accelerate | ( ENTRANCEWAY INBOX )

[ the thing about barry is that he can step on a landmine and there's a very high chance he will be able to outrun the explosion. ]

[ iris dodges, but barry thinks to press his foot firmly against that little ditch in the ground. it'd been her who had opened the gates to where they could be, and he'd been the one to loop his arm through hers to pull her along before he'd dropped her off and taken another road entirely. ]

[ he doesn't even know what he's doing, but barry knows it's bound to be stupid. he simply looks at her and doesn't change his expression, even though his heart's pounding in his chest and his instincts are telling him to bolt. ]

Yes.

[ pause.

iris isn't a speedster. she doesn't have any of barry's meta-human abilities. but if she had his ability, she'd understand the urge to bolt.

she has that urge now caught between flight and stillness.

she wonders if this is how he felt for fifteen years. she wonders if he walked around with this impossible ache swarming his chest. at least, she thinks it's an ache. maybe the better word is longing? if it's true, if this is how he felt, then iris isn't sure how he still talks to her after everything she put him through without knowing.

he loved her every day, and she didn't know it. and now his heart is somewhere else, and neither of them can find it. ]

Barry. [ he needs to stop being confusing. ]

Iris.

[ it's almost immediate. where she says his name, he says hers. the longer he lets any silence sit between them, the worse this will become — and he's always let them wander into territory that's almost too dangerous. ]

[ but he plays it off like he's joking, or she's joking, or all of this is something to laugh at instead of to be embarrassed or feel cornered by. he rolls where he sits before he settles again, having pulled himself from his slouched and studious position, to only glance around her room, and over his shoulder, as though he's only just realised he's wearing one shoe. ]

[ iris scrunches up her face.

it's easier to come up with a word when the name isn't her own. and she can't say flower again, this is not a rehash! it's not that she doesn't know what to say about herself, but it does make her think a bit harder. ]

Reporter.

[ it may be obvious, but it works ok. ]

[ barry has a plethora of words for her to use to respond with, but they're his, not hers. just as her own responses to his name belong to her. he knows he doesn't agree with half of them, and he has a feeling she'll feel the same with a good chunk of the ones he has selected out and prepared for her in response to her name. ]

[ the only trouble with him is he can't use all those words at once if she's to say her name back to him. ]

[ he smiles, and without missing much of a beat: ] Pulitzer.

[ barry isn't the only one who can smile like the sun.

iris grins, bright and sudden, at how quickly he answers. she doesn't miss much of a beat, either: ]

Belief.

[ barry believes in her. it's not just that iris believes in him/ the flash unwaveringly, and she does. but he believes in her, too. when mason bridge was calling her a talentless millennial, it was barry who lifted her spirits up again. it's largely because of barry she is a reporter at all. ]

Definite.

[ he looks at her pointedly, as though he knows. barry doesn't know what the future holds for iris west, other than a hyphenated surname if she chooses it. that news article projected in gideon's room hadn't told him much, save for her writing of his disappearance, the reverse-flash becoming more well-known within central city, and perhaps iris may or may not have known where he'd gone. ]

[ sometimes he thinks back on that article and wonders if she'd written anything between the lines to help him find a way back home. ]

[ but what he does know, without needing someone from the year 2024 to tell him: iris west can achieve anything she wants. she just has to believe in herself. ]

[ her eyes narrow once more.

it's hard to remain serious when barry's bony knee is pressing lightly against hers, and he only wears one shoe. she is asking herself why he would take off one shoe and not the other, but asking him outright would break the spell of their game, and iris is many things, but not a quitter.

neither is barry.

it is, perhaps, the most inspiring thing about him. how many times he'll get back up after something knocks him down. ]

Irrefutable.

[ the shoe he wears says go win. maybe iris should look at what she had written and do just that: go win. but he knows she moves at her own pace. no one can ever move as quickly as him, nor as slowly. he's dug his heels effectively into her floor and he refuses to budge. ]

[ he smiles at the sight of her eyes narrowing. maybe that'll make them narrow even more. ]

Irreplaceable.

[ and he folds his hands into fists, save for his thumbs, and gestures to the left, to the left. and shrugs his shoulders — he doesn't know why his brain associates certain things together. but he thinks that one word to be true of her. ]

[ it's more than a little wondrous to her, how seamlessly they navigate some of these twists and turns. iris has almost forgotten there was ever a landmine she nearly stepped on. her grin widens once more at his answer. there he goes again, making her feel special and warm.

it's a problem. ]

Bey.

[ yes, she means his beyonce. 🐝 🍋 🐝 🍋 ]

[ barry holds his hand up and looks at her pointedly. wait, he wants to say, but instead of doing so, he hopes to convey it. is mouthing the word cheating? would that be forfeiting his turn? ]

[ he's gone within a gust of wind and yellow electricity, the door connecting their rooms opening and closing with a slam. just as it connects with the doorframe, barry's back inside, and now there's his red flash suit laid out on her bed, the runaway dinosaur sitting on top of it, and he sits before her, cross-legged. ]

[ sitting before her, he looks at her with faux innocence. and he smiles once hold up begins to play, pointing his finger up with excitement. his smile only widens. ]

Lemonade.

[ uh-oh.

iris knows what that look means. to be fair, it's a look she's worn plenty of times herself, especially during their childhood. it's why they took joe's car for a joyride and crashed it into an oak tree. iris doesn't think she's ever seen her father so mad.

the gust of wind, as always, whips iris' hair back. she straightens in place, fingers still laced around her ankles as she waits.

she's torn between laughing and ... that achey feeling, once she hears the lyrics to the song. once sees the book he's brought with. she'd mention it, if he wasn't smiling at her so brightly. it would blind her if he really was the sun. ] Powerful. [ all joking aside, a lot of songs in that album remind her of her power.

don't be fooled. she may be kind and understanding, but iris west can slay. ]

[ he brings his book, his suit, his most prized shoes, and his so-far favourite new album to her room for safe-keeping from the inevitable onslaught of dark matter. who else would he entrust to take care of what he values most if not the person he values most? ]

[ maybe selecting this song wasn't the right choice — it makes things awkward, considering how it opens, and barry's immediate reason for picking it is because of the opening … — but it's easier to express himself by using alternate ways than his words for now. ]

[ it's how he's been feeling since the speed force, after dad told him iris had been the one to insist she try and pull him out from that whole other world. he understands henry had believed he could pull him out from the speed force's clutches, but iris has always been the one to encourage him to step up. if anyone could unwrap him from what has given him a new life, it's the person who he'd first thought to see after waking up from a coma, the person who he'd realised he was something different with, and the very person who had believed in him without needing much proof or reason to place her faith in a stranger dressed up in leather. ]

[ that bright beam doesn't waver. he thinks to say her name again, but he knows he'll end up saying it for almost everything, then. there's rules, even if they're just for him, and so he can't say her name thereafter unless it's the only word he can use to try and win this game. ]

Love.

[ landmine? quite possibly. ]

[ when we were kids, i loved you before i even knew what the word love meant.

there were so many times he wanted to tell her, and didn't. there were so many times he wanted to tell her he was the flash, and he didn't. he'll utilize every other venue so long as he doesn't have to say the words. iris is a writer; all she has are words. except that's not always true, is it? the second barry finally told her how he felt, all the words in the world were stolen from her. there's so much she could say now, but they're playing a game that isn't a game, and love is hearing what no one else hears, and seeing what no one else sees. it's not about destiny. destiny can't create this feeling. iris is learning.

she may win the game, but she's already lost. ]

Hope.

[ where there is love, there is hope, and barry allen won't feel awful forever. he won't be tired forever.

call it a hunch. ]

[ this is perhaps the closest he'll get to acknowledging the feelings she's placed in his hands and the ones that have been cupped in hers for years. barry's always found it difficult to express himself, and perhaps that's why, when he runs, he lets off a golden streak of lightning in his wake. he could easily spell out what he wants to tell her by running, expecting that light to linger in his stead as she looks down at the city and the message he's practically written along the streets for her. ]

[ he looks at her, then lets his gaze drop. he smiles to himself as his mind wanders back to the room gideon had been stowed away inside. as confronting as it'd been to discover wells' true secret, barry hadn't found only fear spark inside of his chest. ]

[ written by iris west-allen. when he thinks of hope, he thinks of that byline. ]

Future.

[ she's almost thankful his gaze lowers.

it allows her to watch him with little to no obstruction. it allows her to linger, and wonder, and smile to herself. later, iris will fall asleep draped in blankets. she'll dream of golden streaks and striking orchards and walking the world side by side with barry. in these dreams, they will not be afraid. ]

Warm.

[ she almost said bright, but considering recent events, it didn't feel, but somehow warm does. ]

[ he hums for a moment, gaze still downcast. if he thinks about that word, he thinks of her — and the sun, joe west, the team at star labs, even the speed force — but he can't find a word to encapsulate them all. ]

[ his brows furrow together, and he thinks of that moment in the west house by the dining table, where he'd been feeling unstoppable. proposing to be even more invincible than he'd been after the speed force had let him go, barry can easily recall how he'd bounced on the balls of his feet and been eager to leap into the future. the memory is followed by a wake of sadness, but barry tries not to dwell on it. ]

Invincible.

[ it's her turn.

iris lowers her gaze, though the smile on her lips doesn't falter. it had felt like the start of something new. before zoom stormed into what had once been a safe home, the stars aligned and everything felt so clear. they'll never have that exact moment again, but for those precious few seconds, they truly were invincible. ]

Force.

[ she keeps that memory as vividly as he does. she remembers. how could she not? ♪ ]

[ is it cheating if he says — ]

Speed.

[ and he smiles at that, knowing it may be too literal of an association. but since emerging from the speed force, barry had believed he had a new lease on life. a fresh, healthy outlook on the world around him and on himself. though zoom had torn it away from him temporarily, attempting to force his hand into becoming a mere reflection of hunter, he thinks he still holds onto the tangible lessons the energy force had taught him. ]

[ whether he implements those teachings is another question entirely. ]

[ ha!

she knows — she knows — that the word she is about to use will make him pull a face. if she's being entirely honest, she might be counting on it. ] Streak. [ okay, okay. so it wasn't the best name to give central city's fledgling superhero, but nobody's perfect, and at the time, iris was more interested in learning his real name.

they have oliver queen to thank for that.

sort of. ]

Edited 2016-07-04 13:29 (UTC)

[ poking his tongue out, he looks like he's tasted a lemon. nose wrinkling, expression shifting into one that's almost offended — his response is immediate and almost instinctual at this point. ]

Ugh, no. [ his knee bumps into hers, as if he's about to pull himself up onto his feet and kick off to show her how he's more flash than streak with his lightning. but he stays put and leans forward to correct her. ] Flash.

[ and then he closes his eyes, smacking his palm against his forehead. instead of pulling his face free, he buries his head in his hands, elbows resting against his legs as he groans. ]

Yes.

[ her hands furl into fists and she lifts her arms up into the air. victory is hers and it tastes so sweet. actually, it doesn't taste like anything, but if it were to taste like something, iris is pretty sure it would taste like brownies. she pats his shoulder comfortingly as he buries his head in his hands.

he was a worthy competitor. but also stop being so cute, barry. ]

Allen, 1. West, 1.

[ it was a low blow, and iris can accept that. he's the flash! they both agree. ]

[ keeping his head in his hands, he peers up at her through the cage of his fingers. shaking his head, he's smiling; she may be able to tell from his cheeks, even if his smile is hidden from her view. if winning makes her happy, then he's happy, even though he's not looking forward to her bragging rights for the rest of the evening. ]

[ he's grateful he hasn't slipped up on the more deeper words. as quick as he is to run away, barry knows what he's running from. ]

[ lifting his head from his hands, he rests his elbows on his legs and slouches. ] What will you do with your victory, Miss West?

[ she is totally 100% gonna brag.

#slay ]

I'm glad you asked, Mr. Allen. I plan to start with — [ her voice trails off as she brings herself to her feet. nowhere near as fast as barry, she takes her time in walking over to her desk. she comes back with the basket of goodies he left on her doorstep, and sitting back down with them. ]

— victory food. [ she lifts up a brownie in his direction. see? she'll even share. ]

[ watching her stand, barry remains on the floor. his eyes follow her as she walks to her desk to retrieve those brownies he'd brought her. he thinks to quickly flash to turn off lemonade, but he remains where he is, cross-legged and following her with his eyes. ]

[ he smiles, and almost laughs. he turns his body around so he can face her properly, hands on his legs and perhaps looking a bit more boyish with the way he sits. ]

You plan to start with a victorious brownie? Is there going to be a dance?

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