Star City

It took a day of walking to reach Star City. There wasn't much to do on the journey but think.

She didn't get... tired, so much, here. She kept feeling as though she should, but it never quite worked. Still, sleep was a habit and a hard one to break, so they did stop again when they passed a service station. They rested there, and then kept walking. Walking barefot down the middle of a highway was such a bizarre experience, but it never became too taxing.

Sleeping with Eva when it got late, that was... still something she thought about. It was nice, comforting even, and she needed something to cling onto in all this weirdness. At the same time, she found herself craving the homecoming all the more, just so it didn't feel like she was keeping some secret. But she didn't regret it. She certainly didn't; there was a good person in Eva, someone affected by the isolation and the weird effects of this dimension, but someone Iris really cared for.

There really wasn't much else to think about on the walk, after all. Especially when she had to spend a lot of that journey watching Eva's bare butt as she walked ahead.

Speaking of... Iris really was starting to feel like she'd exhausted every possible configuration of her arms to try and recapture some semblance of modesty, now that she was left completely naked. She had to walk either to Central City or away from it, and if she was going to be naked either way, she wanted to walk towards the place that had some chance to solving this problem.

She'd tried having an arm over her breasts, and a hand over her core. She'd tried holding both hands over her core, and relied on her upper arms to hide her breasts; or at least the latter had hidden her nipples, which felt like it technically ought to be enough but really didn't feel it. Every bit of her cleavage, the curve of them, or the crease at the top of her thigh, it all felt like something that shouldn't be out in the open. The reminder every time she looked down at herself, or just the knowledge that it was all out, never failed to make her face hot.

Sometimes she'd all but given up. Holding her arms for hours on end in such awkward positions always felt uncomfortable; sometimes she crossed her arms over her breasts and left her lower half bare, sometimes she just walked like she normally would if she were fully dressed. Those options, the latter especially, were at least more comfortable, but they didn't help the main problem.

Said problem being, of course, that she was still rather naked. She could feel the cool air against her ass, settling against parts of her that had barely ever been outdoors before, let alone out for this long. She felt her breasts jostle as she walked in a way that felt so new that it was impossible to not always be aware of it.

And when Eva glanced back at her, to make sure she was okay, or to exchange a few words of trivia or point out a bit of scenery, she felt her gaze as though it were something tangible and felt herself flushing all over again.

Getting to the city at least felt like achieving something, though until they found Queen Consolidated and rummaged through it, all she'd really achieved was the sensation of being naked in the wide-open outdoors, for being naked in the closed-up streets of a city that felt like it should be thrumming with people.

"It's getting late," Eva said. She was vibrating a little, uncharacteristically excited. "Let's end the day here. Search properly tomorrow; we can take all day to do it."

"Sure," Iris said. "Anywhere that isn't a store."

"There ought to be houses here," Eva said.

Iris hesitated. Well, she supposed it wasn't breaking and entering if no one lived in this universe. She nodded, then managed a smile.

She wasn't sure why she was still covering up around Eva, truth be told; Eva had done more than see all of her, after all. It just felt like a kind of habit. She'd been walking with her hands by her sides, but as they slowed down on the city threshold, Iris awkwardly crossed her arms anew.

"You seem happy," Iris said.

Eva jumped, as if shocked. It was a couple of seconds before she answered.

"Yeah. Excited to be here," Eva said. "Not come out this far for a while."

"Don't blame you," Iris said, fidgeting a little. "Travelling is easier in the real world."

"I... hope I can get to feel that again," Eva said. "I'd like to travel, see more than just the handful of cities I've reached here."

"We've got to get out first," Iris said. "The Queen Consolidated building was this way, I think."

Eva nodded. After a few seconds, Iris awkwardly went to lead the way; all things considered, she'd been to Star City more recently than Eva. She didn't have the streets memorized, but she recognized a few of them, and knew roughly what direction to go in.

It was, at least, easier not having to worry about traffic. Eva blithely walked out into the middle of the roads, crossing at the big junctions without even looking, turning to look back at Iris in places that no pedestrian would ever go in the real world. Iris stayed on the footpaths and sidewalks - even if her instincts weren't still uncomfortable at going out onto the roads, the paving was at least easier on her feet than the tarmac.

As the Queen Consolidated building came into view, Iris slowed. She stopped by a traffic light, looking back to Eva who was trailing behind and taking in the sights. Iris squeaked as her butt brushed the cold metal fence by the road, the sudden shock of a reminder making her falter for a few seconds.

"Eva!" Iris called.

Eva's attention snapped back down, from the new buildings to Iris. Heat rushed to Iris's face, on instinct. You'd think after sharing intimacy with someone, that you'd never be embarrassed around them, but Iris couldn't shake the feeling she was doing something inherently risque with how many new, weird settings she was naked in. This whole dimension just played havoc with her instincts.

"We were looking for a place to stay, right?" Iris said, adjusting her crossed arms.

"Right. Let's try here," Eva said. She walked up to an apartment building.

"Won't that be locked?" Iris said.

"Probably not. Most people who actually interact with it are people that can open it," Eva said. "That's how this place seems to work. The rooms inside are harder - worst case, we break down a door."

Right, because sleeping naked in a room without even a locked door was what she wanted to do. Not like she hadn't done it before. Iris sighed, and followed Eva inside.

They stayed on the bottom floor, not seeing the point in climbing stairs; the apartments were comfortable enough for a random stay. Still, as much as it was nicer to have softer carpet under her feet, Iris couldn't help but feel a little nervous walking into a stranger's home nude. Slowly, she crossed the threshold, looking around; it was a fairly cosy place. By whatever strange properties ruled the mirrorverse, it was only half-furnished, some ornaments and posters up and other surfaces conspicuously absent, empty cupboards in a small kitchen and bookshelves with spines it gave her a migraine to try and read.

There were only two real rooms to the apartment. Slowly, Iris walked into the bedroom; there was a proper bed, a double, with an actual mattress and sheets. She couldn't help but smile in relief at that.

Then she looked sideways, to see Eva, still looking a little distracted.

Oh. Was that why she was distracted? A double bed, a proper place to rest for the first time since the two of them had...

Iris swallowed. That was suddenly on her mind, despite herself. It was hardly an unpleasant thought, she was just... trying to keep focused. It was about comfort, connection, keeping one another sane while they were in this bizarre place, and not something she could afford to let get tangled up in feelings and desire. That was a road she couldn't start down.

"You can get some rest," Eva said. "I want to check on something."

Or not. Iris blinked.

"You're not, um, staying?" Iris said.

Suddenly it was Eva looking conflicted. She glanced from the bed to the window; Iris's face went hot.

No, she told herself, she couldn't start thinking like that. Wanting it, _missing _it; enjoying it while it was happening was different, but it was meant to be temporary. Give Eva the connection she so clearly needed after so long here, and stop herself spiralling too far.

"I... should make sure all the doors are open in Queen Consolidated," Eva said. "It'll make tomorrow easier."

She hesitated. Her voice dropped.

"I'll be back later, if you're still awake."

Mute, Iris nodded, trying very hard to not think about the implication. As Eva left, she lay in the bed, just grateful for the comfort as she wrapped the duvet around her bare body.

---

Eva headed towards Queen Consolidated immediately, that much was true, but rather than go through doors she already knew ought to be unlocked, she did her best to seek out a mirror. Now that she was alone, she needed to check in with her agents in the real world.

She shouldn't have hesitated. This was always the priority, this was always her only way out. It had a few costs that the Flash might not be so happy paying, but it was her best chance.

Though the thought of Iris waiting for her still made her long to head back. She still wasn't sure what to make of that - still, if looking at Iris was a draw, she could do that here as well. She hadn't done this for a while; the journey between cities, while she did find some reflective surfaces, she didn't have the privacy she needed to use her powers.

Eva wandered through a handful of offices, eventually finding a sheet of one-way glass in a testing room; she pulled a chair up in front of that, deeming it reflective enough. She focused, and the reflection shifted.

Iris's home. For that matter, the Flash's home. But more than any of that, the current home of the mirror duplicate she'd made when Iris had become trapped here. Even unable to escape, she could still influence that world. As the room came into view, so did the double of Iris, the obedient servant that Eva had gathering the pieces for her escape.

"Report," Eva said.

"I made contact with the other duplicates you made," Iris said. "We have what we need."

Eva closed her eyes, finally letting herself hope. Five years trapped about to come to an end.

She'd replaced a couple of other people to help Iris get what she needed, duplicates of people she'd sucked into this realm that would do what she wanted. All together, they'd had one mission.

"You're sure?" Eva said.

"Success is assured," Iris said.

"Tomorrow, then?" Eva said.

"Tomorrow," Iris said.

Eva faltered. She shouldn't be feeling hesitant; once she cracked the problem of getting biological matter out of the mirrorverse, of aiding that transition, no one would be stuck here. It was just strange. She'd spent a few weeks with Iris, the idea of spending a day not in contact with her was... suddenly alien to her.

Still, she pushed that aside; escape was her priority. It needed to be. She'd get out, do what she had to, and then she could free Iris once she knew the Flash wouldn't be a problem. Carver dead, her company hers again, and the last traces of his corruption purged: when it was done, when it couldn't be undone, she had nothing to fear from the Flash.

She hoped it wouldn't be long. Exile here, solitude here, she wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all Iris.

And until then...

Eva swallowed. The duplicate was stood in her room, almost standing to attention, hanging onto every word. Speaking of alien concepts, seeing Iris dressed like that certainly qualified.

"We have to be certain the Flash won't stop us," Eva said.

"Of course," Iris said.

"Tomorrow, Singh will handle the portal," Eva said. "You can make sure Team Flash are distracted. I want you to go missing; while they're focused on looking for you, Singh can free me."

"I understand," Iris said.

"Walk away from the city, as far as you can get," Eva said. She was shaking a little, the memory of Iris on the highway out of Central stark in her head. "Naked."

The duplicate hesitated.

"What?" Iris said.

"Start now," Eva said. "By morning, you'll probably have gotten quite a way away."

"Naked?" the double said.

"Are you questioning me?" Eva said.

"I just... why do I always need to be... like that?" she said.

"If you're caught, it will prove more mystifying," Eva said. "It is efficient. Trust my judgement."

Eva was almost vibrating, now. Nervous energy; she'd had it all day, the prospect of returning to this position and being able to watch the real world, interact with Iris's double. While she didn't need this to see Iris fully nude anymore, here she didn't need to try and hide the fact she was staring.

And more than that, the image of Iris on the city streets was stuck in her head.

With the mild abilities that mirror duplicates had, Iris would more than likely be safe, but there was no covering up if Eva didn't want her to. Her creations were loyal to her.

Or should be. For some reason, this one was suddenly hesitating at the idea of walking naked as far as she could. That shouldn't happen.

Well, it wasn't impossible, Eva supposed; her duplicates were made of the person she was duplicating, there was a little of Iris in her, in order to make her a convincing facsimile. On some level, Eva supposed, she was Iris.

Which admittedly just made the prospect of seeing her naked more enticing.

"Iris?" Eva said, more expectantly.

The double hesitated. Then, quietly, eyes looking down, began to remove her clothes. Her jacket, her top, her pants, her bra, her panties; her one allowance was keeping her shoes on, which Eva allowed her if just to make the journey easier. Nervously, she lifted her arms, hiding behind them.

"Are you sure this is the best way?" Iris said.

"You heard me," Eva said. "Start walking. Just try to get out of the city- leave Barry a note to say you're working late so he won't suspect for a while. Think of it as a challenge to see how far you can get, and remember, the farther you go, the more time you give Singh."

Biting her lip, Iris nodded; Eva waved her hand to dismiss the vision in the mirror.

She didn't leave though, instead using her mirror as a one-way viewer, looking out without letting herself be seen. Any reflective surface in the real world was a peephole: the glass of a street-lamp, a neighbor's window, or a passing car's mirror.

The duplicate really did look like Iris in every way: Eva could say that very confidently now. Beautiful, long dark legs, a prominent curve to her ass that she couldn't cover at all as she ran. A little black fuzz over her core, glimpsed as the hand she tried to cover with shook from side-to-side, and breasts that heaved with each step she took, even with her best attempts to cover them with a fore-arm.

At first, she attempted to have her expression look purposeful; it only lasted a few steps before she just looked frantic, pace quickening as she jogged down the street. It was evening, quiet, but the street lamps she moved under lit her body up, one after another.

She was going to miss that every day, Eva reflected.

She watched for half an hour more, Iris still in the fairly busy streets of the city, jumping and squeaking at every passing car. It was hard to look away; Eva watched, captivated, for every naked step that Iris took.

Still, soon, her mind wandered to the Iris in the mirror dimension. And when her mind wouldn't stay focused on the sight in front of her, the Iris on a nude run out of Central City, Eva moved back, content in the knowledge that if the mirror duplicate was obedient, she'd still be doing that in a few hours when they woke up.

Eva found her way out of the building, putting in a token effort to show she had actually explored and found her way to the labs. Then it was over the street, and over to the broken-into room.

It was strange, in a way; nudity was technically casual to Eva by now. She wore it by herself often enough, lacking options. After being naked for the better part of five years, she'd become neutral to the prospect of changing it; all that, and yet Iris naked felt anything but casual.

Eva lingered for a moment in the doorway. She wondered how Iris would react if she told her the truth: that she was the one who made the duplicate, that it was her best attempt at escaping this place. Her only chance. That she'd lied, because she was ****, she didn't want anyone to jeopardize this, even someone as...

Eva swallowed. Well, the truth was going to out one way or another. Slowly, Eva entered, seeing Iris asleep; in a way, she was glad of that. Her mind wasn't in the right place for intimacy just then.

Slipping in under the covers, Eva went to sleep, mind dwelling on the two nude Irises and what tomorrow would bring.