Silver Lining

the itsy-bitsy spider

One punch, a second and a third quickly following. Another and another. Sweat was trickling down the side of his face, only stopping when it had reached neatly trimmed stubble.

Left. Right. Right. Dodge.

His opponent smirked, a mischievous glint sparkling in brown eyes.

Another drop of sweat had pooled over his upper lip, having Hayden quickly swipe at it with his tongue.
He paused when he noticed the coppery tang of blood.

"Dude, you good?" He looked up to see Farha watching him with worry, her mischievous expression long gone.

The brunette man nodded, idly fumbling in his pocket for a tissue as the blood was now dripping onto his shirt.
"Yeah yeah, m' fine.", he answered as he pressed the newly acquired tissue to his bleeding nose. "Let's call it a day."

His friend snorted. "It's like seven in the morning and you've been training for an hour. Normal people would say you're a psychopath."

Hayden raised an eyebrow as he climbed out of the ring. "Says the one that's been here half an hour before me."

Gloved hands raised in surrender. "Touché."

_______________________________________

"Hey dipshit!"

"Hm? What is it?" Hayden had been outside the gym, waiting for Farha when she barged through the door, grinning from ear to ear.

"I got the job!", she burst out as she caught up to her taller friend, tucking the front end of her hijab into her pullover. It was still quite cold, so cold in fact that their breathing was visible as small clouds, painting the air around them.

"Shut up, the one at F.E.A.S.T.?" When Farha nodded enthusiastically, Hayden couldn't do other but wrap his friend in a tight hug.
They separated after a few seconds, the brunette still holding his friend by the shoulders. "I am so so proud of you. D'you know when you can start yet?"

"Yeah, my boss said I can come in tomorrow mornin'.", she responded. "Sounded really nice. I think his name was Li, though I gotta make sure so I won't make a fool out of myself tomorrow."
The taller of the two snorted.

"You do that. See you tomorrow? And text me when you know more!"

After Farha assured him that she would, they parted, Hayden making his way towards the car park while his friend set off to walk towards her flat.

_______________________________________

As soon as he arrived inside his flat, Hayden dropped his gym bag and marched straight to the bathroom. He'd forgotten to pack shampoo and so he decided to wash his hair once more, to make sure it was clean.

After he was done, the brunette - hair still damp - made his way towards his kitchen.
As it was, he was still fairly tired, and so he thought it was a good idea to give coffee another chance.
To be fair, the smell alone made him nauseous, but hey, when was the last time he'd tasted it?

So while the machine was still running (and doing it's best to fill his kitchen with a disgusting smell), Hayden set off to get changed.
His appartement was, by far, warmer than the air outside, and he was already starting to sweat again, which hello, counterproductive much.
He decided on a grey tank top and a pair of black basketball shorts. It was still over an hour till work started, so he'd have plenty of time to change again.

The brown eyed man had only just grabbed a cup when he heard a soft but distinctive thunk from his balcony.
Sighing, he left the cup standing and made his towards the sliding door that divided his flat from his balcony.