Chapter Text
The cigarette burned low between Jaehyun's fingers as he leaned against the barracks wall, watching the new recruits shuffle into formation with that universal mix of exhaustion and defiance.
"Eyes forward, maggots!" The drill corporal's voice cracked across the yard, but Jaehyun's gaze snagged on the slight figure near the back, the one whose hands trembled when he adjusted his rifle strap. Doyoung. He'd noticed him yesterday during the medical checks, how his collarbones jutted sharp beneath his oversized fatigues, how he'd flinched at the barked orders like a stray pup expecting kicks.
Jaehyun exhaled smoke through his nose. Five years of breaking cocky bastards into soldiers, and here he was memorizing the way this kid's sweat-damp hair clung to his temple. The others jostled, thick with bravado, but Doyoung kept shrinking in on himself, elbows tight, shoulders hunched like he wanted to disappear into the dirt.
The drill corporal grabbed Doyoung's elbow mid-shuffle, yanking him forward with a sneer. "You deaf, recruit? I said, eyes front." Doyoung's breath hitched audibly, his fingers twitching against the rifle strap again. Before he could stammer a reply, Jaehyun stubbed his cigarette out against the wall and stepped off the barracks' shadow, his voice slicing through the yard. "Corporal." His boots crunched deliberately on gravel as he approached. "This one's with me. Inventory duty."
Doyoung's head snapped up, eyes wide, not relief yet, just shock. The corporal hesitated, grip loosening. "Sir, the rotation schedule—" Jaehyun didn't blink."Override. Paperwork's piling up." He flicked his chin toward the supply shed, already turning, and didn't wait to see if Doyoung followed. The kid would. They always did.
Gravel shifted behind him, too light, too quick. Doyoung's footsteps were barely there, like he'd trained himself to walk without sound long before the army got to him.
Jaehyun didn't turn, just tossed the words over his shoulder, rough as the smoke still clinging to his throat. "Inventory's bullshit duty. You know that, right?" The shed door creaked under his palm, rust flaking onto his sleeve. Behind him, silence stretched too long before a whisper of fabric, Doyoung nodding, probably, because the kid hadn't spoken a word since intake.
"Speak up, recruit." Jaehyun shoved the door wider, sunlight slicing through dust motes to land on Doyoung's face, pale, too pale, with shadows under his eyes like bruises. "Y-yes, Sergeant." The stammer grated something in Jaehyun's ribs. Not annoyance. Something warmer, sharper. He stepped inside, letting the dimness swallow them both.
Doyoung hovered near the threshold, fingers twisting the hem of his jacket. The supply shed smelled of gun oil and mildew, the shelves crammed with crates marked in fading ink, he didn't know what was expected from him now. "S-sergeant," he managed, voice cracking like dry twigs underfoot. "The inventory list—should i...."
Jaehyun flicked open a ledger, the pages whispering against his calloused fingers. He didn't look up. "You ever hold a rifle before this week, recruit?" The question landed like a grenade in the quiet. Doyoung's throat worked, remembering the way the recoil had bruised his shoulder yesterday, how his hands shook so badly he'd nearly dropped it. "No, sir"
The sergeant's pen stilled. He'd seen fresh meat before, but not like this, not someone who flinched at their own shadow "You're an idol," he said flatly, flipping the ledger shut. It wasn't a question. Doyoung stiffened, his pulse fluttering visibly at his throat.
Jaehyun exhaled through his nose. He'd heard the whispers, some K-pop boy shoved into uniform at their unit, though he'd never expected him to be this, fragile. "We had multiple idols come through here," he said, leaning against a crate. His voice softened, despite himself. "They usually bitch louder than anyone."
Doyoung's hands curled into fists at his sides, his nails biting crescents into his palms. "I-I don't want special treatment, Sergeant." The lie tasted bitter, he'd been drowning since day one, gulping air while others swam.
Jaehyun's boot scraped against concrete as he pushed off the crate, crowding into Doyoung's space without touching him. Close enough to smell the soap on his skin, sharp and clean. "Special treatment?" He huffed, almost a laugh. "We don't do that here. But we don't break fragile things for fun either."
The overhead bulb flickered, casting shadows that made Doyoung look even younger. "i know.." he mummered, his eyes fixed somewhere near Jaehyun's collar, avoiding direct contact. "Just—just tell me what you need me to do." His voice was so quiet it barely disturbed the dust motes hanging between them.
Jaehyun watched the way Doyoung's lips trembled before pressing into a thin line, as if he were physically holding back whatever instinct screamed at him to apologize.
The sergeant tilted his head slightly, studying the recruit's lowered lashes, before deliberately stepping back to give him space. "You'll organize the field dressing kits," he said, jerking his chin toward a stack of crates in the corner. "Check expiration dates, reseal anything loose. Simple."
Doyoung's shoulders relaxed a fraction, his fingers uncurling from their tight fists. "Okay," he murmured, but the causal reply irritated Jaehyun, this is the military, not a kindergarten, discipline needs to be maintained. Before he could stop himself, he snapped, "It's 'yes, Sergeant,' recruit. Not 'okay.'"
Jaehyun reached out, gripping Doyoung's wrist with more force than necessary causing him to gasp, pulling the recruit's hand toward his own forehead in a rough mimicry of a salute. "Like this," he growled, guiding Doyoung's trembling fingers to press against his temple, the calloused pad of his thumb dragging over the kid's knuckles.
"You salute when you're given an order. You say 'yes, Sergeant.' Understand?" His grip tightened just enough to emphasize the point, feeling the delicate bones shift beneath Doyoung's skin, hot under his palm.
Doyoung's breath hitched, part fear, part something else that curled low in Jaehyun's stomach. "Y-yes, Sergeant," he managed, voice cracking on the second word. His pulse hammered against Jaehyun's fingertips where they still trapped his wrist, his knees locked tight as if standing at attention might save him from whatever this was becoming. The recruit's lips parted slightly, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet them before adding in a whisper barely louder than the rustle of their uniforms, "I'll do better."
Jaehyun released him abruptly, turning away before he could see the flush creeping up Doyoung's neck. "See that you do," he muttered, flipping open the ledger again with more force than necessary. The pages blurred momentarily as he imagined pressing that fragile wrist into the nearest crate, watching Doyoung's pupils dilate, but no, he wasn't that far gone yet. Behind him, Doyoung shuffled toward the medical crates, his footsteps uneven like a spooked deer's.
The scent of antiseptic and stale bandages filled the air as Doyoung pried open the first crate, his fingers skimming over gauze packets with surprising precision. Jaehyun watched from beneath his lashes, noting how the recruit's shoulders gradually relaxed into the rhythm of the task, counting, sorting, checking dates with lips moving silently.
A sudden clatter outside the shed made Doyoung flinch violently, his elbow knocking over a stack of splint rolls. He scrambled to gather them, his breath coming too fast, his movements jagged, until Jaehyun's boot nudged one of the rolls toward him.
"It's just the wind," the sergeant said, voice low. "Breathe, kid." Doyoung froze, fingers clutching the splint roll too tight, before exhaling shakily. The words "yes, Sergeant" trembled on his tongue, but he swallowed them, opting instead for a jerky nod.
After an hour or two, the dim glow of the overhead bulb had turned Doyoung's skin sallow in the supply shed's stale air "Go," Jaehyun muttered without looking up from the ledger, "Mess hall's open." His fingers tightened around the pen as Doyoung saluted clumsily, still too slow, still wrong, but the kid was trying, lips forming "Yes, Sergeant" before he turned to leave. The door hinges whined behind him, leaving Jaehyun alone with the silence and the ghost of soap lingering where Doyoung had stood.
The mess hall roared with the usual clatter of trays and crude laughter when Doyoung slipped in. He hesitated at the end of the chow line, shoulders curling inward as recruits jostled past.
Someone's elbow clipped his ribs "Watch it, princess" and Doyoung's tray rattled against the countertop as he grabbed it. The cook slapped a ladle of stew onto his plate, greasy and lukewarm, but Doyoung's stomach twisted at the scent regardless.
At the far table, a cluster of privates had already noticed him. "Oi, look—it's that idol!" Heels scraped against the floor as chairs pushed back, and Doyoung's fingers went numb around his tray.
The tallest one blocked his path, smirking at the way Doyoung's gaze darted toward the nearest exit. "What's wrong, baby boy? Never ate with real men before?" His breath smelled of cheap tobacco as he leaned in, close enough for Doyoung to see the sweat beading along his receding hairline. Someone behind him snickered, dragging fingertips down Doyoung's arm in a mock caress. "Bet he's used to being fed grapes by his fans, aren't you, pretty thing?"
"What's his name again? Do-something?" The tallest private snatched Doyoung's tray, placing it just out of reach on a neighboring table. "Yes, it's Doyoung," another jeered, flicking the recruit's earlobe hard enough to redden the delicate skin.
Doyoung's hands trembled, as they circled him like wolves scenting blood. One leaned in, "everyone here has been talking about how pretty the new idol recruit is."
The tallest private slid a finger under Doyoung's chin, forcing his gaze up. "Seriously, how'd you get through basic looking like that?" His thumb pressed against Doyoung's bottom lip, smearing it sideways in a grotesque parody of a smile. "You doing favors for the sergeants?" The words dripped with implication, and Doyoung jerked back, colliding with another recruit who shoved him forward again. His knee hit the bench hard, pain shooting up his thigh as laughter erupted around him.
"If—if you'll excuse me," Doyoung managed, voice cracking as he tried to sidestep the circle, but a hand fisted in the back of his shirt, yanking him flush against a sweat-damp chest. "Nah, we're not done," the private breathed into his ear, the stench of onion and stale beer making Doyoung's eyes water. "What's the rush?"
"Let me through." Doyoung's voice wavered less this time, surprising even himself as his fingers twitched toward the fork someone had left abandoned on the table. The private gripping him snorted, tightening his hold until the cotton of Doyoung's shirt strained. "Or what, sweetheart?" His breath hitched as another hand groped down his thigh, the laughter around them swelling like a physical force.
The crowd shifted, not parting, exactly, but something in the air changed, a ripple of tension that had the jeers dying mid-syllable. Doyoung didn't see Jaehyun at first, just felt the sudden absence of hands on him as the circle fractured.
Then the sergeant was there, stepping between tables like a blade through smoke, his shadow falling across the tallest private's face. "Problem here?"Jaehyun’s grunted voice was casual, but his fingers flexed at his sides, the scars along his knuckles stark in the mess hall's fluorescent light.
The private who'd been holding Doyoung took half a step back, his smirk twitching. "No problem, Sergeant. Just welcoming the new trainee." Jaehyun didn't blink. "Welcoming?" His gaze flicked to Doyoung's wrinkled shirt, the red mark on his earlobe, then back. "Funny. Looks like harassment to me." He stepped closer, close enough to smell the sour sweat on the private's neck. "Since you're so eager to teach, you'll report to latrine duty tonight. Every toilet in this compound. Scrub them twice."
Doyoung's breath caught as the private's face darkened. "That's bullshit," he spat, but Jaehyun was already turning toward him, slow and deliberate. "Twice became three times," he said, voice dropping to a whisper that carried across the silent mess hall. "Want to make it four?" The private's jaw clenched, but he snapped a stiff salute. "No, Sergeant."
Jaehyun turned back to Doyoung, taking in the way his fingers were still curled tight around the fork, knuckles white. "Recruit," he barked, making Doyoung flinch. "You're on probation." The word landed like a brick between them. "First rule, you don't eat alone." He jerked his chin toward his own untouched tray at the sergeant's table. "Move."
Doyoung hesitated, pulse hammering in his throat, before shuffling toward the indicated seat. The mess hall was silent but for the scrape of his boots on linoleum. Jaehyun sat first, deliberately loud, shoving his tray aside to make space.
"Eat," he ordered, nodding at Doyoung's stew, now congealing at the edges. Doyoung's fingers twitched around his fork. "I—" he started, then swallowed hard. "Thank you, Sergeant." The words came out too soft, too raw, and Jaehyun's jaw tightened.
Across the room, the private on latrine duty slammed a mop bucket down hard enough to send suds splashing over the tiles. Jaehyun ignored it, watching instead as Doyoung picked at his food "You'll need the calories," Jaehyun said abruptly, nudging his own untouched bread roll toward Doyoung's tray "tomorrow we're camping overnight in the woods"
Doyoung's fork stilled "Camping?" The word slipped out before he could bite it back Jaehyun's lips twitched "You can speak," he said dryly "Yes camping Full pack march at dawn" He leaned in "Ever slept rough recruit?"
Doyoung's throat bobbed as he shook his head "No Sergeant" The admission was barely audible but Jaehyun caught it "Thought so" He tapped his own weathered knuckles against the table "You'll learn"
A sharp whistle cut through the mess hall chatter "Sergeant!" A burly corporal waved Jaehyun over "Commander wants you, paperwork bullshit" Jaehyun's jaw clenched but he stood, his chair scraping loud against the floor "Finish your meal" His fingers brushed Doyoung's shoulder as he passed, too brief to be intentional, but the heat lingered through the fabric of his jacket.
Doyoung watched him go, the bread roll in his throat suddenly dry as sand. Around him, the mess hall noise swelled back to life, punctuated by occasional glances thrown his way, some curious, others resentful. He ate mechanically, barely tasting the lukewarm stew, until his tray was clean. The scrape of his fork against metal seemed to echo louder than necessary.
The walk back to the barracks was slow, the night air damp against his skin, and Doyoung found himself tugging at the too-large pullover he'd dug out from the bottom of his issued duffel. It smelled faintly of sweet fragrance and it was warm, warmer than his thin cotton undershirts anyway.
His fingers trembled slightly as he unbuttoned his uniform jacket, draping it over the foot of his bunk with exaggerated care, as if the higher ups might materialize to critique his folding technique.
Sleep didn’t come easily, the unfamiliar weight of exhaustion in his limbs contrasted sharply with the restless buzzing beneath his skin, remnants of adrenaline from the mess hall incident still humming through his veins.
The scratchy wool blanket chafed against his wrists when he tugged it up, acutely aware of the other recruits’ whispered conversations punctuated by occasional laughter. He curled onto his side, pressing his face into the thin pillow.
Doyoung found his thoughts drifting to Jaehyun, the roughness in his voice when he’d pulled him away earlier, the way his grip had lingered just a second too long on his wrist. Something coiled tight in his chest remembering how effortlessly the sergeant had stepped between him and the others in the mess hall, tall and broad like a storm front rolling in.
It was foolish, he knew, to let himself want that kind of protection, but his pulse skipped traitorously at the memory of Jaehyun’s fingers brushing his shoulder, casual, careless, like he hadn’t even noticed the contact.
Doyoung exhaled shakily into his pillow, imagining those same calloused hands pressing him into a mattress instead of a crate, hot and demanding, the way Jaehyun had gripped his wrist earlier, but slower, deliberate. The thought sent warmth pooling low in his belly, sharp and uncomfortable against the rough fabric of his fatigues.
When the first hints of dawn crept through the barracks windows, Doyoung jolted awake to the sound of boot heels cracking against concrete floors. A shadow loomed over his bunk, silhouetted against the grey morning light filtering through the high windows, broad shoulders, the unmistakable bulk of a combat vest.
The soldier leaned down, smelling of gun oil and stale coffee, grabbing Doyoung's ankle through the blanket and yanking hard enough to send him sprawling halfway off the thin mattress. "Up, sleepy head," the man sneered. "Sergeant jung wants you suited and booted in five."
Doyoung scrambled upright, heart hammering as he blinked at the unfamiliar face, He rubbed sleep from his eyes just in time to see the soldier move to the next bunk and repeat the rough awakening with another recruit. The barracks erupted into groans.
A pile of folded fabric landed heavily on his bunk, thick navy thermal layers "wear this," the soldier barked before moving on. The material was stiff with newness, still smelling faintly of factory chemicals when Doyoung pressed it to his face. The specialized cold-weather jacket's interior lining felt like crushed velvet against his fingertips, luxurious compared to their standard-issue uniforms.
Next came a rigid plastic package containing the promised ice cap, black, militaristic, with adjustable flaps that snapped over the ears, and a neck warmer, Doyoung felt happy for the first time in a while, finally something that is gonna protect him from the biting cold, the barracks buzzed with recruits dressing quickly, boots stomping, belts clinking, and hurried whispers about why the sudden change in gear, "Special training", someone murmured, "They're taking us up the mountain", Doyoung's hands faltered on the zipper of his jacket, stomach dropping.
The barracks door slammed open before he could panic further, revealing Jaehyun backlit by floodlights, his silhouette sharp-egde, he was wearing something similar to their's, "Move out in ten," he barked, scanning the room until his gaze snagged on Doyoung halfway through securing his ice cap, Doyoung's heart skipped as Jaehyun's eyes lingered on the way the fabric bunched awkwardly under his chin, fingers twitching like he wanted to adjust it himself.
Fuck...why does Sergeant Jung makes his heart beat so fast?
Outside after breakfast, the predawn air bit through his fatigues as he joined the formation, shivering uncontrollably until a familiar silhouette emerged from the mist. Jaehyun moved down the line inspecting packs, his frown deepening when he reached Doyoung.
Without a word, he adjusted the slightly unbalanced beanie, his knuckles brushing the sensitive skin behind Doyoung's ear. "Breathe through your nose out there," he murmured, low enough that only Doyoung could hear. "The cold will steal your voice if you let it."
The march began with a whistle, boots crunching frozen earth in unison until Doyoung's rhythm faltered, his pack already feeling like lead after the first kilometer. Jaehyun fell into step beside him, close enough that their sleeves brushed with each stride. "Eyes on the trees ahead," he instructed, voice stripped of its usual bark.
Mist clung to their uniforms as they ascended, turning darker where sweat soaked through layers. Doyoung's breath came in ragged bursts, crystallizing before his face, each exhale a tiny surrender to the mountain's bite. The trail narrowed abruptly, forcing them into single file, and when Doyoung's boot slipped on loose scree, it was Jaehyun's gloved hand that shot out, gripping his elbow hard enough to bruise through fabric. "Watch your footing," the sergeant muttered, but didn't let go until the path leveled out again, his fingers lingering like a brand even after contact broke.
They made camp in a hollow between wind-twisted pines, the ground crunching with frost under their boots. Jaehyun tossed Doyoung a bundle of tent poles without looking, instinctual, like he'd known exactly where the recruit stood, and barked orders at the others scattering to gather firewood.
Doyoung fumbled with the unfamiliar clasps, his numb fingers betraying him, until shadows swallowed the daylight and Jaehyun's bulk blocked the wind. "Like this," the sergeant growled, seizing his wrists to demonstrate the motion, their gloves rasping together, rough wool against tactical nylon, before shoving Doyoung's hands away abruptly.
The recruit's pulse stuttered at the fleeting contact, at the way Jaehyun's breath fogged between them in short, irritated bursts despite the careful distance he maintained afterward.
Jaehyun moves to help another recruit, his profile sharp against the campfire someone had finally coaxed to life. Doyoung watches, transfixed, as the sergeant kneels effortlessly in the snow to adjust a tent stake, the muscles in his thighs straining against his fatigues.
The firelight catches the stubble along his jaw, turning it molten gold, and Doyoung's breath hitches when Jaehyun suddenly glances up, pinning him with a look that makes his cheeks burn hotter than the flames.
A trainee stumbled into Doyoung’s line of sight, breaking the charged moment, and he jerked back to fumbling with the tent poles. The metal was numbingly cold against his bare fingers, he’d lost a glove somewhere during the march. but he barely registered it, too aware of Jaehyun’s presence like a furnace at his back.
"Every two team up," Jaehyun barked, voice cutting through the growing dark like a blade. "One tent per pair." His gaze flickered over the recruits scrambling to comply before landing pointedly on Doyoung, who stood frozen beside half-assembled poles.
Doyoung glanced around desperately, the others had already paired off, backs turned as they worked in easy tandem, laughter bubbling between them like rivulets melting ice. A lump formed in his throat when he caught the tall private from yesterday sneering at him from across the firelight, deliberately tightening an arm around his partner’s shoulders.
"You waiting for an invitation, princess?" someone muttered, close enough for Doyoung to feel the warmth of their breath skating over his nape. He flinched, nearly dropping the bundle of canvas in his arms, when Jaehyun’s shadow loomed suddenly beside him. "Hey," the sergeant snapped at the snickering recruits, making them scatter like startled crows. Then, quieter, just for Doyoung "You're with me." The words weren’t gentle, nothing about Jaehyun ever was, but they curled hot in Doyoung’s belly regardless.
"What?" Doyoung blurted before he could stop himself, fingers tightening around the tent pole until the metal bit into his palm. Jaehyun's expression darkened, but there was something else flickering beneath the irritation, something that made Doyoung's pulse stutter. "Problem, recruit?" The sergeant stepped closer, close enough for Doyoung to see the way the firelight caught the scar cutting through his eyebrow, the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.
Doyoung swallowed hard, shaking his head as his mouth went dry. Jaehyun's gaze dropped to his trembling hands, lingering for a heartbeat too long before he snatched the tent fabric from Doyoung's grip. "Then start lashing the poles," he ordered, jerking his chin toward the scattered equipment. His voice was rough, but his hands were careful as he demonstrated the knot, calloused fingers moving deftly over the rope. Doyoung watched, mesmerized, until Jaehyun shoved the rope into his hands with a grunt.
The firelight cast flickering shadows across Jaehyun’s face as he worked, highlighting the tension in his jaw whenever Doyoung fumbled the knots. When their fingers brushed during a pass of the rope, Doyoung recoiled like he’d been burned, only to freeze when Jaehyun’s hand darted out, gripping his wrist with deliberate roughness. "Stop flinching," the sergeant muttered, his thumb pressing into the soft skin under Doyoung’s pulse point. "You’ll never learn if you’re shaking like a leaf."
Around them, the camp settled into hushed murmurs and the crackle of flames, but Doyoung could only focus on the heat radiating from Jaehyun’s palm, the way his callouses scraped against his skin as he guided his hands through the motions. The sergeant’s breath ghosted over his temple, warm despite the freezing air, carrying the faintest hint of coffee and gunpowder. When Jaehyun finally released him, Doyoung’s fingers tingled with the absence, his throat tight with something he couldn’t name.
"You done with your staring?" Jaehyun’s voice was low, rough-edged but lacking its usual bite. Doyoung blinked, realizing he’d been frozen mid-motion, clutching the rope like a lifeline. "N-no, Sergeant," he stammered, cheeks flushing crimson as he hurried to finish the knot, fingers slipping in his haste. Jaehyun exhaled sharply through his nose, a sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. "Never seen a man tie a knot before?"
The wind howled suddenly, rattling the half-pitched tent canvas between them, and Doyoung instinctively leaned closer, toward Jaehyun’s warmth or away from the gale, he wasn’t sure. The sergeant didn’t move away. "What’s the name of the group you're in?" Jaehyun asked abruptly, fingers stilling on the rope in his hands.
Doyoung blinked, thrown by the question, by the way Jaehyun’s eyes flickered toward him in the firelight, dark and unreadable. "NCT," he answered softly, then added, "Sergeant," as an afterthought, watching the way Jaehyun’s jaw tightened at the title.
Jaehyun snorted, yanking the final knot tighter than necessary. "Never heard of it." His gaze flicked over Doyoung's face, lingering on the way the firelight caught the nervous twitch of his eyelashes. "Don’t get offended, I barely know girl group names either." The admission came out gruff, like he was confessing to a crime rather than admitting ignorance about idols.
Doyoung’s fingers faltered on the tent peg. "It’s okay," he murmured, they are quite famous...but Jaehyun probably didn’t have time for things like that.
The sergeant glanced sidelong at him, the firelight carving shadows under his cheekbones. "You any good?" The question came out rough-edged, and when Doyoung gaped at him, Jaehyun rolled his eyes. "Singing? Dancing? Whatever it is you do." His gloved hand gestured vaguely toward the dark trees, like the concept of performance was something feral lurking in the woods.
Doyoung's pulse jumped at the unexpected interest. "I'm the main vocalist," he admitted, rubbing his cold-numbed fingers together. The words tasted strange after weeks of military silence, like speaking a forgotten language.
Jaehyun grunted, driving a tent stake into the frozen earth with unnecessary force. "Main vocalist," he repeated flatly, as if testing the shape of it. "So you're the one they make sing all the high notes?"
Doyoung nodded, startled by the accuracy of the guess, before realizing his fingers had gone stiff with cold again, Jaehyun noticed immediately, his gaze sharpening on Doyoung's pale knuckles.
Across the campsite, a recruit cursed loudly as his tent collapsed in a heap of tangled nylon. the same private who'd been sneering at Doyoung earlier, now floundering in the snow with his equally clueless partner. Jaehyun's jaw worked as he watched them struggle, then abruptly stood, knocking snow from his knees. "Stay here," he ordered Doyoung, already striding toward the chaos with that purposeful, ground-eating walk of his.
Left alone, Doyoung busied himself tightening the remaining knots, fingers clumsy with cold and something else, a tight, fluttering sensation in his chest whenever he glanced at Jaehyun silhouetted against the firelight, demonstrating tent assembly with sharp, efficient movements. The private who'd tormented him earlier stood sullenly to the side, arms crossed, until Jaehyun grabbed him by the shoulder straps and bodily repositioned him, making the other recruits snicker.
"You gotta show some enthusiasm," Jaehyun growled, pinning the private with a look that could flay paint from walls. The recruit swallowed hard, muttering something under his breath that made Jaehyun's nostrils flare.
Doyoung flinched when Jaehyun suddenly tossed a coil of rope at the private's chest—hard. "Try again," the sergeant ordered, stepping back with his arms crossed, his gaze flickering briefly toward Doyoung before returning to the chastised recruits. "And this time, pretend you're not allergic to effort."
The wind carried fragments of their voices back to Doyoung, Jaehyun's sharp commands, the recruits' muttered apologies, but it was the sergeant's silhouette that held his attention, the way his shoulders flexed beneath his jacket when he gestured, the impatient tap of his boot against frozen ground.
A log collapsed in the firepit, sending up a shower of sparks, and Doyoung startled when Jaehyun's head snapped toward the sound, then toward him, as if checking he hadn't bolted.
The sergeant's face was all sharp angles in the flickering light, sweat gleaming at his temples despite the cold, and Doyoung's throat went dry imagining those same droplets tracing down the corded muscles of his neck, vanishing beneath his collar...fuck, he needed to stop staring but Jaehyun's voice was a rough rasp cutting through the wind, his gloved hands demonstrating a knot with deliberate slowness for the struggling recruits, those same hands that could crush a man's windpipe but had touched Doyoung with such reluctant gentleness.
Jaehyun's sharp bark of laughter startled Doyoung from his thoughts, bright and unexpected smiling teeth as he shook his head at something one of the recruits said, the firelight catching the scar through his eyebrow, the stubble shadowing his jaw.
Doyoung curled his fingers into his palms, pressing half-moon indents into the cold skin as he watched Jaehyun glance toward him again, like he was checking, always checking, and something warm uncoiled low in his belly despite the freezing air.
He'd been terrified of enlistment, shaking the entire first week, jumping at shadows, flinching at raised voices, but now, now with Jaehyun's hands pulling him back from the brink, with those dark eyes tracking his every stumble, he felt, god, he felt safe.
The thought sent a shudder down his spine that had nothing to do with the frigid mountain air. Safe with Sergeant Jung Jaehyun, who barked orders like a man bred for war, Doyoung mustn't let his thoughts stray further than that.
Jaehyun gathered them around the fire after tents were secured, his silhouette cutting a sharp outline against the flames. "Listen up," he growled, kicking snow over a recruit's careless bootprint too close to the firepit. "Rule one: heat rises, so dig your sleeping area lower than the fire. Rule two: snow is insulation, pack it against your tent walls unless you want to freeze your balls off by dawn." A few recruits snickered until Jaehyun's glare silenced them.
He demonstrated how to bank the fire for overnight warmth, his gloves blackening with soot as he arranged logs just so. "Too close, and you'll roast alive. Too far, and you'll wake up hypothermic." His eyes flicked to Doyoung's tent, neither of them acknowledged how perfectly it was positioned relative to the flames, how Jaehyun had subtly repositioned it twice during setup without explanation.
The sergeant knelt to scoop frozen earth into his palms, pressing the packed snow into makeshift insulation around a recruit's tent. "Your body heat escapes fastest where the ground touches you," he said, voice rough with fatigue. When Doyoung mimicked the motion too tentatively, Jaehyun crouched behind him, adjusting his grip with brusque efficiency. "Press harder," he muttered into Doyoung's ear, his chest brushing the recruit's back for a heartbeat too long before he jerked away.
After more than hour, it was past lunch time, as the training took much more time than needed, they had lunch packed in their bags, vacuum-sealed ration pouches labeled with blocky military font, unappetizing even before freezing solid during their ascent.
Doyoung peeled the ice-glazed packaging open with numb fingers, his stomach turning at the sight of congealed bulgogi sauce weeping across rehydrated rice. The cold had leached all warmth from the ration pouch, leaving a texture like wet cardboard under his teeth. Across the fire, Jaehyun devoured his meal with mechanical efficiency, pausing only to scowl at a recruit gagging on freeze-dried kimchi.
After lunch, Jaehyun ordered them to gather firewood while sunlight still filtered weakly through the trees. Doyoung bent to collect twigs, his fingers stiffening around brittle pine branches until shadows fell across his hands. Jaehyun loomed behind him, arms loaded with logs that strained the fabric of his jacket across his shoulders. "Take these back to camp," he ordered, dumping half his haul into Doyoung's unprepared arms.
The sudden weight knocked Doyoung off balance, his boot slipping on buried ice, Jaehyun's arm shot out, banding across his chest to steady him. The sergeant's forearm pressed flush against Doyoung's sternum through layers of fabric, the wood fell forgotten into the snow between them as Doyoung gasped at the contact, not painful, just overwhelming in its solidity, like being pinned by a living fortress. "Christ," Jaehyun muttered, his breath warm against Doyoung's temple, "you really are useless at this, aren't you?"
Ouch, that hurt, Doyoung thought, biting his lip to hide the sting in his eyes. But Jaehyun's grip didn't loosen. if anything, it tightened fractionally, his fingers pressing into Doyoung's ribs through the thick layers as if testing their fragility. "Maybe," Doyoung whispered, tilting his head back just enough to catch the sergeant's dark eyes, pupils blown wide despite the daylight. "But you keep catching me anyway."
Jaehyun exhaled sharply through his nose, a sound too ragged to be a scoff. His thumb twitched against Doyoung's jacket, brushing the hollow of his throat before he jerked away entirely, leaving the recruit swaying like a sapling in the sudden absence of his anchor. "Because it's my job," the sergeant ground out, "I have to get you back alive."
Doyoung crouches down but Jaehyun grabbed his wrist, fingers tightening like manacles pulling him back up, His gaze flicked to Doyoung's reddened fingertips "Gloves. Where are they?"
Doyoung swallowed, "Lost them, Sergeant." The admission came out barely above a whisper, his breath clouding between them.
Jaehyun's jaw tightened visibly, "You're useless without fingers," he growled, but there was no real heat behind it. Shrugging off his own gloves with rough jerks of his wrists, he thrust them at Doyoung's chest
Doyoung stared at the offered gloves, still warm from Jaehyun's hands, the leather darkened with sweat at the palms, before shaking his head violently. "S-sergeant, I can't—" His protest died when Jaehyun stepped closer, close enough for Doyoung to see the broken blood vessels in his nose from years of training in subzero temperatures. "Put them on," Jaehyun ordered, voice dropping low enough that only Doyoung could hear the undercurrent of something dangerously close to concern.
The sergeant crouched without waiting for a response, muscles flexing beneath his fatigues as he gathered the scattered logs with brutal efficiency. He stacked them against his chest like firewood already bound for the pyre, Doyoung's breath hitched when Jaehyun straightened, the movement effortless despite the weight, tendons standing stark in his neck as he adjusted his grip. Snow crunched under his boots as he turned, casting a glance over his shoulder that said 'follow' without uttering a word.
Doyoung clutched Jaehyun's gloves between trembling fingers, the leather still radiating residual warmth that seeped into his frozen skin. He slid them on slowly, savoring the way they swallowed his hands whole, fingertips barely brushing the ends, the scent of gun oil and pine resin clinging to the interior.
Ahead, Jaehyun's broad shoulders blocked the wind as they walked, his shadow stretching long across the snow to cover Doyoung's stumbling footsteps.
The makeshift camp glowed amber in the gathering dusk, recruits huddled around the fire like moths drawn to flame. Jaehyun dumped the logs near the pit with a grunt, then turned abruptly, Doyoung nearly collided with his chest, stumbling back with a gasp when Jaehyun caught his elbow. The sergeant just stared down at him, as if pitied and irritated with his clumsiness at the same time.
His gaze dropped to Doyoung's hands, still encased in his gloves, too large for him, fingertips limp where the leather gaped empty, before releasing his grip with deliberate slowness.
"Fall out," Jaehyun announced to the group, his voice carrying effortlessly over the crackling fire, "We move in the morning." The recruits scattered like startled birds, some vanishing into their tents with palpable relief.
Doyoung hesitated near the fire pit, chewing his lower lip raw before as he felt his bladder protest. The cold air only exacerbated the pressure, making his skin prickle with urgency. He glanced toward the tree line, away from the tents, away from prying eyes, and took a tentative step forward.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jaehyun's voice cut through the darkness, sharp as a blade. Doyoung froze mid-step, shoulders hunching instinctively under the sergeant's scrutiny. "I—I need to...ummm" he stammered, heat creeping up his neck, but Jaehyun was already stepping closer, his silhouette swallowing the firelight.
Jaehyun exhaled sharply through his nose, nostrils flaring as realization dawned. "Jesus christ," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "Take a piss? Just say it." The crude words made Doyoung flinch, his fingers twisting together inside the oversized gloves. Jaehyun's gaze flickered over his face before jerking his chin toward the tree line. "Go."
Doyoung stumbled toward the darkness, boots crunching through crusted snow until the firelight barely reached him. He paused behind a thick pine, glancing back instinctively, only to find Jaehyun standing guard at camp's edge, arms crossed, deliberately angled away but unmistakably keeping watch. The realization sent heat flooding through Doyoung's stomach as he fumbled with his belt, hissing when frigid air hit bare skin.
This was nasty, he never did this outside before, he never thought he'll ever do it, but here he was, with Jaehyun guarding him from afar, ensuring no one would see him in this compromising situation. The wind bit at his exposed skin, making his hands tremble as they clumsily worked at his belt, the chill seeping into his bones as he finally relieved himself, steam rising in the bitter air.
He should've felt humiliated, but instead, there was something strangely intimate about Jaehyun's silent vigilance, the way his broad shoulders blocked anyone else’s view, like this was something private between them.
When Doyoung stumbled back toward camp, Jaehyun didn’t acknowledge him, just pivoted smoothly toward the fire, kicking snow over the embers to bank them for the night. But Doyoung noticed the way the sergeant’s shoulders relaxed minutely, the tension bleeding from his frame now that Doyoung was back within his line of sight.
The wind howled through the trees, slicing through Doyoung’s layers like paper. He hugged himself, shivering violently, his teeth chattering loud enough to draw Jaehyun’s sharp glance. "G-getting c-cold, Sergeant," Doyoung admitted through numb lips, watching his breath crystallize in the air between them.
Jaehyun’s jaw tightened as he surveyed Doyoung’s trembling form, taking in the way his shoulders hunched inward, the way his fingers curled uselessly inside the borrowed gloves. Without a word, he jerked his chin toward their tent. his tent, technically, but now theirs, his voice gruff. "Go. Before you turn blue"
Doyoung immediately walked into the tent, his body still trembling from the cold. The confined space smelled overwhelmingly of pine resin and Jaehyun, that sharp, musky scent that clung to the sergeant, he yanked off his boots by the tents entrance.
He curled himself on the soft thin single mattress on the tent floor, burying his nose into the too-large gloves still wrapped around his hands, inhaling deeply as if the scent could warm him from the inside out. Outside, he could hear Jaehyun barking final orders at the recruits, his voice rough with exhaustion but still commanding.
The tent flap rustled violently as Jaehyun shoved his way inside, bringing with him a gust of freezing wind that made Doyoung instinctively curl tighter, pulling the blanket over his whole body, "Still shaking?" Jaehyun grunted, his voice low and rough as he yanked off his boots with unnecessary force.
Doyoung peeled open one eye just in time to see the sergeant strip off his outermost layer, the fabric damp with melted snow, muscles flexing beneath his thermal shirt as he tossed it aside with a wet slap against the tent wall.
"Still breathing?" Jaehyun asked gruffly, his voice lower now that they were alone, stripped of its parade-ground bark. Doyoung nodded into the gloves still pressed over his nose, watching through the gap in his blanket as Jaehyun knelt beside the makeshift cot, close enough that Doyoung could see the pulse jumping in his throat, smell the pine resin clinging to his sweat-damp hair.
Jaehyun exhaled sharply through his nose, nostrils flaring as he took in Doyoung's curled form. "Christ, you're still shivering." His calloused fingertips brushed Doyoung's wrist where it peeked from the blanket, testing the temperature there, too cold, "fuck," he muttered under his breath, the word rough with something Doyoung couldn't name.
Doyoung swallowed hard, the gloves still pressed to his lips muffling his shaky exhale. "S-sergeant, it's okay, i will cool down soon," he lied through chattering teeth, curling his toes against the numbness creeping up his feet "You need to sleep—"
"How can i sleep when you're shaking like a leaf?" Jaehyun growled, yanking the blanket down just enough to expose Doyoung's flushed face. His thumb swiped roughly across Doyoung's cheekbone, gauging the chill there. "You're freezing through three layers, do you get that? You could get hypothermia"
Doyoung shrank back instinctively, but Jaehyun's grip on his wrist tightened, not painfully, just enough to still his trembling. "I-I'm fine," he lied, but his traitorous body shuddered violently against the cold thin mattress.
Jaehyun made a low, frustrated noise in his throat, his breath fogging between them as he yanked off his own jacket with rough, jerky movements. The thermal shirt beneath clung to his sweat-damp skin, outlining every ridge of muscle as he shoved the heavy fabric toward Doyoung's chest. "Put this on," he ordered, voice gravel-rough. "Now." When Doyoung hesitated, Jaehyun's jaw twitched. "That's not a suggestion, Private."
The jacket smelled overwhelmingly of Jaehyun, gun oil, pine resin, and something darker, muskier, as Doyoung reluctantly shrugged into it, the material swallowing his smaller frame. Heat radiated from the lining where Jaehyun's body had warmed it, seeping through Doyoung's frozen layers.
"Better?" Jaehyun demanded, looming over him with his arms crossed, biceps straining against his sleeves. His nostrils flared when Doyoung nodded silently, fingers curling into the too-long cuffs. "Then stop looking at me like I'm going to bite you."
Doyoung swallowed hard, watching Jaehyun's throat work as he knelt to rummage through his pack. The sergeant's back flexed beneath his thin undershirt, damp patches clinging between his shoulder blades. When Jaehyun turned back, he tossed a thermal blanket at Doyoung's chest with unnecessary force.
"You're so..." Jaehyun trailed off, jaw clenching as Doyoung fumbled with the blanket, his borrowed gloves slipping on the packaging. The sergeant exhaled sharply through his nose before ripping it open himself, his knuckles brushing Doyoung's collarbone as he shook out the crinkling material. "Useless," he muttered, but the word lacked its usual edge.
Doyoung's fingers curled in Jaehyun's jacket sleeves, the scent of gunpowder and sweat flooding his senses. "Couldn't have lasted a day without you," he admitted quietly, watching Jaehyun's hands still against the blanket. The sergeant's breathing hitched audibly, just once, before he yanked the thermal material up to Doyoung's chin with rough efficiency.
"Don't say shit like that," Jaehyun growled, but his palm lingered against Doyoung's sternum through the layers, fingers pressing lightly as if checking for a heartbeat. Doyoung arched slightly into the touch, his skin prickling where Jaehyun's thumb brushed the hollow of his throat. The sergeant inhaled sharply through his nose, quick, ragged, before jerking back like he'd been burned.
Doyoung curled his fingers into the thermal blanket, watching Jaehyun's shadow flicker against the tent wall. "Warmer now," he murmured, pressing his cheek against the jacket collar where Jaehyun's scent clung thickest. The admission slipped out before he could stop it, soft, vulnerable. Jaehyun's hands stilled mid-motion where he'd been securing the tent flap, his shoulders hunching visibly beneath his shirt.
The sergeant exhaled sharply through his nose, turning just enough to catch Doyoung watching him in the dim light. "Good," he grunted, the single word rough with something unspoken, His gaze dropped to Doyoung's lips, pink from biting, before jerking away to adjust a non-existent wrinkle in the blanket. "Wouldn't want your pretty face frostbitten."
Doyoung tensed at the unexpected compliment, if it even was one, buried beneath Jaehyun's usual gruffness. "Pretty?" The word slipped out before he could swallow it, his breath hitching when Jaehyun's fingers twitched against the blanket. Too late to take it back now.
Jaehyun froze, his profile sharp in the flickering lantern light, jaw working as if chewing through his next words. "You heard me," he muttered finally, voice lower than before, rough like gravel dragged over skin. "Idols are supposed to be pretty, aren't they?" He laid on his mattress with his back to Doyoung, the tension in his shoulders visible even through the layers of fabric.
Doyoung curled tighter under the blankets, Jaehyun's jacket sleeves swallowing his hands whole as he pressed his nose into the collar. "Yes," he whispered into the dark, pulse fluttering at his throat.
Jaehyun's breathing hitched, just once. before he exhaled slowly through his nose. "Go to sleep, Doyoung." The order lacked its usual bite, softened at the edges by something tired and unfamiliar.
Doyoung hummed softly in response, eyelids already growing heavy with exhaustion, the warmth of Jaehyun's jacket and the steady rhythm of the sergeant's breathing lulling him toward sleep. "M'kay," he mumbled, barely coherent, fingers curling unconsciously into the blanket as his body finally relaxed.
Jaehyun turned slightly, watching the rise and fall of Doyoung's chest through the layers of fabric, listening as his breathing evened out into sleep, still punctuated by occasional shivers.
The firelight filtering through the tent fabric painted gold streaks across Doyoung's cheekbones, fuck, men aren't supposed to look this pretty, Jaehyun thought, his fingers twitching against his thigh where they rested, close enough to touch if he dared. Doyoung sighed in his sleep, nuzzling deeper into the jacket collar like a kitten burrowing into warmth, lips slightly parted, lashes casting shadows down his flushed cheeks.
Jaehyun shifted silently onto his side, the cot creaking under his weight as he propped himself up on one elbow to study the sleeping recruit properly. Moonlight caught on the delicate blue veins visible beneath Doyoung's translucent skin at his temples, the way his pulse fluttered there like a trapped bird.
His breath hitched when Doyoung murmured something unintelligible and curled tighter, knees drawing up almost to his chest, so small, so breakable in Jaehyun's oversized jacket.
The sergeant's fingers twitched toward the stray lock of hair stuck to Doyoung's forehead, damp with melted snow, he remembers the first time Doyoung got in, his hair was buzzcut, and now it had grown slightly longer, soft and reaching just mid forehead, curling slightly at the ends. He looked so pretty like this, vulnerable and trusting in sleep, lips slightly parted around quiet breaths, the kind of pretty that made something primal twist low in Jaehyun's gut.
Jaehyun caught himself fast and looked away, flipping onto his back with enough force to make the cot groan its protest. He stared rigidly at the tent ceiling instead, jaw clenched tight enough to ache.
This was crossing a line, had crossed it the moment he'd handed over his gloves, his jacket, let his thumb brush that fucking pulse point, but Doyoung didn't realize what he was doing to him, curled up in his clothes like he belonged there, smelling like him now.
Jaehyun pressed his palms hard against his closed eyelids until stars burst behind them, discipline, restraint, control, all dissolving into something hot and feral coiling low in his gut. The tent walls pressed in, claustrophobic with Doyoung's quiet breathing, the rustle of fabric as he shifted in sleep.
He'd never hesitated to break recruits before, snapped bones during hand-to-hand drills, left men vomiting from exhaustion, forged soldiers through sheer brutality. But this fragile thing curled in his jacket made his hands tremble with the need to cradle rather than crush, he bringed out something ugly and tender inside him that Jaehyun didn't recognize, something that terrified him more than any battlefield ever had.
----
The first pale light of dawn painted Doyoung's sleeping face in muted golds and blues when Jaehyun finally opened his eyes, having barely slept. He'd spent hours memorizing the hitch of Doyoung's breath when he dreamed, counting each flutter of those too-long lashes against flushed cheeks. Now, watching the slow rise and fall of the recruit's chest beneath his stolen jacket, Jaehyun felt that same dangerous tenderness clawing up his throat.
Doyoung shifted in sleep with a soft sigh, turning toward Jaehyun's warmth unconsciously. One pale hand escaped the blankets, fingers curling limply near the sergeant's face, so close Jaehyun could feel the ghost of body heat radiating from those delicate knuckles. His breath caught when Doyoung's pink lips parted around a sleepy exhale, eyelashes fluttering as dreams played beneath closed lids, so fucking trusting it made Jaehyun's ribs ache.
"Private Kim," Jaehyun sat up and barked, voice rough from sleeplessness, deliberately too loud, anything to drown out the possessive thoughts swirling in his head. Doyoung startled awake with a gasp, spine arching off the thin mattress, eyes flying open to meet Jaehyun's face hovering too close above him in the gray dawn light.
Doyoung's sleepy confusion melted into something softer when he registered Jaehyun, fingers curling instinctively into the sergeant's jacket still wrapped around him, and god, that possessive ache flared bright again, seeing him wrapped in Jaehyun's scent, his clothes, his protection. "Sergeant?" Doyoung murmured, voice thick with sleep, blinking up at him with those wide, trusting eyes that made Jaehyun's pulse stutter.
Jaehyun braced one hand on either side of Doyoung's head, caging him in without touching, close enough to feel the recruit's panicked exhale ghost across his lips. "Wake Up," he murmured, each word deliberate, watching Doyoung's throat bob as he swallowed hard, lashes fluttering.
Doyoung blinked up at him, lips parted. "I—I'm awake," he stammered, voice still rough with sleep, fingers tightening unconsciously in the fabric still wrapped around him.
Jaehyun leaned down further, close enough now that Doyoung could feel the warmth radiating off his body, could see the way his pupils swallowed his irises whole. "Good," he growled, low and dangerous. "Because today I'm not going to be gentle with you."
Doyoung swallowed hard, fingers twisting in the jacket sleeves as Jaehyun's breath ghosted hot across his lips. The sergeant didn't move away, didn't blink, just held him there pinned beneath that dark, hungry gaze that made Doyoung's stomach swoop violently. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Jaehyun stood abruptly, the sudden movement making Doyoung flinch. The cold morning air rushed between them where the sergeant's body heat had been moments before, leaving Doyoung shivering despite the borrowed jacket. "Get up," Jaehyun ordered, turning toward the tent flap with military precision, his broad shoulders blocking out the dawn light as he spoke over his shoulder. "We're running the ridge trail today"
"Uhhh okay-no I mean Yes Sergeant!" Doyoung immediately scrambled to sit up, untangling himself clumsily from the blankets and thermal wrap, his fingers numb and fumbling as he peeled off Jaehyun's jacket, still warm from his body heat, still smelling like gunpowder and pine resin and that musk that made Doyoung's pulse flutter.
"Here..." Doyoung held out the jacket with both hands, arms extended stiffly, his shoulders hunched forward as if bracing for impact, eyes fixed stubbornly on the tent floor rather than Jaehyun's face. The sergeant turned slowly, his gaze dropping to the offered garment, to Doyoung's fingers trembling against the fabric where they clutched it too tight.
Jaehyun didn't take it immediately. He studied Doyoung's bent head instead, the way his hair fell forward to obscure his face, the flush creeping up his neck, something fragile and possessive twisted sharply in his chest. When he finally reached out, his fingers brushed Doyoung's gloved knuckles deliberately, lingering just a second too long before tugging the jacket free.
Doyoung's breath hitched audibly at the contact, fingers twitching against empty air before curling into fists at his sides. The scent of Jaehyun still clung to his borrowed gloves, his clothes, his skin, dizzying and intimate. He risked a glance upward only to find Jaehyun watching him with that same unreadable intensity, the jacket hanging loosely from his fingertips like an afterthought.
"I will wake the others," Jaehyun said abruptly, shrugging into his jacket with unnecessary force, fabric rustling loud in the tense silence. He paused at the tent flap, shoulders stiff beneath the material, "if you want breakfast, you should hurry." His voice carried its usual edge.
Doyoung caught the unspoken warning beneath the words 'don't make me wait'. He scrambled for his boots, fingers clumsy with lingering sleep and something else, something warmer that pooled low in his belly at Jaehyun's lingering gaze. "Yes, Sergeant," he muttered, tugging the laces too tight.
Outside the tent, frost cracked under Jaehyun's boots as he paced the perimeter, his breath fogging in sharp bursts.
"Up! Now!" Jaehyun barked as he kicked the base of one of the Privates tent, the fabric shuddering violently under the impact. "You've got thirty seconds before I start dumping water on sleeping bags." Inside, groans and muffled curses erupted as bodies scrambled in the dark, boots thudding against tent floors, zippers yanking open too fast, elbows knocking into ribs in the cramped space.
Doyoung flinched at the sudden noise outside, fingers freezing mid-lace as Jaehyun's voice cut through the morning chill like a whip crack "yahh! Kim Minseok! If I see you rub your eyes one more time, you'll be doing push-ups until lunch!" The sharp reprimand carried an undercurrent of something darker, something that hadn't been there when Jaehyun had spoken to him moments ago in their tent.
One of the privates stumbled out of his tent still half-asleep, uniform wrinkled and boots untied, only to freeze when Jaehyun's shadow loomed over him. "Did I say you could dress like a homeless civilian?" Jaehyun's boot hooked under Park's knee, sending him crashing into the frost-covered ground with a pained grunt. Doyoung watched through the tent flap as Jaehyun planted one foot on Park's back, leaning down with predatory grace "Tie. Your. Boots."
Doyoung flinched when Jaehyun's head snapped toward his tent, but the sergeant's glare softened momentarily, just long enough for Doyoung to catch the flicker of something warmer beneath the discipline. "Kim," Jaehyun barked, though the edge had dulled, "you gonna huddle in there all day?"
In a few seconds Doyoung was out standing in the queue, he heard Jaehyun announce "Alright maggots, breakfast is in 10 minutes, but first we've got some drills to warm you up."
Doyoung risked glancing at Jaehyun's face, the sergeant's jaw was set tight, but when their eyes met for a fleeting second, Jaehyun's gaze lingered just a fraction too long before he gruffly turned away. "Private Choi, you're leading the warm-ups," Jaehyun barked, stepping back to observe.
The wind bit through Doyoung's thin uniform as they formed ranks, his fingers stiffening inside Jaehyun's gloves, gloves he'd forgotten to return, and the sergeant hadn't demanded back.
"Double-time formation!" Choi barked, sending the recruits scrambling into position, except Doyoung, who stumbled when Jaehyun's glove caught on a loose thread of his sleeve, jerking him off-balance mid-turn. The sergeant's shadow fell over him before hands gripped his waist from behind, correcting his stance with bruising precision.
"Left foot forward, Private," Jaehyun growled into his ear, the heat of his chest pressing flush against Doyoung's back for one breathless second before shoving him forward into line.
Doyoung's pulse hammered against his ribs as they launched into the first drill a brutal series of jumping squats that had his thighs burning within minutes, fuck, he hated these, hated how his knees wobbled with each descent, how sweat already slicked his palms inside Jaehyun's gloves. The sergeant prowled the formation like a caged predator, his boot landing sharp against Choi's calf when he slacked "Higher jumps or I'll make you hold this position till sunset" before circling behind Doyoung with calculated intent.
Doyoung flinched when Jaehyun's hands gripped his hips mid-squat, fingers digging into bone as he forcibly adjusted his stance "Your form's shit," he growled low enough for only Doyoung to hear, thumbs pressing into the dip of his pelvis with possessive precision.
The sergeant didn't let go even after correcting him, maintaining bruising contact through three more squats, each descent sending heat coiling tight in Doyoung's gut as Jaehyun's breath hitched against his nape.
"Keep your shoulders level," Jaehyun muttered against Doyoung's ear when he wobbled again, voice rough with something that wasn't anger, his hands sliding up to grip Doyoung's ribcage beneath the pretense of posture correction. The sergeant's thumbs pressed into the spaces between his ribs where his heart hammered wild and rabbit-fast, fingers splaying wide enough to nearly span his entire torso.
Then, abruptly, Jaehyun released him and turned away, stalking toward another Private who'd collapsed forward with hands braced on trembling knees. "You call that a squat?" He hauled the boy upright by his collar, ignoring the whimper of protest. Doyoung's skin burned where Jaehyun's fingers had been seconds ago, his breath coming too fast as he watched the sergeant manhandle the other soldier into proper form, rough corrections delivered with none of the lingering intimacy he'd shown Doyoung.
The contrast sent heat flooding down Doyoung's neck, Jaehyun wasn't pressing close to breathe against their napes, wasn't sliding possessive hands along their ribs under the guise of instruction, just brutal efficiency devoid of that unspoken tension. Doyoung swallowed hard, knees nearly buckling when the sergeant suddenly snapped his head back toward him mid-reprimand, dark eyes locking onto Doyoung's flushed face with predatory focus, like he'd sensed the weight of that stare from twenty feet away.
Finally after what felt like hours, Jaehyun dismissed them for breakfast. The recruits stumbled toward the mess tent in exhausted silence, shoulders hunched against the wind that whipped down from the higher ridges.
When Doyoung reached for his ration pack, the sergeant materialized beside him, pressing a second protein bar into his palm without breaking stride. "Eat both," he murmured, too low for others to hear, Before Doyoung could protest, Jaehyun was already barking orders at another private, the moment swallowed by the chaos of the mess line.
The ascent began before breakfast settled, Jaehyun marching them single-file up a narrow deer trail where loose shale shifted treacherously underfoot. Doyoung's breath came in ragged bursts as he scrambled after the sergeant's broad back, thighs burning from earlier drills, how long is this gonna be? He wondered, fingers flexing inside Jaehyun's gloves where they gripped outcrops for balance.
The floor was uneven, hard to walk on, guess this was what the training is about, Doyoung thought as he struggled to follow the others, they were carrying full bags on their backs, it left them slightly unstable, and even worse for Doyoung, who was still recovering from climbing the steep hill before.
Jaehyun abruptly halted the formation atop a windswept ridge, unclipping a folded topographical map from his belt with military precision. "Listen up," he barked over the gusting wind, unfolding the creased paper with a sharp flick of his wrist to reveal a labyrinth of contour lines marked with red circles.
"These flagged sectors contain hidden supply caches, your survival depends on finding them before nightfall." His boot scuffed a deliberate line through the shale, dividing the group in half. "Pair up with the same partner you shared tents with last night, move fast, think faster." The recruits exchanged glances, some groaning at being stuck with disliked tentmates while others smirked at friends.
Doyoung's pulse stuttered as Jaehyun's gaze cut unerringly toward him through the scattering privates, the sergeant's fingers tightening around the map edges when their eyes locked "come on, Private kim! Stop gawking like a lost puppy!"
Doyoung stumbled forward, nearly tripping over loose shale as he closed the distance, his tongue sticking to the roof of his dry mouth when Jaehyun gave him another one of those indecipherable stares. "S-Sergeant," he whispered, fingers twitching at his sides, unsure if he was supposed to salute or take the damned map or—
"Read it properly," Jaehyun muttered, shoving the map into Doyoung's chest hard enough to make him gasp, their fingers brushing under the pretense of transferring the paper. The sergeant's thumb dug into the soft flesh between Doyoung's gloved knuckles for a heartbeat too long before he stepped back, shoulders rigid. "Coordinates are marked in grids, not landmarks. Can your idol brain handle basic navigation?"
Doyoung's cheeks burned as he fumbled with the map, fingers trembling where Jaehyun's touch still lingered. "I—I can read topography," he whispered, tracing a shaky line along the closest contour. "This ridge drops sixty meters southwest before the forest starts. Cache should be...here?" His fingertip hovered over a red circle near a river bend, glancing up through his lashes for approval.
Jaehyun's jaw tightened when Doyoung's analysis proved unsettlingly accurate, he'd expected the former idol to falter, to need his hands guided across the map like some helpless civilian. Instead, Doyoung's delicate fingers moved with quiet certainty, pinpointing the steepest descent route with startling precision. "Correct," he ground out, begrudging, watching Doyoung's lips part in surprise at the rare praise.
"Really?" Doyoung breathed, eyes widening like Jaehyun had handed him a medal instead of basic validation. His fingers curled tighter around the map's edges, crinkling the paper where his grip trembled, he smiled up at Jaehyun, an actual goddamn smile, small and uncertain but there, lighting up his face in a way that made the sergeant's chest clench violently.
Jaehyun's throat tightened at the sight, that fragile hope in Doyoung's expression, like he'd been starving for approval his entire life and Jaehyun had just tossed him scraps. "Don't let it go to your head," he growled, stepping closer until their boots nearly touched, crowding Doyoung against the cliff face behind them, "you're still the weakest recruit in this unit."
Doyoung's breath hitched, but he didn't cower like Jaehyun expected, instead, he tilted his chin up stubbornly, still clutching the map like a lifeline between them. "But i'm improving," he countered softly, eyes flicking to Jaehyun's right shoulder where snowflakes had collected on the epaulette, bold enough to argue but not brave enough to meet his gaze head-on.
Jaehyun's boots crunched backwards through the snow-dusted shale as he led them toward the river bend marking their first cache location, the sun was setting, casting long shadows that made the terrain deceptive.
"Step where I step," he barked over his shoulder without turning, hearing Doyoung's uneven footfalls falter behind him. The sergeant slowed imperceptibly when the slope steepened, planting each boot deliberately deeper to leave clear imprints for Doyoung to follow, a concession he'd never make for other recruits.
"I will, Sergeant," Doyoung murmured, watching the way Jaehyun's shoulders flexed as he tested each foothold before shifting his weight forward. The fading light painted the sergeant's sharp profile in bruised purples and long shadows, his breath visible in quick bursts as he navigated the treacherous descent.
Jaehyun paused abruptly when Doyoung's boot skidded on a loose rock, half-turning with a glare that softened when he saw the panic flash across Doyoung's face. The sergeant flicked on his tactical torch with a sharp click, the beam cutting through the gathering darkness to illuminate the path ahead. "Eyes on your feet, Private," he muttered, angling the light deliberately to highlight the safest route down. "Not on me."
"It's harder to see the footholds now," Doyoung admitted quietly, fingers brushing the cliff face for balance as he stepped carefully into the pool of light Jaehyun created, he pressed his front against Jaehyun's back instinctively when the wind howled up the ravine, his nose bumping against the sergeant's shoulder blade.
Jaehyun stiffened at the sudden contact, his grip tightening around the torch as he twisted to face Doyoung, the beam swinging wildly across the rocks. "Where's your torch, Private?" he demanded, voice rough with frustration that didn't match the way his free hand came up to steady Doyoung's waist automatically.
Doyoung's lips parted in genuine shock, fingers flying to his empty belt where the tactical torch should've been clipped. "I—the tent," he stammered, remembering the moment he'd unclipped it to adjust his jacket that morning, left forgotten in his frantic scramble to keep up. "I must've—"
"Must've what?" Jaehyun cut in, voice sharp enough to make Doyoung flinch, the torch beam jerking upward to illuminate his widening eyes. The sergeant's fingers dug into Doyoung's hipbone through the thick fabric of his uniform, pressing hard enough to bruise as he stepped closer, forcing Doyoung back against the cold stone. "Forgot? Are we playing hiking games, Private?" His breath fogged between them, the torchlight casting shadows that made his fury look monstrous.
Doyoung swallowed hard, throat clicking dryly as he stared up at Jaehyun's livid expression, the way veins stood out along his temple. "I'm Sorry, Sergeant jung," he whispered, fingers scrabbling uselessly against the cliffside. "I don't know how i could forget—"
"Save your excuses," Jaehyun hissed, leaning in until their foreheads nearly touched, torchlight flickering between them. His breath smelled faintly of the protein bar he'd forced into Doyoung's palm hours ago. "What if this wasn't training?" His voice dropped dangerously low, thumb pressing into the hollow of Doyoung's hipbone. "What if I wasn't here? How long would you last alone in these mountains?"
Doyoung's pulse fluttered visibly at his throat, lashes casting spiderweb shadows across his cheeks as he swallowed hard. "I—I don't know," he admitted in a broken whisper, fingers curling into fists against the rocks. Something vulnerable flashed in his eyes when he dared to glance up, not fear of punishment, but genuine shame at having disappointed him. "But you are here."
Jaehyun's grip slackened infinitesimally at the quiet admission, the torch beam trembling slightly as conflicting impulses warred behind his glare. "That's not the point," he growled, though his voice had lost its razor edge. His thumb rubbed unconsciously over the fabric at Doyoung's hip where he still held him pinned, the motion more comforting than punishing now. "Survival isn't about relying on others, you're here to learn self-reliance."
Doyoung exhaled shakily, breath ghosting against Jaehyun's collar where their closeness trapped it between them. "I know and I will try harder," he whispered, fingers twitching against the cold rock at his back. His lashes lowered, obscuring whatever flickered in his gaze, submission or defiance, as he added softly, "But i'm glad you're my partner, I wouldn't have made it this far without you."
Jaehyun's torch beam wavered as Doyoung's words landed like a grenade in the silence between them. The sergeant's grip tightened again, pressing Doyoung harder against the cliff face, the jagged edges biting through his uniform as Jaehyun leaned in close enough for their noses to brush.
"You're not supposed to say shit like that to me," Jaehyun growled, but his voice cracked halfway through, raw, exposed. His free hand came up to fist in the front of Doyoung's jacket, the fabric still carrying his scent from when he'd forced his own jacket on him onto him last night. The torchlight flickered over Doyoung's parted lips, the vulnerable dip of his throat. "I could break you in half out here and no one would ever find the pieces."
Doyoung didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head back against the rock, baring his throat further, eyes dark and unreadable in the erratic light. "You won't," he murmured, so quiet the wind nearly stole it. His fingers twitched where they pressed against the stone, not pushing Jaehyun away, not pulling him closer. Just...waiting. "You keep saving me instead."
Jaehyun's breath hitched audibly, the torch clattering to the ground as his hands spasmed against Doyoung's jacket. The sudden darkness plunged them into intimate closeness, their harsh breaths mingling in the cold air. "Fuck," Jaehyun snarled. His entire body trembled with the effort of restraint, legs bracketing Doyoung's like a cage. "You don't know what you're doing to me."
Doyoung shifted instinctively against him, lips brushing Jaehyun's stubble when he whispered, "I think I do." The admission hung between them, fragile as the first snowfall. Jaehyun made a wounded noise in his throat, fingers digging into Doyoung's waist hard enough to leave fingerprints beneath the layers.
The torchlight flickered where it had rolled against a rock, casting jagged shadows across Jaehyun's clenched jaw. "You—" His voice broke as Doyoung pressed closer in the dark, their thighs slotting together through thick fatigues. "Christ, you're gonna get us both court-martialed."
Doyoung's fingers found Jaehyun's neck in the dark, tracing the pounding pulse there with featherlight pressure that made the sergeant shudder violently. "Then court-martial me," he breathed against Jaehyun's parted lips, voice trembling with something between defiance and surrender. The wind howled past them, stealing the words but not the heat of their bodies pressed together in the cliffside shadows.
Jaehyun's nose brushed Doyoung's as he inhaled sharply, their foreheads knocking together when he jerked forward unintentionally, drawn in like a magnet. "You don't—" His voice cracked as Doyoung's hands slowly slid up to hold his cheeks, his thumb swept slowly against his cheekbone, "—know what you're asking for." The sergeant's hands spasmed against Doyoung's hips, caught between shoving him away and yanking him closer.
Doyoung exhaled shakily, their lips hovering centimeters apart, his breath warm against Jaehyun's mouth. "I know exactly what I'm asking, sir," he whispered, the honorific curling around them like a provocation. His fingers trembled where they cupped Jaehyun's jaw, pressing closer despite the sergeant's rigid stillness.
Doyoung glanced down at Jaehyun's lips, chapped from the cold, slightly parted, then up at his dark, wild eyes, hesitated, then leaned in and pressed their mouths together in a soft, trembling kiss. It barely lasted a second, featherlight and uncertain, before he jerked back, breath hitching as though he'd shocked himself.
His fingers dug into Jaehyun's shoulders, whether to push him away or pull him closer wasn't clear, but the sergeant stood frozen, unmoving, his breath trapped somewhere between his ribs as Doyoung's lips lingered for that impossible second, soft and uncertain and achingly warm against his own.
Doyoung's pulse visibly hammering at his throat where Jaehyun could see it, smell it, practically taste it in the suffocating closeness between them. "I—" Doyoung stammered, fingers spasming against Jaehyun's shoulders, "I shouldn't have—"
"Yes, you fucking shouldn't have," Jaehyun whispered back, pressing him harder against the rock, as if the innocent simple kiss had undone his last restraint, Doyoung gasped as Jaehyun suddenly kissed him back, not soft and unsure, but hot and thirsty, Jaehyun's lips pressed against his like he wanted to devour him, his tongue forcing its way inside, tasting him roughly, Doyoung shuddered, hands clutching his shoulders as Jaehyun growled against his lips, "you think this is how you kiss?", his voice rough and strained as he kissed him again, deeper this time, nipping at Doyoung's lower lip before sucking it into his mouth.
Doyoung whimpered, fingers digging into Jaehyun's jacket, overwhelmed by the intensity, his knees buckling slightly as Jaehyun pinned him harder against the rock, the sergeant's hands gripping his hips tight enough to bruise, "you want me to teach you?", Jaehyun murmured against his lips, voice low and dangerous, "show you what a real kiss feels like?", his breath scorching hot against Doyoung's wet mouth.
Doyoung nodded shakily, lips parted, breath coming in ragged gasps as Jaehyun tilted his head slightly, "then open your mouth wider," he commanded, thumb pressing hard against Doyoung's chin, forcing his jaw to slacken, "and don't you dare pull away," before claiming his mouth again, tongue sliding deep in slow, deliberate strokes, savoring the startled little moan that vibrated against his lips.
Jaehyun's grip shifted, one hand fisting in Doyoung's ice cap while the other kept his hips pinned against the rock, their teeth clashing as he deepened the kiss with a guttural noise that vibrated through Doyoung's chest. "Breathe through your nose," Jaehyun growled against his lips before licking back inside, the taste of Doyoung's startled moan flooding his senses like adrenaline.
"Ah- S-sergeant" Doyoung gasped when Jaehyun bit down on his lower lip, the sharp pain melting into liquid heat as the older man soothed it with his tongue. His fingers twisted desperately in Jaehyun's jacket when the sergeant's hand slid from his hip to the small of his back, pressing their bodies flush together with a groan that vibrated through Doyoung's chest.
Jaehyun broke the kiss only to trail wet, open-mouthed bites along Doyoung's jawline, pausing to suck a bruise beneath his ear that made Doyoung's knees buckle. "Quiet," he snarled against the younger man's throat, fingers digging into Doyoung's thigh to hitch his leg around his waist as they stumbled against the cliff face. "You want the whole mountain to hear?"
Doyoung barely recognized his own voice, high, breathless, as he arched into the sergeant's grip, the rough fabric of Jaehyun's uniform chafing his inner thighs where they'd ridden up. His gasp echoed against the rocks when Jaehyun's teeth scraped his collarbone through the thin thermal layer, blunt nails raking down his spine beneath the jacket.
Jaehyun's ragged breaths sounded like gunfire in Doyoung's ear, his fingers tightening around Doyoung's wrist when he tried to touch him back. "Keep your hands where I can see them," he growled, pressing Doyoung's palm flat against the freezing stone above his head, pinning it there with his own.
Doyoung's lips trembled, still swollen from the sergeant's mouth. "Why?" he whispered, fingers twitching against the rock, pulse hammering where Jaehyun's thumb pressed into his wrist. "Are you afraid of what I'll do if you let me touch you?"
Jaehyun's grip spasmed, his ragged exhale steaming against Doyoung's flushed cheek. "I'm afraid of what I'll let you do," he admitted through clenched teeth, the confession tearing out of him like shrapnel. His knee slid between Doyoung's thighs, pressing up hard enough to wring a gasp from the younger man's kiss-reddened lips.
The crunch of boots on gravel froze them both mid-breath. Jaehyun's head snapped toward the sound, his body automatically shielding Doyoung against the cliff face as distant voices carried on the wind, indistinct but growing closer. Doyoung's fingers dug into Jaehyun's shoulder, his ragged exhale warm against the sergeant's neck. "Sir..."
"Quiet." Jaehyun's whisper was barely audible, his hand clamping over Doyoung's mouth as he listened to the rhythmic crunch of snow. The footsteps paused. too close, then veered left toward the riverbank where their torchlight still faintly flickered against the rocks. Jaehyun's pulse hammered against Doyoung's back where their clothed bodies were still flush.
Doyoung's breath hitched beneath Jaehyun's palm, his lips brushing the sergeant's calloused skin with each shallow inhale. "Where the fuck is that located place?" came a gruff voice from the riverbank below, it was a lazy private that Jaehyun recognized instantly from the nasal whine. "That jung bastard better not have led us on another wild goose chase," another muttered, their flashlight beams sweeping the rocks where the torch still flickered.
Jaehyun's hand twitched against Doyoung's mouth, his other arm tightening like a steel band around the younger man's waist as he listened to the recruits blunder closer to their discarded equipment. His breath came in sharp, silent bursts against Doyoung's temple, not fear, but white-hot fury at the interruption, at their incompetence, at the way Doyoung's body still trembled against him with unspent tension.
Doyoung whimpered against Jaehyun's palm when the sergeant's knee pressed higher between his thighs, the rough fabric of his fatigues dragging against sensitive skin with exquisite friction. "Stay quiet," Jaehyun breathed directly into his ear, the command laced with dark promise as his fingers curled possessively around Doyoung's hipbone. "I will move off you, but if you make a single fucking sound, I'll make you regret it."
Doyoung nodded frantically against Jaehyun's palm, his exhale hot and uneven as the sergeant peeled himself away inch by torturous inch, first the knee between his thighs, then the hand clamped over his mouth, finally the full weight of his body pressing him into the cliffside.
Jaehyun's fingers lingered a beat too long on Doyoung's hipbone before wrenching away entirely, leaving the younger man swaying against the rock without his anchor.
The sergeant snatched up the fallen torch with a vicious twist of his wrist, fingers tightening around the metal casing until his knuckles turned white, just as one of the privates' flashlight beams swept across his boots.
"Is that—fuck, Sergeant Jung?" The nasal voice cracked mid-sentence, the beam jerking upward to illuminate Jaehyun's granite expression. The sergeant didn't blink against the harsh light, letting them see the full fury in his eyes as he stepped forward, his shadow swallowing Doyoung whole where he straightened his uniform with trembling hands behind him.
"You called me a bastard?" Jaehyun's voice was silk-wrapped steel, his grip tightening around the torch like he wanted to crush it. "Say it again. To my face."
The privates froze, their own flashlights trembling in their hands. One swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as Jaehyun advanced like a stormfront. "S-sergeant, we didn't—"
"Didn't what?" Jaehyun interrupted, close enough now that his breath fogged against the nearest private's face, close enough that Doyoung, still pressed against the cliffside behind him, could see the dangerous flex of his shoulders beneath the uniform. "Didn't think I'd hear you? Or didn't think I'd care?" His torchlight flickered over their pale faces. "Guess again. Fifty laps around the barracks tomorrow, with full packs."
The privates exchanged panicked glances, fifty laps would cripple them, but Jaehyun wasn't finished. "And since you're so keen on discussing my leadership," he added, voice dropping to a lethal murmur, "you'll do it after lights out. No headlamps. Let's see how well you navigate in the dark." One of them opened his mouth to protest, but Jaehyun's knuckles cracked audibly around the torch.
Doyoung watched from the shadows, his bottom lip still tender where Jaehyun had bitten it, as the sergeant turned his back on the spluttering recruits with deliberate dismissal. "Private Kim," Jaehyun snapped without looking at him, his voice rough-edged in a way that made Doyoung's stomach flip. "We're wasting moonlight." He strode forward into the darkness, leaving Doyoung scrambling to follow, their earlier intimacy crackling between them like live wire.
The crunch of gravel beneath their boots felt unnaturally loud as they left the privates behind, the tension coiling tighter with each step. "Sir," Doyoung ventured when they'd cleared earshot, his voice cracking on the syllable.
Jaehyun's stride hitched imperceptibly, but he didn't slow. "About—about what happened back there—"
"Didn't happen." The sergeant's interruption was glacial, his profile carved from stone in the moonlight. His knuckles whitened around the map case. "You hallucinated from oxygen deprivation. Understood?"
Doyoung swallowed hard, fingers tightening around his own torch. The lie settled between them like fresh snowfall, thin, fragile, already melting at the edges where Jaehyun's gaze kept flickering to his swollen lips. "Understood, sir," he murmured, though his voice shook slightly on the honorific.
Jaehyun's jaw clenched, the torchlight catching the rapid pulse in his throat as they descended the rocky path in charged silence. "Good," he bit out finally, tone clipped, professional, but his gloved hand shot out instinctively when Doyoung stumbled on loose scree, lingering half a second too long before wrenching away.
After they finished the mission, they went down back to their campsite, they had just finished dinner, it was sleeping time, but neither of them could sleep, they were inside their shared tent, laying down side by side, the air between them was thick with tension and unsaid words.
Doyoung shivered slightly, pulling his thin blanket tighter around himself, his breath puffing out in small white clouds in the cold night air, the silence between them deafening. His fingers fidgeted with the hem of his thermal shirt, lips parted like he wanted to speak, but no sound came out, just a faint exhale, uneven and shaky.
Jaehyun lay rigid beside him, staring at the tent ceiling "You're cold again? It's a wonder you survived basic training," he growled, too harsh, too fast, like he'd been waiting for Doyoung's shiver as an excuse to bark.
Doyoung's fingers stilled on his blanket "My socks got wet during the river crossing," he whispered, pulse hammering at the base of his throat where Jaehyun could see it.
Jaehyun exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound closer to a frustrated growl than a sigh. "Christ, kid," he muttered, rolling onto his side to face Doyoung with a creak of protesting canvas. "You're gonna fucking freeze to death before morning if you don't—" His jaw clicked shut mid-sentence, nostrils flaring at Doyoung's violent shiver. "Get over here."
Doyoung's breath hitched audibly, fingers tightening around his blanket. "S-sir?" The question trembled between them, his teeth chattering on the syllable as another full-body shudder wracked his frame.
"Don't make me repeat myself, Private." Jaehyun's voice was gravel rough, the command leaving no room for disobedience as he yanked his own sleeping bag open with a violent jerk of his arm. The fabric rustled like a threat in the quiet tent. "Now."
Doyoung hesitated only a second before scrambling forward, his cold fingers brushing Jaehyun's chest through the thin thermal layer as he slid into the offered space. The sergeant inhaled sharply at the contact, his body radiating furnace heat that made Doyoung's toes curl instinctively toward the warmth. "You're fucking freezing," Jaehyun muttered, more observation than reprimand, his arm coming down like a steel bar across Doyoung's back to haul him closer.
The sudden proximity made them both stiffen, Doyoung's breath catching against Jaehyun's collarbone, Jaehyun's fingers flexing spasmodically against the younger man's back. "Relax," the sergeant ordered gruffly, though his own pulse hammered visibly beneath the stubble along his jaw. "Bodies retain heat better in close contact. Standard survival protocol." The explanation sounded rehearsed, even to him, his voice dropping half an octave lower than necessary.
Doyoung exhaled shakily, the warmth of his breath seeping through Jaehyun's thermal shirt. "yes, sir," he whispered, his hand were trapped between their bodies, fingers curled uncertainly against Jaehyun's ribs. The sergeant's heartbeat thundered beneath his palm, erratic and too fast for a man who never showed fear.
"Stop squirming," Jaehyun growled, tightening his grip on Doyoung's hip, too hard, too possessive, before forcibly relaxing his fingers with visible effort. His breath hitched when Doyoung's knee brushed against his thigh, the accidental contact sending electricity crackling between them. "Christ, I won't be able to sleep if you keep—" His voice cracked as Doyoung shifted again, their bodies aligning perfectly in the cramped space.
"Sorry, sir," Doyoung murmured, but he didn't pull away, his cold nose brushing Jaehyun's throat in a way that made the sergeant's breath stutter "I won't move again." His promise was barely more than a whisper, lips hovering dangerously close to Jaehyun's pulse point as he adjusted one final time, not away, but deeper into the embrace, his knee slotting between Jaehyun's thighs with unconscious intimacy, his hands now curled loosely around the sergeant's waistband. The warmth seeped into his bones, turning his shivers into slow, melting sighs against Jaehyun's collarbone.
Jaehyun's grip spasmed against Doyoung's hip, his exhale ragged as the younger man settled against him like he belonged there, Doyoung for the first time in his entire military service, felt safe enough to let his eyes drift shut. "Warmer?" Jaehyun muttered against the crown of Doyoung's head, his voice gruff but unmistakably tender where no one else could hear. Doyoung hummed in affirmation, nose nuzzling unconsciously into the hollow of Jaehyun's throat where his pulse jumped erratically.
The sergeant's breath hitched when Doyoung's lips brushed his collarbone, accident or intention, neither could tell, his fingers flexing against the small of the younger man's back. "You... you smell good," Doyoung murmured drowsily, the confession slipping out in the hazy space between wakefulness and sleep, his fingers curling tighter in Jaehyun's shirt. The words sent a visceral shudder through the sergeant's body, his arms tightening instinctively around Doyoung's slender frame.
Jaehyun's thumb traced slow circles against Doyoung's spine through the fabric, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. "You'd better be asleep right now, Private." The threat lacked all bite, his lips grazing Doyoung's forehead as he spoke, lingering too long to be accidental. Doyoung's answering hum vibrated against Jaehyun's sternum, his knee pressing higher between the sergeant's thighs in a way that drew a sharp inhale.
"You're not sleeping," Jaehyun accused, fingers tightening in Doyoung's thermal shirt. Doyoung's eyelashes fluttered against his throat when he tilted his head up, moonlight catching the curve of his parted lips.
"Neither are you, sir." The honorific dripped like honey from his tongue, thick with something far more dangerous than respect. Jaehyun's exhale shuddered out between them, his grip shifting to cradle the back of Doyoung's skull.
"Should be." The sergeant's voice had gone gravel-rough, his fingers tangling in dark strands where military regulations demanded a buzz cut. "We're going back to the barracks tomorrow." His thumb traced the shell of Doyoung's ear, a silent contradiction to the forced detachment in his tone.
Doyoung exhaled against Jaehyun's collarbone, lips brushing skin with each syllable. "Can't we stay? Just one more night out here." His fingers crept higher up Jaehyun's ribs, tracing the outline of dog tags beneath fabric.
"Why? You're comfortable freezing to death out here?" Jaehyun's voice was all gravel and restraint, but his fingers had begun an absentminded stroking of Doyoung's nape, calluses catching on fine hairs where regulations would demand disciplinary action if discovered.
"I get to sleep in your arms out here," Doyoung murmured, breath hitching when Jaehyun's thumb stilled against his neck. The confession hovered between them, fragile as the frost forming on the tent walls. "Back at the barracks, I will be back to sleeping alone in my bunk...I hate that." His knee pressed deeper between Jaehyun's thighs, drawing a ragged exhale from the sergeant's lips.
Jaehyun's fingers twitched against Doyoung's nape. "Don't start something you can't finish" he growled, but the words lacked conviction, his hips arching minutely into Doyoung's leg. "This isn't—" His protest died when Doyoung tilted his head up, lips brushing the underside of Jaehyun's jaw with innocent curiosity.
"Did I say something wrong, sir?" Doyoung whispered, lashes fluttering against Jaehyun's stubble, his fingers tracing idle patterns over the sergeant's dog tags like he didn't realize they rested directly over a pounding heartbeat. The innocent act shattered when his knee shifted higher, pressing deliberately against the growing hardness beneath Jaehyun's fatigues.
Jaehyun's grip on Doyoung's nape turned punishing. "Stop pretending," he hissed, though his hips jerked upward into the pressure against his will. "You know exactly what you're Doing.." His words dissolved into a groan when Doyoung's thigh rolled against him with calculated innocence.
"But sir," Doyoung murmured, eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks as he peered up through them, "I'm just trying to get comfortable." He shifted again, this time letting his hand "accidentally" slide lower to brush the tented fabric of Jaehyun's pants. The sergeant's entire body locked tight as a tripwire. "Oh." Doyoung's lips parted in exaggerated surprise. "Is that...your gun?"
Jaehyun's fingers dug into Doyoung's hip hard enough to bruise. "You little—" His voice cracked when Doyoung pressed his palm flush against the bulge, applying just enough pressure to make the sergeant's thighs tremble. "Christ, you're not this stupid in survival training."
Doyoung blinked up at him with calculated innocence, fingers flexing curiously against the straining fabric. "I don't know what you mean, Sergeant," he murmured, tilting his head until his lips brushed Jaehyun's jaw with every syllable. "Shouldn't you... secure your weapon before bed?" His fingertips traced the outline of Jaehyun's cock through the fatigues with agonizing precision, stopping just short of the zipper.
Jaehyun snarled, flipping them violently so Doyoung's back hit the thin sleeping pad with a gasp, his wrists pinned above his head in one brutal motion. "You want to play stupid?" The sergeant's knee slotted between Doyoung's thighs, pressing down hard enough to make him arch. "Fine." His free hand yanked at Doyoung's thermal shirt until the fabric stretched taut over his collarbones. "Let me give you a special training."