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December wasn't exactly nervous or anxious about the next weekend when he'd go work out with Gil... But he was a little worried about what he could do to help with that little thing he saw on the TV recently. Sure, he was kinda often responsible for people being tired all the time, what with all the draining and things, but this weirdly often increase of tiredness wasn't something he had ever heard about the Negaverse trying to do! Maybe people were just getting sick faster...

That little bit made him worry, and even more so, worry about the food he was eating! And maybe a little bit of Worry about Gil too. The man had said he'd often be in the gym for hours.. And that meant not eating for hours too!

If there was anything at all December was confident about, it was the fact that he could cook, and he could cook well! Maybe he had spent a little too long browsing through different websites for what works best for post-workouts. It seemed like if anything, a little bit of everything was good!

So this time when he walked into the gym, he had on his arm a bag full of the standard gym things (towels, a water bottle, some other clothing to change into, blah blah), and on his other arm... A kinda stupidly large lunch box? Or maybe just the right size! Gil was a big man after all!

Dessy looked around, and seemed pleased that it was relatively empty. Made sense when it was like... 9AM on a Sunday. Now... first things first... To find Gil.

It didn't take long at all to spot Gil working out on the bench. Needless to say, December had a look of sheer amazement at that power! A little bug in his head poke and prodded at him, thinking about just how incredible of an asset he would be to the Negaverse, towards his own goals, but that was quickly shooed away.

This was not time to think about his place there. It was time to think about what he could do as DECEMBER, not Fettelite.

Rather than force his way over and potentially startle the man, not that he really had much of a presence, he waited patiently, until the bar was re-racked and Gil stood up properly.

"Hello there!" When he called out, his voice remained surprisingly steady. All that practice greeting people with Shoal seemed to have worked! "Woah... How much weight was that? It looks like it could be atleast two of me!"

"Stranger? Oh no, did you forget me? I'm Dessy, from uh... Last Sunday, I think? Heck, did I forget to text you?" He hadn't considered that he was that forgettable again. Before he kinda faded into the background most of the time, and liked it that way. Was that bad habit coming back? He reached for his phone to double check, but his arms were kinda full for now so he just flailed for a moment.

"That's still alot though!" he finally managed out, remembering that he could put a basket down before reaching into his pocket for his phone. "...Wait, not feeling good? Are you maybe feeling like how they said on the news? Tired? Fatigued, all that? Oh geesh, if you weren't feeling right, you didn't have to come work out! Maybe you should have done something easier on yourself! Like swimming laps! I think that's good on the joins, that's what one of the lil' grannies said before anyway."

Another moment had him shoving his phone away, and picking up the abandoned basket, as if it just clicked in his head what was in there.

"AH but yeah, I was worried about that! Like, I don't want to be one of those people who believe in everything they saw on the news, but I wanted to maybe thank you for your help atleast! I made a bunch of different food things for later, since I read that you shouldn't eat too much before work out cuz you'll barf. But I made um.... Some chilli, cuz of the beans and the chicken and all that being good protein.. I made some candied sweet potatoes with honey for extra carbs, since you said you worked out for hours... And I wasn't sure if hours meant like, 3 hours or like, 10... Uh.... This pina colada greek yogurt blend thing.... More protein and and carbs, I guess.. OH and this!" He didn't really pull many of the things out, but this time, he pulled out a cute thermos with a wide smile on his face. "Chocolate milk! But Mexican Protein style Chocolate milk! For that extra pep in your step!"

Sure, December could be a little spacey at times, but he did notice the redness starting to creep over Gil's face. And in a way, that made him smile all the more. It meant he wasn't forgotten, and that's what's important!

What made him positively beam, sparkles in his eyes, and his own delighted blush come across his freckled cheeks, was the sound he heard. One of the most honest sounds he could ever hear in regards to his cooking... A growl. All the more clear too given their height difference.

"It is, cute, isn't it? His name is Cinnamoroll, and my sister gave it to me a few years ago. Said he looked like me. What do you think?" For comparison, he held up the thermos to his face, grinning with all teeth shown and lavender eyes crinkling at the sides. "I don't see it. My eyes are purple!"

But enough of that! Dessy gently pushed the thermos into Gil's hand, then hoisted up the basket to carry once more.

"You know what's alot of work too? Your work outs! And all the rigging, and everything! The least I could do to thank you is a good meal, I think. And besides, Cooking brings joy, and they say that the best way to let your feelings be known to someone else is through their stomachs so... I thought why not give it a try?"

"A-ahh?" The little flush on his face became much more evidently bright at being called adorable. Not something he heard every day... or in years, in fact. .. Or maybe ever?

But it was easy enough to shake off, especially when being compared to a cute character. That was like being called an adorable puppy or something. Nothing to look too deep into!

"That's... Really, really not enough! A well balanced meal needs more than that!" Dessy lightly scolded, giving a gentle nudge with his basket that rested against his hip. "Maybe that's why you're so tired. It's like the commercial says on the radio, Breakfast is Whatever Gets you Going! And right now, you're going, but not at the pace you want, right?"

Since they were already near the lockers, He opened his own up with a nudge of the foot and promptly shoved everything into it. Neatly, of course, but it was tucked away, safe and sound, sans the thermos Gil still held.

"I think that sounds really nice, honestly! While you do your weights, maybe I can do like, the stepping machine or something for a bit to work up a proper sweat. It's really really nice outside, so how about a picnic or something? I think there's a nice park around the corner."

“That’s a bad excuse, but I’ll let it slide.” Not much to do about the past right now. Maybe if it happened again sometime, he could give another scolding, and this time make sure he was more assertive with it!

For now, just a little smile and nod was all he needed to give once everything was squared away. The bench that Gilmore had been using was still somewhat nearby, and near to that too was the stair case machine thing December had half the mind to work on. Only half though, since he could already feel his gluten burning.

“Was that a duck or a goose? Or maybe a swan, those bite too! Honestly, I think some of them might just like hurting people. Like, this one night I was sleeping outside at the park and was woken up by the sounds of a bunch of geese picking away at my back pack! They pretty much ganged up on me, then flew away with my bag! Mindin’ my own business, just like you! … Let’s make sure we don’t go too close to them if they’re around! My butt’s gonna be too sore from this climber to flee, and you’ll just have to leave me behind. Don’t worry though, it’s fine! As long as you save yourself from their wrath!” He rambled excitedly, pulling a rather old and beat up pair of SkullCandy headphones. They still seemed to plug into the little weird phone he had without any issue, then hook into the pocket on the front of his shirt. A little janky, but it would do for now.

“I’ll keep climbing til you’re all done, okay? That should be plenty for me!”

"Honking, I think. That's the big thing. And Goosens are mean and mischievous! They even have a game made after them! Maybe I'll show you one of these days!" Maybe he was getting a bit ahead of himself, but the idea of sharing his joy of harmless chaotic fun from a game was more than enough to convince him to offer! .... When was the last time he even played a game with someone else? Shoal didn't count, he could only really pound away at the fake drumkit of Band Hero, not any real precision controlling.

The wink given did earn a wink back, and perhaps a little finger guns, since he remembered being that playful with people before. "Glutes can always get a little more round right?"

There was a little bit of a wiggle of his rear, before he began his own work out, laughing to himself over the dumb little joke. Dessy had been told before that his rear was one of his best a**-ets, and that dumb joke had him laughing too. Right up until he was out of breath from climbing the equivalent of 20 flights of stairs. No one could tell him he didn't have stamina! But dang his legs were burning!!

Unable to continue, he hopped off with a deep breath, panting, and grabbed his water bottle, chugging it in for a long, long while and releasing it with a heavy sigh.

"Whew!! I don't think I have legs any more. Just... Just jelly!"

“I thought you said you weren’t feeling it today! you were going on and on and on! I thought you wouldn’t ever stop!” His movements were somewhat slow as he hobbled over to the lockers after Gil. It was a good work out, right? Only the best ones would leave him feeling like pudding, the man he looked up to aid the same thing.

As he sat down on a nearby bench, December began to stretch himself, reaching with surprising flexibility to reach his toes, then in the opposite direction, arching his back until he felt a satisfying lil’ pop.

“Mhm, its right across the road, so we can get there with no problem.” He half groaned as he reset his position, then stood, grabbing all the things he shoved into the locker back out again. “And once that’s done, I’mma head home, wash up, then… I dunno what else. I probably shouldn’t have taken the subway here. I’d feel bad if I stunk up the train car.”