Prompt from PerlogAnnwyl. Iris learns after she reverses into the Flash, knocking him out.
Iris had had a long day. She had dealt with several families with small kids who seemed to hate chairs with a vengeance. She had gotten into a fight with Eddie when he came in on his lunch break. Iris didn't even know what the fight was about. She just needed to go talk to Barry, that would fix everything. He was always there. Barry could solve anything.
She walked toward her car trying not to run, though she desperately wanted to. All Iris wanted was to get home. Hopefully, Barry would already be there, so she wouldn't have to call and wait for him. She knew she relied on him too much, but he didn't mind. He never said no, but he knew he could. Didn't he?
But, he had been really busy lately. She remembered. But he had still come whenever she needed him without her ever asking.
Barry was a mind reader when it came to her needing him.
BANG!
Iris slammed on the brakes and climbed out of the car.
"What have I done?" Iris was horrified. The Flash laid behind her car, unmoving. She felt for his pulse and nearly cried of joy when she found it. There was already no way to redeem this day. She could not kill her guardian angel too.
His pulse was fast, like Barry's was when he first woke up. Why do my thoughts always lead back to him? A man is unconscious at my feet. I should be thinking about the Flash not Barry.
"Oh, crap. What do I do? I can't take you to the hospital." Iris questioned the still unconscious man.
Iris picked him up as well as she could. He was heavy for someone so lanky. It's probably muscle, the picks me up easily enough.
She stuffed him into her car and drove home. Maybe Barry would be able to take care of him with his sciency stuff.
"Dad!" Iris shouted when she walked through the door. Joe came running out into the hall.
"What's wrong? Are you ok?" He said looking over his daughter.
"I ran over the Flash."
"What?" The look of horror in her father's eyes surprised and confused her, but made her happy too. He seemed to care about the Flash even if he hadn't believed her about him.
"I hit him with my car. He's lying in the back of my car, unconscious. I couldn't risk taking him to the hospital with him being what he is. Is Barry here? I thought maybe Mr. Science would be enough of a doctor."
"Uh, no. Barry isn't here. Let's get back in the car and go to STAR Labs. They'll be able to take care of him there."
"No, that's as dangerous as the hospital. Can we just get him inside and call Barry? Please, dad, I'm worried." Iris stared, pleadingly, into her father's eyes.
He wanted to assure her that the best place for him to be was STAR Labs, but how could he do that without putting her in the danger of knowing Barry was the Flash? Barry heals quickly, he'll be okay if we keep him here. Joe thought. And if it takes longer than an hour, I'll take him to the lab and we'll just have to explain everything to Iris. Barry loves her, he'll protect her.
It was nearing an hour and Barry still hadn't shown signs of improvement. Joe was getting ready to put him back in the car and just drive off.
He was amazed at how worried Iris was about taking him to anyone who would have even the slightest idea of experimenting with what he could do, and Iris knew Barry was always interested in the impossible, but she trusted him enough to not test the Flash. Not to mention she didn't even know it was Barry, and she was mother-henning over the young man just like whenever Barry had been hurt by bullies at school. Iris hadn't left his side the entire time he had been here. Even when she had called Barry's phone-which luckily wasn't on him-she had stayed kneeling by the couch. Joe knew Iris wanted to know who the Flash was under the mask, Barry had told him about her asking for his real name, but it seemed like the idea of looking under his mask while he couldn't stop her hadn't even occurred to her. All Iris cared about was the Flash being completely safe. When would his two kids finally realize they loved each other?
"Why hasn't Barry answered his phone? He has never missed a call from me." Other than the times I called him while he was in the coma, just so I could hear his voice. She mentally added.
"What the heck just happened?" She knew that voice.
"Bartholomew HENRY ALLEN!" Iris roared.
Barry reached up to his face and felt his mask. His hand fell back to his side. "Crap."
"Don't beat yourself up kid. Two more minutes and I was going to tell her for you, so she'd let me take you to STAR."
"You knew about this dad?" She turned back to Barry. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Iris-"
She cut him off and laid over him in a slightly awkward hug. "Let's not do this. I don't need to know why. I just want you to be okay. You had me so worried, Bear."
Barry felt his shoulder moisten, and he sat up on the couch. He repositioned his best friend so that she was sitting next to him with his arm around her as she continued to cry.
She fell asleep after an hour, and Barry, when he was confident moving her wouldn't disturb her, picked her up and carried her to her room.
When he was about to leave she stirred. "Stay, Barry." She patted the space next to her on the bed.
"Okay." Barry laid down beside her above the covers, not wanting to have to explain anything in the morning if her boyfriend were to show up like he did occasionally.
That was how Joe found them the next morning. Cuddled up modestly on Iris's bed. It was the first time he had seen either of them smile in their sleep, and he thought it might not be too long before he got to see his fatherly dream of his biological daughter and his equally loved foster son married and settling down nearby.
The scene before him was almost too sweet to interrupt but that didn't stop him from splashing them both with cold water to wake them up for breakfast.