I know it's been a while, sorry! I got caught up in other stories. I hope you guys like this chapter. It might be a little painful to read, but it wouldn't be much of a story if there weren't a few bumps in the road along the way.

Hangovers and Unexpected Vistors

It was not just like old times.

When Iris and Barry used to have sleepovers, it was most definitely not like this. Iris had not been this aware of his presence in the bed next to her, they hadn't had a married version of the two of them sleeping in the bed next to them, and Barry most certainly hadn't been drunk and shirtless as he laid next to her, already drifting off to sleep.

Iris laid flat on her back, staring at the dark ceiling which was still spinning. It served as a reminder of how drunk she still was, how drunk they both were. Iris laid completely still, listening to Barry's breathing next to her. It was already steady. Iris slowly turned her head to look at him, and sure enough, his eyes were closed and he was sound asleep.

He had fallen asleep no problem, so why couldn't she?

She doubted whether she would ever fall asleep like this. She was too hyperaware of a shirtless Barry Allen lying in bed next to her. The irrational, impulsive drunk part of her brain had a strong urge to move closer to him, to slide over in bed until they were pressed against each other, the same way they were when they had been dancing together earlier that very evening.

The more rational, sober part of her knew that would be inappropriate. If she were sober, she would never cross that line. She would never cuddle in bed with Barry in a situation like this, a situation where they were not together, they were not a couple, and a married version of them was sleeping in the same room, only a few feet away.

Except Iris wasn't sober.

…..

A soft light filtered into the room through a crack in the curtains. The light seeped through Iris's eyelids, forcing her into consciousness. The first thing she noticed was her searing headache. She should have drank some water before bed.

She wasn't uncomfortable though. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever slept so well in her life, which was strange because she normally slept like shit after a night of drinking. No, instead of being uncomfortable, Iris felt warm and cozy. A soft, warm presence seemed to be enveloping her.

That was when Iris's eyes shot open, remembering where she was and whom she was there with. When she opened her eyes, she was lying on her side, facing the other bed in the room, which was now empty. The other couple must have gotten up already and left the room to get breakfast or something. Iris hardly paid that any mind though. She was too focused on the strong arm that was wrapped around her, draped over her side and curled around her stomach. She could feel a warm, hard body pressed up against her from behind, every inch of him in contact with hers.

It reminded her strongly of when E2 Barry had come up behind her in the kitchen and wrapped himself around her from behind. Except this wasn't E2 Barry. This was Barry, actual Barry, who was pressed up against her, chest to back, hip to hip, their legs tangling together in the best way. It was also different from that kitchen incident because she didn't feel at all uncomfortable. It wasn't someone who had mistaken her for his wife. It was Barry, and lying here, wrapped up in his arms felt right. She felt as if there was no other place in the world she'd rather be than here, wrapped in Barry's strong warmth.

It only added to feeling the fact that Barry was still shirtless. If someone had told her yesterday that this was how she'd be waking up today, lying in bed, spooning with a shirtless Barry Allen, she would have thought they were crazy.

Barry was clearly still asleep. She could feel his soft, even breaths tickling at the back of her neck. He was completely still, not shifting or stirring like he normally did in his sleep. Barry was sleeping completely sound and at ease.

And then Iris started to really think. Oh, God. What had she done? It was obvious that she was the one who had slid over to him. Her half of the bed was empty, and they were both crammed together on Barry's side of the bed. Then again, he was the one who had wrapped himself around her. But Barry had been asleep. For all she knew, his subconscious mind thought she was Patty or something. That idea saddened her when it crossed her mind. Because this felt right. It felt good, and Iris found herself wishing she could wake up every morning wrapped in Barry's strong embrace.

As she thought about it though, Iris became more stressed. What now? What happens when Barry wakes up? Is he going to regret it? Is she going to regret it? Is this going to change their relationship even more? The awkwardness between them had just been starting to go away. Things were finally starting to feel normal with Barry again, and now this. How was Barry going to feel about it? How would he react?

At least they didn't appear to have done anything. It's not as if they actually had sex or made out or anything. Or had they?!

No, Iris thought, no she would have remembered that. She may have been drunk last night, but she wasn't that drunk. She wouldn't have crossed that line with Barry while under the influence. She would have wanted that moment with him to be special, not some trashy drunken night out that ended up with them making out or sleeping together. And Barry wasn't that kind of guy either. Even if he was also drunk himself, he would have seen that as taking advantage, and Barry would never do that. He would have wanted it to be special too.

They had cuddled though. Iris remembered that. Both of them had been in a light, drunken state of sleep at the time, but she could vaguely remember curling up to him, both of their hands roaming. She wondered how much of it Barry would remember. Her own memories were pretty foggy. She vaguely remembered it, but she couldn't remember any of the details. All she remembered was Barry's warmth and his skin.

What was she supposed to do now? Lay here and wait for him to wake up? Should she uncurl herself from his arms? Should she get out of bed entirely to avoid any awkwardness? She didn't like the idea of him waking up to an empty bed though. Although, maybe that would be better. She didn't really know what would be the best action to take. She didn't have much time to think about it though because a moment later, Barry started to stir.

…..

It took a long time for Barry to get his eyes to open. Normally, Barry was bursting with energy in the morning. Normally his speed force allowed him to open his eyes and jump right out bed and start his day. He didn't feel that now. Now, his eyelids were made of lead. They didn't want to open. He shifted his position slightly, stretching out his body. It wasn't until then that he felt the other person pressed up against his front. Barry's eye lids shot open instantly, heaviness forgotten.

He came face to face with a head full of dark hair. His face was practically buried in Iris's long locks, the smell of her shampoo filling his nostrils. His arm was wrapped completely around her, and her body was pressed tight up against his. He was hyperaware of her ass pressed right up against his crotch, which instantly sent a rush of blood to spread across his cheeks. He just hoped it didn't rush to other places.

After taking all of this in and mentally processing the compromising position he found Iris and himself to be in, Barry gently pulled his arm away from her, turning away so that he was on his back, disentangling himself from her. He heard a soft sigh escape her lips then, and she started to stretch slightly. He wondered if she had been awake or asleep just now. He really wasn't sure. All he could focus on was the realization that his chest was completely bare. Where the hell was his shirt?!

He didn't have much time to think about it though because Iris was turning around in bed to face him. She laid on her side and smiled shyly at him. Barry thought his heart might stop. The sight of Iris, laying in bed next to him with the sunlight filtering in from the window behind her, casting light on her skin and making her glow, was too much for him. He couldn't breathe with how beautiful she was in this moment.

"Morning," she said softly.

He could sense a bit of discomfort from her. A slight hesitation in her small smile. She was looking at him nervously, as if anticipating some kind of reaction from him. All Barry could do was stare at her.

"Morning," he said back.

His throat was dry. He told himself that it was only because of how dehydrated he probably was, but he knew it was also from this, from this moment. Barry sat up in bed quickly, feeling sick to his stomach. It wasn't just the hangover though. It was the situation.

Oh God, what had he done? Iris was probably going to feel even more awkward around him now. She had just finally started to act normal around him again, and now this. He had probably made her feel uncomfortable. He had wrapped himself around her while they were sleeping! And God knows what else. Barry really couldn't remember much. He vaguely remembered coming back to the hotel and tucking Jesse into bed. He could almost remember stumbling around in the bathroom before going to bed, but he didn't remember taking his clothes off. He also didn't really remember crawling into bed with Iris. He remembered walking into the hotel with the intention to sleep on the floor so as not to invade her personal space. He didn't know how that plan had changed.

He had definitely invaded her personal space. That was for sure. She was probably going to feel weird around him now. She was going to hate him for putting her in that position again, for making her "the bad guy who has to keep saying no." He wants to take it back, wants to tell her that he didn't mean to do any of it, that he had been drunk and that last night hadn't meant anything to him, that those feelings he had had for her were now gone and that she didn't have to worry about telling him no anymore. She didn't have to feel uncomfortable around him.

But Barry didn't say anything. His throat was dry, and he couldn't make any of those words come out. Because they weren't true. He did still have feelings for her. He had just resigned not to act on them anymore. He had told himself that he wasn't going to put her in that position ever again, and now that's exactly what he had done. She was going to hate him for it. He was going to lose his best friend for good this time.

"Barry?" Iris asked, sitting up in bed next to him, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," he said, unable to look her in the eyes, "I'm so sorry about last night. I would blame it on the drinking, but I know that's no excuse."

"What do you mean, Barry?" Iris asked, concern in her voice, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I was really drunk," Barry said, "I didn't mean anything by any of it. The dancing. This."

He waved his hand vaguely, gesturing around the bed and the situation they were in.

"I was drunk. It didn't mean anything."

"Oh," Iris said, her face falling ever-so-slightly.

"I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Iris," Barry said sincerely.

"No," Iris said quickly, "No, Barry, you didn't. It was actually…"

She sighed heavily.

"Well, like you said, we were drunk. It didn't mean anything."

Barry's heart sank upon hearing her agree with him. It only further confirmed to him that Iris didn't have feelings for him, and she never would. He then resorted to his most often used coping tactic. Deflection and avoidance.

"Well, we should probably go grab some breakfast," he said, plastering a fake smile on his face to hide his hurt, "I'm starving."

Iris laughed then, although it still sounded somewhat hollow.

"You do realize you ate all of the food they had stashed in the Arrow cave last night," she said, "Oliver wasn't happy."

Barry laughed and shyly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry," he said, still smiling, "I always used to get really hungry when I was drunk. I guess being a speedster only made that worse."

Iris laughed at that as she was climbing out of bed, stretching once she was standing. Barry couldn't stop the little inhalation of air that passed through his lips when he saw what she was wearing. He had been too drunk last night to notice when Iris changed into the thin tank top and shorts she was sleeping in. The sleeping attire didn't cover very much and left little to the imagination. Barry quickly averted his eyes before she could see him goggling at her.

Just then, the door to the room opened and their earth two counterparts walked in, fully dressed and ready for the day, having just come back from breakfast.

"Hey, you two," E2 Iris said cheerfully, walking into the room carrying an entire box of muffins for them, "We got these from the bakery just down the street. I got a bunch of them for you Barry, figuring you'd be hungry."

Barry laughed and thanked her gratefully as he got out of bed. Iris smiled at them and then grabbed her bag to bring it into the bathroom to change into something a little more appropriate. Barry looked around for his shirt, but he couldn't find it anywhere. He really wished he had brought a spare change of clothes.

Barry now vaguely remembered taking his shirt off, but he didn't remember why. That was what was bothering him most. He hoped he hadn't been a total douche about it, like one of those guys who always took their shirt off when they were drunk. God, he was so embarrassed.

"Some asshole spilled his drink on you last night," E2 Iris told him as if she had read Barry's mind, watching him search for his shirt with amusement, "You hung your shirt up to dry in the bathroom."

"That's right," he said, remembering now.

He felt instantly relieved. At least he had a plausible reason for getting half naked in their hotel room last night.

"Here, I have a clean one for you," she said, pulling a spare t-shirt out the overnight bag she and her husband had packed.

Barry stared at her as she handed him a clean, extra shirt.

"Why didn't you give me this last night?" he asked, confused.

She just shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"I don't know," she said dismissively, "I was drunk. I didn't think of it."

Barry noticed his double shake his head at his wife, an amused look on his face, but he didn't say a word about it. Barry looked at both of them suspiciously for a moment before slipping the shirt on over his head.

E2 Iris then handed him the box of muffins, and Barry thanked her gratefully before opening the box. That was when it hit him.

As he looked down at the box of muffins in his hands, Barry realized just how hungover he really was. His stomach instantly started churning at the sight. He was going to be sick.

…..

I was drunk. It didn't mean anything.

Those words kept repeating themselves in Iris's head as she stood in front of the mirror in the small bathroom. She knew Barry hadn't said them to hurt her. He had said them to reassure her. After all, he had no idea that her feelings had changed. She hadn't exactly done anything to suggest that or convey that idea to him. To him, he thought she would be relieved to hear those words. Instead, all she felt was disappointment. She missed the feel of his arms around her already.

She wondered if what he said was true, if he really meant it when he said it didn't mean anything, or if he had only said that to preserve their friendship. That's what she had done after all. She had agreed with him just to keep things from getting awkward. It was a bit late for that though. Things were already awkward between them now.

She had just finished getting dressed when there was suddenly a frantic knocking on the door.

"Iris," Barry's urgent voice called through the door, "I really need to get in there!"

She opened the door in confusion, but Barry didn't offer any kind of explanation. Instead, he rushed right past her over to the toilet, just barely making it there in time to throw up.

"Sorry," he gasped when the gagging had subsided.

He flushed the toilet and then moved over to sit on the edge of the bathtub next to it, smiling apologetically at her as he braced his hands on his knees.

"You're the one feeling sick," Iris said in amusement, "Why are you sorry?"

Barry shrugged.

"I don't know," he said, a small smile on his lips, "It's gross."

Iris just laughed at him, amused.

"Do you feel better?" she asked him in concern.

Barry shook his head, ducking his head down between his knees as he took deep breaths, clearly trying not to throw up again.

"Do you want me to get Caitlin for you?" she asked, worried about how pale and sweaty he had suddenly gotten.

"No, thanks. I'm good," he said, his voice muffled as he spoke through his hands that were covering his face, "Actually, would you mind leaving? I don't want you to see this."

Iris sighed in exasperation.

"Barry, I've seen you sick before," she said, "We grew up in the same house, remember? I've seen you with the flu, and I've seen you hungover before."

"I don't usually get sick like this from hangovers," he groaned.

"Well, you weren't exactly drinking regular alcohol last night, now were you?" Iris said reasonably.

"Is he okay?" E2 Iris asked, appearing in the doorway just in time to see Barry lunge for the toilet again, emptying his stomach into it.

Iris moved over to crouch down next to him, rubbing a supportive hand against his back.

"Would you mind grabbing Caitlin?" she asked the other woman.

"I'm good," Barry groaned, but another wave of nausea struck him, and he ducked his head down towards the toilet again, gagging and heaving horribly.

E2 Iris left the room anyways and returned shortly later with Caitlin, who entered the room with a worried look on her face as she rushed over to where Barry was kneeling on the floor, one hand braced against the toilet and the other clutching his stomach.

"Sorry, Barry," Caitlin said immediately.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked her as he gasped for air.

"I got you drunk," she said, "But I also got you hungover."

"Well, don't the two usually go hand and hand?" Barry pointed out, giving her a small smile which would have been way more reassuring if his skin wasn't a pale grayish color.

"I'm going to take a few blood samples just to be safe," she said, pulling out supplies.

"You keep a blood collecting kit in your purse?" E2 Iris asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Seriously, why does everyone find that so weird?" Caitlin asked as she tied off Barry's arm.

Barry didn't even seem to be paying attention to what she was doing. He had his eyes closed with his head braced against his arm. Iris grabbed him a cool washcloth as Caitlin started drawing up a blood sample from him.

"I don't know what you're going to do with that without a microscope," Barry said once she had her blood sample.

"I have API203 test strips and all the chemicals to test for acetaldehyde with me," she told him.

"Okay, that's just weird, Caitlin," Barry said with a small laugh which subsided quickly, apparently aggravating his headache.

"Well, after last time, I wanted to come prepared," she told him, pulling out her test kits and setting them all up on the bathroom counter.

Iris continued to dab at Barry's forehead with the cool washcloth. He smiled at her gratefully. It took Caitlin a few minutes, but she got the test results fairly quickly considering she was doing it in a hotel bathroom.

"Your ADH levels are extremely low," Caitlin said seriously, "You'll need to drink a lot of water to compensate."

"I don't think I'd keep it down at this point," Barry said, giving her a weak smile as he took deep breaths, trying to control his nausea.

"I'll start you on an IV once we get back to STAR Labs," she said, "Your ADH levels are far below the normal levels for the average hangover. What worries me most is the amount of acetaldehyde in your system. I thought once your body had processed the alcohol, it would be able to take care of the acetaldehyde easily, but it appears that the compound I used to slow down your body's metabolic capabilities is inhibiting the excretion process. It's not cycling out, and it's just circulating your blood stream right now, making you sick."

"I really don't need all the details right now," Barry groaned, leaning over the toilet as another wave of nausea washed over him.

Thankfully he didn't throw up again though. He just felt like he was going to.

"I just need to know that you can fix it," he said, breathing heavily.

"I suppose there are a few things we could try," Caitlin said thoughtfully, "Disulfiram, lipoic acid. I'll see what I can do."

Barry nodded before leaning over the toilet again, this time actually gagging a few times. Iris rubbed small circles into his back as he choked and gagged. He looked miserable, and she wished she could do more to help him.

"You stay with him," Caitlin said to Iris, "I'm going to go back to Jesse. She's in a bit of a similar situation right now in our bathroom. At least for her, it's just a normal hangover though. All she probably needs is water and some greasy food. Barry might be a little more complicated."

Iris nodded, and the young doctor left the room. It was a good thing they had a doctor in the group to take care of them the morning after a night out. What would they do without Dr. Snow?

Caitlin was right when she said that dealing with Barry's hangover was going to be complicated. When they got back to Central City, Barry had thankfully stopped throwing up, but he was shaky and weak. Caitlin was quick to get an IV in him to treat his severe dehydration, and she gave him a couple of different concoctions to remedy his hangover. Unfortunately, they were going to take a while to kick in.

Iris sat down by Barry's bedside as Caitlin was dimming the lights and everyone else left so he could rest.

"How are you feeling?" Iris asked him gently, giving him a small smile.

Barry groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm never drinking again," he groaned, "Never."

Iris laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that's not the first time I've heard you say that," she giggled, "How's that been working out for you?"

Barry laughed lightly at that, but he stopped quickly when it aggravated his headache.

"I'm sorry about this," he said, "I'm sure this is not how you wanted to spend your Sunday."

"Barry," Iris laughed, "Don't be silly. I'm just happy that this time you're lying in this bed because you had a fun night out, not because of some metahuman."

Barry laughed.

"I did have fun last night," he said, "I don't think I've been that drunk since college."

"Not true," Iris said, "You were pretty drunk off Grandma Esther's eggnog that one Christmas. That was after college."

"That doesn't count," Barry laughed, "That was your fault. You kept giving me more, and you don't exactly go light on the bourbon."

Iris giggled.

"Well, consider it pre-anticipated payback for you getting me drunk last night."

Barry frowned suddenly, the smile disappearing from his face.

"I wasn't trying to get you drunk," he said quietly, "We were just having fun."

The smile slid from Iris's face then as she realized what he must be thinking.

"No, Barry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean it like that. I know you were giving everyone shots, not just me. I know you weren't…"

She trailed off awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Barry sighed.

"I hope things aren't going to be weird between us now," he said sadly, looking away from her, "After this morning…"

"They're not, Bar," Iris said firmly, "Like you said, it didn't mean anything."

Barry took a deep breath and looked at her then, his expression serious.

"I didn't mean that," he said, his voice barely audible, "I…I mean. I don't know."

He looked like there was more he wanted to say. He just couldn't bring himself to say it. Iris understood though, and she reached out to touch his hand.

"It wasn't meaningless," she said, and then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to work up the courage to say what she wanted to say, "Barry, I—"

"You better be resting in here," Caitlin said seriously, walking into the med bay, hands on her hips, "Barry, you have severe dehydration and alcohol poisoning. You should really get some sleep."

Caitlin really couldn't have worse timing, Iris thought bitterly.

"I'm resting plenty," Barry placated, "Laying down and everything."

Caitlin gave him a stern look before leaving the room again.

"What were you saying?" he asked Iris intently once they were alone again.

Iris chickened out.

"I was just going to say that things don't have to be weird between us now," she said, "I'm not upset with you in any way, and you need to stop apologizing like you did something wrong. Because you didn't. Really, nothing even happened. All we did was sleep in the same bed and maybe cuddle a little in a state of drunkenness. We don't have to make a big deal of it."

Barry sighed and nodded.

"Thanks, Iris," he said with a smile, but the smile still looked sad. That had clearly not been what he wanted to hear her say.

"You should get some rest," she said, standing up, "You need to detox. Try to get some sleep."

Barry nodded wordlessly, and Iris left the room. Although Barry felt a little bit better about everything that had happened, he still had a sinking feeling in his chest as Iris left.

…..

By Monday, Barry was feeling back to his normal self again. Physically, at least. A heaviness seemed to have settled in his heart though, and no matter what Barry did, he couldn't get rid of the feeling. Like Iris had said, things seemed to go back to normal between them again. There was a slight awkwardness that lingered in the wake of the weekend's events, but for the most part, they didn't let any small amount of weirdness get in the way of their friendship.

Barry didn't know how to feel about it. He was glad that Iris wasn't treating him differently because of the minor physicality that had transpired between them when they were drunk, but at the same time, he was disappointed. Really, nothing had changed. They had gone back to doing whatever twisted dance around each other they had been doing for months.

She wasn't interested in him that way, and she never would be. That was just the honest truth of it, and the sooner he could accept that, the sooner he could move on. Moving on was easier said than done though, especially when he had to witness the obvious love and happiness that their earth two counterparts clearly shared together.

Their little touches and longing stares hadn't escaped Barry's notice of course. It was hard to ignore. It made his heart ache with pain and longing as he had to constantly remind himself that he would never have that with Iris. He would never have the life that earth 2 Barry had, and the best thing he could do was move on and accept his own life for what it was.

Barry tried not to think about it as he analyzed bullet trajectories in his lab, trying to focus on the case he was working on and not on the happiness that his earth 2 double possessed that he would always be destined to envy. He was distracted from his work, however, when he heard the soft footsteps of someone entering his lab.

He looked up, and a wide smile spread across his face when he saw who it was.

"Patty."