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When Charles arrived at the gym it was past 10pm, but he felt he needed it. He needed to clear his mind, to focus on something else than Max Verstappen for a bit.
He got ready and walked into the big open area. It was almost empty, he saw only a few people around and he was glad. It was more quiet, he was sure he didn’t need to wait to use anything. He put his earphones into his ears as he started running on the treadmill.
He was actually half way through his routine when he saw him, Charles’ childhood rival. Max.
He got mad for a second, he really didn’t have any space only for himself anymore?
The fact that they were very competitive with each other was an understatement, and Charles tried to stop himself, before deciding to do his deadlifts with lot heavier weights than he already planned. Just in case, if Max was watching.
Indeed the blonde noticed him, even if he acted like he didn’t and picked up a heavier kettlebell then he originally wanted for his squats.
They weren’t close at this point, not yet.
Charles stole a glance, trying to read the number on the weights Max was working with, while Max stood in front of the mirror, totally not checking what Charles was doing.
They moved to another station and they were closer, nodding and mumbling a ‘hi’ to each other, they were working with bigger weights they were used to and they felt it and knew they would pay the price the next day, but oh well, whatever one did the other could do better. Now Charles was doing pull ups, a weight hanging from the belt on his hips and Max joined with a bigger kettlebell. He finished while Charles was drinking and typing something on his phone, so he moved to do some wall balls, picking up a fairly big ball, then he did a squat and while standing up tried to throw the ball as high as he could. It wasn’t without any risk, if he didn’t catch it his nose could have broken so he was extra focused. Charles was staring at him for a bit before picking up the same ball but trying to throw it higher.
They didn’t really talk, just exchanged some dirty looks from time to time, yet the tension between them was palpable.
Eventually they were both doing bench presses. Charles started with his usual weight which Max easily matched. The blonde picked up his towel from the bench, only to see the brunette already putting a few more kilos to it. He rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. In a few seconds he heard and saw Charles doing the presses, still without much effort. He tried not to look but Charles’ cheeks were flushed, and he could see his skin slightly glister from the sweat and his brown hair partly sticking to his forehead, partly getting even more messy than it used to be.
They switched and now he was the one stepping up the weights a bit, which earned an annoyed huf from his rival, who now stood next to him, sipping his water.
It looked like now the weights started to be a challenge for the both of them, and Charles couldn’t really ignore Max’s groans and little noises anymore. He had to swallow and get a sip of water before gaining back his composure.
At the next level when he laid flat on the bench to his surprise Max stood behind his head to help if he couldn’t make it. Not like it was a possibility, but it was still a nice move.
Max saw the surprise on Charles’ face but tried to ignore it. Sure they were rivals, but he still didn’t want the other man to get hurt. As he looked down it felt weird seeing those green eyes so focused and determined as he bit his lips and maybe stuck his tongue out for a second. Max had to bite his lip, and lift his gaze for a second to refocus. Finally Charles was done and now he had the luck to lay down and prove himself.
Charles was watching Max, and tried to remind himself to pay attention, not to the way the muscles moved in the strong arms or under Max’s grey shirt, but to actually help if it was needed. He caught himself sighing and swallowing hard when Max did the last push and moaned loudly. Great now, he had to lay down with an even bigger set of weights, but he was not going to lose against Max. Before he could have gotten into position, he pulled his shirt through his head, revealing his heaving torso. It was bold but it didn’t really matter, he felt like the shirt was slowly suffocating him. He laid down but his stupid eyes focused elsewhere, his gaze immediately meeting with the blue ones, which if he didn’t know better were darker than before, staring at him so intensely he forgot what he was about to do.
Not like Max was in a better shape, when he looked the younger one in the eye, it was an understatement that it distracted him. Charles was laying under him, his lips were parted as he was breathing heavily and was practically half naked. His mind trailed off, eyes roaming on the freckled skin, on the rapidly rising and falling chest, on the strong abs, which now even looked more defined as Charles practically flexed his whole body.
He was pulled from his day dreaming by a scared little whimper, and he was just in time to catch the bar and pull it up before Charles’s arms gave in.
‘I think we are done for today.’ He smirked mockingly.
‘You still have a round.’ Charles was panting and he took a few more seconds to stand up than before. Max scoffed and laid back.
He knew it was stupid, but he looked up, seeing Charles’ half-naked body above himself. He nonetheless grabbed the bar, desperate to beat the other one. He was at the eight push when he heard Charles’ encouragement from above him. ‘That’s it, just a bit more. Come on, you are doing so good. That’s it, so good.’ And he was done for. He at the ninth repeat put the bar back at its place and sat up rather upset, or more like hot and bothered.
‘I’m going to shower.’ He exclaimed and left the brunette on the spot.
It didn’t take too long when he heard the otherwise empty changing room’s door open and close.
‘I was winning here.’ Max exclaimed after a few seconds of silence.
‘No, I did ten.’ Charles corrected him while packing a few things out of his bag for showering.
‘Like hell, you did whatever and then almost died.’ His eyes rolled and he huffed in annoyance, and got out of his shirt and pants.
‘Whatever?’ The grey pants Charles wore got off too, being messily folded and shoved into his bag. ‘You were not paying attention?’
‘I was.’ Max replied a bit too fast and shaky as he grabbed his towel and started to walk towards the showers. When he put his things on the sink he was wishing that Charles went after him, and he didn’t disappoint.
‘You were. On my body.’ Looking up to the mirror was another mistake of the night, because Charles was standing right behind him, his hands on either side of Max’s body, gripping the sink, looking his reflection in the eye.
He was right but it didn’t mean he needed to know that. ‘It’s a gym, Charles, not a striptease bar.’ He cleared his throat, looking firmly into the other one’s reflection.
‘Don’t be mad. I don’t mind.’ The brunette, still keeping his gaze through the mirror, breathed the words onto his skin before placing a longing kiss on his neck. He didn’t answer, just let Charles do whatever he wanted, and the brunette again lived up to the expectations, he was kissing Max’s neck and shoulders with open mouthed kisses, sometimes sucking or biting down on the pale skin. The blonde was trembling, and he was afraid his knees would give in or he would break the sink as he was leaning more and more onto it.
‘You played dirty, you didn’t win.’ Max forced the words out, keeping his half closed eyes on the mesmerising green ones.
‘Oh, I think I did.’ Charles’ was grinning like the devil himself, tongue sticking out for a last messy kiss on Max’s neck before one of his hands let go of the sink and slid onto Max’s thighs until it found the very prominent hard on Max was already having.
‘Fuck you.’ Max cursed as he gave in and let his head tip back, his eyes closing as Charles started to gently massage him through his boxers.
‘I will.’ The brunette turned him around, crashing their lips together, kissing Max stupid, before moving and tumbling into one of the shower stalls, which thank god had frosted glass doors right from the floor.
Max will never admit his defeat, but he was willing to forget about it or at least not denying it until Charles sut him up with kissing him so deeply it made his head spin, and fucked him so good it made his legs shake and his rival’s name being the only thing he remembered.