[Tate's lips part and it might not be a mistake to sense a bit of color in his face after that, splotches of pink on an otherwise ashen complexion. Derek's here for him. Wants to be alone - and that reminds him of the tangled web of memories from orientation, the newly stoked fire in his chest about moments like this. About wanting moments like this. He drops his gaze for a few seconds, head tilted away, but his eyes flick back to Derek's hand like he's magnetized to it.
He steps closer still, hand raised again but it swats at Derek's forearm to push it away. Holding hands seems like too much, but snagging a grip of Derek's sleeve and holding on to the leather seems fine. Though he pulls on it a bit when his weight shifts in the opposite direction, the concrete under his sneakers rocking like choppy waters.]
I said - I said... I can't remember what I said.
[His expression softens again, unscrewing from confusion to just - go with the flow. He quirks his brows and then glances up to Derek's face, staring at him openly. He's looked at him before, glowered at every little detail of his face but he's never stared at him quite like this before. Fascinated, lingering a bit too long on Derek's jaw as he struggles to process the view.]
You want to be alone with me?
[His voice is meek, almost. He blinks a few times in quick succession.]
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He steps closer still, hand raised again but it swats at Derek's forearm to push it away. Holding hands seems like too much, but snagging a grip of Derek's sleeve and holding on to the leather seems fine. Though he pulls on it a bit when his weight shifts in the opposite direction, the concrete under his sneakers rocking like choppy waters.]
I said - I said... I can't remember what I said.
[His expression softens again, unscrewing from confusion to just - go with the flow. He quirks his brows and then glances up to Derek's face, staring at him openly. He's looked at him before, glowered at every little detail of his face but he's never stared at him quite like this before. Fascinated, lingering a bit too long on Derek's jaw as he struggles to process the view.]
You want to be alone with me?
[His voice is meek, almost. He blinks a few times in quick succession.]