Work Text:
Dolores hadn't been an early riser since before her teen years, but she was unlearning the bad habit of sleeping in as she became more and more in tune with Mariano's schedule. And unfortunately for her, he was a very very early riser. He tended to take a walk through or do a workout before truly beginning his day, so she was surprised when she, shortly after waking up, heard him heading towards Casita rather than up the mountain trails.
She stood outside Casita's open front doors, her usual morning coffee clutched carefully in her hand, and waited, noticing the slightest of a hitch in her boyfriend's breath and a limp in every other step he took as he made his way up the pathway towards Casita. Dolores was quick to take a couple sips of her coffee before she turned to set it gently down on Casita's floorboards, the house moving it back to the kitchen as she ran to meet up with her boyfriend and catching him before his legs could give out from under him.
"Mariano, mi amor." Dolores began to gently lead her boyfriend the rest of the way towards Casita, the two of them stepping inside Casita as the house closed the front doors behind them. "¿Estás bien?"
Mariano leaned up against a wall, glancing at Dolores as he caught his breath. "I need help with new techniques for my workouts, mi Corazon. Is there anywhere I should go?"
Dolores said nothing for a moment, glancing around at her family's doors upstairs until her eyes fell on Luisa's.
"Si. Come on," she responded as she took his hand and began to lead him up the stairs.
He said nothing as Dolores came to a stop and knocked gently on Luisa's door.
"Prima?" she spoke, voice a little louder than her normal tone.
A split second passed before the door opened gently and Luisa peeked her head out, for a moment there glancing between Dolores and Mariano. "¿Necesitas algo?"
"Mariano," Dolores responded as she pushed her boyfriend forward just a little bit. "Needs help with technique when it comes to his morning workout. I was wondering if you could help with that, prima."
Another moment passed, Luisa glancing into her bedroom before refocusing on Dolores and Mariano.
"Entra entonces." She motioned the both of them into her bedroom, closing her door behind them about as soon as they entered. "Its my off day after all and I figured that I would spend it here."
Dolores sat down on the floor, right beside Mariano. "What about Mira and Isa? I heard the three of you talking about spending today together all week."
"We were going to." Luisa motioned for Mariano to stand and join her over by her exercise equipment. Dolores remained sat on the floor, watching. "But then Isabela had something else to do and needed Mirabel's help with it."
"I know," Dolores responded, tapping lightly at an ear. 'I heard them telling you that they'd hang out with you tomorrow."
Luisa nodded in response, but said nothing for a brief moment. She turned her attention solely towards her future cousin-in-law. "What technique did you need help with when it comes to your morning workouts?"
Mariano glanced around at all of Luisa's equipment. "Pretty much everything. I went on my morning walk this morning and my legs nearly gave out."
"Why didn't you go to mi mami first?" Luisa guided Mariano towards one of her ropes.
"Julieta wasn't in town quite yet, so I started on my way towards Casita."
Luisa nodded in response but, like she had earlier, said nothing. For a brief few moments that was.
"Did you drink your morning coffee lately?" she asked as she watched Mariano start to climb the rope she had directed him towards.
Mariano didn't say anything, Dolores choosing to answer for him. "No. He forgot to drink it this morning and yesterday morning and the morning of the day before yesterday. He has pretty much forgotten to drink his coffee all week."
Luisa laughed and nodded in response, glancing upwards. "Okay, I think that's enough. You can come down now."
Mariano nodded, sliding down the climbing rope and ending up sat on his butt in the middle of the floor in Luisa's room. Dolores covered her mouth to stifle a few quiet laughs, standing up and moving to kneel down beside Mariano at the same time Luisa did.
"What say we stick to doing some exercises for now?" Luisa asked, Mariano nodding. Luisa turned her attention to Dolores. "Prima, can you help?"
Dolores nodded, standing up and following her boyfriend and her cousin towards where the latter usually did her exercises in the morning. When she wasn't going on her own morning walk through the town and/or towards the mountains surrounding the Encanto or running in place just outside her room with Casita acting as her treadmill.
Luisa turned towards Dolores and Mariano, again focusing her attention solely on the latter of the two. "What exercise should we work on first? Push-ups? Pull ups? Sit ups?"
For a moment there, Mariano glanced over his shoulder at his girlfriend before returning his attention towards Luisa. For another moment, he didn't seem to answer. "Sit ups?"
Luisa nodded, quickly motioning for Mariano to take a seat in the center of her mat. Luisa turned her attention solely towards Dolores now. "Prima, could you help with spotting your boyfriend and counting as he does his sit ups? I'll stand off to the side and watch?"
Dolores nodded, moving to sit in front of her boyfriend and very gently and carefully placing her hands on his toes. Luisa stepped off to the side as Mariano laid down, placing his hands behind his head. Luisa waited for a few seconds, then...
"Okay, start," she finally said. Immediately, Dolores began counting.
One...
Two...
Three...
"I can't do this anymore," Mariano said, halfway through his fourth sit up. Luisa sighed in exasperation, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
This was very clearly going to take them all day, wasn't it?
A deadpan expression was quick to make its way across Dolores' face. Like Luisa had done earlier, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Mariano, mi amor, you only did three and a half sit ups..."