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Driving on the abandoned highway used to be dreadful for Johnny. He had seen so many people die on the highway during the first solar wave. However, surviving five waves changed things for the man. As his car speeded up, he realized even Nature grew stronger; the trees are taller, the air is purer, and the sun is far colder than last year.
He had driven back to Seoul, or what remained of it, to meet Taeyong, a coordinator for survivor’s camps. It was his mission: to find survivors and coordinate to settle the survivors in a safer area. This time, the zone he was sent to was empty, with no traces of humanity. He returned to Seoul earlier than expected. He was about to make a turn when he noticed a silhouette standing under the sun and cursed in shock. He parked his car which opened its door out into the heavy heat. “Get in,” he ordered and the person looked toward him. “I’m going to a survivor camp, where you will find food and shelter, so get in.”
The person didn’t move for a second and Johnny almost felt his impatience get the best of him before they eventually got in the car. The man said nothing and Johnny didn’t care to ask; it wasn’t his job to check who was joining the camp but to find them and lead them there. He sent Taeyong a 121 code which meant he found survivors and was bringing them in.
The entire ride was silent and once he reached the camp, he left the car without a word to the man. Taeyong approached them while they were being sterilized.. “You brought a survivor?” He asked Johnny who only pointed at the man who was finally stripped of the huge cape that covered his figure. Johnny hadn’t seen his face until then but as he took in the man’s features he was stunned. If it wasn’t for Taeyong who spoke, Johnny would be standing there with his jaw touching the floor. “I’m Lee Taeyong, a coordinator and the head of this camp.”
The man said nothing and Taeyong seemed to notice that he won’t have an answer.
“I’ll lead you to a tent where you can rest. Food will be served in five hours but you can snack on anything left if you are hungry,” Taeyong announced, only to make the man react looking at Taeyong with wide sparkly eyes and Taeyong smiled at that. “Come, I’m sure you are starving,” he invited the man in and the stranger followed Taeyong inside with unconcealed eagerness. Johnny of course followed suit.
He sat down in front of the stranger who didn’t tear his eyes away from the kitchen area. They were in the cafeteria underground, surrounded by many survivors who just gathered to socialize. Some even spent hours there to enjoy the cool air inside.
Johnny couldn’t help but admit the man was beautiful . He looked like a cat and the tiny smile he offered only made Johnny feel the urge to make him smile even brighter. The man ate for a little before pausing. A loud banter broke out in the cafeteria and Johnny noticed how the man stiffened immediately.
“Nobody will hurt you here,” he reassured. “Unless they want to be kicked out of the camp and banned from the other camps, nobody would dare. They are just bantering.” The man looked at him briefly before eating again.
Taeyong had left him with the stranger and since he had nothing to do, he offered to lead the man to an empty tent. “You need to put your name here so that it becomes your tent. Of course, if later you decide you want a permanent residency you can apply for a roommate underground. I have an empty bed if you like to room with me since I’m rarely around.” The man looked at him, confused. “You seem like you prefer solitude and I rarely use my room so I guessed that option would be fine with you.”
The man suddenly let out a shy chuckle, looking away to hide it behind his hand. Johnny felt his heart hammer in his chest. The man nodded, a bright smile on his lips, and Johnny needed to yeet himself out before he would make a fool of himself.
“I’ll have to leave you to rest,” Johnny awkwardly said. He started to step back when the man picked the pen hanging on his shirt pocket. Johnny froze at the contact of the man’s fingertips on his shirt and watched as the man wrote “Ten Chittaphon” on the tent banner for the owner name.
Johnny had finally a name to the face.
He was given a mission the same day and was happy for the chance to avoid seeing Ten, if only to stop himself from looking like a fool. However, once he was in the port to take a boat to Japan, Taeyong sent him a message.
“Your find wants to settle in your room, he said you told him so?” Ten wanted to room with him?
“Yeah, I told him I am barely around so he can settle in without being forced to room with anyone he wasn’t comfortable with,” Johnny admitted. “He didn’t seem to be fine with noises in the cafeteria, he stiffened at the little noise so I suggested that.”
Taeyong didn’t answer back but Johnny felt his heart squeeze. He didn’t know how he would react to seeing Ten using the bed facing his. However, the sight of Ten curled in his spot when he arrived in his room made Johnny suddenly feel warm. He gave his cover to Ten, thinking the man was perhaps cold. He just laid down when the man suddenly screamed and sat up terrified. Johnny sat up as well in shock, but didn’t move until he saw Ten’s breathing slow a little.
He approached the man who looked at him like a cat caught in a trap, ready to bolt. “I’m Johnny, your roommate, remember?” Johnny didn’t mean to make his voice drop but it did mostly because he was worried and Ten curled away from him. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I’ll give you some water, is that okay?”
Ten nodded before holding the cup Johnny had filled for him. “Thank you,” came out as a whisper and Johnny felt like someone who was given a gift at Christmas - which is a thing they hadn’t celebrated in seven years. He approached Ten slowly and opened his arms as soon as he settled under the covers. “Cuddles?”
Ten eyed him expressionlessly but still nodded. As soon as Johnny wrapped his arms around Ten, he noticed how much Ten was shaking, so he gave his head soft soothing pats. Ten allowed Johnny to pull him down to a sleeping position, hiding inside Johnny’s embrace. Johnny felt a sudden euphoria at that but said nothing as he kept on patting Ten’s head until they both fell asleep.
It wasn’t the first or the last time they cuddled at night. At some point, it shifted from chasing Ten’s nightmare to just enjoying each other’s presence. It became natural for them to just cuddle in bed whenever Johnny was back from a mission.
“Will you talk to me someday?” He asked Ten as they settled down to sleep. “I would love to hear your voice.” Ten sat up and looked at him, expressionlessly. “What?”
“I don’t like my voice,” Ten whispered and Johnny frowned.
“Darling.” Johnny pulled Ten’s face close and kissed his cheek softly. “Everything about you deserves to be loved, so consider it.” Ten seemed shocked at the sudden gesture and words, but soon a wide smile filled his face. It left Johnny breathless with happiness.
“Johnny,” Ten said loud and Johnny blinked in surprise before pulling Ten closer.
“Damn! You sound so good!” He said in a loud whimper which made Ten laugh. “Your laugh is beautiful. You will be the death of me.” Ten didn’t say anything as he just curled further into Johnny who covered him well. They slept soon after, their smiles unfaltering.
Eventually, people in the camp noticed how Ten and Johnny interacted outside their room. They noticed the whispers, the teasing, the touches, the closeness. The two, however, didn’t
Taeyong came to him with a smirk as Johnny was ready to go on a mission. “Do you want to take Ten with you?” Johnny looked at him in surprise before he looked away. “He is Thai and you are heading there for a mission. I think it is safer to take him with you.”
“I handled it fine on my own before,” Johnny commented. “Why are you suddenly saying so?” Johnny noticed how Taeyong studied him.
The man didn’t blink.“I have never seen you so happy, Youngho Suh. Don’t waste time denying it. The kid makes you happy,” Taeyong said and before Johnny could deny it, he added, “You make the kid happy too.”
Johnny didn’t expect to hear that neither did he expect to see Ten, geared up and holding a huge backpack that could barely fit in the car’s trunk. He smiled at Johnny brightly. “Let’s go?”
Johnny chuckled at the stunned expression of the people around him who finally heard Ten talking. He simply nodded but as they got in the car, Johnny couldn’t help it and pasted a kiss on Ten’s cheek. “Buckle up, it won’t be a short ride.”
Ten only answered by pecking Johnny’s lips and shyly hiding his face as he turned to buckle up. Johnny’s smile didn’t falter the entire time.