triskehale | (no subject)

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Derek is sometimes slower to wake when Barry is next to him. It used to be that he went from asleep to alert in as much time as it took for his eyes to snap open, but things have changed. He no longer lives his life under attack, and he can afford such utter luxuries as drifting peacefully to wakefulness. Usually Barry's scent is strong and warm around him, coupled with the steady and comforting thrum of his heart. It makes Derek and his wolf feel safe, and sometimes he spends whole minutes just basking in the feel of it before even opening his eyes.

This morning, he wakes up and smells the faint linger of Barry's shampoo on the pillow. He doesn't wear cologne much, as a gift to Derek's sensitive nose, but his shampoo smells faintly of mint. It doesn't occur to Derek that he can't smell Barry's actual scent, the earthy sweetness of it, because his full bladder is demanding most of his attention. He glances over at Barry and gets the feeling that something is off, but he can't quite place his finger on what it is.

He gets out of bed with the intent to head straight for the bathroom, but when he takes a step he instead shoots forward in a blur of speed. He crashes directly into the wall next to the bathroom door, feeling an unexpected burst of pain as he slumps to the floor.

"What the--" He reaches up to rub at his face, but his eyes widen when he sees the tremors in his hand. It's practically a blur in front of his face, and familiar flicks of red electricity crackles around his fingertips almost faster than he can see. His eyes dart to the bed, and that's when he realizes what's so weird. He can't hear Barry's heartbeat. The steady hum that's been such a constant for so long has gone silent. "Barry!"

He gets up with the intent to run over to the bed but instead blurs right onto it, crashing into the headboard and groaning as he flops back onto the mattress.

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Though he isn't currently a wolf, Derek recognizes the needy sound and it still makes something twist in his chest. He stands and puts an arm around Barry, kissing his cheek as he pulls him in close.

"Pretty much," he answers, nosing into the soft hair above Barry's ear. "But I've had my whole life to get used to it. Come on, let's go outside."

He lets go to pull on a pair of loose sweat pants and tosses another pair at Barry before heading for the door. It's cool and sunny outside, and Derek gestures at the grass. "Maybe you'll feel better if you shift. I always do."

Barry pulls the sweats on, but they make him feel even itchier. But he doubts they'll be on long - Derek's never are. And sure enough, as soon as he gets outside, all Barry wants to do is strip them off and roll in the grass. Even in winter, it's so tempting, and Barry vows never to tease Derek for his habits again.

He's got his hands on the hem of his pants when Derek mentions shifting. "Do you think I can?" he asks. "All the way to a wolf?"

"I mean, it's possible," Derek replies, valiantly doing his best to not get distracted by the way Barry's thumbs hook into the sweats. He looks a little obscene, bright eyed and wild, and Derek lets out a breath. He's vibrating again, hands shaking at his sides, and he takes a slow and deliberate step towards Barry so that he doesn't dart forward again. Sure, Derek has a whole new set of powers too, but at least his aren't affected by the moon. "If we truly swapped powers, you should be able to."

He stops in front of Barry and smiles encouragingly, reaching out to touch his shoulders. Scent should help, hopefully. "It feels sort of like an itch, right? Just stop fighting it, and let it happen. I'm right here."

"Yeah," says Barry, taking comfort in that, but it's impossible not to notice Derek's hands. "God, I'm being an asshole," he exhales, "Are you okay? Are you eating? I passed out, like, five times my first day as a speedster, you need to eat, Derek. And do you have questions?"

The moon is like a siren above him, not a beautiful, mythical temptress but a wailing air raid, but Barry can ignore it for Derek. "Mostly being a speedster is just awesome, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're not," Derek assures him, laughing softly even as he preens a little at the attention. Barry suddenly has the moon to contend with; it's understandable that he would be a little focused on that. "But yeah, now that you mention it-- I could eat."

He's starving, actually. Generally he's hungry at any given moment, and the shock of everything made it a little easier to ignore, but he should probably get some food in him soon. "I'll make us something in a bit. You won't be as hungry as you usually are, I imagine, but you should still eat too."

Now that he has Barry's full attention, he looks down at his vibrating hand and wills it to be still. "I just-- how do you contain it? I feel like if I move, I won't be able to stop."

"Sometimes you just have to run it out," says Barry, reaching down for Derek's wrist. It's so strange to see his own powers on someone else, and he stares at Derek's vibrating hand. "And don't put this through anyone on accident," he says, delicately placing Derek's hand back at his side.

"The good thing is, most Speedster powers can't really hurt you while you're getting the hang of them, and if they do, you'll heal. It's mostly property damage you'll need to worry about. Just stay full of calories and you'll be fine."

"I think we should just stick near each other," Derek says quietly, looking down at his now still hand. He may not be a wolf, but Barry still anchors him. "At least for tonight."

He lifts his hand and focuses on trying to make it vibrate like Barry does, touching his opposite arm and grinning when he feels the buzz against his skin. Slowly, he reaches up to rest his vibrating fingers lightly against Barry's cheek. He glides them down Barry's neck and lets his hand drop as his smile goes a bit smug. "Oh, how the tables have turned."

After giving Barry a quick wink, he races into the cabin to make a few sandwiches. He's back in front of Barry before he even has time to react, kicking up leaves and holding up his bounty. "Calories. Then do you want to try and shift? I wonder if you'll look the same as a wolf as you did when you took Magnus' potion."

Barry closes his eyes, transfixed by the pleasant buzz of Derek's fingertips against the most vulnerable swathes of his skin. "Yeah," he exhales, "I get why you like that."

Derek is gone in a burst that renders Barry breathless, and okay, as he plucks the leaves from his shoulders he also gets why that annoys people. All is forgiven when Derek raises a sandwich before him, and Barry is three bites in when he admits, "I'm kind of scared. Doesn't it hurt to totally transform like that?" He's always assumed it causes Derek at least a little pain, he's just so strong and stoic he doesn't let it show.

His own sandwich is nearly gone when Barry's words register, and at first Derek thinks he means all of it, the whole thing. But then he continues and Derek's shoulders relax even as his brows furrow thoughtfully. Lately he's been so anchored and so in control that fully shifting is as easy as stretching a muscle. He tries to remember how it was at the beginning, and how to convey that with words.

"It's not like you see in terrible werewolf movies," Derek begins, finishing his sandwich and sucking mustard from the pad of his thumb as he thinks. "It doesn't hurt, really. It felt strange at first. I mean, your bones are reshaping themselves. As long as you're anchored and you want the shift, I think you'll be okay."

The vulnerable look in Barry's eyes makes something in Derek's chest twist, and he reaches out to take Barry's hand and press a soft kiss to the palm of it. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do, hummingbird. If you don't want to shift, I'm sure I can think of other ways to distract you through the moon."

He lifts his eyebrows and vibrates his lips against Barry's palm in an attempt to lighten the mood, biting softly at the soft flesh before letting it go. "I mean, you've been nice enough to do that for me in the past, and all."

The air keeps changing around them, often in time with shifts in Derek's expression, and Barry's eyes widen. "Oh!" he says, "I can smell your feelings! You were worried for a minute, and now you just smell - " Barry pauses. "Kind of bright? Like biting into an orange. Happy, I think?"

He reflexively rubs the spot Derek has bitten, nearly missing his teeth, but the vibration has left a pleasant buzz behind. "It's just so much to take in," says Barry, reclaiming Derek's hand. "I want to try, though. If I can see and do everything through your eyes, I want to. Who knows if this chance will ever come again. You'll be there though, right?"

Barry's eyes flicker red. "For all of it?"

"I knew you would make a great wolf," Derek replies, beaming proudly and threading their fingers together. The explanation is one he understands very well and he nods, eyes widening when Barry's eyes flash. It's a good look on him, and Derek's own eyes crackle with electricity for a moment before he blinks and leans for a quick kiss.

"I want that too," he murmurs, squeezing Barry's hand. Derek is perfectly okay with focusing on Barry tonight while the moon is high overhead. He knows how strong the pull of the wolf is, and he wouldn't miss a second of it. "I'm all yours. I won't leave your side, whatever you want to do."

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