Swol Goals PV Flash Holmwood Finished

Flash was an advocate for others, particularly people of interest and people with skill and passion. Just because he was a helpful supporter did not mean he had ever tried to instruct or nurture. In fact, he nearly loathed his younger brother, for no better reason than he found young children annoying. When little Avery approached him with enthusiasm about Quidditch, having already left a better impression than most in their previous encounter, Flash felt he couldn't help but accept. It would, after all, benefit him to have his teammates be in good condition.

It seemed Thomas' name had vanished from the second-string Keeper spot, which Avery was aspiring to fill in try-outs. It had been admittedly a bit disheartening to see the vacancy. Talking to Thomas on the bench was still the highlight of his Quidditch career, given that he had yet to take to the field in an actual game. Even though he had been in a severely bad mood, even though he definitely wasn't trying to, Thomas had made Flash smile. He would certainly be feeling the absence. To Flash, teammates were a special bond. With a desire to win came the necessity to trust your team, and Flash loved winning.

So it was after his morning jog that he had arranged to meet Avery at the courtyard outside of the Great Hall. Flash was so used to morning jogs that they felt more like a wake-up routine than actual exercise these days. He didn't mind doing a few more calisthenics to really get the burn going, it was the instructional part he was most unsure he could pull off. He would just have to wing it, what could go wrong. He parted ways with Opeila as she went to get her breakfast, waving at Avery from afar as he approached. On time, already another good impression.

"Good morning, Avery." Flash would smile, only talking when he came within earshot of a normal speaking volume. He was still wearing his jogging outfit-- one that was modest in color and fashion, yet was clearly expensive upon closer inspection. "I appreciate your punctuality."

Looking around, he saw the water as well, noting how responsible he was for his age. He was feeling better already, almost optimistic. Rolling his head around his neck a bit, he had to wait a moment before cracking right into it. "Let's start with warm-up stretches." Flash stated, not one for idle pleasantries when there was a task that needed completed. "Just do as I do. Ask questions if you're unsure."

With that, he'd continue the stretching by rolling his shoulders a bit, a few deep breaths in sync with the rotation. The trickling sound of the fountain nearby was a decent one to concentrate on, though the Great Hall was becoming increasingly noisy as more of the student population woke up and filtered in. It wouldn't be too long before the morning mail came swooping overhead. It would be a good time to wrap up and go eat.

It was a shame the blackbirds around the castle had already moved on at this point, their singing was his favorite of the morning chorus. There was never enough time to stop and listen, though. He whistled a few notes of bird song as it crossed his mind, a habit that had started to slip back in during his time alone last summer.

In the brief seconds that ticked by, he wondered what they would be doing today and how he would fare. For the position of keeper, Avery knew that one had to be nimble and have fast reflexes to block incoming quaffles. A keeper must also be able to anticipate the opposing team's strategy and movements to understand when and where the shots would be made. In this sense, understanding aerodynamics, being able to read the opposing players' movements, and being adept in working within three-dimensional planes would be important.

Additionally, a keeper wore the most protection out of all the players for a reason. This protection included a helmet and heavy shoulder, chest and knee pads. It would help to be well-built to withstand the impact from quaffles, since the keeper would likely be riding at full speed to block fast oncoming shots. In that case, he must be able to withstand multiple Gs from both the speed of the broom and the impact of the quaffle.

He was sure that Flash would be able to help him with the physical aspect of being a keeper. He would likely need to work on being more nimble and flexible to have good reach, and work on being more built and sturdy to withstand impact.

From a distance, he saw Flash approaching from his morning run. Avery waved. "Good morning, Flash," he responded in greeting. "I wouldn't want to make a bad impression! I was the one who asked you to help me out, after all, so thank you for coming." In fact, Avery felt such a queer mixture of eagerness, excitement, and just the smallest amount of apprehension about completely failing Flash's workout session that he woke up earlier than he had planned, and he decided that he might as well arrive a few minutes earlier than their agreed time.

Flash got right down to business, and somehow that seemed to work well for Avery, as he was eager to get started on any tasks Flash had in mind. "Let's start with warm-up stretches. Just do as I do. Ask questions if you're unsure." Avery followed Flash by rolling his neck and shoulders, and any tension from his pent-up excitement and apprehension began to ease. As he went through each of the movements, his body began to relax. The third-year seemed to have an authoritative presence that was not overbearing, but more supportive and encouraging, which was different from some of the authority figures he had encountered during his short life. He briefly remembered the kid next to him during swim class who was tossed into the pool by the coach when she was too scared to get in for her first lesson.

A faint whistling caught his ear. It didn't sound like a musical melody, but more like that of a song bird. "Do you bird-watch often?" he asked the older boy, curious as to how this tune came to his mind.

Interacting with: @Flash Holmwood

Avery replied to his welcome, seeming chipper, if not a bit manic. It was understandable, any new situation came with some amount of anxiety. What mattered was trying things anyway, something Avery seemed perfectly capable of. Flash would smile gently at his response, please that he was showing gratitude, having no inkling of the irony of his preference for children who had been just as coerced into eternal politeness as he had. He'd acknowledge Avery's thanks in a small nod of his head. "Certainly."

As he started warming up, Avery joined him. He nearly felt guilty that he accepted without being technically qualified to teach strength training, but it was a thought quickly dashed. He had been exercising all of his life, he could impart that whether he was a proper instructor or not. What mattered was moving the body, making sure each part of it was attended to. He couldn't say what all the muscles in the body were named, but he had seen a fair amount of anatomical models that showed areas of the musculature in convenient colored blocks. He knew, basically, which muscles were responsible for while actions. Having flown around in many a practice game, he also knew which parts hurt afterwards.

Barely having recognized that he was doing anything at all, Avery's question at first seemed like it came out of left field. After shooting him a brief look of confusion, Flash's eyebrows unfurrowed as it dawned on him, "Oh. Uhm... no." going through a few other warm-ups, Flash would twist his torso and reach for his toes in time. "I wake up every morning, so... do you know about the 'dawn chorus'?"

Whether Avery answered in the affirmative or not, Flash would continue to explain, "Blackbirds are always the first to wake up and sing, there are many of them nesting around the castle. All around the UK, actually. I started learning it out of familiarity, I suppose." His answer continually wavered between confident and unsure. It felt a bit personal, but was overall harmless information. Certainly it couldn't be used against to hurt him somehow. "They use it to communicate, 'this is where I live, I am strong, good morning.' Though... since the curfew change, I can't go out as early any more. During summer I heard them a lot more again."

There were lots of things about him that had changed since his first year, it felt like ages ago. Reminiscing instead of paying much attention to how Avery was doing, Flash moved on to a few lunges and hip twists, that would be good enough. After around ten reps of each of those, it would be time for an actual workout routine. "Let's get started. We should switch muscle focus on different days, as to not overwork one muscle over another. Be sure to eat lots of protein today as well. Do you know what foods have protein?"

As he spoke, he would put his back to the fountain, placing his palms on the edge and using it to do a bodyweight dip. He had done them many times, ever since joining football in his first boarding school in Durham. Bodyweight training was Flash's go-to, what with the convenience of being able to do it anywhere. It would prove to be a lot harder than it looked, the arm strength he had already built would have him chugging along at a brisk pace, not breaking a sweat.

After warming up their shoulders, various parts of their arms and torso, Flash reached for his toes and Avery followed suit. Well, this wasn't so bad! Stretching seemed fun and relaxing, and he always liked it during gym class. It was akin to the hand and finger exercises he did before blasting through his scales, but for every other inch of his body, making him feel ready for whatever challenges came next.

Flash seemed confused when Avery asked him about bird-watching. Okay, maybe he was way off in his assumption. Dawn chorus? Avery tilted his head as he pondered it. Well, Avery had known that birds sang, and may very well have heard some dawn choruses in his life, but had never really paid attention. He often practiced violin late into the night, and woke up as late as he could before school started, rushing off with his uniform untucked and his hair a nest upon his head -- comfy enough for any birds who were tired from singing so early that morning. "Well, I guess I've been missing out on free performances all my life, then. You seem to be an early bird who gets the worm!" Flash certainly seemed to be the disciplined type who wouldn't waste a second of his life, with his daily morning exercise and all.

He followed suit as Flash moved on to lunges and hip twists, feeling his heart rate accelerating with the big movements, and his legs and buttocks beginning to strain. They seemed to be getting into the thick of it now! He could feel his body heating up and sweat beginning to form on his brow as he gasped for some air at the end of the reps. "Let's get started." Avery balked, but tried not to raise his eyebrows too high to show his surprise. They hadn't even started yet? "We should switch muscle focus on different days, as to not overwork one muscle over another. Be sure to eat lots of protein today as well. Do you know what foods have protein?" Protein... "You mean fruits and veggies, right? And also Gatorade?" he asked, pretty certain that's what they were. Didn't adults always try to force kids to eat their veggies and fruits? Maybe that's what Flash meant. He also saw a Gatorade commercial making athletes all buff and things, so he had to be right.

He saw Flash get down on his arms with his back towards the ledge of the fountain, and followed suit. The older boy pumped those out like no other, as if his body were a toothbrush going up and down. After the third rep, Avery's arms began to feel sore, and his light weight didn't even seem to help. He struggled hard to keep his form, and managed to keep himself upright. His arms screamed for relief, but he gritted his teeth and kept going nevertheless. There was no way he was going to show any weakness in front of his upperclassman! Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped to his brow. "Let's do this!" he managed to utter between pants, hoping he sounded like he was holding up and optimistic, as if he could do a million more exercises.

When Avery followed Flash's tirade about birds, as meandering as it was, he echoed with enthusiasm and positivity. Flash reflexively smiled, an empathetic person who couldn't help but catch the strong emotions of others. It had set the tone, that this was a happy endeavor, rather than a chore. It would likely set the tone for the rest of Flash's day, if true. Partially, it almost seemed suspicious that Avery was so excited about it. Perhaps he had only just realized that Flash had the power to give him social movement upwards, and that attaching to him would prove useful. It was true, after all. Flash could bestow all kinds of favors and had a great reach in the student population. For that, he was very, very slow to trust. He would still be put into a good mood, though.

"Yes. You might be surprised at what all goes on in nature when humans aren't around." He started, casting his eyes sideways as he felt himself on the verge of another diversion. He normally kept thoughts and observations about 'useless information' to himself. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

To Flash's question, he had expected someone so young to not understand much about nutrition, but he had not expected just how bad his comprehension would be. Flash's more serious expression would break into a wide smile that wrinkled his features, only putting his hand up briefly to keep from scoffing in laughter. Once he gained his composure, he could answer.

"Yes, and no. There are fruits and vegetables with protein in them. Jackfruit, guava... avocado, spinach..." Flash slowed as he tried to recall them, but then shook his head. He could list things forever, protein was extremely common. "Most people get it through animal products. Meat and eggs. It's naturally abundant in living bodies, which is why eating animals provides more protein. Normally you have enough, but after extensive exercise, having more can help repair musculature."

While talking, Flash's gaze became more distant and his smile smaller. He was just recalling information his sister had taught him. It was a subject he only had superficial knowledge of, but the importance of nutrition and physical maintenance had been drilled into him very early. He didn't actually know what proteins were, just what they were in, and that it was essential to exercise. He had also been taught that exercise was actually just repeatedly breaking oneself to teach their body to return more resilient once it heals. He wouldn't voice that cheerful addendum. He wondered what she would think if she knew he was still following her teachings so dutifully, despite his teenage rebellion. Despite thinking she was a monster.

Intentionally abandoning that train of thought to instead focus on the weight training, Flash paid little attention to his plus one, having swiftly disassociated once he got into the rhythm. He moved from the dips, turned around, and started on decline push-ups. Upper body was where they were starting, he would just do a reasonable amount of a few, enough to feel the burn. He didn't remember working out as being painful anymore, the pain signals had long been replaced by endorphins.

He was startled back into the moment when Avery suddenly shouted out. Not exactly sure what the point was in saying they would do it while they were currently doing it. Flash paused his push up, then stood up to actually observe. He realized he should probably be checking Avery's form. I should never be allowed to teach. It was frustrating. Part of him wanted to be impatient, wanted to snap at Avery for no good reason. No, because he was angry at himself. Being mature was so much more painful than working out.

"Uhm. Try extending all the way, you aren't quite there." Flash would say unpassionately, crossing his arms and looming over him.

All the things that went on in nature when humans weren't around... It was true; a lot must have been happening around Avery all his life, but the boy was simply unaware because he had grown up in a bubble that consisted of school, violin practice, lessons, theory, string ensemble, recitals, and exams. There was so much to life beyond that, which he did not even know existed... But now, with his new-found freedom at Hogwarts and the magical world, he couldn't wait to begin his new life of exploration, starting with a magical sport among other things.

If only his parents would let him stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of his years. This was not guaranteed. He had to prove to them that Hogwarts was worth it.

He pushed that worry to the furthest edges of his mind as he followed Flash's movements, which brought him back into the present. "Oh, no worries!" he responded to Flash's apology for rambling. "I don't know much about birds and things, so it's good to hear about it." This was our dear Avery; most knowledgeable and skilled in just a few things, but a complete idiot in other things like trivia or general life things. In this sense, any tidbits of information were likely new to him.

Hence, it didn't come as much of a surprise when he got the protein question completely wrong. Flash smiled widely, and Avery could tell that he was doing his best not to laugh at his ridiculous answer. Avery smiled sheepishly and appreciated how Flash was nice enough to rack his brain for some examples of fruits and veggies that actually had protein in them. Of course, animal products, not Gatorade. "Oh gosh, I got that wrong, didn't I? Where do you even learn about nutrition and things? Do they teach them at Hogwarts or something?" he asked, hoping that he would find another reason to impress his parents about all the things he could learn at Hogwarts.

After Avery almost collapsed from the bodyweight dips (the boy was aching quite badly now), Flash swiftly moved to decline push-ups, bouncing up and down as if these exercises were as easy as a stroll around the neighborhood. Was this boy a machine? Did he not feel pain? He swore that Flash was made up of bolts and wires, the way he was programmed to move like that without breaking a sweat or needing any air. Duh. Robots didn't sweat or breathe.

Avery suppressed a groan and moved to a plank position with his feet on the fountain ledge to complete the push-ups. It was even difficult for him to do more than ten normal pushups, and his arms were already shot from the dips they did earlier. The decline would only absolutely kill him. He struggled and shook. His small size only made the angle steeper. "Uhm. Try extending all the way, you aren't quite there." Huh? Avery glanced up from a plank position to see Flash's trainers pointed towards him. A large shadow was cast upon the small boy, and the big upperclassman looked even taller and more imposing from this angle. Uh oh. There was no way he could escape that scrutinizing gaze with any sort of poor form now that the boy's eyes were zeroed in on him. He took a deep breath and vowed to get it right. Core tight, he slowly sank into position so that his elbows were about 90 degrees. His arms and body shook violently, and he was so close to collapsing. With a loud grunt, he willed his skinny arms to push himself back up. Getting up was the hardest part. Almost... there... His body almost gave out, but he managed to get back into a straight plank before giving out a large groan and collapsing face-first onto the ground.

How embarrassing. Could he just die now.

He pushed himself up and crouched next to the fountain, face flushed from the heat of both exercise and embarrassment, massaging an arm with one hand. "Can I have a very short water break?" he asked the older boy. "I think I'm just thirsty, but will get right back into it." Because, lack of water was totally the only issue right now.

Avery seemed generous with his thoughts on Flash's lecture on birds and nutrition, but Flash was not so quick to accept a good word as truth. His first intuition was that Avery was a suck-up, the kind who was attracted to authority and then tried to impress it. He met a lot of people like that in his position, though it still impressed him that he had gone through the effort of cooking for everyone in the dorm. Basically, the verdict was still out. He wanted to be supportive as a possible teammate, so regardless of Avery's intentions, Flash wanted to help with his growth.

"No." Flash quickly answered Avery's question, softness to his tone. "I learned it from my sister. She taught me most things I know about keeping up appearances. Of course. She's the master of it."

Before, a question like that would have received a quick and easy deflection. He did not like opening up to people, especially when his personal opinion was involved. To save face, he needed to appear detached and perfect. He was tired of the act, though. He let his resentment wade into his words. He wouldn't rant, though, at least. That would undoubtedly only make Avery uncomfortable.

As Flash watched over him, the tension started to build abruptly. It looked like Avery was barely moving, only inching slightly and even shaking. Flash would watch with curiosity, at first wondering if he was putting on a show to be funny. Humor was usually lost on him, so it was a likelihood.

From there though, Avery actually collapsed, eliciting a sudden gasp from Flash. "Oh my god-" Blood felt like it drained from his body as he knelt down to check on the child. He had done something wrong. Maybe he should have asked about previous illnesses or gone slower. He would fuss about the prone babe, looking to see if he got hurt when he fell.

"I'm sorry, yes. Yes, we should take a break." Flash reached over and grabbed the bottle Avery brought to hand to him. Now he was still hovering, but this time more like a frightened mother. "Are you okay? Maybe we should stop."

Perhaps there was a class on nutrition at Hogwarts, similar to health classes in muggle schools, but it turned out that Flash had learned it all from his sister. It must be nice to have a sister, Avery thought. Being a single child was a bit aggravating at times, since 100% of his parents' expectations focused on Avery. Then again, he had friends whose parents frequently compared them to their siblings, so perhaps it was a problem that Avery fortunately did not have to deal with.

Did he sense a tad bit of resentment in Flash's voice upon mentioning his sister? She taught him about keeping up appearances... "Well she sounds awfully a lot like a cold, serious person, and no fun at all, doesn't she?" he said as he wrinkled up his nose, imagining a haughty young lady being prim and proper and whatnot. Maybe that's why Flash didn't exactly speak about her with fond memories, if she just sucked the fun out of everything for her younger brother, like tattled on him or reprimanded him for everything. "Kind of like how my dad always tells me not to 'lose face' for the family." He wasn't quite sure if there was an equivalent term in English; losing face for a person or family was basically tainting their honor by acting shamefully. If he were the perfect son, he would've turned out like his friend Hui Ming, who was the exact model of what his parents would've wanted in a son: obedient, disciplined, polite and straight-faced with a sense of propriety, not the rambunctious and often irresponsible boy that was Avery Chen, who often wore his emotions on his sleeve and got his priorities all wrong. "I'm pretty happy to be at Hogwarts right now, where they won't find everything I do embarrassing." That was the gift of boarding school and having his own space: the ability to be his own person.

...And then, he proceeded to lose his face, quite literally. His cheek landed on the hard ground as his beat-up arms gave way. Luckily, his face didn't feel the full force of the impact because his arms and chest saved him some weight. "Oh my god-" Flash exclaimed. Avery saw his shadow move back and forth as the older boy examined him fretfully. "I-I'm okay," he said weakly and unconvincingly, pushing himself up into a crouching position, though a part of him might've preferred lying down on the ground and playing dead, so he didn't have to deal with the embarrassment with his eyes open.

Flash handed Avery his bottle, and the small boy gratefully took a large swig as he sat on the fountain ledge, now sporting a gradually-forming bruise on his left cheek. He felt a bit better as he took a rest and rehydrated, listening to the pleasant trickling of the water fountain, heartbeat slowing. "Are you okay? Maybe we should stop," Flash offered. "Oh, no! Let's not," he interjected immediately, as if his life depended on it. "We haven't even done the rest of our body!" Didn't they only do some upper body exercises? There must've been more that Flash had planned, and he didn't want this opportunity to go to waste, and tryouts were coming up soon. "The rest of me is fine, I promise, so why don't we do legs or something? To at least give me some more exercises to work on over the next week or two?" he asked, hoping that Flash would be persuaded to at least show him some workouts for the other end of his body (he already felt the pushups in his core). "Plus, I think I look pretty cool with a bit of a bruise on my cheek, don't you think?" It was a badge of honor, surely! No, he didn't look like he got beat up by a bully in the face at all.

Flash couldn't help but balk at Avery's appraisal of his sister, as blunt as it was. The expression only lasted for a moment before it was overtaken by a face of confusion, though Avery was likely too engrossed in pushing the limits of his physical capabilities to notice. His impulse was to tell Avery he was wrong, that it was rude to call his beloved sister 'cold'. But... hadn't he only moments before thought she was wretched? He wasn't sure what he thought.

Before he could process it properly, Avery started to relate about his father saying something similar. Then, he said he was grateful to be away from it. It was a bit unnerving, while Flash had felt exactly the same way for nearly the entirety of his second year, he had somehow still been lying to himself about it. This was why he didn't ever talk about his family, it was supremely discomforting. What kind of son doesn't open letters from their mother... or a better question, what kind of mother tries to assure her son's silence? To Avery, he would only give distracted, affirmative hums.

While Avery was collapsed, he tried to continue to 'save face', though Flash was far from buying it. He'd not acknowledge the lie, instead watching him carefully and quietly. When he suggested they continue, working on other parts of the body, Flash let go of some tension by heaving a beleaguered sigh.

"No." He'd answer flatly, a grim face being Avery's reward for trying to bring levity to the greatest killjoy of all. "We should stop. It's best to alternate what part of the body you exercise. The greatest pain comes the day after. You can't have your whole body being sore, you'd not be able to make it out of bed."

Getting as comfortable as he could sitting on the ground, Flash sighed again, rubbing his forehead lightly in an attempt to rub away the stress that was building in a headache there. He knew better than to leave it at that, sensing that Avery would take it personally. He didn't want to come off as cold.

"You'll have to be patient, as... will I..." Really, they had barely done anything, but it was doubtful they would get any productive exercise now that his energy was already shot. "Two times a week, leg day and arm day. You need to build it up slowly, okay? We have plenty of time."