Iris West Imagine - Tumblr Posts

Now Thea was never all too interested in sports. They were all the same. People, usually running, trying to dominate their opponents. However, Theadora had to admit watching baseball brought her a good amount of joy. The rules were simple, and the plays easy to follow.

Now she’d lived with her adoptive parents Barry and Iris for a little less than a year. Which meant Thea hadn’t attended the Charity game between the Central City Police Department and the Fire Department last year. If she had, she’d have known her adoptive father was terrible at baseball, or all sports in general.

“Daddy, can’t play baseball.” Thea said clapping her hands as the opposing team hit another ball into left field, where luckily Barry wasn’t. She was sitting on her adoptive mother, Iris’s, lap, in the bleachers.

“Yeah, I know sweetie.” Iris said resting her chin on Thea’s shoulder. Barry’s lack of athleticism came as no surprise to her. “He’s not the best is he?” She asked. Thea immediately shook her head, ‘no’.

Thea’s mouth hung open, lips parting in the shape of an ‘o’. She watched Barry fumble, trip over his own feet and drop the ball for like the umpteenth time. “He’s a disaster.” She finally tore her little eyes from the field, turning to look at her adoptive mom.

Iris nods, laughing softly.

“He’s our disaster.”

Orangish rays filtered through the tall windows and thin curtains. The morning light through the curtains gave the loft a soft yet cozy glow. It was 7:13, and already the city was alive. Even from the height of the West-Allen loft, one could hear the hustle and bustle of Central City down below.

“What do we do?” Thea whispered. She sat beside Barry at the kitchen island, hands folded politely on the countertop. Despite her gracious appearance, she wore a fake smile.

Everywhere she looked there was a mess. Dustings of flour, cracked egg oozing yolk, and spilled milk. The wafts of smoke smelt of ash, not pleasantly, reminding her of a house burning to the ground.

“Let me handle this,” Barry responded. He gave Thea a high five before rounding the counter to speak with his wife. “Hey honey…”

Thea’d been staying with the West Allen’s for two weeks and had learned two things: One, Barry can cook; Two, Iris can not. Iris had only cooked once since she’d been invited to stay with them. But it only took once for her to learn Iris couldn’t make toast without charring it.

Thea held her hand to her face, the same one Barry had high-fived seconds ago. She could feel the electric nature of Barry’s meta DNA flooding her system.

Her eyes darted to Barry, who was too kind for his own good, trying gently to tell Iris she'd be much more content with cereal (or air).

I can fix this, she thought before disappearing in a blur.

One second the kitchen was a disaster zone, the next you’d have thought a whole team of cleaners had been through. Barry and Iris turn, a mix of shock and surprise painted on their faces.

Thea was sitting at the table, drinking a chilled glass of sparkling apple cider. An entire meal of food covers the table. French toast, eggs, bacon, hash browns, juice, and… hamburgers?

“Hey, hey Theadora whatcha-- whatcha got there?” Barry asked, gesturing toward the assortment of food spread across the dining area table.

“Food.”

The loft was dark, the illumination of light from the flat screen gave the wide space a relaxed, cozy feeling. The darkness in a way provided sanctuary, a place to recharge and forget about the looming threats that seemed to follow the West Allen’s like rats after the Pied Piper. On the couch, cuddled into Barry’s side was Thea.

There was a shuffling of feet out in the hall, a jangle of keys, and finally a satisfying click. Light from the hall flooded through the door, filling the entry with a warm yellow glow.

“Hey you two, what are we watching?” It was Iris. From the door she could make out the upper silhouette of her husband. From previous experience she knew the twinkle toed peanut was buried under covers glued to Barry’s side.

“The dinosaur movie,” Thea murmured. Her mouth opens wide, releasing one in a series of drowsy yawns.

“Land Before Time,” Barry clarified.

“Ooh, an oldie, but a goodie.” Iris flipped on the loft lights, making Theadora whine and hide beneath her blanket until her eye adjusted to the bright light. Iris kicked off her heels, then walked round to the couch where Theadora and Barry were cuddled together.

Her face fell faster than a rock. “Thea?” She knelt in front of the spot where Thea sat. “Sweetie, were you crying?” Theadora’s eyes were puffy, her whole face washed with a dull shade of red.

“Yeah, we got a bit sad when Little Foot’s mom died,” Barry answered, tucking some misplaced strands of hair back behind Thea’s ear. Thea takes her eyes off the movie, looks at Barry, and smiles. Her usual smile, though sleepy, the mouth close ends pulled up, shifting all of her freckles.

“Well I hate to break up this cuddle fest but... It’s bedtime, Thea.” Iris said holding her arms out for the little girl to crawl into. Thea wasn’t much of a fighter when it came to her bedtime. She enjoyed sleep, Barry on the other hand…

“Aw come on, can’t we finish the movie?”

Iris scoffed at her husband. “Barry, she looks like she’s about to pass out.” Theodora had been awake for sixteen hours, which in her case for her age was a lot. Her eyes were lazily open, glazed over and unfocused. “Come on, sweetie.” Iris scooped up Thea, realizing the child was too exhausted to move.

Thea cuddles in, resting her chin on Iris’s shoulder. “I’m tired,” she hummed, rubbing her tired little eyes with the insides of her palms.

“Oh, I know,” Iris cooed, as she carried Thea towards her room.

Thea’s eyes widen. One second she’s in Iris’s arms, the next she’s in Barry’s lap, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. “Sorry. Almost forgot." She murmured. “Goodnight, Barry.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled herself close. She leaned in, so her forehead rested against his chest. “Love you.”

“I love you too.” Barry pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Sleep well, peanut.” In that moment, his arms squeezed a fraction tighter before releasing. Thea giggled, sliding off Barry’s lap then returning to Iris.

Thea was a sweet kid. So bright, kind. The more time he spent with her, the more Barry fell for the little things about her; She always colored with tongue out; She sang her favorite song when she was uncomfortable; She always had stickers in case someone needed a cheer up; She gave the warmest hugs.

“I ran really fast today,” Thea said, taking Iris’s hand.

“You did?”

“Mm hmm, faster than Barry even.”

The more time he spent with her, the harder Barry found it to lie to himself. He loved her as if she were his own.