Cosplay Shenanigans

18 - of morning exercise and nicknames

A/N: I added the song (J-MUSIC, by rock band duo Yorushika) which kickstarted the development of this book! :)

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Saturday, 08:29 AM.

Ah, the good ol' weekends.

They finally announced their awaited arrival, and almost immediately shared their profound peace to everyone's fatigued bodies. These were the moments where Abel would typically be found engulfed within his comforter alongside his fuzzy partner. Dreams of their future ambitions visited them as they relished their extra sleep.

However, at other times, they would be away from their beds, forging through their routine course surrounding a huge and serene lake, just a few blocks from their home. While plants blanketed the crystal clear waters, the vibrant plumage of the geese and ducks gave the viridescent scenery a more animated touch. They flew out of the way as Abel and Rocky went past them.

Despite tasting some salt in his tongue as he respired through his mouth, the balmy wind puffed against his skin, blowing off even the slightest presence of those sticky sweat. Most importantly, it got rid of his clingy droopiness and his tendency to yawn every single minute. Nothing will beat a morning exercise on the weekends.

On some occasions, Abel would tag Adrian as another companion, but that dude would not pick up his damn phone. All his calls jumped straight to voicemail, where this idiot, with the most hoarse voice possible, croaked, "You've reached Darth Vader, your long lost father."

He didn't even watch Star Wars!

It might explain why fate decided that it was best for him to come across the one and only Mairi Cabanila, a fellow friend, co-worker, supervisor, rival... all in one pack. I'm really meeting her everyday, am I?

Abel gradually slowed his pace down and Rocky matched its speed with him, with steaming pants slipping off his lips and pricking his cheeks. Merely a distance from him, Mairi squatted near the edge of the trail, exchanging a prolonged stare with the ducks while they wagged their tails. Her face might be shrouded underneath the visor of her newsboy cap, but it could never hide her distinct eyes as they shifted towards him.

"Yo." She raised her hand. "Wassup, hot stuff."

Abel snorted. "What's with that greeting?"

"Ah, I thought it's a comment you'll appreciate." She slapped her denim shorts off any dirt. "Guess not."

No shit, you dumbass, I'm not that gullible! Abel was practically screaming inside his head, but it wasn't translated into his voice. On the other side, Rocky lolled its tongue but before it even took a single step, all of the ducks broke into some panic mode and launched themselves right to the lake.

Well, it was a relief it never attacked any animals and chomped their heads off.

Mairi threw her hair over her shoulder as she approached Abel, but her attention zoomed in on the border collie, who took a stroll towards her, then tilted its head. At such a reaction, he could not resist letting out several chuckles. What a cutie...

"Aw, this must be Rocky you've been talking about," she remarked, bending over until she reached the dog's level. "Can I pet him?"

"Oh, go ahead," Abel chirped. "He's very friendly with everyone."

Mairi curled her fingers as she reached her hand under Rocky's chin, gently scratching his furs. As it sniffed and licked her hand, the border collie rapidly beat its tail side to side as it welcomed her advances, allowing her to massage its fluffy head.