A/N: That fb scene Nora spied on in 5x08 meant to take place at the end of 2x18 gave me feels, so I started this. Hopefully I can finish it this month, but who knows honestly. Anyway, this first chapter is mostly just the scene from the ep (5x08) word-for-word, or at least half of it is. It's also my fic for Day 5 of 25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction. I hope you enjoy!

*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 1 -

Everyone dispersed from the room pretty quickly. Joe left with Wally. Cisco likely retreated to his workshop, devastated over Caitlin's unexpected kidnapping. Harry left, blaming them all for this turn of events. Despite being aware of the direction everyone had gone, Iris' eyes stayed glued to Barry. When he rushed into the hall, overwhelmed by what had just happened, there was no question that she would follow him.

She found his face pressed to the wall as he fought to stay standing and quietly slid in next to him.

"Barry," she said softly, greeted with nothing but his heavy breathing. She placed her hand on him in a hopefully comforting gesture. "You can't let your losses stop you. You're the one who taught me that."

He turned around, not facing her but not leaving her side either.

"You have to keep moving, you have to…push through. You have to find a way. You have to fight."

He sank down the wall, no doubt trying to listen to her words, trying to see a path through the failure.

Iris went down on her knees beside him, resting her hand on his back, reassuring as always, gentle in her determination to keep him from falling apart.

"So that nothing will ever hold you back, Barry." She paused. "Zoom took Caitlin, and I know you lost your speed, but…everyone is here to help." Barry nodded, and she felt a minor victory. "My dad, Cisco, Harry…" She held her breath, wondering if she should insert one more name. Wondering if she should put herself out there, given how she felt about him. Even if he assumed she only meant friendship.

Resolved to accept whatever it might bring, she gripped his arm to bring his full attention to her.

"Me."

He turned to look at her, finally meeting her gaze, seeing the concern there and letting it wash over him. She felt relief, and she knew he was feeling it too.

She also registered how he wasn't looking away, and how she wasn't looking away. Unable to stop herself, her eyes dropped to his lips. When she looked back up into his eyes, she saw some confusion there, like he thought he'd seen something that wasn't real, and she couldn't stop herself.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

It was a single kiss, meant to satisfy her urge, meant to be addressed later. He responded by kissing back, but only slightly, maybe only on instinct. When she pulled back, she saw more confusion in his eyes. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't know what it meant. She didn't blame him. She hardly knew herself.

She should've stopped then. She should've brushed it off as something, she didn't know what. Maybe she should've just ignored it, laid her head on his shoulder, gripped his hand as a comfort and just pretended it didn't happen.

But she didn't do any of those things.

Instead, she reached out and sank her fingers into his hair, sweaty, plastered to his skin, but she didn't care. She watched how her fingers disappeared into the brown locks, and then she leaned forward and kissed him again.

This time he responded more. He turned towards her fully when her other hand cupped his face and started pulling him to her. Iris could hardly get a hold of herself until he was falling out of his perched squat and nearly on top of her. The jolt caused them both to break apart.

"W-Wait, Iris."

He was breathing heavily, and she waited for him to right himself. Whatever he wanted to call this, she would let him. He deserved it after the night he had. He'd saved her brother and lost a friend, his speed, and any hope of protecting the city from Zoom. If he didn't want to deal with what had just transpired in this moment, then-

"I can't go home," he said, interrupting her thoughts.

Her brows furrowed.

"I can't go home to Joe, to Wally. Wally doesn't know I'm the Flash. And I can't…he won't understand. He won't-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," she said, rubbing his arm soothingly. "You don't have to."

He sighed, relieved, but the dilemma of where he would stay crossed his features. Harry was going to be at STAR Labs, and he was pissed. Cisco was devastated over the loss of Caitlin. That only left…

"You can come home with me."

His brows furrowed. "Iris-"

"Not for that," she said. "Not unless you-" She shook her head and met his eyes again, determination at the forefront. "If you want someplace safe to stay, where you don't have to worry about answering questions you don't want to or… If you just want to get some sleep. I have room." She gripped his arm again, squeezing gently. "Come home with me."

Barry debated for a couple seconds, maybe more, and then nodded.

"Okay."

…

When Iris opened the door to her single room apartment and Barry spotted the loveseat couch, he felt a fight rise up in him.

"Iris, maybe I shouldn't-"

She spun around to face him. "What? Why?"

He gestured to the couch. "There's no way I can-"

She relaxed. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm taking the couch."

"Iris, no, I'll just-"

"You'll stay here and sleep in my bed is what you'll do."

"Iris."

"I fit perfectly on that couch, Barry, and my bed is long enough to fit you on it." She looked away briefly at the implications of that. "It's fine. I insist you use it."

Not wanting to argue the point, Barry nodded.

Iris smiled. "Let me just grab some blankets and a pillow, then you can get to sleep."

He heaved a heavy sigh but didn't try to stop her. Within minutes she was changed into cozy pajamas and had situation herself on the couch. He still stood there looking helpless, so she got up and hugged him tightly. It didn't matter that he didn't really hug her back.

She tipped her chin up to look at him.

"Get some sleep, Barry. We'll figure everything else out in the morning."

He nodded again and untangled himself from her. Then he went down the short hall to her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

…

Iris hadn't lied when she said the couch fit her perfectly. It did, and she was comfortable. But she couldn't sleep for the life of her. She kept thinking about Barry and how he must be feeling. Not just about his speed and Wally and Caitlin and Zoom, but about their kiss. It was probably selfish of her, but she couldn't help it. She'd been unsure if he still liked her the way she realized she now liked him. She couldn't help but think that his reciprocating their kiss, especially the second time, was a sign that he did.

He wouldn't just kiss her because he was seeking some comfort, right? Her Barry wouldn't do that.

Iris turned over again on the couch, trying to put the thought out of her mind, to clear her mind so she could finally sleep. But she noticed then a stream of light under her bedroom door. She didn't know if it had been on this whole time or not, but it was past 3am. Maybe Barry was having a hard time sleeping too.

She peeled the blankets back and quietly stood to her feet, rounding the couch. She hesitated, unsure of where this would go, if nothing would happen. Maybe he just wanted to sleep with the lights on because having the lights off reminded him too much of Zoom, reminded him of everything he hated and all that he'd lost.

But then she saw a shadow under the door and knew he was either pacing or approaching it just as she was.

"Barry?" She called out quietly, pausing a few steps down the short hall. "Barry, are you-?"

The door opened, and her eyes widened. She held her breath as she looked up at him, his hair a disheveled mess, his expression heartbreaking. She could see he'd been crying or at least near tears. She berated herself for not hearing it. She knew the sound of muffled crying into a pillow because she'd heard it numerous times down the hall when they were children.

"Oh, Barry." Her heart broke and she reached her hand up to the side of his face. He leaned into it, breathing a little bit easier.

Then he lowered his own hand to her face, cradling it, transferring comfort to her the same as she was to him. Surely he was more burdened than she was, but he saw the heartbreak for him on her face. He wanted to soothe it, and he wanted to thank her for being so good to him.

"I can't sleep," he finally said, but he didn't open his eyes. He held her hand against his face instead, afraid she'd let go. Nothing on earth could've made her.

"Barry," she said softly but as a demand that brought him to attention, made him open his eyes.

He looked at her, his eyes searching for an answer just as they had before when she'd kissed him with no warning. She slid her hand up his shirt, clutched his collar and pulled him down to her just as she went up onto her tiptoes.

When their lips touched, she swore she felt a spark, even with his speed gone. Or maybe it was just the inevitability of what was about to happen, of what had always been destined between them.

"Wait, we were married?"

She broke away after one kiss, but she didn't move. She stayed frozen inches from his lips, their breath intermingling, fate hanging in the balance.

And after that one moment, he kissed her on his own. His hands cupped her face, and he kissed her again and again. The kisses became hungrier, more feverish, and before either of them knew it he was backing up into her bedroom straight for the bed and Iris was kicking the door closed behind them.