-Last man standing-
Livingston
01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50
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     A finger nudged at a sleeping Taehyung's cheek and was immediately followed by a hushed whisper near his head, "Tae, wake up." The finger was back but firmer this time - cruelly tugging Taehyung out of his fragile sleep.

His eyes fluttered open yet the darkness of the night made it feel like they were still glued shut. His eyes began to droop once more, only for the finger to return, "What?" He snapped and tried to sit up on his elbows.

"I want to show you something."

Taehyung lazily turned his eyes towards the source of the voice and found Jungkook peering at him over the edge of the bunk bed, "In the dead of the night? Feels like you want to take me out for one of your hostage trips." Taehyung yawned and tried to lay back down, only for Jungkook to reach over the railing of the bunk bed to tug at his shirt.

"Get up, I want to show you something I found." Jungkook's voice became whinier at Taehyung's lack of excitement and eagerness to follow him, "I know you don't sleep so get up."

"Coming, coming." Taehyung gave up with a groan and finally sat up, his eyes briefly flickered toward the door of their cell. He could see stray strands of moonlight shimmering through the barred windows of the prison, "Couldn't this wait till the morning?" He complained as he crawled down from the top bunk.

"No." Jungkook shot that down and started dragging Taehyung out of the cell as soon as his feet touched the ground, "You once told me you wanted to read Unwind by Neil Shusterman but couldn't find it anywhere, so I wanted to try and find it." Jungkook rambled into the silence of the prison as he dragged Taehyung down the metal steps and into the tombs beneath, "The prison has a library, it's small but it was worth checking it out first before venturing out there."

"You found it, didn't you?" Taehyung murmured fondly, stumbling after Jungkook and pausing when the younger stopped to turn on a flashlight.

"Shut up, you're ruining my story." Jungkook scolded before jumping back into his story on how he found the book, "I forgot the name of the book so many times I had to write it down on a paper, and after a while, all the titles seemed like the right book that by the time I found the right one, I checked like twenty times to make sure it was the right one. I was actually tempted to read it myself after all that hard work."

"Did you?" Taehyung questioned with a curious lilt to his voice.

"No." Jungkook's dark curls swayed as he shook his head, he paused and released Taehyung's arm to push the library door open and slip inside, "Figured since I put in all that effort to find it and you wanted to read it so badly, why not read it together?" He then stopped in front of the desk in the library and shone his flashlight onto the book sitting on the table, "Ta-da!" He sang and whirled around to face Taehyung, beaming at him with so much pride.

"Thank you, Jungkook-ah, I appreciate it." Taehyung smiled softly, reaching out to trail his fingers along the cover of the book, "Actually, I found something for you too, it's back at our cell though."

"What is it?" Jungkook perked up and leaned forward to peer at Taehyung's face.

"I know you were running out of paper for your beautiful drawings, so I got you more and I even found you more pencils, colored ones too." Taehyung lifted the book off the table and pressed it into his chest before taking hold of Jungkook's hand with a smile, "Let's head back, I'll give you your pencils and then we can read together."

"Thank you." Jungkook bit his lip as he felt his cheeks heat up and belly melt into warm goo.

The pair wandered out of the library and down the hall, as they rounded the corner that led back to their Cellblock, a flash of light smacked them in the face. The pair came to a halt and lifted their hands in front of their eyes to shield them from the bright light. The person carrying the flashlight lowered it and as they opened their eyes to look, they found Rick and Tyreese staring back at them.

"What are you doing?" Rick questioned with easily noticeable relief, the Leader let his shoulders relax and his posture ease at the sight of their familiar faces.

"Nothing, just wandering around." The words slipped from Jungkook's mouth before he could think too much about them. Taehyung snorted yet kept quiet, only offering a shrug and a smile when Rick turned to look at him.

The leader eyed them, even glanced down at the book Taehyung carried and then at their connected hands before exhaling a sight and waving them off, "Don't come here alone at night, we still haven't sealed off the hole. Tyreese worried that a walker or a person had come inside, he could've shot you. You're lucky that there aren't any walkers inside." Rick mumbled the last sentence, sending a pointed glance down at their bare feet.

"Would be stupid to shoot before checking what you're shooting." Taehyung commented with a greasy smile.

Tyreese glanced at Rick before clearing his throat, "I would've checked."

"Regardless," Rick waved him off and stared at the duo for a few more minutes before jerking his head into the direction of their cell block, "Go."

"Aye, aye." Taehyung loosely teased as Jungkook dragged him past Rick and Tyreese, and led him towards their cell.

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Gentle fingers brushed along Jungkook's forehead and swept a stray strand of hair out of his face. His nose scrunched as the fingers trailed over his cheek and tickled his chin. He tried to swat the hand away and burrow deeper into the crook of his elbow, only for the fingers to return and tangle inside his dark lock.

"Wake up, Jungkook-ah, I want to show you something." A deep, velvety voice oozed into his ears and warmed his chest. The flutter in his stomach lured a smile onto his voice, causing the voice to grow lighter and more fond, "Wake up, sweet thing."

"No." Jungkook mumbled through barely moving lips, humming when Taehyung's nails scratched his scalp and trailed down to curl around the back of his neck, "The more you do that, the less I want to wake up." Jungkook spoke through a yawn before finally peeling his eyes open.

He was greeted by the sight of Taehyung lying on his side next to him. His head was leaned up against his curled fist and his other hand was tangled in Jungkook's hair. A smile soaked in warm honey painted Taehyung's lips and a gloss of fondness coated his black eyes as he peered down at him. A halo of sunlight was placed on his head, making his hair appear as light as melted milk chocolate.

"You're beautiful." Jungkook exhaled, savoring the sight of the dark lashes outlining Taehyung's foxy eyes, the roundness of his nose, and the biteable flush to his cheeks. His eyes trailed lower and he was greedy as he drank in his sharp jaw, the beauty marks scattered along his face and the softness of his lips.

"Thank you." Taehyung's lips parted to release the words he held captive in his chest, "Come, I have to show you something." He helped Jungkook sit up and led him towards the window they had entered through.

When Jungkook peered through it, his eyes widened and lips parted at the beautiful sight. In the dark of the night, they hadn't noticed that there was an open field behind the barn, and behind the field, the trees parted to reveal the rising sun on the horizon. The early morning brought fog, it settled in the tall grass and left behind traces of dew that shimmered like diamonds in the sunlight.

The sunrise was absolutely stunning with the melting sun being positioned right between the trees. It shed its honeyed light onto the earth below and as the sun made contact with the sky, it melted into vivid colors that began to drip onto earth. Orange swirled with red and then tangled together with light pink. The swirls of color dared to reach out to brush against the fog gliding through the field and gave it a soft purple tone.

"With everything that's happened, sometimes I forget how beautiful nature can be." Taehyung's words were accompanied by a puff of smoke from the cold morning air.

Jungkook couldn't tear his eyes away from the sunrise, and didn't even dare to blink as he murmured his reply, "I wish every morning could be like this, it feels so serene." The morning with the sunrise, the fog, and the brisk air felt like he was being cradled in his mother's arms, being soothed after everything that had happened.

"Maybe one day, for now, moments like these are enough for me."

Jungkook's eyes gravitated towards Taehyung and he found the man already looking back at him. They gazed at each under, allowing the honeyed glow from the sun to melt against their features and leave behind a trail of gold on their skin. Their bodies moved on their own and before they knew it they fell into one another like two remaining puzzle pieces finally clicking together. Taehyung's hands found their rightful place on Jungkook's jaw and Jungkook's clenched against Taehyung's chest.

Taehyung used his thumb to tilt Jungkook's head up, their noses brushed and breaths puffed against each other's lips before they pressed them together. They stayed like that for a second or two before moving their lips. With their hearts thumping in sync and bodies pressed together, they held their entire worlds in the palms of their arms and enjoyed the tingles zipping through their lips and down to their toes.

Jungkook's belly swooped when Taehyung's thumb pressed into his jaw and fingers caressed his cheek. His breath stuttered against his lips before Taehyung swooped in and slipped his tongue past Jungkook's lips. Their tongues tangled together, exploring and appreciating, flicking and nudging before slipping away to press their lips together. Just as Jungkook dared to tug Taehyung even closer, a loud bang and a rattle of a chain echoed through the barn and made them jump apart.

They were still panting as they turned to look at the locked doors of the barn, when no other bangs followed, they turned to each other and shared a look. Jungkook licked his lips and tried to ignore how plump and red Taehyung's lips looked. He couldn't look away from the man even as Taehyung broke their eye contact to spare a small glance at the view outside.

What finally caught Jungkook's attention, was watching as Taehyung's face fell in slow motion. Tension sunk back into his features and made his brows crease, the smile he once wore was knocked away and replaced by a sour scowl and the fondness that used to gloss his eyes was chased away by a forlorn look of confusion. Jungkook tore his eyes away from Taehyung and looked outside, only to be greeted by the sight of walkers stumbling through the fog and across the field towards the sunrise.

They were scattered across the field and there weren't that many for them to be nervous - they could either let them pass through and stay holed up in the barn until they were gone or they could use the distance between each walker to run. But that would cause them to lose energy and then more supplies in the long run, so the better option would be to stay here.

"We should.." Jungkook began, only to be cut off by Taehyung pushing himself away from the window and marching over to the window placed above the door. Taehyung walked along the loft until he reached the front of the barn and peered outside - Jungkook's confusion only increased when Taehyung hissed a curse and rushed back to him in a panic, "What is it?" Jungkook wondered as he watched Taehyung shove their stuff into the bags and throw him his once it was clipped shut, "Tae, we can wait them out."

"It's a herd." Taehyung's reply made Jungkook stiffen before he quickly pulled his backpack around his shoulders and checked his gun for bullets, "They're going to tear the barn down, we have to go while we still have room to run. I'll go first to cover you." Taehyung threw his legs over the window and began to descend the ladder.

"Wait, no, you're injured, dammit, Taehyung." Jungkook hissed and pulled out his knife, placing it between his teeth as he started to climb down too. The ladder trembled under their weight and Jungkook worried it would either snap in half or completely fall.

As soon as Taehyung's feet touched the ground, he pulled out his knife, whirled around, and stabbed the first approaching walker he saw. The walker fell and Taehyung immediately latched onto another, stabbing and shoving two more until Jungkook was safely on the ground. The pair didn't waste time to start running across the field away from the main body of the approaching herd. A walker was in their path and Taehyung slammed into it with his shoulder, throwing the walker to the ground and giving them room to rush past it without fighting it.

They reached the edge of the forest and Jungkook dared to glance back, what he saw made his determination crash to the ground and fear spike in his chest. What seemed to be hundreds of walkers stumbled through the forest one after the other, they reached the barn and couldn't even evade it because of how dense the herd was. They just slammed into it, some of them were squished into the walls, causing loose nails and planks to tear away their rotting skin, some even tore away the planks and left behind new holes. The barn was shaking and looked as though it would crumple to the ground any second.

The walkers that had heard and seen them escape were already stumbling after them with growls echoing from their throats. The stray walkers heading toward them would attract more and more until eventually the entire herd would shift direction and head toward them. They would pick up even more walkers along the way and the horrifying part was that the walkers didn't tire while Taehyung and Jungkook did.

Eventually, they'd run out of breath and their legs would grow so weak they wouldn't be able to take another step forward, their throats would burn for water and their minds would be hazy enough to not fight against the walkers closest to them. Their saving grace would be another, more stable building that wouldn't crumble from the herd breezing through, but they didn't know the surrounding area. They didn't know where they would find a building like that or if they would stumble across one.

All they could do was keep running and hope that they did.

But as they continued to dash through the forest, it felt like the herd was encasing them from all sides because Jungkook could hear their growls echo through the woods as if they were hunting them. When he turned his head to the side, he was always met with a walker or two stumbling towards them fifty or so meters away. Jungkook swung his head away and focused on Taehyung running in front of him. The latter's head would occasionally swivel around as if in search of a potential way out of the situation, he would even look at Jungkook for a split second to make sure he was still behind him before continuing to run with his eyes locked onto the forest ahead.

As Jungkook took his next step, his shoe slammed into a root that had grown out of the ground. His body flew forward and he hit the ground with a yelp - scraping his palms and tearing his jeans apart. Taehyung immediately whirled around to run to him but Jungkook was quick to jump to his feet and shove him back into a run. They kept running even when their lungs burned and legs ached, even as their heads began to pound from the lack of oxygen and their tongues slowly dried out, they kept running despite their bodies begging them to stop because they knew better - if they stopped, they died.

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The prison had been a lie, the entire apocalypse had been a lie. When it had begun, Jungkook had worried about the walkers and what they were capable of, believing that they were the real threat of this world. As his new life progressed, as he met Rick and others along the way, Jungkook's belief had shifted and he had started to believe that the real threat was humans. His fear of walkers had become nonexistent, believing that the walls keeping them apart no longer made them dangerous, believing that they could be killed with an easy stab to the head and he shouldn't worry.

It had been a lie he told himself and now he was brutally thrust into reality. His legs trembled with each slam of his feet against the ground and it felt as though his feet had fallen off along the way while they ran because he could no longer feel them. His lungs squeezed so much that he was starting to wheeze with each breath he exhaled, his mind felt numb and his thoughts were scattered just like the herd chasing them. He couldn't even see properly, the world before him looked as if it had put on a blur filter.

Sweat leaked down his face and back, drenching his shirt and hair. The bag he wore felt like it weighed tons, Jungkook was tempted to tear it off and abandon it, even though they'd be left without half of their supplies. He didn't know if he could last much longer, his body was giving up on him and Jungkook didn't have it in him to fight against it.

As he rushed past an oak tree, his legs tangled in a berry bush and he went crashing to the ground. His fingers dug into the dirt and he tried to push himself up but he didn't have it in him to fight. Before he realized what was happening, the body of a walker fell to the ground behind him and then a pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him out of the brush.

Taehyung's face was flushed and drenched in sweat as it hovered in front of his own, "Get up, we have to run." Taehyung urged - voice laced with panic at the fact that Jungkook wasn't moving. His eyes flickered over Jungkook's head and then over to the treeline to eye the approaching herd, "Get up, get up, get up." He hissed and wrapped his arm around Jungkook's waist to heave him up to his feet.

"We have to...we have to do...something." Jungkook panted and shifted his numb legs forward, allowing Taehyung to drag him after him.

"Baby, if you didn't notice, there's a herd around us and no buildings near us, I don't understand what you want me to do." Taehyung pushed out through a scowl, his eyes were wide with adrenaline and whizzed all around them. He pulled his hand away from Jungkook's waist and interlocked their fingers instead before ripping Jungkook into another run.

"There has to...be something." Jungkook gasped between breaths, trying to control his breathing and not succumb to his exhaustion, "I can't do this...for much longer."

"Then I'll carry you." Taehyung snapped back, causing Jungkook to flinch for a second before he gathered himself and continued to run.

Jungkook swallowed the ball in his throat and whispered softly, "You can't carry me, you'll grow exhausted and they'll catch up to us."

Taehyung's hand tightened around his, yet he continued to run and drag Jungkook, "I don't understand what you want me to do, leave you?" He spat out the words as if they were venom on his tongue as if the mere thought of them repulsed him.

"No, but-"

"Hush, I hear something." Taehyung cut him off and listened to the sound in the distance. It was the sound of water crashing together and whipping down a stream. Taehyung quickened his pace and practically sprinted through the forest towards it with Jungkook stumbling after him.

The sound of rushing water increased with each step they took until they breached the edge of the forest and stumbled upon the river. The water was harsh as it shot forward and slammed against the shore, its waves enveloped the rocks in the river and threatened to tear them down. The river looked deep but thankfully there was an old wooden bridge leading across. The bridge was overgrown with moss and vines, it shook with each wave that hit it and in some places, the wooden boards had broken off and left holes behind.

Taehyung tugged Jungkook forward and ran towards it, they ran past a rusted metal sign that warned about the dangerous river but didn't pay it much mind because there were more dangerous things after them. They stepped onto the bridge and the old thing began to tremble from their weight and footsteps.

Taehyung knew that the bridge wouldn't completely stop the herd but it would cause a lot of them to fall into the river, their weight would also potentially break the bridge apart and make it difficult for them to pass, it would also slow them down enough for them to escape.

A loud crack, followed by a yelp met Taehyung's ears before the hand he used to hold Jungkook's was ripped back, and Taehyung was thrown off-balance. He toppled and slammed into the ground on his side. Taehyung snapped his head up and froze when he couldn't find Jungkook anywhere on the bridge and instead saw a large hole where he was supposed to be. Taehyung's hand was stretching into the hole and the edge of a wooden plank dug into his inner bicep. Taehyung tightened his fingers and exhaled in relief when he felt Jungkook's fingers between his own.

Taehyung grunted as he crawled forward, all while trying to resist the weight of Jungkook's body trying to pull him through the hole too. He peered through the hole and was met with Jungkook clinging to his hand while dangling above the river. The boy looked panicked with his wide eyes and trembling hands, "Tae." He exhaled shakily and lifted his other hand to grip onto Taehyung's wrist in case his sweaty hand slipped from Taehyung's hold.

Taehyung responded with a grunt, unable to form a single word as he started to pull Jungkook up. His arm screeched in protest - muscles shifting and threatening to snap from the weight. His chest felt like it was being squashed against the wooden planks and the broken wood pieces stabbed into his skin - leaving behind scratches and even splinters. He lifted Jungkook a few centimeters higher before his arm gave up with a huff and Jungkook fell back down.

Taehyung's chest slammed into the wooden bridge once more, he released a guttural shout as he started to pull him up again. As he pulled, Jungkook tried to reach out to latch onto the bridge and just as the tips of his fingers brushed against it, Taehyung's grip loosened and Jungkook fell once more. He couldn't stop himself from releasing a sharp gasp and immediately grabbed Taehyung's hand with both hands.

"Fuck!" Taehyung shouted in raw frustration and terror. The sound of growls breached his ears and Taehyung swung his head up. His face dropped at the sight of the first few walkers stumbled out of the forest towards them.

Taehyung's face scrunched when he felt the cut on his palm open up and stain his bandage red. Sadly, Taehyung had chosen to use that hand to hold Jungkook's hand and now blood was oozing out and dripping down his fingers, making it harder for Jungkook to cling on. The boy tightened his grip on Taehyung's hand, panicking when the blood stained his own fingers and his grip kept slipping because of it.

Taehyung's face crumbled and tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, he blinked them away and exhaled a slow breath, reaching down his other hand to grab Jungkook, "One more time, baby." Taehyung whispered with a hint of resignation.

When Jungkook looked at him, he could only focus on the acceptance on Taehyung's face. That's when Jungkook realized that he wouldn't be able to pull him up and Taehyung knew it too. He realized that Taehyung wouldn't let go and would keep trying, even as the herd reached him and tore him apart. He had realized and accepted that this was the end. And as Jungkook watched a vein pop out on Taehyung's forehead, as he watched his arms bulge and his throat construct from a guttural yell, as he watched his next attempt to pull him up, Jungkook recognized how this could play out and he knew what needed to be done.

"Let me go."

Taehyung froze and snapped his eyes at Jungkook, staring at him with so much disbelief and pain, "No." his face clamped shut and he gritted through his teeth, tightening his hold on Jungkook's hands.

Taehyung, just like Jungkook, could hear the walkers dragging their feet against the wood on their way towards them, "Let me go, Taehyung." Jungkook spoke calmly, trying to fight away the panic threatening to spill into his voice - panic directed at the walkers reaching Taehyung and him not defending himself, not himself. Jungkook swallowed the lump in his throat and l loosened his grip before completely letting go.

Taehyung was quick to latch onto Jungkook's hands to hold him up and for the first time since he'd met him, Taehyung started to scream at him, "I won't let you go! Don't you get it! I can't! I won't! So just...just keep holding on." Tears sprung to his eyes and Taehyung couldn't stop some of them from falling, his lip trembled as he glanced between the walker that was about to reach him and then down at Jungkook.

"It's okay, I'll find you." Jungkook whispered and tore his hand out of Taehyung's injured one, he then reached up to dig his nails into Taehyung's wrist before tearing his other hand away too.

A gut-wrenching scream tore through Taehyung's throat and his body jerked forward to try and grab Jungkook as he began to fall into the river. The boy slipped between his fingers and Taehyung could do nothing but watch as Jungkook hit the water and the waves swallowed his body until he could no longer see him. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he couldn't force his body to move, could only stare down at the water - feeling his body become numb with the realization of what had happened.

A hand latched onto his shirt and the stench of rot invaded his nose. Taehyung pushed himself up to his feet and kicked the walker away before whirling around and running off the bridge. His hand brushed against the side of the bridge as he jumped off it and started to run along the riverbank, following the river's flow. His panicked eyes flickered along the surface of the water in search of Jungkook but all he could see were hostile waves mocking him as they lapped at the rocks and whirled forward.

"Kook!" Taehyung screamed so loud his vocal cords threatened to snap, yet he didn't stop shouting after the boy as he ran after the river, hoping that he'd catch a glimpse of his lost lover, "Jungkook!" Taehyung's scream pierced through the air and was carried through the forest, it caused a flock of birds to rise in the air and a walker to lift itself off the floor.

As Taehyung rushed past the walker, the thing reached out to try and grab him, only for Taehyung to ram into him with so much force the walker went flying to the ground. Taehyung didn't bother stopping and kept running along the river, he didn't care if the herd was following after him because at that moment he recognized the danger Jungkook was in.

The water was too fast and harsh for him to get out safely, it could knock him into rocks or pull him into a whirlpool until he lost consciousness and drowned. There could also be walkers hiding beneath the water that could take a chunk out of him and then Jungkook would die a slow painful death and Taehyung wouldn't get to see him in time to say goodbye. The probability of Jungkook getting out of the water with no help was low and if Taehyung turned his back to the river and left, he could be dooming Jungkook to die.

And so he kept running, kept calling out his name, and with each echo of Jungkook's name, with each minute that passed where Taehyung didn't see Jungkook resurface somewhere, his voice began to crack and his vision blurred from tears. Taehyung shoved away another walker that stumbled into his path and with the next walker, he ripped out his knife and started to stab it.

He reloaded all the anger, frustration, fear, despair, guilt and grief into stabbing the walker until his skin was painted dark with reeking blood and he could no longer be bothered to lift his hand. Taehyung's knees slammed into the ground as he fell, he caught himself with his hands and glared down at them - despising them and himself for not being able to pull Jungkook up. He sucked in a shaky breath and choked on a sob, he tilted his head up and stared at the river in front of him, praying one last time that Jungkook would pop up and he'd be able to pull him out and carry him away.

The seconds ticked by and the river continued to flow without a thought spared on the boy it had consumed or the man grieving by the riverbank. A weight crashed down on Taehyung's chest and squeezed his lungs until he could no longer inhale a breath. His body crumpled until his forehead was pressed into the dirt. He wheezed, trying to fill his lungs with air as tears continued to fall down his cheeks and his lip trembled from the pure agony he was feeling.

He choked and choked until a sob tumbled past his lips. His chest opened up and he couldn't stop the flood of sobs from tearing through his body. Taehyung was left all alone with his self-loathing and grief, exhaling his bleeding heart's pain in the form of gut-wrenching cries.

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An actual representation of me writing the sunrise kiss scene:

An actual representation of me writing the bridge scene:

Me by the end of the bridge scene, writing Taehyung's breakdown:

Me realising Taekook are separated and it's time for some 'character development':

Yall probably: