“Have you ever thought about what is going on with the rest of the world?”
“Like if the apocalypse is there too, or if we’re the only ones experiencing it?”
“Yeah,” you hum. “I don’t know, it's just… what if this all didn’t happen? What if we were still living normal lives?”
Yoongi shifted beside you. He moved to lay on his side, propping his upper body up with his arm, wanting to see you better. Namjoon did the same on the other side of you. They tossed their arms around you, rubbing at your sides.
“Mmm, well for starters, we all wouldn’t have met,” Yoongi mentioned.
Namjoon nodded his head against his hand.
“Yeah, it probably would have taken me even longer to find you again. So in a weirdly morbid way, I’m kinda glad that this all happened. I have two wonderful people that I can call mine, and five other people that I consider more than just my family.”
His words made you smile. Your heart raced as he looked at both you and Yoongi with pure adoration in his eyes. The past few weeks together had been nothing but bliss, and it shows in both of your boyfriend’s faces. The complete support for your relationship you received from the other boys helped make you feel at home and loved even more.
A sharp knock drew your attention from the two boys laying beside you. Whoever it was, they interrupted your late night existential talks with your boys. You look over at the door as Jimin’s head pops in, looking around for something.
“I hate to break whatever moment you were having, but I need to talk to Y/N.”
You sit up from the bed. You turn to place a kiss on Yoongi and Namjoon’s cheeks, crawling over the latter to leave the bedroom. Jimin takes your hand, pulling you to the living room. Taehyung is sitting on one side of the large sofa. You gaze between him and Jimin, wondering what was happening. It was practically the middle of the night.
“Okay,” Jimin sat you down on the other side of the sofa. “You remember how a couple months ago we were making connections about the things that were happening before this started?”
You nodded hesitantly, furrowing your eyebrows. Jimin and Taehyung glance at each other before looking back at you.
“I think we need to go to Seoul,” Taehyung spoke.
“What do you mean?”
He quietly cleared his throat. “I managed to find a battery powered radio. And when I searched through the channels, there was somehow a weak signal on one of them. I was able to make out a few words. There was something about Seoul, and I think we need to see if there is something going on there.”
You were confused. Not at the information that they received, but rather the way they were able to find any signal at all. Of course, the information itself was surprising. After a whole year of dealing with loss of communication, there was still a way people were giving and receiving information?
“We can talk about this more tomorrow with everyone, but you were the first person we thought of telling this to,” Jimin added.
You nodded, “Yeah, let’s do that. I’m sure the others would want to know, too.”
With a short ‘goodnight’ from each of you, you head back to your shared bedroom. Yoongi and Namjoon peer at you from their spots on the bed. They have moved a little closer to each other, but left a small space between them for you to settle into.
“Everything good?”
You give Namjoon a small nod of the head and smile at the sight of them hesitant to pull each other closer. Climbing back into bed, you are pulled at the arms to land lying mostly on Namjoon’s chest as Yoongi moves to cuddle you from behind.
“Mmm,” you hum. “There’s something that we’ll all talk about tomorrow. I just am too tired now to tell you guys anything.”
You snuggle further into Namjoon, making his giggle lighty. Yoongi squeezes your torso, throwing a leg over both you and Namjoon.
“Well, I think it’s now the perfect time to sleep.”
***
Taehyung gathered everyone into the living room after breakfast the next morning. He paced the room, walking circles around the coffee table. Jimin tried to get him to sit down, but Taehyung ignored his attempts.
“Tae? What’s going on?”
You could hear the slight worry in Hoseok’s voice. It had been about fifteen minutes since he started circling the room. The others were just as worried, hoping that they could break Taehyung from the strange trance he managed to put himself in.
“This whole thing is weird,” Taehyung finally mumbled. “I mean, how is it that I was able to get a signal?”
His words sparked something within the boys. They erupted in confused chatter—Seokjin trying to ask Taehyung more questions, Jimin sighing loudly while listening to Jungkook. Namjoon and Yoongi turned to you with eyebrows raised. You swallowed the small lump in your throat, clearing it slightly. You turned to face Jimin. He sent you a plea with his gaze.
“Hey!”
Seven pairs of eyes rested on you, Taehyung pausing his pacing. Their stares left a slight chill along your skin.
“I’m sure everyone has questions. But let’s listen to what Tae is trying to say.”
Said boy thanked you with a smile. He walked over to the couch opposite of you, settling down next to Jimin. Jimin was quick to rub his back in comfort. Taehyung took a deep breath before explaining what he had told you several hours prior. Although, this time he explained it with more detail, telling the seven of you how he came about it all.
The last time you went into the city to get some needed items, Taehyung noticed the battery powered radio. At first, he thought nothing of it, passing by to find something else. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to return to the radio. He knew that there wouldn’t have been anything but static when he turned it on, but he still hoped for something—anything—to come through. Searching through each of the channels, Taehyung focused harder, trying to listen for any break in the constant static. He was about to give up, almost finished with running through all of the stations. A difference in the tone of the static towards the end of the channels caught his attention. The moment he paused, a few words were spoken out. ‘Help… bad… Seoul…’ Jungkook found him before he could hear anything else, bringing him back to the rest of you. For the next few days, he didn’t think of mentioning it to anyone. Not until Jimin mentioned something about Seoul the day before.
“So what you’re telling us is that there could be something happening in Seoul?”
“Exactly,” Taehyung snapped and pointed his finger at Yoongi. “I think we should make our way up there. See what’s really going on.”
All of you contemplated his idea. There were several things that needed to be made aware of. First of all, how were you going to get to Seoul? Although you have been on the run since the apocalypse began, you sure weren’t going to walk there. Who knows how long it would take. Also, what were you going to do if there was something there? Were you going to abandon what you’ve done so far? Is it any better than what you were left with?
“I agree with Taehyung,” Namjoon states. “If there is something going on, I think we deserve to know.”
The rest of the boys nodded their heads. You knew that Namjoon was right, but you couldn’t help think of what could go wrong.
“But we can’t go unprepared.”
“What do you mean?” Seokjin asked you.
You moved to sit on the edge of the sofa. Making eye contact with each of the boys as you spoke, you make sure they understand the consequences of what you were going to do.
“I mean, who knows what’s actually going on. If we don’t go prepared, there’s a possibility that we could all die. What Taehyung heard on the radio could have been from months ago, a year ago. An electromagnetic reaction to being turned on and tuned in after so long. We don’t know if there are living people there. We can’t just go without the proper gear, expecting it to be better up there than here.”
You watched as realization dawned upon their faces. A few of them dropped their head in thought. You felt Namjoon and Yoongi tense up beside you. Now, the heavy reality of the situation and Taehyung’s idea rested on each of your shoulders. The room was silent. The boys contemplated your words, trying to think of what to do.
“Then let’s start preparing,” Yoongi spoke firmly.
***
The next several days were hectic. Between finding a vehicle big enough to fit all of you with enough gas to get to Seoul and back, and finding and creating new weapons, you didn’t have enough time to yourself. You were chosen to be the ‘leader’ of sorts for the group. Taking much more responsibility to make sure everyone is ready, your shoulders were—metaphorically and physically—heavy. Each of the boys pulled you in one direction or the other, asking for your input and help on their own smaller projects. Of course, it would still take a while for you all to leave for Seoul, but the sooner everything was finished, the faster you could make your way there.
You sat in the gazebo. The sky wasn’t as vibrant as it was minutes before. The reds, pinks, and oranges faded into duller tones, quickly approaching the darker hues of blues and blacks. In the distance, you could hear light chirps of birds singing softly as the day becomes night. It was peaceful. A change of pace from the earlier events of the day. You relaxed your shoulders, breathing in the cooler spring night air. A gentle breeze made you zip up the open jacket on your body.
Your thoughts carried you away. Were you really doing the right thing? Are you as good of a leader as the boys said you were? You couldn’t help thinking that they made you the leader because you were out of place. The only girl in the group of guys. Maybe out of sympathy? No, don’t think like that, Y/N. There is probably a better reason than that. Right?
“Y/N.”
You jumped in your seat. Your heart picked up speed, beating a million miles a minute. You turned to see who startled you. Jungkook stood at the bottom of the steps to the gazebo. His head was tilted to the side slightly, eyebrows furrowed.
“Are you okay?”
You nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. You just scared me.”
Jungkook’s face dropped a little. A small frown made an appearance on his face.
“No, I mean, are you okay? You looked sad.”
Your smile didn’t reach your eyes. He could tell that you weren’t fine, but he kept quiet, listening as you brushed off his question.
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine. Just a little tired,” you reasoned.
Jungkook was hesitant, but nodded his head, telling you to make sure to get some rest. You watched as he retreated back to the house. He gave you one last glance as he shut the back door.
You appreciated Jungkook coming to see if you were doing alright. But his concern didn’t keep your thoughts from overcrowding your mind. Once he was gone, you returned to your thoughts. Why was it that all of them were so nice to you?
You weren’t sure how long you stayed in the gazebo. When you looked out past the confines of the structure, you saw the inky dark sky, littered with millions of stars. There were a few clouds, too. You glanced at the house. The faint flickering of lit candles illuminated several of the rooms. You sighed, knowing that the boys are still living on without a care as you contemplate every single thing in the open view of the night.
Two figures caught your attention as they stepped out of the house, a candle in one of their hands. As they crept closer, you noticed that it was your two boyfriends. Hand in hand, they walked to where you sat, hoping to bring you back inside with them.
“Hey, why are you still out here?”
You looked at Yoongi. His lips were turned up in a small smile, happy to see you.
“Eh,” you replied. “I like it out here. It’s nice.”
Namjoon threw a quick glance to Yoongi as he sat down next to you. His hand brought warmth to your thigh as he squeezed the jean covered body part.
“Are you doing alright?” He questioned.
“Yeah, why?” You turned your head to see him better, raising an eyebrow.
Yoongi spoke again. “Well you have been out here for a few hours. Jungkook came out to check on you but he told us you didn’t look okay.”
“Ah.”
You grow a little irritated at his words. Jungkook told them? You weren’t completely sure how you felt about that.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You can talk to us about anything you know.”
“Guys, I’m fine. Like I said, I just like being out here.”
Namjoon’s face told you that he didn’t like your answer. Yoongi tried to push you further.
“Y/N, we’re just making sure you are doing okay. We know that you must be stressed. If it helps, you can let us help you.”
“Yoongi, I said I’m fine. You don’t need to help me. I’ve been handling it just fine on my own.” Your voice was firm.
A collective sigh from the both of them rang in the air. A frown grew on your face, getting more irritated the longer they kept pushing you to open up to them. Namjoon timidly spoke up again.
“Baby, we’re here for you. Just let us know what’s going on in that brain of yours.”
That pushed you past the tipping point. You stood, turning to the both of them. They looked up at you with confusion written across their faces.
“I said I’m fine! What don’t you get about that? If I wanted to tell you anything, then I would have already. So stop pressuring me!”
Venom dripped from your tongue. Smoke practically poured out of your ears and nose as you lashed out at the boys. Their faces morphed into pure shock before settling into something that you couldn’t decipher.
“Okay,” Namjoon spoke quietly, his voice a mere whisper. “Let’s go, Yoongi.”
He turned away from you, making his way down the stairs. Yoongi followed him hot on his tail. You didn’t dare go after them, too uptight to do anything to stop them from leaving. The moment you heard the door close behind them, you collapsed to the floor.
You wanted to tell them, you really did. But your mind couldn’t step away from the thoughts that plagued your mind. The thoughts that made it seem like they were only there to make you feel like you were important, that they didn't genuinely want to listen to you. You sat with clouded eyes. You didn’t deserve to cry after how you acted.
For what seemed like an hour, you stayed in that position. Your legs felt numb. You decided to finally head back into the house. Pulling yourself up from the wooden floorboards of the gazebo, you made your way to the house, the dim light from the stars your only guide.
Climbing up the stairs to your shared bedroom, you felt guilty. You opened the door, mindful of the slight squeak of the hinges. The sight you saw made your heart hurt. Namjoon and Yoongi fell asleep cuddling each other. The former had his face buried in Yoongi’s chest, his arms wrapped around him. Though they were asleep, you could see how tight they were clutching onto each other. Namjoon’s hands fisted the loose shirt Yoongi wore as the latter’s hands were tangled in the other’s hair. Their bodies had curled into each other as much as they could in their position.
Lowering your head, you stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind you. You shuffled to the living room, plopping yourself on the sofa. You didn’t bother to grab a blanket or pillow, opting to curl into yourself on the cushions.
***
“Are we ready?”
You looked around the group. Your eyes avoided those of your boyfriends’, instead inspecting everyone else. A chorus of affirmations chimed among them. You curtly nodded your head, turning away from them to guide them to the main city.
Hoseok and Jimin found a truck with a spare key on a side street a few days before. They carefully inspected it, turning it on to find any faults. They told you about their find, glad that it had a fairly full tank of gas still. You decided to leave it where it was to keep as much gas as you could in the tank.
You reached the city in about an hour. The truck was where you had last left it, sitting tucked away in a small side street. It was a run down thing. One that had seen its years of use and time of neglect. It was a big four door truck, a fairly large bed attached to the back. Hoseok hopped into the driver’s seat with you sitting on the passenger side. The rest of the boys pile in, either in the cabin or the bed of the truck.
“I say we shouldn’t take the main roads. Stay on the backroads Hobi.”
He hummed, starting up the vehicle and pulling out of the alley. He kept a slow pace, wanting to draw as little attention to you as he could. The boys in the bed—Jimin, Yoongi, and Jungkook—were prepared with their weapons in case something were to happen.
It was weird. After walking everywhere for several months, riding in a vehicle again felt foreign. It brought you back to your time in The Sanctuary; going on raids, small trips into the city. It reminded you of the last time you were there. When you drove up to the torn down gate. When you left the safety of the truck to see the path of destruction left by the most cruel humans you never wanted to meet.
Hoseok’s hand settles into yours. You turned to look at him, but he kept his eyes forward, focusing on driving around any obstacle on the road. He squeezed your hand, knowing that you set your gaze on him.
“I know what you’re thinking of,” he murmured.
You shied away, choosing to look out the window instead. He read you like an open book. Though you have to admit, he has done that your whole life. There was rarely a time that he didn’t know what you were thinking about.
“You don’t need to worry about that happening again, alright? I- we won’t let that happen.”
Hoseok knew just what to say to you. His words—and the emotions he laced it with—showed you how much he cared about you. You relaxed slightly. Of course, you still had your worries, but you know that they will try their best to keep it from happening again.
You squeezed his hand back, causing him to glance in your direction. You silently thanked him with a small smile. He returned it, bringing his focus back to the road.