IRON FISTS || Axel Kovacevic

XI- Fractured Focus

chapter 10: Fractured Focus
warnings: violence, foul language.

Morning sunlight poured through the narrow slats of Jisoo's blinds, casting soft patterns on the walls of her room. She stirred under the covers, her body aching from the previous day's training, her knee a sharp reminder of its limits. For a brief, blissful moment, she felt weightless, as though the tension that had been sitting heavily on her shoulders had melted away in sleep.

But then reality crept in.

Memories of the night before flooded her mind—Axel's voice, his hand brushing hers, the way his eyes softened when he looked at her, and that stupid smile that sent her pulse racing against her will.

Her stomach twisted. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she muttered, her voice groggy.

She sat up, rubbing her face with both hands as if she could scrub away the thoughts of him. Axel wasn't supposed to matter. He was just another rival, another arrogant fighter who thought he had her figured out.

But he's not just another rival, is he?

She shoved the thought aside, shaking her head firmly. Today might be the day she competed, depending on how her knee felt. That was what mattered—not Axel, not his smirk, and definitely not the way his words from the night before still lingered in her head.

Jisoo swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her injured knee protested. She examined the brace lying on her nightstand and sighed. It would have to do. She couldn't afford to slack off, not when so much was at stake.

After pulling her hair into a ponytail and changing into her training gear, Jisoo made her way to one of the smaller, quieter training rooms. The main dojo was already buzzing with energy—students warming up, sparring, and preparing for the day's matches. The sound of shouts, footfalls, and strikes filled the air, a constant hum of activity.

But Jisoo wanted solitude.

Inside the training room, the air was still and cool, untouched by the chaos outside. She knelt on the floor and began wrapping her knee tightly, securing the brace over it with practiced precision. The motion was methodical, almost meditative, and for a brief moment, it quieted her restless mind.

She started slow, easing into her stretches to loosen her stiff muscles. When she felt ready, she moved to the center of the room, standing before the practice dummy.

Her first kick was tentative, testing the strength of her injured leg. The brace held, but she could feel the strain beneath it. She switched to her uninjured leg, finding her balance and throwing a series of controlled roundhouse kicks. The strikes landed with satisfying thuds against the dummy, but her frustration simmered just beneath the surface.

The movements felt off—sluggish, uncoordinated. She couldn't blame her knee entirely. Her mind wasn't in it, distracted by thoughts she couldn't seem to suppress.

Axel.

His name slipped into her head unbidden, accompanied by an image of his face. His dark eyes, the faint scar near his jawline, the way he seemed to carry himself with effortless confidence.

"Damn it," she hissed, shaking her head as if to physically dislodge him from her thoughts. She threw a front kick at the dummy, harder this time, her foot landing with a sharp crack.

But no matter how much she tried to focus, his voice echoed in her head, snippets of their conversations from the past few days resurfacing. The teasing, the arguments, the rare moments when he seemed almost... sincere.

Why does he always get under my skin?

Her frustration boiled over, and she lashed out with a flurry of kicks and punches, the sharp sounds of impact echoing through the empty room. She was so lost in the rhythm of her strikes that she almost didn't notice the figure standing in the doorway.

Jisoo froze mid-motion, her senses prickling. Slowly, she turned toward the door, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.

Leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest, was Axel.

Her heart stumbled in her chest, her anger momentarily replaced by surprise. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the air between them thick with unspoken tension.

"Axel?" she said finally, her voice breaking the silence.

He didn't answer right away. His eyes met hers, his expression unreadable, and for a moment, she thought she saw something flicker there—hesitation, regret, maybe something more.

But then he dropped his gaze to the floor, his jaw tightening. "We can't anymore," he said quietly, his voice rough.

Her stomach twisted. "What are you talking about?"

He shifted uncomfortably, his hands clenching at his sides. "We can't... see each other. It's a bad idea."

Jisoo's confusion grew, although a voice in the back of her head knew he was right. She should have never done what she did, and now she was mad at herself for letting this happen.

Axel turned on his heel and walked away, leaving her standing there, stunned and seething.

Jisoo stared after him, her fists clenched at her sides. Her breathing was heavy, her pulse pounding in her ears.

"What the hell is my problem?" she muttered under her breath, the words spilling out before she could stop them.

She turned back to the practice dummy, her anger bubbling over. Each strike was harder than the last, the sharp thuds echoing through the room like gunshots.

Her knee screamed in protest, but she ignored it, pushing herself harder. Pain was better than confusion. Pain, at least, was something she could control.

Let him walk away. I don't need him. I don't need anyone.

But as much as she tried to convince herself, Axel's words—and the look in his eyes—lingered like a ghost she couldn't banish.

A/N
guys, apparently TIKTOK really is getting banned in the USA. I have a POV account there, where i post povs of obx (most of them), tua, and harry potter. i'm not from usa but my views have been dropping significantly, so if you could please go take a look, it would really help me out! it's @povssharrypotter_

also, i'm sorry for taking so long to update

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