Blurb: There's a reason why Barry Allen has never donned a bowtie and it's all Iris West's fault. [Young one-sided WestAllen fluff.]

I decided to write something to explain why CW's Flash's take on Barry Allen didn't have him wear his iconic bowties. Enjoy.

It's all Iris' fault, really.

Barry was supposed to be able to go on his date with somebody that wasn't Iris. Barry was supposed to be able to prove to himself that what he felt about Iris was a harmless little crush that manifested to an all time high only because they were around each other too much.

Too much, in his opinion.

Not that he minded. Since what he has on Iris was a harmless little crush.

A harmless little crush that he's been carrying around for over a few years now.

It's all Iris' fault, honestly.

She's too sweet to him, he decided. She's too nice to him. He decided right then that he was going to get over Iris West.

He, Barry Allen, was a young guy. He was only a young teenager, for crying out loud. If he played his cards right, he could get through the date he had agreed to go on a few days ago. He'd be with a nice, sweet girl who was actually interested in him. It would be clear skies and smooth sailing from that point on.

If only he could get the stupid tie on.

He had been struggling with the tie he had borrowed from Joe for the past hour, trying to figure out a way to tie it in a way that wouldn't blatantly scream to the entire world that he had no clue or idea when it came to tying a tie.

He raked his hand through his hair, making an annoyed sound of frustration as he loosen his tie again. He was flustered and upset, annoyed that he wasn't smart enough to ask where his date wanted him to take her to.

How was he supposed to know that she wanted him to take her to an upscale restaurant? He was still too new to this dating game, and had it not been for Iris to tell him where he was actually going, he would have showed up to his date in a casual shirt, baggy jeans, and his favorite sweater jacket. Obviously, that would have been poor judgement on his behalf.

"Barry?" Iris entered his room without even knocking. Then again, she never knocked to begin with. With her dark hair pulled back into a high, messy ponytail, Barry found himself stunned into silence. He always knew how pretty she was—but it wasn't her looks that had made his heart pound against his ribcage in a rapid manner. However, with her hair pulled back, he was able to get a better view of her facial features. It was right then that he realized that she had the best smile in the entire world. The way her eyes crinkled as her lips curled as she gave him the biggest grin he has ever seen. It was enough to make any boys like him weak at the knees.

"Don't you have a date in twenty minutes?" she asked, frowning when she realized he was staring at her. "Do I have something on my face?"

"N-no!" Barry blurted. He was becoming more flustered with her again, he seemed to have always been somewhat flustered whenever Iris was around. "Your face is fine. I'm just trying to telepathically convince you to help me with this tie." Whenever he became flustered, he tried to distract himself by any means necessary. It seemed like humor was his choice of distraction in his latest attempt to keep himself from becoming even more flustered around her.

Iris snorted. "Well, that tie doesn't go with that shirt or jacket."

"Thanks," Barry responded. "You're so helpful."

She smirked at him. "It's because I can't see you as the type of guy to wear tie." She doesn't wait for his reply. She turned and left his room, leaving him with his stunned silence.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Barry muttered to himself.

Iris reappeared into his room, carrying a box in her hand. "Okay, so this was supposed to be a birthday gift for you." She shook it gleefully as she grinned at him. "I saw this and I thought of you." She shoved the box into his hands, giving him another smile that made his heart ram even harder in his chest.

He knew that it would be futile to even bother try to convince her to save her gift until it was actually his birthday. Whatever Iris wanted, she always got. It's a pity that she didn't want him, because she would have had him in a heartbeat.

He opened the box and found himself staring at a pile of crinkled tissue paper with a deep, dark red bowtie in the center of the box. "A bowtie?" He sounded far more skeptical than he had intended to. "Thanks for the gift!" he added quickly.

She made a face. "Bowties are cool!"

"If you're from the twenties," he responded. "Or if you're six."

She snorted. "Come on, Barry! Trust me on this."

He doesn't have to be told twice. He quickly pulled Joe's tie around his neck off and put Iris' tie on. He had worn bowties when he was a child, so he knew the basics when it came to tying a bowtie. He glanced at Iris for approval.

She was beaming at him. "Perfect! You look good!" She pulled out a small compact mirror from her jean pocket and held it out to him.

He was surprised that he didn't look half as bad or as geeky as he had expected. She was right. The bowtie did suit him. "Wouldn't a tie be better?" he asked finally.

Iris shook her head. "Again, I'm going to stick with bowties. You can work it, Barry."

"You sure?"

"Positive," Iris responded. "I happen to have a great appreciate for guys who could actually wear bowties and pull it off. You have to exonerate charm, charisma, and confidence to wear them well." Her expression had soften, he realized.

He could feel himself getting worked up again. Did Iris considered him charming, charismatic, and confident too? Was there a hidden meaning behind what Iris had just stated?

"Have fun," she said, breaking his train of thought. She playfully punched him on the shoulder and said, "Relax, Barry. You're going to kill it. She's going to realize what a nice, sweet guy you are—and see how cute you are in a bowtie. She'll be hooked before the date is even over."

Iris West thought he was cute.

The girl he's been smitten over for years has finally told him that she thought he was cute.
And it was all because of a bowtie.

He decided right then that he'd never wear a bowtie ever again.

Because now all he could think about was wearing bowties more often for Iris.

Which was going against his plans to get over Iris West.

It's all Iris' fault, really.

And perhaps it was his fault too.

After all, he couldn't help but be smitten by the likes of Iris West.