Chapter Text
Gavin had always been a pretty happy person. He laughed a lot. He was usually seen with his friends, grabbing a drink or playing video games, always fucking with people and enjoying their company. Sure, he got mad and frustrated. He yelled at people, although it was usually jokingly and followed by a giggle. He was never one to get irrationally angry. That contributed to his afterlife.
Michael had spent his entire life building a public persona of anger. His friends knew he was actually just a teddy bear, but he spent so much time getting mad that he had begun to believe it himself. It was part of his personality to get angry. Not all of it was for show, he truly was an emotionally charged human being. This, of course, impacted his afterlife.
Gavin died on the roof of the building that he was escaping to when shit hit the fan. He'd survived for a while, running as best he could to a nearby helicopter pad with his family, but they didn't get that far. The last thing he saw was his brother almost escaping, and one of those huge horrible things with torn jaws tearing him apart. He didn't remember much from his human days except for his general outlook on life and those last few seconds while he was alive.
Michael survived for a while. Not a long while, but at the time of his death most people were either evacuated or fighting ferociously for their lives. He was in the street when he was bitten. He stumbled into an empty building, only to be overtaken by the dead. His group never even looked back. He could remember mostly anger from his life, which carried him with all the strength an infected could have into his afterlife.
The day they met was a fateful one indeed.
Gavin had only recently figured out that he could speak. He started with choppy speech and simple words. It was amazing how much a diseased brain could learn. Gavin attempted to communicate with some of the shamblers, but they didn't really want to talk to him, and some even ran at him angrily. He stayed away from those.
Michael knew how to talk, he just didn't. He was too busy spending his time chasing stragglers or moping by himself. He didn't feel the overwhelmingly compelling need to communicate with others like Gavin did.
One day, Gavin was loping around mournfully on top of the roof when he heard a commotion from below, and he got on high alert (for him, turning towards the noise and looking in the general direction). A human began leaping up the wall powerfully and scrambling away from something. Gavin looked placidly, only vaguely noting his handsome features and a strong jaw, complete with windswept dark hair. A soldier. So, typical guy who survives in the movies.
As Gavin watched, another zombie almost like Gavin jumped up the wall after the human. He was even more handsome than the human. Gavin felt his dead heart almost beat as he looked at the zombie's once beautiful face. He had curly brown hair that barely shone with a little red in the sunlight. His face was soft like a child's innocent gaze but contorted into persistent anger as he pursed the human. The freckles across his cheeks were dull and blood-splattered, but the most adorable thing Gavin had ever seen. He wanted to talk to this zombie more than any other zombie he'd ever seen.
Michael had been chasing this fuck for a while now. The rest had given up after a while, but damn, Michael was a stubborn motherfucker and too hardheaded to give up. He had ran across rooftops and through empty lots, into buildings and under bridges, even after all the others had given up. Besides, he had a nice view running after the human.
When the man and zombie reached the rooftop, like any typical undead Gavin had ever been truly interested in, the zombie ran right past Gav to chase the human. Gavin stumbled after them, a couple of pathetic scratchy "wait"s groaning out of his mouth. The zombie's snarls were too loud to be heard by either of them.
After a couple seconds of the man's energy seemingly stuttering, he stumbled over a brick lying on the ground and tumbled down. Despite his army attire, he had no weapons and not enough strength to defend himself as the victorious undead jumped on him. His struggling was ended quickly.
Gavin marveled at how smoothly the zombie could leap upon the human. He wasn't too muscular, but you could tell he was well-toned before shit went down. Gavin stumbled towards the body, hunger and instincts taking over. He fell onto his knees beside the zombie, his skin brushing against the others'. He was sure if he was alive he'd be flushed as he ingested the delicious meal next to his new crush.
Michael could hear another zombie bumbling around behind him as he took down the powerful soldier, but he wasn't concerned about other undead unless they were Volatile. And those were easy to tell apart from the normally mundane, benign zombies.
After a few seconds, Gavin felt a content murmur bubble to his grey lips. He felt a pair of eyes dart to him quickly and back to the food. Gavin swallowed and steeled himself mentally.
"Hel..lo," He creaked out unsteadily. The other looked menacingly at him for a moment and went back to his doings.
"I'm.. Gavin," He looked expectantly at the other, bleak eyes almost getting a bit of sparkle in them as he tried his hardest to be charming. The zombie looked at him for a second, chewing on his food and on the decision of whether or not to reply.
"Michael," He clipped. He was internally surprised by how well his voice had held up. Gavin's rotting face twitched into a broken-toothed smile.
"Mi..chael." He crooned. Michael looked up again to lock eyes. He almost smiled. Almost. That sweet face captivated him for a second before he felt the overwhelming need to leave, although his better (although broken) judgement left him merely gaping at the other zombie. He turned back abruptly to keep eating and Gavin did so as well with a dissatisfied frown.
Curiosity got the better of Gavin after a few moments, and he once again looked at Michael.
"D'you.. have any fr..iends?" He inquired, not able to keep his eyes off of the undead man.
Michael stared at Gavin for a couple seconds blankly, racking his head for 'friends'.
"Friends?" He asked after a couple tense seconds of sifting through decaying memories.
"People you.. love. And lo..ve you." Gavin clarified. Michael frowned bitterly. He remembered the assholes who left him clearly.
"No." He replied curtly.
"Never?" Gavin felt bad for Michael, even if he didn't have any friends himself. Michael seemed bitter about something that Gavin couldn't quite put his blackened finger on.
"Used to." He sighed. Michael looked at Gavin, watching his beautiful, rotting face. His eyes must have been, at one point, a radiant green but were now dull and beginning to adjust to be pale and milky. His windswept hair looked like it used to be a sunkissed brunette hue and was now falling out, but Michael's was too so he didn't mind. He was perfect, and Michael was sure if he was alive his cheeks would be rouged.
"Not any..more?" Gavin looked forlorn at his condition.
"Didn't ever." Michael's memories came back, the reason for his anger. The fact that he did have real friends and just met too many back-stabbers slipped through the cracks of his one-track dying mind.
"We're.. friends?" Gavin asked hopefully, eyes glimmering. It was like saying no to a puppy, and Michael caved.
"Yes, Gavin." Michael sighed and Gavin's face lit up. Michael went back to eating to avoid his feelings, and Gavin did as well, albeit reluctantly.
The smell of fresh meat must have attracted others, because soon more undead were swarming up the building to get a taste. Gavin's head whipped up as fast as it could without snapping his brittle spine and Michael stumbled quickly to his feet. The horde followed their senses to the meal and effectively separated the two new friends.
"Michael..!" Gavin croaked, getting shoved from his kneeling position onto the ground.
"Gavin!" Michael barked as he was pushed to the side by various ugly, angry beings. He watched helplessly as Gavin was kicked by the uncaring and unseeing mass and he could do nothing about it. The others wouldn't move and the growing crowd pushed Michael so far away that he couldn't even see the center of the horde anymore. Michael felt the inescapable separation expanding as he was forced to turn and leave, hoping only that he could remember the place and find Gavin again.