[ Tate looks - scared, and Derek reacts the same way he would have reacted if he were sharing this tree with Tate at fifteen instead of twenty-two, back before Kate charred away whatever naive, reactionary emotions he had in him outside of anger. He turns a little pink, looks down, looks away, looking - pointedly anywhere else. Embarrassed. Like he's been caught, doing something fucking stupid. Shy and dumb and stupid.
But he's not so selfish and entitled as to dwell on his own sudden spikes of shame once Tate's opening up to him about something pretty big. He swallows, resets himself, grounds himself and listens. Tate's - lying, obviously, and Derek doesn't push him, but the gravity of what's being breached here does make his stomach bubble with worry. He fears for a second that this is going to circle back to Kavinsky, and that he's going to have to confess that he met him, and that he swore he'd tear out his throat if he dared to speak to him again. Shit, his stomach really, really hurts.
But then Tate keeps going, says two subs, and Derek looks visibly miserable and apprehensive, but. Stable, at least. His gut response is to say - he'll sign that kid, too. Bring him into Derek's pack, the way he still wants to with Tate, and maybe he'll circle back to that, but sweeping, demanding promises based on nothing but the overprotective urge to fix everything hasn't exactly done wonders for what the two of them have. ]
What's...
[ Derek swallows. Tries to sound casual, instead of - heavily, heavily guarded. It doesn't work. He just sounds like he's trying not to... react. ]
no subject
But he's not so selfish and entitled as to dwell on his own sudden spikes of shame once Tate's opening up to him about something pretty big. He swallows, resets himself, grounds himself and listens. Tate's - lying, obviously, and Derek doesn't push him, but the gravity of what's being breached here does make his stomach bubble with worry. He fears for a second that this is going to circle back to Kavinsky, and that he's going to have to confess that he met him, and that he swore he'd tear out his throat if he dared to speak to him again. Shit, his stomach really, really hurts.
But then Tate keeps going, says two subs, and Derek looks visibly miserable and apprehensive, but. Stable, at least. His gut response is to say - he'll sign that kid, too. Bring him into Derek's pack, the way he still wants to with Tate, and maybe he'll circle back to that, but sweeping, demanding promises based on nothing but the overprotective urge to fix everything hasn't exactly done wonders for what the two of them have. ]
What's...
[ Derek swallows. Tries to sound casual, instead of - heavily, heavily guarded. It doesn't work. He just sounds like he's trying not to... react. ]
What's his name?