Prompt from Jeune Ecrivain. The Flash is injured in battle, but this time, the injury is mainly on his head or face, and it's potentially serious enough that Iris has no choice but to take off his mask to examine it. Barry reluctantly agrees, but perhaps not before saying something cryptic like; "Just know . . . I only wanted to keep you safe," right before she unmasks him.

Barry and Iris were just leaving the movie theater. They had done this a million times, but this time, Barry was nervous. It was their first real date. It had been three months since she and Eddie had broken up, and when the girl you love's ex-boyfriend comes up to and asks when you're finally going to ask her out, it's time to ask the girl out.

That had been a rather interesting conversation.

Eddie had walked into Barry's lab.

"Any progress on that dirt analysis thing?" Eddie had asked, he seemed almost awkward, and if there was one word that least described Eddie in Barry's mind, it would be awkward.

"No there won't be for about another hour."

"Okay, how about the blood work?"

"Eddie we didn't find any blood at the crime scene." Barry eyed him cautiously. "Anything else?" Barry took a sip of water hoping that it would make him feel less awkward.

"Yeah, one thing. When are you going to ask Iris out?" Barry choked on his water.

"What?" He finally gasped out.

"Iris and I broke up three months ago because you two love each other, and it's really obvious. And yet . . ." Eddie trailed off knowing that Barry understood his meaning.

"I'm going to ask her when I finally work up the courage to ask her." He answered honestly.

"Why do I get the feeling that that has been your response for the last twenty five years?"

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I couldn't have asked her out twenty five years ago, we were infants." Barry rambled, gradually getting quieter as he realized how weak an argument he had.

"Barry." Eddie fixed him with a look that Barry didn't completely understand, but he thought he got the main point fairly well. 'Just do it already.'

"I will ask her tonight." Barry said with a definitive tone.

"Good." There was a hint of sadness in his voice Eddie really had loved Iris. He had loved her enough to let her go, and he was frustrated that she didn't have the happiness he had let go for yet. Eddie knew that she would be happier with Barry.

So there they were. Barry and Iris started walking down the street with their arms linked in each other's. As friends, they had done this exact same thing a million times, but that was just it, they had both been thinking that they could only ever be just friends, but now . . . no one really knew what was going to happen. All Barry knew was that he loved Iris, and all Iris knew was she loved Barry and that if he hadn't asked her out when he did, she would have had to ask.

It was almost midnight, and Barry was growing cautious. Everything had been to perfect.

Riiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiing.

Iris stopped walking even though Barry tried to keep them going and ignore his phone.

"You need to get that Barry. It could be important." Iris understood what it meant to be dating someone on the police force. She knew that they would not be able to finish most of their dates, but she had hoped to finish their first.

"If I answer it, I'll have leave." Her heart soared at hearing how much he wanted to stay, but she knew she couldn't let him.

"I will be watching a movie in your apartment, waiting for you." She leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "And I'll be eating all of your ice cream, so you might want to hurry." He felt her hesitate briefly, then she kissed him softly. "I'll see you later."

Barry answered his phone with a goofy smile on his face just before it would have gone to voicemail.

"Hello."

Caitlyn's hurried voice came on the phone. "Snart is back in town. Felicity's facial recognition software just picked him up on 32nd street. Go!"

He hung up the phone winced an apology to Iris and started walking in the other direction. As soon as he was around the corner he took off as fast as he could without setting himself totally on fire. He got to his suit, threw it on, and took off again.

"Where's he going guys?" He said into his coms unit.

"He seems to be headed towards your apartment building. Why would he be going there?" Caitlyn responded.

Barry's speed increased. "Iris is headed to my apartment right now. He would know about her blog."

He was right. When he found Captain Cold, he was in the process of tying up Iris.

"How nice of you to join us, Flash. Come to save your little blogger?" The man sneered.

"Let her go. I'm here. Your problem is with me, not her." The Flash pleaded.

"You know, I'd love to, but you see, she's leverage, and you don't give up leverage until you get what you want." Snart used the Flash's focus on Iris to make his first attack. He fired his cold gun at the Flash's face.

"Gaaaah!" Barry groaned. There were no words to describe the pain he currently felt. This was even worse than all the times he had fought with Tony combined, including the times when they were kids.

Iris tried to stand and make her way over to him, but Captain Cold pushed her back down, and with her hands and feet tied, he couldn't keep her balance or break her fall.

The Flash sped up just in time to avoid another shot, this one to the heart. Snart turned the gun to Iris, and automatically the Flash was in between them. Captain Cold shot at him again and hit him in the shoulder. The Flash would not allow him another opportunity, he grabbed the other man's right arm and broke it over his leg. He groaned from pain. After a few more hits, Snart knew that he would not win this time, and he took off in his getaway car. Barry was continually slowing due to the pain from Snart's first shot to his face. He crumpled to the ground, so he couldn't follow the escaping man.

Iris tried to make her way over to him, and when she finally succeeded he untied her hands. She lifted the Flash's head to try to get a look at the wound on his face.

"I'm going to need to take your mask off." She said matter-of-factly.

"Iris-"

"You're hurt, and you just saved me. Let me do something to help you."

Barry nodded slowly. "Just, please know that I only wanted to protect you from . . . all of this." His gesture encompassed the entire alley and all the frozen spots from where he had ran out of the path of Snart's cold gun.

Iris looked puzzled by his warning, but continued to lift his mask from his face. She started to hyperventilate.

"Oh, my gosh, Barry." Her fingers hovered just above his wound. It was bad. His skin had turned black from frostbite, and the rest of his face was covered in red lines branching out from the wound.

He was surprised by her lack reaction to his being the Flash, but, he supposed, it made sense considering her reaction to how bad his wound was.

"I heal fast, Iris. I just need to get to the lab." Iris nodded relieved to know one thing she could do for him.

It was a long slow walk to the lab, but they walked and eventually got there. When they got inside Caitlyn started yelling at him for not responding to her on com. Then she turned around and saw his face.

"Barry!" She exclaimed in surprise. She took him into the medical station, and Iris tried not to wince as he laid down on that all too familiar table.

After a few hours, Barry's face was starting to heal pretty well.

"As long as you don't let anyone else see you like that, Barry, you guys can go home." Caitlyn said.

It was now about four in the morning, but Iris and Barry were both wide awake.

"I guess we can go watch that movie and pop some popcorn." Iris suggested.

"What, you don't want ice cream anymore?"

Iris glared at him. "Don't even."

Barry leaned down to kiss her. "Popcorn it is."