Written by: “Juicebox”

Pairing: Myungjong

Prompt: Myungsoo and Sungjong were stuck in a room after they’ve had a fight

Together

(4400 Words)

Belongings were sprawled across the concrete floor. Vehicles were left unattended and honking, only to stop when the fuel runs short. It’d be imaginable in this situation for people to be cursing at the ruckus it was causing, yet the main roads were a complete void of any signs of life.

That is, unless you considered those mindless, flesh-eating beings roaming the streets as living things.

There was obvious bloodshed in every nook and cranny of this city. The air was filled with a foul stench. The smell didn’t come from the nearby garbage pile. However, you’d wish it was. For the odor was produced by rotting, decomposing bodies that were still squirming about, in search of their next target.

An unusual shuffle from the alley could be heard, it was clearly distinct from the rest of the footsteps the unwelcomed guests produced. “Shh… Keep it down will you.” came a hushed male voice.

“Pft, it’s not my fault I was born a charmer. Even these “zombie-like” things wouldn’t keep their hands off me.” came the other, almost nonchalantly.

“Oh, shut your trap, Sungjong. It’s not my fault either that I had to come with a brat like you. You were the one who did something wrong in the first place. Tch.” A scoff escaped Myungsoo’s lips as one of those monsters seemed to stumble over towards them. “And, they aren’t “zombie-like” things. They are zombies, haven’t you watched enough horror flicks to know that much? Dimwit.”

Moments ago, the two of them were still by their campsite along with the rest of their group. Their group consisted of seven college students including themselves. They had taken refuge in a simple cafe that had been closed on the day of the apocalypse.

It had been nearly 4 weeks since the life-changing day, there have been no signs of back-up. Electricity was cut and clean water was scarce. Supplies were dwindling as the days passed. It wasn’t a choice, but a need to locate more necessities. The eldest of them, a senior, Sunggyu had suggested to set-up a duo to go scouting every 3 hours during daytime. Not a single one of them had objections. The only reason why the seven strangers had gotten so far and stayed alive for that long was all thanks to Sunggyu’s self-proclaimed “leadership” and what Sungjong had deemed was simply “wisdom” for having lived a year or two more. The lack of weapons was also quickly resolved with the selection of kitchen equipment they had in the cafe. 

Things went alright for most part. Myungsoo was usually paired with this artsy senior, Dongwoo. The only obstacle in this duo’s path was, how much of a scaredy-cat Dongwoo was. They never really got to touch on much ground, thanks to Myungsoo having to console the elder as they travelled. His consolations were pretty useless though, often ending with the weak-hearted party nearly bursting into tears. One for example would be, “It’s okay. If a zombie comes, I’ll protect you. Even if I’m the one bitten.” This ends off with a thumbs-up from Myungsoo and a weeping Dongwoo, worried for the younger’s well-being and not wanting to be a burden.

With his attention divided between his senior that could cry out anytime and the hoard of zombies that could potentially devour him, there was no leeway for him to be reckless with his choices. Two weeks into their search up the main street, they had barely made it past a building. This was made known to Sungjong during their weekly report who had ended up snickering away at Myungsoo’s efficiency. Sungjong had continued to insult the handsome male in every way possible, whenever appropriate which had no doubt irritated Myungsoo to no end.

Myungsoo was a short fuse so it didn’t take long for the harassed male to snap. He warned the youngest blatantly with a fist raised in private, “Speak of it again and I’ll make you zombie feed.” Yet the stubborn Sungjong just wouldn’t quit, not till Myungsoo had actually cornered him against a wall for all to see. The flying fist thrown was stopped by a member of the Taekwondo Club, Hoya. It took him a significant amount of strength to pry Myungsoo away from his target. He then restricted the male by wrapping his arm around the latter’s neck. Sunggyu stepped forward to settle the situation.

After much argument regarding who is at fault, Sunggyu got tired. He sighed before hushing the two youngest members of the group. "Well, thanks to both of you being so adamant on the other being at fault. You two are paired together for the next search. Well, Myungsoo hasn't been making much progress anyway. And you, Sungjong, have been displaying interest in his area, no?" The eldest grinned widely, "Ah, that would also provide the both of you with enough time to determine who's at fault." There were obvious groans made by both parties as the leader dismissed them. One last glare was given to each other before they returned to their original positions.

And that was how, the two had ended up together on today's search. Perfect.

“Keep up with my pace if you can, I’m not waiting.” It wasn’t that Sungjong was terribly slow, in fact compared to when he travelled with Dongwoo, they were moving at least twice the pace faster. Yet, Sungjong was simply being a prick, pausing every time they spot a monster, swiftly demanding Myungsoo to rid of them or he wouldn’t step forward.

Either that or he’d be complaining non-stop about how, “Hold on, ugh, someone’s guts got stuck under my shoe.” or “Yuck. I’m not stepping across that bloody alley when I don’t get to clean up.” or “Ew ew ew, I’m not staining my hands with their rotten blood. The blood dries on your skin and I don’t have enough moisturizer in my emergency bag--” The rest Myungsoo didn’t bother registering at all, he had simply too much to bother to spare the young man sauntering in front of him a single thought.

Passing their 7th block, the number of man-eaters started a steady increase. It was obvious those parts were unexplored and deserted by the functional part of the population. “That’s exactly where there’d be food storage..” mumbled Myungsoo as he closed in on the next building, with the younger still kept close behind, his senses heightened at the number of enemies. The alleys they had been through were either rummaged with bloody guts or bodies. Yet the one they came past next showed no signs of assault or deaths. Suspicious. The exact bait the duo needed and indeed, they took it.

Before entering the alley, a few more of the brainless were slain, Myungsoo had taken the lead to check if the coast was clear. Once given clearance, Sungjong acted like he was released from a bird cage, prancing about happily, praising the clean floor, only to have his back meet with a shaky door that creaked open from the impact. A squeak left his lips, causing Myungsoo’s eye to twitch, immediately going on high alert for any possible incoming danger. Thankfully, none of the undead seemed to have noticed them.

“You’re just trouble where ever you go, huh. Someone put a caution sign over you, we’ve got a piece of walking danger right here.”

Pausing for a moment, he chuckled sarcastically.

“Or maybe that’s why Hoya hyung didn’t go too far, despite his competency.”

Sungjong shot the other man a menacing glare, he couldn’t exactly deny the fact that he held the taekwondo senior back with his antics, so he stayed silent.

Turning back to the door that was slightly ajar, he took a peek through the opening. Lights flickered to reveal a stairway that reached into the depths of the floor. Carefully pushing the door open to not make any unnecessary noise, Sungjong tapped on Myungsoo’s shoulder to catch the slightest of his attention. “Hey. There’s something down there.”

“No- It could be dangerous-” Before Myungsoo could even stop the younger, the latter had already begun his way down the steps. Myungsoo grit his teeth. Lord, this boy would one day be the death of him.

Given no choice, he quickly treaded down the steps to catch up to the other, noting to shut the shaky door and even latching the lock. Well, just for safety purposes, right? Not like those creatures would actually remember how to open a door or break a lock. He muttered curses at the younger for going ahead without his permission before nagging at him out loud.

“Do you know the dangers of entering an unknown space. What if there were hundreds of them in there and they came rushing up. Thanks to your little accident. You could have set them loose and gotten us both dead…”

Nag. Nag. Nag.

Sungjong merely scoffed at the other, taking this as a chance to as he uncovered another door. A signboard was deeply nailed into the metal door. “Dry Food Storage.” mumbled Sungjong. He smirked. Jackpot. This was what they’ve been searching for days. He could claim so much credit from discovering this treasure trove. Perhaps he would even be able to sit on par with Sunggyu when it comes to giving orders. Doesn’t sound too bad of a deal, does it. As the many ideas of how to torture Myungsoo flooded his mind, the air-tight door was pushed open by that very person.

Almost immediately, he reached out to block the elder from taking a step further. A step closer to his demise, had Myungsoo claimed all credit. “It’s alright, hyung. I’ll take it over from here, you can keep watch outside in case any of those icky things actually make their way in. You’re stronger aren’t you?”

Sensing something amiss, Myungsoo furrowed his brows, there was in no way Sungjong would have complimented him that way considering that bratty attitude of his. The thin arm shielded the signboard that hung off the door but he could definitely see shelves from the tiny gap. He urged to push forward, pass the weaker male. Instead he put on the usual poker face and retorted, “Oh, no. That’s exactly why i should be heading in. You never know what dangers there could be inside. Wouldn’t want a frail prince like you getting hurt.”

Being nudged forth, Sungjong stumbled backwards into the storage space, barely keeping his grip on the metal door, “Oh but, I’d do completely fine. Gotta try to boost my courage y’know, I can’t always rely on you hyung, besides I’m sure you’d prefer me killing my own share of creatures, no?”

“No, thank you.” came Myungsoo’s reply.

He had sounded convincing, but Myungsoo wasn’t one to give in that easily, not when it was obvious that something important was behind the door. Inching in closer, he threatened to press his blood-covered torso against the younger’s, knowing exactly how much Sungjong had spited it.

Sungjong flinched even harder, fingers slowly slipping off the door. Plans ran through his mind, should he just slip in and slam the door shut in Myungsoo’s face, or should he risk being stained and try to negotiate his way out. Honestly, things would have been much easier had he had a clear indication of Myungsoo’s uality.

Without warning, Myungsoo pushed past, not giving the other any response time, their bodies grazing against each others. He felt a brief sense of triumph when agonizing high-pitch screeching was emitted from the younger. Momentarily, he had forgotten how the monsters that roamed the streets were sensitive. That was followed by the thick piece of metal, the door slamming shut behind him. He held a smug grin and looked around, inspecting the clean storage room carefully while still wielding his weapon.

“Clear.” he muttered.  They were in luck, the food in the storage was untouched and everything seemed to be in good condition. “With this amount, we’d definitely be able to last another few weeks.” In the moment of his ecstasy, Myungsoo had completely forgotten about Sungjong’s presence, he was ready to report back to “headquarters”. He turned towards the door about to leave, only to realize the door had no handle.

Weird. How was he supposed to open the door if it had no handle? Maybe if he pushed? He made an attempt, but to no avail, the door wouldn’t budge. Mind in a state of panic, he threw himself against the metal chunk. Only to reach one conclusion.

They were locked in.

By now, all the banging that was done had caught Sungjong’s attention. “What’s wrong. Are we locked in?”

Hand shielding half his facial features from the sudden wave of despair and disbelief, Myungsoo spat. “Oh, look. It’s Captain Obvious to the rescue. Out of everything, a one-way door. As if this day could get any worst.”

“So that means, i’m stuck with you now?” Sungjong, as if having suffered from momentary shock, had his head in his hands and stumbled back against a shelf. “Well, at least we’ve got food--” came the ignorant reply. “And running water to get ourselves cleaned up. I’m sure the others would come for us soon.”

Myungsoo was quick to accept reality, very quick. He the tap in the corner of the room and started to wash out any dirt and grease that had been left untouched ever since the day of the apocalypse. As if out of convenience, there was a cabinet with spare clothing meant for the waiters and waitresses of the restaurant.

He tried his best to clean every nook and cranny of himself with the small bottle of soap meant for hand washing and a rag he’d found, there wasn’t much space to maneuver and it wasn’t as if he could just hop into the sink and wash the dirt away. At least he was careful to leave an adequate amount for the younger to use, knowing how well he’d be told off had the younger found out he had used up the entire bottle.

In reality, Myungsoo felt guilty, he was the one who forced his way in in the first place, purely based on his gut feeling that they’d find something great behind the doors. It was partially his fault he hadn’t noticed and checked properly. But, of course given his personality, he’d never admit it. And so begun their life together in this storage room, with only their basic needs, food and water as they waited for help to arrive from the outside.

A few hours later..

Silence filled the room. Neither had wanted to speak to each other. Sungjong had already gotten himself cleaned up thoroughly, really thoroughly. Even his hair was dripping wet leaving water droplets on the marble ground, he had a fresh change of clothes and a towel was draping of his neck. Come to think of it, the place was pretty well-furbished, must have belonged to a high-class restaurant. Myungsoo opened his mouth and attempted to speak, staying silent wasn’t going to do them any well. “So..” he started off, before clearing his throat with a cough. “We’ve got food and water, which is good and all, but where do we relieve ourselves huh. And it’s nearly night, we should try to set up a place so we can actually sleep and get some rest.” Myungsoo was being purely logical right there. But in return, all he got was a scoff as the younger turned away to the far side of the wall and started playing with his long nails.

Oh, this was going to be hard for the both of them.

13 hours later..

“Really, Lee Sungjong! The whole time here there was a goddamn bathroom behind this piece of cloth, and you just kept quiet!”

Both had just woken up from their first ever deep slumber in a long time. The concrete floor was hard, but it was still pretty comfortable to sleep on, considering they were in utter darkness too. Sungjong had enjoyed watching Myungsoo squirm about, running around in panic, searching for a place to adequately relieve his bladder. The wooden door to the bathroom slammed shut, loudly. He chuckled. Perhaps life here with Kim Myungsoo wouldn’t be so bad, it seemed as if some of the workers had used this space as a rest or shower area before it was switched into a dry storage. At least he got a little humor out of it.

15 hours later..

Each of them held a box of foreign imported biscuits in hand. There was no way of telling the time apart from the tiny window spaces that were at ground level. The deafening silence actually drove Myungsoo to attempt climbing up the shelves a little later, attempting to climb his way out, only to realize the window spaces could barely fit his shoulders. He had continued to struggle in the constricted space, believing if there’s a will there’s a way. Ultimately, getting himself stuck a little below the shoulders.

In all honesty, Sungjong quite enjoyed the sight of Myungsoo wagging his in high air, struggling and mumbling incoherent words as he tried to get out. Oh, the urge to just leave the jerk hanging. But when he saw the urgent kicking from Myungsoo, he sensed something amiss. Just about right timing, he heard a loud inhuman growl that seemed to have been produced by the outside. Nope, that was definitely not Myungsoo.

On the tip of his toes, he tugged the elder’s legs harshly as a means of helping him out, he did not need the other having his face eaten out by zombies. In any case, albeit their current situation, there was no doubt Myungsoo’s face was a glorious piece of art that actually entertained him. He had seen that face in school so many times but had been too scared to actually approach with the crowd that always surrounded that handsome face. What other way to stand out to the handsome face than by annoying him, right. God, Sungjong hated him so much, but he was just so hot.

Landing on his bum, he had saved the elder from his predicament. “Ouch!” Coincidentally, Myungsoo had landed on him too, causing him pains on both ends. And boy, was this a romantic situation. Faces pressed closed to each other, tip of their noses touching each others. For a moment, everything paused for Sungjong, he could feel Myungsoo’s heavy breaths against his and this was exactly what he wanted. Admittedly, he had always harbored a strange obsession for Myungsoo, he’d always hide by corridors and nearby just to get a glimpse of those god blessed features. He’d always be sketching into his private collection filled with drawings of visually pleasant beings.

Myungsoo, just felt a little different from the rest. The aura he produced had made him seem unapproachable, and although everyone naturally crowds against him, sharing how nice of a person he is. Sungjong just couldn’t bring himself to get any closer. The one time they had met eyes, his heart thumped.

Hard.

Was this what they called, love at first sight? He had obviously quickly dismissed the thought. He couldn’t understand. No one had intimidated him as much, no one had made his heart thump that quickly. It was such an awful situation that, towards the end of his sketchbook, he had at least 10 drawings of Myungsoo doing different postures, smiling, frowning, dimples showing. And all happened too fast when the apocalypse hit, leaving him confused. Until, now.

He had all along harbored feelings for the other after all. Those luscious lips he had wanted to kiss, were mistaken for those he had wanted to hit.

18 hours later..

After the accident, they started to hit it off. Myungsoo had made a lot of mistakes in a short span of time and with Sungjong’s realization. They had started to talk about their lives before the apocalypse. Maybe they wouldn’t hate each other as much as they thought they’d have.

Approximately 3 days later..

So much had went by, talks were still going on but less interesting as time past. They still had lots of food, water was still running but they were still trapped and no one had come by to find them. “Hyung, what if the ones that end up opening the door are zombies, instead of the others.”

“I locked the door.”

“But it’s shaky.”

A sigh. “It’ll be alright.”

10 days later…

They had lived like this for god knows how long. Sungjong had even given up on carving the days against the wall. It had been more than 10 days since they were trapped. There was no way help was gonna come. And the scratching noises outside only served to distress Sungjong even more. The high probability was of it being the zombies, what else could they be.

Myungsoo only reassured him with “Pft, don't worry. Even if i get bitten, i won't come for those empty brains of yours. So.. I'll take the bite.” Shortly after, Sungjong delivered a slap to the back of his head. “Don’t you dare.”

A sense of reliance had grown between the two in this period of time. 10 days might sound less but in a world where no entertainment was present. It was long, and the two had found themselves constantly stuck together in a corner. Had they lost one of the two, it would have been devastating.

??? days later…

The scratching had gotten really loud. And the strong metal door had started to shake even. Myungsoo had to move a shelve over to hold the door still. They both took deep breaths, the door wouldn’t hold for long. Myungsoo had blamed himself again. Only if he hadn’t tried to squeeze out the window and gain attention.

Sure enough. The door burst open. In came flooding a dozen of the creatures. But Sungjong and Myungsoo were prepared. They made sure to keep each others backs safe. It was surprising that Sungjong had managed to hold up despite his initial dislike for the gore, but it was all out of love. The love or infatuation, he didn’t know which, for Myungsoo.

Panting, Sungjong had cleared his area, only to turn back to see an already finished Myungsoo. “Didn’t know you could slice that well.”

“Neither did I.” came Sungjong’s reply.

It all happened in an instant. A zombie dragging his broken leg up, targeting Sungjong’s arm. Only to have Sungjong spun about and Myungsoo being bitten instead.

“Hyung!” he screeched. Sungjong hacked at the monster’s brains immediately. He was in utter shock. On the brink of tears. “No.. no, this can’t be happening. Hyung-”

Myungsoo slumped down against Sungjong, breathing heavily. “Heh.. I told you, I’d take the bite.. I’ll be fine. Kill me before I turn would you.”

Sungjong shook his head strongly as a tear rolled down his cheeks, he could barely utter a word. “I-I can’t…”

“Do it, Sungjong. I don’t want to turn.”

A cough and a sniffle. “You don’t understand! I can’t do it!”

“But I do.”

Leaning in closer, Myungsoo pressed his lips against Sungjong’s, smiling sweetly with his dimples showing to cover the pain that manifested his wound. Sungjong gulped.

“You think.. I haven’t noticed. You’re always by the corridor. Heck, I even thought you were a stalker, but you.. were just too gorgeous to be one. I-I’m sorry I treated you so badly. I just didn’t know how to react. My heart.. that thumped so madly was confused..”

Sungjong put a finger to the elder's lips to prevent him from saying anything further. He was already sobbing into Myungsoo’s shirt.

“I love you, Sungjong.”

“I love you.. too, Myungsoo.”

Footsteps. Sungjong turned his head.

“Sungjong! Myungsoo! You’re alive!”

It was Dongwoo. “Guys! C’mere! They’re alive! They’re alright!” In came the four others. Sungjong merely stared at them coldly. Had they arrived earlier, Myungsoo wouldn’t have had to turn. They’d be fine, they’d be together. He shrugged of Myungsoo’s soft grip and stood up.

“What’s wrong Sungjong.” said Dongwoo. “Why’s Myungsoo-”

Sungjong’s eye twitched.

Dongwoo choked and held in the urge to puke at the bloodshed. Hoya had patted at his back. Sunggyu stepped forth, scrutinizing the body of Myungsoo. “He’s a goner isn’t he.”

Knife in hand, Sungjong raged. “Only if you had arrived earlier!” He charged at the weapon-less Dongwoo, shocking everyone. “He wouldn’t have been bitten!” “It’s all your fault! Your fault!”

Scratching Dongwoo’s arm a little, the crazed Sungjong was held back by Hoya, by the torso as he wheezed. “W-We waited.. Myungsoo…” were his last words before he fainted off from the amount of pressure that came on to him as a psychological trauma.

-

He slowly parted his eyelids, as if waking from a deep sleep. He was in a soft bed, he snuggled into the pillow. Only to notice a figure that laid by his bed in what seemed to be a doctor’s coat. With the beeping of machines, he could only assume they were in a hospital. The figure looked up, and smiled brightly, two dimples evident.

“M-Myungsoo?”

“Yes, my sleeping beauty.”

There was no way Myungsoo could have been alive. He caressed the older’s face with trembling hands. “You’re alive.” He teared up dryly and embraced Myungsoo in as tight a hug he could manage with his weak body. “B-But, how?”

“I, was immune to the bite. I didn’t change. You fell into comatose from the shock. We struggled along the way but, we managed to get us to a hospital and produce a vaccine from my blood. It seems a handful of us were experimented with before birth. It’s only been three months since then, and we’re still working-”

Sungjong sobbed into the other’s coat before lifting his head and moshing his dry lips against Myungsoo’s. He had missed it. A lot. It was a gut feeling, but he was sure they could pull through anything as long as they were together as Myungsoo kissed back.

Dryly chuckling, he managed to soften his sobs. “Never knew you swung that way.”

“Oh. But I only did, for you.”

And so, the two lived happily after as they tried to rebuilt their society. Because as long as they had together. They’d do alright.

Author's Note:  How original of a story and title- I’m sorry if I disappoint you in any way! Not turning this into angst was one hell of a challenge. I tried ;;

Admin’s comment: Oh my god, I love zombie apocalypse AUs like this. That one scene with Myungsoo and Sungjong closely made me grin so hard at my screen OTL  I’m sure the person receiving your fic won’t be disappointed at all, it was an awesome story C:

- KyashiiKun