Letters From War Chapter 3
Title: Letters From War
Length: [4/?]
Author: HolyStarDown
Pairing: Yunjae, Yoosu, Teukchul
Rating: Overall NC-17
Genre: Romance, angst, drama
Disclaimer: i only own them in my dreams
Summary: In the breaking point of the Korean war, two brothers get drafted into the military and forced to fight for the lives. literally. punishment in camp 409 is just as unforgiving as its officers. attraction? frowned upon. affection? unheard of. love? strickly forbidden. But the training camp they thought they knew gets turned upside down when six of them decide to leave no rule left unbroken
Author's Note: obviously i didn't live in the 1950's and certainly was not in Korea during the Korean war, so some of the details are going to be inacurate... just bear with me :]
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Junsu refused to sleep until he saw Jaejoong return. He was ready to form any kind of cover-up if any officer came by (he heard other trainees say they were checked on often at night) and noticed that his brother was missing. It was agonizing to count the seconds that seemed to pass as hours, but he did. Ten minutes stretched into twenty and yet Jaejoong had still not returned. Junsu’s heart beat sped up even more than its already panicked rate. Why was Jaejoong not back yet? Maybe he had missed him coming in? With that thought in mind, Junsu sprang up from his bed, making a quick sweep over the room with his eyes before tiptoeing to his twin’s bed. Still empty. He stared at the underside of Yoochun’s bed after he had settled back into his own and traced a slightly shaking finger over the engraved graffiti, desperately needing something to do to keep him awake until Jaejoong returned.
Thoughts fluttered through Junsu’s mind as he traced over several “so-and-so was here” and names drawn in hearts: Jaejoong was just taking a long time in the shower, nothing unusual. He couldn’t find the showers but kept trying, very possible. He got lost on his way back from the showers and is wandering around camp, also very possible. Jaejoong had been caught, no. Junsu shook that thought out of his mind as soon as it came; his brother had not been caught and he would refuse to believe it every time that it sneaked its way in. When his thoughts stopped whirring so fast, he realized that he had been tracing his finger over the same heart for almost five minutes, yet he hadn’t read the name in it yet. He sat up slightly and squinted to see the name better, finger still on the tip of the heart. “Yoo…” he muttered softly. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Yoosu… What a strange name.”
Minutes stretched into hours. Junsu heard a soft click of a door and bolted upright, only to whack his head on the bed above him and fall back onto his pillow. He sat up, much more slowly and with his hand on his forehead, only to see Leeteuk speeding in between bunks and shouting at the trainees to wake up. The trainees sprang out of bed without a second’s hesitation, yanking on their uniforms and bolting out the door shortly after. When Junsu finally made an effort to get out of bed, Yoochun was standing in front of him with a worried expression. “What?”
“Are you hurt?” Yoochun asked.
“What do you-” but Junsu was interrupted by Yoochun very lightly grazing his thumb over an angry red mark across Junsu’s forehead.
“I’m surprised that didn’t wake everyone up…” Yoochun said, rubbing his thumb over Junsu’s forehead again. He saw the younger’s cheeks flush almost the same color as the injury as they stared into each other’s eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” Junsu squeaked, his cheeks changing to a deeper red as he pulled back from Yoochun and came out on the other side of his bed.
Yoochun shrugged with a smug grin, then followed the other trainees in their mad dash out of the Resident. Too cute, he thought, shaking his head and smiling all the way to the showers.
Breakfast came and went. Still no Jaejoong.
Morning and early afternoon drills passed. Even though Junsu thought he was on the border of death from being pushed far past his physical limit, he still searched for his brother. Still no Jaejoong.
Lunch finally rolled around and Junsu made a through scan of the Mess Hall. And still, no Jaejoong. The slightly younger twin was practically beside himself as he sat alone, staring blankly at his food. He hadn’t seen Jaejoong in the showers that morning, so he obviously wasn’t still there. His brother had been caught- there was no doubt in Junsu’s mind about that now.
“Hey, can I sit with you?”
Junsu looked up at the semi-familiar voice and saw Yoochun standing opposite him at the table. He gave a small nod and the other sat down, his eyes not leaving Junsu’s face for a second.
“What’s wrong?” Yoochun asked.
Junsu continued to stare at his tray for a few moments before deciding that he had to put his trust in someone other than his brother since Jaejoong was missing, and Yoochun seemed like his best bet so far. “My brother… He’s missing…” he said softly. “He went out to take a shower last night and never came back…” He raised his sorrow-filled gaze to take in Yoochun’s face, instantly feeling the sympathy radiating from the other. A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth for a second before he looked back down at the table.
Yoochun sat down across from Junsu and took his hand. “I’m sure they’ll find him. Have your parents called the police?”
Junsu closed his eyes and slipped his hand out of Yoochun’s. “The police wouldn’t do any good here and our parents… they died a long time ago.” Even though he knew that Yoochun didn’t know about his family, or lack of family anyway, he couldn’t keep the small burn of hate in his heart away.
Yoochun looked away from Junsu now too. Of course, he had seen the brothers stick up for each other in line the day before; he should have known that the police would take no interest in looking for a missing military trainee unless he was reported as a runaway and they were looking to prosecute him. But as far as Junsu’s parents’ death, he had absolutely no idea. “I’m so sorry…” he muttered. “I didn’t know…” After a few seconds of silence, Yoochun returned his gaze to the younger’s face, sporting an encouraging smile. “Either way, I’m sure he’ll be found. Or come back anyway.”
Junsu raised his head, revealing the dark circles under his eyes from staying up the entire night. “Thank you…” he said softly as an earnest smile spread his lips.
**~**~**~**~**
Changmin was determined to get Heechul alone before the trainees went back to the field for training. And when Shim Changmin was determined to do something, it got done. He knew that the Daeryeong had a soft spot for him and he knew exactly how limited that spot was, but he was going to push that limit just a little more this time. Yunho had been in a solid state of guilt since the night before and Changmin knew it had to have something to do with the trainee being sent to the chambers so early on; in all honesty, he felt awful about it himself. It was such a trivial thing, but Heechul had jumped straight to the worst punishment in the camp without more than a few moments’ thought. It had already been a little over twelve hours since the trainee was sent to the chambers and Changmin was determined not to let the beautiful man serve the entire twenty four.
And that was what brought Changmin to stand in front of the Daeryeong’s closed door during lunch. Heechul would be furious for the interruption, but he was sure he could coax his superior out of it. Persuading Heechul to let the trainee out of the chambers early was another story entirely, mainly because he didn’t have a solid reason for the intervention. Because Yunho had obviously taken an interest in him? Oh yeah, that would go over real well when homosexuality was the main thing Heechul had no tolerance for. He knocked on the door anyway with no explanation in his mind and thinking that he would just make it up as he spoke, which he was surprisingly good at.
“Come in.”
Changmin entered Heechul’s room to find the Daeryeong standing over a map spread out on the massive desk. “Can I talk to you about something sir?” he asked.
Heechul instantly looked up from his map at the sound of Changmin’s voice. The corner of his mouth twitched into a momentary smile. “Of course Changmin,” he said as he settled himself into his chair. “What about?”
Changmin bowed slightly when Heechul’s eyes came up to look at him and he donned his most brilliant smile when his head rose from his bow. “About the trainee we caught in the officer showers last night,” he said carefully, deciding that jumping straight to the point would be the best method of persuasion.
Heechul raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh?” He was caught slightly off guard with the charm in Changmin’s smile and was almost worried about what kind of stunt the officer was trying to pull.
“Well I just thought it was a little much sending him to the chambers right away,” Changmin started, choosing his words carefully. “I know it’s not my place to judge your decisions sir, but don’t you think that was a little reckless of us? It was his first day and all, and I think we were a little tired that late at night. I agree that punishment was necessary though, I’m just saying that maybe we shouldn’t keep him in there for the full twenty four hours. I have another form of punishment already thought out if you decide to release him. But of course, it is your decision what to do with him.” Changmin shoved extra watts into his smile as he watched Heechul consider his thoughts for a while.
“And what exactly is the alternative punishment?” Heechul asked, forcing coldness into his voice for Changmin trying to overrule his judgment.
Changmin let his smile twist into a grin despite the Daeryeong’s icy tone. “It’s something that Soryeong Jung and I will execute personally. I assure you that it will be exactly right to justify the trainee’s actions.”
The corner of Heechul’s mouth twitched again. “I’m sure it will be.”
As soon as the words left Heechul’s lips, Leeteuk came through the door with two trays of food in his hands. “Heechul sir I brought your-” his sentence cut short when he saw Changmin standing in front of the Daeryeong’s desk. He stood frozen for a few moments while the other two men stared at him before carefully placing the more delicately prepared tray on the wooden surface and bowing his head. “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything…” Leeteuk mutter, jealousy-fueled disappointment evident in his voice.
Heechul waved his hand at Leeteuk. “No you weren’t. Jungnyeong Shim was just leaving to find Soryeong Jung and release that trainee from the chambers,” he said, quickly glancing at Changmin. Changmin bowed and exited the room, leaving the other two alone. Heechul redirected his gaze to the slightly stunned Leeteuk. “Was there something you wanted?”
“Why are you letting him go??” Leeteuk asked in furious disbelief. Heechul had never gone back on his punishments before and he refused to think that Changmin was the answer.
“Because I thought it over and sending him to the chambers was going slightly overboard,” Heechul explained nonchalantly. He returned his gaze to the map he deserted earlier. “Now if you have nothing else to say you can leave.”
A very sharp needle started poking at Leeteuk’s heart. He stared at his feet while he spoke. “But I always eat lunch in here with you,” he said with his voice almost a whisper.
Heechul looked up for a split second. “Oh. That’s right.” He scribbled a few notes beside a circled point on the map before pushing it aside and replacing it with his food. “I’ll need you to keep an eye on Soryeong Jung for me for a while, got it?” Heechul said before filling his mouth with steaming noodles.
Leeteuk nodded as he sat in the chair opposite of the Daeryeong and balanced his forgotten tray on his knees. “Is there anything in particular you want me to watch for?” he asked solemnly.
Heechul swallowed. “Yes. Two things actually. Watch how he acts around Jungnyeong Shim and tell me about anything that seems even a little suspicious.”
Leeteuk finally tore his eyes away from the floor with an eyebrow raised. “Suspicious as in how?” he asked.
Heechul ate another mouthful of noodles before answering. “You’ll know when you see it.”
“Alright,” Leeteuk accepted with a nod. “And the other thing?”
Heechul pursed his lips, thinking over his next order. “Go with them to the chambers. See what he does. Then come back here.”
Leeteuk nodded again. He still hadn’t gotten his mind around the fact that the trainee was being released at all, let alone why Heechul sent both Yunho and Changmin to do the job; he had always been the person to release trainees from the chambers. Despite his reluctance to leave, the Jungnyeong placed his tray on the desk, bowed to Heechul, and left the room to follow behind Changmin.
Changmin made no hesitation in rounding up Yunho and leading him to the chambers; he didn’t want to allow any time for Heechul to reconsider the trainee’s release. He practically had to drag the Soryeong to the edge of the camp, ignoring his protests and demands for an explanation to his “madness.” Changmin finally stopped in front of the large concrete building before spinning to face Yunho. “Heechul is letting the guy we caught last night go early,” he said softly.
Yunho’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
Changmin nodded. “We need to hurry up before he changes his mind.”
Yunho shook his head and waved his hands at Changmin. “No, I shouldn’t be here. I don’t to see what he looks like when he comes out of there. I-I just can’t.” He knew just how tortured the soul behind the trainee’s eyes would be and he wanted nothing more than to avoid seeing it. Brief memories flashed through his mind and he tightly shut his eyes. “I can’t Changmin.”
Changmin put a sympathetic hand on Yunho’s shoulder and made his voice softer. “It won’t be so bad Hyung… He’s only been there for half as long so he probably hasn’t gotten the worst of it yet. Heechul wanted you to do it with me and I’m sure he sent his servant to watch.”
Yunho glanced over his shoulder just as a figure retreated into the shadows. He kept his eyes off of Changmin’s face and breathed out a soft ‘alright.’
Changmin stepped up to the large iron door and fished a set of keys out of his pocket. He had never released anyone from the chambers before, or even been there before, so it took him several tries to get the right keys for the seven locks bolting the door. As soon as Changmin began to inch the door open, a sad melody drifted through the air. The voice was soft and shaky, but beautiful nonetheless. Yunho instantly fell in love with that voice, wanting to strengthen the sound and take all the fear away from it. But the voice stopped when Changmin stepped into the room. “Get up.”
Yunho shivered at the younger’s voice. It was an odd tone for Changmin to speak with; it was flat but slightly higher pitched with an edge that was sharpened by the darkness shrouding his face. The sound bounced off the close concrete walls, cutting into Yunho’s mind. He had never heard Changmin’s voice with any kind of cruelty in it before.
A soft rustle pierced the silence that followed Changmin’s command. “What… are you going to do to me?” asked a small voice from the corner.
Changmin stepped further into the chamber toward the voice. “Letting you out. Now get up.”
Yunho heard more rustling and soft footsteps coming toward him. He stepped aside to let the trainee step out into the sunlight. The trainee’s doe-like brown eyes squinted shut in the new light and he wrapped his arms around himself for a false sense of security. Flashes of memory exploded in front of Yunho’s eyes at the sight, remembering that he did the exact same thing when he had gotten out of the chambers. He remembered the despair that was eating away at him, that he wanted something to hold on to, that he wanted to be as far away from the concrete cell as physically possibly, and that he wanted to embrace the openness of the outside. A shudder rocked through him as he imagined the same feelings in the beauty’s mind.
Changmin lead the trainee forward with a hand on his shoulder and he turned his face to give Yunho a brief wink.
Jaejoong couldn’t make any sense of reality. He didn’t know how long he had been separated from the world or if his freedom was anymore than just another illusion. “Can I go back to my brother?” he asked. He was amazed that he still had his voice or that he could force it out of his mouth at all.
Changmin raised his eyebrows. “Of course not. We still have to give you some punishment to make up for the hours in the chambers you’re missing.” He curled his lips into a grin and slipped his hand off of the trainee’s shoulder. Then he turned, appearing to look at empty space. “There’s no sense in hiding Leeteuk; we both know you’re there.”
Leeteuk came out of the shadows with his nose slightly upturned. “Sorry Changmin. Heechul wanted to make sure you didn’t slip up.” He returned Changmin’s grin and nodded toward the trainee. “What are you going to do with him?”
Changmin bit the inside of his cheek. “Well… You have to promise me something before I tell you. When you report back Heechul to tell him what we decided to do, make it up.”
Yunho and Leeteuk’s eyes widened. “Lie to Heechul??” they asked in unison. For Changmin to ask such a request meant that he was planning something truly devious. But lying to the Daeryeong was intolerable, especially for Leeteuk.
Leeteuk stared incredulously at Changmin as the latter nodded. “I’m not going to lie to Heechul,” he stated, meaning for it to be final.
Changmin sighed deeply. “Look, I hate to hang this over your head, but if you don’t lie to him…” He looked at Leeteuk with his face smooth and emotionless. “I won’t lie to him anymore either.”
Leeteuk’s disbelief switched to rage at the threat. He knew exactly which lie Changmin was talking about, and there was no way he was going to let Heechul know about his secret feelings. He couldn’t. “You wouldn’t,” he said in a deathly quiet voice.
Changmin shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “You have three options Leeteuk,” he said, pointing to the sky. “One, you can be in on it, and make up whatever you tell Heechul.” He paused for a second to gauge Leeteuk’s reaction, which didn’t waver one bit, before stretching out another finger. “Two, you can just watch, and make up whatever you tell Heechul.” Again, he paused before extending a third finger. “Or three, I could force you out of sight and you’ll have no choice to make up what you tell Heechul unless you intend on telling him that you didn’t do your job of watching us.”
Leeteuk closed his eyes in defeat. There was no way he could get out of this without his loyalty being slightly damaged. “I’ll watch.”
Changmin refrained from smiling just yet. “But you should know Leeteuk, I’m not doing this for me,” he said softly.
“Who’s it for then? Certainly not me or Heechul,” Leeteuk asked. He knew the youngest officer in the camp almost never did anything for his own gain unless it helped someone else as well. Now it was just a matter of figuring out who it was for.
“Mmm, you’ll see,” was the only answer he gave before breaking his emotionless mask for a smile and leading the trainee by the arm toward the Resident C building. The four men walked to Changmin’s room in silence; Yunho was too shocked, the trainee was too horrified, Leeteuk was too ticked off, and Changmin just wanted to keep them all oblivious to his plan. He could feel the trainee’s shoulder trembling under his hand and desperately wanted to ease the tension, but he refused to give him false hope. Then again, he wasn’t totally sure if the trainee would object to this form of punishment. He shut the door after all of them were in his room and gently pushed the trainee into a chair. “What’s your name?” he asked in the sweetest voice he could manage. He donned a smile to match the sweetness of his voice and ran a finger across the trainee’s jaw line, ending the gesture by taking the trainee’s chin between his fingers.
“Jaejoong,” the trainee said with his voice slightly shaking. He involuntarily glanced at Yunho while Changmin eyes summed him up. He had a horrible feeling about what was going to happen next, and the look in the Jungnyeong’s eyes didn’t give him any hope of being wrong.
“Jaejoong…” Changmin purred and he flung a leg over Jaejoong and sat on his lap, bringing their lips closer together. He parted his lips slightly and exhaled his hot breath on Jaejoong’s neck. Fingers winding in the trainee’s raven hair, Changmin pressed his lips to Jaejoong’s.
Yunho nearly fell over at Changmin’s assault on Jaejoong. Not even the hand that flew out to brace him against the wall seemed to support him enough. What the HELL does Changmin think he’s doing??? he thought with his jaw nearly hitting the floor. I didn’t even know he was gay!!
Changmin finally released Jaejoong’s lips and stared at the other’s scrunched up face. He figured that the trainee wouldn’t consent to the kiss, and that was what he was hoping for. He forced a sleazy half smile into his façade and got off of Jaejoong before turning to Yunho. “Your turn,” he chirped.
A nuclear explosion went off in Yunho’s mind. “M-my turn?” he stuttered. Changmin’s wordless nod wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted. Changmin wanted him to make out with a trainee? In front of Leeteuk? In camp 409? Make out with a guy? His thoughts raced to make sense of the situation, but came up with nothing but a whispered “What?”
Leeteuk was shocked as well. The only difference was that now he knew who the youngest’s rash actions were for, and why he could not tell Heechul about it. He examined Jaejoong, clearly aware that the trainee was reluctant to get the first kiss. He watched the trainee’s eyes close tight and his hands grip the sides of the chair until his knuckles turned white from the strain. A smile crept onto his lips and he shook his hair out of his face. Maybe this is punishment after all…
Yunho hated the expectant look Changmin was shooting at him and Leeteuk’s amusement at the trainee’s expense. “We aren’t going to like… rape him are we?” he asked.
Changmin shrugged. “If that’s what you think we should do, we will.”
Jaejoong’s eyes flew open and his head jerked up to stare at Yunho in horror. The thought of being taken here, in a place where homosexuality was “not at all tolerated” was very far from his mind. The officer had looked intimidating the day before when he was yelling at Junsu in the lineup, but he didn’t look like someone who would take advantage of a person. Jaejoong just hoped that his assumption was right.
Yunho looked back in forth between Changmin and Jaejoong. He didn’t want to do anything further to Jaejoong; he knew that being condemned to the chambers was torture enough, but those cherry lips looked so inviting. The trainee’s skin looked so soft… and if he could get that beautiful voice to scream his name, he knew he would be seeing stars. Yunho stepped closer to Jaejoong and leaned down to meet the latter’s eyes. He could see the blind but well hidden fear in the dark brown orbs and see the trainee’s body shaking slightly. When he could fight the temptation no longer, he pressed his lips to Jaejoong’s and forced the other’s lips apart.
Jaejoong was like nothing he had ever tasted before. Yunho’s tongue ravished the inside of Jaejoong’s mouth slowly at first but put more force into it when he felt the hot breath on his face, filling his ears with a soft moan. The stars he knew he would see exploded behind his eyes when he felt the other’s tongue pushing back. He slid his hand through Jaejoong’s hair before twisting his fingers in the raven strands, forcing them closer together. A feathery touch ran up his arm and he felt butterfly kisses on his cheek as he got lost in the kiss. The presence of everyone else faded away to a place where they no longer mattered; the only people who existed were Jaejoong and himself.
Changmin looked away from the passionate kiss and grinned at Leeteuk. “I guess we’re even now huh?”
But Leeteuk couldn’t hear him. He was lost in his own world where Yunho wasn’t kissing Jaejoong, but he was kissing Heechul. They weren’t in Changmin’s room but in his room. He titled his head slightly and his eyelids slid half closed. Just the though of Heechul devouring his lips sent electricity to his fingertips. There was no way he could tell the Daeryeong about this without admitting his impossible fantasy.
Changmin smiled to himself as he looked for something to distract his eyes from the intense make out scene. He knew Leeteuk wouldn’t have the heart (or the courage) to tell Heechul about his plan. Being even with the other Jungnyeong was only a bonus to what he was giving Yunho, and now he had a second bonus; Jaejoong loved every second of it too.
A/N: hope you like it! oh and please comment if you read! the lack of comments on the last few entries were quite discouraging... but anyway! :D PeAcE
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Heechul: Daeryeong ((american equal is colonel))
Changmin: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Leeteuk: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Dongwook: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Yunho: Soryeong ((american equal is major))
Yoochun: Sangdeungbyeong ((american equal is corporal))
Donghae: Sangdeungbyeong ((american equal is corporal))
Jaejoong: Ideungbyeong ((american equal is private))
Junsu: Ideungbyeong ((american equal is private))
Length: [4/?]
Author: HolyStarDown
Pairing: Yunjae, Yoosu, Teukchul
Rating: Overall NC-17
Genre: Romance, angst, drama
Disclaimer: i only own them in my dreams
Summary: In the breaking point of the Korean war, two brothers get drafted into the military and forced to fight for the lives. literally. punishment in camp 409 is just as unforgiving as its officers. attraction? frowned upon. affection? unheard of. love? strickly forbidden. But the training camp they thought they knew gets turned upside down when six of them decide to leave no rule left unbroken
Author's Note: obviously i didn't live in the 1950's and certainly was not in Korea during the Korean war, so some of the details are going to be inacurate... just bear with me :]
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Junsu refused to sleep until he saw Jaejoong return. He was ready to form any kind of cover-up if any officer came by (he heard other trainees say they were checked on often at night) and noticed that his brother was missing. It was agonizing to count the seconds that seemed to pass as hours, but he did. Ten minutes stretched into twenty and yet Jaejoong had still not returned. Junsu’s heart beat sped up even more than its already panicked rate. Why was Jaejoong not back yet? Maybe he had missed him coming in? With that thought in mind, Junsu sprang up from his bed, making a quick sweep over the room with his eyes before tiptoeing to his twin’s bed. Still empty. He stared at the underside of Yoochun’s bed after he had settled back into his own and traced a slightly shaking finger over the engraved graffiti, desperately needing something to do to keep him awake until Jaejoong returned.
Thoughts fluttered through Junsu’s mind as he traced over several “so-and-so was here” and names drawn in hearts: Jaejoong was just taking a long time in the shower, nothing unusual. He couldn’t find the showers but kept trying, very possible. He got lost on his way back from the showers and is wandering around camp, also very possible. Jaejoong had been caught, no. Junsu shook that thought out of his mind as soon as it came; his brother had not been caught and he would refuse to believe it every time that it sneaked its way in. When his thoughts stopped whirring so fast, he realized that he had been tracing his finger over the same heart for almost five minutes, yet he hadn’t read the name in it yet. He sat up slightly and squinted to see the name better, finger still on the tip of the heart. “Yoo…” he muttered softly. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Yoosu… What a strange name.”
Minutes stretched into hours. Junsu heard a soft click of a door and bolted upright, only to whack his head on the bed above him and fall back onto his pillow. He sat up, much more slowly and with his hand on his forehead, only to see Leeteuk speeding in between bunks and shouting at the trainees to wake up. The trainees sprang out of bed without a second’s hesitation, yanking on their uniforms and bolting out the door shortly after. When Junsu finally made an effort to get out of bed, Yoochun was standing in front of him with a worried expression. “What?”
“Are you hurt?” Yoochun asked.
“What do you-” but Junsu was interrupted by Yoochun very lightly grazing his thumb over an angry red mark across Junsu’s forehead.
“I’m surprised that didn’t wake everyone up…” Yoochun said, rubbing his thumb over Junsu’s forehead again. He saw the younger’s cheeks flush almost the same color as the injury as they stared into each other’s eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” Junsu squeaked, his cheeks changing to a deeper red as he pulled back from Yoochun and came out on the other side of his bed.
Yoochun shrugged with a smug grin, then followed the other trainees in their mad dash out of the Resident. Too cute, he thought, shaking his head and smiling all the way to the showers.
Breakfast came and went. Still no Jaejoong.
Morning and early afternoon drills passed. Even though Junsu thought he was on the border of death from being pushed far past his physical limit, he still searched for his brother. Still no Jaejoong.
Lunch finally rolled around and Junsu made a through scan of the Mess Hall. And still, no Jaejoong. The slightly younger twin was practically beside himself as he sat alone, staring blankly at his food. He hadn’t seen Jaejoong in the showers that morning, so he obviously wasn’t still there. His brother had been caught- there was no doubt in Junsu’s mind about that now.
“Hey, can I sit with you?”
Junsu looked up at the semi-familiar voice and saw Yoochun standing opposite him at the table. He gave a small nod and the other sat down, his eyes not leaving Junsu’s face for a second.
“What’s wrong?” Yoochun asked.
Junsu continued to stare at his tray for a few moments before deciding that he had to put his trust in someone other than his brother since Jaejoong was missing, and Yoochun seemed like his best bet so far. “My brother… He’s missing…” he said softly. “He went out to take a shower last night and never came back…” He raised his sorrow-filled gaze to take in Yoochun’s face, instantly feeling the sympathy radiating from the other. A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth for a second before he looked back down at the table.
Yoochun sat down across from Junsu and took his hand. “I’m sure they’ll find him. Have your parents called the police?”
Junsu closed his eyes and slipped his hand out of Yoochun’s. “The police wouldn’t do any good here and our parents… they died a long time ago.” Even though he knew that Yoochun didn’t know about his family, or lack of family anyway, he couldn’t keep the small burn of hate in his heart away.
Yoochun looked away from Junsu now too. Of course, he had seen the brothers stick up for each other in line the day before; he should have known that the police would take no interest in looking for a missing military trainee unless he was reported as a runaway and they were looking to prosecute him. But as far as Junsu’s parents’ death, he had absolutely no idea. “I’m so sorry…” he muttered. “I didn’t know…” After a few seconds of silence, Yoochun returned his gaze to the younger’s face, sporting an encouraging smile. “Either way, I’m sure he’ll be found. Or come back anyway.”
Junsu raised his head, revealing the dark circles under his eyes from staying up the entire night. “Thank you…” he said softly as an earnest smile spread his lips.
**~**~**~**~**
Changmin was determined to get Heechul alone before the trainees went back to the field for training. And when Shim Changmin was determined to do something, it got done. He knew that the Daeryeong had a soft spot for him and he knew exactly how limited that spot was, but he was going to push that limit just a little more this time. Yunho had been in a solid state of guilt since the night before and Changmin knew it had to have something to do with the trainee being sent to the chambers so early on; in all honesty, he felt awful about it himself. It was such a trivial thing, but Heechul had jumped straight to the worst punishment in the camp without more than a few moments’ thought. It had already been a little over twelve hours since the trainee was sent to the chambers and Changmin was determined not to let the beautiful man serve the entire twenty four.
And that was what brought Changmin to stand in front of the Daeryeong’s closed door during lunch. Heechul would be furious for the interruption, but he was sure he could coax his superior out of it. Persuading Heechul to let the trainee out of the chambers early was another story entirely, mainly because he didn’t have a solid reason for the intervention. Because Yunho had obviously taken an interest in him? Oh yeah, that would go over real well when homosexuality was the main thing Heechul had no tolerance for. He knocked on the door anyway with no explanation in his mind and thinking that he would just make it up as he spoke, which he was surprisingly good at.
“Come in.”
Changmin entered Heechul’s room to find the Daeryeong standing over a map spread out on the massive desk. “Can I talk to you about something sir?” he asked.
Heechul instantly looked up from his map at the sound of Changmin’s voice. The corner of his mouth twitched into a momentary smile. “Of course Changmin,” he said as he settled himself into his chair. “What about?”
Changmin bowed slightly when Heechul’s eyes came up to look at him and he donned his most brilliant smile when his head rose from his bow. “About the trainee we caught in the officer showers last night,” he said carefully, deciding that jumping straight to the point would be the best method of persuasion.
Heechul raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh?” He was caught slightly off guard with the charm in Changmin’s smile and was almost worried about what kind of stunt the officer was trying to pull.
“Well I just thought it was a little much sending him to the chambers right away,” Changmin started, choosing his words carefully. “I know it’s not my place to judge your decisions sir, but don’t you think that was a little reckless of us? It was his first day and all, and I think we were a little tired that late at night. I agree that punishment was necessary though, I’m just saying that maybe we shouldn’t keep him in there for the full twenty four hours. I have another form of punishment already thought out if you decide to release him. But of course, it is your decision what to do with him.” Changmin shoved extra watts into his smile as he watched Heechul consider his thoughts for a while.
“And what exactly is the alternative punishment?” Heechul asked, forcing coldness into his voice for Changmin trying to overrule his judgment.
Changmin let his smile twist into a grin despite the Daeryeong’s icy tone. “It’s something that Soryeong Jung and I will execute personally. I assure you that it will be exactly right to justify the trainee’s actions.”
The corner of Heechul’s mouth twitched again. “I’m sure it will be.”
As soon as the words left Heechul’s lips, Leeteuk came through the door with two trays of food in his hands. “Heechul sir I brought your-” his sentence cut short when he saw Changmin standing in front of the Daeryeong’s desk. He stood frozen for a few moments while the other two men stared at him before carefully placing the more delicately prepared tray on the wooden surface and bowing his head. “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything…” Leeteuk mutter, jealousy-fueled disappointment evident in his voice.
Heechul waved his hand at Leeteuk. “No you weren’t. Jungnyeong Shim was just leaving to find Soryeong Jung and release that trainee from the chambers,” he said, quickly glancing at Changmin. Changmin bowed and exited the room, leaving the other two alone. Heechul redirected his gaze to the slightly stunned Leeteuk. “Was there something you wanted?”
“Why are you letting him go??” Leeteuk asked in furious disbelief. Heechul had never gone back on his punishments before and he refused to think that Changmin was the answer.
“Because I thought it over and sending him to the chambers was going slightly overboard,” Heechul explained nonchalantly. He returned his gaze to the map he deserted earlier. “Now if you have nothing else to say you can leave.”
A very sharp needle started poking at Leeteuk’s heart. He stared at his feet while he spoke. “But I always eat lunch in here with you,” he said with his voice almost a whisper.
Heechul looked up for a split second. “Oh. That’s right.” He scribbled a few notes beside a circled point on the map before pushing it aside and replacing it with his food. “I’ll need you to keep an eye on Soryeong Jung for me for a while, got it?” Heechul said before filling his mouth with steaming noodles.
Leeteuk nodded as he sat in the chair opposite of the Daeryeong and balanced his forgotten tray on his knees. “Is there anything in particular you want me to watch for?” he asked solemnly.
Heechul swallowed. “Yes. Two things actually. Watch how he acts around Jungnyeong Shim and tell me about anything that seems even a little suspicious.”
Leeteuk finally tore his eyes away from the floor with an eyebrow raised. “Suspicious as in how?” he asked.
Heechul ate another mouthful of noodles before answering. “You’ll know when you see it.”
“Alright,” Leeteuk accepted with a nod. “And the other thing?”
Heechul pursed his lips, thinking over his next order. “Go with them to the chambers. See what he does. Then come back here.”
Leeteuk nodded again. He still hadn’t gotten his mind around the fact that the trainee was being released at all, let alone why Heechul sent both Yunho and Changmin to do the job; he had always been the person to release trainees from the chambers. Despite his reluctance to leave, the Jungnyeong placed his tray on the desk, bowed to Heechul, and left the room to follow behind Changmin.
Changmin made no hesitation in rounding up Yunho and leading him to the chambers; he didn’t want to allow any time for Heechul to reconsider the trainee’s release. He practically had to drag the Soryeong to the edge of the camp, ignoring his protests and demands for an explanation to his “madness.” Changmin finally stopped in front of the large concrete building before spinning to face Yunho. “Heechul is letting the guy we caught last night go early,” he said softly.
Yunho’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
Changmin nodded. “We need to hurry up before he changes his mind.”
Yunho shook his head and waved his hands at Changmin. “No, I shouldn’t be here. I don’t to see what he looks like when he comes out of there. I-I just can’t.” He knew just how tortured the soul behind the trainee’s eyes would be and he wanted nothing more than to avoid seeing it. Brief memories flashed through his mind and he tightly shut his eyes. “I can’t Changmin.”
Changmin put a sympathetic hand on Yunho’s shoulder and made his voice softer. “It won’t be so bad Hyung… He’s only been there for half as long so he probably hasn’t gotten the worst of it yet. Heechul wanted you to do it with me and I’m sure he sent his servant to watch.”
Yunho glanced over his shoulder just as a figure retreated into the shadows. He kept his eyes off of Changmin’s face and breathed out a soft ‘alright.’
Changmin stepped up to the large iron door and fished a set of keys out of his pocket. He had never released anyone from the chambers before, or even been there before, so it took him several tries to get the right keys for the seven locks bolting the door. As soon as Changmin began to inch the door open, a sad melody drifted through the air. The voice was soft and shaky, but beautiful nonetheless. Yunho instantly fell in love with that voice, wanting to strengthen the sound and take all the fear away from it. But the voice stopped when Changmin stepped into the room. “Get up.”
Yunho shivered at the younger’s voice. It was an odd tone for Changmin to speak with; it was flat but slightly higher pitched with an edge that was sharpened by the darkness shrouding his face. The sound bounced off the close concrete walls, cutting into Yunho’s mind. He had never heard Changmin’s voice with any kind of cruelty in it before.
A soft rustle pierced the silence that followed Changmin’s command. “What… are you going to do to me?” asked a small voice from the corner.
Changmin stepped further into the chamber toward the voice. “Letting you out. Now get up.”
Yunho heard more rustling and soft footsteps coming toward him. He stepped aside to let the trainee step out into the sunlight. The trainee’s doe-like brown eyes squinted shut in the new light and he wrapped his arms around himself for a false sense of security. Flashes of memory exploded in front of Yunho’s eyes at the sight, remembering that he did the exact same thing when he had gotten out of the chambers. He remembered the despair that was eating away at him, that he wanted something to hold on to, that he wanted to be as far away from the concrete cell as physically possibly, and that he wanted to embrace the openness of the outside. A shudder rocked through him as he imagined the same feelings in the beauty’s mind.
Changmin lead the trainee forward with a hand on his shoulder and he turned his face to give Yunho a brief wink.
Jaejoong couldn’t make any sense of reality. He didn’t know how long he had been separated from the world or if his freedom was anymore than just another illusion. “Can I go back to my brother?” he asked. He was amazed that he still had his voice or that he could force it out of his mouth at all.
Changmin raised his eyebrows. “Of course not. We still have to give you some punishment to make up for the hours in the chambers you’re missing.” He curled his lips into a grin and slipped his hand off of the trainee’s shoulder. Then he turned, appearing to look at empty space. “There’s no sense in hiding Leeteuk; we both know you’re there.”
Leeteuk came out of the shadows with his nose slightly upturned. “Sorry Changmin. Heechul wanted to make sure you didn’t slip up.” He returned Changmin’s grin and nodded toward the trainee. “What are you going to do with him?”
Changmin bit the inside of his cheek. “Well… You have to promise me something before I tell you. When you report back Heechul to tell him what we decided to do, make it up.”
Yunho and Leeteuk’s eyes widened. “Lie to Heechul??” they asked in unison. For Changmin to ask such a request meant that he was planning something truly devious. But lying to the Daeryeong was intolerable, especially for Leeteuk.
Leeteuk stared incredulously at Changmin as the latter nodded. “I’m not going to lie to Heechul,” he stated, meaning for it to be final.
Changmin sighed deeply. “Look, I hate to hang this over your head, but if you don’t lie to him…” He looked at Leeteuk with his face smooth and emotionless. “I won’t lie to him anymore either.”
Leeteuk’s disbelief switched to rage at the threat. He knew exactly which lie Changmin was talking about, and there was no way he was going to let Heechul know about his secret feelings. He couldn’t. “You wouldn’t,” he said in a deathly quiet voice.
Changmin shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “You have three options Leeteuk,” he said, pointing to the sky. “One, you can be in on it, and make up whatever you tell Heechul.” He paused for a second to gauge Leeteuk’s reaction, which didn’t waver one bit, before stretching out another finger. “Two, you can just watch, and make up whatever you tell Heechul.” Again, he paused before extending a third finger. “Or three, I could force you out of sight and you’ll have no choice to make up what you tell Heechul unless you intend on telling him that you didn’t do your job of watching us.”
Leeteuk closed his eyes in defeat. There was no way he could get out of this without his loyalty being slightly damaged. “I’ll watch.”
Changmin refrained from smiling just yet. “But you should know Leeteuk, I’m not doing this for me,” he said softly.
“Who’s it for then? Certainly not me or Heechul,” Leeteuk asked. He knew the youngest officer in the camp almost never did anything for his own gain unless it helped someone else as well. Now it was just a matter of figuring out who it was for.
“Mmm, you’ll see,” was the only answer he gave before breaking his emotionless mask for a smile and leading the trainee by the arm toward the Resident C building. The four men walked to Changmin’s room in silence; Yunho was too shocked, the trainee was too horrified, Leeteuk was too ticked off, and Changmin just wanted to keep them all oblivious to his plan. He could feel the trainee’s shoulder trembling under his hand and desperately wanted to ease the tension, but he refused to give him false hope. Then again, he wasn’t totally sure if the trainee would object to this form of punishment. He shut the door after all of them were in his room and gently pushed the trainee into a chair. “What’s your name?” he asked in the sweetest voice he could manage. He donned a smile to match the sweetness of his voice and ran a finger across the trainee’s jaw line, ending the gesture by taking the trainee’s chin between his fingers.
“Jaejoong,” the trainee said with his voice slightly shaking. He involuntarily glanced at Yunho while Changmin eyes summed him up. He had a horrible feeling about what was going to happen next, and the look in the Jungnyeong’s eyes didn’t give him any hope of being wrong.
“Jaejoong…” Changmin purred and he flung a leg over Jaejoong and sat on his lap, bringing their lips closer together. He parted his lips slightly and exhaled his hot breath on Jaejoong’s neck. Fingers winding in the trainee’s raven hair, Changmin pressed his lips to Jaejoong’s.
Yunho nearly fell over at Changmin’s assault on Jaejoong. Not even the hand that flew out to brace him against the wall seemed to support him enough. What the HELL does Changmin think he’s doing??? he thought with his jaw nearly hitting the floor. I didn’t even know he was gay!!
Changmin finally released Jaejoong’s lips and stared at the other’s scrunched up face. He figured that the trainee wouldn’t consent to the kiss, and that was what he was hoping for. He forced a sleazy half smile into his façade and got off of Jaejoong before turning to Yunho. “Your turn,” he chirped.
A nuclear explosion went off in Yunho’s mind. “M-my turn?” he stuttered. Changmin’s wordless nod wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted. Changmin wanted him to make out with a trainee? In front of Leeteuk? In camp 409? Make out with a guy? His thoughts raced to make sense of the situation, but came up with nothing but a whispered “What?”
Leeteuk was shocked as well. The only difference was that now he knew who the youngest’s rash actions were for, and why he could not tell Heechul about it. He examined Jaejoong, clearly aware that the trainee was reluctant to get the first kiss. He watched the trainee’s eyes close tight and his hands grip the sides of the chair until his knuckles turned white from the strain. A smile crept onto his lips and he shook his hair out of his face. Maybe this is punishment after all…
Yunho hated the expectant look Changmin was shooting at him and Leeteuk’s amusement at the trainee’s expense. “We aren’t going to like… rape him are we?” he asked.
Changmin shrugged. “If that’s what you think we should do, we will.”
Jaejoong’s eyes flew open and his head jerked up to stare at Yunho in horror. The thought of being taken here, in a place where homosexuality was “not at all tolerated” was very far from his mind. The officer had looked intimidating the day before when he was yelling at Junsu in the lineup, but he didn’t look like someone who would take advantage of a person. Jaejoong just hoped that his assumption was right.
Yunho looked back in forth between Changmin and Jaejoong. He didn’t want to do anything further to Jaejoong; he knew that being condemned to the chambers was torture enough, but those cherry lips looked so inviting. The trainee’s skin looked so soft… and if he could get that beautiful voice to scream his name, he knew he would be seeing stars. Yunho stepped closer to Jaejoong and leaned down to meet the latter’s eyes. He could see the blind but well hidden fear in the dark brown orbs and see the trainee’s body shaking slightly. When he could fight the temptation no longer, he pressed his lips to Jaejoong’s and forced the other’s lips apart.
Jaejoong was like nothing he had ever tasted before. Yunho’s tongue ravished the inside of Jaejoong’s mouth slowly at first but put more force into it when he felt the hot breath on his face, filling his ears with a soft moan. The stars he knew he would see exploded behind his eyes when he felt the other’s tongue pushing back. He slid his hand through Jaejoong’s hair before twisting his fingers in the raven strands, forcing them closer together. A feathery touch ran up his arm and he felt butterfly kisses on his cheek as he got lost in the kiss. The presence of everyone else faded away to a place where they no longer mattered; the only people who existed were Jaejoong and himself.
Changmin looked away from the passionate kiss and grinned at Leeteuk. “I guess we’re even now huh?”
But Leeteuk couldn’t hear him. He was lost in his own world where Yunho wasn’t kissing Jaejoong, but he was kissing Heechul. They weren’t in Changmin’s room but in his room. He titled his head slightly and his eyelids slid half closed. Just the though of Heechul devouring his lips sent electricity to his fingertips. There was no way he could tell the Daeryeong about this without admitting his impossible fantasy.
Changmin smiled to himself as he looked for something to distract his eyes from the intense make out scene. He knew Leeteuk wouldn’t have the heart (or the courage) to tell Heechul about his plan. Being even with the other Jungnyeong was only a bonus to what he was giving Yunho, and now he had a second bonus; Jaejoong loved every second of it too.
A/N: hope you like it! oh and please comment if you read! the lack of comments on the last few entries were quite discouraging... but anyway! :D PeAcE
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Heechul: Daeryeong ((american equal is colonel))
Changmin: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Leeteuk: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Dongwook: Jungnyeong ((american equal is lieutenant colonel))
Yunho: Soryeong ((american equal is major))
Yoochun: Sangdeungbyeong ((american equal is corporal))
Donghae: Sangdeungbyeong ((american equal is corporal))
Jaejoong: Ideungbyeong ((american equal is private))
Junsu: Ideungbyeong ((american equal is private))