Chapter Text
Barry was late. Barry was late and that really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, except this time he was going to be on the receiving end of Iris’s wrath. He swore as he dashed through the street, skirting around people trying to make it to work or school or meetings on time. He wasn’t even one of them, but he was late. So late.
Narrowly avoiding kneeing a small girl in the face, Barry finally rounded the corner and stumbled through a glass door. He checked his watch. Shit. He was so late.
Iris turned to him when he came in, her hands firmly on her hips as she scrutinized him with narrowed eyes. “Barry, you’re almost an hour late.”
“I know,” he huffed heavily. “I know, I’m sorry. I got--”
“You better have a good excuse for me later, Barry Allen,” she snapped. “You made us late for our appointment.”
“I know. Iris, I--”
“I mean, seriously, Barry?” she continued angrily, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper, “How are you so late when you can move as fast as you can?”
Barry rolled his eyes and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. He gave her a meaningful stare and smiled. “Iris, I’m sorry, but I got caught up booking the hall by the waterfront.”
Iris opened her mouth, no doubt ready to continue chastising him for his inability to arrive on time, but she quickly closed it, then opened it again. “I thought they were already booked?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, about that...I may have had to pull a few strings. Don’t expect a wedding present from Oliver.”
Iris squealed and she launched forward, her arms going around his neck in a tight hug. “Barry Allen, you are amazing!”
Barry chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. “I also got the florist covered. Apparently Laurel has been wanting to start a business or something. She promises to put together whatever you want as long as you spread the word about her.”
Iris’s arms tightened around him, and he really did not think that was possible with how small she was. “Oh, Barry, thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!”
Barry grinned and pulled back with a shrug. “Hey, it’s no problem. You only get married a handful of times, right?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m hoping it’s only once.” She checked her phone with a sigh. “Come on, we’re already late. Hopefully he can still fit us in.”
Oh, right. Cake tasting. He’d almost forgotten.
Following Iris into the quaint bakery, Barry took a moment to get his bearings. The place wasn’t as extravagant as he was expecting, nor was the place a dump. If he had to describe it, he’d probably say the place...well, the place felt like home. Welcoming, warm, and smelling of fresh baked goods. His mouth was watering already.
When they rang the bell on the counter, a disgruntled older man came out of the kitchen, looking less than impressed. He wiped his flour-covered hands on the tea towel hanging over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question, looking between the two of them like he was waiting for someone to speak.
Iris smiled. “Hi, I’m Iris West. I have an appointment?”
The man stared at her and Barry wondered if he even heard her. He was about to repeat what she said when the man grunted, “You’re late.”
Iris laughed nervously. “Yeah, sorry. I completely understand if you’re too busy to see us. It’s just--” She motioned to Barry. “--Barry was running late and I couldn’t pick the cake on my own because I’m sure I’ll end up liking them all--”
The man’s judgmental gaze slid over to Barry, eyeing him from head to toe, and Barry felt a little hot under the collar. He offered the man a weak smile, reaching up to undo the top button of his button-up shirt because it suddenly felt like it was hot in there. And were those tattoos along the baker’s arms? He almost hadn’t noticed them underneath all the flour.
After a moment of Iris’s rambling, the man returned to the kitchen without a word, leaving them standing there alone. Barry exchanged an uncertain look with Iris. Were they getting the cold shoulder for being late or was this just a man of few words?
The man came back moments later, carrying a platter of cake slices. He set the platter on the counter and motioned toward the bar stools beside them, handing them a couple of forks.
“Thank you,” Iris said honestly, her smile a bit tentative. “It really means a lot to me that you could fit us in. I know it’s a lot to ask--”
“Anything for a soon-to-be married couple,” the man stated curtly, returning to the kitchens.
Barry’s forkful of red velvet cake paused and he stared at the kitchen door, his eyes going wide. He looked at Iris. “Does he think--?”
She laughed. “I think so.” She took a bite of the white chocolate and raspberry cake and moaned. “Oh my god.”
Barry shook his head at her, always amused by her love of desserts. However, as soon as he finished spooning the bite of red velvet into his mouth, he found himself doing the same.
“Iris, this is the best red velvet I’ve ever tasted,” he murmured around the bite.
Iris stole a bite of it and hummed in agreement.
Barry pulled the rest of the slice toward him, protecting it with his arm. “I’m eating the rest of this.”
Iris laughed. “Barry, we’re supposed to be trying all of them, not just one.”
“I will,” Barry defended, shoving another bite into his mouth. “I just, you know, want to make sure it’s the best.”
The baker came out from the kitchens with a rack of freshly baked goods to fill the displays and the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies and eclairs made Barry’s mouth water, even as he shoved another bite of cake into his mouth. How had he never visited this place before?
He glanced at the prices on the wall and balked. Scratch that. He knew why. He leaned close to iris and whispered, “Have you checked the prices of this place? A little much to spend on cake, isn’t it?”
The baker glanced in their direction and Iris hushed Barry, leaning in to whisper, “I have and no, it’s not. Compared to other places, Leonard’s cakes are actually pretty good for the price.”
Leonard? Was that the guy’s name? Yikes. Almost as bad as Bartholomew.
“Besides,” Iris continued, grinning and cutting into the slice of pink champagne. “Eddie’s parents offered to help pay for it.”
Barry rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh. Of course Iris would want top quality cake. She was a foodie with a love affair. The only thing Eddie had to worry about at the reception was Iris taking the cake and running. Although, he couldn’t really see that happening, no matter how good the cake tasted. He was pretty sure Iris loved Eddie more, which said a lot.
“So, lovebirds, what do you think?” Leonard asked them as he approached, seeming to be in a slightly better mood. Maybe they had interrupted his baking?
Iris laughed, motioning between her and Barry. “We’re not.”
“But the cakes are great!” Barry supplied quickly, maybe sounding a bit too enthusiastic by the amused look Leonard was giving him.
Leonard eyed the plate he was still guarding with his arm and raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you’ve only tried one, Scarlet.”
Barry raised his eyebrows at the nickname, noticing Leonard’s eyes flick down to his shirt. Oh. Red button-up. Got it.
Regardless, he felt his ears turn pink. “Oh, uh, yeah? I have a bit of a weakness for red velvet.”
Leonard’s lips twitched, and Barry was pretty sure that was the closest he’d gotten to actually smiling.
The man turned his attention to Iris. “And you?”
Her smile brightened as she motioned to the cakes. “They’re all great.”
“But?” Leonard prompted, a glint in his eye. What did it take to get this man to smile, just once?
“But,” Iris echoed, pointing to one of the darker slices. “I especially liked the chocolate mousse.”
“What?” Barry asked around his last bite of cake. Not only was his red velvet loving heart scandalized, but when had she even tried that one?
Leonard side-eyed him, but quickly returned his attention to Iris. “Is that your choice?”
She nodded. “Yes, definitely.”
The man nodded before retreating through another door.
Barry swallowed the last bite of goodness and shook his head at his best friend. “Girl--” And, yeah, maybe he was spending too much time around Cisco. “--you just made a mistake because that was the best cake I’ve ever--”
Iris cut him off mid-sentence by shoving some of the chocolate mousse cake into his mouth, Leonard stepping out from the back just in time to catch Barry tipping his head back in a moan.
Barry narrowed his eyes at Iris, who was smiling triumphantly. “Evil.”
Leonard shook his head and handed Iris a sheet to fill out for the order. He leaned his hands on the counter and glanced at Barry, who’d resorted to picking crumbs of red velvet off the plate.
Leonard gnawed on the inside of his lip to catch his smile before it got away from him. “Hey kid.”
Barry froze, realizing what he was doing, and sat up straight. “Uh--”
“There’s another piece of that out back if you want it,” he offered, and wow, his eyes were really blue.
“Oh, thanks, but I can’t really--” he scratched at the back of his head, stopping himself. He didn’t really want to admit that he couldn’t afford it, but, well, the majority of his paycheck was going to Joe’s groceries. Ever since he became the Flash, he was going through more and more calories every day and he couldn’t really expect Joe to keep feeding him.
Leonard waved him off and disappeared into the kitchen.
What was up with that? Did he ever stand still? Or was it just them that he didn’t like being around? Maybe it was Barry, in general? It couldn't be Iris. She was too sweet.
Leonard came back only a minute later with a to-go box in his hand, setting it down in front of Barry. “It was gonna go to waste anyway.”
“Wow,” Barry eyed the box, his mouth already watering. He was going to savor this one. Every last bite. “Ah, thanks...Leonard?” He peeked up to see the man grimacing.
“Len,” he corrected, taking the form once Iris was finished. He glanced over it and nodded. “This is doable.”
“Awesome!” Iris chirped, glancing at Barry as he tentatively took the to-go box off the counter, as if he expected Len to snatch it back. She rolled her eyes at him. “Thanks again for getting us in late. Barry doesn’t really know how to be on time for anything.”
“Hey! I’m not always late,” Barry argued.
She narrowed her eyes and patted his chest. “Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that.”
Barry huffed and turned back to Len as he started following Iris out. “I’m really not.”
“You are!” Iris called as she walked out the door.
Barry followed after her, but glanced back at Len in time to catch his amused grin. And, really, that might have been better than the man’s red velvet cake.
Well, he did say might.
~*~
"Hey dad," Iris greeted when her and Barry got to Joe's for dinner. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, offering him a cup of coffee from Jitters.
"Hey baby," he accepted the coffee with a smile, glancing between the two of them as he took his first sip. "I expected you guys to be back hours ago."
Iris shot Barry a look and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so did I. Barry was late for the cake tasting."
Joe raised an eyebrow, but chucked, eyeing the box in Barry's hands. "Were you so late that you had to buy the cake instead?"
Barry followed his gaze and subconsciously hugged the box closer to him. "Uh, well, actually--"
"No," Iris interrupted with a laugh. "Barry ended up flirting with the baker. I guess he was won over by Barry's unique charm."
She grinned at him and continued into the kitchen, Joe following after her with a hum of understanding. Or was that a snort of amusement?
Barry felt his face heat up. "Hey! I was not flirting!"
She turned and quirked an eyebrow at him as she got plates out of the cupboard. "Really, Barr? So all that moaning you did over his cakes was really just about his cake?"
Joe raised his eyebrows, looking torn between being amused and wanting to be anywhere but a part of this conversation. He turned to look at Barry. "Really, son?"
"It's good cake!" Barry justified, pointing at Iris accusingly. "You even said so yourself!"
"Mm-hmm," she hummed, getting out the forks as Joe moved the Chinese takeout to the table. She gave Barry a pointed look. "But I'm not the one he gave free cake to."
Joe glanced up. "Free cake, huh?" He made a contemplative expression as he put rice on his plate. "They do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach."
"I just really liked the cake!" Barry repeated, indignant. Okay, so yeah, maybe he liked a bit more than Len’s cake, but that didn't mean there was flirting involved. Right? That's not something that happened. He would have known.
He sat down at his usual spot at the table, next to Iris and across from Joe. He set the cake beside his plate and eyed it long and hard, now contemplating its significance.
Joe, who had been watching him, laughed. "Relax, Barr, we're messing with you." He pointed a fork at the box. "But you clearly made some sort of impression."
Barry sighed, grabbing the nearest takeout container and spooning whatever it was onto his plate, his eyes drifting to the beige to-go box again. Damn it, this was all Iris’s fault.
~*~
After their family dinner, Joe headed into work for a night shift while Barry and Iris hunkered down on Iris’s old bed with a stack of photo albums.
“Aww, look at this one!” Iris cooed, pointing at a picture of the two of them curled up in each other’s arms, fast asleep.
Barry smiled sadly. He remembered that one. “That was the night you slept in my room because I couldn’t sleep.”
Iris looked at him, a sad smile gracing her lips. She put a hand over his. “That wasn’t very long after…”
He nodded, gaze falling to their hands. His lips twitched. “You were the only one who believed me, you know?”
He glanced up to find her watching him and felt all the old feelings come back to him. He had been so frustrated as a kid, knowing he’d seen a man in lightning kill his mother, but not having anyone believe him. He’d been so angry that everyone thought he was making it up, as if he’d needed something to replace the memory of seeing his father kill his mother. But Iris hadn’t thought that. Iris had believed him, had always believed him. He didn’t think she really understood just how much that meant to him.
She squeezed his hand. “Of course I believed you, Barry. You were the only one there that night, you knew what you saw.”
He remembered all of the nights he’d woken up screaming, his mother’s screams and his father's distraught resounding in his ears. Sometimes Joe was home to comfort him during the aftermath, but sometimes it was just Iris. And with Iris, Barry hadn’t been able to keep the words from flowing, from telling her exactly what happened in so much detail that even she began to believe it was true, that he really had lived through this nightmare. Joe had never believed him though and, eventually, Barry stopped talking to him about it. He didn’t stop talking to Iris though and Barry was grateful that she listened.
The two of them had gone through so much together — were still going through so much together — and Barry wasn’t sure what her getting married meant for their friendship. He couldn’t help but wonder how much would change once she was married and started a family of her own. Although he knew they’d always be friends, he was worried they would drift apart.
“Hey,” Iris said softly, squeezing his hand. “You know I’m always going to be here for you, right?”
He smiled weakly. Of course she knew what he was thinking. She always knew. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”
“I mean it,” she stated more firmly. “Me marrying Eddie doesn’t change the fact that I care about you, Barr.”
He huffed out a small laugh and nodded, turning his hand over to link their fingers together. He looked into her eyes and was reminded of all those times he’d looked into them as a kid and thought he’d loved her. Those feelings hadn't exactly changed. He still loved her — still thought she was the kindest and most beautiful woman he’d ever met — but he wasn’t in love with her. It was a platonic kind of love, a sibling kind of love.
She smiled and scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder and eyeing their hands. “Do you remember how you used to sing me to sleep when I had a nightmare?”
Barry rested his chin on her head, hiding his face in her hair, and felt his cheeks burn. “Oh god, don’t remind me.”
She chuckled, pulling away to look at him with a wide smile. “You were so good at it, Barr! I don’t know why you ever stopped singing.”
He rolled his eyes dramatically and reached for the wine, pouring himself another glass and refilling Iris’s. He wished he had some of Caitlin’s concoction to mix into the drink, but he knew there wasn’t enough of it in the world to get Barry drunk enough for this conversation. His teenage years weren’t exactly something he enjoyed to look back on. He’d gone through a lot of phases as a kid, including theatre geek (something he’d actually been pretty good at), skater (something he’d been far too clumsy for), and gangster (something he would never, ever admit to). Eventually, he just settled for being himself and not worrying about where he fit in. It had taken him a while to reach that point though, college had been a big help with that.
“Can we maybe not talk about this?” he pleaded, settling back down next to her. His theatre days weren’t horrible, but they definitely weren’t something he wanted to revisit.
She laughed and sat up, turning to face him, eyes bright with an idea Barry knew he was going to hate. “You should sing at my wedding!”
Barry gave a loud, startled laugh. When he realized she wasn’t laughing, his face fell and he sat up a little straighter. “Wait, you’re serious?”
“Yes!” she answered, shaking the bed with her enthusiasm.
Barry held his glass of wine a little higher to keep it from spilling and shook his head. He really did not see how this was a good idea. It wasn’t. It was a horrible idea. “Absolutely not.”
He’d already booked the venue for the reception, hired a florist, and helped Iris pick out the wedding cake — okay, so maybe he wasn’t much help with that, but he'd done enough, hadn't he?
She pouted — and oh no, not the lip. She knew what that did to him.
Setting down her glass of wine, she grabbed his hand and scooted forward on her knees. “Barry…”
He winced. This was just cruel. “Iris…”
“It would really mean a lot to me if you sang at my wedding,” she stated slowly, her tone sickly sweet.
He groaned and let his head fall back against the wall. He chanced a look at her, took one look at her smile, and knew he was a goner. He let out an overdramatic sigh and nodded. “Fine.”
She squealed and launched toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
He huffed and grimaced as some of his wine spilled on his shirt, but laughed despite himself and wrapped an arm around her. Iris repeatedly thanking him seemed to be a recurring theme today. If she hadn’t thought he was a good friend before… “I’m definitely going to regret this.”
She chuckled, pulling back. “Maybe, but our guests will get so much amusement out of it.”
He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wine before she could spill any more. Sometimes, he couldn’t believe the things he did for his friends.
"So," Iris said after they'd settled down again. "Leonard."
Barry nearly choked on his wine and spluttered, turning to look at her. "Wha— What? What about him?"
She gave him a knowing look. "Are you going to see him again?"
He frowned. "I just met him once, Iris. I don't even know him."
"All the more reason to see him again," she pointed out, poking him in the ribs.
He squirmed away from her and slapped at her hand. "Stop that." When she didn't, he laughed. "Okay, okay! Fine! Maybe. I might see him again."
"Mhm," she hummed, taking a slow sip of her wine. "When?"
"I don't—" He sighed. "Iris, I'm not going to plan it. It's not like I can afford to go get something from his bakery, so when am I ever going to see him?"
She grinned from behind her glass. "I think you could afford it if you wanted to. You said yourself that you need more red velvet cake in your life."
Barry blushed. Okay, yes, he had said that, but that — she didn't get to use that against him. He'd said it in the middle of eating his second slice of Len's amazing red velvet cake. He'd practically been intoxicated.
"Barr," Iris sighed, turning to face him fully. There was a rosy blush on her cheeks from the alcohol and Barry couldn't help but feel his heart warm at the sight. Even when she was terrorizing him, she somehow found a way to be endearing. "You need to get out more. Put yourself out there and go for it. How are you ever going to know if something will work if you don't try?"
He considered this for a moment. He'd put himself out there plenty of times in college and, while it'd been nice, nothing had ever really worked out for him. Back then, he'd still been hung up on Iris and those feelings tended to get in the way. He'd found himself searching for pieces of her in everyone he met. Of course, when compared to Iris, nobody measured up. Now, though, he was so consumed in being the Flash and keeping his secret that it was hard to manage his time. How could he let someone into that?
Iris's hand found his again and he glanced up at her. She smiled softly. "You deserve happiness too, Barry."
He nodded and relaxed back against the wall, averting his eyes to the ceiling. "Yeah, I know."
And he did know, but that didn't make this any easier. It didn't mean he wasn't still afraid of letting someone in. After everything with Wells — Eobard — he was being careful of where he placed his trust. Even though he had amazing friends and an incredible family, he wasn't so sure he was ready to expand that social circle just yet. But maybe Iris had a point. Maybe it was time to try again. At least, that way, he'd know.