Back with an update to this request fic. Now to answer your comment Shiranai Atsune, I probably will have it be Apollo. I was debating between that and Artie. I only really went with Artie because I was trying to think of a name that closely resembled Artemis', but I think I will go with Apollo instead.
Willow was happily preparing dinner for Barry, Iris, and herself. Not only was she doing this because she wanted to, but also because it was a project for her cooking class. Her hair was tied up so that it wouldn't fall into the food. She choose to make spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs and garlic bread.
It wasn't the first time she had cooked for them, as she enjoyed cooking in general, but it was the first time that it would be graded. Nor was this project complicated. She wanted to do something, but wasn't confident to pull off something spectacular. Regardless, she was having fun with it.
She pulled out the garlic bread and set it on the counter to cool before going to stir the sauce. As she stirred it, Willow heard the door open and close, signaling the return of Barry. It was followed by footsteps that approached the kitchen.
"What's cooking?" Barry inquired, walking into the kitchen. "It smells delicious."
"Spaghetti." Willow replied. "It's for a class. Plus I wanted to treat you guys as a way to say thank you for all of your help as of late."
Barry got closer to get a look at his niece's progress. The noodles were looking like they were coming along well and the sauce let off a pleasant aroma.
"I think you're doing great." Barry complemented.
"Thank you." Willow replied, appreciating the complement, before humorously smacking Barry's hand since it was wandering to close to the food. "It's not done yet."
Barry retracted his hand, taking a step back. With him doing that, Willow turned around to face him, setting the spoon down. She put her hands on the edge of the counter.
"So how was… Ow." Willow gasped, frantically pulling her hand up.
A red mark scorched the side of her hand. Under her breath, Willow let a few swear words slip. It didn't take long to figure out what caused it. The pan with the garlic bread was right where Willow's hand was. And it was clearly still hot.
Barry jumped into action, grabbing Willow's arm and bringing her over to the sink, his mind in parental overdrive. Turning it on with the lever leaning towards the cold option, he carefully put Willow's hand under it. Water definitely helped alleviate the stinging and would hopefully lessen the scarring from the burn.
After a good two minutes, Barry turned the water off. He was still on overdrive as he tried to find a bandage for it. When he did, Barry anxiously studied Willow's hand.
"Are you okay?" Barry frantically asked.
"I'm fine." Willow admitted.
Barry was flustered with the damage. It was small, but it was bothersome. He didn't want to disturb her with his concern, but it was evident.
"Barry." Iris called, to no avail. "Barry!"
Barry looked at her. She was calm, a little annoyed with Barry's erratic behavior, but overall just calm. She approached the duo, studying Barry's work on Willow's hand. To her, it wasn't too bad. It was treated well and would just need time to heal.
"Can you finish?" Iris asked.
"Yeah." Willow replied.
"Then go. We don't need your hard work going to waste."
With a tap on the back, Willow bounced back over to the oven finishing off her cooking project. Iris, on the other hand, shot Barry a puzzled glare. She was annoyed with his reaction, even if it did have roots in something understandable. Barry was still wearing an expression of overzealous concern and confusion.
"Calm down." Iris requested. "She'd fine. Everyone gets burned at least once in the kitchen. Trust me."
It didn't take long for Willow to finish as she strained the pasta and let the sauce simmer. Iris helped set the table. Once set, everyone sat at the table. They conversed about their day, what kind of Barry and Willow stopped and how school and work went.
The meal itself was excellent. Complements were given to Willow, who blushed in appreciation. Graded or not, Willow was just glad that they liked it. Barry even suggested that she try to, not only cook more, but to expand her horizons as well. Iris could agree, knowing that her niece had the potential.
The next day, Willow came home with a passing grade and a new assignment. This time a baking assignment. Her choice of pastry was a blueberry pie. It was something new and required a little more work, but Willow was confident enough to try.
Iris and Barry thought it was a good idea. However, Barry just had one request. Oven mitts and supervision. There was no way that he was going to let her get burnt again, even if it would heal quicker than normal. Not so long as Barry had a saying in it.
Yes to overreacting Barry. I'm experimenting with a few protective Barry options. Dating will probably be one at one point, but I do got to think of other things than just Willow dating.