#do a little cleany clean when he leaves and be okay + i feel pretty good about that which is weird

[tempe-brennans]

sometimes u just tell ur ocd to shut up and it does

[noonachronicles]

The End of the F**king World Pt. 2

Byun Baekhyun X Reader

Word Count: 12k

Warnings: Language. Character death. Smut(ish) - Masturbation/descriptive sexual fantasy. 

Genre: Apocalyptic/Alien Invasion AU. Slow Burn (ish?). One pining pup and one idiot in denial to eventual lovers.

A/N: This is a lot. I went through this about a hundred times but guaranteed I missed something that needs to be edited anyway. So sorry about that but enjoy regardless!

During the first few days after Chanyeol and Baekhyun found Cordially the five of you spent your daylight hours securing the premises before taking up residency. In what you found to be a startling turn of character for you, you were one of the more fearless members of the family and were quick to take on Lurkers. With Irene still shook up and Seulgi having to take care of her, it ended up being you and the boys that killed any unwanted residents and cleared out the building. After that it was you and Baekhyun who took on the roles of scavengers. You searched nearby buildings for supplies that you needed for survival like food, water, and weapons. You also looked for items on a list that Chanyeol had curated for a special project he wanted to work on.

Seulgi and Irene stayed in the building at first. They really cleanied things up. They found and barricaded all of the exits except for the front door and also created a list of needs. It was all things they needed in order to really turn Cordially into a home. They hung curtains so that everyone had a private area to themselves, made beds out of cushions. Irene even set up the bathroom so that it felt nicer, and attached a showerhead to the sink faucet so getting clean didn’t have to mean having to shove your soapy head under the faucet.  

With both lists constantly growing you realized pretty quickly you’d have to expand your search area. Even if the idea was a little scary considering that you had no idea what was out there. Back then there were still plenty of unsavory people hanging around the city on top of the even less savory creatures. There had been a few groups of people, truly lawless men, that you’d run into who seemed to feel entitled to more of you than you wanted to give them. It was situations like that where Baekhyun really stepped up and you felt lucky to have his protection. There were a couple of times that things could have been much worse than they were if it weren’t for him. It was also because of those situations that he was always on high alert and overly cautious when it came to strangers. Especially strangers that showed any extra interest in you.

He almost took off Taemin’s head when the two of you found each other. It had been nearly three weeks since that last morning together. He had sped towards you out of nowhere, not much more than a blur, before crashing into you. The hug you’d gotten from him wasn’t one you’d ever forget. As you tried to assure a panicked Baekhyun that you were fine and that you knew him, Taemin cried into your shoulder. He kept saying how he thought he lost you and how grateful he was that you were alive. It reached right to your chest and squeezed your heart. Of course you were friends but you hadn’t realized that you were so important to him, he’d never told you before. That afternoon Taemin officially introduced you to Jongin and also to Hyunwoo who they’d met by chance.

The more you got out of your comfort zone the better things ended up getting. It was only then that you met Sehun, Baekho, and Seungcheol. Sehun had been a weapons specialist with the army. He’d come to the city with his squad on the first day of the invasion but things went south fast. Within the first week he’d watched each and everyone of his fellow soldiers get torn to shreds. If it wasn’t for him it would have taken you much longer to figure out the Lurkers weak spots. Before he told you where they were you, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol had just been beating them relentlessly and hoping for the best.

On the day you’d met, Sehun had found you using a baseball bat as a weapon. He’d said it was fine but only useful in close proximity. Seeing as close proximity combat was not ideal, he spent a few hours everyday teaching you how to throw knives until he’d decided you had sufficient accuracy. He taught Baekhyun proper sword techniques and how to throw axes. Every new survivor that he met got a lesson from Sehun in weapons and self defense.  

Baekho had been a personal fitness instructor and wellness coach which proved to be invaluable to the Community. Once all of the Family’s began working together he was in charge of managing the food supply that others scavenged and planning meals that would not only make the food last the longest amount but that would keep everyone from becoming too malnourished. And Seungcheol had been a medical school student before the invasion. He did what he could, while still learning himself, to teach at least one member of each family first aid and some basic medical skills so that no one was ever too far away from help. For your family it was Seulgi that ended up taking quickly to that role.

As time passed everyone learned how to do something. Everyone in the community had a role to play, a valuable skill set. All the members of the Community knew that working together would be the only way to survive. Anyone who didn’t want to contribute was welcome to leave the city, try their luck and make it on their own somewhere else. It seemed harsh at first, pushing people out, but everyone’s lives were already balanced on such a slippery slope that you couldn’t afford the disruption of a member that only thought of themselves. There had been a few in the beginning whose selfishness had gotten good people killed. Making rules and banishment necessary.  

Ultimately working together so closely meant that everyone became close. Partially because after three years there were so few of you. Partially because you all shared a major common interest in survival, the great equalizer. Every time someone died or disappeared it only strengthened that bond and your need to protect one another grew stronger. There wasn’t a single person in the Community that you didn’t care for or enjoy being around but your family always came first. And that was a fact that seemed true for everyone.

A week had already passed since your birthday and you were mostly grateful to have things fall back to normal fairly quickly. In just a few days there was the trip to the Farm and everyone seemed to be getting ready for that. It wasn’t a huge deal, not anymore at least, but it did take some preparations. Once again Chanyeol chose Baekhyun and Irene to be the two people from your family to go.

The last time you’d taken the trip out to the Farm there’d been an accident. It was a simple misstep. Anyone could have made the mistake but not just anyone had. You did, and it left you stranded alone just outside of the city in the middle of the night with a sprained wrist and possible concussion. You made it back home by the next morning, you never once thought you wouldn’t. Humble enough to never say it to anyone's face, you knew if anyone could come back from that, it was going to be you. Regardless, after that trip Chanyeol never asked you to go again.

It seemed silly and you weren’t sure how or why it happened, but after the invasion Chanyeol had become an important figure in your life. You respected him more than anyone, which meant that his approval had become your goal in almost everything you did. When he was proud of you, you were proud of yourself, and he almost always was. So when he didn’t choose you to go on trips or missions it made you feel like he didn’t think you were capable and it crushed your ego every time.

That morning, after finding out once again that you wouldn’t be going, you were pretty frustrated. You didn’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone before heading outside. You’d left so quickly you even had to stop just across the street to sit on the curb to tie your boots the rest of the way before going out on your scavenge. It shouldn’t have upset you so much, it was such a petty, insignificant thing to be bothered by but the more you thought about it the more it riled you up. Almost finished lacing up, you didn’t say anything when you saw Baekhyun walk out of Cordially, you weren’t really in the mood for chatting. You thought maybe he hadn’t seen you because he started to walk down the sidewalk in the opposite direction but before he got too far he stopped and turned around, hurrying over to where you were sitting.

“Hey,” he said quickly, “I wasn’t going to say anything…”

“So don’t.”

He grinned down at you, “You seemed really upset about the Farm, just checking to see if you’re good.”

“I’m fine.” You sighed and pushed yourself up to your feet.

“I was just thinking, if you want, we could go out together. We haven’t done that in awhile.”

“Honestly. I’d just rather be alone right now.”

“Look, I get that. It’s just… when people go out and they’re upset mistakes happen.” He shrugged, “You’re looking pretty tense. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

You scoffed, “I said I was fine but clearly you think I’m incapable of taking care of myself too. Nice.”

“You’re the best we have in the whole community. You’re fearless. No one thinks you can’t take care of yourself.”

“Really? Is that why Chanyeol refuses to trust me with the simplest of tasks?” You asked, feeling the heat rise up your neck. “I fucked up once. Now he doesn’t even trust me enough to sit in the back of a truck for a couple of hours without killing myself.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “That’s not why he doesn’t let you go on Farm runs.”

“What other possible reason could there be?”

“You weren’t here that night.” He sighed, “Seulgi was inconsolable when you didn’t show up before lockdown. She sat by the door for hours just crying and praying you’d show up. She had Yeol on the walkies with the other leaders all night trying to figure out what happened to you. It was a disaster. When you came back she made him swear he’d never put you in a situation like that again.”

“She what?” You were a little uncertain how to feel.

Part of you was furious that she would do that, treat you like a child. The rest was crushed that your friend had been so worried and never told you. When you arrived home the next day she had barely even reacted. She had only helped you get your wrist bandaged up and told you to rest because she was concerned about your head. At most you remembered her telling you she was happy you were okay but beyond that she said nothing.

“They don’t know I know she asked him for that.” He admitted, “But bedrooms with walls made out of sheets aren’t great for a lot of privacy.”

“Whatever.” You shrugged, grabbing your walkman out of your backpack before throwing the strap over your shoulder. “I’m fine, Baek. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I’m not trying to be, I swear. I honestly just want to make sure you’re okay out there.”

“Listen,” you said as kindly as you could. “I can take care of myself. I do it all the time. Trust me.”

“Okay.” He nodded, “If you need me, you know how to find me.”

“Thanks.”

You put your headphones in and pressed play on before heading off down the empty street. Baekhyun wasn’t wrong. You were tense and annoyed which kept you off guard. He was only trying to be nice, but you also knew what you could do to relax and it didn’t require him. In fact spending the day with him probably would have only made it worse. You headed down the street to where you knew you could be alone.

Baekhyun might have agreed to trust you, but that didn’t keep him from worrying. People got themselves hurt going out on scavenge on good days. Going out when your head wasn’t totally in the game was a bad idea. He wasn’t going to willingly let you go off and get yourself killed. He’d rather you catch him following you and be pissed off at him than have you hurt. So that’s exactly what he did.

Around the corner and down a couple blocks, around another corner and down another block. He had no idea where you were headed. He wasn’t even sure what quadrant you were in anymore. As he followed you he wondered how you’d ever know what was going on around you with your headphones in all the time. It was now surprising to him that you ever made it home alive with how easy it was to follow you. God forbid you were ever in a building, deaf to the sounds of the Lurkers.

Finally after about twenty minutes of twists and turns you ducked inside a building that used to be a high rise bank building. It had been about sixty floors tall, but now it sat around twelve. A crashing plane wing had sliced through one side of the building. The top of the building had toppled over crushing several other buildings in its wake. He thought it was a little weird that you’d scavenge over here, as most the buildings were completely destroyed and didn’t offer much as far as supplies. Still he followed you inside.

Once in the building he caught sight of you disappearing through a stairwell. As he inched his way up the stairs quietly he was still confused about what you were doing in this abandoned building. You were meant to be scavenging but as he passed several floors he only confirmed to himself you’d have no use for a place like this. Unless maybe you were hoarding supply’s somewhere you thought no one would ever look. He nearly laughed out loud at the idea that you were capable of that kind of betrayal.

Just before the last few steps he hesitated. What if you were here to meet someone privately? He felt heartbroken already, it would devastate him to see you meeting with someone else. Especially considering he knew everyone you knew and they all knew how he felt about you. He scolded himself at the thought. He didn’t own you, you weren’t his. Just because he was in love with you didn’t mean you had to be in love with him. He guessed, if whoever you were with made you happy, he could be okay with it. Even if it hurt.

Being the bigger man about it or not, he still had to know or it would drive him crazy. He was just going to see who it was, that’s it, and then he’d leave. He took the last steps and looked around. This floor had been completely destroyed. It acted as more of a roof with just a few beams still standing and a handful of walls that hadn’t completely crumbled to dust. Even still he didn’t see you right away and he didn’t understand how he could have possibly lost you. There was nothing up there. He’d searched for a bit and about given up. Thinking about heading back downstairs was when he finally thought he heard you. Boots crunching over gravel, glass, and other debris. Moving quickly he rounded one of the walls and paused.

When he found you, you were climbing on top of a large cement platform that overlooked the city. You dropped your bag, put your tape player on top of it and pulled your jacket off. Your legs swung side to side as you looked out over the other buildings. After a few minutes he realized you probably weren’t there to meet anyone. He was just about to call out to you, say something so you would know he was there. Before he could think of something witty or clever to say you did something that froze him in his place.

Closing your eyes, you lifted your hand up your stomach and underneath your bra to massage your breast. It had taken you a few minutes to decide what you were going to fantasize about but when you came up with it you were pretty certain it would work. Arching your back slightly you pressed further into your palm and pictured your perfect fantasy scenario.

Shirtless Hyunwoo, a little sweaty, in all of his golden glory, like maybe you’d already fucked once or twice already. Rough hand feeding you pieces of chocolate. Gently sucking the melted chocolate from his fingertips. Soft warm skin covering his hard muscular body. Softer kisses from his smiling lips. The crinkled smile that made it look like there’s no possible way he could see anything. Moving your hand back down your stomach you quickly unbuttoned your jeans.

Back in your fantasy the chocolate was gone, it was just the two of you together in a soft clean bed. You were pretty certain the mattress you’d imagined would be enough to get you off, it had been so long since you’d slept in a nice bed. Hyunwoo’s hand was rubbing your inner thigh. Your hand, in real time, was already in your panties. Fantasy Hyunwoo was being stubborn. He would not move his hand beyond your thigh, despite your best imaginative efforts, you couldn’t get him where you needed him the most. It was just a glitchy loop of his hand massaging your thigh and kisses on your neck. This wasn’t working, Hyungwoo apparently wasn’t meant to be the man of your dreams today. Opening your eyes you tore your hand from your pants.

“Damn it!” you cried out of frustration. You hopped off the platform into some rubble and picked up a chunk of cement debri, throwing it hard against one of the few still standing walls.

On top of already being upset about this morning it had been months since the last time you were able to get yourself off. It was agonizing. You were so tense you could feel it constantly in your neck and back, it was driving you crazy. After a deep sigh of defeat you moved your hands to button up your jeans once again and then paused. Before grabbing your bag and giving up completely you thought there might be someone else that might work. The same person who had worked for you the last time. With a semi reluctant groan you leaned back against the platform.

When you closed your eyes you were back at the Cordially in the second floor women’s room. It was candlelit and there were flowers everywhere like they had been last week for your birthday. Your back pressed against the cold wall, a mosaic of diamond shaped mirrored tiles. Hand between your thighs, fingers tightly gripping a handful of thick hair. Slick, wet tongue brushing against your sex.

Still gripping his hair roughly, fantasy you pulled Baekhyun up until he was standing in front of you. Both of you were completely naked and wet. In his hand was the showerhead. His other hand was pushing his wet hair back off of his face, his tongue brushed over his swollen lips. Both you in real life and you in the fantasy gulped. This was going to work just fine.

His skin was slippery and warm as you wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders. Your lips were mashed together in a kiss. He pulled away and you let out a noise like a complaint. As he kissed along your jaw he brought the showerhead between your thighs.

Lips against your earlobe you could hear his voice perfectly in your head, “Tell me how much you want me.”

Real you let out a whimper at the thought and your thighs were trembling around your wrist already. You had to sink down to your knees amongst the debri or risk collapsing with jello legs. Fantasy you and real you gasped out to fantasy Baekhyun, to the empty roof, to the whole city. “God. I want you so bad. Please, I need you.”

You leaned your head back and fantasy Baekhyun latched his mouth to your throat. A heady moan escaped your lips as he kept the showerhead pulsing against you.

“You taste so good, baby.” he muttered after removing his mouth from your neck with a pop. “I wanna know how you feel.”

Real life you knew that all you had to do was keep hard and fast against your wildly sensitive clit and this could all be over in a minute, but instead you needed it to last longer. You wanted more. Leaning back and spreading your knees you slipped two fingers knuckle deep

You let out a barely audible, “Baekhyun.”

In your fantasy one of his hands gripped your hip and the other one lifted your leg up to his waist. Your wet bodies slipped together so easy and soon he was pumping into you relentlessly. Just you and him in the soft glow of the candles. Water from his soaked hair dripping down his face as he absolutely devoured you with starving eyes. He was so beautiful.

“Y/n...you feel amazing.” He gasped against your mouth before dipping his tongue between your lips, the pink muscle swirling around yours.

“Oh, god!” You moaned louder than you expected to, “I’m gonna come.”

In real life you flew forward on your knees and held yourself up by one hand. The palm of your one hand was pressed hard into sharp pieces of cement debri as you fucked yourself with the other.

“Oh fuck! That’s it! God! Yes! Yes...” You cried out as your orgasm hit hard.

Face flush you collapsed down onto your elbows to catch your breath. After a couple minutes you sat up and sucked your fingers clean, wanting to rid yourself of the sticky residue your orgasm left. Getting back on your feet you pulled your pants back up to your hips. With a satisfied sigh you grabbed your backpack and jacket from where they were laying on the platform. You pulled out your water bottle and rinsed your hands. After a handful of deep breaths and a quick drink of water from your bottle you pulled the straps of your bag over your shoulders. There was a renewed pep in your step as you made your way across the rooftop and back down the stairs.

Baekhyun stood with his back flat against the one wall left standing near the stairs. With an obvious erection bulging in his pants he held his breath as you passed. After he watched you skip down the stairs with a light whistle he finally let himself breathe. He hadn’t meant to stay, he really didn’t. He knew it was wrong and about ninety-nine percent of him felt horribly guilty and disgusting for staying, but he’d never felt so completely paralyzed in his life. All he could do was stand there with his eyes wide open and his mouth catching flies.

When he realized what you were doing his brain screamed RUN! but his feet were planted firmly to the ground. He just stood there and stared, mesmerized by the way you brought yourself to orgasm. It was a vision he’d fantasized about countless times, but truthfully never actually expected to see for himself. He only wished he could have heard what you’d been saying but he hadn’t dared to move any closer than he already was. It wasn’t until you’d sucked your fingers clean that he’d been able to throw himself behind the wall, praying you hadn’t seen him. So weighed down he didn’t think he’d ever be able to move from that spot. It was as if in that moment you’d transferred every ounce of your stress and tension directly onto his shoulders.

-  

Before the invasion Taemin had worked at a second hand, designer clothes boutique downtown. The shop was down a street that locals lovingly referred to as Vintage Alley. It had been called that because every store on that street, for several blocks, offered only used goods and goods from a different time.

Used Only was a used bookstore that didn’t offer a single book that hadn’t been well loved already. Coco’s Closet, where Taemin worked, offered high quality pre-owned designer clothes and accessories. There wasn’t a coffee house or a frozen yogurt shop to be seen. There was, however, Greasers which was a diner that offered the best burger and fries combo you’d ever had. And there was a soda shop across the street where you could get ice cream after if you hadn’t already eaten a slice of pie. There was even Biff’s Bowling Alley and a movie theater that only played movies from decades ago.

It had been perfect for a completely themed date night. A quirky little part of the city that locals loved just as much as tourists. Your favorite shop on the whole street was Around Again. It was a record shop that had been around since the 1930’s. It still had booths in the back where customers could listen to the records before they bought them. The whole store was lined from wall to wall with old vinyls. There weren’t CDs and they didn’t sell iPods. Except for an old cardboard box you’d found in the back that had a bunch of cassette tapes and a single, silver Walkman, it was strictly vinyl.

Later in your day, after you’d checked a couple buildings for supplies, you rounded a corner about a block away from the record store. Tears for Fears had been playing through your headphones and you felt on top of the world. That corner you rounded brought you from Quad Nine, which was where your family resided, to Quad Eight. As soon as you turned the corner you were less than surprised to see Taemin, Jongin, and Hyunwoo since Eight was theirs. There was also a hodge podge collection of other Community members from Six and Seven hanging around, there typically was.

Taemin perked up when he saw you arrive, he’d been lounging on the top of an Army tank that had been left in the middle of the road. “Trespasser! You must pay the toll!”

You shook your head as you made your way to the tank, pulling your backpack around to the front to drop your tape player in and grab your payment. Reaching the tank Taemin dropped his hand down to you and you offered him a sucker.

“Ah yes,” he smiled, accepting the sweet, “Thank you, my beautiful candy dealer.”  

Jongin popped his head over the side of the tank as well with big, bright and hopeful brown eyes, “Do you have any of those Jolly Ranchers left?”

“I think so.” you hummed as you dug through the pocket of your pack. “Just a few, is that okay?”

You reached your hand up, offering  him the candy and his smile burned brighter “Perfect. Thank you, y/n.”

“How about you?” You asked, looking over at Hyunwoo who was sitting under the shade of a tree. “Craving anything sweet today?”

“The only sweet thing he’s craving is you.” Taemin laughed.

Hyunwoo shook his head trying to ignore the comment, “No thank you, y/n. Maybe next time.”

“Hey, speaking of next time. What are you going to do when the scavengers get pushed to look outside of the city?” Jongin asked as he popped a candy into his mouth. “You’ll never have time to visit the record store anymore.”

“Yeah, what are you gonna do? How am I supposed to survive not seeing you nearly every day?” Taemin whined.

You hadn’t actually thought about it,  “I don’t know. It’s going to suck, but you know me, I’ll find a way.”

Jongin shrugged, “You could always join our family.”

“Oh my god!” Taemin nearly shrieked with excitement. “Yes! Join our family! You can be the mom!”

“Tae, you’re a grown ass man.” You scowled.

“Tae’s a baby.” Jongin laughed. Taemin only nodded cutely, looking especially childlike with the sucker hanging out of his mouth.

“You could, you know?” Hyunwoo said thoughtfully. “You could always come stay with us. We have plenty of space at the church. I promise you don’t have to be anyone’s mom.”

“And we’re not gross like most boys.” Taemin added as extra incentive.

Your face flushed, “Oh. I mean… I love you guys. I’d love to stay there with you. If I did that though one of you would have to fist fight Seulgi for me, and I don’t think any of you are prepared for that.”

Hyunwoo just smiled, “Someday.”

“Yeah, maybe.” You sighed nervously, “Well, if I don’t pass you guys on my way back, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Same place, same time.” Jongin grinned. “Try and find more Jolly Ranchers. “

“Bye mom!” Taemin called out to you as you continued your way down the street.

It wasn’t until almost six months after the invasion that you remembered the record shop existed. You’d snuck into the eighth quadrant during a scavenge to see if it was still standing and that’s when you’d found your beloved tape player. When Hyungwoo found out that you’d been moping around the record store trying to figure out how you were going to listen to music without electricity he set up a gas run generator he’d found and told you to use it until it ran out of juice. After that you could play records whenever you wanted. He’d claimed he thought it was a really good idea to have it available for the Community, that the music would be a good mood booster for anyone that needed it. While a lot of people would come around every once in a while to spend a little time in one of the booths, for the most part the record store was yours.

A faded maroon awning hung out over the windows in front of the building which had been blown out, probably during that first blast. The door had stayed intact. You found that even though the awning was shredded to bits in some parts it kept the shade well enough, but the sun would blast through the glass of the door and into the booths so you’d plastered newspaper scraps over it. There were never any Lurkers in the shadows at the back of the shop and you weren’t sure if it was because they just never went inside the building or if Hyunwoo or one of the others cleared them out everyday before you arrived. Either way you weren’t exactly going to complain.  

Stepping through the open window frame you already knew what you were looking for. You’d seen it the last time you were there and had been thinking about it ever since. It was an old album by The Supremes that usually put you in a pretty good mood, and since you were feeling chipper as it was you thought it would be a good pick. You were quick to grab the record before moving into your favorite booth right in front. Tossing your bag on the table you put the record on the player and took a seat in the cushy leather chair. As the record began to play, you opened your bag to pull out your collection of nail care products. Sometimes you’d look into your bag and laugh. Candy, nail polish, cassette tapes, a flashlight, a liter bottle of water, a couple of homemade granola bars, and a second set of knives. Only the most important essentials, of course.

As the record played you bent over the table and painted your nails. When the needle reached the end of the first record you flipped through the pile in the booth to see what the others had been listening to and tried out a couple of their most recent picks. Then suddenly you only had about an hour or so left before you’d have to swing by the old corner shop to pick up some food, you were pretty sure you’d seen some canned raviolis the last time you were there, before heading back home.

You put on the last record of the day, a collection of love songs from the fifties. As the needle hit the vinyl and started the pleasant piano tune for Tonight You Belong to Me you stood up for a stretch. You hummed along with the almost sickly sweet sound of Patience & Prudence while you shuffled through the tape box to pick which new ones you’d take with you for the week. You pulled several from their pocket in your backpack and replaced them with a couple of others.

From where you were standing you had a clear view out of the sound booths thick glass window. You could see all the way through the front of the store to the street. That’s how, as you were eyeing the contents of the tape box you noticed in your peripheral the movement outside. When you first looked up you saw Taemin sprint passed the window and a few seconds later Jongin did the same. They were followed quickly by Hongjoon and Jihyo who you had seen hanging out earlier.

Turning down the record player you could hear muffled yelling. You quickly made your way out of the booth to the front of the store. Looking out you could see the others in a serious sprint down the street, nearly an entire block away already. Something didn’t sit right with you in a way that it hadn’t the day of the invasion. On first instinct you looked up to the sky but it was clear.

Hesitantly you stepped through the window and out onto the sidewalk. The air was quiet and calm now but goosebumps rose on your arms and legs from the erriness of the silence. You stood for a moment trying to understand what you were feeling. Then you realized it was panic.

You knew it was stupid to go towards an area people were running from, it wasn’t like you’d never seen a movie in your entire life, but your feet took control. It was like your body was being drawn around the corner. You had to know what it was they were running from. Plus you hadn’t seen Hyunwoo or the rest of the group. Down the main street you could see the commotion in the center of the road. Two men were scrapping. One of them was definitely Hyunwoo. From as far as you were you couldn’t tell who the second was.

You moved forward cautiously, ducking behind stripped car frames and trash cans as you made your way down the road. Halfway down the block you noticed a movement across the street. Taeyong was in an alleyway across from you, arms waving frantically to get your attention. He was trying to mouth something to you but you couldn’t understand him. You watched confused until Yeri ran up the alleyway behind him. She looked like she was sobbing. She grabbed at his sleeve until he finally had to give up and left with her.

More confused and curious than ever you continued pushing forward until you’d almost reached the intersection. The fighting had somewhat settled even if the tension in the air was thick. Hyunwoo was on his hands and knees as the other man stood above him. You were about to stand up, to go to him and stop whatever this was when he lifted his face, and caught sight of you. You didn’t know why but something about the look in his eyes stopped you in your place. Blood was smeared over his forehead, and dripping from his lips. He looked terrified which was an emotion you’d thought he was incapable of. If he was scared you knew that couldn’t mean anything good for you. He looked like you were the absolute last person he wanted to see at this moment.

The man he was with noticed Hyunwoos attention elsewhere and turned his head to look over his shoulder in your direction. You were ducked pretty low behind an abandoned car, sure that Hyunwoo only saw you because he was down at your level. The man couldn’t see you but you saw him, and it took everything you had not to scream.

Chanyeol was a tech genius. You always knew he was a pretty smart guy, but you didn’t realize until after the invasion that he was an actual, bonafide genius. How could you have known, he worked an entry level position at a big box tech company. It would be like if Karl Lagerfield had worked retail at an H&M. He’d even been recruited by the government when he was in high school but shrugged off the opportunity after his first week of training because it “didn’t really feel like his thing” and he missed gaming after school with Baekhyun.

After Cordially had been deemed a suitable home Chanyeol gave you a list of things he needed to get to work on what he called his ‘communications project’. He set up solar powered electricity first. A few scavenged panels on the roof that juiced up a few car batteries which he hooked up to a generator. At first he tried to power the whole building but it became clear that it was unsafe to have the lights and buzzing noises running so heavily during the evening hours. Then after the first long dark winter he also realized you’d have to be more sparing with it just in case. Those two reasons were why the basement was the only place that had power. Within the first year he had every family set up with solar power.

Once he had electricity to work with he made quick work of connecting to the internet. It was low grade. Sloth slow and low quality but he’d connected with other tech nerds from around the globe who’d done the same and they were able to share what they knew. People shared security camera quality videos of where they were and exchanged tips and tricks on surviving. Mostly tips to use against Lurkers, which were also called Esqueleto, Akuma, and Étranger among other things. People also shared survival techniques in general. The benefit of the network he'd created was incalculable to the Community.

Originally, after the invasion, everyone thought the Lurkers were the ‘invaders’. You’d all thought it was just them. They were the creatures that came from somewhere unknown, brought their ships, and decided to attack. Through the network and the gathered information you realized it was not the case at all.

A hacker from Spain sent the first video. It looked like cellphone footage of what seemed to be an ordinary man. The video followed the man around for nearly twenty minutes. It was clear the person taking the video was taking extra precautions to keep hidden from view. Then the man had gotten to a clearing that seemed deserted. You’d never forget the video, the way his hand began to glow. An orb of light materializing out of nowhere. The man threw the orb like a bowling ball into a truck that had been tipped over. As the mass of metal exploded you watched as a group of people scattered out from behind it. Then you watched as he attacked them with what could only be described as bolts of lightning.

After that more and more videos of men with the same power started arriving from all over the world. They all shared an ability to harness light into a weapon. Worst of all, as other videos showed, they all had a perplexing control over the Lurkers. You’d watched as they directed entire hoards of them with a wave of their hands. They could keep them from moving at all or command them to attack. The Lurkers weren’t the invaders, they were simply minions. It was still unclear what the men wanted or why they’d come. Of the cities they’d been observed in, very few survivors were ever left over but they were never cleared out completely.

Chanyeol started charting out where the videos were coming from and when. He had been hoping to find a pattern, something that would tell him when they might be headed to your city. What he realized was in some ways even more disturbing. There weren’t multiple alien leaders. There was only one and he was moving from one city to the next. What made it so unsettling was that he never looked the same in any of the videos or photographs. It always looked like a different man, a few times it had even been a woman.

Once Chanyeol came to his conclusion he confirmed it by going back through old footage. To prove his theory he tracked several videos and found all of the people that this thing had become in the backgrounds of the videos from previous cities. It wasn’t clear if this leader figure was some sort of shapeshifter or a body snatcher. It was clear that before he left a city he would take the form of one of that city's residents. The only indicator all of the forms shared, other than it’s occupants powers, was a sheer veil that he wore across the bottom half of his face.

Nobody who had seen him up close was sure why he wore the veil, saying that there didn’t seem to be anything that needed hiding beneath it. They only knew that he was a ruthless killer that enjoyed playing with his prey and some sort of energy vampire that sucked the light from everything around him. At first Chanyeol called him the Final Boss, but everyone agreed that sounded too gloomy and gave him more power than he already had. Instead, in hopes of giving light to the situation, you all decided to call him Big Baddie.

Frozen to the spot you looked up at the veiled man before you. He didn’t look like he had in the last transmission but that didn’t surprise you. What surprised you most was that, just standing there in his presence, you could feel an almost charming energy. He didn’t seem angry. There wasn’t rage or disgust. He was simply amused. You could see the smile in his dark eyes before he turned back to Hyunwoo.

“Looks like all your friends are gone.”

“Good.” Hyunwoo gasped, looking Baddie directly in his eyes. The fear you’d seen before was gone.

“You think I won’t find them?” Baddie asked with a huff of amusement. “You think sacrificing yourself, dueling me as a distraction so they could escape, you think that really did something. You think you saved them, don’t you?”

“I didn’t need to save anyone. They’re going to save themselves.”

“Is that so?” He laughed genuinely. “Are you so deluded that you think they’re coming back in time to save you then?”

Hyunwoo shook his head. “No. I’ll die, but now you no longer have the element of surprise and they’ll win.”

“The best part is that you truly believe that.”

Your mouth fell open as you watched Baddie’s palm start to glow white, the orb of bright white light begin to manifest. Seeing it in person was actually stunning. It seemed so magical and you even thought it looked beautiful.

“Any last words?”

“Just one.” Hyunwoo got to his feet. His shoulders were back and his head was held high. Even though he wasn’t looking at you, you knew it was for you when he said, “Run.”

Baddie chuckled, maybe assuming it was a threat to him and not a command to you. Then Baddie pulled his arm back and even though you had no idea what you had intended on doing you stood up as he slammed his palm forward into Hyunwoo. If you hadn’t known what had happened and what the sight meant you might have thought there was an explosion of star dust. However, you did know and it no longer held the beauty it had seconds before.

You were screaming but you didn’t even realize it until Baddie dropped his hand to his side and turned his head to look over his shoulder. It silenced you. His eyes were dark black and when he locked his gaze with yours you felt even more paralyzed than before. You could just barely see his mouth beneath the sheer veil that covered his face but you knew he was sneering as he eyed you. Something about the look in his eye made you feel sick.

“And what’s your name?” he called out to you.

You didn’t answer. You weren’t even sure what your chances of survival were but without a second thought you turned and ran as fast as you could. You didn’t dare look back as you booked it back down the block and around the corner. Almost out of breath and unsure of where to go you jumped back through the window of the record shop. You skidded to a stop before dropping to your knees in the shattered glass and dust that covered the floor. As fast as you could you crawled to the narrow bit of solid wall between the broken window and the newspaper plastered door.

You pushed your back against the wall and tried to steady your breathing. Tears were streaming down your face as you tucked your knees into your chest. It was hard to tell how quiet you were actually being with your brain going haywire, and heart pounding in your chest. You weren’t sure how long you sat there, it didn’t seem like long. Only so long that you were able to calm yourself enough to realize your hands were bleeding from bits of broken glass. You couldn’t even feel the pain through the terror that shook you.

For just a brief second you allowed yourself to think that maybe he hadn’t followed you. That he’d made a wrong turn or just decided to go somewhere else. However, once you’d had the thought, the sound of whistling echoed softly down the empty street outside. With every second that passed it became clearer and then you heard the heavy crunch of boots over debris. You froze.

A dark shadow came into view on the floor in front of the paper covered door. Your fingers trembled at your thigh, hovering just over your blade. He moved past the door but his shadow didn’t move immediately into the window like it should have. If it weren’t for the eerie whistling, you’d have even thought he left. Then there was a hefty crunch of glass just outside of the window over your other shoulder. You held your breath in your throat as he continued to whistle his song. Fingers gripping your blade you turned your head up towards the window. You couldn’t see much, just the tip of his nose beneath its veil. All he had to do was look down and you were as good as dead. He stayed there for a while just whistling his song before finally turning and walking away. The whistling faded down the street.

You didn’t move for what felt like a whole hour, too afraid that he was still there just waiting for you to come out. The moment you’d witnessed kept replaying in your head over and over until it was burned into your memory forever. You tried to think of other things but it only made it worse because all you could think of was moments with Hyunwoo. His kind face during quiet conversations, the way he laughed, watching him eat at community dinners, the way he cared for Taemin and Jongin. When you were sure you couldn’t cry anymore you sat in silence and tried to remind your numbed body that the sun wouldn’t be in the sky forever and you had people to warn.

A sudden realization hit you then. You knew the song he was whistling. He’d been whistling the song you were listening to in the sound booth. Tonight You Belong to Me. He knew you were there. He knew you were there before you ever even knew he was in the city. He knew you were there when he killed Hyunwoo. He had just been tormenting you. He was probably going to torture every last one of you. You turned to the side as you threw up the contents of your stomach and continued to gag until you were just dry heaving. You couldn’t get yourself to breathe so you just choked on nothing until finally you were able to gasp in a lungful of air.

Still shaking you repeated your new mantra. There are people to warn. Pushing yourself up to your feet you snatched your backpack out of the sound booth and jumped out of the window. Your legs shook like jelly as you made your way cautiously back around the corner and down the block. You paused for just a moment and looked over to the intersection where it happened. You couldn’t start crying again, there wasn’t time. There are people to warn. So you started to run again.

You sprinted all the way back to Cordially, by the time you got there you were wheezing and it felt like you’d torn something at your side. The bar only had two shot glasses that were flipped over. Not even bothering to flip your own you kept moving. Running down the stairs you nearly snapped your ankle slipping off the bottom step.

Baekhyun stared at you wide eyed from the spot he’d taken up on the couch. He’d been paranoid all morning long after what happened. Worried that you’d seen him on the roof, that you’d tell the others and you’d get him exiled from the Community for being a pervert. He didn’t even finish his whole route before coming home. He couldn’t focus and almost got attacked by a Lurker he hadn’t been paying enough attention to.

Your brain was a slushy, panicked soup as you tried to figure out who was there and who was missing. You gasped out your breaths as you looked at Baekhyun and cried out, “Yeol?!”

“Wait!” Baekhyun jumped up off the couch, “Y/n, please! It was a mistake, I shouldn’t have been there. Let’s just talk about this.”

You’d doubled over, still bleeding hands on your knees as you gasped for air. Looking up at him your forehead creased in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“What? What are you talking about?” he asked back, realizing that maybe you weren’t here for what he thought you were here for.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Chanyeol asked, ducking out from behind his sheets.

“Where’s Seul? Irene...where?” you gasped. “Get them back! Get them back here now!”

“Woah, Y/n, calm down.” Chanyeol said growing concerned, “Just breathe, what’s going on? Are you bleeding?”

“Get them!” you screamed. “He’s here. Baddie. He’s here!”

“What?” Baekhyun’s eyes blew wide, “Are you serious?”

“Why would she fucking lie?” Chanyeol asked moving quickly to the desk to find the walkie talkie. There was a second of static and then he called out, “Hello, this is Chanyeol, is anyone there?”

After a moment of deafening silence there was a panicked, “Yeol, it’s Jongin! We need help! We need help! He’s here!”

“Shit. Okay, Jongin. Hold on.” Chanyeol let out a deep breath and looked over at Baekhyun, “Check out front for them, be careful.”

“No!” you gasped, grabbing Baekhyun by the front of his shirt. “Please, Baek, stay. Don’t go out there. He killed Hyunwoo. He’ll kill you too. Please! Please don’t leave!”

“What?” Baekhyun wrapped his arms around your trembling form and helped you gently to the ground. “What did you say?”

“He k-killed…” the reality of it crashed down on you finally and you let out a sob. “He- oh god...He’s dead!”

“Okay, okay.” he pulled you into his arms even tighter, trying to soothe your breakdown. “You’re safe, I’ll stay. We’re all gonna stay here.”

He looked up at Chanyeol who’d taken the walkie to the corner to try and hear better. He was listening to Jongin as Baekhyun caught his eye.

“Hyunwoo?” he mouthed. Chanyeol nodded solemnly. “Fuck.”

Baekhyun waited until you were just lightly crying instead of hysterically sobbing before pulling away from the embrace. He pushed the hair out of your eyes and wiped the mess from your cheeks.  

“I have to go see if I can find them.” he said as calmly as he could, still your eyes blew open like you were going to argue again. “Hey, no! Stay calm. I’ll be okay. You want Seul and Irene back safe, don’t you?”

You nodded and sniffled.

“Then stay here with Chanyeol, he’ll help you with your hands and by the time he’s done we’ll be back.”

Breathing heavily, trying hard not to break down again, you clutched the front of his shirt again, “Promise me.”

With his free hand he rubbed your cheek with his thumb and grinned, “We both know you don’t even like me that much.” Then taking your hand in his he gently freed himself from your death grip on him and stood up. “I promise, I will come back.”

“Baek,” you whispered, looking up at him lost for words, “I...I hate you so much.”

He couldn’t help but smile, “I know. I love you too.”

You felt helpless as you watched him grab his weapons and take the stairs two at a time. Then suddenly he was just gone from view. Chanyeol was hovering over a map of the city, still on the walkie talkie. He was trying to reassure Taemin and Jongin that everything was going to be okay while he started check-ins with the other families. He told them to stay low and locked in.

Once he’d calmed them down enough he started on you. He pulled you to your feet, however shakily, and helped you get the knives off your thigh. Then he brought you over to the desk and helped you clean your hands while he kept up with check ins. You felt numb as you watched him pour water over your hands, the dirt and blood washing off into the bowl beneath them. Then he carefully pulled the left over bits of glass from your palms with tweezers. You didn’t even move when he poured hydrogen peroxide over the cuts. You started to realize he’d been trying to talk to you.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” He said, “We’re gonna figure this out.”

He repeated it over and over. You thought maybe he was saying it more for himself than for you. When he’d finished wrapping your hands you tried to distract yourself by helping him with check-ins, taking note of those who had made it back to their bunkers. Listening in on the ones who had witnessed him, and marking on the map where they’d seen him and when. Hearing almost everyone's voices was calming. However when everything was done only twenty out of thirty-two were accounted for. Seulgi, Irene, and now Baekhyun were part of the missing.

An hour and a half passed by quickly and still nothing. It was almost sundown. You sat on the couch and picked a few leftover pieces of glass from where they’d gotten caught in your jeans. You wondered whether or not it was too late in life to start seriously praying. Chanyeol was sitting in the desk chair with his head in his hands as the two of you waited. The two of you shared twin legs, bouncing relentlessly with anxiety. It was so quiet between the two of you that you could hear the stomping upstairs before the door to the basement crashed open.

“Chanyeol?!” Seulgi shouted as she flew down the stairs.

He was there in a matter of steps to meet her at the bottom before she made it there herself. She jumped off the last step and wrapped her arms around him so tight you thought he might snap. Her face was covered in tears as she kissed his cheeks and he kissed hers. You were relieved to see her but there was a heavy weight on your chest as they told each other how much they loved one another. Finally her eyes moved over his shoulder and she saw you.

“Oh my god, Y/n!” she said moving out of his arms to the couch and wrapping her arms around you. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She flipped your hands over to check your bandages. “I’m fine, it’s nothing. Are you okay?”

She nodded, “Scratches from the run back but yeah, I’m okay.”

“Did you see Ba- where’s Irene? Is she okay?”

“She’s hurt, that's what took so long. It’s her ankle, I’m sure she just twisted it. We had bunkered down, I wasn’t sure how we were gonna get back but Baek found us. He’s helping her back but he told me to run ahead to safety.”

“I should go. I should help him.” she grabbed your wrist tightly.

“No.” she said pointedly, “He said specifically not to let you leave. He said he’s fine. I promise, y/n, they were right behind me.”

“Okay.” you nodded, your leg still shaking anxiously.

“I’m going to go check with Yeol, see what we need to do to prepare.” She grabbed your face in her hands, making you look at her, “Stay. Here. I’m serious.”

You watched as she stood and moved over to the desk with Chanyeol. He was back on the walkie with the other leaders, leaning over the map and soon Seulgi was joining him. As quietly as you could you moved toward the stairs and grabbed your new knives. Keeping your eyes on Chanyeol and Seulgi you crept up the stairs.

Once you were out of the basement you rushed to holster your knives as you went to the door. You paused for a moment before reaching for the handle. Before you could the door burst open, slamming against the wall. You let out a scream and jumped back. Baekhyun was standing in the doorway holding Irene in his arms. His jaw clenched tight when he saw you standing there, ready to go. Guns, well blades, blazing.

He was tense as he pushed through the door, “And where were you going?”

“Nowhere.” You lied as you closed the door and slid the two by four into place. “I just wanted to get the door for you. I knew you’d have your arms full.”

“Bullshit.” He spat angrily.

By then Chanyeol and Seulgi had heard your scream and made their way upstairs to see what had happened. They exchanged a few words as Chanyeol grabbed Irene from Baekhyun and moved back downstairs. Baekhyun stayed, his shoulders tense as he watched Chanyeol retreat into the basement. You quickly turned back to the door to close the curtains. He was pissed. He didn’t usually get pissed, so you could always tell easily when he was. And he was going to let you know just how pissed.

“I said don’t leave. I said I was fine. And I know Seulgi told you everything I said.” He practically growled as he turned towards you. You kept your back to him, staring at the curtains wondering how you could disappear into them.

“I didn’t leave.” You said with a gulp. “Technically.”

“You were about to!” He shouted, and you spun around, “Why can’t you listen ever? Why do you always think you know better than everyone else? You’re so much more capable, right? None of us could ever survive without you!”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I could have helped.” You shivered at the sight of how livid he was. The back of his neck and ears were red and he was dripping sweat.

“No, you couldn’t have! I didn’t need your help. What I needed was for you to sit your ass in the basement and stay safe.” He spat, “Everyone knows you’re strong, y/n. We know you’re tough. We know you can handle everything on your own. Well guess what, y/n? So can I! I’m just as tough. I’m just as capable.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.”

“That’s exactly what you were saying by trying to come out there! You think I need help, that I can’t do it. It says you don’t trust me enough to let me take care of it on my own.” He continued to yell, you pushed back into the locked door. “You always get so mad when anyone wants to help you. You think everyone thinks you’re weak. Then you go and do the same shit you hate to everyone else. And what fucking good would it have done? What if you went in the opposite direction? What if you didn’t know we’d made it back? Then I have to go back out there and try to find you too because you couldn’t curb your ego just this once. Then we’re both out there. Then we both die. Great fucking idea, genius.”

“Stop!” Seulgi hissed from the other side of the bar, “Stop yelling and come downstairs before Baddie hears you and comes in here to kill all of us.”

Baekhyun glared over at you, he practically snarled, “It’s not worth arguing over anyway. Not like she ever listens.”

You watched in shock, eyes glistening with tears, as he walked away. He’d never, in the entire time you’d known him, yelled at you like that. Not even close. You were shaken. There had been a barstool at the counter that he passed and then he paused. Taking a step back he grabbed the stool and hurled it across the empty hall. When it landed two of the legs were smashed off and skidded across the polished floor. He didn’t say anything else, just stomped down the stairs to the basement.

“You okay?” Seulgi asked, she came over to the door and threw an arm over your frozen shoulder.

“Fine.” you said and shook it off. “He’s right.”

“I told you not to leave.” she said with a shrug as the two of you walked back towards the basement.

“I didn’t even-“

“What?” she laughed, “you didn’t even get the chance to step out of the building?”

“Exactly!” you pouted.

She continued to laugh as you reached the steps. “Amazing, how you continue to miss the point.”

“Which is?”

“He loves you. He yelled at you because the idea of losing you is too much. I would have said the same shit to Yeol. A hundred percent.”

“Well I love you guys too. That’s why I wanted to help.” The two of you had paused at the top of the stairs as she closed the door.

“No, Y/n.” She shook her head gently and sighed. “He’s in love with you.”

You shook your head this time but more defiantly, “No. If he’s in love with anyone it’s with Chanyeol.”

“You love him too.” She said quietly.

You looked back at her, almost disgusted. “I don’t. I don’t love him any more than I do any of you. Actually, I probably love him less. He’s...clingy, and always in my business. And he thinks he’s so funny. It’s annoying.”

“You love him.” She repeated, and looked at you seriously, more serious than she usually did, “I hope you realize that before you lose him.”

“Byun Baekhyun is a cockroach. He can survive anything. He’s not going anywhere.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself.” She said, raising her eyebrows. You just groaned before making your way down the last of the stairs.

-

Tension in the basement was thick that night. Chanyeol was stressed to the point that it looked like he might tear his hair out. It seemed like Seulgi had given up on you for the evening. Even after another couple of hours passed Baekhyun still wouldn’t even look at you. And all of you, in general, were on high alert with the threat of Baddie somewhere out in the city. Seulgi setup Irene on the couch so that she could rest and elevate her ankle, which luckily had been twisted but wasn’t broken. The rest of you sat around the room, mostly patient, as Chanyeol connected with the other families over the walkies to devise a plan for the next day.

It seemed simple enough. Each family was to take an inventory of everything they had, so that you knew what you had on hand to use against Baddie. Then you were all to meet at the amphitheater at noon. The sun clearly didn’t have the same effect on Baddie as it did the Lurkers, and everyone had decided that meant that you needed to be extra cautious moving around the city during the day. From there, once you were all together, you would devise your plan and take votes as necessary.    

The night was finally winding down. Everyone was exhausted and hungry. You especially had been drained physically and emotionally for hours already after having to describe to your family, and everyone on the walkie talkies what you’d seen. All you could think about was crashing on your cot, turning on some music, and contemplating never moving again. As a family you’d all taken inventory of everything you had stored away and in your bags. Everything would have been fine, but then Chanyeol had to push that he knew you kept spare batteries.

“Chanyeol!” You whined, “come on, seriously? It’s two batteries.”

“Y/n, I’m sorry.” He said sternly, “It sucks and I’m sorry. I know you’re almost always the one that gets them for us, but you know he’s an energy vampire. We don’t know where we’ll need those two batteries to go if we want to survive. What if we need extra flashlights?”

“Whatever.” You snapped, angrily dragging your bag to your lap. You pulled out your tape player and released the two batteries. You slammed them down on the table and looked up at Chanyeol, “Are we done now? Can I go?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Thank you.”

Without another word you got up and grabbed your things before rushing off to your space. You weren’t about to stick around for dinner, it wasn’t as if you could stomach anything anyway.

Seulgi ran her hand over Chanyeol’s back as he buried his face in his palms and groaned, “I hate being the bad guy.”

“She doesn’t think you’re a bad guy.” She assured him. “She’s just having a bad day.”

“Bad day.” Irene scoffed lightly, “I can’t imagine seeing what she saw. Yeah I saw my boyfriend torn to pieces but Baddie in the flesh? That’s bad enough. Baddie killing your friend right in front of you...I’d be so messed up if I was her. It’s like watching the actual end of the world unfold in front of you.”

Baekhyun knew it was petty and it was insensitive but part of him just couldn’t help but mutter out, “Doesn’t get worse than Baddie killing your boyfriend then.”

Irene shook her head, “They weren’t together.”

“They liked each other.” He argued.

“He liked her,” Seulgi sighed, exhausted, “but she likes-“

“Now's not the time, Seul.” Chanyeol said, putting a gentle hand on her leg, “We should eat and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be rough enough as it is. We have a lot of decisions to make.”

-

After getting ready for bed you laid on your cot quietly as you listened to the others. You picked at the loose threads on your blanket as you tried to imagine what everything they were doing looked like. The sounds of food being made on the hot plate, the smell of something bland. They talked for a little bit about Hyunwoo, memories of him. Then they discussed whether or not they thought the rest of the missing were dead too.  You weren’t trying to eavesdrop, it just wasn’t hard to hear everything everyone said and did.

You watched the lights fade on the ceiling as lanterns went out for the night and people headed to bed. As you laid there in the silence you were certain that you wouldn’t be able to get to sleep. Not with how loud your thoughts were in your head. You’d been laying there, contemplating grabbing a book when you heard Baekhyun's voice came from the other side of your privacy sheet.

“Knock, Knock.”

“What?” You said with a little more bite than you intended.

He dipped his head in between your sheets, “You’re supposed to say, ‘who's there’. You ruined the joke.”

“What do you want, Baek?” You sighed. “Come to yell at me some more? Tell me what a shitty person I am? Because I think you really made your point earlier.”

You watched from your bed as Baekhyun dipped all the way inside through the sheet and sat down on the cot next to your legs.

He waited a moment and said, “You're not shitty and I'm sorry I yelled at you. Tensions were very high. I was just worried, scared. I don’t know, whatever it was, you didn’t deserve that.”

“Yes, I did.” You sat up, pushing your back against the wall. “You were right. What I was going to do was stupid and reckless. I could have gotten all of you killed.”

He looked at you, eyebrows raised. “Say that one more time. The thing about me being right.”

You shook your head. “I will not and you can’t prove I ever did.”

He grinned and looked down at his lap. “I really was just worried. If I’d come down here and you were missing-”

“I know.” You said quietly.

“Anyway, I’m still sorry I yelled. Even if I was, as you said in your very own words, right.” he put his hand down next to your thigh and removed it to reveal two batteries and a granola bar. “If he asks where you got them...”

“He’ll never find out.” Your straight face turned into a smile. Your smile grew and grew until finally turning into a laugh. What you’d really wanted to do was wrap your arms around him and cry about how much it meant to you, but you also weren’t in the mood to cry any more today.

“There it is.” he smiled, rubbing his thumb over your appled cheek, he looked at his watch and then turned its face towards you. It was only eleven. “I made it with time to spare. The smile a day streak continues, gotta be a word record by now.”

You sighed and sank down onto your mattress. “Go to bed, Baek.”

“Right here? With you!” his eyes went wide and his smile was blinding as he joked.

“No!” you groaned as he pushed himself next to you on the mattress anyway. You shoved his chest lamely, “Get off, go to your bed.”

He pouted, burying his face in your side before mumbling, “but you’re so soft and warm.”

“You’re so annoying, Byun Baekhyun!” you said though it was through a laugh. You pushed him with all your strength until the only part of him left on your bed was his stubborn head. His eyes were closed as if he were resting but the smile on his face was bold and pleased. “I hate you so much!”

Still shaking with laughter he stood up finally and gave you a pat on the head, “I love you too, y/n.”

“Hey, Baek…” you said quietly as he reached the sheet. He turned and looked over at you expectantly. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“I promised I’d come back, right?” with a small smile you nodded, “Sleep tight.”