InsaneJournal

Who: Lilo and Wolfwood.
What: Working out.
When: 6/25.
Where: A gym.
Rating/Warnings: A slight mention of parents that have passed.
Status: Complete!




Wolfwood had headed right for the gym once his physical therapist had given him the okay. He’d wanted to just exercise, just move hard and fast for once since getting back here. Some of the ennui would lift if he could just move around. Lulu had been a big help, yeah, but still. With the dreams and the frustrations and ... yeah. He just needed to hit things and run around.

Lilo’s job as a surfer and free diver both meant that she needed endurance in spades. She was on the treadmill, jogging as she watched a wildlife special on her phone. Humming to herself, she pointedly ignored any stares at her chest from either gender. Unless they were sympathetic - two sports bras was the absolute worst.

Wolfwood recognized her - not, believe it or not, from the tits. He knew her face; it had been a perk in the field. “Hi,” he said. “I’m really sorry I’ve forgotten your name, but I know I’ve met you here before. I’m Wolfwood - Nicholas Wolfwood. I just got back to town a few months ago.”

She grinned and waved, still jogging. “I remember you, you were gonna hit that douchebag for me! I’m Lilo. Long time no see!” She remembered him because he was awesome.

“Lilo! Right. Sorry, I have a good memory for faces, not names.” Wolfwood smiled, figuring he could do some cardio and talk at the same time. He fired up the treadmill next to her. “Is it ok if I join in? I finally got my cast off and I’ve been trying to do all the exercise I missed for three months.” Mostly because he could.

“Of course! And man, where was your cast? Casts are the actual worst. The itchy.” She wrinkled her nose. “I broke my arm when I was ten.”

“Right arm, up to the shoulder.” She just probably didn’t remember. “I got shot. My PT finally said it was healed enough to take it off, and now it’s weak.” Cardio wasn’t strictly working on the arm, but oh well, it was important too. Wolfwood turned the treadmill on, starting slow. “How are you?”

“Are you gonna lift after your cardio? I can spot you. And I’m good! Got a boyfriend now.” She grinned brightly. “He’s ... amazing, actually.”

“Oh, good. Congratulations.” Wolfwood meant it; this girl had seemed very kind the last time they’d met. She deserved it. “And yeah, I’m going to try lifting, but start small. Before the injury I could bench about 210 or so - reps wise - but that’d just be stupid to try now.” He figured starting at 70 or 80 ought to do it.

“Start little, then just build up to what feels good. You don’t want to hurt yourself all over again.” Lilo smiled. “But I’ll totally help! I haven’t lifted yet myself.”

“We can swap after, then.” Wolfwood started running a bit faster, but he could still talk. “So, what’s your boyfriend like? Has he had to hit anyone for you?” He chuckled a little.

“Will?” Lilo’s grin was stupidly happy at the mention of his name. “He hasn’t, nope. He’s a cop, so I’m sure he can throw a punch okay. But he’s ... smart. Sweet. Totally not what you’d think when I say he’s a cop.”

“Well, if he’s a cop, he doesn’t need to hit anyone; he can run them in.” Wolfwood laughed. “What do you mean not what I’d think, though? I think of guys ... well, guys with my build.” Big and rangy, or conversely, built like the proverbial brick shithouse.

“He’s wiry and quiet. He’s a thinker. I always thought of cops as alpha males, you know? But not him.” She loved that about Will; they were both often in their heads.

“Huh, interesting.” Wolfwood smiled. “I’d guess there’s a place for those types on the force, though. On second thought. It’s not like every guy can go kicking down doors.” It was still a little weird, but less than he’d originally thought.

“Nope. He’s in homicide, so he has to be a thinker.” Lilo still had a dreamy smile on her face; it was obvious she loved the guy.

Wolfwood said as much. “Seems pretty serious! Are you thinking dog and white picket fence anytime soon?” The idea was kind of sweet, really.

“We both have dogs, actually.” She chuckled to herself. “One of my dogs totally loves one of his. And I don’t know. I am, he might not be.”

“Oh, you’ve already got the dogs? That’s sweet.” Wolfwood laughed. “So wait, your dog found their soulmate just when you think you found yours?” That bordered on serendipity, as far as he was concerned. He kicked the treadmill up another notch.

“Yeah, we’re nauseating, huh.” Lilo shook her head. “At least I haven’t shown you pictures or something.” If she showed him any pictures, it’d be of her dogs, thank you very much.

“I’d be sort of impressed if you could while you were on the treadmill.” Wolfwood was still smiling. “The lady I’ve been seeing isn’t much for selfies.”

“Ooooh, you’ve got a girlfriend? What’s she like?” LIlo grinned broadly, thinking of who she thought Wolfwood would date.

“I don’t know if I’d say girlfriend. But she’s very kind. She’s ... I don’t know. Some people think she’s aloof, but she just doesn’t suffer fools.” Wolfwood knew he sounded warm. He felt warm about Lulu, dammit.

“If she’s not your girlfriend now, you should ask her.” Lilo could tell he liked her, it wasn’t exactly subtle in his tone. “You like her. I can tell.”

“I do, but I don’t wanna push. It hasn’t been that long, and she’s a lady who knows her own mind.” Wolfwood smiled. “I’d say that, and she’d say no, you weirdo, and then it’d get awkward.”

“Oooh, but how do you know she’d say no?” Lilo’s treadmill was slowing to a stop, and she hopped up and off of it.

“She went through a divorce, and I’m thinking it’s still too soon,” Wolfwood answered, still with a few minutes to go on his.

“Ohhh, that makes more sense.” Lilo grabbed some hand weights and started her sixty pound bicep curls, going for fifty reps each side. “Well, just stick with it, you know? Dating’s not the best part of a relationship anyway.” Just being around the person should be the best part in her humble opinion.

“I’m not great at it,” Wolfwood admitted, watching the treadmill’s timer count down. “It’s always a big production - though with Lulu it’s been surprisingly stress-free, I will say.” Lulu didn’t have any patience for silly little rituals, and he appreciated that.

“That’s the key,” Lilo grinned. “Finding someone who dates like you date. Some girls want flowers every date and some girls don’t. Some guys want to always cuddle and others are all ewww get off me.” She was glad Will only liked cuddling every now and then. Lilo couldn’t be held responsible for what she did prior to coffee.

“I like to be a gentleman, but a woman who wanted all cuddly and stuff ... no.” Wolfwood grinned as his treadmill ran out, jumping off and heading for the weight bench. “Like, I brought Lulu flowers on our first date, but not since then. She’s a businesswoman; she has stuff to do, so if we don’t talk for a day or two, that’s fine.”

The tall Hawaiian girl nodded. “That’s just called trust in my book, but Will says I’m not like other girls.” Lilo shrugged, then pointed at the bench press. “Let me know when you need a spotter.”

“Soon, thanks. And I don’t know, I’ve dated women who ... at the risk of sounding like an asshole, needed a lot of attention.” Wolfwood didn’t have much patience for that.

Lilo snorted. “Yeah, there’s a lot of people like that out there, period.” She was glad that her friends and her boyfriend weren’t that way. “Maybe they’ll all end up together?”

“I hope.” Wolfwood rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to tell tales out of school, but I had a couple girlfriends who just wanted ... I don’t know. It’s like I couldn’t have a life. I’m in the military.” He chuckled. “Well. Was.”

“A really good relationship is two people who choose to be together, not two halves of people becoming one. That’s a lie that people tell when they’re not happy, I think. My parents always had their own hobbies. They played music together in high school, that’s how they met.” She missed them often.

“That’s ... really nice. My parents met through a mutual friend - turned out they lived on the same block and didn’t know.” Wolfwood smiled. He didn’t think about his dad very often, but when he did, it was fondly.

“That’s really sweet,” Lilo smiled. “I don’t think that could happen in Hawaii. We’re kind of nosier than mainlanders.” Even though she’d lived in California for a year or two, Lilo would never ever consider herself a mainlander.

“Oh, right, I forgot you were Hawaiian. I’ve heard that about you guys - that the community’s tighter, especially in rural places.” He didn’t want to say nosy; that would come off as dickish since he wasn’t Hawaiian himself.

“Yeah, you see it a lot in small towns, and I grew up on a small island. So basically it’s just one little family. You call everyone Auntie or Uncle.” She smiled and motioned to the bench. “C’mon, let’s get you pressing.”

“Thanks.” They headed toward the bench press. “Is it kind of a culture shock, to be here in a big city? Like, did a job bring you here, or did you come just because?”

“I came because I lost my parents. It’s ... hard being in a small town when everything reminds you of someone. I’m used to it now, but yeah, it was hard for the first few months. It’s why I got my dog, she made me feel safer.” Of course, Daisy couldn’t protect her from anything, unless it was something defeated by dog slobber.

“I’m sorry to hear about your parents.” Wolfwood started looking through the weights. “I lost my dad when I was eleven, but my mom is still around. And I can see how staying where everything reminds you of them would be hard. It’s kind of why I didn’t want to stay in San Diego.”

Lilo nodded. “I’m sorry about your dad. I think it’s harder when you’re older,” she murmured. And she really was sad for Wolfwood; he was such a sweetheart.

“I think so. You have a better memory. Let’s start at 80 pounds?” Wolfwood loaded up the weight onto the bar.

“Yeah, and you’re more aware of what actually happened.” Lilo helped by loading up the weight on the other side of the bar. “I think you’ll be able to do more, but better to start low.”

“Agreed, yeah. And thank you.” Wolfwood got onto the bench, trying to focus. “Does your boyfriend have family?” Sometimes significant others just didn’t get it; he hoped this girl’s did.

“Not really. His dad left when he was a kid, and his mom was really cold even before she passed. He doesn’t really get family in the way I understand it. Well, he kind of does - he makes his own family too, just with dogs. We’re both animal nuts.” She stood behind the bench, fingers hovering lightly underneath the bar, just in case.

“Well, good.” Wolfwood broke off, focusing and really hoping he could lift eighty friggin’ pounds. It turned out he could, though not for very long. He only made it through one set of reps before he shook his head. “Damn. Can usually do three without stopping.” He had work ahead of him, annoyingly.

“Yeah, but you did it. Could’ve been worse, without PT you’d probably be whimpering at just benching the bar.” The bar itself was a solid thirty pounds. “I’ve seen it happen to people I compete against.”

“Oh, yeah?” Wolfwood raised an eyebrow. “You’re a ... an athlete, I know. Sorry, brain fart. Do you do a lot of weight training, or is it mostly cardio?”

“Yes. I’m a pro surfer, but I free dive too. You need muscle to fight big waves, but you need endurance to swim. So I do both.” She spent a lot of time just training in addition to actual practice.

“Surfing, right. Sorry. I wouldn’t know, but obviously I’ll believe you.” Wolfwood took a breath. “Going to try to do some more reps, if that’s ok?”

“Of course! Take your time.” Lilo was fine with him doing as much as he wanted. “Need me to take any weight off?”

“Nah. I’ll just go slow.” Wolfwood would be damned if he’d take any weight off. Still, he did take it easy, not trying to go as fast as before. It seemed to go better, and he said as much. “I think I just have to take it a little easier.”

“Hey, I’m here as long as you are.” Lilo smiled. “What are friends for?”