Hala Hala ||| Ateez

6

When Mingi was brought into the training room, the first thing he noticed was Hongjoong standing in the corner of the room.

He didn't know why, but he found himself drawn to the older male like he had never been drawn to someone before.

It almost scared him, but he had fun teasing the younger too. He was cute when he got flustered.

When the door opened again he was surprised to see Jongho being brought in too. The younger male was intimidating with his toned arms and scowl.

"Are the others coming too?" He asked, glancing at where Hongjoong and Yunho were whispering to each other.

"No. It's just you two today." Yunho said, glancing at them. "We are starting in groups to get a feel for your abilities. This isn't going to be a one and done process." He explained as he walked over.

Yunho motioned for Mingi to lift his wrists and he unlocked his right manacle but kept the special gloves they forced him into whenever he left his cell. It just made him smirk. All it took was one time for him to pickpocket a guard.

The bracelet was slipped onto his wrist and then Jongho's before they were released from their chains.

"Like we said before, this is something you won't be able to take off yourself. Only Hongjoong or myself can. Now before you, you'll see a variety of locks. This test is more for Jongho's sake than Mingi's but we still want to see what you can do."

Mingi shrugged and walked over to the table. Piece. Of. Cake.

All the locks there were something he could pick in seconds.

But he did notice Jongho staring at them with wide eyes. The younger picked up one of the locks and studied it for a moment, turning it slowly in his hands. His lips were pushed forward in a slight pout as he studied it. "You can actually open this?" He asked, looking up at Mingi.

Without saying anything, Mingi took the lock from him, picked up a paperclip and twisted it to his liking before inserting it in the lock. It was like he could feel every little piece of the lock through the metal pick in his hand as he twisted it around.

In just a couple of seconds, the lock clicked open.

Jongho's eyebrows rose in surprise as Mingi clicked the lock shut and handed it back to the younger. "How did you do that?" He asked, taking the paperclip and inserting it into the hole.

"Lots of practice." Mingi chuckled. Then he looked over his shoulder. "Do either of you know how to pick a lock?"

Yunho and Hongjoong exchanged a glance before they walked over.

"It's a useful skill to have with what we will be doing." Mingi said as he picked out three other similar locks and handed them to the two officers. "It's all about small movements and feeling the pressure of the lock. If you push the pick too much, it could bend or break. Watch."

Mingi tested out the lock in his hand, closing his eyes. This one was a little trickier, but he still had it open in a matter of seconds.

He watched as the three of them worked on their locks. Jongho broke two paperclips before he managed to pick it. "Good! You just need to be a little softer in your touch." Mingi praised, handing him another one.

Yunho also managed to pick his as well. He moved to lean over Jongho and watch him work on the new lock.

Mingi took advantage of this moment to move a little closer to Hongjoong. The older had his head tilted to the side and his tongue was trapped between his teeth as he worked at the lock.