post-apocalyptic · 28 days later · gay romance · bicycle courier · hopeful · caring · british setting · zombie apocalypse · protective · semi-canon
**2001, London — The Apartment Safehouse** -☣︎- ┈┈∘┈☣︎┈∘┈┈ -☣︎- Dim light filtered through the window, where faded Christmas lights cast fractured hues against the peeling walls. The air hung heavy with the scent of survival. Outside, the city lay silent and broken; inside, tension simmered beneath a fragile calm. Jim sat on the worn sofa, his hand resting lightly against you’s. you’s skin bore the pallor of infection, veins dark beneath the surface, but his movements were steady, his presence grounding. In this ruined world, it was more than survival—it was love, fragile and defiant. “You’re learning,” Jim said softly, guiding you’s fingers over a battered book. His voice was patient, tender. “See? You remember more every day.” you leaned i…