Work Text:
It had always been the two of them. Iris and Barry. West and Allen. They were practically attached at the hip. Five years after they became best friends forever and ever Barry’s mom died and he moved in with the girl was had unknowingly fallen in love with. Iris didn’t figure out her feelings for Barry until college. During high school she dated around a lot. Barry helped her do some research and in senior year Iris was happily able to identify as polyamorous . It was Barry going off to college in a different state that caused her to realize how she felt for him. Joe wasn’t surprised when they got together, but was immensely thankful that it was after one of them had practically moved out.
Barry knew that Iris dating someone else while dating him was a possibility and he was fine with that. He just wanted her to be happy and if that included dating him, then all the better. Iris made it very clear that she would talk to Barry first before starting to date anyone else, since she wanted Barry to be okay with it. She wasn’t really looking for anyone else though, her classes kept her busy and Barry alone was enough for now.
Then the lightening hit.
Iris was the one who found him, and for the next month, she couldn’t sleep without having nightmares of finding him, this time without a pulse.
As the weeks dragged on, Iris found herself spending more and more time with Eddie. He wasn’t as bad as her first impression had indicated. The more time she spent with him the more she fell in love with him. But she wasn’t going to start anything because Barry wasn’t awake to tell her if he was okay with it.
“Hey, Barry. It’s Iris. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I hope you can because I really, really need you to wake up. The apartment is so quiet without you there. I’ve been sleeping at the house. And I know the reason that you came to live with us was awful. But Barry, you made it home again. You made us a family again. We need you. I need you,” Iris paused, holding back tears. “Like, the other day, Detective Pretty Boy came into Jitters, and he asked me out,” Iris paused, feeling guilty about what she had to admit to. “And I actually said yes. See, I do dumb things like that when you’re not around.”
Her dinner with Eddie wasn’t the worst she ever had, but she couldn’t bring herself to relax.
“Are you feeling okay?”Eddie asked. “I can take you home early if you want.”
“No, I’m fine it’s just,” she took a breath. “Eddie, I’m polyamorous .”
“I don't think I know what that means.”
“It means, I fall in love with and date multiple people at once,” she explained.
“Iris, it’s only the first date, we don’t have to figure out anything long term yet,” Eddie said with a laugh.
“Eddie, I’m trying to say there can’t be anything long term.”
“Why not?”
“Eddie, I really like you. But I’m dating Barry, and I can’t start dating someone else without his consent.”
“Oh.”
There was a period of silence before Eddie asked another question.
“Did Barry not know you’re polyamorous ?”
“No, he knows. And he knew something like this might happen, but I don't feel comfortable entering into a relationship with him knowing about it.”
“But if he knew it could happen-”
“It’s not the same thing, Eddie,” Iris almost snapped, getting upset. This had happened before. She had wanted to start dating this guy and Barry had told her she shouldn’t because he seemed off. Iris had listened to Barry’s advice but the guy had gotten mad and complained that she shouldn’t have to answer to Barry about who she dated. That only added to her reasons not to date him.
Eddie and Iris didn’t speak for the rest of dinner. It wasn’t until they got into his car that Iris spoke, and only to give him directions to her and Barry’s apartment.
She and Eddie were distant for a couple of weeks after the failed date, but eventually Eddie apologized and Iris allowed herself to be friends with him at least. She didn’t need Barry’s consent for friends.
Nine months after the lightening, when Barry walked into Jitters, Iris could not believe her eyes. When she finally did, she was beyond happy. She hugged him and gave him a kiss and just didn’t stop smiling.
When they went to the station, Eddie seemed pretty happy to see Barry awake too.
“We’ll talk later, Iris?”
“Yeah, Eddie,” she responded before he had to leave.
“Since when is Eddie Joe’s partner?” Barry asked.
Iris explained what happened the night of the explosion. One of the older officers called her over and when she got back to Barry, he seemed shaken.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” he replied, “just need some air. But I’ll call you, okay?”
“Okay.”
And then he was gone.
She met up with Eddie later for coffee.
“You talk to Allen yet?”
“No, he was acting weird, said he needed some air. I guess he’s still getting use to being awake,” she said.
“Look, Iris. I know when you first explained everything to me I wasn’t as understanding as I could have been, and I just want to be clear with you now. Even if Barry isn’t okay with us being in a relationship, and I will respect whatever decision you two come to, I still want to be your friend, and Barry’s too. I didn’t know him very well before the coma but hearing you talk about him I feel like I’ve known him for years.”
“Thanks, Eddie,” she said, giving him a hug. When she pulled away she saw Barry watching them.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Eddie said before leaving.
“So when did you two get so close?” Barry asked as they started walking back to the apartment.
“He asked me out while you were asleep.”
“Oh.”
“It was just the one date,” she explained. “I didn’t want to do anything without you saying it was okay.”
“No, Iris, that’s fine. I’m just,” he paused. “Well, the first time you met him you sort of hated him.”
Iris laughed. “Yeah, he’s not really as bad as I thought. Plus his looks totally make up for any lack of personality,” she joked.
“Oh, I see how it is. You want to date Eddie for his looks because you’re only dating me for my personality,” Barry joked back.
Iris gave him a playful shove. “You’re plenty attractive Barry.”
“Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.”
She laughed and they kept walking in a comfortable silence.
“So you really like him?”
“I do. And I know it must seem terrible that you just woke up and the first thing I ask if it I can date someone else-“
Barry pulled her into a hug to shut her up.
“I love you, Iris. I just want you to be happy. If dating Eddie is going to make you happy, then I’m okay with it.”
“Thanks, Barry,” she said, giving him a kiss.
“Of course.”
They were walking under the bridge when Iris spoke again.
“So are you going to tell me what’s up with you now that I’ve spilled my secrets?”
“I actually was on my way to do that when I saw you and Eddie,” Barry started talking but they were interrupted by sudden sirens and a cruiser skidding towards them.
Barry put his arms around Iris and threw them out of the way. However when she got up he was already gone. She would have thought he’d been hit if he hadn’t broken her fall. It took her a couple of minutes to find him though.
“Barry, where were you?” she demanded, fussing over the cut on his forehead.
“I was trying to see if I could help.”
“Not without me, okay?”
“Okay.”
There was nothing either of them could do and they just ended up standing off to the side, Barry’s hand firmly in hers so she wouldn’t lose him again.
“That poor man,” she said as they wheeled away to body. “The way that fog came in- I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Barry! Iris!”
“We’re fine, Dad,” she said, hoping to stop his worried anger. It didn’t work and he ended up yelling at them both, seeming to jump to the conclusion that Barry had let her show up to the crash scene.
“Joe, I need to talk to you,” Barry said, slipping out of Iris’s grip.
“It can wait.”
“No it can’t,” he said, walking a few paces away.
Iris couldn’t hear what Barry told her dad, but she heard what her dad told him. She stepped in, figuring that whatever Barry may have said, it didn’t warrant bringing up his parents.
“For once in your life, see things as they are!” her dad yelled.
Barry took off and Iris went after him.
“Barry,” she put and hand on his shoulder but he just shrugged her off.
“I just want to be alone,” he said, not even looking at her.
This time she let him walk away.
When she got to their apartment after her shift at Jitters, he was on the floor surrounded by case boxes and official papers.
“Barry? Can we talk?”
He looked up at her.
“Iris, I’m sorry about running off earlier.”
“Barry, even if my dad doesn’t believe you. I do. I always have and I always will. If you need to talk, I’m here,” she said, sitting down next to him.
He took a deep breath.
“The particle accelerator explosion released something that’s been changing people,” he explained. “Clyde Martin didn’t die. The explosion gave him the power to control the weather.”
“Do you know if anyone else was affected?” she asked.
“Me.”
She looked up and Barry was on the other side of the room. In a blink he was back by her side. The next moment he was gone, but back just as quickly, with a book she knew she had left on the bed.
“Whoa.”
“Joe may not believe me but I’m going to use my speed to stop Clyde.”
“Okay. I’ll help. What are we looking for?”
“Iris-“
“What are we looking for?”
[rest of the episode goes the same aside from the “you have to keep Iris out of this” to which Barry answers “whoops, too late”]
It was a few weeks later when Iris realized that Eddie was in love with Barry. She and Eddie were having coffee together at Jitters when she noticed. Barry had just left to get back to his lab work but Eddie was able to take a bit more time off. She smiled knowingly at Eddie over her cup of coffee as he turned back from watching Barry leave.
“What?”
“You like him,” she said in a sing song voice. “You like Barry.”
“I- uh-“
“I could totally put in a good word for you if you want,” she said.
Eddie just groaned and put his face on the table.
“I don’t think he’d be against it.”
“Stop talking, please,” Eddie begged, his head still on the table.
Iris laughed.
A week later, all three of them went on their first date (after, of course, Joe threatened Eddie to look out for his kids).