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Snorpington huffed and stretched his extraordinarily long legs, flexing the digits and claws. Sitting on the floor, dressed in a simple grey singlet with blue shorts, the yellow Grumpus momentarily contemplated what he was about to do.
Recently, he had been getting into the whole fitness and working out hobby mainly as a form of keeping his mind occupied with something besides his general engineering work and anxiety riddled thoughts, and to keep his body and mental health in good condition. Both for his benefit as well as to ease the worries from his beloved boyfriend.
Most days he mainly exercised within the safe, familiar environment that was his and Chandlo’s home. It had been four months since the harrowing exodus from Snaktooth island though in spite of the handful of negative aftershocks it left on all their psyches, Snorpy was at least able to come away with having learnt something. Though, that was just the natural cycle of life and of knowledge, you gained it through some experience be it positive, neutral, or negative.
Whilst the yellow Grumpus was more willing to be open about his troubles and anxieties, especially towards his lover, and to accept necessary help such a regular trips to a psychologist, he was still very wary of spending to much time in the outside world- hence why he preferred to work out indoors. Some days were easier than others, however Snorpy found more comfort when Chandlo was around (he realised that the dependency was both a boon and a hinderance, Chandlo could not always be there by his side as much as he hated to think on it).
Social anxiety, overall paranoia. You could not fix it or get rid of it; you could only manage it. Snorpington was taking small but gradual steps to feel comfortable in the outside world without having to look over his shoulder one to many times. Chandlo had been a blessing throughout his four-month journey -and promised to be there for the rest of the way- with gently reassurances and doting encouragements.
Snorpy blinked his violet eyes as fat, salty tears prickled along the corners of his vision. Even now he still got emotional just merely thinking about how good Chandlo was too him. Having such a loyal, loving, caring and supportive Grumpus for a boyfriend was almost like a dream to him. The thought of the shorter, muscular Grumpus making his heart skip a beat and for his gut to quiver and swirl like a flutter of butterflies.
He truly was a love-stricken fool.
Comfortably settled on the floor, fixing his front paws behind his skull, Snorpy laid down with his knees bent. Laying perfectly flat on his back was an uncomfortable position, especially for his tail but he could put up with a bit of discomfort for a while.
Sit-ups were something a bit new for Snorpy, generally he stuck to weight-lifting with some beginner dumbbells or a general jog with basic stretches among other forms, however Chandlo had advised he work on his core muscles and had suggested some simple sit-ups to start off with.
Alone in the house (Chandlo had gone out to run some errands earlier that day), Snorpy sucked in a breathe through his teeth and tusks and -whilst focusing on his abdomen- heaved his upper body up with quite some exertion. His hind paws lifting off the floorboards briefly whilst doing so.
Huffing and puffing, Snorpy laid back down in his initial position, already feeling a knot form along his lower back and shoulder blades where his muscles were repairing themselves from the new stretching. Allowing a short moment of respite, the engineer pulled himself back up for another go, a bit slower than before with a twinge of reluctance from his shoulder blade muscles.
A little discomfort was to be expected. He often found his body aching during and after some exercise any who so he was fully prepared to face some stiffness in his joints. However, during his third sit up a small spasm emitted from the nape of his neck and he groaned.
He was doing this right, wasn’t he?
Snorpy laid back down and squinted at the ceiling, as though it was the one at fault. Regaining his breathe and letting the throbbing discomfort dull enough though before he could continue, the door clicked open to signify the return of his partner. His attention was now thoroughly diverted to his beloved.
“Snorp-dawg! I’m back, bro”.
Tail wagging, the engineer properly sat up from the floor and glanced over to Chandlo, who quickly padded over to him. Both nuzzling their snouts to one another with calming, soft purrs in greeting. Whiskers tickling the other’s face.
“Whatchu doin’ on the floor, babe?”
Snorpy perked up with a grin. “Ah! Just some simple sit-ups, my beloved! You did tell me I had to tone my core muscles and I believe this basic warm up will help accomplish a task”.
Wanting to show his beloved what he had been doing, Snorpy laid back down onto the wooden floor and grunted as he forced his upper body back up, back paws once more lifting up from the floor before he fell back onto his back, huffing and looking up at his boyfriend.
Chandlo grinned with an amused twinkle in his gentle pink eyes. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to Snorpy’s cheek and reached over to press two hands to his knees.
“You have the right idea, bro but you need to adjust your form just a little bit more”, he instructed with a tender tone to his voice. “Your back paws need to stay rested on the floor, then you oughta use your core to pull yourself up, if you lead with your neck you will hurt yourself”.
“A-ah!”. Snorpy felt his skin beneath his yellow fur heat up. “That accounts for the twinge in the back of my neck and shoulders”, he murmured sheepishly. Flushing further when Chandlo chuckled and pecked him on the tip of his nose.
Despite the smile, there was a concerned glimmer in his eyes. “Does it still hurt, babe? Do you want to stop for a moment? I could ease the stiffness from you with a massage”.
Though the idea sounded heavenly, Snorpy was a stubborn grumpus and shook his head.
“I want to make it to ten sit-ups, the proper way. I can do this, just you watch my love!”.
As he corrected his positioning, mentally checking himself to remember to use his abdomen muscles to pull himself up as too save his neck more discomforting, excruciating pain, he felt fingers wrap themselves around both his calves. Peeking down, he was met with the toothy grin of his boyfriend.
“Figured I should give you a helping paw, Snorp-dawg!”
With a grateful smile and a light flutter in his chest, Snorpington took a deep breath. Using his core muscles was easier said than done but with the encouragement from Chandlo and his guidance, Snorpy found that his neck and shoulders were not strained or shooting with pain. The pressure and focus on his abdomen was still uncomfortable but more manageable then having to deal with a sore neck.
Still, he was successful in completing nine sit-ups the proper way, under the careful watch of Chandlo who gently cheered him on and motivated him to keep going. His heart swelled with every word of encouragement, mind reeling as to how he had landed such the sweetest Grump to be his boyfriend.
As he leaned forward for the final time, his end goal within sight and just in grasp, he sat up and was met with a gentle kiss on the lips and a deep, rumbling purr from the green Grumpus before him. Chandlo’s bushy tail calmly wagging from side to side in stark contrast to the frantic, ecstatic wagging from Snorpy’s. Chandlo leaned back and smiled, admiring the flustered look and utterings from his partner and the gleeful, bashful glint in those gorgeous, love-struck dilated eyes. He would never get over just how adorable Snorpy was when shown any form of loving affection.
Good thing he was always happy to supply.
“You did amazing, babe! I am so proud of you, never doubted you for a second”, Chandlo cheered and pecked Snorpy on the lips once again, earning a soft coo from the engineer. Wrapping his arms around his partner’s waist, he helped Snorpy up to stand, supporting him on his wobbly legs as he was still quite prone to doing when flustered. Grinning as Snorpy flapped his arms and ran his fingers through the fur on his chubby cheeks and into his ginger locks.
Chandlo led his boyfriend to the nearby couch, settling them both down and letting Snorpy rest half in his lap, gently raking his claws up and down his back, eliciting chirps from the yellow Grump. “I really am proud of you for getting into exercising more frequently, babe, you are doing so well and progressing just as much".
Snorpy chirred and rested his head on Chandlo’s muscular shoulder, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent and feeling protected, safe. Blunt claws playing with the fabric of Chandlo’s shirt idly as he soaked in the praise.
“Well, I would not have gotten this far nor been motivated to continue if I did not have such a wonderful boyfriend by my side to support me through this endeavour, I really cannot thank you enough for…for just being here with me, Chandlo…you mean the world to me”. Snorpy leaned forward and gently licked the side of Chandlo’s muzzle.
“And you are my everything, Snorp-dawg but don’t deny how much of this is also through your sheer strength and fortitude, you really are unstoppable when you put your mind to it, bro and I admire that about you”.
With a deep blush, Snorpy hugged Chandlo tighter and smiled from ear to ear. Listening to the deep rumble of Chandlo’s purrs that vibrated throughout his own body, a comforting sensation that lulled him into ease, especially during times of high anxiety and worry. Though right now there was no need for worries or panic, for everything felt okay.
Everything always felt okay in the arms of his boyfriend.
The rest of the evening was spent like this, enjoying one another’s company. Quiet chatting and shared laughs and jokes, cuddling and relaxing as they usually did at the end of the day. The atmosphere was perfect. Life was perfect.
Neither would trade this moment for anything.