Simple Comforts

Iris had never been the kind of person that would stare at the clock as her shift drew to a close, but this was definitely one of those days; nearly from the moment BT had left, she had been almost glued to the clock on the computer screen next to where she was working. Jessica had noticed her change in behaviour, but she hadn't made any comment in case it was because she was still shaken from what had happened with the man she'd fought.

What surprised Iris the most was that there were no comments about how BT had called her 'mine' when he'd scolded the would-be robber. Truthfully, only Jessica had heard the comment, but she knew for a fact that her coworkers were a gossipy bunch. She wasn't about to look a gift-horse in the mouth, however, so she gladly stepped back and did her work as she enjoyed the relative peace of the store. There were no other instances that happened; most of those who came in were regulars.

She was really looking forward to not having to hear people say "oh, honey, you're so pale!" any more that day.

Taking in a deep breath to relax herself as she made her way into the back room of the store, her locker and work bag sitting there waiting for her to end her shift. Pulling off her compression work gloves and dropping them on the top shelf, the pale woman exchanged them for a warmer outdoor pair to cover the back of her hand once more. Her small satchel carried her wallet and her phone, ensuring that she wasn't lugging around a lot of weight on her way home.

She was always ready to run, and after all these years she was pretty good at it, too.

Pulling her coat on over her sweater, Iris carefully pulled her braid out from her jacket so as not to tug the strands before slinging her bag over one shoulder. She quickly checked the time on her phone before it went in her bag; Iris pulled the zipper of her sweater all the way up to the end, meeting just beneath her chin. It was slightly warmer today, but still a bit nippier than she was accustomed to or preferred. Just cold enough that she made sure to wear her coat.

She could feel her hands shaking, trembling at the realization that she was going to be with yet another of her soulmates. BT was the first to make an outward display of violence while with Iris, and somehow it hadn't startled her or scared her. Normally, violence would scare her away but when it came to BT it was oddly…reassuring.

Waving to her coworkers as she walked passed the aisles and counters, Iris was relieved to be leaving work—for once. Usually, it was when she had to leave for home that made her regret not having another job.

Meeting her soulmates really was changing everything about her life.

Her eyes were drawn to the front window, where she had sat on the bench with BT earlier that day; he was already there. Sitting with his ankles crossed, legs stretched far out in front of him, BT was as relaxed as could be while he was waiting, a few minutes early from the time they had decided on. As though knowing that she was there, he glanced over his shoulder to meet her eyes through the window. Immediately, a smile lit his features as he stood up and turned to face the window fully.

"Have a good evening, Iris!"

"Thank you, Jessica, you as well," Iris called over her shoulder before she slipped out of the store and into the chill of the evening. BT's hands slipped into his pockets as he greeted her with a smile.

"How was your shift?" he asked with a cautious grin.

"Just fine; happily boring," she assured, knowing that he was asking as a way of making sure that nothing else had happened to her after he'd left that morning. "What about you, how was your day?"

"I didn't do much, definitely distracted after this morning, so I guess it's a good thing I didn't have work," he admitted somewhat shyly, causing her to smile bashfully as her gaze fell to her feet. "So, you have anything planned tonight?" he asked as casually as he could, scuffing his shoes against the concrete as though in nervous habit.

Iris looked up to gauge his expression, noticing that he seemed to be half-dreading, half-anticipating her response. "No, no plans tonight. Why?"

Some of the tension left him, but he didn't relax entirely. "Wanna go for dinner? My treat."

Iris's heart leapt in excitement as her stomach tangled in nervous knots. "I'd love to, BT. But you don't have to pay-"

"'Ey, no. That's the only condition—I pay."

Biting on the inside of her left cheek, Iris already knew that arguing was pointless. "Alright, fine, you pay," she conceded, shaking her head both at herself and at him. "You pick where we go, than."

BT's smile was nearly blinding as he reached down and snatching Iris's hand, pulling her in close to him as he turned away from the direction of her apartment. The additional change in her everyday routine made her slightly twitchy, an aftershock of discomfort ricocheting in her chest, but then BT squeezed her hand and started to ramble about the restaurants that he knew around town, all the while asking if she had any allergies or foods that she absolutely couldn't stand.

No allergies and barring only sushi or other raw meats, BT pondered for a moment before he grinned broadly again and snapped the fingers of his free hand excitedly. "I know just the place, and I promise ya, doll, you're gunna love it!"

She didn't have time to react before he was tugging more insistently, nearly dragging her down the street. "Whoa, careful! My legs are shorter than yours!"

BT immediately slowed down for her, his strides still long but significantly reduced in speed. "Sorry, doll, just got excited," he apologized immediately as a bashful smile softened his features. "You are definitely tiny, though. Look at you!"

"Stop," Iris whined, leaning away when he used his free hand to hover over her head, demonstrating the limit of her height. "You guys are the worst; what's so wrong with being short?"

His teasing expression softened at her words, tugging her into his side again as he smiled reassuringly. "There's nothing wrong, doll. In fact, you're absolutely perfect in my opinion—just the right height for us to tuck you in real close." To demonstrate, he shifted so that his arm was wrapped over her shoulder and he was able to pull her in tight against his side. Iris's tiny stature had her with her head barely over his shoulder, so her body really did slot perfectly against his.

Her cheeks heated at the close contact, ducking her head while leaning into him ever so slightly. "Well, I'm way past the age for getting a growth spurt, so you're stuck with me like this."

BT smiled down at her before he swooped down and pressed a kiss against the crown of her head, much the same as he had done before he left that morning. "Don't you worry—you won't hear any of us complain about that."

"Good to know," she mumbled, momentarily shocked at having received two affectionate kisses from him.

She glanced along the street at the other people that were walking around, none of which were paying attention to the two of them. It shocked her, since she had always assumed that people were staring at her—judging her silently, even if they couldn't actually see any of her marks. Taking a calming breath, she forced herself to focus on BT's presence to her side.

"So, do I get any hints about where we're going?" she asked after a brief pause between them, remaining close to BT.

Shaking his head, BT refused to give even the slightest hint and instead declared that it was going to be a total surprise. Looking down at her slightly flushed complexion, the tiny smile that turned up the corner of her lips, even the whiskey eyes that were directed bashfully forward, BT was certain that he could spend the rest of his time in the light just looking at her. Taking her in. It made him wonder if this was how Barry felt when it came to his art, and the urge he had to draw things.

What he would give to be able to engrain her in his mind forward; to do so with every moment he had with her.

None of them had really known what to expect when it came to meeting their soulmate. They'd heard from others about their experiences, and each of them had taken the time to look on the internet at people's stories from their lives with a soulmate, dating back to their first encounter. However, they knew that it would be different for them. All sharing one body, and one soulmate, was bound to make it interesting.

BT had been concerned when Barry took the helm; he spent most of the time in the light, and therefore the rest of the alters were worried that he would spend all the time he wanted with their future soulmate. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, but it was still a worry none the less.

He was going to be in trouble with Barry later, that was for certain. He'd told them to just let things fall as they may and not to force a meeting with Iris. However, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up! To think that she was just down the street, so close to him but just out of reach all because Barry said so. No, he wasn't going to just sit by and miss this opportunity for himself.

And he was so, so glad that he had gone against Barry's orders. The rage that had gripped him when he'd seen the true and authentic fear on Iris's face, her soft coloured eyes narrowed and scared as she was faced with a man much larger than her, had been enough to cause his muscles to shake with tension. He'd come in just in time to see the smack he received to the back of his hand, reminding BT about what Luke had told him regarding her surprisingly fast reflexes, and the faintest bit of pride welled in his chest.

She was a tiny thing and it was clear that intimidation had some effect on her, but she hadn't let that stop her. Lashing out as she had proved that, although her backbone looked frail, it was sturdy.

Holding her just a little bit closer, Iris glanced up at him curiously. He made sure that he wasn't glaring or showing any of the anger from remembering that morning, and instead beamed down at her with one of his best smiles before he pressed another kiss against her hair. "Almost there. You tired from work?"

"Yea, it was a long day. Having that man come in this morning set me on edge, too. I was tense all day," she admitted quietly, nearly bowing her head down in embarrassment. "And I was excited to see you again."

"Aw, doll, I'm touched," BT teased gently, placing his free hand over his heart in a mock-swoon. "But if we're confessing an all, you've been on my mind all day." Her pale cheeks were immediately dusted with another blush, to which BT silently celebrated. He loved it when her cheeks went rosy, it made her look livelier, but at the same time similar to a china doll. "And it wasn't just 'cause I was worried about you. I've been hoping all day that you'd say yes to dinner."

"Well, no more worrying," she answered softly, giving him one of the brighter smiles he'd seen from her thus far.

"And on that note," he stated suddenly, slowing his stride as they approached a street corner. "We're here."

Iris looked up toward the sign that wrapped around the corner. New York, New York. It was a pizza place, considered to have the best pizza from New York. "I've heard of this place," she started happily, thankful that it was just a simple place and not something overly fancy. People in restaurants with big open rooms almost made her feel uncomfortable and exposed. A pizzeria she could do. "Never been here, though."

"Well, prepare to be absolutely amazed," BT assured, stepping forward to grab the door for her. Iris smiled and nodded her thanks as she stepped inside, immediately overwhelmed with the smell of cheese, tomatoes and fresh dough. BT stepped in behind her, returning his arm over her shoulders as though in protective gesture.

An older man, who Iris strongly assumed was Italian, beamed at them from the counter. "Welcome! What can I get for you two?" Yep, definitely Italian.

BT grinned back before he turned his attention down to Iris. "What do you say, separate slices or we go all the way and get a deep dish?"

Iris offered back a mirroring grin, though much more subdued than BT's. "Deep dish," she answered confidently.

"Pepperoni?"

"Can't go wrong with that," she answered immediately.

BT was already pulling out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. "I'll order, you go grab a table." Iris knew that trying to argue about who was going to pay was useless, so she simply nodded and moved over to a free booth near the door to the kitchen. The smells coming from inside drew her in, wrapping her in comfort. She'd never really been one to eat out, so when it came to getting pizza or another greasy, in-no-way good for you food, she always found it to be a comfort.

Sliding into the booth, Iris looked over when she heard BT's booming laugh. He was joking with the older man behind the counter as he waited for his change. The bright smile on his face was contagious and Iris soon felt her own lips curving upward at the sight. BT glanced over at her in that instant, the soft blue of his eyes meeting her whiskey ones before he grin grew even more when he caught her watching him with a smile.

Immediately bashful, Iris's eyes lowered to the hands she had folded in her lap as her cheeks warmed with yet another blush. Her heartrate increased as she looked down at the back of her hand, the mark covered by her spring gloves. Suddenly, the sight of the mark covered up didn't sit as well with her. BT showed off all of his marks with pride, even if he was going to receive looks of ridicule from people that he passed on the street.

Swallowing thickly, Iris eased the glove off her hand and moved to tuck them into her simple bag alongside her phone. The pizzeria was warm enough that she'd overheat from wearing them anyway. BT slid into the booth across from her in that moment, the smile never having left his face.

"So, what did you do today? If you don't mind me asking," she added on quickly, not sure if she was overstepping her bounds.

BT just laughed it off. "Ask me anything you want, I won't mind," he assured, "and I was at the gym for most of the day. I like to exercise, probably a bit more than I should but…everyone's got their thing."

Iris smiled in assurance as she remembered her discussion with Barry; his thing was art. "I understand completely," she assured. "I love music. I've always used it when I needed to calm down or if I needed help focusing on something. It…centers me."

BT leaned forward in interest, lacing his fingers together on the table as he leaned on his elbows. "Yea? Like, you play instruments?"

"Some," she answered bashfully, nervously tracing her finger over the mark on the back of the hand, hidden beneath the table so no one could see. "I only took some lessons for things, so I'm mostly self-taught. Most of the lessons I took were singing lessons, actually." His eyebrows immediately went up in surprise, though thoroughly interested, and Iris couldn't help but to feel some pride at the expression of wonder that soon fell over his features.

"You know you're gunna have to sing for me now, right? You can't just say that and not let me hear."

Iris covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh god, no. I've never sung in front of someone," she admitted, her words muffled against her hands. BT's eyes flicked briefly to the black mark on her hand but the writing too small for him to make out. Reaching out, he took a gentle hold of her hands and drew them away from her face to show the reddened, flushed skin beneath.

"Relax, doll, there's no pressure," he promised calmly, gifting her with a more subdued, true smile. "I'd love to hear it, believe me, but only when you really want to."

In the past, Iris was accustomed to people reacting in much more demanding ways. They'd see her fiddling with piano keys and immediately demand that she play something, or she'd be singing under her breath when she thought no one was around at work and they'd ask her to sing something. With BT, to know that he was patient enough to wait for her to be confident in her own talents, it warmed her heart.

"Thank you," she whispered, meeting his eyes shyly.

BT just smiled in return and lifted her hands to press a kiss against her knuckles in comfort. "So, what lessons, aside from singing, did you take?"

They fell into comfortable conversation as they waited for their pizza, Iris telling him about the brief lessons she had taken for piano, guitar and violin, all by an older woman who'd retired and wanted to share her love of music. When she'd realized that Iris had a natural talent for music, she'd given her a discount on lessons and had proceeded to teach her the beginner lessons and some more advanced ones. Unfortunately, she'd gotten sick after two years and her family moved her out of state to a home that was closer to them.

She was probably one of the closer things Iris had ever experienced similar to family affection. She'd known about Iris's marks, at least the few that she could see, and had never judged her. "I've lived through too much to start judging other people," she'd told her. "I'm met a few soulmate groups over the years and they were always the happiest people out there."

Knowing that other people with multiple marks had made happy lives for themselves had given Iris hope, some of the fear that lingered with the 'what if' thoughts dissipating.

And now that she'd met some of them, each as charming and kind as the last, Iris finally felt that she could live in peace with her marks.