THE FLASH
ARROWVERSE

WARNINGS!
none. there will be a part 2 :))

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Usually, you wouldn't be on early duty when Jitters first opened up; you weren't a morning person by any means, but you needed the extra shift and your boss was keen to give it to you. So there you were, opening up the shop with only one other worker (you didn't need many baristas until it hit at least 8 o'clock), and getting it ready for the day. Matt, your co-worker, had already gotten the tables ready, and was working on switching on all the appliances. You walked to the front of the shop, flipping the sign to 'OPEN', before joining him behind the counter so that you could wait for early arrivals.

You tended to actually quite like it when it got busy, because the waiting was so boring. Sometimes you could waste the time away talking to your co-workers, but you were just too tired to even begin to muster up a conversation. Matt seemed equally as lethargic, leaning against the counter with his phone in hand to distract himself while you did nothing.

Maladaptive daydreaming behind the till, you didn't quite notice a customer had entered until they were in your line of sight. You were confused as to why you hadn't heard the bell, but ignored it as you straightened your posture and put on a customer-service smile. Once he was in front of you, he hadn't really acknowledged your presence, instead looking at the pricing board on the wall behind you. You were used to this, and simply watched him while you waited. His demeanor looked like he was rushing, despite the fact that it was so early, tapping his foot on the ground with his hands in his pockets. Even from the side you could tell that he was quite handsome, with glasses, and a tall frame.

"Um," His eyes flickered over to you, and his next words seem to get caught in his throat, stuttering as he spoke, "Can I just, uh, get a latte, please?" He asked it as if he was unsure, and you could see his cheeks fill with a gentle blush as he scratched the back of his neck.

You observed that he was really cute, and you couldn't help the smile that spread across your face as you said, "Sure thing."

While you made his drink, he couldn't help but watch you, shifting his weight as he waited to pay. You were beautiful, and Barry hadn't expected much when he walked into Jitters that morning, but he was practically entranced. He didn't think he could move from his spot if he tried, and when you finished the drink, he barely noticed until your eyes met his again. He should've been embarrassed that you caught him staring, but he was sure his face was already warm with a blush before then.

"Here it is," You placed his drink on the counter beside you, "That'll be 5 dollars," You told him, looking through your lashes at him, expectant.

He barely had the thought to move, flustering as he reached for his wallet and pulled out a two bills, handing them to you with hands that were shaking in a way he hoped you didn't notice. Don't get him wrong, he shook all the time (it kind of came with his power), but this was all nerves and he knew it. He wanted to say something to you so badly, but he wasn't that type of guy. But the way you were looking at him, and the butterflies in his stomach told him that he had to try. "Um, you can keep the change, as a tip," He chuckled nervously, tucking his wallet back in his pocket before taking his coffee from its place.

You admired how sweet he seemed when he was distressed, and you were honestly flattered that you seemed to be the cause of it. Maybe he was just shy, but either way, you couldn't help but be curious. It wasn't often that you had this kind of effect on anyone; in fact, you'd often been told that you were easy to talk to. You slipped the money into the register and put the extra note in your tip jar, beaming as you thanked him.

"I-It's no problem . . ." He belatedly looked down at your name tag that was attached to your apron, realizing your name was there the whole time, "(Y/n), that's a really pretty name." He didn't mean for it to come out, and he couldn't help but almost cringe at himself. The last thing you needed was some guy hitting on you this early in the morning, "Sorry if that came off weird."

"No, no, not at all," You assured, eyes flickering down as you hid your own blush, spreading from the bridge of your nose, to the tips of your ears. Barry thought that he could look at you like that forever. "What's your name?" You asked curiously in turn, very aware that maybe it was strange to question; but you knew almost all your regulars names. and when people came in during busy hours, you often requested their names for their cups.

He looked away from you, a small smile on his lips as he gripped his take away cup in his hands for warmth, "I'm Barry."

"Well, I hope I see you around, Barry," You told him honestly, and watched as he peered up at you hopefully, green eyes twinkling with a friendly expression.

When he left, he couldn't help but take a look back at you over his shoulder, face still burning, and his mind already reeling about when he'd see you again.

__

"Hey, Bear, are you okay?" Caitlin asked, peering over at him from her place at her desk, her pen paused in her hand as she leaned back. They hadn't gotten any alerts from their meta-human algorithm, and it was mostly just a quiet day in the lab, with everyone working on their own thing.

Cisco looked over at Barry with a raised eyebrow, also wondering what had gotten him so distracted. The two friends were sat behind the engineers computer set-up, the taller man having stared at his coffee cup for the majority of the day, sitting empty on the counter.

Barry flustered at the question, immediately defending himself with an off-handed 'nothing'.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, Cisco looking over at her to share in their simultaneous disbelief in his words. "Oh, c'mon, you've been distracted all day!" She remarked, turning to face them better in her office chair

Barry knew he couldn't really lie to them, given that they were simultaneously best friends, but also always with each other. Besides that, Caitlin had a really good intuition for when someone was telling the truth, and Barry could very rarely hide what he was feeling on his face; that was one of the reasons why he was so stuck on thinking about that morning. He couldn't help but want to kick himself for how stupid he'd acted - but he couldn't help it. You were just so pretty, and kind, and your smile made him feel a little bit giddy. The thought of you alone made him shift in his seat with something akin to anticipation. He just wanted to see you again.

"Okay, fine," Barry conceded, and Caitlin couldn't help but let out a preemptive squeal, "I met this girl-"

"A girl?" Cisco queried dramatically, and the other man let out a nervous laugh, avoiding the eye-contact of his friends as he carried on.

"Yes, a girl. I met her at Jitters," He admitted, glancing over at the coffee cup he hadn't had the heart to throw away, hoping the warmth he felt wasn't reflecting on his face.

"Oh, yeah? Did you strategically drop your bagel in her lap?" The longer haired man pried, laughing at his own joke.

"No, no!" Barry shook his head, hiding his face behind his hand as he leaned his elbow against the counter, "God, she's just a barista okay."

"Allen, please tell me you were not hitting on some poor girl at her work," He heard from behind his shoulder, turning to see Iris walking in through the door. He groaned outwardly, not happy that even more people were here to get in on his very much new feelings about you. Hell, he didn't even know your surname.

"I wasn't! Okay?" He paused, not sure if he wanted to say anything to them at all, "I just . . . can't stop thinking about her," Barry admitted smally, shrugging as his friends all cooed and aw'ed at him. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you guys anything," He sighed.

"Oh, c'mon!" Iris laughed, shaking him by his shoulder gently, "We don't mean it like that."

____

When you say him for the second time, it was on your usual evening shift. You were just closing up for the night, cleaning the tables from old customers and making sure everything was ready for the next day.

You could see him walk in, pausing in your spot as you wiped down the surface you were working on carefully. Your eyes practically followed him as he walked to the counter, peering around as if he was looking for something. You couldn't hear much more as he began talking to the barista behind the counter, and you went back to work with your mind racing and heart thumping. Something about you wanted to go over to them, but you knew you didn't really have a reason.

You stopped stacking a chair on a table as you heard someone clear their throat behind you. Turning around, you saw Barry standing in front of you, with a coffee and a small smile. You couldn't help but mirror him almost immediately, bashful that he actually came over to talk to you specifically.

He was wearing a long brown coat, a soft sweater, and a big winter scarf; and he just looked so warm and lovable. You found yourself flushing at the thought of resting your head on his chest, with your arms wrapped around each other. You didn't know why you were thinking these things about someone who was practically a stranger.

"Hey," He greeted, straightening his glasses slightly on his face as. Unintentionally or not, he had an adorable demeanor, looking at you through his eyelashes slightly.

"Hi, Barry," You spoke, and he couldn't help but enjoy the way his name sounded on your lips. God, he could listen to that all day. "Isn't it a little late for coffee?" You asked, fairly rhetorically, but doing anything to keep the conversation going.

Barry chuckled, shaking his head as if you didn't understand the half of it, "I'm on night duty," He moved his coat lapel to show you his obscured work ID that you hadn't noticed before, "I'm a forensic scientist at CCPD."

"Oh, wow," You laughed nervously in surprise, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you did, "Well I hope you crack the case!" You told him, not sure what else to say.

Barry gave you a tired smile, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, me too," He agreed. There was a moment where both of you paused, and your eyes were on each other, wanting more than anything to carry on but not sure how.

Eventually, you decided that despite your own worries about being turned down, you were hoping to see him again desperately. "Um . . ." You looked away from him, "I don't usually do this, but . . . do you think you'd want to go out sometime . . . with me?"

Barry could practically feel his heart in his throat at your words, immediately blushing as his eyes went wide. He hadn't thought in a million years you'd proposition him first (don't get him wrong, he wasn't exactly excited to do it), not when you seemed so beautiful, and kind, and maybe a little bit out of his league. But now he was standing in front of you, and you were looking up at him with doe eyes, and all his brain was yelling was 'yes! God, yes'.

"Yeah, I'd really like that," He told you, his expression mirroring yours as a sweet smile pulled to your lips. Barry didn't know how he was already so fond of it.