It had been just over three weeks since Chanyeol was supposed to be home and Baekhyun was drained. He had gotten back into his nervous habit of rubbing the rings on his fingers when his thoughts became too much to hand. Not once in those past three weeks had he been able to sleep on his own, though he had tried. None of his friends ever complained about keeping him company through the night, but he felt guilty anyway. His face was starting to hollow back out from a lack of food, though he tried to eat when he could. He had even tried to eat down in the cafeteria a few days ago, but the tension between the remaining survivors had hit a boiling point that day and a large argument broke out between them.

He had done his best to be brave and stay at the small table he was sharing with Nayeon as he listened to them attack each other. Some argued that it was immoral for them to just sit there while the three missing scavengers could still be out there waiting to be rescued. Others argued that there was no one else they could send. They were spread too thin trying to always have someone guardian the gate and doing the inside jobs with even more people missing. There was no point, they had argued. Not only did they not know if the scavengers were alive but if the city was so bad that three of their men were already overwhelmed and killed who was to say it wouldn’t happen again?

Killed. Baekhyun stood up so fast his head spun. His chair squeaked loudly against the tile as he pushed it out of his way so he could sprint back towards his room. He couldn’t hear any more of it and he had refused to come out of his room for the rest of the day. Now he had gone right back to being mostly reclusive, sitting beside his room’s window and staring out at the front of the hospital. He could see Yixing in the distance and watched for a while as he paced back and forth in front of the gate before stopping to stare off into the distance as if he had heard something. Baekhyun’s breath stuck in his throat for just a moment before Yixing returned to pacing as if nothing had happened. Baekhyun shut the blinds.

Later that night Baekhyun slipped on one of Chanyeol’s shirts and a pair of stretchy shorts before climbing onto one of the mattresses to sleep. He’d slept in this particular shirt many times and Chanyeol’s scent was completely gone from it, but he still brought a little up to his nose, trying to connect to any bit of the taller male that he could. Minseok was lying on his side on the other side, lips curling into a weak but well-meaning smile when Baekhyun’s eyes met him. “It’s going to all be okay one day, Baek. I promise.”

Baekhyun had stayed awake for hours in bed, as he always did these days. He stared at the ceiling and replayed all the talks he’d had with Chanyeol over in his head. He thought about what Chanyeol had told him about his first day of high school. How he had tripped over his shoes right in front of his homeroom class, not used to his growth spurt yet, limbs too long for his own good. Baekhyun was glad that even in moments like this Chanyeol could bring a smile to his lips no matter how temporary.

HONK HONK HONK

“What the hell–” The sudden loud noise had awoken Minseok from his slumber and Baekhyun reached out to grab his arm out of fear. The noise was so unlike the usual calm of the hospital, assaulting his ears. The noise was extremely loud but it sounded so familiar that he dared to focus on it, trying to piece together what was going on.

“Is that a ing car horn?” Minseok asked suddenly. Baekhyun stood up from the mattress and jogged toward the window to pull the blinds back up. The front parking lot turned courtyard was usually pitch black at this time of night yet instead he found it illuminated by bright headlines. A military truck was pulled up to the front gate, blasting its horn without any break now. As concerned as Baekhyun was with the truck, he was even more terrified by what was surrounding it. Infected banged on every side of the truck, clawing at the doors to get in. He could see Jongdae on the inside of the gate where he had been guarding it, he turned and yelled something towards the emergency room doors. Were they going to let them in?

“Get your gun, we need to go.” Minseok reacted quicker than Baekhyun’s brain currently could. The older stepped away from the window and grabbed his gun from where it sat on Baekhyun’s counter.

Baekhyun finally tore his eyes from the scene below and reached for his pistol. He ran as fast as he could to follow everyone else who was pushing their way down the stairwell. Even from inside the cramped space, they could hear gunshots being fired outside. The horn had stopped and Baekhyun looked out as soon as he emerged from the stairs to find that the gates had been opened for the truck to pull in. He rushed towards the door before his arm was suddenly grabbed from behind, halting him from going any further. He looked back and met Jongin’s frantic eyes.

“Stay inside!”

“No! What if it’s one of them? I have to go see!” Baekhyun struggled in Jongin’s tight grip.

“Look at the truck, Baekhyun! It’s military! Chanyeol made me promise him that I would keep you safe before he left. Let me do the last thing he ever asked of me!” Jongin yelled before practically shoving Baekhyun down into one of the seats. “Stay hidden.”

Baekhyun watched through the large glass windows in fear, his knuckles white from how tight he gripped his gun. Infected were turning from the truck now and directing their attention toward those who had stepped outside and started shooting at them. The gate was forced closed behind the truck so no more couldn’t get in, Jongdae walked along the fence and stabbed the bodies pressing up against the outside of it with his hunting knife. The infected who had managed to follow the truck inside the gate were outnumbered but they were so fast, so terrifying.

The headlights from the truck blared through the glass, making it difficult for Baekhyun to see everything going on in front of him. He tried so hard to see past the lights and into the windshield but it proved impossible. Gunfire rang in his ears until suddenly it ceased with a final loud crack to the last infected. The headlights shut off as the truck killed its engine, bringing everything into a dangerous darkness except for the soft hues of moonlight. Baekhyun stood from his chair and he shuffled towards the door slowly, trying not to make any noise. Everyone’s attention was directed towards the truck, their guns raised and ready for whoever dared to step out.

The front door swung open and Junmyeon fell out of the front seat, his knees hit the ground and his body was visibly shaking from adrenaline. Suddenly, time felt frozen around Baekhyun. Everything felt like a scene from a war movie where a bomb had just exploded near some main character as he took in his surroundings. Baekhyun’s hearing was fuzzy and his ears still rang from the mixture of loud noises. His own body seemed to move in slow motion as everyone hurried around the truck in a panic. Junmyeon yelled something and waved his arm frantically toward the backseat. Baekhyun tried to ignore how his legs felt like jello as he moved through the open front doors and towards the truck, mind racing with nothing but prayers that Chanyeol would be okay. Yixing flung the door open to lean in the back as Baekhyun started to process what was happening and what everyone was saying.

“We had to remove it!” Junmyeon exclaimed, obviously suffering a panic attack as Jihyo did her best to comfort him, lowering herself to the ground. “They bit him, they were eating him! We had to, we had to remove it!”

Baekhyun could hear his heart pounding in his ears as Yixing moved backward out of the car, someone’s legs in his arms as he pulled them from inside. At the end of their right leg was a towel, duct tape wrapped tightly around the end where their foot should have been- but wasn’t. Their right foot was completely gone. Yixing pulled the person further out from the truck until his head and shoulders were visible to Baekhyun. It was Sehun, and he was unconscious. Minseok stepped beside Yixing to support Sehun’s waist and hips. Baekhyun felt his stomach sink lower and lower. He watched two arms from someone else inside the truck wrap under Sehun’s shoulders to help lift him out, emerging from the truck behind him.

Messy brown hair, large ears poking out through the strands. Chanyeol.

“Sana, go get supplies!” Jongin yelled and rushed towards the men, gripping under Sehun’s upper body to free Chanyeol’s arms. Chanyeol turned immediately to face where Baekhyun stood, feet frozen to the ground in shock. Everything around him melted away and he only saw Chanyeol rushing towards him.

“Oh my god-” He sobbed as he was lifted off the ground, his legs wrapped around Chanyeol’s waist to keep him up. His face was buried immediately into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. Tears blurred his vision and he let out audible sobs against the tall man’s skin. His arms wrapped around Chanyeol and he pounded his fists against his back in anger. Chanyeol’s hold on him only tightened. The others yelled orders to each other around them about what to do with Sehun. Baekhyun wanted to look, he wanted to know what was going on but he was too afraid to pull away. Terrified to ever let go of Chanyeol again.

“Baekhyun I’m so sorry. I promise I will explain everything.” Chanyeol slid his hands under Baekhyun’s thighs to keep his legs his legs from slipping down. Baekhyun finally gathered the courage to look up at his face to find Chanyeol already staring back down at him in awe. There it was again, that feeling like nothing else besides the two of them even existed. “I’m home baby, you don’t have to be scared anymore.”

Chanyeol carried him into the building without saying another word, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him. His only focus was to be alone with Baekhyun. Chanyeol said nothing of the rooms new layout and just kneeled to place Baekhyun on the mattresses before settling next to him. Baekhyun could hear the others making their way up the stairs, Sana yelling for someone to find an IV kit. Baekhyun could vaguely tell that he was in shock, he felt like his consciousness was existing outside his body. Nothing around him seemed real.

“I love you.” A deep voice rumbled beside his ear and he suddenly snapped back to reality, head whipping to the side to stare at Chanyeol. “It’s okay if you’re not ready. I would wait a million lifetimes for you, and if you still weren’t ready, I would wait a million more.”

Baekhyun was silent. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say, or how anything he might say could ever compare to what he was being told. He had just spent so long trying to come to terms with the fact that he would never see Chanyeol again, and now here he was, confessing. Baekhyun’s hand came up to gently caress Chanyeol’s scruffy jaw, closing his eyes and leaning in until he felt chapped lips pressing to his own. Baekhyun shifted his body around until he could crawl onto Chanyeol’s lap, his fingers moving to tangle themselves in his hair. Chanyeol kissed him tenderly, cupping Baekhyun’s face in both hands, head tilting to the side to deepen the kiss just a bit more.

“Chanyeol, I love you. I’m in love with you.” Baekhyun confessed as soon as they pulled away to breathe. “I’m so dumb for trying to pretend I didn’t. I didn’t want to lead you on.”

Chanyeol shifted so he could roll them over, Baekhyun’s back down against the mattress as Chanyeol hovered over him. “Say it again.”

“I love you, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun smiled up at him, legs still wrapped around his hips.

“I’ve thought about you every day, Baekhyun. I can’t imagine how scared you were.” Chanyeol dipped his head down to connect their lips again in a soft peck before dropping down next to Baekhyun. “I want to kiss you forever but I am so exhausted.”

Baekhyun rolled onto his side, snuggling into Chanyeol’s chest. “What happened, Chanyeol?”

“We shouldn’t have been scavenging at night we knew better, but the mall had looked empty. Sehun was new to going out on searches like that though. Junmyeon and I knew better.” Chanyeol’s voice was softer and laced with guilt.

“This isn’t your fault.” Baekhyun nuzzled his head against Chanyeol’s chest, hand rubbing his back. “He’s going to be okay.”

“We were checking this shoe store for better boots for him, so he had taken his shoes off. This ing infected was on the ground, it was so still we thought it was dead. He looked away to yell something towards us and it lunged at him. God, they’re so smart it makes me sick. How could it just lay there like that, waiting.” Chanyeol’s hands gripped the back of the shirt Baekhyun wore, holding the fabric in his fists as he breathed heavily. “We’d gotten a saw from a hardware store during the day for working on the fence here.”

Baekhyun’s stomach churned inside him. He placed soft kisses against Chanyeol’s neck to try and calm him down a bit. “How did you get the truck?”

“We knew there was no way we could carry him so far. The pain is so bad he keeps slipping in and out of consciousness. We were stuck there for so long, rationing whatever was left from the food court and trying to keep him with us. Then one day that military truck came through. I saw them when I was out getting fresh air one morning. They parked across the street at a department store, went in, and never came out. We watched it for days just to be sure it wasn’t a trap. Baekhyun if they hadn’t died in there we…”

“But they did, Chanyeol. You got the truck and you’re home now. You’re with me now and things are going to be okay. You are so brave, Yeol.” Baekhyun pulled back to look Chanyeol in his teary eyes. “Everything will be okay now.”

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authors note: there were a few loose strings and extra bits at the end of this chapter and instead of rushing them and finishing the story here i've decided to move them into an extra chapter and or epilogue that i hope to have out by the end of this coming week. i wanted to give this story the justice it deserves after failing to do so a few years ago, i really hope you all are enjoying it! thank you so much for giving me a place and audience to retry this story, it feels amazing writing again <3