Chapter Text
For the first time in years, Team Star Labs was not spending Christmas together.
Barry and Iris were busy with the twins, Joe, Cecile and baby Jenna were visiting her older sister, Allegra and Chester scored some cheap tickets to Disneyland, Caitlin was visiting her mother.
So Cisco agreed to spend Christmas with his parents. It was okay, their relationship was a little bit better recently, and either way, his mom’s cooking beat spending Christmas alone, drinking on the couch.
But a few hours before he was set to leave, Caitlin called. Her mom got Covid, apparently, and Caitlin asked very nicely if they could spend Christmas together. When he invited her to his parents, she wanted to refuse, but Cisco wouldn’t have it.
So Caitlin was going to come with him to his parents house, for Christmas. Which was lovely, and made Cisco very happy, but there was an issue. The gift he got for Caitlin was amazing, awesome, incredible and super secret superhero stuff, so he couldn't give it to her with his parents there.
Thus, Cisco had a huge problem: he had no Christmas gift for Caitlin, and nowhere to buy one.
🎁
It didn’t have to be something super big, it just had to be something small and nice, so that she’d have a surprise under the Christmas tree.
The only stores that were open in town were some restaurants, useless, and Jitters, also useless, because he had gotten Caitlin coffee for her birthday. But there was a Walmart on the other side of town.
With a groan, Cisco got dressed and breached himself there.
🎁
He spent two hours in the Walmart, walking around, finding something, thinking about it, putting it back. Finding something else, thinking about it, putting it back.
Eventually, one of the workers took pity on him. She was a young woman with a big smile, but she politely asked if she could help. And when Cisco told her his predicament, she only laughed for a little while before she started thinking out loud.
No, no perfumes, Cisco had no idea what she liked. No, no make-up either, she already had loads of that. No, no electronics. No, no puzzles or boardgames. No, no home decorations.
And then her eyes lit up, saying they should go simple. She led him to the clothing part of the store, where there was a display with ugly Christmas sweaters, but some of them were, in fact, quite cute. And the young woman told Cisco that they were good quality, super soft, she had three.
So after looking around for a bit, he settled on a red sweater, classic in its design of snowflakes and candy canes on the arms, but on the chest, there was a very cute Santa on a sledge that was pulled by a unicorn.
It was adorable and super fluffy. Caitlin wasn’t going to love it, but she will be wearing it around the house, probably.
🎁
Cisco was surprised by how good of a time they were having. There were no tears, no screams, no rude comments. A Christmas miracle, right there. And Caitlin fit right in.
He could tell she was enjoying herself. The food was good, the mulled wine was sweet, when she wasn’t eating she was smiling.
Caitlin sat by his side throughout the very long lunch/dinner, and more often than not, she was touching him somehow: a knee pressed to his, a hand on his thighs, an arm on the back of his chair.
It was a little unusual, but it wasn’t unwelcomed. Of course it wasn’t, considering how long Cisco had been in love with Caitlin.
🎁
Caitlin cooed when she saw the sweater, loud and cute. She immediately put it on, over the red dress she was wearing. She looked insane, but she was grinning widely and she kissed Cisco’s cheek in thanks.
Cisco did well.
🎁
At the end of the night, Cisco breached Caitlin home, but she didn’t let him leave.
‘This sweater is lovely, but I’m very warm. Help me take it off?’
Cisco’s jaw dropped. He laughed, praising Caitlin for the incredibly bad pickup line she used, but he stopped laughing when she raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, pressing their chests together.
Apparently, she wasn’t kidding. Another Christmas miracle, right there, which Cisco eagerly embraced, as he embraced Caitlin.