Iris West doesn't have a death wish, okay? (tellsyourstory) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-06-01 06:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, barry allen (the flash), iris west |
Who: Barry and Iris
What: Revealing of certain Dream secrets
When: Early April
Where<: Coffee shop
Warnings: Low
Status: Log | Complete
Iris had spent the past few days down at the border working on a story. A story that had absolutely nothing to do with Hydra and instead just the American government. Depressing as hell, but it was something that needed to be told. So while Iris was always looking for more stories, at least there was one that was ongoing. Well...many. Ones that she had already been working on before she had lost her job with Buzzfeed News. Still, with everything going on, Iris was glad to be back in Orange County and was looking forward to meeting up with Barry in the morning. Best friend time was definitely needed. Both to reassure him that she was fine, this wasn’t nearly as dangerous a story, and just because decompressing was a good thing after all she had seen and what she had been told in interviews. What was not needed? The latest dream. It started off normally enough. Darts and drinks with Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Eddie. Well all of them together was new but it was good. Then a bombing and going to the crime scene and even getting an actual glimpse of the Streak. It was great. But then it wasn’t great. Barry trying to talking her out of it and knowing that it was something more. That he was still hiding something from her. Putting her name on her blog. Actually speaking with the Streak. Explaining that something had changed and how she needed his help to save Barry because he had just..seemingly stopped caring about the impossible. About everything he had believed, even when no one else believed in him. But it was so much more. It was about giving the citizens of Central City someone to believe in, to give them hope… And then the impossible happened. Barry making one more plea to get her to stop, and refusing. Because it was important. And words she never thought she’d hear from her best friend. “Maybe we shouldn’t see each other for awhile.” “Yeah.” The pain was...Iris couldn’t face her dad because he would want to know what was wrong. And that was when the journalist woke up. The heartache still fresh and feeling like something was just missing. The emotional bleedover from these Dreams was really something she could do without. Still, she also knew she should leave before her dad saw her because he would know something was up and she just really didn’t want to deal with that. So getting ready, Iris left the house and went to where she was meeting up with Barry. She may be early but it should give her time to pull herself together and push aside the feeling that part of her was missing to the side because even if Barry had essentially ended their friendship in the Dreams, they were still fine here. They had to be. * Why did they need to get these dreams? It felt like they made life harder than it already was. Not only that, it seemed like both Iris and Cisco was ahead of him with the whole dream thing, so they knew things that he didn’t and it felt kind of awkward. A part of him wanted to know everything, but another part really didn’t want to know. Which was better? Neither, really. He knew one thing, though, he wasn’t going to let these dumb dreams ruin anything with the people that he cared about in his life. Like Iris. Who he was meeting up with. But of course, like usual, he was running a little late. Once he saw Iris, he walked over to her, smiling. “Hey,” he greeted way too happily. “How long have you been waiting?” * It really would be nice to know why they got these dreams. At least more than just ‘well if you’re on ValarNet, that means you will get weird dreams’ because that didn’t answer anything. While Iris really only had to deal with emotional bleedover so far from the few she’d had, even that was enough for her. But what she had seen other people talk about? They definitely seemed to make things more complicated. After the latest dream? Iris was definitely worried about how things could change because of the Dreams. It was completely illogical, yet what if whatever happened in the Dream that made Barry decide they couldn’t be friends anymore happened here? That was something the journalist just could not deal with. So even knowing that Barry was basically always late, part of her worried that maybe something had happened to make him change his mind. Which again, irrational. But the heartbreak from the Dreams with Barry saying they shouldn’t see one another for a while and the feeling of a divide between them as he was clearly keeping something from her was rather strong. Which made sense. Barry was too important a person in her life for even the thought of something like that to be treated lightly. Still, once Barry showed up and seemed completely Barry-like, the worries about the Dream becoming reality melted away and Iris just smiled with a shake of her head. “Not too long. At least for your timeline.” What? She was allowed to tease him about his habitual late-ness. * “Oh, haha,” he said, still smiling. Yeah, he always got teased about his lateness. It was something that he was used to. And he knew no matter how much he tried not to be late, he still always ended up late. So, if Iris wanted to tease him, she was welcomed to do it all she wanted. “Do you want to go inside or hang out here a little while longer?” * It was normal and normal was good in this place. So while there had been that previous illogical concern that the situation from her latest Dream had come to, everything was as it should be and so that was that. At least for Iris. Instead she just smirked at the comment before considering the question. “It’s nice out, so why not get our coffee then come back outside?” Because coffee was a necessity in life. Or Iris just mainlined it, either or. But it was also nice out so why not take advantage of it as well? The joy of outside tables. * It was nice out today, so he was totally okay with Iris’ idea of getting their stuff and coming back out. “Yeah, sounds good.” He opened the door for Iris and then walked in after her. There were only a few people in line, so they weren’t going to have to wait too long. “I’m buying. Get whatever you want.” * It was always nice when there wasn’t too much of a line. Iris well remembered her days as a barista while she’d still been in school. Lines like this (barring completely demanding customers) were always a welcome reprieve. Enough to stay busy but not so much that there was no time to breathe. “Always the gentleman.” Looking over the menu, Iris made her decision. So once they got to the register she gave it to the woman behind the register (the Ethiopian Dry Processed Konga with a shot of espresso) then looked to Barry to make his own order. * “I try,” he said with a smile as he turned his attention to the menu. There were so many different drinks to choose from, but he was pretty much leaning to having a normal cup of coffee. Nothing fancy for him this morning. And once Iris made her order, he made his and then paid the cashier. Once they had their drinks, he led the way back outside since Iris had said she wanted to hang outside. “So, what were you thinking about before I arrived?” he finally asked as they took a seat at one of the metal tables. * Drinks in hand and back outside to one of the tables, Iris was content to forget the Dream that had been troubling her all morning when Barry asked what she had been thinking about before he had arrived. She could have just said work things, but given their ability to read one another with nothing more than a look (which made it all the more frustrating in the Dreams where Barry was clearly hiding something but refused to tell her as if she wouldn’t notice), best to just say it and laugh it off given how ridiculous it was. “Just Dream things,” Shaking her head, Iris sighed. She still thought the entire dating Eddie thing was ridiculous, and Joe’s reaction in them really just solidified that. But that wasn’t something that would have any lingering effects for Iris. He was an unknown entity in the real world. She couldn’t mask the fact that whatever it was in the Dreams was bothering her more than she wanted to let on. Concerns about things here were gone, but the entire situation overall? Still really hurt. * “Did you have more of them?” Barry asked. Or was it that she couldn’t stop thinking about the ones that she had already had? He wanted to know. It was kind of obviously tha something about them was bugging her and he wanted to get her to tell him what it might be, but he also wasn't going to push either. He took a sip of his coffee before saying, “you know you can talk to me about these dreams. Whatever is bugging you or not bugging you. I’ll listen.” * “Unfortunately. Mostly annoying, but sometimes…” Sometimes they did leave a mark. Of course Iris knew on the logical level that she could talk to Barry about whatever was bothering her. Be it real life or the Dreams. But the not so logical level? And yet, keeping it in wouldn’t do any good and given she only had her point of view on the matter and not whatever Barry might be dealing with? “I know…” Well, might as well just jump into it, “You more or less called off our friendship in the last one. I was blogging about this person, the Streak, who has these abilities like you were always talking about in them that no one believed you about,” except for Iris as she had always believed in Barry even when no one else did, “Anyway. You wanted me to stop but me being me refused to because of what he presented? Of course I didn’t, not when you had seemingly stopped believing in something you always had and so I needed to save you, and then because of the hope the Streak has given to the people of Central City...” Shrugging, Iris took a sip of coffee not realizing what it all would mean. How Barry was this ‘Streak’, and how she was trying to save him. But also that this person, whomever he was from Iris’ point of view, was giving hope to people and as she had always been about the truth and providing hope in both worlds, of course she couldn’t just let it go. * When Iris finally told him what was bugging her, Barry listened. She was definitely a lot further than he was in the dreams because everything she was telling him wasn’t anything he recognized from his own dreams. “I hope you don’t think I would try to push you away? Just because dream me is doing it.” He really did hope Iris didn't really think she’d ever lose his friendship or that he would ever tell her that he didn’t want to be friends anymore. Because hell would have to freeze over first before that ever happened. “I do think I might have an idea why dream me is acting like that way…” It was a guess. That’s all it was. “Joe, in the dreams, knows about my powers. He made dream me promise to never tell you. Maybe that’s why dream me is trying to push you away.” * “Yeah, of course I know that. It just feels wrong and waking up from it was disorienting is all.” Iris could really do without the emotional bleedover. It was exhausting when there was already so much going on in the world, that even temporarily feeling like that was enough to throw her entire day. And why Iris was relieved that she and Barry had already made plans to get the last lingering feelings about the dreams to go away. Then Barry was saying he had an idea on why he would be pushing her away in the dreams and Iris quirked a brow at that. “Oh?” It was what she wanted after all, some sort of reason to make sense of what had happened since it made no sense whatsoever otherwise. So she listened, though she was still a bit lost. “What do you mean my dad knows about your--” But even as she asked, it began to fall into place. The strange behavior in the Dreams, the focus on not investigating the impossible when that was something Barry had been going on about for nearly as long as she had known him, why the Streak was suddenly saying the same thing. “Of course. You’re the Streak….” Leaning back, Iris just shook her head some as she came to terms with it. The fact that Barry was keeping this major thing from her in them, that her dad was in on it. “You could still tell me, you know.” Sighing, Iris took a sip of her coffee, before looking at Barry. “Has it crossed over here? Is that why you felt weird last week and whatever the tests Dr.Simmons showed?” * “I get it.” He did. He just wanted to make sure Iris knew and never forgot that no matter what he was there for her. No matter what happened in this damn dreams. “Well…” Barry had started and then stopped when Iris seemed to figure it all out. She was smart so he was not at all surprised by how fast she put the pieces together. Which was a good thing. It meant he had to explain less. “Yeah,” he said with a nod his head. “That’s me.” He didn’t need to be told that. That’s why he didn’t deny it. It was why he would answer any questions that he had. Because he did not want to keep this from her. Especially if those powers were crossing over into the real world. “I know that. I can’t say much for dream me.” Sure, he sort of understood why his dream self kept dream Iris out of the loop. He wanted to keep her safe. But keeping someone out of the loop didn’t always mean they’d stay safe for long. He leaned back his chair. “I think it’s trying to cross over. It’s the only thing that makes sense with how I was feeling. But I think it’s stopped. I feel normal and I haven’t zipped across the city or anything.” Honestly, he was kind of hoping it just left him alone. He wasn’t quite so sure if he wanted to have powers of any kind. “But if it does happen…I will tell you. Promise.” * “Hopefully whenever you get there, the emotional crossover won't be as intense.” It was a hope at any rate. Maybe the emotions were stronger for her because there was nothing else to do so for her? Iris certainly didn't know. As she pieced it all together, Iris had to wonder how she hadn't done so yet in the Dreams. And how long it would take in them. Because that would definitely get old fast watching herself be unaware and signs she should be picking up on. “Well, seeing at how I feel I should be putting it together in the Dreams, maybe it's just going to be a thing of knowing it here and wanting to make ourselves in the Dreams realize it as well.” Their bond and importance to one another was just as strong and true here as there so it really didn't make sense. But there also wasn't much they could do about it either. As Barry said he thought the speed was trying to cross over but hadn't, the journalist nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Or well, as much sense as any of this can make.” Because really, it all sounded insane. Even with the proof. “But good, you better. Major things and changes in our lives? That's the sort of thing we always tell each other about.” Not to mention truth and honesty were so integral to Iris. * Barry had a feeling he wasn’t going to be so lucky. If the dreams and the emotions it brought with them were hitting Iris like this, who was to say it wouldn’t do exactly the same to Barry? “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…” It sounded like a good theory, but it was just that a theory. Nobody seemed to have an real idea how any of this worked. “Either way, I want you to know everything.” He didn’t want to keep anything from her. “Yeah,” he said with a slight laugh. Did any of it make sense? No. Maybe in some crazy comic book or movie. But in real life, no. This was not supposed to make sense. “If I have to pinky promise you that I will tell you everything, I will.” Anything to prove that he wasn’t joking. He wanted to keep Iris in the loop no matter what happens to him in this life and in the fake one. * Iris could hope for Barry’s sake at any rate, even if it was doubtful that Barry would be spared the emotional bleedover of the friendship break up. “I guess so.” Which unfortunately was basically all they could do with any of this. Unfortunately it would be too easy for them if there were any actual answers on why these things happened. They just had to wait and see. “That’s a relief.” It really did feel very comics book like. Or at least what Iris assumed comic books were. That had always been more of Barry’s thing than hers. But even Iris could pick up on the very comic book dynamic at play in the Dreams. At the comment about pinky swearing to keep her in the loop? The journalist just laughed some and nodded. “You better.” * It didn’t seem like Iris was all that certain about most of the things he said, but when she started to laugh he couldn’t help but to do what he did next. “I mean it,” he said as he stuck his hand out towards Iris and started to wiggle his pinky finger at her. “Pinky promise,” he said with a laugh. This was ridiculous, he knew it, but he liked seeing Iris laugh and this was obviously something that was making her do it. “Come on, you know you can’t resist.” * It was strange. Because she trusted Barry with her life. So it seemed improbable that he wouldn’t tell her in the Dreams, even with her dad telling him not to. Secrets like that? So him saying he’d tell her here was good. Mostly it was the whole situation and coming to terms with it and what it meant in the Dreams that she hadn’t been told. But then she noticed Barry’s action and shook her head in amusement. Oh, they were actually going to pinky promise were they? Well okay then. Linking pinkies, she looked at him seriously even though clearly still amused and smiling. “You are now bound by the power of the pinkie to do so. It is not a bond to be taken lightly.” * With his pinky now linked to Iris’s, he tried to look serious. “I would never take such a bond so lightly,” he told her, still trying to hold back the smile and laughter. This was exactly why he loved being around Iris. No matter where they were or what they were doing, they always had fun. “So, question. What happens if the bond is broken? Do I get struck by lightning or something else?” * Being around Barry was just easy. It was home. No matter what was going on, no matter how insane things were, Barry made things calm for Iris. When they were joking, or when things might be more serious. There was never a need to be stressed or overthink. Iris could just be. As for what would happen should Barry break the bond? “Worse. Dad’s disappointed face.” * “Yeah. Okay. You got me there. That is just bad.” He chewed on the corner of his lip, trying not to laugh, but he lost. He started to laugh. “I will never break the pinky bond.” With a small shake of their linked pinkys he finally pulled his hand away and sat back just as his phone went off. He had a feeling he knew who it was and when he looked at the text message, he was right. “Work…” he said as he started to grab his stuff and stand. “Gotta go.” * “Exactly.” And one Barry broke and laughed, so did Iris. Still, any lingering feelings she’d woken up with that morning were officially gone and she would be able to focus fully on her day now. Leaning back into her chair as well, Iris also had a feeling on who it was as Barry’s phone went off. “Of course. I’ll see you later.” * It wasn’t like he really wanted to leave. If he had a choice, he would have just stuck around and kept goofing off with Iris. But he couldn’t do that. He had to go. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t bug her later, though. Mostly because he would want to make sure she was doing okay. “You definitely will.” He gave her a weird half hug (since she was still sitting) and then said, “bye.” |