Prompt from Leia Amidala Skywalker. Barry is using his super speed to decorate the Christmas tree and Iris walks in on him using it without realizing it.
Barry walked into the West house and immediately felt at home. He had spent so many Christmases here. Even before he had moved in here, he had spent the days leading up to Christmas here. After Iris's mother died, she had started inviting him to decorate the tree, and he had done so every year since.
He peered around the corner and into the living room where the décor was the boxes full of decorations waiting to be put up.
"Hey guys." He said coming into the living room where he was greeted by smiling faces. Iris looked so excited that her smile might jump off her face. Barry was always amazed at how much she had kept that childlike Christmas joy year after year. It made his smile grow almost as large as hers.
But there was something in her eyes that wasn't there most years. A twinge of sadness hid behind her Christmas spirit. He knew she would tell him after Joe inevitably got called away to work. For now, Barry just gave his best friend a hug.
"Hey Bear." Iris said into his shoulder. She breathed his familiar scent in, reveling in the comfort it always brought. Suddenly she felt as if she could survive all the emotions swirling around in her head. She realized she had been hugging him for an awkward amount of time and pulled back. Barry could have held onto that hug forever. Iris managed to put a smile on her face for her dad. "I am going to make some eggnog." She quickly raised and lowered her eyebrows and winked, so Barry knew it would be 'light' on the bourbon. "You two, get to work on that tree."
Barry and Joe went outside where the tree was tied onto the top of the car. Together they worked to untie it and pull it off the car. They carried it over to the door, only to realize it was closed.
"Iris!" Barry shouted hoping she would be able to hear him in the kitchen. They waited a minute, but Joe was starting to get tired.
"We need to set it down." Joe said.
"It'll be harder to pick it up if we put it down. I can hold it while you open the door." Barry suggested.
"I know you're stronger than I'm used to but that's a big tree, Barry."
"I can do it." Barry assured.
Right as Joe made it up to the door, Iris swung it open.
"Sorry, I was covered in egg, so I couldn't get to the door." Iris explained as Joe ran back to take his place carrying the tree. She turned to Barry. "When did you get so strong? That's a big tree, Bear."
"I've . . . been . . . working out." He answered with only half a lie.
"Uh huh." She nodded looking at him with more surprise than he thought was necessary. No wonder he looks so nice. Iris thought against her will.
Joe and Barry got the tree inside and into the living room with little trouble. While Barry turned the tree so the best looking side faced out, Joe collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.
"You outta go to the gym with Barry, Dad." Iris joked, poking her head into the living room to look at the tree.
"Okay let's get started." Joe said standing up. Barry followed him to the boxes full of decorations they had acquired over the years. Most of them were childish, but that made it all the more fun. Barry had never known the Wests to get rid of ornaments. As a result none of them matched. They were in every color of the rainbow and more as Iris described, and it was obvious that they had been gathered over the years. Some had baby pictures of Iris and even a few of Barry that they had taken from the boxes in his attic when he moved in. Some were toy trains, or fluffy little reindeer, that Iris had picked out when she was a toddler. There was an ornament that was a countdown to Christmas, Joe had gotten after Iris asked him fifteen times in one day how long she would have to wait until Christmas. Then there were the newer ones that Iris had bought claiming the tree was not quite mismatched enough. They were simple red and gold bulbs that reflected the lights all around the room.
"Just two boxes left." Joe said casually.
"Great at this rate we'll be done by Christmas." Barry rolled his eyes sarcastically. Then he got a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Don't even-" Joe cautioned, hoping he'd do it anyway. He did not disappoint.
Seconds later the tree was beautifully decorated, and Barry was sitting smugly on the couch.
Iris stood still and unnoticed in the doorway from the kitchen. She was holding the tray of drinks tightly though she had almost dropped them in shock.
"The only red suited dude I want in this house right now is Kris Kringle, you got it?"
Iris watched as Barry reluctantly stood up and sped around the tree again. With a few second the tree was exactly as it had been moments before.
Joe started laughing at his son's antics, and Barry started handing him ornaments.
Iris walked in. "Why shouldn't a red suited dude decorate our tree? We could spend more time enjoying watching it that way."
Barry dropped the ornaments he was holding and slowly turned to look at her.
"You saw that?"
"My comment wouldn't have made sense if I hadn't."
Joe sighed.
"Have fun explaining that one, son." Joe said. It was a fitting punishment for being careless.
Iris turned to her father. "You're not off the hook. You knew about this too."
"We just wanted to protect you Iris." Her father said looking her in the eye. She knew that would have been his reason from the second she saw that Barry was the Flash, but that didn't mean she had to like it or agree.
Joe's phone rang and for the first Christmas since he had become a cop, he was grateful.
"And the Christmas tradition continues." He said as he answered and headed toward the door. "Save me some eggnog." He called as he walked outside into the cold.
"No promises." Barry said taking a long sip. He had a very interesting conversation in store, he was going to need all the eggnog he could get.
"Decorate the tree." Iris said giddily as soon as the door closed behind her father.
"What?" Barry said.
"Decorate it. I want to see you run again without the suit."
Barry complied. He was just relieved that she didn't seem mad at him for hiding this from her.
"You're not mad at me?" Barry asked timidly as soon as he finished.
"It's Christmas. I'm not allowed to be mad at anyone." Iris said smiling as she sat down beside him. She was closer than she usually sat when she wasn't upset.
"There it is again. What's wrong?"
"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."
"Iris, I know you better than that. The semi-sad look when I came in, the lingering hug, sitting close to me like you want to be held, those are all things you do when you're upset. Don't try to deny it, I've known you too long for that."
Iris sighed deeply. "I broke up with Eddie."
"What, why?" Barry said thinking of dead puppies to keep from smiling at his friend's situation.
"I felt confused, and what I was confused about wasn't fair to Eddie."
"I'm a little confused." Barry said putting his arm around her. She cuddled into his side and cried silently.
"I thought that I was in love with Eddie, but I discovered that I wasn't. I felt stronger for two other guys than I ever did for Eddie. That part didn't make sense to me until a few minutes ago."
"What happened a few minutes ago?"
Iris shook her head. "It has the potential to make Christmas awkward, so I will not risk it."
"Iris, you can tell me anything." The sincerity in his voice made Iris wonder if confessing could make Christmas better.
"I realized the two other people were the same person."
"Huh?" Barry's eyebrows scrunched up.
Iris laid her head on his lap and laughed softly. Barry stroked her hair and asked what was so funny.
"You're a complete genius, but somehow you're also an idiot." She turned her head up so she could look him in the eye. "I love you, Barry."
Barry was shocked he had expected his feelings to be unrequited forever. "I love you too, Iris." Their grins were as wide as they had ever been.
This was their Christmas. There would be nothing awkward, nothing sad, just two best friends with a lot of love instead of secrets between them.
Merry Christmas Eve everybody. Love ya.