1.1 | louder than bombs

- 8 -

Huh? What does that mean?

Jaemoon looked at the busy medic with a confused expression, his arm pressed close to his chest with his fist to his shoulder as advised by the woman.

"I meant, you see the tent there?" she asked the ravenette, pointing at the tent by the end of the line of said structures, "You must go there now to get your BP checked, Captain."

Oh.

He nodded, his long legs flaunting his strong gait as he made his way to the mentioned place.

Jaemoon's mood was somewhat...chipper that day.

It had been a while since he saw his Unit so happy and lively. Not that they weren't joyful before, but the fact that the youngsters got to skip their morning drill twice in a row may have lifted their spirits to impossibly high heights.

The air felt sweeter than usual, tingling his nose with its herby scent. The sky too seemed to cheer up Jaemoon, the sun peeking at him from between the grey clouds, caressing his pale skin with its soft glow. Birds seemed to chirp even more jubilantly than normal, making Jaemoon heave a contented sigh.

That could be because of a certain brunette, don't you think?

Now some may ask, isn't it too fast? Isn't it a bit too much? You've just seen the man.

No, it wasn't fast. It wasn't too much.

Sometimes, one look is all it takes. It's like this instant reaction, like a forest fire.

One flame is all it takes to start the fire and once it does, it consumes the forest as a whole in a matter of minutes. One step onto quicksand is enough for it to pull you to unfathomable depths, suffocating you, overwhelming you.

The feelings that Cairo had set alight in Jaemoon were like that, like a fire, like quicksand. He didn't know why but he just felt that way. The Captain felt how his heart was thumping in his chest when he first saw the man, relishing the warmth that surged through his body when he had the medic in his arms.

Jaemoon just felt Cairo.

And that, that was a beautiful feeling of its own. Being consumed by someone with one's whole being is just indescribable, simply cannot be put in words. Only felt.

He stood by the entrance, his heart picking up speed on its own when he saw the cause of the turmoil of feelings in himself.

Doe.

"Doe," he called out, voicing his thoughts, his heart beating even faster than it already was when he met his Doe's eyes.

Is it planning on out-speeding Ussain fucking Bolt now? Calm the fuck down, you damn organ.

"Jaemoon," Cairo breathed out, not expecting to see the man in the slightest.

"I'm sorry," Troy cleared his throat, faintly smirking at his best friend who looked completely flustered, finally connecting the dots, "But did you need something, Captain Jeon?"

"Ah, yes," Jaemoon answered, his phoenix eyes now locked on the grey-head, "I was told to come here for getting my blood pressure checked by Medic Ashford."

"Right this way, Cap," Troy responded, gesturing to the bed for Jaemoon to lay on before his whole face lit up with an idea.

"Cai, I think I just heard the Chief calling me. I'll be on my way then," he looked at his best friend who seemed to be saying don't-you-dare with his look alone, Cairo's face scrunched up.

In response Troy just shrugged, throwing an 'Enjoy!' over his shoulder and bolting out of the tent before he got his bones dislocated by the glowering brunette.