Hitting the Mark

by Aidan Wayne

  In-between he spent some time on the phone with his agent Wendy, Billy, his mom just to let her know how he was settling in, and Roger, to go over some parts in the script and bounce ideas back and forth. One of the most important parts of any romance was properly portraying the chemistry. Though London, the film’s director, would have a big role in that, since he and Roger already knew each other, it didn’t hurt to try to figure out different ways they could approach things.

  All told it was a good day, busy but still relaxing. It was kind of nice to be away from California before he started working. He enjoyed having a bit of downtime, especially knowing what he’d be getting into the next several months. He loved what he did, but man could days get long. And tiring, especially with how physical he was.

  At around six, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message. And when he checked it, expecting it to be from someone or something job related, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Preeti.

  Hey! Just finished with classes for the day. How did the day go for you?

  Pretty well, he replied. Relearning the area. How was class?

  The semester just started and I’m already so ready for it to be over OTL. Papers and presentations are kicking my ass right now.

  Sounds rough.

  Actually the worst!!

  Marcus had to laugh. He really liked what he’d seen of Preeti so far. Well if you need to get out some energy, I’m still down for that spar.

  The three dots flashing, indicating a message being typed, appeared and disappeared for a few moments before Wanna go tomorrow? I’m off Saturday at the Academy because Master Choi insisted I have a weekend what with being a college kid, but I’m free. Specialty Training class is from 12-1, so it’s usually a smaller group of dedicated people if you were up for it.

  I would, but I’m already meeting Taemin tomorrow when he’s done with classes. I don’t want to get under his feet too much.

  This time the reply was immediate. Please. He’d probably be delighted. He always is, when people take more of an interest in the sport.

  Marcus was pretty interested all right. There’d be no complaints from him about seeing Taemin sooner. But he’d meant what he said about not wanting to be overbearing about it. How about I ask him what he thinks and then get back to you?

  Okay, cool. Just let me know!

  Will do.

  Awesome.

  Taemin had classes until seven thirty, but there was no harm in sending out a message now, for him to see when he was finished. He tapped it out and sent it, then decided to go over his script a little more. He liked being off-book as soon as possible, because it made figuring everything else out, like his blocking, the emotions of the scene, a lot easier.

  TAEMIN BOWED-OUT his last class, they all said their goodbyes, and then he was able to sigh and let his shoulders sag a little. He was always a little exhausted by Friday evening, which was one of the reasons it was so nice it was an earlier day. His plan was, as usual, to log the attendances for the day, go home, take a shower, eat, and go to bed.

  He absentmindedly checked his phone as he was locking up the school for the night, surprised to see that he had a message from Marcus, sent a couple hours ago.

  Hey, Preeti invited me for a spar during your 12-1 class tomorrow. Would you mind if I showed up?

  Why would he mind? Taemin thought. Of course not. Just the thought of seeing Marcus a little sooner—and training at the academy no less—made something in him brighten. Like I’m about to say no to seeing you and Preeti spar.

  The reply came only a few seconds later. As long as you’re okay with it. I’ll tell Preeti I accept her challenge then :)

  Taemin chuckled. You’re always free to come by, you know. Even if we’re not actively open, as long as I’m there you’re free to come by. To use the space or just talk, whatever.

  Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. So I’ll see you at noon then, if you’re sure about tomorrow?

  I’m sure, Taemin typed, leaning against the door of his car. And I’ll have that sparring gear ready for you too.

  Thanks.

  Have a good night.

  You too.

  Taemin stowed his phone, got into his car, and drove home. It was nice having a little moment to talk to Marcus after class. It made him feel a bit less bone-tired.

  Once he’d arrived at his apartment and flipped on the lights, he stepped out of his shoes and hung up his keys, then went to throw his dobok and underclothes in the laundry before getting into the shower. That never took very long, so he was out, dry, and dressed for bed sooner over later.

  Food. He should eat dinner. Preeti and Avi were forever harping on him to eat. He wasn’t that hungry, never really was after a long day, but he knew he needed fuel.

  He didn’t have a whole lot at home (he’d need to go grocery shopping after his time with Marcus), so he ended up making a simple egg dish. Second night in a row for what was basically a veggie omelet, but Preeti was right; protein was important. You had to get it somehow.

  Not for the first time, Taemin spared a thought at the fact that he shouldn’t let himself be bullied by someone over fifteen years his junior, but Preeti was basically a little sister at this point. She was allowed some leeway.

  By the time he’d brushed his teeth, his energy had thoroughly left him. He collapsed into bed. Made sure his alarm was set, then closed his eyes.

  His last conscious thought was of how much he was looking forward to seeing Marcus again.

  MARCUS BOWED into Choi’s just as the 11:00 a.m. class was finishing up. He was already wearing his cup and had brought his mouth guard, which he traveled with everywhere, but the rest of the gear Taemin would supply. He’d worn another set of track pants and an old T-shirt, and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He had no idea if anyone would recognize him, but he sort of hoped no one did. He was liking the anonymity of being able to train at the dojang in peace.

  Preeti, Mr. Avi, and Taemin were all on the mat, along with four adults and two guys who looked around their late teens. The class itself was already going while the 11:00 a.m. class packed up, so the specialty training group was probably part of the adult class that had stayed. Preeti was in full sparring gear and going at a bag, while Taemin and Mr. Avi were doing a bo staff drill, most of the class following along.

  He stepped out of his shoes and put them in a cubby, then stuffed his drawstring bag and hat in there too.

  Mr. Avi caught sight of him first. “Marcus, hey! Good to see you, kid. You coming for class?”

  “Yeah. I thought it’d be fun.”

  “Also he’s sparring with me today,” Preeti said over her shoulder.

  “No kidding? I’m looking forward to seeing that.”

  “Me too,” Taemin said.

  “Wait,” from one of the teenagers. “He’s sparring Preeti? Just like that? I’ve never seen him before.” To Marcus he said, “You’re gonna die.”

  The other teenager elbowed him, “Jamal,” he hissed, “don’t you recognize him?”

  Oh. Sounded like at least one person knew who he was. Oh well. It wasn’t like that was atypical. He did action movies. It was fairly expected that people, especially those interested in the fighting arts, would know him.

  Jamal squinted at him, and then his eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

  Marcus opened his mouth, but Mr. Avi got there first. “That gonna be a problem, Jamal? Roshen?”

  They quickly shook their heads. “Nosir.”

  “Good. He’s training here today. He’s just another student.”

  “Yessir.”

  Mr. Avi glanced at Marcus. “Just another student, right?”

  Marcus nodded and couldn’t help a smile. This was more like it. “Yessir.”

  “All right. Now then.” Mr. Avi turned to the class as a whole. “A black belt is stepping onto the mat!” he bellowed. “Show your respect!”

  “Sir!” Everyone bowed to Marcus, then, to their credit, returned to
what they were doing before they’d been interrupted. Though most of them still looked over at him in curiosity or recognition.

  After nodding to Taemin, Marcus started warming up, watching the class out of the corner of his eye. It was clear they were a dedicated bunch, concentrating hard on the instruction and then doing the repetitions until they were shown the next set of movements. They all, for the most part, moved fluidly—obviously having had trained the form for a while.

  When he was good and ready, he went over to stand at the edge of the class in parade rest to wait for Taemin to notice him. It didn’t take long.

  “Ready?” Taemin asked.

  Marcus nodded. “Yessir.”

  “Great! Let me get your gear.” Almost at once, the class stilled in their movements to watch as Marcus padded up. “Do you mind if you have an audience?” Taemin asked.

  “Only if Preeti does.”

  “Are you kidding?” Preeti came over, her long ponytail swinging from where it was hanging out of the top of her helmet. “It’ll be more fun this way. Sir? Will you preside?”

  “Of course.” Taemin motioned to the class, and they all moved to the edge of the mat and took a knee. Roshen in particular looked like he was about to start vibrating with excitement, watching. “Step up!”

  Preeti and Marcus stepped forward until they were just in front of Taemin.

  “Pad check!” He went over to Preeti, who bowed to him, and then he went up her body from shin-guards to helmet, lightly slapping each pad before instructing her to knock. When he was finished, he turned to Marcus, who bowed as well, and Taemin did the same thing to him. “Knock!” Marcus knocked, proving that he was wearing a cup, too, and Taemin nodded.

  “Face each other.” They did. “Charyeo!” They both stood at attention. “Gyeongrye!” They bowed to each other. “Sijak!” Begin. They fist-bumped, then began to bound back and forth, circling as the match started.

  Two minutes was a long time for constant movement, and Preeti kept Marcus on his toes. Figuratively and literally. She was fast and agile, and he spent just as much time blocking and dodging as he did on offense, learning her moves.

  Marcus got first points, a headshot, and he grinned at Preeti around his mouth guard before bringing up his hands just in time to block a truly impressive jump spin kick.

  When Taemin called time, they were both breathing hard but smiling wide, excited over the match and their own showing. Taemin awarded Marcus the first match before starting the second round.

  More movement, heart pounding, heat-of-the-moment strikes and blocks. Three points to Preeti for a to-the-head roundhouse that got in around Marcus’s guard, three points to Marcus for body-blows in quick succession. When time was called, Preeti was awarded the match.

  “Last one,” Taemin said, before instructing them to bow and get into ready stance. “Sijak!” They fist-bumped and the final round began.

  By this time they’d each learned a little bit about the other’s fighting style and they went at it, each giving it their all, no tiptoeing around trying to feel things out. Marcus managed to get the upper hand, playing offensive and forcing Preeti to pull out block after block. She dropped her elbow, a signal that she was gearing up for another spin kick, and Marcus dove in to take a shot, glancing a round kick to her side, underneath her arm. He counted the point in his head, and spent the rest of the match playing keepaway, making sure she didn’t score on him.

  “Geuman!” Taemin called, when time ran out. They stood at attention again, and, panting, Marcus watched Taemin raise his arm in his direction. Match to him. He’d won two out of three.

  They bowed to each other, and then Preeti spit out her mouth guard and dove at him for a hug. Marcus caught her, laughing.

  “That was awesome!” she said, slapping the top of his helmet. “So much fun, we’ve got to do that more often.”

  Marcus grinned at her. It’d been a lot of fun. And Taemin beaming at them both, fairly dripping with pride, was nice too.

  “Nice job,” Mr. Avi said when they broke apart. “Both of you. That was pretty impressive, kid. Good job keeping up with her.”

  Marcus took out his mouth guard. “Thanks, Mr. Avi.”

  “That was so cool!” Jamal burst out. Roshen nodded enthusiastically. A few of the other adults came forward to talk about the match, and a couple of them asked if they could spar Marcus and Preeti too. Marcus ended up doing rounds for almost the entire hour, in between breathing breaks and getting water.

  “We’re working you pretty hard,” Taemin said, after Marcus finished a teaching match where he’d faced down Jamal and Roshen at the same time. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m having a great time.”

  “Good to hear! And I’m pretty impressed at how you’re going. You clearly have been working on your stamina.”

  “Half of that’s work on top of training,” Marcus said. “Long days where I have to go for a long time over and over. It helps.”

  “I can tell.” Taemin squeezed Marcus’s shoulder. “It’s a real pleasure to watch you.”

  Fuck that was good to hear. And it was just a compliment on his martial arts skill. He shouldn’t be so affected by it. “Thanks,” Marcus managed.

  By the time Taemin led the class into a cooldown, Marcus felt loose, warm, and excited, in part because he was going to get Taemin to himself for the next while.

  “You said you’re going out with Master Choi now, right?” Preeti asked, as she and Marcus stowed their sparring equipment.

  “Well, maybe not right now,” Marcus said. “I think he’ll probably want to do some of his own training before we leave.”

  Mr. Avi, who was next to them stowing his bo staff, gave Marcus a funny look. “Why would he do that? What do you think the last five hours were?”

  “Uh, Taemin said that he normally trains by himself for an hour or two after classes were over on Saturday,” Marcus said, confused.

  Mr. Avi turned to point a finger at Taemin. “Master Choi!”

  “What is it, Mr. Avi?” Taemin asked, coming over to them.

  Mr. Avi glared at him. “I thought you said that since you’d started doing extra training on Sunday, you were making Saturday your rest day. Which still barely counts as a rest day, since you lead the whole conditioning class.”

  Taemin looked puzzled. “It is a rest day. Aside from the conditioning class, all I do is a little cardio work.”

  “That counts, sir,” Mr. Avi growled. “You’re going to run yourself into the ground.”

  Taemin rolled his eyes. “Honestly. I’ve been doing this since I was a child. I know perfectly well what I can handle.”

  “You sure about that? Did you even eat today?”

  “Mr. Avi,” Taemin said patiently, “I promise, as I have done several times, that I know how to look after myself.”

  “Did you?” Marcus asked.

  “Did I what?”

  “Eat today.”

  “Of course. I had breakfast before I came in to open the school.”

  Marcus frowned. “Nothing since then?”

  Taemin looked bewildered. “I’m going out with you.”

  “You are?” Mr. Avi said.

  Taemin nodded. “Marcus asked if we could get lunch together after class.”

  Mr. Avi looked between the two of them. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “We won’t keep you, then. Preeti and I can close up.”

  “That’s all right,” Taemin said. “I can—”

  “Sir,” Mr. Avi said, crossing his arms. “Preeti and I can handle it. Besides, look at it this way: you’re keeping Marcus waiting.”

  “Oh,” Taemin said, startled. “I—”

  “It’s okay,” Marcus said quickly. “I don’t want to upset your schedule.” Even if it might have needed to be interrupted. Because Jesus Christ, Saturday was supposed to be his rest day? He was leading classes from eight to one and said he trained on his own for at least an hour or two after. And without bre
aks to eat? That was… that was pretty bad. No one could survive on that. And even if Taemin wasn’t like this all the time, those were some bad habits. “But I wouldn’t mind going sooner over later.”

  “Yes, yes, of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think of that.”

  “Well now you can,” Mr. Avi said. He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Preeti and I’ll close up.”

  “Have a good time,” Preeti said, waving at them.

  Taemin looked at Marcus. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

  “Not really, sir.”

  Taemin swatted at him. “Stop that. Let me just get my things.” Marcus followed him into the office, where Taemin grabbed up a duffel bag. “Do you mind if we make a pit stop at my apartment? If only to drop off my car. Though I really would like to grab a quick shower, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course it is.”

  “All right.” Taemin smiled brightly at him. “Meet you there?”

  Marcus, for all that he was worried, couldn’t help smiling back. “Yeah, okay.”

  IF TAEMIN was feeling a little bit shaky on the drive over to his apartment, he wasn’t about to admit it to anyone. He had been feeling things a little harder lately, but then again, he also knew he was pushing himself harder too. In the years since his father had stepped down from running Choi’s and transferred ownership squarely to Taemin, he’d only gained a workload. So on top of his regular training, volunteering, his work with the homeschool co-op, he was also responsible for an entire well-established school and five hundred students, give or take. It was very different from just working as an instructor, especially with what he had to live up to. And even with running the school itself, he still was an instructor. That part of being a Master was very important to him. He wasn’t about to give up any of it.

  But it did sometimes mean pushing himself harder and harder, as more things came up. And this year he was getting ready for the Olympic trials, too, which meant even more time spent training—and meeting with other high-ranks to keep himself in line. It was a lot of travel added to an already full schedule, and he’d been at it for several months. Would be at it for several more weeks, what with his qualifying tournament in June.