A/N: Yes, I'm at it again XD  There's some more excitement in store for you. (No pun intended... man, I'm such a nerd.) I hope you're ready!!! Please, enjoy <3

EDIT: Okay, so I had a hard time deciding where to put this note... both chapter-wise and at the beginning or end but, here it is. The Western store I envision is based on a real place with a lot of creative licence due to the fact that I've placed it in an airport. The real store is a tourist stop off of I-80 in North Platte, NE called Fort Cody Trading Post. It doesn't have it's own website but you can learn more about it at either of these sites: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10519 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_JLQQgMH2g

The back room of the Western shop had become quiet over the past hour, just the occasional whispered murmur in the room or the jangling of the front gate as zombies brushed against it breaking the silence. With nothing better to keep his attention, Namjoon couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over the figures of Yoongi and Jimin. They were still sitting along the wall, arms leaned against one another with Jimin’s head resting on Yoongi’s shoulder as the elder threaded his fingers lovingly through the younger’s dark locks. Despite the simplicity of the scene, Namjoon was well aware of the intimacy of the act for Yoongi. He wasn’t the type for outward displays of affection or careless touches.  

Namjoon couldn’t help but feel the familiar heaviness of lose as he watched the couple. The adoring looks they gave one another just cemented the feeling for him and all he could do is marvel from a distance at the beauty and perfection that was Yoongi and Jimin. He found it astounding to see how two people could be so perfect together, like they were made for one another. He had to hide a derisive snort at the thought. Of course they were perfect together. They were made for each other.

As if the couple could hear his thoughts, they turned towards Namjoon simultaneously. He couldn’t hold either man’s eyes however and quickly turned away. He tried to squash his thoughts that what the couple had was supposed to be his as well. As a soulmate, he was meant for that level of love and understanding. In order to change his train of thought, he glanced at the others in the room instead.

On the floor farthest from the door to the back room, Taehyung had been comforting the terrified Hoseok and now the elder had finally calmed down, his head resting in Taehyung’s lap. They seemed to be lost in one another’s eyes like that contact was enough to get them through anything the world threw at them. Namjoon sighed quietly. He wasn’t ready for all the relationships sprouting up around him.

Sitting at the table with him was the married couple and the cashier. Belinda was sitting back in her chair looking up at the ceiling, appearing to be deep in thought. Ted was staring at his hands, twisting the wedding ring on his finger in a nervous bout of anxiety. Sam had somehow managed to fall asleep, his head lying on the surface of the table and a small pool of drool collecting beneath his thin lips. Namjoon couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Who could sleep at a time like this?

Finally, he let his eyes wander to the corner near the refrigerator where Jin and Jungkook sat, backs propped against the wall. They seemed to be watching over the motley group as well, collecting information with their eyes to be used as needed. He made the mistake of meeting eyes with Jin and the look of sympathy and the sad smile he received in return made his heart seize in his chest for a moment. He couldn’t do pity.

A loud rumbling sound broke the silence, garnering everyone’s attention, except Sam who remained clueless in his slumber.

“I’m starving.” Taehyung complained although he didn’t really expect a reply.

“You’re always hungry, Tae.” Jimin stated matter-of-factly but before his playful smirk could fully seat itself on his face, his own stomach let out an answering grumble.

“Maybe there’s some food in the fridge.” Jungkook suggested. He stood to his feet to open the appliance. “One microwavable Lean Cuisine,” he noted aloud as he looked in the freezer. “And half of a bottle of water.” he finished as he closed the refrigerator door.

“Wow. That’s worse than our fridge.” Yoongi chuckled, one brow raised judgmentally.

“There’s food in the store.” Taehyung proposed. “Weapons too.”

“What kind of weapons?” Namjoon asked, feeling the need to get his hands on something better than postcard carousels and drink containers.

“There’s a whole display of knives by the register.” Hoseok chimed in, voice hushed but loud enough to be heard in the quiet room. “There’s bats in the back corner and a bunch of old Western stuff like tomahawks, axes, old guns… uh, I think I saw sling shots and blow guns too plus old iron tools and buffalo horns. All sorts of stuff.”

“Huh.” Namjoon replied thoughtfully. “Why couldn’t I see any of that when I needed it?” Other than a couple soft chuckles there didn’t seem to be an appropriate response to his rhetorical question. “Hey, kid.” Namjoon shook the clerk to wake him up.

“Hm, mm?” Sam mumbled as he tried to sit up, eyes still closed.

“How do you manage to sell weapons in an airport?” Namjoon asked.

“Weapons?” Sam rubbed his face with his hands, smearing drool along one cheek. This got him to finally open his eyes fully as he looked at his hand in mild disgust before wiping his hand on his slacks and his cheek on his shoulder. “Oh, um…” he began, his brain finally catching up to the question. “We have to ship anything that could be dangerous on a plane. It’s not like you can take blades or axes with you, you know?”

“And people do that?” Yoongi asked, surprised.

“Actually a lot of people do. They send ‘em home as gifts and stuff.” the young clerk replied, eyeing the puddle of drool on the table. It was obvious the boy was still uncomfortable around them but at least he had finally found his voice Jin mused to himself.

“What about food?” Jin asked the boy. He knew they were going to need to go back into the shop for supplies if nothing else. It was better to have a plan in place than to fumble around and arouse the attention of the zombies.

“Well, there’s a cooler with sandwiches, meat and cheese, yogurt, fruit, stuff like that. Plus whatever drinks are left.” He eyed Namjoon petulantly.

“Any food that doesn’t need to be kept cold?” Jin asked, drawing Sam’s attention away from an embarrassed Namjoon.

“Sure. We’ve got all kinds of authentic canned goods in the jars out there. Fruits, preserves, vegetables, you name it. There’s a bunch of jerky meats too.”

“Is there a backdoor out of the store? Out of the airport?” Jungkook asked next, his mind already working on a plan of escape.

“Well, yeah.” Sam replied as if any other possibility were absurd. “We call it ‘Delivery Alley.’ The stores can’t have all their goods being delivered through the busy airport.”

“Good, good.” Jungkook was beginning to feel his excitement grow as he felt a plan solidifying in his mind. “Tell me about ‘Delivery Alley.’ How do we get to it? Where does it run? And where does it lead to?”

“Uh, well, this room is kinda on the side of the store, right?” Sam began. The others nodded at him. “Well, there’s a door along the back wall that leads to the storage room which spans the length of the store, right?” Again everyone nodded that they were following along. “Well at the back of the storage room is another door that leads to ‘Delivery Alley’ that stretches the length of the concourse. There’s one on both sides ‘cause there’s stores across from us too.”

“Is ‘Delivery Alley’ usually busy?” Jungkook asked. “Like are there usually a lot of people back there?”

“Nah. It’s just used for deliveries and for employees to get to work without having to go through all the travelers and security.” Sam replied.

“Good. That’ll be the best way out of here.” Jungkook replied, a small smile stretching his lips. “Where does it let out?”

“Let out?” Sam asked, confused.

“Yeah.” Jungkook reiterated. “Like, does it lead to a door that goes outside? Is it one of those big garages or whatever where semi-trucks unload? Is there a parking lot outside it or will we have to run somewhere to get away? I don’t remember seeing much outside the airport when I arrived but I wasn’t really paying attention either.” he ended with a shrug.

“Oh, um…” Sam tapped his chin in thought. He was so used to his daily trek to work that he took his surroundings for granted. “There’s a loading dock for the trucks and a little stairway that leads to the pedestrian door. There’s a small employee parking lot over there too. That’s where I park unless my mom gives me a ride like today. Besides that, there’s really nothing out there but brown grass and prairie dogs.”

Jungkook thought for a moment. The plane crash happened on the other side of the concourse so he was hoping the zombies hadn’t spread out to this side as well. Before he could say anything else, Taehyung piped into the conversation.

“Is there paper and a pen in here?” he asked. “Do you think you could help draw up a little map of the store so we can get supplies easier?”

As Sam began searching through the drawers built into the countertop, Jimin turned his attention to Yoongi. “Where do you think we should go?” he asked, uneasy about the thought of trying to make their way through the zombies again.

“I don’t know, Jiminnie.” Yoongi replied. “But we can’t stay here. There’s not enough food to last forever and that gate isn’t very strong. If we’re in here then it’s just a matter of time before those things make it past that gate.”

Jimin closed his eyes, attempting to calm his heart. He had never been so afraid in his life. He was about to speak when the red darkness of his closed lids suddenly went black. “What?” he exclaimed, eyes snapping open. Several muffled shrieks resounded through the darkened room as well. The ‘Exit’ sign over the door was the only light in the room, a red wash of unholy light illuminating frightened faces.

“It’s okay. The electricity must have gone out.” Yoongi told Jimin, holding his hands and locking eyes with him in the dimness. Jimin just responded with an affirmative head nod.

“Th-there’s backup generators.” Sam stuttered out as he returned to his seat at the table with paper and a pen in hand. “The stores will stay dark but about half of the concourse lights will turn on when it gets dark out.”

“When it gets dark out?” Hoseok asked in a shaky voice. “When will that be?”

Yoongi looked at the Seiko watch on his wrist. “It’s a quarter till 7 now so… about an hour till sunset? You guys just keep working on that map you’re making. I’m going to see what’s happening out there so we know what to do next.”

“What!?” Jimin exclaimed, worry seeping into his every word. “You can’t! What if they see you? What if they break through the gate?”

“It’ll be okay.” Jungkook tried to reassure the elder. “With the lights out it’ll be easier to stay hidden. We can maybe learn a little about them too and that’ll keep us safer in the long run.”

“Safer, huh? I’m not sure sacrificing Yoongi will keep us safer ever.” Jimin argued, far from being appeased.

“Hey, look at me.” Yoongi interrupted, cupping his soulmate’s rounded cheeks in his sculpted hands, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Before we all go traipsing around out there for supplies and we need to know what draws them and how to hide from them, yes? We need to know if we should all go out or just one or two of us. We need to know if we should leave during the night or wait until tomorrow depending on how they react.”

“I know but… what if they attack and you’re alone out there? What if they break through the gate? What if we only have one chance to get out as a group and it’s used up on… on… reconnaissance? And, Yoongi, why you? I’m… I’m not ready for anything to happen to you. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

“Oh, Minnie.” Yoongi breathed. Unable to help himself, he pulled the younger man to him, meeting his lips halfway in a gentle kiss. He rested their foreheads together before speaking again. “I need to do this, to keep you safe. I can’t let you go out there before I know it's as safe as possible.”  

“Um…” Jungkook felt very awkward butting in on his hyungs’ conversation but he felt he needed to. “I’m going with you, hyung. Jimin hyung is right that no one should go alone, just in case.”

Turning to face the maknae, Yoongi raised a brow in question. “Why you?” he asked bluntly, not intending to sound disparaging.

“Uh,” Jungkook blushed, “I’m most likely the best fighter here if it’s needed. I still have my bat too so…” he wasn’t sure what else to say. He just felt the need to see the situation within the airport first hand instead of waiting for someone else’s report. Honestly, he didn’t feel like he could rely on anyone else’s report.

“Oh yeah? What makes you think you’re the best fighter?” Yoongi asked, intrigued.

“I have black belts in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kendo.” Jungkook answered, not wanting to sound like he was bragging. The mixed look of pride and self depreciation sat funny on his face but was very endearing.

“Wow. That’s amazing.” Jin said seemingly from out of nowhere. “How’d you get all those black belts at such a young age?”

“Actually, it’s been a while. You know my family’s in the military. They had me taking martial arts since I was three. I quit when I was twelve though and started dance instead.” Jungkook admitted.

“You had three black belts by the time you were twelve?” Jin exclaimed.

“Uh, yeah?” Jungkook replied, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Damn, kid.” Yoongi smiled, highly impressed, before turning his attention back to Jimin. “How about it? Would you feel better knowing Jungkook is out there with me?”

“If you have to go… I trust both Kookie and Tae to watch your back. But, please, be careful, okay?” Jimin relented.

“I will, I promise.” Yoongi swore before sealing the deal with a quick peck to Jimin’s plump lips.

“I’m going too.” Ted announced to the room as a whole. He wasn’t about to trust his or his wife’s lives to a bunch of kids. Not even after already having seen them in action.

Jungkook, Jimin, Yoongi, and Jin all shared a dubious look. So far the man hadn’t done anything to prove himself but he was their elder so they felt they had no room to argue against him. “Let’s go.” Yoongi said with an audible sigh. He, Jungkook, and Ted headed for the door, Yoongi cracking it open to get a better look at the darkened store before stepping through, keeping low behind the cashier’s counter.

“. I can’t take this.” Jimin said worriedly under his breath as the door closed behind the trio.

“It’ll be okay.” Jin comforted him. Standing, he approached the younger, holding his hand out to pull him to his feet. Jimin accepted the proffered hand. Together, they joined the others at the table, Hoseok and Taehyung already having joined them as well.

Sam was working hard on the map, pausing from time to time before adding to the rudimentary drawing. Meanwhile, Belinda was watching Jimin as his eyes kept wandering back to the door out to the store. She had noticed his soulmate marking earlier and couldn’t keep herself from asking, “Is Yoongi your soulmate?”

Jimin was surprised to hear the woman address him. “Uh, yeah, he is.” he replied uncertainly.

“How long have you two been together?”

“Believe it or not, we just met today.”

“Oh, wow. I wouldn’t have guessed. You look like you belong together.” she smiled disarmingly at the slightly squirming young man. “I didn’t know soulmates could both be guys though.”

“Yes, well,” Jin stepped in, using his most scholarly voice. “As the world has become more heavily populated and is now overpopulated, not only has the instance of soulmates obviously lessened but same soulmates have become more prevalent. The theory behind this is that soulmates no longer need to procreate to enhance the world population.”

“Oh, you know so much about it. Are you a soulmate too? I didn’t notice a tattoo on your hand.” Belinda stated, enthralled by the topic.

“I’m actually studying soulmatology at the University of Colorado in Boulder.” Jin explained.

“Soulmatology?” Sam asked, listening in on the conversation as he finished up the map.

“It’s the study of soulmates.” Jin said with a nod.

“I didn’t even know that was an area of study.” Belinda noted aloud.

“How’s the map going?” Namjoon butted in. He had his own hands hidden beneath the table for fear that he would be pulled into the conversation as well. He wanted to change the subject long before that could happen.

“Um, it’s not very good and it’s not to scale…” Sam admitted before pushing the paper into the middle of the table for everyone to see. Heads bent forward as everyone tried to see it in the near dark. Finally, Taehyung grabbed the paper, carrying it closer to the ‘Exit’ sign to get better illumination on it.

“Hm, it looks about how I remember it.” Taehyung approved with a curt nod before aiming his bright, boxy grin on the cashier. “Good job.”   

Sam smiled sheepishly at the praise as Jin and Jimin joined Taehyung to get a better look at the map. “What we need next is a list of supplies.” Jin thought aloud. “Then we can split up the list and make sure everyone gets what they need. We can mark the items on the map too.”

Suddenly a deep, petrified cry pierced the air. The sound of the gate rustling came next along with grunts of exertion and then another cry, this one filled with pain.

“What the ?” Taehyung asked before throwing the map towards his friends and sprinting out the door. Jimin was hot on his heels, his heart pounding in his chest with fear for his soulmate.

“. I told him to stay away from the gate.” Jungkook hissed as he slung Ted’s arm around his shoulder and threw his own arm around the man’s waist. Yoongi took up the man’s other side, copying the younger’s motions.

“Yoongi!” Jimin called out in relief.

“Jimin.” the elder replied back. “Grab that bag over there and let’s get back in the other room.” he continued, nodding his head toward a backpack lying near the sandwich cooler.

Taehyung beat Jimin to the bag, quickly handing it to his friend. “Come on. Let’s hurry.” he exclaimed as he kept watch on the zombies beginning to press against the gate to get to them. Jimin grabbed the back of his shirt, steering him through the store as they made their way back into the break room. Finally, Taehyung was able to close the door, separating them from the horde trying to get into the store.

“What happened?” Hoseok asked breathlessly as he eyed the man who was in obvious pain, clasping his arm to his chest.

“They weren’t paying any attention to us at all.” Jungkook began, speaking frantically as his heart continued to thunder in his chest. “So we decided to get some food for everybody. Yoongi told him to stay away from the gate. The front is close enough to the hallway for the daylight to shine in. I think they saw him. We were so quiet! They must have seen him! We had the bag filled and were about to head back when one of them wandered over and grabbed Ted’s shirt. He turned around to fight it off but his scream just got their attention. More of them came over and one managed to grab his arm and it ing bit him! Oh my god! What are we going to do?”

“They… they bit him?” Jin asked, his face going ashen as he remembered the phone call from his mom. “He’s going to turn, isn’t he?” he asked, bile rising in his throat as he finally realised that his own parents were now zombies. His heart broke at the thought and he closed his eyes tightly as a sob tried to rip from his throat.

“No!” Belinda exclaimed. “He is not going to turn into one of those ing monsters!” She stomped towards her husband, ripping him out of the two boy’s hold. Despite being so much shorter than Ted, she handled his weight with no problem. “Sam, get me a first aid kit.” she demanded. The boy practically tripped over his own feet as he rushed to comply with the command.

While Belinda and Sam tended to Ted’s wound, the rest of the group convened in the corner of the room. “What are we going to do?” Taehyung asked the others in a hissed whisper. “He will turn.” he continued with conviction.

“M-maybe we can lock him in the bathroom?” Hoseok suggested. He knew there was no way he’d feel even a modicum of safety with the man in the same room as himself or the others.

“You are not locking him anywhere!” Belinda practically screamed in defiance, obviously able to overhear the boys.

“Um… .” Namjoon said, completely done with everything. This was easily the second worst day of his life and he just wanted it to be over. “Maybe we can set up a watch?” he suggested uneasily.

Jin and Jungkook eyed one another before nodding approval. “Okay, let’s do that.” Jin agreed aloud. “We’ll set three watches.” He gave a significant look at Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jungkook, feeling they would be the best able to handle the situation if Ted turned during the night. “Then, in the morning, we’ll get the hell out of here.” he added emphatically. The others nodded in agreement.

“So, what food did you get, hyung?” Taehyung asked Yoongi, sounding carefree as usual. The others just sighed at him but were honestly thankful for his easy nature in this horrible situation.

As Jimin and Yoongi began passing out food, Jin approached the three people sitting at the table. “How’s he doing?” he asked Belinda. Ted’s upper body was laid out over the tabletop and he appeared to be sleeping easily.

She frowned at Jin before replying. “He’s going to be just fine. There was a bite mark on his arm but it doesn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. I disinfected it and wrapped it so it’ll be good as new in no time.”

“Good, that’s really good.” Jin replied, seating himself in the last available seat at the table. “Ma’am, do you remember what Jungkook told us earlier?” he began to prod carefully.

“Which one is he again?” Belinda asked scornfully, a frown creasing her brow. It seemed that with the wounding of her husband she had hardened herself against the others. It was as if she had willfully decided not to trust them any longer and that just made Jin sad.

“He’s the one who told us about this outbreak.” Jin clarified but he knew there would be no talking sense into the woman now.

“Hm.” she harrumphed in reply. “The same kid who claims to have three black belts by the age of twelve? If he has the audacity to say that who’s to say anything he says is the truth?”

Jin fought the eye roll that wanted to take him over. In the corner of the room he could here indignant grumbling from the others and a quick glance that direction showed him a red faced Jungkook with tears misting his eyes. He let out a long sigh, not sure if he’d be able to fix this situation.

“Ma’am, I know how hard this is.” Jin confided. “My… my parents were bitten. I talked to my m-mom briefly before all this hit here a-and she told me about what happened.” It was so hard for Jin to keep his emotions in check with everything feeling so raw but he battled the tears, needing to stay in control for the moment.

Belinda refused to answer Jin. Instead she turned away from him, pillowing her head on her arms over the table. Jin sighed yet again. He knew there was no point in pressing the issue for the time being. They just had to be ready for when the man finally changed. He secretly hoped it’d be sooner rather than later so they could get some good sleep. He hated himself in that moment for having such a dark thought.

“Come on, Sam. Let’s get something to eat.” Jin said to the younger man. He glanced questioningly at the married couple before getting up with Jin and making his way over to the others. Jimin handed him a sandwich and Hoseok gave him a small bottle of milk.

They spent the next hour eating their fill of food that would be bad by morning while talking about what supplies they’d need before their escape and where exactly on the map they could find it all. Finally it was time for sleep, the exhausted boys more than ready for the rest.

“Who’s taking first watch?” Jin asked the group.

“I’ll go first.” Yoongi suggested. “There’s no way I can sleep yet anyway.”

The others quickly agreed, designating Taehyung for the second shift and Jungkook for the last one. As the others settled down, Yoongi crept towards the door, opening it slowly to take a peak towards the gate. The zombies were still mostly huddled around it but they were no longer pressing against it. Feeling at least a little relief, Yoongi closed the door again. He about jumped out of his skin when two strong arms wrapped around his waist.

“Sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Jimin whispered in his ear, a smile in his voice.

“Jimin, you didn’t…” the arms tightened slightly as he spoke and he knew there was no covering up his surprise. “...It’s fine.” he finished lamely instead. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I really don’t think I can. Can I just stay up with you instead?” the younger practically pled.

“Sure, Minnie. I’d… I’d like that.” Yoongi agreed, a gummy smile springing to his face.

And a little more fluffy Yoonmin because, how could anyone say no to that!

A/N: Ok, seriously, Yoonmin are just too ing cute! I can't even!!! ;asdfafja;skfh;

And, finally, their FIRST KISS!!! It may not have been the most romantic setting but I think things are moving along rather well for them... almost like they were just meant to be ;) 

Oh, Ted... Perhaps he should have just let the 'kids' take care of things, huh? And now Belinda's going a bit psycho on them. Yikes! They seemed so nice in the beginning! At least Sam's finally warming up to the group, right? Man, I don't want to be their if/when Ted turns though. Something tells me that'll be a storm and a half.

I really hope you liked this update <3 Please don't forget to comment, upvote, and subscribe. I love you all so much and I'm so thankful for all your support!