Prompt from Grass Girl. It's raining outside with thunder and lightning, and Iris won't let Barry go outside because she doesn't want him to get hurt, but he needs to go outside because there's something he has to do (deal with a metahuman, stop a bank robbery, or something like that) as the Flash and maybe she follows him because she wants to make sure he doesn't get hurt. Then she sees him using his super speed.

Tonight reminded Barry of a time when things were normal. Before he had been struck by lightning. Back when he wasn't the Flash. Back before Iris was in a serious relationship that wasn't with him. Before he knew just how good it felt to be able to flirt with her without her knowing it was him. Way back when things were simple.

He was sitting down on the couch curled up comfortably with his best friend. They were watching a scary movie, and Iris was getting fairly jumpy as always, so when Barry's phone rang, she jumped sky high. Barry laughed, and she hit him on the shoulder.

"I wonder what you would have done if that was the doorbell." He teased.

"Just answer your phone."

Barry stood up and walked into the kitchen and answered his phone.

"Hey Caitlyn, what's going on?"

"Violent metahuman on 67th. Go!"

"I need more information than that. What can he do?"

Barry heard Iris gasp from the other room, and he had to restrain his laughter.

"We don't know."

"Then how do you know it's a metahuman?"

"We just do. Now go!"

Barry hung up and walked back into the living room. Iris looked up at him.

"Is everything ok?" She paused the tv.

"Yeah but I have to go. I'm sorry. I'll try to come back after I'm done." He really was disappointed to leave Iris alone. Barry loved how she cuddled into his shoulder when things got to scary. Iris was disappointed too; she liked cuddling into him when it was realistic to say she was scared. Then another more pressing thought occurred to her.

The storm.

Rain was pouring and the lightning storm was right over them. The last time . . . she didn't want to think about the last time.

She got up and ran to beat him to the door.

"Iris, come on, I have to go. It's important." Barry pleaded not realizing her reasoning.

"It's not safe, Bear."

"What are you-" Barry stopped. "Oh. Iris, look at me. I'm okay."

"Please don't go." Barry saw tears start to fall down her face.

He pulled Iris into a hug. "I'm right here."

"Don't go outside. Please, Barry, I can't lose you." Barry's shoulder was very wet at this point.

"You're not going to lose me. I'm going to be just fine." He rubbed circles on her back.

"Can you promise me that?" Iris lifted her head to look him in the eye. "Can you really promise me that you will come back to me unhurt?"

"Yes." Barry wasn't naïve enough the really believe that promise. Dealing with metahumans is dangerous, but the likelihood was that he would be mostly uninjured, and he healed quickly, so she would never have to know if he'd been hurt.

Iris sniffed a few times. She didn't believe him, but she knew she couldn't stop him. There was obviously something more important to him than his safety.

"Ok." She nodded and let go of him.

Barry kissed the top of her head. He wished he could kiss her lips. "I'll be back." With that he was out the door.

Iris waited thirty seconds and left behind him. She followed him around the corner, but after that she couldn't see him. All that was there was a blur. A red blur that she had flirted with and blogged about. A red blur that gave her and many others hope. She ran as fast she a normal human could following little flickers of light until she found him and two other people in an alley.

There was a man lying face down on the ground barely moving. The other person was a woman facing Barry/Flash with a wicked grin on her face.

"What are you?" Barry asked her.

"I'm like you. A powerful one, but I'm the most powerful one of all. I can copy the strongest part of everyone. Everyone, not just people like us."

"Cool." Cisco said on coms. "The Copy Cat. No, just forget I said that. I'll come up with a better name."

Barry mentally rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Let the man go." Iris was surprised by how strong and commanding Barry sounded.

"Why would I do that? I'm still feeding off his strength. It'll be helpful. I have your speed, so that would put us on an equal playing field, but I've never been one to fight fair." The woman rushed toward Barry, and he ran towards her as well.

Iris watched as they both landed punch after punch. Her concern for her Bear was growing with each hit he took.

She couldn't just sit back and watch anymore. Iris ran towards them.

"Ooooh, you brought a friend. Should we see what her strength is?" The woman turned to Iris.

Barry ran between them. "Leave her alone."

The woman scoffed at him. "She's still close enough for me to feed on. Keeping her out of my sight will do you no good." The woman tilted her head. "That's rather unexpected."

The woman started to move closer to where the Flash stood protecting Iris. Barry ran to fight her again.

That was when everything got weird. Instead of fighting back, the psycho metahuman kissed Barry. He pulled away in shock, but she pulled him closer again.

Barry used her distraction to tie her up then push her away.

"I don't understand. What just happened?" Iris asked coming up behind him and grabbing his hand.

"I don't know." Barry answered.

"I connected to her strength." Barry's eyebrows scrunched up, and Iris buried her head in his arm to be as close to him as she could be. She was worried that this was the last time she could do so without it being super awkward. "Her strongest emotion is her love for you." Iris bushed harder than before. Her head was still tucked into his arm, so she didn't see him smile down at her, and she was surprised that he didn't pull his arm away.

"Iris, I'm going to take her to the lab to lock her up. Wait here for a minute and I'll take you home." Iris pulled her head away from him. He smiled hesitantly then leant down and kissed her gently. He scooped the other metahuman into his arms then sped off in the direction of STAR Labs. Iris didn't have to wait long for him to reappear and scoop her up, but that also didn't give her much time to think. Barry was the Flash. Barry had kissed her. Barry knew she loved him as more than a friend. Barry had kissed her. Barry also thought she had a boyfriend. Barry had kissed her.

The two of them sat on the couch in her living room. Neither of them had spoken in several minutes.

"I love you, Bear." Iris began. "I have for so long. I know I should have told you, and I tried to so many times. It was just easier to be with Eddie and try to feel the same way for him, but it was never real. We broke up a couple days ago. I love you, Bear."

Barry just smiled and puller her into his arms.

"I love you too. I always have I was just too afraid you wouldn't feel the same way, and I would lose you. And I should have told you about being the Flash, but it was dangerous for you to know, and I couldn't put you in that kind of danger."

They fell into a comfortable silence with nothing between them anymore. Joe found his kids asleep on the couch a few hours later. A scary movie was still paused, but the thing that made him smile was seeing Iris rolled up into a ball under Barry's protective arm.