August 2019, 07:08 AM.

Abel seriously could not stop himself from yawning.

It was the third one in a row. No matter how much time he spent in the freezing shower, his sleepiness refused to leave him alone. To be fair, he had been indulging himself in his new manga until the dead of night, so it was all worth the shot.

"Close your mouth whenever you yawn, Abel." Mom's reprimanding voice suddenly reiterated in his brain. Welp, it seemed like her advice slipped under the cracks, but no one was watching anyway. It already had happened too.

No one today even cared about seeing someone yawning anymore. After all, Mom was living a few decades behind everyone else. Because of her antics, old-fashioned etiquettes such as not putting elbows on the table continued to prevail in the household.

Mom is a piece of work, indeed. He internally snorted as he dawdled down the flight of stairs, rubbing his eyes.

Sauntering to the living room, Abel's drowsiness immediately retreated at the sound of Rocky's soft drumming footsteps. The border collie strolled towards him, boasting off its black and white coat. Its chocolate eyes lit up and its bushy tail wagged furiously at its grinning owner. At its large size, a fleeting memory of how small and vulnerable it was when Abel adopted the animal crossed his thoughts.

He's the best dog I could ever have...

"Morning Rocky," he greeted, his pitch a little higher than normal. He hunkered down and caressed its soft furs while the dog frisked about, licking his cheeks. "You're always up so early. Waiting for me, eh? You're a big baby, you know that?"

The dog barked as if it was responding to his questions, playfully pawing his legs.

"Oh... how I wish I could bring you to school and entertain me." He chuckled at its adorable actions before heading over to the dining room, with Rocky trailing behind him. Within seconds, Abel's stomach rumbled at the wrapped egg sandwich resting on the table, and beside it, was a small note.

Make sure to pray before eating.

Love,
Mom

Yet another habit of hers. Abel rolled his eyes at the constant reminder, but without further complaints, he snatched the sandwich.

Muttering a half-hearted prayer, he took a huge chomp on his cold breakfast; judging from the yolk melting on his tongue. As expected, it was extremely bland and lacked freshness, but with an empty belly, he would never hesitate devouring any food in his view regardless of his preferences.

This was a typical morning. His parents had always gone for work when the sun barely peeked out, leaving food for him and his older brother, Jethro, to feast. Then, they would usually return in the wee hours of the night. Occasionally, there were those times where Mom and Dad downright disappeared for a few days, but Abel never minded. In fact, he would rather have them that way. It's more nice without them around.

Munching on the remains of his sandwich, Abel's gaze hovered over the framed portraits practically filling the counter above the fireplace. God, how many photos did Mom put there?

However, one photo that never failed to catch his attention was the beach picture, taken from the ancient times. While his parents merely smiled with their flashy sunglasses, Jethro was doing some weird trendy pose. On the other hand, young Abel broadly grinned, showing off his missing tooth as he wrapped his arms around little Rocky.

Everyone had a few traits in common, one was the fact they all shared the same coal black hair. As for their eyes, Mom had oceanic blue while Dad had dark brown, inherited by Abel and Jethro respectively.

Speaking of Jethro... this spoiled brat never failed to push Abel to the edge. Every time this dude showed up, his chest tightened and he couldn't help but to gnash his teeth together. He narrowed his eyes into slits, trying his damn hardest to burn that image to crisps so that he wouldn't encounter it again. Alas, unless he was some robot with lasers, then that would be impossible.

"Why can't you be like your brother, Abel?! He had a great academic standing, earned scholarships and even got an amazing job!"

Dad's grating voice further fed the growing fire inside of Abel while his hands clenched tight on the photo. Mom didn't even have the balls to butt in, and while Dad went on with his extremely useful tirade, Jethro would just snicker like the asshole he was.

"Your grades have always been below average, but you're there lazing around buying some useless books. You don't even care for your future. What the hell is with the cosplaying stuff you've been doing?! It's pathetic and ridiculous! I would rather spend the time studying than that!"

Shut the fuck up!!!

Abel's blood ultimately reached its boiling point. He forcefully slammed the photo back to its position, and all the nearby decorations trembled like a leaf. Not even Rocky was saved from flinching at the loud thud. His shallow breaths accompanied the subsequent silence, as the tempting urge to punch something - or a particular someone, that would be ten times better - almost took control of his actions.

Not only are they outdated and workaholics, they're always comparing me with Jethro.

Heh, bet it's just another Tuesday for them.

Abel sneered, demolishing the last pieces of his sandwich. Despite all of Jethro's 'fantastic' achievements, Mom and Dad were blind enough to see how his brother still lived with his parents despite being a grown ass adult. This dude didn't even bother building social connections with people. Relationships never played a role in his life either.

That's right. He's a Mommy and Daddy's boy.

Abel snickered and simpered at the perfect nickname. At least by cosplaying, he established a fairly large group of admirers. At least he had a couple of friends, which helped him reduce the intense pressure Mom and Dad had forced into him. At least he had prepared plans to move away from these control freaks, living his life as a professional cosplayer in the future.

Watch me, Dad. Even though I don't have the brains, I'll be much better than that smartass.

Rocky silently plopped itself beside Abel, staring at him with anticipation. The dog's fluffy fur brushed against his skin while it clung close to him. Its tongue rolled out, complementing its pure innocence, which immediately extinguished the inferno scorching the walls of his guts.

Rocky was the only one who would never judge him for his decisions. It would follow its owner's path without reluctance and with total excitement. It would just... love Abel the way he was.

"Such a good boy," he whispered, embracing the dog. "If not for you... I would have been gone years ago."

***

Abel was on his way to school, and he already longed for Rocky to stick by his side. The pleasure of burying his face within the dog's soft coat continued haunting him, not to mention its slobbery but cute kisses. Just by existing, the amiable border collie contributed more affection within him than his entire human family.

"The next station is Braid."

As the announcement blared over the train's speakers, Abel shot up and pulled the earphones off his ears, stuffing them into his bag. Before the doors fully parted, he managed to squeeze out and slithered through the crowd boarding the train. He propelled his legs down the stairs, avoiding more people on his way.

I hope I can make it on time, the bus's about to leave in a minute...

Unfortunately, all the morning exercise he had done was proven futile, since the bus he aimed for was no longer on the stop. He could only watch with heavy pants as the vehicle slowly departed from the vicinity, mocking him for being five seconds late.

Sprinting to the platform, he instantly gasped for fresh air that was knocked out of his lungs. He slammed both of his hands on his rubbery knees and continued huffing and puffing like a maniac. If there were people nearby, they would have heard his sharp inhales. Once his composure returned, he could only grumble curses. Ugh, only if I knew, then I wouldn't be running...

And the next thing Abel knew, his ringing ears picked up some rapid footsteps pummeling from right behind. What now-?!

"Behold, my special attack!"

That particular catchphrase... His instincts were literally screaming at him to step aside. However, his exasperation forbade his muscles from budging even an inch. Consequently, before he could think of any alternative plans, someone forcefully collided against his back. The impact recoiled him forward, and he almost lost his balance if not for his reflex.

The mastermind behind these odd greetings burst into giggles, while Abel derisively grunted and whirled on his heels. Only Charlotte Song was capable of executing such a 'special attack', and she was conspicuous from her short voluminous carrot hair. If her hickory brown eyes and fair complexion weren't the perfect epitome of youthfulness, then he didn't know what was.

"Good morning to you too, Lotte," he murmured, sweeping his clothes off any dirt. Despite having such a petite stature, Charlotte surely packed a punch, especially when she could shove a much heavier person like Abel.

"What's wrong?" She elbowed him. "You look so down in the slumps... maybe that's why you don't get to dodge me this time."

Well, Charlotte had been performing this tomfoolery of hers ever since they came across each other. Most of the time, Abel simply sidestepped, watched her stumble and wordlessly thanked her for the early warning. Nonetheless, there were moments he fell victim to her mischief, though.

In all honesty, he had no idea if he would consider her as his best friend, but the fact she had been beside him for God knows how long, quickly made up his mind.

"I'm just tired." He sighed, brushing his bangs. "I ran from the train and tried catching the bus, but as you can see, I'm still here."

"Seems like you always missed the bus. How unlucky." She laughed. "I mean, I think you've always been unlucky since we were kids. Color me surprised."

The sad thing was that... Abel couldn't refute her comment, as it was technically the truth. He was already an unlucky boy from the start, born into a family who only gave a damn about achievements and being an absolute perfection, whereas all he wanted was to follow his dreams. He groaned once again, fixing his dangling backpack and waited for another bus.

Who cares about them? Just a couple more years and I could get out of there with Rocky.

"Anyway, I'm so excited for the cosplay con this Saturday!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Thank goodness I don't have any piano sessions, so I can finally attend with you and Adrian!"

Right... the cosplay con, huh? All of that bitterness had made him forget about the special event he had been looking forward to. Right now, he should be focusing on casting his vitriol about his family aside, replacing them with the upcoming convention and the character he would be cosplaying as.

"It's gonna be a huge con, so it's my perfect time to shine," he boasted, running his hand through his hair. "Can't wait to see how people are gonna feel about me."

"Oh, would you look at this guy acting so cocky," Charlotte dismissed. "Your ego's swelling, my dude."

"So? I've had lots of fans coming up to me for photos and signatures. There's no reason to back away and stay humble." A sly smile spread across Abel's face. "Watch and learn, Lotte. This time, I'm gonna be more serious than before and rack up the whole event."

"You're really gonna cosplay as that dumb detective, aren't you?" Charlotte huffed, folding her arms. "He's such a turn off for me, I'm not even rooting for him throughout the show. How can you possibly like him?"

"Dumb, you say? Kaito might look like an airhead, but he's the one who has been advancing the problem and finding the clues," Abel rebutted. "He's confident at what he's at, unlike that guy who can only sulk with his dumb grumpy face."

"Oh, please! Daiki's the one strategizing the plans! He's the genius behind the scenes. People seem to like him more too! Also, he's so hot when he's wearing his glasses, ahh!" squealed his friend, while Abel just smacked his hand on his disappointed face. Yeah, more like a hot mess.

"Sure thing," he scorned. "He's that one guy with a lot of sob stories I would rather not hear. I don't wanna get dragged into his past. That would be very frustrating."

"That's just you being cynical of Daiki. What can I say, you had a shallow taste," she sneered as the bus they had been anticipating finally arrived. "You'll never understand how he feels."

Well then, allow me to prove you wrong once again, Lotte. Abel retained his smirk as they boarded the bus, tapping their cards on the reader before assuming their seats on the aisle. You're really gonna take back what you said once you see my handsome cosplay.

Unbeknownst to the two, their intense bickering had pulled in the attention of a girl standing a mere distance from them. She momentarily gazed at the arguing couple inside the bus, before she cast her hood over her head and walked off.

***

A/N: Thanks for reading, and please do let me know what you think! Have a nice day ^^