Maya's ears developed a sudden case of tinnitus that blocked out all the other sounds and Aaron’s yapping. Petrified, her eyes locked on the bench press, where Val lay motionless against. Her girlfriend had weathered blows before and shrugged them off like they were nothing, even in her weakened state. She even took the stomp of a giant draugr’s boot and had her arm mangled to a broken mess, but she was never KO’d in one simple punch.

Panic crossed Maya's face. She wasn’t even sure if she could hear Val’s breathing anymore.

“Such a waste. A waste of potential.” Aaron strode over to Val and pushed away the scattered equipment with his sneakers. He lifted her arm and inspected her muscles underneath, touching her all over. “Def could use some improvement, but it’s getting there.”

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!?” Maya's shout echoed loudly in the hall. “Get your hands off of her!”

“Hm?” Aaron tilted his head indifferently. He smiled at Maya’s distraught expression and waved with Val’s limp arm at her. “Why, just checking on her progress. You caused quite some damage to our girl here.”

“Wha- me?!” Maya scoffed at the insinuation and clenched her fists to her sides. “How dare you! You hit my girlfriend!”

Maya stormed towards him. She had half a mind to hit Aaron herself. Despite the size and strength difference, she only cared for revenge on the bastard who hurt her partner. Aaron, however, slung his arm around Val’s waist, hoisted her up and kept his distance from Maya, jumping and laughing.

“Come back here, you narcissistic toxic waste for human breath!” Maya seethed and chased after Aaron.

“Watch it, colourful language.” Aaron grinned and continued bouncing backwards, with Maya in hot pursuit—even if she virtually posed no threat to him. “You seem to have forgotten. I’m fixing your mistakes and improving her!”

“Wha- *huff* that supposed *huff* to mean?” Maya leaned against the bar of the bench press, catching her breath.

Aaron squished Val’s jaw and turned her face left to right and back. “Your girl here got soft, and you’re to blame.”

“Soft?” Maya looked stupefied at Aaron. Val may be soft in some places—“The right places,” thought Maya. “Val’s anything but soft. She’s strong and capable, and she takes her routines more diligently than anyone I know. I don’t know what you mean by ‘soft’, but you'll regret hitting her, you drittsekk.”

“...you’re really unpacking your vocabulary there, don’t you?” Aaron looked unimpressed at Maya. “Let me elaborate. Your girl here has so much wasted potential, and you are holding her back.”

Maya felt rattled by the accusation. “Stop accusing me of any nonsense,” she said with hesitation. “Val’s recovering. I’ve nothing to do with what you’re spouting about.”

“Oh, do you?” He cooed when he hit the nail. “She could have recovered her strength by now. If it wasn’t for your meddling and demanding all her attention.” Aaron tilted Val’s head from side to side and flicked the bridge of her nose.

Maya would have already jumped at Aaron if she wasn’t so baffled by what she saw next. Blood trickled from Val’s busted nose and the bruise on her lip. “Why’s she not healing?” wondered Maya. “Why's she bleeding?”

“See this?” Aaron poked Val’s swelling cheek. “This is on you.”

He cocked Val’s head again from side to side and waved with her limp left arm flippantly, further riling up Maya.

“Are you kidding me?” Maya held herself back from jumping at him from where she stood. “You're the one who causes her harm! You just hit her—”

“I did,” admitted Aaron and inclined Val’s head forward. “Yet why’s she not recovering?”

Maya stumbled back on that question. Val usually bounced back quickly from any injuries, but not today. Today, she lay unconscious on the ground.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Her divinity is draining,” Aaron replied coolly. “She’s depleting it just by being close to you.”

“T-that’s not t-true!” Maya retorted with a quiver in her voice. She noticed Aaron was manipulating her, aiming to undermine her confidence. He was intentionally shifting the blame on Maya and influencing her into accepting everything was her fault—and the worst part of it, it was working.

“She’s too good for you,” continued Aaron, his grip tightening on Val’s limp form. “She needs someone who can heal her. Someone who can unlock her true potential. And that someone is not you.”

Maya hesitated, and her arms fell to her side. Aaron beamed at his success. He pulled Val’s head aside by her hair and opened his mouth. His bleached teeth sank into Val’s shoulder and crunched at her clavicle.

“Stop it, you monster!” This shook Maya out of her stupor, and she lunged desperately at Aaron. But he anticipated her move. He swiftly sidestepped out of Maya's reach with Val in tow.

“Come and get her, Ms. Tubby.” Aaron laughed.

And all Maya could see was red.

—✾—

“A little faster, won't you?”

“Come back here, you piece of—Argh!” Maya screamed in exasperation, unable to even curse now.

Aaron taunted Maya. He was deliberately riling her up as he intended. Skipping around the gym, he skilfully dodged Maya’s futile attempts to grab him. Playing the little cat-and-mouse game with Maya wasn't particularly necessary. He could finish his business anytime, but then he thought, “Why not indulge her?

“After all.” Aaron tossed Val’s body aside and pushed Maya over the bench. She tumbled backwards, her back colliding with the squeaky floor as Aaron grabbed her legs and pressed them firmly against the bench. “You could use some exercise. How about some sit-ups?”

“Huh!?” Maya exclaimed. “What kind of sick game are you playing?—”

“Something wrong?” wondered Aaron, and drew closer. “Can’t move?”

Maya’s lower legs were firmly secured. She struggled to move left and right to wiggle herself out of his hold, but Aaron had a tight grip on her. He pressed against Maya’s legs so hard she knew it would leave an imprint later. Aaron had effectively pinned Maya in place.

“Give me ten,” demanded Aaron. “Then we move on to the next set.”

“Okay, listen there, buddy. I won’t do any of those things. Keep your sick games for yourself— AHHHHH!” Maya’s words were cut off in her throat when Aaron tightened his clutch on her legs, applying painful pressure against Maya’s bones and muscles.

“I said,” Aaron glowered at her, “give me twenty.”

“Y-you didn’t say t- AH!” Maya cried out when Aaron intensified his grip. “FINE! I’LL DO IT, YOU OÄKTING!”

Aaron leered at Maya’s reaction. Forcing her to comply with his whims brought him a twisted sense of satisfaction. He despised nothing more than anything undesirable. He wanted nothing more than moulding others into his own sense of perfection.

The image of being strong and desirable to others—everything which Maya wasn’t.

She simply didn’t fit the mould of being attractive. Granted, she wasn’t as big or terribly out of shape as the others Aaron would see and sneer at in the gym, but he still didn’t like her. She was chubby and had more meat on her than muscles. Sure, Aaron knew people liked curvier people, but he found it utterly repulsive. The fact that someone like Val, a Valkyrie refined for battle and regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the Nine Realms, could be with someone like Maya baffled him.

Watching Maya struggling and huffing through the situps did nothing to make Aaron feel better or worse. Simply, her mere presence repulsed him.

“You’re done.” Aaron released Maya’s legs.

Defeated, Maya rolled over and tried to crawl away from Aaron, but his sense of authority over her only grew. He considered this a victory over Maya and let her crawl for a few seconds more. Then Aaron suddenly doubled over as Maya kicked the bench against his shins. Seizing the opportunity, Maya scrambled to her feet and ran away from Aaron.

“You’re damn feisty, aren’t you?” Aaron growled, inspecting the bruises on his bare legs. Though there were no open wounds, Aaron felt his blood boil. “You’re lucky this didn’t hurt me. But I’ll get you for this!”

Maya ducked behind equipment and threw whatever she could find at Aaron’s feet. He easily dodged or sidestepped, his nimbleness allowing him to stay mobile and hoist himself over every bench and machine. Despite his advantage or his ability to overpower her, Aaron didn't immediately pursue her. He indulged in the chase, allowing Maya to hit him and let her think she had a chance for but a moment.

“You think this will help you, Ms. Tubby?” Aaron laughed and caught the dumbbell Maya hurled at him. “Keep running. You might shed some calories that way.”

At one point, Aaron even pretended to trip over some mats and stumble on a kettlebell, leaving her a fake opportunity to bolt towards the exit. It was all part of his ploy to manipulate her emotions and to make her feel safe before swiftly going after her again—exploiting her fear and how she abandoned her girlfriend to run away.

However, instead of doing just that, she ran to Val instead.

This infuriated Aaron only. He promptly pushed himself up and kicked a nearby gymnastic ball at her. Maya yelped loudly when it hit her in the face and crumbled to the ground.

“Why must you make this so much more difficult?” Aaron cracked his neck to release some tension. He crouched down before Maya, flexing his ankles to bob up and down. “If only either of you broke up, then nothing of this would have happened–”

“SHUT UP!” Maya's outcry hammered into Aaron’s ears, piercing his skin. He collapsed sideways when the dumbbell crashed into his skull.