***I didn't mark this as mature but 'sex' is mentioned... a few times.. and thought about but nothing directly talked about.*****

Gay Men Grapple, Right?

Harold and Omoide continue to train, going back and forth over each technique several times until they can perform them effortlessly.  After about 45 minutes of non-stop flipping and pinning, Harold finds himself on his back with Omoide in the mount position, his hips pressed down against Harold's and his feet hooked around Harold's legs pointing towards the ceiling.  Omoide has him in a headlock when he swiftly grabs his right wrist, feeding it to his own right hand which has the headlock on Harold. 

Harold knows what's coming as he tries to counter but Omoide quickly leans his weight forward on Harold's chest, bringing his right arm out of the headlock and jamming his right elbow into Harold's neck.  Omoide then slides his left hand under Harold's trapped right arm, grabbing his own wrist.  Once the lock is on and Harold knows he can't counter. 

He waits for Omoide to tension the arm lock and smacks his shoulder when it's locked in tight. "Oh damn!  That was fast, I didn't have time to counter at all." 

Omoide just nods and relaxes heavily on top of Harold. "You set it up perfectly but there are counters.  Maybe next time we will work on just those."

Harold becomes very aware of Omoide's body heat and sweat mingling with his own.  He is still laying on Harold's chest but off to the side a bit.  He can smell his sweat and a faint hint of a spice mixture which must be Omoide's detergent along with his deodorant or cologne.  Not meaning to, Harold breathes in deeply, letting the mixture of scents fill his senses.

Omoide takes this to mean he is probably crushing Harold and rolls to the side.  "Sorry, was lost in thought there.  Hope I didn't make it too hard for you to breathe."

Harold exhales and laughs lightly, "No, it's all good."  He rolls over and gets to his feet. "Let's take a break, get some water and then start the fight simulation drills or freestyle.  I'm up for either or both."

He offers his hand to Omoide and helps him to his feet.  "There is a mini bar over there. " He motions over by the locker room door.   Omoide looks in the general direction and sees an alcove where a stainless bar top surrounds the corner of the room.  He nods and follows Harold as he starts off to the bar area.

"So, there is chilled water in the fridge, there are bottles here of supplement powders or liquids you can mix.  Each one is marked and has a ratio chart.  We probably should have done this beforehand but it slipped my mind." Harold smiles sheepishly.

Omoide looks over the selection of canisters and bottles.  There must be over a dozen of each and a chart that has the recommended mixture ratios and the resulting benefits during workouts.  The organization is definitely Benjimin's but the ingredients look homemade.

Harold notices Omoide's expression as he looks over everything.  "I know it seems overwhelming at first but I'm sure you will find a blend that works for you.  For mid-workout, I use these three in the recommended ratios." Harold grabs 2 powder canisters and 1 liquid along with an empty sports bottle.  He opens the canisters and scoops out the recommended amount of powder and adds it to the sports bottle.  He then takes the liquid and measures it out, dumping it into the bottle as well, taking the bottle to the refrigerator, he fills it with water from the dispenser in the door.

He shakes the bottle a few times and hands it to Omoide, then starts preparing another bottle for himself.  "We usually prep these before we train but I was a little out of it when I saw you in the hallway and actually, very excited to get to train with you."  He fills the second bottle and begins drinking from it.  Omoide does the same from his bottle and is surprised at how flavorful it is and can feel his body already taking in the nutrient rich mixture.

"So, this doesn't look like store bought supplements…….." Omoide just leaves his sentence unfinished and hanging.

Harold looks perplexed but then suddenly realizes what he is getting at. "Oh, Sumi blended all of these.  Some are from manufactured supplements with some additives of her making."  Harold smiles at his explanation but still sees a questioning look on Omoide's face.

"Uh, Sumi is a pharmacologist.  That's why she's on our team.  For the drug interaction trials."  Harold realizes that Benjimin must not have told Omoide about his team or their projects.

"And what is your specialty that you bring to this team?"  Omoide tries to sound neutral but didn't quite take the edge off his voice.

"Ah, well.  I specialize in human behavior." He says proudly but deflates a little when Omoide quirks up an eyebrow. "But mostly I work in hypnotherapies."  He begins to move around nervously, "It's a real science and has helped a lot of people and I have a lot of insight into our test subjects and projects."  Harold stops suddenly, "You should really talk to Benjimin about the projects.  It's not my place….." He is cut off by a flash of light from the refrigerator.

They both look at the flickering screen on the refrigerator door when it finally brightens and shows a smiling Sumi way to close to the camera and a flustered Keibiin in the background.  Sumi taps on the camera, "Hey, is this thing on?  Can you see me, can you hear me?"  She grins knowing that they can as she can see them on her side of the connection.

"Hello Sumi, what can we do for you two?" Harold asks waving his hand.

"Dinner?  When do you think you will be ready to eat and what do you want?  We can cook.  Keibiin says she is 'passable' in the kitchen and you know I can make world class rice dishes!"  She chuckles as Keibiin can be seen rolling her eyes and moving back to the counter, pulling out pans and pots.

Harold looks at Omoide who has both eyebrows arched and his head tilted to the side like a confused animal, "They seem to have 'bonded'. " Harold whisper-laughs to Omoide.

"They have certainly done something." He says to Harold. "I would say two hours and we will be done.  Ms. Shugosha knows my diet so I'm sure you both can come up with something." Omoide says and goes back to chugging his bottle.

Harold looks at Omoide and mouths, two more hours…. Then he looks back at the display and just nods.

"Okay, two hours and mystery meal!  Got it!" Sumi smiles and turns away from the camera as it disconnects.

Harold finishes his bottle and slaps Omoide on the shoulder.  "Okay, lets get back to it unless you still need more time to recover."  Harold smirks as he jogs to the mat area and over to the stack of mats along the wall.  He pulls out a folded set and opens them up pressing the seams down.  Omoide grabs another set and does the same.

"This should be enough room.  No running away, Omoide!"  Harold chides as he lowers himself into a grappling stance. 

Omoide slaps his shoulders a few times to loosen them up and takes the same stance, "I won't be running but you may be flying…… throws are good, ne?"  Omoide is now taunting Harold by trying to grab behind his neck while reaching for his wrist.

Harold moves closer and grabs Omoide's wrist and places a hand behind his neck as well. "Sure, throws are good as well as sweeps!"  Harold goes in for a leg sweep as he finishes his sentence but Omoide was ready and easily evades the takedown but now has Harold off balance. 

Harold is prepared for a throw but Omoide sinks and grabs both hands behind his knees and shoves him with his shoulder.  Harold falls back with Omoide landing in a perfect mount.  Luckily Harold adjusted for the fall and landed correctly, avoiding bouncing his head off the mat or landing flat on his back, which would knock the wind out of him.

He growls, "Alright!  Freestyle it is!" 

The men grapple together, each gaining and losing control over and over.  In the end they are a jumbled mass of legs and arms; breathing heavily and covered in each other's sweat.  The mat is marked with sweat patches from where they had locked up over and over.  Both men move to lay spread eagle on their backs, panting heavily.

"Thank you, I needed that… much better than sp…" Omoide is cut off as Harold completes his sentence.

"Seeex, yes.  Thoroughly wrecked….." Harold gasps and slaps his hands over his mouth.  He starts mumbling but nothing intelligible comes out.  Omoide thinks nothing of it, as he is also spent and ready for a shower and a meal.

"Uh.. So… I'll make us some recovery drinks.  We have some time before dinner.  Do you want to go in the sauna or the onsen?"  He gets up and jogs to the bar in the corner.  

Omoide calls after him, "I'll probably just shower for now and get in the onsen after dinner.  I have to check some work related things before then."  He answers as he reaches the bar. 

Harold already has the post-workout bottles ready and hands one to Omoide.  "Thank you for training with me, Harold.  I look forward to doing this again.  Maybe when Benjimin is feeling up to it, we can all three train together."  Omoide bows to Harold and heads for the locker room.

Harold watches Omoide enter the locker room and then slumps against the bar.  Next time?  How long is he planning on staying?  Not that I mind, or its not my place to mind.  Maybe I should have just left when Sumi suggested it.  Rolling around on top of each other, all three of us.  I'm not some hormonal teenager but… does he even know what kind of body he walks around in?  That stoic face, deep voice, and now I know that body is all muscle.  Maybe I should just tell him…. What?  Tell him what?  I like men.. I like him and I like Benjimin….. I mean I'm not the only gay man that grapples, right?  I need a shower…. Nice long shower… and think things over….

Harold walks towards the locker room as he finishes his internal argument with himself.  Omoide walks out as he reaches the door.  "You okay, Harold?  You seem to be taking a while."  Omoide asks as he grabs his shoulder gently.  "Yeah, just reflecting on our training, and how I'm going to get you back." Harold laughs and pats Omoide on the shoulder as well.

Harold enters the locker room as Omoide heads for the elevator.  Both men are occupied by their own thoughts. 

Harold is trying to come to terms about his attraction to two men, both of whom he is pretty sure, are unavailable. 

While Omoide is trying to make sense of Harold's comment about their training being better than sex.  While Omoide has had sex in the past, many lifetimes ago, it was never an important activity nor was it ever more than just a release.  A way to work out stress or frustration, not for any sort of lasting pleasure that would ever replace a good training session.

Of course, this now opens up thoughts about what kind of sex Harold was engaging in.  If his was something close to how their training was tonight, Omoide definitely wanted to know about it.