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Han Jisung never believed he’d one day come to regret skipping out on his gym classes; but here, now, as he stumbles through tiny pebbles and trips over his own two feet, he curses his past self for being so stupid.
He can’t quite remember how long it’s been since he first started running, his aching feet pounding against crunchy, uneven gravel, but it’s been long enough to notice the adrenaline starting to wear out.
When he was first left to fend for himself a mere three days ago, he didn’t think he’d even make it this far. He’d barely been on his own since the first of the Undead started to appear, so suddenly going solo while they’re at the peak of reigning terror isn’t exactly a great place to be.
Things went as okay as they could have the first two days. Jisung was somehow able to push through the never-ending panic attacks to find shelter in an abandoned gas station. But with little food and no water left, he could either risk leaving to find a better-stocked building or starve to death.
He made the idiotic decision to try and survive.
It wasn’t even ten minutes of sneaking down the road before his foot snagged on a loose rock and he face-planted onto the ground. The reaction was immediate—a large horde of Undead began charging toward him, at a terrifying speed he’ll never forgive the media for getting incorrect, and all Jisung could do in turn was run.
So here he is, running out of breath while running for his life. His breathing is heavy and erratic and his chest fucking burns, but if he has to choose between dying via heart attack or being bitten by an Undead, he thinks he’d much prefer the former.
Jisung refuses to look back as heavy sets of footsteps pound the ground right behind him. He swears they’re gaining on him, but he doesn’t want to think about that right now. What he needs is somewhere to hide, but one glance at this town full of boarded-up windows and doors that are likely locked, and he isn’t sure he’s going to find that here.
But he also isn’t sure how much longer he can run.
It feels like Jisung’s been running for years and the moment his brain latches onto that fact, the crash that follows is immediate. He feels his legs turn to jelly and he stumbles forward, skidding across the ground. There are so many marks littered over his body from the multiple falls he’s taken, but that’s not going to matter soon enough.
The footsteps get closer, closer, and Jisung is about to give up when he spots a small hole in the boarded-up building he’s fallen in front of. He doesn’t wait to see what type of building it is and pushes himself up, wobbling toward the door. He falls back down, purposefully this time, and crawls through the opening.
Jisung flinches at the Undead trying to break through the wood and looks around. He wants to let out a sigh of relief when he sees he’s in another gas station, but the feeling doesn’t last long. There’s a sound coming from behind the “Staff Only” room behind the counter.
God, can’t he catch a break?
Jisung spots another door across the aisles and makes a run for it, throwing it open and closing himself inside. It doesn’t slam, but closes loud enough that he’s positive any creature inside the building would hear it.
Jisung’s fears are confirmed when he hears more movement outside. Footsteps. They’re slow, almost methodical, and he wonders what type of Undead it is–though he doesn’t really want to find out. He presses a sweaty palm against his mouth to muffle the sound of his erratic breathing but quickly dissolves into a fit of coughs instead. He gasps for air, gulping down huge breaths and pounding a fist against his chest.
The doorknob rattles.
Jisung lets out an involuntary gasp, pushing himself back against the wall and hoping whatever’s out there will just leave him be. But his dreams are shattered when there’s a loud bang…bang…bang…Whatever’s on the other side is throwing its body against the door. And with the way the hinges are creaking, he’s afraid it isn’t going to last much longer.
How foolish of him to think that in a world where death looms around every corner, he could ever be safe.
Jisung quickly looks around at what he finally realizes is a bathroom for anything to protect himself with, and all he comes across is a short wooden stake half-hidden behind the toilet.
…bang.
The door starts to crack.
…bang.
This is it. He’s going to die.
BOOM.
The door bursts open and Jisung grabs the stake, squeezing his eyes shut and thrusting it forward. It scrapes against the sink, the wall, the Undead, something. He gasps and—
“Are you done now?”
Freezes. Jisung freezes. Because these creatures, these humanoids too advanced to just be zombies, don’t speak.
Very slowly, Jisung cracks one eye open, and he sees a man. A man who can’t be too much older than Jisung himself. Shocked, Jisung drops the stake and watches it roll towards the stranger, stopping at the tip of his sneakers.
The man is pretty with dark chocolate eyes and fluffy brown hair, and his naturally puckered lips curl up with a slight smile. But Jisung’s learned that the prettier they are, the more dangerous they’ll be. Especially in a world that’s gone to shit.
“I’m not sure what you thought that was going to stop,” the man said, bending down and grabbing the stake, “but I’m glad you have the will to live.”
Jisung opens his mouth to answer, churning for a smartass reply that won’t get him killed, but all his lungs do is beg for air that’s already there. His body’s need to heave and take deep breaths meets in the middle, leaving him no choice but to cough and sputter and choke.
Jisung internally curses himself out as he realizes he’s having another fucking panic attack. The same dumb shit that got him in this mess in the first place. He tries to practice his breathing exercises but he can’t hear himself, he can’t fucking–
“Hey,” the man murmurs, voice a little too close, and Jisung jolts straight up. The man is kneeling down next to him. “It’s all right. Just breathe with me. In and out, just like that.”
He’s too close but the voice is breaking through, Jisung can hear him, so he follows his orders. In and out, just like that. And after a few moments pass, Jisung can finally breathe again.
“Good,” the man says. He offers a small smile, a stark contrast to the condescending smirk he wore only minutes earlier. “You’re okay.”
Jisung yanks his body away from the stranger, sending him the meanest glare he can muster. He prays this man doesn’t expect his thanks when he’s the reason Jisung started panicking in the first place. But he doesn’t ask for it.
“What’re you doing out here?” he asks instead, and Jisung contemplates a snarky answer. But he’s so exhausted, he decides to tell the truth.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
The man frowns, looking around the tiny bathroom as if there’s someone else hiding there. “You’ve been surviving on your own?”
“If that’s what you wanna call it,” Jisung says, shrugging, “then yeah. Sure.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’ll make it too much longer.”
Jisung bites back the million curses dancing on his tongue and sends the stranger an annoyed smile instead. “Thanks for the observation. The panic attack hadn’t sealed the deal for me yet.”
The man has the nerve to chuckle and he holds out his hand. “I’m Minho. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jisung looks over at Minho’s rough hand, his long, calloused fingers wiggling. He raises an eyebrow and looks back up before crossing his arms.
“The feeling is semi-mutual.”
If Minho’s annoyed, he doesn’t show it. He just retracts his hand and lets out a laugh, much more boisterous than the last. It’s a pretty laugh, one way too genuine for the situation they’re currently in.
“And how can I get that semi to a full?”
Jisung huffs, rolls his eyes, then huffs again. “Find me a place that isn’t crawling with monsters and I might consider myself happy.”
“All right, then, stranger,” Minho says, pushing himself off the ground. “Let’s get going.”
“Get going…where?” Jisung forces himself to stand too, steadying himself on wobbly legs.
“To my camp?” Minho must see the confusion on Jisung’s face because he speaks again before any questions are asked. “She’s full of food, water, and air conditioning. Plus, it’s Undead free.”
“But why?”
Hoisting his backpack over his shoulder, Minho grabs the stake, tosses it to Jisung, and sends him a wink. “To make you happy, of course.”
As Minho leaves the room, Jisung doesn’t even want to think about unpacking everything that just happened, but even if he did, he doesn’t have the time. He has a decision to make: risk following a stranger into “camp” or try making it out here on his own.
“I’m leaving!” Minho calls out, and Jisung’s out the door two seconds later.
He lets Minho lead the way.
***
Turns out camp isn’t too far from where they’re currently at, thankfully. They take the backroads, because that’s apparently still a thing, and only run into one Undead on the way back. Minho tries to get Jisung’s name, age, and overall life story, but Jisung’ll be damned if he gives this loud-mouth stranger any of his information.
Or, at least, that was the plan.
The moment Minho’s camp comes into view, Jisung gasps. It’s fucking huge. There’s a large, square perimeter made of tall, sharp, wooden stakes. At the front of the gate, two men stand side by side with guns bigger than their bodies. Minho nods to them both, leading Jisung inside where a large building, likely an old warehouse, stands pretty, tall, and occupied.
There are people everywhere–men, women, children–like they’re in their own, small city. Some garden, some clean, others go in and out of the building. The sight almost makes things feel normal again. That is, up until a voice rings out.
“Jisung?”
Jisung startles at his name, but not as much as Minho does, who looks over at him with wide eyes. “Well I’ll be damned,” he mumbles.
“Jisung!”
Between Minho’s weird reaction and Jisung hearing his name for the first time in days, he doesn’t know what to focus on first. But when the crowd starts to part, all he can see is long swirls of platinum blonde hair on the tiny body barreling toward him. Jisung starts to scramble back but stops still at the sight of freckles that disperse like stars, twinkling across the man’s face in a pattern that could only belong to one person.
“Lixie,” Jisung gasps. He opens his arms just in time, letting out a small oof as he stumbles back on impact.
Before he can fall, Minho catches them both. He steadies them before Jisung flails his arms and shimmies his body, doing whatever he can to free himself from Felix’s grasp so he can take all of him in. Make sure he’s truly there. That he’s alive and well. Or, as well as he possibly can be.
Hands on Felix’s shoulders, Jisung pushes him back, desperate, bending over and peering down to look at his face. His large, round eyes hold worlds of emotion in them, and his bottom lip juts out. God, it’s Felix. It’s his baby brother.
“Oh, Lix,” Jisung murmurs. He feels his eyes well up with tears, but he doesn’t brush them away. He’s learned that these days, there’s no point. They’ll just keep coming anyway.
“Don’t cry,” Felix says with a wobbly voice and trembling lips. “Please, Sung. Don’t cry.”
Jisung just nods, throwing his arms around Felix’s neck and pulling him close. He breathes in his scent, soaks up his warmth, and clings onto the brother he hasn’t seen in two whole years.
It’s when a throat clears in front of him that Jisung remembers they have quite the audience. His eyes fly open, seeing way too many pairs staring back. He can feel his chest tighten as he squeezes his eyes back shut.
“Sungie?” Felix whispers.
But before he can gasp out a breathless answer, someone beside him claps his hands twice.
“All right!” It’s Minho. “This is our newest member, Jisung. He’s not an animal so there’s no need to crowd him. Feel free to welcome him on your own time, but otherwise, let’s get back to work.”
Most of the crowd disperses after that, but there are still enough people left behind to make Jisung uncomfortable. Felix reluctantly pulls away, but only when someone else steps forward and wraps an arm around his waist. The man is absolutely huge–in size, not height–and his eyes roam over Jisung critically, but not unkindly.
“Anyone I should be worried about?” he asks, and Felix wiggles into his side with a giggle.
“Only the most important person in my life.”
The stranger pouts for just a moment, an expression that doesn’t really suit his face, but he eventually snaps his fingers with a grin. He steps forward, hand still on Felix’s waist, and outstretches his free hand. “You must be Jisung.”
With furrowed brows, Jisung peeks back at Minho before reluctantly taking the stranger’s hand.
“I can’t say I know who you are,” he says.
The man smiles, giving Jisung’s hand a firm shake, before wrapping that one around Felix, too. He picks him up, spins him around once, and places him back on the ground. “I’m Changbin,” He says. “And I have the pleasure of being your brother’s boyfriend.”
Jisung tries to school his shock but doesn’t think he does the best job when Felix’s hopeful look falls.
Still, he says, “That’s great, Lixie. I’m really happy for you.”
Felix smiles, though it looks a bit forced, and says, “Let me show you to our room.”
“Our room?”
“Well, you’re staying, aren’t you?”
Jisung looks around. It does look safe. Much safer than his last home. So he nods, Felix squeals, and then he’s being dragged away.
“I’m always around,” Minho calls out, “so come find me if you need me.”
Jisung doesn’t get a chance to respond as he’s pulled through this maze of a building, but they make it to where the bedrooms are, and Felix pulls him into one. There are multiple beds on the floor, and it’s pretty empty, but it’s a place to sleep and that’s all that matters.
Felix pulls Jisung down on the bed he assumes now belongs to him before he’s bombarded with questions. Where has he been? How did he find them? Did he ever look for Felix?
And Jisung fires back answers just as fast. When they got separated while on the run, Jisung ran into a new group of people. Minho found Jisung while on a supply run. And of course he did. Every single day.
Jisung doesn’t tell Felix how he got kicked out of his group for being so useless. That’s not something he needs to know. Felix is satisfied, for the most part, but then he asks one last question.
“About Binnie,” he says, and Jisung hates how small he sounds. “Do you not like him?”
“No, Lix, it isn’t that. He seems…nice.”
Felix’s nose scrunches up, and Jisung feels his body soften. He’s missed Felix so much.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s just.” Jisung sighs, furrowing his brows. “Is now really the time to be falling in love?”
Felix tilts his head. “Isn’t now a better time than ever?”
***
A week into being taken in, Jisung notices three things.
One: Everyone in this little town is close. There are little to no arguments and even less hostility.
It’s a fair-sized group–much bigger than Jisung’s last–so he would think that’d lead to more disagreements, but if anything, he’s never seen a group of people care for one another as much as they do.
Two: Everyone here has a role, no matter how small.
Even Jisung is appointed to cleaning duty. Minho had tried to get him to go on patrols with him, but that was shut down immediately. But speaking of Minho…
Three: Lee Minho scares him.
Jisung can admit there’s no real rhyme or reason for why this is true. He’s a kind man with a genuine soul. He pays attention to the people around him and makes sure things get done.
“How do you manage to stay so positive all the time?” Jisung had asked one day, and all Minho did was shrug with a grin.
Jisung likes having him around. He feels safe in his presence. Perhaps it’s this that terrifies him the most.
***
There’s an incident eventually. No matter how peaceful it may seem on the inside, there’s still a world of terror out there, and Jisung knew it was only a matter of time before it infiltrated this place.
He’s eating at one of the dining tables with Felix when Minho storms in. It’s a little startling to see such an angry expression on a face that’s usually so carefree.
Minho spots Jisung, who swears his rigid body relaxes the tiniest bit, before stomping over and sitting in one of the chairs across from him. Before Jisung can ask what’s wrong, though, Chan comes in after him.
“We were in the middle of talking, Minho,” Chan says, calm. “Don’t just walk away.”
“Is that what we were doing?” Minho says. “Because it seemed to me like you were talking and I was being made to listen.”
Chan pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks exhausted. “I get that you want to help, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“We can keep her in the storage room, just to be safe.”
“Minho, I said no. I understand what you’re feeling, but my only priority is to keep us safe. I’m sorry. She has to go.”
Minho stands up so abruptly his chair flies out from underneath him. He shouts a curse just once, but it’s loud enough to grab everyone else’s attention. When his fist slams against the table, Jisung flinches, and Minho walks out.
It’s silent for a moment after that, but eventually, Chan explains.
“A girl stumbled into our area. Minho wants to take her in, but she’s bitten.”
The air seems to get a bit more tense. Jisung stays quiet. Minho looked really upset, and he can’t help but be worried.
“He’ll be okay,” Felix says. “This happened once before. It might take him a minute, but he’ll come around.”
Jisung doesn’t know what “coming around” looks like for Minho, but when two days pass with not so much as a glance from him, Jisung decides to hell with that and seeks him out himself.
He isn’t too hard to find. Jisung stumbles across him right outside the gate. He sits on the ground and it looks like he’s patrolling, but Jisung doubts he’s paying attention to what’s going on.
He just sits next to him, lets his knees bump against Minho’s. Jisung looks up at the swirls in the sky. He isn’t sure when he last thought about how beautiful this world could be.
“I had a little sister,” Minho eventually says, breaking the silence.
Jisung looks over, but Minho still doesn’t look back.
“She was everything to me. Our mom died when we were pretty young, so it was us against the world. That’s what I liked to tell her.”
“What happened?” Jisung asks, his voice barely above a whisper. But he’s pretty sure he already knows.
“She was bitten one day, while I was out scavenging. It was hard finding her like that. But she held out as long as she could no matter how scared she was. And after she turned, I had to make the hardest decision of my life.”
Jisung’s never been good with situations like these. So he doesn’t say anything. He just takes Minho’s hand in his, and he listens.
“You asked me how I’m able to stay so positive.” Finally, Minho looks over. “And the truth is, I don’t know. But I do know that if I let myself be anything else, I might break completely. I don’t know what I’d do after that.”
Minho searches Jisung’s eyes as if looking for the answer to a question he’s been mulling over for years. And Jisung’s heart aches for him.
They stay like that for a while, soaking in the silence and the moonlight. When Jisung eventually yawns, Minho speaks again.
“Jisung?”
“Hm?”
“Can I stay with you tonight?”
Jisung doesn’t hesitate before agreeing. They sneak into Jisung’s room where Felix and Changbin are already sleeping. When they get under the covers with a silent goodnight, Jisung turns his head and watches Minho until his breathing evens out.
Isn’t now a better time than ever?
Jisung shakes the thought from his head and forces himself to sleep.
***
By the time Jisung wakes up, Minho is nowhere to be found. Well, that isn’t entirely true. Jisung can hear his authoritative voice booming from somewhere outside of the room. But the point is, Minho isn’t in his arms anymore, and that fact leaves him feeling unbearably cold.
***
Minho keeps an eye on Jisung after that, but Jisung can’t say he really minds. He’s keeping an eye on Minho too, after all.
It’s a subtle shift at first—the gentle touches, the soft smiles, the lingering glances—but soon enough, it becomes their normal. Soon enough, Jisung feels a little lost without Minho by his side.
He promptly ignores the knowing looks he gets from Chan and the wiggling brows from Changbin and Felix. So he avoids them, because he knows as soon as one of them gets him alone, they’re going to ask. And Jisung doesn’t think he’ll be able to lie about it.
He likes Minho. He wants Minho. And for once, a thought like that isn’t so scary.
“Hey,” Minho says, startling Jisung out of his thoughts. He huffs out a laugh, catching Jisung’s tumbling broom and handing it back to him. “We’re sitting by the fire tonight and having a few drinks if you wanna join us.”
Jisung snatches the broom back, half embarrassed, and leans against it, tilting his head.
“What’s the special occasion?”
Minho grins, taking a step closer. “Think of it as a welcome party?”
“I’ve been here for over a month though.”
“Then your one-month anniversary.”
“Lee Minho, are you people using me as an excuse to drink?”
“Depends on how you’d feel if the answer were yes.”
“I’ll be there.”
It’s only a few hours later when the moon is shining and the sun has set that everyone gathers together. There’s people shouting and music blasting and Jisung feels good. He’s never felt this good before in his life.
There’s only a little alcohol thrumming through his veins, but being surrounded by people he’s come to trust fills him with so much energy he doesn’t know what to do with. He was to scream, shout, sing, dance.
He wants to run. So he does.
Jisung, in one swift motion, pops up from the group, whoops, runs around the fire, and bolts through the open gate. He hears people call after them, but they aren’t worried. They’re laughing, screaming, chasing. And, God, Jisung feels so fucking free.
He doesn’t make it very far when strong arms wrap around his waist, pulling him back into a solid stomach, and Jisung giggles, closing his eyes and leaning his head back.
“I think it might be past your bedtime,” Minho says, and Jisung whines, wiggling until he’s turned around, his chest pressed flush against Minho’s.
He peeks up through fluttering eyelids, and as the cool air whisks around them, he hears more shouting. He must not have run as far as he thought he did.
Minho reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind Jisung’s ear. “You seem to be doing a lot better,” he says. “Here, with us.”
Jisung hums, eyes flitting around Minho’s face. He’s so pretty. But then, that thought is nothing new.
“I still get scared sometimes,” Jisung says. “The nightmares don’t stop and my brain still wants to run away.”
“But you stay.”
“Where else would I go?” Jisung says, tone teasing.
Minho scoffs. “I’m sure there are plenty of camps out there.”
“None of them would have you.” Jisung says it so quietly, but he knows Minho hears him.
Jisung looks up just in time to see Minho lean in, and just like that, their lips are touching. It’s soft at first, experimental, but it quickly turns into desperation, Jisung’s tongue begging for entry into Minho’s mouth.
When Jisung starts tugging on Minho’s shirt, their kiss finally breaks apart. Minho grabs Jisung’s hands, gently prying them away.
“Woah there.” Minho grins with swollen, red lips. “Not right now.”
Jisung’s heart works before his brain does, clenching painfully at the rejection. He starts to pull away, but Minho only tugs him closer.
“I’m not doing this with you right now,” Minho says. Not when you’re drunk on beer and high on adrenaline.”
Immediately, Jisung’s heart begins to calm. “But you’ll do it another time?”
“I’ll do it another time.”
Jisung nods before looking back up, mischievous. “And if I really want to do it for the thrill?”
Minho grins. “Then I’ll fuck you during the next apocalypse. Promise.”
Jisung feels his face burn with how direct Minho’s being. He ducks his head and bites back a smile. “I’ll hold you to that.”
They start to walk back to camp, out of breath, hand in hand, but Jisung stops, a sudden anxiety clinging to his body. He replays everything that just happened, over and over again, and he’s happy. He’s so happy. But he just…
“Minho?” he says, but Minho shushes him with a quiet, gentle kiss.
“It’s okay,” he says, gaze searching Jisung’s own. “We can take this slow. We have all the time in the world.”
Minho smiles and tugs them through the gate where they’re met with a million questions, but Jisung lets Minho deal with that. He closes his eyes and leans his head against Minho’s shoulders, breathing it all in. This new love, this new life. This newfound hope.
Minho said they have all the time in the world. And Jisung’s starting to believe him.