Youngjae hums quietly to himself, the boy stands in a nice field of fresh grass. The small trickle of water floats down the stream which creates soft music.

The boy walks over to a small soiled section of the field. Planted atop the rich soil, are flowers. Flowers of every colour and shape, simply bustling in the garden.

“Youngjae!” The nostalgic voice calls to him and Youngjae turns around. A boy walks through the field to Youngjae. His black hair covered up by a black hoodie.

“Jaebum.” Youngjae smiles from ear to ear as he trods over to the elder. Once the two meet, they embrace each other in a warm hug.

Youngjae nuzzles himself on Jaebum's warm chest, his fingers lock around Jaebum's frame.

“When did you get back?” Youngjae pulls himself away as he smiles at Jaebum.

“Just now. Did you think I would go anywhere before seeing you?” Jaebum exclaims as he chuckles.

Youngjae blushes slightly. “Gosh Jae…” Youngjae reaches for Jaebum's large hand, wanting so much to show him the garden.

Jaebum's hand is warm, and Youngjae can feel the veins on them as he pulls Jaebum over to the garden.

It had been a month since Youngjae had left his town, and his home. But he didn't miss it. He had Jaebum, his garden, and the cave. Not to mention the other boys.

“Jaebum look at how well they grew!” Youngjae smiles from ear to ear, clearly proud of his creation. “I bet the smell will spread all the way to the cave as well!”

Jaebum can only grin back, not exactly sure how to respond to his excitement. Jaebum doesn’t know the first thing about flowers, even though Youngjae had attempted to teach him countless times over.

“Hey Jae-”

Youngjae's turns serious, his smile fading from his face. “Jae, what's wrong?”

Jaebum looks off into the distance, his eyes set somewhere deep in the forest. “Something's over there.” Jaebum squints. One man, unarmed.

“Jae-”

“Hey Youngjae, head inside first. I think I saw a deer. I can't let that catch get away.” Jaebum smiles to reassure Youngjae, his arm reaching back to pull out his bow.

Youngjae nods. “Don't let it get away okay? I want to eat dinner tonight.” Youngjae jokes as he picks up his gardening tools.

Jaebum slowly walks into the forest and Youngjae heads back into the cave.

”Hey Youngjae! Where's Jaebum hyung? I'm pretty sure he went out to see you.” Youngjae puts down his tools on top of a rock shelf.

“He saw a deer and went to go catch it.” Youngjae sighs.

“A deer!? Oh my god, Jackson did you hear that? Hyung’s gonna catch a deer for dinner.” Bambam yells excitedly as he hops off the ground and up into the darkness.

Gosh, I'll never get used to this. Youngjae walks toward the dangling hook. He clicks the hooks onto his belt and pulls tightly to secure himself.

Here we go. Youngjae jumps up from the ground and the wire shoots his body up into the darkness. All the while his eyes shut tightly and his fingers gripping tightly to the wire for safety.

When Youngjae finally feels his body stop, his eyes flutter back open. In the ceiling of the cave, an entire room exists within it. Jaebum and Jackson had built it in case people discovered their base. Pretty much all their valuables were located up here.

Youngjae unhooks himself and lays himself down on a stone shelf holding up a mattress. “Hey Youngjae.” Youngjae glances up to Yugyeom’s figure hanging over him.

“Is Jaebum hyung really catching a deer?” Yugyeom’s lips curl in excitement at the sudden hope of a feast.

“That's what he said. I don't know if he can catch it.”

“If it's just a deer, it'll only take a few minutes. Just relax yourself Yugyeom.” Jackson retorts before the maknae pounces on him.

Youngjae closes his eyes and zones out while the boys play around wildly. What would life be like, if nothing ever happened? And as Youngjae thinks on, the minutes tick by.

“Hyung you're back!” Youngjae wakes up, not realising he had fallen asleep. Jaebum stands with a ball of white fur dangling in his hands.

“The deer got away, so I went to get some rabbits for dinner.” Jaebum throws them to Jinyoung, who has already begun cooking their dinner.

“What hyung!” Jackson and Bambam whine as they crowd around Jaebum. Jaebum, totally done with his younger's, walks over to Youngjae's bed, placing his hand over Youngjae's as he sits down.

“Welcome back.” Youngjae's fingers etch over Jaebum's until their hands are locked tightly together.

“Sorry... I left you the moment I came back didn't I…” Jaebum mumbles as he falls backwards onto the bed. His hoodie falls off his head and his black hair covers his eyes.

Youngjae leans back as well so that the two lie side by side on the bed. “Nah, it's fine. We can go later anyway.” Youngjae smiles as he turns his head to face Jaebum. The elder's eyes are closed, a slight look of fatigue present on his face.

“Hey Ja-” Youngjae cuts his words short when he hears the soft inhale and exhale of Jaebum's breath. He’s asleep.

Youngjae laughs quietly and closes his eyes as well. Their hands still entwined together, forever locked together.

”I'll join you in a few minutes Youngjae! I've got some things to take care of.” Jaebum waves over to Youngjae who is pretty much already halfway to the garden.

Youngjae holds his materials in his hands as he strolls down the pathway leading to the garden. The boy quietly singing under his breath.

“We're gonna flyy…” Youngjae walks in tune with his singing until he reaches the garden.

The flowers are blooming just as wonderfully as yesterday. Youngjae smiles happily to himself as he walks around, checking for weeds.

Halfway through the inspection, Youngjae notices one of the white rose's he had planted is drooping over slightly. Oh…

Youngjae racks his brain. I’m sure I still have a little bit more of that fertilizer that Jaebum got from town…

The boys drops his tools and walks back up the path, the sun now facing his direction, blinding him.

As Youngjae gets closer to the cave, he hears mumbling from inside. Jaebum’s voice. Youngjae takes no notice of his voice and at this point, is basically at the mouth of the cave.

“You’re sure hyung?” Bambam.

“They’re looking for him, I’m sure yesterday was just a scoutsman. I couldn’t kill him.”

Kill? What in the world…

“Why couldn’t you kill him? He’ll report to them, we need to leave, or I can’t guarantee any of our lives.” Jackson’s voice is stern and echoes straight into Youngjae’s ears.

“How could you ing expect me to kill him? I promised Youngjae I’d never kill anyone.”

I…

“There's no ing wa-”

“Hyung…” Youngjae's body turns cold when he notices that Jinyoung's eyes are staring at him.

“What Jinyoung!”

“Hyung!” Jinyoung yells loudly over Jaebum's voice and quickly kneels down on one knee in submission.

Jaebum stares at him, confused, until he traces Jinyoung's eyes to the mouth of the cave.

Ahh…

“Youngjae…” Anger disappears from his eyes, his creased eyebrows fade.

“J-Jae…” Youngjae stutters, “w-what are you talking about? W-who…”

What do I do…

Jaebum’s eyes dart nervously and the young boy seems to lose his cool. What eerie silence fills the cave, only adds to the seriousness of Jaebum’s words.

“I'm sorry.” Jaebum walks up to Youngjae, his hand reaching for his. “Yesterday… there was a man spying on us. He was looking for you.”

-“Hey Youngjae, head inside first. I think I saw a deer. I can't let that catch get away.”-

“Then yesterday…”

“Yeah… that was a lie.” Jaebum bows his head slightly so that his black fringe covers his eyes.

Youngjae searches the figure. His eyes looking for some sort of a mangled truth. No matter how hard Youngjae tries to be angry, he can’t. Not to Jaebum.

“It’s fin-”

*click*

“Hyung!” Jackson’s yell echoes through the cave.

Youngjae turns. What.

*BANG*

The sound pierces Youngjae’s ears, his eyes shut tightly as a body holds him. What. No! Youngjae had seen him. That man, clothed in black. The gun.

“Mark!!!” Jinyoung’s ear piercing scream and the scampering of feet leaves Youngjae confused. He opens his eyes and everything is blurry. The one holding him tightly, hand holding his head, Jaebum. Then why Mark…

“Mark! No… Mark can you hear me!?” Jinyoung yells as Jaebum finally lets go of Youngjae.

“Jinyoung, get him up.” Jaebum orders as he quickly runs to the side of the cave, reaching for his black pistol.

“I-I…don’t know what to do!” Jinyoung’s body trembles violently, and Youngjae can finally see what had happened.

Mark lays sprawled on the cold stone floor. His clothes soaked , the fresh wound still spilling blood from his chest. His eyes closed, the paleness of his skin frightening Youngjae.

“He… M-Mark…” Jinyoung’s hands wrap around himself, his body shaking as though the trauma had killed something inside of him.

“Jinyoung get a hold of yourself!” Jaebum marches up to Jinyoung, his big hands hold the frail boy’s shoulders. “You can save him!” Jaebum yells so loudly that even Youngjae’s ears ring.

As though his words had some effect on Jinyoung, the boy snaps out of it. The trembling that had consumed his body, gone. His eyes lay dead on Mark’s unmoving body.

“Youngjae, help Jinyoung.” Jaebum chucks two pistols to Jackson and Bambam. “He needs your help. We’ll protect the cave.”

Had Youngjae been given the choice, he would have insisted on staying with Jaebum. But he knew, Jinyoung needed him.

Youngjae nods and quickly accompanies Jinyoung, in the middle of lifting Mark up to the ceiling. Jaebum turns back to the mouth of the cave, “let’s go.”

“Help me lie him down, I'll get the equipment!” Jinyoung hurriedly rips himself off the line and places Mark onto the floor, then running off somewhere into the darkness.

Youngjae also pulls himself off the line with hurried movements. The more he looks at Mark's body, the more terrified he gets.

Youngjae grips the fear building up in his mouth and shoves it down his throat. I can't be afraid.

“Youngjae bring him over here!” Jinyoung has already set up his kit so Youngjae lugs Mark's body onto the stone table.

Jinyoung puts two fingers on Mark's neck. Searching. Jinyoung's already wet eyes begin to drop tears.

No one moves and all Youngjae can hear is Mark's ragged breath. Jinyoung wipes his tears. “Let's start.”

Youngjae nods and glances quickly to Jinyoung's face. His tear stained face just simply doesn’t match up with his eyes. The eyes filled with murderous intent. A rage that Jinyoung simply cant bear to look at. The eyes of pure rage.

Shots of gunfire erupt Jaebum's eardrums. . Jaebum grips onto his arm, blood drips down his sleeve onto his limp arm.

Jaebum glances around him. Bambam leans against the wall of the cave, bullets hitting the wall sending shards of rock everywhere. Yugyeom and Jackson are still firing relentlessly at the men across the clearing, in the woods.

“Hyung, the fire is letting up!” Jaebum turns around and stares into the woods. They're retreating.

“Don't follow them.” Jaebum watches on as the other three sit down exhausted. The men in black dissapear from the woods.

The moment Jaebum gives the all clear, the boys sprint up from their spots, frantic to go upstairs. What…

Jaebum's confused face turns to a smile. How caring they had become. Jaebum stands up and goes up himself. Mark.

”I'll leave him to you then!” Jaebum and Youngjae wave from the cave's entrance. Jinyoung, Jackson, Bambam and Yugyeom smile as they walk down the path.

“Hey Jae, do you think they'll be okay?” Youngjae inquires as he turns back to the cave.

“Of course, they're just going to get supplies, then we're leaving. They can handle themselves.” Jaebum smiles at the worrying Youngjae.

It had only been a day since the event, fear and anxiety was still leaving Youngjae on an edge. Jaebum and the others decided it would be best to leave the cave and search for another home.

Youngjae needed a way to relax. “Jae I'm going to go to the garden, can you watch over Mark?”

Jaebum nods, “just… be careful. If you see anything, anything suspicious, head back immediately.”

Jaebum's eyes are filled with worry. In fact, if he had a choice he wouldn't let Youngjae go at all. But this would be the last time Youngjae would see the garden, he had to let him go.

“Yeah, I'll try to make it quick. Umm Jae… is your arm okay?”

“What? Oh…” Jaebum glances at his bandaged arm, he had forgotten the bullet that had been lodged in there. “Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it”

Youngjae smiles reassured and with high spirits heads down to the garden. Jaebum on the other hand, turns his back and heads up to watch over Mark.

Jaebum kneels down next to Mark's bed. His chest wrapped in bandages. He had had a fever last night but at least the worst was over.

“Ngh…” Jaebum's eyes open widely. Mark was waking up.

“Mark can you hear me?“ Jaebum leans close to Mark's face. The injured boy's eyes slowly open, his brown eyes sparkling.

“Jae…” Mark's breath is shallow, but relief circulates through the leader.

“How are you feeling?”

Mark eyes open widely. “Jae, Youngjae…”

“Youngjae?” Fear grips Jaebum. “What about Youngjae?”

“Danger… hurry.” What. Jaebum stares in disbelief at Mark. What is he talking about? Is he just delirious?

“Jae!” Jaebum's heart drops. Youngjae. “Jae?”

“Yeah!” Jaebum leaves Mark's side and jumps down to the bottom floor.

Youngjae stands there, waiting for him. “Where are the flower pots you bought?”

Youngjae's simple words bring Jaebum's beating heart down to a rest. Jaebum sighs, “god Youngjae, you nearly scared the out of me.”

“What are you talking about hyung?” Youngjae smiles jokingly. Everything's fine.

“Nothing, I just thought you were in dang-”

*BOOM*

Youngjae’s ears ring, the outside of the cave is covered with smoke. What…

“Youngjae! Youngjae! Youngjae! Youngjae!”

Youngjae’s hearing comes back and the fog slowly clears. What Youngjae sees… nothing could prepare him. The field, the garden, nothing left.

Youngjae can feel his eyes begin to well up. He bites down on his lower lip in attempt to fight back his tears.Youngjae looks towards Jaebum that stands right next to him. His eyes drawn through the smog.

“A war has begun.”