"Fuck," While Damon hissed through clenched teeth and his hands gripped his thighs, the sound of the rolling pin echoed through the gym.
"Stay still," Kru Wichan said in his gruff tone, focused on his task. "I almost done."
The older man was holding a wooden rolling pin, which is a rough but traditional way to condition your shins.
Damon leaned his back against the wall for support and sat there with his face twisted in pain and resolve.
The rolling pin pressed against his shin again, grinding slowly up and down. Damon winced, his jaw tightening as he tried not to flinch.
The dull, searing pain radiated through his legs, but he didn't move. He couldn't.
This was part of the process, like a rite of passage for any serious Muay Thai practitioner.
He wasn't a masochist. He wasn't doing this because he enjoyed it.
Far from it.
But he knew it was necessary.
