Elias pressed the nozzle of the hand sanitizer bottle. A quick, practiced pump.
The cool gel evaporated on his palms as he walked off the gym floor. Metrics wasn't a bad gymâin fact, it was the best in the city. Industrial, expensive, efficient. But for Elias, coming here was always a bit of a challenge. It wasn't the weights that bothered him; it was the atmosphere. The noise of metal clanging, the grunts of exertion, and the thick, humid air that smelled of rubber mats and other men's sweat.
He was here for health. For the Audi he drove, the tailored suits he wore, and the body he needed to maintain to fit them.
He grabbed a fresh wipe to meticulously clean the handle of the cable machine he had just used. He liked leaving things cleaner than he found them.
Satisfied, he checked his watch. 7:50 PM. Time to scrub the sweat off and get back to his sanitized, quiet apartment.
He pushed through the heavy doors into the locker room.
It was louder than usual. The air was thick, but not with steam. Elias frowned. A group of loud, boisterous guys were standing around the shower entrance, towels slung over their shoulders, laughing and shouting over each other.
Elias got closer and saw the problem. Only two shower stalls were running. The rest were dark. A handwritten sign was taped to the tile: BOILER MAINTENANCE. LIMITED HOT WATER.
"Great," Elias muttered, tightening his grip on his gym bag.
He watched the line. It was moving at a glacial pace. The guys waiting were comfortable in their nakedness, scratching, flexing, and making jokes that echoed off the tiled walls. Elias stood there, fully clothed in his compression gear, feeling painfully out of place. He didn't want to stand in this humidity, waiting for ten minutes just to get a lukewarm rinse.
The voice rumbled from his left. Deep and wet.
Elias turned. Stan was standing right there.
You couldn't miss Stan. He was a fixture at Metrics, a massive, hulking wall of muscle who seemed to live in the squat rack. Elias had seen him earlier, training with the owner, Marcusâthe two of them moving heavy iron like it was Styrofoam.
Up close, Stan was even bigger. He was wearing a grey stringer tank top that had turned a translucent black from saturation. It clung to his chest and lats like wet tissue paper, outlining the heavy slabs of muscle underneath. His skin was slick, shining under the harsh fluorescent lights.
He didn't smell like dirty laundry. He smelled like heat. It was a wave of pure, concentrated masculinityâa heavy, musky scent of testosterone and salt that seemed to radiate from his pores. It was intense, invading Elias's personal space, but... not entirely unpleasant. It was the smell of raw power.
"Yeah," Elias said, stepping back slightly to reclaim his space. "Not enough showers. I'm not waiting in that."
He gestured at the rowdy line of men. "I just wanted to get clean."
Stan didn't move back. He leaned in, his chest rising and falling with slow, heavy breaths. He looked at the line, then down at Elias. His eyes were dark, glazed over with a kind of post-workout stupor. There was no complex thought behind them, just a dull, animalistic satisfaction.
"Why wash it off?" Stan asked, a genuine confusion in his voice.
"The juice," Stan grunted. He wiped a hand across his own forehead, flicking the sweat away. "You worked for it, man."
Stan inhaled deeply, expanding his massive ribcage, seemingly savoring the thick air of the locker room. He looked at Elias with a grin that was too wide, a little too dumb, but undeniably magnetic.
"Waste of good juice, bro," Stan said, his voice dropping to a low rumble that vibrated in Elias's chest. "Just let it soak."
The words hung in the air. Let it soak.
It was a ridiculous thing to say. Stupid. Unhygienic. But the way Stan said it, with that heavy, lidded gaze, made Elias pause. The heat from Stanâs body felt like it was bridging the gap between them, pulling him in.
"Right," Elias muttered, his throat suddenly dry. "I... I'm heading out."
He turned and walked away, walking faster than usual. He didn't look back, but he could feel the weight of Stanâs stare on his back. He could still smell that heavy musk in his nose.
The drive home was a blur. The only thing clear was the rhythm of the tires on the asphalt, syncing with the phrase looping in his mind.
Elias got into his apartment and dropped his bag. He should have gone straight to the shower. He felt sticky. The sweat was drying on his skin, cooling under the AC.
But his limbs felt heavy. Lead heavy.
He sat down on the sofa, just for a second. The silence of the room pressed against him. He took a breath, expecting the smell of his lavender air freshener.
Instead, he caught a whiff of himself. It was his own sweat, mixed with the metallic tang of the gym, and a faint, lingering trace of Stanâs heat.
Elias closed his eyes. He felt strangely warm. He didn't get up. He just let his head fall back against the cushion, the darkness swallowing him before he could even unlace his shoes.
Elias woke up with a gasp.
The morning sun was blazing through the blinds. He blinked, disoriented. He was still on his beige sofa. He tried to sit up, and his shirt pulled against his skin.
The high-end compression gear wasn't dry, exactly. It was tacky. It peeled away from his back with a gross, sticky sound as he sat up. The sweat from last night hadn't evaporated; it had just settled into the fabric, turning it into a damp, clinging second skin.
Elias groaned, rubbing his face. He felt oily.
He checked his phone. 8:40 AM.
He scrambled off the sofa. He had a client presentation at 9:30. Traffic would be a nightmare. He was going to be late.
He rushed to the bathroom, desperate to get this filth off him. He needed to scrub hard. He felt like he was coated in a layer of grease.
He pulled the sticky shirt over his head. It clung to him, resisting until he yanked it off.
And then the smell hit him.
It was strong. Much stronger than it should have been after just one night. It was heavy and thick. It wasn't the sharp, nervous sweat he usually had before a meeting. It was deep and spicy. It smelled of cumin, salt, and aggressive body odor.
Elias wrinkled his nose. He held the shirt away from him. It was bad.
But underneath the staleness, there was that heat again. That lingering scent of the gym. Of Stan.
The memory of the voice was clear in the quiet bathroom.
"No time," he snapped, throwing the shirt into the corner. "I have only ten minutes."
He couldn't shower. If he did, heâd be stuck in traffic and miss the presentation.
He did the only thing he could. He grabbed a washcloth, wet it with cold water, and gave his face and neck a quick, frantic wipe. It didn't do much. The smell was coming from his pores now.
He threw on a fresh white dress shirt. As he buttoned it up, he realized the clean cotton was just trapping the heat against his skin. He sprayed some cologne, hoping it would cover it up. However, It just mixed with the musk, making the air in the bathroom feel heavy and humid.
Elias walked to his cubicle, keeping his head down. He felt hot. While everyone else looked cool and dry in the AC, he felt like he was radiating heat. He felt heavy, grounded in his chair.
He sat down, and a waft of his own scent rose up from his collar. It was intense.
Elias turned. It was Dave from Accounting, standing at the edge of the cubicle with a coffee mug. Dave wrinkled his nose, looking confused.
"Did you run to work today, Elias?" Dave asked, stepping back slightly. "It smells... strong in here."
Elias froze. The old Elias would have panicked. He would have run to the bathroom and scrubbed his armpits until they were raw.
But the new Eliasâthe one sitting in his own marinated sweatâdidn't flinch.
He looked at Dave. He looked at Daveâs soft, clean hands and his pale neck. Dave smelled like laundry detergent. It seemed so weak.
Elias leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs. The movement pumped a fresh wave of that heavy, spicy musk into the air between them.
"Just a hard workout, Dave," Elias said. His voice sounded a little deeper, a little rougher. "Didn't have time to shower."
"Right," Dave muttered, looking unsettled. "Well... maybe keep the fan on."
Dave walked away quickly.
Elias watched him go. He should have felt ashamed. He was the smelly guy in the office.
Instead, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He took a deep breath, inhaling his own funk. It was gross. It was dirty.
Let it soak, he thought.
He turned back to his computer. He felt strangely powerful. He couldn't wait to get back to the gym and sweat some more.
By 6:00 PM, Elias felt like he was radiating heat. The workday had been a drag, but the heavy, spicy scent rising from his collar kept him grounded. He felt sticky, yes, but every time he moved, he felt a strange, vibrating energy.
He went straight back to Metrics.
Walking through the doors felt different tonight. Usually, the noise and humidity made him tense up. Tonight, he inhaled it. The air smelled of rubber mats and exertion, and it smelled... right. Better than the sterile office air.
He hit the weights. He didn't wipe down the chest press before sitting on it. He just lay back, his dress shirt sticking to the vinyl, letting the previous userâs warmth mix with his own.
"Smelling good, little man."
The voice rumbled from above.
Elias racked the handles and looked up. Stan was standing there. The giant was wearing a freshâwell, relatively freshâblack stringer tank top today, his massive arms crossed over his chest.
Stan leaned down, sniffing the air around Elias like a bloodhound. He nodded, a look of genuine, dumb approval on his face.
"Real thick," Stan grunted. "You kept the juice. Smart."
Elias flushed. He should have told Stan to back off. He should have been embarrassed about smelling like a locker room in his work clothes. But the praise hit him in the gut.
"Yeah," Elias breathed, his voice raspier than usual. "Didn't have time to shower this morning."
"Good," Stan said, patting Elias heavily on the shoulder. His hand left a damp, warm print on Eliasâs white shirt. "Keep grinding."
Stan wandered off to the squat rack, leaving Elias buzzing.
An hour later, Elias was done. He was drenched. He grabbed his bag and headed to the locker room.
The sign was gone. HOT WATER RESTORED.
Elias stripped off his ruined work clothes. He stepped into the shower, turning the handle all the way to hot. The water hit him, loud and scalding. He scrubbed. He watched the soapy water swirl down the drain, carrying away the sweat, the musk, the "juice."
He stepped out ten minutes later, toweling off. He felt clean.
But looking in the mirror, he also felt... incomplete. Without that layer of heavy scent, without the heat, he just looked like Elias the analyst. Clean. Blank. Boring.
He walked back to his locker to get his fresh change of clothes.
Elias froze. He checked the number. 104. Yes, his locker.
It was empty. His tailored suit, his spare jeans, his underwearâall gone.
Panic spiked. He looked around. The locker room was emptying out.
Then he saw it. On the wooden bench behind him, there was a pile of clothes.
Elias walked over. Lying on top of the fabric was a piece of torn notebook paper. The handwriting was crude, blocky letters scrawled in black marker:
Elias stared at the note. He picked up the fabric.
It wasn't a T-shirt. It was the black stringer tank top Stan had been wearing earlier. It was heavyâphysically heavy with moisture. Next to it was a pair of mesh gym shorts, equally damp.
It hit him hard. It was the same scent that had haunted him for twenty-four hours, but concentrated. It smelled of salt, deep sweat, and the thick, savory funk of a man who lived in the gym. No deodorant, no soap. Just raw man.
"You have to be kidding me," Elias whispered.
He dug through the pile. No underwear. Just the tank and the shorts. Andâthank godâhis car keys, shoved into the pocket of the shorts.
He looked around. He couldn't go home naked.
With a trembling hand, Elias held up the black tank top. The armholes were cut low, almost to the waist.
He pulled it over his head.
The fabric was cold and clammy against his freshly scrubbed skin. It slid down his torso, hanging loose. The deep cuts exposed his ribs and lats.
He pulled on the mesh shorts. They were loose, riding low on his hips without underwear.
As the clothes settled on his body, the warmth began. The fabric wasn't just damp; it felt heavy with masculine. The neckline reeked of Stanâs neck.
Elias stood there, draped in Stan's sweat. He should have been furious.
Instead, his breath hitched. The scent surrounded him, thick and suffocating. It erased his soap. It erased him.
He looked down. Under the thin mesh of the shorts, he felt a heaviness in his groin. A slow, rhythmic throb began, reacting to the friction of the damp fabric.
But he didn't take it off. He grabbed his gym bag and walked out, wearing another manâs sweat like a second skin.
Elias walked to his car, the cool night air hitting his exposed skin. The tank top flapped slightly, but where it touched himâon his chest, his lower backâit clung wet and heavy.
He got into his Audi and slammed the door.
The interior smelled like new leather and vacuumed carpet. It was too clean.
Then Elias exhaled, and the car filled with the smell of Stan.
It was intense. The tank top was warming up against his body heat, releasing a fresh wave of that heavy musk. Elias gripped the steering wheel. He turned on the heater.
The drive home took twenty minutes. By the time he parked, the windows were fogged up. Elias sat there for a moment, just breathing. His skin tingled. The coarse, salt-stiffened fabric of the tank top rubbed against his nipples with every breath. It wasn't painful, but it was over-stimulating, sending little electric shocks down his front.
He went upstairs, dropping his bag in the hallway. He walked straight to the full-length mirror in his bedroom.
He expected to look ridiculous. A skinny guy drowning in a bodybuilder's oversized gear.
But he didn't look skinny.
He grabbed the hem of the tank top and pulled it tight against his torso. His chest pushed against the black fabric, wider than he remembered. His shoulders seemed to fill out the straps.
"Just a pump," he muttered. "Lighting."
He looked at his arms. They weren't thin anymore. They looked thick. Veiny.
He flexed his bicep. The skin felt tight, swollen. He looked... manly. He looked like he belonged in this tank top.
The smell was everywhere now. It was in his nose, in his mouth. He couldn't tell where Stan ended and he began. The sweat on his skin was mixing with the residue in the shirt, creating a new, hybrid funk.
He lifted his arm to look at the deep cut of the armhole.
He noticed something else. The hair in his armpit looked darker. Thicker. It matted together with the sweat.
But as he brought his nose to the damp, black fabric under his arm, he didn't stop.
It was pungent. Sharp. It smelled of hard work. It smelled like testosterone.
Elias closed his eyes. His mouth fell open slightly. He buried his face in his own armpitâinto Stanâs armpitâand took a deep, greedy breath.
"Yeah," he groaned, the sound vibrating in his throat.
It was intoxicating. He pressed his nose deeper into the musk, huffing it like a drug. He flexed his other arm, feeling massive. He felt dirty. He felt right.
"Pure man," he whispered into the damp fabric.
He stared at himself in the mirror, a goofy, drugged smile spreading across his face. He didn't take the clothes off. He didn't wash his face. He just climbed into bed, pulling the duvet up to his chin, marinating in the scent, waiting for tomorrow to bring more.
Elias woke up feeling... full.
It wasn't the bloating of a big meal. It was a sense of density. He sat up in bed, and the black stringer tank topâthe one that had hung off him like a dress yesterdayâdidn't slide down his shoulder.
It sat flush against his skin.
He walked to the full-length mirror.
The fabric wasn't straining or ripping. It fit perfectly. His chest had filled out the loose cotton, giving it shape. His lats flared just enough to keep the straps in place. The mesh shorts, which had looked ridiculous before, now hugged his quads, showing off the separation in his thighs.
He leaned closer to the glass.
His face looked different. His jawline seemed squarer, heavier. The light stubble from yesterday had thickened into a dark, rugged layer of beard that covered his cheeks.
He looked down at the deep cut of the tank top. There was a dusting of dark hair spreading across his upper chest, disappearing under the black fabric. He touched it. It felt coarse. It felt right.
Elias didn't panic about the sudden hair growth. He didn't wonder why his shoulders were suddenly three inches wider.
He just grinned. A wide, satisfied smirk.
"Solid," he grunted, flexing a bicep. It was hard as a rock.
He turned to get dressed for work. He grabbed his navy blazer and tried to slip his arm into the sleeve.
His shoulders were too broad. The fabric pulled tight across his back before he could even get it on properly. He heard a faint pop of a stitch.
He didn't bother trying to force it. He didn't look for a bigger shirt. He just threw the blazer over his shoulder like a cape, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door, the black tank top on full display.
The office felt cramped today. The ceilings felt low.
Elias sat at his desk, legs spread wide, taking up the entire aisle. The mesh shorts rode up slightly, exposing his thick, hairy thighs to the sterile office air.
It was Dave again. Poor, soft Dave.
Dave was staring at him, eyes wide. "Elias, are you... are you wearing gym shorts? And is that a beard? You look..."
Dave trailed off, overwhelmed by the sheer visual and olfactory presence of him.
Elias leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head. The blazer was merely draped over his shoulders now, a flimsy attempt at professionalism that fooled no one. A fresh wave of musk rolled off his exposed armpits, dominating the cubicle.
"Chill, Dave," Elias rumbled. His voice was a deep bass, vibrating in his chest.
"Chill?" Dave sputtered, stepping back from the smell. "It's unprofessional, Elias. You can't just come in here smelling like... like that."
Elias chuckled. He looked at Daveâs smooth, hairless arms and his pale face. He felt a wave of pity.
"It's called pheromones, bro," Elias said, scratching the new hair on his chest through the tank top. "Itâs natural. You wouldn't get it."
"You're too soft," Elias said simply, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "Go push some papers. I gotta fuel up."
He pulled a shaker bottle out of his bag and took a loud, slurping drink. He ignored Daveâs shock. He ignored the stares.
He just sat there, smelling like a predator, feeling the rough fabric of the tank top against his skin, counting down the minutes until he could go back home. Back to the iron.
The sun had set hours ago, but Metrics was burning bright.
Elias walked through the double doors. He didn't check his phone. He didn't scan the room for the cleanest machine. He just inhaled.
The air was heavy. It smelled of rubber, chalk, and sweat. Before, this smell would have made him wrinkle his nose. Tonight, it just felt... breathable. It settled into his chest, warm and familiar, mixing perfectly with the fermented scent rising from his own unwashed tank top.
He walked onto the floor.
He wasn't the uptight analyst weaving through the crowd anymore. He took up space. He walked with a wide, rolling gait, his lats flared out just enough to keep his arms from touching his sides. His thick thighs rubbed together in the mesh shorts with a soft, rhythmic swish.
He went straight to the free weights.
The big man was sitting on a flat bench, resting between sets. He looked massive, a mountain of sweat-slicked skin and black cotton. He was wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, chest heaving.
Stan looked up as Elias approached. He grinnedâa slow, lazy smile that showed teeth.
"Yo," Stan said, standing up. "You made it."
"Couldn't stay away," Elias replied, the words rumbling in his chest.
Stan stepped closer. He didn't ask; he just leaned in, sniffing the air around Elias. He nodded, looking genuinely impressed.
"Damn," Stan grunted. "Smelling right, man. Real thick."
Elias stood taller, his chest puffing out instinctively. He felt a rush of heat in his groin, a sudden tightness in the mesh shorts.
"Never better," Elias said. His voice was a deep rasp, rougher than he remembered, but it fit his new jawline perfectly. "Solid."
"Solid is good," Stan agreed. He reached out and clamped a hand on Eliasâs shoulder. His fingers were enormous, hot and calloused, digging into the new muscle of Elias's trap. "You look ready to crush it, Eddie."
The name hung in the air for a second. His brain tried to pull up "Elias." But all he saw was a stiff suit. A guy who worried about spreadsheets and hand sanitizer. A guy who didn't belong here.
He caught his reflection in the mirror wall.
He saw a wide, bearded man in a stringer tank top. He saw thick, hairy arms and a chest that strained against the fabric.
"Eddie," the man in the mirror seemed to say.
It didn't feel new. It felt like putting on a comfortable hoodie. Simple.
"Eddie," he repeated, turning back to Stan with a lopsided grin. "Sounds about right."
"Fits you," Stan said simply.
The hug was crushing. Stanâs arms wrapped around Eddieâs back, locking him in. Their chests smashed togetherâdense muscle against dense muscle. The friction was electric. Stan was soaked, hot and slippery, and Eddie pressed into it, hungry for the contact.
They ground against each other for a moment, chest to chest, crotch to crotch. The smell was overwhelming. Buried against Stanâs neck, breathing in the raw, salty musk of his bro, Eddie felt the last of the analyst dissolve.
"Let's get to work," Stan whispered into his ear, his beard scratching against Eddieâs cheek.
"Ya." Eddie groaned, giving Stanâs back one last, hard slap.
They broke the hug, but the heat stayed.
"Always," Eddie replied. He didn't doubt it for a second.
They walked to the bench press. It was a sleek, black leather bench in the center of the rack. It was still warm from whoever had used it last, slick with a faint sheen of moisture.
Eddie didn't wipe it down. He didn't even think about it.
He sat on the edge, his mesh shorts riding up his hairy thighs. He lay back. The warm leather pressed against his skin through the thin tank top. It felt right.
Stan moved into the spotter position. He loomed over Eddie, a dark, massive silhouette blocking out the gym lights.
"Let's go," Stan growled. "Big weight."
Eddie reached up and grabbed the bar. The knurling bit into his palms. It felt familiar.
He unracked the weight. It was heavyâthree plates on each sideâbut his arms didn't shake. His triceps locked out, thick and steady.
He lowered the bar to his chest, feeling the stretch in his pecs. He pushed it back up.
His muscles burned, flooded with blood. The pump was exquisite. He could feel his skin tightening, his tank top struggling to contain his expanding chest.
"One more," Stan commanded. "Grind it."
Eddie grunted, pushing with everything he had. The bar moved slowly, fighting gravity.
He wasn't looking at the bar. He was looking at Eddie.
Stanâs chest was directly above Eddieâs face. The loose neckline of Stanâs tank top hung down, giving Eddie a view of the dark, matted hair on Stanâs pecs, glistening with sweat. The smell wafted downâgravity feeding the musk directly to him.
Eddie pushed the bar into the rack with a loud clang.
He lay there, chest heaving, staring up.
Stan didn't move away. He leaned lower, his hands resting on the uprights, trapping Eddie on the bench. His face was inches from Eddieâs.
"You really let it soak," Stan murmured, his voice low. His eyes dropped to Eddieâs chest, watching the rapid rise and fall. "Kept the juice."
"Just listening to you, bro," Eddie gasped. He couldn't look away. "Maximize the gains."
"Smart man," Stan grinned.
Stan shifted his weight. He pressed his hips forward, grinding them against the top of the bench, right near Eddieâs head. The heavy bulge in Stanâs shorts was right there, impossible to miss.
Eddieâs body reacted instantly. The blood that had been in his chest rushed south. His mesh shorts tented visibly. He was hard.
He didn't try to hide it. He spread his legs slightly, his sneakers gripping the rubber floor, opening himself up.
Stan reached down. He placed his wide palm flat on Eddieâs heaving pectoral. He squeezed, testing the density. Then he moved his hand up, his thumb rough against Eddieâs lip.
"You taste salty," Stan muttered, staring at Eddie's mouth.
"Sweat," Eddie breathed. "It's all sweat."
Stan smirked. He leaned down further, closing the gap.
He didn't hesitate. He smashed his lips against Eddieâs.
It wasn't gentle. It was wet, rough, and tasted of salt. Stanâs tongue pushed into Eddieâs mouth, aggressive and demanding. Eddie moaned, arching his back off the bench, meeting him halfway.
He felt Stanâs stubble grinding against his own beard. He felt Stanâs free hand gripping his bicep, holding him down.
Stan pulled back, a string of saliva connecting them. He licked his lips, tasting Eddie one last time.
He slapped Eddieâs chest, hard.
"Now get up," Stan said, stepping back and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "My turn. Spot me."
Eddie sat up. His head was spinning, his body buzzing. He looked at Stanâhis bro, his mentor.
He stood up, his legs shaky but strong. He adjusted his shorts, letting the erection throb painfully against the mesh.
"Got you, bro," Eddie said, his voice deep and steady.
He moved behind the bench as Stan lay down. The view from here was even better. Stan sprawled out on the leather, legs spread wide, looking up at Eddie with a hungry, knowing grin. Stanâs eyes flicked to the massive bulge in Eddieâs shorts, right at eye level.
"Damn," Stan chuckled, gripping the bar. "You're ready to pop, aren't you?"
Eddie gritted his teeth, his hands hovering over the bar to spot him. "Can't help it. The smell... it's driving me crazy."
"Hold it," Stan commanded, his voice thick with promise. "Finish the set first. Then we hit the showers. I'm gonna need a really thorough spotter in there."
Eddie grinned, a dark, primal look crossing his face. "Yeah? You gonna make me work for it?"
"You know it," Stan growled, arching his back. "Now shut up and lift."
Eddie took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the air of the gym. It smelled of sweat. It smelled of iron. It smelled like home.
