[ Right. Fourth time's the charm. Derek's not really in need of comfort here, so he doesn't really care how useful Reggie's advice might be. He snorts lightly, if anything, brushing off his response the way he would no matter what it was. This was just - his attempt at opening up, giving Reggie some empathy. Maybe he didn't do a good job. Feels kind of shitty, now that it's all out there.

Derek goes quiet, pressing his fingertips together and watching Reggie settle into this. He never minds him, telling Derek to shut up, and if Reggie wasn't going through hell right now, Derek would have probably picked a fight with him for his attitude. He clenches his teeth together, works out some tension in his jaw, but ultimately just - lets this go.

He's sighing through his nose, tilting his head away from Reggie to stare out ahead of him, but Reggie catches him before he goes. The kiss is... honestly very sweet, especially from Reggie of all people, and it catches Derek off guard. He doesn't react until it's over - he turns to look at Reggie more directly, lips lightly parted, the barest traces of shock on his face. ]

It's... fine.

[ It's fine. It's really okay, he's not mad, and he's not-- honestly, he's not saying no, he's just worried about Reggie. There's a huge leap from talking about how he loves somebody else to - this, and Derek cares about Reggie enough to not just... immediately throw him on his back and get to work. He needs a second to think, but he puts his hand on Reggie's side, just to show him that he's not upset. Last thing he wants is for Reggie to feel rejected, jesus. Not with everything else he's dealing with. ]

I... can't tell if this is what you need, or if this is just... something that's going to make you feel even worse.