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“This is channel 7 with breaking news. Another meteor has been reported, the crash sight is still unidentified but this makes it the 5th meteor in the past hour. Sea levels have increased tremendously since the past hour as well and I just got word that another earthquake has been reported, the epicenter being around the coast of Hawaii.”
——-
“Namjoon please pick up the phone.” Jungkook said through gritted teeth. He could barely hold the phone as his hands were so clammy and sweaty. Everyone had evacuated the dorms, the only sound that could be heard were a few screams from outside and the screeching of tires as people desperately tried to drive away into who knows where. Jungkook thought he could run as well, but it was pathetic really, the world was ending and he had nowhere to hide. “Please.” The line rang for a few more seconds before he finally heard his voice.
“Jungkook? Jungkook where are you?”
Jungkook closed his eyes at the sound of his voice. “I-I’m at the dorms. Everyone left I think I’m the only one still here I just-“
“What are you doing there?? Jungkook you need to leave now. The tides are rising and the roads are getting busier it’s going to be impossible for us to get out.”
Jungkook sighed. “Namjoon, there’s nothing we can do. There’s nowhere to run to. Have you not seen the news? Everything is crumbling. It’s over.”
Namjoon stayed quiet. But even though he wasn’t saying anything, the line had never been busier. Screams and insults could be heard in the background as everyone was in chaos. Jungkook hated silence, but oh how he longed for it at this moment.
“You said you were at the dorms?”
“Yes. Wh-“
“Stay there. I’ll go to you.”
“No. No Namjoon I didn’t call for that I just wanted to say-“
“Whatever it is you have to say, you can tell me in person. I’ll be there soon, don’t move. Please.”
And with that, Namjoon hung up. Jungkook felt tears starting to swell as he slowly shoved his phone back in his pocket. “No. You can’t cry. Not right now.” Jungkook whispered to the almost completely destroyed room. Jungkook took a deep breath in and sat on his bed, the mattress covered with ashes that had come in through the window.
Jungkook knew this was going to happen, everyone knew. A new natural disaster happened every day, it was only a matter of time until the earthquakes started swallowing the buildings downtown and the sea drowned the cities close by. Jungkook had thought about what he would do on his last day on earth, he had stayed up all week thinking about who he would call first and where he would go as he waited for the inevitable, but all of that went through the window the second his eyes landed on the framed picture of him and Namjoon. Namjoon was smiling, his eyes closed in delight as his arm was around Jungkook’s waist, Jungkook simply covering his face with his hand in embarrassment. And so now, Jungkook sat on his charred bed, waiting for the man to arrive.
Jungkook had always known he was in love with Namjoon, but he had no idea that it would last this long. He was sure that if he tried hard enough, he would be able to move on and forget about the way he desperately wanted to taste his lips, the way he craved to wake up next to him, and the way he dreamt about calling Namjoon “my love”, but it never happened.
In all four years of high school, the butterflies never went away. No matter how many times Namjoon walked Jungkook home, the desire to plant a kiss on his cheek after going inside his house never disappeared. He thought going off to college would turn his luck around, but the universe had other plans and admitted Namjoon as well. Of course, Jungkook was happy for him, but a part of him had hoped, even begged that he could stay away from Namjoon for a while, just long enough to forget about how much he loved him. Namjoon had had multiple partners throughout high school. He was a good, loving boyfriend. Jungkook remembered tagging along with Namjoon one year to buy an anniversary gift for his ex girlfriend. They spent the whole day at the mall only for Namjoon to decide that he would take her to Disneyland instead. Then, in another occasion, Jungkook helped Namjoon cook an elaborate dinner filled with candles and rose petals on the floor for an ex boyfriend of his, Jungkook even dressed as a waiter and took their “orders” when there was only one thing on the menu. But no matter how happy Namjoon looked, his relationships never lasted more than a year. Jungkook asked him why multiple times, but everytime he did all Namjoon said was, “I just feel like there’s more”. Jungkook never understood what that meant.
Ten minutes had passed since he had spoken to Namjoon on the phone, and Jungkook would be lying if he said that he hadn’t started feeling the effects of the end of the world. Jungkook’s eyes burned as a result of all the smoke in the air. His chest felt heavy, like he had to gasp for air. His throat itched and he feared he would lose his voice soon. His body was shutting down, and he realized that his dorm might be his deathbed after all.
—
“Jungkookie, are you asleep?” Namjoon whispered to the man laying next to him.
Jungkook’s eyes fluttered open, a smile spreading over his face. “No, I’m just listening to the waves.”
It was about 10 pm and Namjoon and Jungkook had spent the entire afternoon at the beach where they had first met. Back then, little Jungkook didn’t know how to swim and after a terrifying five minutes, he was pulled out by small, and quite worried Namjoon. Namjoon dragged Jungkook onto the sand and almost cried, not knowing if the boy was okay or not. Once Jungkook started coughing up water, a sigh of relief was released from Namjoon’s mouth. Jungkook was taken to the hospital, where little Namjoon was already waiting for him with a box of donuts and a smiley face balloon. Namjoon introduced himself and asked if Jungkook was feeling okay. Jungkook simply nodded “yes”, and the rest became history.
“Can you believe we met here ten years ago? And as always, I had to save your dumbass.”
Jungkook wheezed at the comment. “You say that like I’m not constantly doing your homework and looking out for you so you don’t get in trouble whenever you fall asleep in class.”
Namjoon sat up, sand falling from his hair. “Falling asleep? You’re gonna bring that up? Who’s the one who kept me up all night that one time because you wanted me to help you beat that level of Zelda which caused ME to end up dozing off during Mr. Hurtz class?” Namjoon ranted, his voice getting higher as his arms flung up in the air as if asking for God to hear the ridiculous remarks Jungkook was making.
Jungkook bursted out laughing. Namjoon simply watched in annoyance as Jungkook wrapped his arms around his stomach, his laughter becoming louder than the sound of the sea. Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows “It’s not funny Jeon, he called me out in front of the whole class, it was embarrassing”.
Jungkook sat up, his laughter dying down as he placed a hand on Namjoon’s back. “Alright alright, I’m sorry.” Jungkook said with a smile, but Namjoon simply pouted and turned the other way.
“Whatever.” Namjoon said through a sigh as he laid back down on the cold sand and closed his eyes.
Jungkook looked at Namjoon, unsure whether the man was truly upset or simply messing around with him like he usually did. But when Namjoon failed to say another word, Jungkook took a deep breath in and put his pride aside.
Jungkook turned to Namjoon and quietly said, “Hey, Namjoon, I’m really sorry. I never actually apologized for that, I just thought it was funny, but I hadn’t realized how embarrassing it had been for you so I’m sorry that I put you in such an uncomfortable position, can you forgive me?”. Namjoon remained quiet and with his eyes closed. Jungkook fiddled with the string of his hoodie in nervousness before slowly reaching out for Namjoon’s hand. Jungkook expected for Namjoon to pull away, but instead Namjoon carefully intertwined their hands together. Jungkook froze, his ears and cheeks were burning up and he was certain that if it wasn’t for the darkness of the night, his face would be the brightest shade of red.
Namjoon lightly pulled on Jungkook’s arm, as if telling him to lay down, and so he did. Jungkook laid back down next to him, his eyes never leaving Namjoon’s face. Jungkook’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest as he observed the man next to him. The moonlight made it seem like Namjoon was glowing, and despite the darkness surrounding them, Jungkook swore that he saw a light shade of red on Namjoon’s cheeks.
The two stayed that way for a few minutes until Namjoon finally spoke. “Jungkook… Jung-”
—
“...kook!”
Jungkook gasped for air as his eyes opened, smoke immediately infesting his lungs. Jungkook couldn't help but cough in panic as he desperately tried to catch his breath. The smoke had increased dramatically, making everything in the room disappear. Before he could register in his head where the smoke was coming from, he heard his name being called out.
“Jungkook! Jungkook where are you!” Namjoon’s voice echoed through the whole building. Jungkook couldn’t yell back, as he was still coughing and his throat felt like it was being scratched by hundreds of nails. His head was spinning and he was sure that if he closed his eyes, he would probably no longer be able to wake up. “Jungkook please… I need you!”.
Jungkook stumbled out of bed, tripping with all the scattered remains on the floor. He let out a yell as he felt something cut his leg, blood quickly covering his jeans. A piece of glass from the shattered window had pierced his thigh when he fell on the floor. Jungkook cried in pain as he removed the piece, his hands also getting cut by the same glass. Exhausted, and barely conscious, Jungkook tried standing up but failed as the pain from the cut dragged him back down. Jungkook looked around the room his leg still bleeding and his chest burning. Just as his eyes started closing, Jungkook turned his head and froze. On the floor next to him was the now crushed picture frame with the picture of him and Namjoon. Jungkook reached shakily for the picture and felt more tears slide down his face.
“Jungkook! Please!” Namjoon called out once more, his voice breaking.
Jungkook took the picture out of the frame and lazily shoved it into his pocket. He took a deep breath in, prepared himself for the pain, and stood up. He let out a yell and stumbled back down, but the new burst of adrenaline allowed him to stand back up. He leaned against the wardrobe as he looked out the window one last time. The smoke had been coming from the building in front of his and had started spreading to his own. Namjoon once again had saved him.
Jungkook closed his eyes for a quick second before limping away from the room. Each step he took felt like his leg was being pulled apart from his body. Jungkook could hardly see anything in front of him as the smoke had filled the whole building, but he still kept walking. Pieces from the ceiling fell around Jungkook, and every few seconds he felt the ground under him shake as the earthquakes continued, but he moved on. He made it to the stairs and before he could think about anything, he fell on the floor and began sobbing. He wouldn’t be able to make it down, he barely walked out of his room. There wasn’t anything he could do, and so he tried his best to clear his throat and finally yelled…
“Namjoon! Namjoon!”
He only managed to call out his name twice, as he began sobbing even more. Everything around him had turned blurry, a result of exhaustion and blood loss. Jungkook’s eyes started fluttering close as all the noise surrounding him slowly started to fade away. He couldn’t hear anything but himself gasping for air. As his eyes were ready to completely close, he felt a pair of hands shake his shoulders.
“Jungkook wake up!”
Jungkook opened his eyes. Namjoon was crying, his face covered in soot. His eyes were red, either because he was crying or because of the smoke. His arms were covered in cuts and blood, and it seemed like Namjoon himself was close to passing out, but none of that seemed to matter.
Jungkook reached out to Namjoon and cupped his cheeks. Both men were sobbing as everything around them crumbled. “I’m not going to make it” Jungkook cried, his words slurring.
Namjoon shook his head. “I got you, I-I got you Kookie.” Namjoon said, his voice quivering.
With all the strength he could manage, Namjoon lifted Jungkook up. Jungkook’s arms were wrapped around Namjoon’s neck, while one leg was around Namjoon’s waist and the other hung down, covered in blood, and Jungkook too disoriented to even complain about the pain. Namjoon wanted to try and reach his car, he wanted to drive away with Jungkook and forget all about the destruction, but he knew Jungkook was right. He wouldn’t make it, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure how long he would last either.
Namjoon pulled Jungkook closer, his head resting on Namjoon’s shoulder. It would take too long to try and reach the bottom of the building, and so Namjoon decided to go up. Avoiding the falling debris and the fire spreading through the building, Namjoon made his way up the building until he reached the last floor. There was a door that lead to the rooftop of the building; you could see the entire city from there. Namjoon slung the door open, his body losing its balance. Namjoon fell on one knee, pain shooting up his leg. Jungkook’s own injured leg hit the floor, but he had no energy to yell like Namjoon. Namjoon hugged Jungkook tightly, as if making sure that Jungkook was okay. Namjoon got up, his legs and arms shaking as he attempted not to drop Jungkook. As Namjoon started walking towards the rooftop, he felt the ground beneath him starting to break. The building was starting to collapse.
Namjoon gathered his strength once again and limped as fast as he could to the top. There was another door at the end, but without wasting any time, Namjoon kicked the door open, pain once again shooting up his body. The door flung open and Namjoon gasped at the sight before him. As he walked on to the roof, all Namjoon could see was chaos. The buildings around him were either falling apart or caught on fire. There wasn’t much to see, as the smoke had engulfed almost the whole city.
Namjoon walked a bit more, till he was almost at the edge of the building. He slowly sat on the floor, Jungkook still wrapped around his torso. Namjoon wiped the tears that were still streaming down his face as Jungkook finally lifted his head up from Namjoon’s shoulder.
“Namjoon, i-”
“Shh, shh…” Namjoon attempted a smile as he wiped a tear from Jungkook’s face. “It’s okay, we’re together, it’ll all be okay.”
Before either boy can say anything else, a roar is heard coming from the sky. Both men look up, their faces being illuminated by bright lights. It’s a meteor shower. “If only they were shooting stars.” Namjoon says, managing a small laugh despite the tears.
Jungkook sighed, feeling his body lose its strength. Jungkook could no longer keep his body up as his head fell backwards, his eyes threatening to close.
“No no, c’mon Jungkook, don’t leave me yet!” Namjoon yelled as pulled Jungkook close. Jungkook fought against the exhaustion and leaned his forehead against Namjoon’s.
“Nam-Namjoon, I have to tell you something.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me anything, just don’t leave me, please.” Namjoon begged as he held Jungkook close.
“No. I have to tell you. Before I die…” Jungkook said as a sob escaped Namjoon’s lips. He wanted to tell Jungkook to not talk about death, that it would be fine, but it was a lie. They were both about to die and they knew that. Jungkook took a deep breath in. He could feel Namjoon shaking under him. They were both covered in blood, but Jungkook couldn’t figure out whose it was.
Jungkook took a deep breath in, memories of Namjoon and Jungkook together flashing through his mind. “I love you… I have always loved you. You were right… you were always there to save my dumbass…” Jungkook laughed. “You were always there to hug me when I cried, you always held my hand even if you didn’t know what it meant to me. And I’m sorry… but I hated all of your exes… not because they were bad people, but because they had you! They could kiss you, they could tell you that they love you, they had the entire universe in their hands and I… I wanted that. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you… but I-I did, I’m just sorry that I could never be what you needed”.
Another sob came from Namjoon. Jungkook was barely holding up, and even more meteors were coming down. Namjoon cupped Jungkook’s cheeks, his hands a shaky, bloody mess. “Jungkook… If you only knew what you mean to me. Jeon Jungkook… I love you. You are my everything and will continue to be that even after we’re gone. I’m so… so sorry it took me so long to say it, but you were my first love… Remember… remember when you would ask me why my relationships didn’t last? Do you remember that?” Jungkook nodded. “It was because of you… there was something more I wanted, and that something was you. I was in denial for so long, believing it was simply a dream and a selfish desire, but you were what I wanted. I love you.”
A smile formed on Jungkook’s face. His face was pale and his body felt cold against Namjoon, but he still managed to say one last thing. “I always dreamt of hearing you say that…”
Namjoon let out a small laugh. The ground under them began to shake, but the two men no longer cared. Namjoon slowly closed his eyes and leaned in. Jungkook’s eyes fluttered closed as well as he felt Namjoon’s lips pressed against his own. The moment their lips touched, it felt like an explosion had gone off inside Jungkook’s chest. Despite the blood, sweat, and soot, Namjoon still tasted sweet on Jungkook’s tongue.
Jungkook wrapped his arms tightly around Namjoon’s neck as the two gave each other the kiss of death, both occasionally pausing to smile at each other.
Then, as both boys drowned the sounds of the outside and only focused on the warmth of each other’s body, the ground under them came crumbling down.