PET ROCKS AND OTHER WAYS TO SPEND A FIRST DATE

Mathias felt terrified when he watched Toby roll into the healer's clinic.

While the animal wizard was usually grateful to see his handsome boyfriend pop into his office, he found himself pretty embarrassed when he showed up on the eve of their anniversary, his arm broken in three places from a baby gargoyle's tantrum.

He should have been more careful, planned better for the stony chick's grumbling when he attended her cage to his weekly cleanings. But now, here he was, arm tended by some haphazard student healing mage and gulping down the embarrassed tears as his boyfriend looked on, eyes wide and mouth agape as he saw Mathias' arms spayed on the examination table as the other healers trying to put his bones back together.

"W-what happened, babe?" Toby said, bringing his wheelchair forward to see his boyfriend's usually brown, fuzzy face now drained and unkempt. Still frowning, Mathias pointed to his afro-ed head, and Toby looked up, giving off a wide smile as he watched a little hair of yellow eyes peek up at him from a mass of thick, black curls.

"Lullabelle!" Toby cried, outstretching his arms to catch the gargoyle chick, who cawed happily, fluttering down into the healer's tanned, callused hands on tiny, granite wings. Mathis huffed.

"Don't coddle her, Toby! That little chick cracked up my arm for NO REASON this morning! Spoiled brat" Mathias shouted, crying out in pain as one the other healers injected him with a pain medication, making his arm feel like rubber as they made a tourniquet for the breaks in bones.

"Ignore the mean man, Lulla." Toby cooed, petting the now purring gargoyle with a polished thumb. "He probably forgot to mind your nest as he was cleaning out your cage in the dark -- again."

Mathias blushed at the shrewd look Toby sent him before looking over he proceeded to look over Mathias' medical chart.

"I can only ever clean her nest while she's sleeping, you know this," Mathias said, huffing as the other healers adjusted him into a more comfortable position in his seat.

"I know you can also be really mean first thing in the morning, Mr. Mathias. He'll take the fast-healing potion, Helena."

"You don't seem to mind me being mean in the morning, Mr. Toby."

"Well, I'm not rock-hard monster."

"Well-"

"Ahem." 

The two men looked up to see the healer Helena standing holding an old-fashioned bottle of bone-healing potion out for Mathias to drink. The poor girl covered her blushing brown cheeks with a polite nod as said, "Your medicine, Mr. Mathias. Is that all, Healer Toby?"

Toby smiled at the young at the young mage apologetically. "Thank you, Helena. You can go on break now if-"

Mathias had never seen someone run away from an examination room so quick. "Huh, well, that's ... yeah, I'd give her a raise. And maybe some lunch."

Toby laughed. "Poor thing. She gets so embarrassed around couples."

"You haven't told her we're engaged yet, have you?"

"I....well, I was saving that for the wedding night."

"Toby, YOU PERV! NOT IN FRONT OF LULLABELLE"

And indeed, the baby gargoyle had been snoozing in Toby's lab during their entire exchange, delightfully unaware of the lewd subtext of her masters' conversation had gotten up to.

Toby picked her up in his palms and kissed her rocky head. "Sorry, Lulla."

--- 

Mathias and Toby soon left the clinic, Mathias' quickly healing arm still held up in a sling to get through the next few days of healing. 

Lullabelle was now wide awake and full of spritely (gargoyle-y?) energy, and not having the spoons or wherewithal to completely keep up with the little girl that day, Mathias said, "I know we planned to go out tonight, but do you mind if we hang out at the pet park for a bit? I wanted to tire Lulla out before dinner."

Toby brightened. "Of course! We'll just pick up some takeout along the way. And since you spent sooo much on you're latest healing bill, I'll cover the cost."

Mathias smirked, "Being a pet carrier gives you good healing insurance. Did I ever tell you my fiance's a healer?"

Toby rolled past him in mock-surprise. "WHHAAA and he made you come down here all on your lonesome? THE CAD"

"The absolute rube," Mathias said, before leaning down to kiss Toby in his seat. "Thanks for fixing me up, babe."

Toby smiled, kissing Mathias again. "I don't mind, dummy. I love you. Besides, a simple slip and fall is small potatoes in healing community. Did I tell you about the goblin princex that tried to sew his toes back....?"

Mathias listened happily as Toby went on about about his latest magical patience, contorting his face in various stages of disgust and delight as his boyfriend went on. 

By the time they got to the pet park, they were laughing and joking about the things both magical and mundane: fussing over future wedding details, making a note to have the elevators and ramps checked over in their shared treehouse home, Toby frowning at his ruined manicure and discussing a possible spa date for the two of them, much to Mathias chagrin. 

Toby has been starting at Mathias' softened face, still sipping and blanching at the healing potion he was drinking. Toby's heart felt warm as he leaned back into his chair, relaxing in the breeze of Lullabelle's happy flaps around them and the other airborne pets, his significant other beside him as he grinned against the setting sun.

"You were always so good with Lullabelle. I never got that." Mathias said, the sound of his voice breaking Toby out of his revelry. Toby rolled his chair away from Lullabelle playing to face Mathias' downcast face. 

"Lulla's a little rough sometimes, as you well know -- " Toby said, bobbing his head towards Mathias' injured arm, "--but she's good people. And I think she got that from being around a few good people."

Mathias smiled ruefully. "Not good enough to watch where I'm going in a gargoyle cage."

"Well, babe, it's hard to find little rocks in the dark."

"Well, Toby dear --"

"Mathias, you perv! There are children about."

The couple laughed, and soon called Lullabelle back, exciting their favorite little gargoyle girl by promising her that fast food fries were on the menu.

THE END