Chanyeol and I are escorted back to our room by a medic.

"If you boys need anything, you know what to do. Will you be okay for the rest of the night?" The medic asks.

Chanyeol nods his head. "Yes, thank you. We'll be fine. Thanks for everything." He smiles and bows his head to the medic as a signal of thanks. I repeat his action. "I'll see you again tomorrow."

The medic bows his head in return and leaves the two of us alone. We both walk over to the bed and plop down tiredly. Chanyeol quickly scoops me in his arms, my head resting on his chest. I close my eyes and smile, focusing on the calming sound of his heart beat. He kisses the top of my head. We remain this way for a few calm minutes that we both need.

"Are you sure you should be working again tomorrow? You need to rest, Yeol." I say, turning our focus back to reality. Chanyeol sighs.

"I'm fine, Baek. It's just stitches. They gave me medicine so it doesn't hurt anymore. I'll be fine, don't worry, my baekhyunnie." He says before placing another kiss on my head. I move my head upwards to make eye contact with my lover.

"I just miss you, Yeollie. I really ing miss you."

"I know. I miss you too, Baek. There's no choice. I'm needed; everyone is needed so we can get all this to stop. As soon as this is over, it'll just be me and you forever. I'm gonna marry you and nothing will ever separate us again. Okay?" Still looking into his eyes, I give him a soft smile and nod. I move my head back into its previous position on his chest and close my eyes to the sound of his heart beat once again.

"Do you know why I believe you, Yeol?" I whisper.

"Why?"

"Because your heart is beating. For all the time that I've known you while your heart has been beating like this, you've always been the strong Chanyeol who does everything he can to keep his promises. The Chanyeol who took me in and always stayed by my side despite all the we've been through and the I've put you through. You're alive, and I am, too. Minseokkie-hyung doesn't have that privilege anymore. Or that little boy by the busses or that man in the cafeteria, or any of those other people who didn't make it. What matters is that we are still alive and we are alive together. I trust you." I explain.

"God, I love you, Baek." Chanyeol says, moving one of his arms temporarily to move my head back up to look at him. He leans his neck down and meets his lips against mine passionately. I readjust my position, making sure not to break the seal between our lips, so that I can better return the passion given to me. He slips his tongue into my mouth and I submit to the action, taking in all that my boyfriend is giving me. Seconds pass of us getting the taste of each other we've both missed, making sure to hold this moment long enough to forget the world for just a little bit.

After a good minute that didn't last long enough, we separate our lips from each other. We stare into each other's eyes lovingly and smile before returning to our previous position in his arms. I drown myself in his warmth and close my eyes.

"I love you too, Yeollie."

"Lets go to sleep now." He whispers. "Just like this." I nod slowly and quickly drift into sleep.

 

~~

 

Nowhere is safe anymore. Outside, the radiation is too high. Inside, there's dangerous protesters and The Others. The Others, that's what we call the people who end up like that man's son. Those inhuman creatures. No one really knows why they turn out that way or how. All we know is that it's the radiations loophole into not killing them. No one knows what happens to them either. After the change, they get taken away by some medics, to who knows where. Chanyeol told me they won't even tell him anything about it, because of "safety".

More rumors start to spread, people grow angrier by the hour, and protests are becoming dangerous.

"All the government cares about is itself!"

"If only we had a say in this, my family wouldn't be dead!"

"You don't even have the audacity to respond to us and you think you're a good leader?!"

Chanyeol and I stay out of it. We owe a lot to President Jaeshin, the least we can do is continue to trust him. It must be hard for him, too, having to deal with the angry public, the chaos of the radiation and The Others, as well as the tensions of the war. If there's anything he's not telling us, it's because he can't. Politics can't always be easy, right?"

However, I understand the public too. I can't blame them for being angry and scared. They've lost their families and don't have a straight answer why. Everything right now is a hole of chaotic mess. Chanyeol and I just try to protect ourselves.

The day Chanyeol returned to do medical work after getting his stitches, I begged the medics to let me do some volunteer work there. I don't have any medical knowledge, but I know help is needed. I told them I could help clean up and organize, and eventually they agreed. Today is my second day of helping them out.

"I'm drained. I don't know how much more of this I can take. You can go to dinner without me, Baek. I'm going to go to sleep early." Chanyeol tells me when we step into our room after another long day. Protesters' yells echo down the hall.

I sigh. "I don't want to eat another meal alone. I'm staying with you."

"Okay." Chanyeol whispers as he lays down on the bed. His breaths are slow and heavy. His face looks exhausted and flushed.

"Yeol, are you feeling okay? You don't look too well..." I ask with worry.

"Just exhausted, Baek. That's all. I need to shower." He gets up from the bed and rubs the back of his neck. "Thank you for helping us out these past two days. You're the best." He smiles at me before gathering his things to shower. He walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

I plop down on the bed and sigh. Feelings of uncertainty flood the atmosphere. No matter how hard I try to shake the feeling off, something doesn't seem right. I curl up into a ball and close my eyes as I wait for my boyfriend, attempting to find an escape from all the negativity for as long as I can. Before Chanyeol finishes his shower, my mind drifts off into sleep.