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#gym au
legitcookie · 1 year
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Eddie hated the gym.
No, not hated. Loathed entirely.
It reminded him too much of high school gym class, which reminded him of how gross and sweaty everyone got. No thank you. He'd much rather spend his time doing literally anything else. Paint drying sounded awesome compared to a spin bike.
Despite this though, he promised Gareth that he would go with him three days a week to help support his new year's resolution. It was a pretty boring resolution to make, everyone did it at some point, but Eddie was such a good friend that he went along with it. Gareth also might have bribed him with concert tickets, but it was mostly because he was such a good friend.
Eddie picked up Gareth in his van at 8am. I won't go if I have all day to talk myself out of it, Gareth had told him before officially starting. They greeted each other with nods and a grunt each, neither fully awake.
Walking in, they were met with too bright lights, the smell of old sweat and disinfectant permeating their senses. God, this already sucks and he hasn't even done anything yet. Eddie started chanting Metallica in his head to remember why he agreed in the first place.
After putting their stuff away, Eddie and Gareth made their way to the treadmills. In his half asleep state, Eddie completely forgot to bring his headphones, which made the repetitive walking agonizing.
To keep his mind occupied, Eddie let his eyes drift to the other people working out, seeing what other machines there were, signs for the areas of the gym (what the fuck is racquetball?) before landing on the single hottest man he's ever seen.
Hot Guy was using some type of weight machine, his biceps bulging under the strain, sweat running down his face and past his sharp jawline, and wearing the tiniest shorts he's ever seen outside of a dirty magazine.
Eddie stops in his tracks.
But he was still moving.
“Oh, fu--” cries out Eddie as his feet slide off the treadmill, face planting. To add insult to injury, the damn thing kept going and he hit his face on it again. Jesus H. Christ, he hates the fucking gym.
He lifts his head and tastes the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. Gareth jumps off his own treadmill to help him, a small crowd gathering around to see if he was okay.
“Hey, you, go ask the front desk for a first aid kit and something cold to put on his head.” Eddie looks up towards the voice and sees it's Hot Guy. Eddie closes his eyes and wishes for the ground to swallow him up, then and there, before he dies of embarrassment.
Eddie tries standing up only to be met with a firm, strong hand holding him down.
“Dude, no. You could have a head injury. Just take it easy,” Hot Guy says, determination on his face and punctuated with a small smile.
Eddie sits back down, cheeks flaming.
“Do you feel dizzy?” Hot Guy asks leaning down to look in Eddie's eyes. His eyes are like amber honey and he looks like a goddamn Golden Retriever in human form. Yeah, Eddie thought, feeling pretty delirious right now actually, but he swallows the lump in his throat and shakes his head. Eddie winces at the sudden sharp pain.
“Fuck, that hurts.” Eddie groans.
“Just take it easy, and stop moving your head. This might sting a little, but it'll help the swelling.” Eddie looks up and sees Hot Guy holding an ice pack and giving him a questioning look. It took a second before Eddie realizes he was waiting for permission to touch him with it. You can touch me with anything you want, big boy.
“What?”
Shit. Apparently that wasn't just in his head.
“Um, ouch, my head hurts? Can't judge what a guy says when he's in pain.” Eddie smiles at him. Hot Guy looks back at him with a bemused expression and nods towards the ice pack, silently asking permission again.
“Oh shit, yeah, sorry. Proceed, sir knight in shining armor.” Hot Guy huffs a laugh at that and carefully presses the cold to Eddie's forehead. It does sting at first, but lessens as his body adjusts. By now the crowd has dispersed, leaving only Eddie, Gareth, and Hot Guy. Gareth was on the sidelines, silently watching this exchange, and looking at Eddie like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I'm Steve, by the way. Sorry, I should've said that when I first came over,” said Hot Guy. No, Steve. Not really a hot guy name, but Eddie could work with it.
“Eddie.” They reached out and shook hands, a shiver running up his spine when Eddie's too cold hands met Steve's too warm ones.
Still holding hands, their eyes meet, and Eddie feels like he could take a deep dive in those eyes and thank whoever was listening if he drowns.
Eddie was the first to break contact. “So, you come here often?”
Steve smiles widely, showing all his teeth, and laughs. What a great laugh. Fuck, Eddie needs to get a grip. Blame it on the blood loss. “That's such a line.”
Eddie shrugs, pulling a strand of hair in front of his mouth to hide his smile and blush covering his cheeks.
“Maybe, but highly effective none-the-less.”
Steve keeps smiling at him, but looks away to check his head.
“Sure you aren't dizzy or anything?” Steve's eyes flick over his entire face, assessing the damage. Eddie notes that Steve checks his lips a few too many times when he didn't even get hit there.
“All good, dude. Can I get up now?” Eddie asks. Steve shoots up from a crouch like it was nothing, thigh muscles on full display due to the tiny shorts. Eddie wants to write a song as an ode to those shorts. Steve holds out his hand and pulls Eddie up with ease, bringing him into his space.
They stand there looking at each other, holding hands. One still too cold, the other too hot, but perfect together.
Steve breaks the spell with a small cough, looking down, and stepping out of each other's space. He has a small, shy smile, and Eddie wants to immediately grab and kiss him all over his dumb, beautiful face.
“You should probably call it a day. Make sure someone is around for the next few hours just in case there's internal bleeding.” Steve turns to Gareth and points his finger. “You able to do that? If he starts vomiting or gets really drowsy, take him to the ER.”
Gareth nods at Steve and takes out his phone to write down the instructions. Eddie blinks in surprise at Steve's assuredness. The guy knows his shit. Hot.
Steve must clock the surprise, because he just shrugs and says, “CPR certified.”
“I'll let you CPR certify me any day,” Eddie says with a wink. Gareth exasperatedly groans loudly, still typing away at his phone.
Steve's nose scrunches up with a wide smile, and turns his head towards Gareth. “Definitely keep an eye on him if this isn't how he normally is.”
Gareth rolls his eyes, sighing, “No, this is typical Eddie when he's trying to flirt.”
Eddie shoots a look Gareth's way as Steve does a full belly laugh. They all walk over to the lockers so Eddie and Gareth can get their belongings before leaving. Surprisingly, Steve waits and walks with them to the entrance as well.
“So, you never answered my question.” Eddie says, bouncing from one foot to the other. Steve smirks back at him.
“Which question was that?” Steve brings a finger to his lips, tapping them in mock thought. Eddie can't look away from the movement, causing Steve to smirk again. Damn you, hot bastard.
Eddie smiles widely at the theatrics and flicks his eyes up to meet Steve's.
“Do you come here often?” Eddie asks and moves one step closer, clasping his hands behind his back. Steve crosses his arms in front of him, but doesn't move back.
“Yeah, most days. Same time. Maybe I'll see you around.”
Maybe Eddie will start liking the gym a hell of a lot more.
Because he's such a good friend.
Obviously.
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Thank for reading! You can entirely blame this is @sidekick-hero because she’s attempting to influence me into exercise. 
Happy birthday to @thefreakandthehair !!!! Hope you have a fabulous day!!
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mayopocket · 9 days
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you only walked 500 steps yesterday??
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nicht-vobla · 11 months
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LiuCheng meet cute at the gym
4/? (how many parts till they make out? who knows not me)
DM me to commission Your Ship of Choice in this style for $69
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stillnotyourmusebitch · 3 months
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Has anyone written a Gym bro au for Bowser and Luigi yet. Like Bowser is a power lifter and Luigi is new to the gym and wants to gain some strength coz he is feeling insecure. But when Bowser sees him looking so lost and there are regular gym bros who are just laughing at Luigi. This really steams Bowser to the point he walks over and helps Luigi out with the right way to use the equipment and they become friends to lovers.
Luigi falls first coz. "Oh shit a really buff guy is helping me and being genuinely nice to me." (I mean it's a totally normal feeling that weegee)
Bowser is slower to fall but there was a little spark in the beginning where Luigi finished a set and was so excited he did and a fond smile from Bowser just cemented that fact.
((extra points I need to make it I see Luigi as a trans man for this.))
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mastercherry · 9 months
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I have to stop coming to the gym. It's not good for my mental health. ALL the hot people grunting and groaning? How am I supposed to focus on anything else?
I just know I've got some open fanfic tabs that I could be making any of these sounds.
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xenon-demon · 1 year
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Currently brainrotting about a modern AU where Steve is a fitness instructor. He works at the local gym with Robin (who is a receptionist, since while she’s into fitness enough to work out on a regular basis she’s not into it enough to actually run classes).
Steve occasionally takes on clients for personal trainer work, but mostly he runs classes mainly for people who are in need of encouragement or a gentler hand in the gym (as opposed to the “YEAH YOU BETTER WORK UNTIL BLOOD IS COMING OUT OF YOUR EYEBALLS” approach some of the other instructors have). Think newbies, older folks who aren’t used to this, women who don’t want to be judged for how they look or hit on while working out, teenagers. Lucas (and occasionally Mike, if Lucas forces him to) attends some of his youth classes and absolutely loves it.
And then one day Lucas needs picked up from one of his gym classes so he can attend a late session of Hellfire, so Dustin successfully bullies Eddie into going and getting him and- oh my god who the fuck is that taking the class? It shouldn’t be legal to walk around looking that hot. Steve’s already worked up a sweat so he’s taken his shirt off, exposing his ridiculously chiselled torso to the world, and Eddie is definitely not looking at all. Nope, uh-uh. Lucas introduces them (since he’s genuinely friends with Steve at this point given his regular attendance at classes and their shared interest in basketball) and Steve shoots Eddie with this absolutely charming grin, and oh my god.
Eddie is so fucked.
Eddie, who is but a weak and feeble man, looks up the gym online later that night to see if he can find anything about Steve. Thanks to their instagram page, he finds Steve’s personal instagram... which is filled with lots of workout videos and fitness advice. Most of which is basically uh. Softcore porn. At least for a humble gay man like Eddie. 
...Eddie, in absolute grave secrecy, asks the next day about getting a trial membership at the gym. Look, it’s for research, okay? He’s just... curious.
(And if Steve offers to help the new guy out on the gym floor who clearly has no idea what he’s doing, then he’s just doing it because it’s his job. He definitely doesn’t find the new guy cute or anything, and even if he did, he’s definitely not trying to show off while demonstrating how to do the exercises properly. Nope. Absolutely not.)
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The Gym Membership - Part 27 (Crosshair)
Summary: Crosshair opens up about Avery
A/N: Hello Lovelies,
Enjoy. I'm a little tired, so my brain is shutting down.
Thank you for being amazing.
Love oo
Italics - Flashback
Warnings: Mentions of gun shot wound, kidnapping, scrapes, bruises, wedding, IED, grief, medical discussions, anxiety tells, coping mechanisms, anger, disappointment, hiding from grief, emotionally and mentally. If I miss any warnings, please let me know.
AO3 Link   |   Words: 1,171   |   PREVIOUS - -> NEXT
Gym Membership Master List  |   Main Master List
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Crosshair took a deep breath before he began telling Tech, the story that was him and Avery.
Tech sat and listened patiently as Crosshair explained what happened to Avery. 
How they met. 
The first time she’d been  injured with his unit, Cross smirked as his forefinger and thumb rubbed back and forth, still remembering the gunshot wound on her arm, it was more of a graze, really. Whatever Layla had to say about it. 
Their first date. 
The moment he realized he wanted to marry her. It hadn’t been a particularly special day or moment even. It was just after she’d been rescued from being held captive for all of an hour, by insurgents who believed she was working for the CIA, where they got that information no one knew or understood. Thankfully, she only had minor scrapes and bruises. He remembered just lying beside her, watching her sleep as she curled into his side with a soft smile donning her face. He’d gently brushed her hair back from her face, and in that moment, he knew. 
He realized he needed her in his life. He wanted to wake up every day to her face and fall asleep every night with the weight of her in his arms. To feel her breath, against his skin knowing she was safe and sound. 
Then he explained how those eight months as her boyfriend turned into the most amazing eight months he ever experienced. He’d been happier and more at peace than ever before. 
Crosshair smiled as he recounted their wedding, a quick ceremony they decided to do via the internet. Within 24 hours of putting in their request with Courtly, they had an officiant and two witnesses provided by Courtly, all in all for just under 1500 dollars, they were married on base in the privacy of Avery’s bunk. It worked for them. It was particularly romantic, but they had a few days together at least. 
His tone took on a more solemn tone as Crosshair explained how Avery sustained her final injury. How her convoy went over an IED, and took out her entire unit. She’d been the sole survivour.
Tech listened with rapt attention, as Crosshair explained the moment he received the notification, the fear that gripped him when he saw her lying on the medical cot. A fear he never experienced before and never wanted to feel again. 
Tech, watched as his older brother, was holding back the emotional turmoil he buried for who knows how long.
His mouth gaped open in surprise when Crosshair finally told him the length of their marriage had only been two months before he lost his wife … his best friend to a coma she’d never wake up from. He listened as Cross went into detail about Avery’s final days, leading up to their present situation. 
Tech leaned forward, his leg bouncing up and down as his mind reeled over all the information he just learned, his hand clasped in front of him, as his elbows rested on his knees. 
His eyes carefully took in Crosshair’s demeanour, he noticed how his nails were filed down to the skin. It was a coping mechanism Cross developed during his sniper training, something Tech hadn’t seen his older brother do for a very long time. His eyes shifted to Crosshair’s face and noticed the dark circles under his eyes, from lack of sleep and the stress he was clearly under. He looked exhausted, tired, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. For the first time, Tech actually saw how much Crosshair had truly been carrying on his shoulders.  
“I know you’re angry with me. You can just say it.”
Tech let out a sigh, “Do you really think that’s what I’m feeling right now?” 
Cross simply shrugged in response. 
“I … I am feeling so many things right now…” he nodded as he listened to Tech, “Anger is one of them. I won’t lie and say that I’m not angry, however…” Tech stood from his seat and began pacing, “I am more disappointed that you felt and believed you couldn’t come and talk to us. Even if you didn’t want to talk to me, Hunter would’ve understood.”
He huffed in disappointment, “Do you honestly believe what Hunter lost and what I lost are on the same level? Hunter had years with Heather. They had a child. They … they had a life together.” Cross shook his head, “We didn’t have that, we had … barely two years before I lost her … she may have died just a few weeks ago …”
Tech shook his head, cutting Crosshair off, “He still would’ve understood. I would’ve understood.”
“It’s different for you, though”
“Why?”
“Because you and Kamarie … you had …she was your soulmate.”
Tech stopped pacing and turned to look at Crosshair, tilting his head, “You saying Avery wasn’t yours?”
Crosshair sighed in frustration, “That’s not …” he rubbed his eyes fighting back the tears and pain his heart was coursing through his system, “She … we…” He let out a shaky breath, “She was my best friend … she … she was … my world changed the day I met her.”
Tech took his seat on the couch again, as he looked at Crosshair, “I know how that feels…” Tech cleared his throat, “Kamarie … ahem! Kamarie had this way of … turning my world on its axis.”
Cross chuckled, “Yeah she did. Avery had this way of  - - bringing light into my life. Always … surprised me.”
Tech took in a deep breath, “Cross, I need to ask, did you feel we couldn’t support you? Is that why you didn’t tell anyone? Were you ashamed of us?”
Cross looked at Tech, narrowing his eyes, “Why haven’t you gone home?” He chewed on his cheek, as he began to answer his own question, “Sometimes vod’ika it’s just easier to hide… to avoid the pain … Not telling you guys … made it seem not real. That she wasn’t lying on a bed in the Veteran’s Hospital, day in, day out with no sign of waking up or improvement. It was easier to believe, I was still a single guy, out every night having fun, sleeping around, and not with a wife, I’d never be able to speak to again.”
He nodded in agreement, “I understand. However, you realize, you need to tell the family.”
Crosshair pinched his nose, “I know, I just don’t think I can actually say the words.”
“Consider this restitution for allowing me to hide here for the past six months” Tech pulled out his phone, and sent off a quick text message, several pings came back a few minutes later, “They’ll all be here in an hour. I do believe it’s about time we both stop hiding.”
Crosshair nodded, “Does that mean you’ll be moving out?”
“I’ll stay for a few more weeks to help you out. Plus …” Tech handed Crosshair back his datapad, as he looked at the headstones, “I like option three. From what you told me, it’s more her.”
AO3 Link   |   Words: 1,171   |   PREVIOUS - -> NEXT
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@justanothersadperson93​ @liadamerondjarin​ @badbatch-simp24​ @spicymcnuggies​ @lady-ren​ @firstofficerwiggles​ @darkangel4121​ @discofern​ @kavecika​ @monako-jinn-stories​ @ladykatakuri​ @avathebestx​ @theroguesully​ @furyhellfire66​ @carodealmeida​ @ciramaris​ @sprout-fics​ @twinkofthedink​ @dindjarin-mandalorian​ @clonethirstingisreal @crosshair-is-the-superior-clone @totallyunidentified @griffedeloup
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mr-areyoustupid · 10 months
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au related stuff
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ravenesse · 4 months
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HP Career Fair 2023 - 🏋️‍♀️
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Title: Let's Get Physical
Summary:
Draco never thought that having Harry Potter as his new personal trainer would be the thing that drives him mad.
Yet here he is, at the gym, definitely not drooling over Potter’s tits.
READ ON AO3 ✨✨✨✨✨
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illustriousseu · 7 months
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There’s 5 euro off of this product! Buy it now
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osplague · 1 year
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Kept staring at these two guys at the gym trying to figure out if they're gay
Reynauld/Dismas DD gym AU
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rmd-writes · 1 year
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I gotta handle you just right
(Part 3 of the Tarlos gym au)
This was supposed to be a quick, smutty, <5k installment to this series. Instead, as so often happens, the characters had other ideas; so what you’re getting is a ~10k smutty installment to this series, in which the boys finally make it out of the gym.
Thank you @welcometololaland @celeritas2997 and @howtosingit for your help and support with this one 💖
TK inhales sharply when he sees the photo and rushes to get off the couch, shoving Nancy’s legs off him as she complains, because he definitely cannot be looking at that photo with Nancy looking over his shoulder.
“Rude much?” Nancy looks at him and then rolls her eyes. “You know what? I don’t even want to know. Go be gross somewhere else.”
TK pokes his tongue out at her and gets up off the couch, heading for his room.
In the safety of his bedroom with his door locked, standing with his back pressed against the door, he looks at the photo from Carlos again, his mind a tangle of thoughts. The first is that the photo is taken from an angle that TK is very familiar with, and the view of Carlos’ torso looking up towards his face is spectacular.
Read on ao3
PS. The Instagram DMs are scrollable, make sure you see the entire message!
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iwishyouwouldstop · 8 months
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Scent of a Woman updated!
I have added a second chapter to what was supposed to be a one shot. Read Uno Reverse here.
Anthony's been the archer, now he's the prey. Expect that to continue in the third and final chapter 👀
Anyone else enjoy Anthony being utterly confused and dumbfounded by Kate?
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the-best-kung-fu · 11 months
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LAST CHAPTER OF “HEAVEN’S ON FIRE” IS UP!!!! 🍒⭐️ 🇺🇸 English version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46057486/chapters/117668695… Versão 🇧🇷 PT-BR: https://spiritfanfiction.com/historia/heavens-on-fire-24761126/capitulo5… THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING THIS STORY! 💚💜💚💜💚💜
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writinggoesgreen · 6 months
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any story where you have an excuse to make everyone strong as hell and very sweaty is perfect to me. here are some quick inspo ideas for my most beloved au type.
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commercial chain gyms have a pretty standard array of equipment (cardio machines like treadmills, rowing machines), resistance machines, mats, and free weights, and will usually focus on having a lot of machines to sustain a larger, diverse clientele. they also probably run a pretty diverse selection of classes. they may also have callisthenics and body weight training areas.
body building gyms usually look pretty different to commercial gyms - they might be smaller, and a little less shiny, for some reason. as a specialist gym, they tend to be a little smaller in terms of number of stations available. if they're targeted towards strong man competition style working out, you might even have crazy things like huge truck tires to hit with a hammer or throw around. i went to one once that had a busted fiat 500 for people to lift. i dunno. go wild.
boxing/martial arts gyms will vary depending on what martial art they are teaching. they may also teach a variety, or just one kind, depending on the trainers. a boxing gym might have punch bags and a ring, but somewhere that teaches jiu jitsu, which fights on mats, probably wont have a roped ring. there might be some overlap in what is taught (muay thai, kickboxing, and mma have similar skillsets, for example) so they might run different sessions for each. a lot of places run kids and women's classes, too. if you aren't a practitioner of the martial art you're writing, doublecheck things like if they are graded, if there is often a sparring element to training, or if there is a specific uniform, as these things vary massively.
i have never been to a women's only gym but they function pretty similarly to most standard gyms, with the general equipment you would expect. it's only really the people using it that seperates it.
yoga studios can be very small, or very big. they will usually have soft floors and mats, as well as things like yoga blocks, straps, and balls. if they also teach pilates, there might also be some pilates machines. there might also be seperate rooms, for different classes, or meditation spaces.
similarly, dance studios can be any size, and like martial arts gyms, can specialise in a single style, or multiple. maybe it's run by a single dancer who only teaches tap, or maybe there are a few instructors who teach a variety of styles. what it looks like will vary massively depending on that.
swimming pools will usually have... a body of water. they may also a sauna, a shallow pool for kids, and depending on the pool, a play area. these also tend to run classes.
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here is a suggestion list of different classes a gym might run, sorted into categories. these have been pulled from as diverse a group of gyms as i could find in my area, for a more realistic selection:
cardio: body combat, spin, zumba, circuits, body conditioning, bootcamp, HIIT. strength: learn to lift, absolute abs, kettlebells, upper body blast. dance: here is a school in london with a huge variety of dance classes for inspo. martial arts: self defense, boxing for fitness. i wont list every kind of martial arts here because it's pointless, so here is the wiki page for it. note: some of these are closed cultural practices, and would not likely be taught outside of where they are traditionally practiced. misc: personal training.
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after moving to a new city, character a joins a gym class at random in a desperate attempt to make some new friends.
character a starts a new job at a local gym as a personal trainer, and isn't counting on the yoga instructor being quite so... flexible.
after an injury, character a starts doing some physio work at the gym. character b is in charge of their recovery.
character a takes their kid to a swimming class every week, where character b is the instructor taking the class.
despite knowing what a cliche it is, character a develops a humiliating crush on their personal trainer. it can't be helped - character b seems to exclusively wear obscenely tight t-shirts to work.
character a is a lifeguard at the pool where character b swims every morning, and quickly becomes a very strong motivation to getting up at 5am every day.
character a works at a family-run gym, and their bumbling crush on one of the regulars, character b, is becoming increasingly difficult to hide from their nosy siblings.
working on entering their first competition, character a works with character b in some one-to-one sessions, only to find them sitting in the front row come competition day.
character a returns to training after an injury in their last fight shattered their confidence. character b, their coach, helps them get back on their feet.
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The Gym Membership - Part 31 (Crosshair)
Summary: Layla tries to make amends
A/N: Hello Lovelies,
Thank you all for joining in on the 450 Follower celebration, so far it's been really well received. Which surprised me and really touched my heart. The celebration is still going, until April 2nd or until all the prompts have been used at least once. Anyway, I'm back to posting, and working on new fics and materials. Enjoy.
Love oo
Italics - inner thoughts
Warnings: Guilt, apologies, irritations, making amends. If I miss any warnings, please let me know.
AO3 Link   |   Words: 1,171   |   PREVIOUS - -> NEXT
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Waves of guilt hit me as he grabbed his cup and walked out, I closed my eyes trying to calm my racing heart. There were so many things I needed to apologize for; I’d been meaning to call him for a long time and arrange a time for us to sit down and talk. 
Even the girls really were trying to encourage me to lift up the phone and dial, Mel kept trying to tell me he wasn’t as scary as he appeared, and he’d even be more understanding than I expected. Which was true, something I realized the day we lost Avery, and realized how wrong I was about him.
Come on Layla, you gonna be a coward again and let your own guilty conscience beat you down? I grabbed my cup and rushed out after him. 
“Crosshair, wait!” I called out to him rushing after him towards the parking lot. Of course, as always when you’re in a hurry, that’s when everyone in the tri-state area feels it’s important to drive right in front of me. Through the myriads of cars, I could see him walking further away, I needed to apologize for my own piece of mind. I wanted us to be on better terms. 
“Crosshair!” 
I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping my voice would carry over the cars driving past, God! Why were there so many cars all of sudden! I watched as he stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at me, a quizzical expression on his face. 
He’d arrived at his car, when he heard his name being called, he turned to see Layla jittering in her spot, waiting for the opportune moment to cross the street. He covered his mouth by taking a sip of his coffee, as a small chuckle escaped his lips. She really reminded him of a squirrel, the way she kept looking ready to cross the street and then holding back. Eventually, after moments of negotiating she managed to run across and catch up with him.
“I’m glad you waited” my words came out rather quickly, I wasn’t one for running, and I’d been out of my workout routine for several months now, but jogging across the street should not have caused me to run out of air that much. Lord, I needed to hit the gym again. 
“What’s up, Layla?” It’s not that he minded her really, it’s just his bad mood from that morning was still lingering, and the last thing he wanted to do was say the wrong thing, because he was irritated. 
“Right. Straight to the point. I …” I let out a chuckled sigh, my heart felt like it was going to pound its way right out of my chest. Okay, I get it. I gotta hit the gym, just calm down. I tried to tell my heart, and my nerves that seemed to be jumping out of their own accord, “I wanted to apologize to you.”
Cross shook his head as a smirk appeared on his lips, “Layla, you already got me the ice and a new cup of coffee, it’s all good.” He turned to open his car door when her hand slammed against the door. 
“No. I owe you a real apology for … for everything!” I looked into his eyes, hoping he could feel my sincerity. 
He leaned against his car, his hand carding through his hair, “Layla, what the hell are you talking about?”
I stepped closer to him, “For everything. For the way I treated you from the first day I met you, to every time I cursed you in my head. I know …” I cleared my throat as it started to tighten, “I knew it was never your fault with regards to what happened to Avery. None of it was your fault. I …” I rubbed my forehead, my well planned and thought out apology was quickly falling apart in front of me, “what I’m trying to say, is that I am incredibly sorry about everything. About how I treated you, how I made you feel, and about everything I’ve ever said to you. I know you loved my sister, that was very evident. I also know you were grieving and trying to deal with everything in your own way, I just … I never stopped to think about how you were feeling. I’m sorry.”
He leaned further against his car, he didn’t say anything as he let her words sink in, well if they were going to be doing apologies … he rubbed the back of his neck, tilting it from side to side hoping to uncurl the kink there. “Listen, you’re not the only one who should be offering an apology. I’m ….I’m sorry too. I was cold, distant and annoyed with you, partly because you weren’t her, partly because Avery was lying there, but mostly because I … I didn’t deserve to be there.”
“What! Of course, you did. You were her husband, you guys loved each other.”
“No. We … we may have loved each other as best friends, I mean I was always happy to see her, to talk to her, to touch her and feel her, but she deserved better than me. I think if she hadn’t been injured once we got back State-side we … we probably would’ve been divorced by now. Still on talking terms, maybe the occasional bed buddies, but not married. I didn’t deserve to be the one by her side, she deserved a better man.”
“Cross, did you make her happy? While she was alive, did you make her happy?”
“I tried my best to.”
“Then you are exactly the man she deserved. Even if you didn’t think you deserved to be there, she believed that you did.” 
I let out a sigh as I leaned against the car beside him, “I never told you, but she was excited to introduce you to me, she couldn’t wait to tell me all about this amazing sniper she was seeing.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought back to Avery, “Truth is, I was angry with you because you got to spend more time with her. Especially her last days. All my interactions with her, especially the last several months, were either letters, phone calls or emails. Even if she was going to be back State-side, she wouldn’t be by my side 24/7, she would’ve gone to see her friends, you … it’s just … our last conversation wasn’t much of a conversation. Not to mention, I kind of yelled at her.”
The warmth from the coffee eased the tension in my shoulders and heart as I took a look sip, “Listen Cross, at the end of the day we both loved her, and who knows maybe you’re right.” I shrugged, “Maybe you guys would’ve gotten divorced when you spent more time together in a more ‘normal-ish’ surrounding, but you were there when she needed you, and I’m glad you made her happy while you could.”
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