The Flash returns soon, and I am counting down the days.
Prompt from Jeune Ecrivain. Iris confides in the Flash about Barry's confession from 1x09 and her own newly conflicted feelings. By this time. She has either just broken up with Eddie and hasn't told Barry as Barry yet, or she is leaning heavily in that direction. The only thing that's holding her back, though, is the nagging question: if Barry had lied about his feelings for so long, what else could he be hiding? She essentially says that if she could be assured that there were no more big secrets between them, then virtually all her hesitation would be dispelled. That's enough to prompt Barry to reveal himself.
Iris sat alone in Jitters. She had just finished closing and cleaning up. She wasn't quite sure whether or not to go through with her plan. Iris really wanted to talk to the Flash, but she had pushed him away.
But, he would still come, wouldn't he?
She sat down at a table and opened her laptop. Her blog, long forgotten devoid of the Flash, popped up on her screen. It was time to let the Flash in again, she had to stop pushing people away.
Her mind ran through everyone she had pushed away. Friends from high school, co-workers, the Flash, Barry, Eddie, even her father. She hadn't told her dad about Barry's confession or breaking up with Eddie, but she suspected he knew. He always knew when anything was wrong in her life, but still, she pushed him away too.
Maybe, maybe the Flash would understand? She knew there was a chance that he wouldn't forgive her since she had completely ignored his reason for attacking Eddie and had told him to stay away from her, but Iris also remembered that he had told her that there were no other girls, so maybe he was as lonely as she felt. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that he would at least come and talk to her.
She began to type. One draft, two drafts, three drafts, four. Why was this so hard? Eventually she just decided that she needed to talk to him in person. Keep it simple she thought.
'Will you meet me, Ralph?' She hit send and waited for the familiar breeze to flow through the doors and swoop her up to the roof. It didn't take long.
Her feet landed on the roof, and she saw the Flash walking along the edge of the roof.
"That's the first time you've actually called me Ralph." Was all he said.
"I thought it was the best way. You could be sure you knew who I was talking about, it wasn't as dangerous as calling you Flash, and I know it doesn't put you in any danger because it's not you're real name." The Flash smiled and laughed.
"Yeah. Right on all three accounts." Barry was just relieved about the second one.
"I wanted to apologize for how I reacted when-"
"There isn't a reason for you to apologize, Iris. You had no reason to believe me. I've never given you a reason to trust me." The Flash appeared right in front of her to look into her eyes. Iris was definitely relieved, but she still felt the need to apologize.
"No reason expect who you are. You've saved my life multiple times. You've saved people that I don't think you've ever actually met. I've gotten reports of you doing people's jobs when they needed to be other places." Iris saw a confused look cross his face. "A man's wife was going to have a baby any minute and he was being forced to go paint an entire building before he could go to the hospital or have a kid when their family had no income, but a red blur passed him, and suddenly his job was done, and he was free to go to the hospital to be with his wife." A shocked look crossed his face. He remembered doing that, but he didn't know what was going on in the man's life. Iris recognized what the look meant, and her heart and guilt both soared. "That was the same day that there was a bank robbery in which everyone suddenly hated each other for no reason, the same day you turned on a man who was trying to arrest you for existing. And I didn't believe you when you said you only attacked him because you were affected by another metahuman."
Barry shrugged. He still didn't think she had anything to apologize for. "You still don't have to apologize for protecting your boyfriend."
Iris smiled. How did she ever doubt that he would forgive her?
They were silent for a few minutes, both just relaxing in each other's presence. Iris was amazed at how natural it felt to be with him. It was like being with Barry before his confession.
"What's going on, Iris?" The Flash asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You seem confused and upset." He seemed concerned about her, and Iris cursed her fluttering heart. The last thing she needed was to complicate matters even further.
She sighed heavily. "Are we friends?"
"If you want us to be." Barry was a little surprised by the question.
Iris smiled. "A yes then."
"But that's still not what's going on." Why did he have to be so perceptive?
"No, it's not." She hesitated. "I broke up with Eddie because . . ." Barry had a feeling that Iris wouldn't be all that happy that it was him hearing this. She probably had a reason for not telling him as Barry. He was afraid that she'd feel betrayed.
Iris saw him tense up but continued anyway. "Since I was about three years old I have had a crush on my best friend. When I was about twelve I realized that it wasn't just a crush. I loved him. I was about nineteen when I decided that he probably didn't feel the same way, and from then on I tried to distance myself from my feelings. I referred to him as my brother, I tried to make plans with other people, but the second Barry wanted to hang out or talk or anything I would drop everything and go to him. Then I met Eddie, and I thought . . . I thought I could feel the same way about him. On Christmas Eve, Barry told me that loved me, that he had loved me since before he knew what it meant to love someone, and I so want to be with him, but-" Iris stopped.
She had tears running down her face, so Barry stopped pacing around the roof and pulled her into his arms. Iris was shocked, the only time he had ever touched her was whenever he carried her to the roof and that wasn't even long enough to feel his heartbeat. Now, as she cried, he held her close and wiped the tears off her cheeks. His heart beat as quickly as his feet on the cement. He was warm, and his arms were comfortable. She could stay wrapped in them forever. Her tears slowed and eventually stopped.
"Barry lied to me about how he felt for, who knows how long, and I ever noticed. I can't feel comfortable in a relationship if I don't know how many other secrets he was keeping from me."
Iris felt the vibrating in his throat stop.
"Just one." It was Barry voice coming out of the Flash's mouth. She pulled back from his arms and pulled his mask away from his face.
"Can you promise me that this is the last one?" Iris asked. She tried to hold back the fresh wave tears that threatened to spill, but they broke away from her eyes.
He wiped away a few of her tears. "Yes." He pulled her back into his arms, and she did stay there forever.