Part 9
The next morning, Felix was wide awake before the wake-up bell. He managed to secure the same work detail as Jae-bum Section B, assigned to clear out old materials near the unused maintenance shed
They reached the desolate area far from the busy corridors. The ground was cracked concrete and the shed was a squat, rusty metal structure perfect for hiding
"Okay" Jae-bum said, leaning his broom against the shed "We'll get practice for 20 minutes" He unlocked the shed door with a piece of wire he'd expertly produced
Inside the air was dusty and smelled of mildew and old oil but it was private. Jae-bum closed the door, cutting off the sunlight
"First lesson" Jae-bum began, rolling his shoulders and loosening his uniform shirt "It's not about punching hard Felix. It's about balance and stability. You're small which means you need to be quick and low to the ground, Show me your stance"
Felix dropped his sponge and nervously tried to mimic a fighting stance he'd once seen in a movie, his legs wide and awkward
"No, no no" Jae-bum chuckled softly, walking over to him "Relax your shoulders, You're too stiff. This is what we call The Foundation"
Jae-bum stood close, correcting the angle of Felix's feet and the slight bend in his knees, his large hands gently guiding Felix's smaller frame into the correct position
"Good, Now breathe" Jae-bum instructed "Keep your weight centered"
After 10 minutes...
Jae-bum stepped back "Now the footwork. This is how you create distance or close it quickly. We'll start simple. When you move forward, the foot closest to that direction moves first. Slide"
He demonstrated, shuffling his feet quickly and keeping his body low. Felix tried to follow, looking clumsy at first but Jae-bum was patient, correcting his slide so he wouldn't cross his feet and lose his balance
"Faster, Felix. Like you're sliding on ice!" Jae-bum encouraged
After a few minutes, Felix was managing a shaky but functional, shuffle step forward and back
"Good. Now, guard" Jae-bum commanded. He showed Felix how to keep his hands up, protecting his chin and the side of his head "These are glued to your face. Don't drop them"
Felix raised his fists, feeling slightly ridiculous but focusing intensely on keeping his arms tight
"That's enough for the first session" Jae-bum said, clapping his hands together "Remember the stance and the guard. We'll practice it tonight in the cell. Tomorrow, we learn to hit if we have time"
He unlocked the rusty shed door. They grabbed their cleaning supplies and headed back out into the harsh morning light to resume their task of clearing out the debris, a silent, powerful bond of purpose now established between them
They were inside their cell later that evening. Felix was sitting on his bunk, absorbed in reading a book and Jae-bum was lying on his back, his eyes closed in quiet contemplation
"Hyung?" Felix said, closing his book with a soft thump
"Yeah!" Jae-bum replied immediately, without opening his eyes
"Let's do some training" Felix suggested, a newfound determination in his voice
Jae-bum opened his eyes, rolled over slightly onto his side and looked at Felix
"Are you sure? Don't you want to read a bit more?" Jae-bum asked hesitantly, surprised by Felix's readiness
"I want to fight a little" Felix said, nodding firmly
They both stood up in the cramped space. Jae-bum, practical as always simply rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and raised his hands but Felix taking the training seriously, took his shirt off completely, leaving him only in his simple undershirt, ready to move freely
Jae-bum's eyes did a quick, startled glance over Felix's slender torso but he immediately straightened up, clearing his throat
"When someone comes at you first, you have to defend yourself first" Jae-bum began, bringing his hands near his head in a defensive posture "While they're busy punching, you look for an opening. If you can duck and attack immediately, you can take them down to the floor or throw them over your back and then pin them down"
Jae-bum demonstrated all the moves, careful to execute them slowly in the limited space and Felix copied him with surprising focus
Then Jae-bum stopped, watching Felix's smaller frame trying to execute a complex move "Ah, but you probably can't throw someone over your back" Jae-bum said seriously, trying to be realistic "You're too short and small for that"
Felix's mouth hung open in disbelief and immediate shock and he stopped moving "Hey Hyung, I'm not that small!" he protested, genuinely displeased
Jae-bum couldn't help himself and laughed out loud in Felix's face "Hmm, really!?"
"Let's just train" Felix said angrily, trying to mask his embarrassment with irritation
But Jae-bum didn't stop laughing immediately, enjoying the rare moment of levity
They continued practicing footwork and blocks, their bodies moving carefully around the edges of the bunks. After a lot of training Jae-bum decided to try a simulation. He lunged at Felix with the intent of grappling, as they had discussed but Felix's foot got caught on the edge of the lower bunk, causing him to lose his balance and fall back onto the narrow bed
Jae-bum reacted instantly, falling on top of him but managing to catch himself with his hands, bracing his weight on either side of Felix's head to avoid landing fully on him
At that moment the entire world outside their cell disappeared. Both of them were utterly silent, their bodies pressed close, both breathing heavily from the intense physical exertion. They looked at each other in shock, their faces only inches apart. Jae-bum's heart was suddenly beating much faster than the training warranted
Felix's large, innocent eyes, wide with surprise in the dim cell light, were utterly captivating and Jae-bum found himself momentarily paralyzed by the sight of them, and by Felix's full, slightly parted lips. He didn't want to admit it but this was a very, very intense moment. A deep red flush crept up his cheeks
"Lights out now" a guard yelled, punctuating the silence with a loud bang on their cell door
"Hyung?" Felix finally whispered, his voice shaky
The sound shattered the trance. Jae-bum blinked rapidly, pulled himself back and instantly shifted his weight off Felix
"Ah! I think this place is too small... so it's a bit unsuitable... for fighting" Jae-bum stammered out, his voice thick with difficulty as he quickly stood up.
He immediately turned his back on Felix and went to his own bunk.
Felix swallowed hard, his hands flying up to touch his own flushed cheeks. He curled up tightly, pulling the blanket over himself
"Goodnight" Felix said, closing his eyes very quickly, trying to stop his racing heart
"Yeah, you too" Jae-bum managed, forcing the words out against the tension in the air
The cell was dark, save for the faint glow filtering from the hallway. Hyunjin lay on his bunk not sleeping but staring into the shadows that danced on the ceiling. His mind usually sharp and focused on the logistics of power was tonight consumed by one face Felix.
He thought back to the image from the shower block Felix, wet and exposed, the water running down his slender, defined body. The memory of the immediate aggressive arousal it had triggered was potent but the memory that truly twisted his gut was the sight of Jae-bum standing there drying Felix's hair with such careful intimacy
'That pathetic shield is getting too comfortable' Hyunjin thought, the muscle in his jaw twitching. Jae-bum's constant presence and now his obvious physical bond with Felix was an intolerable defiance of Hyunjin's ownership. Felix's fear was supposed to belong only to him. His body was supposed to react only to him.
He remembered the kiss he had forced onto Felix's chin as punishment. The pleasure of the possessive act was fading, leaving only a residue of frustration
Hyunjin shifted restlessly, turning onto his side. Felix wasn't just another inmate, he was a fragile, defiant challenge. He was a piece of pure, untouched light that Hyunjin needed to break and keep, purely because he wasn't allowed to have it
"Felix. Felix Lee Felix," Hyunjin repeated, the name a taunting litany. The simple acts of violence he had used so far were clearly not enough to truly break Felix, he needed to make the cell walls fall down around him and eliminate the illusion of safety Jae-bum was providing
A cruel slow smirk finally settled on his face, replacing the frustration. He closed his eyes, his mind already weaving a web of escalating cruelty.