.

She arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes earlier than the appointed time with her green dress, minimal makeup and hair curled and put up into a simple twist, and when she gave the host her name, she was immediately shown to the table. She guesses that Cisco had set up the reservation and accounted for her habit to arrive early.

Once she was situated and given the menu, she asks the waiter just for a glass of water and that she would wait for the other person to come to order. Knowing she has time to spare, she takes out her phone to continue reading the research paper she had been in the middle of studying that day, trying not to think about her date.

Every few minutes she finds herself checking the time, wanting to just get this whole thing over with. When it finally passed the meeting time, she became frustrated and had half a mind to just leave, not really caring what Cisco would say. The only thing stopping her from doing just that was the fact she promised Cisco that she would at least meet him, and she has never broken her promises, at least not really. But she promises to herself if this so called date doesn't arrive in the next fifteen minutes, she would definitely leave. And that one she would not break.

Her date arrives 3 minutes shy of the allocated time she had set up for herself to leave with a flurry of apologies said too fast for her to understand. But the voice that said them was so familiar that it stopped her from saying the biting words of just what she thought of him being late and it almost gave her whiplash looking up at the figure so fast and brown met familiar green eyes.

"Barry?" she asks, incredulously, standing up to have a better vantage, "What are you doing here?"

There, Barry Allen was standing in front of her in modest dark pants and blazer, all dressed up. She must say that he looks quite attractive. Though unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it) she had been seeing him in the quite attractive light for some time now so she was able to hide her appreciation. Because she had no way of acting on that attraction since it is painfully one sided, what with his love for Iris and all. So the question of why exactly he was here, in this restaurant that was quite famous as a date spot, especially since obviously Iris was still with Eddie and she hadn't heard him going out with anyone new.

"Caitlin? Woah," Barry stops in his flurry of apologies and actually looks breathless for a moment, surprise in his gaze as evident as was in hers as well as some other emotions she couldn't quite identify. "Ah…I….I mean, what?"

Caitlin frowns and lifts an eyebrow at his stutter. Surely she didn't look that different from her usual attire. Did she look too overdone? Too weird? Well, she hadn't been planning for someone who knows her to see her and she knows that this color isn't one she would usually choose to wear. But deciding to nitpick on his reaction another time, she repeated her previous question.

x

Barry tries to concentrate on what Caitlin was saying this time instead of the vision in front of him. If before he had thought that Caitlin couldn't be even more breathtaking than usual, he was proven wrong at this very moment. With the forest green dress clinging to her curves, her flawless makeup and complicated hairdo, Caitlin could very well compete with any famous model out there. Then realizing that she must be here for a date dressed like that, he couldn't help the painful feeling in his stomach and his tight throat. Whoever it was, he's a really lucky guy getting Caitlin Snow to dress up for him. Trying not to think about the nameless guy, he answered her question a little bit embarrassed that he hadn't catch it the first time adding to the embarrassment of exactly why he was here, "Ah, actually Iris set up this blind date for me, but the waiter must have shown me to the wrong table. I'll just go and leave you to your own date and go and ask and yeah, I'll just go."

Barry couldn't believe how tongue-tied he's finding himself to be in her presence when usually it was so easy to converse with her and quickly tried to escape. But before he could walk away, Caitlin had already wrapped her hand around his wrist.

"Barry, wait," He turns back around to look at her and Caitlin lets go of him making him miss her touch, "You said that Iris set up a blind date for you?"

He nods, wondering where she was going with this. Then she calls a waiter over and asked the reservation name for the table. To his utmost surprise, it was their names, Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow. Looking at Caitlin though, it seemed like she had already known because she just calmly thanked the waiter and asked for their menus. Once they sat down and looking through their menus, he immediately asks, "How did you know?"

"Well, Cisco had also set me up with this blind date," she huffs out, "Once I heard that you were also here for a blind date and that Iris set you up, I immediately had my suspicions. But I can't believe that they would actually set us up."

Bitterness coursed through him at that statement, though he should have guessed that she must be disappointed that she wouldn't be meeting this wonderful new guy she must have conjured up. He wonders, did he read all those signs he has been seeing the last few weeks wrong? Were all those glances they exchanged and those touches they gave each other all one sided on his part? He guesses that it must have been only friendship for her, since for as long as he knows her, the two of them wasn't shy in exchanging comforting touches. It was only recently (more like the past six months after Ronnie and Caitlin had broken it off) that he felt something more and he guesses that he was hoping she did too.

"You really got dressed up for a blind date huh? I didn't even know that blind dates were your thing," Barry comments, unable to completely keep the jealousy and hurt out of his voice.

Caitlin looks at him curiously, wondering if there was something wrong. "Well, it's not really. Cisco actually forced me to come to this thing. Do I look overdressed?"

"No, of course not, you look…beautiful." Though you always do even in clothes you claim makes you look like a high school principal. He hopes that his thoughts don't show through his tone.

But these thoughts he had been having for his friend and personal physician should be stopped since obviously she doesn't feel the same way. His heart would not be able to take it if he falls into another one sided love.

"Oh, thank you," she smiles with a tint of red covering her cheeks and he knew then that he had already fallen and there was no getting out of it.

He cleared his throat to hide his nervousness, "So have you chosen what you want?"

Seeing her nod, he calls their waiter over. Once the waiter has left their table with their orders, Caitlin smiles at him, "You know, I'm glad that it's you that I'm with on this date,"

His heart stuttered at her statement, giving him hope that maybe, just maybe, he has a chance.

"Oh yeah? Weren't you hoping for a knight in shining armor?"

She lifts an amused eyebrow at that. "Barry Allen. Why would I even need a knight in shining armor when I have you?"

"Wh…what?"

She smiles gently at him, "So what do you suggest we do to get back at Cisco and Iris for this blind date?"

And as easily as the smile came to her face, his nervousness that he felt between them subsided and he smiles teasingly at her as they through suggestions back and forth with their food arriving not long after.

In the middle of teasing each other, an idea suddenly took hold of him that wouldn't fade away and before he could even think it through, his mouth had just moved before his brain could stop it, "Or how about we just pretend that we were already dating? I bet that would surprise them for sure."

Barry didn't know who was more surprised when he uttered the idea, then deciding to just throw caution to the wind, he continued, "Wouldn't you love to see the expression their faces if we tell them that?"

His gaze immediately draws to her lips where she is gently biting the lower one, showing him that to his pleasant surprise, she is actually contemplating it.

"I don't know. Will we even be able to pull it off?"

"Dr. Snow, are you seriously doubting me?"

Caitlin scoffs at his question, "Are you seriously asking me?"

He smiles at that, knowing all the times that Caitlin has always believed in him, even though sometimes, if you didn't know her like he did, you would think the opposite, because of all the worrying she does for him. Though it was only recently that he realizes that he actually really needs her to worry for him, to show that someone cares so much for him to actually get mad at him whenever he is reckless. He needs her to show that she would always be there to patch him up whenever he falls. That she will always believe and worry for him with equal fierceness, unique to her stubborn nature. He just needs her so much that sometimes it becomes painful, not unlike when he was in love with Iris. But unlike when he was in love with Iris, there would not be a Caitlin Snow to cheer him back up, if he ruins their relationship. So he hopes that she would agree, because since he is not able to have her love, he would be happy for just a small fraction of it, even if it would be fake on her part.

"So?" He asks, trying to keep the hope from his voice.

She looks at him for a moment, and he felt like she was reading all his thoughts then she smiles a little, "Though I have some reservations about the idea, I must admit it would be interesting to see the looks on their faces. Plus it would also stop them from scheming anymore blind dates in the future. So what is the game plan?"

x

End Note: End of part 1. Thank you for reading. Any comments/criticisms are greatly appreciated :)