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Olivia looked genuinely startled, her grip tightening on the doorframe. “Oh,” she breathed, her voice a mix of confusion and something softer. “You got me a present?”

Derek couldn't tell if that was a flicker of excitement or a shadow of dread in her eyes. He nodded, his gaze fixed on her face as if searching for a green light. “Yeah, I did. I was going to have Izzy deliver it, but she basically told me to grow a pair and do it myself. So... here I am.” He tried to let a small, self-deprecating smile reach his lips, but it faltered when she remained silent. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Olivia shook her head, still looking a little dazed. “No, I don’t... but you should know I didn’t get you anything. I didn’t even know you were coming, and I—”

“It’s alright, Liv,” Derek interrupted gently, a genuine smile finally breaking through. “I wasn’t exactly expecting a trade-off.”

He stretched out his hand to her and Olivia reached for the package slowly, her movements cautious, as if she expected the moment to snap like thin ice. Derek, on the other hand, felt a surge of pure relief just because she hadn't closed the door in his face. 

He watched her begin to peel back the paper, his heart thudding against his ribs. He’d agonized over this before he'd finally settled on his gift. At first he'd considered jewelry, but jewelry felt like a bribe—a way to "buy" his way back into her good graces, so he'd decided against it. Tickets to an event felt like a demand for her time that he hadn't earned yet, so a date was out of the question.

So he’d stayed up in the quiet hours of the night, thinking about their time together. About the first time things had started to feel real, even though it'd taken him a while to notice it. He'd thought about the things she loved. About his favourite memories of the time they'd spent together, and one of them struck him.

It was the first night he'd taken her out, and they'd spent the night at his place afterwards, sprawled out on his living room floor, lost in the chaotic, nihilistic world of Rick and Morty, while getting high on brownies and wine. 

He remembered how much she loved that show, and how her face had lit up when something funny happened. How she kept telling him her favourite character and her favourite scenes. How they'd talked about the scenes and what they meant. 

He remembered all too well how her face had lit up during the "Unity" episode—how they’d debated the tragedy of two people who were perfect for each other but toxic in their timing. It was the episode where Rick had fallen in love with the character, Unity. They'd had a brief but intense romance, just like theirs, and their breakup had devastated Rick, just like he'd been devastated over theirs. Rick had been angry at Unity for leaving him, but that didn't mean he stopped loving her. He always would… Just like Derek knew he'd always love Olivia. 

He’d realized then that Unity was his metaphor. Like Rick, he’d been devastated by the void she left. He'd realized that "control" was just a lonely room with no windows. The idea had hit him right in the chest, and suddenly Derek knew what he wanted to give her for her Christmas gift. Something that represented a show she loved. A memory they both shared… One that would tell her how strongly he felt for her. 

As the last of the wrapping fell away, something flared in Derek’s chest. He saw the exact moment she recognized it, and he loved her ten times more when he saw the smile that broke out on her face. 

“It’s Unity,” she whispered, a small, breathless laugh escaping her.

She lifted the small, custom-framed painting. It was a masterpiece of "what if." The artist had perfectly fused some of Olivia’s features into the animated silhouette of Unity. Like an animated version of her from a different dimension, one where they worked.

“...And she kinda looks like me,” Olivia added.

She laughed again, but her voice trembled this time, and Derek saw the shimmer of tears she was fighting to keep back. He was so glad she got the idea immediately, and watched as her thumb traced the tiny scripted words at the bottom right.

‘I used to think I needed to be alone to keep control. Now I realize I'm only me when I'm with you.’

“Derek...” she whispered.

Just his name. That was all it took for his heart to soar, then almost burst out his chest when she finally looked up, and the smile she gave him wasn't polite or guarded. It almost knocked him off his feet. God, he'd been dying for her to smile at him like that again for so long. 

“That’s... One of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. She couldn't find the words to express how touched she was at the effort he'd put into it. 

“I’m just glad you like it,” Derek managed to say, his own voice sounding a little wrecked.

The heavy silence that followed was punctured by the arrival of a delivery guy holding a stack of cardboard boxes. The intrusion was jarring, but Olivia took the pizza with a dazed "thanks," her brain clearly still back in the multiverse of the painting.

The delivery guy disappeared, leaving them alone once more. Olivia looked at the pizza, then at the man standing on her mat in front of her. She cleared her throat, suddenly shy, her gaze dropping to the floor before she found the courage to meet his eyes again.

“Would you... like to come in?” she asked. She lifted the pizza box a fraction of an inch, a tentative peace offering. “We could share this. I’m making a whole meal as well... There's a lot to do…and eat… and I’d honestly love the company. If you don't have somewhere else to be.”

Derek felt like he’d just been handed a lifeline in the middle of a storm, and it took everything in him not to grab her and kiss her senseless until neither of them could breathe, but he held back. Baby steps, he thought.

He didn't even try to play it cool. “I’d love to stay, Liv.” He said, “More than anything.”