Chapter Text
When the fighting is finally over, Barry and Kara stumble through the front door of the loft. A relieved, but concerned Iris rushes forward to greet them.
"Barry!" She exclaims breathlessly. She takes his face in her hands and pulls him in for a long kiss. "You're alive!" Her hands run over his face like she can hardly believe that he is there. She kisses him again, then takes a step back to survey the two tired heroes.
Kara's arm is thrown haphazardly around Barry's shoulders. He is supporting her by the waist, half carrying her. The poison from the Kryptonite bullets is still coursing through her veins. She'll be all right given some time and plenty of sunlight, but for now, she can hardly walk.
Barry isn’t doing much better. He’s thankful to be alive, but he’s spent. It’s as if the Speed Force running through his veins had all but been expended. He needs to rest. He needs his lightning rod. He needs Iris.
The world outside is in utter disarray. Merging with other Earths will do that to a place. By some miracle the loft is still standing, still a safe haven from everything.
Kara's Earth wasn't so lucky.
They are both covered in blood, sweat, and soot. Barry guesses they must look a sight.
Iris catches them as they fall forward, unable to stand any longer.
"Kara's going to need to stay with us for a while," Barry says quietly to his wife.
She nods and crouches down to embrace Supergirl, who had fallen to the floor. "She can stay for as long as she needs to," Iris says warmly, holding Kara's head in her arms and stroking her hair.
Barry nods his forehead against Iris'.
"Thanks, Iris," Kara manages to croak. "Sorry for the imposition."
Iris shakes her head. "You’re not imposing."
Kara tries to smile.
Iris reaches out a hand to hold her husband's cheek. He turns his head to kiss her palm. Kara feels like if she wasn't there, they'd have stripped their clothes and been tangled up together already. For a moment, she feels sorry for keeping them from it.
"You both need a bath," Iris half-smiles, wiping a drop of sweat from Barry's forehead.
He smiles, too, happy to have a reason to laugh, however small it might be.
"Kara can go first," Barry offers. "I’ll wait."
Kara tries to sit up, but her head is swimming from the Kryptonite. She stumbles a little as she tries to climb to her feet. Iris and Barry catch her elbows from either side. "I'm okay," she assures them. "I'll be fine."
"It's all right, Kara," Iris soothes. "Let us help you."
They guide her upstairs to the washroom. Kara takes a seat sideways on the closed toilet while Iris draws a bath. Barry tries to help by detaching her cape from her shoulders. This small, kind gesture causes Kara to realize what a struggle it was going to be to get out of her suit.
"Got any more of those rings lying around?" She tries to joke, turning her head towards Barry.
He smirks down at her. "I'll see if Cisco can reverse engineer one for you." He folds the cape neatly in his hands and leaves the room to give her some privacy.
Kara tries to reach for the zipper at her back. Usually, she whips in and out of this thing. It's harder when she doesn't have the energy to go at super speed.
Iris is testing the temperature of the water and adding some bubble bath. She looks up to see Kara struggling.
"Can I help?" She asks, her voice calm and reassuring.
Kara blushes, embarrassed to be in need of assistance. Her hands dropped to her sides in resignation.
Iris takes this as her reply, and steps behind Kara. She swipes Supergirl’s hair to one side and pulls the zipper down in one swift stroke. Kara is so busy feeling shy about the fact that she doesn't usually wear undergarments under the suit, that she forgets what might be on her skin that makes Iris gasp: the exit wounds from the Kryptonite bullets.
"Are you all right?" Iris asked. "Should I call Caitlin?"
Kara shakes her head. "No -- no, I'll be fine," she insists. She tries foolishly to stand, but quickly falters. Iris catches her. Again.
Turns out the zipper is the easy part. Moving her shoulders while trying to get her arms out of the damn thing is a whole other operation.
Iris catches on immediately, and gently tugs at the edges of Kara's sleeves, carefully sliding them off of her one at a time. She doesn’t flinch at Kara's naked skin as she pulls the suit away from her torso and down her legs. Kara softly rests a hand on Iris' shoulder and steps out of the pants. Iris doesn’t bat an eyelash, just helps their friend into the tub, then settles on the bathroom floor for a moment. "Is there anything I can get you?" She asks.
Kara shakes her head. "Thank you."
Iris nods and touches a hand to Kara's shoulder, before standing up and giving Supergirl a moment to herself.
When Iris enters the bedroom, Barry has already taken off his suit and is lying naked on his back, stretched out across their bed. She knows this repose. It’s the one that says, I'm so glad to be free of my suit . She often finds him like this after a hard day of Flash work.
Today was the hardest one of those days he has ever had to endure.
She climbs over top of him, kissing his mouth, then his cheek and neck. She rubs her hand against his side, wanting to feel that he was really there. The sweat, soot and flecks of dried blood from wounds that have already healed don’t bother her. She is just happy to have her husband home. She almost lost him. She knows now what Barry must have felt three years ago when Savitar loomed.
His skin is just as sweet and soft as it’s ever been, but his body is hard and dense. Years of being the Flash had hardened his muscles into pleasing plains and divets. She runs a hand down his chest. His head lolls to the side in an effort to look at her. He is exhausted, but no less pleased by her touch. She can tell by the way he hardens that he has just enough energy left for her. She needs him desperately. After all, she thought she would never see him again.
She doesn’t mind that Kara is soaking in the tub next door.
She stands at the end of the bed and slips out of her dress, her bra, her panties. She climbs over top of him as he rasps a lazy "Iris..." and clutches at her hips.
She lowers herself down over him, taking every inch of him in her already wet pussy. "Let me do the work," she whispers in his ear. She places a hand on his chest and begins to roll her hips.
"Mhmm," he agrees.
She rides him until they're both gasping and clutching at each other, calling each other's names.