Gabe Winters (ex_blindside211) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-07-07 14:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-07 |
Pre-Moonlight Syndrome
Who: Gabe and Claire
Where: Gabe's house
When: A bit before sunset
The nervousness that Gabe had been feeling that morning got worse as the day went on. By late afternoon, he didn't even have the concentration for video games and, though his mom fixed him dinner, he wasn't in the mood to eat. It was as if his body knew that the moon was coming, as well as his mind, and he just couldn't sit still. He suspected the fear made it worse. He didn't know how this night would go, what he would remember and what he would forget. He'd been told most bitten werewolves didn't remember anything the next morning. Gabe didn't know if that was comforting or not. He just wanted to get it over with, for better or for worse. Unfortunately, with the way his body was reacting, he had the feeling it was leaning towards worse.
Claire left for Gabe's house after eating dinner with her mom and discussing the camping trip she and Madock were planning to go on. While Claire verified that Gabe would be going too, she didn't tell her mom that they were together yet. Claire supposed she wanted to ease her into it, especialy once they moved in together.
Afterward, she packed up a small bag containing a toothbrush and a change of clothes before she snuck out and drove over to Gabe's house. She hadn't had time to call him earlier, but she imagined he was probably feeling pretty antsy. Pulling up in front of his house, she took a deep breath and then grabbed her bag. She hurried through the rain to his door and knocked quickly, thinking it probably would have been smart to bring an umbrella.
Gabe had been waiting for Claire to arrive and didn't waste any time hurrying to the door. "Hey," he said with a little smile, letting her in and shutting the door before he turned to her. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, listening to her heart beat. That seemed to calm him a bit, though he didn't know how long it would last. "Thanks for coming over," he said, loosening his hold to take her hand in his. "Have you eaten? Mom has some leftover meatloaf and we had banana pudding. Not together, but, you know." He was rambling and he knew it, but it was hard not to.
She returned his smile and stepped inside, setting down her bag by the door before she slid her arms around him to hug him back. She wasn't sure how he would be feeling, or acting, so she was relieved when he clung to her the way he did. "No, I ate before I came over," Claire said, squeezing his hand gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous. Kinda scared. Hungry, but not. I'll probably be starving in the morning," Gabe said with a wry smile. Was it worse to be a hungry werewolf than just a werewolf? "Mom said you can sleep in the basement guest room, unless I'm loud, at which point you're welcome to stay in my room." Which was were Gabe figured she would want to be, even if he was quiet. "Or you can go home," he said. "I don't know where you'd be most comfortable." It was easier to focus on her arrangements than his own. He would be in a cage.
"I'm not going anywhere," Claire assured him. "I'll sleep in the basement, whether you're loud or not." She didn't want him to be alone. Even if his mom was there the whole time, Claire felt like she needed to stay with him. She wanted to. She knew she could soothe him and tell him not to be scared, but Claire knew words were just that - words, and he was going to be scared no matter what she said. She leaned in to press a soft kiss against his lips. "Maybe I'll have pancakes ready for you when you wake up."
He probably wouldn't know if she'd left, but it was nice to hear that she would stay. It was calming to him now, which was what really mattered, just as the kiss was soothing. "Pancakes would be great," Gabe smiled and squeezed her hand. Without discussing their destination, he began to lead her down into the basement. A few months ago, it had housed just a game room and an extra bedroom, plus the laundry room. Now a cage took up half of the extra bedroom, and the bed had been moved out into the game room. His mother was still trying to figure out the best arrangement, but at least the cage was in place. "Do anything fun this morning or just stay out of the rain?"
It was a bit jarring, to go downstairs and see that thing in the extra bedroom. A cage for Gabe. It just... felt wrong. She hated the idea of having to lock him up, despite the fact that it was the best thing for him, and everyone else. More than that, Claire hated the idea that once he turned, he wouldn't even recognize her, or know who she was. When she realized he was talking to her, Claire tore her attention away from the cage to refocus on Gabe. "Huh? Oh... no, I went running with Madock this morning, before it started to rain really bad. He told me about Jessalyn Weiss." She let that hang for a second, watching Gabe's face. She had a feeling that he might know what Jessalyn was, since her brother was Ransom, who was dating Charlie, one of Gabe's closest friends. Plus, he was a werewolf now, so Claire figured he could smell others like him.
In that pause, Gabe looked from her to the cage. He was no more excited about it than she was, but there weren't a lot of other options. He'd heard that the county jail was helping house bitten weres on the full moon, but that seemed way worse. Shifting in public, in a cold hard cell, where people could come in and see him, was not how he wanted to spend his evening, even if he wouldn't remember it. Gabe wanted to wake up in his own house, where people cared for him and wouldn't judge him for what he was. That wasn't likely to be the experience for those down at county. "Jessalyn?" Gabe said, then laughed a little. "I would have told you, but I haven't even talked to her about it. I only knew cause of Ransom. He was the one that helped me a bit right after I got bitten. Plus, I can smell them."
"I figured you could," Claire said. "It's okay that you didn't tell me. I mean, she told Madock it was okay to tell me, so he did. But it's just kind of funny, the both of us dating werewolves. He must really like her, since he knows about the mating for life thing too." Her eyes drifted back to the cage. She was trying not to let her fear show, but her heart picked up just a bit whenever she looked at the thing. She wasn't scared of Gabe, she was scared for him. "What time do you have to go in there?" She nodded toward the cage, her fingers instinctively tightening around his.
"Well, I didn't think you should know your brother was dating a werewolf before he did," Gabe smiled. "And I asked Charlotte the other day if I could tell you, but I haven't talked to her since. Guess it doesn't matter now." Gabe chewed on his lip for a moment, trying not to be antsy. "How'd he handle the mating thing?" Gabe asked. "They must be serious if she told him. Or... I dunno." It was a lot to spring on a person they'd just started dating. Claire knew prior to the whole dating thing, though, and that was probably a good thing. "I'm... not sure," Gabe frowned. "Sunset. Moonrise. Something like that. I should probably... sit in the cage." The thought kind of made him sick.
"I think he handled it pretty well. I don't think they have any plans to have sex anytime soon, even prior to that. But... I think he really likes her. I've never seen Madock so silly over a girl before." Claire could tell he was distracted, that he was anxious and nervous. Certain conversations could wait. Claire licked her lips, not wanting to let go of him, even if she knew she had to. "Is your mom going to come down here... when it starts?" She wondered if it would be painful. If it would be painful every single time. She wondered if she would be able to handle watching it, if he was in pain. She was starting to feel a little sick herself.
Gabe nodded, wishing he was of mind to hold normal conversation, except that he wasn't. Not at all. He was scared shitless and was only hanging on to composure because she was there for him. "She said it was up to me," Gabe said. "I told her you'd be here, and I know she's listening from upstairs..." He wasn't completely sure he wanted Claire to witness it, since he was afraid it would scare her, but he couldn't handle being alone. For some reason her presence was more calming than his mother's. Squeezing her hand, Gabe let go, then walked over to the cage. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside and shut the door. "Have you had any visions lately? Or feelings from the future?" Gabe asked, taking a seat on the floor. His fingers wrapped around the bars and he tried to keep his breathing level. It wasn't working very well. "Tell me I'll be alright," he said softly.
Claire bit her lip hard as she watched him step into the cage. It just... wasn't right. She didn't like it. He wasn't an animal, or a monster. He was just Gabe. With shaky knees, she walked over and sat down on the other side, slipping her hand in, wanting to hold his hand for as long as she could. "You're going to be alright," Claire promised, keeping her voice confident and calm. "I've felt fine all day, especially when I think about you, and what's going to happen tonight. It's going to be over before you know it, Gabe, and by morning, you won't even remember any of it. I'm going to be here, even if you don't know it. I'm not going anywhere and I swear to you, I won't let you get hurt."
He listened, letting her words calm him, sure that if something bad was going to happen that she would feel it. Claire had those feelings for a reason. They didn't lie to her. "Just don't let me hurt you, okay? Once I start to change, you get away from the cage," he said, his fingers lacing with hers. He would hold on to her as long as he could, until he felt the change start to happen. Then he'd try to move back, to give her a chance to back away as well. "It's just one night a month," he said, both to remind her and himself. "Just a few hours and I'll be back. And then in a few days we'll go camping and we'll be together." It was something positive to think about, if he could. "Do you water ski?" he asked with a little smile.
She would get back as far as she could, but still be in the same room as him. Maybe he would know it was her. But probably not. Still, she hated the thought of leaving him all alone, even if he wouldn't remember it. "One night a month," Claire replied, grinning as she slid her thumb over his knuckles. "Now you'll know what it's like to be a girl... going a little crazy once a month," she teased. "I've never been water skiing, actually. You want to teach me how?" She didn't mind talking about the camping trip. It was only a couple days away, and despite how she was feeling at the moment, she was excited for it.
"So would I say I've had PMS today?" Gabe asked with a little laugh. "Pre-Moonlight Syndrome? Too bad I can't claim it mid-month. Everyone'd know I was lying." They'd think he was crazy to begin with if he started saying he had PMS. "Sure, I'll teach you how to water ski. Or, I'll try. I think we'll have more fun on the jet skis, since I know we can do that together." He could easily see them out on the lake, her arms around his waist as they sped around the water. Or the other way around! He would definitely let her drive. "I'm just looking forward to seeing you in a bikini again," he grinned.
Claire laughed, imagining Gabe telling people not to worry about him, he was just suffering from PMS. "Pre-Moonlight Syndrome. Oh, god, I can just see the commercials on tv for all the medications to help relieve pre-moonlight syndrome. Side effects can include headache, insomnia and raw meat cravings." Claire shook her head, feeling more at ease at the ridiculous turn of conversation. "I think I can do the jet skis. I think if I water ski, I'll end up falling, or breaking something." She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him. "Yeah, yeah... I'll be in a bikini. And you'll be shirtless. So we both win."
"Oh God, that's awful," Gabe laughed. "Don't let me ever eat raw meat, okay? At least not in human form." If he did so as a wolf, then... maybe that was normal. He was having a hard time deciding what was "normal" these days. "We'll jet ski, then," he smiled, thumb brushing over hers. "Don't want you getting yourself hurt and water skiing can be hard. I'm not all that great at it myself." His hands started to shake, but Gabe tried to ignore it, hoping it was just nerves. "Maybe we can go skinny dipping at night," he smiled.
"No raw meat," Claire said with a nod. "You'd get sick anyway, I think." She glanced down at their hands, squeezing his a bit tighter since she felt his trembling a bit. She smiled and shifted her gaze back to his face, wanting him to focus on her rather than anything else he was feeling. Maybe she could distract him for a little bit longer. "I would go skinny dipping with you," she promised. "That way you would already be naked when I decide I want to kiss every inch of you that I possibly can." Claire flushed, but didn't let her embarrassment stop her. "I can't imagine anything nicer than being able to be naked and wrap myself around you." She realized that might not be the best kind of distraction for him, so she trailed off and bit her lip before squeezing his hand again.
It really was a nice distraction, thinking of her in the water, her legs wrapped around his hips. Of course, Gabe's little fantasy wasn't likely to happen so long as the no sex rule stayed in place, but he didn't let that stop him. "I'd like that," he said, breathing heavy. "Touching you, just us and the water..." Gabe closed his eyes hard, leaning his head against the bars. He really wanted to focus on that vision, but it was getting harder and harder by the second. "I don't feel good," he said softly. Gabe bit his lip, nausea hitting with the pain. "I think... it's time." He wanted to hold back, but that seemed to make it even worse. His body was beginning to ache, as if he could feel his bones growing. Gabe whimpered softly as his hands slipped away from Claire's.
Biting her lip hard enough that she was sure she would draw blood, Claire pulled her hand back from the cage. She wished she could do something more, or have some magical cure that would make the entire thing painless, but she had absolutely nothing to offer him. "You're going to be okay," Claire promised before she began to move back. She knew better than to be close when he began to actually change. A part of her wanted to close her eyes, since she had never seen something like this before, but she found she couldn't. She was going to watch him, because she needed to know what to expect, and she needed to know what it was he went through every month. "Do you want me to get your mom?" Claire asked, glancing toward the door. She didn't know what Thessaly would do, but maybe having her here would help him.
He was trying to stay quiet, stay strong, for Claire's benefit, but it just wasn't working. His body was stretching and distorting beyond it's normal form and it just wasn't used to such a transformation. Looking down at his hands, Gabe gasped as his fingers grew longer, his nails sharp and deadly. Gabe's eyes met Claire's as she spoke, his pupils visibly shifting to that of a wolf. He mouthed three little words without a sound, fearing that maybe he wouldn't survive this and he'd have no other chance to tell her. At the mention of his mother, Gabe's eyes darted to the basement stairs. Thessaly Bloom stood halfway down, one hand raised to cover her mouth, the other holding tight to the banister. "Be strong, Gabriel," she said, descending slowly to come stand beside Claire. "They say the first time's the worst, but you'll be okay."
Gabe wanted to believe it, but his ability to hold tight to such a thought was fading quickly. His mind felt scrambled, foggy with pain. Crying out, Gabe fell onto his hands and knees as his body began to shift to that of the monster. His ears grew long and pointed, teeth razor sharp as his nose and mouth became more of a muzzle. The clothes he had been wearing began to rip at the seams as his limps grew, fur coating his body. In a matter of seconds, an eighteen year old boy had transformed from man to beast, his screams turning to howls as his body rebelled. Thessaly wrapped an arm around Claire's shoulders, trying to maintain composure herself. She would not be scared of her son, even if he didn't recognize her from the other side of the bars.
She nearly went to him when she saw him mouth those words, because she didn't think she was seeing things, and she thought she knew what he meant, but then his mom was coming down the steps into the room and Claire found she couldn't even get her feet to move at that point. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him now, even as Thessaly came down to slip her arm around her shoulders. It was Gabe, and yet in a matter of seconds, it wasn't. The transformation looked painful and she felt an acute ache deep inside of her, knowing what he was going through without being able to stop it. And she couldn't help him. Both hands covered her mouth and she inhaled deeply, thankful that his mother was at least there with her. She felt completely helpless, and felt again that if she had been able to develop her skills better, she would have been able to stop him from ever getting bit in the first place.
With the werewolf in control, Gabe was no longer in sight, at least in body or mind. The monster threw himself against the bars, then howled in disgust, not the least bit pleased about being trapped in. Thessaly flinched as her son struggled in the cage. She hated seeing him like this, but none of her research had uncovered something to help him. The least she could do was keep him safe, as well as everyone else. Gabe began pacing inside the cage as his mother looked down at Claire. "Do you want to go upstairs? Get your stuff? You can watch a movie, if you'd like." Claire would have the option of being down there with Gabe, or upstairs in the den or in Gabe's room. Thessaly wasn't sure where Claire would be most comfortable, but she appreciated her being there for her son.
Claire jerked when Gabe - the wolf - slammed it's body against the bars and howled. She knew he couldn't get out, but she couldn't help but think about how bad it would be if he did. He wouldn't know any better... and he didn't even know who she was at that moment. She would probably be dead before she could draw a breath. Claire wanted to believe that maybe he was in there somewhere, that maybe he could look at her and know her, but she doubted it. Swallowing, Claire licked her lips and looked at his mom with a small, appreciative smile. "I think... I'll stay down here. Maybe out where the bed is, just in case my presence agitates him or something. I told him I wouldn't leave him, so... I'll stay," she said again before exhaling slowly. "Will he be okay in the morning?"
Thessaly nodded, going off everything she'd ever read about werewolves. Like her son, she'd taken up reading about them as soon as he'd been bitten. "He might be a little sore, but he should be fine," she assured Claire. "Make yourself at home. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." She wasn't sure she'd be sleeping tonight, but she'd try. Probably on the couch. Gabe growled as his mother headed up the stairs, then turned his attention to Claire, continuing to pace. After a while, he settled down, but not once took his eyes off her.
Claire took a breath and thanked Thessaly before the older woman walked out of the room and back up the stairs. She shifted her gaze back to Gabe and moved to the opposite wall, sliding down it until her butt hit the floor. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them as she watched Gabe. She wasn't going to anywhere, at least not anytime soon. She made a promise, and she was going to stick to it.