1.1 | louder than bombs

- 25 -

the suffix 'nim' in korean could be roughly translated to 'mister' or 'madam' in English

🏔

"Thank God," Dohyun muttered under his breath as he stretched his arms out in front of him, hovering his palms over the bonfire to steal some warmth for himself.

The mess of a Unit moved out of the Hall and onto the field, just stumbling around as some held beer bootles while others just snuggled closer into their blanket as they set in front of the fire. Jaemoon proceeded to pass out with his head in Cairo's lap, the brunette softly threading his long fingers through his silken raven locks subconsciously. Troy sat beside Cairo, now shirtless and shivering in his boots as a dare from one of the many games the Unit played that evening.

"Thank God? You better thank me, Hyun. I'm the one who started the fire," Phoenix announced as she returned with a couple of the green glass bottles, handing one to her boyfriend before settling down next to him.

"Okay, Bul-nim," Dohyund responded cheekily as he willed to hide his nervousness, his dimple winking under the fluttering light of the fire. "Thank you so very much for your oh-so-kind act."

Phoenix merely backhanded his shoulder in a half-hearted attempt, a small smile blossoming across her face. She leaned sideways, pressing her small frame to that of her boyfriend's hefty one as they sat side by side.

Dohyun cleared his throat awkwardly, his fingers fidgeting with the zipper at the end of his jacket. Phoenix laughed in endearment, her skin glowing under the red and orange tones of the fire as she eyed her nervous boyfriend.

"Spit it out already," she coerced good-naturedly, knowing that the Lieutenant always required an extra push before he blurts out whatever was clouding his mind.

"I wrote a poem for you!" Dohyun blurted out. They both froze in stunned silence this time, as a faint dusting of red coated both of their cheeks.

"Uh, I mean, you know, I- uh wrote a l-love poem for you," he mumbled as he stared down at his combat boots. Was that crease always there?

"W-Well, what is it?" Phoenix asked in faux cockiness. Of course, she never got a whole poem written just for her ever before. But she had an image to maintain after all.

"One moment," he squeaked before shutting his eyes close as he berated himself. What am I, a rat?

He finally managed to pull the crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, his sweaty palms turning the page a teeny bit damp.

He exhaled shakily through his mouth as he unfurled the paper, eyeing the scribbled words written in his horrendous handwriting before smiling weakly at his awaiting girlfriend.

He cleared his throat once again, a bit more confidently this time.

"Like a burning meteor, you lowered down to me." He thought back to the time he was waiting alongside his impatient friend for the medics' helicopters.

"Like a scorching ember, your gaze burned me inside out." He shuffled under Phoenix's watch, voicing out how he felt at that very exact moment, or every moment he spent in her sight.

"Like a blazing torch, your touch consumed me." He blushed faintly as he was reminded of the memories of their intimacy.

"Like a licking flame, you engulfed me." He looked at his muse for the love-y poem he wanted to write. He recited the poem to his muse, the words now tumbling out on their own as the paper was forgotten. As if a roll of negatives flashed upon by light, the images vividly ran wild behind his eyelids.

"And like an icy surface, I welcomed you." Their first meeting when he welcomed her on the chilly day.

"Like a frosty planet, I embraced you." Their first kiss under the moonlight of a cold night.

"Like a frozen being, I craved you." That time when he let go of all of his inferiorities for her, because of her.

He completely turned to face his girlfriend, peering into her tear-ridden eyes.

"As Dohyun, I give myself to you, Phoenix."

Phoenix broke down, her small body racking in heavy sobs as she clutched onto Dohyun. Dohyun just pulled her close, tightening his arms around her. He nosed her hair as he shut his eyes tightly once again, inhaling deeply as she felt her heat warm his body among the wintry chills.

"Dohyun, I- I don't even know what to say," her muffled voice cracked as she clutched onto his jacket. "All I can say is that I love you."

She leaned back to look into his soft eyes as she sniffled. "I love you so much, Dohyun." She raised a small palm to cup his cheek, gazing at him with nothing but that one emotion. "So, so much."

"And I, you," he whispered down to her. It was almost as if he was scared to speak any louder, as if even a decibel higher would break this heartfully vulnerable moment of theirs. "I love you too, my Bul."

And so they sat in each other's arms and warmth, just soaking it all in; their overwhelming emotions to the sheer happiness felt because of all the events that lead up to that particular instant.

"My father told me this one story on my ninth birthday," Phoenix started slowly her voice still thick from minutes but now accompanied with a bit of nostalgia. "That night was just like this, our whole family sitting around a fire to stay close and celebrate a birthday."

She looked up at Dohyun who was already looking at her with a dimpled smile of his own, silently encouraging her to talk of her past.

"It was a story about the Great Hornbills." Her gaze returned to the fire, watching it flicker in a delicate dance of heat. "There was once this male hornbill, collecting berries and insects for his female and chicks. But unfortunately, the bird was killed by the village hunters who were preying for hornbills."

Phoenix sighed as she rubbed her palms together. Dohyun gently pulled her hands into his own, interlacing them before placing their locked hands inside of his jacket.

"The female knew that her mate died when he didn't return that day, she knew yet she stayed. Hornbills are monogamous," she said as she leaned back to watch the shadows playing across her lover's face. "They mate for life. And so she stayed at the same place, starving, waiting for her mate who wouldn't come back. She waited until death."

Dohyun shuddered at her words. Such a strong thing love was. There are those willing to die for love yet there are those who kill for it. Love gives us strength yet it brings vulnerabilities along. Love drives us insane yet it seems like the only sane thing to feel.

If only love was as perfect as love itself.

🏔

so yeah! please don't mind my excuse of a poem please, thank you

i'm honestly just slacking off at this point, like, i want to do better but...yeah

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