#25 days of westallen fanfiction

[backtothestart02]

Age is Just a Number - 1/4 | westallen fanfiction

A/N: Another commission coming right up! Hope you enjoy the first installment!

For Random-Gaurdian

...

Synopsis: AU - As owner of Jitters, Iris made it clear she would not tolerate workplace relationships...until she became in favor of one.

...

Chapter 1 -

It was a bright, sunny day the day Barry Allen decided to take his Bachelor’s and graduate business degrees and throw them out the window. His parents were not thrilled, and his 18-year-self was probably puking his guts out at the very idea, but that was neither here nor there. He’d applied online at his favorite coffee shop, and he’d gotten an interview. They’d probably reject him for being overqualified, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to throw his hat into the ring just in case. He’d always wanted to work here.

With a firm grip on the door handle, he pulled the door open and walked into the coffee shop. Unlike when he’d come in to ask about a job and they’d directed him to apply online, he did not trample over several people with drinks in their hands that spilled on his freshly laundered shirt. But then he wasn’t coming during a rush for his interview. Customers filled Jitters, but not in a chaotic way. He was in the clear.

He got in line, figuring the easiest way to get someone’s attention was to become the next face they saw. Three people were ahead of him, and it was just his luck that they didn’t take long to make their order.

“Hi, I’m Barry.”

The man before him, Scott was his name according to the shiny gold tag over his shirt pocket.

“Hi, Barry, what can I get for you?”

“No, um, I’m not ordering anything.”

“Well then-”

“I’m here for an interview.” He brought up the detailed e-mail on his phone briefly. “With you, I think. You’re Scott Evans.”

“And you’re Barry Allen.”

He smiled a thin line.

“I am.”

“Come with me.” He turned his head towards one of the other baristas. “Stacy, take over.”

The blonde scooted behind the register just as Barry jutted out of line and followed Scott to an office along the back hall beyond the counter.

“Thanks for coming in, Allen,” he said, shutting the door behind the two of them. “Please, take a seat.”

Barry glanced around the office, which looked meager at best, and the chair he’d been given to sit in squeaked. Still, he didn’t complain, just tried not to move and cause more squeaking.

“I’m one of the head supervisors here at this Jitters location. I’m also the hiring manager, so it’s up to me if you get the job or not.”

Barry nodded.

“Noted.”

“I’m going to ask you a few questions, and then you can ask me some, if you came prepared and have some of course.”

Barry raised his eyebrows.

“I’m 25, not 16.”

Scott seemed unimpressed.

“We’ll see about that.” He flipped through a folder that had been sitting on his desk.

“Allen, Barry, 25, recent graduate of Central City University, bachelor’s and graduate degrees in business.”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

Barry folded his arms.

“Then give me a reason not to.”

Scott’s jaw clenched.

“If this is how you act on the job, I don’t know that I want to hire you.”

“You were the one who called me in, even though you’re clearly unimpressed by my credentials.”

“What is your endgame here, Mr. Allen?”

“My…end game?”

“You’re clearly overqualified, even for someplace as magnificent as Jitters. And I didn’t call you in.”

Barry frowned.

“But your e-mail said-”

“It’s automated.”

“Well then what the h-” Scott raised his eyebrows, daring him to utter a curse in front of his potential future boss. “Heck,” Barry continued. “Am I doing here?”

“The owner of Jitters wanted me to give you a shot. She consults with all hiring managers on potential hires, especially the ones in her home city, here.”

“The owner of-”

“I can ask you all sorts of questions. You’ve had a handful of jobs over the last nine years, according to your resume. I’m sure you can answer them perfectly. My question is why aren’t you interviewing for an office job in a high rise instead of your hometown coffee shop?”

“My degrees are in business. Jitters is a business, isn’t it?”

Scott smirked at his audacity.

“You want to take my job?” he dared.

“If I’m good at it.”

Scott laughed, and the tension was broken. Barry relaxed.

“Okay, real questions now.”

The interview continued, the usual questions being asked and answered from both sides. Half an hour later, both men stood up and walked the short distance to the door. Scott was practically beaming, and Barry didn’t feel half-bad either.

“We’ll let you know our decision shortly.”

He held out his hand for Barry to shake, which he did without thinking.

“And when will I meet this elusive owner of Jitters?”

Scott looked past him towards the long line of windows dotting the shops’ street-facing wall. Sure enough there was a woman walking towards the entrance. She walked with intention, and it wasn’t to grab a coffee. She opened the glass door and walked straight towards them, as if she knew they were watching her and was intent on telling them her business.

“Ms. West,” Scott labeled her as she came around the corner. “I’d like you to meet-”

“Iris. My name’s Iris. Your supervisor knows that.” She extended her hand to shake Barry’s.

“My supervi-?”

“And you must be Barry Allen. Very impressive resume, I must say. I just got off the phone with the last of your references who can’t stop gushing about you. And your parents are so respected in the community too. I’d be proud to have you as part of our staff at the Central City location.”

“How did you know he’d still be he-” Scott tried to butt in, but Iris waved him off.

“Thank you, Ms.-” Barry tried, but she raised her eyebrows. “Iris. Iris, of course. Forgive me. It’s just…isn’t there a waiting period?”

“Exactly what I was about to say,” Scott said, but Iris waved him off again.

“A formality that we will waive on this occasion. What do you say, Barry? Would you like to join our team?”

“I…”

“I’ll only be here for a week until our next check-in time in six months, and I’d love to take you – and the rest of the team – out to dinner this evening. What do you say? Will you join us?”

“Iris, can I talk to you for a moment?” Scott butt in one last time.

Looking like it pained her to look away from Barry for even a second, she spared Scott a single glance.

“The interview has concluded, Mr. Evans. I do believe you have subordinates to oversee, don’t you?”

Both men’s jaws dropped, but she looped her arm through Barry’s and guided him further down the hall.

“Let’s go into my office. There are some things we need to finalize before your first day tomorrow. Tomorrow does work for you, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.”

“Great. In here.”

She opened the door to a much a nicer office and closed it behind them, leaving Scott with little more than a scoff before he was called out by another barista as a new rush started.

“Figures,” he muttered, and got back to work.

[backtothestart02bts]

Written for Day 17 of my 25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction event.

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

Also posted on FFnet.

[jade4813]

Stardust

Title: Stardust

Rating: PG

Synopsis: Three months after Barry's disappearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Iris looks up at the stars and ponders the destiny that brought him to her...and took him away. Written for @westallenmeetupffe - the Westallen Meet Up Fanfiction Event because I love @backtothestart02 too much to say no.

Chapters: 1/1

“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics. You are all stardust… The stars died so you could be here today.”

- Lawrence M. Krauss

July 25, 2019

Iris hated the stars, she decided as she threw a fulsome glare at the sky, hoping some errant clouds would get the point and hide the twinkling lights from view.

Well, okay, she admitted to herself on a disgusted sigh. She didn't hate the stars. It wasn't their fault that they made her miss Barry. A light breeze blew across her cheek, as soft as his touch, and she closed her eyes. Her head tilted back towards the sky, she wrapped her arms around her waist and breathed deeply, imagining the arms around her were not her own. If she tried hard enough, she could almost remember the exact smell of his skin, as clearly as she remembered the deep rumble of his voice in his chest when he held her.

"So, Iris? How about it? It’s a beautiful night, and everyone agreed to take over Flash duty for me. I’m all yours. Want to go out and look at the stars?" he suggested with a grin, leaning back against the kitchen island, the movement causing his muscles to flex and shift in a tantalizing fluidity of movement.

He had done this more and more frequently over the past few months, stealing time away for the two of them to be alone together. Neither of them were strong enough to admit why. They didn’t have much time left to enjoy these precious moments, and they knew it. Barry’s disappearance – and apparent death – was foretold in a newspaper from the future. They had resolved not to give in to despair, determined to fight fate. And yet it was a dark cloud that hovered over them, stealing the lives they had dreamt of building together with every second that ticked by.

Iris pursed her lips. “All right,” she conceded. In all honesty, she’d accompany Barry anywhere. To another planet, another world, another time, another reality. Anywhere he wanted to go, just for the chance to hoard these precious seconds with him.

Kicking off her shoes, she dug her toes into the soft, muddy ground at the edge of the water. Night after night, she was drawn to the lake where Barry had once told her they’d shared their first kiss, before he accidentally travelled through time and erased it. Where they’d finally exchanged their wedding vows after their planned ceremony was interrupted.

Her eyes stung, and Iris told herself it must have been due to the wind as she dropped her arms and pulled her gaze away from the sky. She heard laughter behind her, and turned to find a couple strolling by on the street. In response, she scooted a little further down the riverbank, not wanting to relinquish her moment of privacy just yet.

There were so many memories of herself and Barry, just the two of them. She couldn’t count the number of nights that she’d laid in bed, her mind reliving every detail of their time together. Sometimes those memories brought her comfort. Sometimes – like tonight – her memories of the past were an open wound that bled and ached with every beat of her heart.

Not long ago, Cisco had asked her if she regretted loving Barry, knowing she would one day lose him. They had been through so much together, and the truth was, it wasn’t the first time she’d lost him. Still, this was different, and Iris understood what Cisco meant but refused to say. Every time she lost Barry in the past – even when he sacrificed himself to the speed force – there had been a sliver of hope that he would come back to her. Even when that hope hurt too much to hold on to, it was there. But now? Barry had disappeared, just like the newspaper had foretold. Nora, their erased daughter from the future, had once revealed that he would never return. If the newspaper headline – the headline Iris herself wrote – was true, then didn’t that mean all of it was true?

Iris would never regret knowing Barry. Loving Barry. She treasured every single second he had been a part of her life. He used to talk about destiny as something to treasure, because it always brought him to her. For her, destiny had become something to hate, because it always took him away. Still, she could remember his voice in her ear the night before he disappeared.

“Promise me this isn’t the end, Barry,” she murmured, listening to the steady beat of his heart as they laid there in the dark. “Whatever happens tomorrow, promise you’ll come back to me.”

“I’ll come back to you, Iris. I’ll always come back to you,” he breathed into her hair, his voice cracking slightly from his sorrow. It made his attempts to comfort her even more heartbreaking. “What that newspaper says…it doesn’t have to be our destiny.”

Her fingers dug into his side as she pulled him even closer, as though she could protect him from the future if she only held him tight enough. “Don’t say that word. I don’t want to hear it ever again!” she swore vehemently. “I hate it! It seems every time we talk about destiny, it’s our destiny to lose each other. There’s no such thing as destiny, Barry! I don’t believe in it, and you shouldn’t either! We’ve changed the future before and we’ll do it again tomorrow.”

Barry shifted, and when she looked up at him, he pressed a kiss against her lips. “I don’t hate destiny. It was my destiny to love you. How could I hate anything that brought me to you?”

But she didn’t have his appreciation for destiny. Particularly when she thought about the nights they had curled up in each other’s arms and talk about the future they envisioned sharing in a lifetime of tomorrows. Tomorrows that would never come.

“He would love this,” she sighed as she stared back up at the sky. Like she had on that night, when he carried her out here to show her the stars. Had it really only been three months since she’d lost him? It felt somehow both like a fraction of an instant and an endless eternity.

“Come on, just a little bit further,” Barry urged, grabbing her by the hand as he led her to the edge of the water.

“You know, we could have gone anywhere. Somewhere we could see more than six stars, even,” she pointed out with a laugh. She loved the city she called home, but its bright lights drowned out most of the visible stars.

He shrugged and threw her an unrepentant grin. “I know. But this place has a special place in my heart. Can you blame me?”

The sun would be rising soon, but when Barry slid behind her and looped his arms around her waist, Iris decided it could take its time. She leaned back against his chest and sighed, feeling more at peace than she’d ever found herself to be with anyone else. As they stood in silence, he bowed his head and brushed a soft kiss against her shoulder, and she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

It was such a perfect moment, and Iris had reiterated her determination right then that nothing would ever change between them. That nothing could take him away. Even after everything that had happened between them over the years – secret identities, evil speedsters, time travel, death and disappearances and even imprisonment – she still had that feeling of peace and contentment when she was with him. Perhaps she always would.

There was something about Barry that had always come so easily to her. Which was probably why she couldn’t help but love him for most of her life. Even though she’d tried to deny her feelings for years because the very thought of loving someone that much scared her more than she could say.

A young Iris stared as the car lights disappeared around the corner. Her mommy had promised that her daddy would be home soon, before her voice cracked as she swore fiercely that she loved her very much. But now she was gone, and Iris was alone. Somehow, even at six years old, she knew deep down that her mommy wasn’t coming back. Her fingers pressed against the windowsill, and her breath fogged the window. Her little nose pressed against the glass, and she strained her eyes, trying to catch one last sight of the car.

When she could no longer see even a faint red glow, her eyes drifted to the sky. Her mommy used to sit with her beside this windowsill at night while she read her a bedtime story. And then, every once and a while, her mommy would point up at the stars and tell her to make a wish. She used to say that sometimes people got their wishes, but Iris was beginning to suspect that was just one of those things grownups told little kids, even though it wasn’t true.

But maybe it was worth one last try. Iris nibbled on the inside of her lip as her eyes scanned the sky, looking for a star that looked like it had promising wish-granting potential. She finally picked one that seemed to twinkle just a little bit more than the rest, and then she scrunched up her face and wished with all her might.

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight…” she dutifully recited, lisping a little through the brand new gap left behind by a missing tooth. Technically, this wasn’t the first star she’d spotted tonight, but she hoped the stars wouldn’t mind. “I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”

A little crease formed between her brows as she concentrated as hard as she could. She wanted her mommy to come back. She wanted her daddy to not have to work all the time, getting called away even on her birthday. She wanted someone to love her too much to leave her behind. Pressing her palms hard against the glass, she squeezed her eyes shut and whispered her deepest wish towards the sky.

For years, Iris had built defenses around her heart, had from the very thought of being in love. She’d accepted that love was great in theory, but it was terrifying in practice. To love someone and lose them…? She couldn’t think of anything worse. So when Barry had come along, she’d been his friend for years while telling herself she didn’t want anything more. And then…well, everything had changed. He was struck by lightning, spending months in a coma. It was the worst kind of heartache because he wasn’t even hers, and she’d lost him anyway.

When he awoke, she didn’t realize her feelings for him right away. But it wouldn’t be long before she did, and perhaps it was inevitable that she would. Her love for Barry had only grown year by year, until it was deeper than she ever could have dreamed possible. Loving him was both more wonderful and more painful than she’d ever imagined.

She’d been compelled to drive out to see the stars tonight after hours spent thinking about all the singular, insignificant events that, combined, led to the two of them meeting. Becoming friends. Becoming…something more. Falling in love. Finding each other again and again and again.

It was almost enough to make her wonder if it he was right, no matter how much she wanted to rail against the thought now. It wasn’t an accident that the two of them had found each other. That, perhaps, he was right about destiny.

“Why the sudden desire to see the stars tonight?” she asked, leaning against his solid warmth.

In reply, Barry grabbed her hand, linking his fingers in hers. Then he held them up so she could see. “Carl Sagan once said that every part of the world around us – every part of us – is made from the remnants of collapsing stars. That we’re made of starstuff, flung across the universe until eventually – miraculously – coming together to make us who we are.”

“That’s…kind of beautiful,” she breathed, turning in his arms and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“But think about it, Iris. The atoms that make up who we are came from hundreds of thousands of stars that died billions, maybe trillions, of light years away. They came all this way to create me and create you. And everything that we’ve gone through together, we’ve found each other again and again and again. If I lived a hundred lifetimes, I’d love you in every one of them.”

“I’d love you too, Barry,” she said with a puzzled frown. “But I’m not sure what that has to do with why you wanted to come out here tonight.”

He smiled, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Because if all those atoms travelled all that way to be part of me and part of you, then I can’t help but feel like it couldn’t have been for nothing. I was born to love you, Iris, and no matter what we face in the future, I’ll find you again. Whatever happens, when you look up at the stars, I want you to remember that.”

With a sigh, tilted her head back to look up at the sky one last time. She thought of fate. Of stardust. And of all the moments that had to fall into place for the two of them to find each other. Again and again. It was almost enough to make her want to believe in fate. And maybe even a little bit in magic.

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight,” she murmured. Then she closed her eyes and wished, as hard as she could, that if the stars brought Barry to her once, they could do it again. That they could bring Barry back to her. 

Hoping that, this time, her wish would come true.

[ao3feed-westallen]

A Day in the Life

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2R8dPuG

by backtothestart02

Barry and Iris help prepare their five-year-old twins for their Christmas Dance recital.

*Written for Day 19 of 25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction

Words: 1994, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 16 of 25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction

Fandoms: The Flash (TV 2014)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Barry Allen, Iris West, Nora West-Allen, Don Allen

Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Don Allen & Nora West-Allen, Barry Allen & Don Allen & Nora West-Allen, Iris West & Don Allen & Nora West-Allen

Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, parenting, Domestic, Parents in love

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2R8dPuG

[westallenftw]

One of my fave fic writers has done it again! Check out @backtothestart02's story for 25 Days of Westallen FanFiction here: "Slow as Time, Fast as Lightening"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16809151

So amazing, she never disappoints!

[westallenfun]

WestAllen At The Movies: Romance Edition!

Since I’ve been using the same 2 images for all the posts, I decided to make another edit for the event! 😄 Here’s all the information again!

Have you always wanted to draw a WestAllen version of the famous Spiderman upside down kiss, but kept forgetting? Have you always wanted to write a Pride an Prejudice WestAllen AU, but kept putting it on the backburner? This might be the challenge for you :)

How does it work?

The idea is the take a specific (romantic) movie or “famous” movie romance and use it as inspiration for your WestAllen Fics/Edits/Drawings/gifsets/Playlists/etc. Check out the list with movie titles and claims here.

If you see a movie you want to use, send me a message to claim it. 2 claims per movie allowed.

On February 14 post your work and tag it #WestAllenAtTheMovies and #WestAllen so I’ll be able to find it.

However

If you have an idea, but the movie is not on the list? Go for it anyway :) You can either send me a message and I’ll add your movie with your claim, or you can work on it in secret and surprise us all on February 14!

You have an idea for a cute movie poster for Barry and Iris, but it’s not an existing movie? Go for it! Have a great Idea for a Westallen gifset set in the world of a particular movie, but the movie itself has little romance? Go for it! At the end of the day this is about having fun together.

Don’t know what to do?

If you want to participate, but can’t choose, or if you want an extra challenge, send me a message and I’ll assign you a movie...

A few words about fanfiction in particular: If you decide to make a longer fic, you only have to post the first two (nicely sized) chapters on Feb 14th. With the understanding that a month from Feb 14th the fic will be completely posted (If you have bigger plans and need more than a month that is certainly something that can discussed)

Anything else?

There are some more details on how to post your work + some minor rules here.

Remember the movie title is just the jump off point. Be as creative as you want :) If there i any confusion about this: you don’t have to keep a secret what movie you’re using as inspiration.

 If you have questions, send them my way and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Current List with movie titles

(might not be up to date as time goes on. You can find the most up to date list here)

1.      Princess Diaries

2.      Spiderman

3.      Pride and Prejudice

4.      Pirates of the Caribbean

5.      Titanic

6.      While You Were Sleeping (1 claim)

7.      Sweet Home Alabama (1 claim)

8.      Indiana Jones

9.      Lara Croft

10.  Notting Hill

11.  Shakespeare in Love

12.  Serendipity (1 Claim)

13.  10 Things I Hate About You (1 claim)

14.  The Princess Bride (1 Claim)

15.  Romeo + Juliet

16.  Star Wars

17.  Lord of the Rings

18.  Kate & Leopold,

19.  The Proposal

20.  Cinderella

21.  Enchanted

22.  Sliding doors

23.  Star Trek

24.  The Lake House

25.  Leap Year

26.   Maid in Manhattan

27.   27 Dresses

28.   The Wedding Planner

29.   Confessions of a Shopaholic

30.  Roman Holiday

31.  About Time

32.  Love, Rosie

33.  The Vow

34.  A Walk to Remember

35.  Ella Enchanted

36.  How to lose a guy in 10 days

37.  Sydney White

38.  What a Girl Wants

39.  The Notebook (1 claim)

40.  The Duff

41.  Stardust (1 claim)

42.  Penelope

43.  Singing in the rain

44.   The Prince & Me

45.   King Arthur

46.   Robin Hood

47.   Emma (1 claim)

48. Love Actually (1 claim)

49. Jerry Maquire (1 claim)

50. The Host (1 claim)

51. The Adjustment Bureau (1 claim)

[backtothestart02]

By the End of This - 1/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: Inspired/Adapted by the movie, The Mountain Between Us. Enjoy.

...

Synopsis: AU - The two-hour plane ride with a stranger was supposed to be forgettable, a means to an end. The crash that followed made it impossible to forget.

...

Chapter 1 -

Putting some eagerness into the step of her furry winter boots, Iris West walked with determination through the sliding glass doors of the Central City airport, past the disgruntled passengers of some other flight, and headed straight for the unattended employee ahead.

“Excuse me.”

The woman turned around and smiled.

“I’m not in first class. I’m on the flight that leaves for Coast City in 40 minutes. If you could please just check me in here? I don’t want to be late, and I only have a carry-on.”

The smile turned more consoling, and Iris should’ve known then that this would be the start to a very bad day.

“You’re not going to be late, Miss. The flight’s been cancelled due to an oncoming storm. Customer service over there should be able to assist you.” She pointed vaguely to the other side of the room. “I’m so sorry.”

Yeah, right.

But Iris forced her own smile and turned around, hiking her backpack tighter around her shoulders. The line was long when she got there, and she figured she should call Eddie first anyway. Or maybe her dad or brother. But first she had to figure out what she was going to do if she was going to get to the wedding in time.

Her wedding. To Eddie Thawne.

We should’ve just gotten married in the city.

…

Disgruntled, but trying not to show it, Barry braced himself for the difficult task of convincing the airport employee to put him on a plane today not tomorrow for probably the most important surgery of his life. One he was performing. On a little boy.

He was a little bit of a scraggly fellow with not much meat to his lanky frame, so he didn’t think he could come across as menacing or intimidating, especially since his baby face hardly convinced people he was nearing 30. But he tried anyway.

“I-I have an emergency surgery to perform tomorrow in Star City, okay? I have to make it to Coast City tonight in order to make the drive up from there. It’s the only way I’ll make it. And it’s for a little boy, only 10 years old. A life-changing surgery th-that could…well, it could save his life. It will save his life if I’m the one there to do it.”

“Look, I’m sorry, young man. There will not be anymore flights tonight because of the storm coming…”

“You said that.”

“Right. Best I can do is suggest you get a voucher…the hotels are filling up fast.”

Frustrated beyond belief, Barry could only turn away and stick his ear buds in his ears and crank up the volume. He needed to get out of his own head for a minute. Maybe then he could think of a solution to this…mess.

Moments later however…

“Sir? Sir?”

He turned to see an attractive woman who couldn’t be any older than 25 looking at him with hopefulness and would could only be described as an olive branch in her eyes, a peace offering.

Or maybe he was seeing something.

“Yes?”

“I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation just now, and I think we may have the same problem.”

Intrigued, he decided to give her the time of day.

“I have to get to Coast City. I’m…actually getting married there. Location-location-location, and all that.”

“Right.”

No point in flirting with her then.

“Anyway, I have to get there tonight, so I’m ready straight away tomorrow morning. And you have to as well for…a surgery? Are you a doctor?”

“Surgeon, yes.”

“And you need to get to Star City, which isn’t more than a 45 minute drive from Coast City.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I know a guy.”

“Uh-oh.”

“No, no, no, it’s not like that.” Her lips spread, and all her pearly whites shone.

God, she’s beautiful.

“My brother, I just talked to him on the phone, and he just finished flight school, and his mentor through this airport flies a little plane for a fee. I just talked to him on the phone. He said he has enough room for two. Are you interested?”

“You’re sure he could get us there tonight?”

“He’s assured me he can.”

Barry’s lips twitched in a slight smile. He looked down for a moment, debating, then figured what the hell? It wasn’t like he’d ever see this woman again. A little plane ride with her for a couple hours could be quite enjoyable, and he’d be there to save this little boy’s life.

“Alright.”

“Yeah?” Her eyes lit up, and damn it if it wasn’t the hardest thing in the world to look away.

“Yeah, sure.” His own smile spread. Her happiness was infectious.

“Great!” She bounced up on her toes, and he chuckled.

“Lead the way.”

…

They entered the flight hangar a few moments later after some small talk on the way over, mainly exchanging of names and how chilly the weather seemed to be, even if it was January.

“Hello?” Iris called out. “Hello!”

The small plane was unoccupied, but before more questions could be asked, approaching footsteps were heard and they turned around.

“H.R.,” she guessed, and a goofy grin spread across the older man’s face.

“That’s me.”

“We talked on the phone. I’m Iris. This is-”

“Barry,” Barry answered, shaking the man’s hand after Iris.

“So, what’s the rush?” H.R. asked.

“Oh, uh, actually, I…I’m getting married tomorrow.”

“Oh, wowsers! Can’t miss that.” H.R. seemed positively gleeful. “You two make a lovely couple, if I do say so myself.”

“Oh, no, we’re- We’re not-”

“We just met.”

“Oh.”

Awkward silence.

Iris cleared her throat.

“Anyway, how much for the ride?”

“And can you get us there in time?”

“$800,” H.R. told Iris, then turned to Barry. “And yeah, I reckon I can.”

“Even with the storm?” Barry asked dubiously.

The smile didn’t slip even a fraction from H.R.’s face.

“If we leave right away, we should miss it completely.”

Iris looked at Barry expectantly.

“Oh, yeah, sure then. Let’s do it.”

Barks from the inner office sounded before the full-grown yellow lab emerged into the opening.

“Oh, wow.”

Barry was immediately skittish, and the dog – despite H.R. insisting how friendly the animal was – growled at him promptly. H.R. only chuckled.

“I’ll be ready soon. Hang with the dog. He’ll let you know when I’m ready,” H.R. said, and then headed back into where the dog had been.

Iris smiled and set her backpack down for a moment, crouching to where the dog was. He came willingly and licked her face.

“I have a way with animals,” she said, looking up at Barry with her doe eyes.

He had to force a smile this time and hold his tongue, which only made Iris laugh and turn her attention fully to the pup until their pilot was ready.

…

They chatted with the pilot once inside the small aircraft a few minutes later. It worried Barry that H.R. had decided against filing a flight plan just because it was still light out, but Iris seemed unbothered, so he took his seat beside her, away from the dog who was in the cockpit beside his owner and relaxed. Or tried to.

As soon as they took off, Iris pulled out her camera and started taking pictures from the sky line.

“Are you a photo journalist or something?”

“Am I that obvious?” she asked, snagging another shot as they got closer to the mountain range they were to fly above.

He shrugged.

“You’re chatty, and you have a camera. Makes sense to me.”

“I could just like taking pictures,” she pointed out.

And he smirked.

“Should’ve led with that maybe.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

“So, what brought you to Central City?”

He decided to indulge her.

“My parents live in the city. I grew up there.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

“And what’s taking you to Star City? Besides the life-changing surgery.”

Was she mocking him? He decided he didn’t care.

“A medical conference,” he admitted.

“You live there?”

He shook his head.

“I actually live in National City. Got married there too.”

“Oh.”

He tried not looking into her tone too deeply, but it was impossible.

Was she…disappointed?

Their pilot chatted her up a bit, and Barry pulled out his phone to occupy his time with a game while they got on. Some turbulence had H.R. advising them to buckle up, and she returned.

Eager to get on well again, Barry tried his own round of questions.

“What brought you to Central City?”

“I live there.”

“Really?”

“Born and raised, all my life.”

“You went to the main elementary and high school?”

“The main? There are three. It’s a big city.”

“Central City Elementary and Central City High School.”

“Ah, the ones where they didn’t bother putting ‘central’ in the name twice so as to not come across sounding redundant.”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Then, yes. I did.”

“Amazing we didn’t run into each other.”

She looked at him curiously.

“Are you older than you look?” she asked.

“Are you younger than you look?” he teased.

Her smile blinded him again, and they both looked away.

“She has a fiancé, young man. Cool your jets,” H.R. barked from his seat.

Barry and Iris both chuckled and settled into their seats as their pilot started to talk about something else. They looked out the windows, taking in the nature, hardly realizing at first what was happening as the plane dipped down from its spot above the mountains. Not by much, but when it happened a second time, and H.R.’s voice sounded staggered as a response, Barry and Iris flashed a look at each other of worry.

“H.R., are you alright?” Iris called out.

“I…I…I…I ca-can-can’t…”

Iris nudged Barry to go check on their pilot, and Barry unbuckled his seat belt and lunged forward, the dog hardly his concern now.

“Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.”

H.R. started falling to the side, and with that went his grip on the controls. The plane dipped again, by a lot.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God!” Iris panicked, tightening her belt as much as she could.

“I don’t know how to fly! Barry panicked, as H.R. went completely limp and the plane started plunging into the mountain range.

He tried to fuss with the controls but only made it worse.

“Come back here!” Iris ordered. “I-I know what to do.”

Barry came back in a hurry and buckled up, looking to her for direction.

“Hands behind your head, sit back, and just wait for it to be ov-”

BOOM.

The plane hit a surface, but it was still falling, falling, sliding, and they were yelling, screaming, hoping they didn’t die, praying that they somehow survived this, and that help would come.

That help would come…

THUD.

They stopped.

[backtothestart02]

The Other Night - 1/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: Been plotting this since 9x01. I hope you enjoy!

...

Synopsis: AU - It was the wedding of dreams. The last thing Iris expected was to find her childhood sweetheart across the hall from her, as smitten as he'd been the day he left her 10 years ago.

...

Chapter 1 -

A limo arriving to pick her up from the airport was a first.

Iris knew the bride and groom were filthy rich, but still. It was an out-of-body experience seeing someone standing with a sign for her name as she exited the plane, who then walked with her to the baggage claim and then out to their waiting vehicle.

There was champagne inside and chocolate, even a single rose in the window.

She felt like she was floating in a fairytale.

And she was just her boss’s favorite employee who happened to get proposed to while they were out walking together.

“You were there for my biggest moment, Iris! Of course you’re invited to the wedding.”

Iris wasn’t one to turn down an event that allowed for her to go shopping for a new dress, so she accepted. Though her jaw was nearly on the floor when lobster or steak were the dinner options on the RSVP card, and there was no address on the card for the actual ceremony.

She called the number listed after dropping the RSVP card into the mail and found out to her continued shock that her young boss was heir to a fortune, as was her intended, and that on his side stood a mansion along the sea on the east coast, famous for its views and grandiose apartments inside. And all guests would be staying in the massive, beautiful establishment for an entire weekend.

You could come as early as Thursday and stay as late as Sunday, which was exactly Iris’ intention. Given her boss was the one getting married, she had no problem okaying her time off work for it.

But now, seated in this lavish limo, watching the landscape go by and inevitably turn into a large lot leading to the mansion, Iris wondered if she was dreaming.

The limo came to a stop, and the driver had walked around the vehicle and opened her door before she could stop staring out the window.

It was huge!

Pale brick siding, white-trimmed windows and doors, terraces, and a large garden beyond that she could see the beginnings of from the front, Iris could only so much as dream of ever even visiting a place as magnificent as this.

The front door opened and out strutted the bride-to-be, her boss, looking smug as ever and doing a little spin for her in her casual white pantsuit before walking towards her and embracing her.

“So, what do you think?”

Iris’ jaw was still on the floor.

“Sue. You’ve outdone yourself.”

She scoffed.

“Money is money, dear Iris. One day, when you own your own company, as I do, you’ll understand.”

Iris shook her head, but she didn’t reject the thought. It was a dream of hers, to spread her wings as a journalist and start her own empire. At just 28, it felt impossible, but then Sue had been 25 when she started hers.

With the assistance and support of her very rich parents, of course. But that was neither here nor there. Sue was an old soul, and someone Iris liked to call mentor and friend, as well as supervisor.

“Where’s Ralph?” Iris asked, looking into the entrance Sue had come out of, as if expecting him to suddenly appear.

“Oh. Don’t worry about him.” Sue waved that off. “He’s still in the city finishing up a case. He’ll be here in time for dinner though.”

Ralph was a P.I. He didn’t need to work at all with the money he was born into, but he enjoyed the work. He got a rush out of it, out of finding people’s secrets or tracking down missing people. Some things were odd about him, from the few times Iris had met the man, but he clearly adored Sue, and his proposal had been top-notch. Iris had no doubt they’d be happy together.

Sue looped her arm through Iris’ and signaled a nearby worker to take her things up to her room.

“Third floor, last one on the left,” she told him, then turned to Iris. “You’ll like that one. It has a terrace overlooking the garden and the pool.”

“The pool?” Iris’ eyes widened. “Isn’t it enough to be on the coast?”

Sue smirked.

“Come, let me show you around. When we’re done, I’ll let you get settled into your room and relax until dinner time.”

Iris indulged her with a smile.

“Lead the way.”

And so they spent the next half hour touring the premises. It was spellbinding. From the marble walls and floors, to the ballroom and the multiple lounges, the indoor pool and hot tub, the sauna, the massive kitchen and sun room, and the grand staircase, in front of which was someone dressed to the nines playing a grand piano, Iris felt like she was spinning.

That had only been the first floor.

The staircase was covered in a dark red carpeting that led to the second and third and fourth floors, enough bedrooms for all the guests, and views to sink you teeth into. There were multiple bathrooms on each floor and lounges as well, but the bedrooms were massive and included a bathroom too.

It was like a hotel. A really fancy, exquisite, five-star hotel.

“And this…is your room.”

They turned to the right, and only faintly Iris thought she heard alarm bells go off in her head, because wasn’t her room the last on the left?

Sue turned the knob and pushed the door open only to find the room already occupied, and the occupant having gotten their head banged when the door swung open towards him.

“Oh, shoot,” Sue said, and Iris would’ve shot her a look at her tone if she hadn’t been so surprised by the guest they’d run into.

“Barry?”

He took a step back, rubbing his forehead. He blinked a few times until his eyesight cleared, and he took in the ladies before him.

“Sue, I thought- Iris?”

“You two know each other?” Sue asked, sounding curious and innocent, both of which Iris knew the woman wasn’t. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She smiled smugly. “Oh, and Iris, it’s my bad. Your bedroom is to the left…right across the hall.” She switched her gaze to Barry. “Sorry for the bump, Bear-Bear.” She winked. “I’ll be downstairs if either of you need me.”

And with that she practically skipped in the other direction, making them watch until she waved cutely at the top of the staircase, and they turned back to each other.

“Bear-Bear?” Iris raised an eyebrow, and he knew she was thinking about how similar it was to the nickname she’d given him…when they were kids.

“Yeah, she’s been calling me that ever since I got here. Weird, right?” He laughed nervously.

“Mmm.”

She took him in, noticing how his hair was damp, possibly from a recent shower, but otherwise how his attire looked a nice, a striped polo and some khaki shorts, which she supposed fit the hot temperature outside. She wondered how long he’d been there, and which party had invited him to the wedding.

Also, how long Sue would try to be playing matchmaker when she knew Iris’ plus one would be coming the next day. That one night when they’d gone out for drinks, and she’d detailed to her the story of the one who had gotten away must’ve really stuck with her, much to her chagrin now.

She forced a smile.

“Well, I, uh…should probably go to my room and get settled, maybe take a shower, so I look nice for dinner.”

“You always look nice, Iris,” he said softly, making her cheeks burn.

“Right, well, I’m gonna go. I’ll see you then?”

“Sure.”

He nodded, and she turned away, looking back over her shoulder at him still standing there awkwardly when she opened the door to her room. She waved a little, and he waved back, then she stepped inside and closed the door behind her a little too quickly, hardly able to enjoy how magnificent her room looked with her heart pounding so loudly in her ears.

Barry Allen. The boy who had been her best friend since they were five, who stole her heart at 16 and never really gave it back, who moved away a month after they graduated high school, and who she’d never heard from again.

That Barry.

A full decade since she’d seen him, and now…he was right across the hall from her for a whole weekend in a gorgeous getaway mansion.

After Eddie showed up, she could forget about him entirely, but for tonight?

She took a deep breath and walked further into the room. She pushed open the glass door and stepped out onto the terrace. The view was breathtaking as expected, and she could almost imagine Barry two floors down on the lawn calling up to her like Romeo to his Juliet.

She blinked and the vision before her vanished, but her heart didn’t stop thumping away at wild speeds. If anything, it went faster and she started imagining other things.

“Fuck.”

She turned around and walked back into the bedroom, eyeing the huge king-sized canopy bed and recalling her recent fantasy and conversation with Barry across the hall.

“Fuck.”

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Master List

This was a fun event to do! Enjoy all the fics everywhere! <3

...

Day 1 - Netflix and Chill Synopsis: Barry and Iris' first Netflix and Chill. Rating: M Dedicated to: @once-and-future-thot (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 2 - Slow as Time, Fast as Lightning Synopsis: In the wake of Nora's return to the future, Iris decides she wants to start a family. Right now. Rating: M (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 3 - Peace Through the Thunder Synopsis: Post 5x05 - Barry and Iris make use of their alone time before Nora returns to the loft.  [RC series] Rating: M (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 4 - Birthday Surprise Synopsis: When a very busy Iris because consumed by her work, Barry and their twins take it upon themselves to surprise her for her birthday. Rating: M Dedicated to: @westallen94 (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 5 - Fateful Kiss [1/?] Synopsis: 2x18 - Canon Divergent - Iris takes a risk and shows Barry her true feelings when he’s at his most vulnerable. Things escalate from there. Rating: T (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 6 - Fateful Kiss [2/?] Synopsis: 2x18 - Canon Divergent - Iris takes a risk and shows Barry her true feelings when he’s at his most vulnerable. Things escalate from there. Rating: T (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 7 - Muse [17/?] Synopsis: Post 5x09 - Barry reunites with Iris after reality is set back to right. *based off spoilers for the crossover before watching any of it* Rating: M (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 8 - Soft Rush Synopsis: 4x10 - Barry and Iris share an intimate moment in her old bedroom before meeting with the team at STAR Labs. [RC] Rating: M Dedicated to: @westallen94 (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 9 - Magnetic Touch Synopsis: 5x09 - Alternate Ending - A few extra moments before Cisco interrupts Barry and Iris results in a kiss. Rating: T (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 10 - Fallen for You Synopsis: 3x01 - Canon Divergent - Almost a year after Barry decided not to erase Flashpoint, he takes Iris out for her birthday. Rating: G Dedicated to: @barryslightningrod (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 11 - For Her Synopsis: 2x20 - Barry and Iris share a follow-up moment regarding her confession before Barry decides what to do about Zoom. Rating: G (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 12 - Mixed Drink [1/?] Synopsis: AU - Two strangers meet in a bar. One spells danger, the other, desperation. Rating: M (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 13 - Mixed Drink [2/?] Synopsis: AU - Two strangers meet in a bar. One spells danger, the other, desperation. Rating: M (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 14 - Just Miss Him Synopsis: Iris wants to cuddle while Barry is at work. Rating: G (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 15 - The Smallest Thing Synopsis: AU - Nothing like a cute coffee barista to improve your day. Rating: G (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 16 - Better Than Christmas Synopsis: Pre-Series - Canon Divergent - The Christmas before everything changed, Barry confesses to Iris he's in love with her. Rating: G (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 17 - Crazy for Her Synopsis: Barry dwells on his love for Iris. Rating: G (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 18 - Fateful Kiss [3/?] Synopsis: 2x18 - Canon Divergent - Iris takes a risk and shows Barry her true feelings when he’s at his most vulnerable. Things escalate from there. Rating: T Dedicated to: @iriswestallens (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 19 - A Day in the Life Synopsis: Barry and Iris help prepare their five-year-old twins for their Christmas Dance recital. Rating: T Dedicated to: @tooold-toship (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 20 - Before the Hood [1/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813 Event participated in: @westallenfun‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 21 - Before the Hood [2/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813​ Event participated in: @westallenfun​‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 22 - Before the Hood [3/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813​ Event participated in: @westallenfun​‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 23 - Before the Hood [4/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813​ Event participated in: @westallenfun​‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 24 - Before the Hood [5/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813​ Event participated in: @westallenfun​‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Day 25 - Before the Hood [6/6] Synopsis: AU - Before he donned the name Robin Hood, his name was Barry Allen, and all he wanted was to be with his love, Iris West. Rating: T Dedicated to: @jade4813​ Event participated in: @westallenfun​‘s West-Allen Secret Santa (tumblr, AO3, FFnet)

Thanks for reading!

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 9 - Magnetic Touch

A/N: I haaaaaaad to. Hope you guys will enjoy! This is just an alternate version to their last scene in part 1 of the Elseworld crossover where they get in that kiss before they’re interrupted.

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

One thing about Barry and Iris was they could always tell when the other was in distress. They’d grown up together, they knew each other inside and out. When Barry was hurting, Iris could pick up on the subtlest cues. She would go to him, listen to him, advise him, hold him – whatever he needed. The same could be said of Barry when it came to Iris. So when she sensed a figure approaching, Iris knew as she looked out into the night that it wasn’t the man she’d known as Barry all her life, but the man with Oliver’s face that she believed to be Barry deep down in her bones.

“Are you okay?”

The concern his voice, the love in his eyes. She wondered how she could have ever doubted it.

“No.”

He nodded in understanding. But he didn’t understand. Not really.

“You did a great job. With Amazo. But at what cost, Barry?”

“What do you mean?”

She had to tell him. The worry was consuming her, the fear when she heard those words not too long ago, that tone of his voice, the intention there.

“Do you know why I let you and Oliver go?” He looked about to speak, but she wasn’t going to let him. This was too important. “It was because of something that I felt, when I stopped looking with my eyes and I started listening with my heart. I realized that you, Barry Allen, have always been and will always be the man that I love.”

“No matter what mask I wear, I’ll always show you my true face.”

His proximity was making this harder, in more ways than one.

“I need you to promise me something, Barry.”

He nodded, and she knew the unspoken word shining in those green eyes of his.

Anything.

She’d hold him to that.

“Promise me that when we figure out who did this to you, and when you get your speed back, and…you’re finally back in my arms, that you’ll come back to me.”

“Of course I’ll come back,” he said, but he still didn’t quite get it.

“Barry… I heard what you said right before you took that shot.”

“I’m sending him straight to hell.”

It still made terrible shivers wrack her entire body. And she saw him finally understanding.

“You’re the Green Arrow now. But please don’t become Oliver Queen.”

“I won’t,” he said, and she wanted to believe him. When he ran his hand down her arm and brushed her fingers with his, she did. “I promise.”

The touch between them was electric. It made her heart race. It made her want to fall into his arms now, to shut out the lie that he didn’t look like her husband and let the problem before them fade away. She wanted to touch his face and kiss his lips and surrender to the magnetic force pulling them closer together. Even the voice telling her this wasn’t Barry Allen because he didn’t look like him had fallen silent. All she could hear was the rampant beating of her heart that told her this was him.

When she saw his eyes lower to her lips as his fingers finally intertwined with hers, she knew if he gave into the desire she saw in his eyes, she wouldn’t push him away. This was her Barry. And she wanted him.

Personal space already invaded, Barry leaned in hesitantly, drawn to her like a moth to the flame. Iris knew it because she felt the same way. Except in her case, all she could do was stand still and wait. Her breath caught in her throat when he was inches away, hesitating. She saw his Adam’s apple bob and knew he had halted on her behalf. He didn’t want to cross the line, worrying that allowing this pair of lips to kiss her felt too much like kissing a man who wasn’t her husband. She tilted her head up slightly to encourage him, her lips parted.

It was the consent he needed, and his lips were on hers moments later, soft, warm, and inviting. She could feel him inhaling, breathing the moment in, and the chills that rippled all over her body gave away her relief and her desire.

One kiss was all he would allow himself, it seemed, so she took his other hand and cupped her face with it. She pushed his fingers into her hair, letting his thumb brush along her jaw line and over her bottom lip.

He zeroed in on her more intently this time, replacing his thumb with his mouth and closed the remaining distance between them. He moved his other hand to cup her face as well, pulling her into him, deepening the kiss until her hands were on his chest and clutching at the fabric of his shirt.

“Barry?” came over the com, and breathlessly the two broke apart. “We need you in the workshop.”

Cisco’s announcement was an abrupt call back to reality. Barry looked at Iris, his hands still tenderly wrapped in her hair and hers now resting flat on his chest.

“Go,” she said, letting her hands fall so they were no longer touching him.

He let his do the same, but they slid down to her arms instead.

“When this is all over, I’m coming back to you. And you’ll know me with your eyes and your heart.”

The smallest of hopeful smiles came and went on her face.

“I know,” she said, the encouragement he needed to leave her side.

He released her fully, the tips of his fingers brushing hers as he took a step back.

“I love you,” he said, and she felt her heart soar.

“I love you,” she said, and watched him as he walked away from her into whatever darkness lay ahead.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 14 - Just Miss Him

A/N: I’ve been wanting to do a purely cuddly fic for westallen for a while now. Here you go. :)

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

She sat there for a long time wondering if she was going to go through with it. She started biting her nails – a terrible habit she’d recently fallen back into. She paced a little, tried and failed at cooking something tasty. She took a shower, got in comfortable clothes. She thought about an article she wanted to write and the shows she could catch up on. She thought about how she should be grateful crime was low today, and that really, with the snow falling light and beautiful the way it was outside, she should just enjoy the winter wonderland outside her window.

But their lives being what they were, Iris’ feelings were just enhanced. All the time. Whenever she wasn’t occupying herself or speaking to someone or just planning her day. Her mood, her passion, whatever she was most focused on increased tenfold.

And right here, right now, she just plain missed her husband.

She scooched herself enough down the couch so she could lay flat all the way across it. She tucked a pillow under her head and pulled a warm blanket over her body, but it changed nothing. Pillows and blankets were all well and good, but they just didn’t compare to a warm body snuggled around you – and not just any body, Barry Allen’s body.

The ironic thing here was she wasn’t even thinking about sex. She just wanted to cuddle.

Of course, if her husband was here right now, and he wanted sex, it wouldn’t take much to convince her. He melted her insides just by looking at her. She knew people at CCPD joked about how whipped he was, how she could get him to do anything. Just say the word, and he’d do it. But they couldn’t seem to comprehend that it went both ways.

Barry Allen rarely asked for anything, but he was very handsy and he was very romantic, and he was so genuine about both. His intentions were always pure. So if the moment was upon them, and it could go either way, one look is all it would take for her to do anything he asked. Sometimes he didn’t even have to ask. They just knew each other so well that she could almost read his mind. He gave himself away so easily. But if she really felt strongly about something, he had no problem opting for what she wanted to do and enjoying it just as much as if it was his idea. He was just so…

He was such a damn good husband.

“The hell with it.”

She reached for her phone before she thought better of it and scrolled her contacts ‘til she found his name. She bit her bottom lip, her feet tapping on the far side of the couch, as she waited for him to pick up. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach when his answering message came on and she heard the beep to leave a message. She debated saying something but hung up instead. He had to be really busy if he wasn’t picking up a call from even her.

Just as she was about to toss her phone aside and groan about how much life sucked today without her big, tall, speedster teddy bear there to cuddly with, said phone started to vibrate.

Her eyes widened as she saw the name across the screen. Despite the wave of embarrassment rushing over her, she knew she was going to answer it. She’d been craving the sound of his voice all morning.

“Hey, Babe.” She smiled brightly into the phone. “What’s up?”

A few beats of silence were all it took for her to realize her mistake.

“You called me.”

“Right.” She sighed.

“Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly, and she felt terrible.

Here he was so concerned that something had actually gone wrong, and the only actual thing that was wrong was that she wanted her working husband home with her so they could spend time together. And not just some time – the whole rest of the day.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured, wondering how convincing she sounded. She didn’t sound convincing even to her own ears. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Those were not the right words. Now he had to have alarm bells going off in his ears.

“You never bother me, Iris,” he said softly, and she could almost feel his hands grazing her arms, pulling her closer, making her believe she was his first priority no matter what. “Tell me what’s up.”

She blew out another sigh.

“Nothing’s wrong, Barry. I just called to see what you were up to, if you were…busy.”

She winced on that last word. Doom was quickly approaching. She was going to tell him, and she wouldn’t be able to take it back once she did.

“Busy,” he repeated, and her insides screamed.

“Yeah, um, did you have a big workload today? Is it driving you crazy that you can’t speed through it all?” She laughed, but it was strained. So terribly strained.

Thankfully he didn’t make a point of noticing.

“I actually did speed through most of it,” he admitted. “I try not to go too fast, so it doesn’t arouse suspicion, but it’s painful for me to go as slow as I used to. That’s probably not fair, but-”

“No, I get it,” she interjected, grateful to have her mind on something other than him being there with her. Hearing him talk about his day was almost just as good. “This is your normal now, and it has its perks.”

He laughed offhandedly.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So…big workload? Not so much?” She let the question hang, wondering if she was starting to annoy him. She doubted it. He was probably just curious. But she was sounding a little annoying to herself.

“It was about a medium size,” he said slowly. “But like I said, I’ve finished most of it.” He paused a beat. “What are you not telling me, Iris?”

“What?! Nothing!”

Well, that’s not suspicious, Iris.

The silence dragged on, and she knew she was the one who was going to have to end it.

She sighed once more, unable to hold it in.

“I just miss you, Barry.”

A startled silence, then, “You miss me? You just saw me this morning.”

“I know.”

“And I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“I know that too.”

More silence. “You’re sure nothing happened?”

She groaned. “Nothing happened, Barry, I just- Nevermind. I’ll see you later. I’m sorry for- Bye.”

“No, wait- Iris-”

But she hung up on him. And she didn’t answer his next three calls or respond to his five texts.

If he really wanted to get a hold of me, he’d flash home to see what was up, she thought selfishly, and then hated herself for it.

The next time he called, she picked up.

“Bar-”

“Do you want me to come home early?”

She debated her options, how guilty she felt, but still how much she missed him, how much she wanted to hold him in her arms, breathe in his skin, feel his pulse beneath her fingers, the brush of his lips in her hair. Despite how humiliated she’d felt for trying to stifle down her longing for him, she caved to that desire.

“Yes,” she admitted, and his response turned her to goo.

“Why didn’t you just say so, Iris?”

“I-”

“I’ll be right there,” he promised, and all her protests fell silent.

A couple minutes passed, probably enough time for him to convince Singh why he needed to leave early and walk out the door without arousing suspicion.

Then he was in their loft and walking towards her and she was scooching up to her side of the couch to make room for him.

“So, you missed me, huh?” he teased.

“Barry Allen, I swear, if you-”

He leaned across the couch and planted a kiss on her lips. She tried to protest – to what she didn’t know – but he kissed her a couple more times and she abandoned any words to indulge in the sensation.

“I missed you, too,” he said, finally pulling away a bit.

“Yeah?” she asked, draping her arms around his neck.

“Mhmm,” he said, settling himself on the couch and pulling her into his lap. “Got distracted several times today whenever I happened to glance at the photograph of us on my desk and my wedding ring.”

She smiled, imagining both instances. Butterflies fluttered wildly inside her.

“Yeah?” She squirmed a little excitedly.

He chuckled, holding her tight.

“Yeah. How about you? What made you miss me so much?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just…you not being there. I know it’s normal, and I knew you were going to come home before dark, but…I just missed you.”

His expression was more somber now when she met his eyes, and she had a feeling that for at least a moment their minds had both gone to that 2024 article.

“How did you cope?” he asked, his voice going raspy.

She needed to lighten the mood, and asap. She didn’t like thinking of that future far too close for her own liking. She wanted to enjoy him for the time they had, not worry about what was to come.

“I bit my nails,” she said. “And I paced, and I took a shower, and…I tried to cook.” He smiled slowly at that one. “It didn’t work. You’re better than I am.”

He laughed. “I’ll cook tonight. I promise.”

She smiled wryly. “Thanks.”

“So, what else?” he pushed.

“What else what?”

“What else made you miss me?”

She sighed and pulled herself closer to him, resting her forehead on the side of his face.

“Iris?”

“I just missed you next to me, holding me, holding my hands, wrapping yourself around me as we cuddle on the couch or in bed or, I don’t know, standing by the window or in the kitchen, or-” She paused, surprised to feel tears wetting her eyelashes. “I just missed you, Barry.”

He tilted her head up, wiped away the stray tear that managed to make it to her skin.

“You want to cuddle now, Iris?”

Her eyes stayed shut, but she nodded, refusing to let any hesitancy on her part change her mind.

He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her lips, then adjusted them on the couch so he was spooning her from behind, his arm around her waist, their fingers intertwined, his nose in her hair, his breath on her neck, and a blanket covering their forms as the fire blazed before them.

Iris sighed contentedly and she felt him do the same.

“This is nice,” she said, smiling.

She felt safe and warm and loved in his arms. She never wanted to move.

“Best part of my day,” he said, and she knew he was telling the truth.

I love my husband, she thought fondly to herself. I love him. I love him. I love him.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 10 - Fallen For You

A/N: For @barryslightningrod on her bday! I hope you enjoy it, girl! I know you liked the FP!WA dynamic and the possibility that the FP timeline continued after our Barry left, so here’s if he hadn’t left and he’d lost all his memories from his original timeline but he was still more or less the same person and he and Iris still started dating. (Oh, and also Wally didn’t die.)

Enjoy!

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Summary: 3x01 - Canon Divergent - Almost a year after Barry decided not to erase Flashpoint, he takes Iris out for her birthday.

...

Iris West sat at the small table by the window at Jitters and told herself to be patient.

It wasn’t something new, Barry being late. He always made up for it once he got there, and she was sure this time would be no different. She couldn’t help her fingers madly tapping on the table though, or her foot bouncing underneath it, one leg crossed over the other. She was excited. Today was her birthday – her first birthday since she and Barry had gotten together – and he’d told her he was planning something big.

She’d had to work, but she’d rushed home, put on a simple yet fashionable dress and the drop earrings he’d bought for her for Christmas, curled her hair, freshened her make-up, and sat herself down at the same table where she and Barry had their first official date. Since then she’d gone through two regular cups of coffee and a piece of coffee cake. She’d gone to the bathroom twice to make sure her lips were void of all crumbs and reapplied her lipstick. She couldn’t wait to stain his skin with her lip prints. It made him blush a bright pink, especially when she applied it to his forehead.

“Property of Iris West,” she told him the first time she did it. He blushed but did not deny it.

She let her mind wander now to help her with her impatience.

The beginning of her relationship with Barry had been complicated to say the least. He’d literally asked her out during their first meeting – and in the most adorable, nerdy way he possibly could. She’d had guys ask her out on the spot before, and it never made her cave. In fact, she’d started to think of particularly clever ways to reject them. But with Barry…she just couldn’t. And when she went to meet him for their date, she couldn’t stop smiling. And he was smiling right back at her. Her dad’s instant disgust at the idea hadn’t thwarted her in the slightest, and it obviously hadn’t change Barry’s mind either, which she loved.

Some guys got so intimidated by Joe West’s overprotective glare that they decided she wasn’t worth it. Not that it made any sense. She and her dad hadn’t spoken more than two words to each other for years. Over the last few months, Barry had made several attempts to mend that rift, which impressed her further, but for the time being he’d ceased. She was fine with that. It gave them more time to focus on each other, in particular for him to focus on her.

She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. She was a glutton for Barry Allen’s attention. He gave it easily, and she ate it right up. Despite the odd mess of him saying he was a speedster from another timeline, she had found herself drawn to Barry and never once feared that he was crazy. He had actually wound up saving her brother’s life. even if Wally had fallen into a coma for several months before coming to. Plus, in this other timeline the two of them had been in love. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine, since every minute she spent with him she was falling harder and harder.

After a series of crazy events spanning just the couple days after she met him, Barry Allen lost whatever memories he’d claimed to have before. She’d been so concerned for his well-being that she took him to the doctor and informed his parents. Aside from being a little out of it, nobody else appeared overly concerned. So she, along with Mr. Ramon, Dr. Snow, her brother, and herself swept it under the rug. It was not as if Barry could explain himself. He no longer remembered anything he’d told them before the incident that nearly took Wally’s life.

Sometimes it bothered her, what those first couple days all meant. But she still found him to be very similar to the person she’d just started to know. And she still felt a pull towards him. He was a little less confident than he’d been before, but after she hesitantly initiated a few dates – and their first kiss – his confidence grew until it was nearly boundless. He made her feel so alive and so wanted that she stopped thinking about those first couple days and what it all meant.

He had warned her what was happening before all the memories faded and told her he hoped she still felt the same about him when they finally went, because he was 100% certain he would still feel the same way about her. In every timeline, in every version of reality, of himself and her, he was positive he would love her and that they would belong together.

Quite a thing to say to a girl he’d just met. But she supposed for him, they hadn’t just met. They’d known each other for decades, had been best friends and then were on the brink of being lovers. And those precious memories had been on death’s door for him.

She remembered asking him why he’d want to lose those memories when he could keep them, and he’d told her it wasn’t that he wanted to lose them, but he was willing to sacrifice them if it meant keeping all that he’d gained – his parents, her, a life of peace and just being normal.

She didn’t know what he meant by all that, but he didn’t have time to explain – and maybe she wouldn’t have fully understood if he’d tried – before the memories disappeared entirely. He was a little panicky at first, because he couldn’t remember anything. Not his own name or who she was or what he was doing on the steps of a house he didn’t recognize. But after a few days, memories started to surface. He remembered everything he’d told her that had seemed strange. He remembered being a speedster, but he couldn’t remember why or how he’d been able to do those things. She’d reassured him that as long as he was okay now, they didn’t have to talk about it. He’d taken her up on that offer.

Now, eight months since the day he’d awkwardly shown up, Barry Allen was late to her birthday date. Or maybe she was early? It suddenly didn’t matter, because the door swung open, and in walked her boyfriend, looking nicer than usual and actually pretty nervous.

She waved to get his attention and the corner of his lips twitched in a smile.

What has gotten into him? She wondered, but stood up and joined him halfway across the shop anyway.

“Hey,” she murmured after pulling him down for a sweet birthday day kiss. “Nice of you to show up.”

He grimaced. “I deserve that. I’m sorry, Iris.”

“It’s okay. I was just teasing anyway.” Still holding onto his lapels, she pulled him down to her for another kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She felt the tension leave his shoulders.

“I’m glad too,” he said, then pulled a small bouquet around from behind his back. It was filled with irises and some baby’s breath. The greenery fanned out the flowers in an attractive, beautiful way. “I know the irises are cheesy, but it felt fitting for your birthday.”

Her eyes sparkled as she took the bouquet from his hands. She lowered her face to inhale the scent and felt a warmth spread all the way to her toes at the sweet fragrance.

“Thank you, Barry,” she said when she lifted her head. “I love them.”

A smile spread across his face, his dimples making her weak in the knees as he offered his arm to her and they walked out of Jitters to stroll down the street.

“Where are we going?” she asked when they were halfway down the block. She didn’t really care all that much, but she was a little bit curious. “The park? The lake? Your new apartment?”

She heard his breath hitch when her voice lowered on the last suggestion. She loved when he got flustered, and he got especially flustered whenever she hinted at their sex life in even the slightest way, which often took place in his new apartment since he’d gotten it a month ago.

“Ah, none of the above actually,” he said.

“No?” She pouted.

“Don’t worry.” He grinned, fully recovered. “You’ll like it.”

She didn’t doubt it.

Barry hailed a cab, quietly gave instructions to the driver, and within a matter of minutes – which went by fast with Iris’ head on Barry’s shoulder in the back seat, their fingers intertwined – they’d arrived at their destination.

“What’s this?” she asked, but Barry only smiled in silence.

They stepped inside the average looking building downtown, only to ride the elevator up to the tenth floor and find themselves on a rooftop café overlooking the city and the lake in the distance.

Iris gasped.

“Barry.”

She turned to look at him, clutching at his jacket sleeve.

“You remembered.”

He shrugged innocently and nodded to the waiter who quickly guided them to their seats.

“Of course I remembered,” he said.

In an old journal of her mother’s she’d found in the attic in high school, there had been detailed the first date Francine had been on with Iris’ father, Joe West. Her father had never taken her, though she’d begged and pleaded. She hadn’t told him why the sudden interest, but he had probably suspected. Either that or he didn’t want to relive the memory of when he’d last been there, or a significant time in which he had.

“It’s too expensive, Iris,” he’d said as an excuse, but he’d never made an exception for any birthday or graduation, either from high school or college.

She gave up asking after a while, but apparently it was never far from her mind, because she’d offhandedly mentioned it to Barry on their first date – and he’d remembered.

“You’re a better man than my father is, Barry,” she said, lifting a glass of the white wine poured to toast to her marvelous boyfriend.

“How about we toast to you instead,” he suggested. “It is your birthday after all.”

She smirked. It was ever so Barry-like to avoid directly putting blame on Joe West for the estrangement between father and daughter. But he didn’t put it on her either, so she let it slide.

“All right, what about me, Barry Allen?” she teased, leaning in. “What’s so great about Iris West?”

She could think of a million things she was proud of about herself, but she liked to hear him flatter her, and she liked to reward him later for his efforts by pleasuring them both.

He smiled sensually, and she was instantly turned to goo.

“What’s not to like?” he asked. Lifting his own glass, he continued, “Iris West is beautiful, stunning, smart, talented, a vision in that creamy number she’s got on right now-” If she could blush, she would. “And I’m the luckiest man in the world to have fallen in love with her.”

Her heart nearly stopped. All the oxygen inside her instantly escaped her lungs.

“You… You love me?”

Because, yeah, it was the first time he’d said it.

He smiled softly at her.

“You don’t have to say it back, Iris. I’ve just been waiting to say it for a while, and I thought your birthday would be the perfect occasion.” He lifted his glass up further, intending to meet hers halfway, but hers lowered, and he frowned worriedly. “Iris? Is it…too soon? I didn’t mean to ruin-”

“Too soon?” she asked, shock and he couldn’t tell what else plain on her face. “It’s been eight months, Barry.”

He lowered his glass, unsure where this was going.

Iris set hers on the table and got to her feet, walking over to him and pulling him to his, or at least far enough so they were at eye-level.

“Iris, I-”

And she kissed him.

“I love you, too, Barry Allen.”

He melted, pulling her upright with him.

“Yeah?” He stroked her cheek.

She was dazzled by the green in his eyes and the tenderness in his touch. She was so, so in love.

“Yeah.”

They came together for another kiss and smiled shamelessly.

Iris heard people whispering for a nearby table, wondering if a proposal had just happened and unsure if they should clap – they hadn’t seen Barry going down on one knee or a ring being exchanged anywhere. So, she figured they should sit back down, let Barry finish with his toast and continue with their romantic dinner.

Besides, she was nowhere near ready to say yes to an engagement ring.

But a confession of love from the man she’d been falling for the past several months?

That was pretty much the perfect birthday gift.

Happy Birthday to me.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 15 - The Smallest Thing

A/N: Changed the title from ‘spontaneous kiss’ since I already had the title ‘fateful kiss’ from another recent fic. I think this one still works. I like it. Heh. Anyways, enjoy another coffee date-ish AU!

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

She was late.

She slept through her alarm. She forgot her car keys. She took a cab that got stuck in traffic, and now she was late for her interview. Her third interview of that week, because she kept calling in to cancel, and she’d just gotten lucky that her dad had connections and these potential employers were patient enough to keep rescheduling interviews for her.

Resigned to the inevitable, she pulled out her phone.

“Hi, my name is Iris West. I have an interview today with-”

“I know who you are, Ms. West. We spoke yesterday.”

She winced. “Right. I don’t suppose you’d mind telling-”

“Will you be cancelling your interview?”

She didn’t bother being offended, in her mind or what she said.

I’m stuck in traffic… I overslept… Something came up…

All excuses. The secretary didn’t care for that. All she needed was a yes or no.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Would you like to reschedule?”

She thought about whatever polite thing she could have said. Nothing that she hadn’t before. She needed this job. Or at the very least she needed a job. She’d been unemployed for far too long, and her brother no doubt had grown tired of her sleeping on his couch. But she already had a bad track record with rescheduling countless interviews. What was the likelihood of getting this job even if she was the most qualified person they interviewed?

“Ms.?”

“Yes,” she said, resurfacing back to the phone conversation. “I mean, no. No thank you.”

“You would not like to come in for an interview then, Ms. West?”

She inhaled silently and counted to three.

“No. I’ve found employment elsewhere. Please thank your employer for me.”

The stunned silence was surprising, but she didn’t stop to think about it. She hung up the phone and shook off the tsk’ing voice in her head.

You are such a liar.

“I’ll get off here,” she told the cab driver. He put his foot on the break, though he couldn’t have been going faster than 15 miles an hour for the past ten minutes.

Iris got out of the car, handed the driver his requested fee, and took off down the block.

What are you doing, Iris? You’re crazy. Call back. Say you made a mistake. You need that job.

With some effort of will, she stuffed those anxious thoughts down and stepped into the first coffee shop she saw two blocks down on the corner. Surprisingly it wasn’t that busy, and the scent of coffee and pastries was heavenly. She stopped just inside, closed her eyes, and inhaled the aroma. When she opened her eyes, the barista behind the counter was smiling at her.

“It’s been a day already, hasn’t it?”

She didn’t know how to take that. Some part of her thought she should be offended. Who did this cute, smiley barista think he was? He worked at a coffee shop.

At least he has a job, Iris.

“Mhmm,” she said, finding herself relaxing under his warm green-eyed gaze.

She took a step closer, eyeing the menu.

“Looking for anything in particular?” he asked when she seemed torn.

“Mmm…I’m not sure. It’s…been a day, like you said.” She tried to laugh it off. “Something that makes me relax but doesn’t make me fall asleep?”

His eyes crinkled in a boyish grin that made her heart speed up.

It’s been too long since you’ve been out on a date.

“I think I’ve got just the thing,” he said.

She smiled, pulling out her wallet.

“And how much for this magical drink?” she teased lightly.

“Oh, no, it’s on me.”

Her hand stilled, and she looked up at him, surprised.

“I insist,” he said. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

She blew out a gust of wind.

“Well, all right then. If you insist.”

“I do.” His pearly whites shone. “Can I get your name?”

“Iris.”

“Iris. That’s a pretty one.”

She felt her face grow hot.

It’s a compliment, Iris. One you’ve heard too many times before. Get a hold of yourself.

“Thanks.” She slid onto a stool at the end of the counter and instinctively asked, “What’s yours?”

He turned towards her and lifted his badge to show her. She squinted as she leaned forward to look.

“Barry?”

“Yep. The name my parents gave me.”

She laughed. “It’s a good one.”

“Thanks,” he said cheerfully and resumed making her drink.

A few short minutes later, he had crafted her a hot, caffeinated drink and snatched her a blueberry scone.

“There you go, Iris. Give your drink a taste.”

She did as she was told, hesitant in case it would burn her tongue. She was surprised to find out it didn’t. The taste of caramel, vanilla, chocolate and coffee sent her senses into a delighted whirr that also soothed her already bad morning.

“What’s the verdict?”

“It’s amazing,” she said, then wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What’s it called?”

“This one?” She nodded. “An Iris.”

Her eyes bulged. “Seriously?”

He laughed. “Just made it up now.”

“That’s why it didn’t cost anything? Because it wasn’t on the menu?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been dabbling in new mixed drinks lately, non-alcoholic ones. I thought I’d give it a try at work first.” He leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t tell my boss.”

She grinned. “You have my word.”

He smiled, and she slid off her stool, preparing to leave.

“Have a nice day!” he called out to her when her hand was on the door handle.

And she almost said, ‘thank you’. She almost said her thanks and walked right out of there back onto the street.

But where would she go? What would she do? Grovel? Brood?

She returned to the counter.

“Back for more?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Are you hiring?” she asked, no pretense.

His mouth fell open. “Um…I could ask…”

“If you’re hiring and I apply, could I use you as a reference?”

“Uh, well-”

“Because my day, the last couple weeks have just been awful for me, but today – you – have just, well, you’ve made things better. And…” She licked her lips. “I’d really like to see you again.”

He smiled slowly and leaned across the counter.

“I can ask my boss if we’re hiring, but…” He pulled a pen and piece of paper out of his apron pocket and wrote something on the paper, then slid it over to her. “Here’s my number. Put it in your phone and give me a call. I’ll make sure we see each other again.”

She felt hot again, but she wasted no time not only taking the little slip of paper but also tearing it in half to write down her own name and number and sliding it back. Their hands touched as she made the exchange, and she latched her hand onto the collar of his polo shirt and pulled him to her, planting a kiss on his lips.

He didn’t look as startled as she thought he might when she pulled away, and an easy smile was quick to follow.

“How about you call me first?” she suggested, then took a step back and walked out of the shop.

And okay, yeah, maybe she didn’t go far, and maybe she texted to ask when he got off, and maybe she was there to meet him at the door, and maybe she totally, really loved that he was happy to see her.

“I thought you wanted me to call you first,” he teased.

“Are you complaining?” she looked up at him, her doe eyes clearly doing a number on him.

He brushed his thumb along her jaw and leaned down to kiss her again.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 16 - Better Than Christmas

A/N: Can you say...pre-series (the year before PAE in my personal headcanon of this fic) love confession on Christmas that reminds me an awful lot of @wintertruffles‘ fic that she wrote for me last year for the WA Secret Santa exchange, but I swear only has a couple similarities and the rest is very different? I never get enough of this premise. I hope you enjoy my take! Almost 4k words b/c this thing took on a life of its own, and I LOVE IT.

Enjoy!

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Iris’ warmth beside him was ecstasy. Her wool sweater with the penguins playing in the snow with winter hats combined with her red sweatpants and fuzzy socks made him think of home and happiness. Sitting with her on the couch, looking up at the Christmas tree with its blinking lights and dozens of ornaments, a few professionally wrapped presents under the tree, and the smell of eggnog in the air as the fire blazed, effectively shutting out the cold. Joe wore a scarf anyway and two layers. Barry wore his typical big red sweater that Iris loved to snuggle into. And God, if Barry didn’t just love Christmas time because of all of those things.

But he wasn’t next to Iris on the couch admiring the beautifully decorated Christmas tree right now. He was in the kitchen baking Christmas cookie with Joe because Iris’ specialty was decorating the tree – and also, her talent in the kitchen was lacking unless it came down to slicing and dicing, which to her credit, she was great at.

Every so often Barry would peak out into the living room and watch her decorate the tree. He’d taken care of the lights and the garland. She would always beg him to help her put up the ornaments with her, but she also wanted him to bake cookies for her and so he was doing the latter as fast as he possibly could. Still, he yearned to see her. He always liked seeing her. She was beautiful, and he was in love with her.

“Hey. Bear.” Joe walked over to him, though he didn’t notice until the man was waving his hand in front of his face. “Earth to Barry?”

Barry blinked, blushed a bright pink and cleared his throat, ducking back into the kitchen just as Iris was turning to quizzically look at them.

“I, uh, I thought we were done, Joe.”

Joe eyed him suspiciously, and Barry wondered if he knew. He’d been careful not to show his feelings for Iris too openly. She’d never guessed, so he assumed no one else had either.

“With one tray, Bear. We have four more to go.”

Barry looked over to the counter and the bare cookie trays spread across it.

“Oh. Right. Sorry, I must’ve just-”

“Son, are you ever going to tell her how you feel?”

Barry’s face went white as a sheet.

“I…um…what?” his voice rasped.

Joe barely suppressed rolling his eyes. He did lower his voice though.

“I know you’re in love with my daughter.”

“What?” Barry’s voice squeaked.

“I’ve known it for a long time, and I approve.”

“Y-you do?”

“Are you kidding me? Who else better to take care of her than the boy I raised, the only man I know who comes close to loving her as much as I do and treating her like the goddess she is?”

Well, she is one, Barry thought to himself.

“There’s no one else I will ever trust her with as much as I trust you.”

“Joe, this is a lot…to take in.”

So much so that he was feeling the need to sit down, and quickly.

Not only had he failed hiding his feelings from Joe, but Joe was eager to get him and Iris together. It was reassuring to know he wouldn’t have to win him over and that at least one person thought he was worthy of Iris as a romantic partner, but it still was happening faster and more suddenly than he’d ever expected it to. Truth be told, he hadn’t expected it to happen at all. Actually obtaining Iris’ affection seemed like a far off dream that would never come true. He certainly never expected anyone to encourage that goal, let alone Joe, Iris’ father and the man who had raised him since he was eleven.

“Look, I’m not trying to overwhelm you, Barry,” Joe said, coming to stand next to where he was leaning against the counter. “I just…I’ve seen how you felt about her since you came to live with us, since before you knew what the word ‘love’ meant.”

Reluctantly, Barry looked up into his eyes.

“And I’m telling you, she has no idea how you feel.”

Barry wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and rubbed the skin there – a nervous habit.

“I…I know,” he said, nearly a muttered breath.

“You have to tell her.”

His eyes flashed back to Joe’s.

“W-What? Joe, no. She won’t- She doesn’t feel-”

“She does.”

A scoff spilled past his lips.

“You can’t know that, Joe. I mean, has she said that she does?”

“No. But-” Barry shook his head indignantly, but Joe continued, determined. “She might not know her own feelings, but she will if you tell her yours.”

“Joe, no. That doesn’t make any-”

“Just tell her how you feel.”

“No!” His voice escalated unknowingly. “I’m not going to risk our friendship over feelings she might or might not have.”

“Is everything all right in there?” Iris called out, and Barry reigned in his temper.

He knew Joe had good intentions, but what he was asking of him was absolutely ridiculous. It just wasn’t that simple. If Iris hadn’t shown interest in him all the years they’d lived together, him telling her how he felt now wasn’t going to change that.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Are you suuu-” She came to a stop in the doorway and instantly felt the testosterone coming off both men in waves.

“Yep,” Barry said, forcing a smile onto his face. “I just wanted to come help you decorate the tree and your dad insisted I stay in here to bake cookies.”

Iris looked relieved. Barry didn’t know if she believed his excuse, but it didn’t matter. She was going to let it slide, and she was going to get him out of the kitchen. He knew even before she reached for his hand and pulled him toward her that was what was going to happen.

“Give Barry a break, Dad.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can handle the rest of the cookies by yourself.”

Taking the lead from his pseudo-son, Joe’s face had smoothed over and his frustrated eagerness cooled to more manageable degrees.

“You’re right. Of course. You two have fun.”

Barry didn’t dare look behind him as he and Iris left the kitchen. He could feel Joe glaring a hole into the back of his head.

…

Half an hour later, the tree was fully decorated – well, except for the star. But Joe would put that on later just before dinner. It was their tradition every year, and there was something very comfortable about tradition. It felt safe. It was nice.

Iris plopped down beside Barry on the couch, snuggling close. He tried to relax into her, but his conversation with Joe in the kitchen kept going on repeat in his mind. He hated that it had happened because it was ruining a moment he would’ve otherwise indulged in. If this was the only way he could have Iris, he would take it. It was great. It felt almost perfect.

Is almost enough for you? After what Joe told you?

But Joe was only guessing. He wanted them to be together, so he made himself believe they had mutual feelings for each other. That wasn’t the same thing as actually having mutual feelings.

He guessed you had feelings, though.

Barry ignored that line of thought.

“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Iris said, starry-eyed as she stared up at their masterpiece.

Barry wrapped his arm around her, forcing Joe’s words out of his mind. He was going to enjoy this moment. It only came once a year.

“You did a great job, Iris.”

She snorted and poked his chest with his finger.

“We did a great job.” She continued before he could insist otherwise. “Only half the tree would be decorated if you hadn’t helped me, and you know it.”

He smiled slowly. “I guess my height does come in handy.”

She sat up enough to turn and face him.

“You come in handy, Bear. I won’t have you saying otherwise.”

Oh my God, she’s so close.

Maybe she wasn’t really. Maybe it just felt that way. But everything inside him was aching to kiss her.

Don’t do it. It will change everything. And not for the better.

That voice was annoying, but it was also probably true. He knew he needed to listen to it or he might very well ruin Christmas for both of them. The awkward tension next Christmas if he caused that now just might kill him.

“You have really pretty eyes, Bear. Did I ever tell you that?” she asked, sifting her fingers through his hair.

God, she was going to kill him. She was so touchy-feely with him, so handsy, and so innocent about it. It nearly drove him crazy. If she only knew.

Well, she won’t know unless you tell her. He heard the words in Joe’s voice in his head and knew they were true too.

And therein lie his dilemma.

“Not recently,” he teased, needing to lighten the moment before he went insane, before he got a hard-on with their knees touching, her thighs pressed against his, and her cinnamon fragrance absolutely intoxicating.

“Well, they are,” she continued, unthwarted and completely unaware. “Sometimes I wish I had them.”

He gawked at that.

“W-why? Your eyes are so pretty, Iris. They’re beautiful. I’ve never seen such beautiful eyes.”

He was babbling now, but he didn’t care. How Iris could ever think she was anything but the most beautiful was a mystery to him.

Her eyes twinkled in amusement though, and he knew he’d gone a bit overboard.

“All right, if you insist,” she said, and fixed his hair so it was as it had been before she’d started playing with it. Then she repositioned herself so she was snuggled up against him again, this time with her arm looped through his.

He didn’t know how he suppressed a sigh honestly, but when Joe came in a while later, Barry saw the look on his face and felt the pressure. Joe wanted him to tell her so bad. He didn’t know why the urgency had come on so suddenly, but he knew he was going to be feeling it until he told her. Maybe Joe thought Christmas would be the perfect time to tell? Regardless, he did feel guilty about snapping at the man. So later when Iris was asleep against him and most of the cookies had been eaten, and it was just Joe and Barry watching the Christmas tree and listening to the fire crackle, Barry spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Joe,” he said quietly. “About before. I didn’t mean to-”

“I know,” Joe said, and Barry had a feeling he did. “I was wrong to push. I just want you – both of you – to be happy.”

“We are happy, Joe.”

“Not as happy as you could be.”

Barry opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“Look, if you’re not ready to tell her, I won’t push anymore. But please think about it. Maybe it wouldn’t work out, but I really think that it would. I think you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.”

Barry didn’t say anything, but he nodded. Then he looked down at his sleeping Iris and wondered hard. He still felt very strongly about everything he had said before, but in this gentler setting, a flicker of hope came to life inside him, and he wondered if it was possible that Joe could be right.

“I’m going to bed,” Joe said a while later, and came to press a kiss to his drowsy daughter’s face.

“Mm, what? No…Dad-” Iris protested, reaching for him.

“I’ll see you in the morning, baby girl.”

Her arms fell short and she murmured an ‘I love you’ and an ‘okay’, snuggling back into Barry and drifting back to sleep, her hand clutching his warm, red sweater.

Barry and Joe’s eyes met once more before Joe left. A nod, an understanding, and a ‘Merry Christmas’ passing their lips, even if it wasn’t quite midnight.

Barry fell asleep once for about forty-five minutes before coming to again. Iris was still sleeping against him, and he decided that maybe she might regret the arrangement if her back was out-of-sorts in the morning.

“Hey, Iris.” He gently shook her when she didn’t so much as budge. “Iris.”

She moaned a little. “Mmm, no, let me sleeeeeep,” she whined, then sighed contently against him and snuggled closer, the side of face fully pressed into his chest.

Of their own accord, Barry’s fingers tangled in her hair.

“It’s late, Iris.”

“It’s Christmas, Barry.”

“You’ll thank me in the morning after you’ve slept in your own bed,” he said, more firmly this time.

Reluctantly Iris roused herself and lifted her body off his.

“Why are you so eager to get rid of me, huh?”

His eyes widened. “Iris, I’m not. I’m just-”

“I know, I know. Doing what’s best for me like you always do.” She sighed, getting to her feet, running a hand through her hair and straightening out her clothing so she wouldn’t be walking with her seams sideways or her socks slipping off.

“Iris-” he tried, but she waved him off.

“It’s okay, Barry, you’re right.” She yawned. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He wanted to go after her. He should have gone after her. It was the perfect mood, the perfect lighting. And on Christmas Eve? What better time to risk it all, to risk every Christmas after this one if she really did feel the same?

But she was so tired. It probably wasn’t the ideal time to be making confessions of love.

So, he let her go, and he told himself he should go too. But as luck would have it, he ended up being too tired himself. He pulled a blanket off the top of the couch over him and fell asleep in the light of the Christmas tree.

…

The next morning when Iris came down the stairs, she was struck by the sight of Barry sleeping on the couch. She shook her head at his sleeping form, doing what he’d insisted she shouldn’t do.

Unbelievable.

She knew she should leave him, despite his hypocrisy. But she couldn’t help it. She went and sat on the floor in front of the couch and trailed her fingers up his arm hanging over the side of the couch.

“The itsy bitsy spider…”

“I love you, Iris,” Barry mumbled in his sleep.

Iris chuckled to herself.

“I love you, too, Bear. Even if you are a bit of hypocrite.”

“I love you so much. Kiss me.”

His lips parted, and Iris’ eyes widened. Barry’s eyes were still shut, so he had to still be dreaming. She wondered what he could possibly be dreaming about. The thought suddenly occurred to her that he might be having a wet dream. About her. Her body’s first reaction to that possibility was to get hot all over, and for her a dampness to gather between her legs.

Iris tightly pushed her thighs together, willing the sensation to go away.

That’s weird, Iris. He’s your best friend. You can’t- No. Stop it.

But he really was very handsome – hot, some people might say. Girls in her class, for instance. She remembered feeling some type of way when they would giggle and talk amongst themselves about Barry whenever he would come to meet up with Iris between classes at CCU. At the time she’d decided they were mean girls, unworthy of her best friend, just like Becky Cooper.

But now she wondered… Was it jealousy?

She tried to stomp down the feeling, but she couldn’t ignore what she’d felt last night either. For the longest time she stared into his eyes. It felt like an eternity. And she could’ve sworn he wanted to kiss her. She’d stretched out the moment deliberately just to see if he would. The fact that he hadn’t should’ve proved to her that her suspicions he might like her were wrong, just as they had been her entire life. Surely he would’ve made a move by now if he was actually interested.

And there was nothing wrong with him not being interested. She certainly wouldn’t want to ruin their friendship. The only person she depended on more than Barry was her dad, and even that was pretty much tied.

No, it was probably better to let this slide and ignore whatever Barry might be saying or doing that could be interpreted differently than what was obvious to the naked eye.

Barry’s eyes blinked open. Hazy with sleep, Barry’s voice was husky. It turned Iris on. There was no getting around that.

“I-Iris?”

She smiled slowly, shoving down the feeling.

“It’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“Huh?” His brows furrowed, confused, not registering what she was implying.

He’s so darn cute.

“Telling me to get off my butt and sleep in my own bed and then proceeding to sleep on the couch yourself?”

He was silent for a moment, then, “Oh.”

She rolled her eyes.

“And not only that, but before you woke up just now, you were mumbling in your sleep.”

That seemed to wake him right up.

“What did I say?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, though her cheeks felt hot as coals.

“Oh, you know, just the usual…that you love me sooo much.”

He swallowed hard. “Yeah?”

“And that you want me to kiss you.”

She met his eyes. Her mouth suddenly felt so dry. She couldn’t look away from him if she tried. His stare was so intense she thought she’d die if she looked away.

Was he gonna kiss her? Was he gonna kiss her? She thought she’d die if he didn’t.

She didn’t want to speak, didn’t want to break this crystalline, fragile moment, but his name slipped past her lips anyway. Or, at least it started to.

“Bar-”

He leaned over the edge of the couch, most of his body still level enough that he didn’t fall off. And Iris was close enough that he didn’t have to lean far. He didn’t hesitate once he reached her, not for a single moment, and Iris wondered if he’d wanted to do this for a while. If he’d dreamt about it.

His lips were warm and soft against hers. The pressure was sweet and made her feel all tingly. It was the simplest of kisses, but she let him pull back, so he could say something if he wanted to, even though every part of her wanted to grab his face and devour him.

“I do love you, Iris,” he said softly. “I’ve loved you for…so long. And I haven’t told you because-”

“I know,” she said, nodding. “I understand.”

“What about…” he trailed off, then licked his lips. “What about you?”

Iris thought about it, wondered what she truly felt. She certainly loved him like family, though she’d never really thought of him as family, certainly not in a way that would make her see him as her brother or cousin or any other kind of relative. She’d never thought that. But she felt safe with him and protective of him. She enjoyed spending time with him, and she liked touching him a lot. And right now, there were few other things she wanted than to make out with him right here by the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

“Iris?”

She smiled tentatively, then draped her arm around his neck.

“I think I love you, too, Bear.”

Her small, pretty smile was nothing compared to the thousand-watt one that spread across his face.

“Yeah?” he asked, his eyes bright with happiness. He was so very awake now.

“Yeah,” she giggled, then scooted closer and kissed him again and again and again.

By the time Joe came downstairs sometime later, Barry was sitting up on the couch and Iris was straddling him, kissing him with a fury that stole his breath. And Joe West groaned, causing them to break away.

“Dad!” Iris shrieked, but Barry said nothing, a lazy grin on his face he couldn’t suppress.

“Well, I guess you told her,” Joe said on a sigh.

Iris’ jaw dropped. “You knew?”

He ignored her. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, Barry Allen-”

“You told me once,” Barry retorted, to which Joe shrugged and headed back towards the stairs.

“Wait, Dad! You don’t have to-” She tried to climb off Barry’s lap, but he sensed the movement and held her in place, making her brace her hands on the top of the couch, startled.

“I really think I do,” Joe said, continuing up the steps. “I’m still tired anyway.”

When they heard his bedroom door shut behind him, Iris turned back to Barry and playfully smacked him.

“I can’t believe you!” she giggled.

He only grinned. “You’re beautiful in the morning, you know that?” He tucked a lock behind her ear, then sunk his fingers into her hair.

Iris shivered beneath his touch. “Only in the morning, Barry Allen?”

“No,” he said and pulled her closer, nuzzling her nose before stealing a kiss. “All the time. Always. You’re always beautiful.”

One kiss after another. Iris sunk into each and every one of them.

“I have a Christmas present for you.” She tried to pull away.

“I like this one,” he said, pulling her in for another kiss.

“I’ll do you one better,” she said, leaning back enough so they’d tumble to the floor if he tried to lean forward.

“What’s that?” he asked, resigned to whatever fate she’d decided to deliver him.

The question sounded simple enough in her mind, and she knew he’d say yes. She was just suddenly very nervous to ask it. Would he tease her? Would she tell her she was being silly?

“Iris?” he asked, concerned, breaking through her self-doubt, and she knew she was being silly. Silly to doubt him ever.

“Will you be my boyfriend, Barry?”

His literal gasp followed by the look of awestruck wonder in his eyes, the unshed tears of a boy in love staring straight at her like she was the reason science made sense.

“You have to ask?” he rasped, and she knew right then she loved him.

She loved him. She loved him. She loved him.

She kissed him hard – but just barely because she was smiling so much.

“I’m so excited, Barry. So happy. This is the best Christmas gift ever.”

Her eyes dazzled when she pulled away, and he was smiling so bright he looked like he might burst.

“Not as happy as I am, Iris,” then stole another kiss. “Not by a long shot.”

And they kissed a while longer as dawn crept into day and sun shone through the front window. And after a while Barry made pancakes and Iris stared dreamily at him as he did.

“My boyfriend, the cook,” she said, not realizing until he turned to look at her that she’d said it out loud. She was too embarrassed to take it back. And the smirk he sent her way melted her insides.

He finished up their breakfast and delivered it to her. Her eyes lit up at the display of deliciously smelling food, but before she could dive in, he tipped her chin up, leaned down and kissed her.

“Better than pancakes,” she murmured against his lips.

“Better than Christmas,” he countered.

She didn’t disagree.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 19 - A Day in the Life

A/N: I changed the title so it wouldn’t be repetitive with the synopsis. It also allows this to be a multi-chap potentially in the future of different scenarios of WA being cute parents in love. Enjoy this installment for now.

Dedication: @tooold-toship​ - a little late since her birthday was on Christmas Eve, but here you go, hun! Enjoy!

(*Many thanks to @jade4813 who let me borrow the bit about Don and Nora getting their speed gradually as children instead of immediately when they were born as inspiration for my fic - I thought it was so genius when I saw it incorporated in the fic she wrote for me that I decided to write a variation of that in my own gift for someone else.)

*Big thank you to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Synopsis: Barry and Iris help prepare their five-year-old twins for their Christmas Dance recital.

...

It was Saturday.

Iris knew this instinctively, even in that place between sleeping and waking.

Her alarm had not gone off. She was aware of the warmth of the comforter surrounding her, and the quiet pitter-patter of rain drops on her bedroom window was easily lulling her towards the sleep end of the spectrum.

At a time like this, few things could successfully knock her out like cuddling up to her husband and feeling his arms wrapped around her. She reached across the bed for him, eager to take the last step into unconscious bliss, but instead her hand came into contact with bare sheets. They weren’t particularly warm either. The sudden bang coming from downstairs in addition to some shushing made her eyes flash open and her body snap up to a sitting position. But the following whispered words that somehow rose to their bedroom informed her there was no cause for alarm.

“Shh, Mommy’s still sleeping.”

Oh, that’s right. She was a mother of two, and today was their Christmas recital.

Reluctantly, she tossed the comforter and sheets aside and slipped into some fuzzy slippers. Then she pulled on her robe, tied it into a double knot and proceeded to descend down the staircase.

“Okay, one more time, guys, then Daddy will make breakfast. A one, a two, a one-two-three-four-”

Iris watched as Barry at first initiated and then silently backed away to leave their twins doing an impressive dance number in a neat line in front of the dining table.

Iris couldn’t help herself. She clapped enthusiastically from the bottom of the staircase after they’d finished.

“Mommy!” The twins both gasped, looking straight at her, horrified and then sheepishly away. “Daddy, we’re-”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, kids,” Barry said, coming up from behind them and tousling their hair affectionately. “I’m sure it was your mom missing me in bed that woke her up and not  Donny losing his footing and accidentally pushing the couch over, knocking the table down and sending the lamp crashing to the floor,” he said, but it was all in amusement and not scolding, even if Don blushed fiercely at the reminder. “Right, honey?” He winked.

But Iris’ planned playful response vanished from her mind at the mention of ‘crashing to the floor’. Her eyes immediately sought out the evidence of said crash. There were some scrapes on the floor from the couch moving and the table toppling over, but just about everything else looked to be okay. The lamp was set against the far wall though. Iris pointed at it and looked at Barry.

“The bulb shattered,” Barry explained. “We can pick up some more when we’re out later today, I think.”

Don’s face was downcast.

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay,” Barry assured. “Accidents happen. When I was your age, I was knocking things over all the time! Isn’t that right, Iris?”

But Iris had a single eyebrow raised.

“When you were his age, Bear? Honey, you still do that.” She crouched down so she was at eye-level with her twins. “You guys have seen Dad play baseball, right?” She cringed, and the twins followed suit.

Barry almost mentioned cooking. He was incredibly close to pointing out how at least he could cook. But he figured he could swallow his ego for the sake of the adorable moment unfolding right now with his little family. So, instead he laughed, indulging them.

“All right, guys, why don’t I make us all some pancakes? Enough excitement for one morning anyway.”

“Yaaay!” the twins cheered, and Iris smiled.

“Come on, guys, you can help me set the table while Dad starts breakfast.”

Eagerly the five-year-olds trailed after their mother into the kitchen and handled the plastic plates and cups with care on their way to the dining table. Iris stopped to give her husband an appraising look from head-to-toe. He locked eyes with her, knowing what that look was for. His woman was undressing him with her eyes and forcing him to redirect his thoughts lest he develop a boner in front of their children.

Iris’ latest kink had been seeing her husband be such a Dad with their adorable children. He only wished they could squeeze in some alone time before they took off for the recital that evening. He muttered something incoherent after she left, trying to suppress the semi-arousal when her lofty giggle reached his ears, setting off a series of delicious sensations.

“Daddy, hurry up! We’re hungry!”

He cleared his throat and shook himself out of it.

“Coming right up, Princess,” he responded, enacting his super speed to make this breakfast a speedier one. The giggle from his daughter successfully redirected his thoughts, and for the morning at least, he didn’t have to worry about that type of embarrassment unfolding.

…

After a day of some playtime and a few more practice rounds, Barry and Iris prepared their kids for the concert and headed over to the lavish ballroom in downtown Central City. Iris was particularly fussy over their kids’ appearances, but the two pristine looking five-year-olds pushed her away when they spotted their teacher near the entrance.

“They look great, Mrs. West-Allen,” their teacher assured her, and Iris felt a twinge of embarrassment for herself mixed with pride in her darling children.

“Thanks, Mrs. Beesly.”

The woman nodded and took a hand from each of the children in her own, heading behind the curtain and down the long hall to where the rest of the participants were located.

“C’mon, Iris,” Barry urged, brushing her elbow. “Let’s go find our seats.”

She shook off her nerves at leaving her babies and focused instead on her husband, who was looking incredibly sexy and looking at her much the same way she had looked at him that morning.

“Are you sure that’s all you want to do, Mr. Allen?” she asked sultrily, sidling up to him.

He chuckled but made a mentally ordered his lower regions to calm down.

“That’s all we can do right now, Mrs. West-Allen,” he said into her ear. “Unless you want to miss out on our kids’ amazing dance routine during the opening act?”

She sighed regretfully. “I suppose you are right.” She drew her finger down his shirt till right above his belly button, retracting it when she heard him suck in a breath of air suddenly. “Let’s find our seats then.” She patted his chest and headed for the concert hall, swaying her hips slightly as she did so.

“That’s deliberate,” he muttered under his breath and followed her to their seats.

…

Despite the oozing sexual tension between the Allen and West-Allen respectively, all of that faded away when they saw their kids on stage. The other kids performed very well of course, but there was nothing quite like seeing Don and Nora West-Allen dressed as fashionably as their mother and performing as naturally as their father. They blew the crowd away and had their parents gushing.

Iris clapped enthusiastically both times they performed, and after the last hit of the night, there was a standing ovation. Iris had to keep herself from running up to the stage after the encore and handing each of her children a brilliant red rose and a bag of cookies.

“You both did so amazing!” she fawned. Barry repeated the sentiment.

“Yeah?” Don asked, his eyes alight with wonder.

“We did?!” Nora squealed, jumping up a bit on her toes.

“You were the best,” Barry assured, smiling so wide it almost hurt.

They each hugged their children, and as soon as the crowd had started to dissipate, they let their precious five-year-olds jump down into their arms and then walk proudly out the door with them, a skip in their step, as they hopped into a limo and went out for ice-cream.

“Ooo, a limo,” Don gawked at the sight, both when they were outside and inside.

Iris looked over at her husband, an eyebrow raised.

“Yes, wherever did you find it?”

The window partition between them and the driver lowered at the stop light, revealing one Cisco Ramon.

“Uncle Cisco!” the children cheered.

“At your service, monsieur and madam.” He tipped his hat.

Iris looked at him curiously.

“It’s a side gig I picked up just for kicks,” he explained easily.

Iris suspected that wasn’t the whole truth, but she let it slide. If she knew her husband and her friend, Barry had rented the limo as a surprise for their kids and had selected not to have a driver because Cisco wanted to be a part of the action.

But she wouldn’t pester Barry about that until later. He’d probably silence her with kisses – and there were children present.

“Well, all right then, Uncle Cisco. Take us away!”

“Will do, Madam.” He tipped his hat again, making Iris roll her eyes.

But Cisco rolled up the partition again and took them to their favorite ice cream spot in the city where they all enjoyed their favorite dish. At the end of the night, Cisco dropped off the family of four just when the young West-Allens’ sugar high was finally starting to drop. By the time they reached their bedrooms – of which Barry and Iris had carried them halfway to – they were both half-heartedly protesting to stay up longer and all but snoring once they were in their pjs and tucked away in bed.

“What a night,” Iris said, taking off her jewelry at her vanity.

“Our kids were terrific.”

“Mhmm,” she agreed.

“Especially Don. That boy can move.”

“Right into the couch apparently,” Iris snorted, but she knew her husband spoke the truth. She’d seen first hand how impressive her son’s moves had been up on the stage during the concert.

“It was an accident,” Barry said, coming up behind his wife and placing his hands on her arms. “I think his speed short-circuited for a second and sent him farther than he meant to go.”

Iris nodded. The super speed had started to show up in spurts in the last six months. It didn’t happen often enough for the children to notice, but Barry had picked up on it right away and the second time so had Iris. It was a point of concern, whether or not to tell their kids that they were metahumans. Iris wondered if they were too young to handle it and Barry wondered if they’d be targeted if it started happening more often and in public and if they couldn’t suppress it – or chose not to.

“Let’s not think about it tonight,” Barry said, sensing where her thoughts had gone. “They did great on stage. The crowd loved them. And they did that just by being them, no super speed required.”

Iris turned around in her husband’s arms and draped her arms over his shoulders.

“Something tells me they have you to thank for that.”

He shrugged. “I liked practicing with them.”

She smiled serenely.

“And I love you for it.”

She pulled him down for a sensual kiss, one she knew her husband couldn’t immediately draw back from.

“You’re not too tired, I see,” she said when they finally came up for air.

Wordlessly, Barry drew down the zipper on the back of her dress and let the gown to fall to the floor, pooling around her bare feet. Then he tipped her chin up so she could see the heat in his eyes.

“Not for this.”

Pleasure shot to the tips of her fingers and toes, and she shot up to capture his lips again, winding her legs around his waist when he lifted her up and placed her on top of her vanity, all manner of items falling to the floor.

With their children asleep just down the hall, Iris was impressively quiet. Barry was less so when they moved to the bed, but by then their children were in a deep sleep. Nothing save a roaring thunder could wake them from their slumber.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 5 - Fateful Kiss [1/?]

A/N: Based off the past WA scene Nora spied on in 5x08. This is set in pre-FP era b/c I don’t want to deal w/ the effects of FP. This is sort of a canon divergent take on that scene and will turn into a multi-chap that I will hopefully finish within the month. Hopefully you enjoy.

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Chapter 1 -

Everyone dispersed from the room pretty quickly. Joe left with Wally. Cisco likely retreated to his workshop, devastated over Caitlin’s unexpected kidnapping. Harry left, blaming them all for this turn of events. Despite being aware of the direction everyone had gone, Iris’ eyes stayed glued to Barry. When he rushed into the hall, overwhelmed by what had just happened, there was no question that she would follow him.

She found his face pressed to the wall as he fought to stay standing and quietly slid in next to him.

“Barry,” she said softly, greeted with nothing but his heavy breathing. She placed her hand on him in a hopefully comforting gesture. “You can’t let your losses stop you. You’re the one who taught me that.”

He turned around, not facing her but not leaving her side either.

“You have to keep moving, you have to…push through. You have to find a way. You have to fight.”

He sank down the wall, no doubt trying to listen to her words, trying to see a path through the failure.

Iris went down on her knees beside him, resting her hand on his back, reassuring as always, gentle in her determination to keep him from falling apart.

“So that nothing will ever hold you back, Barry.” She paused. “Zoom took Caitlin, and I know you lost your speed, but…everyone is here to help.” Barry nodded, and she felt a minor victory. “My dad, Cisco, Harry…” She held her breath, wondering if she should insert one more name. Wondering if she should put herself out there, given how she felt about him. Even if he assumed she only meant friendship.

Resolved to accept whatever it might bring, she gripped his arm to bring his full attention to her.

“Me.”

He turned to look at her, finally meeting her gaze, seeing the concern there and letting it wash over him. She felt relief, and she knew he was feeling it too.

She also registered how he wasn’t looking away, and how she wasn’t looking away. Unable to stop herself, her eyes dropped to his lips. When she looked back up into his eyes, she saw some confusion there, like he thought he’d seen something that wasn’t real, and she couldn’t stop herself.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

It was a single kiss, meant to satisfy her urge, meant to be addressed later. He responded by kissing back, but only slightly, maybe only on instinct. When she pulled back, she saw more confusion in his eyes. He didn’t know what was happening, and he didn’t know what it meant. She didn’t blame him. She hardly knew herself.

She should’ve stopped then. She should’ve brushed it off as something, she didn’t know what. Maybe she should’ve just ignored it, laid her head on his shoulder, gripped his hand as a comfort and just pretended it didn’t happen.

But she didn’t do any of those things.

Instead, she reached out and sank her fingers into his hair, sweaty, plastered to his skin, but she didn’t care. She watched how her fingers disappeared into the brown locks, and then she leaned forward and kissed him again.

This time he responded more. He turned towards her fully when her other hand cupped his face and started pulling him to her. Iris could hardly get a hold of herself until he was falling out of his perched squat and nearly on top of her. The jolt caused them both to break apart.

“W-Wait, Iris.”

He was breathing heavily, and she waited for him to right himself. Whatever he wanted to call this, she would let him. He deserved it after the night he had. He’d saved her brother and lost a friend, his speed, and any hope of protecting the city from Zoom. If he didn’t want to deal with what had just transpired in this moment, then-

“I can’t go home,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

Her brows furrowed.

“I can’t go home to Joe, to Wally. Wally doesn’t know I’m the Flash. And I can’t…he won’t understand. He won’t-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” she said, rubbing his arm soothingly. “You don’t have to.”

He sighed, relieved, but the dilemma of where he would stay crossed his features. Harry was going to be at STAR Labs, and he was pissed. Cisco was devastated over the loss of Caitlin. That only left…

“You can come home with me.”

His brows furrowed. “Iris-”

“Not for that,” she said. “Not unless you-” She shook her head and met his eyes again, determination at the forefront. “If you want someplace safe to stay, where you don’t have to worry about answering questions you don’t want to or… If you just want to get some sleep. I have room.” She gripped his arm again, squeezing gently. “Come home with me.”

Barry debated for a couple seconds, maybe more, and then nodded.

“Okay.”

…

When Iris opened the door to her single room apartment and Barry spotted the loveseat couch, he felt a fight rise up in him.

“Iris, maybe I shouldn’t-”

She spun around to face him. “What? Why?”

He gestured to the couch. “There’s no way I can-”

She relaxed. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m taking the couch.”

“Iris, no, I’ll just-”

“You’ll stay here and sleep in my bed is what you’ll do.”

“Iris.”

“I fit perfectly on that couch, Barry, and my bed is long enough to fit you on it.” She looked away briefly at the implications of that. “It’s fine. I insist you use it.”

Not wanting to argue the point, Barry nodded.

Iris smiled. “Let me just grab some blankets and a pillow, then you can get to sleep.”

He heaved a heavy sigh but didn’t try to stop her. Within minutes she was changed into cozy pajamas and had situation herself on the couch. He still stood there looking helpless, so she got up and hugged him tightly. It didn’t matter that he didn’t really hug her back.

She tipped her chin up to look at him.

“Get some sleep, Barry. We’ll figure everything else out in the morning.”

He nodded again and untangled himself from her. Then he went down the short hall to her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

…

Iris hadn’t lied when she said the couch fit her perfectly. It did, and she was comfortable. But she couldn’t sleep for the life of her. She kept thinking about Barry and how he must be feeling. Not just about his speed and Wally and Caitlin and Zoom, but about their kiss. It was probably selfish of her, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been unsure if he still liked her the way she realized she now liked him. She couldn’t help but think that his reciprocating their kiss, especially the second time, was a sign that he did.

He wouldn’t just kiss her because he was seeking some comfort, right? Her Barry wouldn’t do that.

Iris turned over again on the couch, trying to put the thought out of her mind, to clear her mind so she could finally sleep. But she noticed then a stream of light under her bedroom door. She didn’t know if it had been on this whole time or not, but it was past 3am. Maybe Barry was having a hard time sleeping too.

She peeled the blankets back and quietly stood to her feet, rounding the couch. She hesitated, unsure of where this would go, if nothing would happen. Maybe he just wanted to sleep with the lights on because having the lights off reminded him too much of Zoom, reminded him of everything he hated and all that he’d lost.

But then she saw a shadow under the door and knew he was either pacing or approaching it just as she was.

“Barry?” She called out quietly, pausing a few steps down the short hall. “Barry, are you-?”

The door opened, and her eyes widened. She held her breath as she looked up at him, his hair a disheveled mess, his expression heartbreaking. She could see he’d been crying or at least near tears. She berated herself for not hearing it. She knew the sound of muffled crying into a pillow because she’d heard it numerous times down the hall when they were children.

“Oh, Barry.” Her heart broke and she reached her hand up to the side of his face. He leaned into it, breathing a little bit easier.

Then he lowered his own hand to her face, cradling it, transferring comfort to her the same as she was to him. Surely he was more burdened than she was, but he saw the heartbreak for him on her face. He wanted to soothe it, and he wanted to thank her for being so good to him.

“I can’t sleep,” he finally said, but he didn’t open his eyes. He held her hand against his face instead, afraid she’d let go. Nothing on earth could’ve made her.

“Barry,” she said softly but as a demand that brought him to attention, made him open his eyes.

He looked at her, his eyes searching for an answer just as they had before when she’d kissed him with no warning. She slid her hand up his shirt, clutched his collar and pulled him down to her just as she went up onto her tiptoes.

When their lips touched, she swore she felt a spark, even with his speed gone. Or maybe it was just the inevitability of what was about to happen, of what had always been destined between them.

“Wait, we were married?”

She broke away after one kiss, but she didn’t move. She stayed frozen inches from his lips, their breath intermingling, fate hanging in the balance.

And after that one moment, he kissed her on his own. His hands cupped her face, and he kissed her again and again. The kisses became hungrier, more feverish, and before either of them knew it he was backing up into her bedroom straight for the bed and Iris was kicking the door closed behind them.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.