an: takes place in 1x22, if you want to see the episode
guide: Plain text is Iris. Italics are Flash.
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Part Five
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Today (12:43a)
You're just gonna keep watching me from up there?
(12:44)
It's creepy that you know what I'm doing
(12:44)
It's creepy that you're staring at me from the roof of a building you don't even work in anymore. Iris, come on, what's going on? Why were you ignoring me?
(12:45)
Have you found Eddie yet?
(12:45)
I'd tell you if I did
(12:46)
Because you tell me everything, right?
(12:46)
Speaking in code again
(12:47)
I just mean, you wouldn't lie to me, right, Flash?
(12:48)
Not if I could help it. Look, Iris, I really don't know what I did wrong. I'm trying to save Eddie. I got to you as quickly as I could. I don't even have a lot to tell you about my powers. I swear I want to tell you everything. I just can't.
(12:49)
Why?
(12:49)
It's not safe
(12:49)
Why?
(12:50)
You saw the Man in Yellow. He kidnapped Eddie right in front of you.
(12:51)
Why is he after you?
(12:51)
I wish I knew
(12:52)
How long has he been after you? A few weeks? Since you got your powers? Your whole life?
(12:52)
I don't know.
(12:53)
right
(12:54)
Yes! Right! I have no idea what he wants from me. I just know that he won't stop until I do, and there's no way I'm letting him take anyone else from me. That includes Eddie and that sure as hell includes you.
(12:55)
Whatever
(12:56)
Iris, PLEASE.
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(1:28p)
You tell me to trust you. Trust the Flash. Trust this mystical, mythical person. This person that I've been talking to for months now. First, through clandestine blog posts and shadowed rooftop meetings, and now literally any moment that I want, right at my fingertips. Yet, at the same time, you've been warning me not to. You tell me not to tell you so much, or that we should drop a conversation, and it didn't really make sense to me.
(1:28)
Why start talking to me if you didn't want me to tell you something?
(1:29)
Unless there were just certain things you didn't want to know. Certain topics that you felt should be off limits for this specific relationship. Because this is a relationship. One that's supposed to be based in trust, but how honest can we really be when this is our only form of communication? Where we can edit and manipulate? Where tones get construed so all you have are these words?
(1:29)
Words are so empty, Flash.
(1:29)
Words are such bullshit sometimes. Even our names are bullshit. Our identities.
(1:30)
Ha, I started drafting this blog post, but I figured it shouldn't be a blog post. It should just be a really long text message instead. So, I guess sorry for the spam. Though, I don't think you carry this phone on you all the time, so maybe you won't notice right away.
(1:30)
The basis of the post — Think about your best friend. It could be your wife, your father, maybe someone you grew up with. It's the person you can't wait to talk to at the end of the day. The person who knows everything about you, who roots for you. Now imagine you discover your best friend has a secret. No, not a secret. A universe of secrets. Would you confront him? Would you stay silent? Either way, you know nothing would ever be the same again.
(1:31)
So, what would you do, Flash? Because this is the second time that I've learned how big of a fucking liar my best friend is. Second time.
(1:32)
Read these fast enough and maybe we won't do it in front of your friends.
(1:33)
Then again, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the look on all of your faces. Caitlin, Cisco, and you.
(1:34)
Turn around, Flash.
(1:35)
Incoming Call from Iris West
"Whoa, Iris, you sent a lot of messages. What's going—"
"Look at me, Barry."
"Wait, what. Iris, I'm not—"
"Turn around. And don't you dare lie to me again."
"Iris, holy shit, you're — look, I am so, so sorry. I can't even begin to—"
"You can't, so just save it."
"Can we not — I'm hanging up. We're not talking with our phones at our sides."
"That's the only way you've talked to me recently, so—"
"Oh my god. In the track room. Come on."
"Don't touch me. Don't—"
"Just go. Let's talk!"
"Then talk, Barry! Talk about why you lied to my face, multiple times, and you fucking lied to me on here too. What's the truth, Barry?"
"Put the phone down, and I will tell you. Just, no more games."
"Fine."
"Thank you."
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(2:00p)
Okay, so that didn't really work out the way that I'd hoped. I get that you probably want space, so I'll send this and then I'll give it to you. Is that okay?
(2:03)
You like just walked out of STAR Labs, and I feel like I should've followed you. I should've done more to keep you here, but I should've done more a long time ago too.
I can't imagine the situation I put you in, and I have seriously never read that many texts in a row from one person. That was a lot that you said before the sneak attack phone call. You typed a lot, and you guessed spot on who I was working with, so that's a plus. A+ detecting skills. Like always.
(2:04)
Now I know it might not seem like it, but you CAN still trust me, Iris. Both me's. I'm here for you, and I've always been here for you. Those aren't empty words. That's me, at my core. There is no me without you at this point, and I should've said something sooner, but once you gave me the phone, you were talking to me as the Flash in a way that you hadn't talked to Barry Allen in so long. I didn't want to lose that.
(2:05)
You're probably at CCPN right now. Hiding out with articles, re-checking everything with this new confirmation. Could you maybe, at least, lock the door? It's not much, but Wells is still out there.
(2:05)
Not that I'm trying to protect you or anything. You told me not to. But, whenever you do want to talk, I'm here. Or, more accurately, in person, I'm at STAR Labs.
(2:07)
I really am sorry, Iris.
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(10:00p)
I hope you have a good night
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Today (6:00p)
Still at STAR Labs?
(6:14)
Yes. We — earlier today we — caught the gold robber actually.
(6:16)
You know you have shit security, right? That's probably not good for your whole operation.
(6:17)
:) I will file a complaint.
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(7:34p)
Before I go down in the sewer, do you, uh, want the phone back?
(7:35)
Keep it. It's prepaid anyway.
(7:35)
Right. Forgot about that. I'm leaving it up there though. You can call my normal number, for emergencies.
(7:36)
You're on a headset, Barry
(7:36)
It's so weird to see my name on this phone
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(9:49p)
Incoming Call from Iris West
"You walked away from me."
"Yeah, well, you weren't saying anything. Standing there, staring at me like I was wrong when we both know that I wasn't. You keep shutting down when I mention feelings with you, but obviously you have them. Things aren't as simple as you want them to be, and I know it's true because you all but told the Flash that you have feelings for me."
"And what, Barry? You think now's the time to talk about this? My dad's in a sewer with a mind-controlling gorilla. My boyfriend's who-knows-where with the man who killed your mom. And you want to talk about feelings?"
"I want to talk to my best friend."
"Then you should've done it months ago. God, you said that I talked to you differently as the Flash, but we could've had that — all of that — if you'd been honest with me from the beginning."
"You don't know that."
"I could've helped with Wells. How long did it take you to figure out who he was and what he was up to? Imagine if I'd known about the powers and all that stuff back when Mason was first suspecting Wells. We could've put this together months ago and kept Eddie out of all of this."
"Right because if you'd known about the Flash, you wouldn't have been dating Eddie?"
"If I'd known about the Flash, then I wouldn't be feeling like this right now. I said I was disappointed, and I mean that, but Barr — Barry — do you even know how wrong this was?"
"You gave me—"
"I gave the Flash a way to communicate. I gave him conversations that I would never have had with you because they were about you. I…. It's a violation of trust—"
"That's an exaggeration—"
"It's the truth! You don't get it! You don't have to get it, just respect what I'm saying right now. You're… you're not the guy I thought you were. You're a shitty partner for lying to me and withholding information. You're a shitty superhero for being found out. You're also a really shitty friend both to me and to Eddie. You practically pushed me to break up with him."
"Because you wanted to."
"I wanted to talk about it. I wanted to figure out what I'm feeling because you've had fifteen years with your stuff, Barry. I haven't even had a year. And I've got an amazing guy who loves me. We live together. We ordered little labels with our names on them. I don't care about what it is that you think you did. I'm telling you that you hurt me, and that if you ever keep something from me again, there is absolutely no going back."
"So there's a going back now? We can fix this."
"I don't know."
"Iris… I can't lose you."
"You really should've thought about that sooner…. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. I should've left it alone when you went to check on Cisco and Caitlin. I'll… I'll be back whenever the tech's ready."
"Iris, just—"
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(12:04a)
I'm coming up to the roof. If you read this, and you don't want me to, then tell me to stop.
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(12:56a)
You might not know what comes next, but I've got a pretty good idea that we get past this. We move forward from this. It's okay, if you need time. Totally okay. We're gonna get Eddie back, and work through this. But, Iris, I don't want to text you from this phone anymore.
(1:00a)
No offense, but I don't really care what you want, Barr.
(1:01)
We both know that's a lie. You don't just stop caring about someone, not someone you love.
(1:03)
Did you find Eddie yet?
(1:04)
I've been with you. When would I have looked?
(1:05)
So we're back to that bad friend thing, huh?
(1:07)
Bad friend again. How long are you gonna keep that up?
(1:08)
I don't know
(1:09)
Your favorite phrase tonight
(1:10)
I'm going to bed
(1:11)
Night, Iris
(1:12)
Night, Barry.
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an: Okay, tell me how this was for you bc I debated whether or not I should fully transcribe conversations from the episode into this or if it could stand alone without having those conversations between Barry and Iris (the one in the track room, and the one on the roof) within the chapter.
Does it work? Should I revise this chapter and add more of that into it? Tell me your thoughts.
[Barry's phone = underlined / bolded on tumblr]