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Chapter Text

The buzz from running out of CCPD to head down to STAR Labs slightly dimmed as they made their way through the crowd, and what Barry had planned on doing since he got off the train earlier that day returned to the surface.

He was going to tell Iris how he felt about her.

No more beating around the bush, no more pretending he just liked her as a friend. No, he was going to lay it all out on the line, come hell or high water, because he was sick of being the guy she didn’t date just because she didn’t know where his head and his heart was at. If he was ever going to have a chance with her, she had to know.

So, as they moved closer to STAR Labs, and Iris started asking him questions about his trip to Starling City, he knew the moment was upon him. Steeling himself for her reaction, he smiled and laughed at her latest remark and began the trek to the biggest moment of his life probably.

“Actually, while I was away, I had a chance to think about, you know, relationships.” He paused. “Oh, I’m not in one,” he said awkwardly. “And you’re not in one either. And…you’re my best friend, Iris.”

“You’re mine, too,” she cut him off. “Why else would I be here?”

“Yeah, that’s not what I meant. What I-”

“I know what you’re gonna say, Barry.”

“I’m not sure you do.”

She definitely did not, but he let her continue anyway. Maybe she did?

“Even though we pretty much grew up in the same house together, and we’re kind of like brother and sister… Because we’re not brother and sister, it can get really weird and awkward to talk to me about girls, but I just want you to know that it shouldn’t be awkward.” She shifted gears, driving her point home. “There is nothing that I want more than for you to meet the right person that totally loves and adores you for the amazing guy that you are.”

And he hesitated then, because it would be so easy to let it go at that, to tell her she was right, and that there was nothing more to it. After all, the ceremony was about to start. There wouldn’t be much time for her to answer him anyway, if she had an answer to give him at all.

“That’s…sweet, Iris.”

She smiled and nudged him.

“Aren’t you glad I know you so well?”

“But,” he was quick to say, “still not what I wanted to say, what I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time.”

“Oh.” She frowned, probably bummed that she didn’t know her best friend by heart. “Okay, well, what is it then?”

He took a deep breath and continued.

“Okay. The reason I brought up how neither of us are in relationships right now is because I want to be in one…with you.”

She blinked.

“But we’re already in a relationship. We’re best friends.”

This was gonna be harder than he thought. Better to go straight to the punch.

“Yeah, but I want more than that now. I mean, not just now. I’ve always wanted more than that. I’ve just been afraid to say anything because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but-”

“Barry, what are you trying to say?”

“I love you, Iris. I’m in love with you. I always have been. And if you feel the same, then-”

Applause cut through as Dr. Harrison Wells came on stage and started to talk. Barry and Iris awkwardly turned away from each other and tried to pay attention to the reason they’d come. It wasn’t until a run-of-the-mill thief grabbed Iris’ backpack containing her laptop and thesis on it that she spoke again, urging Barry into action.

He was terrible runner, and the guy clocked him, cutting his run short, but luckily – or unluckily for Barry – a cocky, young cop stopped him, and confiscated both the thief and Iris’ backpack.

She was eternally grateful, and Barry was left nursing a bloody nose.

…

They left STAR Labs, having missed the big moment both with each other and the particle accelerator reveal to hang out at CCPD for a bit. Barry didn’t stay long, especially not after Iris admitted to finding Detective Eddie Thawne, her hero of the hour, attractive. She clearly regretted the words the minute they tumbled out of her mouth, because she shot her best friend a look that spilled a million apologies, given the last thing he’d told her, but it was too late for that.

His nose had stopped bleeding, and so he dumped the tissue in the trash and went up to his lab. He turned on the TV to watch the report from the front lines of STAR Labs and look back over his dad’s board that he’d put together over the years, sinking back into the memories of his childhood trauma as the particle accelerator was turned on.

Then, as quickly as everything had been turned on, the power went out. Barry looked out the window and saw a large colorful mass spreading across the sky. His eyes widened as it passed over the building.

“Barry!”

Iris’ voice could be heard coming down the hall, her heels clicking away.

“Barry, are you okay?” She burst into his lab.

It started to storm, and Barry looked around as chemicals started to lift out of their containers. He moved to shut the sky window in the roof.

“Iris, stay back,” he ordered, fear building inside of him.

He watched in slow motion as lightning rained down through the window and thrust him across the room just as Iris darted towards him to move him out of the way.

But she was too late.

“Barry! Barry!” Tears running down her cheeks, as she tried to shake him awake, she turned and ran to the top of the steps down the hall. “Somebody, help! Barry was struck by lightning!”

Chapter Text

Iris did not cry for as long or as hard or as often in her entire life as she did for the next nine months when Barry Allen, her best friend since they were like eight, went into a coma after being struck by lightning.

Every passion she had lost its meaning. She busied herself at work. It was hard to sleep and eat. And whenever she wasn’t doing any of those things she was at the hospital and eventually STAR Labs at Barry’s bedside.

That’s where she was right now. Stacy had taken over her shift, so she could be alone with him. Eddie Thawne, the guy who’d rescued her laptop nine months earlier, had taken over multiple shifts for her dad so he could be with Barry too, but he could only do that so much before Captain Singh started to get suspicious. He had to work some of the time obviously.

To thank Eddie for his trouble, Iris stopped by the station to give him some coffee. She forgot to bring cream or sugar though, and it turned out he didn’t take his coffee black, so it was a flop. He apparently didn’t mind and used the opportunity instead to try asking her out again.

She had to admire his determination, but she knew her ‘it’s just not a good time’ was falling flat. The fact of the matter was she wasn’t interested.

It surprised her on some level, given that his looks were attractive enough for her taste. She’d commented on it the night of the explosion offhandedly, not thinking anything of it until she registered Barry beside her. There was nothing she wished she could take back more. How could she have been so inconsiderate after he’d confessed he was in love with her?            

In the end it didn’t matter. She obviously wasn’t attracted enough to Eddie to ever take him up on his offer, and she told Barry so nearly every time she visited him. She didn’t know if he could hear what she was saying, but she hoped he could. Though there were some things she was saving for when he woke up.

If he woke up.  

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she reached for his hand. She’d been pouring her heart out for a good 20 minutes at this rate, and she still hadn’t touched him. It was hard for her to touch him honestly, because he felt so lifeless in her hands. At least when she just looked at him, she could see he was still breathing. And there were no violent spasms like there had been in the hospital.

“Bear?” She sighed, and then finally took his hand.

There was an electric shock that made her reel back and stare at him hard, wondering what in the hell that had been about. She looked at her own hand and wondered if she’d done something to illicit that response. Was it normal? Had it happened with other people? With the STAR Labs employees that had been working tirelessly to keep Barry stable?

“That was kinda weird, huh?” She chuckled lamely.

The silence was so deafening she couldn’t stand it, so she decided to go for round two.

She reached across the space between them again and took his hand once more, this time clasping both her hands around his. There was no spark this time, just warmth, and she relaxed.

Then, without any urging from her, Barry’s head suddenly turned, his eyelashes fluttering as he his eyes opened, and then he whispered in a raspy voice.

“Iris?”

Iris’ eyes bulged.

“Oh, my God.”

He blinked.

“Wh-Where am I?” His brows furrowed, and he started to move around.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You’re-you’re awake!” She let one of her hands leave his to turn and shout for an employee. “He’s awake!”

“Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!” Cisco Ramon came flying into the room to check his vitals. Barry was sitting straight up now, wondering why he had so many tubes on him. “Calm down, dude. Calm down.” He turned to shout for his co-worker. “Caitlin!”

Moments later, Doctor Caitlin Snow entered the room.

“Calm down, Cisco, what in the- Oh.”     

“Yeah.” Cisco glared. “Oh.”

“Okay, okay, just…” She turned towards Iris. “Sorry, if you could…?”

“Right. Of course.”

Iris backed up into the corner, but she wouldn’t leave the room. She wasn’t leaving Barry’s side ever again, even if he begged her to for her own safety.

Minutes passed. His vitals checked out, and even Doctor Wells himself came in in his wheelchair to instruct Barry on what had happened. He wanted to give him a tour too, to explain himself further, but Barry’s eyes had landed back on Iris’, and so the employees of STAR Labs left them be.

Shyly, Iris walked back over to Barry’s bedside.

“Hi,” Barry said, the raspy quality to his voice nearly disappeared.

“Hey,” she said back, smiling timidly. “How- How are you feeling?”

“I feel good.”

Steeling herself for the biggest moment of her life, she lay her hand along his cheek and bent her head down.

“Maybe this will make you feel even better.”

Their lips connected, and there was another spark. It made them both jolt back briefly, but Iris shook her head.

“Uh-uh. You’re not getting away from me again.”

She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him hard, sinking her fingers into his hair and his tongue into his mouth. They kissed until they needed to breathe again, but by then Barry’s hands were on her waist, and he was pulling her onto the bed with him.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked breathlessly, pressing his forehead to hers.

She smiled faintly, her heart fluttering the way it had every moment she’d thought of his love confession for the past nine months.

“It’s always been you, Bear. Forgive me for not seeing it sooner?”

He groaned.

“I should’ve said something sooner,” he scolded himself.

“Well, maybe I should’ve too when I crushed on you hard in high school and thought you weren’t noticing me.”

He gaped. “For real?”

She laughed. “For real.” She paused, running her thumb over his bottom lip. “I’m in love with you, too.”

He smiled happily, a sappy grin on his face.

“You think you can get up?” she asked, mildly concerned for his well-being despite the happy state of their hearts.

“With you? I can do anything.”

She smiled and got to her feet, holding her hands out for him to take in case he was off balance after nine months in a bed. But he was okay.

He grinned and took her hands, stable on his two feet and sweeping down to kiss her again.

“I could live off your kisses alone,” he murmured.

“Oh, yeah?” she teased.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded.

“Expect a lot more of them then, Mister.” She poked his chest, and he chuckled.

“You two lovebirds ready for your tou-” Dr. Wells was saying, or Barry thought he was saying, but suddenly the world slowed down. He was moving, but everyone else was standing still.

His eyes widened in shock, only widening further when he looked down and saw his hand vibrating.

“What the-”

And then he was across the room, tripping over Doctor Wells in his wheelchair and nearly flying into the wall behind him.

Time resumed just as he caught himself, and Barry spun around.

“What just happened?!”

Iris’ jaw was on the floor, but Doctor Wells smiled knowingly as he turned around.

“I think, Mr. Allen, I might have an idea.”