The image of XI being bit by a zombie would be forever imprinted in Nine’s mind. He would never be able to forget about that.

He was the one who followed the little girl, but it wasn’t he who saw the zombie coming from that small window. His world stopped when XI throw himself in front of Anna, protecting her and being bitten instead.  Nine would give the world for him to be the one suffering now.

“N-nine…” XI’s weak voice got his attention, making him wake up from his thoughts, rushing to the other’s side.

“What is wrong? Do you need something? Water? Food?” He was taking care of the older; he wanted to believe there was a way to cure him so he begged Zero to don’t kill XI, thankfully Anna and Six Hundread were on his side.

“N-no… I… T-t…Talk to me.” He was getting weaker and weaker, his skin looking more and more pale. It broke Nine’s heart to see him tied to the chair, but he knew that the only way to keep him alive was like that. If he tried untying, the others would shoot him.

“Ok.” He tried to think about something, anything. “Do you know about this boyband, Cross Gene?” XI gave him a weak smile and shook his head, denying. “I used to listen to them, they were pretty cool! My favorite was Shin, but there was this guy, Takuya, he was soooo tall and handsome! Their debut single…” Nine started talking like crazy, getting excited by XI’s reactions, even if they were small and weak, it just made him believe for a second that everything was the same.

“… I’m not a boy Not yet a man was good, but not better than Amazing Bad Lady, you know?” He didn’t know for how long he had been talking, but when he turned his head to look at XI he noticed how the other had closed his eyes and was immobile. Fear consumed Nine’s body, tears already forming in his eyes. “No…” He whispered, his hand going straight to the other’s face, holding up and tapping the cheek with his finger. “XI… Wake up please… You can’t leave me, please!”

Nine had never been more scared in his life. XI was dying; maybe there was no cure… Maybe the others would have no choice, but shoot him when he transforms.

No, no, no, no! No!

“XI, please! Stay with me, I don’t... I don’t wanna lose you…” He didn’t try holding the tears back anymore, letting it leave traces in his face. “Please… I love you, don’t leave me…”

For a few minutes, maybe even an hour, he just stayed in front of XI’s body, not moving one inch. He prayed for the other to wake up, to be ok.

When XI finally opened his eyes, Nine felt his heart stop.

He didn’t care what the others said, Nine took care of XI even if the other was now a zombie.

He would wash the younger’s wounds and kept him company. It didn’t matter that most of the time XI would try to rip his hand off with his teeth, Nine believed that deep inside XI was still there with him.

XI loved music, so at some point Nine started singing their song to him, playing it on the notebook. He knew how much time the other spend producing it even in this hell, that song was his baby, so it caught him by surprise XI’s reactions to it.

It was as if the other could comprehend the music, following the beat and dance with slow head movements.

Nine didn’t lose any more time, he showed the others his discovery and was glad to see that almost everyone was happy with the possibility of XI getting better. Everyone beside Zero, who was still against the idea of keeping XI alive.

But it didn’t matter for Nine, he decided to focus completely on XI. He was going to save him.

It was true, Nine was right all along. There was a cure, they could save XI.

For hours straight, Nine would stay with XI, singing, dancing. It brought a smile to his face to see the other get better, to notice how he looked more and more conscious.

Now everyone was doing their best with the song, practicing all the time, not only for XI, but also for the chance to escape with their lives.

Nine could feel his whole body arch, he had been dancing for hours already with the group, but he decided to dance a little bit more with XI. The other was now lying on the cell’s bench – Zero agreed a few nights ago that XI was well enough to not be tied on the chair any more -, watching as Nine kept dancing in front of him, humming the song.

XI blinked a few times, eyes fixed on Nine in front of him. He opened his mouth, some weird grunts coming out of it.

Until something.

“N-nnn… Ni…Ne” Slowly the word came out of XI’s lips, making the older stop and look at him. XI opened his mouth again, trying. “N-nine.”

Nine was not crazy, he wasn’t imagining things; XI was calling him, saying his name! He was back!

He got closer, kneeling in front of the other and smiling like crazy. “XI… Can you understand me?” He couldn’t help but ask, smiling even more as the other weakly nodded and sat on the bench.

Maybe he would go back to be a zombie, maybe he would bite his neck, but Nine didn’t care, throwing himself in the other’s arms, hugging him. How much he missed this feeling, how scared he was that he would never be able to do it again.

He felt XI’s arms slowly wrap around his body, hugging him back.

“I l-love you t-too.” The words came out very weak and low, there was even a huskiness in XI’S voice – maybe for not being used for a long time -, still Nine understood perfectly. He would understand those four words even if they were in Russian – and he didn’t know Russian! -.

“What?” However, everything was so crazy now, his heart was beating so fast that the words came out before he had the chance to think straight. He broke the embrace, staring at the other’s eyes.

XI was smiling at him, saying it again. “I lov-ve you too… Y-you said before…”  

“Please… I love you, don’t leave me…”

Nine opened his mouth, completely in shock. XI wasn’t transformed at the time, he was still conscious. He heard his confession.

And he loved him back.

Again, Nine hugged XI, burying his face on the other’s chest and crying. He was just too happy for words.

He knew everything will be alright now, they were going out of this hell alive and together.