spar :: hiddlesworth au

3

Tom rolled the green wad of gum over his tongue, teeth collectively chewing. He folded the substance, tasting the mint flavor even as he inhaled. His breath cooled, which turned out to be convenient considering how much he was already panting.

To be fair, many others in Tom's position would be panting sporadically; simply put, he was out of shape. His hands struggled to grasp the damp muscle before him, forcing him to collide with his teacher. As they sparred, Tom found himself exceptionally sore. His muscles provided little protection, leaving his bones weak and vulnerable. Thankfully, Chris had accounted for this as he calculated the power behind his strike. Chris did not intend to hurt Tom, and it would take time for the latter to understand that.

"There's an assault every forty seconds," Chris spoke, wrapping his strong arms around Tom's chest. He had the boy's hands pinned forcefully, chest against Tom's back. His voice was low in Tom's right ear, nearing a dull growl. "Thankfully, I am not an attacker. You could be seriously hurt right now."

Tom huffed. Being a teenager, his thoughts went absolutely haywire during the touching. His eyes flickered across the fingers gripping his chest; he was curious as to if the man could feel his thundering heartbeat. But Tom was thankful Chris could not see the red in his cheeks. However, he tried to remain indifferent, pretending to be a student that lacked such raging hormones.

"Okay, listen. In this position, there are a few different responses." There was a grunt as Chris secured both of his hands together. "You want to make yourself hard to pick up or move. So by wiggling and dropping down as far as you can, bending your knees, then you can make things more difficult."

Without waiting for a signal, Tom lowered himself almost instantly, bringing all of his weight and power to his base. He pretended to not feel Chris against his backside, following through with his movements.

Chuckling, Chris let go of him. "Good, this is good."

Tom's cheeks were a bright red, and his eyes found those of his instructor. Tom quickly regretted the action; he was kneeling in front of Chris as they made eye contact, and the scene held a very particular undertone. Tom blushed, quickly pulling himself up from his knees.

"Now what about this?" Chris advanced, taking one step forward to lace his hand around that pale neck. Tom gulped, his skin warming to the touch, and his Adam's apple moving under the pad of Chris' thumb. Tom's head flew back violently, exposing the white column of his neck to Chris. It was a light touch, but the younger of the two remained alert. He had to frequently remind himself that it was only Chris, and Chris could never hurt a client.

"What about it?" Tom mumbled, waiting for his teacher to simply answer the question for him.

In that moment, Chris might have stumbled, failing to find words. Tom's neck was pale and milky, and his eyes were half-lidded. It left Chris a mess as he stuttered out an answer, "You find a weak spot, and you hit it." Chris still remained focused on the soft skin, definitely picturing his marks on it. Ashamed, Chris pushed those thoughts away frantically.

Tom nodded, but the hand on his throat prevented any other movement.

"Eyes, nose, neck, groin, knee, shin, instep," Chris listed. "The acronym makes absolutely no sense," Chris released and took a step back, "So repeat it back to me from top to bottom."

"Eyes, nose, neck, groin, knee, shin, instep."

"Perfect."

Tom blushed.

"But grabbing my fingers when I do this," Chris positioned himself again, fingers loose. "There are better options than that."

"And they are?" Tom questioned, but it was a teasing one at that.