I Work Out

If anyone asked, Hakyeon would say he worked out at least three times a week. It wasn’t that far-fetched because he did go to the gym, the truth of the statement depended on the person’s definition of ‘working out’.

Hakyeon would dress in nice sweats, a little too fancy for if he was actually serious about working out and would usually take a light stroll on one of the treadmills followed by simple stretching, if he was feeling especially adventurous he’d find himself on an elliptical.

It wasn’t that he hated exercise, he did dance for a living, but all the complex machines didn’t seem to work properly for him, and it was awfully embarrassing lifting dumbbells around burly men bench-pressing because he hadn’t yet been able to strengthen his arms on the stupid equipment.

The biggest problem was the fact that his favourite treadmill, chosen for this very purpose, happened to look over the majority of the gym floor. It gave Hakyeon a good view of the main reason he kept going to the gym, but also the prominent distraction in his exercise routine.

The tall male would be there the same time every night, he would work through the same routine and was obviously more adverse to the fitness word than Hakyeon, this could be seen just by a comparison of their body types.

Every night Hakyeon found himself mesmerised by the movement of his body; the way his muscles would flex and tighten as he lifted weights, the shift of his back hidden under the thin shirt and the light sheen that would coat his skin. The sight got Hakyeon flustered and panting more than any of the machines he’d tried did.

One time Hakyeon nearly slipped off the treadmill when he passed by, sun kissed skin already glossy, and had the indecency to moan. To be fair he was massaging a sore muscle at the time and the sound slipped out by accident, but Hakyeon took it as a challenge because it had to be illegal to have such a deep, husky voice to match that body and any use of the twin weapons would be taken as a threat to all living beings.

In the end Hakyeon scurried home before any bigger problems could arise. Only to return two nights later, back on his treadmill and watching closely as a mop of chestnut brown hair drifted into the room.

This night he changed his routine and Hakyeon found himself trying to keep his eyes straight ahead as the machine beside him suddenly became occupied. It was usually easy to hide his peeping because from afar, like on the opposite side of the room, Hakyeon’s stare could pass as a look at anything, but with the object of his attention on the adjacent treadmill Hakyeon found himself surprisingly vulnerable.

Hakyeon felt his legs wobble, despite the turtle pace he was walking at, and the need to look side-ways only intensified when he heard the distinctive beep and increasing footsteps as the other male bumped up the speed on his treadmill.

Hakyeon took that as another challenge and hit the plus button on his own machine, deciding to level their speeds. A determined look graced his face because it felt good pushing himself, using his dance strong legs to actually run. The beep went off again and Hakyeon followed, each sound met with a hit of the button. Soon he found himself running at the max speed, the button no longer increasing speed, and glancing to the side he saw that the next treadmill was on the same.

A wide, proud smile lit Hakyeon’s face and he turned to look ahead but something caught his eye. He was looking at Hakyeon, a smirk plastered on his face, somehow cocky despite his rapid breathing and pink tinted cheeks, his long legs flying on the belt.

.

Hakyeon stepped off before he stumbled and flew off the back of the machine.

Once he had stopped Hakyeon realised what he had done and his hectic breathing came into focus, as well as the thick layer of sweat on his forehead. Grabbing a towel he wiped his face and watched while the other male finished his run. Up close Hakyeon could appreciate the shift of his muscles much more and he could finally see how toned the pair of long legs were.

The young man finished up his run, slung a towel around his neck and flashed another grin to Hakyeon as he passed, swiping the towel across his forehead and mussing his hair in the process. Hakyeon tensed and decided that was enough gym for the night.

The next week passed following the same pattern, every second day Hakyeon found himself settled on the treadmill when another presence would become known beside him and they would end up testing each other’s endurance in a high speed run.

On the fourth night, before Hakyeon could scurry away, his legs feeling especially like jelly because tonight he even winked, a hand grabbed his wrist and captured his attention. “I’m Wonsik.” A low voice spoke and Hakyeon found it attached to a kind face and a solid body.

“Hakyeon,” He croaked back.

They looked eachother over for a few seconds before Hakyeon mumbled, “I-I’ve got to go.”

“See you the night after tomorrow?”

Hakyeon nodded shyly before he disappeared, a giddy feeling in his heart.

The feeling was squashed when Hakyeon saw Wonsik enter the gym on the designated night, followed by another young man with auburn hair and chiselled arms, he had perfect features and when he smiled prominent dimples popped in his cheeks.

The treadmill beside Hakyeon stayed dismally empty while Wonsik worked his old routine with the new man. The two chatted away, smiling and laughing with eachother and Hakyeon tried not to feel too jealous, but he had had grown accustomed to their nightly meeting, even if no words were spoken. As he watched the familiar pair a glum feeling had grown in Hakyeon and it occurred to him that he actually knew nothing about Wonsik.

The feeling of despair settled deeper in Hakyeon when Wonsik seemed to be ignoring him for the night, purposely turning away when he caught Hakyeon’s eye. Every now and again Hakyeon would also catch the auburn haired man looking his way with an amused smile on his face, he would then promptly turn to Wonsik and say something that would cause Wonsik to blush and the other to laugh smugly, almost like he was taunting Hakyeon.

A glint of hope surfaced when Wonshik offered a small smile as he happened to pass Hakyeon on the treadmill, “Hey,”

“Hi.”

Only the conversation was immediately cut off by an obnoxious, “C’mon Shikkie, I’m thirsty~”

“Sorry, got to go.” Wonshik waved the water bottles in his hand and turned to the handsome man swinging his legs impatiently at a bench, “Shut up Binnie, I’m coming.”

Hakyeon’s face turned grim at the use of the overly affectionate nicknames and the way Wonsik slid into seat beside the male, bumping shoulders playfully before slinging his arm over the other in an action that Hakyeon thought suited a couple. Hakyeon left the gym feeling dejected even though there wasn’t really anything for him to be upset about, Wonsik was never his to begin with.

The next week Hakyeon couldn’t find the motivation to drag himself to the gym, instead pouring the extra hours into his dancing, the music washing through him and clearing away some of his gloom as he was able to empty his emotion into powerful steps, pushing his limits even further.

Collapsing on the wooden dancefloor Hakyeon realised his stupidity, as much as he wanted something more from Wonsik he would still be grateful just to have him as a friend. So the next night Hakyeon found himself looking at his usual treadmill, the object seemingly unappealing for once.

The man with Wonsik had an incredibly fit physique and Hakyeon felt self-conscious when he mentally compared their bodies, feeling incredibly underwhelming when he also thought about the handsome face and dimples. Hakyeon huffed, maybe he should actually think about improving his body and then he would be Wonshik’s type.

Hakyeon decided to try one of the more complex looking machines, one he had seen people use before and thought he could figure out himself. All it seemed he had to do was place legs here and push, right? Wrong, he couldn’t seem to get the weights to move, no matter how hard he pushed and groaned out incomprehensible curses and grunts.

A deep laugh resounded around Hakyeon and he looked up from his mini workout battle to see Wonsik chuckling at him. The tall male was leaning against the wall with another of his cocky grins. He walked over and reached between Hakyeon’s legs, pulling out a little metal stop from the machine, and Hakyeon couldn’t tell if the way his hand brushed his thigh on the way back out was on purpose or not.

Wonsik nodded and Hakyeon lifted his legs again, the weights following the movement.

“Thanks,”

“You’re welcome. It’s nice to see you back and branching out.” Wonsik said, “But if you are serious, I’d suggest another machine. You have nice legs already . . .”

Wonshik wasn’t lying, the other had a pair of perfectly toned legs, the right amount of curve to give them a shape that people like him drooled over. Since he had seen Hakyeon he had wondered how they would feel, especially wrapped around his waist, and it didn’t help that when Hakyeon stretched it seemed he intentionally bent so Wonshik had a full view of the scrumptious rear-end.

“But your arms could use some work.”

“Thanks,” Hakyeon smiled politely, “I think.”

Wonsik watched Hakyeon for a while, neither sating anything while Wonsik battled with himself.

“So, Hakyeon,” He gulped, “I um, was wondering, I don’t know if it’s something you’d like but I thought I’d ask anyway, might as well, and if you don’t want to no worry, but um, would you like to do something together?”

“. . . What?” Hakyeon choked after Wonsik’s rambling,

“Never mind, I shouldn’t have said something.”

“But I thought you were dating that other guy, Beanie.”

“Hongbin?” Wonsik exclaimed, “Hell no, he’s just a good friend.”

Hakyeon’s face brightened,

“Besides, he has a boyfriend who I’m pretty sure is a serial killer and would murder me if I so much as touched Hongbin.”

“But, you guys kept-”

Wonsik cut Hakyeon off by pushing a finger to his lips, “Ssh, he might kill me as it is because Hongbin came here, he usually exercises with his partner.”

“Why’d you bring him here then?”

Wonsik blushed before stating, “Technically he brought himself.”

“And why would he do that?”

The red deepened, “I may have told him I met someone and he had to make sure they were worthy . . . You passed.”

It was Hakyeon’s turn to blush, pieces from his previous visit falling into a new light.

“So would you go out to dinner with me?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon shouted a little too quickly, blushing profusely while Wonsik had the widest smile on his face.

Turns out Hakyeon did like working out, a lot, if he didn’t he wouldn’t have met Wonsik and acquired firsthand experience feeling the movement of Wonshik’s muscles, the younger getting his chance to feel those legs wrapped tightly around his waist in the most delicious way. It was just a bonus that Hakyeon learnt how to use those stupid gym machines, finally making progress in defining his biceps.

Going to the gym was definitely worth it.

Word Count: 1,953

Inspired by this post.

-Scimitar :)