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“Already?” Patty blanches, pulling out of the hug Iris has her trapped in. She’s definitely not stupid. She can tell Iris is trying to soften her up, especially after telling her that.
“Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson,” Iris says, stepping back to take Patty’s hands in her own. “The sooner we tell him, the better.”
“But – but –” Patty fumbles, eyes wide and pleading. “We can’t – not yet – just give me a little longer to try and get on his good side –”
“Patty,” Iris squeezes her hand, does her best to look reassuring. “My dad really likes you. Trust me, it’ll be fine. It’s better we come clean sooner rather than later.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Patty says miserably, and Iris immediately wants to kiss the adorable pout off her lips. “He thinks I talk too much, he thinks I’m annoying, I –”
“Calm down, babe.” Iris brings Patty’s hand up to her mouth and kisses her palm. “I promise, he’s really all talk. He likes you well enough. Definitely thinks you’re a capable partner.”
“He said that?” Patty asks, hope flickering in her eyes but still looking skeptical as she searches Iris’s expression.
“In his own words, yeah,” Iris says, and ignores the way Patty’s eyes narrow. “Come on, if he thinks you’re a good worthy partner on the force, I’m sure he’ll think you’re plenty worthy of being mypartner in…everything else.”
Patty sighs and tries to look away, but Iris cups her cheek, running her thumb across her bottom lip, as much to keep her focus on her as to try to get her to relax. Without anywhere to turn, Patty squeezes her eyes shut and nuzzles her face closer into Iris palm. Her voice wavers a bit when she speaks again, and Iris feels her heart squeeze at the sound. “You really think so?”
“I do,” Iris says, keeping her own voice even and expression neutral despite the fact that she is very much freaking out about it just as much as Patty is. The fact is, she is nervous about telling her dad, probably even more nervous than she was with Eddie, because even though it’s the same “dating your partner” kind of deal it’s really not the same at all. She hasn’t really dated a girl since college, and she never really worked up the courage to tell her dad about that in the first place. But she’s tired of hiding, and she wants to be able to visit Patty at the station without having to worry about who might be looking when she pulls her away for a kiss. So. It’s now or never.
Patty opens her eyes, a line of worry still crinkling in between her eyebrows, and Iris leans forward to kiss her, soft and slow. “Besides,” she says, still close enough that her lips brush against Patty’s when she speaks, “It doesn’t really matter what he thinks, or what anyone else thinks. I love you, and that’s what matters. Okay?”
“Okay,” Patty nods, watching her with wide eyes before pulling her back in for another kiss. “You – you love me?”
“Yeah,” Iris presses their foreheads together, ignoring the fluttering in her chest. “I love you.”
“Okay,” Patty says, breaking out into one of those big, toothy, sunny smiles of hers that Iris loves. “Okay, let’s tell him. Let’s just – you’re right. Let’s do it now, get it over with. We – oh! I love you too, I meant to say that first, sorry, I’m just a little –”
“I get it, Patty. Calm down,” Iris laughs, squeezing Patty’s neck affectionately. She’s about to say more when someone who is definitely not Patty clears their throat from behind them, and they both jump apart, looking sheepishly towards the door where Barry is standing.
“Are you guys done using my lab as a hideout?” Barry asks, exasperated, but watching at them with a fond smile as he walks into the lab with a stack of files under his arms. “Because I sort of have to get back to work. I can only stall for so long, and Singh gave me about three more cases to work on in the time you guys have been up here.”
“Yeah, sorry, Barry,” Iris says, giving him a smile, feeling warm at the knowledge that if all else fails, at least they have someone on their side. “We’re going back down now, right Patty?”
“Yeah,” Patty says, accepting Iris hand, letting her guide her towards the door, towards the stairs, towards Iris’s father. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
Iris takes a deep breath, squeezing Patty’s hand tight in hers, and that contact settles her racing mind. She can do this. As long as Patty is by her side, she can do this.