Work Text:
A newly opened gym was conveniently located only a few blocks away from Sou Otogiri’s apartment.
It was a temptation for any person in their 30s; a sign for a healthier and better change of lifestyle. For Otogiri, it was the exact opportunity he had been looking for a while. He was in his 30’s, constantly working as a full time high school math teacher, and always sitting on his ass either grading paperwork, or creating quizzes and exams his students couldn’t care less about. Every time he passed the location, he eyed it with interest before speedwalking to his apartment because there were papers that needed to be graded.
He kept telling himself he’d check it out once he had the time, but the few blocks of free time he had he used it to lounge around his apartment, drinking a cold can of beer while watching a horribly made comedy show. He much rather preferred being in the comfort of his home doing nothing than exercising.
On an unfortunate sunny and beautiful Thursday afternoon, he was given a warning from the universe.
He was climbing the stairs to his apartment after a long day of working at the staff room, and once he reached the top of the staircase, a sharp pain starting from his lower back ran down his legs to his toes then back, causing him to fall on his knees. He tried to get up, but he couldn’t move. He panicked, and if it wasn’t for his kind elderly neighbor, he would have spiralled into a panic attack.
She gave him a few painkillers and helped him to his feet. She pressed a warm soaked cloth on his lower back and told him to see a doctor as soon as he could move. Of course, being an adult with bills to pay, he couldn’t afford to take a day off. He continued on with his life, but the memory of what happened lingered at the back of his mind.
Then on another beautiful day, as he made his way to his class on the second floor, the sharp pain returned, and there was no elderly neighbour to help him on his feet when he fell. Instead, it was several of his co-workers, and everyone watched as they helped him to his car. It was the sheer embarrassment that finally motivated him to go see the doctor.
He wasn’t expecting the doctor to tell him that a nerve was being pinched by some of his hip bones, and it's caused by a lack of movement and stretching. He was advised to start working out or, at least, moving his body so another episode wouldn’t happen at the most inconvenient of times.
The idea of ignoring the doctor’s suggestion crossed his mind until he was reminded of all the stares that were on him when he fell in school.
He wasn’t about to have that happen again.
Finally, after nearly a year since the gym opened, Otogiri bought a membership.
He didn’t know what to do, and he went for the default treadmill. After twenty minutes, he had to stop. He was caught off guard by how out of breath he was. He was always a fit guy ever since high school, and he was able to do all the workouts his PE teacher ordered without so much as breaking a sweat. He supposed he had unintentionally relied on that specific aspect of his youth and carried it well into his adulthood. When he got home, he took the time to really look at his reflection.
He had dark circles under his eyes, exhaustion clear as day, and his hair didn’t look as well maintained as he would have liked. His jaw was fuller than before, and he had enough of a belly he could grip.
Well, shit.
He forced himself to keep going back to the gym, if not for his back then for the horrible reality check that he’s no longer a teenager, but a grown adult who needed some exercising in his life.
The second time he went to the gym, he had a bit of research under his belt—that was to say, the treadmill was no longer the only option. Apparently, squats were great for his back, so he went to the weight racks. Unfortunately for him, there were many different ones to choose from, and as he continued staring at them, a large shadow loomed over him.
He turned and had to crane his neck to look at the man.
He was well over six feet, an intimidating look on his face, with short black hair. He had a white towel over his neck and was extremely sweaty, but above all else…
The man was super jacked.
From so up close, Otogiri could his bulging muscles, and the tanktop was wet with his sweat, practically glued to his skin showing off the eight pack abs underneath—not even a six pack! Was this man human?
The mysterious super jacked man grunted, and Otogiri, beyond flustered and caught off guard, stumbled to the side.
“Sorry, man,” he mumbled.
The stranger didn’t even acknowledge him. He simply grabbed the biggest and heaviest of weights then went to a corner and started to do some kind of insane squatting exercise.
Otogiri stared longer than what was considered appropriate, and once the stranger caught his gaze, he pivoted on his heel and went to the treadmill.
Maybe he should start with what he knew first.
‡
It’s been a few weeks since he started to go to the gym.
The treadmill became a safety net, and he always did a thirty minute walk or light jog before calling it a night. He tried to do the weightlift machines, or the dumbbells, but the mysterious and jacked man was always there. Otogiri wasn’t intimidated, no, but it was obvious the man knew what he was doing, and if he decided to workout at the same time as him then he would look like an idiot. He would like to keep his humiliation as low as possible, thanks.
The treadmill, however, was only able to do so much, and sharp pains on his lower back returned. Squatting, he knew, would help with stretching his lower body muscles. He decided that today he was going to try to do something with the weights.
The moment he arrived, he went straight to the weight racks and chose the lowest weights. He spread his legs and made sure as he squatted to bend his knees just right and keep his back straight.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes on him, and he glanced to the side to see the mysterious man staring right at him.
Great. Was he judging him? Probably. Maybe he was a trainer, and he was critiquing every single one of his squats.
Otogiri kept to himself, trying to ignore the heavy weight of the stare, but a shadow was looming over him soon enough. Once again, he had to crane his neck to look up at the man.
“Can I help you?” he asked, already breathing hard and sweating. He was only going about it for a solid five minutes!!
The man grunted, “Your stance is horrible.”
Otogiri gaped.
The man kept looking at him.
Finally, he huffed, “I already had a feeling, but thanks for letting me know.”
He looked away, making it known he didn’t want to talk anymore. Really, who was he to come up to him and call him out?
But the man didn’t move.
When Otogiri turned back to him to kindly let him know he wanted him to get lost, the mysterious man had a funny look on his face.
His lips were pressed together, his eyes narrowed, and the tips of his ears were red. He looked…constipated.
“Uh.” Otogiri suddenly felt bad. Maybe he was a little too harsh on the guy? “Are you okay?”
The man gave a jerked nod, turned, and walked away as if he was made of stone.
Otogiri watched him leave with a metaphorical question mark hovering over his head.
‡
He finally got into the habit of consistently going to the gym for three days out of the week. It was difficult to pull himself away from his paperwork, but he had to remind himself that he’d noticed a few major changes once he started working out. For one, his back wasn’t hurting as much. The pain was now tolerable, and sometimes he didn’t feel the zap going up and down his legs for weeks. Secondly, he was starting to get back into shape. He still had a bit of a belly, and his jaw was still soft, but there was an undeniable bit of muscle on his biceps, so he was going to take it as a win.
Thirdly…
The mysterious man was kind of entertaining. He didn’t mean it as an insult. Otogiri simply figured out that the stranger who looked absolutely terrifying was just awkward. The mysterious man always tried to talk to him and failed.
At getting anywhere, that is.
“The weights you’re using are too heavy for someone of your figure.” He was using 15 lb dumbbells.
“Your feet are positioned the wrong way.” He was just about to stretch.
“You should really consider going easy.” He was increasing the speed on the treadmill.
“Do you not know drinking all of your water before working out will only backfire?” He did not, in fact, know that, but now he did.
So far, it was all nitpicking on what he was doing, and Otogiri had every right to feel offended, but once he overlooked the way he said it—and what he said—then it was perfectly clear the man was only trying to give him tips on how to get better in working out but in the man’s weird way.
Then, just yesterday, the man came up to him, bowed, and said, “My name is Kaoru Niou.”
Otogiri, who was sitting on a bench and wiping his face with a towel, didn’t immediately answer. The giant of a man refused to move, so Otogiri was able to spot the glowing tips of his ears.
He smiled. “Sou Otogiri. Pleasure to meet you.”
‡
Niou came up to him while he was running on the treadmill.
“You’re running faster today.”
Otogiri laughed which caused him to nearly fall.
“Thanks for noticing,” he said and kept running.
Niou didn’t move or say anything else.
Clearly, the man was trying, but how could he be so horrible at simple conversation?
Taking pity on him, Otogiri lowered the speed until he was walking. “What kind of workouts do you do?” He gestured to the entirety of Niou. “I don’t want to get crazy muscles, but I want some kind of build.”
Niou sized him up with a calculative gaze. Otogiri knew he hadn’t dated in a very long time, but was it so long for him to get flustered and nervous under Niou’s stare?
“I can write something up for you,” he finally said, his voice deep and sincere.
Otogiri, deciding to be a little bold, smirked, “Are you suggesting private lessons?”
Niou frowned. “Private lessons are for paying customers.”
Otogiri had to stop the treadmill because he nearly fell over from shock and disbelief.
He stared at Niou as Niou continued to stare at him.
‘You have got to be kidding me,’ thought Otogiri.
“I don’t want to be a paying customer,” said Otogiri, unsure how he could recover the little flirt he tried, and failed, to do. He had students who were socially awkward, so he knew his way around a conversation that wasn’t easy to follow, but Niou was perhaps the most difficult encounter he ever had.
“Then we can’t have private lessons.”
“I didn’t mean actual private lessons.”
Niou’s face did a funny little thing. “What? Why did you ask for private lessons if you didn’t mean it?”
Otogiri got off the treadmill, wiped his face with a towel, and said, “Think about it. We’re two grown men, Niou. Why would I ask for private lessons?”
He waited until Niou’s face exploded in a dark red, and his jaw dropped.
Otogiri grinned and patted his shoulder. “Sorry, buddy, but the moment passed.” He walked to the exit and waved. “See ya tomorrow!”
Otogiri, well into the night while eating a cup of instant ramen and watching the news, chuckled when he thought back to Niou’s reaction.
“He’s something alright.”
‡
He was doing some chest reps when Niou appeared on his side.
He put the dumbbells on the floor and raised his arms for a long stretch. Before he could greet him, Niou bowed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t understand,” he said, and from his position, Otogiri could see his ears were red.
“It’s alright.” Otogiri took a sip of his water. “Maybe I should have been more up front,” he mumbled.
Niou stood up, and his eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.”
Otogiri shrugged. “Nothing.” He put away the dumbbells and came back. “So, what now?”
Niou frowned. “What do you mean?”
He gestured between them.
Oh, wait, it wouldn’t be enough for him to understand.
“Do you want to get to know each other?” he asked.
Niou swallowed and actually looked nervous. “Y-Yes.” He bowed again. “I would like to very much get to know you, Otogiri.”
“Why are you being so formal?” Otogiri chuckled and wiped his face with a towel. “Are you always like this?”
Niou stood up and nodded. He was obviously blushing.
“Ah,” Otogiri smiled, “it all makes sense now.”
Niou took out his phone and handed it to Otogiri. He ducked his head and said, “I will like your phone number.”
“Why are you so formal?” laughed Otogiri and took his phone to type in his number. “Seriously, man, you don’t look much older than me.”
“I’m 35.”
“Only one year older.” He handed the phone back to him. “I’m a teacher, so my free time is very limited.”
“I’ll make time for you,” said Niou, utterly sincere, and Otogiri couldn’t stop the blush spreading on his cheeks.
“Right,” he whispered. What was up with Niou? Was he secretly suave?
Once Niou pocketed his phone, he gestured to a bench. “I can spot you if you want.”
“Or,” Otogiri smirked, “we can go get some ramen. My treat.”
Niou smiled and, wow, he had a gorgeous smile.
“Alright.” As they left, Niou abruptly stopped. “You don’t care if we’re sweaty?”
Otogiri sniffed his shirt. “Do I smell bad?”
“It’s discouraged to wear the same clothes you worked out in for more than an hour because it can cause chaffing.” After a pause, Niou whispered, “You can get a rash…”
Otogiri slapped him on the back. “Oh, man, you really are unique!!” Then, he rubbed his shoulder. “How about this? We each go our separate ways, shower and change, then we meet up at the restaurant. I’ll send you the address.”
Niou quickly nodded, gave one more bow, then ran off.
Otogiri didn’t realize he was still smiling all the way back to his apartment until his elderly neighbor greeted him.
“Sou, you look lively!” She was cleaning a rug in the hallway. “I’m guessing the gym’s working out for you?”
Otogiri unlocked his door and flashed a wider smile, his cheeks hot, and his ears warm.
“Definitely.”