Cisco/Caitlin The Flash Sunflowers in September

Paint

Caitlin had always been a light sleeper, so she felt her husband's presence hovering over her before she actually heard his voice sounding off tenderly in her ear.

"Babe, I need you to wake up."

Caitlin stirred in her sleep. She felt her husband nudge her shoulder with his palm as she stretched beneath the thick blankets on their bed. Their pillows smelled like his floral shampoo and she could feel the coolness of the sheets where his body heat was missing.

"Time to wake up," he repeated, louder this time and away from her ear as he nudged her again. His breath was minty and some strands of his hair brushed across her face.

Caitlin's eyes fluttered open. She turned over and lifted her head slightly. Through the darkness she could just make out the clock on the opposite side of the room. She frowned at the disgustingly early time it displayed.

"Honey," she yawned before dropping her head back down to the pillows.

"Caitlin," her husband whined as he shook her again. "Meet me downstairs in five minutes."

She could hear the pout in his voice. She mumbled her reply and waved him away. She felt Cisco lean away from the bed and then shuffle out of the dark room. Everything within her knew that whatever nonsense her husband was waking her up for in the middle of the night was not worth crawling out of bed for. But she got up and threw on her robe and slippers anyway.

"You're late, dear," Cisco said as Caitlin slowly entered the kitchen.

There was not a hint of tiredness in his voice. In fact, he looked like he was buzzing with energy as if it were the middle of a busy afternoon instead of that weird time between late night and early morning. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand to make sure that the headlamp her husband was wearing was actually there. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water before pushing it into her hands.

"Hydrate," he demanded. "We only have a few hours before sunrise. We've never done this and we must work quickly."

She sighed heavily but drank the water. Her eyes adjusted to the bright light of the kitchen where she saw painting supplies and cans of paint scattered around the room: on the dining table, on the kitchen island, on the banquette. Several types of airless paint sprayers were lined up against the wall. She walked over to the dining table and turned a few cans of paint on their sides to read the labels: Mystic Sea. Lime Kiss. Orange Glow. All by Valspar.

She was afraid to ask, but she knew she had to as part of her wedding vows. She considered it the 'to have' part, because this gorgeous man was now forever her problem. She asked as firmly as she could muster at this hour, "What's going on, Cisco?"

He hopped up onto their white quartz countertops with the grey veins like he always did when presenting a bad idea in their kitchen. He announced proudly with the clap of his hands, "We're gonna paint the outside of the house bright ass colors to piss off the neighbors."

Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut and let out a frustrated breath through her nostrils. She should have known his ridiculous feud with the couple across the street would come to this: Her handsome and intelligent husband stalking around at night with expensive paint and rubber boots to have someone they barely speak to complain about them on that ridiculous Nextdoor site.

She spoke slowly as if to a child. "I told you to let the trash can thing go, honey."

"Never! We did not buy a house in a neighbor with no HOA for Hartley Noisy Neighbor Hathaway to control what I do with my trash cans! He and his husband can kick rocks!"

Cisco slid off the counter. He zipped up the baggy overalls he was wearing and grinned at his wife. He opened one of their reusable grocery totes and took out a pair of overalls and a mask used for painting. "Baby, you're going to look so cute in these," he grinned as he handed the items to her.

"When did you get these?"

"Girl, I had these."

Caitlin yawned. She could barely hold up her sleepy head let alone the items in her hands. She stared down at the plastic-like overalls and the bulky paint respirator. It was early. Even though she appreciated proper hydration, she didn't want water. She wanted coffee. And she wanted breakfast before starting a long day of working at the hospital.

"I love you," she said gently. She pushed the outfit back into her husband's hands before leaning forward and kissing him softly on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"But..."

"Goodnight!" She called out again as she walked out of their kitchen. She flipped off the light on her way out.

"So, I'm good to do it on my own then!" Cisco called out in the darkness.

Caitlin turned on the heels of her slippers and briskly walked back into the kitchen. She grabbed her husband by the wrist and dragged him forward.

"Bed. Now," she demanded.

"Well, when you say it like that," he flirted as he followed behind her.

She rolled her eyes as she heard him chuckle and couldn't help but sleepily chuckle as well.

End note: This oneshot was based off the prompt paint from the September OTP Prompt Challenge posted by lavendarotpprompts.tumblr. Thank you for sharing prompts, person from the internet.