Work Text:
“Do you think they’re going to find anyone?”
Kai, Soobin’s dongsaeng and former next door neighbour, was looking out beyond the quarry. The towering skyscrapers of Seoul were scratching the clouds and if anyone didn’t know better, it was like the world hadn’t ended at all. Like a virus hadn’t broken out and extinguished ninety-nine point four percent of Earth’s population. That is, assuming the last radio broadcast was accurate. But the last broadcast was weeks ago. Now, Soobin couldn’t even be confident he knew what day of the week it was.
“I don’t know, Kai. I hope so. It would lift our spirits, I think,” Soobin answered carefully. He focused back on his work, which was cutting squares of gauze and taking inventory of how much medical supplies they had. In their camp, he was the only one with any sort of medical knowledge, and therefore he was designated doctor. Despite only being two years into his medical degree, he had someone become the thing he most wanted to be, back when he was allowed to want for things.
The breakout had taken his entire family from him, and two of his closest friends. It was a miracle that Kai had survived—blessed with the same mystery immunity as Soobin and the rest of the survivors in their camp—but his family had been wiped out, too. Now, all they had was each other. They were surrounded by people suffering the same fate, and they all did their best to keep alive each day. What they were staying alive for, Soobin didn’t know. Maybe it was just a habit.
The worst part wasn’t the lack of basic necessities that Soobin had grown accustomed to, when the world wasn’t over. It was the not knowing. Soobin didn’t know the fates of so many people. He specifically didn’t know the fate of one person.
Yeonjun. His best friend. His closest friend. The one person he thought of when the world went to shit and he had to run out of the city to escape the smell of death. The cell phone lines had gone down before Soobin could contact him, and it was near impossible to try and get to his apartment with the masses of dead bodies and piled up cars and debris.
It killed Soobin, and he couldn’t bring himself to accept the very high possibility that Yeonjun was one of the ninety-nine-point-four percent dead. Every time he considered it, tears pooled in his eyes and he had to step away. It was too hard. So instead, he held on to the tiny shred of hope that Yeonjun had made it. That he was immune too, and had found another survivor’s camp. Maybe he was missing Soobin, as well. Maybe he was wondering if Soobin was alive too.
Maybe, maybe, maybe. No more certainties these days. Only maybes.
“They’re back!” Ryunjin, another survivor, cried from her post on top of the old quarry administration building that they had turned into their makeshift centre of operations. Everyone in the area—there were less than a dozen survivors total—hurried to the ridge of the quarry where they could see the familiar yellow pickup truck that had been taken into the city to search for any possible living people.
Soobin bit his lip, prepared to jump in if they had found anyone in need of medical assistance. Kai stood next to him, extending his neck despite his height allowing him to see better than any save Soobin. The truck, driven by two American men called Chip and Roger (visiting Seoul on business when everything ended), puttered to a stop down the way.
It was then that Soobin’s eyes widened. There was a third person in the truck with them. “Holy fuck,” he breathed. Everyone seemed to share his sentiment, because not a single person moved as the truck turned off and Chip and Roger got out. They opened the back door, and helped the person out.
When they stepped aside, and Soobin got a good look at who it was, he let out a violent choke, swaying on his feet so hard Kai had to catch him and steady him. “Hyung?” he cried, but Soobin didn’t hear him. He didn’t hear anything. His mind was completely blank, his heart was in his throat, and he couldn’t breathe because it was Yeonjun.
His Yeonjun, standing a mere twenty feet away from him in worn, tattered clothing with a large cut on his cheek and his pink hair matted and stained with blood. But he was standing, and he was looking back at Soobin with the same shock that Soobin was feeling, and he was real. He was alive.
Soobin yanked himself from Kai’s grasp and sprinted across the short distance, nearly tripping in his haste to get to his best friend. Yeonjun started running too, and they both collided together. It was the most earth-shattering euphoria that Soobin had ever felt. He wrapped his arms so tight around Yeonjun that he was likely cutting off his circulation, but Yeonjun was squeezing him just as tightly.
Soobin’s heart was beating outside of his chest as he cried and grabbed at any part of Yeonjun he could reach, uncaring of how dirty he was or how he smelled like the rotten corpses that Soobin had escaped from. All those things could be remedied. Because Yeonjun was in his arms, and he was crying too, and repeating Soobin’s name over and over again, and as they sunk to the ground in their embrace, Soobin could only whisper one thing in return.
“My Junnie-hyung, you’ve come back to me.”
The group gave them space. After a sweet round of applause for the reunification of the best friends, they went back to Soobin’s tent. Soobin still felt like he wasn’t fully present in his own body, and Yeonjun seemed dazed as well. After zipping up the tent to give them some privacy, Soobin sat Yeonjun down and went to his supplies. His hands were shaky and he felt like he needed to cry out of sheer relief that his best friend was somehow alive and had somehow, miraculously, found his way to Soobin’s camp.
He picked up some gauze and disinfectant and turned to face Yeonjun. The elder looked even worse close up, dirt caked into his skin and body gaunt with hunger. But his eyes were so bright and his lips were lifted in a smile and Soobin was struck with how beautiful he was, even though the world had become so ugly.
“How did you get cut, hyung?” Soobin asked as he knelt in front of him and began the process of cleaning the cut. It wasn’t too deep, thankfully. Yeonjun swallowed, wincing, and closed his eyes. “I was looking for food, and tripped on some spilled jam. Sliced it open on a display. Not a very exciting post-apocalypse story, I’m afraid.”
God, his voice was like music to Soobin’s ears. Hearing it was further confirmation that this was real. Their eyes met again, and Soobin had to bite back tears. “I can’t believe they found you. You’ve could’ve been picked up by anyone, and yet…”
Yeonjun gave him a weak smile, hand gripping his bicep. “The world may have gone to shit, but the universe brought us back together,” he whispered. “I wished for that, you know. When I saw that my entire family was dead, all I could hope was that you weren’t.” Soobin let out a watery choke, wiping away the rest of the dried blood on Yeonjun’s cheek to distract himself. He had learned it was best not to dwell on what had happened. It wouldn’t change anything and it would only deter him from settling into his new existence.
He finished cleaning Yeonjun’s cut and then handed him a few precious antibiotics and a bottle of water. A few of them did weekly runs into the city for food and other supplies, but they still rationed as best they could. The quarry was filled with water that they boiled for washing and cooking, and that’s where Soobin led Yeonjun next.
He helped Yeonjun undress and the elder gripped his arm tightly as they both waded into the water. Before, Yeonjun would’ve squabbled with Soobin about bathing him, but given the circumstances, he said nothing. It made Soobin feel better to take care of him, to clean off all the dirt and grime from his skin. He used a bit of soap to wash his hair out, and Yeonjun sighed with relief upon seeing all the grossness disappear into the blue water of the quarry.
Soobin left Yeonjun alone for a moment to let him wash the more intimate areas of his body, and he retrieved some clean clothes for him. They were his own, and he hoped they brought Yeonjun comfort. Kai informed him that he’d have a plate of food ready for Yeonjun when they returned, and Soobin thanked him profusely.
Yeonjun was drying himself off when Soobin came back, and gave him a relieved smile upon seeing the clothes. “I feel like a completely new person,” he said with a laugh, pulling the clothes on and sighing. Soobin returned the smile, taking his dirtied clothes and putting them in a bag to wash later. He was lucky to have escaped with a backpack and small suitcase of his own things. It appeared that Yeonjun had only the clothes on his back, quite literally. Soobin suspected he had been through something before arriving to them, but he wouldn’t ask.
They both went back to the camp, where the group continued to give them space save for Kai, who carefully approached Yeonjun and gave him a deep bow in greeting, before passing two bowls of rice with a small helping of beans on top. Pure nourishment, nothing more. It was their staple, and Soobin had learned to live with it.
Yeonjun gratefully accepted, and gave Kai a short bow in return, before going to Soobin’s tent. Soobin pulled out another folding chair for Yeonjun, and the two sat at his makeshift dinner table that was really just a large cooler that he’d filled with his clothes and spare supplies. They ate quickly, Yeonjun about inhaling his portion. Soobin scooped some more of his rice into Yeonjun’s bowl, and held up a hand when Yeonjun opened his mouth to protest.
“You need it, hyung. It’s important to get your strength up,” he insisted. Yeonjun hesitated, before nodding and whispering a soft ‘thank you’. Soobin finished his meal, pushing a fresh water bottle into Yeonjun’s hands. As Yeonjun ate and drank, Soobin changed into some pajamas and dug through the cooler to find a warm sweater for Yeonjun. The nights were starting to get colder, and the last thing he wanted was for Yeonjun to catch pneumonia in his already-weakened state.
After dinner was over and Soobin had deposited the dishes in the wash bucket, Yeonjun sat on his cot looking a little lost. Soobin sat next to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You’re safe here, hyung,” he whispered. Yeonjun looked at him, his eyes swimming with something that Soobin couldn’t identify. They held gazes for a moment, before Yeonjun suddenly teared up and turned into Soobin, throwing his arms around his torso and sobbing into his neck.
It broke something inside of Soobin, hearing Yeonjun in such distress, but all he could do was be there for him. He held him as he cried, whispering sweet nothings into his ear and promising that they’d never be separated, that they had each other now. When Yeonjun finally quieted, he rested his cheek on Soobin’s shoulder and laced their fingers together.
“You’re all I have left, Soobin-ah,” he breathed. “I can’t lose you. I won’t survive.”
Soobin held him closer, resting his cheek on top of Yeonjun’s head and squeezing his hand. “You possibly being alive was one of the only things keeping me alive, hyung. I won’t survive without you, either.”
They both stayed huddled together until it fell dark, and Soobin rose from the cot to turn on his small oil lamp. Normally, the group gathered around a makeshift firepit at night to create a sense of community, but Soobin thought it would be better to introduce Yeonjun to everyone tomorrow. It had been a long day for both of them.
He handed Yeonjun the sweater and grabbed an extra blanket. The cot was really only big enough for one person, but Yeonjun was looking at him expectantly. Together, they curled up under the blankets, and Yeonjun brought his arms around Soobin’s waist. He was trembling slightly from the cold, and Soobin did his best to coat him in his warmth, tucking the blankets up around their shoulders.
“I’ve got you, hyung,” he whispered as he turned out the oil lamp. “I’ve always got you.”
“I know,” the elder replied in the darkness. Soobin swore he felt a pair of lips press against neck, but he didn’t dare ask. “I’ve got you, too.”