Work Text:
It was bound to happen eventually. One day Sebastian and Kimi’s luck would run out. The fact the two of them had a few years together was something extraordinary. So the fact that their time together runs out shouldn’t surprise them, but it does.
It was a simple supply run. Lando and Max had reported that they were low on rags so Sebastian had suggested he and Kimi go into town to look for some.
They had not expected the horde.
The store seems quiet, but Kimi and Sebastian still draw out their guns regardless. They move through the store, keeping quiet as Kimi finds some rags in a nearby bathroom and shoves them into his rucksack.
Sebastian sweeps his gun to the left, his torch light trained around the room. His breath is held. He slowly moves back, which was to be his mistake.
A bottle crunches under his foot. He freezes, as does Kimi.
In an instant an inhuman screech fills the room and three runners and a clicker storm towards the two men.
Kimi and Sebastian fire off a few rounds, keeping out of range of the infected. Sebastian ducks behind a counter and switches weapons, moving up to take a shot when he gets tackled by a stalker hidden within the walls.
His breath leaves him in a swoop as the foul creature leans over him, snapping it’s teeth. He lets out a panicked sound and tries to push it away, yelling for Kimi to help him.
There’s the deafening sound of gunfire and the creature falls onto Sebastian, who pushes it away from him in disgust. He looks up and sees Kimi standing over him, blood splattered with the bodies of the infected all around him.
“Okay, Sebby?” Kimi asks, wiping blood from his cheek as the German nods and gets up, wiping himself down.
It’s as he does so that Kimi notices it. The blood soaked wound on Sebastian’s right arm. His whole world seems to tilt and shift, making him see stars. His throat dries up and his heart hammers so loudly it’s all he is aware of.
Sebastian blinks at Kimi’s sudden silence and frowns. “Kimi? What’s wrong?”
Kimi, white as a sheet, points to Sebastian’s arm.
Sebastian looks down at it, and blinks.
There on his right arm is the perfect indentation of human teeth. Fresh. Blood is still leaking out of the wound. His breath catches in horrified fear.
With a shaking hand he brushes away the welling blood, hoping to remove the hideous mark, but it doesn’t fade. More blood replaces what he brushes away.
He is bitten.
“Kimi, what the fuck?”
Lewis is pacing in the main meeting room, glancing at the Finn horrified. “You know the rules. Once bitten you need to end the person’s life.”
Kimi stands before him, still covered in blood, eyes seeming to see nothing ahead of him. “It’s Sebastian.”
“It’s not Kimi! He’s infected. He’s going to turn into one of those things. Do you think he wants that? The kindest thing would have been to shoot him there and then. Not bring him back to camp. What on earth were you thinking?” Lewis raises his voice with every word, still pacing.
“It’s Sebastian.” Kimi says again. Like it’s the only thing he can say. The only thing his brain can cling onto.
“It won’t be Sebastian in a few hours, Kimi!” Lewis looks frustrated, throwing his hands up in the air and then running them through his braided hair. He looks at Kimi. “Come on man, you’re the last person I expected to see lose common sense.”
Kimi’s eyes seem to regain some clarity. “He is my Husband. My entire fucking world. You’re talking about him like some pet that needs putting down. He is still my Husband infected or not. I’ve kept him isolated, Lewis. I am not murdering him in cold blood in the middle of some fucking store.”
“Then what are you going to do, Kimi?” Lewis folds his arms, looking at him.
“I will stay with him until…” Kimi’s voice trails off, swallowing thickly against the words he doesn’t want to say. “Until he turns, then I will end him. I want him to….” He closes his eyes. “To know love before he goes.”
Lewis’ expression changes to one of sorrow and pity and he nods once. “I will grant this. So long as you stay away from the others.”
Kimi balks at the fact he is being given orders when Sebastian leads the camp, but he nods in understanding. He needed this. “Thank you, Lewis.”
“I’m sorry, Kimi.” Lewis says softly, genuine pain in his eyes. He did love Sebastian too, despite his harsh words.
Kimi nods once again, then he picks up his pistol from the table and walks back out into the courtyard.
Once outside, he notices the hand he carries the gun in shakes violently.
Kimi decides to clean up before seeing Sebastian. Wanting to give him some semblance of normality even if any of this was nothing fucking close to normal.
He heads to the cabin he had kept Sebastian in, a tray in his hands. Sebastian’s favourite food and a warm hot drink.
Sebastian sits in the corner of the room, tears falling down his face. He had refused to change out of his clothing no matter Kimi’s gentle encouragement that it would make him feel better.
Kimi puts the tray down on the little desk and silently kneels in front of Sebastian. “Hey…” His voice cracks but he pretends it doesn’t.
Sebastian looks up at him, fear in his eyes, but Kimi notes in relief that he doesn’t look sick. Yet. “You shouldn’t be here...you can’t. You should have killed me when you had the chance.”
“Shut up. I wasn’t going to just shoot you like that.” Kimi tells him, his voice shaky. “I couldn’t do that to you, Seb.”
“I’m infected, Kimi. I’m going to turn into one of those monsters. I don’t want that. Don’t make me turn.” Sebastian is almost begging but Kimi makes a soothing sound, taking his hands in his.
“I won’t let you. But Sebby...I can’t kill you while you’re still you...I can’t. It’s going to destroy me…” Kimi squeezes his hands. His eyes fill with tears. “You’re….god...you’re my reason for carrying on...I can’t...fuck I can’t do this.”
“You’re gonna have to, Liebe.” Sebastian hesitantly cups Kimi’s cheek, giving him a smile he doesn’t feel. “Remember what we discussed? You need to carry on when I’m gone...Mick and Max...Lando…”
“Fuck them.” Kimi’s voice is full of feeling. “Fuck this entire damn world.” He stands up and kicks at a dining room chair until it topples. “Why does it get to fucking take you from me!”
Sebastian has never seen Kimi this emotional before. He slowly gets up from the floor and he silently wraps his arms around the back of his waist. He rests his head against his shoulder. “You’re forgetting it’s taking you from me as well….”
“I’ll come find you.” Kimi says darkly.
“No you won’t. I won’t allow it.” Sebastian glances to the pistol on the table and his hand reaches for it before Kimi can stop him. He turns the weapon over in his hands, gazing at it like he does when fixing an issue in camp. “I think a straight shot to the head would work. I could do that.”
“Seb.” Kimi’s voice cracks and he turns around, desperate to take the weapon out of Sebastian’s hands. “Please, no.”
“If I do it then you don’t have my blood on your hands.” Sebastian reasons, even if his hands shake looking at the gun.
“I can’t watch you kill yourself!” Kimi almost yells, but Sebastian gives him a look.
“I’m dead already, Kimi. I’m bitten. There is no coming back from that.” Sebastian tells him, releasing the safety catch from the gun.
Kimi suddenly lunges at Sebastian like he is the one that’s infected, causing the German to drop the gun in surprise as he is slammed against the wall.
“You do that Sebastian Raikkonen and I will never ever forgive you.” Kimi’s voice is dark and full of promise. “You’re still you. You’re still with me. I am not allowing you to go before you have to.” His eyes are wild with desperation. “Do you understand me?”
Sebastian blinks out the stars from his eyes from the blow to his head against the wall and nods quietly as Kimi lets him go and collects the fallen gun.
“I...I made you some food...please just...eat...drink…” Kimi sits down heavily on the end of the bed looking for all intents and purposes, broken.
Sebastian silently nods, moving almost robotically over to the tray of food and starting to eat.
“I’m sorry I’m so selfish.” Kimi whispers into the silence.
Sebastian doesn’t respond.
A few hours pass and nothing much changes. Sebastian has now moved to lie on the bed and Kimi hesitantly lies next to him, even if it’s beyond dangerous to do so.
Sebastian ends the silence. He turns to look at Kimi, not wanting their last few moments to be like this. “Will….can you hold me?”
Kimi’s heart drops like a stone at the vulnerability in his voice and despite the danger, he nods. He opens his arms out for Sebastian to curl up against his chest.
Sebastian dives into his arms, pressing his nose into his neck in his favourite spot and Kimi tenses under him. In an instant Sebastian moves so his head is against his chest instead and Kimi sighs softly in sadness.
“I love you.” Sebastian says softly. “I really hope you know that…”
“I do, Sebby. I love you too.” Kimi presses a kiss to his head. “I will love you for the rest of my days.”
“To the edge of the universe and back.” Sebastian whispers.
“Endure and survive.” Kimi says quietly, hiding his tears by pressing his nose into Sebastian’s curls.
They stay like that for the rest of the night, the two of them not being aware of falling asleep.
The next morning Kimi wakes up alone and his heart thuds with fear. He had fallen asleep next to an infected Sebastian. What on earth was he thinking?!
He gets up and checks himself over, noting he wasn’t bitten before he moves to grab the pistol. He glances around the room, his eyes finding Sebastian in the corner of the room.
Sebastian is starting at his arm, tracing the bite mark slowly.
“Sebby?” Kimi asks carefully, gun trained on the German carefully. “Are you alright?”
Sebastian looks up at Kimi, his face pale, but not sick. No veins pulsing and no crazy look in his eyes. He looked normal. Which was impossible. Infected humans didn’t last a day with their sanity intact. It just wasn’t possible.
“I...I think I’m immune.” Sebastian whispers, and once again Kimi’s world rotates and falls crazily around him.
Immune.