Workout Bros, Bro(Emrys)

[Deleted]

Anthony like to go down to the gym. Even more, he liked going down with friends. Friends were essential to a good, well-balanced workout as you needed them for things like spotting and seeing who could lift the most before pulling a muscle. Not like he did that or anything, but it was fun to pretend to, right? Made things more interesting.

Anyway, Anthony had a few people he liked to go with and one of those was his friend Emrys. Yes, his friend Emrys. Because their friendship was awesome and they could be bros over things like that that were cool. Now granted Emrys was probably a little less awesome than Anthony, but he was fairly awesome in his own right.

"So...anything new happening?" he said excitedly, not-so-excitely, because he was just trying not to be excited because he was only going to gush about his girlfriend, Kailin, again like he always was. Because who wouldn't want to talk about Kailin Bishop?

[Emrys Waterson]

Though Emrys worked out purely out of a sense of responsibility, and therefore very seriously, that didn't mean he did not enjoy working out with friends. He'd met Anthony a while back, as mutual users of the gym, and Anthony had introduced himself. If he was perfectly honest, Emrys had to admit he'd been somewhat skeptical of whether or not he was serious at all about working out. Of course, that had changed the more they ran into each other at the gym, and Emrys realized that he wasn't simply someone deciding to work out for a couple weeks before quitting. Not that he thought there was anything inherently wrong with someone quitting, by any means.

"Not a whole lot," Emrys mused in answer to Anthony's question. Unless he counted Candence's moving in, of course, but that had happened a few weeks back and didn't really count as something "new" anymore. At least, not in Emrys' opinion. "Things are pretty normal," he replied with instead. "Candence is settling in fairly well, I believe." Which was a relief, of course... He could live with life like this: normal, and not having to worry any extra about his sister.

He offered a smile, having a pretty good guess that Anthony would be wanting to talk about his girlfriend. He didn't mind much, really. He talked about his sister enough, after all. They, each of them, had their own people they could easily talk about for any length of time. After all, as much as he worried about her, he was proud of what Candence had accomplished. "What about you?" he inquired as he prepared for the day's workout. "Anything new with you?"

[Deleted]

Anthony kept up his regimen pretty religiously, alternating days of the week where he went out jogging and days when he went to the gym for strength training. He preferred to do his jogging either out on the track, but the best place to do it was on the trails that let out into the woods and to the lake. Once in the weight training room, he tended to do a thorough workout of his arms and abs, concentrating lightly on his legs as well. He was trying to reach the point where he could lift his own body weight on the bench press. Anthony was almost there.

Anthony had heard about Candence’s arrival, and honestly, it gave him a bit of hope. He himself had a little brother about Candence’s age whom Anthony was hoping would manifest soon and come to Hammel. Not because he missed him(although he certainly did) or because he wanted Daryll to experience the awesome that was Hammel…but because he wanted to get his little brother out and away from the custody war that was currently going on between their parents. Although the divorce hadn’t been finalized yet, it was only a matter of time….

And Anthony just wanted to concentrate on what he could for now. Like meeting his own goals. And Kales. Anthony smiled as he and Emrys walked over to the shoulder press machine. He set the weight at the same level he had last time and sat down, because obviously Anthony was going first! “Well….got an internship,” he started with a grunt as he pushed up on the handle-bars. “Kailin is getting cuter.” Anthony grinned and blushed a little. “She likes to sit in my lap when we’re lounging in front of the TV.” With pants. Though it did cross his mind to do it without eventually.

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys let his arms hang loose at his sides as Anthony started his workout. He was perfectly fine with other people going first, both because he saw little point in expending energy over debating who should go first, and also because he genuinely didn't care who went first. They would both get a turn eventually, so it didn't make sense to compete over it, to Emrys anyway.

So while Anthony pushed on the weights, Emrys simply kept an eye on him while mulling over what was new with him. "Internship sound like it will be enjoyable?" he questioned. Of course, the point of internships were not to be enjoyable, anymore than the point of working out was meant to be enjoyable, but that didn't mean it had to be miserable... And if one could be improving themselves while not miserable, so much the better.

He gave a soft chuckle as Kailin was brought up. Yes, he had guessed right. "Sounds like the two of you are still hitting it off, then." He smiled a bit as Anthony finished his first round of shoulder presses and rose. Emrys adjusted the weights, then plopped into place and began his round. And that was likely as much as he would say about Kailin and Anthony. Though he didn't mind Anthony's talking about her, when it came to that subject he rarely had much more to say than agree that yes, they were quite cute. Unless he had an actual question. Which, he supposed, worked fine.

[Deleted]

“Uh huh,” he grunted as he pressed out his arms like a boss. “Here’s hoping, but it doesn’t seem too bad so far.” Anthony had plans for the future, that’s why he took the internship. Connections were going to be his safety net when it finally came down to finding a job after high school or college or whenever that turned out to be.

Anthony released a final loud grunt as he let the weight drop down just a little too hard, causing a loud clang to resonate throughout the room. A few heads turned to look. Or rather glare and Anthony smiled sheepishly to them. Oops…

“Uh…your go,” he offered as he stood from the bench and started stretching out his arms. Maybe he’d done a little much that last set? Probably should tone it down. “But back to your question,” he continued the conversation that was on the verge of going all ‘me me me’, because Emrys clearly hadn’t actually asked a question. “Yes! We are so hitting it off! You wouldn’t believe it, I just wanna pinch her cheeks so much sometimes!” And tease her endlessly. The only thing he was afraid of was going too far and getting chased at by her older brothers. How many did she have…4? Anthony shrugged. “What about you? Any of the pretty girls out there catching your eye yet?” See! Anthony was generous, he was totally turning the focus back to Emrys, totally showing interest in his friend whom he assumed still didn’t have a girlfriend yet. Gotta show your support, he always said!

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys glanced at the people who shot Anthony glares, offering an apologetic smile. It wasn't as if Anthony had meant to let the weights down a little too quickly, after all. Everyone had likely made that misjudgment... But people still managed to be annoyed when someone else slipped up. Ah well... He was sure they hadn't meant any offense.

He smiled as he started his set, and Anthony began enthusing about Kailin further. He didn't consider himself to be much of a romantic, but those two... He nodded. "Just don't pinch her cheeks too hard." He chuckled.

Any of the pretty girls catching his eye? Emrys considered carefully a moment, though not for lack of someone to bring up. There was a girl at the coffee shop he worked at who he thought cute, but he wasn't exactly one to easily bring that sort of thing up to a girl. "There is someone at the coffee shop," he admitted. "But we don't know each other very well," he added quickly, not wanting his friend to get the wrong idea. The girl was by no means his girlfriend, and wouldn't necessarily be his girlfriend in future either.

[Deleted]

Anthony’s face was still quite red, both from the brief workout and then from the embarrassment of enacting a weight room faux pas. With luck, he could make a complete recovery, oh what was he talking about, this was Anthony! Of course he could recover! He laughed at Emry’s response.

Anthony really was interested in knowing who, if anyone, Emry’s had his eye on currently. And it totally, completely wasn’t a selfish interest, nope, though it would be nice to have someone they could go on double dates with. Or maybe, if Emry’s didn’t have someone, then Anthony could hook him up with one of Kailin’s single friends and they could still have their double date! Maybe go bowling or something. “At the coffee shop, huh?” he said leaning in with a tease in his voice. “And does this ‘someone’ have a name yet?” Though ‘someone’ was better than ‘noone’, in his opinion.

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys shook his head, not answering Anthony immediately. He didn't really have intention of giving out the girl's name. Not because he mistrusted Anthony with the information, but because he wasn't really one to chat about such things. Already he was regretting bringing it up. If he gave out her name, it had potential for making things well and truly awkward later on...

He finished the round, and pushed himself up to his feet, finally putting together a reply as he did. "Nope, she's nameless so far," he mused, giving a slight grin as he moved to the next machine, naturally waiting for Anthony to go first, since he himself had just finished up a round. "We're just coworkers." He chuckled. And knowing him, they would remain just coworkers. Calm as he tended to be, when it came to confronting romantic type things, he tended to shy away.

Eager to redirect the conversation, he cast around for an alternate topic. "How are finals looking?"

[Deleted]

“So far?” Was that a good sign or a bad sign? Did that mean he hadn’t even tried talking to her? Lame! This guy totally needed Anthony to go out with him and be his wingman, maybe help the two lovebirds hook up or something. But then Emrys revealed that she was a co-worker and… “How can she be nameless if you work together!?” he exclaimed with a laugh as they headed to the next machine. “Doesn’t she have a nametag?” Because that would be the first place Anthony would look.

Anthony sat in the next machine as Emrys brought up a topic that this time Anthony found uncomfortable. Not about finals itself, but what finals implied. He bit his lip lightly, his eyes blinking in a slight twitch before he started his reps. “Perfect,” he said with a slight strain as he worked the machine. “Juuust perfect.” And as soon as those were over with, he got to dive right into graduation. Oh, joy!

Still…it coaxed Anthony to dive into a topic he was iffy about. “So…Emrys…” he grunted. “You figure out what you’re doing after graduation yet?”

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys chuckled as Anthony brought up the name tag issue. He really should've guessed he would catch that. "Yeah..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "She... forgets it a lot?" He offered a faint grin. No, he didn't think he was being particularly convincing. Yes, he was stalling now.

And apparently he'd come up with a subject that was just as uncomfortable to Anthony as talking about girls he may or may not have a crush on was to Emrys. Ah well...

After graduation... He gave a mild shrug. "Yeah... I want to get in at University of Vermont. Study law enforcement." Sure, he could foreseeably try to get into the police field without a degree, but it would be useful to have a broader knowledge scope on the subject before going into it. "What about you? Any ideas?"

[Deleted]

Anthony had the feeling that Emrys was just trying to dodge the question. Sure it was possible for an employee to simply forget her name tag every single time Emrys was working, but extremely unlikely that he hadn’t seen it at least once, or heard the manager call her name once, or even had her introduce herself simply because they were working together. Well, that last part might not happen if she was just as quiet and reserved as Emrys. Anthony shook his head. “Fine, don’t tell me. Guess I’ll just have to stop by and stake out your workplace to find out her name.” Anthony was very sure there was a girl. He wasn’t sure why Emrys was trying to hide her, though.

Oh, well.

“University of Vermont,” he repeated pensively. Anthony probably could have gone there as well, but it was just so…permanent. Plus there were out of state tuition costs and he doubted his mom would have let him. Knowing her, she would have held her tax forms hostage just to keep Anthony from going to any school that kept him away from her and, incidentally, closer to his father. It was a wonder she hadn’t tried to pull Anthony from Hammel already…or maybe she had and the school officials wouldn’t let her?

“Law enforcement sounds cool. Get to go out and fight the bad guys, right?” He knew it was more than that, though. “I don’t know. Unless I have a really good reason to say behind, I don’t think my parents will let me.” Apparently Kailin wasn’t enough and he…that just pissed him off so much! “There’s go home, try to make it at Greenview, or…join the army.” The last option was his failsafe, though hoped he didn’t have to use it right away.

[Emrys Waterson]

Stop by and stake out the coffee shop? Oh dear... Emrys wasn't 100% certain, but he did feel a level of certainty that Anthony just might make good on the threat in some way, shape, or form. That would definitely be more awkward than just telling him the girl's name. He gave a faint sigh, though not one of exasperation. "No need to plan a stake out..." He smiled. "Kate. Her name is Katelyn. But she's only just started a few weeks ago-- I don't know her well."

He listened quietly to Anthony's musings about his own future. He didn't at all envy the friction in Anthony's family, and genuinely wished he could help somehow. "Well... Perhaps if you get a scholarship at the University they would consider that a sound reason?" he suggested. Of course, he figured Anthony had already thought of that, but he felt the need to put it out there anyway. "Or..." He considered a moment. "I'm sure Greenview wouldn't be to bad of a place, would it?"

As much as he liked his friends to be able to have some semblance of choice in their future, sometimes when the inevitable came, he hoped to at least help them see the bright side of the situation. Or the least dark side, if it had to come to that...

[Deleted]

Looked like his playful threats were enough to wiggle a real answer out of Emrys. “I knew it, you were holding out on me!” That’s all he wanted, a name. Well, he wanted the name and the whole story so he could figure out if they could do the double date thing. “But you talk to her, right? I’m telling you, sometime during one of those talks, you just have to suck it up and ask her to a cup of coffee.” Which would be easy considering they worked in a coffee shop.

Talking about Emrys and his budding love life was preferable to talking about the decisions he had yet to make for post-graduation. The problem was that whenever it was brought up, somehow people thought he hadn’t considered the options or solutions that they presented. Sure, Anthony knew that they were just trying to be helpful, but it got repetitive after a while. So if was never brought up, then he didn’t have to go through it. “I’m supposed to sign up for classes at the end of June at Greenview. But that’s just so that if my other plans change, then I have something to fall back on.” He’d keep that option open right up until the last minute. Because it was easier to drop out of a college he’d already enrolled into than get in after classes had already started.

Anthony had gotten distracted in this topic and had forgotten to move so that Emrys could have a turn at the machine. He smiled sheepishly up at his friend as he stood and motioned to the device. “Sorry, uhmmm, it’s all yours…”

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys shook his head, though smiling a bit as he did. "Yes, I talk to her..." Strictly in a friendly coworker way, of course. Neither of them were really extremely chatty, after all. Keeping up more than casual conversation didn't happen much, to be perfectly honest. He shook his head. "Maybe I will ask her," he said. Then at least they would be able to get to know each other a little better. Either that, or sit and stare awkwardly at each other over their coffee. ... Yeah, that didn't sound quite as good.

Though he liked to help his friends, Emrys felt fairly certain that further suggestions wouldn't really be of benefit. Really, Anthony had probably put quite a bit of thought into various solutions, and even if he hadn't, well, it wasn't as if there were a lot of different options and solutions he could try. So, he offered a nod. "Sounds like a good plan," he mused. "What sorts of classes are you trying to get?" He intentionally didn't ask what degree Anthony would go for. He himself had hated that question until he finally figured it out. And oftentimes people changed their mind even when they thought they knew what degree they would be working towards.

Emrys took his place on the machine and began the round, unworried. It wasn't as if he was in a hurry, after all, and he wasn't exactly one to get impatient easily.

[Deleted]

“That’s that spirit!” Anthony said encouragingly. It was always a fine day when he talked his friends into doing something that they were a little too wallflower-y to do without a gentle nudge. Anthony did such things to Salem repeatedly and the boy was better for it, in Anthony’s opinion. And Salem didn’t mind(much) so of course Emrys wouldn’t either.

Emrys was correct in his assumption, Anthony had pondered a variety of different scenarios and solutions. It was just that the ones he wanted were the most unlikely and the ones that were the most likely were the most unwanted. “I don’t know, I guess just the general stuff for now.” He’d taken a look at the class listings for next semester and while some of the classes looked very interesting, most of them required him taking other classes first. “It’s It’s kind of annoying, actually. They set it up so you can only take the boring stuff first.” He laughed.

Anthony watched as Emrys took up the machine and start his reps, his mouth having grown silent for a moment before brining up a question that he’d been curious about. “Hey, uh…Em…was wondering. You got a little sister, Candence, right? Obviously, you worry about her. But uh…if she hadn’t manifested….I don’t know, you think it would have been worth it to just go home…?” Anthony was doing a pretty bad job at making that question sound lighthearted…and at that, he instantly wondered if maybe it was too personal? Guess he’d find out.