Nowhere is Safe | Pt. 3 Pissed and Pissed Off

[owned_by_a_cat]

Title: Nowhere is Safe
Pairing: JaeMin / MinJae
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Suspense, Romance, Army!fic
Summary: Invisible up close, able to kill from a long way away… when an elite sniper operates in your neighbourhood nowhere is safe. To Major Kim Jaejoong, being a sniper is more than a job. It's a mindset he needs when the people around him fall prey to a shooter with a high-powered rifle and his new partner, Captain Shim Changmin from Army Intelligence, turns out to be as much a distraction as he is a help. Undeniably both smart and gorgeous, the man has issues. And an attitude. And he's about as subtle as mortar fire in showing his dislike of Jaejoong.
Thrown together by the crisis, both Jaejoong and Changmin struggle to reconcile mutual dislike and mutual attraction. But when events escalate and the stakes get higher, they must put their attraction and differences aside and work together.

Under Attack || Return to Base ||

Part 3: Pissed and Pissed Off

As a child, Changmin had loved sneaking out of the house at night to sit by pond in the garden. In daylight it was an ordinary pond, framed by tall grasses, edged with waterlilies and stocked with beautiful ghost koi. Night, and especially moonlight, transformed the everyday pond into a fathomless abyss of inky dark waters that held a myriad of secrets. Secrets that intrigued, enticed and let Changmin dream. Secrets that made him slip out of the house again and again to sit under the stars, even when he was punished for doing so. And even when the punishments grew painful, he thought they were worth the peace and inspiration he found when he sat beside the pond's quiet depths.

The moment he first caught sight of Major Kim Jaejoong, Changmin was reminded of his favourite childhood place. The man's eyes were just like Changmin's pond: ordinary one moment and then fathoms deep and filled with so many secrets that Changmin wanted to step closer and see what inspiration they held.

Then the man saluted and Changmin froze where he stood, embarrassed that he'd been caught admiring Kim Jaejoong, the very man Changmin blamed for ruining his life. The intriguing, expressive eyes were of no further interest after that. Instead, Changmin noted that the man was filthy. And short. And that he slumped noticeably when he didn't pay attention. He wasn't entirely steady on his feet, either, and Changmin wondered for a moment if the decorated Major Kim could possibly be drunk.

He dismissed the idea a second later. Colonel Seong had a reputation for being a proper stickler. He'd have ripped the major a new one if the man had shown up reeking of booze, there was no doubt about that. Instead, the colonel had wrapped an arm around the major's shoulder and had spoken to him in quiet tones. Halfway through the conversation, Major Kim's shoulders went rigid and his spine snapped straight, and Changmin didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that the major had just been told of Kim Jong Ki's death. The sorrow was all over his face.

And it pissed Changmin off no end.

Had the man looked like that when he'd ruined Ran Joon's career? Had he regretted the words he'd spoken? Had he stood and watched Ran Joon pack his things, had he watched the stripes being torn off his sleeves, had he followed his progress as he stepped through the gate of the base for the very last time, flanked by military police? Changmin seriously doubted it… What Jaejoong had done to Ran Joon had been so callous, so calculated, so…

Changmin ground his teeth and pushed the thoughts aside. None of that would help him with his assignment. An assignment he couldn't afford to fail. Not if he wanted to make a career in army intelligence. It was the luck of the draw that had thrown him into Kim Jaejoong's way. He'd work with the man to the best of his ability. He'd complete the task they were given and then he'd move on. It was a simple as that.

Kim Jaejoong's gorgeous eyes and the unexpected sorrow in his face were not going to distract him.

***

Jaejoong was drunk. Not drunk enough that he no longer cared, but drunk enough that he could bear the hurt. After he'd left Colonel Seong's presence, he'd stood for a long time in the chilly silence of the morgue, staring at Jong Ki's still face. The gruesome wound in his forehead was an eerily grotesque reminder of his best friend's predictions.

Jong Ki had always said he'd die first and in a safe place. He'd also told Jaejoong that he wouldn't know it when he died. Jae had taken that to mean that Jong Ki would die of a heart attack, and he had caned the other man mercilessly, aiming to improve his fitness. He'd forced him to run laps around the parade ground until he nearly passed out, raced him over the assault course and through speed marches, only to lose him to a sniper's bullet. For someone whose family had never quite understood his decision to stay in the military and had grown distant as a result, losing his only true friend hurt like hell.

Jae was content in his role, content to spend the majority of his days in solitude, patrolling the mountains, taking action when it was needed and tirelessly working on honing his skills. But losing the one person he had to come home to… in a way, it felt as if someone had cut off his legs. The ground had shifted under his feet and left him adrift.

It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

The knock on the door was a welcome distraction from his increasingly maudlin thoughts. He uncurled himself from the corner of the sofa where he'd huddled in a tight, tense ball. The room swayed only vaguely as he moved and while he was exhausted, Jae knew that his mind wouldn't let him sleep just yet. He reached for his fourth bottle of soju and called in the direction of the door.

"Come on in. It's open."

He couldn't have said whose face he had expected to see. He only knew that it wasn't that of Captain Shim Changmin.

***

Changmin hadn't changed his mind about disliking the major or his decision not to let emotion interfere in their work when he knocked on Jaejoong's door later that evening. He'd spent the afternoon going over all the information they had accumulated for the attack so far and he was ready to discuss every tiny detail. He wasn't prepared to be confronted with a visibly inebriated sniper who presided over a bevvy of half-empty takeout containers and a crate of soju wearing nothing but loose sweats and a very clinging, sleeveless t-shirt that decorated his muscled torso more than covered it.

"Captain," Jaejoong waved expansively. "Come sit and drink with me."

"No, thank you," Changmin said stiffly, struggling to keep his eyes in appropriate locations. The damned man even had tattoos. He could just see them through the threadbare t-shirt and fuck if it didn't turn him on. He'd never quite had the guts to get himself inked, but he loved the look. Especially on someone with skin as pale as the major's.

"It's good stuff, this."

Jaejoong's voice brought Changmin back to himself and he straightened to his full height and looked down his nose at the almost prone sniper. "I would have thought that in view of the current threat you'd have better things to do than pour soju down your throat."

"Yeah?" Jaejoong's voice grew silky, slithered over Changmin's senses like the softest caress. "I think my throat would disagree."

"What?"

"You don't listen to your throat? Strange. Very important part, your throat. Having it cut can kill you. But so can a bullet to the head. Did you know that? It's very quick… a bullet to the head. You don't even know you're gone. Your body just stands there, all confused, while you're already being handed a harp. Strange that, don't you think?" He drained the bottle and dropped it carelessly to the floor, before reaching for another one. "For fuck's sake sit down," he suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs. "You're driving me friggin' nuts, standing around like a clueless debutante without an idea what that virgin ass of hers is for."

If the collection of empty bottles hadn't clued him in, the pointless meandering ramble showed clearly enough how much the major had imbibed. And Shim Changmin, who could honestly say that he'd never been drunk while on duty, was righteously disgusted. Two people were dead, the base was virtually on lock-down and Korea's most highly decorated sniper was lounging around his quarters pickling his liver!

But it figured, didn't it? It fit so very neatly with everything else he'd been told about fucking Major Kim. He really shouldn't be surprised.

Rage burned in his belly like a shot of that expensive soju the major was knocking back as if it were water. "I will not sit down. And I will certainly not drink with you," he grated through his teeth, his decision to make the best of this fucked up assignment totally forgotten. "If you can't be bothered to do your duty, that's your problem. I will not join you in that behaviour. But let me tell you that your conduct is totally unbecoming an elite soldier!"

At first, Changmin thought that his tirade had no effect on the major. That was before the man pinned him with a stare so malevolent, Changmin felt the hair on his neck stand on end.

"Well, you should know, shouldn't you?" Jaejoong drawled slowly. "What's becoming to an elite soldier and what isn't, I mean. Probably got a gene for it, have you?" He reared back and threw the empty soju bottle at the wall beside Changmin's head, splattering droplets of soju when it hit. Despite his level of intoxication, he'd not missed by much.

Changmin was proud that he'd not moved an inch, though really he'd been too surprised by the sudden move to react in time. But he'd rather risk a flogging than reveal that.

They stared at each other for the longest time, neither giving way, until Jaejoong collapsed back onto his sofa and reached for the next bottle.

"Get the fuck out of my sight," he said, and there wasn't even a hint of the earlier anger in his tone. His voice, like his eyes, held no emotion at all—and that was scarier and more disturbing than anything Captain Shim Changmin had ever come across.

***

Colonel Seong often worked late and with the base under threat it was no surprise to find him in his office, despite it being close to midnight.

"Come in, Captain," he waved when Changmin knocked. "Take a seat."

"Thank you, sir. I'll stand. It won't take long."

"Proceed." The man sounded bone tired and heartsick, but it wasn't Changmin's place to point that out. It wasn't his place to offer comfort either, even if he'd known how to go about that. It wasn't what he was here for, either. "I can't work with Major Kim, sir," he said, fighting to keep the disgust and the anger out of his voice and failing abysmally. "He's an ignorant, arrogant oaf with no regard for the rules or anything but his own achievements."

"Do you say that because you've spoken to him or because he's drunk?"

Changmin reeled back. He was angry and disgusted, yes. He hoped he'd never have to go near Major Kim again. But he hadn't planned on mentioning anything about the crate of soju on the major's table. "Sir?"

"Answer the question, Captain."

"Both," Changmin finally said sullenly.

"Have you ever spent three weeks on solo patrol, Captain? Nineteen days without any human contact? Nineteen days where you had nobody to watch your back while you slept or help you out when you were tired. Nineteen days without anyone to talk to, surrounded by nothing but countryside that can kill you if you're careless and always on the lookout for others like yourself that would do so even faster? Have. You. Ever?"

"No, sir."

"Then don't judge him before you've gotten to know him." The colonel's eyes glittered with tightly leashed anger. "You will work with Major Kim, Captain. Division tells me that you're the best intelligence officer they have, and Major Kim deserves the best we can give him when he goes to take down that shooter. And do you know why? Not because he's god's gift with a rifle. Not even because he's giving most of his life to keep others safe. Do you know why? Because Kim Jong Ki, the first victim, was Major Kim's best friend and his intelligence for the last four years. And I fucking don't want to lose an officer as valuable and dedicated and accomplished as Jaejoong, because taking revenge is all he can think about. It's your job to turn this mess into a civilised, efficient investigation. One that Major Kim can sink his teeth into. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." Changmin was too stunned to respond in any other way. Not that there was another response that wouldn't see him instantly court-martialled. The colonel knew it too, and he didn't bother with civility.

"Good. Now get the fuck out of my office. Dismissed."

Part 4: Do Over

Comments

[songbird52317.livejournal.com]

Damn, that was excellent! Changmin has a history with Ran Joon and blames what happened to him on Jaejoong. And my curiosity is sky high to know Jaejoong's side of the Ran Joon story. I definitely appreciated the dressing down Changmin received. When those two finally give in to their physical attraction to each other, I'm expecting fireworks! Great chapter.

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's one of those chapters that wrote itself. So far, outlining the whole thing doesn't seem to have killed the Muse yet. I think Ran Joon's story is very much a case of "don't believe everything you hear", though I have no idea whether they're ever going to talk about that.

[ladylilyanne.livejournal.com]

Ouch. I could almost feel the Colonel's anger at Changmin. At least we sort of know now why he's so antagonistic towards Jaejoong, although we'll need to know more of the backstory.

Are you planning on bringing in the others ? Thanks for updating!

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the other three yet, so right now I really can't answer that. The plot's moving along comfortably enough with just the two of them at the moment.

[neng2ovid.livejournal.com]

Poor jae. I hope he can catch his best friend killer

And Changmin needs to get in with the program for this yo work.

Thanks for the update.

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Yes, Changmin... get with the program. He does have reason to think badly of Jaejoong, though...

[creedee.livejournal.com]

Wooow... i like the boss
Kikiki

So, it seems like changmin acquintaces w/ the shooter or know the shooter

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

The colonel is coming out suprisingly nice. I need to give him something else to do, I think.

[creedee.livejournal.com]

Yeaaahhhh

[paoktsou.livejournal.com]

Oh my !!!
so min kniw that guy!!
Angry jae and passed min is my fav
I found that hot and sexual tension between them or no its the sorrow of jj
I love this jaemin is love♡
can't wait for more
thanks for the update!!!

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

I don't like loud fights, so I don't write them nearly often enough. This one sort of wrote itself, so that was nice...

[shinchul303.livejournal.com]

Excellent chapter. Superb terse dialog.

You've moved the plot along quite the distance with this update.

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I have two slow burns on the go to practise with, so this one can move at a smoother clip. Ten chapters, maybe?
I don't usually like writing fights, but this one came along quite easily.

[n3uromanc3r.livejournal.com]

What happened between Jaejoong and this Ran Joon? Why does Changmin think Jaejoong ruined the guy's career? If Jaejoong's intervention caused his dismissal then there must have been something he did because Jaejoong doesn't seem like someone who butting into other people's business without reason, he's rather introverted person to do such things...

But it's so amusing how the most annoying thing in Changmin's eyes about Jae is the attraction he feels for the other! : D

[jaeminism.livejournal.com]

The story is getting interesting now... Do I see some sexual frustration between JaeMin? Well at least their argument without any reason is hinting towards that... I wonder how they will be able to get along with each other... Hope their personal relationship won't do any harm in their career... Will be waiting for the next chapter...

[gu2duck.livejournal.com]

Well its mutual attraction but it happens that Min underestimate Jae as a professional elite soldier and that basically pissed off Jae and his commanding officer. I bet my guts that Min will regret that he ever think Jae that way.

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Essentially, you're correct. But there's a little more to it than that.

[lamtuyengo.livejournal.com]

It's so fucking good. It's like having an orgasm in my mind.

[kyouya3.livejournal.com]

Poor Min and Jae, I wonder what his relationship is w/ the one who killed Jae's last partner...They seem to know each other?