triskehale | (no subject)

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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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."