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when the building had first been secured, there had been briefly 76 people. now, only 32 remained. those who had been bitten were shot on the spot. the other buildings hadn't reported any problems.
taehyung pushes past the crowd, eyes moving in every direction hoping to catch a glimpse of jeongguk. he grows worried by the second, his anxiety almost reaching peak. yoongi puts a hand on his shoulder, "maybe we shouldn't be looking here taehyung."
he knows what yoongi means immediately, but he shakes his head, "he's alive."
the loudspeaker interrupts the chatter in the ground room. "attention, please report back to your designated rooms. report back to your designated rooms."
no, taehyung has to find jeongguk. he has to because taehyung hates to admit it but, he needs jeongguk. he's alone, even with yoongi, he's used to jeongguk's familiarity. "c'mon tae, let's go."
he hates to give up so soon, but he lets yoongi guide him back to their floor. his heart is sunk, he can't even think of jeongguk being— no. even as he enters his room and sees his stuff in the same spot as before, he doesn't let the thought into his head. the mint haired boy plays with his fingers as he sits down on the bed and stares at the door.
c'mon gguk, don't leave me alone. not again.
taehyung waits for five minutes. five endless, torturous minutes. he stands up, hiccups, and then the thought invades his head. jeongguk isn't coming back. his vision blurs, and the tears fall out. just as he starts walking towards the door, it opens.
they stare at each other with wide eyes and uneasy breathing. taehyung doesn't waste any other second before he lunges towards him and brings him close, wrapping his arms around his waist, eyes closing. jeongguk wraps his arms around taehyung's shoulders, letting whatever fake hatred he showed dismantle as he inhaled his scent.
he was alive.
"i thought you were dead. i looked for you, and. . ." he's crying by now, not wanting to let go.
but jeongguk pries his arms away, making him take a step back and look at him. "you thought i was dead? taehyung, i thought you were dead. they said there was a body in the bathroom, i assumed it had to be you."
taehyung laughs, wiping his tears away, "i'm too smart to die."
jeongguk smiles at him, "yeah."
there's an urge that builds inside both of them, an urge to connect themselves with more than just a hug. it burns in their chests, tingles in their fingers, but they choose to ignore it. "we need to leave this place," jeongguk sits on the bed and pressed a hand against his face, letting it wander to his hair.
taehyung frowns, "but we're safe here?"
"no kim, not for long. how much longer do you think they're gonna keep us alive before we start dying of starvation? we need to get out of busan. there's a group of people leaving before the sun rises. they're headed to ulsan," jeongguk grabs his bag and pulls out a shirt, taking off the one he had on.
taehyung goes beet red, forcefully adverting his focus away from the well defined abs of jeon. "but that's further away from kosong. the quicker we get to namhae island—"
"taehyung. you can go to namhae, you have a family waiting for you out there. i have nothing, no one. i don't intend to go to kosong, and not worry about what goes on at home. you really think i'd be allowed on the rich peoples safe island?"
"yes, you'd be coming with me," taehyung doesn't understand jeon. why would he want to stay in soon to be zombieland when he could step into safety.
jeon shakes his head, "i'm not following you."
"well i've been following you. with no hesitation. so," he pauses and thinks hard about what he's about to say, "if you go to ulsan then i'm coming with. you're the only person i have right now."
to say jeon is surprised is an understatement. never would he have imagined taehyung choosing him over his guaranteed safety and well-being. "you know what that means? you're gonna be risking your life. those men aren't nice kim, they're the type to use you as bait."
what taehyung says next leaves jeon quiet.
"they wouldn't be the first to want to use me as bait."
