The gym felt heavy with tension as the pink-haired girl stood her ground, her taser still crackling in her hand. Jared remained cautious, his eyes watching her every move. For a moment, they simply stood there, the air between them thick with uncertainty.
Without warning, the girl lunged forward again, faster this time. Her taser was aimed directly at Jared's chest, but his reflexes were sharper now, honed by the relentless nights of training. He sidestepped her attack and, with a quick movement, grabbed her wrist. With one firm slap, he knocked the taser out of her hand, sending it clattering to the ground.
Before either of them could react, Jared realized just how close they were. Her body was pressed against his, their faces mere inches apart. Her cheeks flushed pink, matching her vibrant hair, and for a moment, she froze, eyes wide as she stared up at him. His heart raced as he glanced down and noticed his hand had inadvertently brushed against her chest. His face immediately turned red with embarrassment.
"Uh... I-I didn't mean to—" Jared stammered, quickly removing his hand and taking a step back, his arms flailing in apology. "I swear, that wasn't intentional!"
The girl's face remained flushed, but her expression quickly shifted from shock to anger. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at him. "That's not the fucking point! You broke into the gym! You shattered the window! And now you're making shitty excuses!?"
Jared felt the weight of her words hit him hard. He wasn't good at explaining himself, but he knew he had to try. Dropping to his knees with a heavy thud, he clasped his hands together in desperation, his face pleading as he looked up at her.
"Please, I'm sorry about everything!" Jared begged, his voice almost comically pitiful. "I just wanted to train! I'll fix the window, I'll mop the floors, I'll clean the dumbbells, I'll even scrub the toilets! I'll do anything! Just let me stay! I have to be the strongest! I need this gym! I need to feel the weights! The iron! The sweat of transformation!"
The girl blinked at him, stunned by his sudden shift into full-on groveling. He continued his bizarre plea, his hands waving in exaggerated gestures as he rambled.
"I'll make protein shakes! I'll hand out flyers! I'll wash your workout clothes! Just let me stay here to train! I have to be a villain! I have to prove Miss Vang wrong, and I'll even sweep the parking lot if I have to! Please!"
Despite her frustration, the girl's expression softened as she watched the ridiculous sight of Jared on his knees, practically bowing at her feet. His desperation was... odd, but it was also genuine. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she tried to process everything.
"Fine," she muttered. "You can stay... but on one condition."
Jared's eyes lit up, his hope reignited. "Anything! Name it!"
"You're going to help me clean up this shitty mess you made." she said, pointing to the shattered glass and the disarray he had caused. "And I mean *everything*. We're putting this FUCKING gym back together before it opens again."
Jared nodded eagerly, practically bouncing to his feet. "Deal! Absolutely! Whatever you need!"
And so, the strange partnership began. Jared and the girl, whose name he still hadn't learned, spent the next several hours cleaning up the gym. Jared, his newfound strength at full display, made quick work of the heavy lifting. He picked up weights, moved machines, and hauled around large chunks of broken glass with surprising ease. The girl, though still wary of him, found herself watching with a hint of curiosity as he worked.
They moved together in a rhythm, sweeping up the shards of glass, wiping down the equipment, and setting everything back in its place. Jared's energy seemed endless, and he barely stopped to rest as he focused on the task at hand.
At one point, they both worked in silence, organizing the dumbbells back onto the racks. Jared was stacking the heaviest weights when he glanced over at her. She was struggling with a couple of smaller weights, but her movements were fluid and precise. He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie forming between them.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the gym was back in its proper state. The floor was spotless, the machines gleamed under the overhead lights, and every dumbbell was back where it belonged. Exhausted, Jared and the girl collapsed onto the gym floor, sitting side by side. Their bodies were covered in sweat, their breathing heavy from the work they had just done.
Jared, still panting, reached into his gym bag and pulled out two bottles of water. He handed one to her with a grateful smile.
"Here," he said, his voice hoarse from both the work and his earlier pleading. "You deserve this. Thanks for, you know, not tasing me."
She hesitated for a moment before taking the bottle from him. Her expression had softened considerably since they had first met, though she still eyed him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. She opened the bottle and took a long sip, the cold water a welcome relief after hours of work.
"I still can't believe you broke in just to train," she said after a moment, her voice tired but no longer angry. "You're seriously that desperate to get absolutely stronger?"
Jared leaned his head back against the wall, his muscles aching but his mind clear. "Yeah. I am. I don't have much of a choice anymore. I'm trying to prove something to myself. And… to someone else."
The girl raised an eyebrow, but she didn't press further. Instead, she took another sip of water and let the silence between them settle.
For a while, they sat there, side by side, catching their breath. The weight of their exhaustion hung in the air, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was as if they had both earned this moment of peace after hours of hard work.
As they finished their bottles of water, Jared glanced over at her, finally breaking the silence.
"So… what's your name?" he asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The girl looked at him, her green eyes sharp but no longer cold. After a moment, she shrugged, the tension in her shoulders loosening.
"It's Kaia," she said simply.
Jared smiled, nodding as if the name finally settled the strange encounter between them. "Thanks for letting me stay, Kaia."
She didn't respond immediately, but after a few seconds, she gave him a small, almost reluctant smile.
"You better not break anything else dipshit." she muttered sarcastically and funny intentions.
Jared chuckled softly. "I'll try my best."
And as they sat there, side by side in the quiet, empty gym, both of them took a long, well-earned drink of water, the weight of the world outside the gym fading for just a moment. As they took their watery sip.