Ryley Palfi i is a true fucking gym bro!!Weed + preworkout = AMAZING workout! Love how goofy he can be with his skinny bro, Reese. Also how Ryley trains him to get like his big bro!!!
As you opened the passenger door and stepped out of Jongdae’s car, you were immediately assaulted by the bright mid-afternoon sun. It’s rays beat down upon your head as you shut your own door and opened the back one; snatching your yoga mat from the child seat where it rested. Where were the clouds and rain when you needed them? Surely Mother Nature took your moods into account when deciding the weather? Obviously today she was slacking.
Scowling at Jongdae as he grabbed his own workout bag, your frown deepened when your visual displeasure only served to make him laugh. “I was perfectly fine working out at home, Dae. More than fine even. At home there aren’t any people to see me sweat. At home there aren’t creeps to stare. At home I’m not courting sun poisoning walking in this infernal heat. At home mmkfflk…"
Jondae’s hand over your mouth muffled any further arguments, the slight pressure as familiar to you as the sound of your name. So too was the feel of his skin under your teeth as you bit down on his palm. "Enough. Enough! Why are you like this? Ugh. I swear Eomma must have dropped you once or twice as a baby."
Sharp satisfaction flushed through you as Jongdae stole back the offending appendage and proceeded to wipe your spit off his hand. "Probably. But what’s that got to do with you dragging me out of a perfectly lovely apartment. At the ungodly hour of sunshine o'clock.”
“A little vitamin D would do you good. Besides, when do we ever get to just hang out anymore?"
"I’m not the one clinging like a sloth to Aeri, so you tell me.” You cracked a grin at the way Jongdae’s face lit up at the mention of his wife. As much as you ribbed him about being whipped, you could only hope that eventually you’d find someone that loved you the way Jongdae loved his wife. “Oh wait, sorry. I meant rabbits."
"Yah! Menace.” Staggering a bit under the light shove Dae gave you, you started walking in the direction he pointed towards. Finding parking was always a brutal task this time of day, but fortunately you only had a block or so to go. You might have committed murder if Jongdae had made you walk further. Aeri could do better anyway and you lacked no compunctions in telling that to Dae.
“Quit whining. We’re literally like 5 feet away. The big bad sun can’t hurt you any longer."
"Says you. Oh! I just had a great idea. Let’s go back to my place and watch movies. I’ll make food. You can eat and take the leftovers back to Aeri and the kids and neither of us will have to work out. Ever. We’ll all grow old and fat like hounds."
You had stopped in your walk, lightly tugging on Jongdae’s arm in the direction of the car but he was implacable, hooking an arm around your shoulders and almost dragging you along behind him the last few feet. Swinging open the door of the gym he ushered you over the threshold and into blessed air conditioning. That at least provided a silver lining, even if the handful of occupants looked up and over at your entrance.
You hated the spotlight and it seemed as if Dae was determined to make you suffer if the round of introductions was any indication. His gym buddies were all nice enough, though Baekhyun…was that his name? Baekhyun seemed a little over-excited at the prospect of a fresh face. And why was Minseok promising to keep him out of the locker rooms while you changed? It felt like some inside joke you were missing out on. Though you’d gladly deal with a little bit of awkwardness if it meant being able to gorge on such eye candy. Why were all of Dae’s male friends so attractive and why had he never introduced you before today? You’d be grilling him later, that was for certain….once you’d recovered from the amount of muscles on display; whoever had invented tank-tops deserved to reach elysium.
"Come on, I had them save the corner for you, you should be out of Yixing’s way over there. You can do your yoga to warm up, but you are getting on a few of the machines today."
"Must I?" Grumbling under your breath you set up your mat and went and changed. By the time you returned to the main room, most everyone was back to their workouts. Baekhyun was on some sort of resistance machine with Minseok spotting him and Jongdae had migrated towards…Chanhyun. No. Chanyeol. Dae was with Chanyeol by the free weights. That meant the man practicing boxing off to the side was Yixing.
You couldn’t help but gawk the tiniest bit. His movements were tight and controlled, dodging and striking as if the punching bag was a real person. Every action played out on the bare expanse of his back, the light sheen of exertion serving to highlight the pull and stretch of lean muscle. Determinedly you pulled your gaze away from the appealing sight and settled into your own workout.
From the Wheel to the Extended Puppy to the Bird Dog and all the ones between, you flowed, contouring yourself into the shapes and poses with ease. Holding them for any length of time was a strain, but you figured that was the whole point. Concentrating on making your transitions as smooth as possible, you ignored the sounds of the machines and the group, blocking out everything except the rhythmic sound of Yixing’s fists against the punching bag. It was strangely soothing.
Every once in a while you’d feel someone’s eyes on you. You were getting curious glances from Baekhyun and Minseok; likely wondering about your routine. Judging by the measuring looks Chanyeol and Jongdae were throwing your way, paired with the pointing and gesturing between sets, you were fairly certain they were planning your ultimate demise. Even Yixing broke his intense focus occasionally to gaze in your direction. It’d be a lie if you said his eyes didn’t make you feel warmer than your workout did.
Before long you were finishing your usual set, sweeping your leg from the dancer’s pose and into the Tree pose. It wasn’t a traditional ending pose but it was your favorite and so you always ended with it. You held still, arms raised above your head and your eyes closed against the world, a low grade ache suffusing your limbs the longer you stood there. It was only a gentle poke in your side that had you regrettably facing the unpleasant prospect of actually having to exercise.
"Are you planning on playing statue the rest of the day?”
“I mean. I could. Princess Hwangok maybe? I’d make a mean mermaid. It’s a better option than whatever torment you have planned for me Dae."
"Chanyeol and I discussed it and we’re gonna start you off with the leg adduction machine.” Said machine looked like it spawned from the unholy union of a gynecological table and a torture device; it was a smidgen more comfortable to sit in than either of its progenitors though. However you did feel exposed everytime your legs swung out; especially whenever your eyes locked with Yixing’s across the room. The glittering intensity he regarded you with had you contemplating dark rooms and sweat soaked skin; not exactly conducive to proper form.
It was almost a relief when Jongdae had you switch machines.
You were working on the lateral pulldown when Jongdae’s phone rang. After a terse conversation, he looked at you apologetically, “I’m sorry, I gotta go. Aeri says the girls started getting sick and she needs me to pick up some medicine.”
“Okay just let me grab my stuff and we can head out."
"No no. It’s fine. You should stay. You need to do a cool down before you leave anyway.” Turning to Chanyeol, he asked, “Can you run her home when she’s finished?”
“Dae. I’m a grown adult. I know how to navigate the bus system. The trains too for that matter.”
The look of affronted-ness on Jongdae’s face would have been comical had the situation been different. “There are perverts out there. Chanyeol can take you home."
"And again. I’m a big girl. I can handle a pervert or two."
"I’ll do it. Chanyeol had plans for after here anyways.” Yixing’s voice broke through the contest of wills you were embroiled in. “Go ahead and get going, I’ll take care of our girl here. You go take care of your daughters and Aeri."
You waited until Jongdae had rushed out the door before grabbing your bag and heading to the locker room. "Gimme ten minutes.”
“Take your time, the market will still be open by the time you shower. I know a good one close to here we can go to.”
“The ma…how did you know I planned to go to the market after you drop me off?” You were confused as to how Yixing was able to guess your intentions. It wasn’t as if you had spoken with him before this.
“Jongdae talks about you often." He said with a shrug. "He says you stress cook. And your goddaughters are ill. It’s easy to put two and two together.” The simple reply startled you with its deeper meaning. Jongdae may have sung your praises, but Yixing had listened. Really listened. Enough to be able to extrapolate how you’d think at least.
You’d think about the implications later, later when you had soup on to simmer. Right now you had a shower to take and shopping to do. And possibly an invitation to dinner to extend. Later.
I freaking love this and thought about it the entire time I was at the gym tonight. Thankfully didn’t accidentally drop the dumbbell on my foot from giggling to myself.
