[Tate calms but he's still raw on the insides, eyes still burning from spent tears. He looks into Derek's eyes from too close, finding it hard to focus. Hard to listen. Hard to do anything with the ringing in his head. He closes his eyes and takes a breath before leaning back, feeling embarrassed for the state of himself now that things are "better". He misses touch, something warm and comforting, and it's all he can think about right now. How much he wants to be touched.
Not replaced. The last thing he wants is to be replaced.
His eyes glaze again with wetness, and even though he's being offered a compromise it hurts to even adjust to it. He wants to protest, to protect this little shred of promise and make it wider. But maybe he needs to rein it in and maybe he needs to take what he can get and build his way back up. Show Derek he means it about the bite, that he's the only beta he needs. Derek told him he needed him, before. How can that stop?]
Okay.
[He's still not sure where they stand - where they're meant to go from here but at least it's not destroyed with finality. He tries to keep breathing deeply, tries to keep an even expression. Faltering, somewhat, but succeeding in smaller amounts. This still stings like a bit of rejection, like he's a let down, but he can build back up from that. He can fix this.]
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Not replaced. The last thing he wants is to be replaced.
His eyes glaze again with wetness, and even though he's being offered a compromise it hurts to even adjust to it. He wants to protest, to protect this little shred of promise and make it wider. But maybe he needs to rein it in and maybe he needs to take what he can get and build his way back up. Show Derek he means it about the bite, that he's the only beta he needs. Derek told him he needed him, before. How can that stop?]
Okay.
[He's still not sure where they stand - where they're meant to go from here but at least it's not destroyed with finality. He tries to keep breathing deeply, tries to keep an even expression. Faltering, somewhat, but succeeding in smaller amounts. This still stings like a bit of rejection, like he's a let down, but he can build back up from that. He can fix this.]
I can still come to the beach?