Making the News | Rise as One #13

[owned_by_a_cat]

Series: Rise as One
Rating: R / NC-17
Pairing: HoMin / MinHo
Summary: Changmin hates change. Yunho accepts it more readily. But both now have to come to terms with not seeing each other or working together for two years. How will the experience shape them? Will they, when their enlistments are done, still be able to Rise as One?

A/N: Still catching up with things, but we're getting closer to being up to date. Here, Changmin is Ace and Yunho has a photo shoot?

Making the News

Changmin had seen the posters. Actually, scratch that. He'd been sent the images before they'd been made public. And wasn't that a nice touch?

He'd been poring over them ever since - even though he'd rather have his head shaved than admit that out loud. Yunho looked good in his uniform. More relaxed than the last time he'd seen him. Content. Sure of himself. And Changmin took comfort from that. Maybe he'd settle in just as comfortably. Maybe he would grow content enough that the time they were forced to spend apart wouldn't feel so endless.

He couldn't imagine it just yet, couldn't imagine his life changing as comprehensively as that. Couldn't imagine finding contentment in a sea of strangers without Yunho anywhere near. Maybe they'd spent too much time living in each other's pockets for that to ever change.

Cold tickled down his back and he sneezed, automatically flexing his abs to keep his back motionless. Maybe all the endless hours in the gym and the years of his life he'd spent in dance rehearsal had had a point, since the tiny woman sitting beside the couch he was stretched out on didn't immediately rain down hellfire and brimstone on him for ruining her design. She did return to the question she'd asked several times already, though.

"Do you really need to go to such lengths, Changmin-ah? It's gonna be cold."

And Changmin still didn't have a different answer to give her. "It has to be perfect. You know that. You know why, too, so stop badgering me."

"He won't know anything about it, being where he is."

She'd already been married when her husband had enlisted, and she'd told him about the limited amount of information that made it onto an army base. Changmin had listened. He'd also reasoned that, even just a few years ago, the internet hadn't been the medium it was now. And that, these days, he and Yunho were news.

He'd decided that, for once, he could make use of something that bothered and annoyed him more often than not. He could do something that was sure to cheer Yunho. And make damned sure that the man got to hear about it. Even if he'd freeze his nuts off in the process.

***

The phone rang early the next morning. Far too early for Changmin's tired limbs and aching head. He squinted at his phone, and suddenly he was wide awake. "Yes?"

"Just me," Yunho's voice soothed the panic zipping across his skin like lightning. "I've just come off duty. Thought I might catch you before you go out."

"I wasn't even awake yet," Changmin whined, determined to hide the relief in his voice. Every time that number showed up on his phone at an unexpected time, he panicked. Feared bad news, feared that something might have happened to Yunho. Feared to hear that the man was hurt or worse…. He never admitted to his fears, just as he never spoke about his nightmares, but Yunho knew. After all the years they'd spent together he couldn't not.

"Sorry, Min. Truly. I just… they have me doing band stuff later and some promo work and… I wasn't sure when I'd get the chance to be near a phone again."

"It's fine." Changmin pushed himself upright and stuffed pillows behind his back. He'd have to go get the paint taken off later. Or was that tomorrow? Never mind. "Are you okay?" he wondered out loud, smiling suddenly when he remembered what he'd wanted to ask about. "I've seen the posters. A photo shoot, really? Haven't you had enough of those before you went in? I still don't understand the significance of that net stuff they draped you with in the last one."

"You have room to talk." Yunho's voice was full of amusement. "Those pics on the SMTown site almost landed me in trouble last night. I was supposed to be standing watch, but half the base kept trotting up to comment on your look."

"At least I was wearing street clothes. Not my Rambo outfit."

"A vest and tattoo are your idea of street clothes? Since when?"

"Since I know you like the look," Changmin shot back. Then a tendril of doubt crept in. "You did like it, right?"

"Probably too much." The amusement faded from Yunho's tone. "I wasn't at all happy to have a bunch of guys camped out in front of me ogling your abs. Did you at least win?"

"And after all the effort I made to get them for you…."

"For me. Exactly. Not for half of… never mind." The outraged whine turned into another amused chuckle. "So did you win?"

"Of course I won. Mark your diary for autumn 2017. And pick somewhere secluded."