An off-duty firefighter takes a moment to attend a gym session for himself where he meets a fitness coach and his friends. They soon share experiences between each other and gradually come to appreciate one another in terms of public service.

Bodybuilding Work

An off-duty day for Taurus to take a break from his job as firefighter. It was another one of those days; Taurus finally has some time to himself for once. So he now can work on his other hobby - bodybuilding.

Even though Taurus is a muscular bull, he still has to keep up his physical fitness and routine to match his job strength, and that involves working out too. Being a firefighter isn't just limited to fighting fires, it encompasses other situations too.

It is on a slightly cloudy, spring morning that Taurus enters a local gym to start his routine. It is a small gym with several areas of equipment to use - most notably weights, bags, mats, and treadmills. There are a few benches in the area to sit on too, as well as the changing rooms. With his red duffel bag close by around his shoulder, Taurus scours the area for a free spot.

“Hello sir, do you mind joining us?” Taurus wasn't startled but after noticing one of the patrons meeting him, to say the bull is surprised, that's an understatement. The bull acknowledges the lion with a slight nod and turns to him, “Best not to approach someone like that, or it could turn deadly.”

The lion only laughs and shakes his head, parting his large mane aside. “Rest assured, you have absolutely nothing to worry about regarding me and my buddies here. It happens to us all the time, so we're used to it. Nice seeing another man here. What is your name, by the way?”

“Name's Taurus. …say, you look kinda familiar. Are you the same guy that was in Men’s Health?” When Taurus introduces himself in return, he does a double take, finally recognizing the lion from memory.

The lion flexes his right bicep in front of Taurus, flashing a toothy smile while adding to his signature charm. He chuckles and brushes aside part of his mane while answering the bull in return, “Yes. I am the same lion you may have seen in the magazines. In fact, I am a fitness coach and model too. By the way, my name is Nick - Nick Vasquez. The lion you see over there on the weights is Guilherme Douglas and the cougar over there also is Toby Mirrimar - we’re all friendly faces around here.”

Nick turns back to Taurus, flashing a more pleasant toothy smile. When the bull casts his eyes to the weights section, he falls upon a red-head lion and a cougar, both muscular males. Taurus then returns to Nick and wonders, “How do you three know each other??”

Nick’s smile returns to normal where he proudly reflects, “We are in the army as Green Beret operatives - and we're best friends in real life! In fact, we serve in the same unit!”

Taurus whistles in awe. “I’m impressed! That field must be the hardest line of work from what I read about it. You guys are elite heroes.”

Nick shakes his head and waves off the flattery, “Nah, we’re just doing our job ridding the world of evil one organization at a time. Least we're trying to, that is.”

Taurus chuckles in agreement where he relates, “Same with being a firefighter, but not so much as you guys. Still, you boys do an amazing job, I have to commend you all for it.”

“We appreciate it but firefighters also have to be credited for their heroism too.” Nick winks at Taurus in a reminding way, hinting at the return gesture he is giving to Taurus.

“I see…” Taurus blinks at Nick, initially staring at the lion regarding the wink he made. But the bull then goes on to converse further, asking the lion about his experiences in the military along with his friends. “So Nick, what kind of assignments did you all have in the Green Beret field? What battles did you guys fight in?”

“Most of our work included terrorist suppression and client protection. But I’ll admit - we came close to death a few times.” Nick responded. “If Casper and Chris were here, they’d fill you in on a lot of details.”

“Man, you guys are better suited for these situations anyway! Firefighters are hardly prepared unless we have the sufficient tools in case of bomb threats - those are the most intense that we've faced as firefighters.” Taurus bemoaned. Yet, the bull shakes his head and shrugs while further elaborating, “Hopefully we'll get to work together some time or you tell me more about your squad.”

“Why not just talk about it right now instead of later?” Nick suggested, brooding a bit. “I have yet to hear from your end.”

“Firefighting business is just that - fighting fires, rendering first aid,” Taurus then smirks, “assisting police pursuits… that type of business.”

Nick is about to respond when Taurus raises a hand up to pause the lion in his tracks. The bull snorts, “Don't ask, Nick. My own unit was patrolling when we saw the chase behind us and offered to help out. The thug was an armed bandit, though. And I'm still trying to make sense of it all.”

“Don't wrap your pretty little head around it! It’ll only make your mind crumble even more.” Guilherme enters the picture to meet Taurus after overhearing the bull’s experience. And after a brief meeting between them, the redhead lion later admits in relation, “Some of the situations we faced, we didn't understand fully, but we still move on after a while.”

Taurus raises an eyebrow in question towards the red-haired lion,“Like?”

Guilherme relates, “There's this one time where we were assigned to neutralize an enemy stronghold and capture the leader alive. But when we took down all the guards, let's just say we escaped an explosion.”

Knowing what Guilherme meant, Taurus folds his arms and nods grimly, “I know what you mean. All that hard work just for your target to blow themselves up in the end. To an extent, I can relate - being a firefighter and all…”

“How so?” Guilherme scoffed, thinking nothing of firefighters in general. “Firefighters don't face the same situations that soldiers do.”

Taurus frowns at the lion, “You'd be amazed, Guilherme. These situations may not be on a daily basis like you guys, but we’ve had our fair share of crazy and awkward situations.”

Nick, standing between them, motions for Taurus to elaborate, to which the bull relates his situation to the lions, “This one time, we were answering an emergency call for first aid. I remember it clear as day. It was in a rural area of town. We were just doing our jobs - me and my six-man team. Had some trapped people inside of a factory. Just as we got out, someone shot at us - likely a sniper from above.” Nick is deathly silent in suspense while Guilherme is just silent, waiting for the bull to continue while letting the information sink in.

Caught in the suspense similar to a mystery novel, Nick whispers grimly, “What happened next? Were the cops involved?”

Taurus nodded sullenly, his ears twitching about. “Out of the six-man squad, two of them were wounded by sniper fire. We had no way of getting inside without remaining out of the line of fire. The police soon arrived and dealt with the sniper. By the time we actually managed to break inside the factory, the victim had almost died.”

“Couldn't you guys have sprayed the sniper with your water cannons?” Guilherme grumbles indifferently.

Taurus shakes his head. “Not possible. Depending on how powerful our water cannons are, we could have had a chance, but with a sniper high above you, hitting them with water is already challenging enough due to the trajectory and angle of our aim. We're taking rooftops here.”

“So, what happened next?” Guilherme grumbles out of inquiry.

Taurus eventually concludes, “Well the police were involved and we're able to neutralize the sniper. So that opened up our rescue operation more fully. Fortunately, no one else was injured and those that were all survived.”

Nick whistled, “Man, that was intense! But why would a sniper target a firefighter team out of all people??”

Taurus shrugs, “I’ve been left scratching my head at that for so long, it's no laughing matter. We’re just relieved to be alive.”

“That was something. But the best outcome is that everyone survived.” Nick commented, relieved. Then he folds his arms and attempts to move on with their day, “Shall we move on?”

~~~~~

Taurus has eventually located an empty mat by the weights area where he can do some yoga. During his yoga period, Toby met the bull and the two conversed for a bit, with the bull relating the same experience he told to Nick and Guilherme. Even Toby appeared grim by the experience where he comments, “To target a group of firefighters is the lowest of the low. How can someone be that nuts to be shooting at you guys?”

Even Taurus shrugs at the question, “Beats me! Even I don't know! Down to this day, I’m still left scratching my head over it!” The bull even cringes in recoil, “Sometimes I have nightmares from it…”

Toby wraps an arm around the bull and rubs his head on the bovine reassuringly. “You're not the only one, Taurus. My crew and I have gone through some strange situations ourselves, so the feelings are mutual. Still, firefighters are underappreciated and deserve more.”

Taurus has no problem with the cougar rubbing against him. Still, he snorts, “You guys have much harder jobs than us. But we're still appreciated though. We're just not heroes in my opinion.”

Toby withdraws from Taurus and smirks, “So if I was to be stuck in a tree and you rescue me, wouldn't that make you a hero?”

Taurus rolls his eyes at the poke, “Very funny, Toby. You military veterans are more like heroes than regular firefighters.”

“Ehh, whatever floats your boat. Just trying to up the morale a bit, y’know?” Toby smiled sheepishly.

“I understand completely.” Taurus nodded. “Now, shall we continue?”

Right at that moment, a familiar song starts playing on the overhead speakers and Toby begins dancing to the beat.

(🎵 Word Up by Cameo - Dance Central 3 Hard Routine)

“You know you look real goofy doing that, right?” Taurus entertains the idea of joining Toby, despite commenting on the cougar and his dancing. In return, Toby responds, “It was Nick who introduced me to this one! Come on, try it out and join me!”

Soon as Taurus eventually accepts and joins Toby, Nick and Guilherme observe nearby. The redhead lion whispers over to Nick, “So what do you think of Taurus, Nick? How do you feel about him?”

With his arms folded, Nick admits, “He is an interesting character. A fine fellow and a humble guy. Honestly, being a firefighter is no easy task but they should be appreciated more. We should invite him to hang with us more.”

“Man, Taurus! You're really killin’ it!” Reaching the freestyle part, Toby giggles at Taurus’ display of his moveset where the bull mixes in a little ballet with his normal dancing. And Nick and Guilherme now have a new reason to admire the bull.

The routine ends with the felines applauding Taurus' performance. This also leads the bull to wonder, “Do you guys do any type of boxing by any chance? I want to strengthen my core too.”

Nick chuckles, “I can help out with that.”

“Okay! *WHAM!*” Taurus' reply is swift and hard - the bull suddenly delivers a spin kick, connecting his right hoof with Nick’s bare abs. Both Toby and Guilherme clear the way to give Taurus room and even Nick is taken aback by the sudden answer; the peach lion is left clutching his stomach while staggering backwards a few paces and eventually collapsing on his back.

Guilt wracks Taurus upon seeing the lion drop he rushes over to help Nick up while apologizing, “Tch, sorry man. Didn't mean to break anything…”

Accepting Taurus' help in the process, Nick brushes aside his mane while, in acceptance of the bull’s apology, he claims, “I’ve taken blows worse than that! Your hooves are bricks, but not enough to break anything.” The lion giggles to himself, drawing further ire from Taurus. This later changes to intrigue with Nick revealing, “Y'know, Casper is one of the guys in my unit who specializes in martial arts. If he was here, you’d love him. He’d surely have a great time with you.”

Taurus blushes, “I’m just a beginner. I'm not that knowledgeable about that stuff! Is that type of thing required in your field?”

“It's a form of hand-to-hand combat, so it's optional, but mandatory for basic training.” Toby chimed in.

“Apart from using your natural weapons, of course.” Taurus snorted, pointing to his horns in emphasis. This makes Guilherme joke in sarcasm, “Have you gored anybody at some point?”

“I’ll trample you if you don't keep quiet.” The bull threatened him. This simple warning is enough to put Guilherme in check while Nick rubs his chin in thought. “Say, Taurus, do you know how to box?”

“I can fight but boxing is a whole different story.” Taurus shrugged. The bull is suddenly led to a different part of the gym, dragged at the wrist by the peach furred lion. Taurus blinks in protest, “Hold on, now! I didn't say you can start right away!”

“Sorry, just getting a little carried away…” Nick blushed. He later reveals, “Part of being a fitness coach and model.”

Sighting a barbell rack, Taurus swoops onto the bench and removes the barbell, beginning to concentrate on his workout session while also resuming his conversation with Nick, who observes, “For one thing, you are a pretty handsome guy for someone of your size and stature.”

Taurus smirked, “Thank you, Nick. I try to keep up with my physical routine for my job. Being a firefighter isn't easy.”

Nick folds his arms once more while scoffing, “As mentioned earlier, firefighters are underrated and should be appreciated more.”

“Agreed.” While Taurus is on the bench with Nick taking over as spotter and coach, Guilherme and Toby are in the background, practicing some martial arts moves against each other. This goes on for some time until they join Nick and Taurus at the bench press to spectate Taurus’ session.

Taurus, meanwhile, is just minding his own business on the equipment when he happens to steal a glance at Guilherme and Toby, grunting out, “What are you two staring at me for? Are you that into me?”

Toby grimaces at the comment, his face turning pink. The cougar folds his arms and interjects, “Just watching, is all.”

~~~~~

At the end of the day, the four men begin to leave and go their separate ways. While Toby and Guilherme leave the gym, Nick offers Taurus a lift and together, the pair make their way to an adjacent parking lot. From a short distance away, Taurus pauses at noticing a black Hennessey Venom GT sitting in one of the spots. What is more, he sees Nick waltzing straight towards the hypercar. While Taurus jogs to catch up, curiosity moves the bull to inquire about said vehicle. “This car, is it yours?”

A sudden rush of dread, adrenaline, and excitement(?) floods Taurus when the car vibrates from the 7.0L Twin-Turbocharged V8 being fired up. After donning their seatbelts, the bull nearly bellows out of plain fear from the lion driver applying full throttle upon takeoff, spinning the rear wheels in a brief burnout during takeoff while leaving the parking lot. But Nick's relaxed persona soon mingles with his driving, to which the V8 is now soft in their ears.

Taurus breathes deeply after clutching his chest, to which he remarks, “This almost gave me a heart attack. How are you able to control something like this??”

“Driving school and adaptability. This isn't the only car I have.” Nick responded, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. “Out of the three cars I own, this one is actually my favorite.”

“And you're able to control this monster? How much horsepower does this thing have?” Taurus blinked, exasperated.

“Well, it's almost 2000 horsepower. Exact amount is 1,817. Don't ask me why but ask the developers who made this car. It's nothing more than a stretched-out Lotus car with a big V8 crammed into it.” Nick grunted. “But I love it. One day, I’ll bring you to my garage and you can look through my rides.”

“How is someone able to make something that powerful?” Taurus wondered, sweating mildly.

“Ask Bugatti that question and they'll show you rather than simply explain.” Nick pauses at a red light during his little explanation, to which Taurus turns thoughtful. The bull mentions, “Speaking of that, one of my buddies mentioned something about that. Claims it’s the fastest car he’s ever driven. Aren't faster cars heavier?”

“This is a lightweight car with aerodynamics, though it also packs a punch.” Nick answered in return. He raises his left fist to tap the ceiling, returning his hand back to his steering wheel. They pull off at a green light and Nick later relates, “When you're a bodyguard working to protect your client while on the road, you always need something fast, strong, and durable. I could have gotten my other car, but I love this one better - more controllable.”

“I heard that driveability and handling are important factors in car culture and other areas of service, like police work.” Taurus mentioned further.

“True. I have some buddies that are army police, and they can tell you from experience that they’ve been in some wacky stuff.” Nick mentioned further, “It all depends on the driver too.”

“I see…” Taurus chuckles in afterthought. He then switches topics, “So since you're dropping me off, you know the way, right?”

Nick shakes his head, “You’ll have to guide me first. This is my first time giving you a ride, so some help would be appreciated.”

“Right… turn around and then we'll be starting somewhere– Oh God…!” Taurus clings to his seat upon feeling the sudden G-forces throwing him towards the door from Nick pulling a swift 180° turn. After this, Taurus exhales through his nose in relief. Softly shaking his head, the bull goes on to deliver directions to Nick to guide them to his home.

The trip takes the two along a short winding path but after reaching the destination, Nick drives off, waving goodbye upon dropping Taurus off and watching the bull step into his home. From that point on, Taurus can move on throughout the rest of his day, satisfied.

~~~~~

Taurus belongs to  Alnair Yorim; Nick Vasquez, Guilherme Douglas, and Toby Mirrimar belong to me!