Alter Egos

A Persistent Chill

This one was just a fun little idea I've seen somewhere before but can't remember. It's also an excuse to write shameless Snowbarry cuddling. lol

Description: Caitlin always felt cold. There was always a persist chill on her skin, and no matter what she did she couldn't get it to go away, not for long anyway.

...

Ever since Caitlin Snow had developed ice powers, there had been a problem.

Well, actually there had been lots of problems, but there had been a constant, yet less important one. Really, it was more of an annoyance than anything, a discomfort that came with the frosty package deal.

Caitlin always felt cold. It was as if there was a constant draft looming around her. She knew why too, the activation of her cryokinesis had caused her resting body temperature to become lower. There wasn't anything that could be done about it, it was simply her new normal. Which was hardly a thing when she had been used to feeling so much warmer.

It didn't come without its perks though, her abilities also gave her a higher tolerance to lower temperatures. Meaning when exposed to them, she didn't really feel any colder, she simply felt the same. However the 'same' didn't mean she was comfortable either. There was always a persist chill on her skin, and no matter what she did she couldn't get it to go away, not for long anyway.

It didn't matter how many layers she wore or how warm the room was. Sometimes if she turned her car AC up enough (or sat next to a heater) she could get it to subside for a while. Hot showers and baths helped too, but only for so long.

Despite the discomfort, Caitlin was learning to cope and deal with it. Most days, if she kept busy, she didn't notice it as much. But there was one time of day it was the hardest to deal with. Bedtime. When it was time to sleep it became particularly unbearable.

At the end of a long day when Caitlin wanted nothing more than to curl up in a warm bed and fall asleep. The chill that enveloped her made it that much harder. If she slept fully clothed and under a mound of blankets, eventually she could get warm enough to fall asleep. But even then it wasn't always the most restful.

Caitlin pondered all this as she laid on the small bed in S.T.A.R. Labs. Her lack of body heat had never been more apparent to her than at that moment. The whole team had been working overtime that day, and Caitlin had gone nearly 48 hours without sleep. She was just trying to catch a few hours, but it would seem she might even be denied that. Caitlin was curled up in a tight ball, a thick blanket around her. However, it wasn't making a difference.

Caitlin had gotten pretty good at ignoring the permanent coldness and she had been hoping she'd be too tired to notice it. But it seemed the sleep deprivation had only made it worse. As a result, Caitlin laid there, exhausted, cold, and miserable.

The silence that filled the room was eventually disturbed by the gust of wind that heralded Barry's arrival. Briefly, she cracked her eyes open to find him moving about the area and looking through a stack of papers. He wasn't in a panic (or in need of medical attention) so Caitlin once again took up the futile attempt at sleep.

In the end, she wasn't sure what had attracted Barry's attention. Whether it was the look on her face, the position she was in, or the overall mood that was about her.

But after a few moments he put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Caitlin," he whispered softly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm just really tired," she answered as she looked up at him, "But I can't sleep."

"Why not?" Barry inquired quietly.

"I'm cold," Caitlin informed, too tired to attempt to brush it off or hide her discomfort.

"It's the middle of summer," he stated, perplexed.

"Barry, I'm always cold," Caitlin replied tiredly, "I have a lower body temperature, remember."

"Yeah, but I had no idea it actually made you feel uncomfortable," Barry frowned, "How come, you never told me?"

"It never came up." Caitlin only shrugged.

It wasn't a lie, it simply hadn't, it wasn't something that had been anybody's concern. It certainly hadn't been Barry's, and that was fine. Between Central City and his divorce, he was extremely busy. He had had more important things to worry about than Caitlin feeling cold.

"Can I get you anything?" Barry asked sincerely, still wearing a small frown.

"No, there isn't anything that really helps," Caitlin answered. "Layers and blankets don't hardly do anything. Sometimes a heater helps but not always."

"But thank you for asking," she added giving him a gentle smile.

Caitlin shrunk further under the covers, preparing to close her eyes again.

"What about body heat?" Barry suggested after a moment.

Caitlin only shrugged, too worn out for words. Truthfully, she'd never thought of that before, and even if she had, there hadn't been anyone in her life that she would've been comfortable asking.

"Here, can you scoot over a little?" Barry asked, already lifting up the covers and making a spot for himself.

"What?" Caitlin murmured through her sleep-deprived haze but did it nonetheless.

"If it'll help you get to sleep, then I think we should try it," Barry explained.

"I can't ask you to do that," she replied.

"You don't have to." He assured, laying down next to her and pulling the covers over them, "I really don't mind," he added.

Caitlin was apprehensive at first, but eventually, she relaxed and moved closer to Barry. At this point, she was so tired and was willing to try just about anything to get to sleep. Plus, even if he didn't succeed in warming her up, the simple comfort of having someone near would help quite a bit.

They were silent for a moment as the two got comfortable.

"Have you talked to Cisco about it?" Barry eventually spoke up.

Caitlin shook her head.

"I think you should, maybe we can figure out something to help you." He continued tentatively.

"Maybe." She mumbled sleepily.

To her great surprise, Caitlin began to feel warmer in a matter of minutes. Eventually, she scooted closer to Barry, her smaller form buried in his chest and her arms folded in front of her. He didn't shy away, he simply wrapped his arms around her. Caitlin couldn't help but noticed he smelled faintly of cologne and lab chemicals. She didn't mind, if anything it relaxed her. After a few moments, Barry let his molecules vibrate, resulting in extra heat. Caitlin felt as if she had been wrapped in a cocoon of warmth.

The muffled hum of equipment thrummed softly in the distance. Between that and the sound of Barry's steady breaths, Caitlin found herself being lulled to sleep. She soon drifted off, feeling warmer and more comfortable than she had in a very long time.