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Sunghoon opened his eyes groggily. His head was pounding. He tried pathetically to look around him, but he could barely move his body.
Eventually, he gave up. Instead, he stared, unmoving, up at the ceiling, waiting for his vision to clear. He could tell he was on some kind of bed, but for the life of him couldn’t remember where the hell he was.
A few seconds passed, and Sunghoon’s gaze finally cleared. He tried to look around again. He was in a white tent; the roof curved over him like an archway, and filtered sunlight shone through the canvas. By the looks of it, he had somehow found his way back into the medical tent.
He let out a sigh.
“Park Sunghoon?” A voice called, distantly.
Sunghoon seemed to have caught someone’s attention. “Hm? Never heard of a Park Sunghoon.”
“Oh.” Footsteps approached, “Um…are you sure?”
“Yep, pretty sure,” Sunghoon responded, tilting his head on his left side to see who it was. “Must’ve been a mix-up or…or…uh…”
Oh…wow.
Standing above him was a literal angel in a nurse uniform. His cheeks were radiant, his features were sleek and beautiful, he was absolutely gorgeous. This nurse must be new; Sunghoon would have burned his face into his memory if he’d seen him before.
The angel cleared his throat, “So you…aren’t Park Sunghoon?”
Sunghoon blinked up at him dumbly.
The nurse raised his eyebrows, “Ok then—”
“No, no, wait…I am that name, that’s me,” Sunghoon sputtered out. “I am Park Sunghoon.”
The nurse blinked at him, before scribbling something down on his clipboard. “You seem to be listed on here quite a lot.”
Sunghoon stared up at him, “…Right.”
“Do you have a tendency to get injured?”
“I guess you could say that.”
The nurse wrote something else down.
“So,” Sunghoon started. “You new around here?”
The nurse was still focused on his clipboard. “How could you tell?”
Sunghoon shrugged. “I would’ve recognised your pretty face,” he said, as smoothly as he could manage despite lying on a hospital bed.
The nurse blushed slightly, bringing a grin to Sunghoon’s lips.
“The border needed medical aid,” the nurse answered, clearly trying to ignore the comment, “so the district sent us up.”
“I’m not complaining,” Sunghoon replied.
The nurse nodded uncertainly, “Th-thank you?”
Cute.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Sunghoon spurred.
“I don’t see how that’s necessary information.”
“Well, you know mine now, it’s only fair.”
The nurse looked at him for a second, “...Kim Sunoo.”
“That’s a nice name.”
Kim Sunoo scoffed, “Do you act like this with all the nurses?”
“Only the cute ones.” Sunghoon managed a wink.
Sunoo laughed, “You’re certainly very different from the soldiers at the district.”
“Mm,” Sunghoon agreed. “We’re better lovers too. So I’ve heard.”
“That’s a very arrogant thing to say, Mr. Park.”
“I guess you’ll have to find out for yourself then,” Sunghoon replied.
Sunoo giggled down at his clipboard. “And I take it you’re volunteering to be my test subject?”
“I’m all yours.”
“My god, Mr. Park, I hope you realise how unprofessional this is.”
“The world’s quite literally on fire right now,” Sunghoon responded. “I don’t think anyone cares about professionalism anymore.”
“How convenient for you.”
Sunghoon grinned. He was having fun.
“Well, how about this…once you work your magic and fix whatever’s wrong with me, then maybe you can stop acting all…‘professional’?” Sunghoon proposed, “And then maybe I can take you on a date?”
Sunoo smiled softly. “I wasn’t under the impression people still go on dates while the world is burning.”
“You’ve been in the district too long,” Sunghoon tutted. “Romance is not dead over here, you know.”
“You don’t seem like the romantic type, Mr. Park.”
Sunghoon scoffed, “Well that’s rude.”
Sunoo giggled again. And Sunghoon realised he was beginning to get addicted to seeing him laugh.
“I apologise, Mr. Park,” Sunoo bowed.
“You’re forgiven,” Sunghoon replied. “And you can just call me Sunghoon.”
“Well I’m flattered, Mr. Sunghoon—“
“Just Sunghoon.”
“—but maybe you should ask me these things after the anaesthetic wears off.”
“Well I—” Sunghoon blinked. “I’m sorry, the what?”
“The anaesthetic,” Sunoo enunciated.
“Huh?”
“We had to take a bullet out of your leg,” Sunoo explained casually. “You don’t remember?”
“Uh…”
“It’s ok, you don’t have to think too hard,” Sunoo laughed. “You should be getting some rest.”
Sunghoon stared up at him, “I had a bullet in my leg?”
Sunoo beamed, “Get some rest, Mr. Sunghoon.”
Sunghoon thought his name sounded good on Sunoo’s tongue.
The nurse walked away, as Sunghoon let his head slowly sink back into his pillow.
Sunghoon’s eyes fluttered open. The light outside the tent had dimmed significantly; he must’ve fallen asleep. He let out a small groan. He shut his eyes again and yawned.
“Park Sunghoon?” A voice called.
Sunghoon slowly opened his eyes as they adjusted to the silhouette standing in front of him. “Sunoo, I told you to just call me Sung…“
…Wait. He paused, getting a better look at the person above. Then he frowned. “You’re not Sunoo.”
There was a beat of silence before the nurse began to laugh. “I’m sorry sir, no, my name is Jungwon.”
Sunghoon stared up at the nurse, his eyes widening. He sat up, “Where is Sunoo? Does he still work here? Jesus, did he go back to the district?! Have I been in a coma or something?? How long has it been since…”
“Sir. sir!” Jungwon, the nurse, grabbed his shoulders gently. “Sunoo’s still here, and you haven’t been in a coma, you’ve only been asleep a few hours.”
Sunghoon sat still, panting slightly. “Oh. Right, sorry. Uh…could I maybe see him?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Jungwon apologised. “He’s on his lunch break.”
“Lunch break?” Sunghoon repeated.
Jungwon nodded.
Oh god. “Where?” Sunghoon asked. “Jay’s canteen?”
“Uh, I’m not…”
“He is, isn’t he? It’s the closest place to the med tent, of course he would go there.”
“...Sir, are you talking to me or yourself?”
“He’s probably got a whole crowd of soldiers tripping over themselves to get his attention,” Sunghoon was starting to panic. He pushed himself up off the bed and stepped off onto the floor.
“Please don’t do that, you’re still recovering—” Jungwon tried to stop Sunghoon from rising from his feet, but he was unsuccessful.
“Sorry, this is urgent,” Sunghoon replied, as he began to sprint out the tent. “I’ll be back!” He called over his shoulder.
“Sir, please! You can’t just…!?”
Jungwon’s words faded away as Sunghoon hurried his pace. He recognised where he was, Jay’s canteen was only a few blocks down. Come on, hurry up.
As Sunghoon trudged across the dirt, the conversation with Sunoo began resurfacing in his mind. It was still hazy however…had he actually asked Sunoo out on a date?
“...maybe you should ask me these things after the anaesthetic wears off.” Those were Sunoo’s exact words. It didn’t exactly sound like a confirmation.
Sunghoon hurried inside, eyes darting around the makeshift canteen. It was surprisingly empty, which made it all the more easier for him to spot Sunoo’s nurse uniform sitting at a table. To Sunghoon’s horror, there were already three soldiers sat at Sunoo’s table, grinning ear-to-ear and laughing at something he was saying.
Sunghoon practically sprinted up to the table, slamming it with his hands. Sunoo jumped, startled, while the other soldiers just looked up at him in surprise. Sunghoon finally got a proper look at them.
And of course it had to be Sunghoon’s own squadmates.
“Sunghoon! Dude!” Jake exclaimed. “Is your leg all good now?”
“You should grab a seat,” Heeseung told him, “you need to get a look at our new nur—”
Sunghoon cleared his throat as aggressively as he could manage. “Yes, thanks guys. I actually just wanted to finish a conversation me and Sunoo were having back at the tent.” He glanced over at Sunoo, who had turned a slight pink. Fuck, he’s cute.
“Great! Go ahead dude,” Jake said, clearly not getting the hint.
Sunghoon turned back to his squadmates, “I meant a private conversation.”
Niki glared icily at him, “What do you mean? You kicking us off our own table?”
Sunghoon glared back, “If you don’t mind.”
“Come on, Sunghoon, we were here first,” Heeseung argued.
Sunghoon was getting fully ready to throw a fist. Thankfully, Sunoo’s voice suddenly piped up, “It’s alright, guys, just give us a few minutes.”
The three soldiers turned their heads, with varying degrees of shock on their faces. Niki opened his mouth as if to say something, but Heeseung was the first to speak, “Okay, come on, let's give them some privacy.”
Niki turned to him, “But—”
“Niki,” Heeseung interrupted firmly.
The younger soldier let out a grunt as all three of them rose from their seats.
“See you around, Sunoo,” Jake winked at the nurse. Sunghoon’s stomach turned.
Heeseung, followed by Jake and Niki, left to sit at a different table, with Niki sending a barely-concealed death glare their way. Sunghoon let out a satisfied sigh, taking a seat across from Sunoo. His mission was a success.
“That was not very subtle,” Sunoo said.
Sunghoon shrugged, grinning. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”
Sunoo rolled his eyes. “You really should be resting right now, how did Jungwon even let you out of the tent?”
“He said I looked ready to walk,” Sunghoon lied. “I heal quickly.”
“Uh huh.”
“He also asked what I was still doing in bed, and that I should be chasing the gorgeous nurse who saved my life.”
“How sweet of him.” Sunoo looked unimpressed.
Sunghoon heard footsteps approaching their table. He looked up to see Jay carrying a drink towards them.
“Here you go,” Jay plopped the glass down in front of Sunoo with a smile on his face, “On the house!”
“Oh,” Sunoo smiled back, “Thank you so much!”
“Anytime,” Jay winked.
Sunghoon narrowed his eyes, “Since when do you give out free drinks?”
Jay turned to him, shrugging his shoulders, “You know me, Sunghoon, I’m just a kind soul.”
Then he sauntered off back to the counter. Sunghoon felt like he was in enemy territory, fighting off opponents from every angle. He turned back to Sunoo, who was obliviously taking a sip of his drink.
Sunghoon propped his elbows on the table, “So, what do you say?”
Sunoo put his drink down, staring blankly at him. “Say to what?”
“The date?”
Sunoo’s eyes widened, “Oh…right.”
Sunghoon waited expectantly, “Well?”
“Did Jungwon mention if the anaesthetic had worn off yet?” Sunoo dodged.
Sunghoon frowned, “Huh?”
“It’s just…” Sunoo hesitated, “I couldn’t tell if you were being serious back there.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Sunghoon deadpanned.
“I’m being serious, Sunghoon,” Sunoo warned, “the anaesthetic can severely affect your judgement.”
“Well…” Sunghoon began, before realising what Sunoo had said. “Wait, so I’m just Sunghoon now?”
“Oh.” Sunoo blushed, “No, I’m sorry, I…that was an accident—”
“Anyway, how about this,” Sunghoon interrupted, leaning forward, “You kiss me and tell me if you can taste any anaesthetic left in my mouth.”
Sunoo looked bewildered. “Firstly, that is absolutely not how anaesthetic works, and secondly—”
Sunghoon leaned across the table and pressed his lips to Sunoo’s mouth. The nurse let out a surprised mph!
Sunghoon hadn’t exactly thought it through; half his body was pressed against the table, and he had to lean on his elbows to push himself forward. The position was a bit awkward, but as Sunghoon felt Sunoo slowly melting into the kiss, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
Sunghoon desperately wanted to kiss him for longer, he wanted to thread his hands through Sunoo’s hair, pressing their heads closer together. He wanted to feel Sunoo’s mouth and his lips and his tongue, all of it.
But he could only do so much while leaning across a table. So, regretfully, he slowly began to pull away. Sunoo’s beautiful eyes re-opened, his lips still parted slightly, and he gazed softly into Sunghoon’s eyes. Sunghoon felt something flutter in his stomach.
Sunoo cleared his throat, shaking himself.
Sunghoon grinned stupidly, “So…date or no date?”
Sunoo rolled his eyes, but this time he couldn’t repress his smile. “Fine, you win.”
“Hah!” Sunghoon rocketed to his feet.
Sunoo’s face dropped, frowning slightly, “You know, you should still be careful. Your leg is still recovering—”
“Pft,” Sunghoon dismissed, “I’m feeling good as new.” He took a step away from the table.
And his leg folded instantly, sending him stumbling onto the floor.
Sunoo yelped, rushing up to help him. Sunghoon’s cheeks were burning with embarrassment. He tried standing back up, but Sunoo was already kneeling beside him, hands around Sunhoon’s shoulders. “No way, you’re going back to the medical tent.”
Sunghoon let out a frustrated groan.