Chapter Text
Iris was sleeping peacefully in bed in the master bedroom with Barry, already knowing that it was one of the most important days of the year. She couldn't wait for her husband to wake up, because that was when the special day would officially begin, and Barry would be very happy on one of his favourite days of the whole year.
She was just about to wake herself up and make a special breakfast for Barry like she normally did, (terribly), but that was before she felt the finger of a small hand poking her gently, doing the job of waking her up for her.
The reporter opens her eyes to see Nora, as well as their son Sebastian standing in front of her, both wearing their Flash pyjama shirt and shorts, smiling as their mother remains lying in bed next to her favourite speedster in the entire world.
Well, tied first place with her children, who were speedsters themselves, obviously making the fastest man alive, their son and their daughter her favourite speedster, but all in first place since she loved them with all her heart.
"What is it, you two?" Iris asks in a soft voice, trying not to wake Barry up. She knows very well about what happens if the hero of Central City is disturbed in his sleep.
"It's Father's Day!" Sebastian responds in the same volume, smiling happily with his big sister doing the same. "Come on! We need to make Daddy a special breakfast like we did for you when it was Mother's Day!" He adds, saying exactly what Iris had planned on doing, only by herself instead of with the help of her kids.
"Okay, but first, you two need to help me get out of bed," Iris adds, holding her arms out so that both West-Allen children could help her. "There we go!" She exclaims, quietly, after she's carefully pulled out of bed by Nora and Sebastian. "Let's go to the kitchen so we don't disturb daddy."
"Okay." Sebastian replies, speaking for her older sister as the three of them leave the master bedroom, but not until after Iris has readjusted the duvet so that Barry wouldn't wake up and find out what was going on.
"What should we make daddy?" Iris asks her two kids after they enter the kitchen, already knowing exactly what Sebastian is about to say.
"Pancakes!" Sebastian responds, excitedly, causing her mother and older sister to smile at how happy he is.
"Sounds good," Iris says, smiling at her son. "I'm sure daddy will love that," She adds, picking Sebastian up before the three of them make their way over to the kitchen cabinet. "Could you please hand me the pancake mix, sweetie?" Iris asks, pointing directly at the small box of pancake mix that she could just grab herself, but she knew that Sebastian wanted to help their mother out, even in the littlest of things.
"Okay," Sebastian replies, still smiling as he takes the pancake mix out of the cabinet and hands it to Iris. "Here you go, Mommy."
"Thanks, Seb," Iris responds, using one of the many nicknames that she, Barry and everyone else in the family used for Sebastian. "Why don't you two go and wash your hands before we start making them?"
"Okay," the two kids say simultaneously, making their way over to the sink so they can all wash their hands. "Mommy, can I stir the mixture?" Sebastian asks alone once the three of them are finished washing their hands and have dried them.
"I think we should let your big sister stir it, sweetie," Iris says, looking at her son before focusing her attention on the older West-Allen child. "Since you got the pancake mix for me, I think we should let Nora stir the mixture, okay?"
"Okay," Sebastian adds, looking at his mother. "You can do it, Nora." He adds, talking to his big sister.
"I know I can," Nora chuckles, trying not to remember all the times she stirred it a little bit too fast, and the pancake mix ended up all over the counter, as well as the time where it somehow missed the counter and landed in Barry's face. It wasn't too bad because it made them laugh at the fact that Barry had pancake mix all over his face. It may have only happened once, but if only she didn't remember every second of it. "How long should I stir it for?"
"Let's aim for two minutes," Iris responds, once the pancake mix is ready to be stirred. "Or two seconds." She adds, after seeing Nora stir it as fast as she can by speeding things up a bit, (or by a lot), at just the right pace, making sure there wasn't any mess afterwards.
"Can I flip the pancake when it's ready?" Sebastian asks, hoping that he can do one of the many things he loves doing when it comes to having, eating, or even making breakfast.
"Sure," Iris adds. "But don't be like daddy and have the pancake end up on the ceiling like last time."
"Mommy, that was you." Sebastian points out, grinning at the reporter like the slightly mischievous and mostly kind son he is.
"I know," Iris replies, chuckling slightly. "But daddy doesn't, so don't tell him."
"Actually, I do," Barry says, walking into the kitchen to see his wife, son and daughter hard at work. "Because I was there, and I saw it with my own eyes."
"Which was right after Nora had the pancake mix go all over your face." Sebastian reminds his father, forcing Barry to chuckle at the memory that he and everyone else remembered every second of.
"Yeah," Nora says, slowly, chuckling along with her father. "I guess pancakes just aren't my thing when it comes to making breakfast."
"Well, you make them better than your mom does," Barry adds, trying his best not to grin at his wife when he sees her giving him a playful glare. "What? You know it's true."
"I know it's true," Iris responds, talking in a slightly stern voice as if she were telling Nora and Sebastian off for doing something that they shouldn't've, which didn't really happen most of the time because of how sensible they were, but they did get a little bit naughty from time to time. "But you don't need to remind me every time you see me making breakfast for the four of us, no matter what it is. Are we clear?"
"Yes," Barry replies, chuckling at the stern expression on Iris's face. "Can I have a kiss?"
"Of course," Iris says, kissing her husband's cheek. "But if you continue to remind me about how terrible my cooking is, then you can have a time-out."
"I'll try not to," Barry adds, quickly putting his arm around Iris's neck, placing his hand on her shoulder. "But I can't make any promises."
"Daddy, go sit at the table," Sebastian orders, excitedly, pointing at the dining table. "Your breakfast will be ready soon!"
"Okay, okay," Barry chuckles, walking over to the table before sitting down in his chair. "Wow, you guys are doing a really good job." He adds, focusing his attention on his wife and kids continuing to do all the hard work at the kitchen counter.
"We know." Sebastian responds, looking up at his father before helping Iris and Nora stir the mixture a little bit more since it was still a little bit thick.
"Stop it, you!" Iris says as she gently slaps Sebastian’s hand with the plastic spatula she's holding after she sees Sebastian try and dip his fingers in the mixture for the second time after seeing Nora get away with it once, before trying her best not to smile at the sight of Sebastian licking the pancake batter off his hand.
Barry chuckles. "We have the best kids."
"We certainly do, Barry," Iris responds, smiling at her husband. "Especially when it comes to them being cheeky." She adds, giving both Sebastian and Nora a playful glare each before they start putting the pancake mix onto the frying pan.
"You know they're just having fun," Barry adds, continuing to smile at the sight he's seeing. "Now, come on, hurry up, I'm starving over here."
"We're getting there," Nora says, seeing Iris helping Sebastian with the pancake, already knowing what's about to happen next.
"Aaand...flip the pancake!" Iris orders, helping Sebastian flip the first pancake over, successfully flipping it over onto its cooked side so that the other side of it could start to process being cooked.
"Awesome job, you three," Barry smiles, crossing his legs. "But have any of you given any thought about speeding things up a bit?"
"By how much?" Iris asks, grinning to herself because she knows exactly what her husband is about to do, before she sees Barry speeding over to where she and the kids are at the kitchen counter before making his way back to the table with four plates in front of him, all of which had two pancakes on them, along with some sausages and bacon that he had taken the liberty of adding.
"That much." Barry adds, smiling at his wife and kids. "Now, come on, who's hungry?"
"We are!" Nora and Sebastian say simultaneously, speeding over to the table, with Sebastian sitting next to Barry and Nora sitting in the chair opposite her father, waiting for Iris to join them.
"Not so fast," Iris says, walking over to the table, holding a small container of icing sugar in her hand. "No pun intended." She adds, forcing herself to smile when she hears Sebastian chuckling as she very carefully sprinkles the icing sugar on Barry's pancakes in the shape of a lightning bolt, (only because it was a special occasion), before putting the container back in the cabinet once she is finished, before making her way to the table to sit in the chair next to Nora.
"So, this is what I wake up to?" Barry asks after he's swallowed his first piece of pancake that he'd cut up with his knife and fork. "My beautiful wife and two favourite children making me a special breakfast?"
"Yep." Nora confirms, smiling with a slight nod.
"Because it's Father's Day," Sebastian says, reminding everyone about the important day that it was for the fastest man alive. "And it's all about you, Daddy!"
"It is," Barry confirms, unable to resist smiling at how happy his son is. "But it's also a day to honour all fathers."
"Like Darth Vader because he's Luke Skywalker's father." Sebastian adds, noticing Barry giving him a slight nod in agreement.
"Hey, watch this," Barry says, grabbing his empty glass, putting it in front of his mouth, before starting to inhale and exhale into it, trying his best to breathe like Darth Vader.
"What are you doing?" Iris asks her husband, already knowing exactly what Barry is doing and why when she sees Sebastian smiling.
"If you only knew the power of the dark side," Barry starts, giving his best impression of Darth Vader, his eyes focusing on the West-Allen son. "I am your father. Happy Father's Day to me."
"Great impression, Dad, that was one in a million!" Nora responds on her younger brother's behalf, referencing one of their all-time favourite Star Wars movies. "Much better than Uncle Cisco's impression of the train conductor from The Polar Express."
"Yeah, I don't know why he always says what he says at the end," Sebastian adds, looking at his parents and big sister. "I guess he just likes Tom Hanks."
"Or because he knows how much you love Toy Story and loves making you laugh," Iris replies, before licking the back of her thumb and wiping the powdered sugar that had got onto Sebastian's cheek. "Which he does every time because he always makes you laugh, just like everyone else in the family."
"That's because my laugh is very contagious!" Sebastian points out, much to everybody's amusement. "But you already know that."
"We do," Barry responds, chuckling, proving his son correct. "Your laugh really is very contagious, and we know it, Seb."
"Just like how we all know that Mommy is the best reporter and owner of CCC Media ever." Sebastian adds, noticing the smile that appears on Iris's face.
"Thank you, baby," Iris responds, still smiling happily. "And of course, we all know that daddy is the best hero of Central City, as are the two of you with being his sidekicks, along with Uncle Cisco and Uncle Wally when it comes to saving the city from the villains."
"I remember when we defeated Captain Cold together, just the three of us," Sebastian announces, forcing everyone to continue to smile at how happy he is. "He really needed to chill out."
"He certainly did," Barry chuckles. "Just like how you really need to focus on eating your breakfast that you, your mom and big sister made for me."
"I am!" Sebastian exclaims, shoving a piece of his pancake into his mouth, forcing the others to chuckle at what he was doing.
"Be careful, sweetie," Iris says, holding her hand out. "We don't want you to start choking, do we?"
"No, Mommy." Sebastian responds, shaking his head. "Mommy, Daddy, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, you can," Iris smiles, putting her knife and fork down on her plate.
"You can ask us anything." Barry adds, speaking for his wife.
"How did Daddy propose to you?" Sebastian asks, looking at his mother.
Iris and Barry look at each other in response to their son's question, smiling at each other happily as they both think back to one of the happiest moments of their entire lives.
"We've been waiting for you to ask us that question," Barry replies, smiling at his son. "Because you're the only person whom we haven't told that story to."
"So, you'll tell me about it right now?"
"Not right now, honey," Iris responds. "Because we're eating breakfast, but maybe later, okay?"
"Okay!" Sebastian says, after swallowing his next piece of pancake, forcing everyone to smile yet again before they continued to eat their morning breakfast, which they'd made a little bit more special for Barry since it was a very special day for him and all fathers everywhere.
**
"Papa Joe!" Sebastian cheers later day, speeding into the cortex to hug his grandfather, with Barry, Iris and Nora following from behind at normal pace.
"Hey, buddy!" Joe responds, hugging his grandson, noticing Iris smiling at her father.
"Happy Father's Day, Dad." Iris says, her smile getting slightly bigger.
"Thanks, baby." Joe responds, smiling back before looking at his grandson. "And how is my favourite Flash Jr. doing today?"
"Awesome!" Sebastian replies. "Hi, Mama Cecile!" He adds, hugging his grandmother just as tight.
"Hey, kiddo," Cecile kisses Sebastian's cheek. "Are you having fun on the day that's all about your daddy?"
"Yeah," Sebastian responds as he feels Cecile lifting him up and settling him beside her hip. "Where are Uncle Cisco and Aunt Caitlin?"
"They're busy colouring in the drawing on the front of your daddy's Father's Day card."
"And we have it right here." Cisco announces, walking into the cortex with his girlfriend a few feet behind him, Barry's card being held in Caitlin's hand.
"And don't worry, Seb," Caitlin says, smiling at the West-Allen son. "We used the colours you asked for."
"Good." Sebastian adds, forcing his godparents to chuckle.
Cisco and Caitlin had wanted to help in some way when it came to Father's Day, and they realised that they hadn't done much to get something or do something nice for their friend. So, when they were asked by the West-Allen children if they wanted to do the colouring-in for Barry's Father's Day card while they were watching them after picking them up from school while their parents were both hard at work, Caitlin and Cisco had no choice but to accept the offer, already knowing that Barry would be pleased that everyone got to help in some way.
"Hey, where's Harry?" Nora asks, looking around the cortex to see no sign of the founder of S.T.A.R Labs on Earth-2.
"I'm right here," Harry responds, walking out of the lab before making his way down the steps. "Happy Father's Day, Allen."
"Thanks, Harry. You too." Barry smiles, making Harry smile in response. He knows very well that Jesse is wishing her father a happy Father's Day all the way from Earth-2. "And now that everyone is here, I think it's time that Flash Jr. learned about how I proposed to his mother."
"Yes! Please!" Sebastian begs, forcing the members of Team Flash to giggle at how desperate he is. "Please tell me about how you proposed to Mommy!"
"I'm going to," Barry responds, chuckling. "But first, you need to calm down."
"I am calm!" Sebastian exclaims, immediately realising that he is not calm at all, before taking a very deep breath in order to relax himself. "I am calm."
"Okay," Barry adds, smiling happily at his son. "Well, now that you're calm, here's the story about how I proposed to mommy."
**
Flashback - 3x17 Duet
Barry and Iris returned home to their apartment after a very long and very memorable day for them both, with Iris turning the light on for them as they walked inside it, both feeling glad that they'd confessed their love for each other.
Iris looked over her shoulder and couldn't help but notice that Barry was only focusing on one thing, which was making her smile happily.
"You didn't change anything when I moved in with Cisco." Barry says, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking around the apartment to see that it was the same way it had been when he moved out, and that Iris had indeed not changed anything.
"I, um, couldn't bring myself to do it," Iris responds, clasping her hands together after putting her coat down on the couch, forcing Barry to smile and chuckle at her response. "You know, we've been through a lot these last three years, but, um, getting stuck in a musical?" She asks rhetorically, forcing both to laugh slightly.
"Music Meister said that, you know, it could've been anything, that I created that world because…"
"You were watching them." Iris replies, finishing Barry's sentence for him, noticing him nod his head slightly in response. "Because of us."
"Well, my mom used to always say that musicals have the power to make everything better." Barry adds, still smiling happily.
"Did it work?" Iris asks, her eyebrows raising slightly.
"Um…" Barry says, clearing his throat before pressing the play button on his phone that started to play gentle piano music, before putting it down on the table beside him, noticing Iris shaking her head slightly with a smile on her face.
"Can't say how the days will unfold
Can't change what the future may hold
But I want you in it
Every hour, every minute."
**
Barry gently wipes a tear away from Iris's face as he continues to sing, the two of them sitting down on the couch and smiling happily at what Barry was doing.
"All I wanna do
Is come runnin' home to you
Come runnin' home to you
And all my life I promise to
Keep runnin' home to you
Keep runnin' home, home to you."
Barry gives a slight pause so that they can both look into each other's eyes, before he starts singing the last few words of the song.
"Can't say how the days will unfold
Can't change what the future may hold."
He decides that now is the right time to get the engagement ring out of his coat pocket so he can properly propose to the love of his life, seeing Iris cover her mouth with her hands as he looked down at her after standing up.
"But I want you in it
Every hour, every minute."
"Iris West," Barry starts after getting down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," Iris responds, making Barry and herself chuckle. "Yes." She repeats, allowing Barry to put it on her left ring finger before they both hug each other happily.
End of flashback
**
"And that, buddy," Barry says, looking at Sebastian. "Is how I proposed to mommy."
"That's the best story I've ever heard!" Sebastian exclaims, happily. "But why did you sing, Daddy?"
"Because I wanted it to be special," Barry explains. "And I am a pretty awesome singer, so…" He adds, chuckling when he hears Sebastian let out a slight giggle.
"So, now that that's out of the way," Iris says, looking at Nora and Sebastian. "Why don't you two give daddy his card?"
"Okay," Sebastian responds, before speeding over to his godparents after Cecile puts him down. "Aunt Caitlin, could I please have Daddy's card?" He asks, remembering to use his manners like he usually does.
"Of course." Caitlin replies, before handing him the card that she and Cisco had made for their friend.
"Here you go, Daddy," Sebastian adds, handing the card over to the fastest man alive. "Aunt Caitlin and Uncle Cisco coloured in the drawing that's on the card that me and Nora drew, and we both did the writing."
"Okay, well I love the drawing of me, so thanks, you two," Barry says, smiling at his son and daughter, admiring the drawing that they'd done of him in his Flash suit. "And I love what it says on the inside." He adds, after reading what Nora and Sebastian had written inside his card.
"What does it say?" Joe asks, wanting to know what his grandchildren had written inside the card that Barry just couldn't stop smiling at.
"Well, Nora's message says," Barry starts before reading his daughter's message in the card aloud. "'Dear Dad, Happy Father's Day! Keep on being the most amazing day ever! And you will always be the best hero of Central City that anyone could ever ask for! Love from Nora.'" He adds, reading every single word of what Nora's message said.
"That's so sweet," Cecile says, smiling at the older West-Allen child. "What does Seb's message say?"
"Sebastian's message says," Barry looks at his son's message before letting out a slight chuckle. "'Dear Daddy, Happy Father's Day! You're the best daddy ever! If I had a different daddy, I would punch him in the face and go find you!'," He adds, chuckling along with everyone else. "'And you are the best hero of Central City! Love from Sebastian.'."
"And there may be a little something at the bottom that came from both of them." Harry points out with a slight smile appearing on his face.
"There is," Barry responds, looking at the bottom of the inside of his card. "And it says, 'Keep on defeating the villains and saving Central City!'," He adds, looking at his kids. "I'm sure that can be arranged." Barry says, forcing himself to laugh along with the others. "Thanks so much, you two. I love this and I love both of you."
"Yeah, and I know what Sebastian loves," Cisco says, randomly, before putting his middle finger and forefinger together and touching the edges of his lips. "All aboard!" He adds, doing his best impression of the train conductor from The Polar Express, while also doing his best impression of Tom Hanks. "This is the Polar Express!" Cisco adds, pretending to gesture to a train before saying Sebastian's favourite line from his favourite Toy Story character. "You are a toy!" He says, chuckling slightly, seeing that no one else was laughing along with him. "Why do I even try?"
"Happy Father's Day, Dad." Nora says, embracing her father in a warm hug that has them both smiling.
"Thanks, you two," Barry responds, kissing the side of his daughter's head before doing the same with his son's head, rubbing their backs soothingly at the same time. "I love you guys so much."
"And we love you, Daddy." Sebastian adds, forcing Barry to smile along with everyone else at how happy he was.
"Best Father's Day ever."
"You say that every year, Dad." Nora points out, making everyone chuckle at the grin she receives when she sees Barry give his daughter a playful glare.
"I know," Barry adds. "And that's because I love this day so much. But not as much as I love you guys." He says, kindly, looking around at his friends and family members before kissing the top of his children's heads.
"And... that is a wrap!"