Iris doesn't believe in fate. But she does believe someone out there is a cruel, cruel being bent on her total destruction… All right, that might be going too far but when the fire alarm for the entire building starts going off at three in the morning and she has an early shift at work the next day followed by a full afternoon of classes, Iris thinks she's earned the right to be a little dramatic.
She pulls the sleeves of her sweatshirt down over her hands and crosses her arms over her chest, pouting at the door to her apartment building that the firemen had disappeared into over ten minutes prior. Her neighbors – most of whom she's realizing she has never met – mill around her in various states of undress. The older woman from three doors down already tutted disapprovingly at the sight of her tiny red shorts like Iris was supposed to have known she'd be giving the whole building a free show. The guy from the floor below her keeps creeping closer to her and she's not in the right mindset to tell him nicely to get lost.
She's about to turn and tell him exactly what she thinks of him and his creepy leer when her next door neighbor, Barry, steps up from behind her, effectively blocking her view of Dude-Bro-2J. Barry lets out a grown as he rubs his hands up and down his bare arms, staring upwards toward the roof of the building. Iris blushes when she realizes that the guy is practically naked except for the boxer shorts covered in some sort of design. Are those lightning bolts? Iris wonders idly before she realizes she's staring at a particularly inappropriate area. She's starting to rival the creepiness of 2J.
Her eyes snap up as another figure moves forward, pressing themselves against Barry's side.
"Worst. Sleepover. Ever," the woman teases, earning a chuckle from Barry. Oh, God, is that his girlfriend? Of course, it's his girlfriend, you idiot, look at her! Look at him! Shit, no, do not look at him.
Iris distracts herself once again from her neighbor's surprisingly solid body by surveying the woman next to him. She's blonde and apparently much smarter and level-headed than Iris seeing as she'd actually had the foresight to grab a coat on the way out the door. Iris was lucky she'd managed to slip on her flip flops. She's got a purple peacoat wrapped around her that's falling to her lower thighs and if that's what a case of bedhead is for her, Iris is definitely going to ask for her conditioner brand.
The woman spots Iris and gives her a smile that Iris blushes while returning. Well done, West, in an effort not to check out him you now seem like you were checking out her. Truly astounding.
"Great night not to go to bed naked, huh?" The woman jokes, still directing her attention at Iris who chuckles and nods.
"Felicity," Barry admonishes, the tips of his ears going red and the woman – Felicity – laughs. Iris shakes her head, deciding to make the best of an incredibly awkward situation, stepping toward them.
"Yeah, well, if you ask Mrs. Doubtfire over there I might as well be wearing pasties and a Ritz cracker," Iris comments, tilting her head in the direction of the woman from down the hall. Felicity's eyes widen at the comment and she barks a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand and bending slightly at the waist. Iris notices that Barry goes even redder and she feels her own cheeks heat up as she realizes the visual she'd just offered up.
"You're Iris, right?" Felicity asks, once she's recovered, and Iris frowns almost missing Barry's subtle nudge to Felicity's side. "Barry's neighbor? He's mentioned you." Iris' eyes widen and she grins at Barry.
"Really?" He gives her a shy smile in return but waves his hand as if it's nothing. "Didn't know I'd made that lasting of an impression." Barry gives Felicity a glare before turning to Iris.
"I'm not like a creep or anything," he chuckles and Iris realizes it's the first full sentence he's given to the conversation since it started. "I just mentioned that I had a neighbor named Iris." Felicity goes stoic and nods to confirm this but Iris barely notices her because Barry is smiling and rubbing that back of his neck and God she really hopes Felicity isn't his girlfriend.
"Ah," Iris nods, "so, you're the one who's been making all noise complaints about me." Barry's eyes widen and he looks a little lost before he realizes she's joking and nods along.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry I'm just not much of a heavy metal fan," he shrugs and Iris nods slowly.
"Well, I'll try to keep my rocking out to a more manageable level from now on."
"I appreciate that," he grins and then gives a violent shiver, wrapping his arms around himself, as a particularly icy breeze sweeps over them. He curses under his breath and Iris lets out a string of mental curses herself because even that's adorable!
"Oh, thank God!" Felicity nearly shouts when the firefighters finally exit the building, waving their arms in a gesture that's clearly supposed to mean 'all clear'. Iris can't even worry about what asshole had pulled the fire alarm in the first place, too concerned with her bed calling her name and the still very naked, very attractive man next to her. Barry gives her an apologetic grin as Felicity sprints for the building and Iris decides there will be plenty of time to be angry in the morning.
And angry she is.
Being the only person on time to open a coffee shop on a Monday morning is bad enough. Doing it after being dragged out of bed at three in the morning at the prospect of death is worse. Add on the fact that the customers waiting outside for the doors to open apparently think coffee comes from a tap and doesn't need to be brewed and that she can't stop thinking about her nearly naked neighbor and his extremely nice maybe-girlfriend, like some pathetic teenager, and it's downright torture.
"Get it together, West," she scolds herself when she drops the third cup of coffee of the day. She knows her inability to focus rests solely on her very limited amount of sleep and she tries to decide if losing an hour or so of pay is worth the extra sleep before class when the door bells chime and she spots the new customers over the heads of the people in line.
"No, Barry, I can't have this conversation again," Felicity groans as they stand in line. "At least, not before coffee."
"I'm just saying I think I would know!" Barry argues. "The science behind superheroes is theoretically sound!"
"No, because you're not saying this as a scientist who happens to have an extensive knowledge of comic books, you're saying this as a comic book enthusiast who just happens to be a scientist. Seriously, Barry, find a different nerd to share your theories with because this one?" She indicates herself with her thumb. "Ain't buyin'." Barry groans as they reach the front of the line but his eyes light with recognition as he turns to Iris.
"Hey," he smiles and Iris' stomach flutters. Flutters? Iris thinks. God, what are you? Twelve? She manages to smile back though and hopes she doesn't come off as unfriendly but her warring thoughts are creating a stale taste in her mouth and everything would be so much better if she could just get a nap!
"Hey back," Iris responds. Felicity grins, looking between the two with a look in her eyes Iris can't identify.
"I didn't know you worked here," Barry continues and Iris must be imagining things because he's definitely staring at her with that adorable smile and she has to remind herself to be casual.
"I practically live here," she jokes, pressing the button to start a new sale on her register. "What can I get you guys?" Felicity peruses the menu briefly.
"Whatever has the most sugar and the best taste," she says after a moment, "a large. On him." Barry rolls his eyes but doesn't argue.
"Ah, so, a double white chocolate espresso," Iris nods, ringing the item up and looking to Barry.
"Just a medium coffee with milk."
"Easy," Iris comments without thinking, "just how I like my men." She's so used to teasing customers like this it takes a moment for what she's said to sink in and her cheeks immediately heat up. When she looks back up from her register Barry is staring at his shoes and his own cheeks are red. Felicity is grinning like a maniac.
"That was incredibly inappropriate. I wasn't trying to insinuate- I didn't mean," she stops, her cheeks burning, "I'm gonna go make your coffee now!" She rushes off behind the counter to make the two coffees but manages to see Felicity elbow Barry gently, getting his attention as she leans over and comments, "I like her."
It isn't until they've finished their coffee and they're leaving that her embarrassment mostly settles and her hands have stopped shaking. Up until Felicity stops by the counter while Barry is tossing their cups in the trash.
"We're not together, by the way," she comments and Iris frowns in confusion.
"What?"
"Barry and I. I live in Starling and I needed a place to crash while I was here. I just wanted to make sure you knew," she explains but Iris is still confused, her frown deepening as Felicity pushes off from the counter and heads back towards Barry who gives Iris a small wave as they head out the door.
She doesn't even manage to return it.
If the universe were under the impression that it owed her one, having her come home to the cute boy next door on her doorstep was certainly the way to even things out. She falters as she rounds the corner, noticing him sitting on the floor. It's been a few days since her conversation with Felicity and she's only seen him in passing since. He's slumped against the wall between their doors with his eyes closed and she thinks he might be asleep until he very suddenly lifts his head and thumps it quite roughly against the wall behind him. Play it cool, Iris, she instructs herself, for once in your life be cool.
"Now, what'd that poor wall ever do to you?" She quips and his eyes fly open in surprise. He grins sheepishly at her.
"Well, for one, if it didn't exist I wouldn't be locked out of my apartment right now." Iris nods sagely.
"Sure, but then I'd be privy to all your gross boy stuff," she teases and Barry lets out a snort. "Did you call a locksmith or the super?" Barry let's his head fall back to thump against the wall again.
"Would you believe my phone is in there, too?" Iris shakes her head and unlocks her own door motioning for him to follow.
"Well, come on, then. I can't leave you alone out here like a lost puppy. Someone might try to adopt you." He chuckles and pushes himself off of the floor trailing behind her into her apartment. She flips on the closest light and digs her phone out of her purse, tossing it in his direction. He fumbles trying to catch it and nearly drops it three times before he halts it between his palm and his upper thigh. Iris laughs, pointing a finger at him.
"You break it you buy me a new one," she warns and he nods quickly like he's actually worried he might break it in the time it takes him to call the super. Iris wonders if she should be concerned about her irrational fondness for a man she barely knows. She decides to deal with that thought later and heads towards her kitchen for two bottles of water.
He's hanging up by the time she heads back into her living room. He smiles at her sheepishly and gently sets the phone down on her coffee table. She holds the bottle of water out to him and he stares at it warily.
"We can fill it with vodka if you need something stronger," she offers teasingly and he seems to relax a bit, taking it from her.
"I just don't want to impose."
"Well," she shrugs, "having you wait here is infinitely preferable to having you bust a hole through my wall with the mere power of self-loathing." He grins and she steps around him, suddenly aware of the mess that is her coffee table. Her Mass Communications class is one of her favorites this semester but the work load is astounding and the table is littered with printouts and photocopies of pages from the text books.
"Media and Culture," Barry reads off, picking the thick textbook up and flipping it over in his hands, looking up to smile at her. "Work or pleasure?"
"Isn't the right answer a little bit of both?" She jokes, taking the book from him and stuffing the papers somewhere in the middle before setting it aside with her laptop. "I'm a journalism major."
"Let me guess," he starts, following suit as she drops down onto the couch, "you believe the written word can change the world." From anyone else it might sound like they were mocking her but there's no cruelty in his tone and a sincerity in the way he's looking at her. She shrugs.
"It can't hurt to try." She pauses, tilting her head at him. "Do you think it can?"
"I think if anyone could make it happen, it seems like it'd be you." The sentiment should seem ridiculous and placating because he barely knows her but he says it with such conviction, like he's so sure she could do something great she's nearly believing it herself. She sucks in a breath and is sure the smile on her face must look ridiculous but Barry is grinning back at her so how bad can it be?
It's almost two hours later when Iris realizes she's starving. Barry is still sitting next to her on her couch and they've been talking on and off for the past two hours, lapsing into silence that is decidedly not uncomfortable every now and again. The TV is on low but neither of them are paying much attention to it. Iris doesn't know what could be taking the super so long but she can't complain about the company. In the time since she'd come home to find him on her doorstep, she's learned that Barry is a scientist and an extremely passionate one at that. Just listening to him talk so animatedly about things she doesn't understand makes her excited and she likes that he can inspire that reaction in other people. She's sure she can't be the only one to have noticed that he practically buzzes with excitement while talking about his work.
Iris realizes she's been staring at his profile for a little while now and is reminded of her previous thoughts when his stomach grumbles. He doesn't acknowledge it, in his own world himself it seems, but Iris smiles fondly at him.
"Are you hungry?" She asks, Barry turning to her with raised eyebrows. "I don't think I have anything here but I could order something."
"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to order food because of me."
"I'm gonna end up ordering food regardless so you might as well get in on it while you can," she points out, standing up to find her delivery menus. "What do you think? Chinese, pizza, or Thai?"
It's another half hour before their food shows up and Barry insists on paying since she's putting him up. She tries to fight it but he gives her a look that makes her heart speed up and she knows she's lost. She was probably doomed from the minute that fire alarm woke her up.
Barry over tips the delivery guy and nearly drops the entire bag of food on his way back to the couch. Iris is laughing uncontrollably as he unpacks the food, alternating between watching what he's doing and throwing dry looks in her direction. By the time she sobers, he has the whole meal divided between them and spread across her coffee table with surprising precision. She surveys the layout, a clear pattern to the spread of food, and smiles.
"How is it that you forgot your keys and your phone but managed to have your wallet and enough money to buy dinner?" She asks, picking up the container of sesame chicken and a plastic fork. Barry shrugs, swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
"Subconsciously I must've known I'd owe a pretty girl dinner," her offers.
"Smooth," she comments chuckling and trying to hide her blush.
"Really? 'Cause it felt kind of cheesy," he admits, sincerely, looking a little embarrassed.
"Well, the affect would have been better if you didn't have a noodle hanging from your lip," Iris shrugs nonchalantly. Barry's eyes widen and his hand flies to his mouth, searching in vain for the noodle.
"Oh," he says when he notices her smirk, his hand falling as he pins her with a look. "Thanks." Iris wiggles her eyebrows at him teasingly.
"Gotta keep you humble."
The super finally shows up with a ring of labeled keys halfway through their meal. He unlocks Barry's door as they clean up the food, dividing up the leftovers. Barry smiles sheepishly at her, clutching his bag of leftovers in one hand and rubbing the back of his neck with the other. He clears his throat and moves his hand from his neck, gesturing vaguely.
"Well," he starts and Iris cuts him off before he can say goodbye.
"Walk you home?" She asks, only half joking, grinning when Barry nods enthusiastically. They trail out of her apartment together and across the three feet to his door in silence, stopping to stare at each other awkwardly once more outside of his apartment, the door pushed wide and the super nowhere in sight.
"So," Barry starts, clearing his throat again when it comes out kind of thick and scratchy. "So, uh, maybe I could treat you to a real dinner sometime."
"Like a, um," she falters, her voice not working this time, "like a date?" Barry shrugs but looks extremely hopeful and Iris imagines she must look the same way. And hopefully not like she's about to throw up from nervousness.
"I mean, yeah, if you wanted," he says then rushes on, "but, don't feel like it has to be. It can just be, like, a friends thing, like tonight. Or, uh, we could just not go at all or whatever, I mean-" Iris cuts him off, stepping forward and reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. She falls back on her heels and smiles up at him.
"I'd love to."
Iris doesn't believe in fate. But she does think that fire alarm was a blessing in disguise.