Hot, sticky sweat dribbled down your body as if you were in the middle of a rainstorm. Every punch you gave on the long, thick bag in front of you was full of effort, strain, and most of all, determination. You had always been kind of a fitness freak. You loved excercise and proving your strength to others. It was the only thing you were confident in. You struck and kicked the punching bag over and over and over. You were so intuned with your movements that you failed to notice or even sense the bright amber orbs fixated on you.
With several more hits, your body felt tired and heavy. And with one last round-house kick, you released all of your energy into the strike, causing the heavy object to swing half-way to the ceiling.
You bent down and panted while you gave your overly hot, damp, and exhausted body a rest after hours of vigorous activity. It was a very satisfying feeling, even though it was slightly painful.
Then, an impressed whistle reached your ears. Upon turning around, your eyes finally latched onto those amber ones.
"Not bad... Pretty impressive, sweetheart." You raised a brow at the man a few feet away. It was Gladiolus, aka, the bear in a human costume. He was the largest man you had ever seen before. However, his personality belies his intimidating structure. He might look like a scary grizzly on the outside, but on the inside, he's a child's teddy bear, care-free and playful.
"Thanks," you replied passively as you stood up and walked over to the bench. Gladio smiled.
"You're not one for compliments, are you?" he asked as he sat down beside you as you unwrapped the training bandages on your hands.
"It took you all the way up until now to figure that out?" you asked sarcastically.
"Not really. You always do kinda shrug off a guy trying to put the moves on ya."
"Like right now for example?" You both laughed. Out of all the guys that ever tried asking you out, Gladio was the one who never backed out. He was either flirting with you or talking about your physical skills. But you always turned him down. It's not that you weren't interested in him... you were. But deep beneath the strong and well-built body was just a normal shy girl. You were also scared. Scared that if you did go out with the large brunette, it wouldn't work out and end horribly. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Gladio replied as he hung his overly bulky arm around your shoulders. A light blush filled your cheeks.
"And why are you so interested in my well-being?" you asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" You glanced at him with a confused look. He smirked. "Because I like you." Your blush increased in colour. So much so that the man was able to notice it. "And if I was to guess, I'd say you dig me, too."
In that moment, things got really uncomfortable for you. You scoffed and rose up from the bench, trying to get away from the situation.
"Very funny. You're just teasing me," you insisted. Suddenly, a pair of large hands grabbed your waist and spun you around, resulting you in coming face-to-face... or rather face-to-chest with Gladio.
"What if I'm not?" his deep voice grumbled in your ear. It made you shutter a little. Your heart started to beat faster again. Of course not from from physical effort, but from nervousness, excitement. You turned your head away from the side Gladio was facing and didn't reply to his question. Then, completely unexpectedly, his lips came into contact with the place just between your ear and jawline. You gasped and jumped lightly at the touch of his small prickly beard tickling your skin. The man chuckled at your reaction. "You know, you're just my type, sweetheart. And I know I'm yours, too. Stop denying it."
Before you could respond, Gladio stood up straight and walked away, leaving you standing there being a flushed, shaky, and dumbfounded mess.
"See you tomorrow, beautiful," he said as he gave you a wink and walked out the door.
END