Closed Going for a Run

[Ignacio Morales]

Ignacio's work outs had always been his 'me time', once an escape from the stresses with his fathers disappearance and taking care of his siblings all those years ago, and a quiet reprieve from all that had weighed him down, which had since had developed into a necessity in his life and routine to keep himself energized as he had grown into himself and began to raise a family of his own. It was a habit that in many ways defined who he was, and one he never intended to break lest he would lose himself. Although over the recent months he had realised his work outs had become far less challenging, and through the routine of it all had dragged on and begun to feel repetitive. As a result he had felt less motivated to keep up with his fitness, and from fear of falling off the wagon and letting go of something in his life that kept him so happy and confident, Ignacio had began to seek out a new challenge in the form of working out with Killian Borisyuk. Ignacio had surely and understandably expected working out with Killian would provide a change in pace and an entirely new challenge, one that given Killian's stature and display of strength in lifting a fallen tree when they first met, Ignacio expected would allow him become fitter than he had ever been.

Given Ignacio's expectations and circumstances, he would have been stupid to think that keeping up with Killian on their run that day would be anything less than difficult. He just hadn't imagined the challenge of it would be so overwhelming, and exhausting to his system, to the point where he wondered if he had ever been fit in the first place. Usually Ignacio was fitter than everyone else he knew, but now he felt the opposite. His heart was beating heavily in his chest and his face was flushed as if he hadn't worked out in months, and it truly felt as such as he staggered behind Killian. He was entirely out of breath as he called out to the part-giant, once again requesting they pause their running so he could rest. "Hey, can we stop again, please?" Ignacio asked, feeling as if his limit was reached as he paused to catch his breath, no sooner reaching to his backpack to fetch his bottle of water and drinking some to keep himself hydrated.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Killian Borisyuk had a free day, which honestly, with one class this semester, he had a lot of free time. But with his girlfriend busy, he used the free time he had to work out. So, he had a schedule of when to work out since he did not want to run over kids with his running. He was dressed for running today. The fact that he exercised with a normal human was a bit annoying - if he were honest. It was like hiking with Amethyst. He constantly had to stop and wait. Killian wondered if it would be better to just lap the guy, or run at different times because surely, it couldn't be encouraging to him to not be able to keep up. He let out a sigh as he heard Ignacio behind him ask for another break. Killian slowed to a stop, and turned around. He put his hand on his hip and shook his head, "It might be easier for me to just lift you so I don't have to stop."

Killian meant no harm in what he was saying, since he knew for a fact that it was hard to keep up with someone like him. Longer legs, longer strides, and stamina that could last dates - so to speak. He was sure that half of the time, he tired out Amethyst, even with their walks. Unless she used that as an excuse for him to carry her, but that was a thought for another day. At this point, Killian had yet to even break into a sweat. He approached the man and knelt down so that they could be, well, almost eye level. "You are going to end up passing out if you keep trying to match me." Was Ignacio done for the day? From the way his face looked, it sure looked like it. Though, if he passed out, then he could make a trip up to the hospital wing. Though, navigating the school was difficult enough.​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

As exhausted and overwhelmed as Ignacio was with their run, he was similarly motivated to keep going. The point of it all in the end was to find a new challenge and Ignacio had certainly found it and met far more than his match with Killian. Even if it was difficult and he needed to stop regularly to catch his breath, he knew that every step forward was making progress even if Killian's steps and strides were far longer than his own. Moving to wipe some sweat off his own forehead, Ignacio panted heavily in attempt to catch his breath before responding to the other man that had knelt down to his height. "No, I'm okay. The point is to run with you, and I am happy to run." He answered, still considerably out of breath and in no way considering Killian's suggestion to carry him. This would help him rest without needing to stop Killian, but at the same time it would ultimately defeat the purpose of running together. Even if the first few, or many of the runs they would go on together would be difficult, Ignacio knew that sooner or later his body would get stronger and he would get used to the pace, especially if he tried to work out more often in his own time so he could do all he could to at least try to keep up with the part-giant.

Ignacio did consider though, that they both try to run at their own pace instead of him trying and clearly failing to keep up with Killian. It would likely mean Killian passing by him repeatedly, but this too would provide Ignacio with the challenge and motivation he had been searching for. "Maybe, we should re-think how we're doing this." Ignacio began, breathing a little easier now that he had a moment to rest. "If you go at your own pace, and I go at mine around the lawn, that could work. I'm sure you will pass me often but hey, that would motivate me." He said with a slight shrug, soon having another drink from his water bottle as he waited for Killian's response.

(I imagine this is them)​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Killian was honestly glad that Ignacio declined his offer to carry him. But it really seemed like the man was not holding up well - compared to Killian who had yet to even break a sweat from this. Killian could not fault him though, since the two were clearly on two separate leagues. He got his strength and stamina from his giant genetics. How could someone else compete with that? Then again, even his brothers had a hard time making him submit - but he had special training. Killian nodded, "Good, because I wasn't going to actually carry you." No, he was sure that he would hear it if he carried someone else other than his girlfriend. Both were rather protective over each other, which was an understatement. But he wasn't going to say that was the reason why. Killian tried to keep his romantic life private, if he could help it. Although, it seemed like all of the school nurses were dating professors. Odd how that worked out.

The part-giant tapped the ground as he thought about how to do this, and figured that if he ran at his own pace, Ignacio might either be discouraged every time Killian passed him and might knock out any sort of hope he had. He ultimately shook his head, "That's not feasible because if something happened, if I am going at my top speed and someone barrels out without a warning, injuries might happen. I rather avoid that if I can help it." Killian figured the wording would come across that he was worried he might end up hurting someone if he didn't have another there to warn him, when in reality, he just wanted to avoid the drama because it would be a royal headache. "How about you go at your pace, and I just walk or powerwalk next to you?" Killian stood back up as his leg got a little stiff from kneeling. "I think the last time I sweated as much as you are now was when marriage was brought up."​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

Killian's suggestion of a compromise in the form of him power walking while Ignacio jogged was admittedly smart and a solution to their problem of Ignacio faltering behind, however was also a solution he found to be a bit demeaning, never mind whether it was intentional or not. To have someone's pace of power walking in comparison to his own pace while running was enough for him to feel not fit enough even in spite of the fact he was running with a part giant, a man with much larger strides than his own and with much more muscle to rely on to run faster. Ignacio sipped from his water bottle again and returned it to his backpack, slipping it back onto his shoulders before sighing and then nodding in agreement with the suggestion. As demeaning as it felt it did make the most sense for them to stay at relatively the same pace and allow Killian to avoid the injuries he had mentioned. "Alright, let's try that. It's smarter than my idea anyway." Ignacio agreed, moving to jog on the spot for a moment as he waited for Killian to lead the way, or start the pacing for them both. "Also hey, marriage is bliss. I won't race you on it though." Ignacio added in an attempt to make a joke, knowing that at least his own marriage had been bliss even if it might have seemed far less so for others. As Ignacio waited and continued to pant slightly he couldn't help but think that in hindsight asking Killian to go out for a drink as friends would have been much easier and far less exhausting than working out, but low and behold he had wanted a challenge with his fitness and there he had found himself with exactly what he had wished for.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Killian had no idea how his suggestion could have been misconstrued in another manner. However, he was often putting his foot in his mouth, even with his girlfriend. His brothers had easier times talking to people than he did. Killian started to power walk at a pace that he was sure that average sized people could keep up with. He had a decent idea of how fast he needed to go. “Just don’t compare how you are doing with me. Without actually changing my body size, it would be hard to see. There are ways, but I don’t like having to change my clothes all of the fu...” Killian paused before he started to curse, “...all of the time.” Of course, without going to extra lengths, there would be no way he could have a relationship with someone who wasn’t a part-giant. Actually, his girlfriend was a lot shorter than average women. Still, even if Ignacio thought that marriage was bliss, it still scared the living hell out of him. “You’d win that race. I’ve been with my girlfriend for a couple of years, and I still refuse to meet her parents.” She did not have to meet his parents. Even his adopted father. All three were dead.​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

As Killian began to power walk, Ignacio continued his pace as a jog in an attempt to keep up with him. It was similarly a new level of difficulty to keep up for Ignacio although he had to admit this altered pace to keep up with Killian's power walking was much more bearable, one where Ignacio had more confidence in himself not to stop every few minutes to catch his breath. It was still admittedly inwardly a hit to his ego that he couldn't otherwise keep up with Killian but he knew expecting to keep up with the part giant was unrealistic, especially after he had tried and failed to. "It's okay, you can swear." Ignacio commented as he ran, noticing Killian had begun to curse and promptly stopped himself. "I don't think any students can hear us if that's what you're worried about." He added, still panting slightly but trying his best to level his breathing as they continued their lap around the great lawn. "Everybody has their own path in life and not all of that means marriage, no judgement." Ignacio then added, realizing his comments of marriage being bliss may have come across as not accepting that some do not want to get married. While it had been a dream of Ignacio's to get married and have kids one day and this had entirely become his reality after meeting the love of his life, he too understood this was not what everyone wanted or sought out in their life.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

As much as Killian had a mouth on him, he still tried to hold his tongue when he was in the school. It would help him break the habit because he knew that the higher ups would let him have it for having such a mouth around the kids. They were supposed to be role models, and Killian was definitely not a good one at all. Not with his history. "I'm afraid if I do, someone will overhear it, and then that is drama I really don't want to deal with. That's my luck anyway" Killian avoided people like the plague, most often. It helped that he looked intimidating as all hell too. He did notice how Ignacio was panting, and wondered if he should slow down. Well, he would if it looked like he was about to pass out. At least Killian could notice that. He saw it when he took Amethyst hiking before he would ultimately just carry her. "I suppose that is true. Even the way we met was unconventional." Killian remembered how they argued at the club, and she kept turning the equipment on, and he accidentally shoved her back too hard and she twisted her ankle, so he had to heal it and take her home. "You are married, right? How did you know that the path was right for you?"​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

The renewed pace of Ignacio's run had him predictably out of breath and sweating but much less so than before, in a way that he hoped he could power through as the focused on placing one foot in front of the other so he could hopefully keep up with Killian's power walking. Thankful for their conversation as it distracted him slightly, Ignacio nodded at Killian's comment about the responsibility of being a role model. Much to Ignacio's relief as a groundskeeper he felt he was excluded from the same expectations, at least enough that he could occasionally swear if he was alone and get away with it. He could imagine the experience would be different with the role of being a professor, the territory demanding a sense of reliability and excellence Ignacio knew would be out of the question for himself. He respected that Killian was more cautious in that sense as Ignacio knew he couldn't or wouldn't be able to hold himself to the same standards.

Ignacio listened to Killian's mention of how he met his partner, and soon nodded as Killian asked about how Ignacio knew marriage was the right path for him. Marriage and starting a family one day in spite of his family's trauma had always been a goal of Ignacio's, a path he had always wanted to follow and it was as simple as that for him, with no question about it. "I always knew it was what I wanted one day." He explained. "My parents were very in love and wanted a big family, I loved my childhood and I wanted to be as in love and as good of a parent as my own parents were. I hope I can be." Ignacio elaborated, taking a moment to breathe between sentences. He was happy he had found everything he had once wished for and hoped he would be as much of a good father to his children that his own father had been, before he went missing. "Have you had a different experience? I am happy to listen if you are comfortable sharing." Ignacio then asked, feeling curious but also trying not to tread too far into what could have been a turbulent subject for Killian. Ignacio did not know much about the other man, but he did know that his own experience growing up varied a lot from the experiences of others and he knew it was best to be polite in such cases.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Killian kept his green eyes on Ignacio every so often to make sure that he was not going to pass out. Although, if he did, he would have an excuse to take him up to the hospital wing, and see his girlfriend. Though he would have to carry him, and that might be a hit to the dignity for the groundskeeper. Ignacio seemed to know that marriage and a family was something that he had always wanted. He was sure that Kieran wanted that, but after the death of his wife, well, it would take time for him to get back out there. Killian nodded along with the role models that Ignacio had. But the mere mention of his own experience made him stop suddenly. Not many knew about his background. He only opened up with Amethyst, and even then, it took ages for her to get him to open up. "You can say that I had a different experience. A night and day difference." Killian had nothing but hatred for his birth father. But, it was not all bad.

"My adopted father was a bachelor or something. I grew up early since I was in charge to keep my siblings in line. He died a few years back. So, I didn't have the good role model of a marriage and family to really consider having my own. Add that and how difficult it might be for anyone to actually have part-giant kids without being one themselves... I don't have any intention of going down that path." And he also said that about going into a relationship, but that came and bit him on the a** as well - which would be exactly that in the future, little did he know. "I won't go into my birth parents. Every time I think about it, I get pissed off, and there's nothing here that can withstand my anger. Except maybe some trees." Killian stretched his arms above his head and he started to walk again, a little slower this time. ​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

As much as Ignacio understood the subject of upbringing and childhood could be a difficult subject to both recall and discuss with others, he hadn't expected for Killian to stop in his tracks. Stepping forward before realizing and turning around, Ignacio mirrored the part giant's action and stopped himself, focusing on evening his breathing and listening to Killian open up, thankful that the man was both sharing his life with him but also for the chance to pause and catch his breath again. He couldn't imagine having such a different upbringing initially although when giving it a second thought, it seemed an unfortunate reality that people who were part creature might have an entirely different upbringing to his own, in the sense of night and day Killian had mentioned. Ignacio furrowed his brows slightly, running his hand through his hair as he listened, only deciding to speak once it was clear Killian had said all he had wanted to. "That sounds difficult, I am sorry to have brought it up." He responded, turning and beginning to run again once Killian continued walking. Ignacio took a moment to gather his thoughts and focus on the scenery around them for a moment. "Thank you for telling me." He added after a short silence. "Are you close with your brothers, then? If you took care of them?" Ignacio asked, thinking this may have been an easier subject to both discuss and for him to relate to, as he too had needed to step up for his siblings in his father's absence.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Ignacio apologized for bringing it up, but Killian could not say anything against him for doing so. It was only natural to be curious. The silence was welcoming because he did not want to answer questions based on his parents, even his adopted father. While he respected the man, a part of him also resented the man. Killian's normal poker-face broke into a chuckle when Ignacio asked about his siblings. Now that was another can of worms. Killian did not have the best relationships with his siblings, but there were some that he was closer to than the others. Kaelan was the one that he butted heads with the most. "It is hard to say. I am a triplet. There are two others that are half, so they are not part-giants." Killian paused as he thought over it. "I used to be close to my triplet brothers. The youngest and I had a falling out. Every time we meet up, let's just say that something is always damaged. The others are cordial." Killian reached down to his pocket and took a sip of his water. Kaelan and Killian used to be the closest of all of the Borisyuk siblings, but they also butted heads too much. It might have been common because the two were very much alike. "You have siblings too, right?" Killian asked, since he could not remember for the life of him if Ignacio ever mentioned any.​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

Ignacio kept his eyes on the path in front of him, evening his breathing as best he could while jogging and occasionally nodding his head to show Killian he was listening. The more Killian shared about his upbringing and relationships with his siblings, the more Ignacio was realizing their lives were so incredibly different. He was glad for this of course because he loved to try and keep an open mind, and glad that even in spite of the many clear differences between both their lives and experiences they had found a common ground in exercising. That was one of the things Ignacio loved about sports and being active; that it could be both social and inclusive of people from all walks of life and backgrounds. "I'm sorry to hear that." Ignacio commented at Killian's words that he had a falling out with his youngest sibling. "It must be hard, growing up as a part-giant." He added, not fully being able to imagine what it would be like, he assumed it was an experience he wouldn't be able to fully understand without being part-giant himself, or shared blood with any other magical species.

Ignacio nodded his head at Killian's question about his own siblings, happy for the change of topic if Killian wasn't comfortable elaborating further. "Yeah, I have four, and I'm the oldest. When my dad went missing I had to get two jobs to help pay the bills, and to help my mother my sister and I practically raised our youngest brothers." He explained, feeling grateful that he was able to be close with all of his siblings regardless of their age gap and how difficult the first few years of his father's disappearance had been. It was difficult but he had done his best to work hard and help his family, and now they were stable and on the other side of their tragedy, or at least Ignacio now felt this way after finding a fresh start for himself as a groundskeeper and starting his own family. It of course helped too now that all of his siblings were adults and happy in their own lives. "It's all in the past now, which helps." He added, soon feeling himself needing to stop and catch his breath again. "Is it alright if we pause for another break?" Ignacio then asked, slowing down his jog to a stop and reaching for his bottle of water.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Killian would spare the details of his history considering how it was rather irrelevant to how he was now. He was the oldest, forced to grow up early, and still often dealt with the family issues - even though most of the issues came from Kaelan and himself. Otherwise, the Borisyuk siblings were fairly normal, with the triplets being larger than most. Ignacio seemed to be a good listener, so he would give him that. Now, if only he would drink the right alcohol, then he would be the perfect friend. Plus, he was married, so the likelihood of him hitting on Amethyst was none. Killian shook his head about the statement of how hard it must have been, growing up as what he was. “Not exactly. Sure, people tried to tease us, but the moment that we learned to fight back, it sort of quit real quick.”

Kade and Kira did not have that luxury, but the triplets could easily shield them if necessary. Ignacio revealed that he had four siblings, and how he was the oldest. That was eerily similar, without the triplet aspect unless the groundskeeper was omitting that on purpose. And their dad went missing. Ignacio had to raise their family, and help with the bills. Killian did not have to do that though. “Did you all ever find the old man?” Killian asked, since he was curious. For all he knew, they could have killed him and dumped his body in the black sea. He slowed to a stop at Ignacio’s request, as he could tell the man was out of breath again. The stamina he had was a fair bit, which he could not fault his friend for trying. “Want to call it for today? I don’t want to carry you to the hospital wing if you collapse from exhaustion.”​

 

[Ignacio Morales]

Ignacio quickly retrieved his water bottle and sipped from it, breathing heavily and soon moving to wipe some of the sweat from his own forehead as he tried to regain himself from his jogging. He was glad for another chance to stop and catch his breath and tried his best to begin stretching in the process to avoid some of the inevitable muscle soreness he would have later. It would only make sense if he was at least a little sore given he was truly pushing himself as he ran alongside Killian and it was the exact challenge he had sought out, the resulting soreness was something he could hopefully try to minimize before it happened as he still needed to work and keep up with the other aspects of his life later that day. Ignacio in his stretching couldn't help but sigh at Killian's question about whether they found his dad, though this might not have been clear as he was still entirely out of breath. The subject of his father's passing was no longer an open wound but it nevertheless still stung whenever he was reminded of it; whenever he thought about the life he had lived to support his family in his father's absence and the years he had compromised his own happiness for their sake. Ignacio wouldn't change his decisions for the world and didn't regret the choices he had made for his family, but he had to admit he still felt hurt by all that had happened, as if he still had a scar in his heart and memory that would never truly fade.

"Eventually we knew enough to know he had passed away." He answered after a short silence, not wanting to or thinking it was appropriate to elaborate further. "It's all in the past. I like to think everyone's moved on, as hard as it was for a while." Ignacio's words were true and he did like to think everyone had mourned and healed enough to continue their lives, though this didn't change how he still felt about it all after so many years. Things just had never been the same since and in so many ways everyone had to adjust to the change against all odds. Lost in thought for a moment, Ignacio was almost thankful that Killian soon suggested they call it for the day and brought him back to the present, both for the change of subject and for the fact their exercising was over. It had been worth the challenge to run with Killian however Ignacio did feel like he had reached his limit for the time being. "Yeah, I think that's fair. I've definitely had enough running for today." Ignacio agreed, nodding as he spoke and soon drinking more water from his water bottle.​

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

The part-giant heard that sigh, which made Killian all the more curious. Or, was Ignacio out of breath? Either one seemed plausible to him. He stared down at the man and then nodded as Ignacio let him know that they found out that their father passed away. Killian averted his eyes as he said that it was in the past, and how he believed that people had moved on - or liked to think that way. Killian himself had some issues moving on after their adopted father died, and he held strong resentment toward his biological father, despite not really remembering much of him. The man just wanted some magically resistant children. He did not want to comment on it much further because of the way Ignacio appeared. “Maybe we should replace water with something heavier and not allowed on school grounds in Brightstone.” Killian loved his vodka, and he would want to drink more of it every chance he got. It was his favorite drink after all. ​