Disclaimer: I own nothing about Teen Wolf, though if I did, there'd sure as hell be a lot more Stiles...
Author's note: This fic contains spoilers from the show's season 1 finale, so if you haven't seen it you've been warned.
Airports were always too loud and crowded in Stiles' opinion. Especially when you've been waiting for a plane that's been delayed twice and on top of that you have to deal with a moody werewolf who keeps threatening the already overworked flight attendants. Stiles just rolled his eyes as Derek growled impatience for the upteenth time. He stared at his phone, trying to ignore the sounds of busy people roaming around him, and dragged his thumb against the screen launching the red cardinal into a pile of bricks. Whatever anyone said, Angry Birds had been an absolute stroke of genuis to the inventor. Stiles stifled a grunt as the cardinal fell feebly to the ground, not even having broken through the brick barrier protecting those damn hogs.
"How much longer?" He asked, not bothering to look up. Derek sat next to him, his leather jacket rubbing against Stiles' shirt every now and then. He felt the wolf shrug, and went back to his game. "We've been here almost three hou-"
"I know how long it's been, Stiles. I've already asked when we'll be taking off, but they can't give me a definite answer." Derek huffed. His impatience was starting to boil over, and Stiles couldn't blame him. They'd said goodbye to Scott a few hours back. His plane had been on time, and Stiles was starting to wish he'd opted for going with Scott rather than waiting with Derek. But ever since he and Scott had almost been killed the previous week, Derek hadn't let Stiles out of his sight. Literally. He'd slept in Stiles' room, and only after much begging and compromising on Stiles' part. If it had been up to Derek he would've spent the entire week without sleep, ever vigilant beside Stiles. And it hadn't been easy to convince his dad to let him go on a weeks vacation to New York. Which wasn't really where they were going anyway. Derek had bought the three of them tickets to South America, he still wouldn't tell Stiles which country they'd be in. His reasoning had been that he didn't trust the Argents, and thought they might try to follow them. Summer vacation had started for him and Scott two weeks ago, so it was as good a time as any to go on a trip. But convincing his dad and Mrs. McCall to let them go had taken time. Not that either parent knew they'd be travelling with Derek Hale. Even after his name had been cleared, Sheriff Stilinsky still didn't trust him. So Stiles had to meet him at the airport, and only after his dad had dropped him off and left.
Stiles sighed, propped his feet up on Derek, and lay down on the bench. He continued his game of Angry Birds, feeling that he might as well make himself comfortable. Derek mindlessly played with his shoelaces while watching the ever changing flight schedules. He snuck glances at Derek every few minutes, noting the mans growing sulleness. Pretty soon he heard a low grumble coming from the depths of Dereks chest. The last thing they needed at this point was an angry werewolf in the middle of a crowded area. Stiles sat up, adjusting his position, and lay his head in Dereks lap. He reached up, and wove his fingers through Derek's.
"We wont be here forever." He said. "And until then, you can regale me with the tale of why we had to do this." Derek looked down at him, the grumbling subsiding. Stiles liked that he was able to calm Derek with a simple look.
"You already know." He said. "Scott has a lot to learn. More than I can teach him. He may think he's got a handle his abilities, but he doesn't know the first thing about real control."
"So, we're going to a completely different continent-"
"Stiles, you know all this." Derek said. "Scott can't go by himself, and I'm not leaving you home undefended." He looked down with an intense look. "If anything were to happen to you..."
"Yeah, yeah. End of your world, all hope is lost, having to wander the world in a half existence...I get it." Stiles said it carelessly, waving a hand. He'd heard Derek describe how his life would be if something happened to Stiles. And in truth, Stiles felt completely the same way about Derek. But it was all a bit too heavy for him at the moment. Derek was staring at him with those impenetrable eyes, and Stiles rolled his own. He lifted his head up, planting a soft kiss on Dereks cheek. "I'll be fine." He said. But Dereks mood didn't get any better. After another half hour Stiles had just begun to nod off, his head warm in Dereks lap, when their flight was called. Derek half lifted him to a standing position, placing him gently on the ground.
"Time to go." He said. Stiles rubbed his eyes, grabbed his bag, and follwed as Derek led the way to the gate. With their tickets needing to be bought at such last minute, they couldn't sit together. But Stiles sat in the aisle seat right behind Derek. He pushed his bag into the overhead, grabbed a pillow, and sat down.
"This is going to wreak havoc to my internal clock, isn't it?" Stiles asked.
"You'll get used to the time change in a few days." Derek reassured him. He sat down and opened his laptop. Stiles sat back trying to get comfortable. After a while they took off, Stiles opened his eyes for long enough to watch the airport, along with his town, disappearing through the window. Soon everything was black. He closed his eyes and hoped the flight would go quickly.
Two hours later, he was ready to jump out of the plane. No longer tired, he'd asked the flight attendant for a soda. Big mistake. He'd already been asked by the flight attendant twice to stay seated, had been to the bathroom three times just for something to do, and was now in the middle of twiddling his thumbs and shaking both legs simultaneously. He watched Derek, baffled by how he could stay so still. He was back on his computer, Stiles kept sneaking peeks over the seat, but was unable to see what exactly he was doing.
"I'm just making sure my contact is going to meet us at the right spot." He said a bit impatiently as Stiles poked his head around the seat yet again.
"Sorry, but I'm losing my mind here." Stiles complained. "How much longer is this flight?"
"Few more hours." Derek said. "Just try to stay calm." But Stiles was far from calm. He sat back in his seat, fiddling with the arm rest. He watched a woman make her way to the bathroom and a sudden idea flashed through his mind. He leaned forward, an impish grin on his face.
"You know." He said quietly. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be part of the mile high club..." Derek whipped his head around, his eyes wide.
"Absolutely not!" He whispered through clenched teeth. "Are you crazy?"
"No, just infinitely bored." Stiles said. He sat back, chuckling. But images of him and Derek squeezed into that tiny bathroom made the time pass much more quickly. After a while, he leaned forward again.
"Transfering some funds." Derek whispered, answering the unasked question. Stiles peaked around the seat, looked at the computer screen for a second, and dropped his jaw. He always knew Derek had money. Family money was what Derek called it. Still, there was 'family money' and there was the small fortune on which he apparently sat. Stiles just shook his head, smiling to himself. Derek's rich as a troll, he thought. But it didn't matter. Stiles had everything he wanted. Well, he thought wryly, almost everything. He leaned forward, licked his lips, and put on the most secuctive voice he could muster.
"I'm going into the bathroom." He whispered right into his ear, so low that no one besides Derek could possibly hear. "I'll wait there exactly five minutes. If someone should come knocking, I wouldn't be opposed to maybe letting them...ah...share the room a bit." He exhaled against Derek's neck, barely flicking his toungue across his ear. He heard Derek's breath catch, and saw him stiffen. Smiling to himself, Stiles got up, and slowly walked to the bathroom. He turned his head back to see Derek staring intently after him. He closed the door and leaned against the sink. He almost laughed at the thought of Derek not showing up. He knew the wolf would be weighing the pros and cons in his head. And although the cons of having sex in a public bathroom on an airplane far outweighed the pros, it didn't change the fact that Stiles was in there waiting. Four and a half minutes later, there was a tap at the door. Stiles opened the door, and grinned in victory.
"Damn you." Derek said before Stiles pulled him in, locked the door, and attacked him.
...
Stiles was rather content as they exited the plane, Derek had seen to that. In his opinion, forty-five minutes in the bathroom had been a great use of their time. He grinned back at Derek, who looked at him shaking his head, but grinning nonetheless. Derek hooked his arm around Stiles and they set off through the airport to find Scott. Stiles had last spoken to him back at the last airport, and he said his flight had been on time. They walked over to where Scott was supposed to meet them. Scanning the crowd, Stiles couldn't see him anywhere. He looked up at Derek who he knew was using his other senses to find his friend.
"He hasn't been here." Derek said, at once on alert. "At least not anywhere near here."
"He could still be in the airport, maybe he just got lost. You know, neither one of us speak the language here." Stiles had finally found out when they landed that they were in Equador. More specifically, they were in Guayaquil. He'd never been out of the country before, and he stuck close to Derek as they made their way through the crowd. He tried calling Scott on his phone a few times, but only got voicemail. Every now and then, Derek would take a deep breath, and Stiles could see his aggitation rising the longer they searched. He kept a firm grip around Derek's arm, trying to keep him calm. Grunting in frustration, he finally made his way to the information desk and spoke to the man there in quick spanish.
"He hasn't seen him." Derek said, turning away. "I shouldn't have made us split up. What was I thinking?"
"Hey, you said yourself that it was safer if we were seperated." Stiles said, getting nervous despite himself. "Throw the Argents off the trail, you know? They want Scott just as much as they want you, and by sending him on a different route it betters our chances of losing them. And plus, we spoke to Scott, he said his plane was on time and he'd wait for us here. Maybe he just got hungry or something." Stiles was trying to convince himself as much as Derek. "Is there, like, a food court around here somewhere?" Derek just looked down at him, not answering. Stiles knew that he was first and foremost Derek's top priority. But if Scott was in danger, he'd hate himself. They made their way through the airport again, this time heading toward the smell of coffee and food. Stiles looked around, his eyes darting from one person to the next, when suddenly his phone rang. He grabbed it, seeing it was Scotts number, and slid the button down, unlocking it.
"Hey, man, where the hell are you?" Stiles said.
"Oh, sorry." He heard Scotts voice, and sighed in relief. "I just now noticed the missed calls. I had my phone on silent cuz the lady on the plane made me turn it off. I see you, look to your left." Stiles looked over and saw Scott waving from a table, his phone pressed against his ear. Derek followed Stiles' gaze, and clenched his teeth.
"Tell him I'm gonna kill him." Derek growled. Scotts smile faded from across the crowd, and Stiles knew he'd heard Derek. He ended the call, and they went to join him.
"Before we start the slaughter, just know that I waited like a good boy at the gate, but you guys are five freaking hours late and I got hungry." Scott said hurriedly when they sat down. Stiles couldn't deny he was hungry as well, so they ordered two more plates and Derek ate in silence as the two boys caught eachother up.
"So, you talk to Allison yet?" Stiles asked between bites. Allison had refused point blank to join her fathers quest to hunt the wolves. She was currently staying with Lydia, and the rift between her and her father had made things between her and Scott that much more complicated. Not to mention, she was still in a bit of shock and mourning from the death of her Aunt.
"Yeah, and I still hate the fact that I'm not there to protect her." He eyed Derek.
"We've been over this. There's no danger for the crazy Argent's daughter At least, not at the moment." Derek said evenly.
"No, you've been over this." Scott said. "I don't like the fact that I'm dragged down here-"
"Dragged?" Derek interrupted. "You're acting like you did this against your will. As I recall, you agreed-"
"Only because you just had to kill Peter. Just because you're the Alpha now, doesn't mean I have to go along with every little whim you have." Scott relatiated. "I never once said-"
"Hey, Scott shutup." Stiles said. Scott looked at him, surprised. Stiles was almost as surprised as Scott and he and Derek both looked at him. "W-what I mean is that, Derek's just looking out for us, you know? I mean, he paid for our trip down here, he just as easily could've left us to fend for ourselves."
"That's where you're wrong." Scott said, his eyes were on Derek even though he directed his words at Stiles. "Derek couldn't have left you there anymore easily than he could've left his arm, or leg behind. You're tied to him now, no matter what you may think." That low rumble was again eminating from deep within Derek's chest. Stiles' eyes moved from one wolf to the other, neither one blinked.
"What did Peter tell you?" Derek grunted.
"Enough." Scott said. "He told me about the Mating. He told me that you'd already been through it, but he didn't know with who. You see Stiles, when a werewolf-"
"That's enough." Derek growled. The look in his eyes told them they were past the point of arguing. "You have no right." Scott stared defiantly back at Derek for a minute before finally looking away.
"Fine, have it your way." Scott said. "But he'll find out eventually."
"Find what out?" Stiles asked, but Derek just sat, his eyes staring forward. "Scott?" He turned to his friend, who threw his empty cup onto his empty plate.
"It doesn't matter." He said almost bitterly. "Like Derek said, it's not my place to tell." They left the airport in silence, Stiles keeping his mouth shut, a rare occurance.
...
They got to the hotel and brought the bags in. The taxi ride had been awkward, Stiles trying now and then to break the tension, but being unsuccessful. It was almost a relief to bid Scott good night and join Derek in the room next door. It was a nice hotel with a big suite, but Stiles was more concerned with getting some answers out of Derek.
"So." He started, kicking his shoes off and sprawling out on the bed.
"I don't want to talk about it." Derek said. He threw his duffle bag onto the chair and went into the bathroom.
"That's well and all, but you're not the only one who has a say in this." Stiles called. "That was some pretty heavy stuff back there." He heard the shower turn on, and sighed. Opening the door to the bathroom, he sat on the toilet while Derek undressed and stepped into the shower.
"Derek, I know we started this thing pretty fast, and you're not the talkative type, but I need some answers here." Stiles called around the curtain. "What did Scott mean when he said that I'm tied to you? Cuz it sounded pretty serious." He waited as Derek finished showering and held up a towel to him when he came out. Derek wrapped the towel around his waist and looked at Stiles.
"It's not how I wanted you to find out." He said.
"Talk to me." Stiles said. Derek watched him for a minute, Stiles could see the debate going on behind his eyes. Finally he heaved a sigh and went to get dressed.
"I didn't want to tell you yet because I didn't want to freak you out." He said sitting on the bed. Stiles sat next to him. "It has to do with, well with mating actually. You remember I told you werewolves mate for life?"
"Yeah." Stiles clearly recalled this. "Which I still find sort of strange. I mean, what if one of them dies?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what this has to do with." Derek continued. "Once we find them, then there's a physical reaction that takes place. It's like, we're linked. Like with you, I'm more in tune with you than I am with anyone. And it will stay like that. But..." Derek paused.
"But?" Stiles urged.
"If they die, the wolves mate, I mean, then that chemical that links them...It's kind of hard to explain." Derek said. He wasn't looking at Stiles, but Stiles stared intensely at him. "It sort of turns to a poison."
"A what?" Stiles wasn't sure he was understanding correctly. "What do you mean 'poison'?"
"I mean, with you, I'm stronger. Faster, my senses are quicker. But without you...Distance effects it, too. If I were to have left you behind and just come here with Scott, I would've been weaker. All I would be able to concentrate on is whether or not your safe. And if you were to...you know...get killed, the link that ties us together would leave me in that state. I'd always be weaker, and eventually it would sap me of my abilities altogether."
"What?" Stiles exclaimed. "You-you wouldn't be able to change?"
"I've seen what happens to those that loose their mates. It's not pretty. It's a half existence." Derek said. Stiles was speechless. He didn't know what to think. He remembered the night Derek had told him that he was his mate. He'd rolled over in bed sleepily, and whispered it to him. At the time, Stiles had thought it was a romantic, but intangible idea. But now, it seemed something almost sinister.
"So..." But Stiles was at a complete loss. Derek looked at him, scrutinizing him.
"I'm gonna kill Scott for bringing it up." He growled. "You didn't need to hear this. Not yet."
"No, it's good I know." Stiles said quickly. "Yes, it freaked me out a little, but I'm glad I know. I can kind of, respect the effect I have on you more. I won't take it for granted." Derek flashed a smile.
"That's not what I wanted." He said. "I like you taking it for granted. Like that little stunt you pulled on the plane. You knew I'd meet you in the bathroom. I like the fact that you can read me." Stiles gave him an uncertain smile.
"So, why did Scott seem so upset about it?" Stiles asked.
"I think it was more a jealousy thing." Derek replied. "The alpha can tell when a beta has mated. He could smell it on me. But not on Scott."
"So he and Allison...?"
"Not mates." Derek said. "Just hormonal teenagers."
"But Scott loves her." Stiles said.
"I dont doubt that." Derek said. "But he hasn't found his one yet. A werewolf can be in love, even if that person isn't his mate. But when he does meet her, or in my case him, then that other person ceases to matter."
"So if Scott finds his 'one', and he's still with Allison?" Stiles wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know. Honestly, it's different with Bittens. Maybe they do find their mates in a different way. I could be completely wrong." Derek said.
"That sucks." Stiles said. He stretched out onto the bed. "Sounds like Scotts got the bad end of an even worse bargain." Derek moved closer to Stiles, laying down next to him.
"It's not an easy life." Derek said. "And the choices we make are even harder."
"What about your choice about me?"
"It was never a choice with you." Derek said. "But if it had been, it would have been the easiest one I've ever made." Stiles leaned his head up, planting a soft kiss against Derek's lips.
"I'm glad it's me." He said. "Cuz if you'd started dating me, then realized I wasn't your mate, I think I might have had to kill you myself." Derek's laugh filled the room.
"Lucky me it is you." He said. "Unleashing the wrath of Stiles...quite a terrifying thought."
"Hey, I can be aggresive." Stiles said defensively. "You've seen me on the field."
"Yes, I have." Derek conceded. "You can be intense when you want to be. That is, when your mouth doesn't get in the way." Stiles rolled his eyes, then pushed Derek down with every intention of showing him just how aggressive he could be.
...
The next day they left the hotel to followed Derek through the city. Scott's mood had seemed to improve since the previous night, having had a long conversation with Allison. He was still upset he couldn't tell her where he really was, but took it in stride. Stiles busied himself with watching the city as they headed west, looking at the buildings and sights. He resigned himself to being the nuetral party between the two stuborn wolves, Scott still wouldn't talk to Derek. They drove for a while, the city becoming less populated the further they drove. Soon, they were outside of the city altogether and the forest grew more dense. Not too long after that, they were on a dirt path twisting roughly through trees and hills. Stiles trusted that Derek knew where they were heading because all the streets signs and directions were in a different language and by the time their taxi had pulled up to a small brick building, little more than a large house, somewhere on the outskirts, he was completely lost. They got out of the cab, Derek handed the driver some foreign money that he'd exchanged that morning, and they headed inside. There were a few people waiting inside, and Derek greeted them.
"Hale, it's been a long time." The eldest man said. He looked to be about forty, but he was tall and trim, and a scar marked his left cheek. He had dark skin and flashed his gray eyes at Scott and Stiles. "What's this?" The man asked, his eyes raking across Stiles' face.
"I can vouch for him." Derek said evenly.
"You know the rules, Derek. No humans." He said, his eyes still on Stiles, who couldn't help but be nervous. He had a hard-to-place accent that added to his intimidation.
"I said I can vouch for him." Derek said.
"While you've proven you're trustworthy, Derek, I simply cannot change the rules." He said. Stiles looked up at Derek, who clenched his jaw.
"Fine." He grunted, and turned to Scott. "Go wait outside. This shouldn't take long." He and Scott turned to leave, but Derek grabbed Scott by the jacket. "Do not let him out of your sight, you understand?"
"Yeah, gotcha." Scott said. They headed out the door, Stiles glancing back at Derek, who watched him leave. They sat on a ledge outside.
"Did you know they were all werewolves?" Scott asked, his eyes on the building.
"What?" Stiles said. "They were?"
"Yeah. I could smell them when we drove up. There's at least five of them. Why'd Derek bring us here?"
"I have no idea." Stiles said. "I mean, I thought that he just wanted to get us away from the Argents."
"Me too." Scott said. "Hush a minute, let me see if I can hear them." He closed his eyes, concentrating. Stiles watched silently for a moment, then Scott jerked his head sideways, clapping his hands to his ears, and hissed in pain. "Ahhh! What was that?" Stiles leaned down beside him.
"What happened?" He asked.
"There's some sort of high-pitched noise coming from the building." He said, rubbing his ears.
"What does that mean?" Stiles asked, feeling panicked. "Should we go it, do you think Derek's in trouble?" He was already standing up, ready to race into the building, but Scott grabbed him.
"I think Derek's fine." He said. "It's probably just a security thing, you know. I mean, if they've got werewolves around here, then they probably don't want to be overheard."
"Yeah." Stiles said, trying to get his heartrate back to a normal pace. "Yeah, you're probably right." He sat down, and watched the building closely. After almost half an hour, they emerged, Derek in front. The boys stood up in unison, expectant, but Derek didn't say anything. The man who had made them leave before came up to Stiles, and glared at him.
"I've given you permission to come to our facility." He said seriously. "Know, though, that no human has ever been inside, and if it weren't for my complete trust in Derek, you would have been killed the minute you stepped out of that taxi."
Stiles swallowed. "Uh, thanks." He said numbly. He chanced a glance behind the man and noticed two others with him. A girl with long dark hair and olive skin, and another man who was younger, probably even younger than Derek, also dark haired. They didn't look like the joking type. Stiles decided it would be in his best interest to keep his mouth shut. The man continued to eye him for a moment, then turned to Scott.
"So, you're the young Bitten." He said, stalking around Scott, looking at him from every angle, sizing him up. Stiles had to hand it Scott, he held his ground.
"Yeah." He said. "And who are you?"
"My name is Lorenzo." He said, still watching Scott carefully. "My associates," He waved to the two behind him, also watching Scott, "are Evanna and Demetri." They nodded to Scott. "They will be your guides, watch them and learn from them."
"Guides?" Scott asked. "I don't understand."
"We will be taking you to train, and to learn to harness and control your skills as a werewolf." Lorenzo continued.
"You'll what?" Scott asked, clearly still confused.
"Have you told him nothing, Derek?" Lorenzo turned his head to Derek, who shook his own. "Well, boy, where do you think Derek learned his skills?"
"Uh...I kinda assumed from his family." Scott said blankly.
"Half right." Lorenzo said. "He and his sister were brought here when they were a bit younger than you are now. Before that, they'd learned control from their parents. However, their father wished them to learn to fight, to harness their abilities to be able to take the offensive. I must say, Derek was more than up to the challenge. A more aggresive wolf I've never trained. Or a more capable pupil." Stiles looked at Derek, a stab of pride going through him. "Do you think you'll be up for the challenge?" Scott glanced at Derek, who nodded.
"Yes." Scott said. Lorenzo watched him for a moment, then turned and began heading toward the wilderness.
"Good." He called back. "Gather your things, and follow us." Evanna and Demetri turned and followed Lorenzo without a word. Scott grabbed his dufflebag, Derek and Stiles following his lead. They took an hour long march into the trees, Stiles feeling slow and awkward next to the capable and sure-footed wolves. The four older wolves led a quick pace, neither slowing or resting, and Scott kept up easily. Stiles, however, was panting for breath. It was mostly uphill, and winding his way through underbrush and fallen branches, following no noticable path was difficult. They soon came to the top of the hill, more like a small mountain in Stiles' opinion. He looked out in awe at the sprawling green terrain.
"Wow, this is beautiful." He said, still trying to catch his breath. "So, where is this werewolf facility exactly?" He looked around, but only saw more and more trees. Derek looked at him, smiling.
"You're about to see why no human has ever been there." He said.
"I don't like your tone." Stiles said. "That tone usually means something bad for me." But Derek didn't answer. He just turned his head to Lorenzo, who raised his head, and howled. Stiles was forced to cover his ears as the sound peirced through his head. Looking over, he saw Scott was doing the exact same thing. Derek, however, just looked up at Lorenzo, seeming only slightly interested. Evanna and Demetri, however, watched with a feral glare. Lorenzo looked back down at them.
"We'll be travelling fast now." He said, his voice a bit rasped. "Scott, time to show us what you can do. Watch us, learn how we move as a pack, observe and take it in. No lessons are repeated. You watch the first time, and do the second time. Understood?" Scott nodded, determined. Stiles watched for a moment, then gasped as Lorenzo took a running start, and dove off the side of the cliff. Stiles was dumbfounded as Evanna and Demetri did the exact same thing. He and Scott ran toward the edge, and watched as the three wolves caught nearly impossible crags and cracks in the side of the cliff, and made their way down, spider-like, until they were obscured by trees.
"Scott...holy shit! Did you just see-SCOTT!" Stiles reached out, but was too late as Scott took a running start, and did the exact same thing. Stiles dove to the ground, grasping the hard earth, unable to tear his eyes away from his best friend falling into nothingness. Falling...falling...and then his arm shot out, grabbing the closest crag, and making his way nimbly down just as the others had done. "I...I...I..." He was unable to form a coherent sentence. "He's alright." He said weakly. He looked back at Derek who was laughing quietly.
"I'll give the kid one thing, he's got balls." He chuckled. "Kinda reminds me of myself."
"But, but...DEREK, THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY I CAN DO THAT!" Stiles yelled.
"Of course you can't." Derek said. "No one expects you to."
"But, then...how..." Stiles was still finding it hard to form a sentence. Derek swooped down, planting a hard kiss on his mouth.
"What do you think I'm here for?" And before Stiles could work out what he meant, he was thrown onto Derek's back and barely had time to see the edge of the cliff rushing towards him before it disappeared into nothing but open sky. His scream was drowned out by the rushing of air as he and Derek flew downward.
