triskehale | closed; thomas

Last night, Thomas had slept. Deep and dreamless, it'd been the kind of sleep that he'd had the first night after they'd been "rescued" from the Maze. That might have been the last time Thomas had truly relaxed. He'd thought they were free. They'd passed their Trial so there was no harm in sleeping.

Thomas had been wrong about that. Very wrong.

The first peek of the sun woke Thomas this morning. For a second, he thought he was back in the Scorch. When he felt morning warmth fall across his leg, Thomas yanked it back like he'd be burned. But, nothing happened. He was fine. He was in Darrow.

Embarrassed, Thomas rolled out of bed and went about pulling on a tee shirt (blue) and a pair of loose pants (black). He was pulling on socks when Derek knocked.

Carrying both his boots and a pair of shoes more suited to running with him, he opened the door, looking mostly awake. His hair was still showing signs of bedhead and he still felt cotton mouthed but he was awake.

"Morning," he said, stepping back to let Derek and his protein bars inside.

"Morning," Derek says with an amused chuckle, taking in Thomas' messy hair as he moves past him to enter the apartment. Thomas smells like sleep and a little like anxious sweat, like maybe he had a bad dream. It makes Derek wonder how common they are, and how long they might last. But then again, there might not be an end to them. Derek still gets them too.

"I brought first breakfast." He holds out one of the protein bars, and has to resist the urge to reach out and fix Thomas' messy hair. Seeing him like this, all sleepy and warm, is another one of those odd deja vu moments that Derek keeps experiencing around him. It makes him ache for a moment, but he pushes it away. "You ready to head out?"

One day, Thomas was going to pick up on the fact that some of the things he did knocked Derek for a metaphorical loop. He knew very little of Derek's relationship with Stiles and he didn't pry because it wasn't his place. Derek had cared for his doppelganger, that was obvious, but when Thomas opened his eyes, maybe he'd figured out just how deep that had run and why Derek being around his this much now was a big deal.

Thomas kicked the door closed behind Derek and smothered a yawn in his arm before taking the protein bar. He'd seen these in stores around town but hadn't tried one yet.

"Yeah, just let me get my shoes on," he answered, dropping both the boots and shoes on the ground. His instinct was to go for the boots since he'd been running in those since he'd woken up in the Box. The shoes had been recommended when he'd gone into a store and said he wanted something for running. He was curious as to how they'd feel but didn't know if right now was the time for the change.

Derek unwraps his protein bar and takes a big bite before looking up to see Thomas staring down at his two pairs of shoes like it's the most important decision he'll ever make. Derek huffs out a laugh and sticks his foot out to push the boots aside.

"Try the shoes," Derek tells him, pulling the wrapper of his protein bar down a little more. "Just trust me. If you don't like them, you can put the boots on."

Trying something different wasn't going to kill him. Thomas knew that and yet, he was still hesitant. The boots hadn't been what made running something he had to do in the Maze. That had been something deeper, something built into his muscles and bones.

"Good that," Thomas agreed, settling himself down on the floor so he could pull on the shoes. The fit was good, molding around his foot while still giving his toes some space. He laced the shoes and then stretched his legs out in front of him, giving the sneakers an appraising look. Whereas the boots were battered and worn, the shoes were pristine and new. The boots were heavy while the sneakers were light.

"They don't fit badly," he finally said, glancing up at Derek. "Might be okay for running."

"Might be," Derek repeats, smirking as he holds his free hand to help Thomas up. "How do they feel?"

He sets the bag of waters down on the counter and cracks one open to wash down the taste of protein bar. "These aren't the best thing you'll taste, but they give you energy quick. We'll get real breakfast after."

Derek sets the bottle down and looks over at him, one eyebrow raised teasingly. "If you don't tap out and crawl back home, that is."

Thomas took Derek's offered hand and pulled himself to his feet. With his weight pushing down on the soles of the shoes, he bounced from heel to toe and then nodded. When his feet didn't explode out of the sneakers (not that he'd expected them to do that), he let go of Derek's hand.

"Comfortable," he answered, pushing himself to his tiptoes and then back down. He could feel the tightness of the shoe where the fabric was waiting to be stretched. Hopefully he'd be able to do that without too much trouble. The last thing he needed was a shucking blister.

With the shoes taken care of, Thomas tore open the protein bar and took a bite, chewing carefully. The taste and the size reminded him of one of the granola bars WICKED had given them before tossing them into the wasteland. Thomas wanted to shudder with the memory but he suppressed it. Pushed it down and pulled himself up to his full height before answering Derek's challenge. "The only place that's gonna happen is in your dreams. And even then, I don't think it's gonna happen."

"Yeah, we'll just have to see about that," Derek says with a smirk, watching Thomas as he screws the lid back onto his water bottle and jerks his chin towards the door. "Stop dragging ass and let's go. I thought you were fast."

He laughs and knocks his shoulder gently against Thomas' as he heads for the door, popping the last of the protein bar into his mouth and tossing the wrapper before gripping the door handle and pulling it open. He bounces eagerly from foot to foot, ready to get moving. "We're losing daylight."

Following Derek's lead, Thomas quickly ate the rest of his protein bar before tossing the wrapper. He swung his arms back and forth, stretching the muscles of both shoulder and neck and he followed behind Derek.

"I am fast," he said as he pulled up even with Derek again. He'd been the fastest of the Runners back in the Maze by a long shot. He'd been the most reckless too but Thomas wasn't going to apologize for that. "You'll see."

He jumped up and down, trying to get his blood flowing. The anxiety from this morning was forgotten. Thomas could already feel the adrenaline start to pump. "If you're ready, I am. Set us a pace, shank."

Derek watches Thomas out of the corner of his eye as he warms up, smirking as he leads them out the building. It's still early enough that the streets are relatively empty, and Derek looks over at Thomas with a cocky grin.

"I'm always ready." He winks at Thomas and then rocks back into a starting position. "Go."

Derek takes off like a shot, and while it's nowhere near his full speed, it's very fast for a human. The motion is swift and graceful, muscles burning pleasantly as he moves, and he tips his chin up to feel the cool morning air rush by him.

As soon as those two words leave Derek's mouth, Thomas gets his feet moving. He's trailing behind Derek at first, watching his broad back and dark hair before shifting into another gear. Legs pumping, he managed to close the gap until he was just behind Derek, running at his shoulder.

While Thomas isn't as fast as Derek, he's faster than most people. His endurance is off the charts and even if he runs out of strength and stamina, he'll continue to push himself until someone physically stops him.

The wind in his hair and the burn in his lungs feels good. It takes him back to the Maze, takes him back to running with Minho around twisting walls and down through narrow corridors.

"Right behind you," Thomas chanted, pleased that he'd been able to keep up as well as he had. "Enjoying yourself?"

He was.

Derek is impressed by just how well Thomas is keeping pace with him, and when he speaks, he sounds light. He sounds happy, and even if it's fleeting, Derek is glad to have helped.

"Oh, I'm just warming up," Derek calls back, but he slows down just a fraction so that he's next to Thomas. He can hear their breathing, their accelerated heartbeats, and he can smell the sweat forming at Thomas' temples. "This way."

Derek leads them into the park, winding them around the large concrete around it at an even pace. A small group of sparrows that had been picking at seeds on the ground go scattering as they approach, tiny wings fluttering rapidly, and Derek looks over at Thomas with a smile.

If Thomas closed his eyes, he could picture the Maze. He could see the walls reaching up to the sky, stone walls cracked and overgrown with ivy vines. He could hear the thump of boots on rock and he could hear Minho's panting beside him.

If this was the Maze, there'd be the fear of a Griever around the next corner and their lives would be in imminent peril with every step they took. The city wasn't the Maze and Thomas wasn't in danger of dying.

Not today, at least.

He inhaled, held his breath for a long time before exhaling slowly. The regular meals he'd been having were proving very helpful right now. He wasn't tired. He felt energized. He felt good.

When Derek smiled at him, Thomas grinned in return. "Pretty impressive. You scared the birds. I'm terrified."

"You are a cocky little shit, huh?" Derek asks, but his voice is fond. Thomas is smiling, smiling excited and healthy, and Derek jerks his chin towards the woods. "Let's see if you can keep up with me out here."

He turns onto a dirt path that heads into the trees, feeling better now that his feet are on hard-packed earth instead of concrete. It smells better out here, the air cleaner, and Derek breathes deeply as he speeds up. He looks over his shoulder at Thomas, raising an eyebrow and smirking before turning forward again.

Thomas's response to Derek's words are a one shouldered shrug and crooked smile that was still on his face when Derek's changed their route. He'd been expecting something like this, something to try and throw him off and he'd been ready.

He didn't try and match Derek's speed because he knew doing that would only blow out his lungs. That'd be a pretty terrible way to end their run. When Thomas fell behind again, he laughed though he wasn't sure if Derek would hear it. The sounds of their feet hitting dirt and Thomas's quick breathing might have muffled the sound but maybe Derek's enhanced sense had heard it anyway.

Thomas put on his own burst of speed, keeping close to Derek's heels. The last time he'd run on dirt prior to his arrival had been in the Scorch. That dirt had been hard and unforgiving. Deprived of water and nutrients, it'd been comparable to running on the hardest of stone. This dirt was soft and rich and Thomas couldn't stop himself from inhaling greedily.

Derek figures that he's pushed Thomas enough for now, and he doesn't want to wear him out too early, so he slows his pace to more of a jog. He falls in step with Thomas and looks over at him curiously, pleased to see that he's enjoying himself.

"It's nice out here, right?" Derek asks, breath punching out of him as he jogs. "Sometimes the city can be overwhelming."

When Derek pulled up even with him, Thomas nodded slightly. A gesture of thanks for not completely leaving him in the dust. He'd keep on running even if Derek had left him behind but it would have sucked. It would have pissed him off.

"There wasn't anything like this where I came from," he shared, swiping some sweat off his forehead with his arm. "Everything was dead and we didn't have a lot of time to take in our surroundings anyway. This is -- "

Thomas looked around, closing his eyes briefly. Opened them again and looked back at Derek. "This is so different. It's alive."

Derek isn't surprised by what Thomas says. If there wasn't any drinking water, he highly doubts that there could have been any lush, green forests either. He tries to imagine that, a barren dried out wasteland, and has to suppress a shudder. He's been in forests his entire life aside from the years that he spent in New York, but even then he had Central Park.

"Thriving," Derek says with a smile. He looks around to gauge where exactly they are, and then reaches out to tap Thomas on the back as he slows down. "Come on."

He heads off of the trail and into a thicket of trees, pushing past them until he finds a cluster of wild blackberry brambles. He crouches down, mindful of the thorns as he plucks a few of of the vine and turns to hold them out to Thomas. "Snack time."

"You came prepared," Thomas noted, pulling up to a stop behind Derek. When he crouched down, Thomas leaned over, bringing himself closer to Derek's shoulder and scanned the blackberry brambles. He hadn't seen those before and if he was going to be here for any amount of time, he wanted to know as much as he could. Knowledge was power. He'd find a way to use that to his benefit when he got back.

Thomas plucked the blackberries from Derek's hand and let them roll around in the palm of his hand for a second. "You spend a lot of time in forests before?"

It hadn't escaped Thomas's notice how comfortable Derek was here. It was something Thomas envied, being that at home somewhere. Maybe he'd felt it once, before the Maze, but he couldn't remember.

"You could say that," Derek says with a wistful smile. "I grew up on a nature preserve. I spent most of my time out in the forest."

Sometimes these woods remind him of home, and he does like it out here. They may be trapped in this bubble, but in the trees is where he feels the most free. Derek breathes in deeply and picks a few more blackberries before straightening up, and he pops one into his mouth. It's perfectly ripe and sweet, and he licks the juice from his teeth before gesturing at the berries in Thomas' hand. "Go ahead, try one."

There were questions rattling around in Thomas's brain about how someone could grow up in a nature preserve since, put together, Thomas could guess at the meaning of the word but didn't really see it as a place someone could live. He set the questions aside to ask Derek in awhile.

Thomas peered down at the berries for a second longer before picking one up and tossing them into his mouth. The flavor was unlike anything else he'd ever tasted. Thomas couldn't stop his eyes from going momentarily wide before he got a hold of himself.

He had to wonder if every new experience with something as simple as food was going to be like that. In the Scorch, there wasn't time to savor new things. Stopping to smell the proverbial roses was a waste of time there. Here, time was one of those things Thomas had in abundance.

"Wow," he mumbled, rubbing his berry juice covered fingers together before bringing them to his mouth and licking them clean.

Derek is, at first, pleased by Thomas' reaction to the fruit, but his lips flatten into a thin line when he starts to lick at his fingers. Derek bites back a sigh and watches for half a second before mentally kicking himself and turning to pick a few more berries.

"Don't just go eating any berry you find out here," Derek tells him, flicking a bad berry off into the bushes. "Some will make you sick."

Derek walks away from the bushes with a handful of perfect blackberries for them each, and he pops a few into his mouth. When he smiles over at Thomas, his lips are stained a dark purple until he licks them clean.

"Ready to keep going?" He asks, holding the rest of the berries out for Thomas to take.

Thomas's attention hadn't been so on his fingers that he hadn't seen Derek's change in expression. He tilted his head, a question on his lips before Derek turned away. Thomas dropped his hand to his side, debating whether to ask the question anyway.

Thomas padded after Derek, eyes on his shoulder until he turned and did that whole lip licking right in front of him. Thomas blinked and then, after realizing Derek had asked him a question, he nodded.

"Question is, are you ready?" he asked, trying to recover from that temporary bout of staring with some cockiness. "Thought I'd be lying in the dirt right now, declaring you the best or something."

Derek notices Thomas staring and nearly quirks a brow at him, wondering why, but Thomas distracts him enough to make him laugh. The comment makes Derek want to show Thomas how fast he can really run, and again he wonders how Thomas might react to finding out what he is.

"I could still put you in the dirt," Derek says with a laugh, popping the last of his berries into his mouth and squinting into the distance. "If we follow this trail for about half a mile, we'll hit the beach. It's a small cove, kind of hidden. Race you?"

If Derek would have gotten his question out, Thomas wouldn't have had an answer. It'd just been a moment where he'd been caught up with something before it dissipated, lost in the breeze that ruffled his hair.

Thomas wiped his hands on his pants and then crossed his arms. "Race?" He'd never raced with anyone before. Maybe races would have worked better than the stupid Gatherings the Gladers had held in the maze. "What's the winner get?"

He knew that much about races, that the winner always got something.

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