Testing the LimitDay XXX since Daybit’s first arrival in Mictlanpa.

Tezcatlipoca has left him again to help the Master of Novum Chaldea. Another urgent matter, and from what Daybit had overheard from the god’s muttering as he walked away, something involving a certain Beast. Judging from that information alone, he would not return for a very long time.

It was Day XX since Tezcatlipoca left Mictlanpa, and Daybit was running out of option to keep him busy.

He tried walking away from the center of the bonfire and into the mist, curious as to where the underworld’s domain ended. The further he walked, however, the thicker the mist became until he couldn’t see what lied beyond until he decided it was best to return to the bonfire. He bathed in the hot spring and played all of the games in the arcade arena Tezcatlipoca had specifically made for him. He rewatched all of the movies, but it wasn’t as fun as when he watched it together with Tezcatlipoca.

So one day, he decided to do some physical exercises.

Daybit had never given much of a thought about exercises when he was still alive. Maybe he did once or twice, but later had to sacrifice the memory of doing that in order for him to cram a much more significant portion of memory for the day. Not to mention that he was always running around. That must be counted as an exercise on its own. Now that he was practically free from the constraint of time, or rather that time in Mictlanpa worked differently than on Earth, Daybit started to feel the side effect of prolonged idleness. So, there was no better time to do it than now.

He changed his clothes to sports outfit and performed some stretching. He intended to do a three-set sit-up with ten repetitions before moving on to push-up. A step-by-step progress to build his muscle strength back. He was in the middle of doing his first set of push-up when he heard the footsteps of someone very familiar coming closer.

“Yo. I’m back, Brother.” Tezcatlipoca’s greeting broke the usual silence of the underworld. He carried a large bag with him.

Daybit stood up. “Welcome home, Tezcatlipoca,” he greeted the blonde haired man back.

“What’s this You’re doing exercise”

“Yeah. I ran out of anything to do today, so I decided to do some muscle training.”

“That’s unusual of you.” Tezcatlipoca’s answer was nonchalant. But, as Daybit judged by the slight uptick in the god’s tone, he was interested. “Anyway, Little Missy asked me to bring these gifts for you. I’ll drop them right here.”

“Thank you, Tezcatlipoca. I’ll look into it later.” Daybit took a big gulp from the water bottle he kept at his side and prepared for the second set of sit-up. Beside him, Tezcatlipoca sat on a log and lighted up his cigarette.

“Say, I’ve never seen you doing exercises like this back in Mexico City.”

“I was always out exploring. I guess that counted as regular exercise for me.”

Tezcatlipoca blew out a cloud of smoke to the air. “Jungle trekking without a break like you did back then is an extreme sport, Daybit, not exercise.”

Daybit only nodded. He was coming to the last two repetitions. His shoulders and arms felt tight. Visible drops of sweat formed and rolled down from every inch of his skin. His shirt felt damp and clung to his skin, accentuating the shape of his back. He started to felt sore all over, yet the sensation was exhilarating.

He also noticed that a pair of sky blue eyes was watching him intensely.

Tezcatlipoca threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it. “Human body is really fascinating. Push it past its breaking point and it will crumble, yet if it stops moving completely it will turn soft and weak. You have to find that delicate balance to keep it in shape without wasting yourself away.”

Daybit stood up again at the end of his second set to take a water break. “Well, humans aren’t gods who can keep their ideal body shape without lifting much of a finger.”

The blonde-haired man huffed. “Maintaining my human vessel ain’t easy, y’know. But there’s the beauty of it nonetheless.”

Daybit felt the almighty god’s gaze fell on him again as he prepared to do the last set. As he had suspected, Tezcatlipoca found his way of exercising interesting.

“Say, Daybit. How long can you hold yourself up in the middle of a push-up before coming down”

Daybit blinked. “Hmm...I’ve never done it before.”

Was that question a test

The blonde man gave him a meaningful smile. “How about you try it”

Daybit rubbed his chin. An idea came up to him. He waved at Tezcatlipoca. “Could you come and lay down over here”

Tezcatlipoca raised an eyebrow, but he stood up and did what Daybit told him to do. “Not sure where you’re going with this but okay.”

Daybit nodded as the other man was in position. “Good. Try not to move.”

Then, he lowered his body on top of Tezcatlipoca. He placed both hands on both side of the other man’s head. He spread his legs a bit, both thighs and the tip of his shoes framing the other man’s legs. Holding this position, he locked his gaze on the god’s, whose blue eyes widen in shock.

“Are you for real”

“You wanted to see how long I could stay up like this, right”

Tezcatlipoca huffed in exasperation. “If you weren’t my chosen warrior I would’ve snapped your neck right away for this act of insolence.”

Daybit gave the other man a tiny smile. “I’m glad I was chosen, then.”

After that, he went silent. He focused all of his strength to maintain the posture of his arms, legs, and feet. Ten minutes passed, and he felt his arms trembled a little. He took a deep breath and exhaled, repeating it slowly, but he couldn’t deny that his breathing has become heavier the longer he went. He still kept his gaze on Tezcatlipoca, making sure that the god saw all of his efforts.

Perhaps it was the heat emanating from his body due to his energy burning off, but he felt his cheeks reddened. Tezcatlipoca’s body was slowly warming up, too, and the other man’s gaze deepened.

“Your body already hits its limit, it seems,” the blonde man said.

Daybit shook his head. A few drops of sweat landed on Tezcatlipoca’s face. “Not yet,” he replied.

“Your arms are trembling and you’re breathing harder than before.” The god of the night touched Daybit’s face, wiping drops of sweat around his eyes. Even Tezcatlipoca’s fingers felt hot against Daybit’s skin. “You’ve proven yourself enough. Let’s end the exercise now and have some lunch.”

“Ah—“

Daybit’s arms and legs finally gave up. He dropped down, but used the last of his strength to prop himself up with his elbows and knees so his body landed softly on top of Tezcatlipoca. Within this proximity, their lips were very close to touching each other.

Daybit slowly regulated his breathing back to normal. Below him, the movement of Tezcatlipoca’s chest as the blonde man slowly inhaled and exhaled guided him until their rhythm became unison. Around them, the misty field was silent.

Tezcatlipoca rose his arms to hug him. “Holy shit You’re drenched” he exclaimed, followed with a chuckle. “I have to give you a nice, long bath after this.”

Daybit chuckled too. “Mmm...I can’t wait. Your hot bath is the best.”

“Also, can you get off of me I was almost flattened like a pancake.”

“Give me a minute. I can’t move my arms yet.”

“Cheeky brat.” Tezcatlipoca ruffled Daybit’s damp hair, then stared back at the other man. “By the way, now I realize what’s lacking from my paradise. A gym. A place where the souls of the warrior can still maintain their vitality even when they’re supposed to be resting.”

“Sounds good.” Daybit replied, touching his forehead against Tezcatlipoca’s forehead. “Exercise can be relaxing, too.”