*Beta'd by sendtherain

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13. He Needs a Distraction

It's one of those days. They happen every so often. A meta has managed to take Barry's powers from him, rendering him super-speedless and miserable as a normal person, not to mention hardly capable of taking down the bad guy. Vibe, Killer Frost, and Elongated Man do their best to help track him down, and Barry knows eventually they will, but it kills him that he's not involved. Not because he needs the glory and fame that comes with being a superhero. That's just a bonus. No, it kills him because he wants to help the way he's used to helping, and he can't.

"You're still my Barry," I tell him that morning, and he forces a smile.

"I know. Thank you, Iris."

He kisses the back of my hand, curling his fingers around mine, and then gets up and leaves for work at CCPD.

It's an hour past his lunch break when I can't stand it anymore. He always checks in with me on his lunch break. It's the highlight of my day until we get to see each other again after work. The fact that he doesn't tells me he must be really suffering under his workload, which normally takes him minutes instead of hours. His depression over not having speed for at least a full day no doubt makes it drag out even longer. He may not be a speedster temporarily, but time can drag slowly for even a regular person, and it certainly is today. For herself too.

Gnawing on my bottom lip, I come to a decision.

Grabbing my keys, I make my way out of the loft and drive down to CCPD. Walking takes too long, and I don't want to go all the way to STAR Labs just to get to Barry's lab instantly.

I'm upstairs and peeking into his room without him realizing it only moments later. He's not sleeping, but his head is face down on a pile of files. Several others line the tables around him. He's adorably overwhelmed, and I can't help but bite my lip as I lean against the doorway.

"Oh, honey."

He perks up at that, tipping his head up to make eye contact.

"Iris," he smiles, and my whole heart melts.

"Having a rough day?" I ask, walking into the room towards him.

He sighed. "Just…slow."

I nod, understanding.

"You need a distraction, I think."

He looks up at me, and his cheeks turn a bright red. If I could blush, I would too.

"You have work to do," I say, smacking his shoulder. "We don't have time for that."

He laughs. "Then what?"

I shrug innocently and lean towards him, my ruby lips on full display. He shakes his head and closes the distance between us, cupping my cheeks in his hands before muttering.

"You're going to kill me, woman."

I flutter my eyelashes, and he kisses the smirk off my face.