[ That's a good attitude to have, honestly. Hank has to say he's a little impressed with Gavin's commitment -- but then he clearly didn't know Gavin all that well before this.
They make their way to the entrance and Hank leads them to the shopping carts. Obviously with his hand on Gavin's shoulder, Hank's not gonna be the one holding the cart. ]
Here, maybe that'll help. Focus on driving the cart.
[ 'Here kid, play with this toy car for a while.' Which is... reductive and he's pissy that something actually seems hard, which he's never particularly handled well on his best days but.
In, out. It's fine. It's loud, but he's been in literal shoot outs before. Those were loud. And he was fine.
So Gavin nods again, not wanting to risk speaking, and starts to push the cart. At least the deli isn't far, thank fuck. (A dude on the phone nearby has an incredibly irritating voice, holy shit.) ]
[ Saying "you get used to the noise" isn't really going to help Gavin here, so Hank just doesn't. He guides them well over to the deli, ordering the largest cuts of meat he can possibly get away with. ]
We're having some company over. Lots of company.
[ He smiles, not really caring much besides stocking up and getting out of there. He squeezes Gavin's shoulder again, he's sure being around all the food can't be easy in his state. But the maybe with a distraction, he'll feel a little better. ]
Do you guys make your own jerky, or is it all that packaged stuff?
[ He looks distracted, but he's holding up. His eyes are a little glazed over, the smells of the meat an interesting sort of experience. He's not hungry but he's hungry. It's very odd; can you be existentially hungry? He guesses so.
He leans into him a little at the squeeze. Oh, wow, he really wants to just press his nose against Hank's neck right now. Not gonna do that!! It's also really hard to not start doing that damn purring thing!!
Think about something else. Like that that time Eli tricked him into eating glue to test his reaction. Oh, ew, that was gross. Oh hey it worked.
Oh Hank's talking about jerky now, which knocks him out of his little internal conversation. His hands feel very sweaty. ]
[ Thatta boy, Gavin, you're doing so well. Hank is proud. You can purr-growl all you want one you get home, no sweat.
The deli guys point them towards the jerky and Hank kind of guides them toward the aisle. Just one more thing on their list and they can check out. They're doing so well. ]
[ He let's out a shaky breath and nods. Gavin closes his eyes for a second and inhales slowly, swallowing with a bob of his throat. He rolls his shoulders. ]
Yeah, I'm fine. It's fine. [ His voice is a little rickety, but he can at least speak now. It's loud and overwhelming but it's kind of starting to turn into white noise in the back of his mind.
Nothing's making him angry at least, so that's a good sign. Hank's hand is definitely helping that. So he looks at the jerky. ]
[ He's still just kind of in a forced autopilot daze as they head back to checkout. Everything just... numb. And that's fine. Yep, Hank pays. Oh, he should give him money later...
Soon enough he's siting back in the passenger's seat with a bag of jerky in his lap. He rips it open and starts to nibble on it. ]
[ Hank takes care of everything, as promised For their first outing, it went super well. ]
Nice job in there. [ He pats Gavin's thigh, smiling proudly. Gavin looks so damn cute chewing on that jerky, christ. Is this a werewolf thing? It's gotta be. ] You deserve that. I'll take us home.
[ Chewing on the dried meat instantly relieves a good chunk of his anxiety. God, how fucking weird?
He turns and looks at Hank, a brow raised. He swallows that chunk of jerky and licks his lips. ]
I'm not a grade schooler. [ Oh good he's grumpy, so you know he's feeling better. His cheeks get a little pink. ] But uh, thanks. For keeping me grounded in there.
[ Yep, glad to hear you back to your bratty self, Gavin. ]
Sure, but you just got turned the other day, so the fact that you went somewhere with fucking people in it and didn't growl at anybody is a pretty big win, man.
[ Look at him, giving Gavin praise!! Ridiculous. He shrugs, waving off Gavin's gratitude with a hand off the steering wheel. ]
[ He chomps down on more jerky to stop the growl-purr. Praise!! Of course he should be praised he's fuckin' good at everything he does but... this kind of praise seems like a warm blanket being tucked around him on a chilly day. Fuck. ]
Maybe I'm a natural. [ He's croaky. ] I was too overwhelmed to be growling anyway.
[ Aaaaahhhh it's super cute. It makes Hank want to lean over and mess with Gavin's hair and just touch him to keep him close and there. Hank does in fact do this once they reach a stop light. How the fuck is he supposed to not find Gavin super endearing when he makes noises like that that send his protective instincts into overdrive?? ]
[ Aaah what the fuck! Gavin lights up like a Christmas tree, bright red all the way up to his ears. The Puppy Feeling is cooing, wanting more attention, wanting... Wanting. ]
W-What're you— [ It's a weak protest, voice all soft and fluttery. His eyes flash amber for a second. ] I-I don't know why I'm doin' it, alright?
[ Hank growls happily, though his is obviously way deeper than Gavin's. He smirks, running his hand through Gavin's hair some more until the light turns green and he has to get both hands on the wheel again. It feels good knowing he's not fucking this up. Gavin's happiness is definitely fulfilling some kind of instinctual need to protect and care for his pack. Hank doesn't really get it either but he likes it. It's about time this werewolf thing did something besides just suck. ]
[ Oh fuck. Oh no. The growl hits him square in the chest, fully awakening that Primal thing deep inside him. He's almost trembling all of a sudden, goosebumps covering every part of his skin.
The grocery store was nothing compared to this. He wants to press closer to Hank, the one that made him, bare his neck and feel the scrape of Hank's teeth against his flesh. Against where he bit him. He wants Hank to tear him apart and put him back together with nothing but a few touches and growls, press him against—
HOLY SHIT. He turns and looks back out the front of the car.
And lifts a hand up and punches himself square in the face with a crack. ]
[ Okay, well, while Gavin is freaking out, Hank is focusing on the road (even if he can definitely feel a bit of something from how intense Gavin's emotions are running wild, but that's just been a constant thing since he got turned, so Hank's been tuning it out for the sake of privacy.)
So really, Hank just hears a crack and he fucking jumps, nearly swerving the car off the road in surprise. ]
[ It really does feel like he's finally fully... awake. And it's. Sure interesting. He was almost too scared to lean into it but now he doesn't have a choice. The wolfiness is fully awake and howling deep inside him now. Shit.
He wipes at the little spot of blood that leaks out of his nose, rolling his shoulders. ]
I think I just finally processed all the shit in the store, it's fine. I won't hit myself again.
[ Hank slows them down, at least they're not on the freeway but christ. He looks over at Reed, shaking his head and passing him a tissue from the glove compartment. ]
Yeah, don't. Trying to re-break your nose won't work, alright?
Sorry. I dunno, pain seemed like the quickest way to ground me.
[ He touches his nose, it already mostly healed over from his self inflicted wound. Gavin sighs, a full chested exhalation and goes back to picking at the bag of jerky.
[ Hank's gonna miss the cute growling, ngl. But it's not like he can tell Gavin not to hurt himself when he'll just... heal right back up. Hank found that out, so Gavin can find that out too. It's fine, Hank just kinda rolls his eyes and takes them home. They're almost there, at least.
Next time he's taking Connor up on that offer to pickup his groceries. ]
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They make their way to the entrance and Hank leads them to the shopping carts. Obviously with his hand on Gavin's shoulder, Hank's not gonna be the one holding the cart. ]
Here, maybe that'll help. Focus on driving the cart.
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In, out. It's fine. It's loud, but he's been in literal shoot outs before. Those were loud. And he was fine.
So Gavin nods again, not wanting to risk speaking, and starts to push the cart. At least the deli isn't far, thank fuck. (A dude on the phone nearby has an incredibly irritating voice, holy shit.) ]
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We're having some company over. Lots of company.
[ He smiles, not really caring much besides stocking up and getting out of there. He squeezes Gavin's shoulder again, he's sure being around all the food can't be easy in his state. But the maybe with a distraction, he'll feel a little better. ]
Do you guys make your own jerky, or is it all that packaged stuff?
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He leans into him a little at the squeeze. Oh, wow, he really wants to just press his nose against Hank's neck right now. Not gonna do that!! It's also really hard to not start doing that damn purring thing!!
Think about something else. Like that that time Eli tricked him into eating glue to test his reaction. Oh, ew, that was gross. Oh hey it worked.
Oh Hank's talking about jerky now, which knocks him out of his little internal conversation. His hands feel very sweaty. ]
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The deli guys point them towards the jerky and Hank kind of guides them toward the aisle. Just one more thing on their list and they can check out. They're doing so well. ]
Almost there, see? Ain't so bad.
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Yeah, I'm fine. It's fine. [ His voice is a little rickety, but he can at least speak now. It's loud and overwhelming but it's kind of starting to turn into white noise in the back of his mind.
Nothing's making him angry at least, so that's a good sign. Hank's hand is definitely helping that. So he looks at the jerky. ]
The teriyaki flavor sounds good.
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He chuckles at their options. He would not have expected there to be teriyaki beef jerky. ]
Alright, teriyaki sounds good. [ He pats Gavin's shoulder and tosses some in the cart. ] You want anything else? Don't hold back for my sake.
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[ He's not really feeling his usual food cravings anyway. Maybe that appetite will come back after the full moon but it's very... basic right now.
He wheezes. ] I think I'm gonna need a nap though.
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Alright, then we'll check out and head home so you can sleep. Easy peasy.
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[ He's still just kind of in a forced autopilot daze as they head back to checkout. Everything just... numb. And that's fine. Yep, Hank pays. Oh, he should give him money later...
Soon enough he's siting back in the passenger's seat with a bag of jerky in his lap. He rips it open and starts to nibble on it. ]
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Nice job in there. [ He pats Gavin's thigh, smiling proudly. Gavin looks so damn cute chewing on that jerky, christ. Is this a werewolf thing? It's gotta be. ] You deserve that. I'll take us home.
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He turns and looks at Hank, a brow raised. He swallows that chunk of jerky and licks his lips. ]
I'm not a grade schooler. [ Oh good he's grumpy, so you know he's feeling better. His cheeks get a little pink. ] But uh, thanks. For keeping me grounded in there.
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Sure, but you just got turned the other day, so the fact that you went somewhere with fucking people in it and didn't growl at anybody is a pretty big win, man.
[ Look at him, giving Gavin praise!! Ridiculous. He shrugs, waving off Gavin's gratitude with a hand off the steering wheel. ]
It's nothing. Just doing what I can.
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Maybe I'm a natural. [ He's croaky. ] I was too overwhelmed to be growling anyway.
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Yeah, it gets easier with time. [ Right. A natural. ] You get used to everything being... a lot. Till the unimportant stuff is just white noise.
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He can't stop it now, he faintly growl-purrs. Sigh. No point in trying to hide it, he guesses. Hey this jerky is really good!! ]
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You're really enjoying that, huh?
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W-What're you— [ It's a weak protest, voice all soft and fluttery. His eyes flash amber for a second. ] I-I don't know why I'm doin' it, alright?
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[ Hank growls happily, though his is obviously way deeper than Gavin's. He smirks, running his hand through Gavin's hair some more until the light turns green and he has to get both hands on the wheel again. It feels good knowing he's not fucking this up. Gavin's happiness is definitely fulfilling some kind of instinctual need to protect and care for his pack. Hank doesn't really get it either but he likes it. It's about time this werewolf thing did something besides just suck. ]
Don't hold back for my sake.
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The grocery store was nothing compared to this. He wants to press closer to Hank, the one that made him, bare his neck and feel the scrape of Hank's teeth against his flesh. Against where he bit him. He wants Hank to tear him apart and put him back together with nothing but a few touches and growls, press him against—
HOLY SHIT. He turns and looks back out the front of the car.
And lifts a hand up and punches himself square in the face with a crack. ]
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So really, Hank just hears a crack and he fucking jumps, nearly swerving the car off the road in surprise. ]
Reed, what the fuck?
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[ It really does feel like he's finally fully... awake. And it's. Sure interesting. He was almost too scared to lean into it but now he doesn't have a choice. The wolfiness is fully awake and howling deep inside him now. Shit.
He wipes at the little spot of blood that leaks out of his nose, rolling his shoulders. ]
I think I just finally processed all the shit in the store, it's fine. I won't hit myself again.
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[ Hank slows them down, at least they're not on the freeway but christ. He looks over at Reed, shaking his head and passing him a tissue from the glove compartment. ]
Yeah, don't. Trying to re-break your nose won't work, alright?
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[ He touches his nose, it already mostly healed over from his self inflicted wound. Gavin sighs, a full chested exhalation and goes back to picking at the bag of jerky.
He's not cute growling anymore, at least. ]
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[ Hank's gonna miss the cute growling, ngl. But it's not like he can tell Gavin not to hurt himself when he'll just... heal right back up. Hank found that out, so Gavin can find that out too. It's fine, Hank just kinda rolls his eyes and takes them home. They're almost there, at least.
Next time he's taking Connor up on that offer to pickup his groceries. ]