Gabe Winters (ex_blindside211) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-07-12 01:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-08 |
Nothing like waking up in a cage
Who: Claire and Gabe
When: Early morning
Where: Gabe's house
After Charlie left, Claire remained in the same room as Gabe, relieved once his agitation seemed to die down after Charlotte's departure. She stayed up as long as she could, but eventually she stretched out on the floor, pulled off her sweatshirt to use as a pillow, and fell asleep. She knew she should have went out to sleep on the bed, but at that point she had been too tired to really move, and as much as it wasn't Gabe pacing in that cage, she didn't want to leave him. She just hoped he didn't find some way to get out while she slept because yeah, that would be bad. It was a fitful kind of sleep because really, how well could you rest with a caged werewolf in the same room? She didn't know what time it was when she began to wake up, but she doubted the sun had risen completely yet as she opened her eyes and blinked a couple times, the blurry cage coming into view. She didn't see the massive hybrid wolf inside and it startled her for a second, causing her to inhale sharply and sit up. She finally realized that the wolf was no longer there because Gabe had shifted back at some point. He was naked, but it was definitely him.
Gabe shivered, laying cold on the basement floor. His entire body ached as if he'd been beat up and run a marathon, and at first he couldn't remember why. While he didn't want to move, he was cold, and reached for a blanket that wasn't there. Nothing seemed right, his memories fuzzy as he tried to think back far enough to understand where he was. The last thing he remembered was... Claire. On the other side of bars. And excruciating pain. Gabe groaned and pulled his knees up to his chest. He was groggy, and hungry, but very much alive.
Claire's muscles were a bit achy, but she didn't think it was right to concern herself with them now, given how much pain she thought Gabe might be in. Sleeping on the floor was not at all the same as shifting into a werewolf. Or any animal. She got up and walked over to the cage quietly, not wanting to scare him. She knelt down on the other side of the bars, slipping her hand through to see if she could touch him. "Gabe?" Her voice was quiet, tentative, and while she could see him shivering, she wasn't sure if he was awake or not. Or even coherent.
At the sound of her voice, Gabe opened his eyes, vision blurry as he lifted his hand to rub them. "Claire," he said softly, then tried to pull himself up to a sitting position, arms trembling. Only once he was halfway up did he realize he was naked, but he wasn't sure he could by shy about it now. It would have been quite different if this was her first time to see him. "Can you... um... hand me my boxers?" he asked as he ran a hand through his hair. The cage opened from the outside, so she shouldn't have trouble coming in.
She stood quickly and unlocked the cage. It took her a few tries, but she managed to get it open. He was probably cold and yeah... he needed clothes. She handed him his boxers and got back down on her knees, wanting to be close to him in case he needed something. Claire knew his mom would probably be up and coming down to check on him soon and she doubted Gabe would want her to see him undressed. "How do you feel?"
Gabe groaned a little as he pulled on his boxers, feeling better now that he was covered. He didn't like being both vulnerable and in pain. Plus, if his mom came down, he'd prefer not to be sitting nude on the floor. "Like you let another werewolf in there with me," he answered with a little smile. There wasn't a bruise on him, but it still felt like he'd been into a serious fight. Hopefully that would fade over the next few hours. "You okay?" he asked, reaching out for her as he tried to stand. "Where did you sleep?"
"Well, you did try to knock down the cage a few times," Claire said with a small smile. Especially when Charlotte had come over. She reached out, taking him by the arms to help him to his feet. He didn't look hurt, or bruised, or anything. It was fairly amazing. She knew he felt differently though. "I'm fine, I promise. I slept over there." She motioned to the spot by the wall where her sweatshirt was still balled up. "You did really well, Gabe. You were pretty calm actually. We had a pretty fun staring contest for awhile, to see who would blink first. I always won."
"Oh. I remember that. I think," Gabe said, giving the cage a glance. That explained the beaten up feeling, definitely. "You slept on the floor?" Gabe said, feeling slightly guilty. He hadn't meant for her to do that. There'd been plenty of beds she could have taken, including his own. Once standing, Gabe kept ahold of her and began heading back to the main room, hopefully to the couch. "Of course you won," he said with a small smile. "You beat me when I'm human, too. I'm glad you could stay... and that I didn't scare you too bad." He'd really been worried about that, especially once he'd started changing.
"I didn't want to leave you," she admitted a bit sheepishly, wondering if she should have just gone to sleep in his room. "And you didn't scare me, so don't worry about it." She squeezed his hand, relieved and grateful that he was okay and seemed to be doing all right mentally. "You didn't like it too much when Charlotte came over though. She supposed it was because you smelled Ransom's scent on her."
Gabe squeezed her hand and led her out to the couch where they could both rest semi-comfortably. His mom couldn't be annoyed with him for sitting on the couch in his underwear with Claire when his body couldn't even contemplate being sexual at the moment. "No wonder," Gabe snickered softly. "I had this feeling there was another wolf here, but that didn't make any sense. Ransom's cool though..." Apparently his crazed werewolf mind didn't care what his human side thought. "You and Charlotte bond over having werewolves for boyfriends?"
"Sort of, yeah." Claire sat and leaned in to rest her head against his arm. It felt nice having him back, even if he'd only been 'gone' for a night. "She wanted me to assure you that Ransom is not an alpha, and to chill." Grinning, she remembered the more amusing parts of their conversation. "Then we talked about er, urinary marking and weird things like that. She told me she and Ransom were... you know. The whole mating for life thing."
Wrapping his arms around her, Gabe closed his eyes. This felt right, and relaxing, as if his nerves had been on end all night and were finally able to calm down. That was probably the case, but it was weird not to remember it. "I could see her saying that," Gabe laughed, as he wondered if it as true. Come to think of it, Ransom really didn't seem like much of an alpha. "Don't worry. I haven't been pissing on your lawn or anything crazy. She'd told me that they were, but I don't know if they've actually made it official. It's kinda weird for me to think of Charlotte like that, but she seems happy, so I'm happy for her."
Claire laughed against his chest, her hand sliding around his side and resting gently against him. She didn't want to squeeze too hard, in case he was sore. "Yeah, I told her it would be weird to open my bedroom door and realize you'd marked your territory in an unsanitary way. But having her there last night was really helpful." And distracting. "You know, hearing her talk about it... it didn't seem so scary, you know? She just sounded... really confident about how she felt. And how Ransom felt."
"I'm glad she dropped by then," Gabe said, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. He'd have to do something for Charlotte to show his appreciation. It really meant a lot to him that she'd been there for Claire, just as she'd always been there for him. "I know," Gabe said. "She's the one that first told me wolves mate for life. I think she was worried I'd sleep with someone I didn't care about and then..." They both knew how bad that would have turned out, so it was fortunate it hadn't happened, even if it really wasn't likely. "You know I don't do that, right?" Gabe said with a small frown. "People talk, but... it's not all true." He thought she knew that, but he wasn't sure. "It's not what I feel that scares me. I know what I feel. I just don't know... I don't know how you feel, but I don't really expect to at this point. I think that's something that will come with time. Give us a week," he teased with a little smile.
She looked up at him, eyes searching his briefly before she smiled. "Yes, I know you don't do that. That's the benefit of being your best friend, Gabe... I've kept an eye on you since you moved here. I've heard the rumors, I know the gossip, but I also know you." Sure, she knew he'd slept with some girls. Or at least made out with them. She wasn't stupid. But she also knew Gabe wasn't the man-whore a lot of kids in their school claimed he was. Claire shifted, straightening enough to slide her hands through his hair. She didn't know why she was feeling overly affectionate this morning. Maybe because she'd watched him transform, had seen the pain he went through that first time. She wanted to coddle which was so bizarre since Claire wasn't the coddling type. "I don't want to... I don't want you to be with me, unaware of how I feel about you. Or unsure. I feel... a lot of things I don't recognize, and I guess I'm so used to holding back on things..." She trailed off, not quite sure of how to explain herself. She always said the wrong thing at the wrong time when she attempted it, so Claire knew better than to keep rambling and risk saying something stupid. "I like you," she said finally, and with a sigh. "I care about you... much more than I cared about anyone before. I'm just...scared. And that doesn't mean I won't work through all this stuff, I just need time." She remembered when he'd mouthed those three words to her last night. She wondered if he remembered even doing it. "Give me a week," Claire added with a small, teasing smile, wanting to keep the mood light if she could.
Gabe hummed softly, eyes closed and a little smile on his face as Claire slid her fingers into his hair. That was nice. It made him want to curl against her and go back to sleep, except what they were talking about was too important. He listened intently, opening his eyes to look back into hers, and understood exactly how she must be feeling. It was all very fast, as Gabe had had time to come to terms with how he felt about her over the last few months, but she'd only been considering it the past few days. "Don't be scared," he said, finger tips brushing across her cheek. "You've got all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere-- well, except camping, but you'll be there too," he grinned. He wasn't going to let things get heavy right now. They'd talked about this recently and the last thing they needed was to over talk it. She could have time. A few more days, weeks, or even months, if she needed it. He'd been patient so far and wasn't going to change that now. "Any chance I can talk you into breakfast?" he asked. "I didn't really eat last night and now I'm starving."
"Oh! I promised you pancakes," Claire said sheepishly. If she had been thinking about it, she should have woken up earlier, ran out to the diner to get some pancakes to go and brought them back for him. She'd just been too tired. "Got any pancake mix? I can make some for you." She pulled away from him and pushed herself up off the couch. She was glad that he wasn't going to push the subject, and that they didn't have to talk about it now. She still needed to get her head screwed on straight, even though deep down, she knew how she felt. It was just accepting it that was hard. In this case, it didn't matter right now. She just wanted him fed and feeling better.
"Yeah, there should be some in the pantry," Gabe said, slowly rising from the couch to follow her. That he was only in his boxers seemed inconsequential. He'd been a nude wolf only a few hours before. "Would you mind if I hopped in the shower real quick?" he asked, leading her up the stairs. He'd feel more human if he got clean and dressed, which was what he wanted at the moment, though he felt bad leaving her in the kitchen. That hadn't really been his plan. "I should let my mom know I'm up and all." She'd want to ask him her own round of questions too. It was nice knowing they cared.
Claire shot him a look before smiling. "Of course I don't mind..." Why would she? "I'll see what kind of pancakes I can make... no promises that they'll be any good, but hey, food is food, right?" She knew he would probably want to talk to his mother too. She leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'll be here when you're done, pancakes and all."
Gabe smiled as she kissed his cheek, feeling little butterflies in his stomach despite himself. It was a little kiss, but he still felt the fluttering, and he wondered if that would always be the case. "I'm sure they'll be great," he said, heading towards the kitchen door. "I'll be back in a few." He didn't want to be gone long, so he tried to hurry, so much as his body would let him. A shower really did wonders to helping him feel human again. Once he was clean, Gabe stopped to talk to his mom for a few minutes, then hurried back down to Claire.
While he was gone, Claire attempted to make pancakes. She followed the directions on the back of the mix exactly, but she also managed to make quite a mess while she was doing it. Pancake mix somehow got all over the counter, and a little on her cheek and in her hair. She made about a half a dozen pancakes, two of which she threw away after forgetting about and burning them in her haste to try and clean up the mess. When she heard Gabe coming back into the kitchen, she quickly washed her hands and shot him a smile over her shoulder. "Uhm. I think I did okay."
"I'm sure you did fine," Gabe said, coming up to wrap his arms around her from behind. Brushing her hair aside, he kissed her neck. "Smells good, so it must taste good," he said, though it wasn't clear if he was talking about the pancakes or Claire. He didn't mind the mess. The mess could be cleaned up and what was that phrase, you had to break a few eggs if you wanna make a cake? Something like that. He was sure that included getting pancake mix all over the kitchen, though it did seem like she'd done a good job cleaning it up. "Ready to eat?" he asked, slowly releasing her.
She chuckled and nodded, feeling a bit tingly when he kissed her neck. "I'm ready... but I made these mostly for you. How's your mom doing?" She hadn't seen Thessaly since the night before, and Claire hoped she'd at least slept okay. Claire was sure it wasn't easy to rest when your son was a pacing werewolf in the basement.
"I hope you're having some too," Gabe said, helping her prepare the plates so they could move over to the table. When he'd been dating Chrissy, he'd felt like he was always eating alone. Not alone, necessarily, but he was eating food and she was eating a piece of lettuce. It was nice that Claire wasn't that kind of girl. "Mom's okay. She slept on the couch, then moved back to her room this morning, after I'd changed back. I think she's ready for a nap."
"Of course I am," Claire said with a small laugh. She picked up her own plate and carried it to the table where she'd already placed the butter and syrup. She hadn't eaten since before she came over to Gabe's the night before. "Are you feeling better? Are you still sore?" Her eyes kept drifting over him, as if expecting to find bruises or something, even though he had seemed fine earlier. "Do you remember anything?"
"I kind of ache all over," Gabe said, joining her at the table. "It's like I can actually feel what my body went through, shifting to another form and back." And his body wasn't happy about it, that was certain. If it was meant to change forms, it shouldn't hurt near as much. That was Gabe's opinion. Then again, it was his first time. Gabe laughed, his mind falling in the gutter. "Maybe the first time's supposed to hurt," he said, then shook his head. "I remember being in the cage, and the pain, and... and you." She'd been there for him, a focus when he'd thought the world might end.
She reached for the syrup to pour over her pancakes, her eyes ticking to his face. Claire imagined his transformation was painful. No, she knew it had been. She had watched it, after all. Had heard his cries. It still hurt her to think about it. "Well, yeah... your mom said the first time it would hurt but... I don't think it'll be that bad anymore, since your body is now aware of the changes it has to make. I mean, if you can shift at will? Then it has to probably be painless, right? Otherwise, who would ever want to do it?" She smiled at him a tiny bit. "I imagine you remembered me, since I refused to leave you alone all night. You really didn't seem to mind my presence though." She didn't know if it was because Gabe was in there somewhere, or because the wolf was just being patient, lying in wait until Claire got too close to the cage. She wondered if he remembered what he had said to her beforehand, but she didn't want to ask and start off a strange conversation again. All of that could come later. "I think you did really, really well for it being your first time."
"I imagine it's something my body will get used to," Gabe said, hoping that she was right or that that was the case. If not, he'd definitely come to dread the night of the full moon. Not that he didn't already, but being locked in a cage was nothing without the pain. He could get over being restrained for the good of everyone. "I don't really see myself shifting for my own purposes if it feels like that did, so it's gotta get better." He almost felt like he should cross his fingers and hope. "I don't think I minded you being around," Gabe said with a little smile. "Maybe you smelled like me. Maybe I knew, deep down, that you weren't someone I wanted to attack. I dunno. I wouldn't want to risk it, but I'm glad you were here for me before and after. This morning." Those were the times that it meant the most. She could have left in the middle of the night and he didn't think it would have done any harm, but having her there when he woke up was a life saver. "I don't know if I did well," Gabe laughed. "But I'm awake and walking, so maybe I did. These are great," he said, shoveling in another bite of pancakes.
"Well, I didn't smell like Ransom, so that was a plus," Claire teased after swallowing a small bite of her pancake. "I'm glad I was here for you too. I know I'd like for someone to be there for me if I were in your position. You were pretty calm, I think. You had your moments, but nothing overly frightening." She glanced down at his plate of pancakes and laughed. "They're not great, but I'm glad you're liking them enough to eat them. I just hope your stomach doesn't hurt later."
"Maybe I knew it was you," Gabe smiled. "I wish I could say what helped and what didn't, but I don't remember anything but little flashes and feelings. Not very helpful." It was frustrating, actually, to have a whole night go by with nothing to show for it. If he'd been sleeping, it would have been different. "Your cooking isn't bad," he told her. "You know, I'm really looking forward to living with you. We can cook lots of meals together. I can make you breakfast in bed."
"It's okay if you don't remember," Claire assured him. "It's probably better than you don't, you know?" She took another bite of her pancake, shooting him a skeptical look when he said her cooking wasn't that bad. Once she swallowed, she managed a small grin. "As long as it's not too complicated, I'm sure we'll do just fine. If not, there's always take out or pizza, right?" The breakfast in bed thing sounded really... domestic? Romantic? She didn't know, but it caused her to flush. She wasn't used to anyone wanting to do things like that for her. "I'd probably end up spilling everything in bed if you did that."
"Hmm... I'll just have to feed it to you then," Gabe smiled around a forkfull of pancakes. "Or make sure it's something I want to lick off you. Eggs don't sound all that good, but french toast might be fun." He was teasing, of course, but he still intended to serve her once and a while. "So, are pancakes your favorite breakfast food? Cause a fajita lover might like breakfast tacos." These were important things to know!
Claire nearly choked on her next bite of pancake, but thankfully it went down okay. He really shouldn't say things like that when she was eating. It caused her to flush all over and she hid her blush behind the curtain of her hair. "I love breakfast tacos! Pancakes are great though. But yeah, I would love to have breakfast tacos sometime. Yum! I haven't had those in ages. You know how to make them?"
Gabe smiled to himself and bit his lip so not to laugh. He really wasn't trying to make her choke on her food. He just had sex on the brain ninety percent of the time, just like every other teenage boy in the world. "I don't think they can be that hard to make," Gabe smiled. "Scramble some eggs, cook some sausage, grate cheese, and put it all in a tortilla. What kind do you like? Bacon instead of sausage? I gotta know, if I ever wanna surprise you with 'em."
"That's a lot to make, and stick in one tortilla," Claire pointed out with a laugh. She would probably burn everything in an attempt to do it. "I like sausage, for future reference. So... feel free to surprise me with sausage... nevermind," she said with a laugh, unable to finish the crude joke. Now probably wasn't the time, but still. It was nice to be immature every now and then.
"You can have sausage whenever you want," Gabe said with a grin. He couldn't help it when she put that out there like that. It was just too easy! He snickered and ate another bite of pancakes. "Just promise me you won't go asking for a tortilla and eggs every time you get it." Now he was just being silly, though he had the feeling Claire wouldn't mind.
"I appreciate that," Claire said with a laugh. She lifted one hand and crossed her heart. "I promise, no tortilla or eggs request." She liked that he could make jokes and laugh, especially the morning after what he'd just gone through. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day? I imagine you're probably going to want to sleep for a bit..."
Even feeling as poor as he was, being with Claire put Gabe in good spirits. His plans for the rest of the day, however, were a little more intimidating. "Well... I need to tell Madock what I am," Gabe said, making a face. "Somewhere in there I plan to nap, and I know Lily was going to come by and check on me. That's it really. Talking to your brother's the big thing."
She looked over at Gabe, chewing slowly now as she tried to imagine Madock's response to it. She figured he would probably want to talk about it later. "Maybe it won't be so bad... I mean, he's with Jess, right? So... I'm sure it will be fine." Claire could only hope anyway. "I probably need to go home and shower and stuff... are you going to be okay being here alone? Well, I guess you won't be alone... your mom will be here..."
"I hope so," Gabe said. "I don't know what all Jess' told him. There's no reason for him to freak out on the mating thing with me, but a lot of people have a pretty bad impression about bitten weres. Maybe check with him tonight and see how it went?" He was all for Claire helping him out on this one. If Madock freaked out, she'd probably do a better job of calming him down than Gabe could. "I'll be okay," he said with a small smile. "Mom'll be here, and I can always pick up the phone. Doesn't mean I won't miss you though."
Claire nodded. "I'm sure he'll come talk to me about if I don't go to him first. Especially if it worries him, which I doubt it will but... you never know." She was sure it would help that Claire had stayed in Gabe's vicinity all night and she hadn't been hurt. She smiled, but flushed in her cheeks. "Yeah, yeah. I think you're ready for a Claire-break." Everyone liked their alone time, right? And they would be camping together in a couple days, so the time was now to get it.
Gabe just wanted to be sure. If Madock was uncomfortable with Claire dating a bitten werewolf, even if it was Gabe, then the coming year was going to be rough. He would rather that be one issue they didn't have to deal with. "I'm not so much ready for a break, that I'm ready for a nap," Gabe said with a little laugh. "And while I'd love for you to stay and nap with me, it's always good to make an appearance at home. Otherwise your mom'll start to wonder."
She nodded and finished up her pancake before standing and taking it over to the sink. "Yeah, she'll probably be asking me questions about where I was last night anyway. I love her, but it'll be nice to move out and be on my own finally. If you need anything, you know to call me, right?" She would probably go home, shower and nap for awhile too. And then she planned to go online and look for some decent places to rent.
"Of course," Gabe said, smiling as he rose from his seat to take his plate to the sink as well. "Can I give you a call later tonight?" He liked the idea of talking to her right before he went to sleep. It wasn't quite as good as having her there with him, but Gabe realized he had to compromise every once and a while. "Don't forget we're going camping tomorrow," he smiled. That definitely made up for missing her tonight.
"You know you can call me whenever you want," Claire said. He usually did anyway. And she had grown used to talking to him before she went to bed, even when they had been just friends. "And yes, camping... I'll have to get my stuff ready tonight. You're going to pick me up Tuesday, right?"
"Yep," he said, coming up to her and taking her hands. He couldn't resist stealing a kiss, even if it wasn't so much of stealing when she was willing. "I'm gonna drive Charlotte's mom's truck, I think, so I hope you'll ride shot gun. I don't trust anyone else with the radio," Gabe grinned. It was good they had the same taste in music, though he really wanted her there to hold her hand.
"I'm definitely not going to ride anywhere else," Claire said with a small laugh. She was kind of hoping no one else had to ride with them, but you never knew. She lifted her hands to wrap them around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too," Gabe muttered, kissing her temple. He'd been scared last night, for his life, for Claire, for the future. He hated not knowing what to expect and it hadn't exactly been an enjoyable experience. But this morning, everything was fine. Great, even. He could get through this, so long as he wasn't alone.