Reciprocal Altruism || Snowbarry College AU

Life Coach/Tutor/Therapist V

Barry didn't say anything for a few minutes as they walked towards her apartment.

"You're right, though," Barry said after a long pause, "Iris has been my best friend for so long, but I have kept so many secrets from her, sometimes I feel like she doesn't know me at all. I always tried to be as normal and cool around her as possible. I don't talk about any science-y stuff, because she finds that boring. I don't talk about comic books, or TV shows I like. There's a part of me that Iris doesn't know about me and I don't want her to."

"Why don't you want her to know?" Caitlin asked.

"Have you seen the guys she dates? Eddie? He's like the complete opposite of me. If I am anything less than what Eddie is, there's absolutely no hope of Iris ever looking at me in any other way except her nerdy friend that her dad took pity on."

"I don't think that's true, I'm sure Iris would love your nerdy half. She already loves the Flash," Caitlin referenced Barry's track athlete nickname, "I'm sure she'd love Barry Allen: resident science nerd and Harry Potter enthusiast."

Barry smiled, "How'd you know I like Harry Potter?"

"Please, who doesn't?" Caitlin countered.

"Iris doesn't like Harry Potter," Barry stated.

Caitlin dramatically gasped, bringing her hand to her chest. "And you like her because...?

Barry threw his head back and closed his eyes, most likely picturing his dream-girl. "She's so pretty."

She pursed her lips. "Men."

Turning to look at her, Barry quipped, "Oh yeah? And what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Eddie Thawne?"

Caitlin blushed and looked down to kick a small rock, not wanting to answer the question.

Barry answered it for her, "You just thought he was hot, didn't you?"

"Whatever." Caitlin threw her hands up. "I don't even know him that well! You've known Iris since childhood and the best thing you could come up with about her was that she was pretty?"

Barry sighed. "And she has a nice personality, I guess. What's with the twenty questions?"

"You started it, leg sized fingers."

"Are you denying that leg sized fingers would be cool?" Barry argued.

"We've finally reached my apartment, so I don't have to answer that," Caitlin replied, as the two of them stood in front of her apartment complex.

Turning to look at her, Barry said, "Promise me you will go to sleep. I will stand outside your apartment until I see those lights turn off. You need to get some shut eye before you pass out in the middle of the day."

"Seriously, Barry?"

"Yes, I am being serious. I am not moving until I know you're asleep. Since you won't let me come into your apartment, rule 13 or whatever, come out on the porch in your pajamas."

"What if I sleep naked?"

"All the more reason for me to make sure." Barry grinned.

Caitlin let out a huff of breath. "Gross, Barry."

She trudged up the stair of her apartment and entered her home. She was hit with the sense of loneliness as Felicity's absence hit her like a ton of bricks.

Quickly, she threw on a pair of pajamas and brushed her teeth before coming out to her front porch to see if Barry was still there.

To her surprise, she looked down to see Barry still standing there playing a game on his phone.

A warm feeling filled Caitlin as she grinned at the sight of the boy who cared so much that she got rest, he waited outside for her.

Pulling out her phone, Caitlin texted Barry, I'm going to sleep, I promise. Happy?

Barry received the notification and looked up at a ready-for-bed Caitlin staring down at him. Grinning, he took in her nighttime apparel: a pair of pajamas that had tiny broomsticks and snitches from the Harry Potter fandom.

Barry smiled and shook his head as he typed on his phone. Nice PJs, he texted her, I am a little miffed you led me on about you sleeping naked.

Ha, in your dreams. Caitlin typed back, she looked down at him from her porch and stuck out her tongue.

Oh, definitely. Barry made sure to add at least five suggestive winking emojis.

Wow. Such a flirt. Now go away and dream about Iris or something.

Who says I can't dream about you too?

Ewwww. I'm fake breaking up with you. Barry looked up at Caitlin to see her miming throwing up.

Lolol. I'm jk. But seriously, get some sleep. You better be super refreshed in the morning. I'll see you in class.

See ya, Barry.

Barry continued to stand there, still looking up at Caitlin. Neither of them really wanted to move. He looked like he wanted to tell her something.

Caitlin thought about inviting him up for a moment, but then remembered Rule 13 and resisted the urge.

You done staring at me, Romeo? Caitlin sent.

Barry looked startled by the text notification and looked down at the text. He chuckled to himself a little as he read her message and Caitlin realized how much she liked making him smile.

Barry gazed up one last time at Caitlin who stood out on her second floor balcony.

Good night, Juliet, he sent her.

Then he turned on his heel, his hands in his sweatshirt pocket, and started walking in the direction they had come from as he headed home.

Caitlin watched as he walked away and felt the cool breeze on the back of her neck.

Shivering, Caitlin went into her home, closed the glass door and eased herself into bed.

She laid down on her soft, soft bed and closed her eyes as she felt sleep finally overcome her. Barry and Felicity were right. This was definitely what she needed. A good night's sleep.

While rules were important to building a foundation, Caitlin wished she could have broken the rules just for today and let Barry come up to her apartment. Even just for a minute. Just so she could have a few more moments of him for herself.

She thought it was hard to understand the foundation of a fake relationship, but Caitlin was lost on the foundation of a good and true friendship as well. She let Felicity down today and she didn't know if she could ever get her trust back.

While keeping the fake relationship a secret from everyone was part of her and Barry's agreement, Caitlin did keep a lot of other things from Felicity as well, that wasn't part of any secret signed contract. Every time Caitlin kept something from Felicity, the blonde haired girl saw it as a sign of broken trust and that break caused a crack in the foundation of friendship. Caitlin was breaking the foundation of friendship without even knowing it. But she didn't want to do that anymore.

She couldn't. Not with Felicity and not even with Barry.

She couldn't break the rules. Not even once. Because if one rule broke, the others would fall, one after the other, changing the dynamics and before they knew it, everything they once knew would be turned on its head, just like it had with Felicity.

That was why she couldn't break the rules and invite Barry up to her apartment. That was why, Caitlin convinced herself as she drifted off.

But as the last of her conscious succumbed to the subconscious, the final thought on her mind was the question of whether it would be so bad if they just broke one rule?