~As it was, Hozier~

      The group dynamics became a bit clearer to Jungkook the more the walk progressed. The twin sister with longer hair, Harper, was clearly involved with the Mexican man with a mustache, Isaac. Jungkook had noticed it in the way they smiled at each other, the way they whispered to one another, and the way their arms occasionally brushed together from how close they were to one another.

The teenage brother of Sidney and Harper, Tristan, clearly hadn't gotten used to the apocalypse. Jungkook could see it in the way he flinched and grabbed at his knife at the smallest crack of a branch in the forest. The boy's eyes kept swinging around to make sure nothing had snuck up on them but he tried to mask his fear with a scowl and a glare. It was clear that he looked up to Sidney and wanted to learn as much as he could from her to become a survivor and leader one day.

While Harper and Sydney were twin sisters, they were complete opposites - Sydney was the leader of the group, and as the leader she carried the responsibility of protecting her loved ones, hence the wary glances she kept sending Taehyung and Jungkook. Sidney also made sure to walk at the back of the group so that Taehyung and Jungkook would be in her line of sight, and she could react quickly if they tried anything.

Harper was a bit more relaxed around them and even tried to warm up the tense atmosphere between them by sending them forced smiles and even starting a shallow conversation with Taehyung. Jungkook was trailing a bit behind Taehyung and Harper, staring right into the back of his head to let Taehyung know he didn't agree with how this situation was progressing. He also didn't approve of Taehyung's carefree attitude - while Jungkook's fingers were itching to grab his gun and shoulders were tight with tension, Taehyung was walking forward with a pep in his step and was having a casual conversation with Harper.

Jungkook focused on their conversation and allowed their words to knock on his eardrums, "What did you do before all this?" Harper questioned with a curious glance down at the throwing knives strapped to Taehyung's thighs.

"I worked part-time at a McDonald's and studied linguistics at Uni. I remember that I picked it because I wanted to study something but all the other subjects like computer science or medicine seemed too complicated for me." Taehyung shrugged carelessly, not bothered by his past decisions or the past itself. Jungkook was a bit bothered because that's a topic they had discussed last night in the van and now some stranger was talking about it with him.

Harper nodded and pointed down at his throwing knives, "I'm guessing McDonald's didn't teach their employees how to throw knives." That earned her a small snort from Taehyung and an even nastier scowl from Jungkook, the latter even rolled his eyes at their little bonding, "How'd you learn?"

"I was alone when all of this started, I thought I should get away from the cities and go somewhere with fewer walkers. I came across a small suburban town on the outskirts of Atlanta, everyone was packing up their cars and leaving, so after I saw one of the families leave I decided to break into their house." A sleazy smirk tugged at Taehyung's lips at Harper's raised brow, "Found some of the knives in a box stored in their garage and since I had nothing better to do, I started with throwing them at walls or trees as I traveled. Met this guy on the road once and turned out he was pretty good at it, he gave me a few tips and we parted ways. I kept practicing until I became the best knife thrower this apocalypse has seen."

While Jungkook was curious about the story, he wished Taehyung was telling it to him not some random girl. It also made Jungkook realize that he didn't know a lot about Taehyung. Perhaps he just wasn't asking Taehyung enough questions or wasn't trying to get to know him? Jungkook had always assumed Taehyung was mysterious and wouldn't tell him about himself but he had told her this information so easily that Jungkook started to wonder why he hadn't bothered asking Taehyung about his past.

"Are you glaring at them because you're jealous, cautious, or feeling murderous?" A teasing voice broke Jungkook out of his thoughts, just as Jimin came up behind him and began to fall in step with him.

Jungkook exhaled a drawn-out breath and turned his eyes onto the trees ahead of them, "Neither." He grumbled under his breath, still scowling to hopefully ward off the small pest by his side.

"Well, it's one of those options and I hope your jealousy doesn't turn into anger, and your anger into feeling murderous." Jimin exhaled light-heartedly, kicking away a tree branch that then tangled around his legs and nearly made him trip.

Jungkook sent him an annoyed look and quickened his pace to lose him but Jimin was quick to catch up, "I'm not going to kill anyone unless one of you decides to do it first." Jungkook stated after a moment.

"The thing is, none of us want to kill you but it's hard to trust you when you both know that you're outnumbered and would lose if you tried anything." Jimin's voice grew more serious and Jungkook could feel his eyes on the side of his face as he asked the next question, "So, why would I believe that you're a good person?"

The scowl on Jungkook's face grew more sour as he snarked back, "The same question applies to you."

Jimin rolled his eyes and pressed his tongue into his cheek, "Back at the van, we easily outnumbered you, neither of you even had your weapons up. We could have killed you but we didn't, instead we took a risk by trusting you and bringing you with us. I don't think we're the ones who need to prove ourselves here. The real question is, are you pretending to be decent human beings because you know that we could kill you? And if the roles were reversed, if your group outnumbered us, would you have trusted us not to try anything?"

Jungkook flashed back to the prison as if he had been transported back in time - watching as Daryl brought back strangers they had met on the road, strangers who had later aided them and had become useful to their small community. He could remember the first time they had opened the gates to outsiders, The Woodburians, how he and Taehyung had watched them climb off that bus with a light heart. Jungkook hadn't expected them to adjust to the prison or their group, but they had, and in the end, they had created something.

Jungkook wasn't sure why it was so easy for him to fall back into that role he had taken when the farm fell. He hadn't felt so lost and guarded since their group had been wandering around all winter with no shelter or food. He had thought he had healed from that, he thought he had become someone different, someone lighter and more trusting, but as soon as he was placed back into that situation, all that he had become at the prison disappeared and the only thing left behind was fear masked by harshness and iciness.

Jungkook's scowl softened into a frown and he carefully peered at Jimin through the corner of his eye. He observed the mud stains on his clothes, the chipping blood splatters on his cheeks, and the knots in his brown hair. And then he paid attention to the lightness in Jimin's eyes and the softness on his face, he didn't perceive them as a threat or monsters, just other survivors that he should be wary of yet still not shun.

"We let people in." Jungkook whispered cautiously, causing Jimin's eyes to swing towards him and making Jungkook immediately look away, "We went out to find people and we let them in till the very end, we wanted to build a safe place for people out there. Everyone was useful, everyone participated, we were building something and everyone believed in it." Jungkook trailed off, not knowing where he was going with this or how it would prove that they weren't bad people but that was the first thing that came to their mind.

"You were building a community or a society..." Jimin guessed after Jungkook spoke, hoping to make him speak more.

Jungkook gave a careless shrug, following after the group when Sidney called out that they should start turning left, "It was a pipe dream, should've known nothing in this world lasts for long."

"I think it was a beautiful pipe dream and I don't think hoping for a permanent safe place is such an outrageous thing." Jimin's words made Jungkook's head snap towards him, the brown-haired Korean sent Jungkook a smile, "I think there's a lot of people out there looking for the same thing, including us."

Jungkook gulped and gave a weak nod before turning his gaze to the forest ahead. His eyes caught Taehyung's - the man had been observing them with a small squint in his eyes and a raised brown before he turned his back to them and kept walking. Jungkook furrowed his brows at his back, flinching slightly when Jimin snorted next to him.

"You two are so fucking, he started glancing over at us as soon as I started talking to you." Jimin looked at Jungkook's stunned face and blanched, "Oh, are you not? Childhood friends? Besties? Look, I don't think you're related but are you?"

"We're not!" Jungkook hissed with slight disgust before quickly fixing his face back into a frown and straightening out from his panic, "We're just...we just are...we're us." Jungkook stuttered while trying to find the right label for them until he settled on that.

"Yeah, you're fucking." Jimin snorted with a roll of his eyes, hiking up his bow so that it wouldn't press down on his shoulder as much, "Anyway, from what I gather you want to find your group, but what's your plan? As far as you know, all of them might be running in the opposite directions."

Jungkook sucked in his cheek and curled his fists at the realistic outlook on the situation, "We won't stop looking until we find all of them and we will find all of them." He grumbled in return, just as the group finally saw a small break in the trees that led out to a parking lot.

"What if they're dead and you won't even know, will you really not stop looking?" Jimin asked in disbelief, pulling his bow off his shoulder and loading it with an arrow.

Jungkook followed him by pulling out his army knife, "They're survivors, I doubt that they're dead." He huffed just as the group stepped out into the parking lot. There was a tiny pharmacy with barred windows and a metal cover shielding the door, "If they are dead, I'll find their bodies and bury them as they deserve."

"Why would you do that?" Jimin nearly laughed but there wasn't a hint of humor in his face, only disbelief at what he thought was a ridiculous thing to do.

"They're my family, they deserve to be buried by the people they love. Wouldn't you do the same?" Jungkook shot back just as Taehyung came to a stop and turned to look at them, clearly waiting for Jungkook to join him. And so Jungkook left Jimin to ponder over the question, to walk over to Taehyung, "Had a nice chat?" Jungkook couldn't stop the slight snark in his voice from slipping through.

Taehyung tilted his head and quirked a brow, his eyes flickered over to Jimin as he brushed past them to join the rest of his group, "Did you?" He shot back before switching to Korean, "Don't get attached, we'll be leaving soon."

"I'm not going to get attached." Jungkook huffed at the ridiculous comment and started to stomp away, only for Taehyung to grab his arm and tug him back.

"I know you." Taehyung said it with such confidence that Jungkook was forced to look at him. Taehyung's black eyes flickered over his face until they settled on Jungkook's eyes, "I know that my facade is what you are inside, just like I know your facade is what I'm inside. I know how easily you care, I know how easy it is for you to get attached to them so I'm telling you, don't."

"Do you know me?" Jungkook couldn't help taunt, feeling a bit offended that Taehyung thought he knew him so well as if he knew him better than Jungkook himself did, "You were gone for months and I changed, I've also come to realize that I don't really know a lot about you. For example, I didn't know how you learned how to throw knives but some random girl you just met knows that now. I don't think we know each other that well." Jungkook tugged his arm free and stomped towards the pharmacy, he could see the other group pound on the metal cover and wait in case a walker was in there.

Taehyung caught up to him and surprisingly, the man was grinning, "You're jealous." He teased in a whisper, immediately earning himself a sneer.

"I'm not a fucking child, I don't get jealous because you spoke to a woman." Jungkook tightened his hold on the knife and clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I'm just realising that there's a lot of shit we don't know about each other and we're not as close as I thought."

"Then get to know me." While Taehyung's voice became more serious, he still wore that smirk that made Jungkook think he wasn't taking it seriously, "Here, I'll start, what was your favorite food before the apocalypse began?" And there it was, he wasn't taking it seriously.

"Fuck you."

"Okay, okay, fine." Taehyung grabbed at him to make him stop walking, Jungkook was quick to swat his hands away and take a step back yet he stood still to listen. He silently prayed Taehyung would take it seriously this time, not make a joke out of something that truly bothered him, and thankfully, he did, "If you could reverse time and return to a moment in your life since the apocalypse began, which moment would it be?"

Jungkook was rendered speechless by the question, he combed through his memories since the start of the apocalypse - him wandering around all alone, thinking he was the only human left on the planet, him meeting Hershel in that bar that later led to him joining the group, him and the group wandering around all winter, them finding the prison, Jungkook leaving and losing Marley, him losing himself after that, then the governor and rise of the prison, building the community and Taehyung leaving every few months, Taehyung being sick and the prison falling.

"I don't have a specific moment," Jungkook began, looking away to hide how glossy his eyes had become, "I want to return to the prison, to a time when we were all together - Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, Rick, Carol, Michonne, You. That's all I want, I want to return to a time when all of us were happy and together, a family."

Taehyung forced himself to hum to give some sort of answer, in reality, he didn't know how to respond to that and his own answer now seemed a bit childish when compared to Jungkook's answer, "That's nice." He choked out and shoved his hands into his pockets, twisting around on his heel to hide the blush on his cheeks.

Jungkook's brow lifted and eyes squinted at his sudden display of embarrassment, he tried to peer around Taehyung to look at his face but the man quickly whipped his head to the side, "What's yours?" Jungkook asked, wondering if Taehyung's embarrassment was a result of his answer to the question.

"Mine isn't as refined as yours, you won't take it seriously." Taehyung waved it off and lifted a hand to scratch at the tip of his nose, turning around when his blush had gone down enough for Jungkook not to notice it.

Now Jungkook was curious and wouldn't let it go until he found out, "What is it?"

"Let me think of another moment."

"No, I want to know this one, it's making you blush and avoid eye contact." That made Taehyung finally meet Jungkook's eyes, the two stared at each other for the next few minutes - Jungkook waiting for Taehyung to speak while Taehyung wondered how he should say it, "Well?" Jungkook prompted eagerly, clearly not planning to let this go.

"It's the night we slept together."

Jungkook was unimpressed by the answer - lips thinning and eyes losing their eager shine, "Now you're taking a piss."

"You spend too much time with Daryl." Taehyung scolded him for his choice of words, trying to steer the conversation in another direction but Jungkook was still staring at him like he had taken a shit in his last can of beans, "It's not about the sex, okay? It's more about...it's about you!"

"Me?"

"That night it was like I saw you for the first time and not in the way that I saw your physical body but I saw you. Without the tough act or snarky comebacks, it was like you dropped the rough exterior and let me see a side of you that no one has ever seen before. You trusting me enough to be so vulnerable and raw with me, made me drop my own act and be vulnerable with you too. Having you so putty and soft in my arms felt like I was caressing freshly blooming flower petals. And that night was the only night since the world ended, that I forgot that there's dead people walking around. The war or the fact that we could die tomorrow didn't even cross my mind because all I could focus on was savoring the sight of you being so carefree and real. If I could go back in time, I'd pick that moment in a heartbeat."

Jungkook's breath had been knocked deep into his lungs and his mouth opened and closed in search of an intake of breath. He could see how nervous Taehyung was during the entire rant as he tried to find the right words to describe how he felt about it without making it sound crude. It was messy, it was raw and it was so beautiful that it took Jungkook's breath away and rendered him speechless. The only thing he could do was reach out, grab a hold of Taehyung's shirt, and tug him forward.

Their lips squashed together in a messy peck before Jungkook pulled back with red cheeks and still no words on his tongue. Taehyung blinked at the sudden peck, rolling his lips together to get rid of the tingles and briefly glancing down at Jungkook's lips to make sure another unexpected kiss wasn't coming his way.

"Hey!"

Jungkook and Taehyung stumbled away from each other and swung their heads toward the source of the shout. They saw Sidney standing in the doorway to the pharmacy with her hands on her hips and face blank - hiding whether she saw the little exchange or not, "We're going to be staying here for the night, you can join us or you can be on your way." Sidney called out before whirling around and ducking back into the pharmacy. The little bell on the door rang before it swung shut with a click.

"Anyway," Taehyung cleared his throat, not meeting Jungkook's eyes, "Do you want to stay or go?"

Jungkook pondered over the question and briefly eyed their surrounding area. The parking lot led out to the main road and Jungkook could see a sign saying 'Hitchhikers may be escaping inmates'. Jungkook exhaled a sigh and shoved his dagger back into its holster, "Let's stay for the night, it's going to be safer."

"Sounds good." Taehyung managed to mutter before they both began to walk towards the pharmacy, "Listen about what I said..."

"I didn't know you were thinking about it." Jungkook cut him off - voice soft and tittering on the verge of insecurity.

Taehyung peered over at him from the corner of his eye and trailed his eyes down to Jungkook's hand, it swung back and forth with each step he took and the thought of tangling their fingers together briefly flashed through his head, "I do, do you?" Taehyung dared to ask.

"I do."

"Have you...you know.." Taehyung trailed off, earning himself a curious glance from Jungkook, "While I was away, did you try with anyone else? I wouldn't judge you if you did....I mean, it's not my place to even say anything, I'm just-"

"I didn't, you're the only one." Jungkook cut him off and bit at the corner of his lip nervously before pushing out the same question - hesitating in fear of the answer, "Have you?"

"No." Taehyung's answer was immediate and carried only truth, "Just you."

They didn't say anything after that but they didn't have to, the shy smile they shared before they headed inside the pharmacy said enough. Something was blooming there and they weren't afraid to confront it.

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The crackling fire in an iron pot shed light on their scruffy faces and barely warmed their bodies. Jungkook and Taehyung sat side by side with their backs pressed into the check-out counter. They had chosen to drift further away from the group, watching them sit around the fire-pot while sharing a few words.

The longer Jungkook watched them, the stronger his longing to reunite with his own group became. He couldn't ignore how they took care of each other - Jimin eating a few spoonfuls of canned tomato soup before passing it onto Harper. And while the woman's cheeks were hollow and eyes shone with hunger, she still hesitated to take it until he pushed it into her hand. He watched as Harper ate a spoonful of the soup before trying to offer it to Isaac who refused and told her that she should eat it all. And he watched Sidney show Tristan how to unload and reload a gun, counting along how long it took him to do that so that he'd eventually become quicker.

Jungkook could see that this group was one of the good ones and there was an opportunity for them to join them but it didn't feel right. He had a family out there searching for them and he had to find them. Jungkook wondered where Rick could be, hoped that Carl and Judith were safe, prayed that Beth and Maggie were holding on after losing their father, their home, and their family so soon one after the other, he hoped that Glenn was with them, and begged the universe that Daryl wouldn't end up alone.

Jungkook shifted on the cold tile floor, wincing as needles shot through his legs from sitting in the same position for so long. He reached over to grab his backpack and zipped it open to pull out a can. He leaned back against the counter and cracked the can open, pulling the lid completely off so that he could sip the cream mushroom soup. The soup was thick and carried a prominent taste of mushrooms yet Jungkook was hungry enough not to be picky with the taste or texture.

He extended the can towards Taehyung and their fingers brushed as the older man took it. Taehyung sipped on the soup before passing it back to Jungkook, "Tell me about your family." Taehyung whispered in Korean, making sure no one understood them.

"Why?" Jungkook mumbled back after gulping down a mouthful of the soup and extending the can towards Taehyung.

"You wanted to get to know each other." The man murmured before taking a sip of the soup and placing it back into Jungkook's hands, "You drink the rest."

"You need the energy, you're still healing from the sickness." Jungkook shook his head and shoved the can into Taehyung's chest before he could release a single peep of protest, "I don't like my father, he didn't abuse me or hurt me, just ignored my existence and if he did acknowledge me he was harsh with his words. Maybe it's the distance or how much time has passed since I last spoke to him, but now when I remember our past interactions it doesn't seem as bad as I had thought at the moment. Makes me feel like I was being a dramatic teenager."

Taehyung hummed and placed the can on the floor between his extended legs, "I had a friend who kept saying hurtful things to me and about me to other people, kept leaving me out, and overall hurting me. I didn't say anything about it because I thought I was overreacting and that's just how friends are, and after each situation where he hurt me, I kept brushing it under the carpet and the more time passed, the easier it was to pretend like I was the sensitive one. But there was resentment that grew with each comment and action until I started to hate him. Then one day he hurt me so much that I could no longer turn away and all that resentment, all that shit I kept brushing off came rushing back and I realized that I could no longer do this. It was hard to cut him off because we had been friends for so long and there were good moments too but it was the right thing to do because after that I felt lighter."

Jungkook listened with rapt interest, enjoying how the words rolled off Taehyung's tongue, "The longer I spent apart from him, the more those painful emotions from those situations lessened. I don't know why but the safer and further we are from that pain, the more we want to run back to it."

"You're wrong." Jungkook denied with a shake of his head, wrapping his arms around his bent knees, "A part of me is sad that I won't see my dad again, a part of me wonders if the apocalypse is global and if he's still alive but there's a part of me that's glad that I have a new family now and that I was here when it all started because I got to meet you. If I had to choose, I would pick being here in a heartbeat, I wouldn't run back to him."

"What about your mother?" Taehyung wondered, observing the sudden flash of emotion zipping across Jungkook's face.

"She was wonderful, the world didn't deserve her but I've come to terms with whatever happened to her a long time ago." Jungkook seemed to hesitate before shakily exhaling, "All I can hope for is that it was quick."

A crease formed between Taehyung's brows, "You don't want to entertain the idea that she's alive out there?"

"I don't want to worry about the possibilities. I'd be wondering if the apocalypse is happening there too," Taehyung nudged Jungkook when the boy unconsciously switched back to English, "Wondering if she's safe or not, if she's starving or injured, if she's alone or with a group. If it isn't happening worldwide, I'd feel bad about her worrying about me. I'd drive myself mad thinking about it."

"That's fair." Taehyung hummed and tilted his head back until it touched the counter behind him. He blinked at the group in front of them - taking note of the sudden fog of tension that had encased them as Harper hesitantly stood up, grabbed Isaac's hand, and led him out of the pharmacy. Sidney's eyes lingered on the door as it swayed shut behind them with a lingering ring of the bell. And for a brief moment, Taehyung saw streaks of worry sink into her face.

"I don't think they're going to go have sex." Jungkook's words made Taehyung pay attention to him and only then did he see the younger's muscles tense and hand inch towards his weapon.

Taehyung reached out to grasp his wrist and guide his hand away, he didn't release his hand even as he laid it against his thigh. The tension dripped out of Jungkook's shoulders in small droplets, yet he still didn't take his eyes off the other group, "Act natural but stay on guard." Taehyung leaned in to whisper against the shell of his ear, Jungkook gave a quick jerk of his head and Taehyung immediately restarted their previous conversation, "The compass you carry, what's the story behind it?"

Jungkook grew stiff against Taehyung's side and he wondered if he shouldn't have asked that, that's until Jungkook parted his cracked lips and began exhaling his words as if they were as light as a summer's breeze, "I'm here because I won a competition and I got to travel to America for a year in an exchange program. When I was leaving, my Mom gave me the compass and told me that I was like a balloon, that I needed something to tie me down so that I wouldn't float away. She gave me that compass in hope that it would help me stay grounded because the needle always points towards South Korea." Jungkook inhaled a heavy breath before daring to lean into Taehyung and lay his head onto his shoulder, now it was Taehyung's turn to stiffen, "I still don't understand what she meant by that, I don't feel light at all, not light enough to float away, sometimes it feels like the world is crushing me or like it's tied around my ankle and I'm dragging it along."

"She probably saw your potential and knew you would achieve great things in your life, perhaps those things wouldn't have been in South Korea, hence the floating away, but she wanted you to know that there was always someone who loved you and rooted for you, even if she was miles away." Taehyung mulled over the thought and came up with another possible outlook on it, "Perhaps she wanted you to remember where your home is, even if you ventured out into the world."

The corners of Jungkook's lips lifted into a light smile and his heart felt like it was melting in his chest from the warmth oozing from Taehyung's theories, "Perhaps I found a new home." He breathed through a smile, brushing his thumb over Taehyung's knuckles and making the older man intertwine their fingers.

The bell on the door created a small ring and made Jungkook lift his head from Taehyung's shoulder. The door opened and Harper and Isaac came inside. Their faces were grim and dark with dread, Harper's skin had grown paler and her eyes were wide with terror. She didn't say anything as she stumbled over to the group and sat down next to her twin sister. The group noticed their expressions and a sudden flare of anxiety smothered the pharmacy.

Taehyung and Jungkook shared a glance but didn't dare break the silence by asking what was wrong. Taehyung wondered if the girl had been bitten but that wouldn't make sense, she had been so upbeat when he spoke to her and if she had been bitten just now, while they were out, the group wouldn't have known from just a glance.

Jimin cleared his throat and rubbed his palms over his jeans, he turned his head towards Jungkook and Taehyung, making sure their attention was on him before throwing out the question, "What do you plan to do tomorrow? Are you going to come with us?"

Taehyung easily took over the conversation and offered a small shrug, still wary of the heavy atmosphere, "We're not sure for now, I guess we'll see if we find a clue as to where our people could be."

Jimin nodded at that and faced Sidney, who was now staring into the fire while rubbing her sister's back, "We're going to keep circling the area, right? I'm sure Vera and Caleb are somewhere around here, we passed by this place when we reached the pond."

Vera and Caleb

Vera and Caleb

Vera and Caleb

Vera and Caleb

Those names bounced around Taehyung's head - tickling a dusted memory that was shoved deep into the back of his head. He knew he had heard those names somewhere but it wouldn't come to him. That's until he peered over at Jungkook and saw his pale face and owlish eyes. Jungkook's hand trembled in his and tried to slip away, but Taehyung managed to cling onto it and catch Jungkook's attention before he could reach for a weapon.

When Jungkook's eyes met Taehyung's, it was like the memory zipped through their eye contact. Taehyung's face dropped into a blank stare at the realization of where he knew those names, "Fix your face, act normal." Taehyung barely moved his lips, trying to squeeze the command out as quietly as he could because right now, they were surrounded by five people who were looking for their missing group members. The ones they had killed.

Jungkook swallowed the ball of spikes lodged in his throat and forced himself to relax, he masked his terror by plopping a scowl onto his face before forcing himself to lay his head back down on Taehyung's shoulder. The only thing that kept him grounded at the moment was Taehyung squeezing their interlocked fingers and the firmness of Taehyung's body pressing into his own.

Thankfully, the group still seemed to be focused on Harper who hadn't blinked in what seemed to be ages, it didn't even look like she was present at the moment - her eyes cloudy with thought and body limp with defeat. Jungkook tried to focus on what the other group was talking about but it felt like his ears were stuffed with cotton. He couldn't hear a single word they said even as he looked at their moving lips and occasional shift in their facial expressions. Jungkook's eyes drifted towards the bow leaned up against Jimin's leg, the gun Tristan was tinkering with, the machete strapped to Isaac's hip, and the gun on Sidney's thigh.

The group was so relaxed around them, turning their back to them without a care in the world, completely clueless that the two people they were trying to find were nothing more than rotting corpses lying in these woods and their murderers were sitting under the same roof as them. It made Jungkook feel like his skin was stained with their blood and if the group were to look at them, they'd instantly know what they had done. It also made Jungkook realize something, Jimin was right not to trust them without making them prove that they were decent human beings.

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Jungkook wasn't able to sleep that night, he had laid there on the filthy tile floor next to Taehyung, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the soft snores and intakes of breath around him. The group had taken turns to watch throughout the night, but they hadn't offered Jungkook or Taehyung to take a turn. Smart. They still didn't trust them and little did they know, they were right to do so because the more Jungkook's eyes burned from the lack of sleep and the more his chest constricted from anxiety, the more he spiraled into the depths of his mind.

For a brief moment, in the middle of the night, Jungkook momentarily considered grabbing his knife, slitting Isaac's throat, and then killing the rest in their sleep. But that thought was soon followed by another scenario where he didn't kill Isaac smoothly and quietly. He imagined trying to sneak up to Isaac to grab him only for the man to notice him and cause a disturbance. The others would wake up and their already simmering mistrust towards the duo wouldn't leave a hint of doubt towards what Jungkook was trying to do. They'd execute him before Jungkook could even lift his gun and then Taehyung would be left all alone and would probably be killed right after him.

As much as Jungkook didn't like it, he was left with no choice but to sit still and wait for the perfect opportunity to either kill the group off one by one or split apart and go their separate ways. Judging by how soundly Taehyung had slept, Jungkook wondered if the man had a plan or if he just didn't give a shit and thought that they would be fine regardless of how this played out.

Jungkook could no longer breathe in the stuffy room, it felt like his lungs were stuffed with dust particles and his anxiety was stomping on his chest. So, as soon as he saw the smallest streak of light spill into the pharmacy, he sat up and pushed himself up to his feet. He hesitated while glancing between Taehyung and the rest of the group, worried that they were onto them and would hurt Taehyung while he was gone but he just needed some fresh air.

Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut before exhaling a shaky breath and bending down to slip his fingers into Taehyung's pockets. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Jungkook stood back up and crept towards the door, forcing himself to meet Jimin's eyes when he brushed past the man. Jimin quirked a brow in return and Jungkook held up the cigarettes as he grabbed the door and pulled it open.

A soft ringing sound echoed through the store, followed by a wave of fresh air flooding into the room. Jungkook was greedy with his breaths, hoping it would ease his body and chase away his stress. Jungkook dragged his feet across the pavement as he rounded the store and leaned up against its side. He pulled open the back of cigarettes and stole one for himself. He placed it between his lips and shoved the pack into his cargo pants before raising the lighter up to his lips. His thumb dug into the spark wheel and flicked it on, he lit the cigarette and filled his lungs with poison.

Jungkook shoved the lighter into his pocket and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, he tilted his head back until the back of it pressed into the wall and exhaled the smoke into the air. He stared up at the sky - observing how the streaks of light broke through the darkness and chased it away with splatters of color. Jungkook lifted the cigarette to his lips again and eyed the flock of birds sailing over the treetops.

"So, this is where my thief went."

Jungkook lazily tilted his head until he was able to see a smiling Taehyung saunter towards him without a care in the world. The man stretched his arms high above his head and arched his back with a groan. The black shirt he wore lifted to reveal a sliver of Taehyung's belly and the happy trail that led up to his belly button.

"You'd be a thief's dream - sleeping so soundly. You were practically asking to be robbed." Jungkook shot back and sucked in another lungful of smoke -  the nicotine already softening his mind and making his legs weak.

Taehyung reached out and snatched the cigarette from his hand, he placed it between his lips and spoke around it, "If the thief is as pretty as you, I wouldn't be against it."

Jungkook rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning away from Taehyung when he exhaled a cloud of smoke, "Are we going to kill them or are we going to split ways?" Jungkook mumbled in their native tongue.

Taehyung gave a weak shrug and offered him the rest of the cigarette, Jungkook waved him off so Taehyung crouched down with a sigh and laid his hands over his knees, holding the cigarette between his fingers, "We'll see how it goes, can't just suddenly decide to run off, they'll grow suspicious. We have to find an opportunity before they reach that clearing."

"And if they reach the clearing before we have the opportunity?" Jungkook questioned dubiously, remembering how Jimin had commented that this pharmacy was on the way to that area.

"You worry too much." Taehyung huffed out a groan and peered up at Jungkook with a confident grin, "They have the numbers but they're weak. One of them is a teenager who can't load his gun, the other one is sick and I doubt she'd be a fighter. Jimin and Isaac could be a problem but we can take them."

"What about Sidney?" Jungkook questioned with a raised brow, not liking how confident Taehyung was about all of this.

Taehyung released the smoke he held captive in his lungs and scrunched his face, "Could be a threat, could also be nothing more than a few glares and wary glances. All bark and no bite."

"Don't underestimate them." Jungkook scolded with a hiss, capturing Taehyung's attention and finally wiping away his cocky smile.

"Don't underestimate yourself." Taehyung shot back before standing up and throwing the cigarette bud onto the ground, he stomped it out with his foot, "We're survivors, we've survived men worse than them."

The Governor and Kolten came to Jungkook's mind, he knew they had been worse but there were differences in those situations. Kolten had been alone when he fought them, Jungkook had killed him one-on-one but if there had been someone else by Kolten's side he wouldn't have stood a chance. The first time the Governor attacked them was with inexperienced 'soldiers', and while they survived his second attack, they were with their group and the burning prison provided the perfect cover to slip away unscathed.

Now they were on their own, Rick nor Daryl knew where they were or if they were alive. If Jungkook and Taehyung were to try something, they would get injured and Jungkook wasn't sure if they could heal injuries without a safe place or proper supplies. He also knew that if they were killed, their group would assume that they died at the prison or they would keep searching without knowing what happened to them. Jungkook didn't like the thought of those scenarios but he also knew that if it led to a fight, he'd make sure that Taehyung and him would live.

Taehyung and Jungkook snapped their head to the side when they heard approaching footsteps, they waited until Isaac popped out from around the corner and grumbled through a yawn, "Hey, you two, grab your shit we're about to head out." And then Isaac was pivoting around on his heel and walking back to the store.

Taehyung sent Jungkook another glance before following after Isaac. Jungkook lingered in his place, wondering if he was able to mask his thoughts or feelings from these people when he looked into their eyes or walked by their side, but quickly realized he didn't have much choice if he wanted to live. And so, Jungkook walked towards the front of the store, silently praying there would be some sort of excuse to leave in their path.

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"Careful, there's a burrow in front of you."

Jungkook paused and looked down, noticing that there indeed was a burrow there. He sent Isaac a small nod of appreciation and stepped over it.

Jimin eyed the hole in the ground with squinted eyes, "Maybe a snake? Or a rabbit? Could try to catch it." He wondered out loud, already looking around for potential clues as to where the rabbit could be.

Jungkook shook his head, "It's abandoned, if there was anything there it's long gone, possibly sitting in a walker's belly."

"There's also no time to look for prey, we find them and we go. I'm sick of traveling around with nothing permanent." Sidney piped up from behind the group, wearing a scowl as she grabbed Jimin by the back of his shirt and tugged him along.

The short man pulled himself out of her grip and sauntered forward until he was side by side with Jungkook, "You know how to hunt?" He asked eagerly, "When we were on the farm, I had nothing better to do so I went out to hunt with those who could and tried to learn, but never really got a hang of it."

Jungkook tried to not show signs of annoyance, or was it possibly fear, at the fact that the man was starting up another conversation with him, "I just had a great teacher, he knows how to hunt and track, he's great with a crossbow too." Jungkook mumbled hesitantly, noticing how Taehyung's steps slowed to listen in on their conversation.

Jimin perked up and caressed the back of his bow with his fingertips, "Maybe we'd get along, crossbow sounds more badass than a bow but both are equally as cool."

"Walkers ahead!" Taehyung's baritone voice suddenly called out from ahead of them. The group came to a stop and watched as the group of nine walkers twisted in their direction and began to drag their feet towards them, "I count nine." Taehyung stated after a moment, pulling out one of his throwing knives and lifting it over his shoulder, he waited until he had a clear line of sight before throwing the knife at the walker's skull. The knife embedded into its forehead with such force that the walker toppled onto his back, "Eight!"

Jungkook rolled his eyes and pulled out his dagger, "Show off." He grumbled under his breath.

Jimin pulled his bow off his shoulder and loaded it with an arrow - his back arched as he pulled the string back to his cheek, "Watch this and tell me if that crossbow man looks just as cool as me." As soon as he finished whispering to Jungkook, he released the arrow and let it soar through the air.

Jungkook's brow quirked as he watched the arrow slice through the air and slam into the tree trunk by the stumbling walker's head, "He doesn't miss." Jungkook snorted, earning himself a slap on the arm from Jimin.

"Fuck you, I had to check the wind." Jimin coughed, trying to hide his scarlet cheeks yet Jungkook saw and couldn't help chortle out a short laugh.

"Jimin, pay attention and kill them!" Sidney called out - voice bordering on anger, the girl stomped past them with her knife ready, "Harper you stay at the back of the group!" She called out to her sister just as she drove her knife into a walker's skull.

This started the small battle between the dead and the living. Isaac stabbed his machete into a walker's head but as he was trying it pull it back, it got stuck between the walker's skull. Isaac lifted his leg and kicked at the walker's chest until his machete came free. Tristan hesitated to join the fight until he saw a walker reaching out for Isaac, he pounced forward, grabbed it, and stabbed it into the side of its head.

An arrow whooshed through the air and hit a walker in the head, it tilted over and fell to the ground by Sidney's feet. Another walker popped up behind it and she killed it with another stab to the head. Taehyung lazily reached down and grabbed another throwing knife, throwing it only when he was done observing the group's combat skills. Jungkook didn't even raise his knife, merely watched as the other group slayed the walkers one by one until only two remained.

The corner of Jungkook's lips quirked into a small smirk before he glanced at Jimin and waved his hand at one of the remaining walkers, "Go ahead, I'll watch and tell you if you're cooler."

Jimin pursued his lips and nocked his arrow, "I'm so much cooler." He released the arrow and just as the tip slammed into the walker's eye, a scream pierced through the air from behind Jungkook.

The man whipped his head around and saw Harper trying to kick a walker away from her. It had crawled out from a pile of leaves and had grabbed a hold of her foot. Its decomposed fingers clung onto her leg and its teeth clacked together with each snap of its mouth. Harper stumbled back and fell onto her ass, her bag clicked open and a few things scattered onto the ground. The girl fumbled to grab her knife all while trying to crawl back and kick the walker away.

Jungkook lurched forward with his knife raised and stabbed it into the walker's head. He could hear the others rush towards them to make sure she was alright - Isaac grabbing her by the armpits and pulling her away from the dead body, Sidney checking her ankle to make sure she wasn't bit or scratched and Jimin bending down to pick up the things that had fallen out of her bag.

Jungkook glanced down just as Jimin reached down to grab a small box. He only saw it for a split second before Jimin had whisked the little box away but it was enough for him to see what it was. The label was engrained into his head and he couldn't deny the truth, especially when he looked at Jimin's face and saw the man already staring back at him.

A pregnancy test.

Jungkook turned to look at Harper, his eyes trailed down to her flat stomach before bouncing over to Isaac who was trying to comfort her. He felt dizzy as he lifted his hand to rub at his forehead and eventually dared to meet Tehyung's eyes. Taehyung squinted at him, trying to understand what he was trying to communicate with him, and only got an inkling when Jungkook slid his hand down to his stomach and flickered his eyes towards Harper.

Jungkook knew neither of them would be able to live with themselves if they killed a pregnant woman, so that left them with only one option - part ways with the group.

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This time the group was silent as they walked - Jungkook's mind was occupied with the thought of Harper being pregnant and them needing to find the right moment to leave, while the other group seemed to pay more attention to the surrounding area after Harper's close call with the walker.

From what Jungkook had gathered, they were close to the small pond where they had split up with Ver and Caleb. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that the clearing was nearby - Ver and Caleb probably came back and camped there in hope that the group would scour back in search of them. They were right but what they hadn't expected was to encounter Jungkook with his tracking skills and Taehyung with his paranoia.

"How'd you get split up?" Taehyung dared to ask, nearly causing Jungkook's heart to stop beating from how close he was tipping to the situation.

It was Isaac who answered, "There was a horde coming through, Ver and Caleb had gone out to look for nearby places and we couldn't stay to wait for them. We ran and came back, but couldn't find them so we started circling the area. If we couldn't find them, we at least hoped to find their bodies. We haven't yet so we think they might be alive, if we don't find them now, we'll start moving on."

Taehyung didn't answer and the conversation sizzled out. The group kept walking until they saw a break in the trees, Jimin squinted his eyes and glanced around, "I think we walked through here, there should be..." He trailed off as the group reached the edge of the trees and walked out, revealing train tracks, "...yup, train tracks."

The tracks were rusty with some parts made of wood, they slithered far into the forest without the end in sight. Jungkook lifted a hand to his eyes to shield them from the sun as he gazed at the tracks and tried to see where they led but his sight of the tracks was cut off when they started to turn to the right. What Jungkook did notice was a makeshift sign shoved into the ground with a map attached to it and something written on it. It seemed like Taehyung saw the sign too because both of them started to march up to it until they reached it.

'Sanctuary for all,
Community for all,
Those who arrive,
Survive'

Jungkook sucked in a sharp breath and snapped his head towards Taehyung, but the man was too busy looking down at the map to notice, "Look, all of these tracks..." Taehyung nudged Jungkook and pointed the finger at the map, he trailed the tip of his finger along the tracks until he reached one single point, "....they lead here."

"If they're out there and if these signs are put on every track like this, they could've seen them. They could be heading there." Jungkook mumbled and looked in the direction where the tracks led as if he would see Rick and the others walking toward them.

Taehyung nodded in agreement - his eyes lingering on the sign, not believing that it was there. He reread what was written on it and wondered if it was true. The prison had been a sanctuary and they had taken people in so it wasn't hard to believe that good places with good people could still exist, yet he knew that the wise thing to do was to cling onto a hint of doubt in case the place was no longer there. At least he knew that some of their group had probably seen this and were heading there right now, might not be all of them, but at least some.

"We should go." Jungkook broke him out of his thoughts and as Taehyung turned to look at him, he caught sight of the other group standing where they had left them.

All of them were staring at the pair, not saying a word until Taehyung sighed and walked around Jungkook to approach them. The group took a few steps forward to meet them and Sidney nudged her chin in the direction of the sign, "You're heading out, I'm guessing?" She questioned but already knew the answer.

"Our people might be there, we will go and see." Taehyung nodded, eyeing the group until his eyes settled back on Sidney, "I hope you find your missing people too."

Sidney allowed a bitter smile to graze her lips before she stepped back and hiked her bag higher onto her back, "I hope you find yours, we might go there too after we find them, so we might still see each other if that place is still standing." She then turned to Jungkook and sent him a nod of gratitude, "Thanks for killing that walker."

Jungkook nodded back to her and the woman turned around and started to walk towards the forest. The two groups shared a few smiles and nods, Harper even waved at them and wished them well, and then came Jimin who looked at Jungkook and asked the most important question.

"I'm cooler, right?"

Jungkook's eyes bulged out when the Korean language registered in his brain. He stared back at Jimin with parted lips, not able to provide an answer through his gobsmacked state. The shorter man snorted and waved at them before walking away to join his group.

"Fuck, he knew Korean." Taehyung whispered, clearly just as shocked as Jungkook was at the revelation, "Should've been racist and assumed that he does."

Jungkook shook himself out of his paralyzed state and took a step forward to call out to Jimin, "He doesn't miss!" That earned him a loud cackle from Jimin before the group slipped away into the trees.

Jungkook's shoulders dropped in a mixture of relief and sadness - realizing that they probably won't see the group again. He had grown to like at least one of them, but he knew that it was for the best because he could no longer smile and look into their eyes as if he hadn't killed the people they were looking for.

Taehyung reached out and nudged Jungkook in the arm, gesturing for them to start walking. Jungkook nodded and followed after Taehyung, hoping that at the end of these tracks, his family would be waiting for them.

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"LEAVE THEM ALONE DAMMIT THEY'RE IN LOVE"
- I say as I'm preparing to bring more angst their way

Taehyung about Jungkook whenever he gets the chance:

Nah am I delulu or am I right because I've been thinking about Taekook in this book and I think that they're the definition of 'he fell first, but he fell harder' with Jungkook falling first and Taehyung falling harder

EDIT.
Am I rushing this? Does their love feel natural? I'm so bad at writing sweet things, I'm used to angsty stuff after writing xoxo and truth or death 💀😭

Edit

I'm done with the chapter and I think it's the first time I've had so many scenes in one chapter. A new record honestly. It's only 9k words long but it feels so much longer.