“Ow. Ow, Namu, What the fkkk?” Sunggyu grouched, hitting Woohyun’s hand away from his face as Woohyun huffed, grabbing Sunggyu’s head again as he examined the wound for the tenth time, feeling anger boil up in his stomach.

“As long as you think it’s sensible to run around at night, getting in fights, I’m going to keep-” Sunggyu hit his hand again but he dodged it, this time. “I’m going to keep cleaning up after the thugs who seem to hold so much of your attention.”

“I’m fine.”

Choosing to hold his anger, Woohyun tilted his head and pursed his lips, cleaning the wound and praying he wasn’t too late for infection.

In the first weeks he’d entered camp, he’d felt drawn to the quiet, lonely man who spent most of his time sleeping and the rest of it training. Woohyun would admit that in his platoon, he’d met some dedicated countrymen who genuinely believed that serving in the army was a good way to give back to their country in just twenty months. But Woohyun found that Sunggyu’s dedication, while not as loud, seemed just as genuine and plausible.

He took the pledge seriously. He stuck to the rules. He didn’t fib back at the soldiers and on the few days he’d managed to get lumped in with any group that got in trouble, Sunggyu had gone down with the ship, choosing to serve punishment rather than tattle on his fellow service-men.

Trying to get closer to the older man had been a challenge in the beginning. Sunggyu had wanted to be alone. But Woohyun wouldn’t let up. That was not the way he was built. He wanted friendship and that was what he’d gotten.

Till the night they’d been paired up to spar. Hand to hand combat in the mud pit with the rain pouring down on both their shirtless bodies and their comrades cheering and jeering at both of them. Woohyun had watched Sunggyu fight before. He’d seen Sunggyu take a beating in one round and then run around and win the next round. And then win and then so on and so forth. It was like Sunggyu was taking a tally in his head and no one else could tell what the score was for anyway.

But that day, Woohyun had been the first person to be paired with Sunggyu so he’d been curious as to which Sunggyu he’d be paired with. Turns out, he’d been paired with the doormat Sunggyu. Deciding to be annoying, he’d refused to lay the first punch. He’d followed Sunggyu’s lead till the soldiers started lobbing threats at the both of them.

And then Sunggyu had charged at him, eyes drawn taut and visible with clear intent to hit and probably maim him. So Woohyun had acted on instinct, dodging him with ease and maneuvering him till Sunggyu was in his grasp and he was choking him down to unconsciousness. When the soldier had called time for both of them, he saw Sunggyu stand to his feet with ease and an obvious normalcy of breath. It dawned on him that Sunggyu had goaded him into attacking.

Even when he hadn’t wanted to.

To say that had intrigued him would be too much of an understatement because Woohyun couldn’t get enough of him after that. He’d followed and disturbed and pried till he caught Sunggyu sneaking back to the dorm one night, covered in bruises. And every time he asked about the bruises, he’d received the same short answer of: “It’s nothing, Namu.”

As Woohyun dressed Sunggyu’s face wound and went to pull off his jacket to reveal the unmistakable entry wound of a bullet, Woohyun couldn’t help but feel that whatever Sunggyu did when he went out of camp, was definitely not nothing.

*****

Woohyun finished his quota for the day in the camp shack, rushing through his routine so he could meet the end of the match his comrades were playing. While they’d all been sorted into teams of four, Woohyun wasn’t going to feel bad because he was assured he’d be playing during the second game. But he still felt it would be nice to watch the game. Even if it was the end.

But on his way there, he ran by the mud pit. Where he found Sunggyu sitting on his own, one leg in and one leg on the edge as he sat there, looking lost and far away.

“You don’t want to watch the match, hyung?” Woohyun asked as Sunggyu looked up at him and smiled like he only ever did for Woohyun.

“You just rushed your quota, didn’t you?” Sunggyu accused, narrowing his eyes and struggling not to smile so much.

“You have no evidence.” Woohyun said, nudging Sunggyu’s back with his knee. “You’re always going off on your own.”

“I was bored in the dorm.”

“And this is so riveting.” Woohyun waved at the pit. “All the sand convo and everything… drawing and keeping your attention.”

Sunggyu laughed, turning to fully face the pit with Woohyun at his back.

“I just like quiet places.” He hit Woohyun’s leg. “And you’re too noisy.”

“I am not!”

“Are too.”

“I’m not.”

“How old are you again?”

In response, Woohyun kicked his back, sending Sunggyu into the pit as he skidded to a stop at the center where dry sand was now that it wasn’t raining anymore.

“Because that’s so much more mature.” Sunggyu said, smirking at Woohyun.

Feeling goaded and enjoying the attention, Woohyun jumped into the pit as well.

“I want a rematch.”

“Of what?” Sunggyu said.

“Of that day we fought.”

“What day was that again?” Sunggyu asked, relaxing into a walk as he rounded on Woohyun, causing Woohyun to do the same.

“Don’t play with me.” Woohyun laughed uncomfortably. “You remember it.”

“I don’t know.” He said. “I’ve been in a lot of fights.”

“Have you now?” Woohyun asked, stopping to look at Sunggyu seriously as Sunggyu stopped right in front of him. “I want a rematch.”

Taking a step toward him, Sunggyu looked right into his eyes, searching and watching as Woohyun resisted the urge to take a step back. Because Sunggyu was too close. They were too close it was almost like they were breathing in the same air.

“Is that all you want?” Sunggyu asked him.

“For now?” Woohyun asked, finally deciding that he wasn’t going to do this.