As little breaks between more substantial stories, I thought I would create a place to post the little drabbles I write on my Tumblr. These are often angsty, and almost always the result of some kind of prompt.

The first is a tag to 1x22 "Rogue Air," so spoilers for that episode.

Prompt: "What happened doesn't change anything." Cisco and anyone.

Caitlin blinked, disoriented, as the flashing lights pulled away. The first thing she registered was that she had a killer headache, though for a few seconds she couldn't remember why.

"You with us?" The lights were replaced by Cisco's concerned face. "I mean…you're not still all…mind control angry, are you?"

"Oh, God," Caitlin said. The memory flooded back at once, and she covered her face with her hands. Peering above the car. Making eye contact with the meta. Then…oh, God. "I got whammied?"

"Yeah." Clearly relieved, Cisco set down the device he'd used to restore her to a more reasonable state of mind. Then, hesitantly: "What do you remember?"

She struggled for a few seconds. Maybe she should lie–but, then, she'd never been a very good liar. Besides, Cisco could read her like a book. "Technically…all of it? It's hazy, but…"

In the corner, Joe cleared his throat, causing Caitlin to start. She hadn't even realized he was there.

"I'll leave you two here, if that's okay," he said. "If you're good, I'm going to go check on Barry."

Cisco nodded at him. "Thanks."

The detective, never very good at hiding his awkwardness, sidled out of the room, leaving Caitlin and Cisco alone. Caitlin shifted on the hospital bed while Cisco fiddled with the light device.

"Is Barry okay?"

"He's fine," Cisco assured her. "I think his pride is damaged more than anything."

"I know the feeling," Caitlin said with a groan, rubbing at her eyes. When Cisco didn't respond, she slid off of the bed. "Cisco, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said."

"You did," Cisco said without looking at her. "The whammy just amplifies what's already there. But it's fine. Really."

"It's not fine," Caitlin said. She swallowed. Of course, he was right, though she didn't want to admit it to herself. It was a part of her she kept purposely out of the light. "Cisco, we've talked about this. You know that I don't blame you for what happened with Ronnie that night when the particle accelerator exploded. It's just that…all of this is complicated. Human beings are irrational. We think and feel irrational things. But I swear to you, I know in my heart that you did the right thing."

"I don't blame you for being angry," Cisco said. He finally met her gaze, and his eyes were deep with that persistent sadness that had plagued them the past few weeks. Though she hadn't confronted him about it, she'd noticed. "You were justified tonight. And I understand if you don't want to…I don't know." Just as quickly as he'd met her gaze, he shied away, moving back to his work.

"What happened tonight doesn't change anything," Caitlin said firmly. She moved toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You're one of my best friends, Cisco, and one of the bravest men I know. But if you think I could give up on you that easily, you're not as intelligent as you look."

Cisco paused, considering the hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. His voice broke, and Caitlin took in just how exhausted he looked. "It's just hard. All of this."

"I know." With that, she pulled him forward into an embrace, and they stayed like that, motionless, for a few seconds. Caitlin closed her eyes, trying to blink the past few hours out of existence, hoping even as she felt Cisco trembling that he could do the same.

He gripped tighter, and she wondered how long they could stay like this: clinging tight in an embrace, trapped in the past, knowing and fearing the moment of breaking apart, the moment where they would have to meet each other's eyes once more.

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting a few more of these over the next couple of days until I catch up with my queue. Feel free to leave a comment below if you enjoyed it!

Till next time,

Penn