Work Text
Now
One second.
So many things could happen in a second.
Life could begin.
Life could end.
He’d seen that happen before. It was the second that had defined him his entire life. Watching his mother be killed, that had been the single most important second of his entire life.
Or so he’d thought.
Because that had been his motivator, that had been the burden he carried no matter where he went or how fast he ran. How could anything eclipse that?
She’d done it like it was nothing.
She’d shifted his burden onto her shoulders wordlessly and gracefully. She’d believed in him with a faith he hadn’t earned. She’d given him a reason to live when all else seemed lost. She’d known,
she’d known,
what he was, the terrible monster that he’d become. She’d stayed with him anyway.
Iris West was what defined him now.
So when Iris exhaled and did not inhale again, all in the span of a single, terrible, prolonged second, he did not feel sadness or anger or despair. He felt nothing. He was an empty void. Desolate.
It filled him quickly as the second dragged on. It was times like these he resented his powers; when time wouldn’t move. When he was stuck in a moment alone.
Alone.
She was gone.
He was alone.
Then
“You just had to go and show off, didn’t you?”
Snart stared at him, a small smile playing at his lips even as his eyes remained neutral. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Barry rolled his eyes. “Last I checked, completely icing over the floor of the museum was not part of the plan.”
“It wasn’t not a part of the plan. You never explicitly said not to ice over the floor.”
“I didn’t think that part needed to be explicitly stated,” Barry sighed as he hoisted himself up onto one of the gurneys at the STAR Labs med bay. Caitlin instantly began giving him an exam. He didn’t need it, but he’d learned years ago to just let her do it. Otherwise she’d nag him so much he’d wish he’d gotten injured. “They’re going to know it was you now.”
Now Snart really smiled. “There’s no point committing a crime if no one knows you committed it.”
Barry’s eyes followed the light Cait was shining in them. “Agree to disagree on that. Can you just tone it down next time?”
Snart did a two finger salute. “Copy that. You do have to admit that it was fun watching the security guard slide all over the ground though.”
Barry ignored him as he stood up. Caitlin might not be done, but it was the best she was gonna get out of him. He made his way towards the control station. “Cisco! Any luck getting into CCPD’s computers?”
Cisco spun in his chair so that he was facing Barry. “Do you even need to ask? It was embarrassingly easy.” He reached back and hit a few buttons, which brought up the images of six different officers. “These are all of their undercover agents.”
Barry took in the faces and wasn’t surprised that he didn’t recognize any of them. They wouldn’t have been hanging out at CCPD, and even if they had been, it wasn’t like he socialized with anyone at the office.
Still, he had been tuned in enough to know they were building a case against him.
Or rather, his alter ego.
They’d been trying for years, but he was damn good at covering his tracks. It definitely helped that he could move faster than the speed of light, but he’d been careful regardless. No one knew anything substantial about Central City’s most notorious criminal, The Flash, and Barry Allen damn well intended to keep it that way.
“And you made sure they knew we hacked them?”
Cisco nodded. “Just like you requested. Hopefully that’ll deter them from making any moves while we figure out a plan.”
“Good.”
There was a pause as Cisco seemed to wait for something. When it was clear he wasn’t getting it, he sighed. “You’re welcome.” With that he spun back towards the computer and began typing away.
Barry would’ve said something but he had nothing to say. He’d been more distant recently than he’d ever been before, which was saying something cause he’d never really not been distant. Still, recent months had been more difficult than others, and he couldn’t quite figure out why. It wasn’t fair, he knew that, but when had life ever been fair?
“I’ll see you guys on Monday and we can figure out our next target,” Barry said, effectively dismissing them. “Snart, take a few weeks off. I’ll handle these next gigs on my own.”
“Whatever you say, Boss. Got any plans for the weekend?”
Barry glared at him, because he knew the answer. “Same plans I always have.”
OOO
Those plans consisted of doing his best to get drunk by downing a bottle of whiskey and then staring blankly at a wall. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly masochistic, he’d watch an old musical and think about his mom. That usually ended with him punching the aforementioned wall or a mirror or, one time, the TV itself.
Mostly he just stared.
Tried too hard not to think.
That’s when he got into trouble.
He wondered if this is it. If this is his life. If he’ll ever amount to something greater, if he’s even capable of that anymore.
He hoped he was.
But he didn’t think so.
He dreamt that night of soft brown eyes and swirling blue walls and he didn’t know what that means in terms of dream analysis psychoanalytic bullshit, but he felt safe for the first time in a long time.
He felt like he’s home.
OOO
It’s supposed to be an easy job. In and out. He hadn’t even requested back-up for this one. He much preferred to do things alone anyway, especially something as cut and dry as this. More people just added more potential for a fuck up.
Barry probably should’ve known it was too good to be true.
It’s on his third lap around the apartment that he realized something is off. Mainly that this new, big, fat emerald that the Park family had acquired may not actually exist. But who would lie about that? He paused for a second, stumped.
His suspicions were confirmed when a musical little voice broke through the silence. “Looking for something?”
He debated running. That’s what he’s good at after all. Get out of there and let her think her mind was playing a trick on her.
There was something there though, in that musical little voice. It was far too playful for the situation. Teasing almost. Like they’ve known each other for years.
It’s light.
And Barry Allen couldn’t quite resist taking a moment to bask in the light. He had missed it for so long. Just a second, that was all he needed. Just a second to figure out what the hell this girl was doing.
Intrigue and levity, that’s what gets him to stay.
He was in front of her in the blink of an eye, staring her down in as threatening a manner as he can muster. Snart was going to give him hell over all of this, over the fact that he went in without a plan and without an assist and it backfired. He was irritated just thinking about it. “Where’s the emerald?” he growled. He vibrated his vocal cords just in case she recognized his voice. Just in case she knew him somehow.
But as he stared down at her he knew with no uncertainty that he didn’t know her. He’d remember a face like hers. It had practically seared itself into his brain the moment he locked eyes with her. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Heart stoppingly stunning. Time seemed to slow for just the briefest second, and it took him aback because that
never
happened.
And then she smiled.
“The emerald?” She’s feigning confusion but she’s almost laughing at him. She seemed to be enjoying how bent out of shape she’s making him.
And how dare she.
How dare she have the nerve to be
that
beautiful. To be that beautiful and completely mess up all his plans. And to act so damn casual about it.
His voice rose in volume as his indignation grew. “The Park’s emerald! Where is it?”
She smiled. “The emerald? I’m sure it’s here somewhere. You’re welcome to keep looking,” she said.
She was pushing him, and he didn’t know why. He knew he should just go, he’s already given her more information about himself than he’s ever given to anyone else. But he was a masochist at heart, and so instead of doing the smart thing, the reasonable thing, he did literally the opposite.
He grabbed her and pinned her up against a wall.
Gently, mind you, because he’s a villain but he’s not an asshole. He almost immediately regretted it though, because if she’d been alluring with some space between them, up close was almost intoxicating. The air was charged with electricity, and, no, it wasn’t just because the air around him was always charged with electricity.
“Do you know who I am,” he managed to get out. His voice had dropped to almost a whisper. Seemingly against his will.
He saw something in her eyes then, something that wasn’t there before. She looked just a little bit scared. It’s a different kind of fear though then the one he’s accustomed to seeing. “You’re The Flash. You’re one of the most well-known and feared villains in Central City.”
That brought him up short, because he’d kind of assumed the reason she was being so brazen was because she didn’t know who he was. The revelation that she did just made her behavior all the more baffling. Still, he fixed a neutral expression on his face and said, “Then I suggest you tell me where the emerald is, before I remind you of why I’m one of the most well-known and feared villains in Central City.”
She smirked ever so slightly. “It’s not here.”
“What?”
The beautiful smirk grew and any fear was gone now. She looked triumphant. “Yeah. The girl who wrote the article on the emerald suggested that maybe they shouldn’t keep it in their home. You know, just in case someone wanted to steal it or something.”
Barry ground his teeth together. It again occurred to him that now that he had confirmation the emerald was not there, he really should be going. Still, for some unfathomable reason, he stayed. “Do you know where I can find this girl? I’d like to have a word with her.”
“You’re looking at her.”
How many times would she throw him off? He felt as though he faltered more in this one exchange than he had since he’d first become The Flash.
He’d been played.
“You’re a reporter?” He managed to get out through his clenched teeth.
She stuck out her hand, teasing him. “Iris West. You are?”
Holy shit.
His earlier conclusion that he hadn’t known her had been way off base. He knew her. He’d spent a good chunk of his early years nursing a super embarrassing crush on her. Her dad worked at CCPD, had been on his mom’s case, had maybe buried evidence that would’ve gotten his dad off. She was a reporter for the city’s leading publication.
It was like someone had handed him a grenade.
He needed to drop it and run.
But then she cocked her head and batted her eyelashes and stared up at him, waiting for him to say something.
So naturally he pulled the pin out of the grenade and held onto it.
“You’re a funny girl, Iris West. A little bit stupid, but funny.”
He’d hit a nerve, he could tell. Her chin jutted out a little bit, and she actually got closer to him, seemingly in defiance, but all he was tracking was the increased proximity. “Some people might say I’m brave.”
Sometimes when he put on the suit, he felt like he was a different person. He behaved that way too. It was like the suit gave him permission to leave behind his inhibitions. Still though, that little piece of him that was a cripplingly awkward dork would still babble somewhere in his brain.
It was there now, as he leaned closer to Iris. Close enough that he could count individual eyelashes. That he sensed she stopped breathing.
What the hell are you doing??? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???????
“Those people would be stupid too then.”
He entered Flashtime before she could say anything, the logical part of him finally kicking in after apparently being asleep at the wheel. He should go. He knew that.
Still, as he stared at her, her beautiful face frozen as time stood still, he found he just couldn’t help himself.
He ripped out a page from the magazine she was reading and jogged back into the kitchen for a pen.
“You’re brave and I’m stupid” he wrote.
He stuck it in her hand before he could think about it for too long and then ran away before he could do anything else idiotic. Instinctively, he goes to the same place he always does after a heist; STAR Labs.
They were staring at him the moment he gets there. Anxiously awaiting his return.
“That took longer than expected,” Caitlin said.
Barry took off his cowl. “Complication,” he huffed.
“Did you get the emerald?” Cisco asked, his eyes wide with surprise. Complications never happened.
Barry debated on telling them exactly what had gone down, but he wasn’t sure himself, so he said, “No, I didn’t. It wasn’t there.”
Something else was though.
Someone else was.
OOO
Barry Allen was a nerd through and through.
Cisco liked to make fun of him for it, because normally criminal masterminds were suave and cocky and absolutely did not like
Star Trek.
Yet, old habits die hard, and no matter how many banks he robbed he never got as much of an adrenaline rush as he did when Harrison Wells did a TED talk.
Nerd Rule #1: Always do your research.
So that’s what he spent his weekend doing; research. Which was, admittedly, better than his usual ritual of drinking and self-loathing.
Subject: Iris Ann West. DOB: June 24th, 1989. Occupation: Reporter. Marital Status: Tragically Taken.
Remember that embarrassing crush he’d been nursing in his youth? It may or may not be back.
She was an incredible writer, that much was evident. Her pieces were mostly fluff topics, but she gave them an incredible amount of depth and edge. Her editor wasn’t using her to the best of her abilities, but she was making do.
Her social media showed she was very close with her father, which made sense since he was pretty sure Joe West was a single dad. Her social media also showed that she was in a relationship with Eddie Thawne.
His cousin.
Which was just super.
Eddie hailed from the side of the Thawne family that looked like they’d just walked out of a J-Crew catalogue. He was charming and good-looking and just a little too aware of both those facts. Barry’s mother hadn’t been all that close with her family before she’d died, so he and Eddie hadn’t really grown up around one another.
When his uncle, Eobard, had stepped in after her death, any relationship he had possessed with his mother’s side of the family quickly ceased. None of the family liked Eobard, and Barry had never pressed very hard. He was grateful for everything his uncle had given him. It was more than the rest of the family, that much was certain.
So needless to say he was more than a little bummed about the fact that Iris had fallen prey to his cousin’s charms. His one beacon of hope was that she posted about him far less frequently than she used to. The only reason he was sure they were still together was because Eddie had tagged her in a photo recently of the two of them at a police benefit honoring her father.
There really wasn’t much else, which was a bit surprising given their limited exchange. She was incredibly bold in real life, but her online presence was relatively limited. He kind of liked that, even if it frustrated him a little bit. He didn’t know very much about her outside of her profession and two of her personal relationships.
He also knew she was breathtakingly beautiful, but that detail seemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
He knew the smart thing to do would just avoid her. The fact that she was a reporter alone was enough to spell trouble. Add that to the fact that two of the most important men in her life were police officers that he worked with, and the situation was all the bleaker.
She could be the whole team’s undoing.
So he’d avoid her. He’d tuck Iris West back into the far recesses of his brain. The place where he stored all the other beautiful, happy things. He’d forget about her and just focus on surviving and doing what he was good at; being bad.
He couldn’t tell you why he kept thinking about her. Why she stuck with him. Why the memory of her face kept gnawing away at him, almost annoying in its persistence.
All he could say was that he didn’t break any mirrors, or walls, or television sets that weekends.
OOO
He thought that maybe he was hallucinating at first. That he’d thought about her so much this weekend that his brain had somehow conjured her up. He’d read somewhere about visual manifestation. That if you pictured good things happening to you enough, that they would. He thought maybe that’s what had happened.
Except he’s pretty sure that he wouldn’t have conjured her up in the gym of all places.
He’d really only come here because he had nothing else to do. Cisco was on a blind date, and he was waiting around to see if he’d need to call with an “emergency” to get his friend out of it. In the meantime, he’d decided to go lift some weights. He didn’t really need to, but there was a gym in his building and sometimes it helped wear him out.
Imagine his surprise when he arrives and Iris
fucking
West is sprinting on the treadmill.
She was booking it like she’s training for a marathon and she had rap music blaring through the speakers and how did she still look beautiful when she’s sweaty and
oh god
she’s only wearing a sports bra.
Barry did his best to duck his head and not stare at her like a creep, but she caught him and yelled out “I can turn it off!”
He momentarily forgot how to work his tongue, but with a shake of his head he found his footing again.
“No, uh, it’s fine. I like this song,” he replied.
Smooth, Allen.
She didn’t say anything, just gave him a little two-fingered salute and then goes back to running. He knew he should leave, hadn’t he promised himself he wasn’t going to play with this particular flame? But this had to be fate at work, and so before he could second-guess himself he got on the treadmill beside her and began to run.
It really wasn’t fair; she didn’t stand a chance. She didn’t know that he could literally keep this pace for years, but he kept at it anyway. The pacing was odd, bordering on uncomfortable, and keeping himself from taking off was throwing off his stride. In fact, she actually looked significantly more graceful than he did, even as her breathing became more labored.
He caught her glancing over at him a few times, and it took him a minute to realize she was trying to outrun him, which made him smile ever so slightly. She was trying to race The Flash, and he was more than happy to oblige. The next time she looked over, he met her eyes and quirked an eyebrow in challenge.
Iris’ face turned stoic and he had to suppress a laugh. Her competitiveness made him like her all the more. He could tell she was physically having a tough time, but he had no doubt her stubbornness would fuel her.
They hit ten miles and they’re both still going.
She really wasn’t going to quit. Her music playlist had ended a while back, so he knew she didn’t normally run for this long. He watched as she nearly tripped on her on feet, and he wasn’t unconvinced that she’d pass out before she gave up. Not ready to let her suffer bodily injury, but nevertheless impressed, he hit the stop button on the treadmill.
“I concede,” he shouted as the treadmill slowed.
“Thank god!” Iris slammed down on the emergency stop. “I was starting to hallucinate.”
Barry laughed, and it felt good. “I admire your commitment to athleticism.”
She climbed down from her machine and made her way over to him, taking a long gulp of water as she did. “Not to be confused with my commitment to winning.”
“Oh, never,” he replied with a knowing look.
She gave him a brazen once-over, and it might’ve been too optimistic to say that she seemed to like what she saw. Her expression turned quizzical when she reached his face, and before he can wonder why, she asked, “Have we met before?”
Shit.
Barry felt his stomach plummet to his feet. When they’d first met, he hadn’t bothered to vibrate his face, never expecting to see her again. And now she recognized him. And he was so royally fucked.
Thank god he had the ability to prolong a second, because it gave him some time to calm the fuck down and figure out what to say.
Because she wasn’t wrong, and he couldn’t pretend she was. They did know each other, but it was in more ways than one. “Kind of. You’re Iris West, right?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Yes. How do you know my name?”
“We went to high school together. I’m Barry Allen.” He didn’t expect her to remember that. Central City High School had been huge. Iris had been wildly popular. He had just tried to get through the day without getting shoved into a locker by Tony Woodward.
Though, there was a strong possibility she would know his name, because just about everyone in Central City knew his name. You don’t exactly forget the boy whose mother was murdered and whose father was the prime suspect.
So he couldn’t quite hide his surprise when she goes, “Barry Allen from AP Chemistry?”
He was pretty sure he did a double-take. “Yeah. You remember?”
She reached out to give him a light shove, a smile on her face. “Of course I remember! Your notes are the only reason I passed that final exam.”
He’d been working up the courage to talk to her all semester, and had only managed to offer her his notes after he’d overheard her telling a friend she was going to fail.
Barry laughed, a bit in shock. “Yeah, yeah, that’s me. I’m impressed.” Then, acknowledging what she definitely knew as polite as she might’ve been trying to be, “That’s not what most people know me for.”
If she was at all fazed, she didn’t show it. Iris shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’m not most people.”
“You’re right about that,” he muttered. Looking for a subject change, he asked what he already knew. “So what’re you doing now?”
“I’m a reporter over at CCPN.”
He can hear the pride in her voice plain as day, and it makes him smile. He’s smiled more during this conversation than he can remember doing in a long time. “Look at you! You were president of the school newspaper so I guess I should’ve known, huh?”
Iris blushed and it’s a beautiful sight. “Well the stuff I write now is nowhere as near as interesting as the stuff I wrote back in high school.” He wanted to disagree with her, but he couldn’t reveal what he knew. “What about you? Are you putting those AP Chemistry skills to use? You always had a knack for the science stuff.”
Again, he was surprised how much she remembered.
He was reluctant to tell her his occupation for obvious reasons, but he wasn’t left with much of a choice. “Yeah I am actually. I’m a forensic scientist over at CCPD.”
The answer earns him another shove. “Dude! That’s so cool! My dad is actually a cop over at CCPD.”
And how well Barry knew Joe West must’ve been something Iris had forgotten. Joe had taken him in for a few weeks until Eobard came to claim him because he’d been the lead detective on Barry’s mother’s case. It had led Barry to have a conflated sense of Joe West’s heroism, which was all shattered when Barry had taken a job at CCPD. He’d done it to try and get more information on his mother’s case, but none of the files were there. The cops had believed his dad was guilty from the very beginning, but Barry had always believed Joe was above that. That Joe had believed Henry and him. The missing files were enough to prove that West was hiding something, and Barry had done his best to avoid him ever since.
He did his best to keep his expression neutral, but he can’t quite keep the strain out of his voice. “Yeah I’ve bumped into him a few times.”
He could tell she was suspicious, but she didn't push. Instead, her eyes drifted over him again, this time less appraising and more curious. Her eyes get down to his shoes and they go wide.
“Are you wearing Converse?” Her voice was high and squeaky and she seemed downright angry with him.
“What?” He looked down and her statement was confirmed. “Oh, yeah, I guess I am?”
“Those are so bad for your arches! You can’t run in those, Barry!” She was mad at him. She was actually mad at his choice in footwear.
He rolled his eyes, amused at her outburst. “It’s fine, Iris.”
“No it’s not. I’m going to buy you new shoes and you can thank me twenty years from now when you aren’t flat-footed.”
He goes to tell her that running was kind of his thing, but he was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. He had half a mind to ignore it, but he knew it was probably Cisco, and it was the
one job he’d been given tonight. Barry looked to Iris, an apology in his eyes, but she nodded to take it.
Sure enough, caller ID read Cisco. He slid his thumb against the home screen to answer. “Hello?”
“Hey, dude.” Cisco sounded nervous. “I’m at the lab. Scudder crashed my date asking for payment.”
Barry was suddenly hyper-aware of Iris in front of him. “What? I thought that was handled.”
“Yeah, so did I. Snart claims he paid him, but Scudders saying he didn’t. Did Snart say anything to you?”
Snart took care of managing the cronies, and they’d never had an issue of this nature before. “No.”
“You’re sure?”
Iris was staring at him and Barry was growing irritated. “Yes.”
Cisco sighed. “Look man, I don’t want to bother you, but Scudder is threatening to shove me into a mirror and Snart isn’t answering. Do you think…”
Barry cut him off, already knowing where the request was going. “No, no it’s fine I’ll come in now.”
“Thanks.”
Barry hit the red end button and prepared himself for the investigative journalist in front of him.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem all that suspicious. “Duty calls, huh?”
He was a little bummed to leave her, unsure if he’d see her again. He was a bit alarmed at the fact that he wanted to see her again, but he didn’t have time to worry. “Unfortunately nothing
seems to get taken care of if I’m not around.”
Iris sighed. “Ain’t that just the way life is?” She nodded towards the door. “Go, go. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you.”
He hesitated, fearing that if he left her now she’d be gone forever. Maybe she was a hallucination after all.
Nevertheless, he had no choice but to tear himself away. He gave her a small wave and walked away, waiting to speed off until he was well out of her view.
The farther he got from her the more his head cleared. He couldn’t afford to be so stupid. He couldn’t fuck up the gig he had going. She was too much of a risk.
He’d forget Iris West. He had to.
Easier said than done.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He tries to forget her, he really,
really
tries.
In his defense, it’s hard being a speedster. He has so much extra time. So many extra seconds to fill. He does three loads of laundry. He starts and finishes a book. He runs to Atlantic City to get some saltwater taffy. It’s more than he’s done in months, maybe years.
By the time he’s done all that it’s been three hours.
So he lets her sneak back in. Allows himself to think about her. Never fully, never totally, but just little errant thoughts here and there. He can’t begin to truly ponder the fact that after all this time and all these circumstances she’d somehow found her way back into his world. If he thought about it for too long it’d consume him.
He thought he was doing a pretty good job of not letting her totally distract him.
He would quickly discover he wasn’t doing as good a job as he thought.
“What are you thinking about?”
Barry turns to stare at his Uncle Eobard. They were having their monthly meal together, an event Barry dreaded. They typically ate in silence, discussed work for an hour, and then Barry got out of there as quickly as he could. Eobard never expressed any vested interest in Barry as a person, and Barry preferred it that way.
Needless to say, the question took him off guard.
“Pardon?”
Eobard took a bite of steak. “What are you thinking about? You seem distracted.”
“Nothing.” Barry shrugged. “Just tired I think.”
“Now isn’t the time to get tired, you’ve got several important hits to make this month,” Eobard chastised.
Barry fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I know, believe me I know. We’ve done the scouting, the team is prepped. They’ll go off without a hitch, I promise.
“You have Central City Municipal Bank coming up next week, right?”
Barry nodded and took a sip of water.
“And is Snart coming?”
Barry nodded again and took a bite of his meal.
“I wish he wouldn’t.”
Barry stopped chewing. “What?”
“Snart is a loose cannon who takes 50%. I wish you’d take someone else out. Or, better yet, handle it yourself.” His uncle spoke as though he were discussing a piece of property, not a long time ally.
“Snart takes 50% because he earns it. He’s critical to these bigger heists, you know that. He taught me everything I know.”
“I taught you everything you know.”
“Whatever. I want Snart there.”
“Fine. Just keep focused.”
“I am focused.”
OOO
“Focus, Snart. Please.”
“I’m listening.” He didn’t look at Barry.
“I’ll go in, disarm the guard. Cisco’s intel says there’s only one working because it’s Sunday. You wait fifteen seconds, come in, disarm the alarm, and I’ll get the money and us out before anyone is the wiser. Got it?” They’d run through the plan about a thousand and one times, but Eobard’s words from the other night weighed heavy on Barry. This had to stay routine.
“Got it!”
“Snart, I’m serious, no surprises.”
“But I know how fond you are of surprises.”
“Snart… In and out.”
“In and out.”
Barry pulled his cowl on and took a deep breath. Before he could exhale, he’d run to the bank and deposited Snart outside. Never leaving Flashtime, he went inside. Barry spotted the guard easily, and ran two laps around the room so the guard would notice him. It had the desired effect, the guard yelled for everyone to get down. Snart liked to shoot first and ask questions later, so Barry always took the time to make sure he got civilians out of firing range by having someone, in this case the guard, give a warning. After that, he made quick work of bounding up security. He then positioned himself behind a pillar, keeping out of sight.
Fifteen seconds after Barry dropped him off outside, Leonard Snart walked through the doors. Barry peered around the pillar and watched as Snart made his way to the back of the room. He was moving with purpose, strutting past bystanders without a second glance.
Then he stopped.
Barry didn’t know what had happened, he just watched as Snart pivoted and powered up the Cold Gun. “Say cheese,” he purred. Barry leaned out a little bit farther so he could see what exactly Snart was aiming at and…
Of fucking course.
There was Iris West, cell phone in hand, lying on the ground and staring up at the Cold Gun. She looked very much like a kid who’d just gotten with their hand caught in the cookie jar, except the punishment wasn’t a time out, but rather a concentrated burst of negative temperature particles in the face.
Or it would’ve been, if he hadn’t gotten to her first.
He scooped her up just before the blast hit her, and he and Snart were going to have to have a serious talk about “no surprises”.
Barry took her to a rooftop a ways away. Some small part of him was screaming that he should just drop her off on the street, but he was also getting a contact high, so he shoved that part aside.
He placed her down gently, backed up, took a breath to steady himself, and then asked, “What the hell were you thinking?” He vibrated his face and vocal cords on the off chance that she’d remember him, but their encounter was undoubtedly less impactful on her than it had been on him.
She spun around so she was facing him, not looking nearly as frazzled as she should. “Two guys were robbing a bank! I was trying to call the police.”
“You had your camera open,” he deadpanned.
He suppressed a laugh as she reassessed. “Okay, well maybe I was going to take a picture, but then I was definitely going to call the police. Investigative reporter, what are you going to do?”
Barry smirked. “As an investigative reporter I would think you’d know that by the time the police reach any of my crime scenes, I’m long gone.”
“Cocky, aren’t we?”
“Confident.” And damn if the mask wasn’t making him. He wished he could be half this smooth in real life, especially around Iris. Maybe it was the Thawne side of him finally coming out. He was certainly giving Eddie a run for his money.
Iris stepped forward and he was pulled out of his thoughts. He was hyper aware of every little movement she made, and he felt every millimeter of the closed space between them. Not wanting to play with fire, he stepped back. She looked disappointed for half a second, but recovered quickly. “Yeah, well, you never know. Maybe they’ll catch you one day.”
It would never happen. He was like a ghost. They couldn’t even confirm whether or not he was even real. He knew that. He suspected she did too. That’s why she wasn’t supposed to hear him say, “Figures a cop’s daughter would have unfounded faith in the police department.”
But apparently she had the hearing of a fucking bat. “How do you know that?”
It was an easy slip to cover up, as it wasn’t completely unfathomable that he would’ve done some research on her following that first encounter. She didn’t need to know how deep he’d gone. She didn’t need to know that a lot of it was things that he already knew about her.
“You’re not the only one who knows how to do some digging, Iris West. I quite liked your article on the Flower Festival.”
She was clearly embarrassed, and he didn’t really know why. The topic had been fluff, sure, but that wasn’t her fault. And even with a fluff topic, she managed to spin it into something with real heart.
Suddenly, with an imperceptible raise of her chin, her expression changed from shame to defiance. “Did you also read my article about corrupt beat cops at CCPD?”
He hadn’t, and it made him falter. Whatever article she was referring to, it hadn’t been published by Central City Picture News. He’d read each of those articles, twice over. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that, so he said, “Must’ve missed that one.”
“Maybe you should read it. Police are not infallible, I would never be naive enough to believe that. They make mistakes, even my dad would admit that. He always taught me to question everything around me.”
He stared at her for too long, the little gears in his brain working overtime as he tried to come up with something to say. He hadn’t been expecting that. Her father was a police officer, maybe a corrupt one, but he wouldn’t have begrudged her for supporting CCPD. The fact that she didn’t was disarming, but it wasn’t all that unexpected. If he knew nothing else about her, he knew that she was not the type to follow blindly. “He may have done too good a job.”
Iris smiled. “You two may be in agreement on that one.”
Barry had a hard time believing he and Joe West would ever be in agreement about anything, and definitely not about Iris.
He found himself wishing he didn’t have to hate Joe West. The man had been the only person who’d treated him with any kindness after his mother’s death. He’d gone as far as to take Barry in following the murder. It was still the only time in his life since Nora died that he felt as though things were going to be alright. That he was going to be alright.
After Barry had discovered that the case files were missing, everything Joe did was suddenly cast in a new, sickening light. The whole incident had left him unable to believe that anyone could ever be doing anything out of the goodness of their heart.
Everyone had an ulterior motive, and that was the only thing he could be truly certain of.
The thought broke him, temporarily, out of the spell. “I should probably go,” he breathed. It wasn’t a lie. He should go. He might not want to, but he should go.
He didn’t know her well enough yet to decide what emotion crossed her face, but it appeared to vaguely resemble disappointment. “Well, thank you for not letting Leonard Snart freeze my face off.”
Barry, caught slightly off guard by her comment, laughed. “Iris, you are much too interesting to have your face frozen off.”
He was gone before she could reply. As soon as he was away from her, his mind seemed to click back into place. He’d been so caught up in her that he’d completely forgotten they’d been in the middle of a robbery.
“Shit,” he breathed as he doubled back.
Upon reaching the bank and seeing all the cop cars parked out front, he repeated the expletive. Still, the site that greeted him on entry, Leonard Snart surrounded by bags of money with his hands up in the air looking annoyed while six police officers leveled their guns at him, did make him smile.
Snart and the money were gone before any of the cops could blink. In the span of a single second, Barry deposited the cash in their secure warehouse, and then brought Snart back to STAR Labs, dumping him unceremoniously on the ground.
As soon as time was moving normally again, Snart quipped, “nice of you to join us!”
Barry rolled his eyes. “I got you out of there”
Snart stood, making a show of dusting himself off. “You abandoned me in the middle of the heist.” He was up in Barry’s face. Few things made Snart lose his cool, but ignoring his orders was one of the quickest ways to do it.
Still, Barry didn’t back down. “I said no surprises”
“What are you talking about?” Snart scoffed
“The girl. The girl you were going to shoot in the face.”
“She had her phone out!” He was speaking to him as though he were an idiot, as though his actions were in any way justified.
Barry ripped off his cowl. “So you decide to murder her!?”
Snart backed away, tone leveling out. “I wasn’t going to do it, I was just going to rile her up a bit.”
Barry followed suit, taking a step back. Still, he wasn’t quite done. “Riling her up is a surprise. I had to get her out.”
Then, so matter-of-fact it barely left room for questioning, “You lingered”
Barry started. “What?”
“You can move faster than a bullet, and you’re telling me it took you
ten minutes
to get her to safety. You lingered.”
Barry was ticked off at the accusatory nature of Snart’s tone, but he’d been leading long enough to know how to keep a level head in a situation like this. “Didn’t realize you were timing me, Snart,” Barry mocked.
Snart got up in his face, voice remaining neutral. “Yeah, well when the cops arrived and held me at gunpoint, I began to wonder where you’d disappeared to.”
Barry rolled his eyes, laying it on thick. “Forgive me for assuming you could handle yourself. I’m beginning to wonder how you completed any robberies at all before I showed up.”
“Might have to go back to it,” Snart snapped.
The thing about Snart and Barry, was that theirs was never a relationship of fire, always ice. Barry matched Snart’s coldness with coldness. It was the surest and most definitive way to get under his skin. Barry respected the hell out of Snart, in a way that he didn’t with most others, but they could never truly overcome any of their issues, because neither was willing to admit that they actually cared enough to.
Still, as far as blowouts went, this was by far the biggest one they’d had.
Barry wasn’t yet willing to analyze what, or who, had caused that.
Cait must’ve sensed it, because she stepped towards them. “Alright boys, why don’t we all just calm down.”
“I am calm,” Barry said, his voice not betraying him.
“And I am taking a walk.” Snart turned on his heel, walking towards the door. “I want the money deposited into my bank account in 24 hours.”
Eobard’s words rang in Barry’s ears. How he wanted Snart out. How he wanted Barry to take control on his own. Maybe he had a point…
Cisco pulled him from his thoughts. “Dude, is it true what he said?”
And now that Snart was gone, so was the need to keep a level head. He spun to face his best friend. “Do you want to accuse me of something too?
The reaction took Cisco aback. “No… But you seem to be off your game lately. Is everything okay?
He wasn’t wrong, Barry had been off his game, but this was also a subject he absolutely did not want to talk about. Didn’t really even want to think about. It was a raw and exposed nerve, and people kept grating on it. “Everything is fine. And if it wasn’t, I don’t really see how that’s any of your business,” Barry snapped.
Cisco cast his eyes down. Barry could feel Caitlin’s eyes drilling a hole in his head.
He found he really didn’t care.
He sped out of the room before he could begin to.
OOO
He threw himself into work.
His day job, to be specific. He usually did that after a large heist. Being a forensic scientist at CCPD was the thing that truly fulfilled him. In some ways he thought he did it to repent for all the crimes he committed. He knew it didn’t erase them, but in some ways he felt as though it eased them.
And it keeps him distracted.
He kept thinking about her, try as hard as he did not to. She crept in on him. He’d never been one to believe that everything happened for a reason, what with all the terrible things that had happened to him, but this was all just a little too serendipitous.
It was about to become even more so.
He was on his way to drop off a forensic analysis at Officer Halloway’s desk, when he spotted her.
She’s standing with Eddie, staring up at him looking a little bit pissed off. He’s literally talking down to her, holding onto her arm and clearly preventing her from taking off, which it looked like she desperately wanted to do.
It sparked something in him, something almost involuntary, and he moved towards them.
“I just don’t want you getting hurt,” he heard Eddie say.
Iris’ voice is too loud as she shoots back, “I’m know what I’m doing! I’m not going to get-”
She’s worked up and people are staring and before he truly thinks it though he calls her name.
Her head whipped around at a speed that’s endearing. She smiled ever so slightly when she spotted him, and he gave her a small wave as he moved toward the pair.
He can see that as much as Iris welcomes the interruption, Eddie hates it. “Do you need something, CSI Allen?”
The comment left him pretty unfazed, Eddie had always kind of treated him like an outcast, but he’s surprised at Iris’ reaction.
“I’m pretty sure Barry said my name,” she all but growled at him as she ripped her arm away from him. Barry stepped closer to her, shadowing her as she stared Eddie down.
Eddie’s eyes danced back and forth between them, glaring at Barry whenever they settled on him. Barry did his best not to shrink, but it was almost instinctive. Eddie teased him for years, and clearly there was some residual trauma there.
Finally, Eddie said, “You two know each other?”
Iris paused for half a second “We’re old friends.”
It wasn’t at all how he’d expected her to describe him, and he couldn’t help the smile that crept up onto his face. That smile only grew when Iris gave him one of her own.
And in a move that was clearly an attempt to break up whatever small moment Barry and Iris were sharing, Eddie cut in, “I’ve never heard you mention him.”
The smile dropped from Iris’ face and she looked about ready to hit him upside the head. He didn’t really want to jump in, but he also didn’t want her to say something she regretted, and the look on her face suggested she might. “Iris and I went to high school together. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, but it turns out we live in the same apartment building.”
Not to mention the accidental run-ins I’ve had with her as my super villain alter ego.
“Yes and we actually agreed to get lunch and I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.” Iris turned, extending the crook of her elbow. “Shall we?”
He had absolutely no idea what she was referring to, and he would absolutely never, ever forget if they’d agreed to hang out. She was clearly lying, probably searching for an out, but he’d never throw her under the bus. “Right, um, right,” he replied as he linked their arms. It wasn’t all that convincing, but Iris went with it.
She waved a quick and crushingly dismissive goodbye to her boyfriend and dragged Barry to the elevators. She was moving at a pace that was just short of a jog, and even with his super speed, he felt as though he was being dragged.
As soon as they were inside and the doors had shut, she relaxed visibly. “I am so sorry, thank you for being so cool about that. I just couldn’t deal with him right now.” Iris began to pull her arm away from his, but before he could be disappointed, she settled her hand on his bicep. It was a loose hold, but one he was all too aware of.
He swallowed and nodded, her hand feeling as though it was burning him in the best possible way. “Yeah, no, of course, whatever you need. Is everything okay?”
Iris sighed and shrugged one shoulder. “It’s fine he’s just worried about me.” Barry had a guess as to why Eddie would be worried about her. He raised an eyebrow in question, and Iris sighed again. “I’ve had a couple run ins with The Flash.”
The elevator doors opened and they exited, giving Barry just a few seconds to pull it together. His poker face had always been fucking abysmal, but he needed to control it if he ever had a prayer of getting through this coversation.
“The Flash? Makes sense why he’d be worried. You were lucky to get out of those encounters alive.”
It was the obvious response, given his public reputation. Everyone knew The Flash was dangerous, everyone assumed he was a killer with no moral compass. There was no reason that “Barry Allen” would know a different side to the story, so he played it safe.
Iris though, seemed unfazed. She even smiled. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
He literally had no idea what she could possibly say. “Sure.”
Iris hesitated, and he could tell she was going over in her head what she was going to tell him, and what she was going to omit. “I don’t really think he’s the monster everyone makes him out to be.”
Control your fucking face
. “And what makes you say that?”
Iris bit her lip, looking vaguely as though she regretted saying anything at all. She backpedaled. “I don’t know. Just a vibe I guess. My intuition is usually right on this kind of stuff, but then again he could kill me the next time I see him.”
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, afraid he’d blurt something out that he’d regret. Instead, in the most controlled voice he’d ever managed, he asked, “So you want to see him again?”
“I don’t know. Yes, I guess I do.”
Barry’s stomach swooped.
It was a complicated mix of emotions that her words elicited from him. On the one hand, it was exactly what he’d wanted to hear. Exactly what his stupid brain had been yearning for. On the other, it was exactly what he
shouldn’t have
heard. This kind of encouragement was definitely not good for him.
Like water on a fire, Iris said, “Anyway I should probably go.”
She went to move away, but he quickly, almost involuntarily, grabbed hold of her hand and stopped her. “No, no, no you told your boyfriend we were getting lunch and we’re getting lunch.” He hoped his voice didn’t come across as too desperate, but he just wasn’t ready to let her go. It was the best he’d felt in as long as he could remember, and he needed to be around that for just a little while longer.
Iris laughed, easing his fears. “Alright, Allen. Lead the way.”
And before he could think about the implications of his actions for too long, he pulled them both out of the police station.
OOO
He spent every moment he could with her.
Not in like an overbearing kind of way, but as much as he could nonchalantly get away with. He was still busy with his job and being a criminal mastermind, but, as far as social life went, she was basically the end all be all.
He had friends, he would consider Cisco and Caitlin his family in many ways, despite the fact that he treated them like shit sometimes. But everytime they hung out outside of the office, which didn’t happen all too frequently, there was always a dark cloud hanging over him. It was like he couldn’t escape his life as The Flash. It was always there, it was the thing that bonded him. He didn’t resent it, he’d chosen it and met them through it, but the reminder could just be
heavy
sometimes.
Iris was the opposite of heavy.
Iris was light in the dark corners, and texting too late, and belly laughs, and food so spicy it made him sweat. She did not know him as The Flash, and so he could almost pretend not to be. And as complicated as that was, when he was with her he didn’t really mind all that much, didn’t really even think about it to be honest. It was a levity he hadn’t had since…
Well probably since his mother died.
So when Cisco came running into the Star Labs lounge, interrupting his morning coffee with a “We have a problem” he had no reason to suspect it’s Iris. She would never create a problem for him.
Not willingly, anyway.
He stopped breathing for a millisecond when he got into the control room and saw the headline projected onto the main screen.
Dangerous Duo: The Flash Aided by Leonard Snart in Bank Robbery
He knows before his eyes hit the byline,
he knows,
she wrote it. Still, having the confirmation of “Iris West” staring back at him was a bit unsettling.
Not quite as unsettling as when Snart said, “She’s an excellent writer, but she portrayed me all wrong.”
“I kind of thought she nailed it,” Cisco quipped. “What was that one line? ‘Snart, with an icy glare almost as unsettling as his penchant for over-the-top theatrics…’ I quite liked that part.”
“Aw, Cisco, it’s sweet that you took the time to memorize an article about me,” Snart shot back.
“Enough,” Barry cut in, ending the argument. “What do we do about this?”
Cisco shrugged. “Not much to do. The article is out there. I don’t think it’ll do that much damage though.”
Except it would, because Barry was privy to a conversation that none of them knew about.
“Eobard won’t like it.”
Barry rarely, if ever, invoked his uncle. He didn’t really need to be invoked. He was the silent sword looming over all of their heads. They knew it was there, even if they never acknowledged it.
Snart, apparently, didn’t care. “I don’t work for Eobard.”
Barry sighed. “Yes, you do.”
“No. I don’t work for your uncle, I work for you. Cisco is right, the article is out there, It’s less than ideal, but not a big deal. Thawne will just have to live with it.”
“If anything, the article could bolster public fear of you?” Cisco tried.
“Maybe…” Barry replied skeptically.
“One thing is for certain,” Snart said, “We need to keep an eye on Iris West.”
“I can start doing some recon,” Cisco supplied, already sitting at his computer.
“No,” Barry barked.
Cisco paused, fingers hesitating over the keys. “Um…”
“No,” Barry said again, firmer this time. It was not up for debate. “I’ll look into her. We’ve already traumatized her enough. Besides, like you said, the article isn’t a big deal.”
Cisco backed off. “If that’s what you want.”
Barry turned to the person who would inevitably be more difficult to convince. “Snart?”
Snart attempted to look innocent and failed. “What?”
“You’re going to let me handle Iris West. I’ll keep an eye on her.” It was one of the rare times he used his “leader” voice, a tone that left no room for push back.
“Seems you’re good at that,” Snart mumbled too loudly.
“Snart!”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine.”
He didn’t doubt Snart would remain true to his word, but it would be harder to convince him to if Iris continued to write articles about them. He needed to get her to drop it, and he needed to do it quickly.
OOO
It’s risky and downright idiotic, but he’s kind of run out of options.
He couldn’t really bring up The Flash when he’s Barry. I mean, he could, but not in the way he needed to. Not in the way that would shake her enough to get her to drop him.
So before he can think for too long, as was his tendency, he ran to Jitters where he knew she was working, scooped her up, and brought her to the roof.
“You just had to write an article about the bank robbery, didn’t you?”
She turned to face him, a small smile gracing her lips. He was taken aback for a second, but recovered quickly when she replied, “I am a reporter after all.”
He allowed himself a laugh. “That’s so weird, I thought your job was to make my life a living hell,” he quipped
She shrugged, but her smile grew. “That’s more of a hobby.”
It was too playful given the fact that he’d brought her up here to scold her, but he let himself go with it for a second. “Snart’s pissed. He claims you portrayed him all wrong.”
“Next time I’ll make sure I don’t portray the homicidal maniac incorrectly. You tell him if he ever wants to interviewed I’d be happy to do that.”
The comment made him laugh again. Snart would like that, he would like her. “He would love that. I, on the other hand, would not.”
“I didn’t know you cared.”
Shit.
It tripped him up. Big time. “I don’t,” he insisted unconvincingly. .
“Mhm. Just admit you have a soft spot for me,” she teased.
“I do not,” he whined.
Iris smiled, and he knew he wasn’t fooling her. “Sure, that’s why you’re always saving me. You better be careful or people will think you’re coming over to the good side.” She sounded just a little bit hopeful.
He deflected, as he always did. “God forbid that happen. My reputation would be ruined.”
Iris stepped forward, an almost imperceptible movement, but keeping space between him and the rest of the world was so engrained, he stepped back instinctively. She caught the movement, but didn’t falter. “I won’t tell. I can keep a secret.”
“I bet you can, Iris West.” No part of him doubted it, but there was also no part of him that had any desire to tell her. He liked her, enjoyed spending time with her, but he didn’t know if she could handle it, because, admittedly, he didn’t truly know her.
She pursued her lips. “You know if there were any other secrets you wanted to let me in on…”
He smiled in spite of himself. He might not truly know her, but her persistence would be evident even to a total stranger “Really?”
“I’m just saying that I’m very trustworthy. Plus it might be nice to be able to call you by your real name.”
“What like… Ralph?” He kept his face as neutral as possible as he studied her intently, watching her eyes light up as confusion settled in.
“Is your name Ralph?”
He kept it coy. “What if it was?”
Something in his tone must have caused her to catch on, because then she said, “My hero, Ralph. Kind of has a weird ring to it.”
Her words caused him to come crashing back to reality.
She had to have meant it as a joke, her tone caused him to believe she did, because there was no way she could think he was anything other than the terrible, evil person that he was. He knew she was a generous, loving person, anyone who’d known her for more than an hour would know that, but she
could not
think that. It was stupid and it was dangerous and he could not let her.
“I’m no one’s hero, Iris,” he insisted.
She was unfazed. “You saved my life the other day. That makes you a hero, Buddy.” Her tone was teasing, but her gaze was not.
“I doubt the people of Central City and its police force would agree.”
She didn’t back off. “Okay so maybe your image needs some cleaning up, but I could help you. I could write an article or something. I could-“
He didn’t, couldn’t, understand why she was being so insistent on the fact that he wasn’t a completely shitty person. She had no reason to be, she had no reason to believe he wasn’t the monster he was. She didn’t even know that she knew him outside of being The Flash. “I don’t need you meddling in my business, alright?”
Again, she persisted. “Does the idea of being a good guy really bother you that much?”
To say that was to presume that he was. “No, I just don’t think people should sell themselves as something they’re not.”
Her voice softened, was quiet, as she asked, “But what if you are?”
“I’m not.” His actions were proof enough that what he was saying was true. Maybe he’d done the right thing at some juncture in his life, but after everything that’d been taken from him, he didn’t really see the point. None of it mattered, nor was any of it that simple.
She looked like she wanted to keep pushing, even opened her mouth to presumably do just that, but she quickly closed it. She regarded him with kind, inquisitive eyes, before they flickered down to his chest. “So what’s with the lightning bolt?”
Relief coursed through him. He didn’t even think about the question long enough to wonder if answering it was a bad idea. “I was struck by lightning and that’s how I got my powers.”
Iris’ eyebrows furrowed, considering his words. “You mean you haven’t always been like… this?”
It was one of the few times she couldn’t find the right word. “No, I haven’t. Does that surprise you?”
“I guess I just forget that you’re a regular guy.” She paused, thought for a second, rocking back on her heels. “It’s kind of hard to imagine you buying groceries, or walking your dog, or going to the dentist, or hanging out with your girlfriend.”
He almost thought he’d misheard her, she’d snuck that last bit in there so quickly. Maybe a bit too boldly, he replied, “I don’t have a dog or a girlfriend.”
Before he could regret it, she whispered so quietly he thought he misheard her, “Good to know.”
He didn’t know what to do. Truly had no idea how to approach the situation. The inner dork within him was already explaining the comment away: it was an offhand comment, she’d meant it sarcastically, maybe she's genuinely meant it was good to know. Anything but the obvious explanation. The one that some part of him he was unwilling to address wanted it to be.
“And you?” he asked before he could think twice. Maybe the reminder that she was taken would be enough to shake him.
“And me what?”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Iris started, the reminder seeming to shake her as well. “Oh, uh, yeah. Eddie.”
She said his name almost like it was a burden, but he could also be imagining it. He decided to press. “What’s Eddie like?”
She shrugged, started wandering towards the roof. “He’s nice. Handsome. He cares about me a lot.”
Barry allowed himself to slowly trail after her as she made her way towards the edge of the building. “That’s good.”
As engaged as she’d been before, she was disconnected now. “Mhmm” She leaned against the ledge, staring out at the city, her back towards him.
He kept his distance, just close enough to still be able to hear her. “Is it not?”
Iris shook her head. “No, no it’s good.”
“You seem like you don’t want to talk about him.”
“No, no, no. It’s good. He’s good. I love him, I just…” She turned to face him. “I feel like I disappoint him sometimes.”
He had to hold back a scoff “How could you ever disappoint anyone?”
Iris didn’t meet his eyes, looking anywhere but him. “Like I think he loves the person he wants me to be, but then he’s disappointed when I do something that reminds him that that’s not the person I am. I don’t know, it’s just that sometimes I feel like I can’t be my whole self around him. Like I’m constantly messing up.”
Barry didn’t really know Eddie that well in spite of the fact that they were related, but he truly didn’t think that was the case. “I doubt that. He probably just doesn't want you getting hurt.”
“Maybe.”
She was allowing a certain level of vulnerability she didn’t show when his mask was off, and maybe it was because of the anonymity he possessed, but he was a bit surprised. He wanted so desperately to comfort her in some way, but he’d also come here to try and protect her. That was the most important thing by a landslide, and it required him to put some distance between the two of them as much as it went against his instincts. “So, if I can make a suggestion, maybe stop writing articles about me. It’s dangerous, your name on that byline, and you putting yourself in danger probably isn’t helping his stress levels.”
“Maybe.”
“Will you just think about it?”
She looked at him, seeming sincere when she said, “Maybe.”
It wasn’t what he wanted, but he sensed that, at least for now, it was the best he was going to get.
He’d take a maybe.
He’d take whatever she would give him.