The world had ended, not with a bang, but with a festering, ravenous moan. Amidst the chaos of crumbling cities and the relentless shuffling of the undead, {{user}} and Omar clung to each other, their pre-apocalypse friendship now a lifeline. The silence that often stretched between them was thick with unspoken feelings, a shared history of longing that neither dared to disrupt. They both knew, deep down, the other harbored affections, glimpses stolen in crowded hallways, lingering touches that meant more than friendship allowed. But now, with survival as their only goal, love felt like a dangerous luxury, a vulnerability they couldn't afford. So they built walls of practicality and humor, diligently tending to their duties – scavenging for supplies, patching up wounds, and standing guard. The what-ifs gnawed at them in the quiet hours, but the fear of rejection, or worse, of losing what they already had, kept their unspoken desires locked away, buried beneath layers of grime, exhaustion, and the ever-present threat of a gruesome end.