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The small rooms Iris was renting with four other people did not at all compare to the big house she was standing outside. Barry was so lucky getting that scholarship to help him out, even if it had sent him all the way down to Florida while she’d ended up hundreds of miles away in New York.
At least she didn’t have to deal with alligators constantly. Barry kept insisting he also didn’t have to deal with alligators constantly and actually there was this story in Gotham which was just over the river from the room she was renting and did she know that-
Maybe she’d consider going to visit him for a weekend. She’d probably have to fly and get time off work, but it was weird being so far away after years of him in the bedroom next door, and he had shown her this great picture of the beach just outside Sun City and the hot guy who was apparently going to give Barry surfing lessons.
Barry had never expressed any desire to learn to surf and she was pretty sure he’d never bring it up again if Hal really was going back California way soon. She really ought to surprise him. He’d only keep putting off the demiromantic but very, very bisexual conversation and miss his shot if she left him to his own devices.
A few more people headed in past her, loudly discussing some drama going on with friends both wanting to date the same girl or something. Clearly already tipsy but not talking about what Iris was here to find out.
“Iris!” Ren called. He waved and headed over. “Wow, you look- Wow.”
Iris shifted her jacket slightly, a sudden and surprising brief wave of self-consciousness passing over her. The dress wasn’t hers, her roommate had lent it to her, and it was definitely on the smaller side, a little too tight, this beautiful deep purple, and down to her mid-thighs, though given her roommate was a head taller than her, Iris had no idea how short it was on her. The fishnets belonged to her other roommate, who’d also lent her the long, black boots she was wearing, with enough of a heel Iris felt taller than usual. The leather jacket was hers though, and Iris had left her hair in its natural curls and let her third roommate- the one studying art- do her make-up, not a lot, a hint of glittering eye shadow in dark purple again, mascara, and dark red lipstick that Ren seemed to glance at before looking up at her.
Her roommates had seemed very happy dressing Iris up and brought Ren up several times, which Iris was pointedly ignoring. At least her fourth roommate had declared herself “way too aromantic for all this nonsense, why can’t you allos just have conversations”. Then winked at Iris as she’d changed the subject back to the “far more interesting plagiarism scandal” Iris was about to break the news on.
Iris was not going to have a conversation. Ren was her assistant, she was not going to do anything inappropriate.
Well, technically her assistant. Sort of. He’d volunteered to help her with her articles for the blog the journalism students ran, saying her articles seemed like the most interesting.
Her dad always said she had a nose for trouble. He’d seemed concerned about that for some reason.
“Wow,” Ren said again. He’d fit right in with the other guys, tight jeans and a white t-shirt that hung a little loose off his shoulders.
“Thanks,” Iris said. “You too. You know the plan, right?”
“Get in, snoop around, try and find a laptop,” Ren said.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Iris asked.
“What, and let you have all the fun alone?” Ren asked. “I thought you need me to get into the computer.”
“Come on,” Iris said.
The party was in full swing inside. It was crowded, groups of people having increasingly loud conversations as they drank more and fought to be heard over each other and the music someone had put on. There were people playing beer pong what looked like usually a dining room, a small crowd cheering when they finally managed to get a ball in a cup.
“Come on,” Iris said.
She grabbed two empty cups and handed one to Ren. No one in the crowd downstairs was talking about anything useful for their article.
“Stairs,” she whispered. He nodded and followed her up.
There were a few closed rooms up here. Ren met her eyes and nodded.
The music was still echoing through the house. They could creep in their opposite directions and not make too much noise.
The first door Iris tried was a bathroom. The second was locked.
Ren waved from by the fourth door and Iris hurried over. She pressed her head against the door.
“-risk getting caught when you said you could help,” someone said.
“You wanted me to write an essay I’ve already written. My conclusions won’t change.”
“No one else is having this-”
Someone stumbled up the stairs.
“Someone’s coming,” the second voice said.
Iris pulled Ren away from the door. If they went for the stairs, they’d be spotted.
“You could kiss me,” Ren whispered.
“Are you sure?” Iris asked.
“Quick,” he said.
Her lips met his as the door opened. Iris was vaguely aware of the tut from the person standing there. She should have been paying better attention, but she was too distracted.
Ren was very good at kissing.
The drunken singing had reached the top of the stairs now, one person stumbling into the bathroom, two more loudly distracting the two people who left the room, separately, and headed downstairs.
Iris was still kissing Ren.
She pulled back first. Eventually.
“So,” he said.
“Good- Good idea,” Iris said. “That threw them off.”
“Yeah,” he laughed nervously. “Do we- I mean, well, we got something, just not-”
“It’s something,” Iris said. “We could try downstairs again. Or maybe we should go before we get caught.”
“Yeah,” Ren said. “Yeah. I’ll meet you tomorrow? Usual time and place?”
“Yep.” Iris nodded. “Tomorrow.”
She might be able to decide what to do about this by tomorrow.
Probably.