A/N: Started as a little drabble on tumblr and just evolved. Hope you enjoy!

*Thanks to sendtherain for doing a little beta'ing on the final piece!

...

Rapidly typing away at an article due at precisely 7:05 the next morning, Iris ignored the first ping from her cell phone.

A second ping sounded and she glanced at it out of the corner of her eye.

Two text messages from Barry Allen

She bit her bottom lip, but then shook her head. She had to finish this article.

Another ping sounded moments later.

She shook her head again.

"No, Barry Allen," she said aloud. "I know we've both been busy the last couple days, but I must finish this."

Only seconds later her phone started to vibrate, signaling a phone call. She sighed but knew what would happen before the second round of vibrations hit.

"Hey Barry," she answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"You still up?" came Barry's hesitant voice.

"Finishing an article," she said, distractedly typing up her piece.

"Oh." A pause. "Want some company?"

Her finger hovered over a key as she glanced down at the phone, debating. It was then she spotted not only her boyfriend's name but also the time. She took the phone off speaker and put it to her ear.

"It's 1 a.m. Is something wrong?"

"No…"

Confusion clearly colored his voice.

"Then… Oh! Something happened with Julian, didn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, how did you know?"

"I haven't heard from you since before you went to pack up your stuff. I just figured -" She froze and flushed when she realized the assumption she'd made. "- that something came up," she finished quickly, hoping he wouldn't take notice.

You shouldn't just assume he wants to talk to you for a good hour every evening, Iris, she scolded herself. Barry did have a life outside of her. He likely got tired too.

She decided not to think about the fact that only moments ago she'd been determined to focus on her own life outside of Barry Allen.

"Oh." He sounded surprised but didn't press her for information. "Well, we sort of had a breakthrough, I guess you could say."

"Oh, really?" She stood to her feet, all smiles as she started to cross the room. "That great, Bear."

"Yeah…yeah, it is."

Iris could hear him smiling into the phone; she smiled wider.

"Did you take my advice and try and see things from his perspective?"

"I think so. I think he sort of helped me see it himself without even realizing he was doing it."

"Well, I'm glad you guys are off to a good start now. That's great."

"Yeah…"

The silence lingered, and then a beat later Iris heard a sound against her door. Her brows furrowed and she went do it. Something was blocking the peephole.

"Barry?" She asked, smiling when the object removed itself.

"Yeah?" He responded, louder this time but not because he'd raised his voice.

Iris unlatched and unlocked her door, letting in her boyfriend who almost fell to the floor because he'd been caught off guard.

"Bear." A little laugh trickled out of her.

"Hey," he said sheepishly, straightening himself just inside the doorway. The dark outside couldn't blind her to his blush.

"What were you doing out there?" She wrinkled her nose.

"Well, I…I didn't know if you were asleep."

She hummed a moment contentedly and heard the words screw the article sound off in her head.

"Barry, Barry…" She closed the distance between them and draped her arms around his neck, abandoning any query for further explanation.

"Kiss me," she said, and he did.

She pulled away a moment too soon, and his lips chased after hers.

"Want to come in?" she murmured.

He licked his lips, nearly brushing hers in the process.

"I thought I already was – am."

She smiled against him.

"Then close the door, Flash, and come distract me."

The door was closed in an instant. Barry let Iris take his hand and guide him to the living room across the way from the kitchen table where her article now sat dormant. She stopped at the couch and turned his face towards hers when she saw it had strayed to her computer.

"I'll finish it in time. Don't worry."

His shoulders relaxed.

"I would never." He grinned.

Given how panicked he'd been when he saw her trying to force the doors of the bus open a couple days back, she begged to differ. But that wasn't what she wanted to do right now.

Right now this gorgeous man she was falling in love with was standing in front of her, and she planned to take full advantage of such a heart-racing distraction.

The words kiss me on her lips again, Iris decided otherwise and pushed him down onto the couch instead. He looked up at her with wide eyes but said nothing.

She straddled and ground against him, settling herself firmly on his crotch.

"Iris," he purred, and she licked his ear.

She saw the goose bumps ripple down his neck. It created a chain reaction over her entire body. She felt him harden beneath her as his hands crept beneath her shirt, smoothing across her bare back. His hands were cool against her warm skin, but she didn't mind. His mouth was hot and moist and it ravished hers for longer than she could remember, making her forget about her article entirely.

Later, when their energy had drained and they needed oxygen, Iris lay tucked into Barry, his arm around her waist as they drifted off to sleep.

"I like your couch," she heard him mumble. Only barely did she manage to stifle a giggle.

She opened one eye to see the unfinished article on the table across the room. A quiet sigh escaped her and she resigned herself to the inevitable. To avoid making the boy wrapped around her feel guilty, since she had in fact invited him in, she would wait till he was asleep and just hope her rapid typing didn't interrupt his sleep cycle.