Iris let out a gasp as she was pulled into the abandoned stairwell before she felt familiar lips upon hers. She sighed into the kiss, her body relaxing as she felt those familiar and curious hands explore her body, dipping under her sweater to feel her soft, warm skin.
Unfortunately for her, these happened to be ice cold in that moment. She jerked at the contact before pulling away from the kiss loudly.
“Oh my god, Barry, your hands are freezing!”
“Oh, sorry,” he murmured, pulling his hands away and sticking them in his armpits even as he kissed the side of her face.
She couldn’t help but giggle at that. “You’re such a dork,” she said quietly, pulling his hands into her and breathing into them before rubbing them. “There, all better.”
“You’re so good to me,” he said, looking at her softly. “I’m sorry I’m so weird.”
She looked up at him. “Hey, you’re not weird. Why would you say that?”
“Because I’m weird about going public with our relationship,” he replied, looking away.
Iris brought his warmed hands back to her waist and pulled his face up to look at her. He kept his eyes downcast and she waited until he finally met her gaze.
“I understand. I understand that this is a new experience for you and that you need some time to adjust before the rest of the world swarms in because it’s high school and that’s what people do.”
“Especially when the beauty inexplicably went for the freak.” He lifted his right shoulder in what she came to know was a nervous tick of his. It was almost as though he was trying to shield himself with that one movement. He tended to do that when his insecurities came up or the death of his father.
Iris smoothed a hand over his shoulder to ease the tension until he let out a long breath and slowly dropped his shoulder.
“You’re not a freak, Barry. It’s ok, I understand. I mean, I’ll be honest, it kind of sucks that I can’t tell people I have boyfriend, especially a wonderful one at that,” she shrugged, “but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by not being public about us. We still get to do things couples do, so I’m not in any rush. I just want you to be ok and feel comfortable, ok?”
His eyes softened even more if that was possible and Iris could have sworn he loved her in that moment. She told herself to settle down and take things one step at a time, so she let out a deep breath before shoving one of his shoulders.
“The only thing I do ask though is that you please, please quit smoking. I’m quite fond of you and I’d like to see you have a nice, long, healthy life you know?”
He wrapped his arms tighter around her, bringing her closer until their foreheads were pressed against one another. “Yeah, ok.”
“Yeah?” she asked, pleased.
He nodded against her, his soft locks brushing her skin. “Yes. I’ll go on the patch or something.”
Iris beamed. “Really, really?”
His answering smile was achingly beautiful, nearly blinding her with its sunshine. It was moments like these he seemed like an actual seventeen-year-old boy and not one that was so weighed down by his grief and tragedy.
“Really, really,” he nodded, pressing a kiss to her lips.
She did a little hop even as she leaned into the kiss, throwing her enthusiasm into it. Just then the bell rang, indicating passing time.
“Ok, time to go,” she said, pulling away. “I have a chemistry test to fail.”
“You’re not going to fail,” Barry assured her, picking up her fallen bag from when he unceremoniously grabbed her. “You nailed ions emission spectra even quicker than I did.”
She gave him a bored look as he settled her bag on her shoulder. “Ok, maybe not as quickly as I did,” he amended, “but definitely quicker than we both were expecting.”
Iris frowned. “Hm, yeah, I have to stop psyching myself out. Anyway, thank you very much for being a wonderful and very professional tutor.”
“Anytime,” he murmured, his cheek going bright red.
She shook her head with a smile. Even months into dating and having had his hands up her bra, somehow he managed to blush at the most unexpected things.
“I’m off,” she said leaning up to kiss him. “Wait like a minute before heading out? That should be good enough.”
He looked at her quietly for a long moment, searching her eyes before finally nodding.
“Ok?” she asked.
He nodded. She could feel his eyes on her as he made her way out of the stairwell and into the bustling hallway. She was barely a foot away when she felt someone grabbing her hand.
She whirled around, “What the—?” but the words were caught in her throat when she saw Barry there, sheepishly smiling at her while lacing their fingers together.
“Barry, what…”
He shrugged, swallowing thickly. “I wanted to walk you to class and wish you a proper good luck.”
Iris could feel curious eyes on them but she couldn’t bring herself to care as she stepped forward and laid one on him right there in front of everyone. She stood on her tiptoes even as Barry snaked his arms tightly around her to keep her close so that she was practically lifted from the ground.
For a moment, she just let herself get lost in him, the feel of his body, the sensation of his tongue exploring her mouth in that always eager and curious way, his hands spreading wide across her back as though trying to feel as much of her as possible.
“Hey, you two!” they heard a familiar voice calling out. “West and Allen, break it up! West...Allen?”
Iris pulled away to see the Assistant Principal looking at them in bewilderment before shaking himself out of it and adopting a frown. “No PDA in the halls. Break it up before I write you guys up.”
They slowly let go of each other, just keeping their fingers linked.
“Sorry, sir,” Barry said quietly. “Didn’t mean to…”
Iris looked over at him and saw the deep blush travel down his neck and her heart squeezed at the sweet sight.
“Yeah, sorry Principle Albert. Won’t happen again,” she said while dragging Barry away.
They walked to her class in silence and it was then Iris looked up at him again. He was glancing at the students nearby that were clearly gawking at them and whispering among each other. Iris’s heart dropped to her stomach. She didn’t know what caused him to make such a bold move, but she was hoping he didn’t regret it.
He looked at her, meeting her eyes with determination. “I don’t regret it,” he said, as though reading her mind.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded, stepping closer. “I love you, Iris. That’s just a fact I’ve never been able to hide and certainly can’t now that I’m with you and I don’t want to anymore. I’ll deal with the looks no matter how uncomfortable they make me because it means I’m with you. Exactly where I want to be.”
She was sure her brain short-circuited at the admission as she stared at him in awe. “You...love me.”
“Yeah,” he said softly, lifting his right shoulder and it was that sight that snapped her out of her stupor. No way was she going to let him think she didn’t love him too.
“I love you, Barry.”
It was his turn to stare at her in awe as he let out an astonished breath of air. Just as she leaned up to kiss him, the bell rang, signaling the end of passing time.
“You’re going to be late for class!” Iris said. Barry had an impeccable attendance record and now that was going to be messed up.
A hand came out of nowhere with a hall pass in Barry’s direction. Iris looked up to see her chemistry teacher, Mr. Wells, peering at them over his glasses.
“Ms. West, I believe you have a test to take,” he said. “Mr. Allen, I’m sure you have somewhere to be as well.”
Barry took the hall pass from him. “Thank you.”
He turned to look at Iris and even though the tips of his ears were still bright red, he leaned down to kiss her before ambling away, glancing back at her with a smile.
Iris’s heart pattered at the sight, leaning against the doorway with what she was sure the goofiest smile on her face. Who would’ve thought the boy who craved anonymity would give that up for her? She supposed that was love, she thought dreamily.
Reblogged this cute picture from @ladykendiceismoi who always reblogs cute animals (much appreciated lol) and of course, it made me think of Westallen.
Growing up as neighbors, they share their first kiss over the fence as they stand on crates at the age of six. Years to come, the fence becomes their meet up spot with wish each other good night before bed every night and kiss each other hello before hopping over to attend a BBQ at each other’s house.
Then there’s the time in high school they were both grounded for two weeks after coming home well past curfew and they were forbidden from seeing each other (Joe had wanted to make it two months but the Allens convinced him to shave it down to two weeks to compromise) but they found a way to sneak out every night at midnight to sneak a kiss.
They carried on like that for thirteen days until the very last day of their grounding Barry missed Iris too much and nearly pulled her over the fence in the middle of the kiss. He worried about hurting her so he said “Fuck it, I’m coming over,” and hopped the fence to embrace her properly and hold her in his arms tightly even though their suspension would be up the very next morning (smh the boy is too much).
And then there’s the time Iris was sitting in her backyard the day she came home from college and heard his car door slam shut. She ran up to the fence waiting for his kiss which came not a moment later. “Missed you,” they both murmured before laughing breathlessly against each other’s lips.
There was that time Iris wasn’t supposed to see Barry that night but they both agreed they didn’t believe in curses—at least not when it came to their love—so they met at the fence again at the first hour of their wedding day and shared a kiss, whispering about their dreams and life as a family, without a fence in between them.
Of course, they couldn’t resist kissing over the fence when they brought their kids home to visit Pawpaw and Gram and Gran and showed their little ones “where mommy and daddy first met.”
Sure, they both spent plenty of time in each other’s home, Joe having come to see Barry as a fixture at the house with a begrudging smile and the Allens adopting Iris as their bonus daughter in their minds—but that fence would always be a special place in their hearts.
After all, it was the place where they met the love of their lives all those years ago.
