Yeosang watched in horror as the zombie flew towards Felix, unable to move. His eyes turned to Changbin and he could feel the anguish in his eyes.

And he knew immediately.

He was on his own.

Changbin turned, rushing for Felix, throwing himself through the mass of zombies. Yeosang called out to him, watching the crowd of zombies before him rush closer.

But Changbin wasn't listening.

He couldn't hear him over his panic.

Yeosang had to fend for himself.

Or he would be a goner.

Yeosang felt his hands shaking as he brandished his mop bravely. He needed to find cover. He couldn't take them all by himself.

His eyes looked ahead for any doors and he landed on what looked like an office about fifteen feet away.

He would go there.

He would make it.

He had to.

Pressing his heels into the ground, he swung the mop back and slammed it into the crowd before him, letting out a guttural scream.

Using every ounce of strength he could muster, he threw them to the side, clearing a dozen zombies from his path. Not wanting to waste any time, he charged forward, preparing to swing at the next group.

But suddenly a gunshot filled the air, knocking him backwards in fear as his weapon clattered to the floor. The zombies before him turned around in search of the sound and Yeosang used the delay to pick up his mop again.

He rose to a standing position, eyes focused on the source of the sound. His face immediately broke into a smile, a wave of relief flowing through his body.

Jongho stood, gun raised above his head, his eyes locking with Yeosang's in distress. At seeing him, Jongho's eyes filled with tears, a gummy smile breaking out across his cheeks.

"YEOSANG!" he called, running forward, shooting at any zombies who approached from his sides.

Yeosang held his mop firmly, pushing back the zombies nearest him as the ran towards Jongho. He wouldn't let any of them get close. He could at least do that much.

They ran to each other, meeting just outside of the office Yeosang had set his eyes on and rushing in, slamming the door behind them.

As they held the door with their backs, Jongho's hands reached up to Yeosang's face, feeling around for any bumps or scratches, checking his temperature.

"Are you okay?? Where the hell did the others go!? Were you out there all alone!? Why the hell didn't you take cover!?"

Yeosang just smiled, laughing at seeing Jongho so worried.

"I'm okay. I knew you would find me."

Jongho froze, his hand resting on Yeosang's neck as he checked his pulse.

It just made Yeosang smile even more.

"You're always right there when I need you."

Jongho's ears burned red as he slowly pulled his hand away, looking around the office to avoid eye contact.

"Only because you're always getting yourself into trouble."

"Thank you, Jongho."

Jongho looked at him, his eyes wide.

"For what?"

Yeosang stared at him.

"For-for saving me!"

"You don't have to do that. You know I'm always looking out for you. You never have to thank me for that."

Yeosang rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Thanks for putting up with all of my bullshit."

"Now that, I can take credit for. It's a full-time job after all," he smiled evilly and Yeosang elbowed him playfully.

They both broke into soft laughter, relaxing a bit as the force on the other end of the door lessened.

"How did you know I needed you?" Yeosang asked, his expression shifting.

Jongho looked at his hands.

"The zombies...there weren't supposed to be so many. It's just...we tried to communicate with the others but...we pressed the wrong switch. And...I knew you four weren't prepared to handle them."

"So...you guys came back to help?"

Jongho didn't look up, but slowly he shook his head.

"Just...me."

Yeosang's voice rose.

"Jongho! Are you insane!?"

"I used to hunt with my dad as a kid so I knew how to shoot a gun. I figured if I could at least take out half...you guys could..."

"You took out half of them!? Alone!?"

"No...I was overwhelmed and had to hide. I had to wait for them to forget about me before I could try fighting them again. That's when...that's when I heard Changbin's scream."

Yeosang looked away.

"I should've helped them...I just...I knew he had his mind set...I knew he wouldn't even notice me there...there wasn't anything I could do..."

"You didn't do anything wrong. As soon as I heard his voice, I knew you would be in danger. I knew what it meant. That's when I decided to step out."

"I was so scared...I didn't know if I would be able to make it here...if you hadn't shown up...I might've..."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'll always be there for you. You never have to worry about that, okay? I'm not letting anything happen to you. I've always been there for you, haven't I?"

"You didn't seem to care when you made the other four wait in the bathroom closet. I was scared...that was how you would react when you saw me. I thought you would lock me away, even if I hadn't been bitten."

Jongho's eyes started to water.

"Yeo, I would never, ever do that to you."

"How am I any different than the four of them?"

"You just are."

"But why? Why am I special?"

"Because you're the most important person in my life, Yeosang. You're my whole world. It's not fair. I know it's not. But you matter most. You do."

Yeosang stared at him, unable to respond.

Jongho quickly looked away, his ears heating up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't pick favorites. It's not right. I know it's wrong."

"You really think...I'm really that important to you?"

Jongho looked up again, nodding.

"It hurts to see how little I've shown you how much you mean to me."

Yeosang bit his lip, looking up as tears formed in his eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? Yeosang? I'm sorry-did I say too much?" Jongho asked, cautiously reaching hand towards him but Yeosang shook his head.

"No. You said more than anyone's ever said to me. It's all you've ever done. You've always shown me how much I mean to you. I just...I never even noticed. I'm sorry, Jongho. I'm sorry it took this long for me to let you know just how much you mean to me."

Jongho moved to ask what he meant but was stopped in his tracks as Yeosang leaned forward, their lips meeting. A tear rolled down Yeosang's cheek as he reached a hand up to Jongho's, feeling his soft skin against his palm.

Suddenly, Jongho pulled away, his eyes darting towards the floor.

"This isn't-you're not-just doing this out of pity, are you? Because you know you don't have to, I can handle it-"

"I like you too, idiot," Yeosang laughed as he wiped the tears from his cheek.

Jongho's eyes flew up to meet Yeosang's, his heart racing.

"You-you do?"

Yeosang shook his head, laughing as he pulled Jongho to him, wrapping his arms around his tense back, burying his face in his neck. Jongho slowly slid his hands behind Yeosang's waist, holding him gently, as if he was worried he'd break him just by pressing too hard.

Yeosang gave him a tight squeeze, tracing his fingers in circles on the back of Jongho's neck.

"I was going to say something before you left but...I didn't want to do it just because I was worried we'd never see each other again. I didn't want to admit the possibility."

Jongho's face softened as he rested his cheek on Yeosang's head.

"That's okay. I'd wait forever. For you."

"I'm sorry I didn't come with you guys. I should've just stepped up. I was such a fucking coward."

"No, you're not a coward. You already saw the zombies once. You knew what you were in for. You were being logical."

"But if I'd come with you...Changbin never would've left Felix on the ground..."

Jongho brought his hands up to Yeosang's shoulders, squeezing them tightly.

"That's not your fault. Felix had a choice. If Changbin stopped to help him up, he would've put him in danger. Felix made the choice to save Changbin. Changbin couldn't have saved him. You didn't do anything wrong. And you couldn't have helped either of them."

Yeosang nodded, his head still tight to Jongho's shoulder.

"You always know what to say," he whispered.

"It's the truth."

"I guess."

Jongho let his arms sink back to Yeosang's back, running up and down its length lightly.

They were quiet for a moment before Yeosang pulled away slowly.

"Do you think...Changbin is still..."

"He knows better than to sacrifice himself for Felix. He knows Felix would never forgive him. I know he's okay."

"But...how will he be able to...after..."

Jongho was silent.

"I don't know," he finally muttered.

"We have to help him."

"I know. I'm just not sure...how."

"You'll find a way. You always do."

Yeosang smiled softly and Jongho brushed back a strand of blonde hair that had fallen over his eye.

"We'll help him. For Felix."

"For Felix."