^raise your hand if you think
Iris is a *********
probably a terrible thing to say but I'm sorta glad she looks heartbroken here after all she put Barry through
Internet hugs to everyone for making 3k a reality.
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Papers covered the hardwood flooring of Barry's living room, Pippin perched on top of them.
She made an odd sight, her golden hair tugged away from her face in a loose ponytail.
A frown was etched on her forehead as she rummaged through papers, occasionally typing on the computer.
"You're up early."
Her frown immediately disappeared, replaced by a small smile as she craned her neck to turn to Barry who was standing by the couch, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes.
"Good morning."
She took in his clouded eyes and messy hair with an amused look.
"What are you doing?"
He sleepily shuffled around the couch, crouching down next to her until Pippin could feel his occasional soft exhale on the skin of her neck.
"Job-hunting."
A distressed look came over her features which made Barry laugh.
"Almost as bad as unpacking, eh?"
She met his smile with an annoyed look.
"Worse."
She shuddered, dramatically, another laugh escaping Barry.
"I have to amp up my resume and I don't want to do it."
A groan left her lips as she leaned against the couch, covering her face in her hands.
"When did you type this out, Pip?"
She smiled subconsciously at the nickname, peeping out from a crack in her cold fingers.
"Four in the morning?"
Barry sent her a look of concern.
"I couldn't sleep."
She shrugged, nonchalantly, an image of her latest dream flashing through her mind.
Nightmares including gunmen, masks, and trains had been affecting her sleep lately.
"I'll be fine."
She waved it off, watching Barry narrow his eyes but let it slip.
"That's a copy of my resume."
Barry held up a piece of paper, his eyes flicking quickly across it.
It still amazed Pippin how fast he could absorb words and still manage to retain them.
In a few seconds, he was done and chuckling to himself.
"I put in two hours of work, Barry. You shouldn't be laughing at that."
She took the piece of paper, groaning inwardly as she read the first sentence which was all in Russian and contained mostly curse words.
"No, no, no."
She murmured under her breath, picking up an other piece of paper.
This one stated how waking up early was degenerative to the body and could result in death.
Pippin let out a long whine, letting her body slide completely on the floor.
"It's very entertaining to read, Pip."
Barry chuckled, laying down next to her.
He propped his head up with his elbow, laughing as she shot him a glare.
"I worked on this for five hours."
She complained, covering her head in her hands with a pained sigh.
He smiled, playing with a wisp of golden hair that had escaped her ponytail.
"At least you get an A for effort."
Pippin shot him another glare, rolling her eyes.
"I envy your morning enthusiasm but that doesn't mean I enjoy it."
She huffed, sitting up and eyeing her papers warily.
"They won't bite you."
Barry whispered to her, his breath falling on her cheek before he stood up with a grunt.
"Off to work already?"
Pippin wondered, gathering her mess into a pile.
"Unfortunately."
He complained, a smile playing on Pippin's lips as she watched him shuffle into the kitchen.
"Workers gotta work, B."
He poked his head into the living room, shooting her a look.
"At least you have a job."
She retorted with a huff, rolling her useless papers into a big ball.
Pippin winced as she stood up, her bones cracking loudly as she did so.
"Did you have breakfast?"
Barry asked, his head emerging from the fridge in time for a large paper ball of supposed resumes hit him on the cheek.
He met Pippin's cheeky grin with a small glare that quickly dissipated into a smile.
"Your aiming is better than your resume revising."
He noted, watching Pippin hop up on the counter.
"Harty-har, snarky Barry strikes again."
She narrated in a mockingly deep tone, earning a chuckle from him as he pulled out a frying pan.
"You're not going all Rapunzel on me, are you?"
She observed while he rolled his eyes.
"It's actually kinda frightening that you're so into films, Pip."
He cracked a few eggs, a dozen to be precise, into a large mixing bowl, Pippin rummaging through a drawer near her leg to hand him a whisk.
"You mean kinda spectacular."
She corrected, sliding off of the counter to grab some butter from the fridge.
"Just what I needed."
He smiled, dropping a chunk on to the frying pan.
"What would you do without me?"
She replied, sarcastically, handing him a salt and pepper shaker.
"I'd be lost."
Barry chuckled as Pippin pretended to gag.
"You don't need to add cheese to those eggs, you had enough in that line."
She scoffed, nudging Barry in his ribs with her elbow.
"I'll pretend to believe you didn't love that line."
Barry teased, wiggling a spatula at her before he dumped his egg mixture into the pan.
Pippin heard it sizzle as it hit the hot surface, her mouth watering.
"And I'll pretend the only reason I keep you around is because you make some damn good scrambled eggs."
She hopped back up on the counter, her leg brushing against Barry's arm.
"The only reason? What about my winning personality and the fact that you're staying in my house?"
Barry retorted with a smirk to which Pippin grumbled under her breath in reply.
With a dish towel thrown casually over his shoulder, he made an amusing figure, his "Forensics: because badass isn't a major" faded t-shirt that he used for a pajama, outlining the form of his abs.
He and Cisco must've gone shirt shopping with each other.
Barry caught her gaze, winking slyly.
Pippin blushed, coughing a little as she fixed him with the disapproving, Pippin-look before she replied with:
"I liked you better when you were sweet and innocent."
A few sarcastic comments later, Pippin was shoving forkfuls of delicious eggs into her mouth while Barry ran upstairs to shower.
The doorbell rang, eliciting a groan from Pippin.
She quickly took another forkful before pattering her way to the door.
"Iris?"
Her statement was slightly muffled as she swallowed, taking in the dark-skinned woman on the steps.
"Oh, hi, Pippin."
Iris's slightly wary and reserved tone didn't go unnoticed by Pippin but she still swung the door open for Iris to come in.
"Nice to see you."
Pippin started, slowly, flashing a small smile before rushing through the living room.
She and Barry had watched another movie last night and she hadn't bother to pick up.
"Sorry for the mess."
Pippin chuckled sheepishly, patting the couch.
"I'm not staying too long. Actually, I'm glad you're here."
Iris cleared her throat, taking a stiff seat on an armchair.
"Well, where else would I be?"
Pippin questioned, sending her a confused look.
"That's kind of the point,"
Iris started, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"How long do you plan on living with Barry?"
The bluntly put question made Pippin frown, the living room falling into silence.
"Just until I get a job, I guess. Or until Barry kicks me out."
She tried to keep a light mood on the subject, starting to feel more than a little uncomfortable.
"You don't plan on living here forever, do you?"
The sharp tone in which Iris said it made Pippin tense, staring at Iris, incredulously.
"Of course not, I'm not a freeloader."
She snapped, her gray eyes blazing as she met Iris's brown.
"Look, what I mean to say is that you're practically a stranger and Barry doesn't know a thing about you except that you're Felicity's cousin and need a place to say."
Iris started, her tone switching to one of anger.
"I'm not sure if you guys feel something for each other or what it is going on between you two but I don't think you're right for him."
Pippin pressed her lips into a tight line, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
"You're saying that I'm trying to get into a relationship with Barry to get a free place to stay?"
The blonde's voice was tight and quiet as she spoke, Iris clearing her throat.
"All I'm saying is that Barry is a really nice guy and he doesn't need to be hurt by someone like you."
Pippin curled her fingers into fists, fixing Iris in such a heated glare that it made her squirm.
"I think you should leave right now before I do something I'll regret later."
An emotion identified as annoyance flicked across Iris's eyes as she scoffed.
"It's not your house, is it?"
The words stung Pippin, echoing her mind, continuously.
"What are you trying to say?"
She managed to choke out, her eyes stinging before she swallowed to keep the feeling down.
"That you should stay away from Barry."
Iris hissed, Pippin shrinking back into the couch.
"Iris?"
Pippin breathed in a shaky, hesitant breath, Iris snapping her head towards Barry as he rushed down the stairs.
Iris smiled, tightly, standing to greet Barry with a hug while Pippin remained motionless in her seat.
She felt Barry's eyes bore into her face before she met his eyes, a weak smile adorning her lips.
"You two okay?"
Pippin nodded, slowly while Iris chirped a bright 'yes.'
"I have to go to work, Iris."
Barry added, his gaze ripping away from Pippin to focus on his friend.
"I just wanted to check in, say hi to Pippin,"
Iris glanced at the blonde who was staring at her hands as if they were the most interesting thing on Earth.
"Make sure you two were okay."
The brunette finished, adding another cheery smile before she stood up, slinging her purse on her shoulder before walking to the door.
"Nice talk, Iris."
Pippin retorted, recovering from her frozen state as she straightened on the couch, fixing Iris with a cold look.
Barry looked confused, switching his gaze from his best friend to his "housemate."
"I'll catch you later."
Iris smiled before she opened the door, slipping out.
Pippin released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"Pip?"
Barry questioned as she abruptly jumped up from the couch, shuffling into the kitchen.
She picked up her eggs, avoiding Barry's gaze as he followed her.
"Pippin."
He drew out her name, his fingers pushing her chin to meet his eyes.
"I'm kinda busy eating your eggs here, Barry."
She reprimanded, shooting him a look.
They both paused, soaking in her words.
"Okay, that came out a lot worse than it sounded in my head."
Pippin cleared her throat.
Barry managed a chuckle, relaxing a little as he leaned beside her.
"You wanna tell me what happened back there?"
He asked in that quiet tone that Pippin admired.
"Iris just dropped by for a chat. Boring, girl stuff."
Pippin waved it away, pushing her plate on the counter.
Barry looked skeptical, his eyes burning into the side of her face.
She squirmed, shooting him a narrow-eyed look before sighing.
"Don't worry, Barry, I'm perfectly fine, Iris is perfectly fine, we're all perfectly fine."
She waved her hands in time to her words, caught off guard as Barry captured her hand in one of his, squeezing it tightly.
"As long as you're perfectly fine, I'm perfectly happy."
He murmured, shooting her a smile before his fingers slowly left hers.
"We need to work on those lines, Barry."
He laughed, giving her one last amused look before he trailed out of the kitchen.
Pippin watched him curiously, as he paused at the doorway then walked back to her.
"I'll see you after work."
Before Pippin could move, his pink lips had pressed quickly against her forehead, lingering for a second before he retreated, his cheeks flushed.
Pippin stared at him, eyes wide as he shot her a breathless smile and left, the door closing behind his lean, muscled frame.