"Right, the cat," Derek says with a laugh. "I forgot you like her more than me."

They're deep in the woods now, where the sounds of the city are muffled by the depth of the trees. It's silent except for the occasional chirp of a bird and the sounds that they're making; their heartbeats, and their harsh breathing. The sound of their footsteps hitting the hard-packed earth. Derek likes it more than he probably should.

"I told you that I'd show you the snow when it comes," Derek says, pulling ahead a little bit. He realizes that Thomas doesn't need Derek to show him the snow. One day he'll wake up and it'll just be there, and Derek isn't sure why he wants to see the look on Thomas' face the first time that he sees it so badly. He just does. "If you want."