A/N: Finally, I am able to continue posting my many westallen fics for my 25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction event. This is the fic written for Day 4. Enjoy!
Dedicated to: westallen94 on tumblr for being a dear and holding all spoilers at bay when I couldn't watch an ep for like five days.
*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.
*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
...
Barry checked his watch for the third time before pouring more milk into each of the twins' cereal bowls. He'd asked for today off to treat Iris for her birthday and was hoping he could rope her into it for the sake of the twins if nothing else. But Iris had yet to emerge from their bedroom, and he knew it wasn't because she was sleeping.
"Iris, honey?"
"I'm coming! I'm coming!"
He felt a sense of relief, but it was short-lived. Because seconds later she was rushing down the hall, quickly pressing a kiss to each of her children's heads and standing up on her tip toes to brush her lips against her husband's cheek before grabbing a banana and heading for the door. The twins' cries for their mother fell on deaf ears, as did Barry's call for his wife. When the door unintentionally slammed behind the woman of the hour, six-year-old Nora and Don West-Allen looked up at their father with pouty lips.
"I'm sorry, guys, I know-"
Don pointed at the huge handmade sign with handprints all over it that he and his sister had made for their mother early that morning. When Nora pulled out their happy birthday cards that they'd hidden beneath the table, prepared to give their mother if she'd stayed just a second longer, a reluctant sigh fell past Barry Allen's lips.
He crouched down beside them at the table.
"You know your mom's been really busy this week."
Nora shook her head. "Not just this week, daddy. This month!"
"This year!" Don chimed in dramatically.
Barry raised an eyebrow when he looked over at his son. His daughter rolled her eyes. Don remained unaffected, shaking his head at the length of time he'd decided his mother had been preoccupied.
"Okay," Barry resumed the conversation. "Mommy has been really busy for a while. But she needs a break too, right?"
"Yes," Nora said. Don nodded enthusiastically.
"So, why don't you guys finish up your breakfast and your cards, and we'll deliver them to Mommy ourselves."
Nora gasped. "Do you really mean it, Daddy?"
Barry grinned, warm fuzzies filling him whenever he saw that smile on his daughter's face and knew he was the cause of it.
"Yeah. We'll wait a few hours so she can get some work done, but a half day sounds good to me. We can pick up a cake and some mint chip ice cream and go out to eat at the park right on the lake. What do you guys think?"
Nora and Don nodded their heads, their legs moving rapidly under the table.
"All right then. I'll go get your clothes. Finish up and we can decide what to pick up for Mommy's birthday lunch."
…
Iris was on her third cup of coffee, straining to keep her eyes open as page after page of research scrolled down her computer screen. It was a Saturday, so very few people were actually at CCPN, but she was so close to finishing her story, and the deadline for this particular one was Monday at 8 am sharp. She'd been late getting started on it, because the potential stories that had come in that week had been overflowing, and she'd wanted to do all of them. Scott refused that, but she did take a good handful. As a result though, she was working nonstop, resulting in her coming home well into the early morning hours.
She knew the extra hours and exhaustion were weighing on her family, but all the stories from past months had been lackluster at best. Finally there were things worth writing about, things that would truly make a difference.
But with the twins out of school for the summer, she knew she'd have to tone it down after today. Nora and Don deserved a mother in more than name only. And Barry deserved a wife. He'd been taking care of their twins on his own whenever he wasn't at work. Usually Cisco, Caitlin, or Joe had been able to take them when he absolutely couldn't. In fact, the new daycare center at CCPD that had been built in roughly a year ago made that even easier to do.
But Iris knew that she needed to be more present. Her children were sweet, smart, adorable speedsters. The fact that Barry had been doing most of the care-taking would've usually had her pinning him to the bed as soon as they were alone. The sexy dad vibes he had going on radiated in waves that were hard to miss.
The amount of kindergarten cuddles and time beneath the sheets with her husband she'd missed over the last week and a half was staggering. She needed to reprioritize her life. And she would.
Starting tomorrow.
That decision made in her mind, Iris pushed it aside to continue with her story. It was nearing noon. She knew that because her stomach had started to growl and all she'd had today was an overload of caffeine and a banana on her way out the door. Still, she was focused enough on her work to not hear the door opening and closing or the sound of footsteps approaching her office. So when one very tall and two very small visitors peeked their heads inside the doorway to greet her, Iris nearly jumped out of her seat.
"Hey, Iris."
"Barry! I- What are you-"
"Mommy!"
Both twins ran to her, jumping into her lap and hugging her close. Iris had no choice but to return the gesture. She pushed the driving need to work out of her mind, if only for a few moments. Her children needed her, and she missed them.
"Hey, babies," she cooed, pressing a kiss to both their heads, similarly to how she had that morning but lingering a little more with some warmth to the embrace that maybe hadn't been there before.
"What are my babies doing here when they could be at home playing?" she asked as they crawled off her.
Iris looked up at her husband curiously, but he lowered his eyes to her lap and she followed their direction. In front of her were two very colorful, very creative-looking cards from her darling children.
"What are these-"
"Happy birthday!" Her little family cheered.
Iris was thunderstruck. Her jaw dropped, then she lifted her twins into her lap again and hugged and kissed them profusely until they were both giggling and Barry was chuckling to himself in the doorway.
"You guys are so sweet, so, so sweet. I completely forgot – I forgot my own birthday!"
She lifted her head to look at her husband, who was smiling at the vision before him. Her eyes sparkled as their eyes met.
"This was your idea?" she asked, almost to herself. He shrugged. "Come over here," she said, biting her bottom lip, and he did as she requested, pulling a chair near enough to her desk so he could sit in it and lean forward and kiss her.
"We had surprises for you this morning, but-"
"You left too soon to see it!" Don cried, and Iris' heart broke.
Nora scowled. "Don't be mean to Mommy. It's her birthday."
Don still pouted.
"It's-It's okay, Nora. Your brother is right. I've been so busy lately, I haven't seen what's really important."
Her children looked at her with wide eyes.
"My beautiful girl and beautiful boy and…" She trailed off, then looked at Barry. "My amazing husband." She paused for a second then glanced at her computer, debating whether to push her family aside for just one more day.
"How about we take you out to lunch, Iris?"
The children cheered.
Iris looked back at them, surprised.
"You mean, this? This isn't it? And…and whatever's at home?"
"Nope!"
"But what else-"
"It's a surpri-"
"Lunch at the lake!" Don cheered, oblivious to the need for secrecy.
Nora shoved her brother a little.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, Donnie!" He started to tear up. "Now she knows! Now there are no more surprises! You ruined Mommy's birthday!"
Don was on the verge of bursting into tears, Iris' soothing hand on his back the only thing from preventing it. Barry's stern voice directed at Nora made her mutter an apology.
"There are still some surprises," Barry said once the moment had passed. He directed his gaze to his wife. "So, what do you say, Iris? Can we take you out for your birthday?"
The drama passed and her work already fading from the forefront of her mind, Iris took a hand from each of her twins' in her own and stood to her feet.
"Let's do it!" She looked down to her children. "To the lake?"
"To the lake!" The children cheered.
Quick as she could, Iris closed all her open documents and programs on her computer and then the computer screen itself and walked out of her office and out of CCPN for what she suspected would be a wonderful day.
…
Iris had been blown away by the set up at the gazebo on the lake – the same place she and Barry had shared their second first date. That date had been magical. With their children present, this small birthday celebration was even more so. The handmade sign was strung up along the railing when they arrived. The cake flavor meant for their wedding reception was there in a stunning two-tier cake with a side dish of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, her and Don's favorite. A smaller container of cookie dough ice cream had been purchased for father and daughter.
First there was lunch. Barry had abandoned buying a hot meal and had instead cooked Iris' favorite Grandma Esther recipe. The beauty of Grandma Esther was not only that her dishes were a treat for adults but also for children. Nora and Don inhaled their meal almost as quickly as their mother – and of course needed many more meals before they got home due to their speedster metabolism. But Barry came prepared with snacks, and luckily vendors were stationed along the surrounding walkway where the small family strolled until they arrived at a park with a jungle gym where the children played until enough hours had passed that they wanted to go home.
As the sunset stretched across the sky the yawns of the West-Allen children traveled to those of their parents. Nora and Don slept in the same bed that night, cuddled up close to each other, any drama from earlier that day forgotten, and lots of happy birthdays and I love yous and goodnights to their mother, and the latter two to their father.
By the time Barry and Iris had successfully tucked their twins in they felt nearly ready to crash for the night themselves, but as Iris was changing out of her day clothes into a loose silk nightie, she bit her bottom lip and turned her head over her shoulder in search of him.
"Barry?"
"Yeah?" he asked, coming out of the bathroom donned in only his boxers, teeth freshly brush and his hair going in every direction from when he'd pulled his shirt roughly over his head to get rid of it.
She smiled warmly, holding in a laugh as she came towards him. He seemed to guess her intention correctly – as he often did – and encircled his arms around her, setting them low on her waist when his wife came to a stop before him.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
He swallowed hard, his dick twitching in his boxers.
"You've been busy. I understand. The kids understand."
She placed her finger on his lip. "The kids don't understand." She looked up at him, dragging her finger down to his chin and then splaying her hand over his heart. "But you do. Thank you."
He watched her carefully, trying to gauge what she wanted, even though he was fairly certain. A week and a half without sex was a lot of time lost for them, even with two young children.
"I love you, Barry," she said softly.
"I love you, to-" he tried, but she cut him off, bouncing up on her tip toes to silence him with a warm, thankful, eager kiss. "Iris." He shuddered when she broke free for a moment and then lifted her into his arms when she kissed him again.
Their kisses growing more passionate, Barry walked with her to their bed. They fell into a heap as soon as they reached the side of it, Iris' kisses increasing in intensity, and Barry losing control in his hunger for her.
The feel of his warm hands sliding beneath her pink satin nightie made Iris shiver. The audible groan Barry emitted when he realized she wasn't wearing any underwear made Iris' toes curl. She wrapped her legs around him, using the angle to push his boxers down his legs with her feet. Then she urged him closer, deepening the kisses still. She released his lips for the sole moment it took for him to pull her nightie over her head and toss it onto the floor.
"I think I bought you that for your birthday last year," he murmured, capturing her lips again as his hands continued to explore and caress her body.
Iris moaned. "I like this present better."
He chuckled, and she felt the vibrations throughout her entire body. She felt his hardness too and knew he had registered how wet she was when his fingers grazed her folds and she heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Iris," he rasped.
If she hadn't been so far gone already, she would've laughed at the wonder there. The amusement quickly faded when she felt his fingers inside her, at first pushing up into her core and then buzzing around her clit, moving in circular motions until she was clawing at her his back and nearly levitating off the bed.
"Barry," she breathed. Her head fell back onto the pillow. "Barry."
Barely recovered from the ripples of pleasure, Iris felt him plow into her slowly for maybe an inch and then go all the way to the hilt. He stayed there for a moment, his sweat dripping onto her forehead where his was pinned, their breath intermingling together.
"I love you, Iris," he said, so softly she almost didn't hear it. Between one breath and another, she caught his lips in a gentle kiss then lifted herself ever so slightly to encourage him.
"Show me."
He groaned and then slowly retreated, plunging back a moment later. Iris met him thrust for thrust until the ramped speed blocked out all other thought. Absorbed in each other, in the pleasure, in the sensation of skin on skin and delicious friction, there was no warning when Barry erupted inside of her and nearly collapsed as he came undone.
Breathing heavily several moments later, Barry fell to the side. Iris instinctively cuddle up against him and he threw their nearby sheets and blanket over them. Content, steady breathing was the only sound, the only movement in the otherwise quiet, dark room.
"Happy Birthday, Iris," he whispered a while later, on the verge of sleep.
Iris smiled to herself. "Thank you, Barry," she said, nuzzling closer. "I love you."
Barry's gentle snores nearly overlapped her final words, but it didn't matter. His arms unconsciously tightening around her told her that he knew.