Gym Membership, Part 1 (Multi TG RC) (Patreon)

Hello premium tier subscribers, I hope you enjoy this first part of an ongoing story!

By FoxFaceStories

A Commission for GWW1992

New Life Gym isn’t all that it appears to be, as Jack, Rob, Jenna, and Greg are about to find out. These unrelated persons are all trying to better themselves during the less busy hours, but the changes that slowly occur to their bodies aren’t entirely what they expected, not that they entirely notice what’s happening. As the four of them change gender and appearance, the employees of the gym, once transformed themselves, watch on in amusement, knowing that a New Life awaits the customers this gym has chosen to bless.

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Gym Membership

Part 1: New Arrivals

It was no different to any other gym, really. Perhaps a little older, perhaps a little more outmoded with some of its features. If you were to look at it while driving past, you might consider joining a gym . . . just now that one. In fact, the joke often went ‘sure, I’ll get a new life, just not there!’, and the reason was quite obvious: it didn’t have the flash and style of most modern gyms. It didn’t have an influencer culture. In fact, it barely even advertised, and most people who saw it assumed it was on the verge of going out of business.

Their assumptions couldn’t be farther from the truth. The New Life Gym was, in fact, much older than most people thought. Much older. It had new coats of paint from time to time, sure, and even new names, along with a rotating cast of managers, owners, employees, and so and so forth. But the gym itself remained, its own entity, its own mind. The people who worked there gradually came to know it, along with the very special power to possess. And this was a real power too, supernatural to the highest degree, and not merely local legend of whispered rumour. The New Life Gym could provide exactly as its namesake described; a new life to those who came there, employee and customer alike. Not all who visited it were changed, not even most. But when someone entered, someone whose true self was hidden beneath layers of self-deception, or in a body that didn’t truly fit them, or whose destiny simply laid elsewhere, then the gym was capable of providing the magical spark needed to transform that person into who they were always supposed to be.

They didn’t recognise it at first, of course, otherwise the gym would be very famous indeed, which was not what the gym and its manager and employees wanted. Instead, those who find themselves being changed are unable to tell the changes at first, with only flickering moments where their mind is able to perforate the changing reality and recognise what is happening. These moments, sometimes accompanied by a minor panic, are few and far between, however, and rarely last. Instead, their mind rationalises what is happening to them, and the outside world likewise begins to recognise their changes as normal, though with the occasional quirks as well. Only those previously changed will remember both realities, and the changed individual themselves when the transformation nears completion. Thankfully, by that time, their true self has emerged in the flesh, and it is exceedingly rare for someone to reject the changes. Most, in fact, fully embrace them, marvelling at the magic of the New Life Gym. Such is the case for its employees, who have all found their true selves, and relish the opportunity to see this change for the better in others.

It is with this context that we begin our story. The current manager and owner - not that she would see it that way in anything but technicality - of the New Life Gym is one Katherine Hearns. She is a tall, strong-backed woman with impressive swimmer’s shoulders and an impressive sleeve of tattoos down her right arm. Her complexion is vaguely Mediterranean, and her thick lips make for the broadest of smiles, though she is far more likely to smirk with secret knowledge, tossing her dark tangle of hair over her shoulder as she observes the changes around her with secretive pride. She is a good employer, one who rides her workers hard but is always fair. She wants the gym to run smoothly and appropriately, but is willing to turn a blind eye to some indiscretions. The nature of the New Life Gym leads to such situations from time to time, and b   she is willing to forgive these transgressions if it leads to someone finding their true self. Still, while she is no iron-fisted ruler, she likes things to be neat. Clean. Predictable, as best as they can be for such a magical place. It’s not that hard, really, given that these magical transformations are few and far between, happening only to very particular people.

Which is why this story is so special. Because, unknown to Jenna Hearns or the rest of her employees, they are about to witness another transformation take place in their gym. Only it isn’t limited to one individual, or even the rare two, or the freak three. No, this will be a transformation of four individuals, each of whom will find their true selves quite unexpectedly.

And it will be hardly predictable at all, for any of them.

***

Jack Martin looked up at the building with uncertainty. He was an overweight man, with pasty freckled skin and wiry ginger hair that was already thinning in places despite the fact that he was only twenty four years old. He needed to get in shape, and moreover lose weight in general. He was already speedrunning his way to morbid obesity, and unless things changed soon, his life expectancy would be rather worrying, given that he had a host of other illnesses. Still. Every time he signed up for a gym experience, hoping this time would be the time that he would finally lose weight, he was overcome by anxiety. He had never been, strictly speaking, bullied. But he had felt the press of eyes upon him, the way the fit gym bros and slim, athletic girls viewed him with something approaching disgust. He sweated profusely, struggled audibly with even the simplest of weights, and he ultimately felt entirely out of place among the regular gym users. The experiences filled him with anxiety, and so he had searched and searched for a more ‘out of the way’ gym where no one would know him, would ever cross paths with him outside of the gym, and was not flooded with a large number of people he had to awkwardly wait around in the hopes of using a specific piece of equipment, often poorly at that. 

“Perhaps this will be the one,” he murmured to himself, staring up at the large ‘New Life Gym’ sign that was painted in a faded pastel pink above the white warehouse-like building. He entered the building, pushing open the door that gave just a slight resistance.

“Not exactly modern,” he remarked, though he considered that perhaps that was a good thing: a more modern setup would attract more gym goers, and Jack Martin wanted privacy. The interior was similarly dressed down; functional, but no sight of any of the apps and modern technology that he had seen in other gyms. There wasn’t even a chip sign in, but instead an employee behind a desk to the left who was manually checking someone’s lanyard.

Okay, real old school, he thought to himself.

Feeling still a bit self-conscious, he came to the desk. The woman behind it was impressively tall, looking about six feet to his five-foot-six. She was Asian, with short cropped hair and an attractive, athletic figure. With her New Life Gym crop top and exercise shorts (it was a low desk and she was standing behind it), he couldn’t help but notice that she was quite ample in the chest, and had rather strong abs along her midriff. Jack tried not to stare: he’d never had a girlfriend before, and was aware that women didn’t like to look at him. It made his approach to the other sex . . . complicated. Thankfully, he actually received quite the chipper response from the employee.

“Hiya!” she exclaimed. “I’m Nari! Nari Kim. You look to be a newcomer, am I right?”

“Um, hi Nari,” he said, feeling a bit like a school student responding to a teacher’s address. “I’m Jack. Uh, Jack Martin. Yeah, I’ve not been here before. I guess . . . I’m looking to find a place to work out?”

This was usually the point where he could see the quiet judgement in an employee’s face, or at least an imagined one. He wasn’t quite sure which it was, still. But Nari simply grinned from ear to ear, and it was a beaming smile.

“Great to hear it! Did you just want a trial session today? Totally free of charge! I can show you around so you can get a sense of the equipment, or you can get a sense of the place yourself just by wandering where you like if you’d prefer to be alone.”

I’m always alone, he thought to himself, a bit sadly. But still, the idea of being shown different machines and training systems by such a gorgeous, fit woman, all while he sweated away, was utterly anathema to him.

“Um, I might just take a look around, if that’s alright?”

“Of course! It’s only early afternoon, so just a notice; you can effectively spend the next twenty four hours here, if you wish. That’s the free of charge part. That also means you can leave when it gets dark and come back in the morning with time to spare, or any other combination you want. It’s a twenty four hour gym, but if you try to come in after six PM then you’ll need a key, and we don’t provide those to triallers, sorry.”

“That’s okay. And thanks, that’s really generous.”

She beamed again. It really was a beautiful smile. “Not a problem, Jack! Trust me, you’ll love this gym. The New Life is not just an advertisement, but a real promise. I got a whole new life myself when I was just a customer here, as did all our other workers. Even our boss, Miss Hearns, can say the same. And it might just be the same of you, if you’re lucky. This place has a kind of magic about it, at least that’s what I call it. Plus, it’s a bit out of the way, so you’ll find you won’t have to compete for equipment or worry about crowds.”

For once, the normally melancholic Jack smiled.

“That . . . that actually sounds fantastic.”

Now I just need to figure out what the hell I’m doing, he thought to himself. Though the thought of a new life does appeal to me. It really, really does.

And that was the other thing that Jack never shared with anyone, that he wasn’t really Jack at all, or at least didn’t want to be. Ever since he’d been fifteen years old, his relationship with his body had become more and more alienated. It had felt wrong, as if didn’t belong to him, as if he was meant to be someone else. 

He looked back at Nari, who grinned happily at him, waving with excitement. The gym was indeed nearly empty, but with her in it, his anxiety still rose. Not because he was afraid of her judging him, but because seeing her perfect athletic form and her proud femininity made him jealous.

Why does she get to be a beautiful woman, he thought, and I can’t be?

The answer was obvious; because he’d been too scared to transition. Too scared to take that first step. Too scared to even admit to anyone that he wanted to be a she. The best Jack could hope to do was get a bit more in shape, and maybe be proud of his body then. It wouldn’t be enough though, and deep down he knew that.

At least, that’s what he thought. But he had just entered New Life Gym, and things were about to change . . .

***

Rob Halloway sniffed his shirt again, getting a few unusual looks from passerbys.

Yeah, okay, that still smells a bit like pot, he thought to himself. I really should have committed to laundry day. The others will be on my case when I get back to the apartment.

It wasn’t really his fault, he reckoned. After all, Saturdays were usually the days when he would be relaxing back at the rental, sitting in his room, getting blazed as fuck and chilling. It was his own personal Sabbath, especially since the fried food place he worked at had such horrendous hours during the week. But he’d also recently been dumped by his girlfriend - ex-girlfriend, now - for his failure to commit to ‘self-improvement,’ and even he had to admit she had a point.

“You said you were going to come to the gym with me!” she had spat at him during their relationship-ending argument. “You’re always whining about being so skinny, but then you just sit in your room smoking pot and barely eating. God, can’t you even get the munchies to fill out a little?”

It had been quite the blow to Rob. He thought of himself as quite the casual, relaxed person. ‘Neutral’ was often the word that was applied to him and his chill attitude towards life. But being dumped in that way had certainly made him cognisant of his shortcomings, and the fact that his roommates - DeShawn, Harry, and even Tyler - had all ragged him about it, only made him more aware. The truth was, he had always wanted to beef up and be attractive. At six-foot-four, he presented himself as quite the beanpole to the world, and his long, messy brown hair didn’t help matters, as it only made him look more like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. So he had decided to finally commit . . . only he had ended up arriving later than expected to the New Life Gym on account of wanting to light up just one reefer cigarette that morning.

Ah, it won’t matter. It’ll just put me in a calm brain-state to start exercising, right?

“My, you’re quite tall, aren’t you?” someone asked as they walked past on the street.

“So I’m told,” he said, a little annoyed. That was often the refrain he got; he was tall, he was a beanstalk, he needed to eat more, he was rail-thin, he looked unhealthy. The list was endless.

“Okay, time to do this,” he muttered to himself. “If I can make it over this hill, no one will call me a damn beanstalk ever again.”

It was the closest gym to his rental, so even this choice had been made partly out of laziness. He didn’t care too deeply, though. So long as there was equipment, and maybe a trainer who could teach him a few things. He pushed the door open, noting that the place seemed quite old and not very modern. He preferred modern, but perhaps would give this gym a few tries to see if it was worth it.

But when he saw a lovely lady at the counter, it suddenly became very worth it.

“Hiya, I’m Nari!” a gorgeous woman beamed. “Are you here for a trial?”

She didn’t make one comment about his height, which he was happy for, but he was also happy to be so tall for once, because the look down her crop top was divine, even if he had to hide it.

“And would you like me to show you around a bit, get a sense of the equipment?” she asked, after he had given her a bit more information and she explained the trial system.

Rob smiled. “That’d be A-okay, thanks.”

“Then come with me! Laura - can you woman the counter up for me?”

“Can do!” called another female voice from a section that was obviously for the staff.

“Sweet! Then come with me, Rob!”

He followed her, observing the gentle sway of his athletic hips as she began to give him the tour. There was a basketball court to one side, and even a swimming pool for doing laps at the rear. The main area was for working out, and had 80’s classics playing to drown out the grunting, with many bits of equipment, some of which looked older, though thankfully well-taken care of. The walls had been fitted recently with mirrors, clashing a bit with the style of the place, but he was surprised to see that there was even an area for boxing workouts, complete with a boxing ring and everything.

“This place has a lot more than I’d expect,” he noted, gazing around.

Nari chuckled a little mischievously. “Oh yes, the New Life Gym always provides, for its employees and its customers. It has a way of knowing what’s needed, at least I like to think so.”

As she said this, Rob noted that a rather obese-looking man around his own age was on his back, pushing up some very, very light weights. He had flame-red hair and looked to be sweating profusely. It was not an attractive sight, especially with his stomach coming free of his shirt a little. He didn’t have the heart to tell the man that even he, a man who sucked at working out and had ended up skinny as hell because of it, could tell that the obese man’s posture was all wrong.

“Well,” he said, “let’s hope that gentleman there will get what he needs.”

It was laced with irony, but Nari just gave him an odd look, teased with a sly smile.

“Oh, he will. I can already tell. Jury’s still out on you though, so let’s get you started on a workout, and see if the magic takes hold.”

He shrugged, and followed her instructions.

***

Jenna Garcia was aware that she was short, and wished the rest of the world would be too so she could get on with her life without being constantly reminded of it. At the age of forty three, she should have been used to it by now, but the truth was that while she had always been short, she had not always been . . . frumpy. That had been a more recent development, and she often felt as if upon hitting her forties her body had simply shrugged, sighed, and given up, leaving itself to swell in odd directions. She had never been an attractive woman, and her first marriage had ended in divorce after Steven had decided that a younger, hotter latina was better than an older, uglier one, but turning into a short, ugly, and frumpy looking woman had never been on her bingo card.

Still, Jenna had always been a practical woman. When the divorce had finalised, she had moved on with her life and purchased two cats - Snowbell and Winston - both of whom were better company than her husband had ever been. She worked from home as a data analyst for a large metrics company, one that consulted other companies on social media engagement and marketing strategies. She liked to joke that it was ‘analytics all the way down’ when it came to her hierarchy, but while it allowed her a lot of free time, this was a double-edged sword. Several of her friends had moved away recently, and her cats could only provide so much pleasure. She had been getting sick of her body getting out of her control, and like the hardy, pragmatic woman she was, she immediately began searching up dietary plans and gym memberships to deal with this situation.

And just like the online information said, this place has the exact kind of quaintness I’m looking for.

Indeed, the New Life Gym appeared older, without all the annoying electronic bells and whistles of modern gyms. Besides, it also looked quieter, and that was something important that Jenna could appreciate also. The Garcia family clan, on the rare occasions they got together, could be boisterous as hell. She had never loved it, and so she wanted a gym that would be far more noise-free and allow her to focus on herself and not have to worry too deeply about social interaction unless it was on her terms.

Yes, she thought. I think this will be perfect.

She stepped inside, and was immediately confronted with a sight that made her quite jealous; a beautiful blonde woman who presented herself as Annabelle Kind. She looked, in Jenna’s imagination, like a blonde bimbo; bright blue eyes that were a bit simple, a curvaceous figure and large bust, and a peppy, almost musical quality to her voice that marked her as far too optimistic for this cruel world. Moreover, she had the kind of body that Jenna could literally never have, and the most annoying thing of all was that she was incredibly lovely and charming, which made Jenna Garcia really want to hate her more than she did.

“Like, it’s so good to meet you, Jenna! You’re so cute!”

“That’s . . . not exactly how I would prefer to be described.”

“Oh, darn! I’m so sorry! Lol, I can be such a ditz sometimes. I totally blame the changes this gym brought to me. I’m super happy with it all, and wouldn’t change a thing to save my life, but, like, oh my gosh does it leave me clueless sometimes.”

What on Earth is this blonde bimbo talking about? Jenna wondered.

“Look, I just want to see your facilities.”

“Are you looking for, like, just a trial session today?” Annabelle asked. “I can totes give the tour, like Nari is. She’s super nice too but waaaaay smarter than me, you have no idea.”

I think most people fit into that category, dear, she thought to herself, smiling thinly.

“I think that would be inappropriate,” Jenna responded, perhaps a bit too brusquely. “What I mean to say is, I’d rather see the facilities myself and get a sense of them. After all, you have a very important job, manning the counter, right?”

Annabelle wasn’t tall, a little short even. But Jenna herself was a diminutive four-foot-nine, and was still feeling utterly dwarfed. Whatever jibe she’d made to the woman didn’t seem to pass through though, because Annabelle just grinned from ear to ear.

“D’oh! Of course! Katherine is still in her office, and you’re right, someone needs to stay here, lol!

There’s a place in hell for people who say ‘lol’ out loud, or even text it. Ah, the youth of today. Still, this place does look rather quiet, and convenient for what I want.

“Exactly, you stay here and I’ll go see your facilities. Is there a trial system?”

“Oh, yes! Lemme just explain it real quick.”

Jenna managed to listen without rolling her eyes too hard. She was eager to get started. She had her whole training system already planned out, though hopefully there was an expert who could verify, falsify, and improve upon it as well. The important thing was that while she would never feel good about her looks, she could feel good about her health and her body.

Besides, she thought, being ugly and short is better than being ugly and short and bloated in all sorts of odd places.

The very mental consideration made her sigh. She looked back at Annabelle, already tapping away happily on her smartphone.

“That body is wasted on her,” she muttered under her breath.

***

Greg Johnson was ready to pump some metal. Most people might look at the obsessive body builder and assume that if anyone needed to be told to take a day off from the gym, it was him. He didn’t share that opinion, however. Gym life was life, as far as he was concerned. His muscles may be rippling, his biceps shredded, his abs and pecs like stone bricks jutting out from his body they were so prominent, but there was always more mad gains to, well, gain. 

No, that’s not right, the physical giant thought to himself. There’s always more mad gains to earn.

Greg was twenty five years old, and his obsession with fitness had been long standing. He couldn't even say where it had come from, except that it had been a good cathartic experience in the aftermath of his parents’ early passing. Directionless, without much support, or guidance from those who were meant to be around much longer, he had found a welcoming community at the gym. There, pumping iron and perfecting his body had felt like he was perfecting his life, taking back control of it. With his light blond hair and light blue eyes, he presented a damn handsome figure by the time he started becoming ripped, but this had slowly proven to be his undoing, as well. 

If only she’d taken my comments for what they were, just some minor flirting. It was all in good fun. Besides, she had a damn great rack and that sports bra was not hiding it at all. Along with her tight yoga pants around that peachy ass and you can’t tell me she wasn’t fishing for compliments! You just can’t! It’s not like she wasn’t a shameless influencer chick anyway!

Yes, Greg Johnson had a significant flaw that had seen him kicked not from one or even two but three separate gyms in the same city. No matter how clear the gym rules were, or how revolting women found his comments, he just couldn’t help himself; he always felt a need to audibly highlight women’s bodies to the point where he was effectively catcalling them. Greg was easily distracted by an attractive woman’s figure, particularly her breasts and/or ass, and rather than work on containing that, and keeping his thoughts to himself, he instead preferred to tell them outright when he felt they were trying to show off for a camera rather than actually work out, which was what the space was for. This was usually paired with him being condescending and ‘showing’ them how to do a ‘real workout,’ something which only made women all the more irritated with his behaviour. Most of all, however, he just couldn’t contain himself when it came to social media influencer types. The gym was a sacred space for Greg, where one could improve one’s body, and these women were ruining it with their cam performances and poses that were more about showing off their bodies than anything else. And yet, despite getting banned from three separate venues, he remained totally unwilling to examine his own behaviour and change. Something made him make these comments, and it was the same thing that made him despise influencers who flocked to gyms. It wasn't the reason he thought it was, but he’d buried the truth down very, very deep, and it would take time - and a little magic - to unearth it.

“This place looks old school,” he said aloud to himself, looking at the New Life Gym building. “I bet the owner knows the score on what a gym is meant to be about.”

He stepped inside, and was surprised to see exactly the kind of woman he feared at the desk, literally blowing bubblegum bubbles as she texted on her phone. She was very beautiful, a total hot blonde, but it was undeniable that she definitely looked like the Insta-girl type.

“Like, wow! That’s four people in one day!” she said, giggling a little for no reason. “Are you here for a trial of the gym?”

Greg sighed. This was a poor start, but he was running out of choices for gyms, given that the three best ones in town were not welcoming him anymore. He couldn’t exactly sneak in either: he’d been caught once and threatened with prosecution, and while he wasn’t exactly the academic egghead type, he wasn’t strictly speaking stupid either. 

I guess I’ll just have to see how this goes and hope that she isn’t around, taking photos everywhere and posting them on her goddamn socials. This is meant to be, like, a temple, damn it!

“Sure,” he replied. “How do I go about doing that?”

“Like, you just have to sign some initial paperwork, you know, so you can’t keep wandering in all the time and stuff, and I need your name. There’s more details and stuff I can tell you once we get you signed for a trial.”

He gave it, and learned that the woman’s name was Annabelle Kind. She was definitely the bimbo type, and while he could certainly get excited for that in the right context, he hoped she wouldn’t be out in the gym often.

“Want me to, like, show you how to use the equipment?”

He smirked. “I think I’ll be alright.”

“All cool! Say, you’re super ripped, I bet you know it all already, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, maybe this place will change you in other ways, I guess. Or not. Have fun!”

He couldn’t quite piece together exactly what she meant by that, but he just shrugged and headed into the gym. There were only like ten people present, and it was a surprisingly big area. There was an older couple doing a regimen together - Greg could respect that - and a guy with an injury clearly trying to get his legs back up to scratch - he could respect that too. There was also a real big fat guy who was revoltingly sweaty, working somewhat incorrectly on his weights.

I could respect that . . . but wow. That is bad form, and a bad body. 

And then there was a frumpy looking older woman, a latina by the looks of it, who seemed to know what she was doing, as well as a beanpole of a man slowly working away on the power rack. It was an odd assortment, but the best thing was that Greg couldn’t see a single social media influencer in sight. 

Don’t get me wrong, I like the sexy ladies, and I know they like me commenting on them, no matter how much they feel the need to use some feminazi ragebait. But this is a sacred space for exercising and perfecting oneself, not for vapid photos. That’s where I draw the line.

And it seemed the gym did too. Numerous posters and cautions warned that bans would follow if photography was used for anything other than workout training reasons, and even then it seemed to be discouraged.

“Yeah, I could get used to this,” he said.

He decided to go to the leg press first. You never skipped leg day, after all.

***

Katherine Hearns looked out through her office window and down to the gym space. Her office was located on the second floor, above the employee station, and it effectively was the second floor, being part of the building within the gym, rather than the gym itself having two floors. The result was that she could effectively surveil almost the entirety of the New Life Gym area without having to walk around it, except for the boxing ring and swimming pool, and a half-section of the basketball court.

“Hmm, seems we’ve gotten four newcomers today,” she mused, stirring her coffee.

“Yeah, me and Annabelle were just as surprised,” Nari said, looking down on them as well. “Things are normally much slower.”

She took in the sight of the obese Jack Martin, the skinny giant Rob Holloway, the frumpy and older Jenna Garcia, and the bodybuilder Greg Johnson.

“Do you think the Gym will change them?”

She spoke the word ‘gym’ as if it had a capital letter, as if it was its own entity. Which, of course, they both knew it truly was.

Katherine took a sip of her coffee. “We shall have to wait and see. I can’t always sense the magic working, but I can tell that the Gym believes at least one or two of them - maybe all of them - have a true self waiting to come out. Could be quite interesting.”

“If more than one changes at once, does it mean they’ll notice each other?”

Katherine waved her sleeved arm somewhat dismissively. “Only a little more than usual. The memory fog will still be there until near the end of their changes. And I do think we’ll see some changes, Nari. These will be some of the first Annabelle has seen since her own, right?”

“Um, yeah, pretty much. Annabelle’s very, very keen for it. She’s only been changed for a few months, and complains that she always misses the transformations.”

Katherine smirked. “Well, trust me dear, I don’t think she’ll miss this one. It’s so good she has a mentor like you, and thanks for bringing me this news. Now, you better get back down there. I’m not paying you to talk to me, am I?”

“Of course not, Kath! Sorry!”

“No need to apologise. You get down there and keep doing the rounds. I imagine we might see a few of these customers back tomorrow. And won’t that be exciting?”

Nari beamed as she headed off. A real, actual set of changes could be coming, and maybe more than they’d had in a long time at the gym. Annabelle had been so happy after turning into the person she was - and she was so much better for it, too, especially given who she’d been - so Nari could only imagine how these four would end up.

“I bet they’re going to be beautiful,” the employee said to herself.

She headed down to the gym proper, to see if she could sense the magic itself.

To Be Continued . . .