Bill pulled into the parking lot of a gym, and Pholus unclenched his hands from the seat. "So... why are we here?"
"Well... I like muscles... and I like eating... so this lets me eat more and stare at muscles." Bill said.
Pholus stared at him, then shrugged. "Fair enough. What are you thinking for me?"
"I'll show you some basic workouts, and we can go from there. You're probably pretty strong from working in the fields all day?"
"Erm... what do you mean by pretty strong?" Pholus said, looking at the taller man.
"Well, how much can you lift?"
"I can carry an amphora of wine with another person?"
"... you know what... let's just... get inside and we can figure out how strong you are."
A few minutes later, they were both inside the gym. They'd finished a warmup jog around the indoor track, and Bill had wiped down a bench and was loading up the weights. Pholus had gotten over all the steel and televisions and mirrors, a bit, and could finally take in the entire room.
Pholus looked around the gym, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "So... people come here... and... get sweaty and tired... because... they want to? Then they go to the showers and... relax?"
Bill looked up at him from a squat machine and shrugged. "Well, there's a sauna, but I haven't spent too much time there. Mostly take a shower and go home."
"... why?" Pholus asked, puzzlement growing.
"Well... people want to lose weight, or get stronger, or they are trying to work on injuries, or they're horny and like appreciating muscles."
"Ok... I can get the last one." Pholus said, blushing. "Alright... so... how hard is it to look like that?"
"Usually takes years of effort. Or a lot of steroids."
"Steroids?"
"Erm... your body signal muscles to grow through something called hormones. They... uh... tell the bodyparts how to act. You can add more hormones that tell your body to become more masculine, called testosterone, pretty easily. It has some side effects, but it will help make muscle building easier. It also helps with recovery so you can workout harder for longer."
Pholus grimaced. "So, I still need to work for muscles?"
"Pretty much. Unless some deity wants to be nice and give us them for free."
"Then why would anyone use steroids?" Pholus asked, sitting on a nearby bench as Bill grunted and lifted his first set.
"It's still faster? And can help with injuries."
Pholus looked at Bill, then slid underneath a bar, and pushed. It didn't move.
"HEY! Take it easy." Bill shouted.
A second later Pholus groaned, and relaxed. "Oww, people can lift that?" He said, looking at the half full bars, rubbing his biceps.
"Yeah, but those should be empty. Someone didn't rerack their weights. Which could mean they're either going to the bathroom, or they're a douche." Bill said, annoyed. "Let's get you started at a lower weight." He looked around and noticed that a bench on the other side was open. "Yeah, just use the bar right now..." Bill said, pointing towards the empty bench. He grabbed a bar from a stand and put it on the rests.
Pholus groaned, rolled off the bench and walked to the other one. He laid down and grabbed the bar, then got ready to push.
"Wait!, your hands are too far apart. Try moving them about a thumbs length from the knurling."
"Knurling?"
"The rough bits... they help you center on the weight." Pholus nodded and adjusted his grip, then lifted.
"Alright, bring it slowly up, pause, then slowly down." Bill said.
"Seriously? This is easy."
"Learning form now saves injuries later." Bill said primly. Pholus looked at him, grunted, and followed the instructions.
"Alright, that was number 8. Let's add some weight on the next set." Bill stepped away from Pholus's bench and laid down on his own.
"Mind spotting me? You just need to help me grab the bar if I call for it. Then put it onto the rests here." Pholus nodded and stood up, next to Bill's head.
Suddenly the outline in Pholus's pants came into clear view, and Bill could see nothing else.
He coughed. "Erm... you can stand back a bit."
Pholus grinned. "But I think you like it when I stand here."
It was heavy, clearly running down one pants leg, balls pushing it out. He wasn't wearing underwear, and he thrust slightly, heavy head swinging like a pendulum. Bill stared open mouthed.
"Dude! Fucking hell, I get you're a wimp, but do you really need to pack that much?" Someone said loudly. Pholus jumped back, and Bill looked over.
Standard gym bro douche. Down to the excessively cut out tank top, everpresent protein shake container, and fragile ego.
"Just ignore him" Bill said, then grunted and lifted the bar. He kept it slow, controlled, and went through a set of eight. He put it back against the rest and breathed out, laying there for a few seconds, breathing through his nose, then sat up and looked at Pholus. "You ready?"
Pholus nodded, and laid down, glancing over at the bench next to them. "Ignore him, he'll fuck off eventually." Bill reassured him.
The gym bro next to them looked affronted, grunted, huffed, snorted, then shouted as he did a lift without a spotter.
Well... he wasn't just saline, regardless of how salty he acted.
The two continued their workout, trying to ignore the increasingly exaggerated noises next to them, carefully going through their workout, until they had finished their sets.
"Alright, you still feeling good?" Bill asked Pholus, who nodded. "Alright, let's go play with pulleys."
The two headed off, ignoring the gym bro's angry stare.
They circulated around the gym, following a workout routine on Bill's phone, repeatedly running into into the angry lifter. He seemed to be following up on their sets, adding weight and angry grunting his way through the harder lifts.
Finally, they were done, and stood there, panting and sweaty.
"Alright... shower? Or do you want to get something to eat first?" Bill asked
