"Scott."
Barry heard Iris's breath catch. His eyes darted over to her, and sure enough, Scott's name had induced another atmospheric change.
Except this time, Iris didn't look annoyed or inconvenienced.
She looked terrified.
"Allen." Scott said, mimicking Barry's shock. An arrogant chuckle followed. "Wow. She done already called up her old childhood friend, huh? What, you guys have a slumber party?"
Something like that.
Scott didn't wait for Barry to respond; he just pushed past him, into the room, his sights set on Iris. As if on cue, Iris jumped up from her desk. "I left you for a reason, Scott, get out of my room, she commanded.
Scott pushed forwards anyway. "So five years of marriage doesn't mean shit to you, huh? And what, you thought I wouldn't find you when you used MY credit card to book this hotel room? You're stupider than you look."
"Hey-"
Iris waved Barry off. This was her battle to fight—not his. "What marriage? You don't treat me like a wife, you treat me like a liability."
"Because that's what you act like! The woman I met at Picture News five years ago was hungry and passionate—driven!" he yelled, pounding his fist into his hand. "You had so much potential but you chose to waste it, writing about the damn Flash like you were in love with him or something."
"I wasn't nearly as obsessed with the Flash as you were jealous him!"
"Please," Scott retorted, inching further and further into the room. "You might as well have written him a love letter or something, and signed it 'your biggest fan.'"
From Barry's perspective, Scott looked like the ultimate predator, gearing up to pounce on his prey. With each step Scott took, Iris paced herself backward until eventually, she was against the wall with nowhere else to go. Fists clenched, Barry physically willed himself to stay put where he stood—at least until he absolutely had to intervene, because there was no guarantee that he wouldn't beat this asshole into a pulp. Iris had asked him not to get involved, but he couldn't leave her alone, especially since his presence didn't seem to influence Scott's display of anger. And if Scott was this bold while he was there, what would he do when he wasn't?"
"Oh, you have nothing to say? Where's all of that mouth you had over those bullshit ass texts you sent me, huh? HUH!?"
Iris gulped.
He laughed. "That's what I thought. Now, stop wasting my time, and my money, pack your shit up, and come on home so we can talk about this."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Iris's blatant refusal stopped Scott in his tracks. But only momentarily. When he started back towards her, there was a nastiness in his stride that set Barry's alarms off. Scott was so engrossed in his anger, he didn't notice the gush of wind that followed Barry rushing over to where he stood. But he did notice when Barry wedged himself between himself and Iris.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"You're scaring her. You need to leave."
Scott laughed, incredulously, and stepped further into Barry. "Oh, and who's going to make me?"
Iris reached out to Barry. He was hot to the touch, a clear sign that his speed-force enhanced blood was absolutely boiling underneath the surface, which meant that lightning-struck eyes were only a few seconds away. He obviously wasn't thinking about the ramifications, which would be fierce and long-lasting, if Scott found out who he really was — that he was The Flash.
And she couldn't have that. "Barry. No."
He shrugged himself out of her grasp.
"BARRY. Please go."
"I'm not leaving you, so stop asking me to."
"If you're smart bro, you'll listen to your friend." Scott said.
"One," Barry said, turning back towards Scott, "I'm not your bro, and two, I'll leave, after you've already gone."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'm sure Picture News would love to run a story about how their former editor-in-chief was arrested in his estranged wife's hotel room."
"Oh, CSI," Scott said, now eye to eye with Barry, "Tell me, what would the charges be?"
"Intimidation. Unlawful entry."
He huffed, a snarky smile on his face. "This is MY wife."
"That doesn't mean that you own her. And since she obviously doesn't want you here, you need to leave."
"If you even think I came all the way to this shithole town to leave without the woman I married, you're sorely mistaken."
Barry pulled out his cell phone and held it up to Scott's face.
"I might not work for CCPD anymore, but Joe West—her father, you do know him right?—does and he has a ton of cop buddies who would just love to intervene on the behalf of their colleague's only daughter."
"Oh, I just know you're not threatening me."
"That I am."
Scott looked past Barry, to Iris. A beat later, he pointed an angry finger, yelling, "That's alright, Iris. I'll handle your ass in court. So go ahead and file your papers, baby. See if I care."
He turned and stomped towards the exist. Iris let out a deep sigh of relief; when Scott was at the door, Barry called out to him.
"WHAT?!"
"If you were smart, you'd let Iris do what she has to do in peace. I'm pretty sure that Flash guy you hate so much would love to kick your ass, too."
Scott shot Barry one last look of derision, then slammed the door. No sooner than the door closed, Iris was on the floor, her face in her hands. Barry dropped down to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Iris. Are you okay?" Her body was trembling underneath his embrace. He squeezed her tighter, as tight as he possibly could without restricting her airway.
Snuggled right against him, she laid her head against his chest, just over his heart, which was pulsing erratically. He was still running hot with anger, but she felt safer than she ever had in his arms. When he ran a hand through her hair, she pressed her eyes shut. And a moment later when she felt the first brush of his lips against her, she obliged his needy request, savoring the softness, the tenderness. "I love you so much, Iris," he crooned, voice barely above a whisper.
She almost allowed herself to return his declaration of love. God knows she wanted to just have one moment where she could pretend that Barry Allen would be the man to come rescue her from all of her problems—from Scott, from her bad decisions, and from herself—but then her mind was filled with images of him holding Patty in the same way, trailing his long, fingers down her body, kissing her, and proclaiming his love for her, as he looked up at her like she was the most beautiful woman ever. Then more Images of her riding him, the night before, as ecstasy spread out over his face. And suddenly, those same arms that gave her a sense of peace, felt dirty against her skin. Angrily, she tore away from him. It was rash, and abrupt, and definitely caught Barry's attention.
"Iris. Are you okay?" He asked again, this time for a different reason.
"I'm fine." She swiftly wiped the tears that had started to litter her face and stood.
"Okay," he said, heedful of her mood change. "Well, what the fuck was Scott's problem? Is he like this all of the time?"
Iris ignored his question, not in the mood to go into the logistics of their dysfunctional relationship, and walked across the room, over to her bed.
"Iris. Answer me."
She rolled her eyes. "When he's angry—give or take a birthday or Lunar eclipse."
"He ever hit you?"
"No!" She said, too quickly for his liking.
He walked over to where she stood and rested his hands on her shoulders, her back still to him. "You can tell me if he has."
Iris sighed and cocked her head to the side. "I said, no alright. He just gets really angry. Sometimes, he throws things."
Just knowing that Iris had been living in a loveless marriage for four years was enough, but the thought of her being afraid and talked down to, sent him raging. He had to bite back the angry sobs that were forming in his throat and think about Iris, and the fact that she needed him. It was the only thing preventing him from running after Scott and bashing his face in—a secret identity be damned. "I am so sorry that you've had to endure this treatment. Strained friendship or not, I should have checked on you over the years. I'm so sorry, I didn't."
"Mhmm," she said absently before taking a seat on the edge of her bed. Truth be told, her nerves were shot, and she needed a moment to process everything. Not just the stuff with Scott, though it had definitely racked her nerves. But the stuff with Barry too.
"Really, I mean it." Barry knelt down, resting one hand on her knee. He used the other to move her hair out of her face, so he could really see her. Her eyeliner was now smudged, her eyes puffed over. She made eye contact with him, the concern in his eye burning a hole through her retinas.
Iris just nodded, because if she tried to speak, surely she'd break down.
"How long has he been like this?"
She sniffed. "Since our first year of marriage."
"God. He's been verbally abusing you for four years!? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
She shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. Won't change the past."
"Well, you can't stay here, Iris. It's not safe. He could come back."
"I'm not, I'm going to my dad's. Scott's not stupid enough to pop up there."
"Well, let me help you pack."
"No, I got it."
"Fine. I can speed you back home when you're done."
"I just got my car back, I'm not leaving it again."
"Well, will you call me when you make it home?"
Iris sighed, then stood, and grabbed her suitcase from the side of her bed, and started throwing everything within reach into it–no regard for the order which made the most sense. She just needed to get her stuff as soon as she could, so she could out of his damn room, and away from Barry.
"Iris?"
"Not really in the mood to talk on the phone right now." She turned, and Barry was blocking her phone, which was charging against the wall. She motioned for him to move, and he took a step aside.
"Okay then. I can swing by after work, then."
Iris laughed and turned to face him. "You know, kiss or no kiss, I'm not sure what you think has changed in ten minutes."
"Iris—"
"Look, I appreciate you for getting rid of Scott for me. Truly, I do. But if I remember correctly, you were on your way out when he showed up."
"Only because you asked me to leave.
She zipped up her suitcase and squashed it down as far as it could go, then turned to him shrugging. "I haven't changed my mind."
"God, Iris, I'm just trying to be there for you. Why won't you let me?"
"I don't WANT you to be there for me. I don't WANT any of this."
"Why not?" He asked, pain evident in his voice. "Don't you love me?"
"Yes, I love you, Barry. I love you from the depths of my soul, but I never wanted this! You were just so pushy after we kissed, and couldn't take no for an answer. So I caved, and I allowed myself to be vulnerable—and selfish—for the first time in my life. And do you know what it got me? MORE hurt! MORE pain. I have enough of it already, and I don't want anymore. Especially not from you. I literally cannot handle you hurting me, Barry. I can't. I will not survive the man I've had on this pedestal my entire life, ripping my heart to shreds. So if you really, truly, honestly, want to help me, leave me alone."
"I would never hurt you intentionally. You have to know how sorry I am, how much I love you."
"And yet, I'm still hurt. So, Intent doesn't mean a got damn thing, now does it?"
"Iris—"
"Please! Just leave me alone so I can pack. So I can move on with my life."
"Move on? So what, this thing with us is done?"
"Pretty much."
"What, so you can stand here and tell me that you can just forget about everything we've shared the past five days?"
"Can you stand here and tell me that it actually matters if I do? You are married, Barry. Not to some jackass writer, either, but to a beautiful, loving woman who idolizes you. That is more than most people get in life. Why can't you happy with that."
"Don't you think I WANT to? God, I would love, for once in my fucking life, to be happy, Iris. And I should be! Patty is smart and kind, and beautiful. But she is not you. She has never been you. She will never be you!"
"Yet, you just fucked her, AFTER you assured me that this is what you wanted."
"And I was wrong. Okay? I shouldn't have cowered down. I should have explained to her exactly what I meant. But also, it's like you want me to untangle a two-year relationship in a week. And it's not that easy."
"Only because YOU said you were ready."
"I am ready to be with you," he said. "But breaking things off with her isn't as easy as I thought I would be. I don't want to hurt her."
"So what, I'm supposed to keep warming you up every night before you go home and have sex with another woman? Until you decide you're ready?" She scoffed.
"You know that's not what I want, Iris. This thing with Patty is just…complicated."
"Then allow me to un-complicate things, Barry."
"No."
'This thing between us is done."
"No!."
"I don't want to kiss you. Or touch you, or see you at all. Period."
"NO! Okay? I lost you once. I won't do it again."
She scoffed. "You say that like you have a choice in the matter." Suitcase in hand, she walked past Barry, leaving him standing in the middle of her suite. "I'll come back for the rest of my things," she said when she made it to the door.
The next moment she was gone.