Taehyung held a spindle between his palms with one of the ends tightly pressed against a piece of dry cottonwood. His hands travelled up and down the stick, roughly rolling it between his palms and creating friction against the slice of cottonwood. A trail of smoke began to emit from the place of friction and soon enough, a small flame lit up the dark room.

Taehyung immediately threw the spindle away and carefully grabbed the burning piece of wood to place it inside the fireplace. Jungkook offered him pages of a torn book and Taehyung gratefully accepted them before crumbling the pages into balls and tossing them into the growing fire.

"Where'd you learn that?" Jungkook inquired with a quirked brow, leaning on his hand as he sat a few steps behind Taehyung on the ground.

A faint smile appeared on the seam of Taehyung's lips at the sudden memory flashing through his mind, "While I was on the road with Michonne, we spent our nights in quite a few places. One time it was a library and it was my turn to keep watch during the night, so I raided the shelves and found a book about survival tips." Taehyung glanced back at Jungkook with a snicker dangling from the tip of his tongue, "There was another tip in there that stated that any injury can be healed by the peck of a lover."

Jungkook immediately rolled his eyes with a scoff, "What a load of bullshit."

Taehyung snorted and shuffled back until the two were sitting side by side and gazing into the dancing flames, "Pretty sure you pecked me when I was sick and here I am." Taehyung teased - not sure if the scene floating around his head was the creation of a delirious mind or the reality.

Jungkook's cheeks instantly reddened at Taehyung's words and he tore his eyes away from the fireplace to send Taehyung a small glare, "Shut up, there's no scientific way a kiss can heal an injury."

Taehyung tilted his head towards Jungkook and offered him a crooked smirk, "And yet you did it." He teased the younger viciously, enjoying the sight of his red cheeks and squinted eyes.

"If you get injured, I wouldn't kiss you again, I would ask Daryl-" Jungkook froze and cut himself off - the small ghost of a smile on his lips disappeared at the reminder of what had happened, instantly souring the lighthearted atmosphere between the boys.

Taehyung swallowed a ball of saliva and shrugged, "If Daryl had the choice of healing me with a peck himself, or letting a Walker chew my lips off, we both know which option he'd pick." His words earned him a hesitant smile from Jungkook.

"Daryl might act coldly towards you, but he cares." Jungkook mumbled with a faint smile, turning to watch the fire once again, "He'd heal you in a heartbeat no matter what it took, but he'd definitely threaten you afterwards to not tell anyone or he'd put you right back into the state he found you in."

Taehyung snorted and dragged his eyes along the side of Jungkook's face, "Tell that to him and you might get punched in the face."

Jungkook's only answer was standing up with a roll of his eyes and going over to the kitchen area. He pulled open one of the cupboards and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Tawhyung's brow rose at the sight of alcohol and a smirk stretched across his lip.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" He teased the younger as he watched him unscrew the bottle and press it against his lips.

The liquid pooled into Jungkook's mouth and crawled down his throat, leaving traces of bitterness on his tongue. Jungkook's face scrunched at the taste and eyes met Taehyung's as he lowered the bottle, "Who said you were drinking?" The younger shot back and approached Taehyung, plopping down next to him and glancing over at Taehyung's outstretched hand with a smirk of his own.

"Oh, come on!" Taehyung threw his head back with a groan, sending Jungkook a look of disbelief, "I'm the Hyung here, you should respect your elders."

Jungkook snorted and passed him the bottle, lifting his legs so that he could drape his arms over his knees as he watched the fire crackle, "The Governor came to the prison." Jungkook murmured softly - knowing that Taehyung deserved to know what had happened and this was a good time to tell him.

Taehyung stilled, bottle pressed against his lips and eyes snapping over to Jungkook. He didn't say anything and chose to take a big gulp of liquor instead before passing the bottle back over to Jungkook. The latter easily took it and swallowed another gulp before placing it on the ground between them.

"I don't know where he was or how he did it, but he had an army - people who followed him to the prison to take it from us, a whole ass tank too." Jungkook released a bitter laugh and pressed his fingers against the crease in his forehead, "They captured Michonne and Hershel, called Rick to come talk to him out in the field. I don't know what they were talking about but then that psychopath..." Jungkook trailed off with a wince as the memories sliced into his eyes.

Taehyung was eerily tense next to him, clenching his fingers into fists and staring at the ground blankly. The humour had long bled out of the cabin, leaving behind the soft crackle of the fire and the bitter taste of whiskey on their tongues to comfort the distraught pair. And then the silence was broken by Taehyung nudging his tongue against the inside of his cheek and exhaling weakly.

"Did he kill Michonne?"

Jungkook exhaled and quickly shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the fire to stare at the side of Taehyung's face, "He didn't get to her but Hershel.." Jungkook's words made Taehyung's eyes widen and eyes bounce over to Jungkook's, "I guess he didn't like whatever Rick was telling him because he took Michonne's sword and cut Hershel's head off. It was in front of Maggie and Beth too, I can't imagine how they're feeling."

Taehyung released a sharp breath and grabbed the bottle of alcohol again, "Shit." He gritted and took a swing, wordlessly passing it onto Jungkook once he was done, "Hershel didn't deserve that, he was a good man, one of the only good ones left in the world."

Jungkook hummed and traces the rim of the bottle with his finger, he parted his mouth as if to say something yet quickly cut himself off with a shake of his head.

Taehyung caught onto it, "What is it?" He questioned, leaning closer when Jungkook just shook his head and clamped his lips shut, "You can tell me anything, I won't judge you or go gossip around." Taehyung nudged his elbow into Jungkook's ribs, "Can you imagine? 'Hey, Rick, Jungkook told me he didn't like the possum that Daryl brought us that one time!' How scandalous!" Taehyung mocked a gasp, earning himself a timid smile from the younger.

Jungkook chewed on his bottom lip before huffing, "Am I a bad person for thinking that maybe it was for the best if Hershel went out before we got into this situation?" Taehyung's brows shot up and Jungkook twisted around to face him and clarify, "What I mean is that the Governor would've destroyed the prison regardless if he killed Hershel or not. I can't imagine the pressure put on Hershel's shoulders if he were to be out here on the road, hobbling around on crutches."

"What if a horde of walkers was chasing us? He would be the type of man to tell us to leave him behind so that we could live, but how could we?" Jung look exhaled a bitter chuckle and glared down at the floor, "We wouldn't be able to live with the thought of running away while hearing him get torn apart."

Jungkook's words sunk into Taehyung's mind and were slowly being processed, word by word, sentence by sentence until they settled like a blanket of freshly fallen snow. The younger was watching Taehyung warily, clearly worried that Taehyung would think that what he had just said was insensitive and cruel. He began to reel into himself, slowly preparing for Taehyung to whip his tongue across his skin as a punishment for what he had just said, only for Taehyung to release a thoughtful hum and reach forward to play with the black strands of Jungkook's hair.

"You're not a bad person for thinking about what would've happened to him if he were alive today, and neither do I think that you're wrong." Taehyung reassured him with a curl of his lips and a strand of raven hair between his fingers, "Those are solid reasons but I would like to think that no matter the situation, we would figure something out to keep everyone safe. We're a family, Jungkook, we will find each other and we will always take care of one another, especially now."

Jungkook slumped in relief and shuffled back to lean against the couch once more. Taehyung dropped his hand from Jungkook's hair and laid it on the couch behind him. The younger offered Taehyung a hesitant smile, "So you don't think I'm a bad person for thinking that?"

"Never." Taehyung exhaled into the air between them, not looking at Jungkook as he murmured his next words, "I think you're one of the good people in this world too."

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Jungkook couldn't believe he was back here, he had avoided the place like the plague - refusing to go on runs to this mall whenever the group went here because he was still haunted by the guilt of what had happened. But the mall was a place where he and Taehyung could get more supplies and settle down for the night before they went back on the road.

The Mall where Marley had sealed her fate by killing Thea.

Jungkook exhaled a deep breath and curled his thumbs into his fists, moving his stiff legs to approach the front door. He felt Taehyung's presence behind him yet the older man didn't say anything, probably sensing that this wasn't the right time to joke around and that Jungkook needed a moment of silence.

Jungkook stopped in front of the door, staring at the chains wrapped around the handles before glancing down - remembering how he had drawn his plan into the dust-covered ground for Marley to see. The brat had requested for her to be represented as an XX face and didn't listen to a word he said, at least she pretended not to because, in the end, she got the job done.

Jungkook shook his head and caressed the bracelet wrapped around his wrist with a bitter smile before pivoting around on his heel and moving towards the side of the building. Taehyung stayed rooted in his spot, staring at the door and the open gate behind the glass, "Jungkook, I don't know if you're blind but the door is here!"

"I know!" Jungkook called out, rounding the corner of the mall and disappearing out of sight.

Taehyung huffed and followed after him, walking around the corner, whistling once he caught sight of the metal staircase on the side of the building, "Sneaky fucker." Taehyung mumbled under his breath and began to rush up the stairs.

Their shoes clunk against the steps and hands gripped onto the metal railing, the wind ruffled their hair and the sun soaked into their exposed skin. Jungkook reached the top and jumped onto the roof, sucking in a deep breath and tilting his head back to allow the sunshine to caress his face. The memories fluttered around his head like butterflies - a complete contrast to how they used to feel like bees.

Once he heard Taehyung land on the roof next to him, he blinked his eyes open and nudged his chin into the direction of one of the skylights, "There's our entrance and exit." Jungkook mumbled and approached the said entrance until he was able to grip onto the side of the skylight and peer into the store.

Taehyung leaned on it next to Jungkook, eyeing the broken window and the rope attached to the side, "You've been here before?" He questioned the younger with a raised brow and a quick glance.

Jungkook ignored his question by taking his backpack off and dumping it inside the hole. The backpack slammed into the ground with a loud bang, causing both boys to wince at the sound and carefully listen for potential walkers. As the minutes ticked by and no other sound met their ears, except for each other's breaths, Jungkook released a hum and latched onto the rope.

"Hey, hey, hey." Taehyung quickly reached out to grab his hand, looking at him in disbelief, "You'll hurt yourself, let's just go through the front door or an emergency exist."

Jungkook snorted and sent him a smirk, "Don't be a pussy." And with that, Jungkook began to climb down the rope and into the mall.

Taehyung scoffed and shook his head, pressing his fingers against his forehead in disbelief, "I've been gone for a little while and now he's grown ba-"

"Stop talking to yourself and climb down!"

"I'm not-" Taehyung shouted back, yet quickly cut himself off with a groan, "Little shit, one of these days I'll smack him." He kept grumbling under his breath as he grabbed onto the rope and climbed over the window.

Taehyung hooked his legs around the rope and began to climb down, gripping it tightly to make sure he wouldn't plunge down. But as he was climbing, the sharp edge of the glass kept digging into the rope until it snapped and Taehyung fell down. A gasp left his lips as he flew through the air and slammed into the mattress beneath the window, blinking up at the skylight with wide eyes as he processed what just happened.

A burst of laughter to his right snapped him out of his state of shock and made him swing his head towards a laughing Jungkook. The boy was bent over - hands on his knees and face scrunched into a grin as loud squeaky laughs escaped his lips. Taehyung narrowed his eyes and pushed himself up on his elbows before grabbing a nearby pillow and throwing it at the laughing boy.

"Shut the fuck up, you circus monkey."

The pillow smacked into Jungkook's face and landed on the ground, yet the boy kept chuckling. He sobered up after a few more seconds and straightened out, stumbling over his feet as he approached Taehyung and offered him a hand, "It happened to me too when I first came here, it's funnier when it happens to someone else." He snorted and tugged Taehyung out of the bed.

Taehyung rolled his eyes and brushed his hands against his rumbled clothes, briefly glancing up at the skylight to look at the broken rope, "And you still don't want to go through the front door like a sane person?" He rolled his eyes with a small nudge against Jungkook's shoulder.

The younger shrugged and started to walk out of the mattress store with Taehyung following after him, "I hope you're prepared to leave the store the same way we came in." Jungkook taunted with a small smirk, causing Taehyung to eye him from the corner of his eye.

"Alright, hold on." Taehyung stopped him by grabbing onto Jungkook's backpack and dragging the spluttering boy over to the railing of the second floor. He whirled Jungkook around and jutted his chin into the direction of the first floor, "Whoever has the biggest loogie will decide how we leave the store." Taehyung suggested with his arms crossed over his chest and lips stretched into a daring grin.

Jungkook looked at him in disbelief, not believing the absolute nonsense he had to hear from a man supposedly older than him, "You can't be serious." He rolled his eyes and turned to walk away, only for his wrist to get grabbed and for him to get tugged back towards Taehyung.

"Deadly." Taehyung confirmed his words and released Jungkook's wrist to turn towards the railing and peer over the edge. The filthy floor and dead plants could be seen from the second floor, there even was a smoothie stand in the middle of the hallway, "I've been away for a while but there's no way you got so boring while I was gone."

A soft blush spread across Jungkook's cheeks at Taehyung's comment and he looked away - still thinking he was joking. But when Taehyung only glanced at him with a quirked brow and a glint of challenge in his eyes, Jungkook pressed his lips into a thin line to hide his smile and moved over to him until they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Ready?" Taehyung asked, receiving a hum from Jungkook before the pair leaned over the railing and began to hawk up their spit.

The two adults stood there, in the middle of the apocalypse, leaning over the railing with globs of spit hanging off their lips and eyes glancing at one another to see their competition. Taehyung's eyes glimmered with mischief as he reached towards Jungkook's face and swept his thumb across his bottom lip - cutting off the string of spit and causing it to plop onto the filthy floor below.

"You cheated!"

The cry of outrage made Taehyung burst into laughter, which ended up with his own loogie disappearing over the ledge. He leaned on the railing, staring at Jungkook's squinted eyes and flushed cheeks, "There were no rules, baby." He pushed out between breathless chuckles, not even noticing the slip of his tongue.

Jungkook reached forward and smacked him on the chest before whirling around with a huff. Taehyung snickered and rushed after him, throwing an arm over his shoulder and pulling him into his side, "You're a sore loser, you know that?"

"I am when you're cheating." Jungkook grumbled and tried to duck out of Taehyung's hold but he only tightened his grip on his shoulder and kept walking.

Taehyung hummed as he eyed the clothing stores they were passing, grinning as he read the brand names, "Hey, wanna raid a Luis Vuitton store? Couldn't afford that shit when the world was still running."

Jungkook's eyes flickered to the said store, eyeing the handbags and suits seen through the dusty windows, "You want to play dress-up in the middle of the apocalypse?" He snorted and hooked his finger around Taehyung's belt hoop to drag him away from the store.

"We just had a loogie competition, a little fashion show doesn't seem so ridiculous." Taehyung shrugged and followed Jungkook into an army-style hunting store. The shelves had been emptied - leaving behind racks of clothing and a few weapons hanging in the displays.

Jungkook approached the clothing racks and began to skim through them, finding a pair of black cargo pants with a silver belt and a simple black, short-sleeved shirt. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and yanked it over his head, earning himself a whistle from Taehyung who had been watching him from the corner of his eye.

"You putting on a show for me?" Taehyung teased as he skimmed through his own rack of clothes, finding a similar attire to Jungkook's.

The younger boy rolled his eyes with a smile and pulled the new shirt over his head, glancing over at Taehyung just in time to see him pulling his own shirt off his back. Jungkook swallowed as his eyes dragged over the tattoos and scars littered across Taehyung's back.

"Haven't seen those scars before." Jungkook commented, not looking away when Taehyung peered back at him over his shoulder.

Taehyung tore his eyes away and offered him a shrug before he pulled the new shirt over his head, "Met some people on the road - slimy fuckers smile to your face and lure you in with false promises of safety. Then they try to kill you in your sleep and take your stuff." He murmured quietly, feeling Jungkook's eyes pierce into his back, "It made me appreciate our group even more."

"You're here now, that's all that matters, I'll protect you from people like that." Jungkook mumbled back with a flush of pink spreading across his cheeks. He felt Taehyung turn around and look at him, heard him begin to approach him as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down his legs.

Taehyung stepped next to him and started looking through the cargo pants in front of them, "We'll protect each other." He whispered through a fond smile, not meeting Jungkook's eyes as he continued, "Even when we find the group." And then Taehyung was yanking another pair of cargo pants off the rack and walking towards the other side of the store to change, ignoring the gaze burning into his back.

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I love spoiling y'all after depriving you of updates for so long lmaoo, this one is short but fluffy...a bit disgustang bc of the spit but oh well...boys