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What Lies Between, Chapter 9

itle: What Lies Between

Rating: So very NC-17

Synopsis: Everyone knows the first rule of being Friends with Benefits is don’t fall in love. Westallen College AU.

Chapters: 9/9

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone for your patience! I had several requests for a lot of happy, fluffy Westallen, so this one’s a bit long. I hope it was worth the wait and that you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

At loose ends until their date that evening, Iris knew she would never be able to concentrate on her upcoming exams. She didn’t want to waste the entire day, however, so she turned her attention to cleaning her room instead. She started by straightening her things – filing away old papers, shelving unneeded books. She had grabbed a broom and was waging war against the dust bunnies under her bed when her hip knocked against her nightstand, sending a framed photograph clattering to the ground.

Iris winced, hoping the glass didn’t break, as she bent to retrieve the picture. Thankfully, it was unharmed, and she swept away a spot of dust with her thumb as she smiled at the image it held. She loved this picture of herself with Barry. It was one of her favorites, in fact. They were sitting on the front steps to the sorority building. Arms linked, Iris leaned forward, her mouth opened wide on a laugh. Barry was looking at her, a pleased smile on his face, his eyes soft.

Setting her broom aside, Iris frowned down at the picture, a slight line creasing her brow. She was excited for the date ahead, but she was nervous, too. Good intentions aside, they were risking a lot. The most important friendship she’d ever had. What if something went wrong?

Replacing the picture in its place of honor, Iris pulled her phone out of her back pocket as she sunk onto her mattress. She opened her file of pictures and began to scroll through them, her smile growing as she flipped from one picture to the next. Barry was in so many of them – but, then, that wasn’t exactly a surprise. He was in all her happiest memories.

She was still flipping through pictures when her phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

She wasn’t surprised when she saw it was from Barry. “Looking forward to tonight?”

“Of course. You?”

“Absolutely! I’m a little nervous, though, too. Aren’t you?”

Her breath escaped with a whoosh. It made her feel better, somehow, to know he was nervous too, but now she had something new to worry about. “A little. You’re not changing your mind, though?”

“NO!” She let out a breathless little laugh when she received his response. Then he continued, “Ever since we met, when I think of my future, you’re in it. I just want tonight to be perfect for you. For us.”

Pursing her lips slightly, Iris considered her phone in silence. She thought about her fears. Her memories. A future with him. She had an idea, and before she could second-guess herself, she jumped to her feet and texted him back, “There’s something I want to show you. Can you come over a little early tonight? At 6?”

Three dots signaled that he was typing. They disappeared for a moment, then they returned. “I’ll see you then.”

Iris glanced at her phone before slipping it back into her pocket. She didn’t have a lot of time. Grabbing a notebook off her shelf, she jotted down a quick list. Pausing long enough to read it over, she hesitated and added two more entries to the list. When she was satisfied, she raced to Felicity’s room and knocked quickly on the door. After a moment, Felicity threw it open.

“I need your help,” Iris blurted before the other woman could say anything.

Lying on the bed, Oliver groaned. “We aren’t going to have to pretend to break up again, are we?”

Felicity grimaced and then blurted, “Um…what? P-pretend to break up? We didn’t pretend! That was – um – totally real. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Iris rolled her eyes. “You really are the worst actors in the world, you know that?” she teased her friend. “But it’s okay. If you hadn’t done what you did, Barry and I might not be together right now. Anyway, that’s not what I need right now. I need a diversion.”

Oliver seemed interested, as he raised his head off Felicity’s pillow. “Oh, yeah?” he asked.

Iris handed over the list she’d made. “Yeah. I need you to keep Barry away from these areas – and out of his dorm room – until our date. Think you can keep him busy until I text you?”

“Uh, sure,” Felicity responded as she read over the piece of paper. “I think so. Why? What’s up?”

Grinning, Iris turned to leave. There was still so much to do. “Not much. I’m just going to show Barry the future.”

Barry was going over his plan for that evening in his mind, trying to make sure everything would be perfect, when there was a frantic knocking on the door. He opened it to find Felicity and Oliver on the other side. “Hey, guys. Is everything okay?”

“Yes! Of course! We’re just here because, um –” Felicity paused as she and Oliver exchanged glances.

“She needs help with a computer project,” Oliver finished.

Felicity looked at him in stunned betrayal. “I do?” At his shrug, she sighed heavily and agreed, “I do. I thought maybe you could help. Want to go with me to the lab?”

Barry frowned at the two of them. “We can’t do it here?”

Groaning, she protested, “No! I mean, I don’t think so. We need…um…a certain program. I don’t think you’ll have it.” But when she named it, he nodded.

“No, I have that. Come on in.” He could swear he saw them exchange another look as he stepped back, letting them into the room.

“Oh, I-I’m not sure –” Felicity began slowly, approaching his computer with something distinctly approaching dread. She looked at her boyfriend with wide eyes, and he grimaced and shrugged in response. Though he was confused by their behavior, Barry was happy to have a distraction to keep him from obsessing over his date that night.

As he booted up his computer, Oliver coughed and glanced around the room. “Hey, water! Mind if I have a sip?” he asked, picking up a mug on Barry’s nightstand.

“Well, that’s –” Barry began as Oliver picked up the mug. Before he could offer to get him a new cup, his friend turned. He took a step towards the computer and tripped, throwing the water all over Barry’s laptop. Yelping in alarm, Barry jumped to his feet, looking around desperately for a cloth to dry his computer. Felicity raced to unplug the machine and remove the battery so it wouldn’t fry. “What the hell, Ollie?” he cried.

“Oh – oh god. Barry, I – If anything has happened to your computer, Oliver will totally buy you a new one!” Felicity promised as she helped clean up the mess. “That was drastic,” she grumbled, glowering at her boyfriend as she grabbed a shirt on the back of the chair, which she used as another towel.

“Drastic?”

“Did I say drastic? I meant an accident.” Wincing, she stared at his laptop. “Still, I don’t think we should try to turn it on for a while. Just to be safe.”

Leaning back in his chair, he asked, “Oliver, did you just pour water on my computer on purpose?”

“What? No! Of course not!” his friend protested. “I’m just – I’m nervous. About tonight.” He shot Felicity a desperate look.

Nodding, she rushed to fill the silence that fell between them. “That’s right! I’m meeting his mom tonight. For the first time. We’re a little nervous about it.”

Barry frowned. “Didn’t you go to her birthday dinner a few months ago?”

She gulped. “What? No! I mean yes. I guess I did. But, um, that doesn’t count. All those people, you know?” He really didn’t, but he had a feeling no amount of explanation would help so he let it go. “Anyway,” she continued, “we’re getting together for a private dinner tonight. Just the three of us. Well, four if his sister comes along. And I’m nervous about it. You know, you could help. I needed to…uh…find a dress. Something appropriate to wear. Maybe you could help?”

Now it was Barry’s turn to exchange a look with Oliver. “Me? Huh? You don’t know anyone else that could help you with that? Iris or one of your sorority sisters?”

She shook her head. “No, no. I think you’re perfect for the job. You’re so good with mothers. Come on, we’re friends. You can help, right? We really need to get going.”

“But what about your computer project?” he asked as she pulled him to his feet.

“Oh, that? It’ll be okay. Come on,” she demanded, all but dragging him to the door. Barry shot a desperate look at Oliver, but his friend just shook his head. There would be no help from that quarter.

Barry finally escaped Felicity and Oliver with ten minutes to spare for his date. He didn’t even have time to get changed. He’d tried to break away several times before, but every time, they’d found some reason to keep him around, dragging him from one store to the other. Until Felicity got a text and suddenly remembered she didn’t need a dress after all. She’d ushered Barry back out to Oliver’s car and the two of them drove him back to the sorority house just in time to arrive for his date.

He would have asked what that had all been about, but he couldn’t afford to be late. Wishing he’d at least had time to rush home to change, he jogged up the stairs to Iris’s dorm. As he approached, however, he saw a photo of him and Iris taped to the door. Curious, he pulled it off and smiled at the picture of the two of them. It was an early photo of the two of them at a Halloween party the sorority sisters had thrown shortly after they’d met. Barry was come as a mad scientist (the best he could pull together on short notice), while Iris was dressed as a police officer.

Curious about its presence on her door, Barry flipped it over to read the note on the back.

Barry –

I have something I want to show you. Come to the place we met.

He wasn’t sure what this was about, but if Iris wanted him to go to the classroom where they’d first met, he wasn’t going to protest. Keeping hold of the photograph, he jogged away from Iris’s door, heading towards the classroom in question.

He walked as quickly as possible the couple of blocks to the building and then jogged upstairs to the classroom. The door was locked, but there was another photograph taped to the door. This one was also taken shortly after they met. Barry and Iris had been assigned to work on a group project together and had taken to a grassy area referred to as the Lawn to tackle it. After they’d finished, Iris had jokingly insisted they take a photo to commemorate the moment. It wasn’t the best selfie they’d ever taken together, but he still smiled when he saw it because it reminded him of that day.

“In the mood for some coffee?” He’d flipped over the photograph to find more writing on the back. Getting into the game, Barry grinned and spun on his heel, racing back through the door. He wasn’t sure what Iris was up to, but he was happy to play along.

Barry was still smiling as he flew through the front door to the coffee shop, though it slipped a little when he looked around and saw no sign of his date. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. The coffee shop was packed, every seat taken, but nobody paid him any attention. Surely the trail of breadcrumbs couldn’t stop here?

Lacking another idea, he headed to the counter. It was a long shot, but maybe she’d seen Iris and could give him a clue. As he approached the register, the barista stepped out from behind the pastry case. “Hey, what can I – oh, it’s you!”

Thrown by her greeting, he nodded. “Uh…yes?” he managed in a feeble tone.

Her friendly smile widened. “Your friend left something for you. Hold on. Now where did we…oh, yes. Here it is.” She slid something out from the stack of papers beside the register and handed it over. “Don’t suppose you’ll tell me what this is all about? She was pretty vague.”

“I-I’m not quite sure, but when I find out, I’ll let you know,” he admitted, stepping to the side so that she could help the customer. It was another photograph, of course. He allowed himself a moment to take in the picture she’d left him this time. It was a group shot – Barry and Iris were with a group of students from class as they studied together for exams. They were sitting around some tables that had been pushed together at the coffee house, mugs and napkins littering the surface. He didn’t remember who had taken the picture, but though they were surrounded by people, Barry and Iris seemed to be sharing a private moment. The photographer caught them as they looked up and caught each other’s eye across the table. In the smile they exchanged in the photo, nobody else might have existed.

He stroked his finger across her cheek, and then he flipped the photo over to read the message he knew he’d find. “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?”

Barry laughed, shoving his way through the crowd to the door. Their favorite movie theater – where he had taken Iris to see dozens of movies, including the Indiana Jones film she had quoted – was only a few blocks away. When he reached the theater, he saw something tucked into the corner of one of the movie posters on display. Another photo.

In it, he and Iris were dressed up – he’d dragged her to a midnight Tim Curry marathon. He’d dressed up as Wadsworth, and he’d convinced Iris to dress up with him. She’d chosen Miss Scarlet, and he could only be grateful that she hadn’t chosen Yvette in the French maid costume.

Before flipping over the photo, he paused to think about the places and photos she’d left for him thus far. The place where they’d met. Their regular coffee shop. Their favorite movie theater. She was obviously sending him on a tour of their greatest hits, but why?

He wasn’t going to figure it out by standing on the sidewalk. He had no doubt that this trail of breadcrumbs was leading to Iris, and he couldn’t wait to see her. “Come to the place where you threw your first party. Stop sign on the corner.”

It was some distance away, but when he turned around, he saw Oliver’s car on the curb. Felicity waved a hand out the passenger window to get his attention, and Barry jumped in to the back seat. “Iris texted. Said to meet you here; you might need a ride,” she explained.

“Did she tell you what all this is about?” he asked.

“Nope. Where to?” Ollie asked, throwing the car back into view. He gave the address as the car pulled into traffic. A few minutes later, Oliver pulled to the curb a few houses down from Patty’s house. Though Barry and his ex-girlfriend seemed to have come to an understanding, that didn’t mean he wanted to risk rubbing salt into the wound. No doubt that was why Iris had told him to come to the stop sign on the corner near her house, instead of going to the house itself.

Oliver reassured him that he’d wait as Barry jumped out of the car and knelt by the stop sign. There was a rock at the base of the pole, holding down something in a Ziploc bag. The photo rested face down, but he flipped it over to see the picture before reading her message.

He sucked in a breath when he saw the photo in question. It had been taken the night of Linda’s end of year bash. Iris had her arm around his waist, and his hand was on her lower back. He was grinning at the camera, but Iris was staring up at him with a soft smile. He’d never seen the picture before, but if he had, he suspected he would have realized her feelings sooner. Her heart was in her eyes, and his heart twisted at the sight.

“Come to our favorite section of the library. You know the one.” Hoping he wasn’t blushing, Barry darted back to the car and jumped in, directing Oliver back to the school. As the car pulled away from the curb, raindrops spattered against the windshield. Felicity groaned, but Barry didn’t mind. After all this time, a little rain wasn’t going to deter him from finding Iris.

It took him a couple minutes to make his way into the library and up to the eleventh floor. He ran so hard that he was a little out of breath by the time he got to the encyclopedias. His heart fell a little when he realized she wasn’t there. Instead, another photograph poked out between two books, and Barry grabbed it with shaking hands.

Barry and Iris stood between his parents the night of his father’s award. They were all smiling at the camera. Like one happy family. He remembered how he’d felt that evening, for once not having to hide his love for Iris. And now he realized that she had shared his happiness. Like him, she had been telling the truth that evening and pretending it was a lie.

“Come to the place where we first said I love you.”

Were it not for the picture in his hand, he might have thought she meant her dorm. But the photo had served as a reminder of the words they’d exchanged when his parents arrived. He knew now that Iris had been trying to confess her feelings that night, but she’d gotten scared. Just as he had done.

One more trip in the car, but this time, when Oliver and Felicity dropped him off in front of the dorm, they drove off. He barely noticed; he had no doubt Iris was close, and he was occupied with thoughts of what he would do when he saw her again.

When he reached his room, however, he was surprised to see the note taped to his door. Of course, he should have realized she wouldn’t be able to get in – his door was locked. But he would have expected another photo. Instead, it was a handwritten list on a crumpled sheet of paper, the creases faded as if it had been folded and unfolded many times.

1. No cuddling, snuggling, or spooning. 2. No domesticity. No dates. Just sex. (And no calling Linda to get bail us out of jail.) 3. No meeting the parents. 4. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love you. 5. REMEMBER PATTY.

He frowned as he skimmed the list and then turned it over. “Remember our dance? Come meet me there.” He didn’t have to wonder which dance. He knew exactly what she meant. He had enough presence of mind to open his door and toss the pictures on the counter. Then he almost fell down the steps in his haste to get to her. His heart racing – and oblivious to the pouring rain – Barry flew through the door leading to the pool at a dead run.

“I didn’t expect it to be empty,” Iris admitted, drawing his attention. He spun around to face her, taking cover under an umbrella to stay out of the drizzle.

When she met his eyes, she felt herself relax, all her nervousness draining away. “Yeah, there was a party here last week. Some guy got sick in the pool, so they drained it early. Said they were afraid it could be some kind of biohazard.”

Stepping forward, she lifted the umbrella to cover him. The rain had already wetted down his hair and shirt, making it cling distractingly to his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were asking me out on a date back then. We lost out on so much time,” she said in a soft voice.

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “But…Iris…what is this about? The photos and…the list?”

Her tongue flicked against her lower lip as she tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “They were a reminder. Of the moments that brought us here today. And this list…well, that was my reminder. The rules, you know? For our friends with benefits relationship. I told myself that if I was careful, I wouldn’t really risk anything. If I stuck to those rules, our friendship would be safe. Except I don’t need it anymore.

“The thing is, in a way, I’ve still been holding onto that list because I’ve been holding on to the fear. I’ve been so scared, thinking about what could happen if…well…if something went wrong. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Iris, you’ll never –”

She shook her head, cutting him off. “No, you don’t get it. That’s what I’m trying to say. I’m not afraid anymore.”

His gaze warm, Barry shifted his weight, lifting one hand to brush his thumb across her cheek. “What changed?” he asked in a soft voice.

Iris looped her arms around his waist. “Those pictures. I was looking at them on my phone today, and I realized…I’ve been so scared, wishing we could see the future. That we could see that it all works out. And then I realized, we already have.

“What could we possibly face together in the future that we haven’t already done? All those coffee dates and movie nights. The long nights spent studying together. That time you slipped on the ice and took the stairs outside your place on one knee. I took you to the doctor and helped you get around for a few days until your knee healed. Or the time I got the flu and was absolutely disgusting. You held my hair as I got sick and fed me chicken noodle soup until I was better.

“We already kind of dated – or pretended to. We admitted we loved each other long before we knew it wasn’t a lie. Hell, we even kind of lived together, with as much as we spent the night with each other during our friends with benefits charade.

“We may not have realized it, but we’ve known what it would be like if we were together. All this time. Even when we pretended to date other people…well, we didn’t really give those relationships a chance, did we? I always knew I’d never love anyone like I love you.”

Smiling shakily, she brushed her fingers against the back of his hand. “If we weren’t dating all this time, we did everything but. So how can I be scared of the future anymore? We’ve already seen what it’s going to be. We can go on a date tonight, but it won’t be our first. Not really. We did that a long time ago; we just didn’t realize it.”

She saw him swallow heavily. “Iris, I…” He paused, shaking his head. “I’m not scared either.” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lifted her off her feet as he pulled her in for a kiss. Heedless of the rain, Iris dropped the umbrella as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, pulling him to her for a long kiss. For the first time, she wasn’t afraid of the future. After all, the lines of their future were already written in the story of their past. So how could she be scared anymore?

Iris woke up the next morning, her heart pounding in her chest from a nightmare that faded into nothingness in the hazy morning light. Trembling from the shadows of lingering fear, she rolled over and snuggled into Barry’s arms.

“Everything okay?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

“It’s perfect,” she breathed, letting the steady drum of his heartbeat lull her back to sleep.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Iris screamed at her computer.

Barry startled, looking up. The sudden movement drew attention to the stiffness in his neck and shoulders from too many hours spent hunched over his textbook, and he stretched to work out the kink. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“Just…this stupid…I’ve been working on this for three hours, and it’s still not right!”

She looked like she was ready to toss her computer out the window, so he got to his feet to intervene. “You know what? I think we could use a break. Both of us.”

“What? No. I-I should finish this,” she grumbled, punching her keyboard keys like she had a personal vendetta.

Stepping behind her, Barry pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “It’s not due until next week, and you’re just going to drive yourself nuts like this. Give it a couple hours and come back with fresh eyes. It might help. At the very least, it might save you the expense of a new computer.”

“What do you – oh.” She grimaced as she looked down at her keyboard. “Okay, maybe you have a point.” Pushing away from her desk, she stretched. “So what did you have in mind?”

“How about a movie night? I’ll pop some popcorn; you pick the movie.”

“Yeah? All right.”

When Barry returned from the kitchen, bag of popcorn in hand, he found Iris already curled up on the bed, waiting for him. He crawled into bed next to her, just as the opening credits to While You Were Sleeping started to play. “This again?” he teased, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in.

“What? It’s a classic!” she protested, making a grab for the popcorn.

Barry pressed a kiss on her forehead as the movie started to play. They’d probably seen it a hundred times; he suspected he could recite it from memory by now. But he knew it made her happy, so he didn’t mind.

Truth was, as much as he liked to tease her about her romcom addiction, he found himself getting wrapped up in them in spite of himself. When it came time for Lucy’s big confession to the family, however, he heard a soft sound and looked down to find Iris surreptitiously wiping her eyes.

“Iris? Are you okay?” he asked, placing a finger under her chin and gently tilting her head back so he could see her face.

She rolled her eyes, and he could see her blush. “Don’t laugh at me. I’m just being sappy.”

“I’m not laughing!” he protested, bending his neck to brush his lips against the curve of her cheeks, kissing her tears away. “Can I tell you a secret? The fact you cry at sappy movies is one of the things I love most about you.”

Her smile was a little shaky, her eyes still wet with tears, as she sniffled softly. “Oh, yeah? And what do you love the least?”

Barry pretended to consider it. “I don’t think I’ve found anything yet.”

She rolled her eyes and poked him in the side. “Cheater.”

He sighed, feigning defeat. “Oh, all right. Ducking down, he whispered softly, “You steal the covers.”

Sappy moment forgotten, Iris laughed and hit him with a pillow.

“We’re going to miss you, you know,” Kara said as she hugged Iris in a tight hug.

“I’m moving in with Barry, not fleeing the country!” she protested on a laugh.

Laurel wrapped her arms around both girls. “We know. But it’s not the same.” As the rest of her sorority sisters joined in the group hug, Iris sniffled softly and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She couldn’t be happier to be taking the next step in her relationship with Barry, but she’d miss her sisters all the same.

“Now go be ridiculously happy together, okay?”

Iris smiled, kissing her sisters on the cheek one by one before heading out the door. Barry was waiting for her, and she was looking forward to spending a romantic evening in their new apartment together.

“Um…what’s that?” Barry breathed, swallowing heavily as Iris greeted him in the doorway, wearing nothing but a lacy piece of black and orange lingerie.

She grinned. “Happy Halloween.”

Lifting her easily, Barry felt her legs wrap around his waist. As he carried her towards the bedroom, she lowered her head for a kiss. Barry sucked her lower lip into his mouth, but as they stumbled towards the bed, he asked against her mouth, “Hey, honey? You weren’t answering the door for trick or treaters like that, were you?”

Iris’s laugh was muffled by his kiss.

“What are you doing?” Barry asked, causing Iris to jump in the dim light spilling through the refrigerator.

“I was hungry! I wanted a snack!”

“At midnight?” he asked, nodding at the pint of ice cream and bottle of chocolate syrup on the counter.

Shrugging, she grabbed the whipped cream and cherries and turned. “Want some?”

Stifling a yawn, he stepped forward and considered her sundae fixings. “That’s all you got?” At her confused look, he grinned. “We can do better than that.”

She lifted her eyebrows at him. “What did you have in mind?”

Barry started to whistle as he rooted around in the pantry, grabbing some Oreos and a jar of peanuts. He found some mini marshmallows and gummy bears above the stove. And from the shelf where they kept the spices, he grabbed a bottle of sprinkles.

“How old are those?” she asked in chagrin as he tossed his spoils onto the counter.

“What? They don’t go bad!” She snorted in response. “Now, honey, this is how you make a chocolate sundae.”

“You’re going to make yourself sick eating all that junk.”

“You think something’s missing?” He frowned and considered his options. “Oh, I know!” Turning back to the refrigerator, he grabbed a tub of strawberries and placed them on the counter, as well. “Better?”

She rolled her eyes at him, even as she grabbed a second bowl and spoon. “I swear, you must have the metabolism of a hummingbird with the way you eat.”

As she stepped towards the counter, he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Come on. I’ll show you how to make a proper sundae.”

“You know, I – oh.” Her protest turned to a soft moan when he pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. “Well, if you insist.”

With a chuckle, Barry handed her a spoon. “First, start with the ice cream.” She started to spoon out some ice cream, stopping long enough to swipe some onto her fingertip. With a smile, she slipped it into his mouth. “Like that?”

“Something like that,” he breathed. “Now for the chocolate.”

She poured chocolate into their bowls, then poured some onto her finger. She felt him lean, ready to suck it into his mouth, but she swiped it against the side of her neck instead. Barry’s chuckle rumbled against her back as he followed, flicking his tongue against her skin. “This again?”

“It worked pretty well the first time,” she murmured, licking her lower lip. “So what’s next?”

With Barry’s direction, she continued making the sundaes, pausing at every step to feed him a gummy bear she held between her teeth or to swipe whipped cream against her chest. By the time she topped off their creation with fresh strawberries, he was no longer in the mood for ice cream.

“You know, this isn’t what I had in mind when I came down here,” she said on a laugh as he lifted her onto the counter.

“Are you saying you mind?” He scooped a spoonful of ice cream and held it out for her to eat.

Iris shook her head, gasping when he flipped open her robe and pressed a kiss against her stomach. “No,” she breathed. “I don’t mind.”

Iris moaned, her head rolling back as Barry teased her with his tongue. He stroked the inner curve of her thigh and hard ridge of her hip, until she bucked against him in frustration. “You know, there is one thing I kind of miss about our friends with benefits relationship.” He waited until she lifted her head from the pillow, looking down at him with wide eyes, and then he explained, “Making you beg.”

Before she could even process his words, he bent and slid his tongue between her folds, stroking her slowly and deliberately. He smiled when he heard her breath hiss between her teeth with a defiant, “N-never!”

As he lifted her hips, Iris opened herself even wider for him. Barry pressed the tip of his tongue against her clit and smiled when he felt her jerk. They’d just have to see about that.

“Oh god. Oh god. It’s totally burned. This is awful!”

“Honey, it’s okay.” Iris had ducked into the kitchen for some refuge as his parents settled in at the dinner table, and Barry had followed to comfort her.

“It is not okay! I wanted this to be perfect! What am I going to do?”

“Iris, my parents adore you. They may like you better than me. You have nothing to worry about. They aren’t going to demand we break up if everything isn’t perfect tonight.” She sniffled, and he pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back with soothing strokes.

Her voice miserable, she conceded, “We should get back in there. I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

She tried to force a smile, and Nora, Henry, and Joe pretended not to notice her misery as they took their seats around the table. “So, graduation is just around the corner. Got any big plans?” Joe asked, taking a generous helping of charred chicken before passing the platter to Barry.

“Not yet,” he replied, scooping two pieces onto his plate. “We’ve been so busy getting ready for exams, we haven’t really had much time to think about after.”

“And how’s the job hunting going?” Henry asked, as Iris stared miserably at the platter of chicken when it made its way around to her. She was trying hard not to cry – and trying even harder to hide it.

At her son’s noncommittal answer, Nora said, “Well, you have plenty of time. You know, your father and I got married right after graduation. Sometimes I wonder what we were thinking. We had nothing to our names, really. Barely enough money for a run-down apartment. No jobs, even. But we were eager to start our lives together, so…” she trailed off with a shrug.

“So how did you manage?” Iris asked politely, trying to drown her chicken in mashed potatoes.

Nora laughed. “Oh, we made do. Help from our family. And a lot of frozen dinners, until Henry finally got his first offer. Though I suspect he missed those frozen meals once I started to cook.”

Her fork halfway to her mouth, Iris froze and stared at the woman across the table. “What do you mean?” she asked, painfully conscious of that evening’s culinary shortcomings.

“Well, I swear I almost poisoned him at one point,” she said lightly. “I didn’t realize back then that baking soda and baking powder aren’t the same thing. In my defense, baking soda is powdery!”

Henry chuckled. “It wasn’t that bad!” he protested weakly.

Nora snorted and pulled a face. “It was dreadful. I would say it was the worst thing I’ve ever made, but there was that ham loaf once that…well, we won’t talk about that. I was just so nervous, you know? We were newlyweds, and he had just gotten his first real job. I wanted everything to be perfect, and it just didn’t work out.”

“So what did you do?” Iris asked softly, blinking back tears for reasons other than her burnt chicken. “Weren’t you upset that it wasn’t perfect?”

Nora nodded. “Of course, but it didn’t matter.”

Henry smiled gently at Iris, cutting off a large bite and popping it into his mouth. His expression didn’t slip as he chewed and swallowed. “I ate every bite and asked for more. When you love someone, things don’t always have to be perfect. They love you anyway.”

“Baby girl, you got any more chicken over there? I could go for some seconds,” her dad interjected, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she looked over to see he’d already finished his plate.

Iris sniffled, wiping her eyes the back of one finger. “I love you guys, you know.”

“We love you, too,” Barry murmured, squeezing her hand as he slid a third piece of chicken onto his newly-cleaned plate.

Barry heard a sound behind him and turned in time for Iris to wrap her arms around his waist. “What’s this?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I just wanted a hug.”

He grinned, pressing a kiss against the top of her head as she tucked her cheek against his chest. Then he heard a soft sound behind him. “Wait a minute…is this all a ploy? Are you…are you stealing my cookie?”

“Mwo,” she protested, after shoving something into her mouth. When she looked up at him again, she was still chewing, and there were crumbs at the corners of her mouth.

“I can’t believe this! Thievery!” His affronted gasp was belied by his breathless laugh as he made a grab for her, but she danced out of his reach.

“No! Payback!” she cackled as she ran away, Barry fast on her heels.

“Iris! Iris, you here?” Barry asked as he raced through the front door.

He heard some soft thuds, and then she was standing in the bedroom door, staring at him with wide eyes. “I’m here! Barry? What is it? Is everything okay?”

As soon as he saw her, his face broke into a wide smile. “Guess what? You’re looking at the newest CSI for the Central City Police Department. They made an offer, effective immediately upon graduation!”

“Oh, my god! Really?” Running into his arms, she swept him into a deep kiss. “Babe, I’m so proud of you!”

“Yeah?” He grinned, maneuvering her back into the bedroom. “I’ve even got my first case.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“What does Iris West have on under that robe? It’s a very important case.”

She choked on a laugh, pulling him back onto the bed. “Oh, my god, my fiancé is such a dork.”

His smile was unrepentant. “But you love me.”

“But I love you,” she agreed.

“Look! There’s one!”

Iris followed the path of his finger and gasped as she watched the shooting star arc across the sky. It was supposed to be one of the best showers of the year, and they’d driven to a wooded area in the suburbs the outskirts of town to try to get a look. “Beautiful,” she breathed.

“Do you – wait. Honey? Don’t freak out. Just take a step back. Very slowly. Step back, step back, step back…” He had tightened his arms around her stomach and was pulling her backwards towards the car.

“Barry? What?” Tearing her eyes off the sky, she looked down to see the streak of white in the darkness as it moved towards them. “A skunk?” she squeaked, tripping over his feet as she tried to scramble away.

Their legs got tangled up together, and they went down hard, Barry taking the force of the landing as she fell against his chest. “Shit. Shit!” she hissed, fumbling in her pocket. The white streak had paused, but it was still too close for comfort. When her fingers wrapped around her phone, she pulled it out and pulled up the flashlight, hoping the bright light would scare the noxious woodland creature away.

When she held up the light, however, she saw, not a skunk, but a very confused black and white cat staring at the two of them. “Oh, my god.” Struck by the ridiculousness of their situation, Iris let out a bark of laughter as she collapsed against his chest.

“For the record, that was a skunk a minute ago,” Barry explained sheepishly. “I totally scared it away for you, honey! And then the, uh, cat showed up after.”

Still chuckling, she grinned down at him. “My hero.”

“Morning, Captain!”

“Allen, you’re late!” Singh didn’t return Barry’s smile as his newest CSI blew through the front doors to the precinct. “Wait. What is that you’re carrying?”

Barry was indeed holding a stack of newspapers, handing one to every person he passed as he made his way through the squad room. “Papers. I had to stop off at the newsstand on my way in. You want one? Here you go.”

“Okay, and why does it look like you bought every paper in a three-block radius?”

“More like five,” Barry corrected him as he handed out another paper. Then he spun back to his Captain. “Take a look! Top story, above the fold!”

“New Polling Shows Election in Dead Heat? By…ohhhh…This is her first, right?” Barry’s grin grew wider, if possible. Folding the paper again, Singh tucked it under his arm. “Well, tell Iris I said congratulations, and next time, don’t be late.” This time, however, his chastisement lacked heat.

“Thanks, Captain. Now, who needs a paper?” he asked, turning back to continue sharing the good news.

Iris laughed as Barry scooped her in his arms and carried her through the front door. “Barry! You know we’ve been married for a year, right? You don’t need to carry me over the threshold anymore!”

He grinned. “Are you sure? I could have sworn we were still newlyweds.” She rolled her eyes at him, but she was still laughing as he swept her back onto her feet. “What time do the movers get here?” They had just bought their first house together, and Iris couldn’t wait to get it in order.

“In about an hour, I think. Maybe more,” she replied, dropping her purse in the corner by the door as she stepped forward into the living room. As soon as she entered the room, she gasped. Their mattress was set up in the middle of the floor, complete with blankets and pillows. Throwing an arch look over her shoulder, she asked, “Really?”

Barry held up his hands in mock surrender, though his smile was mischievous. “Just thought we should be prepared in case they can’t make it today!” he explained.

She snorted, but something on the far wall caught her attention. Stepping forward, she scanned the photographs mounted to the wall, staggered like footsteps side by side. Her eyes skimmed the series of pictures. Barry and Iris dressed up as a mad scientist and a police officer for Halloween. The two of them on the Lawn. With eyes only for each other in the middle of a packed coffee house. Dressed up as characters from Clue outside their favorite movie theater. At Linda’s party. Standing with his parents at an award ceremony. All the pictures she’d left for him leading up to their first date.

But then the pictures continued. At the restaurant where Barry had taken her for their first “official” date – he’d asked the waiter to take the photo before they’d left. The night he met her father, Joe, for the first time. It had been an awkward meeting, since her dad greeted him by asking if he was the boy who’d broken his daughter’s heart. As it turned out, Iris hadn’t hidden her heartache as well as she’d hoped, that weekend away.

There was a picture taken the night of their engagement. One of the two of them at graduation, sharing a kiss, diplomas in hand as they stood in cap and gown. And, finally, her favorite photo from their wedding. Their foreheads were pressed together as they shared a laugh, stealing a quiet moment away in the midst of the festivities. At the very end of the row, Barry had hung an empty photo frame.

“Oh, Barry. It’s perfect. Thank you,” she whispered, turning to face her husband. Wiping away a tear, she nodded towards the empty frame, “So what’s that for?”

Barry shrugged. “I don’t know yet. For whatever’s next.” Cupping Iris’s face, he tilted her head back and drew her in for a deep kiss.

When the kiss broke off, Iris smiled against his mouth. “Just think…a house this big…we have a lot more walls to fill.” A line formed between her brow as she glanced up at him. “All those years ago…the misunderstandings and secrets…all that unnecessary heartache. Do you ever think back on it and wish we’d done things differently? We wasted all that time.”

“Maybe. Sometimes. I don’t think an entire lifetime is long enough to spend with you. But most of the time, I think that time wasn’t wasted.” Nodding at the wall, he explained. “Look at it, Iris. That’s our life together. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours, and I wouldn’t trade a single second of it.” Iris was lost in the smile he threw her, that smile that melted something inside of her every bit as much as it did the day they met.

Iris looped her arms around his neck. “You know, it’s been two minutes since I last kissed you, Mr. Allen, and I think I really need to do something about that.”

“Well, if you say so, Mrs. West-Allen. Who am I to argue?”

His laugh dissolved into a moan as Iris pushed him back onto the bed. As it turned out, it turned out he was right. There was no point wondering if they should have done things differently in the past. She had no intention of wasting another second.

This was their story, and whatever the future would bring, they would face it. Together.

#what lies between

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#what lies between