Reverie
"... Nineteen... twenty... twenty-one... twenty-two..."
Each languid count was met with a deep inhale, and the following with a calm, controlled exhale. Two brawny arms pressed a steel weight bar loaded with one hundred pounds of weights upwards, and held for a moment before bringing it down, and repeating in perfect form. Each press upwards matched amount of force as the one before it, the body yet to be effected in the slightest by the massive weights.
Two paws, attached to thinner arms, rested just under the bar and provided not only the spot for each lift, but each drowsily spoken number for the body underneath. Two cerulean eyes were fixed on an ancient plastic clock that hung from a rusted nail in the wall, the mind focused on each passing second as the mouth counted off each repetition. The weary eyes watched sixty full seconds pass by, noticing how one whole extra second could be fit within each movement of the clock's second hand. His attention flickered to the minute hand as it lurched forward to the worn-out nine, and his brain instantly registered it had just turned nine forty-five in the evening.
"You gonna be much longer?" the red fox asked, his cerulean eyes dropping down to the figure below him.
"Yeah, probably." A Japanese Akita answered back, without breaking the pristine repetition of lifts.
The fox dropped his arms from the bar with a sigh as his two legs carried him away from the canine.
"I'm gonna shower and hit the hot tub." He said, clearly exhausted,
"Don't die."
He looked over his shoulder to see his absence, as expected, made no difference in the canine's routine, and unhurriedly walked through the nearly empty gym without any worry whatsoever over his friend's safety. While slightly cruel at first thought, the fox knew his presence in regard to his friend's safety was completely irrelevant. As he made his way to the back of gym, he noticed the few furs that were also taking advantage of the common late night attendance. He could not deny it was the ideal time to work out, but knew few could afford to be working out at such an hour with expectations to get a decent night's rest.
As his black and crimson-striped shoes touched the tiled flooring of the locker room the fox stripped off his sweaty gray tee shirt, and tossed it over his shoulder as he entered the lane that branched off into rows and rows of lockers. He walked past three rows of the towering metallic containers before turning, and taking a seat on the smooth wooden bench that ran down to the end of the row, where a mirror the height of the wall provided him with a reflection of his ragged self. His black-sleeved paw sluggishly opened the locker, and tugged out a ruby and black medium-sized sports bag from within, allowing it to drop the few inches from the bottom of the locker to the ground. The top was already unzipped, and the fox dropped the gray shirt into the container before bending down to undo the laces of his shoes. He pulled off each shoe, dropping them both into the bag. Simple white socks followed within and, grudgingly, the fox stood. His muscles ached wildly as he rose, already accustomed to minor comfort of sitting after just two minutes. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he rose to his full height, and took a breath before slipping off his cobalt mesh shorts and black boxer briefs in one painful, slow motion.
His cerulean eyes caught his nude reflection, something he preferred not to look at. His coarse scarlet and jet-black fur covered his body, and mildly muscled shoulders sat atop an agonizingly undefined chest, which led to his legs, which while taught with muscle, showed little to no definition. By no means unattractive to most standards, this criticizing self-perception was not out of mental disarray, but simply the disheartening reflection of how many hours he had spent in the gym with such minimal results. Even after increasing his weekly hours, the body that stared back at him looked almost identical to the one of three months ago. He agitatedly sighed before turning away.
He dropped his shorts and underwear into the bag and dug out a large white towel, slinging it over his shoulder as he dragged the bag into the locker, not bothering to shut the metallic grate door as he walked back down the main aisle, turning right into room tiled with a distinctively different type of tile. To his left was a row of seven shower stalls, and to his right, an area with a few plastic lounge chairs before a massive, steaming hot tub. His muscles ached longingly with a simple glance, knowing only he would soon be within the soothing waters was what pushed him into the nearest shower stall, leaving his towel on the hook outside the door.
The warm water burst forth from the slightly rusted silver faucet not long thereafter, forcing an audible gasp from the fox as he allowed the water to soak him entirely. He was only able to stand for a few moments before he eased his weight to one side; leaning a sore shoulder against the tiled wall in an attempt to conserve what little strength he had left. His thoughts fell to why he had been pushing himself so hard- when there was absolutely no need to. What started as an entertaining way to spend time with one of his closest friends had become a never-ending, increasing workout regimen as the Akita dedicated more and more time to his Judo studies.
He recalled each time he tried to cut his own routine short, only to be met with every guilt trip in the book in order to keep him present. However, this device was little to blame in comparison to the true problem- the fox's growing attraction to the Akita. The thought of these feelings sent a despicable shiver though his entire body. Such romantic feelings were beyond dreadful, to have such an attraction for one's dear friend.
And "dear friend" only scratched the depth of the relationship; together since the tender ages of their youth, the two were essentially raised together. They played together, ate together, went to school together, a gem among friendships, and compared closer to a relationship shared between brothers than that of friends.
The fox even recalled coming out to his friend, and after trembling with nervousness, being fronted with nothing but unconditional love and support. The feelings back then all stemmed from the appreciation for such an amazing friend, and were now longing to have the relationship taken to an impossible level.
A jerk of the black paw abruptly stopped the cascading water, and attempting to flush his thoughts the fox exited the shower stall, thoughts focused on the tantalizing bath that awaited him. He walked dripping wet without pause from the shower to the hot tub, taking a moment to gaze across the water, from which a gentle steam rose off of.
He slowly slipped into the water, and his muscles were enveloped in a warm like no other. The temperature was hot, but at such a temperature providing the utmost of comfort and relaxation. The following sigh seemed to release every ounce of tension within him, and he could not help his body as it slunk forward into the water, resting his head on the cushioned side and gently closing his eyes.
Minutes passed before he heard a shower erupt, and only opening one eye, was able to see the pointed ears of the Akita in the shower stall he had used. The eye closed, returning the body to the utopia that was the hot tub. More minutes passed before he heard the door of the shower stall knock against the adjacent wall as it opened, and both eyes opened, finding their way to the advancing male.
It was a sight hard to stare away from. And at the current distance, the fox was able to take in every aspect of the magnificent body without breaking the obligatory above-waist head positioning that had silently weaved its way into the friendship over the years, developing with the semi-frequent occurrences in which nudity was involved.
The large Akita stepped up and into the hot tub and momentarily closed his jade eyes, which allowed the fox's cerulean ones to drift down the muscled body. The majority of the stout body was covered in short, tawny fur but underneath his maw, down his thick neck, and spread across his prominent collarbone was a patch of light, cream colored fur. The body under the silky fur was muscled in a way that revealed the canine's dedication to strength opposed to ascetics. His brawny biceps and forearms were folded loosely over a strapping chest, and the water only accentuated his muscled legs, which exerted their experience in years of grappling.
The fox did not skip on an opportunity to take a glance of the Akita's impressive manhood; not only was it longer than his own, but it was thicker as well, and almost looked out of place on the staunch body. The two ovular testicles, which rested half-submerged in the water, where also notable in size.
It was a moment broken too soon, as the Akita slunk exhaustedly into the waters and leaned against the opposite wall resting his elbows behind him. A similar sigh to that the red fox had released upon entering was mimicked by the Akita, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.
"What should I do for Jen's birthday?" He asked idly.
Jen, the girlfriend, one of his best friends from high school, the girl he met through him, all these thoughts and more darted through the fox's head.
"What do you got so far?" The fox replied, interestedly.
He listened to the Akita ramble off an endless list of ideas, none especially better than the other. They were all great ideas, and knowing Jen, she would be easily satisfied and eternally grateful for anything on her birthday. But the fox allowed the Akita to ramble on as he continued to observe the nude across from him.
The fox slowly, and most importantly, casually, slightly spread his legs in combination with a stretch, revealing the perfect view of his own member to the Akita, hoping the slightest of notice would be taken, fully aware of the less than remote chance. And surely enough, the Akita only continued to ramble, and the fox continued to drop the conversation continuers, simple "Yeah"s and "What do you mean by..."s. He stretched his arms out a tad forward and slunk a bit further into the waters, allowing the presented area to rise upwards ever so slightly, offering just enough movement to gain notice. But the fox's subtlest of advances went unnoticed, and while expected, caused a nasty sinking feeling in his chest.
After a few minutes the Akita rose from the waters, extending a paw to help the fox up, which he absent-mindedly accepted. The Akita stepped out of the hot tub first, revealing a magnificent rear end, both muscled cheeks adorably dimpled. It almost hurt to watch a towel wrap around it.
But the disappointing sight of the well-concealing cloth reminded the fox to snag his towel from the back of the shower stall, which he quickly did before entering the aisle of lockers again. As he approached he witnessed the distracted Akita thoroughly dried himself off, watching the towel roam across the board torso before being dragged down the two powerful legs, guiding by the firm grip of the tan paw.
The fox made his way to his locker, the same location yet opposite side on the row of lockers, and proceeded to dry himself with his nearly forgotten towel. In the corner of his eye he caught the Akita pull up his long trunk boxer briefs, bringing the elastic band up to his sizable testes before swiftly cupping them along with the imposing shaft and tucking the package into the tight underwear as the other paw dragged the snug material over the round rump.
The nearly nude Akita turned to face the fox, who quickly turned his glance away and was now brining up his own boxer briefs.
"So, you'll go with me to the mall tomorrow to look for Jen's gift?" He asked in his subtly and subconsciously dominant tone of voice.
"Yeah, sure thing." The fox responded gladly,
"But can you not pick me up until after noon? I'm gonna sleep in."
A slight, yet visible disappointment came about the Akita's face.
"The mall is thirty minutes from my house," he began, but the fox already knew where he was headed,
"And your house is fifteen minutes... in the opposite direction... could you just spend the night?"
The fox pulled up his pair of mesh shorts before responding.
"Yeah, alright." He said, a distinct lack of enthusiasm than before.
"Are you sure?" The Akita asked, in a tone implying that even if he was not okay with it, it was going to happen regardless.
"Yeah, Yeah." The fox responded with a forced smile.
The Akita grinned for a moment, and the red fox leaned against the cold locker now fully dressed. He watched the Akita quickly throw on a pair of shorts along with an alluringly loose tank top, one with such wide armholes that the defined pectorals were visible from the sides. The red fox yawned; a deep and weary yawn, which seemed to echo across the tiled room, and after they had both picked up their bags, the two friends exited the locker room.