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“It Only Takes A Moment” by HerrWozzeck (part 1 of 2, read by the author)
Finding a new gym is an endeavor Julian Armstrong was prepared for. He was not prepared for how attracted he gets to the spotter.
Today’s story is the first of two parts of “It Only Takes A Moment” by Herr Wozzeck, who is a composer, violist, Thereminist, and writer based in Boston. They are the author of the novels Whip and Boot and Lost Inside the Blue Line, as well as the poetry collection The Enigma Letters. You can also see them perform with Trio Menagerie, and you can find more of their stories on their FurAffinity account.
Read by the Author themselves.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/it-only-takes-a-moment-by-herrwozzeck-part-1-of-2
Transcript
You’re listening to Pride Month on The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf,
Speaker:your fellow traveler,
Speaker:and Today’s story is the first of two parts of
Speaker:“It Only Takes A Moment”
Speaker:by Herr Wozzeck, who is a composer,
Speaker:violist, Thereminist, and writer based in Boston.
Speaker:They are the author of the novels Whip and
Speaker:Boot and Lost Inside the Blue Line,
Speaker:as well as the poetry collection The Enigma Letters.
Speaker:You can also see them perform with Trio Menagerie,
Speaker:and you can find more of their stories on their FurAffinity account.
Speaker:Read by the Author themselves.
Speaker:It’s possible to maintain that the most fundamental difference between the straight
Speaker:and the queer is that straight people
Speaker:have the luxury of taking who they are for granted,
Speaker:while a queer person
Speaker:must necessarily
Speaker:have some moment of discovery:
Speaker:one which cannot be predicted
Speaker:or categorized, for all the possible ways a person may first realize the truth of who
Speaker:and what they are
Speaker:cannot be categorized.
Speaker:An educated guess would think it likely
Speaker:that there would be as many ways
Speaker:as there are queer people.
Speaker:But however that realization happens:
Speaker:“It Only Takes A Moment”
Speaker:by Herr Wozzeck,
Speaker:Part 1 of 2 Julian Armstrong walked into the new gym, inhaling
Speaker:softly as he looked up at the marquee.
Speaker:It was a rather small, unassuming little gym:
Speaker:off to the side, he could see men all around lifting at various machines and weight racks.
Speaker:He finally inhaled, looking at some plates on a nearby rack and seeing that
Speaker:finally, finally there was a place that had enough weights that he would lift regularly.
Speaker:It was perfect: plenty of open space,
Speaker:lots of machines, and it looked like it went deeper than expected.
Speaker:Julian inhaled, looking back at the door before turning to the reception desk.
Speaker:He still could not help the small tension he felt in his throat, though.
Speaker:For one thing, he felt everyone’s gaze turn to him:
Speaker:Julian knew he was built like an absolute mountain,
Speaker:and even though every man looked at him
Speaker:he still felt a little self-conscious.
Speaker:Oh, it was more than the fact he outclassed every man there:
Speaker:it was also the number of Pride flags that hung off the walls all over the gym.
Speaker:He was not nervous because of the fact he was in
Speaker:a gay gym: the imposing bear had only just recently decided to try discovering something in himself.
Speaker:After all, women did nothing for him, and he ended up breaking off every single relationship he’d ever been in as a result of his disinterest and…
Speaker:certain other things he did not want to think about.
Speaker:Maybe there was something more going on,
Speaker:and where better to discover that than here,
Speaker:in a gym that flew the rainbow flag proudly?
Speaker:But even this small step made Julian subconsciously glance behind him, feeling the weight of his mother’s glare over his shoulder.
Speaker:Ever since she had heard of his desire to move all the way out here,
Speaker:the bear had to deal with her dismissive glares.
Speaker:It was nothing new, of course:
Speaker:he remembered all the times she would give him hell, from when he started his strongman training
Speaker:to every single break-up he initiated and especially the time he broke the engagement off.
Speaker:He had finally accepted that looking for her approval was an exercise in futility,
Speaker:and now he still could not shake the feeling that she was watching.
Julian exhaled:this was a foolish endeavor.
Julian exhaled:There was no way anyone would—
Julian exhaled:“Hey there! You must be Julian, right?”
Julian exhaled:The bear exhaled, opening eyes he had not realized he’d closed.
Julian exhaled:Well, too late now…
Julian exhaled:With this thought,
Julian exhaled:he turned to the rather muscular rat who had been behind the counter.
Julian exhaled:“Yes,” Julian replied, the bear rubbing just behind his ears.
Julian exhaled:He exhaled, looking at the rat.
Julian exhaled:“You must be Matthew?”
Julian exhaled:“Yup, that’s the one!”
Julian exhaled:he said. He smiled, his buck teeth glinting in the light.
Julian exhaled:“Welcome to Goldberg’s! I know you’re
Julian exhaled:new to the area, how are you adjusting?”
Julian exhaled:“It’s… going.” Julian exhaled, glancing to the floor.
Julian exhaled:“I’m still not used to it.”
Julian exhaled:“Hey, ya can’t get used to moving to this kind of neighborhood overnight,”
Julian exhaled:Matthew replied, brushing some white hair out of his face.
Julian exhaled:“Give it a bit of time.
Julian exhaled:I know it took about a month of bein’ here before I felt comfy, you’ll fit right in eventually.”
Julian exhaled:And Julian nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Julian exhaled:“OK,” he said. He then looked up.
Julian exhaled:“I’m just glad I finally found a gym with the weights I’d use.”
Julian exhaled:“Yeah, tell me about it,” Matthew replied.
Julian exhaled:He crossed his arms, looking at Julian’s massive musculature;
Julian exhaled:his eyes glanced over the arm muscles that threatened to destroy the sleeves of his shirt,
Julian exhaled:over the barrel-like chest that jutted out above a slightly round gut that
Julian exhaled:nevertheless looked like it was made of pure muscle,
Julian exhaled:and at the extremely toned legs.
Julian exhaled:Julian was aware of it, of course, but he could tell the rat’s look was more one of admiration than of anything lustful, which
Julian exhaled:surprised him a little bit.
Julian exhaled:The rat nodded. “You do strongman competitions much?”
Julian exhaled:“Only more recently,”
Julian exhaled:Julian replied. He exhaled.
Julian exhaled:“And I would like to do them more.”
Julian exhaled:“Well, I can’t promise we have a regimen that helps that,
Julian exhaled:but I can ask some friends to help with that.”
Julian exhaled:Matthew then tilted his head to the side,
Julian exhaled:walking into the body of the gym.
Julian exhaled:Julian followed, his footsteps soft on the mat
Julian exhaled:as the rat led him along.
Julian exhaled:“So here is the gym floor.
Julian exhaled:You see it by now, it’s a pretty good area, has a lot of machines and heavy weights.
Julian exhaled:weights.” He then gestured to a door close to where they were.
Julian exhaled:“The lockers and showers are through this door over here.”
Julian exhaled:He then frowned. “And before you ask:
Julian exhaled:no, fucking is not allowed in the main locker area.
Julian exhaled:There’s a separate locker area for that way in the back, and you’ll know when you hit it because you have to pass the showers to get there.”
Julian exhaled:Julian, however, sighed in relief, feeling some of the self-consciousness fade away.
Julian exhaled:“That’s… a relief to know,”
Julian exhaled:he said. He then looked to Matthew.
Julian exhaled:“I should get changed, then.”
Julian exhaled:“Go ahead,” said Matthew.
Julian exhaled:He then checked his watch. “I know you asked for a spotter, so I’ve asked a friend to get here to do that for me when he arrives today,
Julian exhaled:but he seems to be running late.”
Julian exhaled:He shrugged. “All works out in the end.”
Julian exhaled:“I suppose,” Julian replied.
Julian exhaled:He then inhaled, hoisting his gym bag on his shoulder. “Well,
Julian exhaled:I’ll go ahead and do that.”
Julian exhaled:“Alright,” said Matthew. “I’ll let
Julian exhaled:your spotter know when he gets here that you’re getting ready.”
Julian exhaled:Julian nodded, giving the rat a thumbs up.
Julian exhaled:And with this, he walked into the locker room, finding a locker and noting with some surprise
Julian exhaled:that all the unlocked locker room doors had keys inside the locks. ----**----
Julian exhaled:Julian adjusted the strap of his tank-top,
Julian exhaled:letting it sit a little closer to his neck than usual.
Julian exhaled:It always had a hard time staying there, but he knew that was just a side product of how he had developed his shoulders.
Julian exhaled:He’d get used to it eventually, he figured.
Julian exhaled:He then rolled his shoulders, stepping out of the locker room,
Julian exhaled:passing by a smaller eel who blushed as he walked past.
Julian exhaled:When he stepped outside,
Julian exhaled:Julian saw Matthew standing off to the side, chatting.
Julian exhaled:When Julian turned to see who he was talking to, however,
Julian exhaled:Julian inhaled quietly, suddenly caught off guard by who stood there.
Julian exhaled:He was a rather muscular tuna, with a big tail waving behind him
Julian exhaled:and a rainbow anchor tattooed on his right arm.
Julian exhaled:Julian would not have noticed
Julian exhaled:anything too much more, except that this tuna’s smile was broader
Julian exhaled:than anything else,
Julian exhaled:and his bright blue eyes shone brilliantly in the light.
Julian exhaled:The imposing bear did not quite know what came over him then,
Julian exhaled:but he felt his heart skip a beat:
Julian exhaled:this man was beautiful.
Julian exhaled:It was after a second that Julian realized he had never referred to any of his ex-girlfriends as
Julian exhaled:‘beautiful’ before then.
Julian exhaled:And with this note,
Julian exhaled:he swallowed, his hand twitching slightly.
Julian exhaled:Matthew turned back to the bear.
Julian exhaled:“Oh, here he is!” said Matthew.
Julian exhaled:He smiled at the tuna.
Julian exhaled:“Charlie, this is Julian.
Julian exhaled:He’s coming to us for the first time.”
Julian exhaled:Matthew then turned to Julian.
Julian exhaled:“Julian, this is Charlie Masthead.
Julian exhaled:He’s one of our personal trainers.”
Julian exhaled:Charlie then turned to him, and that smile widened as he approached.
Julian exhaled:“Ooh, he’s a big one,”
Julian exhaled:the tuna said, his voice rumbling and deep.
Julian exhaled:“Hey there, big guy.
Julian exhaled:How are you doing today?” “H
Julian exhaled:-hello.” Julian swallowed upon realizing he’d stuttered slightly.
Julian exhaled:“I’m… alright.” Charlie chuckled, crossing his arms in front of him and letting that chest bulge out slightly.
Julian exhaled:“Good to hear,” the tuna replied.
Julian exhaled:He glanced over Julian once, nodding as he examined every muscle. “Matt wasn’t kidding, you really are exactly the kind of man who should be doing strongmen comps.” “Y
Julian exhaled:-yes,” said Julian. He exhaled, glancing to the side.
Julian exhaled:“This… this was the only gym that had equipment big enough,
Julian exhaled:from what I heard.” “In this part of town,”
Julian exhaled:Charlie replied. He clapped his hands together. “Well,
Julian exhaled:you’re in luck, ‘cause I’ve had experience training that sort of man.”
Julian exhaled:He exhaled. “You have a training regimen from a previous gym?”
Julian exhaled:“Yes,” said Julian. He glanced over to a nearby workout bench, exhaling as he scratched behind his ear.
Julian exhaled:“And you remember it, right?”
Julian exhaled:Charlie asked. Julian nodded, rubbing behind his ear.
Julian exhaled:“I think so…” “Good, then we’ve got a starting place.”
Julian exhaled:The tuna clapped, and he followed along.
Julian exhaled:“Start wherever you want.” ----**----
Julian exhaled:“Five… Six… Seven… Eight!”
Julian exhaled:Julian grunted at the last rep, and he pushed the bar back up, his arms shaking from the effort.
Julian exhaled:It was just in time that Charlie’s hands came for the bar, guiding
Julian exhaled:it back to its place on the rack.
Julian exhaled:With a clack, the bar was back in place, and Jules relaxed, shaking his arm out.
Julian exhaled:Charlie rubbed his hands together, his eyes wide in shock.
Julian exhaled:“Damn, that’s your third set of that today!
Julian exhaled:You really weren’t kidding when you said you were going for strongman-type stuff!”
Julian exhaled:Julian nodded, looking over to the amount of plates he had on the bar before looking up at Charlie.
Julian exhaled:“Of course,” he said.
Julian exhaled:He shrugged. “That’s what was recommended.”
Julian exhaled:“Yeah, of course, I know that,”
Julian exhaled:Charlie replied. “It’s still amazing to see anyone actually lift that for that many reps, never mind one!”
Julian exhaled:Julian frowned, looking at Charlie with a confused expression on his face.
Julian exhaled:The tuna blinked, tilting his head to the side as he regarded Julian’s confusion.
Julian exhaled:Charlie blinked, before nodding in realization.
Julian exhaled:“Oh, right, new to the area,”
Julian exhaled:he said. He shrugged.
Julian exhaled:“Sometimes guys do the gym either to ogle or be ogled.
Julian exhaled:It’s not often you see someone actually interested in strongman stuff.”
Julian exhaled:“Ah.” Julian exhaled, feeling tension leave his shoulders.
Julian exhaled:“Yeah,” said Charlie. “I didn’t expect you to take it seriously when I was coming in.
Julian exhaled:Now, though…” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
Julian exhaled:“Sorry.” “What for?” Julian asked.
Julian exhaled:Charlie shrugged.
Julian exhaled:“Assuming you were showing off,”
Julian exhaled:he said. He looked down, smiling as he beheld the way the tank top hugged Julian’s body.
Julian exhaled:“You just look like one of those alpha male jocks that comes around here sometimes, but they’re usually assholes.”
Julian exhaled:He shrugged. “You, though…
Julian exhaled:you’re different.
Julian exhaled:You don’t take the time to brag.”
Julian exhaled:Julian nodded, simply shrugging as he took Charlie’s words in.
Julian exhaled:“I just want to feel strong,” he said. “Well, I’ll tell you what: you definitely look the part!”
Julian exhaled:he said. He grinned mischievously.
Julian exhaled:“I’m almost jealous of anyone else here, big guy, ‘cause I get you all to myself!”
Julian exhaled:This caused the bear to blush slightly.
Julian exhaled:It was not out of embarrassment, though:
Julian exhaled:if anything, he felt strangely flattered by the tuna’s attentions.
Julian exhaled:He rarely got this kind of attention back in Pensacola from anyone:
Julian exhaled:the fact he was now getting it from a man
Julian exhaled:was somehow the least bizarre part of it.
Julian exhaled:The bear thus glanced back to the rainbow anchor tattooed to Charlie’s arm.
Julian exhaled:He wondered how much of what he had said
Julian exhaled:was due to any interest Charlie might have in him.
Julian exhaled:As his gaze lingered on the tattoo,
Julian exhaled:the tuna chuckled, patting it once.
Julian exhaled:“Hey, don’t worry big guy, I’m not saying it in that sense,” he said.
Julian exhaled:“Yet.” He then shrugged, before pulling on his sleeve a little, unveiling the tattoo. “Unless
Julian exhaled:you also wanted a ticket to the gun show?”
Julian exhaled:Julian blushed even further,
Julian exhaled:but this time he did not pull his gaze away as Charlie flexed his bicep for him. The bear
Julian exhaled:had to admit that, despite being a slight bit shorter than him and
Julian exhaled:not quite as built,
Julian exhaled:the tuna still had nice muscles, and the tattoo complimented his figure rather beautifully.
Julian exhaled:In fact, as he looked over the tuna, he paused, noticing all sorts of things about him:
Julian exhaled:the way his chest bulged out of his own tank-top, the way his tail accented
Julian exhaled:that beautiful butt,
Julian exhaled:the way his smile almost accented everything else wonderful about his figure…
He blinked:was this what it was like to thirst over a man?
He blinked:Because Julian could not say he minded.
He blinked:Finally, Charlie chuckled, before walking past the bench and patting the bear on the shoulder.
He blinked:“You’re really cute, y’know that?”
He blinked:he said. “Come on, let’s get some squats in, huh?”
He blinked:Julian blinked. “O-oh,
He blinked:of course.” And with this, the bear stood up, following Charlie to the back. ----**----
He blinked:Julian exhaled, pulling his black muscle shirt back on.
He blinked:“That seems a bit short-sleeved for this time of year, doesn’t it?”
He blinked:Julian glanced at Charlie, lifting his eyebrows as he pulled his shirt down. “Bear fur,” he said. Charlie nodded. “Right, I always forget that some fur species tend to be better suited for chilly weather.
He blinked:weather.”
He blinked:He shook his head, chuckling as he looked up.
He blinked:“I forgot your fur is actually kind of thick, with how close it’s been to your muscles.”
He blinked:Julian shrugged. “Sweat doesn’t help,”
He blinked:he admitted. “True,”
He blinked:Charlie replied. He then glanced again at the thickness of Julian’s fur.
He blinked:“Still, I guess it works well for cold weather, if you’re used to it.”
He blinked:He paused. “You are used to it, right?”
He blinked:Julian nodded. “I haven’t been in colder weather in a while, but I never got used to hot weather, so….”
He blinked:He exhaled, looking down.
He blinked:“I grew up in Maine for a few years:
He blinked:my father grew up in Boothbay Harbor, and that’s where I was born.”
He blinked:“Ooh, Maine!” said Charlie.
He blinked:“Yeah, that definitely gets cold in the winter for sure!”
He blinked:“Very much, so,” said Julian.
He blinked:He then glanced to the floor.
He blinked:“I left when I was nine, though, and my mother and I moved to Pensacola after…”
He blinked:He paused, wondering if he should go into what else happened.
He blinked:He had not often discussed what happened between his mother and father,
He blinked:much less to any stranger he had met off the street.
He blinked:He was wondering about whether he should or not when he looked back up to Charlie,
He blinked:and to those sky-blue eyes across the bench.
He blinked:Most people sounded and looked bored by the time he got to this part.
He blinked:But Charlie stood by the lockers, his head tilted in concentration as he listened.
He blinked:His expression had dropped some of the joy that he had seen beforehand, but Julian knew this was a side effect of where the conversation went, and how serious it became.
He blinked:The fact that Charlie still was paying attention caused Julian’s heart to skip a beat,
He blinked:but nevertheless he inhaled.
He blinked:“Well… after she divorced him,”
He blinked:he finished. Charlie rose his eyebrows.
He blinked:“Really?” he asked. “And you haven’t been back since?”
He blinked:Julian exhaled. “No.
He blinked:She never let me speak to him after she left…”
He blinked:“Oh.” Charlie swallowed.
He blinked:“How do you feel about that?”
He blinked:Julian shrugged, the bear glancing to the side.
He blinked:“Not… sure,” he said.
He blinked:“I’m not sure about a lot of things with her.
He blinked:Especially now. I lived in her house for a while.”
He blinked:“Aaaaah.” Charlie nodded.
He blinked:“First time on your own, huh?”
He blinked:“Yes,” said Julian. “And now that I don’t have her anywhere near where I live,
He blinked:I’m… I’m not fully sure what to feel.”
He blinked:Charlie nodded, his hand sliding ever closer to Julian’s.
He blinked:“There’s always a strange adjustment period with something like that,”
He blinked:said the tuna. He glanced over Julian’s posture, noticing the way the bear’s arm muscles
He blinked:looked wound up, perhaps too tightly.
He blinked:“But I get the sense you’re still acclimating because there was a lot of pressure on you. I’m also sensing that, if she wouldn’t even let you talk to your father and put a strong enough grip on that you haven’t heard from him since you were nine,
He blinked:it was pretty restrictive as a household.
He blinked:Am I right about that?”
He blinked:And here, Julian paused.
He blinked:In a strange way, he felt like Charlie had seen right through him, even after only knowing him for an hour.
He blinked:There was something that felt…
He blinked:piercing about that, but the bear did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.
He blinked:His lower jaw twitched once, and he found himself pausing, not wanting to say something that might give the impression he had been seen through.
He blinked:That was when he gazed into Charlie’s eyes.
He blinked:In those sky-blue eyes, Julian saw something kind that he had not seen in the tuna’s demeanor before.
He blinked:His posture looked more relaxed, and that cocky smile had pretty much gone away,
He blinked:replaced only by a look of concern.
He blinked:This gave the bear some reason to pause, even more than he’d already had;
He blinked:could a look be piercing at the same time that it was concerned?
He blinked:There was something in this paradox that loosened Julian’s jaw muscles just a little bit.
He blinked:This was not the harsh stare his mother would level at him:
He blinked:this was a different kind of look,
He blinked:one that he wished he had gotten over the years.
He blinked:And now that he got it,
He blinked:would the bear really refuse to answer?
He blinked:And so, Julian turned towards Charlie.
He blinked:“I… didn’t even tell my mother that I was moving here to explore myself like this,”
He blinked:the bear began. He looked to the ground, his gaze lingering near his feet.
He blinked:“I… I don’t even know if I’m gay, or what.
He blinked:All I know is that I kept…
He blinked:I could never hold a relationship with women.”
He blinked:Charlie nodded. “It never felt right?”
He blinked:“It felt like I was forced to,
He blinked:to make her happy,” Julian
He blinked:replied. He turned his gaze to the floor. “I really
He blinked:only realized how overbearing she was thanks to my last ex-girlfriend,
He blinked:Beth, and it took a while for what she was saying to get through my head.
He blinked:And…” The bear inhaled slowly, his shoulders shaking slightly in a way he never thought they could.
He blinked:“I wanted to come here to see if…
He blinked:if there was a reason why I kept feeling forced.
He blinked:And even then, I had to fight my mother every step of the way to even come here.
He blinked:Had to get her off my back,
He blinked:had to insist she not
He blinked:follow, had to reassure her I would never do something wrong…”
He blinked:He glanced further down, tapping his foot against the tile floor.
He blinked:“I know she’s not here,
He blinked:but sometimes I feel like she’s still watching me.”
He blinked:He then glanced back at the locker room door.
He blinked:“Like… like she’d see where I am,
He blinked:and yell at me when I got home.”
He blinked:Charlie nodded slowly.
He blinked:He pushed off the locker wall, and then sat on the bench next to Julian.
He blinked:“I see…” He nodded. “I had a feeling there was something you were holding back.”
He blinked:Julian blinked, turning his gaze towards the tuna.
He blinked:“It was that obvious?”
He blinked:Julian asked. “It is, when you’re me and you know where to look for it,”
He blinked:Charlie replied. He leaned back.
He blinked:“I’ve been in this city about seven, eight years now, and I tell you what;
He blinked:you learn to spot the types that are still discovering themselves from a mile away.”
He blinked:He gestured to Julian.
He blinked:“I can’t answer any of your questions for you.
He blinked:But what I can say is that you’re not under her shadow anymore,
He blinked:and even if so, you’ve got us here to help you steer that thought away.
He blinked:You came here to explore yourself, so I say;
He blinked:explore away, Jules!”
He blinked:Julian nodded, feeling his ear twitch at what Charlie called him.
He blinked:He inhaled, swallowing softly as he looked to Charlie.
He blinked:“Jules?” he asked. Charlie blinked, and then he reared back, chuckling nervously.
He blinked:“Sorry, I just…” He shrugged.
He blinked:“Just seems easier to say.
He blinked:I know folks are particular about names.
He blinked:Sorry if that offended you.”
He blinked:But Julian paused,
He blinked:tossing the name around in his head.
He blinked:To be completely honest, he had never really liked being called Julian:
He blinked:his mother had called him Julian almost every day of his life.
He blinked:Of course, because of this, everybody called him Julian, from his teachers to his extended family and even his ex-girlfriends.
He blinked:He’d never heard anyone refer to him by such a shortened form of his name,
He blinked:nor did he even know it could be shortened to that.
He blinked:But as he let it bounce around in his head,
He blinked:he realized that it had a really lovely sound.
He blinked:It was short, but not too grotesque.
He blinked:It was the kind of nickname his father might have liked:
He blinked:short, to the point, and very distinct.
He blinked:And so, he smiled, shaking his head. “N
He blinked:-no, it’s fine,” he said.
He blinked:“I…” He blushed, glancing to the side as he splayed his left hand.
He blinked:“I like it, actually.”
He blinked:He glanced to the side, rubbing the back of his neck with his opposite hand.
He blinked:He was more acutely aware of the hairs as they brushed past his pawpads,
He blinked:but strangely, it was not out of self-consciousness, but out of feeling a strange electricity come from those strands.
He blinked:“Julian’s never felt right.
He blinked:Feels too formal.
He blinked:But it’s what mom insisted on.”
He blinked:Charlie chuckled, nodding his head.
He blinked:“I see.” He scooched forward.
He blinked:“Would you like me to call ya ‘Jules’, big guy?” “Y
He blinked:-yeah.” The bear smiled at Charlie, meeting those sky-blue eyes head-on.
He blinked:“Jules it is.” Charlie’s smile returned full force.
He blinked:“Well, Jules, welcome to San Francisco,” he said.
He blinked:“I hope it’s as welcoming to you
He blinked:as it was to me.” And for the first time since he’d entered the gym’s doors,
He blinked:Jules Armstrong smiled.
He blinked:“If everyone here is like you,
He blinked:then I think it’s already welcoming.”
He blinked:A silence settled between the two of them.
He blinked:Jules found it was an extremely comfortable silence;
He blinked:he still had to get into his shoes, but there
He blinked:was no pressing need to do so,
He blinked:nor to step away from Charlie. He could
He blinked:not explain the magnetism that kept him rooted to his spot,
He blinked:but it felt nice:
He blinked:it was warm, inviting… …loving?
He blinked:Jules wondered if he could go that far just yet.
He blinked:He had only known this handsome stranger for about an hour and twenty minutes, after all.
He blinked:But as he thought about what the magnetism meant,
He blinked:the bear wondered if this was what he should have been feeling towards his exes,
He blinked:this feeling of comfort that enveloped him,
He blinked:kept him warm, even in a room that was a little chillier than even outside.
He blinked:And there was the fact that Charlie listened:
He blinked:he knew all of this was a lot to dump on a total stranger,
He blinked:but the tuna stayed right there, internalizing every word.
He blinked:For the first time he could think of,
He blinked:Jules felt like someone heard him.
He blinked:And as he sat there processing this,
He blinked:he realized that indeed,
He blinked:he knew precious little about Charlie.
He blinked:But even if they had only known each other for so long, what was holding them back from finding out more?
He blinked:Jules breathed in gently.
He blinked:“You, uh… doing anything today?”
He blinked:he asked. Charlie shrugged.
He blinked:“Well, I was going to meet up with a friend at the gay bar tonight, see what conquests we could get,”
He blinked:he said. He then leaned forward.
He blinked:“But I don’t see why I can’t drag a plus-one with me.
He blinked:It is a gay bar, after all.” He crossed
He blinked:his arms in front of his chest, his smile turning into a gentle smirk.
He blinked:“You haven’t even been to a gay bar, have you?” “N
He blinked:-no.” Jules blushed, glancing to the side.
He blinked:“I haven’t.” “Well, then that’s an experience we’ll have to fix tonight, won’t we?”
He blinked:Charlie stood up.
He blinked:“Come on, let’s get some food in your system first.
He blinked:My treat.” Something in Jules warmed up considerably, an alien warmth that somehow felt absolutely correct in every way.
He blinked:He thus smiled, standing up and pulling his feet into his shoes.
He blinked:“Sure,” he said. “What do you know that’s good around here?”
He blinked:Charlie laughed, chuckling loudly at Jules.
He blinked:“Oh Jules,” he said.
He blinked:“Sit back, and let me take you for a ride, buddy…” ----**----
He blinked:“So then I’m there holding this big box of props, right?
He blinked:And I walk in, and I dunno what happened, but I tripped on my own feet.
He blinked:Next thing I know, this box falls right next to this bunny’s toes.
He blinked:Three seconds later, I probably would’ve banged his foot up pretty bad.”
He blinked:“That got his attention fast, I guess?”
He blinked:“Oh, it definitely did.
He blinked:We both got to chatting a lot after that, so after the shoot had wrapped we both went to get some fast food on the way to the gay bar.
He blinked:We barely even stayed there a half hour before he took me back to his place and he had his way with me all over that apartment.”
He blinked:“Sounds like he’s wild.”
He blinked:“I mean, he and his buddy Yves were thinking of starting a porn studio soon,
He blinked:so you’d be pretty right about that.”
He blinked:“I see. And he’ll be there tonight?”
He blinked:“Yup!” “Good. I can’t wait to meet him.
He blinked:him.” “Neither can I.” Jules nodded, smiling over at Charlie from next to him in the booth table they had gotten. The bear tore at another chicken wing, tossing the bones onto the little appetizer plate the waiter had provided as his knee brushed against Charlie’s gently.
He blinked:The tuna, for his part, did not move his knee, and in fact Jules could see that the tuna was almost leaning towards him.
He blinked:He glanced out to the rest of the small pub they had entered.
He blinked:“So, you come to this place often?”
He blinked:the bear asked. “Not really,”
He blinked:said Charlie. He shrugged casually.
He blinked:“Usually it’s a bit out of my price range.
He blinked:Tonight, though, I had an extra day on set for this big production,
He blinked:so I can’t complain.
He blinked:complain.” Jules nodded. “Film work really makes you happy,
He blinked:huh?” the bear asked. “Oh yeah,”
He blinked:said Charlie. “It’s the entire reason I moved over here from Portland.
He blinked:Portland’s kind of a small dump, and there’s no real substantial film being made there. But here?
He blinked:Here, it ain’t too bad.”
He blinked:“Aren’t all the film jobs in LA?”
He blinked:Jules asked. Charlie glared to the side.
He blinked:“Most of them are,”
He blinked:he said. “And I lived there for three months before I got absolutely fed up with that city and came back here.
He blinked:It’s super busy, the traffic is always bad and nonsensical, and it smells like a chlorinated pool.
He blinked:I got exhausted with that
He blinked:fast.” He sighed. “At least the gay nightlife was OK, but it wasn’t this city’s nightlife, and most of the gays there are very judgmental and shallow, and I also got tired of that.”
He blinked:“I see,” Jules said. “You don’t find that here?”
He blinked:“Oh, you can find it if you know where to look,”
He blinked:Charlie replied. “Every place has that issue,
He blinked:it’s just less severe here.”
He blinked:“I see,” Jules said. He then
He blinked:leaned forward. “Then I look forward to seeing this gay life.”
He blinked:Charlie smiled, looking up at Jules.
He blinked:“I can’t wait to show you around.”
He blinked:Jules sighed contentedly, tearing into another chicken wing before he leaned his torso down towards Charlie.
He blinked:The tuna, for his part, settled in,
He blinked:leaning his head towards Jules’ and letting his hand snake down his leg.
He blinked:When he felt that scaled hand brush against his gently,
He blinked:Jules did not hesitate:
He blinked:he turned it around, clasping the tuna’s hand in his,
He blinked:feeling the strange yet
He blinked:pleasurable sensation of fish scales against his pawpads.
He blinked:The large bear would never have done this with his ex-girlfriends, and yet
He blinked:the fact that he was doing this within a few hours of meeting this roguish tuna was telling him everything.
He blinked:And this brought its own euphoria with it:
He blinked:slowly, thoughts of his mother had ebbed away, until there was just the muscular tuna next to him,
He blinked:eating chicken wings with him,
He blinked:relating tales of all his gay
He blinked:friends in the town…
He blinked:Jules’ smile only intensified.
He blinked:The way this realization came to him was rather
He blinked:anticlimactic to the bear, but this just felt so right.
He blinked:Jules was attracted to men:
He blinked:there was a calm to this realization that left the bear smiling gently,
He blinked:the most genuine smile he’d ever given at any point in his life.
He blinked:And nothing, not even thoughts of his mother,
He blinked:could take that away.
He blinked:Charlie looked at the bear.
He blinked:“You OK there, Jules?” he asked.
He blinked:But Jules beamed even brighter.
He blinked:“More than OK,” the bear replied.
He blinked:The tuna smiled. “Glad to hear it,”
He blinked:he said. He exhaled. “And the entrée hasn’t even arrived
He blinked:yet!” Jules nodded, letting a small snort leave his nose.
He blinked:In that moment, though, he had a thought:
He blinked:his gaze drifted down to Charlie’s anchor tattoo, and to how proudly it was displayed to all.
He blinked:The restaurant staff had paid it no mind, nor had they really paid attention to how close they had gotten.
He blinked:There was very little judgment here, and Jules wondered…
He blinked:Even living in his mother’s house, he had always found a way to see other people.
He blinked:Some of the men at his strongmen competitions also were heavily into modifying their bodies in similar ways.
He blinked:In particular, he remembered a rather burly Komodo dragon from one of his first strongmen competitions who had tattoo’d a snake onto his shoulder,
He blinked:but he more remembered the eyebrow piercing he had.
He blinked:The eyebrow piercing thought
He blinked:returned to him then, but not with the shame he associated with it.
He blinked:And as he realized his mother would not be there to disapprove,
He blinked:he thought of something.
He blinked:“Say, Charlie…” said Jules.
He blinked:“Do you… know any piercing parlors?”
He blinked:Charlie rose an eyebrow, turning back to Jules.
He blinked:“Yeah,” he said. “Why?”
He blinked:He exhaled. “I’ve been curious about
He blinked:getting a brow piercing,”
He blinked:he said. “Just… never gotten it.”
He blinked:Charlie nodded. “Mother?”
He blinked:“Yes,” Jules replied.
He blinked:He shrugged. “I think…
He blinked:I think I’d look good in one.”
He blinked:Charlie turned his head.
He blinked:He unclasped his hand from Jules’, bringing it up to angle the bear’s face down so he could look directly at it.
He blinked:His gaze stayed there for a few seconds, intently studying the bear as his eyes darted between his left eye and his right eye, and then to the rest of his face.
He blinked:Charlie nodded, a smirk coming to his face.
He blinked:“The right brow, right?”
He blinked:he asked. “Yes,” said Jules.
He blinked:He glanced down. “I’ve…
He blinked:thought about it for a while, since I started doing strongman comps.”
He blinked:“And how long ago was that?”
He blinked:Charlie asked. “About
He blinked:two years ago,” Jules replied.
He blinked:“Just after I met Beth.”
He blinked:Charlie nodded, rubbing his hands together. “Well
He blinked:—and you can say no if you’re not comfortable with this
He blinked:—but I have a friend who does piercings on short notice,”
He blinked:he said. Jules blinked, rearing his head back in surprise.
He blinked:“Tonight?” he asked.
He blinked:“Why not?” Charlie asked.
He blinked:“We have a few hours to kill before the bar even opens, what would we do with that time?”
He blinked:Jules paused, considering Charlie’s proposal.
He blinked:It did not take him long to ruminate on it:
He blinked:after a few seconds, he glanced to the side, looking Charlie Masthead directly in the eyes.
He blinked:“How far is this parlor from here?” ----**----
He blinked:Jules sat down in a chair inside the piercing parlor.
He blinked:Charlie sat at a stool next to him, the tuna smiling broadly at him as he leaned forward.
He blinked:Jules then turned to his piercer:
He blinked:she was a rather skinny little cardinal who was dwarfed by both men, but the way she carried herself as she grabbed a catheter and needle from her work station
He blinked:showed nothing short of confidence, and in one second she lifted a packet with a needle and a catheter inside.
He blinked:“Here,” the cardinal stated, shaking the needle and catheter in the sealed packet.
He blinked:“Just so there’s no doubt this needle is freshly used.”
He blinked:Jules nodded quietly.
He blinked:“Standard procedure?”
He blinked:“If they don’t show it to you like this,
He blinked:run,” she replied.
He blinked:“More likely than not, questionable safety practices aren’t the only problem they have.”
He blinked:She then exhaled, before grabbing a bottle and a cotton ball.
He blinked:“Also gotta sterilize the site real quick. You might
He blinked:wanna close your eyes for this one, big guy.”
He blinked:Jules closed his eyes, and soon after he felt a light sting above his right eyebrow
He blinked:as the piercer dabbed it lightly.
He blinked:He exhaled, swallowing,
He blinked:but the tingle in his nerves remained even after the cardinal pulled away.
He blinked:“Can’t believe it’s really happening, huh?”
He blinked:Charlie asked. “No,”
He blinked:Jules replied. He exhaled, and in this exhale he was aware of how bright the blood in his veins burned.
He blinked:“Especially not this fast.”
He blinked:“I’ve known Charlie a while, and he certainly has that effect on people,”
He blinked:the cardinal replied as she pulled on some latex gloves.
He blinked:“He’s quite gifted that way.”
He blinked:Charlie chuckled.
He blinked:“You flatter me, Courtney,”
He blinked:he said. Courtney smiled in turn, shrugging quickly as she tore the pack open.
He blinked:“Honestly, I’m more surprised how nervous you are, Mr. Armstrong,”
He blinked:she said. “I wouldn’t expect this level of nerves from a guy your size, and especially someone who said he’d been thinking about it for a while.”
He blinked:Jules inhaled, his fingers drumming on the arm rest nervously.
He blinked:“If I had done this back in Pensacola with my mother,
He blinked:she’d immediately make me take it out,”
He blinked:he said. “So I never got it.
He blinked:Now that I think about it…”
He blinked:“Ah, the big, sheltered giant,”
He blinked:she said. “Well, I’m glad I get to be part of breaking you out of your shell.”
He blinked:She then patted Jules on the shoulder.
He blinked:“But seriously, you’ll be fine.
He blinked:You’re not the first big guy who’s ever been nervous of a piercing, and you won’t be the last either.”
He blinked:Jules nodded, looking to Courtney as he took a deep breath.
He blinked:“Are clients always nervous?”
He blinked:Courtney chuckled.
He blinked:“If they weren’t, I’d suspect they either did way
He blinked:more research than they needed to or
He blinked:they’re a sociopath,”
He blinked:she said. “And in your case, with how fast you jumped in,
He blinked:you won’t have either going for ya, so that sounds about right.”
He blinked:She then nodded.
He blinked:“But trust me, you’ll feel a lot better when it’s done.”
He blinked:She gestured to her own brow piercings,
He blinked:silver balls glinting all over the grey feathers of her face.
He blinked:“Trust me on that.”
He blinked:Jules nodded. “Alright,”
He blinked:he said. “OK.” Courtney leaned forward, inspecting his eyebrow.
He blinked:“Well, if you’re ready to go, let’s do this.
He blinked:This will sting a little bit, and then you’ll feel a little discomfort,
He blinked:but it’ll all be in one motion.
He blinked:You ready?” Jules nodded.
He blinked:“Alright, close your eyes.”
He blinked:And with this, Jules closed his eyes.
He blinked:He felt the piercer’s hands move in around his brow, feeling at his skeleton there.
He blinked:He then nodded, before he felt the piercer squeeze very lightly along the flesh of his brow,
He blinked:just to coax his brow out.
He blinked:The anticipation began to seep into him, so much so that he subconsciously splayed his left hand out.
He blinked:He felt a scaled hand take his hand and squeeze around it.
He blinked:Suddenly, the fire that he felt in his veins seemed to cool down just a little bit,
He blinked:his muscles relaxing a little bit more.
He blinked:Jules could just imagine the tuna smiling at him as he felt those gloved
He blinked:claw-hands work over his brow,
He blinked:preparing it for the point waiting to pierce through.
He blinked:“Alright, breathe in deep for me, big guy.”
He blinked:And then, with one shove,
He blinked:Jules felt the needle pierce his brow.
He blinked:It was painful enough that he squeezed on Charlie’s hand, but it faded away very quickly.
He blinked:After that, he felt some discomfort as the needle retreated.
He blinked:Very shortly afterwards,
He blinked:Jules felt the catheter retreat, and Jules could sense a little bar was left behind.
He blinked:Briefly, Courtney’s claws seemed to screw something in,
He blinked:and then, her hands peeled back.
He blinked:“Alright, exhale, and that should be it! Here,
He blinked:let’s see what that looks like, yeah?”
He blinked:And then, Jules finally opened his eyes again,
He blinked:to see Courtney holding up a mirror to his face.
He blinked:Jules looked into that mirror:
He blinked:his face stared back at him, but from near the edge of his right eyebrow,
He blinked:two little balls were visible above and below the fur there.
He blinked:They glistened slightly in the light, and the silver complimented his eyes beautifully.
He blinked:He did not know what came over him at that moment, but his muscles instantly relaxed,
He blinked:and Jules allowed himself a very,
He blinked:very rare kind of smile,
He blinked:his teeth glinting in the light and his eyes lighting up in elation.
He blinked:For the first time in a long while,
He blinked:he felt completely satisfied with the way his face looked in the mirror,
He blinked:and there was something
He blinked:powerful about that feeling.
He blinked:“Looks like you were right, big guy,”
He blinked:Charlie replied. “It looks really good on you.”
He blinked:The bear nodded. “It does…”
He blinked:he said. He then looked to Charlie.
He blinked:“I… Thank you. For bringing me here.”
He blinked:Charlie smiled back.
He blinked:The smile made Jules feel warmer than he had ever felt in his life,
He blinked:and it was only then that he realized that he had never let go of Jules’ hand the entire time.
He blinked:This was the first of two parts of
He blinked:“It Only Takes A Moment”
He blinked:by Herr Wozzeck,
He blinked:read for you by the Author themselves.
He blinked:Tune in next time, as Jules finds himself falling for this tuna,
He blinked:to find out how it goes once they spend more time together.
He blinked:As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
He blinked:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
He blinked:Happy Pride, and Thank you for listening
He blinked:to The Voice of Dog.
