Silence permeated around the training room, shattered only by heavy exhales and the impact of cloth covered knuckles against leather as Alec landed strike after strategic strike against the weighted boxing bag in front of him. His muscles ached and there was a telltale heaviness in his bones as he shifted rapidly on his feet, shin connecting with the bag before he readjusted to strike with his heel in a back kick. Huffing out a tired sigh, Alec let both hands rest atop the bag, stabilizing not only the equipment as it wobbled precariously from the impact, but himself as the weariness settled under his skin and exhaustion had him wavering on his feet. He’d been at it for what felt like hours, drilling his muscle memory and diligently strengthening the variety of skills he’d honed at his father’s behest. Alec had long given up using his fight training and knowledge of weapon techniques against other people, but his checkered past had taught him to never let his guard down and that he was better off being over-prepared. His innate need to protect not only himself, but the people he cared about drove him to keep training and after the week he’d had, it was quite frankly an outlet to relieve his pent-up stress.
Wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead with the back of his wrapped hands, Alec stepped away from the boxing apparatus and began unwrapping the cloth from his hands, balling up the well-worn fabric and tossing it into his training bag. Glancing around the room, Alec took in the mess of equipment he’d left strewn in his wake. It was clear by the varying equipment pieces scattered about the room that he’d been too in the zone to clean up as he went. With a sigh, the werewolf set to work on cleaning up the mess he’d made. Pushing the punching bag and Wing Chun dummy back against the wall, Alec picked up the various sized staffs and practice swords from the floor to tuck back into storage. Wiping down the equipment and packing up the remainder of his things, Alec left the room and headed down the hall towards the locker room to get cleaned up.
Freshly showered and dressed back in his usual jeans and t-shirt get-up, Alec moseyed through the corridors of the Bureau. Despite the ache in his muscles, leftover stress and adrenaline coursed through his body, leaving the werewolf feeling a little restive and in need of something stronger than exhaustive exercising to quell his restlessness. After a week of delayed shipments, think-they-know-it-all customers at the garage, radio silence from Suwei and talking Chan down from a fiery mishap, a single training session just wasn’t enough. In the midst of weighing his options, most of which consisted of alcohol, Alec’s eyes caught movement in his periphery and he readjusted his steely gaze to settle on Yeonjun.
Expression softening, a fond smile quirked his lips up at the corners at the sight of his friend and he waved to catch the younger man’s attention. As he neared the arachne, Alec could see the tired hunch in his shoulders and the telltale signs of a familiar weariness in his demeanor; that of someone who bore responsibility for others. “You look about as good as I feel Jun,” he teased lightly in lieu of a greeting, leaning against the wall as he came to a stop in front of him. “Long day?”
