A gas station

A convenience store came into view in the distance, a small building by the side of the road as the sky began to darken. There was a gas station, and adjoining it was a small shop, and probably the only decent shelter for miles.

Though the prospect of a roof over her head when night fell was, as ever, rather off-set by her sense of exposure. Iris hesitated. She'd already done a lot of things that felt like they were too far, but that didn't mean she welcomed the idea of walking naked into a shop, even if no one else was in this world.

One arm crossed over her breasts, and the other carefully holding her knotted-up pants around her waist, Iris jogged across the parking lot and ducked through the door. It was the first time she'd gone ahead of Eva for a while; Eva followed, looking from side to side.

"Not great," Eva said.

"Better than walking at night," Iris said.

Eva paused, considering.

"I suppose," Eva said.

Iris looked out the window. Night always fell fast, after the first flickers of twilight. It was already nearly dark outside, with most streetlamps extinguished. The small store they were in was thankfully lit, but the same couldn't be said for the world out there.

The idea of walking down the road when she couldn't see her next step, even if the mirror dimension was devoid of any dangers, still felt like an awful one. Being almost naked just accentuated that. Iris quietly tugged down a blind, blotting out the darkness.

"Have you done that?" Iris said quietly.

"In the early days," Eva said. "I remember wanting so much to get to other cities, to see what they had. I hadn't figured everything out yet."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Iris said.

She looked away. Sometimes she forgot how much Eva must have been through, locked away here - it seemed to be more than just her own nudity that she'd adjusted to.

With the door closed, and the windows covered, Iris slipped down to sit on the store floor. She had her back to the counter, legs pulled up to her chest, looking down the side of the shop. Part of her wanted to stay where she could see her surroundings. Maybe that was just the dark getting to her.

"We should've brought a trolley or something," Iris said.

"Why?" Eva said.

"If we find anything, it would be easier to bring the tech back in something," Iris said. "All your past attempts are at McCulloch Technologies. We'd probably need to make the door there."

"True. If we find anything," Eva said.

"We will," Iris said, insistently. "Besides, we could bring sleeping bags, if we found any. That would make this easier too."

Iris gestured vaguely around. After a moment, she sighed and stood up. The small shop adjoining the gas station wasn't exactly designed as a place to spend the night in. In the absence of any more shelter, though, it would have to do.

It was half-complete, like a lot of the shops Iris had seen. She remembered how Eva had described this place; it was a reflection as much of how people perceived the world, as it was the real world. Only the things that were consistently here would be around. The counter, the lights, a few small bags of snacks...

Uncertainly, Iris reached for the snacks, eyeing it.

"Hungry?" Eva said.

"Do you think these'll make a good pillow?" Iris said. "I don't know how easy it'd be to sleep on the floor."

"Maybe," Eva said.

Eva was still sat, looking Iris up and down. Iris glanced at her, and felt her face warm.

No matter what Eva said, she doubted she'd ever get used to this. Hastily, she returned her arms to crossing over her chest, though couldn't do much to adjust her pants. There really was no disguising how exposed she was.

Snatching a few snacks up in one hand, Iris walked behind the counter. At least there it was more secluded.

Though Eva shuffling around to stare did quickly dispel that illusion.

"Are you sleeping in those?" Eva said.

Iris looked down at her pants, knotted as they were around her waist. It was true that they weren't exactly comfortable like this, and that she'd had to adjust to sleeping nude here, but that was when she had her own room and had a blanket. Maybe she could put them on normally? Or try to use them as a blanket. No, that definitely wouldn't help much.

"I'll see how I feel," Iris said. She sat down again, and sighed. "Is it weird that we've been walking all day and I still don't feel sleepy?"

"Different rules here," Eva said. She crawled closer, sitting inches away from Iris.

"I don't want to lay down until I know I can fall asleep," Iris said. "Otherwise it'll probably wake me up again with how uncomfortable it is. Do you ever get that?"

"I used to," Eva said. "I don't, in here. Haven't entirely figured that out yet. I don't need to sleep too much."

"That sounds like it gets boring," Iris said.

"I can, if I want to," Eva said. She sighed. "Yes. It does."

Eva was looking at her again, more intently than usual. Iris shifted.

"I've loved having you here," Eva said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Eva was kneeling now. Iris wasn't sure she knew how awkward she looked. She was craning forwards, unblinking, focused enough to make Iris squirm again. She looked down at herself; she straightened the trailing legs of her pants to offer her lap a bit more modesty, and made sure her arms remained firmly crossed, a hand cupping each of her breasts as though the modesty offered by stray fingers achieved anything.

"Whatever happens, I want you to know that," Eva said.

"I don't think there's much chance of us getting split up," Iris said. "You said this place was safe."

"It is," Eva said.

"Then either we both get out, or we're..."

We're stuck here. Iris decided not to finish that thought.

Eva still knelt there.

"I didn't know how it would be, not being alone," Eva said. "I wanted it for so long. But that was me wanting to be out there, I didn't think having someone else in here with me would be... enjoyable. Not just annoying."

That would be very sweet if she hadn't spent the last few days losing all of her clothes.

"Um. Thanks," Iris said.

And then Eva leant in closer. She seemed as surprised by Iris when their lips almost met, before Iris jumped, a breast slipping out from behind her arm in her haste to move. She didn't notice.

"Eva!"

"Oh. I don't know where that came from," Eva said. She flushed. "That was... unexpected."

"Married, remember?" Iris said.

"So am I," Eva said.

"Happily married," Iris said.

"I know," Eva said. She hesitated. "I don't know where that came from."

The look in Eva's eyes seemed to be genuine. Iris let her expression soften, only then adjusting her arms to better cover, relaxing.

She'd been alone a long time; Iris had already adjusted to Eva's lack of social skills, weird ways of expressing herself were just part of that. And if this was something more, it was... flattering, and she could look past her awkwardness in showing it.

Eva still stared at her, as if captivated.

"It must have been lonely," Iris said, eventually.

Eva hesitated.

"You can talk to me," Iris said. "You know that, don't you? What are you thinking?"

Eva still hesitated.

"I don't know," Eva said. "I was just... grateful. And then I thought about kissing you."

"And now?" Iris said.

"I want you to take those off," Eva admitted, eyes darting downwards.

Iris's face warmed. She swallowed.

After scant weeks with limited company, Iris would be lying if she said she didn't crave intimacy with someone. Admittedly she'd imagined Barry, but that clearly wasn't an option, and she did care for Eva, quirks and all. She'd not imagined it like this, but still.

Iris shifted. Would that make spending the day with Eva in this little more or less embarrassing? And was she really thinking about it? Iris coughed.

"I... I love Barry," Iris said.

She hesitated.

"I'm not lying to him," Iris said. "Anything that happens, I won't keep from him. This isn't going to last, it's just... company."

Closeness. A tether. Especially if they never got out, she needed that connection. She knew she couldn't handle loneliness well at the best of times. She wasn't sure she was entirely comfortable, but at the same time part of it felt... necessary. She wasn't going to keep it secret, she'd be honest, the prospect of being trapped in a mirror dimension forever had made her crave that closeness with someone. She'd let him judge her for that.

And maybe part of her was bitter. He had that duplicate of her, after all; that did chafe.

Eva's eyes widened; still, she didn't move, unsure.

"While we're in here," Iris said. "Just while we're in here."

"I understand," Eva said.

She still lingered, apparently disbelieving. Apparently it feel to Iris to make the first move. Unsure herself, she slowly leant forwards.

Their lips met more firmly that time. It was... more than nice, a sudden rush of familiarity, a feeling like clinging onto a rock in the middle of a storm. All of this craziness going on, something pure, if not simple, helped.

A moment later, Iris's jeans were thrown to the side.

---

That was... unexpected.

Iris was asleep. Eva shifted slowly, and found herself unwilling to move too far. She took in the other woman's sleeping face, her closed eyes, her regular breathing; so much of being near people was unfamiliar to her.

None of it had been a lie. She was almost **** to admit that. She'd been keeping some things from Iris, by necessity - the Flash would doubtless stop her from killing Carver - but it would all come out eventually. When success was assured.

And instead she'd found herself... less solitary than she'd expected to be. Than she'd always been.

To fall asleep in someone else's arms again, after five years being the only person in the world. It made the wait for freedom that much easier to bear. It made a lot of things feel... just better.

Slowly, Eva moved. She didn't go too far, suddenly feeling unable to leave skin contact with Iris as if afraid she'd never have it again, but she could see just far enough. A small reflective door handle on a cupboard, where they lay together behind the counter. Iris's discarded jeans.

Wait, was that why she'd suddenly been so eager to see Iris without her clothes on? Eva figured she'd always know if she was developing feelings of any kind, and instead... No. That was something to worry about later.

Slowly, listening to Iris's regular, sleepy breathing, Eva reached out with one hand and grabbed Iris's pants. Listening to make sure the other woman didn't wake, she drew them closer to the doorknob.

The reflective glass was close enough to a mirror for Eva's powers to work. Transmission of organic matter was still fatal, but dropping a pair of pants into the real world was more than doable.

Then Eva closed her eyes anew, and let herself bask in the closeness she felt. It felt safe, here - and for the first time in a very, very long time, Eva fell asleep with a smile on her face, and contentment filling her.

---

Iris stirred slowly. She could feel someone in front of her. Someone warm, and close, and...

She shifted, and her eyes widened. Oh. Right. That had happened. She could see the back of Eva's head, messy, long-ungroomed hair that was falling all over the place. Bare shoulders. Warm skin. And the crinkle of their extremely improvized pillow, and the cold floor of the shop.

Iris jerked upright, accidentally waking Eva, eyes wide.

Right. Gas station. Mirrorverse. Shop. They'd done that behind the counter. That was about as unexpected as walking naked between cities had been.

"It wasn't a dream," Eva murmured, sitting up herself, more slowly than Iris had.

There were so many reasons she shouldn't have done that, and just as many for why she'd needed to. This place got to her. The sooner she could escape, and be open about all of this, the sooner...

Iris looked around, and yelped. Hastily, she crossed her arms, as Eva tilted her head to look at her.

"Where are my pants?" Iris said.

"Somewhere," Eva said sleepily. She shrugged.

"We left them over... there. I'm sure," Iris said.

She stood up, instinctive nerves making her try to hide behind her arms. They weren't on the floor anywhere near them, and the cupboards were empty. She glanced up and down the empty aisles, eyes wide.

She didn't understand this place. Had they vanished, somehow, along with the bizarre stock and empty shelves? It didn't quite fit what she knew of this world, but she also knew there was no easy way in and out. Nothing made sense.

"They're gone," Iris said, uncertain.

Eva was standing too, now, resting against the counter. Iris looked at her, felt heat rush to her cheeks, and looked away.

Okay. Things were more awkward. That was just what she needed, especially now that she was...

God. Now that she was stuck somewhere vaguely between Central City and Star City, in an empty convenience store, without a scrap of clothing between them.

"You look good," Eva said.

"I know you're trying to be helpful," Iris said. "But how I look isn't really my main concern right now."

"Just focusing on the positives," Eva said. She hesitated. "Thank you."

"Um. Right," Iris said.

SItting down and talking about... that would have been complicated at the best of times. Now it just seemed all the more embarrassing, when...

"I didn't plan to walk all the way to Star City naked," Iris said, eventually, fidgeting. "I specifically wanted to avoid that."

"So do you want to turn back?" Eva said.

"I don't want to give up on getting out," Iris said. Her cheeks warmed. "And walking back to Central like this still seems..."

She looked out to the door - the blinds, at least, were still shut - and then looked down at herself. An arm over her breasts, a hand between her legs, and nothing in the way of any actual modesty. And it wasn't as though this kind of posture was suited to walking long distances.

She looked at the blinds again. Slats, not curtains, nothing she could try to improvize anything out of.

And whatever she decided, it would require taking a step outside this secluded little shop and back out into the wide open world, without the slightest stitch.