Woohyun has never loved anyone the way he loves Sunggyu. Granted, he’s only sixteen, so he doesn’t really know much about love in general, but he knows what it feels like to want to give his life for someone else, to be so utterly devoted to a single person that the rest of the world seemingly falls away without them. He understands the ache in his heart and the panic in his mind. He knows all this, so if this doesn’t constitute love, he doesn’t know what does.

Not to say that he really knows why he loves Sunggyu. Woohyun supposes it has something to do with how good looking Sunggyu is to him, especially when his face scrunches up adorably because he’s nervous or uncertain about something.

Sunggyu isn’t particularly easy to handle. He’s cantankerous, aggravating, time consuming, difficult, particular and a whole host of things that typically don’t make a person attractive. Sunggyu isn’t especially easy to get along with. He’s just not. This shouldn’t make him easy to love. Only, Woohyun can see past the negatives so easily to the positives, which clearly out weight everything else.

Sunggyu is difficult because he’s worth it, he’s time consuming because he goes all in, he’s aggravating because he’s complicated, he’s particular because he’s decisive, he’s everything else because he’s human, and molded by both circumstance and life.

Better yet, once the layers are peeled back, Woohyun thinks he really loves Sunggyu because he’s the rare type of person who’s real and honest and raw. Sunggyu doesn’t claim to be perfect, doesn’t try to be, doesn’t want to be, and couldn’t be if attempted.

He’s also loyal, maybe to a fault. He’s strong and determined and capable. He has actual wit within his sarcasm, and can be genuinely funny when he feels comfortable. His smile lights up the room, as far as Woohyun is concerned, and maybe this is him just being greasy like Sunggyu claims he is, but it’s how he genuinely feels.

Sunggyu is a good person. He’s got a good heart.

Woohyun loves him.

He doesn’t deserve …

“Woohyun?”

A light clicks on and Woohyun blinks sharply at the change of light in the room.

“Woohyun,” Sungyeol says softly, stepping into the small room and closing the door behind him. “You shouldn’t be sitting in the dark.”

Resting his elbows on his knees, Woohyun hangs his head. “You drew the short straw? Got stuck having to come and check on me?”

“Actually, I had to beat down Hoya to come and check on you. I thought you could use a gentler hand, and Hoya was liable to just pick you up and throw you over his shoulder. So it’s quite the opposite of what you think.”

Woohyun feels the corners of his mouth pull upward. “Thanks.”

Sungyeol, dressed in white scrubs, sits next to Woohyun and puts a hand on his knee. “Is this what you want to be doing right now? Having a pity party?”

“Did you come in here just to lecture me?”

“No.”

Woohyun feels a spark of surprise when he’s tugged into a hug by Sungyeol. He wants to fight it, push Sungyeol away, maybe even make him leave, but instead he sinks into it, soaking up the comfort as his heart gets heavier by the second.

“Dongwoo’s angry at you, you know.”

“For what?” Woohyun snaps, fingers bunching into the material of the scrubs he wears, those identical to the kind everyone from their group is currently wearing, save for Jiyeon. “For not wanting to … for not being able to …”

“I’m angry with you too. Because you need to be with the rest of us, preparing for what comes next, dealing with the reality of the world around us. Not hiding in some little room like that’ll make the past few days disappear.”

Woohyun looks towards the room’s one window. It’s pitch black outside, but not from a storm of any type, but merely nightfall. For the past twelve hours the winds have been calm and there hasn’t been the slightest hint of rain. It feels like a taunt, after the storm they’ve suffered through, the very storm that delayed them from reaching Oshima in a decent amount of time, robbing precious few hours from Sunggyu until …

“I don’t actually care, Sungyeol, if you’re mad at me. You can all go yourselves.”

The look on Sungyeol’s face is akin to the one moments before he hit Kenji.

Kenji, who stupidly stayed behind out of a sense of loyalty to his fellow soldiers, and who stayed because if there was even a glimmer of hope to save anyone, he had to try.

Kenji who’s now either torn to pieces or roaming around, a mindless zombie.

Woohyun feels like a mindless zombie right now.

“You’re an , you know?” Sungyeol does hit him then, but it’s only a cuff over the back of the head. “You are not he only one hurting. You are not the only one in pain. And you don’t matter more than the rest of us in terms of that pain. I’m starting to regret not letting Hoya come in here and drag you out. Maybe if we got lucky, he’d take a corner too fast and whack your head into something.”

Woohyun feels the anger push up to the surface, the anger that’s been lurking and stewing and boiling for what seems like forever now.

Eyes narrowing, he turns to Sungyeol and asks, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to watch the person you love slowly suffocate to death?”

It’s a sight etched into his mind, watching Sunggyu go through all three of the travel sized oxygen tanks one by one as the hours drag on and they’re no closer to their destination. It’s the worst memory he’ll ever have, holding Sunggyu’s hand, promising him that they’re almost at their destination, hearing his painful gasps as the oxygen goes thin.

“I don’t,” Sungyeol says honestly. “But I know what it’s like to watch my friend that I love very much, struggle to breathe while my other friend, whom I also love despite him being an , falls apart because of it. That’s what I know.”

“What do you want from me?” Woohyun asks, hands going up to his hair. “To go out there and pretend everything is okay? Put on a smile for Sungjong?”

“Sungjong isn’t an idiot,” Sungyeol says. “And he was with us on that ferry. There weren’t a lot of places for him to go on it. He knows what happened. But he’s acting a lot more mature than you about it. He’s not hiding in his room like a child, not like you.”

“Can you just leave already?”

Woohyun feels like his heart is broken, crushed into a million tiny little pieces that can never be put back together again.

Sungyeol stands and heads for the door, reminding, “Sunggyu isn’t dead yet. You should really stop acting like he is.”

“But he will be,” Woohyun murmurs, feeling the tears gathering in his eyes. “Sungyeol, he’s been on life support for days now. He’s got kidney damage, septicemia, brain damage due to his fever and even more brain damage due to oxygen depravation. You were standing with me when the doctor said he’s not going to wake up. Yunho won’t let him.”

“They said they don’t think he is!” Sungyeol snaps. “And frankly I just don’t get you. Are you pissed because you don’t get the make the final call about keeping him on life support? If you don’t support Yunho’s decision to let him go, then go talk to him! Do something! Don’t sit around in this stupid little room pretending like there was nothing you could have done. Sunggyu fought to live, now you need to keep fighting for that since he can’t. I just … I just don’t get you.”

Yunho’s been at Oshima’s largest hospital for twelve hours now, speaking with Sunggyu’s doctors, speaking with Sunggyu’s friends, speaking to a comatose Sunggyu. Woohyun’s spent every second avoiding him, even if it means avoiding Sunggyu.

Woohyun’s not even sure he can be in the same room as Sunggyu anymore. Not without losing it completely, faced with the impending death of the person he loves with all his heart.

“If I loved Sunggyu as much as you claim to,” Sungyeol says, starting Woohyun, “I would be doing everything in my ability to get through to Yunho, and make him understand that Sunggyu just needs a little more time to heal up. I wouldn’t be letting him pull the plug like you are. I wouldn’t be doing anything you’re doing.”

It’s probably a miracle unto itself that Yunho is even here. Woohyun doesn’t know what kind of strings have been pulled, regulations broken, or promises made, but for Yunho to be here is absolutely remarkable. A terrible miracle.

“What if I don’t want to fight for Sunggyu? What if I think it’s just time to let him go? What if he’s suffered enough already?” The problem is, Woohyun is more than a little scared that some of him may believe Yunho when the man says it’ll be more humane to let Sunggyu die.

If Sunggyu wakes up, and that’s a major if, he’ll be dealing with kidney issues his entire life, if he doesn’t get a transplant of some kind. And there will be brain damage. Likely a good deal of it. Woohyun can’t see himself possibly loving Sunggyu any less because of brain damage, but is this the kind of life Sunggyu himself will want? What if it isn’t better just to let Sunggyu go quietly into the night, instead of keeping him breathing with one machine, and his heart beating with another?

If Woohyun fights Yunho on this, and gets his way, will Sunggyu even wake up at all? Or will he spend the next twenty to fifty years sleeping?

Can Woohyun spend the next twenty to fifty years sitting next to a bed?

Sungyeol pulls open the door and says, “If you don’t fight for Sunggyu, if you just want to let him go, then you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought. And I’ll feel very, very sorry for you.”

The silence that Sungyeol leaves him in feels heavy and horrible.

And Woohyun sits in the silence, then in the dark, and just feels sorry for himself. The tears come easy.

Just minutes before sunrise, with the sky still a beautiful mixture of orange and pink, Woohyun finally finds his feet. He digs down for what little courage he’s hidden away, then slips his shoes on and goes to find Sunggyu.

The ICU department is fully staffed even at six in the morning, and it’s always been such a stark contrast for Woohyun who’s just spent weeks living in a place where everyone is laid back like they’re on a permanent vacation. Oshima is more like the before, with doctors, teachers, police, firefighters, restaurant workers, a fully functioning monetary system and all the rules that Woohyun barely remembers. Oshima, maybe due to its proximity to Japan, is displaced from time, displaced from the after, going on like everything is normal and zombies don’t really exist.

“Dongwoo,” Woohyun says, finding Sunggyu’s room from memory easily. He deliberately doesn’t look at the figure on the bed, and instead focuses on his friend in the chair next to it, looking like he hasn’t slept in months. “Can I sit with him?”

Dongwoo cuts his eyes at Woohyun. “I didn’t think you cared.”

“Don’t,” Woohyun tries not to snap at him. “You know that’s not why I …”

“Dongwoo. Let him.”

Woohyun snaps towards the corner of the room, where Yunho is standing, looking out the chest high window. Woohyun is certain he might not have come if he’d known Yunho to be present.

“But he--” Dongwoo protests.

Yunho gives Woohyun a comforting look. “He’s sixteen. Just like you. And that’s a very young age to be dealing with something so severe. Let him visit Gyu if he wants to. You need some sleep.”

Dongwoo gets up shakily from seat, shoots Woohyun the dirtiest look possible, then sulks his way out of the room.

They’ve been on the new island for three days now, with the first two spent under close medical observation due to their exposure to the outbreak. There’s talk of moving them into more permanent house in a day or two, but for now they’re assigned to hospital rooms and hospital beds.

“Go on,” Yunho says when Dongwoo’s gone. The fact that he hasn’t moved an inch proves to Woohyun that he won’t be going anywhere for as long as it takes for Woohyun to finish.

Fine. Woohyun’s love for Sunggyu is not dependent on whether Yunho is around to witness it, and he holds to this as he takes a careful seat next to Sunggyu’s bed.

Sunggyu looks … despite his comatose state, he actually looks better than before. He’s got a natural color to his face, his nails are no longer blue, he’s breathing easily now, and both his heart rate and blood pressure look to be good. It simply looks as if he’s sleeping, minus the machine breathing for him and the wires going into his body at all different points.

“Gyu,” Woohyun says almost at a whisper, tentatively reaching out to touch his hand. He clears his throat after a minute more and says more loudly, “I’m really sorry about staying away for so long. I just wanted to give the doctors room to work and stay out of their way. Then your brother showed up and I thought you two deserved some time together.”

The ventilator whooshes, the heart monitor beeps, and Woohyun feels sudden laugher catch in his throat. The hysterical kind.

He gives Sunggyu’s cold fingers a strong, confident squeeze and says, “You’re right. Everything I just said? Total bull.” He swears he can feel Yunho’s eyes burning into him, but he ignores the heat. “The truth is … well, the truth is I’m a coward. You used to say I was strong and brave, but the truth is, I’m a coward. I spent that entire ferry ride holding you close, watching you die, going crazy with fear. And it hurts, Gyu, to be this scared. It hurts worse than anything I’ve ever felt in my life.”

He leans forward, resting his forehead against the plastic railing on Sunggyu’s bed. He holds for just a second, owning up to his own words.

“I love you so much that half the time I end up scaring the out of myself. But no matter how scared I am, I’m not ready to let go of you. I’m not ready to give you up and try to love again five years down the road or ten.”

Because the absolute truth of the matter, as far as Woohyun is concerned, is that when faced with living the rest of his life without Sunggyu, or living it sitting next to a bed, he’ll take the later any day of the week, so long as the bed has Sunggyu in it.

Sungyeol’s right, he’d be an idiot to give up on Sunggyu. And Sunggyu would never give up on him. He can’t be worthy of loving Sunggyu if he can’t fight to keep him safe, and this is what Woohyun is going to do. Even if it means going up against Yunho.

“Woohyun,” Yunho eases out. “I know you disagree with my decision.”

Woohyun his fingers over the back of Sunggyu’s hand, careful of the wires. He tells Sunggyu, “Maybe I’m a coward and selfish. That’s a very real possibility, but you know what, I don’t really care at all. I want to be selfish with you. I want to keep you, and I’m going to. You are strong. You are impossibly strong, and I refuse to believe for even one second that you are not fighting with every bit in you to get back to me. So if you’re fighting, how can I not fight?”

His life may end up being fifty years in a hard plastic seat in a cold, sterile hospital. And he may be stupid for accepting such a thing, but his heart aches less when he can hold Sunggyu’s hand and watch him breathe, and for Woohyun, at least for the moment, it’s enough.

“Woohyun,” Yunho says again, this time disapprovingly. “Sunggyu is …”

For the first time Woohyun lets himself see what Sunggyu’s condition has done to Yunho. It’s not hard to understand the weariness to the way his big frame sags, or the reason behind it. He’s lacking decent posture, and probably needs a good shower. He actually seems a lot less imposing now, than Woohyun can ever remember him being. At one point, Woohyun was scared for his life with Yunho.

“The person I love,” Woohyun answers for him.

Yunho moves to Sunggyu’s side, resting his hand on his brother’s forehead. “You’ve known Sunggyu for five weeks. You may very well be in lust with my brother, considering you’re both hormonally driven teenagers, but you’re not in love.”

“You don’t,” Woohyun snaps at him viciously, “get to tell me what I feel for him. You don’t know what I feel. You don’t have a clue. I look at Sunggyu now and all I see is the future I want us to have, and the kids and the careers and the house and everything. I even see him like this, struggling to hold on, and I know I’d sell my soul in exchange for him waking up right now. I’d do anything, including giving my own life, for him to be okay. I am absolutely in love with him, and whether he wakes up or not, and whether you try to take him from me or not, I will still be in love with him. Until the day I die. Do you understand?”

Yunho only sighs, and Woohyun doesn’t know what it means.

So Woohyun ignores Yunho, and instead stands up so he can press himself closer to Sunggyu and he says, “I know your doctors don’t think your prognosis is good. They say you didn’t get your antibiotics fast enough, and your blood started to turn to poison and your kidneys shut down and all these other things. They’re giving up hope that you’re going to be okay, but that’s just because they don’t know you. They don’t know how damn stubborn and determined you are. They don’t know you’re not a quitter, even when things are at their absolute worst.”

“He’s not …” Yunho says, voice going a little hoarse. “I know you think I’m this evil monster for wanting to--”

“Kill him?” Woohyun interrupts with a hiss. “Yes, I do think you’re a monster.” The more he thinks about it, the more Yunho is starting to morph into a villain in his mind. The more he’s starting to hate Yunho for giving up, especially knowing what kind of fighter Sunggyu is.

“But his brain activity is worrying,” Yunho continues. “The doctors all agree, they don’t think it’s good, and there’s almost certainly some debilitating brain damage. He is not just going to wake up and be himself. He is not going to wake up and be Sunggyu. Woohyun, he’s not going to wake up. I know you think he’s too stubborn to die. I know you think he’s going to beat the odds. But we are living in a world where bad stuff happens to good people. We are living in a world where miracles do not happen. Sunggyu is experiencing constant trauma right now. This is not good for him. I want him to have peace. I want him to … to be with our parents and all his friends. I want him to--”

Yunho’s breath hitches uncomfortably, and for a minute Woohyun just stares at him with wide eyes, unable to comprehend that Yunho, strong Yunho, is crying. Yunho is crying almost violently.

It occurs to Woohyun that Yunho’s choice to stop the machines breathing for Sunggyu maybe wasn’t made as easily as first imagined.

“I don’t care what the doctors say,” Woohyun tells Yunho. “I care about what I know about Sunggyu. And this is what I know: Sunggyu would never let anyone take me off life support, not as long as there was even one tiny little chance that I could wake up. And he wouldn’t let anyone do that to you, either. So I don’t care what your choice is. I don’t care that you’re his brother and I’m just this dumb kid who claims to love him. If you won’t believe in him, I will. And you will have to kill me, before I let you hurt him in any way.”

Yunho palms angrily at his eyes. “I am not going to subject my brother to laying comatose in a bed for the rest of his life, or having to deal with waking up and being so damaged that he can’t feed himself, or go to the bathroom without help, or maybe even think properly.”

“Then don’t be here for it!” Woohyun shouts, louder than he intends, but with as much force as he can. “Don’t burden yourself with Sunggyu, if you think you can’t handle it! No one is asking you to be here for any of this!”

“And you don’t think you’ll get worn out and tired?” Yunho challenges back. “You talk a big game now, but what about in a year or two when you’re so damn tired from hoping and praying and getting nothing in return? I’m supposed to believe that eventually you won’t fall out of love with Sunggyu? Or start to resent him for eating up your life?”

“No.”

Yunho, obviously thrown, asks, “No?”

“No,” Woohyun repeats, making complete eye contact with him. “I will not suddenly stop loving him, just because he can’t actively return the feeling. I won’t resent him over lost opportunities to go out with friends and hang out or whatever you seem to think I’d rather be doing. And no, I won’t ever give up, no matter how tired I get, how angry, how desperate or how depressed. I won’t give up, because I remember what it was like to be loved by him before he got sick, and I’ll always hang onto the sliver of hope that it can be that way again. So no. Just, no.”

“No,” Yunho repeats, one more time.

“No.”

Sungyeol’s head peeking through the door catches both of their attention. “Is everything okay in here? I heard shouting.”

Before Woohyun can respond, Yunho says, “Everything is fine, Sungyeol. I promise.”

Sungyeol gives them a soft nod, saying, “How about keeping it that way? You’re kind of like family, you know? Family shouldn’t yell at each other.” and ducks out of sight.

Woohyun reaches for Sunggyu’s hand again, promising him, “I’ve got you.”

“Family.”

“Hmm?” Woohyun is barely paying Yunho any attention.

“He said,” Yunho clarifies, “that we’re kind of like family.”

Woohyun shrugs. “Because he gets it, Yunho. He’s been with me and Sunggyu since the beginning. He’s seen us get together, and live together, learn to work out the differences in our personalities, and fall in love. He’s seen us care for each other, fight with each other, learn from each other and every other little pieces that goes into making a relationship work. He knows we’re for real. He knows.”

Yunho rounds the bed, and when his hand covers Woohyun’s holding Sunggyu’s hand, he asks, “Tell me the absolute truth. You love Sunggyu? You’re in love with him? The kind of love that someone your age doesn’t know anything about? The kind of love that lasts for decades? That kind of love? You’re certain?”

Woohyun finds the truth in him easily, though it’s a little harder to say out loud. Voice shaking, he promises Yunho, “The kind of love that makes people believe in soul mates. That kind. And if you kill Sunggyu, if you take him from me, then this is a world I don’t want to be in anymore. I won’t be in, I mean.”

“You’ll care for him even if he never wakes up?”

Woohyun nods. “I’ll be by his bedside every day. He always says I talk enough for the both of us.”

“And if he wakes up with impaired motor skills or damaged cognitive functions?”

Woohyun feels fearless, and dares to say, “Newsflash, Yunho, your brother is hot and we’re both teenagers. We’ve already slept together. Several times. I’ve seen him . If he wakes up and I have to dress him every day, or bathe him, or whatever, it’s not that big of a deal. We do all sorts of things for the people we love. That’ll just be another one I do for him.”

There’s certainly some kind of twitching going on across Yunho’s face, and Woohyun’s just about to apologize for mentioning their life, when Yunho poses, “If he wakes up, that’s a big if, and there’s something wrong with his brain like the doctors are sure there will be, you understand you won’t ever be able to sleep with him again, right? He won’t be able to consent fully, because he won’t understand. And if you try to take advantage of his state, you’ll be him. Do you understand this? How am I supposed to believe that in a year from now, or five, you won’t get tired of your hand and want to seek from someone else?”

“I would never cheat on Sunggyu,” Woohyun says, starting to feel weary from the conversation. “And if my hand’s worked for me so far, and I haven’t gotten tired of it in sixteen years, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I’m not sure I could get it up for anyone else. Sunggyu’s kind of a ruiner, in that regard.”

In the grand scheme of things, Woohyun knows what he’s signing up for will be more than difficult. But the world around him, the after, isn’t much a place he wants to become invested in, not without someone to navigate it with him. Sure, he knows he’ll be lonely, whether Sunggyu wakes up or not, but lonely and alone are two very different things.

He can’t live alone. He won’t.

“You’re asking a lot,” Yunho says, sitting heavily on the side of Sunggyu’s bed. “You’re asking me to go against what I think is best for my brother.”

Regardless of Yunho two feet from him, Woohyun leans over and drops a feather light kiss to Sunggyu’s cheek. “No, Yunho. I’m only asking you to have a little faith in your brother. And to be fully aware that if you pull the plug, when the two of you meet in the afterlife, he’s probably going to try and kick your .”

Yunho is quiet, which serves Woohyun just as well, because he doesn’t know what kind of an answer the older man is likely to give. And then, after they’ve been sitting in relative silence for a while, Yunho gets up and says quietly, “I need to think. Can you stay here with him? I don’t like him to be alone in case …”

In case he wakes up? Woohyun doubts this is what Yunho is going to say, but it makes Woohyun feel better to think it.

Yunho leaves quickly, but soon enough Hoya and Sungyeol are there to keep him company.

“Dongwoo’s sleeping,” Sungyeol says, and Woohyun has to look twice before he notices the slight pep in every step he takes. “In case you were wondering why he isn’t in here yelling at you about abandoning Sunggyu.”

Sungyeol gives a little twirl and it’s enough that Woohyun leans over to whisper at Hoya, “What’s got him in such a good mood?”

Sungyeol’s humming to himself, smoothing out the blankets on Sunggyu’s bed and thoroughly distracted, so Hoya whispers back, “Yunho brought a stack of letters about six inches deep from Myungsoo. Apparently whatever’s written inside is enough to put him on cloud nine.”

“Confessions of love?” Woohyun teases a little, but he’s thrilled for Sungyeol. Someone needs to be happy. Sungyeol deserves to be happy.

“They are married,” Hoya shoots back. “From what I hear, Myungsoo officially registered them with what’s left of the South Korean government.”

Curiously, Woohyun asks, “Is there much left?”

“A couple high ranked officials,” Hoya says, his voice picking up. “More than we thought. Now all we have to do is beat back the North Koreans.”

“What?”

Hoya gives a serious nod. “I’ve been catching up on the world news feed since you’ve been playing hermit. There are a lot of rumors about the Americans, British, and French who may or may not have some quasi cure in development, but that’s just idle gossip. What’s fact is that North Korea’s just about the only country that’s been nearly untouched by this infection. And that’s because their crazy ing dictator actually did something crazy good, instead of crazy bad, and had every tooth from every citizen pulled in the span of twenty-four hours. No teeth means no bite, and no spreading the infection. They’ve got the firepower to just pick off the South Korean infected that they’re coming in contact with, and they’re capitalizing on the sudden freeing up of land near them.”

Woohyun feels a little sick in his stomach. “They pulled the teeth of everyone?”

“Crazy,” Hoya reminds, “but effective. The North Koreas are claiming their salvation is due to their leader’s godly foresight, but we know once in a while, even evil gets lucky.”

The chatter between the three of the comes easily, and makes Woohyun realize how much he’s been segregating himself from them. Hoya’s got news about Sungjong being enrolled in a local school, and Sungyeol is talking excitedly about being able to place Jiyeon in a proper nursery school.

“We’ll get a joint housing assignment,” Sungyeol promises, and adds he’s been talking to the housing director on the island for the refugees. “And I guess it’s nothing like how the other island was. A lot of people here speak Mandarin and Korean and English. They’re friendly and welcoming and accommodating. It’s nicer here. Much nicer.”

The only thing Woohyun cares about is Sunggyu getting continued medical attention.

Yunho doesn’t come back for several hours. Not until Sungyeol and Hoya have already left, Dongwoo’s come and gone, and Woohyun’s already had his lunch meal.

But when Yunho does come back, he’s dressed in his military uniform once more, hat tucked under one arm.

“What’s going on?” Woohyun asks, his heart jumping up in his throat. He’s fully aware that Yunho’s only been granted a twenty-four hour reprieve, and that his plans include pulling Sunggyu’s life support, and then simply returning back to work. If this is what Yunho’s come to do …

“I believe in my brother,” Yunho says, eyes still a little red. “But I believe in the reality of the situation even more.”

“Yunho,” Woohyun chokes out, panic rising quickly.

Yunho holds up a sharp hand. “But what I believe, more than those two things put together, is everything you’ve said to me today.”

Very carefully, very slowly, Woohyun asks, “What exactly are you saying?”

Plainly, Yunho says, “You shouldn’t have gotten off that island. As of right now, there are no other confirmed survivors. You should have died on that island. But you didn’t. You lived. You beat impossible odds and lived. I never trusted you with Sunggyu before, but I think I should have. So I’m going to now.”

Feeling a little lightheaded from holding his breath, Woohyun manages, “You’re going to let me take care of him? You’re not shutting off his life support?”

“No,” Yunho says. “I’m not.”

This is when Woohyun starts weeping with relief.

Not much changes after. Yunho goes back to his ship, Sunggyu doesn’t wake up, and humanity struggles along.

They get the house together, close enough to the hospital that it’s only a quick walk for Woohyun in the morning after breakfast, and safe enough that he can walk home after visiting hours are over.

Sungjong, Sungyeol and Dongwoo go back to school. Hoya gets a job. Jiyeon ends up being a Christmas tree star in her nursery school’s winter themed play. And Myungsoo’s request for a transfer to Oshima is officially put through the proper channels.

Days turn to weeks, and weeks to months, and Woohyun doesn’t regret his decision to stay by Sunggyu for even one second.

The new year comes in somberly, and without much fanfare, excluding the pass by a certain South Korean ship makes without warning.

Woohyun soaks up the sight of Yunho leaning up on Sunggyu’s bed, telling him stories that are certainly classified, but obviously safe to tell Sunggyu. And Woohyun tries to make him scarce around the house when Sungyeol makes it very clear to them all that he and Myungsoo are very much planning on consummating their marriage whether anyone is around or not. Unsurprisingly enough, the house is vacant for the event.

And then, just past White Day in February, a Japanese holiday that Woohyun actively celebrates by bringing candy to Sunggyu and then eating it all himself, the absolute impossible happens.

Something so incredible happens that Woohyun’s knees give out and he has to brace himself against Sunggyu’s bed.

A cure.

There’s a cure.

“It’s not a cure,” Hoya says pointedly. “Some American just figured out that the zombies won’t attack anyone who isn’t a perfect host--anyone who’s sick with something serious.”

It doesn’t matter to Woohyun if it’s a cure or not. It means the tides are turning.

And within forty-eight hours the emergency broadcast channel on the island is reporting the joint military operations of several countries, and the worldwide effort to spread as much life saving information as possible.

A week more and the first multinational strike against the zombies is officially declared a success.

This is also when the second impossible thing happens.

“You are,” Woohyun says, air through his teeth like he might hyperventilate, “the luckiest bastard I’ve ever met in my life.” He’s leaning against the front door to the house that he and the others share, not quite sure if he believes the sight of Kenji in front of him.

“There was nothing lucky about me surviving,” Kenji says, face impassive. “And it wasn’t easy, either.”

Woohyun takes a step forward, then freezes at the sound of laugher behind Kenji. “What’s that?”

Kenji shifts to the side and says, “That’s my sister.”

Woohyun can see a young girl in a purple coat chasing Sungjong around the small front yard of the house. “Your sister?” Further out at the edge of the property Sungyeol is speaking with an older woman, one who’s touching his arm kindly and smiling. “And your … mom?”

“Correct,” Kenji says, then he gives Woohyun an actual smile. “I’m glad you’re alive. Tracking you down was difficult, but worth it to know you made it through.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Woohyun returns. “But we all thought you were going off to a hero’s death.” He pauses for a moment, then says more somberly, “Do you know about Sunggyu?”

Kenji forces a soft nod. “I know he’s ill, but he’s also still alive. That’s enough. How about a trade? You tell me about Sunggyu, then take me to see him, and I’ll tell you what happened when we last parted. Deal?”

Woohyun glances back into the house where Dongwoo and Hoya are on lunch detail, and for once there are good smells coming from the kitchen, and not smoke. “It’s almost lunch time. You want to come in? We can talk over food.”

With a laugh, Kenji calls back, “Mom? Sakura? Woohyun’s offered us lunch.”

There’s something different about them. About their relationship. Maybe it’s because they’ve survived a life changing experience, or maybe it’s because he and Kenji just understand each other. In any instance, gone is the urge to punch Kenji in the face. And it’s been replaced by something that Woohyun doesn’t quite know how to label. They are, however, certainly kindred spirits.

After lunch Woohyun takes Kenji to see Sunggyu and says, “The doctors don’t think he’s going to get better. And if he does wake up, which’ll be a miracle because he isn’t even breathing on his own at this rate, he likely won’t be the Sunggyu we knew before. But I won’t ever leave him. He won’t ever be alone. And I won’t let anyone hurt him.” He thinks of Yunho and his reluctance to keep the machines breathing for Sunggyu.

“Thank you,” Kenji says to Woohyun in a gentle way, reaching out to take Sunggyu’s hand in his own. “For protecting him. Thank you.”

Woohyun tells him with a hoarse voice, “Of course.”

Kenji says over his shoulder to Woohyun who’s lingering almost awkwardly, “I’m being sent to mainland Japan as part of the next offensive wave to retake the country. My brother is there and he’s requested my transfer. My mom and sister are going to stay here, where it’s the most safe, but it’ll probably be a long time before I’m able to come and visit Sunggyu again.”

Woohyun rolls his eyes. “It’s not like Sunggyu is going anywhere.”

Chuckling, Kenji admits, “I guess not.” Woohyun can see the delicate way Kenji touches Sunggyu, almost reverently. And it’s not a surprise when he asks, “You know I don’t just care about Sunggyu, right? You know I’m in love with him? Part of the reason I fought so hard to survive was because I knew what I felt for him was something deeply profound.”

To Woohyun’s surprise, there’s no surge of anger, and he doesn’t feel threatened by Kenji in the least bit. It’s a little disconcerting. “I know,” he replies, mouth dry.

The skin around Kenji’s eyes crinkle as he says, “I don’t know how to stop being in love with him. But for the record, if he can’t love me back in anyway outside of how he cares for his friends, then I’m happy he’s with you. I’m truly happy for the two of you.”

Woohyun goes still. “You … ah …”

Kenji raises himself to lean over the railing on Sunggyu’s bed. He presses a kiss to Sunggyu’s hairline and says, “I’m more than happy for you. I’m thankful he has someone like you. I’m glad you’re here for him, Woohyun. I’m glad his feelings aren’t misplaced in you.” Maybe it’s the sheer fact that Kenji is talking about Sunggyu as if he’s going to wake up at any second, that is most pleasing. It’s the feeling that Kenji is on Woohyun’s side in believing that there’s always room to hope that Sunggyu will improve enough to breathe without the machines, and maybe be aware of his surroundings one day. It feels like he and Kenji are a team, and Woohyun has never felt this way about him before.

Woohyun takes a deliberate step back toward the door and says, “I’m going to go get some coffee. I’ll leave the two of you alone.” Because if Woohyun can’t be the one to watch over Sunggyu, the second best option is Kenji.

When Woohyun comes back twenty-five minutes later Kenji is giving a still Sunggyu parting words of affection, promising to see him again as soon as he can. Then Kenji turns to Woohyun and says simply, “I’ll see you around, Woohyun. Do me a favor? Introduce my sister to that kid brother of your friend. Something tells me they’d be good friends.”

Kenji reaches out to shake his hand and Woohyun meets it with a strong grip.

Woohyun doesn’t see Kenji again. But five months later Japan is declared a clear zone and Woohyun is an absolute believer of what Kenji told him about his own escape from the island, and the twelve people he managed to save. Woohyun believes how much Kenji is capable of.

Kenji is a big damn hero, and Woohyun is kind of proud to be his sort of friend. He tries to make things up to him by scheduling playdates between Kenji’s sister Sakura, and Sungjong who’s taken to blushing madly every time he sees her. Woohyun isn’t pushing them together, so much as encouraging their companionship. And if there are a few stolen kisses, or even the kind given freely, Woohyun is prepared to tell Kenji how absolutely honorable Sungjong is.

“I told you so,” Woohyun whispers into Sunggyu’s ear, ruffling his hair playfully. “I told you there’d be an end to all of this some day. I mean, it’ll be a long time before we actually get to go home to South Korea, if ever, but we’ve got the upper hand.”

Sungyeol wants to have a party, and it only takes a couple of cute pouts from Sungjong to the nursing staff to make it happen. The ICU isn’t really suited for parties, so they have to be especially careful, but Woohyun is desperate to include Sunggyu in their celebrations. Sunggyu is still a member of their family, no matter what state he’s in.

“To humanity!” Dongwoo demands, holding up a cup of fruit juice. None of them have seen so much as a drop of alcohol on the island, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe this will change when they’re all a little older, with adult jobs and friends who want to drink after work, but for now, a lack of alcohol means a lack of alcohol related problems.

Sungyeol raises his own cup, a shiny new silver ring gleaming on his left hand’s ring finger. “Fair enough. To the continued survival of our race.” Woohyun knows it’ll only be a week or so more before Myungsoo is with them permanently.

Jiyeon jets back and forth across the floor around them, her legs going a mile a minute as she gets better and better at walking. She’s finally talking, too, saying their names, counting to three, repeating after them, and proving anyone wrong who said she was developmentally delayed.

Hoya cuts them each a piece of strawberry shortcake and passes two to Woohyun saying, “I cut one in Sunggyu’s honor. You want to eat both?”

Dongwoo swoops in like a ninja and rescues the piece from Hoya’s hands, insisting, “Sunggyu would want me to have his piece.”

Hoya takes a swing at Dongwoo who’s laughing maniacally.

“Don’t mind those fools,” Woohyun says, leaning over Sunggyu to kiss as close to his mouth as he can with the ventilator tube down his throat. “They’re just excited. We’re all excited. Things are changing for the better. The world’s changing again, Gyu. The world’s becoming something new again. Not like before, and not like after. Something new.”

Behind them Sungjong is telling them animatedly about his school’s upcoming science fair and Jiyeon is clinging to him like he’s the most fascinating person in the world.

“I’m not scared to live in a new world,” Woohyun tells him, kissing the bridge of his nose. “I’m not scared of anything anymore. But I can’t imagine any world without you, so what’s with all this making me wait? You know I don’t have any patience. So wake up, already, and come see what this new world looks like with me.”

As usual, Sunggyu gives no answer, the ventilator continuing to breathe for him.

But this time, without any rational reason for the feeling, Woohyun feels a little extra hopeful. And it’s a nice feeling.