Chapter Text
The Saturday night after their sophomore year ended, Barry and Iris were playing Truth or Dare, for lack of better things to do. It was around 3 a.m. so they knew they had to be quiet, as to not disturb Joe. They sat cross-legged under the dining room table, whispering.
“Um…truth.” Iris said, fairly confidently.
Barry closed his eyes, deep in thought. “Okay. In elementary school, when we brought packed lunches, I noticed that Joe never packed me any sweets, but he packed you at least one every day. Did he purposely never pack me anything, do you know?”
Iris shrieked and covered her mouth. In surprise she said, “I thought you never noticed!”
“Of course I noticed. I just never said anything because I figured Joe was so nice to me, bringing me in and everything. But you never answered my question…was it you all along?”
She winced. “Every day between science and lunch, when you would stay after class to talk to the teacher, I got into your locker and took the sweet to save for English.” Barry groaned and ducked his head back, accidently hitting it on a chair. As he rubbed his head, Iris remarked, “Oh come on, you know how boring that class was, I complained to you about it like every day. I just needed something to do besides listen to Ms. Fein drone on and on about the importance of punctuation. Are you okay?”
At this point in the conversation, Barry was holding onto his head, his eyes closed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Your turn to ask me.”
“Oooookay. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
Iris knew he’d pick dare, just as he’d done the entire night thus far. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to hide, but she had a way to find out. “Okay, I’m going to dare you to do something, and as you think about it I’m going to get you some ice. Deal?” Barry barely opened his mouth to answer before she continued. “Ok, great. I dare you to tell me all about your crush. You don’t have to tell me who it is, just describe her. Or him, I’m not judging. Oh, don’t give me that look. I know you’re always thinking about someone, the way you stare off into space during history. I’ll be right back.”
Iris carefully got out from under the table and shuffled off to the kitchen. Barry’s mind was reeling. There was no way out of this one, Iris would make sure of it. She came back a few moments later with a cold compress and handed it to him before sliding back into her place under the table. She crossed her legs, kneaded her fingers together, and uttered a single word. “Spill.”
He pressed the cold compress to his head and exhaled. It felt colder than he’d expected, or maybe it was because his head was feeling hotter than normal because of this question she asked him. God, of all dares, why was it this one she asked him? “Um…she…yes Iris, it’s a she…she’s brilliant. And captivating. She goes to our school, and I’ve known her for a really a long time. She’s…I don’t know. She probably deserves a lot better than me, but…I don’t know.” Iris was staring at him hard; Barry was staring at the floor. He was thankful for the dark setting of their hiding spot, where she couldn’t see him blushing. “She’s just really wonderful, and when we’re together, there’s no one I’d rather be around. She understands me in ways no one else really does.”
“Not even me?”
Barry peeked up from the floor, and gave a half smile, shaking his head as he did so. “Anything else you want to know?”
Iris rocked back and forth. “Well, I want to know her name, but I know you’d never tell me, so I’m not even gonna bother. I guess that’s it…”
Barry sighed. He was the first one to speak after a brief moment of silence. “I think I’m going to go upstairs. My head’s throbbing a bit.”
Iris yawned, nodding. Barry started to leave, but Iris was able to crawl out first, underneath his lanky frame. Coming out from under the table, Barry wasn’t being nearly as attentive as Iris, and hit the other side of his head on the edge of the table. “Motherfu – ”
She interrupted his scream with a hand over his mouth. With the other hand she pointed upstairs and mouthed, “Quiet.”
Tears were forming in Barry’s eyes. He silently nodded, and then realized too late that it irritated his injury. He moved the compress to the fresh site of pain and slowly made his way upstairs. Iris trailed behind him the whole way, trying to hide her giggles as he swore under his breath.