Chapter Text
Barry had never been part of a big family. He had been orphaned as a young boy after his mother's death, and never been adopted. Being an orphan with no siblings had made him relish the idea of a large family. Iris had a brother and a sister. She herself had been orphaned, however, Iris had been adopted as a baby. Iris was close to her father and sister-in-law, so it was no surprise when after seven months of dating, Iris asked if he'd want to meet her family. Barry had been completely enamoured with the idea.
Iris's father, Ira West, was a physicist and a brilliant man. Barry had been enraptured by her father, and after that, had looked forward to meeting the rest of Iris's family.
The next member of her family that Iris introduced him to was her older sister Charlotte. Barry couldn't say he was impressed by Charlotte. She and her husband Edgar seemed to think they were on top of the world since Edgar had made a small fortune as a jeweller. While Barry did think the man was a suave businessman, and their daughter Inez was cute (when she was quiet), he found the family to be entirely too pretentious for an ordinary man like Barry Allen.
Barry was entirely happy when their visits to Charlotte and Edgar became once a month, awkward dinners in public restaurants. He was even more happy that as he and Iris grew closer and closer, that Ira would invite them over almost every weekend. Unfortunately, the man had a tendency to forget he had invited them over, and it took Barry almost two months of meeting Ira to get over the awkward feeling that came with arriving for lunch only to find out Ira had already eaten and was planning to take a nap.
By this time, Barry had become comfortable with Iris's family just the way it was. So, when Iris mentioned her brother Rudolph 'Rudy' West was moving from Blue Valley, Nebraska, to Keystone City, Barry hadn't been very enthused. Iris had told him that Rudy was a lot like Charlotte in his mannerisms, and Barry had translated that for sister-speak to 'He's sort of a pretentious bastard'. His wife Mary was apparently meek and quiet and Iris had relatively little to speak about her beyond the fact that they got along fairly well. They had a son, Wallace, who Iris was tremendously fond of for reasons she hadn't really elaborated on when they'd talked about the Wests.
So after a gruelling hour long car ride (because hello- speedster in a confined box moving at a mere 80 kilometres per hour) they had come to the West household. Standing outside the door, Barry had felt undeniably nervous. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if another one of Iris's siblings turned out to be, well, hard to be around. But he was going to try.
“Iris!” said Rudolph, as he opened the door, a beaming smile on his face.
The man was tall, taller than Barry, and with brown hair that was a dark colour, like the color of burnt toast. He had a beard too, a scruffy beard. But he wasn't wearing a suit like Edgar had when Barry first met him. Just jeans and a flannel shirt. The man lead both Iris and Barry into the small town home. The living room was to the left, with cozy brown couches, and a small television. The long entrance hallway lead to a small kitchen and a small backyard out there. Upstairs were two bedrooms. Overall, the house was tiny, and Barry felt strange as he looked over the Wests situation. It was completely different from the pretentious Rhodes, so why did Iris think Rudy was pretentious?
“Nice to meet you Barry,” said Rudy politely, “Iris told us a lot about you.”
“The pleasure's all mine Rudolph,” said Barry with a grin, “And I can tell you everything Iris has said was probably the cold hard truth. Once a reporter, always a reporter.”
Rudy gave a pleasant chuckle, and Barry found himself chuckling as well. Iris smiled, looking pleased as she sat beside Barry.
“Mary!” called Rudolph loudly, “Iris is here!”
Five minutes later, a red-headed woman pattered into the room. She was holding a small, red-headed six year old on her hip. He was clutching a Flash action figure to his chest, and he was clinging to his mother like a koala bear. Barry couldn't even make out the boy's eye colour. Nothing like two-year old Inez and her bratty tantrums for attention.
“Who's this little man?” asked Barry, grinning as Mary said her quiet hellos and sat down beside Rudolph, Wallace still clinging to her.
“Wally, Barry asked you a question,” said Mary softly, as her son nuzzled deeper into her neck.
To Barry's surprise, a dark look flashed on Rudolph's face, before it disappeared for a jovial smile. He lightly nudged his son, who snapped to attention, and continued clinging to his mother. Barry felt uneasy thinking about that dark look and the boy's behaviour.
“I'm Wally,” said the boy softly, before burying his face in his mother's neck.
“He's shy,” said Rudolph, a tight smile on his face, “Nothing like I was at that age. No idea who he gets that from, since Wests are never this quiet. Anyways boy, go play upstairs.”
“Ah, is that a Flash toy?” asked Barry, glancing at the action figure.
Wally nodded, but kept his face in his mother's neck. Barry's heart broke at the obvious reluctance from the kid. He was usually pretty good with kids, with or without the mask. He felt Iris's hand on his, giving him a gentle squeeze. Despite the fact that she didn't know he was the Flash, she knew Barry liked kids and was naturally good with them, for the most part.
“Wally, go upstairs,” said Rudy, sounding a little angry. Barry had no idea why the man seemed so agitated.
Wally slipped off his mother's lap, threw a reluctant glance her way, and then was out the door immediately. Mary didn't even flinch. She merely took the opportunity to sidle closer to her husband, playing the role of devoted wife to a T. Barry watched him go, marvelling at the kid's speed. For an ordinary human, the boy was fast.
“He's a fast runner,” said Barry with ease, “Does he play any sports?”
Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask. Iris's hand suddenly squeezed his so tight that the blood circulation nearly cut off. Mary stiffened and her hands folded in her lap. And Rudy's face darkened again, before the man laughed, a bit of a bitter edge to it.
“I wish! Boy's too full of daydreams,” said Rudy with a sigh, “He's too shy to get on the field and talk to anyone, and he's terrified off the other kids. All he does all day is read books from the library or watch T.V. Lazy, that's what kids of this generation are like. Back when I was his age, I loved playing outside with the other kids. There hasn't been a single West kid that's ever been as- as- antisocial as that boy. Even Mary was a social butterfly back in school. I have no idea why he's like that.”
“Dad was pretty antisocial,” said Iris quickly, “And Wally is a lot like our dad. Who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be a genius like his grandfather.”
While Mary shot Iris a grateful look, Rudy's fists clenched, and Iris looked uneasy. Barry felt like a stranger in this household, and a little on edge. Apparently bringing up Rudy's son or father to the man opened up a can of worms in the house that lead to, well, this.
“Just what I need, a crackpot for a boy, just like my father,” said Rudy bitterly. Barry tried to hold back the frown, but his eyes must have shown some irritation. The way Rudy stressed that Ira was his father, it made Barry uncomfortable, like he was trying to suggest that he wasn't Iris's father. A tense silence hung in the air.
Finally, Mary opened her mouth and stepped in to say, “It's probably just a phase dear. He'll grow up and out of it, into a man just like his father.”
“He better,” said Rudy.
But Iris wasn't pleased. Her expression had changed to that of a hell-cat's after Rudy had insulted their father and herself, and she had a sour look on her face. Barry could sympathize with her, and felt a tug of pity for the little boy if Mary wanted her son to be like his father instead of his grandfather. Apparently, neither Charlotte nor Rudy could see the sheer brilliance in their father that Iris could.
After that, the conversation turned to lighter topics, such as Iris, Barry and Rudy's respective jobs. Iris and Barry's jobs were so intertwined, with Iris being the lead reporter for Central City, and Barry's job as a forensic scientist, that often times their stories overlapped. Rudy's job, however, was that of a mechanic, and his stories weren't as exciting as either of theirs, but there was far more humour. Despite his flaws, Rudy was a wonderful orator, and he knew how to entertain an audience.
“We had a wonderful time today Mary,” said Iris, as the day came to a close, “If you ever need anything, Central's only an hour away. Please, don't hesitate to call.”
“Thanks for everything Mary,” said Barry with a smile, as the woman gave him an awkward hug, “And it was a pleasure meeting you Rudy. You both have a wonderful home.”
“It was our pleasure,” said Mary with a smile, “I want to go to Central's mall sometime next week. Maybe we should meet then, Iris?”
“That would be perfect,” said Iris with a smile.
Before Mary and Iris could take off about their shopping trip, Barry moved to open the door. He didn't want to get stuck stabbing for conversation with Rudolph. Despite the man being a great talker, they hardly had anything in common. It was difficult to relate to Rudy.
He was interrupted, however, by a loud crash. The sound of a thud rang in his ears, and his first instinct was to check for property damages. However, to his relief, it had come from upstairs, where Wally was. Barry glanced at Rudy, who's face had tightened, and Mary, who had hardly flinched, and assumed this sort of thing was a regular occurrence.
“Boy! What happened?” called Rudy up the stairs.
From the side staircase, the small boy appeared, carrying the Flash action figure with him, and holding onto the railings. Barry's eyes zoned onto the figurine, and he felt a quick smirk tugging at his lips. The next time he met the kid, he'd make sure to talk about the Flash.
“Well?” demanded Rudy, looking stern.
“Dropped my lego set off the bed,” said the boy quietly, so quietly that Barry almost had to strain his ears to hear.
“What was your lego doing on the bed?” asked Mary, looking taken aback.
“I was playing,” said Wally weakly.
“Not your Flash game again, was it?” asked Rudy angrily.
“Flash game?” mouthed Barry to Iris, who gave him a glare.
When the boy didn't respond, his mother sighed, “I told you no legos on the bed Wally. Pick it up, and we'll talk about your punishment later.”
“Yes'm,” said Wally, before running back upstairs to his room.
“Flash game?” asked Barry, trying to sound good-natured and amused rather then derogatory. He'd learnt quickly that Rudy could take the slightest thing as an insult.
“He's fond of the Flash,” said Mary with a sigh, “He likes to re-enact Flash scenarios with his lego bricks. We bought him his first action figure for Christmas this year, and he's been hooked ever since.”
“It's a stupid past-time if you ask me,” said Rudy loudly, and Barry was sure the boy upstairs could hear, “Boy's got a head full of clouds. Told his teacher he'd grow up to be a super-hero! I have no idea how I ended up with him for a son.”
Barry's jaw nearly dropped at the viciousness of Rudy's last statement. He didn't have any kids, and his memories of his mother and father were few and from his oldest memories, but he was certain you didn't say things like that around your son. Even if he was only a floor away. Barry was positive even Superman could hear him all the way here in Central City.
“Just a phase,” said Mary, smoothing her hands over her skirt.
“Right,” said Rudy bitterly, before forcing a twisted smile that looked painful, and saying, “Well, see you around Allen.”
“Yeah, see you,” said Barry with a weak smile.
“Bye Mary, Rudy,” said Iris, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks.
The two of them walked slowly to the car. Barry was driving, so he was gentle to turn the ignition on, and drove a little slower then the speed limit. He really wished he could just slam the gas pedal and drive out of the house before he became witness to another scenario of crazy parenting from Rudolph West, but then, being a speedster and a cop meant abiding speeding rules lest he let his speed get a little out of hand.
It was only when they were a good distance away that Iris finally spoke again. Her voice was low and miserable as she said, “I'm so sorry.”
“About what?” asked Barry kindly, though he had a fair idea.
“Rudy- He wasn't always like that,” said Iris quickly, defending her brother, “He wasn't always that bitter or mean. After Edgar and Charlotte became quite successful, and I got my job, Rudy's always felt bitter. He never went to university because he wanted to play football for a career and that didn't pan out. Then a knee injury put him out of commission, and well, he became that. And by then I was going to university, and dad didn't have as much money for Rudy so he sort of fell through the cracks.”
“He's- different,” said Barry, trying to find the right thing to say, “But well, he's not- He's not- Wally isn't-
“Oh gods no! I made sure to check on that,” said Iris immediately, “As far as I know, he only verbally abuses Wally. And he's such a sweet kid Barry. He doesn't deserve that. I wish you'd had a chance to interact with him more. When I was younger and in university, Rudy and Mary lived near my school. I used to babysit him all the time. They only moved to Blue Valley when he turned three and a half because they wanted the more suburban lifestyle, which was a half a year after I graduated and then I moved to Central for better job opportunities.”
“And you're doing pretty well for yourself, if I must say,” teased Barry lightly, more taking on a more serious tone, “Has anyone ever- intervened?”
“I used to fight with Rudy about it, but Mary, she- She's his enabler. Whenever I tried to point it out to her, she'd blame Wally, say he's going through a phase and he'd get over it and Rudy would be happy. I love Mary, but she's too fixated on this perfect family ideals and too in love with Rudy, that she'd never step up and protect her son because that means accepting that Rudy's wrong and that he's not a good father,” said Iris with a sigh and an angry, dejected look on her face, “That's why I didn't want to introduce you to Rudy and Mary for so long, and why I cut back on visits to Blue Valley myself.”
“Hey,” said Barry, taking her hand, “I don't care if he turned out to be one of the Flash's rogues! I'm not dating Rudolph West, I'm in love with Iris West, and I can deal with the in-laws. Besides, I love your dad too much to leave you now.”
“I always knew you were only in this relationship to talk nerdy with my father, babe,” said Iris, but her lips twitched with amusement, and the pained look lessened.
“Besides, now that they're close by, maybe we can have Wally over a bit more?” offered Barry, “I mean- if you'd want him in your house.”
Iris grinned, and laughed as she pressed a kiss to Barry's cheek, “Was that a sly way of asking me to move in with you?”
“If it was, would you say yes?” asked Barry with a chuckle, “But- I mean- Only if you're ready!”
“I don't think I'm quite ready to take that plunge,” said Iris seriously, “But I'm glad to know that my family hasn't scared you off from a future with me.”
“Hey, I'm a brave man Iris West,” said Barry with a grin, “Throw me your worst.”
Iris laughed, and like that, the two of them had a clear air. It wasn't one of their best nights. Nor was it quite a happy memory, but it was something. A sort of unity between the two of them to ensure that there would be a future.