[ Derek barely gets the chance to hug Tate back. He tries, but by the time he realizes what's happening, by the time he loops his arm around Tate's waist and pulls him tight to his body, Tate's already overwhelmed, already peeling back. It's like-- it's like he only gets a second, to really squeeze Tate and bring him in and silently give him everything he has, and it's not enough, and Derek hates it, but he hopes Tate knows he'll give him more than that, if he ever needs it.

He says let's go and Derek nods, walking, slower than before, more somber. He doesn't say anything for a long while yet, doesn't push Tate to talk while he's recovering from the new onslaught of tears that Derek put him through. The woods thin out and the smell of the beach gets stronger, but Derek veers away from it, heading into town.

They get a bus, drive in pretty deep, and it's not until they find a hardware store and head inside that Derek feels comfortable enough to lead a real conversation again. Everything's tall and industrial and surprisingly empty, which makes sense, given that it's getting pretty late in the day, and Derek walks through the warehouse feeling sort of overwhelmed. The Up is fucking ridiculous. This is the classiest hardware store he's ever been in. ]

Better start thinking about the fun shit. If you're gonna paint it, what you're gonna stash in it. Things like that.