Archive of Our Own ^beta

It’s funny how fast things can change. One second you could be on the top of the world as a global phenomenon and then the next second you could be a scavenger in world that you used to know. One second you could be in a K-Pop boy band known worldwide and then the next second you could be living each day like it was your last, because any day you could be discovered by zombies and lose your life.

Yoongi remembered when things were once so simple. He remembered how he used to wake up every morning from a peaceful slumber with the love of his life in his arms. He remembered how he used to spend nights in the recording studio working on beats or writing lyrics to songs that would appear on their next album. He remembered performing for thousands of people on a stage or on a TV show for millions to see. He remembered a time where he didn’t live in fear. He remembered a time when he never had to learn how to kill alongside his friends.

Yoongi remembered the day the zombie apocalypse happened. He was sitting in the studio working on a new song when Namjoon and Hoseok popped in telling him to check his phone because there was something terrifying on the news. Yoongi reluctantly did as he was told. He remembered scoffing at the news back then. He shouldn’t have laughed. He should’ve taken it seriously when there were reports of worms carrying an unknown virus that could revive the dead if they burrowed into the brain of those deceased.

The platinum blonde thought that was some bullshit. He remembered how he made jokes that this sounded like some dumbass low budget horror movie. He thought it was hilarious how all it would take to infect another person with the virus to bite them, transforming them into the undead. One bite was all it took for people to lose who they were. One bite was all it took to turn an innocent person into a mindless zombie that craved human flesh.

The virus spread across the world like wildfire. Yoongi didn’t want to believe that the virus was real or that it had ventured to Korea. He had no choice but to believe it when he saw a zombie limping down the street. Yoongi remembered how the monster locked eyes with Hoseok and made its way towards him. Yoongi had acted out of instinct that day. He grabbed a metal pipe from an alley way and bashed the zombie’s head in until it was defeated.

That was the first day Yoongi killed.

The world turned into pure chaos shortly after that incident. Yoongi’s world was turned upside down when management told them to disband and find somewhere safe to go. In a way, it felt like management was telling them that it was every man for themselves. Yoongi was struggling to make sense of everything. He had no idea where he and his friends would go, until the two scaredy cats of the group spoke up.

Jin and Hoseok shared sheepish smiles as they confessed that the reason why millions of their shared earnings had been drained last year was because they bought an underground zombie apocalypse bunker. None of the other members could find it in them to be mad at the two males because they would be the reason why they would stay alive. That day, the seven of them took the BTS van and bid their beloved company building farewell.

The underground bunker Jin and Hoseok bought was like something out of a movie with the way there was a remote control that would open up a ramp from the ground for the van to enter. These two didn’t spend millions on some cheap ass bunker. No, these two bought the most high tech bunker they could find. On the outside, it looked like a woodland area outside of Seoul but just lurking below the surface was the place that BTS would call their base, their new home.

Jin and Hoseok led the way through the garage to enter the section of the bunker where they would be living. The two of them were smiling as they turned on the lights, revealing their purchase to the rest of the band. It was an open concept bunker so there were sightlines from the kitchen all the way to the dining and living room area. It was smaller than what they were all used to, but beggars can’t be choosers in a zombie apocalypse.

The two scaredy cats led everyone to the most important area in the bunker, the control center. The five boys gasped in awe as they saw Jin and Hoseok take the two seats in front of a massive computer screen. It felt like they were in a submarine with the way there were various little screens surrounding the largest one. Some of the small screens were motion detectors and radars to monitor anything that came close to their bunker. Other small screens proved to be security cameras of the outside world for the boys to get a visual of what was lurking outside.

There was no time to gawk at the technology because there was more to see. Jin and Hoseok led the rest of the friends to a section of the bunker that looked like a training facility. There were guns and other weapons hanging on the walls like trophies. The room was set up to help them train, to help them learn how to protect themselves. Most importantly, it was a space for them to learn how to kill.

It was obvious that not everyone in the band was capable of killing zombies, seeing as how Jin and Hoseok started shaking just looking at all the weapons. If they were going to survive in this new world then each of them would have to drop their roles as singers, rappers, producers, and dancers. If they were going to survive in this zombie apocalypse then they would have to become scavengers, killers, medics, and tech savvy personnel. They could no longer be the BTS everyone knew them as.

This was a new BTS.

In the new BTS, everyone had a distinct role to play. Yoongi, Namjoon, Taehyung, and Jungkook were the main warriors who would often leave the comfort of the bunker to retrieve supplies. Jin, Hoseok, and Jimin had took on the roles of medics and monitors of the control center. Taehyung was someone who shifted from making supply runs and developing new technology alongside Jin. Together, Taehyung and Jin created tracking devices for each member if something happened to one of them on a supply run. These tracking devices looked like pins that said their stage names. It was a way to remember who they used to be.

Just because Jin, Hoseok, and Jimin were the three who spent the most time in the bunker that didn’t mean they didn’t know how to defend themselves, nor did it mean they didn’t come on supply runs. It was always safer to have at least one of them in the control center but there were rare days where the three of them would accompany their lovers on a supply run.

A rare day like this one.

Namjoon was driving with Jin in the passenger’s seat, the older male’s hand resting on top of the brunette’s on the gear shift. Hoseok was snuggled into Yoongi’s side, sighing in relief when he felt the older male wrap an arm around his shoulders to bring him closer. The three maknaes were in the back of the van. Taehyung was in the middle, his arms draped around Jungkook and Jimin’s shoulders as they sought comfort in him.

Their relationships had shifted, just as each of them had changed individually. Namjoon and Yoongi grew to be more protective of their partners, especially because Jin and Hoseok were afraid of everything. It wasn’t like Jin and Hoseok were helpless, but they weren’t cut out to be killers like Namjoon and Yoongi were. None of them were truly cut out to be killers, but this was how they had to be in the world they lived in now.

Jungkook might be one of the people who accompanied his hyungs on supply runs, but he was not the one to step up to be stronger in his three-way relationship. He was still the youngest amongst the seven of them so he often wanted solace during and after a supply run. Taehyung was the one who became Jimin and Jungkook’s shoulder to lean on.

Their mental health had all taken a hit at some point or another. Jimin was caught making himself throw up because he believed his own food intake was something he could control. Namjoon could be heard weeping during the nights while everyone knew that Jin was there silently crying beside him as he comforted him. Taehyung was caught attempting to cut himself with a razor blade to try to feel something, but Jungkook stopped him just in time. Jungkook had once worked out to the point of exhaustion because he didn’t feel like he was good enough on supply runs. Yoongi fell into a depression for a few months, but luckily he had Hoseok to bring him out of the depths of his despair. Hoseok crashed in the beginning, feeling utterly hopeless and useless to his friends.

It had taken time and many family interventions for BTS to fall into their new rhythm. Hoseok was the only one who still embodied his stage name, J-hope. Everyone kept their personalities intact as much as they could, but they were living in different times. Yoongi and Namjoon began bragging about their kills as if they were animal hunters. At first, this disturbed the other members but eventually they got used to it. They realized that a lot of things that made them uncomfortable took time to get used to.

Two years later and they finally accepted that this was the way they were going to have to live from now on. Two years later and they were some of the last groups of humans alive in Korea. They had run across a couple groups of humans but months later those humans would return, but as zombies this time. BTS was friendly with the other people they had come across, but they knew they were the only ones they could count on in this world.

“Yah, it’s just up ahead.”

“This is pretty far from the bunker,” Jin gulped as he looked back at Yoongi and then back to the supermarket coming into view, “are you sure it was safe of you and Joon to come out here all by yourselves to scout out new places to get supplies? Are you sure it's safe that all of us came out for this supply run?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes at the older male as he retorted, “It’s either we come out here with strength in numbers when we gather supplies or we move from our bunker and risk being turned into mindless flesh eating bastards. Take your pick.”

Yoongi had grown colder in the past two years, but everyone knew that underneath his tough exterior he was just looking out for everyone. Hoseok patted Yoongi’s deceivingly strong chest as a silent way of telling his lover to calm down. The platinum blonde sighed in defeat and planted a kiss to the top of Hoseok’s head. Yoongi might be cold to the others at times, but he was always soft for Hoseok. That was something that didn’t change in their relationship.

Namjoon parked the van outside the front of the abandoned supermarket. He moved his hand so he was squeezing Jin’s, “Yah, it’s okay, Jin. Yoongi hyung and I were really safe when we came here together. We didn’t see any zombies-“

“It’s been two years. Let’s call them Zeke.”

“Tae-“

“Calling them Zeke is less scary.”

“No one here is doing that.”

There were some things that didn’t change about Taehyung, either. He was still inserting his bizarre opinions into conversations that made everyone either question his sanity or question why they hadn’t thought of that sooner. As much as Hoseok was the one who lifted everyone’s spirits, Taehyung still had this odd way about him that lightened the mood sometimes. Other times his comments earned him a slap on the back of the head from one of his hyungs.

Another thing that didn’t change was Namjoon being the leader of BTS. He turned around in his seat as he declared, “Alright, let’s make this quick. Get in, get what we need, and get out, got it? Everyone partner… or couple up and let’s do this. Any questions?”

Taehyung slowly raised his hand, causing Yoongi groan. The raven-haired male ignored his hyung as he asked, “What do you want us to do if we see a Zeke? Work around it or just go in for the kill?”

“Try to work around it first,” Namjoon looked amongst his friends as he continued, “let’s not try to make a scene to alert other zombies to our location. This is a good place to get supplies so just be quiet and work around the zombie. If it notices you then kill it and alert the rest of us so we can get out of here before more of them show up. Understood?”

“I thought we were calling them Zeke.”

“You’re calling them Zeke.”

Taehyung pouted in the back seat but his pout was short lived as his lovers pressed comforting kisses to his cheeks. Without another word, Namjoon exited the van. He was wordlessly telling the others to follow his lead. There would be a time for kisses and love later, but right now they were on a mission. Everyone gathered their weapons from the floor and hopped out of the van after their fearless leader. Jin, Jimin, and Hoseok strapped their backpacks on to gather supplies in for their couple group.

Jin gulped as he held his twin axes close to his body. He stumbled over to Namjoon, standing behind him as they looked around for a sign of any zombies. Each of the maknaes loaded their guns. Jungkook had two small hand guns, Taehyung had a machine gun, and Jimin had a sniper strapped to his back to take care of any zombies in the distance. Jimin was the one who was going to be gathering the supplies for their group so Taehyung and Jungkook would be protecting him. Yoongi cracked his neck as he reloaded his guns. Hoseok was cowering behind his lover with a baseball bat with nails sticking out at the end.

While Hoseok and Jin could handle a gun, they couldn’t use one in the heat of the moment when a zombie was jumping out at them. They reacted differently when scared. Jin’s arms would flail about when he was startled so having axes in both hands would mean that even if he was scared he would be swinging his weapons around and causing damage. Hobi was someone who lost his balance when he was scared but his arms would always fly into the air so that would mean even if he fell, he would swing his bat and hit someone with the nails at the end to inflict pain.

The seven males approached the front door. Namjoon was surprised that the supermarket still had some working electricity, seeing as how most doors didn’t automatically open these days. This would make it harder to hear if a zombie entered the supermarket. Namjoon looked back at everyone, his eyes telling them to be more alert than usual. One by one, they entered the abandoned grocery store.

Hoseok turned to look at Taehyung as they were all starting to split up. He had a small smile on his face, “Yah, watch out for Zekes, okay? I don’t want to have to call you Zeke if you get bitten. Tae suits you better.”

The younger male beamed at his hyung, at the only one who would dare to call a zombie a Zeke with him. Yoongi rolled his eyes with a playful smile on his face. Hoseok and Tae were the only two who would crack a joke on missions. Everyone knew it was Hoseok’s way of trying to lighten the mood for the others and himself. Hoseok knew there was always a chance that they could be turned into zombies when they left the bunker so he always tried to find a way to ease his raging emotions within.

“Yoongi hyung, take care of my hyung, okay?”

“Like I’d let anyone but us touch him.”

Taehyung knew what Yoongi meant by that. He knew that Yoongi had grown more protective over Hoseok in the past two years, more so than any other partner in BTS. Sometimes, it seemed like Yoongi was protecting more than Hoseok. It seemed that he was protecting the innocence and the light that Hoseok carried with him. It was like Yoongi was protecting Hoseok not just because he loved him, but because he wanted to protect the last good thing he had. This world had become such an ugly place, but Hoseok made him remember that there was still something beautiful in this world. There was still something to live for.

Namjoon and Jin stalked off towards the right side while the maknaes took the left, leaving the middle to Yoongi and Hoseok. Everyone moved quietly to keep their presence hidden, but to also try to hear if there were any zombies inside with them. The couples maneuvered through aisles, grabbing the supplies that they needed. Jin was responsible for gathering any perishable foods that might have survived before the market was abandoned. Jimin was looking for canned foods to store in his backpack while Hoseok was more so focused on gathering hygienic products, as well as cleaning tools and items.

It would’ve bothered the boys that they were technically stealing if they weren’t living in a zombie apocalypse. Yoongi snickered, back when money mattered he would’ve had enough of it to buy this store. Yoongi stood tall as he monitored the area while Hoseok shoved cleaning supplies in his bag.

Hoseok started to hum one of their old songs as he admired the green toothbrush he had found. The platinum blonde shook his head with a smile. Leave it to Hoseok to be happy about finding a toothbrush in his favorite color. When Yoongi wasn’t looking, Hoseok stashed the platinum blonde hair dye he swiped deeper into his bag. He wanted to surprise Yoongi with it since his raven roots were taking over again. Something as simple as hair dye meant the world to Yoongi in a time like this. Hoseok bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. He couldn’t wait to dye Yoongi’s hair later.

Hoseok was broken out of his happy thoughts when he and Yoongi heard the sound of a low moan in the distance. Hoseok froze, his breath becoming shallow. He knew he couldn’t stay still. He had to move. He scrambled to close his backpack, slinging it over his shoulders, and grabbing his bat. His grip on the bat was so tight that his knuckles were starting to turn white.

“We should leave, Yoon.”

“Wait. Let’s see if it’s a person.”

“But, what if it’s a Zeke?”

“I can’t believe you’re indulging Tae.”

Hoseok shrugged at his hyung. His eyes looked scared as he whined, “Come on, hyung, we should go. Namu said that if we see a Zeke then we should just work around it and not cause a scene.”

“Let’s just see if it’s a zombie or not.”

“Hyung-“

“We’ll leave as soon as we see if it’s a human or not,” Yoongi sent a soft smile to his lover, “if it’s a zombie then we’ll alert the others and we’ll leave, okay? I won’t cause a scene.”

“… okay, hyung.”

With Hoseok’s shaky approval, Yoongi marched forward with his guns drawn. The couple slowly approached where they had heard the moaning. When they reached the end of the aisle that’s when the moaning was at its loudest. Yoongi made the bold move to stick his head out of the aisle to see what was out there making that noise. The platinum blonde quickly whipped his head around to look at Hoseok. He shook his head and tried to mouth to his lover that he shouldn’t look.

Hoseok, being the stubborn squirrel that he is, rolled his eyes and poked his head out from the aisle. Hoseok’s stomach started churning at the sight he was witnessing. There was a zombie dining on one of its fallen brethren’s legs. Hoseok brought one of his hands to his stomach to try to keep its contents inside. Yoongi’s eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen.

“Hobi, calm down. Please don’t-“

Hoseok threw up on the floor, which notified the zombie to his presence. Hoseok was coughing as his throat continued to close and open back up. He looked up just in time to see the zombie staring back at him with its glowing red eyes. Hoseok had a sheepish smile on his face as the zombie stood up to make its way towards him.

“Uh, clean up on aisle seven?”

Instead of reaching for his bat to defend himself, Hoseok reached into his backpack for the green toothbrush and some toothpaste. He released the toothbrush from its bindings and squirted some toothpaste onto it. The zombie groaned loudly as it trudged over to him, which caused other moans to emit from the market. It seemed that there were a few more zombies in there with them. Hoseok turned on his heel just as the zombie reached out to touch his face.

“No one touches my Hoseok!”

Yoongi fired his gun, the bullet taking off the zombie’s hand. The zombie stumbled backwards, shocked to find someone else with his Hoseok happy meal. While Hoseok was brushing his teeth in the aisle, Yoongi was taking his sweet time killing the zombie. He would shoot at the arms and legs of the zombie, taking it apart piece by piece before he shot it in the head to truly kill it.

The platinum blonde turned around with a smile on his face, ready to hear Hoseok cheering for him. His smile faded from his face when he saw a zombie climbing over the shelf to enter their aisle. Hoseok dropped his toothbrush when he saw the zombie snarling at him. Yoongi darted forward, trying to get to Hoseok before the zombie could.

Yoongi had to stifle his laughter when Hoseok spit out the toothpaste liquid from his mouth at the zombie, causing it to cry out and convulse on the ground. Yoongi froze in his tracks when Hoseok cranked his bat back and smashed the zombie’s head over and over. Blood splattered onto Hoseok’s face as he continued to bash the zombie until it stopped moving. His chest was heaving as he stared at the carnage below him. Hoseok screamed as he swatted the zombie one last time, trying to make sure that it was completely dead. Hoseok cranked the bat back one more time and-

“Yah, it’s dead. You got it, Hobi.”

“But what if it-“

“It’s dead. Look.”

The platinum blonde didn’t even look at the zombie as he pointed his gun at its caved in head and shot it. If Hoseok’s baseball bat beating didn’t kill it then that bullet to the head did. Yoongi knew that Hoseok was able to breathe easier when a bullet was in a zombie’s head. Hoseok took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Sorry I threw up.”

“Yeah, that was fucking disgusting.”

“Yeah, the zombie eating the other one was-“

“No, I mean, you were fucking disgusting.”

Hoseok scowled as his lover laughed at him, his gummy smile on full display. Hoseok rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I should’ve thrown up on your new shoes. I fucking brushed my teeth in the heat of the battle for you and this is how you talk to me.”

“Oh, come on, I’m joking!”

“Find me a new toothbrush and I’ll forgive you.”

“You’ll be alright on your own?”

Yoongi never liked to leave Hoseok alone when he knew there were zombies lurking. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he wasn’t there to protect his lover from turning into one of the undead. He wouldn’t be able to kill Hoseok if that happened. Yoongi was brought out of his thoughts when Hoseok reached out and cupped his cheek with his hand, a gentle smile on his face.

“I’ll be okay, Yoon. Don’t worry.”

The older male sighed and nodded. He had to let Hoseok go off on his own. He couldn’t make Hoseok feel like he couldn’t do anything without him. He had to trust Hoseok. He had to trust his lover to be able to protect himself for all the times that he wasn’t around. Truth be told, Yoongi knew that Hoseok was just going to leave the supermarket and hide in the van. He knew Hoseok would be waiting for him in the van after he retrieved the new toothbrush.

Yoongi found himself taking a page out of Hoseok’s book, humming as he looked through the wide selection of toothbrushes. There were various types of toothbrushes but not enough green ones that would satisfy Hoseok. Well, he knew any green toothbrush would suffice but this was Hoseok. Yoongi only wanted the best for his lover, and that meant only the best toothbrush and only the best color of green.

Just when he found the perfect toothbrush, a scream echoed through the market. That's Hoseok. Yoongi stuffed the toothbrush in his pocket and darted off towards the sound of his lover. Tears pricked at his eyes as he thought of how Hoseok was in danger, potentially surrounded by zombies because he had left him alone. He shook his head, forcing the tears away. Rage replaced his sadness as he thought of how these zombies were going to meet the most gruesome deaths imaginable because they had dared to target his Hoseok.

Yoongi dashed out of the aisle, gasping when he saw Hoseok trapped in a corner with three zombies closing in on him. Yoongi was seeing red as he raised his guns to shoot each of the zombies in the head. He was about to pull the trigger when he heard the sound of screaming coming towards him.

“Stay away from our Hobi hyung!”

His eyes widened as he saw the maknaes barreling towards the zombies, tackling the bloodthirsty creatures to the ground. Yoongi watched in awe as Jungkook smashed the butt of his gun on the zombie’s head repeatedly until its skull was squished like a pumpkin. Taehyung pulled out his machine gun and screamed as he fired at the zombie’s head until it was completely obliterated. Jimin pointed his sniper right in the zombie’s mouth and fired. The blonde glared at the struggling zombie and shot it in the head to deliver the finishing blow.

Yoongi had never witnessed the maknaes becoming that violent on a mission before. He had gone on countless supply runs with the maknaes but never once had they turned into complete savages. The older male fought back the smile that was trying to sneak its way onto his face. The maknaes were always protective of Hoseok, but the zombie apocalypse intensified their need to keep him safe. It made Yoongi’s heart swell with pride and love to think of how Hoseok had a set of protectors ready to pounce on zombies for him.

A low groan came from behind the maknaes, growing louder as it came into view. Another zombie was making its way towards Hoseok. Yoongi and the maknaes pointed their guns at it but they couldn’t fire any rounds because an axe was thrown across the room, sinking into the zombie’s head. The zombie groaned and then collapsed on the ground, twitching before growing still. All the boys shifted their attention to the person who had thrown the axe, their eldest member, Jin.

“Go near our Hobi and you’ll die.”

Yoongi had almost forgotten how protective Jin could be, especially over Hoseok. All it took was Hoseok being in danger for all fear to leave Jin’s body. He would be scared for other members if they were in Hoseok’s shoes, but it always hit different when the little brunette was in danger. Yoongi suspected that it hit harder when Hoseok was in trouble because no one wanted to lose the one person who shined like the sun every day, even when it felt like the sun would never shine again. In a sense, each of the boys protected Hoseok for the same reasons Yoongi did. They didn’t want to lose what gave their life meaning in these dark times.

Hoseok wasted no time in jumping over the bodies on the floor to run into Yoongi’s arms. The little brunette was shaking as he cried into his lover’s chest. Yoongi couldn’t really decipher what he was saying but he was sure the younger male was telling him how scared he was. The platinum blonde was planting kiss after kiss against Hoseok’s head, trying to soothe him. Yoongi couldn’t believe how many times he could’ve lost Hoseok today.

He would have to talk to Hoseok about staying in the bunker for a while. He knew Hoseok would fight him on this but he hoped the brunette could see why he wanted to keep him inside. He knew that the others would support him if he had this discussion with Hoseok with everyone around, but he didn’t want to make it seem like the younger male was being overwhelmed. This would have to be a one on one conversation. This would have to take place another time. Right now, he needed to comfort his lover.

“I… I wanna go home, Yoon. Take me home.”

“We’re going home now, Hobi, okay?”

“Can I come in, Hobi?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, come in, Yoon.”

Yoongi pushed open the steel door and forced it to close behind him. Yoongi sighed as he turned around and saw the state his lover was in. Hoseok was sitting in a chair, hunched over a desk with countless jars laid out. This room was supposed to be the last line of defense if zombies discovered them and got into the bunker, but Hoseok had taken over and turned it into his laboratory.

There were shelves filled with dozens of books ranging from various sizes depending on the material. There were pieces of crumpled paper with scientific equations littering the floor, no doubt they were failed attempts at perfecting the cure. Hoseok’s face was stuffed in a microscope, examining another attempt at perfecting the cure. Hoseok groaned and threw his head back when his cure failed.

Everyone knew that Hoseok was trying to develop a cure for the virus for the past two years. He was close to creating the cure but every time he felt like he was making progress, he failed. For every step forward he made, it felt like he was taking three steps back. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but he didn’t think he would be two years down the road with nothing to show for it.

“You know, you could ask Namjoon to help you.”

“I don’t want his help.”

There was no malice behind Hoseok’s words. Hoseok rubbed his hands on his face, muffling his voice from time to time, “He already has a lot on his plate being our leader in the bunker and out on supply runs. He deserves to be able to relax with Jin hyung at the end of the day.”

Yoongi shook his head, a smile plastered on his face. This was one of the reasons why he loved Hoseok, but it was also one of the reasons why the little brunette needed him. Hoseok was selfless, always caring for others more than himself. To him, seeing others struggle is worse than his own struggles. While that made Hoseok’s heart all the more beautiful, that also meant that his shoulders carried the weight of others upon them. That’s why Hoseok needed Yoongi. He needed someone to help carry the weight so he wouldn’t crumble beneath it. He needed Yoongi.

Yoongi was standing behind his lover, using his large hands to massage the younger male’s shoulders. Hoseok released a drawn out sigh, one that he was holding for quite some time. Yoongi looked down at the work Hoseok had been conducting on one of the brain worms he had snatched out of dying zombies. Not all zombies carried brain worms so it was rare to come by one. A majority of zombies just carried the virus so all Hoseok could collect was their contaminated blood. He had a jar full of living brain worms, experimenting on each one to try to nullify the virus they carried with them. He had test tubes of blood lined up in a rack from the zombies that BTS had defeated, trying to compare the blood of a zombie and the blood of a normal human.

Hoseok was always careful so truth be told, it was best that he was the one working on a cure. Namjoon was the king of destruction, odds are he’d find a way to accidentally turn himself into a zombie. He didn’t want to risk Namjoon’s health so he opted for working alone.

The platinum blonde remembered a time when Hoseok didn’t harbor himself up in his laboratory. Rather, Yoongi remembered when Hoseok would spend hours of his days and nights locked up in the dance studio. He remembered how he would physically drag his lover out so he was getting sleep each night. Yoongi shook his head once more.

“You used to dance.”

“You used to produce music.”

It seemed that Hoseok was rather quick witted today. Yoongi nodded with an amused smile on his face, “Yeah, I used to make music that you used to dance to. I used to make music that millions of people used to listen to. I used to produce music that made a difference in people’s lives. I used to be Suga.”

Hoseok reached for Yoongi’s hands, ceasing their movements. The little brunette squeezed the large hands as he returned, “I used to create choreography for the music you’d make. I used to dance on a stage for millions of people to watch. I used to dance to music that made people feel happier. I used to be J-hope.”

“I guess we both miss who we used to be.”

The little brunette brought one of Yoongi’s hands to his lips, placing a kiss to the back of it. Hoseok’s eyes were watering, his voice wavering, “Why do you think I work so hard in here? I want my old life back. I don’t want to be afraid all the time. I don’t… I don’t want to be this person.”

Yoongi knew how he felt. He didn’t want to be a murderer, yet could he call it murder when zombies were already dead? He told himself it wasn’t murder so he could sleep at night. He convinced himself that he could feel pleasure in the bloodshed left in his wake because those zombies weren’t people, at least not anymore. He had convinced himself that he couldn’t be Suga anymore. Suga was needed to write music, he wasn’t needed to fight zombies. There was no room for people like Suga or J-hope in this world.

“We had to adapt, though,” a silent tear rolled down Hoseok’s face and onto Yoongi’s hand, “we had to change with the times. You, Namu, Tae, and Jungkookie had to learn how to kill. Jin, Jimin, and I had to learn how to heal the four of you. We had no choice but to adapt… to forget who we once were.”

Hoseok was grateful that Yoongi was letting him get all of this off his chest, “But I don’t want to forget who I was. I don’t want to forget about J-hope because J-hope… J-hope is me. Losing J-hope was like losing a part of me… the best part of me.”

“I don’t dance anymore,” more tears started to stream down his face, bathing Yoongi’s hand at this point, “I don’t do what made me who I am. I can’t… I can’t remember the last time I danced. I don’t think I’d be very good at it anymore.”

“Someone like you doesn’t forget how to dance.”

“It’s been so long… too long.”

Hoseok stood up from his chair, turning to face his lover. He had a sad smile on his face, “This is why I work so hard in here. I want my old life back. If I can find a cure then I can dance again. I can watch you produce music again. We can finally be BTS again. I want that so much.”

“I know you do,” Yoongi brought his large hands up to wipe away Hoseok’s tears, “and you’re working so hard to make the cure. Everyone knows how hard you’re working. You’ll make it happen… I know you will.”

He pressed a chaste kiss to Hoseok’s lips, smiling at how the younger male seemed to melt. He pulled away and narrowed his eyes at Hoseok, “You’ve been in here for hours, Hobi. It’s time to take a break.”

Hoseok knew better than to argue with his lover about taking breaks, seeing as how he used to get on him about it when he was producing music. The little brunette was reluctant, but he nodded. He shifted his attention to his desk, putting his research back into their respective jars if they were salvageable. He jotted a few notes down in his journal, telling himself what seemed to work and what needed to be improved.

Once he was finished with logging information in his journal, he turned to his lover and smiled. He reached for Yoongi’s hand, giggling at the older male’s eagerness to hold his hand. Hoseok liked the way his hand felt so much smaller in Yoongi’s. He liked how he felt like he was being engulfed by the older male. Yoongi had this way about him where he could make Hoseok feel safe just by doing something as simple as holding his hand, or just looking at him. Yoongi’s presence always calmed Hoseok, just as the little brunette’s existence brought the older male light.

Yoongi felt his gummy smile activating when Hoseok started to drag him out of his laboratory and down the hall to their shared room. Yoongi bit his lip, thinking that Hoseok was bringing them to their room so he could have his way with the smaller male. The older male was surprised when Hoseok pulled him into the bathroom where Hoseok’s backpack from the day resided. Yoongi shot his lover a confused look, not understanding why their bathroom was their destination.

“I have a surprise for you, hyung!”

“What is it?”

“Guess!”

“A Kumamon plushie?”

Hoseok’s bright smile slowly faded from his face, instantly informing Yoongi that the surprise was not what he expected. Hoseok’s gaze shifted to the floor as he whimpered, “No, it’s not a Kumamon plushie. I can’t seem to find one anywhere. I’m sorry, hyung, I know how much you miss-“

“Yah, no apologies,” Yoongi was quick to cup Hoseok’s cheeks so their eyes were locked, “I know it’s hard to find Kumamon in these times. I don’t want you to feel bad about not finding him for me. No frowning, okay?”

This was the rare side of Yoongi that the others didn’t normally see. This was the soft side of their resident zombie killing badass. This was the soft side of Yoongi that was only reserved for Hoseok. The little brunette felt himself starting to smile. It was in these little moments that Hoseok was reminded of how deeply Yoongi cared for him. It was in these moments of soft spoken words and gentle actions that reminded Hoseok that as long as he had Yoongi, he would always be okay.

“What’s the surprise, Hobi? Will you show me?”

“Look what I swiped for you, hyung!”

Not even the sun in the sky or the stars in the darkness could shine brighter than Hoseok’s smile as he pulled out the platinum hair dye from his backpack. Hoseok was going on and on about how he was happy he found another platinum blonde hair dye kit but all Yoongi could think about was how supply runs were meant for them to gather the essentials and the little brunette grabbed hair dye. Everyone knew how much Yoongi’s dyed hair meant to him. It was him clinging to the last bit of his former self. It was him desperately holding onto something that made him happy. Yet, Hoseok deemed the hair dye as essential. Hoseok viewed Yoongi’s happiness as essential.

“You… you got that for me?”

Hoseok was broken out of his rant when he heard his lover’s quiet voice. Hoseok tilted his head in confusion, “Of course I did. Every time I go out on supply runs with everyone I look for hair dye for you.”

Warmth invaded Yoongi’s heart, melting the ice that had encased his heart these past two years. Hoseok looked for platinum blonde hair dye every time he joined the rest of the group on supply runs. Hoseok looked for Yoongi each time he was out in the field. Hoseok didn’t even know how attractive he was to Yoongi for doing that. He didn’t even realize that he had made Yoongi fall deeper in love with him for doing something so little, for grabbing hair dye.

Something as little as hair dye meant a lot to Yoongi in these dark times. He couldn’t walk down the street to the nearest hairdresser and ask them to color his hair anymore, unless he wanted to get bitten by a zombie and turn into a mindless monster. That wasn’t on Yoongi’s to-do list today. Yet, what also wasn't on his to-do list was having his lover dye his hair platinum blonde again, but he welcomed this surprise whole heartedly.

“You know the drill, Yoon.”

Yoongi nodded, he knew what he had to do all too well. He hopped into the tub, smiling as Hoseok wrapped a towel around his shoulders as to not stain his clothes if the dye dripped. Yoongi closed his eyes as he felt his lover snapping gloves on. He knew this process like the back of his hand. He knew Hoseok was about to run his hands through his hair in three, two, one-

“This is a more permanent dye, hyung.”

“That’s fine with me, Hobi.”

The older male smiled. He liked how Hoseok was asking for his consent with those words without actually having to say it. Hoseok’s hands combed through Yoongi’s hair, soothing the older male. All the other times Hoseok dyed his hair, he would’ve had to wet his hair but permanent dyes called for dry hair. Yoongi cracked an eye open when he heard the sound of his lover giggling softly.

“Yah, what’s so funny?”

“Remember the first time I dyed your hair?”

Yoongi immediately broke out into laughter at the memory. His smile was bright and gum filled as he answered, “How could I forget it? You were so scared you were going to mess up my hair that your hands slipped on the bottle and you squirted the dye on yourself! We had no choice but to dye your hair platinum blonde!”

“I didn’t want to mess up your hair,” Hoseok was barely able to control his laughter as he worked the product through Yoongi’s hair, “but you’re lucky that I was the one dyeing your hair and not Namu!”

“Didn’t he dye Jin’s hair once?”

“Yeah and then he never dyed it again!”

“What happened?”

The platinum blonde didn’t have to turn around to know that Hoseok was moving his hand to cover his mouth as he laughed. Hoseok had a habit of hiding his smile when he laughed, especially when cameras were rolling. It was a habit that he couldn’t seem to break, even after two years of not having cameras filming every second of their lives.

Once Hoseok had composed himself, he recalled the memory, “I think you were napping or something so you weren’t there when Jin asked for Namu to dye his hair a pretty purple color. I was told to be there to provide moral support to Jin. I was supposed to hold his hand, but I ended up being a causality when hurricane Namu struck. ”

Yoongi was chuckling along the way as Hoseok continued, “It first started with Namu tripping over his feet and pushing everyone into the tub. Then Namu accidentally dropped the dye into the tub and it squirted out when he landed on it! Jin was the unfortunate soul who fell into the pool of purple!”

“Wait a second,” Yoongi’s shoulders were shaking as he tried to piece everything together, “you’re trying to tell me that’s why Jin only had a circle of purple dyed on the back of his head? Because Joon’s the king of destruction?”

“Oh, I wasn’t done, hyung.”

“There’s more?!”

Yoongi smiled as he felt his lover continuing to run his fingers through his hair, spreading more of the product. Yoongi had never told Hoseok, but he was the best person who had ever dyed his hair. His hands were gentle, never digging into his scalp like some people had. His touches were quick and light as a feather, but there would be loving moments when he would just massage Yoongi’s scalp because he knew the older male enjoyed the feeling. Yoongi just added that as another reason to love Hoseok.

The younger male watched as the raven roots started to disappear with a smile on his face. He carried on with the story, “Of course, Jin gave Namu an ear full for wasting the dye and only getting some of it in his hair, so Namu started to spread the dye around with his hands to try to cover more of hyung’s hair! Namu’s hands weren’t in gloves so his skin was stained purple!”

“Please tell me it ends after that.”

“I wish I could, but I can’t.”

Yoongi shook his head with a smile. Hoseok smiled fondly at the memory, “We kept slipping when we tried to get out of the tub. Namu fell on his face in the tub right when Jin stepped on the bottle and the next thing we know Namu’s got purple dye in his mouth!”

“That’s why he was sick a few months ago?!”

“Yeah, he ate dye like a boss bitch.”

“More like he ate dye like a clumsy fuck.”

Yoongi closed his eyes as he listened to Hoseok drone on about anything and everything. He could’ve fallen asleep to the feeling of his lover’s delicate fingers running through his hair, covering the raven roots with the care one would use to brush soil over a freshly potted flower. Neither of them commented on how Hoseok was hiding the raven roots, hiding the hair that would tie him to the man he was today. His platinum hair was one of the only things Yoongi had from his old life, and he would be damned if he lost it.

If anyone were to walk into their room and check the bathroom, they would’ve seen two lovers enjoying each other’s company. One lover would be humming in response as the other lover was working dye through his hair as he mindlessly chattered. This was the most domesticated they felt in a long time. It was in times of peace like these that Yoongi almost forgot about the terrible world that they lived in now.

Almost.  

Hoseok’s face was buried in the crook of Yoongi’s neck with those strong arms wrapped around his waist when it happened, when their alarm went off throughout the bunker. This wasn’t like an alarm clock. This was the bunker’s siren that only went off when there was movement being detected on the radar. Yoongi shot out of bed and ran to the control center. He felt bad for leaving a dazed Hoseok back in the bed but he needed to make sure that any zombies coming wouldn’t deem this decaying woodsy area as a suitable place to rest for the long-term.

Yoongi sat down in the chair and kept his eyes trained on the monitors. There were five signatures approaching the bunker. If the zombies looked like they were passing through then there would be no need for them to make a scene. Yet, if the zombies looked like they were trying to camp out on top of the bunker then they would have no choice but to eliminate them to keep their bunker off the zombie’s radar. They would kill them and then dispose of the dead bodies into the forgotten city of Seoul for the zombies to feed on. As long as they placed the bodies in the city then that would mean that there would be no need for the zombies to venture towards their bunker’s location.

“How many of them are there?”

Yoongi didn’t look over his shoulder when he heard Namjoon’s voice. He continued to look at the screen as he answered, “There’s five of them heading our way. They’re moving a lot faster than usual. Take a look.”

Namjoon leaned over Yoongi’s shoulder, making a surprised noise when he saw that the older male was right. He furrowed his brow, “Every zombie we’ve ever encountered moves pretty slow. Do you think they could be adapting to be fast enough to keep up with the remaining humans?”

“You two are dumb.”

Both males turned around, ready to snap at whoever called them dumb until they saw a sleepy Hoseok. The little brunette walked towards them and yawned, “If they’re moving that fast then they must be humans. Those aren’t Zekes.”

“Hobi, don’t indulge Tae by calling them Zekes.”

“I’m choosing to ignore that statement.”

“Hobi-“

“Let me prove my point,” Hoseok sat on Yoongi’s lap and pointed at the monitor, “look at how they’re moving close together. Zekes don’t look that organized when they move in packs. Hell, Zekes normally don’t travel in packs. They also don’t move this fast. This is probably a group of humans.”

Hoseok made some valid points and he was someone to be listened to when he gave his input on the zombies, seeing as how he was dissecting their brain worms. Hoseok might be terrified each time he’s out in the field when he sees zombies, but he’s always examining them and analyzing their behaviors. He took note of when zombies moved in packs and how fast they moved. Hoseok also concluded that the zombies were not adaptive creatures. They didn’t exactly have brains anymore so they failed to adapt to the situations they were in, making it invalid to state that they were adapting. Zombies only had their basic instincts to hunt for food, which would consist of humans or deceased brethren.

“What’s the commotion, hyungs?”

Jungkook came stumbling into the control center with his fellow maknae boyfriends right behind him. Jin yawned loudly, informing everyone of his presence. He slipped past the maknaes and brought himself to the place he belonged, Namjoon’s side. The younger male draped an arm around Jin’s waist, trying to comfort the older male.

“Zombies are headed our way and-“

“I just told you they’re not Zekes!”

“Hobi-“

“Were you not listening to me?”

Everyone took a cautious step back, not trying to be within range of the sun’s heat. Hoseok looked over his shoulder at his lover as he snapped, “If you call this a pack of Zekes one more fucking time I will shave your head when you’re sleeping.”

This would’ve been humorous two years ago, but now this was a powerful threat. Everyone knew how much having platinum blonde hair meant to Yoongi so having Hoseok threatening to shave what he helped create was intense. Yoongi stiffened, he knew Hoseok would follow through on that threat. He sighed. He knew Hoseok wouldn’t make such an extreme threat if he wasn’t dead set on these signatures being humans. Yoongi would have no choice but to follow his lover on this… and then give an all-knowing smug look if Hoseok was wrong.

“Hobi hyung called them Zekes. Score a point for-”

“Shut up, Tae.”

Yoongi pulled up the security camera and looked around, trying to find the group that was headed towards the bunker. Everyone’s jaws dropped when the group finally came into view. Hoseok was right. It was a pack of five humans. They looked worn out, dirt covering their clothes and their faces. It was a pack of males, some of which looked worse for wear but they were still alive.

“We have to save them.”

“Hobi, you can’t be serious.”

Hoseok reached to open the hatch to the garage but Yoongi snatched his wrist. Yoongi’s grip tightened as he hissed, “You don’t even know if one of them has been bitten! You would really endanger your family for a group of strangers?!”

“How much blood do you want on your hands?”

“Yes.”

“Yoongi!”

“I’m not opening the hatch.”

The little brunette’s eye shifted dangerously to the corner, causing the other boys in the room to slowly back out. They had only seen that look in Hoseok’s eyes a few times, and in each time hell broke out. That look in Hoseok’s eyes was treacherous, but also daring. He was daring Yoongi to go against him. He was daring his lover to disagree with him so he could start World War III.

Yoongi glared at his lover. His cat-like eyes that were once seen as sleepy and cute were becoming deadly like a panther on the prowl. Yoongi and Hoseok barely got this way with each other. Normally, one of them could soothe the other but there was no one to calm the storm this time. This time, there would be no one left in their storm’s wake. Hoseok’s voice was stone cold.

“I’m not asking for permission.”

The little brunette broke free of Yoongi’s grasp and slapped his hand down on the button that would open the hatch. Before anyone could say anything, Hoseok stood up and bolted out of the room. Yoongi cursed under his breath as he got up and chased after his lover. No doubt Hoseok was going to the garage to instruct the other humans to enter if they wanted to live. Hoseok wouldn’t realize that he was potentially exposing himself to the virus if one of the humans was bitten. Hoseok wasn’t thinking with his head. He was thinking with his heart.

Yoongi felt like his life was flashing before his eyes as he ran after the speedy brunette. If one of these people Hoseok had let in had the virus then he would the first human in their sightline, therefore he would be the most desireable target. Yoongi didn’t want to watch as his lover was bitten and taken from him. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he lost Hoseok. He would be damned if he let anyone take his lover away, even if it was Hoseok who was presenting himself to potential threats.

The platinum blonde burst through the door to the garage just in time to see Hoseok running to press the button on the side of the wall to close the hatch. Yoongi ran to Hoseok and grabbed him, pushing him behind his body to act as a human shield. He whipped out a knife he had strapped to his leg at all times. He pointed his weapon at the tired looking group of humans.

“Stay back!”

“Yoongi-“

“We don’t know if they’ve been bitten, Hobi!”

The frightened group of people huddled together, their eyes focused on the knife Yoongi was pointing at them. The tallest male in the middle of the group stepped forward, “I can assure you none of us have been bitten! True, we were being chased by zombies but none of us have been bitten.”

“See, Yoon? None of them have been bitten.”

“Why were you being chased by zombies?”

“Our hideout close by had been infiltrated by zombies,” the man slowly started to approach the couple, “we had nowhere else to go so we just ran off in this direction. We didn’t know that there would be people living out here and… wait a second…”

Just as the man was going to speak, the door to the garage opened and the rest of BTS came flying in with their weapons of choice. Yoongi immediately felt pride when everyone came in ready for battle. Hoseok immediately wanted to facepalm because these people were not a threat so they didn’t deserve to be greeted with guns, axes, and knives in their faces.

“You’re BTS!”

The seven boys stiffened at that name. The tall male was grinning as he exclaimed, “I’d heard rumors that you guys were still alive but, wow! To actually meet all of you! Wow, you guys saved our lives!”

“You should thank Hobi,” Yoongi slowly started to lower the knife, “he was the one who let you in here. I was going to let you keep running.”

“We owe you our lives, J-hope!”

“Don’t… don’t call me that.”

“But isn’t that your name? Your stage name?”

“There’s no stage for me to perform on now, is there?”

The stranger raised a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it sheepishly. A small smile found its way on Hoseok’s face, “You five must be tired from all that running. Come with us. We can get all of you something to eat so you can regain your strength.”

Just as the group’s shoulders hung to show they had finally relaxed, they all tensed when they heard Yoongi snap, “You’re not staying here all day. Get something to eat and go. We don’t need any more attention being brought to our home.”

Hoseok could tell that the strangers were looking to him to reason with Yoongi, but he wouldn’t go against his lover on this. This was something that Hoseok and Yoongi would always be in silent agreement on. They didn’t have the supplies necessary to house five extra people. They were able to live comfortably with it being just the seven of them, so adding five more people to their home was out of the question. These people were lucky enough that they were being sheltered for a few hours. They would have to take what they could get.

Yoongi grabbed Hoseok’s hand and turned to exit the garage with their friends. Yoongi stopped as he was about to pass by Namjoon, “We’re going to have to make another supply run with these dumb fucks staying with us for a bit. Be ready to go in a half hour.”

The platinum blonde looked towards Taehyung and Jungkook, “You two better come along, too, just in case the zombies following them stayed around the area. We’ll have Jin, Jimin, and Hobi occupy our… guests.”

The five strangers were guided into the bunker. As the three males staying behind started to get to work in the kitchen to prepare a meal for their guests, Yoongi remained in the living room for an extra couple minutes. Yoongi had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about these five strangers that he couldn’t shake. He sent Hoseok a look, one that silently told his lover to be careful.

Yoongi didn’t take well to strangers, but no one could blame them in the time they were currently living in. There weren’t many groups of humans left in Korea from as far as they knew. They used to run across other humans every month but now it was starting to feel like every couple of months. Either those humans were constantly on the run from the zombies so they weren’t around their area or they had been turned into zombies themselves.

Regardless, Yoongi didn’t trust these people. He especially didn’t trust these people around his lover. Yoongi folded his arms and grit his teeth as he watched how the leader of the strangers had his eyes trained on Hoseok. It was like this man was hanging off of every word Hoseok was saying, similar to how the boys described how he looked at the brunette. This stranger had taken a liking to Hoseok and that was not going to fly well with Yoongi. It was at this moment that Yoongi wished that his glare could burn holes into the other man’s head.

“Come on, hyung, we have to get going.”

Yoongi wanted to protest, but he knew Namjoon was right. They had to get ready so that they could go on another supply run to replenish their pantry. All the food that they had gathered the other day would no longer last them as long as they thought so they would have to make another run. Yoongi sighed. At least he could take out his frustration on a zombie if they saw one.

The eldest rapper was grumbling under his breath the whole time he got himself ready. He didn’t want these damn strangers in his home. He didn’t want that jackass staring at his Hoseok. He didn’t want anything to do with those five fuckers. He wanted them out of his home just as quickly as they came. He grabbed his favorite guns and stuffed them into the holsters attached at his hips.

As soon as Yoongi walked back into the kitchen he was ready to throw hands. He saw that the leader of the humans was about to wrap their arms around Hoseok’s waist from behind as he worked at the stove. There was no fucking way that Yoongi was going to allow someone who wasn’t him or their friends to touch Hoseok. The platinum blonde had half a mind to shoot the man, but he knew Jin would yell at him for getting blood on the freshly cleaned floor.

Instead, Yoongi stormed over to the pair and yanked Hoseok away from the stove. Hoseok opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but he quickly found Yoongi’s tongue invading his mouth. Hoseok whined into the kiss, asking his lover what brought along this intimate display of affection. Hoseok’s whine was not answered. Yoongi proceeded to snake his arms around his lover’s slender waist to pull him in to deepen the kiss. The little brunette had no choice but to indulge his lover, to let him ravish him.

Hoseok had no idea that Yoongi had started a make out session in the kitchen because he was feeling possessive over him. He had no idea that Yoongi was trying to get a message across to not only the leader of the group, but to the followers, too. Hoseok had no idea that Yoongi was telling them that Hoseok was off limits and that if he was to be touched while he was gone then there would be hell to pay.

“Y-Yoon… what was that for?”

“I’ll miss you, baby.”

“You know I’ll miss you, too.”

Yoongi sent a smug smirk towards the stranger, who avoided his gaze. The platinum blonde walked towards the garage door with his friends. He was about to exit when he stopped. He turned around and sent a hard look to the human that was bold enough to try to touch Hoseok. His voice sent shivers down everyone’s spine as he growled.

“You better be gone by the time I get back.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be gone.”

The platinum blonde refused to show how those words sounded eerie, as if there was a hidden meaning behind what he said. Yoongi didn’t have the time to ask the man why his tone sounded suspicious. He had to get into the van with the others, but he wished he had the time to interrogate the man he was leaving with Hoseok. He jumped into the van, folding his arms as he sat in the passenger’s seat.

He watched as the hatch opened and Namjoon drove out of their bunker. Yoongi watched out the window as the decaying woodland area passed him by. The farther away they got from the bunker, the farther away he got from Hoseok. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Hoseok and the others with five strangers, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He felt Jungkook place a hand on his shoulder from the backseat, a soft bunny smile on his face.

“Hobi hyung will be fine. They’ll all be okay.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Hoseok had some unfinished business in his laboratory that he had to attend to. He felt like he was onto something last night when Yoongi came in to make him take a break. His eyes were feeling strained as he examined the contaminated zombie blood, desperately searching for something that he might have missed over the past two years. He kept switching from zombie blood to human blood to brain worm blood, trying to find something, anything.

He wasn’t expecting the process of finding a cure to be easy, but he didn’t expect it to frustrate him to the point where he was ready to just say fuck it and start mixing the various types of blood. He was ready to say fuck it and throw his microscope against the wall, but he knew that would solve nothing. He knew he would get an ear full from Jin if he broke the microscope, especially because it was a rather dangerous mission to infiltrate a science laboratory in the zombie infested city of Seoul.

Hoseok had tried everything but nothing was working. It was starting to feel hopeless at this point. He was starting to wonder if there even was a cure for this virus. Maybe this was one virus that was uncurable. Maybe this was how life was supposed to be. Maybe human kind was destined to become mindless creatures constantly trying to fill a void within themselves in the form of human and undead flesh.

The little brunette shook his head. No, he didn’t think that was true. Human kind had to be destined for something more. Human kind was not meant to stay holed up in a bunker prolonging their inevitable death when supplies finally ran out. BTS was not meant to live this way. Hoseok had to keep trying. He had to find a way to return to the life he once had, the life they all had.

Hoseok’s nose started to twitch, hinting that he would have to sneeze. He wasn’t normally an aggressive sneezer, but he was so frustrated that it seemed he let his emotions slip up. As he sneezed, he angrily swatted an arm at the test tube rack. He could hear the sound of his test tube rack falling to the floor.

Hoseok felt tears stinging at his eyes. Everything he had worked for was gone. He would have to start over collecting blood. He would have to relive his fears that came when he was in close proximity to a zombie. He would have to inject a needle into the arm of a dying zombie, sucking the blood out of it like a vampire. He would have to get close to the very creature that had the ability to turn him into one of them with a quick bite.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and mentally prepared himself to see the broken test tubes on the ground. He nodded sadly when he saw the mess of blood on the ground, human blood mixing with zombie blood. They were the same color of red so to anyone else they would’ve just assumed it was normal blood, but to Hoseok he could tell the difference. He could see all his hard work had gone to waste, all because he sneezed.

Hoseok fought the urge to kick the broken glass on the ground out of anger. He fought the urge to collapse on the floor and scream at the top of his lungs, knowing that no one would hear him in the room. He fought the urge to pull at his hair until clumps of brunette locks were in his hands. None of this would make anything better.

He walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed the cleaning supplies he had placed on top. He was about to soak the blood with a paper towel, but a thought crossed his mind. He had a thought he needed to humor, just this once. He grabbed a petri dish and swabbed some of the mixed blood into it. Once he had enough, he cleaned up the mess on the floor.

“Fuck it, let’s add some brain worm blood, too.”

Hoseok didn’t give a fuck at this point. If he was going to have to start all over again then he might as well fuck it up as much as he could in the moment when nothing mattered. He snatched a brain worm from one of the jars and sliced it open, gently squeezing some of the green blood out of it. Hoseok’s tongue was sticking out in concentration as he patched up the brain worm with a little bandage. He might not like how the brain worms carried a deadly virus, but he wasn’t an asshole. He wasn’t going to let a living creature bleed out until it died. He did have morals.

He slipped the brain worm back into the jar to rejoin its friends. Hoseok shifted his attention to the mixture of blood in the petri dish. Once the red and green blood were mixed together, it turned into a dirty yellow color. Hoseok shrugged and placed the dish under the microscope. He adjusted the magnification of the device and stared long and hard at the cells. Hoseok’s eyes widened as he watched the cells of the brain worm’s blood were cancelling out the virus. The cure resided not in the virus itself, but the very blood of the worms that carried it.

Or at least, that’s what it looked like.

Hoseok quickly grabbed his journal and started to write notes feverishly, as if he was running out of time. He scribbled in his journal that more tests needed to be conducted on the blood of the brain worms and the virus in zombie’s blood to be positive that this was the cure, but finally there was hope. This was the closest Hoseok had gotten to developing a cure. He couldn’t wait to tell the others.

“HOSEOK!”

The little brunette’s blood ran cold when he heard the sound of his hyung calling for him. Hoseok left everything out in the open, convincing himself that he would be back after he figured out what was going on outside the laboratory. Jin had never sounded so distressed before. The only time Hoseok had ever heard that tone was when Jin almost got bitten by a zombie. Oh, no… did zombies get in?

He pushed the steel door open, deciding not to close it behind him. He sprinted into the living room and froze in his tracks when he saw the situation. Jin and Jimin were engaging in hand to hand combat with the five men they had saved. All eyes were on Hoseok as he shouted at them to stop fighting.

“What the fuck is going on here?!”

“They lied to us, Hobi!”

“Hyung, what are you talking about?”

“These assholes lied to us,” Jin and Jimin backed up towards Hoseok, “I asked them about the zombies that were chasing them. They said there was a pack of them on their tails. I didn’t believe them so I went back and checked the security cameras. Not a single zombie came onto the screen! They lied!”

“Why… why would you guys lie to us?”

“It’s nothing personal, but for one of you it is.”

Hoseok’s hands were balled into fists, shaking violently at his sides. His eyes flashed to the leader as he hissed, “How could you lie to us?! We took you in! We gave you shelter! I don’t like liars so I want you out of our home. Get the fuck out now or I’ll make you.”

In a time where humans were becoming an endangered species, it was an unspoken law amongst the survivors that they had to support one another. There was an unspoken law amongst the remaining humans to shelter one another when on the run. They were all in this together so there was an unspoken law to trust one another since they were all they had left. These five men had broken that unspoken law. They lied to BTS and lies during these times was unacceptable, especially when a human lied about the whereabouts of zombies.

The taller male shook his head and laughed. He smirked at Hoseok, “We just needed to get one of you alone. Just let us take who we’re looking for and we won’t hurt you too much. You’re the biggest chicken in BTS, everyone knows that! So, just sit still and look pretty and you won’t get hurt, okay?”

“You’re fucking dead now.”

Jin and Jimin moved so that they were standing behind Hoseok. They knew better than to taunt Hoseok like that, but clearly this man had a death wish. First, these people had dared to betray their trust and now they had admitted that they had intentions of kidnapping one of them. Hoseok didn’t know which one of them they wanted to take, but he was going to kill them all so it didn’t really matter who they were after anymore. Their fates were sealed the moment they disrespected BTS and disregarded the unspoken law.

“I might be scared of zombies,” Hoseok cracked his neck and then moved into a fighting stance, “but I’m not scared to kill a human. When you get to hell, tell the Devil he’s in my seat.”

This change in Hoseok’s demeanor did not go unnoticed. There was a dangerous look in his eyes, one that told the men that he meant every word he said. Hoseok was the one person the five men assumed would be the easiest to take out since he was afraid of everything. Yet, it seemed that these two years had changed even BTS’s resident ray of sunshine.

“Come on, guys! It’s just J-hope!”

The arrogant man walked over to Hoseok and cranked back his fist, aiming for his face. None of the strangers were ready to see Hoseok grab the man’s wrist and shift his body so that he could flip the man onto his back. He quickly jumped onto the man and threw a series of punches to his face until the stranger's face was sunken in, dead. His fists were covered in blood but it didn’t seem to bother Hoseok in the slightest. He looked up and stared into the leader’s eyes, his eyes piercing the man’s soul.

“Don’t fucking call me J-hope unless you want to die.”

The remaining men took a fearful step back as they watched the brunette rise to his feet. With every step forward, the men took a step back until they were entering the kitchen. Hoseok glared at the men as each of them grabbed something from the kitchen to use as a weapon. One man snatched a frying pan, another held a butcher’s knife, and another clutched a whisk like his life depended on it. Clearly, the man who grabbed the whisk was the most dangerous.

Yet, Hoseok found it odd how the leader of the group didn’t grab anything. He would have to keep an eye on that man. The man with the frying pan charged at Hoseok, swinging it at him like a baseball bat. Hoseok avoided each attack with ease, waiting for his moment to strike back. It was when the man lost his footing on one of his attacks that Hoseok dove in, elbowing the man hard in the stomach.

As the man wheezed, Hoseok ripped the frying pan from his hand. Hoseok grit his teeth and swung the frying pan, successfully landing a hard blow to his head. The man fell to the ground and looked up just in time to see Hoseok standing over him. The little brunette showed him no mercy as he swatted at his head with the piece of kitchenware. The only reason Hoseok stopped his assault was because of Jin.

“Don’t get my frying pan bloody, you little shit!”

“I’ll clean it later, hyung!”

Jin grumbled under his breath as he saw his precious frying pan dripping blood. Jimin gulped as he saw Hoseok drop his makeshift weapon. Blood splattered on the ground, which Jin muttered that Hoseok would have to clean later because no stain was worse to get out than blood. Hoseok ignored his hyung’s complaints. He would deal with Jin’s wrath after he had kept his family safe.

The man with the butcher knife jumped over the kitchen table, trying to look badass but he was only successful in making Jin shout that now he had to clean the counter because he wiped his ass on it. Hoseok was not as worried about the counter as the raven-haired male was. Instead, he was more concerned with the butcher’s knife flying at him, desperately trying to slash into his skin.

This man was more capable of wielding a sharp weapon. This would make Hoseok’s life a little more difficult. He gasped as the knife barely missed him, causing him to stumble to the ground, landing onto his back. The man quickly pounced on Hoseok, straddling the smaller male, and pinning him to the ground. Jin was about to run in to save his maknae but he felt Jimin’s hand grab his wrist. Jin’s eyes widened when he saw a small smile etched onto Jimin’s face.

“Let him have his fun, hyung.”

Jin bit his lip, feeling uneasy about potentially leaving Hoseok to die. He had to trust Jimin. He had to trust Hoseok. The little brunette barely managed to move his head out of the way in time to avoid a butcher’s knife to the face. He felt the man put more of his weight on him, focusing on keeping his arms restrained. This was what Hoseok was hoping for. This man was falling for his trap.

As the man raised the butcher’s knife to deliver the finishing blow, Hoseok focused all his strength and energy into kicking his leg up to send a powerful kick to the man’s dick. The man immediately groaned, loosening his grip on the knife and on Hoseok. This was the moment Hoseok was waiting for. The little brunette launched himself at the man, disarming him in the process. Hoseok didn’t even blink as he slashed at the man’s neck, leaving him to bleed out on the floor.

“I swear to God, Hobi-“

“I said I’ll clean it later, hyung!”

Hoseok pushed himself to his feet just in time to get hit in the head with a whisk. No one moved. No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe loudly. Hoseok slowly turned his head to glare at the man with the whisk. The man swallowed heavily, instantly regretting his choice to attempt to inflict damage with a weak ass whisk.

“You hit me with a fucking whisk,” Hoseok marched towards the man, forcing him into a wall, “I’m going to take that whisk and I’m going to jam it into your fucking eye.”

The man felt the whisk swiped from his hand, leaving him no choice but to try to plead for his life. Hoseok wasn’t listening. He was more concerned with picking which eye he wanted to shove the handle of the whisk into. Once he determined that he would pick the left eye, he held the man by his throat and strangled him. He could feel the man crawling at his hand but he didn’t care. He didn’t flinch or look away as he forced the whisk into the man’s left eye, secretly enjoying the sound of the man’s blood curdling screams.

Hoseok might have looked like an innocent little ray of sunshine on the outside, but he was the most ruthless of BTS when it came to hand to hand combat with humans. While most would assume that Yoongi or Jungkook would be the ones to fear, it was actually Hoseok. The little brunette had so much pent up rage that could only be released through combat, that could only be released through murder.

Once the man stopped scratching at Hoseok’s hand, the retired rapper dropped the lifeless body onto the floor. There was no time for anyone to relax as the sound of a gun firing echoed throughout the bunker, followed by a scream. Hoseok’s eyes widened as he saw that the last man standing shot at Jimin, cutting across his side, and causing blood to gush from the wound.

Jimin fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face as Jin rushed to place pressure on the wound. Jin would’ve liked to move Jimin into the infirmary but there was a gun being pointed at them. He knew that if he dared to move Jimin then he would be shot, or worse the maknae would be shot at again. Jin glared at the stranger. They had been forced into a sticky situation.

The stranger pointed his gun at Jimin but his eyes were trained on Hoseok, “You’re going to come with me or I’m going to blow your little friend’s brains out. You’re going to do as I say or I’ll make sure BTS goes from seven to six.”

“So, this is how you repay the people who took you in,” Hoseok’s words were laced with venom, “you threaten to kidnap and kill them? If you didn’t have that damn gun I’d shove a fucking spoon through your diaphragm.”

At first, that didn’t seem like much of a threat. Yet, the more everyone thought about it, the more they all realized just how painful it would be to have a spoon jammed into their diaphragm. A spoon is an extremely dull utensil so the amount of force that would have to go into that assault would prove to be a slow and painful death for the person on the receiving end. Forget fifty shades of grey, Hoseok was fifty shades of fucked up.

“But I have the gun so come with me. Now.”

Hoseok couldn’t play around with this situation. He knew this man was serious about killing Jimin since he had already shot at him once. He didn’t want to risk Jimin’s life so he had no choice but to go with the man. He turned to the stranger and slowly started to walk towards him.

He froze in his tracks when he heard Jin calling to him, “You can’t do this, Hobi! Don’t go with him! We don’t know what he wants with you so stop! We’ll figure this out-“

“I have to go with him, hyung,” Hoseok couldn’t look at the older male, “this is the only way to keep both of you safe. You need to take Jimin to the infirmary before he bleeds out. I refuse to be the reason why my Jiminie dies.”

“Hobi, I’m your hyung-“

“And I’m the one he wants.”

Hoseok walked towards the stranger, refusing to flinch as the man pointed the gun at his head. Hoseok felt a strong arm wrap around his waist, but it didn’t feel like Yoongi’s. This arm felt aggressive, no doubt littering his delicate body with bruises from the rough hold. Yoongi would’ve never touched him like this. Yoongi would’ve been gentle, holding his body like it was made of glass. At the thought of his lover, a tear fell down his cheek.

Jin wanted nothing more than to beg for the man to leave Hoseok alone, but he couldn’t. He had to keep pressure on Jimin’s wound. Jimin wished that he wasn’t bleeding out on the floor. He wished that he could do something to keep his hyung with him, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch helplessly as Hoseok was dragged towards the garage. Jimin reached out a shaking hand, desperately trying to find the brunette.

“Hobi… you know Yoongi will be devastated.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Yoongi, it’s dead!”

Yoongi had taken a page out of Hoseok’s book and was now continuing to bash a zombie’s skull in beyond recognition. Everyone could tell that he was taking out his frustrations on the zombies and no one had it in them to stop him until this show of severe mutilation. Namjoon grabbed Yoongi by the arm and yanked him off of the zombie. He ignored Yoongi’s string of swears and focused on yanking him out of the supermarket.

“Let go of me, Joon!”

“You think Hoba would want to see you like this?!”

At the mention of his lover, the older male stopped fighting against Namjoon. He shrugged the younger male off of him and avoided his gaze. Truth be told, Hoseok wouldn’t want him behaving this way. Hoseok would have told him that he was acting like a child, but then he would’ve opened his arms to comfort him. Yoongi took a few deep breaths, just as Hoseok once told him to do when he needed to calm down.

The two males walked in silence towards the van. Namjoon could already tell that there was no way in hell that Yoongi was going to apologize for his behavior in the market. He shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t even find it in him to be mad at Yoongi for acting like a child because he also harbored similar feelings. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Jin with five strangers. He trusted Jin to be able to take care of himself and the others, but he didn’t trust those five men.

Namjoon knew that Taehyung and Jungkook shared similar feelings. The two maknaes were feeling uneasy about leaving their lover back at the bunker, outnumbered by the strangers. As much as they wanted to request that Jimin accompany them on the supply run, they knew better than to go against Yoongi when he was the one calling the shots. They knew that Yoongi wanted to keep Jimin in the bunker because he would be able to keep Hoseok calm, and vice versa. Jimin and Hoseok had a special connection, they were able to calm each other better than anyone else in their group.

Yoongi hopped into the passenger’s side of the van and rolled his eyes when he saw the maknaes in the back seat waving at him. Namjoon joined them in the driver’s seat and elbowed Yoongi for rolling his eyes at the younger males. Some days, Namjoon felt like he was working with children. Namjoon was about to make a comment on everyone’s behavior until the faint sound of beeping echoed through the van. Their pins were giving off an SOS signal.

Everyone but Yoongi’s.

While the pins they wore every day were used as trackers, they were also were able to emit emergency signals to their lovers. Jin and Jimin were sending a signal to their lovers. None of them could remember the last time that any of them had to use their pins to send that signal. Something was wrong. Something must have happened at the bunker. Yet, there was one thought that plagued each of their minds, but none more than Yoongi’s.

“Why didn’t Hobi send me a signal?”

“We need to get back to the bunker, now.”

Namjoon didn’t have a driver’s license and with the way he was driving right now, he would never get one. He was speeding through the rough terrain, the thoughts in his mind moving just as fast as the van. All he could think about was Jin being forced into hand to hand combat, something he never liked. All he could think about was Jin using himself as a human shield to his maknaes. All he could think about was Jin and his friends being hurt by the five men they had sheltered.

Taehyung and Jungkook held each other’s hands, their hearts breaking as they wished they had Jimin’s hands in their open ones. Thoughts were flashing across their minds and not one of them were pleasant. Their hearts constricted as they thought of little medic Jimin being forced to fend for himself. They fought the urge to cry as they thought of their hyungs putting their bodies on the line to ensure Jimin’s protection.

Yoongi’s hand was gripping the side of the car, tight enough to make his knuckles turn white. He had murder on his mind. He wanted nothing more than to return to the bunker so he could personally destroy all five of the men for potentially laying a finger on his lover. He had no issue killing zombies and he assumed he would feel the same about killing those men. Knowing Hoseok, he would try to take on the five men alone to protect his family. Knowing Hoseok, he could have gotten seriously injured and that’s why he couldn’t give off the SOS signal.

The drive back to the bunker felt longer than it actually was. As soon as Namjoon entered the garage, Yoongi and the maknaes were throwing themselves out of the van. Jungkook, being the fastest of the group, led the charge into their home. Jungkook froze in his tracks, causing the other males to crash into him. Luckily, Jungkook held his ground. Yoongi was about to yell at him for stopping so abruptly until he saw the current state of their home.

Namjoon’s breath hitched as he joined his friends in staring at the wreckage of the bunker. A struggle had happened, based on the dead bodies on the floor and the blood pooling beneath them. The kitchen and living room areas were a mess with random kitchenware scattered around. Yoongi looked to the side to see a man with a whisk jammed into his left eye, no doubt Hoseok had done that. His lover had a bad habit of ruthlessly killing people.

Everyone heard the sound of someone crying out in pain, bringing them out of their trances. Taehyung pushed past Jungkook. He knew that voice. That was Jimin. Taehyung raced down the halls until he found himself pressed against the wall with a scalpel placed against his neck. Taehyung’s eyes widened as he saw Jin ready to slit his throat.

“Hyung, stop! It’s me! It’s Tae!”

“T-Tae? Oh, God, I’m sorry!”

Jin quickly removed the scalpel from Taehyung’s throat. He ran a hand through his hair as he rambled, “I’m sorry about that, Tae, I just… I just thought that you were that guy and that you came back to finish us off-“

“What the hell happened to Jimin?!”

Jungkook ran past the two of them to be at Jimin’s side in the gurney. Namjoon hustled into the room and brought Jin into his arms, whispering sweet nothings to him as the older male started sobbing. Yoongi watched from the doorway as Taehyung and Jungkook grabbed Jimin’s hands, asking him if he was alright. Yoongi watched as everyone was reunited with their lovers, everyone but him.

“Where is he?”

“Y-Yoongi-“

“Where the fuck is Hoseok?!”

Yoongi’s eyes flickered from Jimin to Jin, expecting one of them to answer him. Jimin’s voice was raspy as he answered, “That guy… he tricked us. Jin hyung found… he found no sign of zombies after them. They were looking for us… for Hobi hyung.”

“It was an ambush,” Jin slowly removed himself from his lover, tears making their journeys down his face, “we didn’t see it coming. Hobi… he protected us. That asshole shot Jimin and he… he was going to kill Jimin if Hobi didn’t go with him.”

“No… tell me he didn’t-“

“He did, Yoongi.”

Yoongi’s hands were shaking at his side in anger. No one dared to say a word as Yoongi screamed and kicked a medical table over, the items on top flying in every direction. He had half a mind to tear that whole room apart, but he didn’t have time to have a meltdown, nor did he want to hear Jin screaming at him for the mess he had made. He had to find Hoseok before it was too late.

The platinum blonde stormed out of the room and made a bee line path for the control center. His hands went to work finding Hoseok’s location. He never thought he would actually have to use the tracking device embedded into the pins they wore. He never thought that he would have to use the tracking system on the computers to locate his lover. He never thought this would happen to him, to Hoseok.

Once he had Hoseok’s location, he cursed under his breath. Hoseok was heading towards their company’s old building in Seoul. Hoseok was being brought into the heart of the zombies’ territory. There was no telling what would happen to Hoseok if he went into Seoul unarmed and with a man who couldn’t be trusted. There was no telling if Hoseok would come out of that city alive or as a mindless zombie. Yoongi had to move, fast.

He ignored his friends calling after him. He didn’t have time to wait. Hoseok needed him now. He barged into the garage, his eyes locking on the motorcycle he had been tuning up for the past few months. He growled when he realized that not only had one of the strangers stolen Hoseok, but they had taken one of their vehicles, too. What a jackass. He patted his sides, wishing he had more than his two hand guns. It would have to do for now. He didn’t have the time to deck himself out with all sorts of weapons. He had to get into Seoul as fast as he could.

“Yoongi, wait for us!”

The elder rapper didn’t look back at his friends as he opened the hatch and sped off. Namjoon cursed aloud, annoyed that Yoongi couldn’t wait for the rest of them. He exhaled deeply. He couldn’t blame Yoongi for leaving so suddenly. He knew that he would’ve done the same if he was in the platinum blonde’s shoes. He turned around, his heart aching at the sight of Jin and Jungkook helping an injured Jimin walk into the garage.

Jin turned away from everyone. So, this was what Hoseok was hoping for. A devastated Yoongi was a force to be reckoned with. In Yoongi’s current state, there was a mixture of anger and sadness, which was a deadly combination for the platinum blonde. A devastated Yoongi was a Yoongi in a frenzy, in a crazed state where he would stop at nothing to destroy whoever wronged him. Hoseok was hoping for this manic Yoongi. He was counting on this wild Yoongi to save him.

“Taehyung, come on! We have to follow Yoongi!”

Taehyung, the ever curious human, noticed that Hoseok’s laboratory was open. Hoseok always closed that door because he didn’t want anyone, especially the maknaes, to mess up his experiments. If Hoseok left the door open then he must have known something bad was going to happen. He must be trying to tell the rest of his friends something. He must have wanted one of them to enter the laboratory.

The raven-haired male cautiously stepped into the room, surprised to find nothing out of the ordinary. He was starting to think that maybe his brain was just playing tricks on him until he spotted Hoseok’s treasured journal. He walked towards the journal, opening it to the most recently used page. His eyes widened as he read over the notes, over the section where he hypothesized the cure. The cure was in the blood of the brain worms, or at least Hoseok assumed it was.

Taehyung threw caution into the wind. He scurried over to the bookshelf and snatched one of the clean syringes. He ran to the brain worm jar, grabbing the bandaged worm, and removing it’s wrapping so he could stab it with the syringe. He watched as the syringe was filled with the green blood of the brain worm. He apologized to the brain worm for stabbing it and taking its blood before he rewound its bandages and placed it back into the jar with its fellow brethren.

He could hear his hyungs shouting for him to rejoin them. He held onto the syringe with a death grip as he sprinted out of the laboratory. He felt tears sting at his eyes. He prayed that they would get there in time to save Hoseok from whatever hell he was going through. He prayed that he wouldn’t have to use the untested cure. He prayed that they weren’t too late, that he wasn't too late.

I’m coming, Hobi hyung.

“Let go of me, you bastard!”

“You’ve got a foul mouth, don’t you?”

Hoseok thrashed in the man’s grasp as he was pushed through the abandoned city of Seoul. He couldn’t remember the last time that he was in the city. He felt his heart grow heavy as he realized where he was. He was in front of BTS’s old building, the one where so many precious memories were made. Hoseok found it rather cruel to be brought back to the building. He had a feeling he knew why he was being brought out here, but he needed to hear the man say it aloud.

“What do you want with me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“You’re a shitty villain if you don’t do a monologue.”

The man shoved Hoseok’s back against a lamp post. He moved around the post and began tying Hoseok’s wrists together, “Fine, if you want a damn monologue then I’ll give you one. We’ve been fighting against the zombies for two years now, and in that time I have developed a theory. We need to stop fighting the zombies. We need to establish peace with them if we’re ever going to coexist with them.”

“Establish peace?”

“Yes, we need to establish peace,” the man tightened the rope, making sure it cut into Hoseok’s wrists, “and what better way to do that than by offering a human sacrifice? What better way to call for a truce than by giving the zombies what they love to dine on the most? You’re going to be the one who ends the zombie apocalypse.”

“You can’t be serious…”

“Oh, but I am.”

“Why me? Why would you pick me?”

The man moved around the post so he could look Hoseok in the eyes. He grabbed Hoseok’s face, painfully squeezing his cheeks, “You’re J-hope. You were chosen because you give people hope. You’re humanity’s last hope so what better way to give us hope than by offering you to the zombies?”

Hoseok wished he could look away from the madman. He couldn’t believe that this man had convinced himself, and others, that a human sacrifice had to be made to the zombies to establish peace. He knew that no peace would be established between humans and zombies if he was presented to them. The zombies would do one of two things, they would either eat him alive or they would simply bite him and turn him into one of them. In neither of these options would peace be established.

In both scenarios, Hoseok would die.

The little brunette moved and bit the man’s hand, prompting him to release his face. Hoseok had tears in his eyes as he cried, “You’re just going to kill me! You need to let me go! I’ve been working on a cure! Let me go and I’ll give you the peace you’re looking for! Please!”

Hoseok was pleading for his life, which was ironic since he snuffed four people’s lives a few hours ago. Hoseok didn’t want to die, not like this. He had imagined his death a few times, and not once did he picture himself being eaten alive or turned into the very creature that he feared the most. There were tears in his eyes for himself, but there were tears for Yoongi and his friends, too. He knew if he was turned into a zombie then they would have to kill him, or he would kill them.

“This is the only cure.”

“Please, you have to listen to me!”

“Oh, listen… do you hear that?”

Hoseok was shaking as he heard the sound of groaning in the distance. They were coming. The zombies were coming for him. The man pulled out a knife from his pocket and made a small cut on Hoseok’s cheek. Blood started to trickle down his cheek. The smell of fresh blood was sure to attract more zombies. Hoseok was sobbing as he watched the man start to back away from him, searching for somewhere to hide from the monsters.

“Please… please, don’t do this to me…”

“Humanity thanks you for your sacrifice.”

The brunette watched as the man decided that hiding in the stolen car was the safest place for him. Hoseok could see the man sitting happily in the driver’s side, waiting to watch the smaller male get eaten alive like he was watching his favorite television show. Hoseok’s shoulders were shaking as he heard the groans of the zombies growing louder. He looked up and that’s when he saw them, all the Zekes.

Hoseok didn’t think that calling them Zekes made it less scary this time. He was fucking terrified. There were a dozen zombies starting to limp towards him with their glowing red eyes locked onto him. Those same red eyes that had haunted him in his nightmares were staring at him, staring into his soul.

He was petrified as one zombie finally was in an arm’s length. He was going to die. He was going to become one of them. He closed his eyes as a cold, grey hand reached out to touch his face. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be back in the bunker with the six men he loved more than anything. He wanted to cook dinner in the kitchen with Jin. He wanted to take care of the bunker plants with Namjoon. He wanted to listen to their old music with Jimin. He wanted to watch funny videos with Taehyung. He wanted to cuddle with Jungkook. He wanted-

“YOONGI!”

The sound of gun shots echoed through the area multiple times. Each time Hoseok heard the sound of the gun he waited for pain to follow. He waited for someone to take him out of his misery, to kill him before the zombies could. Pain never followed any of the shots. Instead, what followed was the sound of a motorcycle and a voice that Hoseok knew all too well.

“Hobi, I’m coming!”

The smaller male opened his eyes, happy tears flowing down his face as he watched Yoongi jump off of his motorcycle to run to him. Hoseok looked around, noticing that his lover had come to his rescue just in time. There were deceased zombies littering the streets. The smell of blood in the air was sickening. The smell was wafting through the city, no doubt it was alerting more zombies to their location. They wouldn’t have much time before a swarm came for them.

“Yoongi, be careful! The guy’s in the car!”

“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got him.”

Hoseok never felt more turned on in his life when he saw Yoongi pull out his gun and point it at the car behind him, speaking directly to the villain, “He’s the only good thing left in this world and I’ll be damned if I let you take him from me.”

Without looking, Yoongi fired the gun. He smirked as he heard the sound of the bullet crashing through the windshield, followed by the man gurgling when the bullet went through his throat. Hoseok would’ve mounted Yoongi right then and there if he wasn’t tied to the lamp post.

Yoongi put his gun back in his holster and snatched the knife strapped to his leg to make quick work of the ropes. As he was cutting his lover free, Hoseok was crying to him, “I thought I was going to die… Yoon, he was going to sacrifice me to the zombies! I thought… I thought I’d never see you again.”

“You scared me half to death, Hobi!”

“I’m sorry, Yoon…”

“What the hell were you thinking going with him?!”

“I… I had to protect Jimin.”

“Don’t pull some hero shit like that ever again,” Yoongi took his lover into his arms as soon as he was freed, “you can’t scare me like that. Damn it, Hobi… I thought I’d lost you.”

Yoongi’s arms were wrapped around Hoseok, just the way he liked it. Yoongi’s large hands were feeling his body all over, checking for injuries but also mapping out his body like he would never feel it again. The older male could hear Hoseok weeping against his chest, telling him he was scared he was going to die. Hoseok was telling him he was scared that he was going to be ripped away from the love of his life. Yoongi was just as scared, and for the same reasons as Hoseok.

This was the closest they had been to losing each other to the zombie apocalypse. They had some close calls in the past, but none this close. None where Hoseok had been offered to the zombies like a meal on a silver platter. Nothing enraged Yoongi more than seeing his lover forced to submit to a zombie. Nothing made Yoongi’s blood boil more than knowing that he and his lover were betrayed by another human. This incident just reminded Yoongi that the only people he could trust in this world were the boys who belonged to BTS.

“Take me home, Yoon.”

Slowly, they pulled away just enough for their eyes to lock. Hoseok smiled as he felt himself being pressed against Yoongi’s body, his lover’s silent way of saying he didn’t plan on ever letting him go again. There was no space left in between them, absolutely nothing could tear them apart.

Except for one thing.

The smile on Hoseok’s face quickly vanished as he screamed in pain. Both males looked down to see a zombie biting Hoseok’s ankle. Yoongi pulled out one of his guns and shot the zombie relentlessly. He still had an arm wrapped around Hoseok as he completely obliterated the zombie’s head. Yoongi felt his breathing grow erratic as he stared at his lover’s ankle. There was a bite mark on his ankle that was now oozing blood.

Yoongi placed both of his hands on Hoseok’s shoulders, keeping the younger male still as he stated, “Yah, come on, Hoseok, look at me. You’re gonna be okay, yeah? This is nothing. You’re stronger than that virus. Fight it, baby… please.”

“Y-Yoongi… I don’t feel so good.”

“No… no, come on, baby, you’re fine.”

“Yoongi-“

“Something like this can’t take you from me…”

Hoseok was shaking within Yoongi’s grasp, avoiding his gaze. Yoongi’s eyes were filled with tears as he denied everything, “You’re stronger than that pussy ass virus. You’re gonna be okay, baby. I’m… I’m gonna take you home and we’re gonna fix this. You’re gonna be okay…  you have to be.”

Yoongi knew he was lying to himself and Hoseok. He knew Hoseok wasn’t going to be okay, no one was ever okay after a bite from a zombie. Everyone who was bitten by a zombie was instantly infected with the virus, and Hoseok was no exception. Hoseok was just as susceptible to the virus as anyone else. He wasn’t going to be okay. He wasn’t going to fight the virus off. He wasn’t going to go home with Yoongi. There was nothing that could fix this.

“You… you have to leave, Yoon.”

“Please… please, no, I can’t leave you.”

Hoseok lifted his head, revealing his flickering red eyes. Yoongi was sobbing as Hoseok smiled, “We both know I’m not going to be okay, Yoon. I can feel it... I’m losing myself. I don’t know how much longer I can hold off the virus so you have to leave. You have to live your life… you have to learn to live without me.”

“You say that like it’s easy to live without you,” Yoongi moved to hold Hoseok’s face in his large hands, “I can’t live without you, Hobi. I can’t… I can’t leave you.”

Yoongi could see Hoseok’s skin tone changing before his very eyes. The process of Hoseok transforming into a zombie was almost complete. His skin was losing its golden honey hue and being replaced with a pale grey one. The beautiful chocolate color of Hoseok’s eyes was fading and starting to consistently glow red instead of just flashing the terrifying color. Yoongi couldn’t believe that he was watching all the physical characteristics he loved about Hoseok being taken away from him.

The platinum blonde gasped as Hoseok grit his teeth and pushed him away. Hoseok’s hands were clutching his head as he screamed, “You need to get out of here, Yoongi! I can’t… I can’t control myself! Run… you have to get away from me!”

Yoongi felt his heart shattering into a million little pieces as he watched the love of his life start to fall apart, and there was nothing he could do to help him. Yoongi wished he had spent more time in the laboratory asking Hoseok about the cure he was working on. He wished he had paid more attention to the work Hoseok was doing. He could’ve helped Hoseok develop the cure so this moment could’ve been prevented.

“Get the hell out of here, Yoongi!”

“Hoseok, please…”

“If you won’t leave,” Hoseok’s red eyes met with Yoongi’s tear-filled brown orbs, “then I need you to kill me. You have to shoot me now, Yoongi! Please, I’m begging you… kill me.”

Time stood still as Yoongi took in his lover’s words. Hoseok was asking, no… Hoseok was begging for Yoongi to kill him. He was pleading with the platinum blonde to put a bullet in his head to protect him. Even when he was losing his damn mind, Hoseok was still thinking about Yoongi. He would rather die than lay a finger on Yoongi. He would rather die than hurt the one he loved.

“Hobi, I can’t-“

“I… I love you, Yoongi.”

Suddenly, Hoseok stopped moving. The hands that were holding onto his head slowly moved to his sides. There was no longer a flicker of red in Hoseok’s eyes. Now, those red eyes gazed upon Yoongi and felt absolutely nothing. This wasn’t the dancer that Yoongi had fallen in love with all those years ago. Hoseok wasn’t there anymore. This was a zombie.

Hoseok was dead.

Hoseok took a staggering step forward, as if his legs no longer functioned properly. The platinum blonde couldn’t move. All he could do was stand there and stare at the zombie that used to be his lover. The groans that emitted from the zombie’s mouth didn’t sound anything like the noises Hoseok made when he was alive.

Yoongi could do nothing more than watch as Hoseok slowly inched closer to him. He tuned out the rest of the world. All he could focus on was the sweet creature looking at him like he was nothing more than a meal. The love that once filled those eyes was gone. There was nothing in those eyes. They were dull, cold, and lifeless. These were all words that should never be associated with Hoseok.

Yoongi knew he should’ve reached for his gun when Hoseok was just an arm’s length away from him. He knew he should’ve pulled out his gun and put a bullet in the zombie’s brain, but this wasn’t just a zombie. This was his Hoseok, even if he lost his shine and his mind. This was his Hoseok, dead or alive. Even if Hoseok was dead, Yoongi would never be able to raise a hand to him, let alone a gun.

The platinum blonde took a deep breath. So, this was how he was going to die. He smiled. At least Hoseok was going to be the one to kill him. He was too fixated with eyeing Hoseok’s each and every movement that he didn’t hear the horrible sound of a vehicle screeching to a stop, nor did he hear the sound of footsteps racing towards him. He blinked as he saw Taehyung blow past him, tackling Hoseok to the ground.

“Tae, stop! Leave him alone!”

“I’ll save you, Hobi hyung!”

Wait, shouldn’t he be saving me? Yoongi furrowed his brow in confusion. Taehyung should’ve said that he was going to save him, not Hoseok. Yoongi snapped out of it. He was about to grab Taehyung to throw him off of his zombified lover until he saw the raven-haired male jab a syringe into the dead man’s neck. Yoongi gasped as he saw Taehyung insert the green liquid into the now thrashing Hoseok.

Taehyung continued to hold Hoseok down, being careful to avoid the brunette’s snapping jaws. The maknae yelled at his snarling hyung, “You said that this was the cure so come on! Come back to us! Come back to me!”

The raven-haired male knew what he was doing was dangerous, but he didn’t give a fuck. This was the only chance he had at bringing his hyung back to life, back to them. Taehyung felt tears streaming down his face like little rivers. His tears fell from his face and onto the face of the zombie struggling under him. He prayed the cure would work. He prayed that he hadn’t lost his Hobi hyung forever.

Taehyung and Yoongi’s breath hitched as they watched Hoseok cease all movements. The rest of their friends made their way over to them, observing the scene that was starting to play out. Hoseok stared up at the sky, his body completely motionless. At first, everyone was worried that the green liquid had officially killed Hoseok, but then a miracle happened.

The red in Hoseok’s eyes started to fade.

Yoongi dropped to his knees, fresh tears spilling from his eyes as he saw the warm honey tone slowly return to Hoseok's skin. The little brunette’s chest started to move up and down, indicating that he was breathing. Zombies didn’t need to breathe. They were dead so oxygen wasn't necessary. If Hoseok was breathing then that only meant one thing.

“Hobi, you’re alive!”

“Y-Yoongi? Wh-What… what happened?”

Hoseok barely had time to process what had happened to him as he was pulled into Yoongi and Taehyung’s arms. His eyes were out of focus but he could see through his blurred vision that the rest of his family had come for him, even an injured Jimin. Hoseok closed his eyes, allowing his family to wrap their arms around him and shower him in love that he never thought he would feel again.

“You did it, Hobi hyung,” Taehyung nuzzled his face into the crook of the little brunette's neck, “your cure worked! I found your journal and I saw what you wrote in it. You were right… the cure was in the carrier of the virus!”

“I knew you wouldn’t let me be a Zeke.”

“Hoseok suits you better than Zeke.”

Speaking of Zekes, everyone could hear the chilling sound of moaning growing louder. They would have to move their reunion back to the safety of their bunker, to the safety of their home. Yoongi scooped Hoseok into his arms and carried his lover to the van. Everyone took their respective seats in the van with Namjoon and Jin in the front, the maknaes in the very back, and Yoongi with Hoseok in the middle row, just how it always should be.

Hoseok had a soft smile on his face as he felt Yoongi snake his arms around his waist. He already knew that Yoongi wasn’t about to let him out of his sight for a long time. Apparently dying, turning into a zombie, and then coming back to life made a significant other worry or something. Hoseok chuckled, he wouldn’t mind Yoongi watching over him. He wouldn’t mind Yoongi watching over him for the rest of his life.

Everyone watched as the city of Seoul started to disappear in the rearview mirrors. They wouldn’t be able to leave what had happened today in the past. They wouldn’t be able to go on living their lives the way they had been for the past two years, not when they finally had a cure for the virus.

Jungkook looked out the window, staring at the world with eyes full of hope and uncertainty. Jungkook wondered if he was staring at the world or if he was gazing at the future. He smiled. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“So, what happens now?”

“Now, we take back our lives, together.”