Derek rarely finds someone that he can relax with like this. There's Neil, and to a lesser extent Kate. There's Helen, but they haven't seen each other as much lately. He doesn't even think before reaching out to touch Thomas, or to hook their ankles together under the table, and that's a wonderful thing. It always seems to come easier when someone knows he's a wolf, and accepts him for it. A bond forges there, and Derek is always glad for it.

He looks up at Thomas from under his eyelashes, smiling a little and dragging another piece of waffle through the syrup on his plate. It's been a long time since he's had such a pleasant morning, and he lets out a content sigh.