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The world went quiet right before the end. It had been as if the whole world had stopped. From the wind to the birds to the ocean waves.
During the end it was loud. Buildings came crashing down, car horns could be heard from every corner of the world, accompanied by the screaming of humans. The chaos had been deafening and it had left Minho’s ears ringing for days.
The quiet that came afterwards was different. No longer did the inventions of humans populate the world. Only the sounds of animals and nature filled the world. The noise of humans had been the first to leave after it was clear there was no chance at rebuilding.
It was everyone for themselves.
Minho hadn’t minded it. Not after seeing his home get swallowed down into the earth, his mother and cats inside. He’d only been a handful of minutes late. If he had been faster he could have saved them all. He had only gone down the street. Simply down the street and that one decision had ripped away his only family.
He faintly remembered being dragged backwards by his neighbor, his neighbor who had saved his family. Minho didn’t remember saying anything but according to his neighbor he’d been screaming and attempting to throw himself down the crevice that had opened up in their neighborhood.
Apparently he’d been crying for his mother .
That had only been the beginning of the earthquakes. Minho had lost everything without even a chance to fight. To fight to live.
“Hyung?”
Minho glanced up and there stood Kim Seungmin. They’d been traveling together for months now, but it didn’t get any less surprising to see him still there. By his side.
He was standing in the doorway of a rundown cabin they’d found in their travels. In one hand was his duffel bag and the other was that ridiculous baseball bat he refused to leave behind. It wasn’t even like they had to fight anyone but Seungmin had mumbled about being safe than sorry.
Minho suspected there was something more to his attachment to the baseball bat. Maybe it was his desperate attempt to remember the life he’d left behind or maybe it had something to do with how Seungmin had nearly slammed that bat into his head when Minho had opened the door to a random bathroom in a convenience store. The locks had been long torn off so he hadn’t expected anyone else to hide there.
It had been a complete coincidence running into Seungmin. He’d only been desperate to find a place to sleep for the night and apparently Seungmin had had the same idea already set up in the bathroom.
Though it looked like he had been living there for days, maybe weeks.
He still didn’t know how they had ended up as… as travelling buddies, but they were that now.
Looking at Seungmin now compared to the one he had met all those months ago was a bit jarring. He was paler now, his hair longer and unkempt. Kim Seungmin had always been on the skinny side but now all that muscle and fat he’d once had was gone. Lost to hungry nights and endless days of walking.
It left something heavy in Minho’s chest. His urge to feed Seungmin, to keep him healthy, was strong. He didn’t even know where it came from.
You don’t want to lose something again.
Then again his own hunger gnawed at him. He didn’t look at himself in the mirror often, but even a mere reflection he could see his pale skin and how his cheekbones stuck out sickeningly now.
When would hunger get them?
“Are you ready to go?” Seungmin questioned, a little impatiently. He was itching to leave. Seungmin hated staying anywhere for too long.
Minho nodded, grabbing his own bag. They had raided the cabin of what was left, which hadn’t been much. It had already been picked over but they’d found some matches and Seungmin had raided the kitchen, his excited voice calling out at the finding of some bean cans.
The Kim Seungmin from years ago would have thrown a fit for sure. Couldn’t survive without his Korean food and now he was excited to eat cold beans.
“I packed the car with whatever I could. You really think you can get it to start?” Seungmin asked, leading them both off the rotting porch and over to where they had found the ugly truck. At least Seungmin had called it ugly, Minho had only hoped it would work when he’d set his eyes on it.
Most cars were swallowed up by the earth or lit on fire to keep warm. It was rare to come across one in perfect condition.
He’d spent all night working on it, till his fingers had gone numb and Seungmin had marched out of the cabin and dragged him back inside. Something about him being so stupid and that he’d freeze to death.
Because of the interruption he hadn’t gotten a chance to start it up.
“It’ll work.” Minho spoke with confidence, it had been the most confident he’d been in something since ever.
Seungmin hummed in reply, pulling open the trunk to throw his duffle in. Minho’s fit snugly next to it.
He tried not to stare.
“Well come on then, Hyung, show me your skills come in handy or I’ll have to reconsider letting you share that bathroom with me months ago.”
Minho had been surprised in that moment when Seungmin had asked if he’s okay to share with him. All he saw in front of him had been a shaken boy that had clearly been alone for too long. The way Seungmin white knuckled the bat in his hands, twisting it as if he was nervous that Minho would lunge at him.
Minho knew his palms had been rubbed raw from doing that.
Somehow he had agreed and they’d spent that night together, staying awake in turns because Seungmin wanted to take watch now that there were two of them.
How many sleepless nights had Seungmin had before him?
He didn’t know what the hell Seungmin thought could get them but he didn’t question it. Just grateful for a place to rest for the night.
They both held their breath as Minho leaned in and twisted the key. It took a moment but with a loud shudder the old truck was brought to life.
“Holy shit, you really did it Hyung!” Seungmin cheered out from somewhere behind him, “Now we can get some real miles behind us.”
“Let’s hurry, I want to get as far away from this forest as possible before nightfall hits.”
The forest had given him a weird feeling for hours now. As if they were being watched.
With the truck shut and all their extra supplies secure on the top of the truck, they clambered in. It was old and dingy. A layer of dust on most things outside of whatever Minho had brushed off to work last night.
“Couldn’t you have cleaned better,” Seungmin huffed, dragging one finger across the dashboard leaving a clear line in the dirt.
“Did you want me to clean or fix it?” Minho asked, eyebrows raised.
That was enough of an answer for Seungmin who sunk back in the passenger seat. “I miss being clean…”
It was quiet but Minho heard it nonetheless. Hopefully they’d run into a lake or river soon. He didn’t say it out loud instead rolling his eyes at the complaint before slowly pressing the gas pedal. Thankfully, the car didn’t fall apart at the single touch, and they were on their way.
The path was bumpy and rough, clearly not made for large vehicles, maybe for hiking or bikes, but Minho did his best to avoid hitting anything that could fuck them over again.
Seungmin had seemingly occupied himself with scribbling away in his diary. Seungmin called it his journal but it was obviously a diary the way he kept it hidden away. Minho hadn’t gotten a single glance at it and now it was the same. The other boy had tucked his feet up on the seat, using his thighs to lean the journal against them, scribbling away.
He couldn’t help but notice Seungmin’s pen was wearing away. They’d have to find more soon. Pens thankfully weren’t something people took with them, they are easy to find in old office buildings, homes and schools.
For a while it was smooth sailing until suddenly the truck let out an ugly noise. Minho’s eyes widened, “No, no, no…” He muttered, pressing harder on the gas pedal.
Seungmin, who had been sticking half his head out of the window, whipped back around him. “Hyung… there’s smoke…”
“I can see that,” He couldn’t help but snap, watching as ugly grey cloud started to spill out from under the hood.
A moment later the truck sputtered and came to a stop, jolting them forwards. Seungmin barely caught himself, almost slamming into the dashboard. A few things off the roof fell forward, scattering across the ground.
Minho didn’t wait for Seungmin to make another unwanted comment as he scrambled out of the truck. This couldn’t be happening. All his hard work. Done the drain just like that.
And they weren’t even out of the stupid forest.
“Fuck. FUCK.” The smoke was practically pooling out from under the hood. He gritted his teeth ignoring how hot the hood was and pried it open.
More smoke blew out into his face and Minho stumbled back, coughing, waving his hand so he could get a better view of what had happened.
He’d over run the engine. He’d killed it.
He’d fucking killed it.
Minho watched as the smoke began to disappear into the sky. He longed to follow it.
“Can you fix it?”
Seungmin had followed him out the truck, now peering down at the burnt out engine as well.
“Does it look like I can fix it?” Minho hissed out, grabbing the hood and slamming it back down. The whole truck shuddered at the move, almost coming alive for a second before more smoke almost black to the sight billowed out.
He couldn’t help but slam his fist down on the hood. Stupid fucking truck. Couldn’t it have at least taken them out of the forest?
“It was just a question,” Seungmin snapped right back, kicking a random bag on the ground. It hit the wheel of the truck with a thud.
It was at this moment Minho remembered why he had always avoided Kim Seungmin.
They were too similar. They were two matches that would only burn brighter and hotter when brought together. They’d burn until they destroyed each other. Nothing but ash left in their place.
“I don’t need your stupid questions right now, Kim Seungmin.” He didn’t need more things on top of what was running through his head.
All these supplies they had gathered only for them to need to abandon now. They’d have to put as much as food as possible in their bags. They’d have to be careful about animals searching for their own food now that Minho couldn’t just drive away.
“Then what do you need? Do we need to go back to the house? It’s going to be a long trek back.”
Now he was pointing out the obvious. Great.
“Can you just keep your mouth shut for once in your life?”
Seungmin let out a stark laugh. “And here I was thinking you’d changed. That hyung has become nice, but you're still as rude as before.”
They’d known each other before the end of the world. They never mentioned it, but they had. A handful of years before, back in highschool they’d run in the same circles. They’d never been friends, more like acquaintances according to their friends. But there had been some sort of faint understanding between them despite the teasing and playfulness.
He’d never wanted to become anything more to Kim Seungmin. The way Seungmin made his heart twist had made him sick to his stomach so he had chosen to lash out. He kept distance between them with stupid comments and starting arguments so even their friends kept them apart.
It was better that way.
After highschool they’d lost touch… until now.
Until the end of the world.
It was almost funny that he’d spend the last of his life with Kim Seungmin. The only boy to ever make him want to throw up at the sight of him.
Feelings had never been his forte. They still weren’t, even as the world crumbled around them.
“This is how I am, Kim Seungmin. We are going to argue and fight and snap at each other. If you have a problem, just go. I can't waste all my time arguing with you.”
It was silent for a moment, only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves.
“Go?” Seungmin echoed back.
Minho scoffed. “Yes go. Don’t act like you don’t want to leave. Just leave if I’m that unpleasant.”
He didn’t know how to be nice anymore. He didn’t want to be nice. The world was ending and here he was arguing with Kim Seungmin in the middle of some forest because their truck didn’t work anymore.
Behind him he heard the steady crunch of the leaves, Seungmin was leaving. He could hear the crunch slowly getting further and further away.
Stubbornly he didn’t turn around, slamming his hands down against the hood again. If Seungmin wanted to get lost in the forest then it was his problem. Minho wasn’t his babysitter. He wasn’t his anything. It had just been smart to travel together. It was better to be in a pair, easier to fight others if needed.
Two heads were always better than one.
That’s what he had told himself when he had woken up next to Seungmin in that restroom. He’d taken one look at the curled up boy, using whatever clothes he had to stay warm on the cold floor and had decided they’d survive better together.
He refused to admit to himself that it was because he refused to come back to this same room and see Seungmin’s lifeless body if he left him behind.
Except now, his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach as he whipped around and was met with no sight of Seungmin.
Lifeless body.
Minho swallowed, this was fine. Seungmin couldn’t have gone far. The other wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t have gone off the path.
Seungmin would cool off and come back to him . He wasn’t irrational. He’d come back and they’d figure out a solution together.
Together .
So Minho didn’t go after him. Instead, he lifted up the hood of the truck again, letting the rest of the smoke seep out and to allow the engine to cool down.
The whole time he attempted to make the truck work, Minho kept glancing behind himself, waiting for Seungmin to come walking out of the woods with a pout and complaining that Minho hadn’t come after him.
But each time he looked back there was no one.
No one.
Something uneasy settled between Minho’s ribs and it refused to leave as he gave up on the truck, shutting the hood and wiping his grease-covered hands across his jeans, adding to the collection of stains.
He gazed out into the forest again, the sun was lower in the sky, night would be approaching soon. There was plenty of time for Seungmin to stop sulking somewhere but would he find his way back?
He had already taken a look around and there was no sight of Seungmin’s bat so he had at least had the forethought to bring it with him thankfully.
It looked like it had been the only thing he had taken another sign he planned on coming back.
The uneasiness, however, did not leave him.
Swallowing down his pride, he locked the truck and grabbed his smaller go bag.
It couldn’t hurt to look around, if he ran into Seungmin he could just tell him he was looking around, in case someone had abandoned any tools to help fix the truck.
A good cover up.
So, Minho ventured out. He followed the path deeper into the forest, keeping landmarks in his mind to follow back. It wouldn’t do either of them good if he got lost here.
The walk was peaceful, even clearing his head a little. The anger and annoyance from earlier in the day fading as he let the cool air sink into his bones and settle his racing heart.
Of course, though peace was not allowed at the end of the world.
His peace was abruptly interrupted by a loose leaf paper smacking him right in the face.
“ What the—” He frowned, ripping the paper off his face, ready to crumple it up but what he saw made his blood run cold.
It was Seungmin’s .
It was a page out of his diary, the freakishly neat printing easily recognizable.
A diary he kept closer to him than anything else, yet there was a loose paper from it flying about.
Minho’s stomach lurched at the sight of it, glancing around with wide eyes as he clutched the paper. Finally his eyes landed on something a few meters away. He was running before he knew it. He practically fell to his knees as he saw more of the loose papers, some of them ripped, as if something had torn them out.
Seungmin would never have done this. He didn’t even like dog-earring his pages. For him to suddenly tear out pages? It was unheard of.
It made Minho want to vomit.
“Seungmin?!” His voice came out more panicked than he would’ve liked.
“Kim Seungmin! This isn’t funny!” He yelled out again, heart trembling as he stepped off the dirt path. More pages fluttered in the air, coming from somewhere off the path.
That idiot.
“YAH! I thought you were supposed to be smart,” Minho continued to call out, scrambling to collect the pages he could reach. He didn’t even want to know how many he must’ve passed by without knowing, or how many had been lost to the forest.
There was still no reply. Surely if Seungmin had hidden somewhere to mope after destroying his diary he would’ve replied by now. Surely he could hear the panic in his voice.
Minho ventured further into the forest, glancing back as he saw the last bit of path almost out of view.
Did he continue?
“YAH—“ but he was cut off as suddenly something was swinging at him. Quickly he managed to dodge it, clutching Seungmin’s pages to his chests as he fell backwards, tripped by a root sticking out of the floor of the forest.
He could die but he wouldn’t lose these pages.
Half the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, so he took the moment to regain his breathing, hoping whoever was trying to murder him would take pity on his aging lungs.
Though instead of a murderer, Kim Seungmin’s face popped up in his eyesight.
“Hyung? What the fuck are you doing?”
What was he doing?
His heart and mind were racing now. Kim Seungmin was right there in front of him, speaking and breathing.
Except—
“Are you bleeding?” Minho asked, eyes focused on the stain of red near Seungmin’s hairline.
In fact Seungmin looked haggard. His face was paler than usual as if all the blood had drained from his face, not to mention he was clutching his bat tightly. He hadn’t seen him hold it this tightly since Minho had invaded his hiding spot.
What had Seungmin seen?
Seungmin seemed to notice for the first time as well, a hand shooting up to his face but it didn’t even look like he knew where he was bleeding.
Minho scrambled up to his feet, diary pages the least of his concern as they fell to the ground. Gently he cupped Seungmin’s face, fingers prodding at the bruising skin near his temple. The blood was still wet. “Why're you bleeding? What happened? Your journal—I found it..it was torn.” He struggled to say the words itself.
The other blinked at him as if he had grown a third headx glancing downwards. “My—Oh—they took it just to rip it apart?” Seungmin’s voice was weak at the end.
“ They ?” He echoed back.
That seemed to remind Seungmin of where exactly they were.
“Shit—They probably heard you, hyung. What is wrong with you? Why would you be yelling my name like that?”
Minho gaped. “You—You disappeared! Was I supposed to let you get lost?”
“I wasn’t lost,” Seungmin spoke with confidence, pulling his head out of his hands to glance around hurriedly. “I was trying to get back to you—when they, like, I can’t even explain. They came out of the trees I swear.”
Back to you…
Seungmin had been trying to come back to him but something had almost gotten him.
“Come on. We need to get out of here. Do you know the path? I swear I was walking in circles.” Seungmin still wouldn’t look at him and there was a trail of blood running down his cheek now.
“Seungminnie…” Minho kept his voice as soft as possible, “Minnie, slow down.”
“We can’t!”
It was the loudest he’d heard Seungmin’s voice in ages and it had him flinching.
“We need to go hyung,” Seungmin said with determination as he grabbed his wrist and started pulling him.
To the opposite direction.
“Seungminnie, no, it’s this way.” Gently he tugged at his arm, attempting to redirect the younger.
Seungmin’s eyes were beginning to look wilder each second that passed.
Minho didn’t say anything more, quietly leading him back towards the path. It was worrying almost the way Seungmin had been so close to finding the path but somehow hadn’t. How long would he have been wandering aimlessly?
He tightened his grip on Seungmin’s hand, almost afraid he’d disappear again.
An apology was on the tip of his tongue. He knew he owed the younger an apology, for telling him to fuck off, but he didn’t know if Seungmin would even be able to process that at the moment.
“See? We’re at the path,” Minho explained as they stepped back onto the dirt path.
Seungmin nodded but he still wouldn’t look at Minho, instead continuing to swirl his head around as if trying to catch a glimpse of something.
“Seungmin?” Minho tried again, tugging at his hand, “Seungmin look at me.”
It took a moment but eventually their eyes connected.
Minho’s heart ached.
He hated seeing Seungmin in pain.
“We need to stop the bleeding.”
Seungmin only gave him a short nod, his eyes were still moving. Still watching for something.
He decided to leave that bay, instead unraveling the scarf around his neck and gently pressing it to Seungmin’s wound. Seungmin’s blood would just be another stain to the ruined fabric.
He watched as the younger flinched at the pressure, free hand curling into a fist.
Minho did his best to work quickly, cleaning up the blood that had run down his face, though it felt a red stain to his skin that almost glowed against the paleness.
They needed a makeshift bandage.
With a frown, he stared at the scarf in his hands and moved to pull apart the flimsy aged fabric until hands covered his own to stop him.
“Hyung—” Seungmin spoke softly, shaking his head, “Don’t rip it. It’s all you have.”
It was all he had as a reminder of his mother. It’s all the world had left him to remember her by. Miraculously caught up in the bushes in the front of the house.
She had been wearing it when he had left, which had meant she’d been waiting by the door. Probably fiddling with it nervously, waiting for him to come back. She’d been worrying and Minho had never been able to show her he would come home safe.
His grip tightened on the fabric, hands trembling as Seungmin covered them, squeezing them. He emitted no warmth, Minho didn’t know the last time either of them felt warm.
Minho looked up, their eyes meeting. Seungmin’s eyes were gentle, silently telling him it was okay, but the blood stained skin spoke much louder.
“No. You’re all I have now Kim Seungmin,” He spoke firmly and gently shook off his hands. He chose to ignore the blood running to his cheeks.
It was an admission he had never wanted to make.
He didn’t listen to his second protest, ripping the scarf apart, producing a long strip.
“Hyung!”
He said nothing as he gently wrapped the scarf around Seungmin’s head, making sure to pad it extra where the wound itself was. Once they were at the truck again he’d be able to clean it properly and hopefully there were some bandages somewhere, otherwise the scarf would have to do.
“Come on, we need to get to the truck.” Without looking at Seungmin’s face he grabbed him by the hand this time and began to lead them down the path.
Their hands fit like puzzle pieces. Seungmin’s longer fingers locked with own shorter ones. It felt right.
The sick feeling returned.
Their walk was silent but quick paced. Seungmin kept it quick, practically on Minho’s heels as they walked, apologizing softly whenever he stepped on the back of Minho’s already torn shoes.
Minho still didn’t even know what had attacked Seungmin. The younger had provided nothing more than fear and called them they.
He wanted to push, he knew he had to push but he had never been one to do so. Seungmin was closed off about many things.
There had been something about Seungmin’s eyes in that moment when he had found him again.
The look almost identical to the one he saw all those months ago when he had found him in that restroom, hiding .
Seungmin had been keeping something for a long time and now it had somehow found them again.
The truck finally emerged in their sights and Minho couldn’t help but relax. Even if it wasn’t driveable it was a safe dry place for them to stay for the night. They’d have to figure out what to do in the morning.
Seungmin had also slowed down, the tight grip on Minho’s hand loosening.
“Did you manage to fix it…?” His voice was quiet, more timid.
“No. We’ll have to walk tomorrow,” Minho explained as they stopped in front of it. “And—And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you to leave, Seungmin.”
There was a squeeze to his hand, “It’s okay Minho hyung, I was being pushy, I know you did your best, you always do.”
Minho’s heart ached. It has been a long time since someone had told him that.
You always do.
He hadn’t for his mother. He should have dug up the earth trying to find her, to reach her one last time.
A tug to his hand pulled him back out of his head. Seungmin was staring at him with his wide eyes. “I think—Maybe we should rest?”
Nodding, he untangled their hands, gesturing for Seungmin to get into the truck. “Let me clean this shit up.” The things that had fallen off the roof were still scattered across the ground.
It was clear Seungmin didn’t want to leave, lingering by him as Minho cleaned everything up. He didn’t have the heart to tell him to go so he let him stay close, instead working faster to clear everything up.
Eventually it was all cleaned up, their things back on top of the truck. Tomorrow they’d have to sort through it all and only take what was important. They couldn’t keep carrying everything they wanted to. It was slowing them down. As painful as it would be, they'd have to make some decisions.
Minho grunted, twisting his back to stretch out his aching muscles. It truly felt like he was ten times the age he was.
He glanced over at Seungmin, who was staring out into the forest. He hadn’t let go of the baseball bat and there was something smeared on that he hadn’t noticed before. It was dark. Like blood?
He frowned. “Seungmin? Did—Are there people out there?”
He knew the answer before Seungmin replied. The tension that flooded Seungmin’s body was evidence enough.
“It’s—It’s people I ran into months ago…” Seungmin explained, “Before you found me. They were nice at first…but they got demanding…they wanted my things. It’s when I started writing again. I was—I guess I was scared, I needed to write all out, in case something happened to me.”
It didn’t surprise Minho to hear about a group like that. It was unfortunately common since the end. Gossip spread fast, even now. Well, in the cities at least– since he and Seungmin had left the city they didn’t come across large groups nor many others. A handful of people here and there with makeshift farms on the outskirts and occasionally travelers from other cities.
But he had heard about how many humans had lost their minds. They resorted to violence and demands, they craved control over their own lives so in that mix they wanted to control others. He supposed it was part of human nature now. With governments gone and no societal rules in place, they were defaulting to whichever way they could gain power.
Minho had never faced them before but to hear Seungmin had, it made him tense all over.
And now they were here, near them.
“They won't get you. We’ll keep each other safe, remember?”
Seungmin only shook his head. “They don’t want to kill me, they just wanna show me I made a mistake by leaving. That's why they took my journal…” He huffed, “You know the day you found me? I’d run from them, when you opened the door, I thought they’d found me. I was ready to be torn apart, but instead of them, my dumb Hyung from highschool was staring at me like he’d found his long lost puppy.”
He wrinkled his nose. He couldn’t remember what his expression had been in the moment but he doubted he’d looked that excited. He hardly even liked dogs. Too loud. Too energetic.
“Either way,” Minho began, “I won’t let them hurt you, okay?”
It was clear Seungmin didn’t believe him. The other simply nodded, digging his shoe deeper into the dirt path.
There was a darkening patch on the cloth around his head now though which had Minho moving into action.
“Here, we have to patch you up, get in the truck.”
Seungmin was quick to oblige, throwing open the truck door and settling into the passenger seat. The medical kit was pulled out from under the seat and set on his lap.
“Let me know if I pull too hard. The blood probably stuck to the cloth.” It hadn’t been ideal to slap the scarf right onto the wound but what choice did they have? And he was not about to watch Seungmin slowly bleed by his side.
With the most care possible, he untied the ripped cloth, doing his best not to violently tug it off the wound. He could see it hurt in Seungmin’s face despite him trying to school his expression the best he could.
Except Minho knew Seungmin. He could tell from how he blinked a little too hard and the way his lips quirked upwards wherever the cloth was a little too deeply embedded. Finally the fabric gave away. He dropped it, letting it fall to the floor of the trunk and began to clean the wound. Thankfully it didn’t seem there was anything lodged into the skin. Seungmin hadn't told him how he had gotten that but there was no point in asking. What had happened was done now. Minho couldn’t take back his words from earlier and Seungmin couldn’t undo walking away at that moment.
Carefully, all the blood was wiped away, showing off the nasty scar Seungmin had most likely earned himself. “Maybe now no one will mess with you,” Minho muttered softly, examining the cut with narrowed eyes.
“Do I look badass, Hyung?” Seungmin asked, eyebrows raised.
He’d missed a drop of blood near one of them.
“More like stupid.” It was all he could manage without further embarrassing himself. He forced his eyes away, rummaging through their medical supplies. He found a cotton pad which he quickly kept in place with a small roll of gauze he’d found. He wasn’t taking any chances of Seungmin getting an infection or bleeding out uncontrollably.
The gauze looked a bit ridiculous, digging into Seungmin’s hair, it poofed it up a bit from the top, making his hair look even fluffier than usual.
He looked adorable.
Minho slammed the medical box shut, knocking himself out of his own thoughts.
“You should rest. You’ll need the energy,” Minho suggested, tucking the medical kit back under the car seat. He’d have to fit that into his bag tomorrow. If there were people out there, people who wanted to hurt Seungmin, he couldn’t risk leaving it behind. Not to forget Seungmin’s bandages would need to be changed.
“What about you?”
“I’ll keep watch.”
Seungmin frowned, unhappy with that answer. “You kept watch last night too. We can both rest, they won’t come this way.”
At that Minho raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that? We can’t risk it, Seungmin.”
They couldn’t take any risks.
“I just know…” Seungmin trailed off, his eyes darting towards the windows.
It was clear Seungmin hadn’t told him everything about what had happened earlier, but he wasn’t one to push. It was fine if he didn’t want to say anything, Minho would wait.
“I’m not sleeping, Seungmo.”
The nickname left his lips with old ease. Seungmin blinked at him a little wide eyed, surprise clear on his face.
It was a fair reaction. Minho used to call Seungmin, Seungmo, all the time, having pretended to mishear when they had first met and Seungmin had introduced himself.
It had been Seungmo , Seungmo , Seungmo for years. Even after Seungmin forgot to be annoyed by it and it left Minho’s mouth with less of wanting to cause a nuisance.
“Fine,” The younger huffed and Minho watched a little confused as Seungmin spread out his gangly body across the backseats and his head came to rest on one of his thighs.
Minho blinked down at him. “Uh.”
Seungmin simply smiled, “I’m resting, you said I needed to rest.”
“You could’ve at least let me go back to the front, Seungmin.”
“I needed a pillow.”
He blinked once more.
“Let me rest now, hyung.” And Minho watched as Seungmin’s eyes fluttered shut, settling comfortably on his thigh.
He was being used as a pillow. A few weeks ago he would’ve shoved Seungmin off, woke him up, probably called him an idiot– but in this moment he found himself he couldn’t do it.
The bandage around his head just made Seungmin look even younger. His cheeks were smudged with a bit of dirt he hadn’t noticed. They’d need to find water soon to clean themselves up. Maybe a river.
He settled back down into the seats, head leaned back. He didn’t dare touch Seungmin, too afraid to wake the younger one up. So he kept one hand curled up on his side, with the other he pulled Seungmin’s baseball bat closer to them both. He wasn’t about to let anyone get a jump on them. Not without a fight.
-
Mornings with Seungmin were always slow. He’d grown used to Seungmin’s need to curl up in the quiet once he woke up. He always had the same far away look in his eyes whilst he zoned out.
Minho never asked what Seungmin was thinking about, but it was an easy guess. His friends. His family. His life before the end of the world.
While Minho needed to keep moving, keep his hands busy, keep his head busy, Seungmin was more settled in his yearning for what they had all lost.
This morning was different. Minho had managed a few hours of shut eye against his will since he’d fallen asleep at some point. He’d woken up to Seungmin pinching his thigh, eyebrows raised.
“Good job looking out.” He murmured before clambering out of the car. Minho watched silently as Seungmin stretched his limbs out, his shirt riding up, showing just a sliver of pale skin. Usually Minho would look away but today he drank his fill in. Just for a moment.
Wordlessly Seungmin leaned back into the car, digging through their food bag for a bottle of water and digging a toothbrush out of his backpack.
Another habit Seungmin hadn’t broken. He needed to brush his teeth, even if it was just water.
He should probably find them some toothpaste again.
“Dont go far.” Minho couldn’t help but call out, his own voice surprising him.
Seungmin’s eyes locked with his, before he nodded. “I won’t, hyung, don’t worry.”
He still couldn’t help but watch as Seungmin disappeared around a couple trees, he wasn’t far.
Logically, he knew Seungmin was coping with what happened yesterday. He probably didn’t want to think about whatever had happened out in the forest but it was still worrying.
He wore his eyes from the trees, busying himself with his own water and pulling out the medical kit. Seungmin’s bandage had a bloody spot on it.
They ended up stashing their extra supplies underneath a pile of old junk. It didn’t seem like people rummaged through it and it would be nice to have supplies they could come back to in case they came back this way or lost anything.
Seungmin was surprisingly in a good mood, a clean bandage wrapped around his head that he’d surprisingly let Minho do and his backpack already settled on his shoulders. He was itching to leave. They’d probably have to avoid forests for a while.
“Ready?” Minho asked, pulling his own backpack on.
Seungmin gave him a nod and reached out one of his hands, long fingers wiggling in his direction.
Minho couldn’t help but stare for a second. He glanced at Seungmin’s face but the other’s expression was neutral, eyebrows ever so slightly furrowed
Slowly he took his hand, their palms fitting together like puzzle pieces.
“You’re smiling, you know,” came Seungmin’s snarky voice, pulling Minho out of his head.
He didn’t bother with a reply, knowing Seungmin’s cheeks had flushed a pretty pink to match his ears. Instead he squeezed his hand which earned him the faintest smile from the younger boy.
The world may have ended, but at least he had someone by his side.
-
It had taken a couple days, but they’d finally found a half ransacked shop. They’d been lured in with the ripped up ramen signs stuck on the unbroken windows. It was doubtful there was even anything in there still salvageable, but it didn’t hurt to try.
They stepped into the convenience store, glass crunching under their shoes. A few of the shelves had been toppled over, empty wrapped scattered in puddles of dirty rain water.
Minho glanced up, half the ceiling had caved in. No wonder this place was untouched. It could collapse at any minute.
“We shouldn’t spend too much time here. I think this place is gonna fall apart any second now.,” He called out watching as Seungmin walked around the fallen shelves.
“There’s gotta be ramen in here somewhere, hyung,” Seungmin muttered, disappearing underneath one of the shelves.
There was no stopping Seungmin now with the hope of ramen on the horizon. Minho sighed, shaking his head before beginning his own search. He had his own mission in hand. Half the reason he’d agreed to search around the store was because he wanted to find Seungmin a new journal.
Seungmin hadn’t said it out loud, but he knew he missed having somewhere to scribble his thoughts down. He attempted to keep himself busy, but he was always tracing words into any sort of flat service or clicking his pen manically over and over again.
He missed writing and Minho wasn’t going to let Seungmin drive himself into a frenzy just because he couldn’t admit he wanted another journal.
“Find anything good?”
“Just some rotting candy…” Seungmin replied, annoyance clear in his voice, “Surely they didn’t take all the ramen.”
“It’s an easy food to stock up on.”
Seungmin huffed from his side of the store, the sound of a can being kicked following. “Annoying.”
His search had gotten better though. “Bingo…” He murmured, spying some stationary tucked away at the end of an aisle. There were a few things that had been ruined by water, but to his pleasant surprise, he dug out a perfectly good journal. Just a bit dirty on the cover and it had a photo of a dog on the front.
How fitting. He grabbed a handful of pens as well, just in case before shuffling back out to the front.
“Find anything decent, Minnie?”
“Just more stupid fucking beans,” Seungmin cried out, “Honestly, how many cans of beans have we found? It's got to be in the hundreds by now. There's a clear reason why it's always left behind.”
Minho couldn’t help but listen with a smile on his face as Seungmin kept yammering about beans and canned goods.
“How tragic there’s canned food for us.”
“Don’t be an ass. I know you’re tired of them just like I am.”
He could hear Seungmin moving around at the back of the store and he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. The nerves had finally shown up.
He’d been juggling the idea for days, wanting to find a journal for Seungmin to write in. He wasn’t one for gestures and he honestly didn’t even know how Seungmin would react to this, but he wanted to do it.
But just as Seungmin finally came into view he couldn’t help but tuck the journal into his bag, hoping Seungmin hadn’t seen him do it.
Seungmin had obviously seen the action, eyes narrowing as he approached, his arms filled with various cans. Minho didn’t even think they’d be able to take them all.
“What are you hiding?” He immediately asked, pausing just a few steps away.
“Nothing.”
“Really hyung? I can see you’re hiding something, clearly.”
Minho bit his lip, clutching the bag tighter in his hands. The wound on Seungmin’s head had started to heal nicely. It was still an ugly gash, but it wasn’t infected nor did it bleed more than a day. It was going to scar for sure and it was a stark thing against Seungmin’s otherwise clean face. They’d taken a dip in a river earlier and Seungmin had scrubbed his skin until it was pink. All the grime of the last few days washed away.
“It’s nothing, really,” Minho forced out, “Now did you find some ramen? Or are we feasting on more beans?”
It was clear Seungmin wanted to argue but he kept quiet about it. “I think we’re going to have to rob people, they’re all hoarding the ramen,” he whined.
The journal remained in his bag for another two days, no day seemed good enough to give him the journal.
Except when he caught Seungmin staring out into the fire they’d set one evening. It was getting dark fast, and he’d been rather quiet all day. He wasn’t sure why but there was something clearly off. Seungmin’s fingertips covered in ink after breaking a pen absentmindedly.
The journal burned in his backpack. Every second of the day calling out his name, calling him stupid for not giving him it already.
“You okay?” He asked softly, sitting down next to the boy.
Seungmin didn’t reply for a moment, eyes locked on the flickering fire before finally speaking.
“I wasn’t home when it happened, hyung,” He whispered, voice barely audible. “I wasn’t home when the world decided to swallow half the population up. I had been at the library, the fucking library. I didn’t realize what was happening until I took my headphones off. People were screaming and crying and the floor had started shaking, it’s the only reason I took my headphones off. When I turned my phone I had almost thirty missed calls from my sister and dad. Thirty calls, Hyung.” Seungmin let out a shaky sigh.
This was the first time Seungmin had mentioned his experience on that last day. The first time he’d said anything about it.
“I called them back but no one—no one ever picked up.” Seungmin sniffled, sleeve covered hands coming up to rub at his eyes, “I never even made it home, Hyung. I just—It was too much—I just abandoned them.”
Minho hadn’t been in Seoul when it had happened but he knew the capital had the worst of it. All those tall buildings, the traffic, the frantic people trying to survive. It didn’t surprise him that Seungmin had never made it home. So many people hadn’t.
“You survived, Seungmin, I’m sure that’s what your parents had wanted the most.”
Seungmin tore his gaze away from the fire to look at him. His eyes filled with unshed tears. “Did you look for your mother?”
He had. He had dug into the dirt with his bare hands. He had cried and screamed but only because he had been there. He could have saved her. Could have taken her with him down the street so she wouldn’t have been swallowed up by the earth.
“It doesn’t matter what I did, Minnie, she was gone and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. All I wanted to do was throw myself into the same hole that had taken her.”
The only reason he hadn’t was because his neighbor had held him back like Minho had been his own son. He’d never forget her, the torn scarf now tied around his upper arm. Seungmin hadn’t let him throw it away, instead with a determined face he’d tied it around his jacket, mumbling about how dramatic Minho apparently was.
Seungmin sniffled again, his head coming to fall down onto Minho’s shoulder. “I’m glad you didn’t, I don’t think I’d be alive if it weren’t for you.”
Minho snorted. “You can be pretty mean with your bat, you know?”
“A bat can only take me so far.”
“You made it far enough to get me, didn’t you?”
“I guess.” It was followed by a punch to his thigh, “You’re cheesy when you want to be.”
“I can do worse.” The courage came out of nowhere as he gently shrugged Seungmin off his shoulder.
The younger let out a soft complaint, watching with a frown as he was knocked off.
Minho pulled his bag over and rummaged through it as his hand landed on the journal.
“Are you going to propose?” Seungmin deadpanned.
He let out a short laugh, “You wish. I’m not exactly drowning in riches, Seungmin.”
“How am I meant to know that? You could be hiding bags of money in—” Seungmin cut himself off as Minho finally pulled the journal out.
“Is that—You didn’t. Minho Hyung…”
“It’s nothing special, I kinda got it mainly because of the dog, but I know you were missing your journal so….” Minho trailed off, blushing as he shoved the journal out for Seungmin to take.
However, Seungmin didn’t take the journal, instead arms came around to wrap around him and there was a gentle press of lips to Minho’s burning cheek.
Seungmin had just kissed him?
Seungmin had kissed him.
“Thank you, Minho Hyung, seriously.” The words were whispered against his ear.
As quickly as the affection had come, it disappeared, Seungmin tugging the journal out of his lax hands. He was still thinking about Seungmin’s lips against his skin.
“I’m going to write how you ate shit yesterday trying to climb up that hill, by the way, it’ll be important to remember when we’re old and grey.”
Old and grey though. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to grow old with Seungmin.