What's Eating You? 1/2
The sky was dull with overcast and air that smelled like ozone, even if it had yet to rain. Junsu sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, feeling it protest, moaning and groaning so loud, the people outside the room could probably hear it- which was a feat in itself, because their recording room was soundproof. Yoochun groaned and playfully smacked his butt.
“You should go get food before one of us dies and the remaining two have to resort to cannibalism.” He said, slurring his words together to get his point across: He was starving. They all were.
“Where the hell is the manager? He won’t pick up his phone-“ Jaejoong was frustrated. They had been in this damn room for four full days, only leaving to go to the bathroom which was just down the hall. He punched in the buttons of the older man’s number and held the small, expensive cell phone to his ear,
Their manager had left a few hours ago, to restock on food, but now here they were, song finished, manager nowhere in sight with the promised delicious, tasty, mouthwatering-
He growled as he harshly slammed the phone down on to the table, effectively startling the duo lazing on the black, fake leather couch.
“Junsu, run down to the corner café and get some snacks. And coffee, lots and lots of coffee.”
“Why me?” Junsu whined, trying to shrink back against the plush couch.
“Because I’m oldest and I said so.” Jaejoong explained, pout forming on his thin lips. He reached into his pocket as Junsu solemnly stood up, groaning about ‘unfairness’ and ‘unjust reasoning’. “Quit that, here.” He tossed his new wallet to the fumbling younger man, who perked right up at the thought of not having to spend his own money.
He bid them a quick farewell, scurrying out of the room, fueled by his now loud stomach somehow knowing it was about to get food. He sighed as he pressed the button on the wall to signal the elevator, tapping his foot in habit as he waited for the doors to open.
Once inside, he leaned against the back panel, enjoying the quick ride by himself. He walked out when the doors opened again, but stopped short as he surveyed the main lobby.
The room was almost bare to begin with, but it looked like a tornado had come through- the two tables that had once been pressed against the opposite wall were broken and lay by the front door, or what was left of it, as it was now hanging to the side, supported by only one hinge intact. There were loose papers, newspapers, compositions, lyrics, strewn across the dirty white tile. All the chairs were tipped over, some even broken, and the light was flickering overhead, busted glass lying helpless on the ground.
What on Earth had happened here? And where was everyone?
He stepped cautiously around the dangerous hazards until he got to the door, his eyes widened as he slowly leaned his upper body out the opening, scared gaze now taking in the condition of the outside world. The streets were littered with dirt and trash, lone cars were collided and turned over, giving the definition of ‘reckless’ a whole new meaning.
The outside of the surrounding buildings had countless smashed in windows, large piles of glass in every corner.
He couldn’t see a single person. Anywhere.
He released a dry chuckle, mind working overtime to try to explain the frail scene right in front of him. This was a joke, right? A stupid joke that the guy’s had pulled on him- Jaejoong had given a lousy reason to make him go get food; maybe he had planned it all.
But, why? No, that didn’t make sense. Jaejoong wasn’t that cruel.
Was he dreaming? Or a hallucination? Yes, that had to be it. He quickly shut his eyes tight, counting to ten in his head. They snapped back open, only to be met with the same scene. What was going on?
His first instinct was to head back up to the studio and either try to forget about what he saw or convince Yoochun and Jaejoong that what he was observing now was real and that they should come see.
He shook his head- there was nothing to be afraid of, right? He would just go down to the corner, pick up some random snacks, and then high tail it back here. How hard could that be?
As if on cue, he heard a low growl in the distant, almost causing him to slip as he shrunk back quickly, heart pounding. What the hell was that?
He gulped and stayed still for a bit, trying to calm down the rapid beating in his chest. It was silent afterward, too silent, but he concluded that turning back now would result in being called a coward by the duo several floors up.
He steeled himself and nodded. He quickly stepped out onto the sidewalk, and quickly plugged his nose with his thumb and first finger. It hadn’t been that strong inside the building, but in the open, it hit like a ton of bricks. Why did it stink so badly? His now wide eyes glanced in all directions before he started his way downhill, destination becoming closer, making his body begin to relax.
Junsu tensed again when he stopped in front of ‘Timeless’, senses on high alert. His body shook as he squinted his eyes, even though he knew it was useless. The remaining windows were tinted, and there was enough glass broken for him to survey the entire café. He cautiously opened the door and stepped in, not even surprised by the chaos and broken furniture.
He quickly but silently made his way over to the counter, thankful that the display case hadn’t taken a single scratch. He walked behind it and ducked down, not wanting to be seen by anything that may be lurking outside. He grabbed the largest to-go bag that they had and began to fill it with a few pastries, muffins, and bagels. It wouldn’t be very healthy, but they were beyond hungry and he didn’t think that the remaining men in his group would care.
He also picked a few of the premade sandwiches, ones that hopefully hadn’t been sitting out for more than a few hours because of the meat and cheese.
Junsu looked up and cursed silently. Why did the drinks have to be on the other side of the damn store? He took two more sturdy bags and confidently stood up, even though his body was severely shaking. He tip toed over to the now non powered display and soon had a bag full of tea cans and soda bottles, a few water bottles as well, double bagged for extra precaution.
He poked his head out once more and was happy to find that nothing scary and/or dangerous was lurking about. He visibly sighed and thanked whoever was listening that he was not met with…what exactly? He didn’t know nor did he have the guts to go root around and find out.
Unfortunately, that person had just given him false hopes because he started to hear the pitter patter of feet beyond the building he was headed to. He sped up and was halfway to his safety point when he saw…people! There were people, walking…very slowly. He tried to make out their faces but regretted it immediately. His instincts took over and he yelled in fear, which was a stupid defense mechanism as it had gained the attention of the seemingly lifeless crowd not even thirty feet away. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, past the café and down another street, cursing his building for being at the corner- there would have been no way he could have made it inside with those… things right there.
He hugged the bags to his chest and turned down another corner, chest tightening as he had a mini-heart attack from the hand that had grabbed his arm and the body pressed against his own. He thrashed about but stayed silent because loud noise would draw attention to him and his attacker.
“Calm down-“ A familiar voice said, and his body went still.
“Y-Yunho?” He whispered, tears pricking the corners of his eyes, emotions once again kicked into overdrive from fear and relief, the strong arms around him protecting and comforting him, just like the old days-
“Junsu? Oh thank God you’re still you.”
“What, what do you mean?” His mind was in a rush, trying to process that Yunho was really here, finally, and the thought of what could have happened and what was happening and what were those things from earlier-
“Calm down Su, I know how you are. Stop thinking- it’s going to be alright. I will explain later, but for now we need to be quiet. They’re coming this way.” He backed them up into a corner, trying to blend with the shadows and become seemingly invisible to whatever was out there. Junsu shut his eyes tightly, trying to play it off as just a nightmare.
His stomach cramped and his eyes snapped wide open as it begged for food loudly, seeming to echo in the silence of the alleyway. His face flushed and he met Yunho’s confused gaze before a couple loud groans were heard just at the corner.
“Shit-“ Yunho took his hand and they both dashed around the other corner, Junsu feeling like he had to explain himself.
“That’s why I’m out here; Joongie made me go get food!” He cried, berating himself for catching the weird people’s attention. They circled back around but stopped short as they encountered a group of seven pale men creeping toward them.
“Stay behind me.” Yunho said simply, and pulled out two guns from his brown belt holster that Junsu had not noticed before. He cocked the two weapons and unloaded a rain of bullets into the lifeless looking bodies. It would slow them down, but not kill them for good. Where was-
Junsu shouted again as a hand brushed the back of his shoulder. He whipped around and screamed louder as he was met face to face with the soulless yellow eyes of the pale, rotting man that looked just like the rest of the people walking around.
He flinched and pressed against Yunho’s back, leg swinging up to kick the bluish man in the chin. It only served to crack his neck, head now awkwardly turned, chin pressed against a rotting shoulder.
There was suddenly a large slash straight through the man’s middle, and he fell in two pieces to the pavement.
Junsu’s gaze looked from the now sliced man to the tall, smirking man who had stood behind him.
“Thanks for starting the party without me, hyung.” He said, mock disapproval hidden only by sarcasm.
“Changmin.”
He didn’t look much different from before, minus the blood and other things soaked into his clothing and matted hair. The lean magnae gave a curt nod to Junsu, a smile hidden behind tired eyes. Junsu exhaled, relief filling his veins seeing both of his brothers again and alive. However, that moment was cut a bit too short.
“Come on guys, now isn’t the time to be reminiscing!” shouted Yunho from behind, unloading two more bullets into a ghoul’s visible brain. Immediately, Changmin grabbed Junsu’s collar and started running towards the oldest member.
“I parked the car over here!” Yunho took another shot before chasing after the other two as they made the next turn into another alley. Sure enough, there was the black van that Yunho and Changmin had been traveling in since their promotions started up again.
“Downsized I see?” gasped out Junsu, trying to keep his breathing in check regardless of Changmin’s tight grip on his shirt. Yunho scoffed while Changmin rolled his eyes.
The trio dashed out the alley, Changmin stopping abruptly at the passenger door, and Junsu slamming into him.
“Holy shit…” breathed Changmin, eyes falling onto the large group of shambling bodies heading their way. Maybe he shouldn’t have left the car on.
Junsu couldn’t even fathom what was going on anymore. “Where are they coming from…?”
Yunho slid across the hood of the car to get to the driver’s side. “In the back, dumbass,” huffed the youngest, and Junsu had to hold back a firm slap to the back of this kid’s head. He hopped into the back as ordered and made sure to lock both doors. A few more gunshots went off as Changmin fell into his seat due to the length of his weapon. Yunho practically rolled into the vehicle and shifted right into drive.
“You’re not going to run them down are you?” asked Junsu, eyes wide, locked onto the horde before them. There had to be at least twenty of them. Changmin cocked a brow at leader. Yunho shrugged. He slammed on the gas pedal.
Yoochun was beginning to become irritated, trying to block out Jaejoong’s pacing near the door. He’d been going at it for about thirty minutes now.
“Jae…” started the baritone. Ignored. “Jaejoong hyung.” Ignored again. Yoochun threw the first thing his hand grabbed. Fortunately for Jaejoong, it was an iPod.
“What the hell, Yoochun!” the older man glared at his friend, rubbing his head.
Yoochun merely shook his head. “Junsu’ll be right back so stop freaking out.”
Jaejoong bit his bottom lip and crossed his arms against his chest. He fell silent for a while, staring at the door and then to the floor. Yoochun went back to messing with random keyboard keys. “I wonder if this is what Yunho did, pacing in front of the door, waiting for us to come back…”
Yoochun looked out the corner of his eye at his band mate but didn’t say anything.
“Just a thought…” Jaejoong flipped open his phone again and dialed Junsu’s number. It went straight to voicemail. He sighed and began to pace again.
Yoochun forced his fingers down on a few keys, creating a cacophony in his earphones. “Hyung, will you stop doing that--!”
The studio went dark. The power was out.
“W-what just happened? Did the power just go out?” asked Jaejoong, flicking the light switches.
“Damnit,” hissed Yoochun, pressing down hard on the keys again, creating another ugly symphony. Thank goodness for batteries. “This place is so freaking cheap-“
A bang resounded off the door and Jaejoong ran to the other side of the room in seconds, stationing himself behind one of the couches. Yoochun shot him an incredulous look.
The bang turned into rapid knocks and a fidgeting doorknob shortly after. A small shout followed.
“Someone’s really impatient, geez.” Yoochun stood up from his bench seat and walked over to the door. He shook his head at the older man poking his out from behind the furniture, eyes round and scared. More impatient sounds came. “Coming, coming!” He reached for the doorknob and twisted, pulling it open, “Junsu will you calm the hell down-“
Black hair filled his vision as said person took the baritone to the ground, and they both collapsed on the hard floor in a heap of tangled limbs.
“Junsu!” yelled Jaejoong, jumping up. Yoochun groaned miserably.
But his words went unnoticed to the younger as Junsu screamed over his shoulder, “CHANGMIN HURRY UP!”
C-Changmin…? Jaejoong’s body deflated, vision zoning in on the door. “Changmin?” A ghost of a whisper fell past his lips. It couldn’t be…
A bean pole of a man stumbled into the room, as tall as the ceiling itself, hair raked to one side and sticky, and blood smeared across his chin and oozing down his clothes. “Yunho hyung, come on!” he screamed through the door, and it snapped Jaejoong back to reality.
“Yunho…?” Jaejoong’s voice was still invisible to everyone and everything. Yoochun was stilling lying on the floor, mumbling profanities.
Gunshots sparked off in the corridor and a ghastly sound, a mix between a wail and a groan, filled the hall before a soft thud was heard. Footsteps, quick and hard, got louder as they approached the studio, and a Jung Yunho came flying through the threshold. Changmin rammed his body up against the door, shutting it close with a slam.
Jaejoong stood quietly, confused at the current situation as Junsu, and two other men who he hadn’t seen nor talked to in weeks, months (it felt like years almost) rushed to block the door with a couple of file cabinets and a desk.
Changmin flopped on one of the couches while Junsu constantly apologized to Yoochun, helping him off the ground.
Yunho puts both of the guns back into his holster and when he looked up, the first pair of eyes he met were Jaejoong’s.
“You’re covered in blood,” the oldest said.
A couple of hours had passed; Junsu, Yunho, and Changmin were in fresh clothes, free of other people’s blood, and Jaejoong had finally been calmed down by Yoochun. The oldest was kind of quiet, but a small smile graced his lips as he randomly picked at Changmin’s hair. The youngest wouldn’t say anything though.
They sat in a circle on the floor in the dark, minus a lamp in the center along with their snacks. Junsu and Yoochun played amongst themselves, trying to jack food from one another. After a while, Yunho berated them for being so immature, but the laugh in his tone made everyone think otherwise.
It almost felt like old times again. Almost. A zombie outbreak was pretty absurd to them even though there was more than enough evidence to say otherwise. Junsu had to explain that their manager was lying at the bottom of the staircase and he didn’t look too lively. They were able to reach a few family members, but Changmin’s and Junsu’s were unreachable. Jaejoong managed to keep their spirits up.
“Who knew it’d take some kind of freak apocalypse to bring us back together like this…” said Yoochun, looking down at his bag of chips. The mood rolled into a hint of awkwardness, but nothing too serious.
Not until Changmin broke out into light sobs and sniffs. “God, I want to punch you guys in the face so bad.”
Yunho rubbing the magnae’s lower back while Jaejoong ran his fingers through Changmin’s hair.
Eventually, Junsu and Yoochun crawled over and they huddled together as five, under a dim yellow light.
Night had already fallen by the time Yunho opened his eyes to a moonlit room. He sat up slowly, body aching from sleeping on the floor. Behind him, Yoochun and Changmin were rolled into their own balls, heads connected at the tips, long gone into dreamland.
“Hey, stranger.”
Yunho looked up to find Jaejoong sitting up on the couch, awake as well, and gently playing with Junsu’s locks as the latter had his head comfortably resting against the older male’s thighs.
“Hey…” responded Yunho, smiling at the scene. It brought back a few fond memories.
“Couldn’t sleep?” asked Jaejoong, pausing when Junsu shifted in his lap.
“Uh, yeah, you?”
Jaejoong shrugged. “Too much to think about.” Yunho nodded in understanding.
For the first time since their unplanned reunion, a comfortable silence fell upon them. It was fate; they knew it. They knew they’d meet up again as five someday, but not this soon nor with zombies. Honestly, Yunho had expectedly them to be in their 30s, with families and done with their military service. Done with all the drama. Just living as Kim Jaejoong, Jung Yunho, Park Yoochun, Kim Junsu, and Shim Changmin, and not Hero, U-know, Micky, Xiah, and Max. Simple lives.
Guess fate had other plans for them.
But of course, in this kind of predicament, Yunho couldn’t deny that he’d rather spend it with his family or with these four guys right here, and he wouldn’t put it past the others to think the same.
“How have you guys been doing anyway? I heard the new album,” grinned Yunho.
Jaejoong’s expression was mildly surprised. “Oh-I-thanks… I enjoyed yours too. Honey Funny Bunny,” he sang, smiling. Yunho flushed but laughed nonetheless.
“Thanks…”
“…We’re managing. It sucks right now, but somehow, we’re managing…”
“Sorry,” Yunho said quickly.
“It’s not your fault, Yunho. It was never your fault or Changmin’s.” Jaejoong frowned. “Don’t ever think that it was…”
“I could have stopped you from leaving-“
“No you couldn’t.” Yunho didn’t argue with that because he knew Jaejoong all too well. The force that backed him was impenetrable. “It was inevitable…”
Yunho sighed heavily. “It’s hard.”
Jaejoong chuckled bitterly. “It is, but we have to stay strong right? That’s what we do best. We don’t give up. We’re strongest when we’re together, whether physically, emotionally, spiritually, are we not, leader?”
Yunho smiled at the other, then at Junsu who continued to move around again. Restless Junsu was still as restless as ever. Jaejoong grumbled at the person in his lap. Yunho turned around to see Yoochun still sleeping but with his mouth open and Changmin facing towards the back of the couch this time.
“We’re Dong Bang Shin Gi…” he said.
“Huh?” spoke up Jaejoong, and Yunho faced him again. “Did you say something?”
Yunho waved him off. “It’s nothing.”
Jaejoong watched him for a few seconds before deciding that he needed to get more sleep as well.
Junsu didn’t know what had woke him up- the sun streaming through the large blinds or his bladder tickling his stomach, desperately needing relief. Maybe he shouldn’t have drunk all that bottled green tea the night before. But Yoochun had dared him to gulp the remaining bottles; what else was he supposed to do, admit defeat? Never.
He yawned and sat up, noting the two oldest huddled beside him, Jaejoong’s right leg tangled with Yunho’s ankle. He smiled. Now that the missing pieces were back, there was no way Jaejoong would let them leave, even if they wanted to break away once more.
But, no, they had been the ones to break away, to pave their own way. Junsu’s arm unconsciously reached out and he trailed his fingers down Yunho’s side, watching as the older man shivered slightly from his touch. He rested his palm on his waist, enjoying the heated skin hidden underneath his hand.
He had missed him. Both of them. Terribly.
His hips shifted and he snatched his hand away, suddenly realizing his now renewed need for the bathroom. He glanced to the door and groaned softly. The barricade was still intact-
He got off of the couch and walked over to Yoochun, the slim form curled up awkwardly on the hardwood floor. His foot poked at his back and with getting no response, he crouched and tugged at the older man’s shoulder, his eyes roaming over his exposed collar bones and the hidden muscles he knew by heart hidden by his skin.
“Chun- wake up.” He shook harder, fingers itching to move upward, run through his messy un-brushed locks, in desperate need of a trim. An annoyed gaze brought his attention back to that flawless face, one of his cheeks burned red from the pressure of it being cradled in the crook of his elbow as a makeshift pillow.
“What do you want? If it’s before ten in the morning, I’m going to slap you so hard.”
Junsu’s lips morphed into a perfect pout. “I-I have to pee.”
Yoochun stared up at him, blank stare accompanied by the thin line of his mouth. “I think we’ve established that you’re old enough to go to the bathroom by yourself, Su.”
“But. All the stuff is in front of the door. And I can’t move it by myself. You’re the reason I have to go anyway!” He harshly whispered, fist hitting against a bony shoulder.
“I didn’t make you drink all that tea.” Another punch and Yoochun rolled his eyes. “Fine, stop it. Move.” He pushed Junsu out of the way as he sat up and it took them about five minutes to inch the furniture away from the door with as little noise as possible.
Yoochun stuck his head out, eyes squinting to see movement in the darkness. He reached back to take Junsu’s wrist and guided him down the hall, toward the bathroom. He didn’t need his clumsy best friend to run into the wall and make a scene.
It turns out he needed to go too, all the anxiety rushing through his blood stream as his mind wandered to think of how in the hell did they get into this situation, reduced to sneaking around to not attract what? Fucking zombies.
He zipped his fly and coated his hands extra thoroughly with lavender soap, suddenly having the urge to take a nice long bath, let the burning water scorch his sensitive skin. He knew Jaejoong always disapproved, he had seen the disappointed gaze sweep over his flushed naked flesh too many times to count.
“Yoochun, you okay? Staring at the mirror isn’t going to wash the soap off your hands faster.” Junsu’s soft voice and whisper of words interrupted his thoughts as his eyes met the younger man’s through the reflection above the sink. His eyes roamed the bold outline of a strong jaw, plump lips, up to those tear drop shaped almond colored eyes full of question. He glanced back to his hands and rinsed them off, taking the offered paper towels from the man standing beside the door.
They set off quietly down the hall, back to the studio, when Junsu stopped in his tracks beside him.
“Su, what-“ Since their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Yoochun could see the look of absolute terror on his best friend’s face. His body started to shake and his right hand reached for the baritone’s own, shuffling slightly against him, in fear.
The older man looked ahead and could see the reason. Carnage littered the space near the stairwell a few yards from the studio door, their temporary safe haven. The hallway was filled with the stench of rotting flesh, only now noticeable because of their heightened senses and wide awake bodies. They could even see the bullet holes that Yunho had imprinted into the sickly looking flesh.
He heard a few gasps of breath beside him and he glanced down, seeing the wild look in Junsu’s eyes, the harsh intakes of air- shit.
“Don’t do this Junsu, not now, please.”
But it was too late. Tears poured down his face as the weight of their situation crashed down over his trembling body. His lungs refused to take in air as his thoughts ran a mile a minute, gory images blocking out anything that could penetrate as a distraction. He gasped for precious air, but his body refused to take any in.
Yoochun quickly pulled his arm and led the resisting man toward the mass of decaying bodies, toward the closed door of their safety room.
They crashed inside, and it was a wonder that they didn’t wake anyone. The baritone shut the door tightly and locked it, having no time to reset the barrier of furniture as his arms were full of a sobbing twenty four year old.
He vaguely saw Yunho raise his head from Jaejoong’s shoulder and begin to get up from the couch but Yoochun just shook his head and continued on, through the threshold of the recording studio, soundproof walls taking in the majority of Junsu’s vocals as his wails bounced off the dark painted wood. He kicked the door shut with his foot.
The older Korean grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed down until his butt was seated firmly against the plush leather stool. He shook him gently and rubbed his clothed back, trying to comfort him.
“Come on Junsu, breathe. Everything is going to be okay, please just breathe. You’re turning pale- fuck.” Yoochun became desperate and did the one thing he thought he would never do.
He kissed him.
His warm pink lips collided with Junsu’s icy pale ones and his hands grasped the panicking boy’s now sweaty cheeks, lightly rubbing to return some of the color to the almost white flesh. He gently bit Junsu’s lower lip before he pulled away, their foreheads coming to rest together as Yoochun looked into Junsu’s still terrified gaze.
But this time it was different. Junsu finally took a breath of sweet but startled air.
“W-why did you do that?” His voice was a vast contrast from a few seconds ago, words hoarse and heated.
“I needed to get you to calm down.”
“Oh, and you thought kissing me would calm me down? Your logic sucks. Big time.”
“You can think in depth later. But for right now, I need to kiss you again.”
Yoochun leaned in slowly, giving his best friend an ample amount of time to pull away. When he didn’t, the baritone’s hands cradled Junsu’s jaw in his palms and their mouths met once more, a low moan sounding from Yoochun’s throat already. Why hadn’t he given in and kissed Junsu before the zombie apocalypse?
His tongue slid over Junsu’s bottom lip and as the soft whimper, the slippery appendage darted into new territory, exploring the sweet unique caverns of Junsu’s warm mouth. The nerves on his tongue soared and tickled as a new taste shot his senses with electricity.
He backed off a bit, hands sliding down and around Junsu’s slim waist, resting on the small of his back. The younger man’s ankles twisted around Yoochun’s knees, the older man’s thighs resting against the black cushion of the elevated seat.
He swiped his tongue over the roof of his new lover’s mouth before retreating, soft pants of breath escaping his parted lips.
“Just focus on me.”
Junsu raised his head to lock eyes with his best friend, allowing him to guide his body off of the chair and to the floor of the recording studio.
Clothes were shed, bodies were heated, low moans and keen whimpers were lost against the soundproof plaster surrounding them, and sheer bliss took over the senses of the two new lovers on the ground. One of Yoochun’s hands slid down Junsu’s spread arm to clasp their slim fingers together while his other sneakily traced random patterns on his best friend’s exposed midriff before dipping into the small space that separated skin from fabric.
Yoochun continued to lead him into the embraces of ecstasy and passion.
And Junsu didn’t think about zombies for the rest of the night.
PART TWO