“Were you shocked?” Jinyoung asks while wiping down the island counter. Youngjae doesn’t look up at his question but he furrows his eyebrows while thinking.

“I never thought he had an evil bone in him.” Youngjae concludes, “I.. I miss him. I feel like I am miles away from everybody else. I just want to be numb, I don’t want to feel anything anymore.” Tears well up in his eyes for what it seems to be the 20th time. 

Jinyoung stops wiping down the counter and bites his bottom lip, “Don’t do this to yourself, Youngjae.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Don’t blame yourself for what he decided to do. You didn’t know he would turn on you like this.” 

“If I had just stopped him from leaving the house, everything would be okay right now.” Youngjae slams his hand down, shocking himself and Jinyoung.

“You heard the man, Youngjae. Don’t blame yourself.” Jaebum walks in, setting down a glass of water.  Jinyoung nods his head in agreement. Jinyoung walks over to the sink, hangs up the rag he was using, and walks out of the kitchen while closing the glass door giving the two some privacy.

“Why do you care so much?” Youngjae cuts his eyes over to the man he spent the last few months with giving him a nasty glare. Jaebum rubs the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

“I am your friend, of course, I ing care. What the hell happened to you? What happened to the loving Youngjae who was happy? What happened to the Youngjae I could laugh with?” Jaebum questions, standing up suddenly pushing his chair across the room. 

Youngjae also stands up suddenly, “He is still here! I am suffering right now so please let me wallow in self-pity. I will be back to my normal self as soon as I get a grip on what is happening.”

“You need to get a grip on what is happening?” Jaebum crosses his arms and takes a step towards Youngjae, “There is a disease making dead people come back to life and eat alive people. Your friend had to kill one of those things making him go ing crazy and he left his innocent life behind and joined a gang that tried to kill us! Do you have a grip on what is happening now?” 

Youngjae pushes Jaebum making him stumble backward a tad bit, “Don’t you ever talk bad about Yugyeom again! Do you hear me?” He points an accusing finger toward Jaebum.

“He tried to ing kill us, Youngjae! He isn’t the innocent baby you once loved.” Jaebum yells quite loud. The kitchen door flies open making the two arguing males whip their heads toward the source.

“What is going on?” Mark asks accusingly toward Jaebum making the younger male scoff.

“Your precious Youngjae is trying to justify what Yugyeom did to us!” 

“Get out.” Marks jaw hardens when his eyes glance towards Youngjae's sad, shaking body.

“First, you kick me out of the bedroom and now here? Wow, I feel really welcome.” Jaebum smiles condescendingly while walking toward the door. Once Jaebum slams the door shut rattling the kitchen, Mark turns toward Youngjae.

“Are you okay?” He grabs the small boys shoulders with a gentle care. 

Youngjae winces, “Please, don’t act like you care.”

“I do care! I care so ing much, it physically hurts. I love you so much Youngjae.” Mark pleads while looking into Youngjae’s sad and tired looking eyes. 

Youngjae leans forward, catching Mark’s lips in a simple and quick kiss.

 Youngjae sighs at Marks excited expression. “Just because I kissed you doesn’t mean I love you back. I love Jaebum.” Youngjae confesses while looking down at his fingers.

Mark perks up at the confession, “You love Jaebum?”

“Yes.” Youngjae whispers, looking up at Mark with eyes as big as saucers. Marks' heart feels like it has been ripped in half when he processes the confession. He has been there since day 1 and did so many things with Youngjae, so why does Jaebum beat out him?

“Why?” Mark whispers with his voice filled with hurt and he feels his eyes to become wet.

“He helped me find Yugyeom.” Youngjae replies with a slight crack in his voice, “You just said he was dead and gave up. Jaebum continued to believe in my search for Yugyeom, even when we were so desperate for food and water he never gave up on me like you did. Even if the outcome wasn’t good, he stuck by my side. That’s why.”

word count: 775