{Graying Skies}
It was the end of the world. A global pandemic had struck the human race and had killed thousands of people in a mere day. Now, Humanity was going haywire. Soon after the news arrived in various countries, a wave of suicides had hit newspaper headlines, counting well over several million people. Cities were evacuated or quarantined, and riots broke out frequently. New York City was no different from the rest.
Once a bustling place where business and connections flourished, it became a ghost town after a hospital nearby held an infected patient who escaped into the city. Bodies littered the streets, some fresh, some rotting, and some just bare skeletons, eaten by the rats who normally hid in the city's sewers, but were tempted out by the scent of corpses. Not all of the bodies had succumbed to the disease. Some of them were victims who had been trampled in the great stampede of citizens trying to escape. Here and there, white bare bones stood out in the graying landscape. The skeletons of police, doctors, children, adults, animals, all of them mingled together without differentiation, There were some who had survived the first wave of the disease. A small handful of survivors that were scattered around the city, unable to access radios, communicators, telephones, or even each other.
There was a pair who had lived in the same apartment building, even before the disaster that struck the world. Both males, one had messy brown hair and eyes that shone like emeralds, and the other had a two toned haircut, and golden eyes. Their parents and families were gone, lost forever somewhere in the mass graves of bodies and corpses. They had started out as high school friends, and then grew into something more. Something that made everything seem brighter, no matter what hardships they faced.
From that time on, they had supported each other the best they could, but they could tell... No. They knew. Everything good had to end. Eren, the emerald eyed boy, laid on the bed in their cramped living space, staring at the ceiling. He knew. They were starting to run low on food, and all the places they had sacked in the beginning were absent of sustenance. Nothing was left, unless they turned to cannibalism.
Of course, neither were willing to do that. Not only was it inhumane and would destroy what little sanity they had left, it would just pain them both. Despite allowing the other to live for a bit longer, the one surviving would go mad with guilt for sure. Not only that, but what sort of life was it to live in a cursed, diseased world all alone? So, that was obviously out. No options were left.
Sighing, Eren got up and grabbed his jacket and his hat, along with a pack of cancer sticks. They were going to do it. They had planned it previously, even while they were contemplating the option, much like Eren was earlier. He walked through a narrow hallway to reach his lover, Jean, who was on the couch in a separate room.
The teen he was looking for was asleep, a small trail of drool going down his chin while his lips were parted slightly. His two toned hair was ruffled and messy, a sight Eren had become accustomed to see in the mornings. Just the sight of the resting male was enough to bring a smile to Eren's lips, filled with sweet, innocent admiration. That smile quivered for a moment, a sign of him almost losing his resolve.
It would be the last day for them. They would enjoy every moment of it. But they didn't have much time left. If they were going to do it, they had to do it soon, while their determination was fresh. With a reluctant sigh, the green eyed teen shook the other awake, but was immediately met with an expectant, golden eyed gaze. Jean understood. Utterly and completely. They would enjoy their last night. They would enjoy each other, and every sinful activity they had available to them.
Jean had already started to slip off his clothes, and Eren did the same, throwing them carelessly to the floor. Eren lowered himself onto Jean, and gave him a loving smile, gently stroking his hair. Then, pressing their bodies together, their lips met hungrily. The two of them descended into lust, exchanging body heat and words lovingly whispered in sultry tones.
They ended their sin after a while, retrieving their clothes and giving each other a small peck on the lips. Then, with the flickering bulbs on the walls lighting their way, they exited the apartment, and climbed countless flights of stairs wordlessly, connected by their hands tightly clasped together.
As they reached the roof, Eren took out his box of cigarettes and a lighter, offering a lit stick to his lover, which he took. After taking a puff of foul smoke, making Jean cough and sputter, they looked out onto their ruined city. Everything, gone. All they knew, destroyed. Everyone they cared about, dead. All of the memories they had made together were now mere ashes and dust, much like the cigarettes they had thrown away after the initial unpleasant inhale.
All that existed was the time they had in the present, each other, and the sanity they so desperately clung to. A small exchange of words. Simple conversation. Only the small things mattered at this point. All the wonderful things that made them fall in love in the first place. The way Eren's eyes sparkled. The small smirk that hid a truly sweet smile filled with affection upon Jean's face. The way they desperately held each other close, but with no trace of lust in their minds. A presence of warmth and color radiated from them, despite their bleak surroundings, and it seemed to stand out in that grey city.
"I love you." The last whispered words said in such sincere tones to each other before they had jumped, still holding each other tightly and refusing to part their lips. Once more, city was greeted with familiar red upon its concrete streets, along with now dead emerald eyes, and golden eyes dimmed to a smoky amber color.
The rats found the corpses with intertwined hands, but devoured them without remorse. After all, even the rats had to survive.