Eyeing Zack cautiously, Logan was right to be slightly suspicious. Since their reunion, Zack hadn't exactly been very welcoming, with good reason. For him to suddenly respond to the flirtation by holding him close and putting on the husky voice Logan adored obviously stirred some wariness in him. However, it was fortunate that, when faced with flirtation, all intelligence tended to leave Logan. His caution melted into one of his wide smiles, and his hands immediately went to steady Zack's waist.

"Hey, I can get a sample for you, sure. I'm definitely glad you've come around, buddy. We're, like, soulmates or whatever, ain't we?" He beamed happily, his eyes lighting up and falling instantly for the apparent promise of being together intimately. Next to finding a cure, being back with Zack rated pretty high on his to-do list. "Wait-- sample of what?"​
 
"I need some flesh from one of the zombies. I only need a small amount, but I need it to compare to a normal specimen- which I can get from one of us," he explained slowly, having practically climbed on the other's lap.

He wasn't utterly disgusted by sex, at all. In all honesty, it definitely helped him build even a small bit of confidence, even though losing Logan had practically ruined what was built up. Nonetheless, he never felt more confident than when having sex with Logan. There was still a part of him that felt furious about Logan, but he needed that sample desperately.
 
"Flesh, huh? And obviously you think I can do it-- you know, your trust in me is really fucking nice. I'll go and do that, easy. Then we compare that to your sample and we'll have some data, or something scientifically exciting, right? Great," smiled Logan, discreetly making the effort to get it into Zack's head that he would offer a sample, and not make Logan hand over one of his own. That would just unleash the secret he was desperately hiding, and he was not at all ready to tell Zack that he had been bitten. Not until they had at least gotten together romantically, so he trusted him more.

Begrudgingly nudging Zack from his lap, sighing at having to sacrifice what was an intimate embrace to hunt down some zombie, he lightly pecked his lips in an effort to maintain a degree of romanticism before cracking his knuckles confidently. "Then we can totally have time together later, yeah? Like, even if it's just cuddling, I just wanna be close to 'ya, Zack. Like we used to when we were teenagers~"​
 
The younger man couldn't hide his genuine blush from the peck, no matter how quick, though mentally shook it off as he offered a meek smile, not needing to fake it. Clearing his throat, he shyly returned to the microscopes to at least act as if he wasn't totally flustered.

"Be safe, okay? I won't be able to do anything if you got gobbled up," he insisted quietly, before rummaging through the closet in search for gloves, his anxiety causing him to want to be as covered as possible when handling the specimen.
 
"Hey, I've gone months not being bitten. I can slice off a zombie's hand and stroll back in here, as casual as anything. Relax, alright? This is me you're talking to. You've known me since we were kids-- trust me," he promised, straightening his jacket and walking slowly to the door, wasting as much time as he could without being too obvious about it. No matter how many times he boasted that he had killed zombies with his eyes shut, and that he had walked about in the day with little concern, he had never before gone outside with the sole purpose of hurting anyone, or getting close to a zombie intentionally. This was risky, even for him-- but if it meant finding a cure and getting Zack back in an affectionate manner, then he would happily head out regardless of how scared he was.

For half an hour, there was no sign of the man. He had told the other he would be gone 'ten minutes tops', though that was, if anything, a typical Logan statement: overestimating the difficulty of the task and having far too much belief in his abilities. Nevertheless, to his credit, the boy did burst through the door after the clock ticked near forty minutes of his disappearance, gasping and breathing hard as he shut and locked the door urgently. Once regaining a degree of composure, he tried to act coolly, despite the amount of blood across his clothes and the fact he held a severed finger in his hand, wearily placing it down and forcing a smile.

"That... They, uh... there's about five of 'em outside right now, I wasn't very subtle," he nervously grinned, setting his gun down and silently thanking the fact he remembered to bring it with him. If he hadn't, he had no doubt that he would be torn apart and dead outside right now. "They'll leave when they realise they can't get in-- don't make me do that again, it was like suicide."​
 
In those forty minutes, there wasn't much to do. For the first five minutes, he didn't really react. In fact, he genuinely believed that his ex friend was capable of getting a sample,... granted, a few fingers was not what he was expecting.

When the man barged through the door, Zack had been pacing for a solid thirty-five minutes, his nails bitten down to nubs and his face nearly stained with tears. He would blame it on lack of sleep for his overly emotional state, but he knew Logan was aware of his naturally anxious state, even if it involved someone he hated. So, when sporting the man and just how bloody he was, he rushed over in panic to first lock the door properly and prop up a chair for reinforcement, before checking Logan.

"J-Jesus! What the hell did you do out there?! You... You couldn't shoot a zombie that was away from the group? A-And why the hell don't you have a silencer?! Fucking... Did you get bit? Please tell me you're not that wreckless..."
 
"I didn't stroll up to a group, I ain't that dumb. I shot one, and, like, four came running from the shadows, it was fucking insane-- but hey, I'm tough, ain't I? I found out they can't really coordinate, so I hid up in a tree for awhile, then cut the finger off one of the guys, and voila, here's your sample," laughed Logan as he calmly set the severed finger down, before making a haphazard attempt to wipe the blood from his face. He did absently admire just how tough he looked at the moment, catching his reflection in the nearby mirror and beaming to himself, thinking he looked just like the hero in some goody zombie movie. He was trying to distract himself from thinking about what he had just done, and how close he had been to being killed, so if grinning at his blood-splattered face was going to take his mind away from what he had been through, who could blame him?

"Hey, I'm not bitten-- surprisingly. Came close, though," he admitted with a faint shrug, pulling his shirt off just to he didn't have to sit with it clinging to him from a mixture of blood and sweat, tossing it aside with a grunt. "So... Hey, have you been crying? Shit, uh... wanna hug? I mean, hugs pretty much solve anything, my Mom always told me that. I probably stink of blood right now, but hold your nose and we'll be a-okay~"​
 
The medical student hesitated, while rubbing his eyes of tears. He didn't want to seem childish in front of the other, and the tears were embarrassing enough from just another incident where he got too far into his head, telling himself that Logan was a goner, for sure, and that he was at fault. So, with a silent sigh, he did bury his face in the other's chest.

"T... Thanks, for getting the samples..." he murmured into the other's chest, his voice barely audible. He held their embrace for probably too long for the normal person, but he didn't care. Once he finally DID pull away, though, he nervously cleared his throat and took the samples.
 
"I, uh... wasn't kidding, you know. I'd honestly love to date you again, but that can wait, obviously. Just... keep it in mind that I'm totally serious about it? I'm rarely serious, I know that, but I am serious about this," he reminded with just the slightest hint of urgency. He was pushing Zack to realise that he cared, just for when the inevitable happened and he became fully infected, but, deep down, he did truly want to be back with the boy. He was hardly going to get a chance to kiss him when he was a zombie, was he? So if he had to look desperate and press him for a kiss here and there, get him to realise how strong his feelings were, then he would.

"What are you going to do with that sample, then? Inspect it, and do all clever science stuff?" He asked curiously, dabbing at his face to try and wipe off the remaining blood. "You take your time, we're hardly in a rush-- though I do need to get back to Mars, she's never without me."​
 
"Yes, I'm going to do that 'clever, science stuff'," he whispered, eyeing the fingers through rubber gloves before carefully grabbing a scalpel. He offered the other a small smile, despite wanting to punch the other for being so stupid. He slid off a proper size before slipping it under a microscope. "I... I don't know if I want you going out there, especially if there's, like, three by the door. Give me an hour, okay? I'll get some info down, and we can leave. We can come back tomorrow, right?" He asked, his red eyes observing the other warily, desperate for a simple 'yes', though he was hardly going to force the man to do anything after what he just did.
 
"Tomorrow? Oh yeah, sure, however often it takes to get a cure. We can come back, like, every day if you need to run tests and stuff," he promised almost immediately. Sure, the thought of even going back outside was slightly nerve-wracking, but he had to return back to the apartment, and similarly, he would have to return to the lab if he wanted to get cured. He would just have to learn to be more responsible and mature in life and death situations.

"Is there anything I can do? I feel lazy just sitting here, but you know, I'd just fuck it up if I got involved," he murmured from the side resting his face on his hand as he curiously watched his friend busy himself with work. "...Can you make a cure, do you think? How long would it theoretically take?"​
 
"A few weeks, maybe a few months? I don't know... I mean, I-I've only helped make one successful drug before, and I had an entire team with me. I'm trying not to think about it, okay?" He hurriedly replied, with his eyes glued to the microscope. That is, until peaking up to glance over at the idle man.

"Like I said, you could try and restart the generator? You've always been handy... and when you come back, would you be cool if I took a sample from you?"
 
"Like hell am I giving you a sample, I have a phobia of needles and I don't want you taking my blood, okay? Take some of your own, you have, like, 10 pints of blood in you, there's plenty to spare," laughed Logan, waving off the genuine panic he felt at the question in what he hoped came across as a light, joking and jovial manner. He couldn't snap at Zack and get away without suspicion, so he had to try and act casual about it... even if he was growing more and more nervous the longer time went on. If it took weeks or months to find a cure, then he would be a zombie by that time-- or killed by Zack out of understandable fear for his own life.

"I'll take a look at that generator. You provide the sample-- I've been through a traumatic experience out there, let me avoid another one," he pouted, in anther effort to play it all off coolly, and offered another of his light kisses to aid the distraction method. "You always taste like caramel, it's sort of adorable, y'know~? Even when we were kids."​
 
Zack was easily ready to reply with protest, having known Logan as one who would always donate blood whenever he could, and the man had babbled on about his tattoos the night before. It all seemed illogical, though he was cut from his urge to rant when offered a kiss. Instead, he tried his own attempt to seem cool by rolling his eyes... despite his reddened cheeks.

"Did you say that to other guys, too? Did you tell them they tasted like peppermints or gumdrops?" He muttered bitterly, before sighing and rummaging to find a proper needle. "Fine, I'll use my own sample. Just- please don't hurt yourself? I don't want this to end badly, okay?"
 
"Huh? Oh, don't be jealous, you're special. They were just guys I was with-- hell, they weren't relationships. One was, maybe two, but even then it was incredibly casual. We were actually dating and it meant a lot, so don't try and make the guys I was with seem more special than they were," he babbled as he trailed on to try and get the generator running... not that he had much confidence in his abilities. He had always tended to mess the simple things up, his lack of concentration and insufficient focus being his major faults. How he was bitten was great evidence of that, having been far too interested in flirting with one of the men he casually slept with to notice the boy hungrily growling which eventually led to him biting into Logan's hand.

However, the boy returned with a smug smirk at managing to get the generator up and running, triumphantly smiling over his mini victory which, for him, was admittedly rather large after putting himself down so much over it.

"We'll be alright, okay? You're smart, we'll get a cure soon and then everything's totally fine. You'll be famous if you pull this off. Like, you'll be the hero of the world, how rad is that?"
 
Letting out a heavy sigh of relief when noticing the lights blink back on, he hurried to snatch a proper, electric microscope. The classic ones would barely help, though they would get the job done. The electric ones, on the other hand, were miles ahead of the others. So, having waited patiently to see the results of the other's attempts, Zack carefully cut a bit of skin off his thumb in addition to using the clean needle for blood. He was never really one to be afraid of minor cuts or needles, unlike his friend - apparently - though that most likely could be the fact that he was raised by such professional medical technicians and whatnot. Properly fixing everything as it should, it was like watching a kid in a candy store.

"Thanks, I mean... I don't need world recognition or anything, really. I just want to be able to walk outside and not die, you know? A-And... I dunno, I might not be able to make a cure, but at least something to prevent people from getting affected when bitten? I'm, uh... I'm sort of just going to try and wing this." He admitted bashfully, while peaking up to peer at the other, a small smile lining his face.
 
"Yeah? Well, if anyone can stumble on a cure, it'd be you, Zack. You've always been, like, insanely smart, even when we were kids. Everyone said it. My Mom thought you'd end up the next Einstein," he reminded as he sat back to genuinely etch the other's smile into his mind. In these uncertain and terrifying times, it was rare to see anyone smile, and in the last day he had been around him, seeing him with a happy expression was a rarity. Making sure to remember it was a priority of his at the moment.

"Hey, you're so cute when you're in your element, you know? Remember when you used to teach me all about those bugs in the woods? And we collected, like, ten ladybirds to 'examine'. My Mom went mental with me when she discovered 'em under my bed," began Logan nostalgically, his eyes lighting with genuine amusement at the clear memory. If he was to become a zombie, he hoped his memories at least remained intact and didn't fade due to intense hunger, because losing the memories of his incredibly endearing relationship with Zack would be horrendous.​
 
"Remember when my mother freaked out when she found out that we were raising snails in my dresser drawer? She bleached the fuck out of it, which was a bummer... at least we moved them to your mom's, before my mother could pour salt on them," he offered, whilst scribbling down his notes without a thought. It had become a common practice for Zack to write everything he saw, most likely from his militant father during school, and he had become a master of multitasking... well, at least when it came to work.

"I wish I had the resources to see how animals react in this whole environment. I haven't seen any flesh craving dogs or whatnot. I mean... I don't think I want to think about it, I guess. Sorry about the babbling, and stuff..."
 
"Nah, that'd be cool, actually. It'd make me feel a lot safer about Mars-- I guess zombies just go for humans? If that's the case, then Mars would benefit from me being a little less protective. If anything happens to me, Zack, you'll take care of her for me, won't you? Like, not to get all depressing, but if I get bit and go all batshit crazy, then you protect Mars for me, I'd appreciate that. She's pretty good company, you know that. She's always been real quiet and calm, since she was a kitten, so she won't cause you trouble," he continued, having obviously come to terms with his fate the moment he felt his throat begin to burn and his chest tighten with the urge to cough. With the inevitability of being infected lingering over him, he knew that he had to sort out some issues, like Mars... and he knew Zack would keep her safe when Logan couldn't.

"This is only if I get infected," he quickly reminded, just so he didn't seem too resigned and downhearted. "Which I probably won't, I'm invincible~"​
 
"Let's not talk about that either, okay? Besides, if anything, I'll probably get bitten first. I'm not strong, and I don't have a gun, so I have no chance of protecting myself when the day the zombies come becomes inevitable. Like, sure. If the slim chance of you getting bitten before me happens, I will gladly protect Mars. You act as if I didn't know her, but she was a part of my childhood too.

"What we should talk about is... I don't know, something not related to our inevitable doom? I'm used to talking about this, but you're not the gloomy one."