Looking for the Light - Jack/Gabe
@fidelismileslucem
Hot yoga probably wouldn’t have been Gabe’s first choice for a class. Not that he had anything against yoga or the people who enjoyed it, he just tended to be a more fast-paced kind of guy. He liked cycling and speed running and boxing - stuff like that. Normally they were all great at helping him destress, but lately… not so much. It was Zarya who’d suggested he might need a change of pace - something to calm his mind rather than overload it. Gabe… wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to quit before he’d tried, so when his pink-haired co-worker said she’d signed him up for a new hot yoga class at the gym they both shared, he didn’t say no. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t still unsure about the whole thing.
At the gym, he took his time in the locker room. He wasn’t really used to clothes that clung like this. But all the research he’d done said that well-fitted was best so the fabric would move with his body. With that in mind, he’d gone for a snug black tank top; the fabric was light-weight but clung close enough to his skin that his nipple rings were apparent to anyone who might bother to look. He also liked that it did a good job of showing off his full-sleeve tattoos - one arm sported a Dia de los Muertos theme, while the other was a mixture of angel and demon iconography (taken partially from old illuminated manuscripts.) They both merged together on his back, tying the two scenes neatly together. The shorts he’d picked were actually already in his closet - part of his cycling gear - and one of his favorite looks. They clung well in all the right places, and had great movement. They were also adorned with large calaveras on either leg, with an intricate pattern of black and purple in the background. Striking without being too outrageous.
Taking a deep breath, Gabe headed for the room, where it looked like a good number of people were already gathered. Huh. There sure were a lot of couples. Not that he minded. He was a big boy, and could hardly begrudge others their happiness just because he’d been single for far longer than he cared to admit. Not sure exactly how a class liked this worked, Gabe found himself a mat in the front row, but off to the side. Better to see without always being seen, he figured. Glancing around he wondered which of these people was the instructor. He got a few looks in return - not a surprise. Gabe was a guy that got stared at often… for lots of different reasons. A few were appreciative, others were sizing him up, and the rest… well, it was mostly suspicion or disapproval. They didn’t like his piercings, or his tattoos, or his style of dress. They took one look and thought he was trouble. Once, they would’ve been right. But Gabe had done his time and moved on with his life. These days, he just looked like a gang-banger. He’d joked to friends more than once that it ‘kept the weirdos away,’ which almost always got a laugh (and was sometimes true.)
Right now he ignored the looks, noting again how weird it was that almost - no, not almost - EVERYONE was paired up. Gabe’s eyes narrowed. Something was weird here. WHAT had Zarya done?!