Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“How much longer do we have to do this, hyung?” Jaekyung asked Namwook, frustrated with all the traveling they’d been doing around Seoul looking for a new physical therapist. Jaekyung was currently wearing his workout clothes and leaning against a massage bed, waiting for the latest candidate to show up.

It was early evening, and the hospital wasn’t as busy as it might have been. The hospital itself was large and nice enough, at least, and they clearly had the needed facilities. But it was a bit of a drive from Team Black’s gym, and Jaekyung would have rather been working out instead of wasting time here.

“Until you find someone you don’t scare off,” Namwook said with a glare from the chair he was sitting in. “If we can’t get anyone to come to the gym, we have to go where they’re working, and this hospital is said to be good.” Namwook had been typing emails on his phone, and seemed largely unbothered by the wait.

Jaekyung just glared ahead towards the door. They’d arrived early, but after waiting so long, they were now nearly running late for the scheduled appointment, with no physical therapist appearing.

It’s not my fault all the guys you hire are bad at their jobs, Jaekyung thought at Namwook with some irritation. Jaekyung was the best of the best and he needed the best of the best to work with.

It didn’t help that after the previous evening, Jaekyung was considering ending things with his current primary fuckbuddy. The guy was fine enough in a pinch, but getting annoying, and not satisfying enough. It left Jaekyung frustrated after a night with little sleep.

The door finally opened and an older man with short dark hair, wearing thin glasses, a tie, and a doctor’s white coat stepped in. He smiled warmly at Jaekyung, and was followed by a younger man in blue scrubs.

“Apologies for keeping you waiting,” the older man said, smiling sweetly at Jaekyung like he wanted to butter the MMA athlete up, probably for the prestige of working with him. “I know you’re looking for the best, so I brought Kim Dan for you.” He gestured to the man behind him.

Dan stepped a bit closer past the door and smiled nervously at Jaekyung and Namwook. He had a clipboard in his hands.

Jaekyung supposed the physio was good-looking enough, but the question of his abilities was up in the air. Jaekyung had seen a number of physios over the years, and this one seemed a bit too nervous as he met Jaekyung’s eyes and then looked away.

The doctor – apparently the Hospital Director, Kyu, according to his introduction to Namwook – was prattling on while Namwook asked questions. Kyu explained how grateful he was that Jaekyung had honored their humble hospital with a visit or whatever, but eventually turned to leave the room. He clasped Dan’s left shoulder oddly tightly before departing.

Jaekyung noticed that Dan had a brief look of discomfort before he made it vanish

Weird, Jaekyung thought. Touchy feely older guy? What’s he want? To ensure this guy does his job on the celebrity client? Jaekyung supposed Dan was acting kind of like a nervous intern, though he seemed older than that. If Kyu was so worried, why not bring in someone more experienced?

“I’ll wait outside,” Namwook said, bowing himself out, and leaving the two younger men alone in the room.

“Do you have any specific concerns?” Dan asked as he stepped forward. He was still clearly nervous, but there was a look of professional confidence on his face, too, and Jaekyung kind of liked it. If they were at XY Club, Jaekyung might have talked to Dan for a bit before suggesting they go somewhere else for the evening.

“No,” Jaekyung said as he gave the man another once-over, and still liking what he saw. “Just do your normal thing.”

“Ah, then I’ll give you the full body sports massage,” Dan said, somewhat cheerfully, “to check things over.” He set the clipboard down on a countertop nearby.

Jaekyung nodded and reached back to pull his shirt off. He heard a noise as he did and when his head was clear he looked up to see Dan looking at him in slight alarm.

Dan had really pale skin, and his Dan’s cheeks were bright pink. It also wasn’t a bad look on him.

“What?” Jaekyung asked, “You need my shirt off, right?” Jaekyung didn’t know what was so surprising about it, given the guy was meant to be trained in this sort of thing.

“Th-that’s fine!” Dan said, his face still hot. He looked at Jaekyung’s torso and then away before he moved to the shelf of equipment he could use.

You’d think he’d never seen a half-naked guy before, Jaekyung thought as he sat on the massage bed and lay back. It’s almost like he’s interested in me. But he supposed the angle meant he could check out Dan’s ass, which wasn’t so bad, even in scrubs.

A physio who wanted to cop a feel could be an issue, but if he tried anything, he wouldn’t get far. Though the nervousness didn’t seem to hint he’d try something.

And Jaekyung almost wanted to let the guy try something, with the way he looked. Jaekyung really regretted that they weren’t at XY Club.

Dan came over as Jaekyung lay down on the table. Dan then started applying the lotion before putting his hands more directly on Jaekyung’s skin to work. After a while, despite Jaekyung’s concerns about Dan’s nervousness, it became apparent the man was clearly decently skilled, like other physios Jaekyung had been with. And he was quiet and fast, but not too fast. His hands were firm but not painful, and he was clear and firm about Jaekyung moving his body around for Dan to work with.

Jaekyung kept his eyelashes lowered but not closed so he could watch the guy. Up close, he wasn’t bad, either. And even the earlier nervousness for someone his age wasn’t so bad, really. There was a lot of fun to be had with that.

He thought of a few medical pornos that would work with this kind of thing. Jaekyung hadn’t exactly slept with one of his physios before, but he’d been with a number of guys who worked in healthcare. The last nurse he’d slept with hadn’t had an ass as interesting as Dan’s.

Dan’s work also let Jaekyung relax a bit, easing tension he hadn’t noticed he was carrying, which let his mind wander more. He supposed Namwook had made a good choice, all around.

Eventually, Dan finished up and thanked Jaekyung for his time, bowing slightly.

Jaekyung stretched a bit to test how he felt, was pleased with the result, and said, “Not bad.” He wouldn’t mind coming back here for more of this.

Even if he was thinking more of getting the guy’s number than more treatment sessions.

Dan smiled nervously and bowed again before heading for the door just as Jaekyung opened his mouth to ask if the guy had plans for dinner.

“Well?” Namwook asked as he stepped in as Dan left. “How was it?”

“I think he’ll be fine,” Jaekyung said as he stretched some more before putting his shirt back on. But as he moved, he noticed Dan had forgotten the clipboard on the counter.

Namwook sighed in relief, clearly glad the search was over. They’d been looking for some weeks, after all.

“Grab the car for me, will you?” Jaekyung asked as he grabbed the clipboard before walking past Namwook out of the room.

“Huh? Uh sure!”

Jaekyung could see Dan’s back in the distance, and followed. He was annoyed when Kyu showed up and clapped an arm around Dan’s back before ushering him into what was apparently Kyu’s office.

Jaekyung knew he could just find a nurse or something to give Dan his clipboard back, and maybe he’d left it in the room for a reason or something… But Jaekyung wasn’t going to let an interruption defeat him. So he stood outside the room, waiting for Dan and Kyu to finish, and ignoring any curious looks people sent his way before backing off.

Yeah, he felt a bit silly, but he’d committed to this, so he was going to see it through.

Then he heard a cry of alarm from inside the office. His eyebrows rose in surprise and he stepped forward quickly, grabbing the metal doorknob to open the door.

It immediately opened – they hadn’t locked it – letting in light from the hallway on a bizarre scene.

Dan was half on a table on his back in a darkened office, with tears in his eyes, trying to push Kyu off as the man tried to pull off Dan’s clothes, pressing his clothed crotch to Dan’s.

They both looked at Jaekyung in surprise. Dan was shaking in obvious fear.

“The fuck is this?” Jaekyung demanded as he stepped forward. He could tell pretty well what it was, but it wasn’t like he walked on this thing all the time.

“Ah, Mr. Joo,” Kyu began, not letting go of Dan, and seemingly attempted to get back his professional tone from earlier. “If you’ll just—"

“Help!” Dan said to Jaekyung. “Please!” His face was red, and his voice shook.

Jaekyung glared and stepped forward. He yanked Kyu off of Dan and tossed the older man aside, not caring what he hit or where he fell.

Jaekyung glanced at Dan, who was breathing heavily and hugging himself through his tears.

Jaekyung looked back to Kyu, who was getting his bearings on the floor and righting his glasses.

“You’ll pay for this,” Kyu said, glaring at Jaekyung, despite the fact Jaekyung probably could have stepped on him easily. “If you think my hospital will treat thugs, you are mistaken!” His tone was furious.

Jaekyung had fought worse through his career, in and out of the ring.

“And if you think I’m going to be quiet about threats from a rapist doctor, you’re high,” Jaekyung said, glaring at Kyu. He looked at Dan and said, “Can you call security? Or would you rather call the cops?”

Kyu’s face paled and he pushed himself up. “Now see here—!”

Jaekyung crossed his arms and said, “Shut up and stay there.”

That made Kyu pause.

Dan carefully got off the table and grabbed the phone on the desk, quickly dialing a number before putting the phone to his ear. He was still shaking, but he didn’t put the phone down. He then awkwardly tried to fix his clothes.

Jaekyung focused on Kyu, who was glaring at everything. And the guy kept glaring and started even shouting right through the cops dragging him out of the hospital. At one point, Jaekyung heard him say he’d have their badges and get them all fired.

Other staff had gathered to ask what was going on, and patients were curious, too, and couldn’t all be herded off by other staff.

Jaekyung gave a statement to the police in an empty conference room, while Namwook – who’d arrived after Jaekyung texted him about the situation – stood by looking worried, probably due to a mix of the whole situation happening and any public pushback Jaekyung might get for it.

It wouldn’t look good for reporters to hear about Jaekyung attacking someone, and he knew spin would be bad on it. But he’d done it to defend someone getting assaulted, so Jaekyung wasn’t too worried. He also didn’t really care: he remembered how scared Dan looked. Jaekyung couldn’t say he ordinarily stepped in to help people, but he didn’t regret stepping in, then.

Jaekyung also refused to leave after he was done being questioned by the police. He noted that Dan was being questioned pretty heavily, too. The physio looked drained, but nodded along and answered as best he could when the officers spoke to him.

Jaekyung waited until after Dan was finally let go, ignoring Namwook’s worried remarks and questions.

Dan looked at Jaekyung in surprise and came over to him. His hands were clasped at his sides and he bowed as he said, “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Joo. You really saved me there.” He winced. “I’m sorry you had to stay so late…”

Jaekyung shrugged, not bothered by the time, really. It’s not like he slept much anyway. “It’s fine. Putting a piece of shit behind bars, hopefully, is worth it.”

Dan grimaced at that, clearly unhappy with everything. And Jaekyung didn’t blame him, after what had happened. Honestly, that Dan seemed to be keeping it together somewhat said a lot about his fortitude.

“Dan?” An older woman in blue scrubs was frowning at him from the doorway. “Legal wants to talk.”

Dan nodded at her. “Right. I’ll be right there.” He sounded a bit flustered, still.

“You should probably shower,” Jaekyung commented, drawing back Dan’s attention. “Maybe change clothes or something.” He thought hospitals had showers.

Dan blinked in confusion and then looked down at himself, with his rumpled clothes. “Oh. Yeah, I… I guess.” He breathed in deeply. “This is such a mess.” Things seemed to finally be getting to him, though he was clearly trying to hold it together.

“Want a ride home after you’re done?” Jaekyung offered before he’d thought about it. “You look like you could use one.” He supposed Dan would turn him down: he probably had friends or something, though no one had shown up to support him at any point. But Jaekyung imagined Dan had been too busy with all the questioning to contact them.

Though shouldn’t someone in the hospital come to support him? Jaekyung thought. The only person who’d actually reached out for Dan had been the woman telling him about talking to the legal department.

Dan’s cheeks reddened and he shook his head. “No, please, I’ve already taken up too much of your time… I appreciate the thought, though.”

“It’s no trouble,” Jaekyung said. “We could grab dinner if you want.” He opened his phone contact information and said, “Here’s my number. Call when you’re finished.”

Dan’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and his lips parted ever so slightly.

Jaekyung wondered what he tasted like. He knew they both needed something to take things off their minds. But he didn’t imagine the guy would be welcoming to that sort of thing, especially after what happened.

Still, Jaekyung was interested. He wasn’t letting go. He could take his time. And he didn’t want a piece of filth like Kyu to make someone competent feel like trash.

“I don’t know that dinner would be really appropriate,” Dan finally said. “You’re my patient, it’s not right." He sounded wary.

“I also pulled a guy off of you today,” Jaekyung said. “That changes things.”

Dan winced and considered for a while, before finally sighing and replying, “I… I suppose… I haven’t really eaten today, anyway…”

Jaekyung scowled at that, even more annoying. “So get going so we can eat. You should eat something, especially after all that.” He couldn’t imagine going into a match or a meeting with lawyers without eating.

Dan winced again, but nodded. He pulled out his phone to save Jaekyung’s information, then bowed again and walked off with the woman.

“That’s nice of you, Jaekyung,” Namwook said before he looked down at his phone and grimaced. “Your lawyer’s having a field day with this already.”

Jaekyung shrugged. “You wanted me to not do anything?” He didn’t want to imagine how bad things would have been if he hadn’t been there. Dan didn’t seem the type to get out of the situation on his own, and the hospital was being a bit weird about it all.

“No, no,” Namwook said as they left the conference room and headed towards where Namwook parked the car. “It’s just more stuff, is all. You did a good thing.” He smiled at Jaekyung and said, “I’m proud of you.”

Jaekyung looked away, not sure how to deal with that. “I want him to be my physical therapist. He did good, earlier.” He was even more determined now.

Namwook smiled and said, “That’s great.”

Jaekyung hoped it would be.

Chapter Text

“This place is really nice,” Dan said awkwardly as he seemingly tried to take up as little space as possible on the chair at the relatively expensive restaurant Jaekyung had driven them to. Namwook had called a cab home for himself to give the pair space and so he could deal with the PR hellstorm, with the promise Jaekyung would pick a secluded table.

Jaekyung had considered just driving Dan back to his penthouse and ordering out, but he didn’t want the rather meek physical therapist to feel trapped. Dan already looked out of place enough in his cheap, worn casual clothes, and seemed intimidated even by the waiter.

Dan had come out of the hospital about an hour after leaving Jaekyung’s side. He looked even paler and more tired, even without his scrubs on and wearing a worn hoodie and jeans, but wouldn’t talk about what he’d said or been told.

Jaekyung imagined whatever it was, was ugly. He’d dealt with lawyers enough over the years and heard about legal trouble of other athletes. But at least when Jaekyung had opened the car door for him, Dan hadn’t scurried away, so that maybe said something. Even if he was awkwardly silent on the car ride.

“I really am sorry it’s so late,” Dan said when their drinks arrived. “I didn’t think it’d take forever. Though… this kind of thing would, I guess.” He looked sad, and the bags under his eyes looked awful. Jaekyung hadn’t noticed them as much when Dan had been working him over, but the guy just looked really tired in general.

“They grilled you, then?” Jaekyung asked. He wasn’t sure how much it was okay to talk about in situations like this. Though it wasn’t like he was going to go give information to that shitty hospital director’s lawyers.

“…A bit,” Dan finally said, sounding weary. “Mostly just the same things I told the police. They needed it in writing. And they wanted to know if I wanted to file a report, which I thought was strange until…” He gazed glumly at his empty plate.

“Until what?” Jaekyung asked, feeling wary.

“They wanted me to not file a report,” Dan said, quietly, his gaze distant. “The Director is… He’s well-connected. This would look bad for him.”

Jaekyung scowled. Typical. “Who gives a shit? He assaulted you.” And they’re a fucking hospital. There were rumors about some coaches out there who also got up to similar shit as the hospital director, and cover-ups weren’t abnormal. It was always disgusting.

Dan winced and said, “Yeah, I know. It was… It was weird.”

“So you filed a report, right?” Jaekyung asked, a bit more sharply than intended. The whole situation was a mess and Dan seemed a bit too skittish.

Dan nodded. “My supervisor was there. She said I should take some time off. They’ll contact me when they have next steps ready.”

Jaekyung supposed that wasn’t so bad. “Time off’s probably good for you after everything.” He couldn’t understand breaks himself, but someone like Dan maybe needed it, especially after what he’d been through.

Dan smiled awkwardly. “Yeah. Though I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. I’ve never really had time off before…” He sounded like he couldn’t believe it was real.

Jaekyung frowned. “You can’t actually work all the time?” Jaekyung worked out a lot, but he knew other people didn’t. Especially at hospitals, where people’s lives were on the line.

“I usually go shopping or stay home and don’t do much,” Dan admitted, clearly still embarrassed. “Sleep if I can.” He breathed in deeply. “I suppose I could study. I don’t get many athletes in the excellent shape you’re in, and I feel like it’s a whole new world.” His cheeks warmed. “Sorry, that was maybe out of line…”

Jaekyung wondered why, and then smirked when he realized. “Are you saying I’m hot?”

Dan’s eyes widened in shock. He raised his arms as he shook his head. “No, no, I didn’t mean, I… I—!”

“Relax,” Jaekyung said with a chuckle, finding the whole thing kind of hilarious. “I’m kidding.” He tilted his head a bit. “Though I don’t mind if you do.”

Dan smiled awkwardly, and Jaekyung wondered if he was being too strong. But Dan wasn’t fleeing, so Jaekyung took that as a hopeful sign.

Jaekyung ended up ordering for them, because Dan looked still stressed out staring at the menu.

“How long have you worked at the hospital?” Jaekyung asked. He didn’t know much about the guy before him, and usually he liked it that way, but they needed to talk about something so that Dan didn’t convince himself to just leave without eating after everything he’d gone through.

“Ah, about a year or so now,” Dan said, his expression turning bleaker. “I did my military service after I finished my doctorate of physical therapy degree, and then my mentor helped me get my placement.”

“You already did your service?” Jaekyung asked, surprised. Dan didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d already gone. He was too small.

“I spent a lot of it in an office,” Dan said with a shrug. “I got lucky. They knew I had some medical expertise, so they let me focus on that.”

Jaekyung supposed that was lucky.

“Have you done yours yet?” Dan asked.

Jaekyung shook his head. “Orphan. I got an exemption.” He’d thought about it, and met plenty of guys who talked about it, but it was never for him. He supposed he was lucky he had no idea what his mother’s new family was like, and if he had at least one half-sibling out there, and his mother never came forward to claim him when the time came for him to report in.

“Oh,” Dan said.

“But you’ve worked at the hospital for over a year,” Jaekyung asked. “Don’t you have friends you can hang out with or something in your time off?” Or a partner?

Dan smiled a little and said, “I work too many shifts to have time for friends, though I get along with my coworkers just fine. I need the money for my grandmother. She’s in the hospital, on chemotherapy.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Jaekyung never knew his grandparents, had waited for his father to disappear from his life for years, and had no idea what his mother was up to outside looking after her newer family. But he knew what it was like to worry about someone you cared about and not be able to do anything about it.

Dan drank some of his water.

“Did you call your grandmother?” Jaekyung asked. “To tell her you were okay?”

“I can’t tell her about this,” Dan said, suddenly nervous. “She doesn’t need that kind of stress…”

“She’s your grandmother,” Jaekyung said with a frown. “She’ll want to know what’s up with you.” Or at least he thought so, anyway. Namwook was always calling his wife to let her know what was up. And his parents.

He used to think his mother would care what he was up to, but that never turned into anything.

Dan grimaced and said, “I’ll… consider it. I’ll probably see her during my break anyway.”

Their food finally arrived, and they ate mostly quietly: Jaekyung preferred to focus on his food, and Dan was just generally quiet.

Jaekyung imagined that although the food was probably above Dan’s paygrade, the dinner conversation probably wasn’t doing much for him. But Jaekyung didn’t really know how to make him relax after everything Dan had been through. They were still pretty much strangers, and most of Jaekyung’s fuckbuddies he didn’t have this extra relationship with, so angling how to make it work out without just sending the guy running was hard.

Though if he’s on vacation, Jaekyung thought, it’s not like I can see him at the hospital…

“I’m sorry I’m a bit boring,” Dan said, surprising Jaekyung. Dan’s expression was apologetic. “I’m not that familiar with MMA, and I’ve been a bit busy lately with my grandmother that I haven’t been all that sociable. I really do appreciate this, though…”

Jaekyung raised an eyebrow at him and said, “You’re just fine, Doc.” He thinks he’s the problem? Huh.

Dan’s cheeks warmed as he chewed, making him look a bit like a hamster.

Jaekyung’s almost smirked at that for some reason. “You want me to tell you about the sport?” Jaekyung asked.

“Oh, if you’d like!” Dan said with a bright smile that made him come to life: he was probably grateful Jaekyung was handling things again. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you for check-ups, but I plan to do some more research in my spare time!” His eyes practically gleamed.

Jaekyung smiled and said, “Probably better to show you, then. There are some good videos online…”

Jaekyung ended up pulling his phone out and moving his chair so he could sit closer and show Dan videos there. Dan was pretty impressed, though Jaekyung had to remind him to eat his food. The guy ate too little. He seemed a bit intimidated by some of the brutality in Jaekyung’s past fights, but he was still incredibly complimentary about Jaekyung’s form and power. And he had questions about past injuries and recovery times in a way that Jaekyung made himself pay attention to for once. Usually, Jaekyung got annoyed at doctors insisting he take more recovery time, but it was interesting seeing how Dan’s mind worked.

When they got back in the car to leave, Dan was a lot happier and said, “Thank you so much for that! I haven’t had a nice night out in…” He thought for a bit, and then winced. “Well. Thank you!”

Jaekyung put his seatbelt, considered their options and the mood, and said, “You know… the night doesn’t have to end. If you want.”

Dan looked at him in surprise. “How?”

“We could go back to my place,” Jaekyung said, watching Dan closely to gauge his reaction. After the night Dan had, Jaekyung wasn’t sure if it was too fast to ask. He imagined Dan, even assuming he was into men at all, probably wanted nothing to do with it for a good long while. If ever. Though his interest in Jaekyung was increasingly obvious.

“Your place?” Dan asked. “For more food or something?” He sounded entirely clueless.

Jaekyung groaned, “No… I mean, yeah, sure, if you want, I’ve got stuff you can eat if you’re hungry, but…” He frowned at Dan. “Look, I know what I caught that asshole doing to you, and maybe you want nothing like spending the night together right now. I get it.” He wasn’t quite sure what else to say.

Thankfully, Dan did seem to get the memo at last. His face heated and he said, “Oh. Oh! I uh… see…” He looked away and his hands clenched into fists on his legs.

“…If that’s a no, I need to know where to drop you off,” Jaekyung said after a couple minutes.

“It’s not, um…” Dan swallowed nervously. “I mean yes, tonight was a lot and the director, it…” He winced. “I can still feel his hands on me.” His arms went to his sides and he hugged himself.

Jaekyung’s eyes narrowed. “Wish I’d beat him up for you.”

Dan’s eyes widened a bit at that, and then he smiled softly. “I almost wish you did, too.”

Jaekyung smiled. He’s a fighter, I guess. All things considered.

After a while, Dan said, “I’m not sure… I mean I wouldn’t want to make you miserable, is all.”

Jaekyung was surprised the guy wasn’t getting mad or saying no entirely. “You wouldn’t make me miserable. If you want to forget about what happened, I can probably do that for you. Maybe better than lying in bed trying to sleep it off somehow.”

Dan looked at Jaekyung in surprise and some desperation. “Really?”

Jaekyung smirked. “Really.”

Dan bit his lip, clearly conflicted.

Jaekyung let him think. It wasn’t like he had a match the next day or anything. He had time.

“So you’re really experienced?” Dan asked, quietly.

“I’d say so,” Jaekyung replied. He tilted his hand. “And you?”

Dan looked away, clearly embarrassed.

“I’m guessing no?” Jaekyung asked. It seemed very obvious at this point.

Dan eventually nodded, jerkily. “Yeah, sorry. Probably not all that interesting, huh?”

“I’ve slept with virgins before,” Jaekyung said with a shrug. “It’s not that big a deal. We can go slow.” It could be a bit annoying at times, but Dan’s whole shifty thing kept pulling Jaekyung in. Not to mention, Jaekyung imagined Dan was a crier, and that was right up his alley.

“Are you sure you’re comfortable given you’re, well…?” Dan swallowed nervously. “You’re my patient, technically…”

“You already had your hands all over me,” Jaekyung noted. “And you’re not seeing me now. Plus, I’m offering.”

Dan’s hands tightened on his pants.

“We really don’t have to,” Jaekyung said. “If you don’t want to. I can drive you home or wherever.” He wondered if he really had pushed too far. Things seemed better than he’d expected, but, well…

“No,” Dan said, making Jaekyung pause. Dan looked up at him. “Let’s uh… Let’s do it. I want to forget that guy.” He smiled awkwardly. “And I think I would have trouble sleeping…”

Jaekyung’s eyebrows rose briefly before he grinned. “All right. Let’s do it.”