Author: holographic-chogi
Pairing: fem!reader x skz
Warnings: minor sexual content, swearing (courtesy of Changbin), mentions of abuse. Please let me know if Iâve missed anything!
A/N: Hehe Iâm back folks. I havenât had a ton of time to write lately itâs been a little difficult getting chapters out. That being said, I always appreciate the support. Weâre getting VERY close to the end, so you guys better strap in for the rest of this ride!
Summary: a virus has wiped out most of humanity, and society has collapsed. People survive in groups where they live in constant fear and a struggle to survive. Women were the primary victim of the virus, leaving few behind. You are one of the few, kept in secret since the beginning. However, youâve just been caught.
As soon as you heard Minhoâs call from outside, you burst from Changbinâs arms, practically racing out the front door and onto the front lawn. You distantly heard the screen door swing open behind you, but you paid it no mind as you made your way to the front gate. Seungmin had already began questioning whoever it was on the other side.
Your heart thudded, and you paced behind the wooden wall, wishing that there was some way to look through. Was it Jiho? It had to be, right?
Suddenly, you heard his name spoken from Seungminâs lips.
You didnât hear the strangerâs response, but you saw Seungmin and Minho nod to one another, before instructing Felix to open the gate from below.
You kneaded your hands together, chest burning with a thousand emotions at once. Was it him? Would he be happy to see you?
But your thoughts stilled as soon as the gate lifted.
He stood there, with the early morning sun behind him, lighting him up like an angel. His hair had grown in a little bit, delicately framing his fox-like eyes. The eyes you had been dreaming of night and night again.
When his eyes landed on you, his smile showed brilliantly. âY/N.â
You couldnât stop yourself, you dashed forward, practically launching yourself into his arms. When he pulled you into him tightly, all of your emotions erupted. Sobs shook your body as you mumbled his name.
âY/N, itâs okay. Iâm here.â
You pulled away from him to get a better look at his face. He had a new scar along his left eyebrow and temple, and his face was thinner than before. You pouted, face still wet with tears, tracing the scar with your finger. âWhat happened?â
He chuckled, âhappened back at the cell block.â
You froze in his grasp. The cell block. Where he left you.
He seemed to notice your change in demeanor, setting you down and taking a deep breath. âWe have a lot to talk about.â
You grimaced inwardly when you heard Changbin snarl from behind you. âBy that, you mean you have a lot to explain.â
Chan sighed. âIgnore him.â He gestured to the rest of the farmhouse group, who had all gathered around you. âDisperse. Give these two some time to catch up.â
Jisung opened his mouth to protest, but Felix swatted him, and pulled him away with the others. Your eyes lingered on Changbin, who simply narrowed his eyes at Jiho before making his way inside.
Leaving just the two of you, in the front yard. You looked back at Jiho, wrapping your arms around yourself. âLetâs go sit by the barn, it has low foot traffic this time of day. Felix probably tended the animals already this morning.â
Jiho nodded, following your lead towards said barn, âYou really seem to know this place well.â
He didnât see, but your gaze turned sour. âI should. After all, Iâve been here for weeks. Months for all I know.â
You heard him falter in his footsteps.
Once the two of you settled in beside the barn, a silence overcame the two of you. You felt your chest contract. You were so happy to see him earlier, but you couldnât deny the anger beginning to creep in.
He sighed. âShould I start at the beginning?â
You simply nodded, keeping your eyes trained on the ground.
âWhen I left you in your room-â
âYou mean my cell.â You interrupted, failing to hide the bitterness in your voice. Where was this anger coming from?
âY/NâŚthat was your room. Donât act like it was just some cellblock to you.â
You nodded, feeling a prick of guilt. âSorry. Youâre right. Keep going.â
He cleared his throat. âWhen I left your room, during the alarm, I meant to cause a distraction. Once they were diverted, I was going to come back and get you.â
âDid the distraction not work?â
He shook his head. âActually, it worked too well. I barely made it out alive. The dark-haired one with the shitty attitude got me real good with a machete.â He gestured to the scar on his face.
You looked up at him, failing to remain emotionless at the thought of him getting injured. Despite this, you continued your interrogation. âBut why didnât you come back?â
He looked down this time. âI couldnât. I was out of ammo and the remaining group members were gone. AndâŚâ He began to trail off.
âI knew they wouldnât hurt you. I knew youâd be fine with them because they have that law against killing women.â
This was a lot to take in. You suppose you couldnât blame him for that. It was practical, and he was right. But part of you was upset that he had left you at all. âWhy didnât you come get me sooner?â
He frowned, âI didnât know where they were located. Only the higher-ups in the group knew. I had to work my way up and gain authority to get here.â
You guessâŚthat made sense.
The two of you sat there, in the grass, for hours. Catching each other up on your respective stories as the tension seemed to melt away. Things started to feel normal, and comfortable again.
Jihoâs laughter was interrupted by Felixâs warm voice behind him, âHey you two, dinnerâs ready. Itâs the pheasant from last night. Minhoâs cooked up a feast.â
You smiled and tugged on Jiho excitedly, âLetâs go! Youâre not gonna believe how good the food is.â
The lot of you sat around the table, a new chair pulled in to seat Jiho. You sat between said man and Seungmin. Truth be told, you were glad it was one of the less touchy members. You would have a hard time explaining Felix or Jisungâs dinnertime antics to Jiho.
Minho proudly laid the last dish on the table as everyone finished settling in. It was the pheasants. Minho seemed to notice the lingering gazes, and proudly announced the dish. âI present to you, Pheasants. Roasted with wild honey, in a cream sauce, courtesy of Toes the cow.â He flashed you a mischievous glance, âAnd pheasants, caught courtesy of Y/N and Hyunjin.â
As everyone began to dig in, Jiho turned to you, tone accusatory. âYou went hunting?â
You gulped, âY-yeah. Just outside the gates.â
Hyunjin spoke from left side of the table, âSheâs amazing at it too.â He winked, âalmost as good as me.â
You prayed you were the only one to notice Jihoâs eyes narrow at Hyunjinâs wink. You scanned the table, noticing Minhoâs hawk-like gaze. Guess not. Hopefully he understood Jiho was just a bit on the protective side.
Jiho shook his head, âYou shouldnât be hunting. Too dangerous.â
Hyunjin caught your gaze, sending you a âwhat the hell is up with this up with this dudeâ look. You looked back at your plate trying to hide from the situation. It hadnât occurred to you how different Jiho was from the others, and how odd it may come across. He was just a tad bit more controlling, thatâs all. He just wanted whatâs best for you.
Changbin scoffed. âSheâs a big girl, Jiho. She can do whatever she wants.â
Jiho cocked an eyebrow, meeting Changbinâs challenge. Competitive as ever, apparently. âShe still needs protectionâ
Changbin smirked, âShe can do more than you know, buddy.â
You could practically feel the rage radiate from Jiho, and you began to panic.
Chan cleared his throat, attempting to change the subject. âSo, how did you two meet? If you donât mind my asking.â You sighed in relief.
Jiho took a bite, before leaning back in his seat. âIâve known her since she was young. Her older brother was my best friend growing up.â
Woojin chuckled, âI bet you have all kinds of embarrassing stories for us. What was baby Y/N like?â
Changbin spoke before Jiho had the chance, âThey werenât friends until after the Virus.â
Jiho chuckled, but you could tell he found nothing about it funny. âSounds like you could tell this story for me. Whatâs your name again?â
âChangbin. And by all means, keep telling. Donât let me stop youâ
Jiho crossed his arms in distaste, but nevertheless, continued. âOnce the virus hit, my parents passed away, and so did Y/Nâs mom. So her brother offered that I join them.â
You started to zone out. You knew the story already, you were more interested in Minhoâs dagger-like stare towards Jiho. What was he noticing this time? The man had always had a keen eye.
ââŚ.until Y/Nâs brother passed away. Leaving the two of us.â Jihoâs voice was distant. You hated this part.
Felixâs voice was thick with concern, âWhat happened?â
Jiho took a deep, labored breath. âIt was a group of thugs we encountered. I barely got out alive myself.â
Hyunjin shook his head sadly, âPeople were so aggressive when everything began.â
Changbin crossed his arms. âThat must have been terrible. Whyâd they shoot?â
âThey were patrolling their territory, and caught us on their territory while we were hunting. We didnât know any better.â
Honestly, you werenât even listening. You were way too distracted with the look of realization in Minhoâs eyes. It scared you. It scared you even more when he leaned over to whisper something to Changbin, who in turn whispered back to him.
What the hell were they whispering about?
As dinner grew closer to itâs end, things got quieter. The others (well, most of them), had done a good job putting on a happy face, but as the night continued, the impending doom of what was to come was beginning to set in.
You were going to leave. And you may never see them again.
Wordlessly, Seungmin grabbed your hand under the table. He usually wasnât the touchy type, but you could tell tonight was an exception. He was gonna miss you. You were gonna miss him too.
Seungmin muttered quietly, unheard by Jiho who was busily wrapped up in conversation with Chan. âIâm gonna miss those nights. The ones with you and Minho up on the lookout perches late at night, all the gossiping and deep talks beneath the stars.â He smiled fondly, âIâm even going to miss cleaning up after your shenanigans with Jisung and Woojin.â He chuckled, âWhere did you even find all those wrappers? Thereâs no way you guys could eat that much.â
You gave his hand a gentle squeeze. âOne day, when all of this is over and the world is back to where it used to be, youâre gonna have to send me a picture from space.â You smiled, feeling a lump in your throat, âI want a picture of the cassiopeia constellation from inside the ship. Got it?â
He nodded, âYes maâam.â
The table was eventually clear of plates, but no one moved from their spots. The group wasnât ready for what was to come. However, to everyoneâs surprise, Minho spoke up, âY/N, Changbin, could you two help me with dishes?â
Everyone around the table looked confused, but Changbin sat up quickly, âSure thing. Thatâll give the rest of you guys time to get things packed up.â
Uh oh. He had his determined face on.
While everyone filed out, Jiho lingered in the doorway for a moment, seemingly unwilling to leave you alone. âHurry up, okay?â
You nodded, before turning back to the remaining two men in the kitchen. âMinho. Changbin. What the hell is going on with you two?â
Both of their faces were deadly serious, and Minho spoke first. âY/N, youâre not gonna wanna hear this, but somethingâs off about Jiho.â
You cocked an eyebrow, âwhat is that supposed to mean?â
Changbin spoke next, âThe way he looks at you. The way he looks at us when we look at you.â
Minho nodded, âHe talks about you like he owns you, and the way he looks at you scares me. Itâs almost like an obsession.â
You scoff. What the hell were these two talking about? âHeâs not obsessed with me. Weâre just close.â
Changbin continued. âAnd youâre different around him too. Quieter.â He grimaced, âSmaller.â
Smaller. You didnât care for that comment.
Minho continued, âYou let him talk for you. That hunting nonsense? The Y/N I know wouldnât let someone talk down to her like that.â
You were pissed. So what? Your relationship with Jiho was justâŚdifferent. That didnât mean itâs bad. âGuys, you donât have to approve of Jiho. You may not like him but heâs my family.â
Changbin gaze grew grim. âWe arenât finished. Were you listening earlier, when he was talking about your brother?â
You shook your head, âNot really. You two were being obnoxious the whole time, it was distracting. Not to mention, I know the story.â
Changbin nodded, âYouâre brother was killed by a crazy stranger over some food, right?â
You nodded, âand Jiho came back to the house without him and told me what happened. We didnât even get to bury him.â
Minhoâs eyes went wide with shock. âChangbinâŚyou were right.â
Your eyebrows furrowed, âRight about what?â
Changbinâs gaze was angry, âThat isnât what he told us at dinner. It was a completely different story.â
Minho clenched his jaw. âHe took a long breath before telling the story, the kind someone takes to buy time.â
You shook your head, unwilling to hear any more, but Minho continued.
âHe made it all up on the spot.â