training wings || constantin & corbin
[When he and Ana had first returned to Earth, Constantin had accepted that his body was fubar. They tell you the impact of space on the human body before you go up, though they donāt account for five years being spent there. So heād known it would be bad, and when the doctors had said phrases to him like muscle atrophy, spaceflight osteopenia, and balance disorder, heād just nodded and accepted that heād be bedbound for a while.
But heād done the bedbound thing, and then heād spent some time using a walker, and then heād used the walker less. Now heās not used it at all in weeks, and heās slowly integrating into AP training ā though heās self conscious of how many breaks he has to take compared to the rest of them.
Itās moreĀ frustrating now, because heās stable enough to go about his life relatively normally. He still moves a bit like a geriatric, but it gets better each day. His appetite is improving, heās beginning to fill out his clothes better. But everything just feels so heavy. Heās healthy enough to live his life, but still too impacted by his experiences to do so completely normally. He leaves AP training feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, because heās a shadow of who he once was. Rather than heading off to shower with the rest of the group, he takes himself for some laps around the training field. He doesnāt physically have much energy left to burn off, but mentally he is becoming intimately acquainted with the phrase āstir crazyā.
He even manages a few laps, done with careful regard to his form, before he falls. He doesnāt trip, or slip, his legs just give up. Muscle atrophy doesnāt repair itself overnight, or indeed over the course of several months. Constantin hits the ground with a grunt, and rolls onto his side with a wince. He realises, as his face relaxes from its screwed up expression, that someone has slowed down near him.]Ā
Futu-i ⦠Nu, sunt bine. [He mumbles, feeling frustrated and embarrassed ā particularly as he realised heās not even used the right language. With another groan, this time of frustration rather than pain, he says:]Ā Donāt, I am fine. [Usually heās not too proud to accept help, but he really hates being seen like this. He feels helpless, and he hates it.]
[Heās only come back onto the field because heād forgotten to take his archery gloves off again. Heād peeled off the leather with a sigh once heād gotten to the locker rooms, and tried to leave them on the bench, but as heād been stepping out, Biceps Donovan called his name and when Corbin turned around, the trainer pitched them at Corbinās chest.Ā āPut them away, Ealy,ā heād ordered. Beside him, Elly had snickered, and Corbin threw her a sour look, then, rolling his eyes, he headed back out towards the field the way he came.Ā
Heās sort of surprised to see Astronaut Man still running laps. Usually if someone is running laps after the session ends, itās because theyād been a jerk off during the class and Donovan had forced them to as punishment. Like military-detention. Pfft. Itās odd though, because the Torren Corbin only knows asĀ āSpace Manā is always perfectly obedient in training, from what Corbinās seen. He does as heās told, even if he has a hard time keeping up, and he never complains. Corbin, on the other hand, is quite often a victim to Donovanās fitness detention.Ā
Corbinās just finished putting the gloves back in the equipment lock up, when he turns around and sees the man drop. Corbin frowns, and heās not necessarily the overly-helpful type, but heās like, the onlyĀ one here and walking by heās so closeāhe figures heād be a total arse not to help. But just as he gets close enough, Space Man mutters a bunch of shit Corbin doesnāt understand, and then a few words he does: Corbin backs off, hands up.]Ā Woahāsorry mate, sheesh.Ā
[He already feels bad for being so curt. Itās obvious that Corbin is bristling -- and heās well within his rights to be. Constantin tries not to be rude or aggressive, very aware that with his limited English skills it would be all too easy for him to seem like an unpleasant person.
His reputation has gone the other way, and somehow people have come to view him as a soft teddy bear. It doesnāt feel like a true reflection of who he is, but itās better than people thinking heās rude. Unfortunately, thatās probably exactly what this person thinks of him. And it wasnāt even remotely Corbinās fault, heād just had the misfortune of being the nearest when Constantin felt a flash of anger.
Itās himself heās angry at. Heās angry at his weak body and his slow recovery, and heās angry at his anger. He sighs, a disgruntled huff, and hauls himself into a seated position where he rubs his face.]Ā
Sorry. [The word is gruff, but he means it. His head is still down, long strands of hair curling protectively in front of his face. He hopes Corbin canāt see that the anger is borne more of embarrassment than anything else.]Ā The anger is not for you. I do not mean to snap.