Black Roses and White Chrysanthemum

sharpshooter °2.3° o

Changkyun liked this. He liked being close. He liked how nice Jooheon smelled. And of course the older would never know this.

Startling them both, the ground vibrated, causing Changkyun to pull away, immediately his eyes going to the building they were supposed to be watching. There was a flare of light, then nothing.

"What was that?" Jooheon asked, hurriedly going over to grab his sniper rifle and bringing up the scopes as he kneeled for proper support, looking over the guard stations first. "The guards are gone."

"What?" Changkyun frowned, picking up his binoculars as well to get a look. It was just as Jooheon said. "Did they already start the advance?"

Jooheon let the scope drop, reaching to the side of his belt where a radio was buckled. He hadn't heard anything.

Changkyun wasn't listening to Jooheon on the radio, paying close watch to the building below. There was the brief flash of an explosion, but small this time and not near the volume of what could've caused that brief tremor. The compound seemed... empty. The surrounding city was quiet. Not that it usually wasn't. But now of all times it felt wrong.

"Changkyun," Jooheon addressed the younger, and his voice sounded hushed. It wasn't as lively as before. "We're moving in. Right behind the front line that's being sent in. We have to run back to base camp and get ready, it's happening now."

Changkyun could only nod, as they picked up their things and ran past those dull flowers, locating the small jeep parked on a hardly traveled dirt road.

"Hey, promise me something," Jooheon said, as they both settled into the vehicle.

"Sure." Changkyun looked over at the older, and saw a smile on his face.

"Promise we'll come back and dance on the hill again. It's really nice up here." Jooheon looked at Changkyun, to affirm this.

Changkyun, of course, nodded. "Promise."

Jooheon took the wheel, and Changkyun clutched the side rail for the bumpy ride, promise sticking in his mind as they started off. Straight into the middle of things.

It was now or never.