Chapter Text
They rushed into the shed, the door quickly shut closed behind them. Victor managed to lock the door just in time before the heavy thud of a human body smashing against it could be heard, followed by the sickening groans of the zombies that chased them.
They took a short moment to catch their breaths. Exhaustion was even more evident on Victor as he had been the one to keep watch during last night. They’ve been running for a while, after getting surprised by a small group of zombies during their last raid on a house in search of some much needed supplies. But places to hide were scarce around here, and so they had to make do with the first opportunity they got.
“Are you okay?” Yuuri asked with a glance at Victor’s injured leg. Thankfully, there were no bites. A zombie nearly got him, knocking him down, but Victor had managed to get away, although not without some scrapes and bruises. He’d limped the rest of the way, but adrenalin must have been high enough to ignore any pain and continue without slowing down too much.
“I’ve been better but…” he paused, still needing to catch his breath. “We’re alive.”
Yuuri bit back a comment on how long that would remain to be true. They were in a small shed with a dozen zombies pounding against the door and no other exit. And to cap it all, Victor’s only weapon, a katana he’d found by a dead body two weeks prior, was still stuck in the upper body of one of the zombies out there.
There wasn’t even a proper window, the only light came from a small hatch near the ceiling that was way too small to fit through. They were trapped in here and they both knew it.
It seemed hopeless.
Yuuri clenched his fists and lowered his head. This would be it. The end. They would die, right here in this shabby cabin that would yield under the continuous weight the zombies put against it. Slight panic started to settle in his chest and the fear of impending death slowly enclosed his heart with its cold claws. He would die. Victor would die.
Somehow, the thought of Victor’s death pierced his heart more than thinking about his own death. The outbreak had started in Japan. It had been fast and brutal. Other countries had more time to prepare for it, but Japan was overrun while the government and military were still in shock and disarray. If only Victor had stayed in Russia…
“It’s my fault. You’re only here in Japan because of me,” Yuuri let out, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence.
Victor gave him a slightly incredulous look before he got closer, their body heats mingling together, and cupped his face in both hands, angling their faces so that they were looking right into each other’s eyes.
“Yuuri,” he said his name firmly while his thumps drew small circles over Yuuri’s cheeks. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that I will never regret coming to Japan. Becoming your coach was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Yuuri felt the tears prickling at his eyes. After everything, this man still stood so sure and confident in front of him. As if they weren’t trapped in a shed with no way out. Tentatively, he reached out, winding his arms around Victor’s shoulders.
It would be cliché but… if this really was his last moment with Victor, if this was his last chance to get his feelings across properly, he needed to make good use of the remaining time they had. Before the outbreak, he’d like to think that they had more than enough time to take it slow and see where their relationship would go. But in this moment, his feelings for Victor seemed to overpower him and whatever reservation he had in the past, right now, there was only one thing he had to say.
“I love you,” he said, only to hear the same words echoing back from Victor’s lips. They’ve said it at the same time.
Despite everything, Yuuri couldn’t keep the chuckle forming in his throat from escaping. Victor followed shortly after, and together they kept on laughing at how absurd this whole situation was. At one point, their foreheads came together and their laughs died slowly down, yet they stayed like this, close and comfortable in each other’s arms, with small smiles still playing on their lips.
Their moment was abruptly interrupted by a loud cracking sound. They both looked over to the wooden door. It wouldn’t hold for much longer. They had not much time left.
“We have to fight through them. There’s no way around it,” Victor said, stepping away from him.
Victor was right, of course, but Yuuri couldn’t shake off the flair of disappointment. Yuuri looked around the shed. Not much was left. Someone else must have already looted the more useful tools but some were still some scattered on the ground. Yuuri grabbed a spade while Victor took hold of a hand hoe and a trowel. Not the best makeshift weapons, but they would have to do. It was still better than fighting barehanded.
The door was budging threateningly. The zombies would be through any moment now.
“Ready?”
Yuuri gulped. No, he wasn’t. But there was no other way. They had to make it out of here. Now that he knew exactly where he and Victor stood and that the kind of love he felt for Victor was mutual, he couldn’t give up. Not without a fight. And, damn it all, he wanted to continue where the zombies had interrupted them so rudely.
He nodded. And while he cast one last look at Victor’s face and took one last moment to admire these crystal blue eyes he loved so much, the door burst open.