Chapter Text
The sun hasn't even graced the horizon before Taehyung is brutally awakened, future soldiers screaming and rushing from their tents, fearful of punishment.
Taehyung's breath gets caught in his throat as he pounces from the oily cot, yanking on a white tunic as well as his baji. As he runs, his ties his hair low into a loose bun, the soldiers already gathered and finding their place neatly within the lines of order.
Taehyung falls back, far from the general's sight. Their last encounter was nothing short of a tragedy, and he would rather not have a repeat of it.
General Min stands tall despite being a man of short height, his joki from the night before having been replaced with armor that upholds a black sheen, gold edgings of beads lining the outerwear of it. Min's eyes scan the line of soldiers and Taehyung has never been more thankful for his quick thinking. The decision to hide was a clever one.
His father would be proud.
And somehow the General's eyes find Taehyung's anyway, as if the man had been looking for him.
Taehyung can hear his ancestors laughing now.
Yoongi's eyes are black as coal, stoic and stolid with a glistening rage that makes Taehyung feel so sick.
"Your training begins..."
"Now."
First, a run through the mountains.
Taehyung is exhausted and out of breath by the end of the trail but, he knows that the day is far from over. He has a long way to go before he can give into his fatigue.
Next, archery.
Taehyung can't even learn how to hold the bow right, let alone shoot the target properly. The other soldiers are quick to laugh at his shortcomings, despite how hard he tries.
But General Min is not laughing.
After what must be the hundredth time of shooting the arrow and not making the target, the bow is snatched mercilessly from Taehyung's, his skin jittered with anxious nerves and damp with sweat from the beaming rays of the sun.
General Min stares back at him angrily.
"You're done with this. Grab a staff and get to work." He bites before walking away from the weary soldier. Taehyung's hands are empty, as is his soul.
There is more work to do.
But next is Bo staff and when given a long wooden stick and told to stand in place and wait, the beat of his heart has mellowed out into something more tangible, more relaxed. It's a stick, how hard can it be?
Very hard.
Taehyung has been paired up with Jungkook and the boy is a menace to spar against. The boy's staff work is quick and agile, his movements calculated, thought through, and yet oh-so fast. Taehyung finds that he can't keep up, his muscles screaming out in protest, burning in agony.
Jungkook had been training to be a soldier all his life.
Taehyung had been training to be a husband.
"Trade." One of the higher ranked soldiers calls out, the circle formation now turning like a clock, grinding like a steady gear.
Taehyung walks aimlessly, his eyes wandering despite not knowing what he's looking for.
General Min comes into view, his armor long gone, a staff in hand.
His eyes look ravenous for blood.
"Follow my lead. Strike if you feel so moved. If you get hit that's on you, understood?"
The General doesn't even give the boy time to respond before the staff swipes down on his own, the solider-in-raining emitting a yelp in surprise. Taehyung jumps back, his hands flailing as does his staff.
General Min smiles.
"What are you waiting for Kim. Strike back!"
The General's staff whips in the direction of Taehyung's figure, the tip of it grazing his abdomen and puncturing the skin there. Taehyung hisses, his eyes screwed tight as he fists the clothing on top of where the wound lies.
The staff cracks against Taehyung's side, the soldier screaming out in pain as the impact forces him to drop to the grass below.
General Min doesn't hesitate before striking again but, this time, Taehyung is quicker, rolling to his side and avoiding the crackling of wood against bone.
Taehyung begins to pant as it takes more effort to bring forth the air into his lungs. His breathing is ragged and rough, his insides squirming in discomfort as he avoids another hit from the staff.
Taehyung groans.
General Min isn't even giving him a chance.
It goes on and on like this, the rest of the soldiers having already switched partners multiple times. But the General is persistent, his body stamped in place as he takes hit after hit.
Taehyung feels the bruises begin to form beneath his clothing, the tenderness of his flesh aching in anguish.
General Min hits him again but this time, in the chest.
With his boot.
The soldier gapes, fumbling to the ground with wide, baffled eyes.
"That's not fair!"
"War is not fair."
The General strikes again, the staff clacking against Taehyung's skull, rendering him delirious and unbalanced beyond belief. His vision is blurry, his hearing going in and out and his voice buried deep within his amidst the stinging in his chest.
"Get up Kim." The General grits, his teeth clenched, his payback from the night before fulfilled.
Taehyung whimpers out in pain, his hands splayed to the dirt below to help lift him from the ground but, his sore muscles fail him, unable to withstand his weight as he falls to the dirt below.
The General lands a kick to his abdomen. Taehyung startles, the wind having been stolen from him.
"Get, up."
Taehyung's face is wet with tears, the soldier's pent up aggravation is enough to make his skin crawl, his heart palpitating so fast that his ribs rattle from the force of it.
Taehyung snatches up his staff from the ground.
Enough is enough.
The General stands tall, a brow raised in surprise. He smiles before readying his stance, his staff held high and his head even higher.
"Perhaps you're not as weak as I thought." He murmurs, but Taehyung hears none of it.
A battle cry rips itself from Taehyung's throat, his staff raised behind his head before he brings it down with a whack.
The staff smacks against the General's, the soldier refusing to hesitate before he strikes again and again and again. The General's movements are more precise than they are quick but, every single time, he manages to block Taehyung's attacks.
Taehyung is blind with rage, his vision red as he whips the staff back and forth, back and forth. The wood nearly splinters at the edges, the force of its hits strong enough to hurt but not enough to break.
That is, until Taehyung miscalculates one of his hits, the staff much lower rather than high. Chalk it up to his dire exhaustion but, the tip of the staff butts the General right in the stomach, the older of the two gasping for a sharp breath, recoiling quickly but keeping his guard up.
The General holds up a hand, the gear of a formation now ceased, the soldiers stilling in their movements, their breathing loud and forced. His eyes land on Taehyung's red, sweaty face. Min's eyes still dark and yet, glistening with something unknown.
Something trifling.
"That is enough for today."
«────── « ⋅ʚ❈ɞ⋅ » ──────»
Taehyung can't move.
Not only do his limbs feel like chunks of stone, but his entire upper body is a long plank of wood, beaten and bruised. His brain is a puddle of nothing, whipped into the state of mere exhaustion. He can't breathe. It hurts to breathe.
Taehyung groans at the sudden feeling of his cot dipping beneath an unforeseen weight.
"Hyung, it's time to wash up!" Jungkook informs with a haughty laugh.
Taehyung conjures up the bit of strength that he has left to slap his fellow soldier in the back.
"Leave... leave me alone..." Taehyung moans, dinner sitting heavy in his stomach as his muscles protest against the slightest movement, straining to heal.
Jimin has already begun to gather the robes for him and the other boys. He giggles.
"I know you're tired Taehyung but, it would do you some good to wash. The water will soothe you."
Taehyung whines. "When I can stand without falling, then I will but for now, please leave me to rest."
Jimin clicks his tongue as Jungkook begins to chuckle.
"Alright Taehyung-ssi." Jimin bids his goodbyes before him and Jungkook leave the premise of the tent.
Taehyung takes in a deep breath, covering his face with the palms of his hands.
General Min is a man of one's nightmares. He is wicked and cruel, and wrong for how he has treated Taehyung.
But the man is right.
War isn't fair. And if it weren't for the fact that his home had become the enemy of another, then maybe he wouldn't have to be here.
Maybe he wouldn't have needed to save his father's life.
But even if Taehyung conquer the day all over again, he wouldn't change his decision for the world. His father wouldn't have made it here.
And Taehyung might not either.
The soldier doesn't know how long he lies there, awake and in pain. Long enough for his fellow soldiers to have trickled into the tent quietly, preparing for sleep as well as another day's worth of training. Taehyung inhales a bated breath, one of promise and blithe.
Taehyung lifts himself from the grimy cot, his sweat having soaked it, making it even more stale. His bones creak in agony, the coming strength within him dwindling even faster than before. He grabs a robe, slipping through the sheets of his tent as he makes his way to the lake for a quick wash so that he can resort back to his death. Perhaps it was a good thing that he waited for the other soldiers. The lake seems to be devoid of other bodies, making the young man look forward to the peaceful wash ahead.
But he spoke too soon.
As there is someone in the lake, someone pale and small in stature. Someone with a head of dark hair, gently curled from the soaking of water.
Someone that looks like the General.
Taehyung's body freezes up, the soldier wincing in pain at the sudden halt in action. He supposes it makes sense, for the General to have to cleanse his body as well as the other soldiers but, why must it be done now.
Perhaps it's because he thought no one would be here.
Like Taehyung.
Taehyung takes in a shrill breath before undressing himself and dipping his feet into the lake, allowing the water to crackle and flow around him. He travels deeper into the lake but, quietly, as to not disturb the other man close by.
But the sudden change in movement of the water is enough to warrant the man's attention, the plopping of and odd current of a lake so still forcing him to turn around. At first, the General's eyes are questioning but, calm.
It isn't until he recognizes the face of the boy, that his brows arch in anger.
"Leave." The General grits.
Taehyung wishes he could be surprised but, he isn't. In fact, with the feverish aching of his bones, and the incessant pain bouncing through his ligaments, Taehyung is more annoyed than anything.
In fact, he's furious.
"No." He says, continuing to soak his body in the cool water, nearly sighing in satisfaction at the cool sensation of wet skin.
The General raises a brow.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, no." Taehyung repeats, his tone unchanged as is his stance in the water. He can feel the burning eyes of the General upon him but, he doesn't have the energy to move.
He simply can't.
The General scoffs, approaching the soldier slowly but surely.
"You must not know who you are talking to soldier."
Taehyung should really rethink his method of speech. It is a bad idea to speak so rudely to the man that could potentially kill you if he wanted to. Not only that but, no one would question the death of an unnamed soldier like Taehyung.
But Taehyung is tired of being talked down to. He is tired of being treated like anything less than what he is, and yet, he is expected to be everything and more.
Taehyung is tired.
Taehyung looks up, ignoring the way the General's pale skin glistens in the moonlight. He ignores the way the black, delicate curls upon the General's head swirl and crinkle into what almost looks like a halo. He ignores the man's soft stomach and the small, inconsistent scars that rest here and there upon the man's flesh.
Taehyung ignores it all.
"Sir, forgive me but, I am tired and I must wash―"
"I did not ask for an explanation soldier. I told you to―"
"Sir I know what you said but I refuse to leave until I am done."
Taehyung doesn't realize he is crying until the water spilling down his cheeks feels too warm to be water from the lake. The pressure in his chest is too agonizing to bear, the brunt of his emotions now pooling over and drowning Taehyung in the process.
He misses his family. He misses his life.
And he might not make it out of this war alive.
The water around Taehyung splashes, dripping down his waist and making him feel cold.
But the change of the current isn't because of him.
It's the General.
"Kim... Kim." He calls out, a hesitant hand reaching out to grasp Taehyung’s arms.
The soldier startles, the other’s hands surprisingly warm. He looks up, finding the crinkle in between the General’s brows still apparent but, more relaxed. The flint of his eyes has softened into something strict but, resigned.
The man sighs before retreating away, his hands dropping from Taehyung’s arms. He doesn’t say anything more. Instead, he turns around, traveling further away and into deeper waters.
Taehyung finds that he follows without really meaning to.
General Min notices but, he doesn’t say anything more. Instead he cups the surrounding water into his hands, allowing it to cascade down his shoulders and front side. Taehyung remains quiet, standing deep within the water till the surface of it kisses his chin.
The General takes in a deep breath.
”You shouldn’t be here.”
At this, Taehyung’s blood freezes cold, the man’s tone drenched in finality yet, indifference. He doesn’t know what more to say but he knows he should say something.
“I know.” He answers, because it’s true.
He shouldn’t be here.
The General turns to him, a bit shocked at the abrupt and earnest response.
”Then why did you come? Why travel all this way? Why did you take your father’s place?”
Taehyung swallows, more tears threatening to spill over at the onslaught of reasonable questioning.
”My father... he isn’t well. He isn’t strong enough to be here. There is no point in him coming here just so he can die.” He says.
The General huffs. “All of us could die Kim.”
Taehyung takes in another breath. “I know but, I’d rather it be me than him.”
General Min hums. “How noble of you.” It’s condescending almost, and Taehyung should be offended by it, he is unclothed and speaking to the General he serves under, the one that has been treating him poorly since they met.
Taehyung would rather have this anything else.
”Thank you.” Taehyung replies, ignoring the look of agitation that the General sends his way. Instead, he smiles, somewhat happy that he is able to get under the man’s skin without having to lose his head.
”And, you, why did you come here?” Taehyung asks, genuine curiosity sparkling within his tired eyes.
General Min frowns at him, his look wary yet, befuddled.
”Why would you ask such a thing?”
Taehyung shrugs. “You asked me the same question.”
”Yes but you had a choice, I didn’t.” He says.
Taehyung swims closer, the General eyeing him with suspicion.
”What if you had a choice? Would you have chosen to be here?”
General Min scoffs. “Of course I would. It is my duty to fight for my country.”
”But it doesn’t have to be.” Taehyung’s eyes trail downward, his fingers carding through the water in a sleepy haze. The General raises a brow.
”It is every man’s duty to protect their home.” He murmurs, his voice dark and edged with something acrid.
Taehyung looks up, the General’s eyes still on him, his gaze unwavering.
“But it wouldn’t have to be if there were no wars.”
The General goes silent, his eyes widening before suddenly, he chuckles bitterly.
”You are far too naive for your own good Kim Taehyung.”
The quirks of Taehyung’s lips turn up, the sound of his name trickling from the other’s lips making his entire body feel strange.
”Tell me, what would you be if you weren’t a general. I would like to know.” Taehyung nearly pleads, his voice soft and laced with a sweet sense of curiosity.
The General’s expression quickly hardens to one of a scowl, Taehyung feeling nervous but, not cowardice.
General Min looks like he doesn’t want to answer, like he is annoyed with the soldier before him but, against Taehyung’s kind stare, it is hard to maintain the facade, his wall of stone.
”A musician. I would have loved to be a musician.”
Taehyung gasps, the answer making his heart flutter with excitement.
Who would have known.
”What instrument do you play?” Taehyung asks, eyes gleaming with wonder.
The General gulps, his hardened look wavering.
”The gayageum. I played it as a child. I have forgotten but... If I had not trained to take my father’s place... that is what I would do instead.” He answers gravely, his voice faltering in few places, as if he is unsure in his answer.
Unsure in himself.
Taehyung hums in understanding. “Before taking my father’s place in the war, I had been preparing myself for marriage.” Taehyung recalls the memory with clenched teeth and a dramatic hiss.
The General raises a brow in question. “I take it that it did not go as planned.”
Taehyung chuckles. “Oh not at all. I spilled hot tea all over Chae-noona’s breasts. Her scream could be heard from miles away.”
The General’s eyes widen in shock, the quirks of his lips guiding upward, his bottom lip quivering almost.
“You... you spilled hot tea all over your matchmaker?” He asks, baffled.
Taehyung giggles with a nod. “She said that I would die alone but, I think she had overreacted just a bit.”
The General makes a choking sound from the back of his throat, one that sounds like a chortle, a very odd chortle. It makes Taehyung giggle once more, the crack in the General’s armor making his chest all too warm.
”I... I don’t know what to say...” The General chokes out. Taehyung smiles.
”I didn’t either.”
The water surrounding the two men has come to a standstill, the trickling in the night subtle and quiet.
Taehyung never noticed how pretty the General was when he wasn’t angry.
Perhaps it’s because he so far, has been the cause of all his anger.
”I know I must refer to you as General but... do you have a name?” Taehyung asks quietly. The General seems scandalized by the mere idea but, doesn’t say a word. He turns away from the soldier.
”I must not say. It is inappropriate for me to do so.”
”But I won’t call you by it. I would just like to know. You know my name.”
”Because you are a soldier and I, your General.”
”Yes but even a General has a name.” Taehyung chuckles deeply, the gruffness of his laugh somewhat pleasant and agreeable to the ears.
”No.”
”Please.”
”No.”
”General Min...” Taehyung sings playfully, sending a splash of water towards the General with a wave of his hands. The man scoffs.
”You are a child Kim.” He grits. Taehyung begins to pout, a coltish glint in his eye.
The General swallows.
”Yoongi.”
Taehyung blinks, the pacing of his heart beat undergoing a fierce stutter.
”Yoongi.” He tastes the name on his tongue. It tastes sweet, like honey. It’s soft, like every feature of the General when he is not leading his men.
It is fitting.
”Yoongi.” Taehyung says again, his smile radiant uncontrollable. The General, Yoongi, snorts.
”You must never call me that, especially in front of the other men.”
”I promise.” Taehyung says with a nod. “Yoongi.”
The General splashes the soldier with water.
”Don’t think I won’t punish you soldier.”
Taehyung damn near squeals, the water now too cold to stand. He gives into his laughter, his eyes crinkling and his heart full.
The General has pink cheeks. Perhaps it’s the water, Taehyung thinks.
Night has fallen long ago, and Taehyung is sure that morning is upon them.
Yoongi makes his way to land. “It is late. Training continues tomorrow. Go to your tent and rest.” He says, gathering one of the robes hanging from the tree branch. Taehyung purposely looks away, his own tan cheeks reddening at the sight of his General, Yoongi, naked and bare.
Yoongi turns around, the robe pulled tight around his small form.
A smirk on his face.
”Because if you thought today was hard, just wait till tomorrow.”
Before long, the General is out of sight and Taehyung is left alone, treading dangerous, murky waters.
And even though he should be scared for his life.
He is not.
Because the General isn’t just the General anymore.
He is Yoongi.