When I Wake

Waking up was a slow process for Iris—at least, this time it was. Usually, she would wake to her alarm and immediately get out of bed before she could allow herself to fall asleep. However, this morning was different. Her mind gradually rose from a foggy dream that she was already forgetting, the warmth in which she was waking up to much different than her average morning. Had she forgotten to turn off her heater through the night? It wouldn't be the first time.

Sighing softly and curling up in a tighter ball, Iris frowned slightly when her forehead pushed into something warm and firm. Pressing her forehead against it more firmly, she couldn't bring to mind anything that was usually in her bed-

Oh

Hitching her breath as her eyes flew open to land on a dark grey sweater made of soft wool; Iris remembered the feeling of Barry's arms wrapped around her as they settled down against her mattress. Drawing her forehead away from what she assumed was Barry's upper chest, near his collarbone, Iris forced herself to look up to his face.

How he had slept through her moving and pushing against him amazed her, but Barry was still sleeping deeply when she looked up at him. The sound of his breaths was faint, not enough to qualify as a snore, and his lips were barely parted enough for her to see the white tips of his teeth. They had both been rather tense the night before, but Barry had spent a good portion of it with a smile brightening his features. To see him now with a completely relaxed look on his face was so different from that which she had become accustomed.

Shifting carefully, Iris pulled herself up and away so that she could rest her head on the other pillow as she looked over his soft features quietly. She wasn't sure how old Barry was, but her guess the night before had been near the same age as her—nearing his thirties. Now, he easily looked to be early to mid-twenties.

Before she even realized it she was smiling again, thinking back to how well things had gone the night before. She was admittedly surprised to have woken up before him, but she was sure he was more tired than he had let on. Shifting again to prop herself up on one elbow, Iris resisted the urge to reach out for him in favour to knowing that he was getting well deserved sleep. As much as she wished to sleep as well, to join him once more, she knew that she would not be able to resume her rest as easily as the night before.

Her mind was not only awake, but running a mile a minute as she came to realize that her soulmate was in her bed and she had no idea the etiquette of having any kind of house guest.

She didn't even have any food.

Biting her lip nervously for a moment, Iris glanced over to her small kitchen. She was only a few minutes away from the café she and Barry had gone to the night before; if she was to hurry, she could possibly go and get breakfast for the two of them before he woke up. Glancing down at the slumbering man once more, Iris decided it would be best to slip out as quickly as possible.

He had paid for their teas the night before, insisting to the point that he snagged the card Iris had been intending to pay with and held it hostage until the woman who had served them handed back his change with a giggle at their behaviour. She figured that this could be her way of paying him back.

So, the small woman slipped from the bed as silently as she could and moved over to the heater that had been on all night—thankfully on low, otherwise she might have roasted them both if it had been on high. Slipping into the bathroom quickly, it was less than two minutes later that she was sneaking out her apartment with a short note left on the bed in case he woke up while she was gone.

She truly hoped that he slept until she returned; she felt strange having someone wake up in her apartment when she's not even there.

Jogging down the stairs effectively removed majority of the sleep-haze that remained around her mind—the rest disappeared when she stepped out into the rather frigid morning air. Glancing at her phone told her it was barely past seven in the morning, which explained why there was only a steady amount of people on the streets already.

She knew that the closer it got to eight, the more people would be up and on their way in to work. Hoping to beat the rush, she sped-walked to the café; this also helped to keep her warm in the chilly morning, as well as cut down on the time that it would take to return to Barry. Thankfully, luck seemed to be on her side that particular morning when she stepped into the café with only two people in front of her.

The downside was that she had no idea what to get for food since she wasn't sure what Barry would like to eat. So, she went with the safe option and get two plain bagels that were toasted with butter, two muffins—one blueberry and the other chocolate chip—and two chai teas. The lady behind the counter was a different woman from the night before, so Iris didn't have to worry about being recognized and possibly judged as she paid for her things and stepped aside to wait.

The café was efficient enough that she was barely there long enough for the bagels to be properly toasted before she was handed a bag and tray that carried her spoils for the morning. Immediately rushing out the door to head back to her apartment, Iris briefly glanced at the clock they had over the counter on her way out to confirm that she had only been gone for ten minutes. Hopefully Barry would still be sleeping when she got back.

People noticed her loaded arms on her way along the street and helpfully stepped out of her way, which surprised Iris. She usually spent her walks with her head downward, so she never really thought that people were considerate enough that they moved out of her way when they saw she needed space. Arriving at her building with only slightly laboured breath, the small woman balanced the bag against her side and the tray in one hand in order to unlock the door to her building. It took a bit of struggling, but she eventually got it and with no spilling of teas or food.

The trip up the stairs, however, was taken much more slowly than the trip down them.

Planning ahead this time, she carefully manoeuvred the bag of food between the arm holding the tray and her torso so she wasn't as obscured while unlocking her apartment door. Entering as quietly as possible, she focused on the view that was revealed to her as the door swung open. Upon landing on the bed, she breathed a sigh of relief seeing Barry still sleeping while her note lay untouched on the free side of her bed.

Closing and locking the door, Iris then moved over to carefully place the tray and food down—quietly was a bit of a stretch, since the bag was paper and it was nearly impossible not to make noise as she shifted and moved to put it down. Perhaps she hadn't planned so far ahead.

However, another glance to the bed told her that Barry was either entirely exhausted or slept like a rock.

Smiling in amusement, she was then left with the decision of waking him. She knew that waiting would only make it more awkward, especially if he woke up to her just sitting silently as she waited for him. Probably not the best impression to make while so early into their…relationship? Was it a relationship?

Shaking her head, Iris knew that those kinds of thoughts were best left for later, when she didn't have to worry about waking up the subject of her thoughts.

Moving over to the bed, she gently climbed back onto the mattress while careful not to shift it too much as she sat next to Barry. Her attention returned to the peaceful expression he wore before her hand moved to gently lie upon one cheek. Even though his cheek had been freshly shaved the night before, it was now beginning to grow rough with stubble.

"Barry," she called softly, stroking one thumb along his cheekbone. "Barry, wake up," she called again in a louder tone, using her other hand to lie on his chest and give it a firm shake. "Either wake up or I'm going to hold your breakfast hostage," she threatened playfully, once more pushing against his chest.

"Breakfast?" Barry repeated sleepily, peeking out eye open to look at where she was sitting above him with a grin. "You drive a hard bargain, Iris."

"I'll have to remember this for a later day, hm?" Iris teased, tipping her head to the side as she watched Barry blink sleepily. Her voice was softer when she spoke again, calm and sweet, "Good morning." Barry's expression sobered as he gazed up at the serene expression on her face, the full night's sleep having done her good as she looked refreshed and more awake than since he'd seen her the first time.

"Morning," he answered, his voice gruff as he offered a smile in return. Relaxed as he was she was able to see the dimples on his cheeks better than ever, and his eyes seemed lighter than she'd seem them so far. Shifting slightly to see her better, he reached up to gently trace along her cheek with the knuckle of his finger. "Did you sleep well, Sweetheart?"

Nodding against his hand, Iris let her eyes close as the warmth that came from his hand settled into her skin. "Thanks to you, yes. How about you?"

"Never better," he answered in complete honesty, before his eyes narrowed faintly and he noticed that she was wearing different clothing from the night before. She wasn't wearing her coat, or his for that matter, but she was in another sweater and a cleaner pair of pants. "Did you go somewhere?"

"Yea…I need to go and get groceries this weekend, so cooking breakfast was out of the question. I went back to that café from last night and got bagels, muffins, and—since I didn't know if you drink coffee—two Chai teas," she explained, tugging on her sleeves bashfully. "It's not much, but I felt it owed you after I caused you a week of no sleep."

"You know I don't blame you for that," he pointed out softly, rolling onto his side and reaching out to lay a hand over hers, stopping her from fidgeting further. "The both of us have faced things in our lives that make everything…different for us. I do not blame you for running, not one bit. And we're together now, so that's what matters."

Iris bit her lip but nodded in understanding, though not quite agreement. That would take a bit more time.

"So, breakfast?" she offered, brightening up once more. Barry hesitated a moment, as though wanting to keep pushing her to make sure she really knew about she was agreeing with, but he let it pass and nodded as he smiled back.

"Sounds perfect." Rolling out of bed as Iris leapt off the other side and moved over to begin taking everything out of the bag.

"I just got toasted bagels with butter, and a chocolate muffin and a blueberry, just because Chai tea is the limit of my knowledge about your preferences," she explained, flushing slightly at having to admit knowing nothing about her soulmate.

"Well, I eat just about anything chocolate," he began, leaning on his elbow on the counter as he held out one Chai to her while he kept the other. "And butter goes a long way for me, too. I do drink coffee, usually way sweeter than most would prefer. Blueberries, however, are sour and I don't like the skin sticking to my teeth."

His honestly and forwardness caused Iris to laugh, once more trying to hold it back and snorting in the process. Her hand flew to her mouth as her cheeks flamed, while Barry laughed heartily with his head thrown back. Now flustered, Iris moved to step away with her hand still covering her face in embarrassment. Barry wouldn't let her, however, and he reached forward quickly to catch her wrist before she could get out of arms reach.

"No, no, no," he hushed, drawing her in toward him. "You promised not to run off again, remember?"

"Sorry," Iris stuttered, lowering her hand to his chest as soon as she was close enough. It was steadily becoming a kneejerk reaction to him being close. She enjoyed the warmth she could feel beneath her palm, as well as the steady heartbeat that thrummed against her. It was reassuring in its own way.

"What do you like?" Barry prompted instead, to draw the conversation away from what was making her uncomfortable.

"Coffee, also very sweet and with cream; dark chocolate that borders on bitter, and lots and lots of butter," Iris mumbled in response, staring at his lips as she spoke as a way of forcing herself to focus. "And it's good that I like blueberries; I'll save you from getting them stuck in your teeth."

Barry smiled at her in assurance, tugging her in close as he leaned forward to press a soft, short kiss to her forehead. "You really do complete me, doncha?"

"Well, we were fated," Iris answered, still looking down from his eyes as she felt her heart pound in her chest. It was just a kiss on the forehead, but it made her pulse sore. It was the most affection she'd ever gotten from someone in her life, so it made her want to curl up against him and never leave—at the same time, however, it scared her enough to want to run away. Pulling back from him, she gave a smile that she hoped assured him. "Come on, let's eat, I'm starving."

Barry was coming to realize that affection and trust were the two major difficulties that Iris struggled with due to her past. Knowing that, he also made a mental pact with himself—and with the alters—that those struggles would be overcome. They would move heaven and earth for Iris, even if they had only just met her. She was their soulmate, she was Kevin's soulmate, and they would do anything to keep Kevin safe.

Since Iris didn't have a table, and she usually ate on her bed anyway, she pulled Barry over with her to resume their place on her bed as they placed their teas on the nightstand to one side of the bed. Barry sat against the headboard as Iris sat in front of him, crossing her legs so that they were able to face one another and speak.

"What else do you like to eat?" Iris asked once they were settled, beginning on her blueberry muffin as Barry started with his bagel.

"I'll eat just about anything, but I avoid things that are sour or bitter," he answered honestly. "I am a terrible cook, as well, so I stick to basics." Iris smiled at his honesty and nodded along as she tore a piece of her muffin off. "Like I said earlier, I love chocolate; I can always be bribed with chocolate."

"I'll have to remember that," Iris teased again, before blushing and covering her mouth because there was still some muffin she hadn't swallowed yet. "I don't mind sour things, but I agree with the bitter. I try to cook when I can, but I work a lot so I'm usually dead on my feet when I get home, so I tend to have instant stuff on hand more than I should."

"Why work that much?" he asked curiously, his eyes darting briefly around her sparse apartment again. "I mean, as a manager you must get a decent amount of money…"

"It's not about income," Iris interrupted, knowing what he was assuming. "I have quite a bit in my bank account because I rarely spend it. I work as much as I do mostly because of the fact that there was nothing else for me to do when I got home from work; I don't go out, I don't have friends that I would go and see, and I always hated to be alone here for too long. So, instead, I would usually go to work and get the extra hours there. My coworkers loved it because I would take all the shifts that they didn't want."

Barry's eyes were saddened when she looked up to meet his gaze, causing her stomach to clench uncomfortably. "That's not right," he mumbled at last. "You shouldn't have to go through that. You should be happy."

"In my own way, I am. And I'm much happier now, especially after a week of regretting running from Fletcher's office. For so long, this is how I lived, away from the rest of the world—it doesn't bother me anymore…not like it used to."

Iris looked down at her hands, picking at the muffin as a means of fidgeting, before Barry sudden took it from her and placed both of their food off to the side. "Come here," he prompted softly, tugging on her hands to draw her in closer to him. "Things are gunna change, Sweetheart. I don't think any of us can stand the thought of you being alone; not to the point that you overwork yourself to replace the loneliness."

Barry pulled her in close and pressed a kiss against the side of her head, then rested his chin at her crown. She relaxed against him at the familiar position.

"Remember, you've got twenty-three soulmates now. You'll never be alone again."