He thought he was home alone, that his father was out to train, as he did almost every day. He thought his father wouldn't be home until much later, probably after the sun had already set, as usual. But Metal Lee hadn't heard the door or his father's voice when he had arrived, was he too distracted by his own training. He certainly could have gone with his father and trained with him, but Senryu worried that he would not only hold his father back, since the young boy wouldn't be able to keep up with Lee, but also that his father might hold him back too, worried that Senryu would push himself too hard again. So he had decided to stay at home to train alone, where no one told him it was enough, that he should take a break and take it slow. Did he had promised his father to take care of himself, while he was gone? Yes. Had he crossed his fingers behind his back again? Positive.
Sweat was already trickling down his face, his hands slick and slippery as he muttered numbers under his breath while doing push ups on the pillars in the garden. "91… 92… 93… 94… 95…" he counted, already out of breath, trying to finally break the 100 mark today. He was so close, but he could already feel his whole body trembling and his muscles twitching from the exertion, while his breathing was also labored from exhaustion.
"96… 97… 98… 99…" he continued counting, slower and slower, more and more strained.
"Come oooooon…" he cursed between gritted teeth as he struggled to have himself up one last time. His eyes were squeezed shut. But no matter how hard he tried, it was no use. Senryu was so close to reaching 100 reps, but just before the finish line, his body began to sway and his arms gave way, shaking and trembling. Senryu's eyes snapped open as he realized he had failed once more, while he tumbled down the pillars, landing with a thud on the ground.
"Ouch..." he grumbled pressing his head against his forehead as the birds flew overhead, probably calling him an idiot and laughed at him. His chest rose and fell heavily, and Senryu didn't know what hurt more: his legs from the squats, his arms from the push-ups, his chest, where his heart pounded wildly as if it would burst, his head, which he had hit on the pillar during his fall, or his pride for not even being able to do 100 push ups?
From Metal Lee for @maitiests