they had already been walking for what felt like days, the harsh conditions wearing away at what was left of jeongin's energy.

"chan, can we take a short break to sleep, we can continue on tomorrow." jeongin whined indignantly.

"listen, kid, i don't want to die, you think that these fuckin' mutants wait to kill? huh?"

"well no but-"

"that's what i thought, keep walking we'll stop when it's pitch black, there's a lower chance of any extremely dangerous animals finding our hiding spot. i have a cave on the lower east side marked with the blood and chlorophyll of some mutants."

"okay, so uh, what are looking for in the meantime?"

"clean water, whatever rations you have won't last very long, we need to find either a source of clean water or a way to purify it."

"couldn't we just boil out the chemicals from the water or do they affect the composition of the water?"

"from what i've noticed after having witnessed people drink and wash themselves in the water, it changes the composition, so even if we could start a fire without it blowing up because of the particles of the explosives still in the air; the purification process wouldn't work."

jeongin looked down solemnly, thinking intently about what he learned about purification, the compounds that make up explosives, and how to make pure substances from mixed elements. "i wish i knew what we could do, but i don't, i was the worst person to bring on this journey, you should have killed me while you had the chance."

"come on, let's just go to the cave."

jeongin followed behind chan shocked at his behavior, he wasn't harsh on jeongin, "uh okay."

as they cautiously walked to the cave, chan started telling jeongin about himself.

"sorry, for you know, being so hard on you, which i won't stop it was just the way i was raised. but one of the reasons i'm so harsh on you is because you're so young and you had just started this new thing called life and then, the government tries to fuck it up. my dad said, when i came out to him as bisexual, 'you're not bisexual, you're a real man, you'll grow out of that faggy phase eventually.' but i am a real man, a stronger man than he ever was, he was a cowardly homophobic bigot."

"i'm so sorry that your coming out didn't go well, when i came out as gay my parents saw it coming and adjusted themselves to it right away."

"i'm glad your coming out went well."

"so, mr. bang, you were nurtured into thinking that you had to be a 'real man' when you already were right from the start. so, anymore things i need to be aware of? anything you want to share? tell me about yourself."

"i'm bang chan, born bang christopher in sydney, australia, 1997. i hate butterflies and the color purple. i love music, it used to be my passion, but my dad told me the truth that i would never be successful in a music career. my favorite animals are dogs, specifically samoyed. what about you, yang jeongin?"

"well, thank you for asking mr. bang, i was born in 2001, busan, south korea. i was considered weird growing up because i never flirted with girls or crushed on them. i played with barbies and took ballet, both of which are typically feminine, but shouldn't be. i hate horses and spiders, i wanted to be an idol when i grew up, i hate the color teal."

chan saw as jeongin yawned, "okay, kid, i think that's enough talking for tonight, thanks for listening to me despite however boring it may have been. g'night."

jeongin grabbed the special blanket he packed, along with the two others he threw in spur of the moment. he layed the blanket on the ground.
"chan hyung, as long as you don't mind the close proximity, we can both sleep on this blanket. i packed a blanket for you too, by the way."

"i don't mind jeonginnie, but are you uncomfortable with it?"

"no, i'm not."

"okay then, also thank you for packing me a blanket jeongin."

they both decided to lie down on backs facing each other, both consumed by their own thoughts.

wow jeongin you just had to be awkward and act like you know chan well by calling him chan hyung, what the fuck?! also, stop it, of course he's hot, but you can't think that, you're only working together for means of survival.

listen, chan, you can not like him or think he's cute, those thoughts must stop now. you're a real man, plus this is just because this situation is life or death and jeongin doesn't want to die. also, jeonginnie, fuck off, you don't even know each other well. you aren't close and you probably never will be, he scared of you. chan heard his father's voice taunt him about the situation.