Whether it was by lying to himself or by blocking the topic from his mind entirely, Wooyoung handled himself better than he expected. The next morning, his survival instinct was keen as ever. Find food, find shelter. Worry about the rest later. Yunho taught him painfully well, not leaving room for needless sentimentalities. Both always knew there was no peaceful getting old together. If they didn't starve, the predators of this world would one day become stronger than them and rip their flesh from their bones. All their promises were mere dreams.

San didn't ditch him immediately. He waited until Wooyoung was up and checked on the blisters on his hands from working the shovel. Only once they were ready to set out, he addressed the situation.

"So, what now? Where will you go from here? The caves still make the best shelter."

Wooyoung hugged his knees to his chest. His duffle was tied and slung across his chest, waiting for another adventure. Idle, he dug his feet into the sand. Unseeing eyes stared at the shovel by San's side. He had returned it so San could exchange it back for something of worth. Its last purpose would get buried in the passage of time.

"I honestly don't know. I would have gone to the caves to tend to Yunho there, but I doubt they are for me by myself. Best to keep moving."

San nodded wisely.

"It's safest."

Wooyoung's eyes were still bleary. He blinked to strain them against the dull skies. The nearby orb was surrounded by water gatherers again, crawling on their thin ladders like ants to access the treasure of the skies. Maybe Wooyoung should find work with them? At least he would have something to do.

"Then which direction are you going into for your musings? I'll return to the trader first. Perhaps we can travel further."

Pity laced San's muffled voice. As if he felt bad for ditching Wooyoung in his most vulnerable moment. Nothing could bring back Yunho, and Wooyoung was but a ghost of himself. No stubborn flame burned in his eyes to keep him going.

After a while of contemplation, Wooyoung sighed.

"Whatever. Let's go together and see if we can find some loot. I will be out of your hair by the caves at the latest."

San could accept that. He offered Wooyoung his hand and pulled him to his feet. They dusted off their pants and were on their way.

Wooyoung trudged behind San. Though he should think about a new plan, his head was wiped empty. He felt lighter after crying most of the night, but all that remained was the hollow shell of his heart. If San left him alone, he might have died foolishly to a coyote, since he didn't monitor his surroundings. As a pair, however, San kept an eye out for him.

Though Wooyoung was grateful for his wordless help, he could only amble along, brain-dead like a foul.

He didn't know how long San's charity would last. When he had to return to his own business. While Wooyoung hoped foolishly to find Yunho, San knew all along it was a desperate heart's yearning. Wooyoung did the one thing one should never do as a raider. He put his faith in another person. Losing his lover was just as cruel as getting betrayed by a friend. In the end, it was everyone for themselves.

However stricken by his grief, Wooyoung was glad to find out he didn't get as numb to his surroundings as he feared. At first, he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. A reflection of the light, a dancing shadow. Perhaps a coyote wagering its chances of taking out both of them.

It was none of those. It was a silhouette following them through the desert, ducking behind rocks and shrubs whenever their gazes swiped across the landscape. Though humanoid, they moved with a swiftness unlike the fouls. Yet they didn't approach the duo either.

Wooyoung let them, waiting until they let off or until they gathered the courage to approach the pair. The stranger couldn't mean harm if they just followed them around. Were they waiting for their inattention to steal their bags? Did they seek San? Or kinship in this lonely place? Wooyoung didn't need to get mixed up with more people.

San commented on it while they settled against a few rocks for their break.

"He's been following us for the past three days. I thought we lost him at the trader's, but then he showed up again."

Stunned that he hadn't noticed him before, Wooyoung cast a careful glance from his peripherals. Though the person was quick, he peered at them often enough to blow his cover.

"You know him?" Wooyoung asked, voice lowered so as not to alert the stalker. Perhaps he was checking out what they had and planned to tell his group to take them out. Looking rabid enough to ward him off busied Wooyoung.

"I don't. Let's keep an eye on him. He can become our prey just as easily if he attacks," San suggested, and they left it at that. They occupied their hands, packing up their things. Once they parted, their stalker might have to pick one to follow. Then either Wooyoung would investigate or didn't have to bother with the topic any longer.

They upheld their pretense all day, and when night dawned, Wooyoung almost forgot about their mysterious observer. He had his meal with San, glad to share his company even when Wooyoung's shine offered none of his usual charm. San accepted it and didn't dig.

"So... About your scars. You were sick, but you got healed? I never heard it could be reversed," Wooyoung began as night settled upon them. Animals echoed their haunting calls in the distance.

San hummed around a bite of his candy bar.

"It can't. I was infected, but the fungus was still superficial. My people cut out all the roots that would have been harmful, but it was only a matter of time. The antidote we had was a rare find, and we had no way to replicate it. Their quick thinking saved me, but I can never repay that sacrifice."

Wooyoung lowered his eyes. He, too, survived through the sacrifices of others. His parents gave him their food, found his life more precious since he was young and they adored him. They hoped he would live a better future than they did. As they wasted away, Wooyoung had no other choice but to go forward. And then, Yunho. His dear boyfriend and best friend who let Wooyoung descend first from that building.

Pinching his eyes shut, Wooyoung shook the thoughts away.

"Your people love you a lot."

"They do," San nodded. The hint of a smile danced over his lips and indented his scarred right cheek. Captivated, Wooyoung stared at him. He had never seen someone with dimples before, but he wondered how deep they would go. How sunny San's smile was if it wasn't marred by the weight of life.

"I can never repay them. They could have saved anyone else, but they saved me. In return, I promised to become stronger and find shelter."

After all, they were different. San tended to others while Wooyoung selfishly chased survival. He couldn't protect even one person. Even when he was so busy, San found time to put up with him.

Sighing, Wooyoung pushed his hair back.

"You're a good guy. If you had met Yunho, you two would have got along well."

Yunho, too, dedicated his life to protecting some bumbling fool.

Tugging on his bandages, San lowered his eyes.

"It's a shame I couldn't," he confessed.

They left it. Soon, they gathered their items back into their bags to sleep with them as pillows. This way, no rare bird or curious silhouette could snatch their rations from them. As Wooyoung curled up, he shivered. The nights were getting colder and though the permanent dust cloud shrouded the earth under a layer of warmth, illnesses spread easier when one shivered through the night.

Wooyoung huddled into his bomber jacket and curled up. The worn black fabric kept out the wind, but it spent little warmth. Usually, he and Yunho cozied up to share their body heat.

He spent a while tossing and turning, restless to sleep when his body needed him to find warmth. Just when he was about to sit up and suggest making a fire to San, the other raider spoke up.

"Cold?"

"It's fucking freezing," Wooyoung mumbled. He cast a glance over to see how San was doing, but couldn't see him in the dark.

"A fire lures enemies," San said, reading Wooyoung's mind. "I could hold you."

He said it easily, as if with a shrug, but Wooyoung reeled back.

"What?!" He barked, making sure he heard right. Though he couldn't see, he knew San rolled his eyes.

"You heard me. I'm not Yunho, so it will be uncomfortable, but it's warm."

Flabbergasted, Wooyoung perched in the sand. The wind tugged on his ears, making him duck his head.

For a long moment, he considered it. Considered lying in San's arms so treacherously while his body craved Yunho's embrace. Considered the heat that surged through his stomach whenever he was near the other raider.

Had he gone insane? No matter the circumstances of losing Yunho, he barely knew San. Granted, it was for survival, but Wooyoung had no business getting so attached.

He scowled at himself in the dark.

"No," he refused and slumped back down with a huff. His outrage about his behavior heated him. He tried to keep that sensation close as he begged sleep to come back to him.

San snorted. He didn't seem like the type to get cold easily, not with that hot of a body temperature. Wooyoung hated himself more when he reminisced about the firm skin under his touch.

They dozed for a few hours. Wooyoung woke occasionally to the chill but burrowed into himself again. This night, he and San lay closer to one another and Wooyoung awoke once to his resting face closer than he expected. For a few moments, his heart stilled in his chest as he gazed at the motionless raider. Even in the hazy twilight, he was handsome. His face was refined and angular, sculpted in the same way as his body. Where Yunho was soft, San was hard and that difference exhilarated Wooyoung.

With a huff, he turned away. He felt San's heat from this close and begrudgingly accepted it. It was fine as long as they didn't touch.

They made it almost until the morning when something else startled Wooyoung awake. It was a faint scratching noise, not unlike the scramble of a lizard across the stone. Only that this was loud enough to come from a large animal.

Wooyoung flattened his breath, wide awake at once. The noise was near and he strained his ears to pick up on it. Nervous eyes stayed carefully shut so as not to give him away.

It sounded again, the faint scrape. Then, dull steps through the sand. Something big, on two legs. A foul, most likely.

With bated breath, Wooyoung waited until they rounded the nearby corner. Each step was watchful, as if prudent not to wake them. As soon as they were exposed, Wooyoung's hand shot into his bag and jerked up at the same moment he came to his feet. A click, then the muzzle pointed right into the face of the intruder. Startled, everyone came to a standstill.

The first light of day brightened the desert, dulled through the dust cloud. It was enough that Wooyoung could tell this wasn't a foul. The person in front of him startled from his movement and his hands jerked up left and right of his face. Messy brown hair hung into his round eyes, comically large, as if he had never looked into the muzzle of a gun before.

Wooyoung cocked his head. Behind him, San stirred and sat up to scrutinize the intruder. It had to be the same person who followed them around.

"Time to talk," Wooyoung spat, not taking down the gun. Sharp eyes bore daggers into the stranger's skin, honoring his nickname.

And by the looks of it, this person knew who he had been following. He looked just the right amount of caught in the act to be suspicious.

"Who the fuck are you?"