(no subject)

[thescarletspeedster]

Ever since the breach, Barry takes care not to run too fast. The odds of him tearing a rift in time and space are low, but tonight he measures his steps in moderation, never letting them outstrip the frantic pace of his heart.

He reaches the loft in moments with Derek in his arms, who he deposits on the spartan couch and races off again. His fingers fumble with the medkit even in the Speed Force, and Barry tells himself it's with rage, not fear. Fear is for children. Rage is for heroes and vigilantes, and righteousness, too, and Barry is righteously angry.

There'd been no need for Derek to step between Barry and the knife the last perp had thrown. There'd been so little need that Barry didn't even hurry to get out of its path, which is why he'd been so astonished when Derek jumped into it instead. How Oliver's fucking suit had deteriorated so much that it could let a blade through, Barry doesn't know, but when Derek is patched up Barry is taking his suit to the lab and examining every polymer.

He appears with a crackle at Derek's side and strips him to his waist, finally kneeling to press the bandage to the hole in his side. He doesn't look at him.

If he looks at him, he's going to lose it.

Comments

[triskehale]

"And Puff," Derek confirms with a soft huff of laughter. "And Jinx. And even Elvis, even if he is a bitey little fucker."

Bitty's cat is still adjusting to life in the cabin, with a werewolf at that, but Derek knows he couldn't have let it go to the shelter. He would take care of the damn cat for the rest of its life in Bitty's stead.

"I love you too." Derek's expression, already hopelessly fond, softens even further at the words. He will never get tired of hearing them, not even if he's lucky enough to grow old with Barry at his side. He kisses him again, soft and lingering, and then playfully nudges him aside to grab the shampoo.

"Now get out of the way so I can clean up," he says with a smirk. "You know how fast this water gets cold."

[thescarletspeedster]

"We need a lair upgrade," says Barry, but he steps back far enough to let Derek reach the shampoo. Not one to be idle, Barry takes up the sponge and squirts a good amount of bathing gel into it. It foams up fast, and Barry drags it down the long line of Derek's back.

It lasts only moments before the sight of suds blooming over Derek's skin is too much to waste a sponge on, and Barry lets it fall, using his own fingers to drag the soap down every corded muscle of Derek's back. "It's just...really dirty back here," he says.

[triskehale]

When the sponge gives way to Barry's fingers, Derek is glad for it. He loves those hands and the way that they feel against his skin, and he snorts at Barry's reasoning. As if Barry would ever need an excuse to touch him.

"The lair I got you isn't good enough? Spoiled," Derek teases, rinsing the soap out of his hair and turning around so that Barry's hands rest against his chest. He reaches up to curl his hands around Barry's wrists, keeping his hands in place. "You ready to take this to bed, hummingbird? You seem a little like you might have plans for me."

[thescarletspeedster]

Barry drags his eyes away from the water following every hard rise and tiny valley of Derek's abdomen and nods. In an instant they're out of the shower and Barry's hands are buried in the towel working its way through Derek's hair. When Barry deems it just good enough he moves again, soon blinking down at Derek in the comforting warmth of their bed.

"Water pressure upgrade then," he murmurs, pushing his knee between Derek's. Barry's eyebrows lift. "Soundproofing?" He grins. "Couldn't hurt."

[triskehale]

Derek lets Barry take over, speeding them through the loft until he finds himself pressed back against the sheets with Barry looming over him. It's not at all a bad place to be, and Derek stretches out as he lets his thighs fall open, making room for Barry between them.

"We own the building," Derek reminds him, letting out a content growl as Barry's knee shifts between his legs. It feels good to be underneath Barry like this, belly up and wholly trusting. Derek's irises flash red and he tips his head back to expose his throat like an offering. "Be as loud as you want."

[thescarletspeedster]

Barry's grin goes lopsided and just a little bit coy. "I was hoping you would be," he says, dipping his nose to drag it up the column of Derek's throat. His stubble is thick and hard to miss, but Barry finds each tender strip of bare skin, pressing a kiss to each before pulling back again.

His own skin is rapidly flushing hot, and Barry shivers in the comparatively cold air of the room, licking his lips as he looks down at Derek. Almost of its own accord, his knee vibrates in short, insistent little pulses, nudged up tight against the place where Derek's inner thighs meet.

[triskehale]

"You have to give me a reason to be loud." He's teasing, but his easy tone is cut short as Barry's knee vibrates between his legs. He lets out a short whine, feeling arousal spark low in his belly as he slides his hands up Barry's sides.

His eyes flash again as he stares up Barry, who cares enough about him to yell and cry at the thought of him in danger. He lifts his head for a kiss, this time licking into Barry's mouth with a quiet, needy growl.

It seems inevitable that they would end up here, falling into each other's arms after such a rush of adrenaline. Derek feels a surge of affection for the man in his arms and pulls him closer, arching up against him as he bites softly at his chin.

[thescarletspeedster]

The whimper that escapes Barry's mouth isn't nearly as manly as he'd like, but this is what Derek reduces him to, a trembling, vibrating mass of need. "Is there still oil in the bedside table?" he asks, hips beginning to roll against the flat plane of Derek's body beneath him.

"Please tell me I don't have to make a run with - " Barry looks down at his own cock, already more than half hard and growing harder every second. "This."

[triskehale]

"Of course there is," he breathes out, chuckling softly as he stretches his arm out towards the small table next to the bed. "I think ahead."

His gaze dances across Barry's pale skin, going from mole to mole as he slides his hand down Barry's stomach, feeling the muscles tense against his fingers before he takes hold of his cock in a loose grip, stroking almost lazily as he traces the curve of Barry's jaw with his tongue. He draws his knees up, planting his heels into the bed as he lets his thighs fall open deliberately. It feels right to offer himself up after the night they had, to show Barry that he's still whole.

[thescarletspeedster]

"Thank God," Barry exhales, staring in wonder down at Derek beneath him. The pads of Derek's fingers trail over his skin, and though Barry knows where his hand is going, where he hopes it's going, he still sighs in relief when those fingers wrap around his cock.

He doesn't want to dislodge Derek for a moment, and the half second he spends in the speed force to slick his own fingertips is nearly agony, but then he's back and looking down at Derek's gorgeous, open body. "You're so beautiful," Barry murmurs, forgetting his urgency to steal a deep, lingering kiss. "Look at you."

[triskehale]

As a kid, Derek blushed at everything. He had started to grow out of it as a teenager, and the fire shut it down completely. Barry can bring it out in him sometimes, like now. Derek is no stranger to being complimented on his looks, but Barry is the only one who has ever done it with such reverence. Derek can’t help the way that his cheeks flush, and he tips his chin down a little to try and hide it.

He’s grateful when Barry kisses him, and Derek sinks his fingers into Barry’s damp hair as he licks into his mouth. His other arm fumbles for a pillow and he shoves it under his hips, curling one leg lazily around Barry’s thighs to draw him in closer.

“I love you,” Derek says again, breathing the words against Barry’s mouth because he’s feeling a little tender, a little split open, a little like putty in Barry’s hands. “I love you and I need you. Always.”