inhale, kevin day.

ix. i call it being human

chapter nine
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It was five in the morning.

     Don't ask Kevin why he was awake, he wouldn't be able to tell you. Anyone who knew him knew that he was not a morning person. But at exactly five that morning, he'd opened his eyes and had been unsuccessful in getting them closed again, which was how he ended up bumping into Maeve as he was walking out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later.

     She gave him a strange look as she sidestepped him. He considered that he might've been staring too long, he probably had been. He hadn't spoken to her since the Exy store, and dinner that night had never been more awkward. Though he'd had Wymack there as a distraction, it felt like her eyes were knives and he their target. When he looked at her again, she was aggressively brushing her teeth like he wasn't still standing there.

     He gulped,"Are you heading out?"

     Permanently furrowed brows, another look, she gestured to her attire as if it could say for her— isn't it obvious?

     "Can I join you?" He blurted out before he could stop himself. She took her time rinsing before she reached for the floss.

     "Can you keep up?"

     He paused. Probably not. But she didn't wait for his answer, just walked past him again. He'd never changed clothes faster in his life, worried that she would leave him behind, even if she hadn't exactly agreed. He was pleasantly surprised when she was still there, only moved on out so that she could stretch.

     She stared up at him expectantly when she finished and he wasn't doing anything. He thought he heard her ask whether he was too good for stretches, but his mind was elsewhere. While she was bent over, reaching for her toes, her entire back already exposed from the sports bra she wore, he'd caught sight of a tattoo, located on the left side where one's lungs were. Both black and red outlined a shape he hadn't had enough time to make out.

     She was snapping her fingers in his face, he now realized, she rolled her eyes and asked,"You coming or not?"

     He nodded because he didn't trust himself to speak and she took off without another word.

     Kevin had to run fast to keep up with her, strangely enough, considering he had much longer legs and so his strides were longer too. However, the thing about Maeve wasn't just that she ran fast, but also far and for a very long time. They were one hour in and he was sure they'd run at least thirteen miles. He regretted skipping out on stretching just to save time.

     "Idiot." Maeve rolled her eyes at him when he nearly collapsed because of his leg cramping up. Nevertheless, she'd helped him stay standing, pulling his arm up around her shoulder and helping him all the way back.

     He was out of breath and sweaty and she looked like she'd just taken a stroll in the park, he groaned as she tugged him along further,"You know, you could be nicer."

     "Why should I be?" She scoffed,"You're the tonto who ignored pre-workout rules, aren't you supposed to be a "serious" athlete? Going on a run without stretching? Idiot."

     "Okay, I get it!" He snapped,"I thought you were in a rush—"

     "I literally asked you if you were going to stretch and waited for you." She argued back.