Lilo Pelekai is a disciple of The King. (means_family) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-30 01:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, lilo pelekai, nicholas d. wolfwood |
Who: Lilo and Wolfwood.
What: Gym times!
When: Friday, 9/27.
Where: Their gym.
Rating: PG-13.
Status: Complete!
Wolfwood was feeling better, and as such, he was down at the gym pounding out some frustrations. He wasn’t entirely happy about the latest turn his life had taken, even though it was on its way to working out; after the drama, he was simply exhausted. He was still worried about the woman he loved. So he was pounding on the heavy bag, and soon he would head for the free weights.
As he got over to the leg press, he saw it was in use. “Excuse me, do you mind if I - oh. Sorry.” He blinked. He’d expected a man, but instead there was a lovely woman with her eyes closed, focusing on trying to push what looked like 500 pounds. Served him right for assuming, he figured.
“You can have it after this set,” Lilo managed to growl out through grit teeth. Leg press was good for her - it built up muscle that she needed for swimming - but she tended to surprise people with the amount she could actually lift. “Just four more.” She counted them out in her head, breathing hard and gripping the hand holds tightly to keep her upper body from helping her press at all.
When she finished, she hopped out of the machine and smiled. It wasn’t her max (leg press was easier than leg sled), and she stretched a little when she was out. “Sorry, let me wipe that down for you. Are you okay?” She cocked her head. “You just look ... I don’t know, I’m sorry, I’ll shut up.” Her tattoos were on full display, since she only wore a sports bra and shorts to work out. But if anyone ogled her, Lilo never noticed.
Wolfwood was taken, not dead. She was very attractive, and he did appreciate the view, but he tried to behave like a gentleman, or at least not an asshole. “Just a hard workout on the heavy bag.” He smiled a little. “Between the latest Orange County craziness and some personal stuff, I needed it.”
Lilo grinned broadly. “That’s when I hit the waves. But lucky for me, things have been pretty much okay lately knock wood.” She rapped her knuckles on her own forehead.
“Waves?” Wolfwood echoed. “Are you a swimmer? I’m on leave from the Army, so I’m used to the gym cardio workouts.”
“Pro surfer,” Lilo grinned. “Big wave. Caught myself a fifty footer last year in competition, this year I’m hoping to do sixty. I free dive too, but nobody knows what that is.”
“Unfortunately not.” Wolfwood headed for the machine. “Doesn’t sound like anything I’d have experienced in basic. Though I am from here. San Diego.”
“Oh, uh. Basically, I hyperventilate, strap weights to my legs, dive down forty feet at least, then swim back up.” She realized it sounded kind of bonkers when she said it out loud.
“Ballsy.” Wolfwood didn’t judge; he’d known a couple of polar bears in the service. “Is that professional, or just for kicks? And on second thought, if you’re here, would you mind spotting me on benching?” He needed to keep going with the workout.
“Professional, and of course. How much are you going?” She moved behind the bench press, taking the time to redo her ponytail.
“Trying 300 right now.” He wasn’t intimidated by the fact that she could probably do more than he could, just focused. “I’m out of practice.” He just wanted to feel the burn, as the old saying went - to hurt, to know he’d done something to cope with all this crap.
“Max or for reps?” She looked down at him, hoping she wouldn’t have to lift it off of him. Some guys freaked out by how strong she was.
“Reps.” Wolfwood couldn’t help but tease. “You look strong, but I promise, my max is like 450. I’m less of a wuss than I look.”
She grinned at him. “We have the same max then. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to wrestle or anything.” She kept her fingertips just under the bar, waiting for him in case he started to waver at all.
“Oh, good.” Wolfwood laughed before getting down to business. He’d been right about the reps - it felt good for his muscles to ache, to forget about Vanille, Shepard, Belle’s job, her annoying fucking handler, everything.
Lilo watched the man’s face, feeling a bit bad for him. He just looked like he needed a hug, and she wondered if he’d object to her saying so when he was done.
Wolfwood eventually laid the bar down, breathing hard, unable to stop a cough. The cold was almost gone, but not entirely. “Thanks,” he managed, sitting up after a while. “Felt good.”
“Oh, no problem. Are you okay?” Lilo’s face was worried, and she folded her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, just getting over a cold.” Did he have a nosebleed or something? She was looking at him a little oddly.
“You look sad too. You’re sure your chest doesn’t hurt? You could have bronchitis or something.” Lilo’s eyebrows were knit together.
“Oh. No, I’m okay. Just had a lot of drama lately.” Wolfwood smiled a little. “I don’t know if it’s the county or just a bad bit of luck.”
“Gosh, knowing this place, it could be both.” Lilo winced. “Anything a random stranger who’s pretty strange can help with?”
Wolfwood shrugged, smiling a little bit mirthlessly. “How do you cut the crap out and just be with the person you love?” It was mostly rhetorical.
“Depends on what the crap is, unfortunately.” Lilo smiled grimly. “One of those, huh.”
“Oh, it’s a pretty long story.” Wolfwood sat up on the bench. “Boy meets girl, girl has ex-girlfriend, ex-girlfriend has girlfriend ... She said she loves me, but ex-girlfriend is still hung up, and I don’t know how the girlfriend feels.” He didn’t even think Vanille wanted Belle back romantically. Just ... to be the protective figure for her, and that wasn’t how it worked.
“Give the ex-girlfriend time. If she’s the ex, it’s not really anything to do with you. And if you’re worried how your girlfriend feels, ask.” Lilo shrugged. “Communication is important, you known?”
“Worried about how the ex-girlfriend feels, but the ex also has a new girlfriend. Those two seem like they need to talk, too.” Wolfwood shook his head. “Belle said she cared about me, and I care about her, and I’d kind of like to just enjoy that instead of deal with everyone else. Probably makes me an asshole, but oh well.”
“Well, you can’t make them talk,” Lilo sighed. “I don’t think you’re an asshole. I think you should enjoy it. It’s sweet. I mean, that’s the important part, right?”
“Yeah, but I can’t enjoy it if it’s all worry about other people.” He tried to think of how to phrase it. “Belle worries a lot about everyone else, but doesn’t really think about her own happiness too often.”
“Maybe you should remind her. You could go to a hotel for a night on a date, or take her out to dinner. Depends on how committed you guys are.” Lilo smiled and blushed. “I bring my boyfriend lunch at his work sometimes, just to remind him that I’m always here for him.”
“She was just in the hospital. She’s 100% now in theory, but God, I worry.” Wolfwood felt stupid even saying it out loud.
“What happened?” Lilo’s eyes went wide, and she sat down next to him on the bench. “Is she okay?”
“Oh, it’s a really long story, but the short version is that she had some kind of amnesia. I know, it sounds like a soap opera, but I was there. Saw it with my own eyes.” He still wasn’t over that. He still was terrified it might happen again. “Eventually she got it all back, but now instead of thinking about herself, she’s worrying about Vanille and her girlfriend ...” Wolfwood shut up. “Sorry.” This wasn’t her business; it was barely his. He was just tired.
“You know what you need? Something to distract you. Working out’s good for that, but dunno. Do you have any hobbies?” Lilo moved over to the tricep dip bar and hopped onto it, lowering her body up and down a few times.
“To be honest, not really.” Wolfwood sighed, ruefully smiling. “I’m kind of a nerd, I guess. But you don’t really get time to cultivate a hobby when you’ve been in Afghanistan for a year.”
“Nerds are good! And thanks for your service, but I’m glad you’re safe.” Lilo smiled. “What are you doing now?”
“I work for Frost Enterprises; I’m doing security. I haven’t done much else except go out with Belle. That does sound a little sad, doesn’t it.” Wolfwood cocked his head to one side.
“I surf, train, go out with my boyfriend, and read. Not that sad, really. Security sounds fun. Do you get to beat people up often?” Lilo mimed a (very good) right jab.
“Not yet, no. We did take an industrial spy out of the building once.” Wolfwood smiled. “You have really good form, by the way.”
“Oh, thanks! Bar fights.” Lilo shrugged. “High school. Y’know, stuff.” Lilo smiled sheepishly, looking down at her feet.
Wolfwood chuckled. “Still. You could handle yourself.” He stood up. “Do you need to know that stuff to be a surfer, or was it extracurricular?”
“High school? Totally extracurricular. I was the weird kid who got picked on a lot.” She shrugged. “You do one science project about trying to reanimate a dead frog, and bam. Everyone wants to beat you up after school.”
Wolfwood couldn’t help but smirk. “I totally would have been that kid, too. I was a track star, though, so I kind of got a pass. Jocks always do.”
“And I put a lot of jocks in the hospital.” Lilo shrugged. “At least you grew up nice? I grew up weird, but heck, it’s more fun that way.” She grinned; obviously being ostracized growing up hadn’t hurt her at all.
She was really pretty and nice; he’d have figured that it actually helped her. “I grew up quiet. I just happened to like running, and it got exploited into high school popularity. I actually preferred to be alone with a book.”
“You and me both.” Lilo smiled. “It didn’t help that I liked to read everything.” She shook her head. Kids could be cruel, but it had taught her to rely on herself. The same skill served her well when she was still thirty feet below the water and her lungs started to burn. “Do you want to go grab a smoothie? Should get protein in you, helps muscle repair.”
“Sure, okay.” It was the least he could do. She’d actually been a big help to him.
“Sweet.” Lilo went over to the corner to grab her gym bag, pulling a t-shirt over her sports bra; it had the cover for 1984’s first printing on it. She hadn’t been kidding about being a reader. “I’ll even buy for you. Gesture of friendship, not flirting, promise. Don’t want your ladyfriend to come whupping me, and my boyfriend would pout.”
“Belle could kick most people’s ass.” Wolfwood smiled. “Mine included, probably.” His stuff was in a corner, and he went to go get it.
“That’s so sweet,” Lilo beamed. “I can tell you mean it, and you’re happy about it. Some guys are all ‘oh noes, the vagina bearer can smash things!’ and it’s really depressing.”
That got a shout of laughter from him. “Not me! I’ve been in the army too long. Weak little women bore me.”
“I don’t know how mine would handle that.” Lilo pursed her lips in contemplation. “I think he’d be okay? He’s a cop, and he’s ... he gets me. Not many people do. I’m kind of unique, I guess. Or that’s what people tell me.”
“I’m glad you found someone who understands you.” Wolfwood said earnestly. “Most cops don’t have any patience for either the over-testosteroned or weak little people, though.”
“Will’s different,” Lilo beamed. “He’s quite honestly the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met.” She bit her lower lip. “He’s super thoughtful. He used to be a dog trainer, so he’s ... he understands different ways of thinking, of speaking.”
“Interesting career change,” Wolfwood commented. “I’m working on retiring from the military, but going into paramilitary.” Close enough.
“Security work and all that? I’ve only ever been a surfer. God, I wonder what I’ll do if I retire.” Her eyes went wide. “Probably work with animals, I guess.”
“Good a job as any. I’m just used to doing this kind of stuff. Belle was actually my superior - technically still is.” He grinned a little.
“Oooh, how scandalous. Do you guys have to sneak around?” Lilo waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Nah, we just have to actually be professional at work. Mr. Frost doesn’t mind if we date, he just doesn’t want us neglecting work, which is fair.” Wolfwood chuckled. “No secret romances or anything.”
“Well, I guess you could still pretend.” Lilo smirked. She wondered if she could ever shag Will in his unmarked, and her thoughts slightly drifted.
“A little roleplay when we get home?” He chuckled, holding the door for her as they walked out. “Maybe. A little spice.”
“Don’t tell her you need it if you just started dating, she might slap you.” Lilo laughed, thanking him quietly as they walked out. She heard some guy hoot at her in the parking lot, which made her eyes roll. “OH MY GOSH SHUT UP.”
“Oh, we don’t need it.” Hopefully that didn’t come out snarktastic. Wolfwood looked over at the guy who’d catcalled, shooting him a stiff middle finger. Hopefully he’d think Wolfwood was Lilo’s boyfriend, and since he looked imposing, the guy might fuck off.
Yeah, that didn’t happen. Lilo wasn’t that lucky. The guy stormed forward, arms spread wide in the universal douchebag symbol for ‘let’s start something’. Unfortunately for the guy, he took his eyes off of Lilo.
Slamming her palm out into the fucker’s nose as he walked closer to her in an attempt to wrap an arm around her waist, she felt a satisfying crunch. When she demonstrated once more her impressive right jab, right in his eye, Lilo growled. “I don’t WANT to find a new gym!”
Wolfwood was mostly amused - if he wanted to take on a twenty-year soldier, that was his funeral - but then he saw the girl move quicker than he did. The guy wound up on the ground, and Wolfwood wound up laughing. “Nice job!”
Lilo shook out her right hand, wincing when she saw she’d skinned her knuckle. “You have a sharp orbital socket, you stupidhead.” She folded her arms, kicking the guy in the shin when he weakly protested that she’d flirted with him.
“She did fucking not, asshole.” Wolfwood raised an eyebrow. “Take your misogynist ass someplace else.”
“He’s scarier than me,” Lilo nodded. “Army.”
The guy looked more scared of Lilo, honestly, but either way he fucked off. Wolfwood sighed. “You okay?” She’d shook her right hand out.
“Just skinned my knuckle, it’s no big deal.” She wasn’t shaken up, but she did want to go see Will somehow. The fight wasn’t the problem, the whole gross dude hitting on her thing was.
“Well, you might want to go get it looked at, just in case.” He’d seen those go nasty. “But I’ll take a rain check on that smoothie.”
“I know just the person. Hey, we should hang out more again sometime. Friends are awesome.” Lilo held up her hand for a high five. “And I hope your stuff gets worked out.”
“It’s been nice to meet you.” Wolfwood smiled, giving the high five gently. “Definitely a rain check on the smoothie.”
Lilo beamed. “Cool.” She knew just where she was going to go to get her hand looked at. Cops had to know first aid, right? Will was a cop. Mission accomplished!