by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: The Flash (2014 TV)
Characters: Barry Allen, Iris West, Nora West-Allen, Bart West-Allen
Pairings: Barry Allen/Iris West
Words: 919
Tags: Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Romantic Fluff
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Written for the Superhero-Land "Pass It On" writing challenge on dreamwidth. My prompt was "Family". Also, for the Flufftober2022 bonus prompt #4: "Tucked into bed".
The end credits scrolled by slowly, the soft glow from the TV screen casting the living room in a warm blue light.
Barry took a deep breath and stretched. His muscles always felt uncomfortably tight after sitting still for too long — and a full evening of cartoons and musicals was certainly longer than he was used to being stationary. Still, the gentle weight of Nora sound asleep on his lap, and Iris’s head on his shoulder, more than made up for a little discomfort.
Beside him, he heard his wife sigh and attempt to snuggle deeper into his arm. Smiling, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“If you fall asleep here,” he murmured into her hair, “who’s gonna help me wrestle these two up to their rooms?”
“Five more minutes?” she joked back quietly.
Untangling himself from the pile, Barry managed to ease himself to his feet without disturbing the seven year old passed out on top of him. He shifted Nora into a more comfortable position in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder as she continued to slumber away peacefully. He glanced back down to see if Iris needed more convincing to wake up, but she was already scooping up Bart’s tiny bundle from his bassinet.
Iris raised a surprised eyebrow as she turned towards them. “Can’t believe she’s still asleep,” she said, tone hushed. “You need to teach me your trick. She never falls asleep that easily for me.”
“Another one of my super powers,” he joked back.
They climbed the stairs as quietly as possible, careful not to jostle either of the little ones awake. They both knew from experience what a terror it could be getting them to settle back to sleep again. Iris liked to blame their rampant energy on the speedster genetics at play, but Joe assured them several times that it was simply a kid thing, and that even non-meta youngsters had a natural aversion to bedtime.
Bart was deposited in his room first. Barely over six months old, they’d only recently succeeded in training him to sleep through the night on his own. Iris still turned on his baby monitor just to be safe.
Their next stop was across the hall. Barry worked his way slowly across the purple bedroom, careful to avoid stepping on the maze of toys scattered across the floor.
Iris, leaning against the door frame as she watched his progress, sighed. “I told her at least three times today about picking up her toys. Sometimes, she can be even more distracted than you. And that’s saying a lot, Barr.”
“She just needs help with motivation sometimes,” Barry said. “I have off tomorrow; we’ll have this room spotless before you get home. Promise.”
Iris chuckled softly. “She has you wrapped around her finger, I hope you realize that.”
He did, but he really didn’t mind. Nora had owned a piece of him since the moment she first opened her eyes. It could be terrifying and painful at times, but it was always worth it. He would do anything to keep her safe and happy.
Easing her down into her bed, Barry pulled the comforter over her and tucked it in loosely. He settled her favorite plush dinosaur into place beside her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before backing off. Miraculously, she actually decided to stay asleep and they beat a hasty retreat into the hallway.
Stepping closer, Iris wrapped her arms around Barry, pulling herself in against his chest. “Mission success for tonight,” she murmured tiredly. “Think we can make it to our own beds without passing out first?”
Barry huffed out a soft laugh and wrapped his own arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. Over her shoulder, he could see Bart’s crib through the open door of his room. There was something calming and reassuring about knowing they’d all made it through another day together.
It was odd how he’d finally learned to stop stressing so much about their future, now that it was actually catching up to them. This little family — as well as their larger STAR Labs family — was the lighthouse he could always run back to no matter what else was happening.
“C’mon,” he sighed, “Let’s get you to bed, too, before you pass out.”
She nodded her agreement against his chest. Taking that as his cue, Barry leaned down and scooped her up bridal style. Iris barely managed to muffle her startled laugh with the sleeve of her sweater. Thankfully, neither of the kids stirred.
Iris’s amused smile melted into one of genuine fondness as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was tender and familiar in a way that soothed the worries of today far away. It wasn’t the heated sort of touch that usually preceded something more; it was the gentleness and warmth that spoke of many years of knowing each other’s very souls.
Pulling back, Iris rested her head against his chest and let out a tired sigh. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
It was so simple. And it was everything they needed.
He carried her the rest of the way into their room and got her settled under their comforter before curling in around her. He closed his eyes and breathed out all the frustrations of the day, breathing in the scent of his wife and their fluffy blanket instead. She had already drifted into sleep, and he followed a moment later.