Checking In with Muffins Who: Gabe and Lily Where: Gabe's place When: Mid-morning
Lily had meant to check on Gabe a little earlier, she really had. But she'd been up late worrying as the moon rose, and a growing girl like her needed sleep. So she woke up late. But it didn't take her long to get ready - throw on some dance clothes (because she was headed to the studio later in the day), grab her bag and some food, and hightail it out the door. Jacking her dad's Jeep, she made the quick drive from her street to Gabe's. Hitting the locks as she slid out of the truck, she grabbed her bag, dashed up to the front door, and knocked, bouncing a little on her toes as she waited.
After Claire left, Gabe laid down on the couch for a bit, not feeling completely rested from the night before. He was sure that was normal, that being a werewolf all night was not a substitute for sleep, but it felt odd not remembering the whole experience. It was as if he'd been asleep without actually getting to rest. So a nap was definitely in order, from which he woke easily at the sound of someone at the door. "Got it," he yelled to his mom, then opened the door, smiling as he saw Lily there. "Morning."
"Oh good, you're up," Lily said in relief, a second before she pounced. Bag swinging from her shoulder, she jumped a bit (because he was taller than her, big surprise), arms locking in a death grip hug around his shoulders. He looked a little tired, but no worse for wear, and she was beyond glad to see it. "Are you hungry?" she asked, voice muffled slightly by his shoulder. "I brought muffins."
"Oh God," Gabe said, stumbling back as Lily threw her arms around him. He barely caught her, too preoccupied with not falling over instead. While he didn't have a bruise on him, he was still sore from a night of throwing himself against the bars of his cage. Yeah, stupid move on his werewolf counterpart and he was the one to deal with the pain. "Muffins would be great," he said, returning the hug lightly before putting her down.
Lily winced at his 'oh god' and let go quickly. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just glad to see you. Nothing's broken, is it?" She was more or less in the house, so she just slid past him to close the door behind her, pulling out the cardboard bakery box of muffins from her bag. "I made them for you," she said, "and by 'made' I mean 'bought' because putting me around any kind of baked goods batter or dough is a bad idea." She was good at it, as evidenced by treats she'd made in the past, but the temptation to have a taste was always strong, and she almost always ended up indulging - and then paying for it. Goddamn sugar sensitivity.
"I'm okay," Gabe said with a little laugh. "Just sore. Apparently, I threw myself against the bars of my cage when Charlotte came over to check on Claire. She, uh, has pet dogs." Quick save! At least it was true, since he didn't want to lie to Lily. He just couldn't go around telling people who was a were and all. "Hey, I'm good with muffins, no matter where they're from," he smiled, taking the box from her and leading her to the couch. Gabe plopped down... carefully. "Can't you have muffins without sugar? Blueberry or something?"
"If they say sugar-free, possibly," Lily said, plopping down beside Gabe. "But regular blueberry muffins have sugar in them. Pretty much all baked goods do. But no biggie," she said, reaching into her bag again before dropping it on the floor at her feet. "I have an apple. Woo." She took a big, crunching bite, grimacing a little in sympathy for his cage crash. "Well, a hot bath or jacuzzi soak and you'll probably be back to normal," she said. "Plus don't you like, heal up crazy fast now? What's a little muscle soreness compared to your new Wolverine powers?"
"Can you make home-made muffins without the sugar?" Gabe asked. He knew a bit about cooking and next to nothing about baking. He'd never even made cookies before, but he figured that was normal. "I do heal crazy fast," he said. "And I don't have a bruise on me. But that doesn't seem to stop me from being sore. I guess if I was a normal human I'd be covered in bruises. Might have even knocked myself out. I'm hoping it'll be gone by the end of the day." Which was why he was planning on taking it easy. No reason to make things worse.
"Possibly," Lily said. "Or surely somewhere you can buy them. For a while I tried diabetic treats and whatever, right? And sure, I don't flip out on them - usually - but they taste like shit so what's the point? But hey, at least I'm not one of those people with a gluten allergy. Have you ever seen a loaf of gluten-free bread? If you needed a brick and only had one of those loaves, you could just use it and no one would know the difference." She took another bite of her apple, scanning the bits of skin she could see on him for hints of bruising. Nothing. "Or you'd have broken bones, maybe," she added. "Or all of the above. I'm glad you don't."
"I'll keep that in mind-- if short on bricks, gluten-free bread can substitute," Gabe snickered. He'd never seen a loaf, but now would be on the look-out, just out of curiosity. "No broken bones. No bruising. It just feels like my body was put through one of those medieval torture machines. You know the kind where they stretch your body? It's like I was in one of those all night and just got out before waking up," Gabe said, snacking on another muffin. Even after pancakes, he was still hungry.
"The rack," Lily said, nodding wisely. "I used to think those things would just make you taller - too many cartoons, I guess - and I totally wanted to be on one for a bit. Not much, just a few inches. But yeah, without risk of dislocating anything important." As a dancer, she was protective of her joints. They needed to last at least another ten years. "You know, it's kind of an appropriate analogy," she mused. "Because if the pictures I've seen on the internet are any indicator, you got like, super big last night."
"That's it," Gabe nodded. He just hadn't been able to think of the name of it. "I don't really know what I looked like, which is kind of weird. I mean, I saw my hands as I changed, but then it all goes blank. The only time I've ever seen a werewolf in that form was when I got bitten, and even then it was dark." That wasn't a night he wanted to remember, even if it was a night that changed his life. "On the upside, now I can supposedly change into the normal wolf form."
"You can always ask someone to take a picture if you want," Lily suggested. She would probably advise against it because that half-form deal was supposed to be some scary-ass shit, but she kept quiet on that front. "I totally want to see you change into your normal-wolf form," she said, hands clapping once enthusiastically. "When you're feeling up to it, obviously. Probably today you should take it easy."
Gabe cringed at the thought. That was not an image that needed to be printed on paper. Seeing his hands had been bad enough. He couldn't imagine how Claire had gotten through the night. "When I'm feeling up to it," Gabe promised. "Right now, I just wanna rest. My night as a werewolf didn't seem to include much sleep."
"I can imagine not," Lily said sympathetically. "But hey, it was just the first time. I'm sure it'll get easier." Or he'd learn tricks, like maybe sedating himself before he changed. If Lily was going to be stuck in a cage for a night she didn't remember, she'd just as soon rather she be unconscious for the whole shebang. "At least you've got a bitchin' Halloween costume, right?" she teased. "You can go as Lon Cheney Jr."
"That's what I've heard," Gabe said. He was looking forward to the 'getting easier' part, even if he didn't know how long that would take. Nothing seemed like it could be worse. "I don't really wanna freak anyone out that bad. Last thing I need is someone calling the police on me or something." People weren't used to seeing werewolves and were more than likely to assume they were dangerous, at least that's what Gabe thought.
"Plus it would probably be really hard to find a plaid shirt big enough to fit you," Lily mused. She didn't think any of his good friends would be scared, not if they knew it was him and it wasn't a full moon. She knew she wouldn't, but then again, she was a little bit weird herself. "I'm glad it went as well as it could've, from what you've said," she told him, munching on her apple. "I worried last night."
"I was too," he admitted. "I didn't really know what to expect. I'd never heard of a were not surviving their first shift, but then there isn't a lot to go off, you know?" Stuff like that would probably begin to build now that the Light of May had come to pass. It would just take time to gather such information. "There needs to be a handbook for newly bitten weres."
"Maybe you could write one," Lily suggested, grinning. "It'd be a huge hit. And think, ten years from now all new weres can go into like, some kind of training center before their first shift and get a copy at were orientation. And you'll be ridiculously rich, of course," she added. "Which means you'll be able to buy me amazing presents for my birthday. Which is at the end of the month, in case you were wondering."
Gabe laughed, appreciating Lily's little bit of humor. It made him feel better when his friends could laugh with him over this. He'd been so worried that they'd be as scared as he was. "I'll get right on it. Gotta start saving if you've got a birthday coming up," he said. "Anything you'd like? Just so I can keep it in my head?" He'd get her something, that was certain. He just didn't know what. He was good at shopping for girlfriends, but friends that were girls seemed a bit more complicated.
"A million dollars and a pony," Lily said promptly. "Apart from that... I don't know. I'm easy to please, though." She leaned forward to give him a sisterly peck on the cheek and to ruffle his hair (because who didn't that annoy?) before leaning down to pick up her bag. "Whatever you think of will be perfect. I should probably get going before I end up late to dance, though," she added. "I'm glad you're okay. Call me if you need anything, all right?"
Scrunching up his nose, Gabe pulled away when she started to make a bigger mess of his hair, though it didn't really bother him. "You don't need a pony," he laughed. "A million dollars I understand, but a pony's about equal to the kitchen sink." He smiled and rose from the couch, ready to show her to the door as she grabbed her stuff. "Of course," he said. "Thanks for thinking of me. And for the muffins."
"Anytime," Lily said, laughing as he pulled away and made a face. "And I totally need a pony. Or like, a boyfriend who's a werepony. Then I get the best of both worlds." And there were some jokes she could make about riding, but Gabe was a dude, he'd get it without her even having to say it. "Yeah, enjoy the muffins that I slaved over in the grocery store," she joked as she reached the door. A second to rummage around for her keys and she was good to go. "Well, I'll see you later, then. Camping soon! Woot."
"Oh God, a were-pony," Gabe laughed. If there was such a thing, it would definitely give new meaning to the phrase 'hung like a horse'. He didn't even want to imagine what the battle form would look like. "Camping 'll be a blast," he grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, at Charlotte's. Bye!" he waved. It was good to have such understanding friends. Especially those that brought muffins.