Reciprocal Altruism || Snowbarry College AU

Out of Airplanes Into Pools of Sharks VII

"Is he the only family you have?" Iris asked, gently drawing her back to reality.

Caitlin looked down at her hot chocolate mug, the whipped cream smoothening into the rich brown cocoa. "Yeah, he is."

The only one that mattered anyway.

After that, the night began winding down to a close and after counting the twenty-third yawn that had been released, the group decided it was time to go to bed.

Barry and Caitlin reached for their phones, ready to call an Uber, but Eddie insisted that he could drive them.

"So where can I drop you two off?" Eddie asked when the four of them had settled into the car.

"You know where I live," Barry said, "but Caitlin's address is—"

"Guys," Iris cajoled, "You don't have to pretend like you aren't sleeping at each other's houses. We're all adults here." She turned around from her front seat to wink at Caitlin.

"Right, and we totally don't have to pretend like we just really, really want free bread." Caitlin grinned when Iris stuck her tongue out at her.

Iris then turned her attention to Barry. "So where are we taking you two lovebirds?"

Barry, looking panic-stricken and at a loss for logic began stuttering, "What? Yeah? We're serious and sleeping together. Sex. Yes. We've had it. Together."

Caitlin resisted the urge to bang her head on the front seat headrest and scream, Why, God, why? "You can just take us to my place," she interrupted Barry's embarrassing spiel. And he was doing so well the whole night...

When Eddie finally started up the car and began moving down the road, Caitlin leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll just go to the front door and then you can go back to your apartment after they leave."

Barry let out a sigh of relief knowing that Caitlin actually had a plan. "Thank you."

Caitlin shook her head at him and smiled. "You are welcome."

Both of them sat at each side of the car so they could look out the window and watch the tall street lights fly by. Soft music played from the radio and Caitlin looked forward at the back of Iris's head, who was ever so slowly nodding off. Eddie, who still had one hand on the wheel, reached out and took his girlfriend's hand in his own.

Every minute or so, Eddie would pull their entwined hands up and place a gentle kiss on her knuckle before putting it back down. Iris would look at him with a soft contemplating look, and perhaps a saddened gaze with a twinge of guilt, before slowly nodding off to sleep once again.

From the outside, they looked so real and in love, Caitlin couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the conversation that she and Iris had in the arcade bathroom. There was always two sides to every story, but this one had multiple sides and multiple perspectives.

There was Iris: the girl who sought change.

Then Eddie: the boy who tried to do his best.

And Barry: the one who wanted what he couldn't have.

Finally, Caitlin: the one who was stuck in the middle.

Perhaps in another story, they were the villains. They were the selfish ones, who wanted more than what they could get. In the end, they could end up with nothing.

She tried to push those intruding thoughts away.

Caitlin took Yoda bear and placed him in the middle seat between her and Barry, pulling over the seatbelt and buckling him in.