Barry Allen

Derek pulls back enough to let Barry reach into his coat, brow furrowing a little when he extracts a jewel case. He takes it gingerly, eyes widening little by little as Barry explains what it is. Derek flips the case over to look at the track list, and for a second it's a little hard to breathe. Eventually he lets out a soft huff of laughter, both in surprise and admiration, and looks up at Barry's face.

"You recorded songs for me?" He still has the cell phone video from that say that Barry serenaded him and he'll watch them in private sometimes, heart nearly bursting with fondness. Even if it had been brought on by magical chocolate, it had been the kindest, most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him. Over the past two years, Barry has continued to be kind and romantic, but this brings back some of that awestruck bewilderment. There's still a part of Derek that is surprised by kindness, surprised that anyone, especially someone good like Barry, would even want him at all.

He leans in to press his mouth to Barry's in a desperate kiss, nudging their noses together fondly before looking down at the disc again. He had assumed they were all covers, but he's never heard of the last one. There was something in Barry's expression when he said the title, and Derek looks at him in surprise. "Did you write it?"

Barry grins into the kiss, holding onto the lapels of Derek's jacket to keep him close. He'd thought Derek would enjoy the personal nature of the gift, but his reaction is even better than he'd hoped, and Barry has to fight the urge to snap a quick pic of Derek's face on his cellphone.

"Yeah," he admits, feeling his cheeks warm. That part had been a gamble, but the more he'd thought on the idea, the better it had seemed. A song, just for Derek. "I mean, it wouldn't win any Tony's, but I think it's okay."

"I want to listen to it right now." Derek grins and presses his lips to Barry's red cheek, keeping an arm tight around his waist. He knows how much all that serenading embarrassed Barry, but he still wrote and recorded an entire song because he thought it would make Derek happy.

He holds onto the CD in one hand and pulls Barry through the crowd with the other, eyebrows quirking up hopefully. "Do you think we've put in enough of an appearance at this party?"

Derek leans in for another kiss. "If it helps, your present is at home."

"Same as the CD player," Barry says, grinning so wide he nearly can't kiss Derek back. "I think that's definitely our cue to leave. But it'd be a shame to waste all this chocolate."

He looks down at Derek's suit, and then his own. "How much can your pockets hold?"

It's his day off, but Barry can't seem to concentrate on the Psych marathon on TV. He's buried under blankets on the couch, and though he's comfortable with Jinx in his lap and Derek stretched out next to him, Barry can't stop looking at the empty space by the window.

"I can't do it!" he exclaims, only just avoiding disembowelment from the cat at he hisses and slinks away. Barry winces in apology, but turns to Derek undeterred. "It's not Christmas without a tree. We're probably the only house that doesn't have one. We don't even have to buy it. We can just - "

Barry gestures towards the snowy woods outside the window. "Bang one down and take it."

Barry groans, but he figures he can't put this off any longer. He's been sobered from his musical madness since early evening yesterday, and though he knows he needs to apologize, this morning is the first time he's been brave enough to try.

Sitting up in bed, Barry leaves the sheets where they are, turning on his video recorder on his phone still in the safe confines of his blanket tent. "Um, hey," he says, staring at the screen with haunted eyes. "So, I know yesterday was kind of...a lot?" Barry swallows. "I saw on the news that a bunch of people had some kind of tainted chocolate intoxication, I can only assume I was one of them because I would never - "

Barry draws a deep breath. "I would never sing and dance like that willingly. I mean, unless you really wanted me to, then of course I'd try, but I'm getting the feeling you don't really...have that inclination. So I'm sorry for forcing it on you. And."

Barry hits pause, running his hand through his hair while he waits out the heat in his cheeks, but it doesn't seem like his blush is fading any time soon. "I'd still really like to go out tonight," he says, hitting record again. "If you don't, I won't blame you like, at all, but I promise not to sing at you, or to you, or to anyone ever, possibly ever again. So."

Barry stares into the camera. "Text me if you're still up for it. Um. Bye."

Drawing a breath, Barry sends the video to Derek and resumes hiding in bed.