Ethan decided - after a quick and passionate wank of course - that he was due to catch up to those two muscle monsters downstairs. He glanced himself over. "Why not me?" Dressed only in his underwear, Ethan found himself more acutely regarding his less than glorious traits.
His flat abs, his lacking arm development, his legs...while he was lean and decently toned most places, seeing the powerful specimens of masculinity downstairs hammered it in how Ethan needed this.
"And so why...not...me?" He murmured in more of an aspirational way than dejected.
He didn't particularly understand why they had suddenly started changing - though he was keen to find out for himself - but he wasn't gonna just sit there and angst about why oh why they got to end up so muscular and he stayed as he was... Before long, Ethan was looking through his computer at a list of gyms. He wasn't that keen on joining the same one as his step-brother and step-dad for reasons; he doubted he could reasonably control himself with that kind of preening behavior going on.
"I swear...it's almost like they're not even related to me, with the ease they have in showing off like that..." Ethan contemplated, though he thought nothing further in that particular direction.
Looking through the list of gyms, he tried to make sure he found one with a good "gym culture". He certainly didn't want to be saddled with a membership to Planet Fatness or one of their up and coming imitators, eager for the noncommital money. He wanted a bodybuilding gym. One where he could build himself up - and hopefully, catch up to his brother and his dad.
He did consider that he was coming from a less developed point than either of them at the present time... which would likely mean that if he wanted to accelerate that, he'd need to---well. Ethan had far less compunctions about steroids than most men. In fact, they played a role in the development of the look he preferred. But was he himself ready to take the dive and use them himself?
The teen bit his lip when he saw that there was a gym located pretty close by that had some reviews of interest to him. "Everyone's on roids lol" "So many juiceheads!" "So many guys who're dosing up on gear - it's kind of dispiriting". While they were marked as negative reviews, they were if anything positives as far as Ethan was concerned. "Maningham's Gym". It seemed it used to be a private garage gym, that slowly expanded and became its own business.
Now it catered to a clientele of muscleheads and those who wanted to keep up with the said muscleheads. And it didn't hurt that J.R. Maningham himself, now in his forties, still looked almost like a 20-something, a dashing dark haired, cleanshaven man with a powerfully muscled body that he proudly displayed on the gym's website. Sure it was pretty obvious how he got to be that way. But Ethan decidedly wanted some of whatever J.R. was having.
---
Before long, Ethan arrived with a couple twenties in his pocket, and a spring in his step.
He was eagerly looking forward to seeing what this gym was like on the ground floor...and as he walked in, he was not disappointed. Lots - and lots - of bodybuilder type guys. Even the blond guy manning the desk looked like he was at minimum about 200 pounds, rippling with musculature, and dressed in a tight red t-shirt and form-accentuating black pants. Ethan almost swooned at the sight of him. "Hey uh," he started, "I'm here to join. Been meaning to get in shape."
Blond guy promptly looked Ethan over and nodded, "Then you came to the right place, my friend. I'm Kyle. And I'll be helping get you signed up, waivered, and ready to go."
Ethan gulped and went along with him. Hot damn was Kyle something nice to look at. Even dressed in a short sleeved shirt, it was radiantly clear that the guy was built pretty well, and he had a certain kind of fine features that left him looking desirable on all counts. Ethan found himself signing on multiple dotted lines, handing over the joining fee of 35 dollars, and then just sitting there as Kyle finished up the business end of this.
"So..." Kyle looked at Ethan, "You've been focusing more on me than on the dotted line or the conditions. Borderline eye-fucking me. I'm flattered, I am, but...well. Not gay. Sorry."
"Oh...oh, sorry dude, that obvious...?" Ethan shook his head, admitting internally that with what happened at home, what he saw in here, and his internet search...well, he was pretty charged up. And he needed another outlet. "If I was making this uncomfortable I---"
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm straight, but I find it kinda flattering you think I'm hot," Kyle started, flexing his right arm as he did so, "I've been working out for a long time. And to hear that I'm hot to someone is always thrilling. Whether it's a guy or a gal. I just don't want you getting an expectation of this. I mean, if you want me to train you, I can. I'll be leading you through the paces of your first workout, and beyond that, I've got the time and the hours to take on a pupil."
Kyle then leaned forward, looking Ethan over, "And I can even throw in something extra."
"Extra...?" Ethan felt his heart race to his throat, "What would---"
"How about we just focus on working out first - see how well you do for your first time in here. Just something...new I got." Kyle then led the way into the free weights area. Ethan, thinking about how he was just teased with the possibility of steroids, decided to go ahead and see how he did.
Kyle of course would put Ethan through the wringer on his first day in the gym. The workouts were rather basic, but as Ethan went on, he decidedly felt like Kyle was examining him. Evaluating him. Thinking about something, it seemed. There was something kind of odd about the steroid offer. Was it some kind of experimental blend...?
Well, whatever happened, as long as it let Ethan catch up...
------------
The next morning, Brad was up much earlier than usual - bright and early to make sure he ate his healthy breakfast and did some light morning body weight exercises. Once he was done and dressed in a light blue stringer shirt and booty-hugging jeans, Brad went ahead to his breakfast - noting as he did that it seemed Ethan was up now too, at quite an unusual hour for him. He usually slept in. It sounded like he was doing...something in his room, as Brad walked by. Well, he could feel free to do...whatever.
Brad had a guess - leave it to Ethan to throw away a good day's headstart tussling with himself.
As Brad went downstairs for his meal, he saw his dad was up as well - getting ready for work - and prepping a workout bag to carry with him in the car. Whereas most often Dirk wore a looser button up, today he had chosen a smaller shirt and a tighter fit of dress pants, all the better to show off the body he'd adeptly developed - not that Brad had realized yet his own father had started on the tapes as well.
"Dressing to impress today, Dad?" Brad asked as he started meal preparation.
"Why have all this going on if I'm not going to show it off a fair bit?" Dirk responded with a grin on his face, "I swear, I have never felt so...robust. So capable." And with that Dirk opened up a few buttons on his shirt.
Brad found himself looking, though he quickly turned and figured he was once again comparing his muscles to his dad's. Fuck but it was getting to be a healthy space in this house. He remembered last night after his mom came home, though they tried to keep it down so as not to disrupt or disturb their kids, Brad could hear the squeaking of the bed and Dirk's hale, hearty grunts as he - most likely - gave stepmom the fucking of her life. "You wanna hit the gym tonight after my school gets out?"
"Sure thing, sport." Dirk said with a nod, and then looked at his phone, "My job should get out by then. Looking forward to seeing how our lifts line up."
As Brad and Dirk ate their meals, Brad found himself wondering about Dirk's condition. Could it be that he just had been increasing his healthy habits, and only now Brad noticed...? Or...? Brad thought back to the tapes. To Vertael, and the changes, and what happened to him. Could his dad have somehow ended up with a tape? It almost seemed like the tapes if so wanted to be viewed by more people. He'd just intended to make use of them himself to become more desirable to Janet - yet, if so, this might be a point where the tapes were getting out of control.
As Brad ate his oatmeal, he however pondered if he was just overthinking things. All the same, he had never seen his dad eat this healthy, not even the last morning - let alone getting up early like this. Let alone the behavior yesterday, the flexing contest they had. The showiness that was completely out of Dirk's character.
Well, they were both benefiting then from the tapes - and Brad saw nothing really wrong with it. Dirk was obviously happy, and he was himself feeling great.
By the time Brad got done, he started packing up for school - figuring he could get there early and sign up for the bodybuilding contest. By the time he was heading up and out for the door, he saw Ethan looking a little sweaty heading downstairs. Maybe the dude had had a rough time last night. "See ya at school, Ethan, I'm heading out bright and early."
This would give him an hour of extra time as opposed to when he usually got up - more than enough time to take care of sign ups, and to show around that he was looking pretty different. And indeed, as Brad hoisted his backpack and swaggered to school, he found it difficult to not exult when some of his fellow earlybirds stopped to stare. Many of those who were looking long and adoringly at him were women, though some of them were men. For once, he felt like a hot commodity so to speak, though he was quick to remind himself that him, his muscles, and his manhood all belonged to one sweet girl.
Still, it was always really great to be wanted. And as Brad walked, dressed in a stringer and his booty jeans, he was reminded just how desirable he was now. Some certainly wondered probably when Brad had ended up in more of a bodybuilding shape, but others more blatantly just checked him out.
The walk past "Mrs. Robinson"'s house saw his thirsty middle aged occasional employer wave from where she was adjusting the decorations on her lawn. As usual, the husband was out of the house bright and early, for some kind of tech job. He stayed gone for most of the day. She certainly didn't seem to look a gift horse in the mouth - the moment she saw Brad she turned on the charm as much as possible. It had always been obvious she paid him as well as she did purely out of attraction toward him - attraction he didn't repay. But now it was getting to be ridiculously obvious as she adjusted her posture, pulled on her skirt, and winked at him exactly what she wanted.
She was really daring, it seemed, doing this in a place where people tended to talk...
And as much as Brad WOULD remain loyal to Janet, his newly charged up libido, the stimulus of the sight of her and her remarkably vivacious body...well, it still did things to him. He was after all still a young man of eighteen...right? Brad kept walking as he went on to school, though he bit his lip a little as he adjusted his groin a little just to make sure. Thankfully, his jeans were thick enough material to make his erection less obvious.
Maybe once he got done with signing up, he'd have enough time to...take care of business so as to get through class without having to deal with a distraction.
Approaching school, Brad as opposed to his usual route in went to the side entrance, proceeding up by the drama building and attached theater - which going by the advertisements posted around seemed to be where the contest would be held in a few months - and went on up toward the gym building further down.
Grayson Everett was the teacher involved with this - he was one of three gym teachers, and by far the most enthusiastic and demanding. Though Brad had always ended up completely fatigued after class with him before, now, with the tapes, well, Brad was eager to show he was more capable. The guy was also the head coach of the football team, and thus was probably going to be involved in the training of what seemed like Brad's most likely rival...
The "Blond Goliath", Douglas "Doug" Bryant.
His girlfriend had told him a lot about Doug before. The blond had always been pretty big, even as a freshman. He'd also always been angry, jealous, competitive and easily set off. The kind of guy that Brad would be all too eager to stay away from and just confidently let Doug peak in high school. But now? Now Brad was feeling less like falling away from Doug and more like showing he could be a direct challenge. Maybe it was a bit of ego creeping in, but Brad wasn't about to just cede the contest to some jock meathead.
As he entered the building and the first room right inside, he saw the two objects of his contemplation...
Grayson Everett was a handsome man in his thirties, broad and powerfully built - even after his bodybuilding days, it was blatantly obvious from his form, from his insane size all the way to his gut still pushing outward, that Grayson had been involved in the sport during the prime of the "Mass Monster" days. Nobody really talked about Grayson's gut, due to the fact he very obviously had a complex about it. He wore shirts to the school big enough to make it less obvious, and while he was willing to talk about his experience, he was less enthusiastic to discuss any cases of "Palumboism".
Standing right by him, finishing off his own sign up, was Douglas Bryant. The Blond Goliath was a fitting name indeed. His features were broad, powerful, and it seemed naturally in a rough, macho appearance. Between his deep set light blue eyes, bushy and slightly mullet-like blond hair, his slightly broken nose - from a fight, assuredly - and his strong, handsome jawline, the six foot four inch tall Doug radiated aggression even at rest. His physique was also already in a good shape enough for Brad to stop a moment. While he needed to tone up very much so, Doug was also already very gifted with size. Dressed in a yellow stringer shirt and a pair of shorts, Doug's pecs immediately made an impression - they and his delts balancing the straps of the shirt and occasionally letting a nipple slip.
"Hey," Brad was not about to be intimidated! "I'm Brad DiLaurentis, and I'd like to sign up for the bodybuilding contest."
"Oh, awesome!" Grayson responded, "I'll just---" He then looked up and paused, "...Brad? The distance runner from here? You've...really been working out pretty well. That's some great progress. I'll just get a sign up sheet for you."
As Grayson went to get the sheet, Doug however glanced at Brad with a slight sneer, looking confused and as usual a little angry, "...Janet's puss-boy boyfriend...!? What the shit? How the hell did you get so fucking big? Well, Janet's still gonna wanna go back with me after this. Cuz I'm gonna take this contest, you got me?"
"Do I look like a puss-boy any more, meathead?" Brad actually fired back, not even the least bit intimidated and in fact letting his own testosterone fire off increasingly hot and heavy, "Janet's happy with all that I'm giving her now. And I'm taking this contest - figure it's about time you take the L, Doug."
Before long, both young men were poised, not even a foot's distance between each other, Doug spreading his arms to the side, glaring down at Brad - surprised again by the fact Brad seemed taller than usual and thus less easy to look down on. Barely a few inches between the two. Doug's wide shoulders tense and Brad matching Doug's glare for intensity. Neither wanted to get into trouble at this stage for a physical altercation, but both were so pushed by their testosterone that they undertook as close to a confrontation as they could get.
"I'm not scared of you any more, Doug," Brad growled as the staring contest went on, "I just get bigger and buffer every fucking week. Gimme four months, and I'll outpose you on that stage. You watch."
"You're actin' like I'm not putting in the effort myself," Doug responded, "I'm not just some angry meathead! So stop with the whole Doug's dumb horseshit! I'm following a diet and an exercise plan that'll get me looking fucking herculean. You really wanna compete against me? I blasted my way through football, I can handle bodybuilding. Weightlifting was always my favorite part of the sport anyway. I'm gonna be a work of fucking art."
"You're fucking on, Douglas Bryant."
"You better keep your head in the game, DiLaurentis."
And then Grayson returned, and upon seeing the two of them more or less a skip and a step from a confrontation, started interposing himself in there, shaking his head as he did so, "Brad, Doug, you boys simmer down. Take the hothead behavior outta here. Brad, I got you the sign up. Doug, I hope you don't do...that...to every person who comes to sign up."
Doug seemed to realize how far exactly he'd gone and the implication of his action, and shook his head, "No I won't. Sorry coach. Just...me and Brad have some uh. Girlfriend history..."
"Just keep it outta the competition, and keep it non-physical. Channel it into the competition, okay?" Grayson replied, "And that goes to you too, Brad. Whatever you did to get as big as you are, I'm not in any position to judge...but you gotta keep your head outta the red, so to speak." As Grayson handed Brad the sign up, he started to cool down. He'd never responded that way to any of the guys here - definitely not Doug, that would've been damn near asking for it if he had just a couple weeks ago.
Once Brad filled out the sign up, registering his height and general info, including getting on a scale to get a sense of his weight right now, he glanced up and saw Doug poised by the door. Still glancing over at him from time to time. The two of them shared another staring contest right before Doug headed out of there - he glanced at his phone as it made a noise and immediately headed out.
Yet, as Brad handed in his sign up, he couldn't help but think about Doug. About their charged moment, and how awkward it felt in hindsight with them poised like that. Mere inches apart. Brad's chest just inches away from Doug's big, powerfully built chest. There was something about that big guy that left Brad feeling kind of odd. He didn't exactly know how to put it yet. But he figured it was just...rivalry. Knowing he had a really intense rival. Thankfully Doug hadn't been entirely too impulsive... And much to Brad's confusion and bewilderment, he noted his stiffy from earlier had if anything been robust - though thankfully Doug didn't notice. Though the fact it stayed like that through the confrontation...
Once Brad started heading out, Grayson called out to him, "Hey, by the way, I'm...sorry about Doug," he paused and then looked around, "I'll be honest, he's kind of always had that confrontational attitude. He got picked on a lot in middle school for being adopted and it's stuck with him. Just...doing to others before they do unto him. Just...don't ever tell him I told you that."
"Well, that does make a degree of sense." Brad looked out the door, and nodded, "I'll keep from getting physical with him, if he keeps to the same. I'm looking forward to the competition."
"Same, honestly. I just hope you boys can learn to be...more productive in your rivalry. I know it can be tough, I mean, you're young, test is flaring, tempers are hot, and its the gym and all..." Grayson looked through the papers, hoping there could be some more folks in to kind of keep the field broad to avoid this being too much of a 1 v 1, "It should be my PE class today for you guys. Doug's gonna be in that class too. I wanna see you guys try and coexist in the class."
"Well, I'll try," Brad nodded, and then with a shrug headed out, "Just make sure Doug gets the same."
Grayson figured he had a lot of class moderation to do... And once Brad was out, he sighed, "And I thought getting this bodybuilding contest approved at all was a bit tough with that fucker Hauk breathing down my neck. Of course my two big contenders have it out for each other. Okay..." Grayson rubbed his forehead...
--------------
At the DiLaurentis home, Ethan thought about the odd "steroids" he'd been given. Apparently they were something experimental. Kyle had just bought them, and was willing to let Ethan have the first try free of charge - when it became obvious during the workout that Ethan was frustrated by his lack of strength and ability. He didn't disclose who he bought them from - though that was probably to be expected. They were just a bunch of orange pills in a black container, almost like anything he might be able to find off of an online store. Ethan had been conflicted, but then he remembered his dad and his brother...both looking absolutely amazing. Both muscled up from outta nowhere...
And he remembered those words; "So then, why not me?"
So Ethan went ahead and decided he was going to go ahead and make it the case that he could achieve the same. No matter what. But as of yet, he hadn't seen any result. He'd taken the recommended dose per Kyle's instruction last night. And sure. Maybe he'd been a little immature expecting results already... but this was experimental stuff. He expected something from it. He wanted muscles like dad, and Brad, and that fucker Doug from school...
Maybe he needed to try for the gym again. Ethan started getting ready for school - already looking more forward to the gym afterwards.