"Hey, Barry," Iris sings in the voice she always uses when she wants him to join in on one of her plans.
"Yes, Iris?" Barry says as he hands her his extra juice box.
She takes it eagerly, punching the straw through the hole. "You like science, right?
He nods slowly, eying her suspiciously. She knows he likes science. She's up to something and he just hopes this latest scheme won't involve detention again. His mom wasn't too happy last time. "Uh-huh."
"Do you have a magnifying glass?" she asks innocently, handing him her pack of Oreos. He takes three.
"A magnifying glass? What do you need a magnifying glass for?" he asks, furrowing his brow.
"My daddy went Christmas shopping the other day." Barry nods along, stuffing his mouth with one of the Oreos. "He always hides the presents from me so I won't peek."
"What does this have to do with a magnifying glass?" Barry asks, mouth still half-full with Oreo.
"Ew! Gross, Barry!" she laughs, slapping his arm lightly.
He just sticks out his tongue, cookie crumbles and all, laughing harder as she wrinkles her nose. He's always doing stupid things like this but it's so worth it to hear her laugh. He could never get tired of that sound.
"Anyway," Iris says once they've calmed down. "I need the magnifying glass so I can find the presents."
"Are these presents really that tiny?" Barry quips, grinning smugly at his own joke.
Iris laughs and reaches over to shove him lightly again. "It's just part of the game. I'll be Detective Iris West." She puts her hands on her waist, mimicking a superhero stance. "The greatest girl detective since Nancy Drew!"
"Oh," he says, imagining Iris in a Sherlock Holmesian outfit. The image makes him smile. Iris would be a really cute detective. "That sounds awesome. You'd make a great detective."
Iris beams at him. "I know, right! So do you have a magnifying glass or not?"
"Yeah, I have a magnifying glass you can use," he says, grinning.
"Cool! Thanks!" she says happily. "You're the best, Barry." Her eyes light up and Barry can practically see the gears turning in her head. "Ooh! You should help me! It can be an adventure!"
"I don't know, Iris," Barry says hesitantly. It sounds fun but… "What if your dad catches us?"
"Then he catches us," she says, shrugging, unconcerned.
"But he could get mad and not let us play together anymore," Barry says. Barney's mom stopped letting him play with Johnny because she caught Johnny saying a bad word. He really doesn't want to be banned from playing with Iris.
"Don't be silly," she says, laughing as she rolls her eyes. "My dad likes you a lot. He'd never stop letting us play together." Smirking, she adds, "Besides, I get you into lots of trouble and your mom still lets you play with me."
"That's because you charmed her with your smile," Barry says accusingly, wagging a cheese stick at her.
"What can I say?" she says with an innocent smile that gets Barry's heart thumping just a little bit faster. But only just a little. "Everybody likes me."
"That is very true," Barry agrees, bobbing his head. Some more than others… "When should I bring my magnifying glass?"
Iris taps her chin thoughtfully. "Hm. My dad is on call on Saturday. You should come over then."
"Alright. Cool."
—
Barry comes by Iris' house after lunch on Saturday with his magnifying glass as agreed. Her baby-sitter opens the door, though Iris grumbles, complaining about how she's old enough to do it herself. His mom makes pleasantries with the sitter and Barry is whisked upstairs by Iris.
"Here," she says, giving Barry a much too big white cardigan. He thinks it's her sitter's.
"What is this for?" Barry asks, forehead creasing as he holds up the garment to examine.
"It's your costume, duh," Iris says exasperatedly as she puts a plaid cap on her head.
"What am I supposed to be?" he asks, his brow furrowing even more.
"I'm Detective Iris West and you're my trusty scientist sidekick, Doctor Barry Allen," she says with a wide grin. "It's a lab coat."
"My dad's an actual doctor," he points out. "I could've gotten a real lab coat from him."
"Shhhhhh," she says, a teasing glint in her eyes. "That's no way for a sidekick to talk."
"I'm not a sidekick," he protests.
"Whatever you say, Dr. Bartholomew Allen," she says, laughing.
Barry wrinkles his nose. "The name? You're seriously using the name?"
That just makes her laugh harder. "It's a cute name, Barry."
"Uh-huh."
"No really. It's cute." She smiles at him and his stomach does that weird flip-flopping thing that it always does when she smiles. "Now will you put on the coat? We have some investigating to do, partner."
"Partner?" he says, as he puts his arm through one of the sleeve holes. "I thought I was just your sidekick?"
"Did I say that?" she says innocently.
"Yup." The sleeves fall loosely on him and he feels a little ridiculous wearing something that swallows him whole. Iris just looks really cute in her cap. "How do I look?"
"Like the cutest scientist ever," she says, grinning.
The words make Barry's cheeks heat up. He hopes she doesn't notice him blushing or he'll never live it down. "You, uh, look cute too."
"Thanks," she says, beaming widely at him. She picks up his magnifying glass and puts it up to her eye. Looping her arm through his, she says, "Shall we investigate now, Dr. Allen?"
The warmth of her arm sends flip-flops to his stomach again, but he ignores it and grins. "Let's go, Detective West."