DAY 787

Waking up next to her is a blessing. When Jimin opens his eyes, he smiles and stares at the sleeping beauty all curled up on his chest. He's so grateful Y/n stayed the night. That she asked to. It surprised him when she asked, but he sure as hell isn't complaining. In fact, he's praising her for having the boldness to say those words. Deep down, he needs the comfort. He really, truly does.

Jimin peers at her pretty face, studying every detail. Those peacefully shut eyes, pursed lips, natural morning face. Gorgeous. So gorgeous that he finds himself brushing her hair with his fingers, fiddling with it almost. It's like he's the stylist this time. 

He'd be lying if he said he isn't attracted to her. Back in the old days before the apocalypse, if he saw her in a bar, he'd approach her and ask for her number. Nowadays it's hard to do that. He has to be more careful. Stealthier. 

He gains a bit of courage, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. A good morning kiss. A kiss of gratitude for staying the night. But in reality, Jimin knows that kiss is much more than gratitude. He's starting to slowly but surely like her. He only hopes she feels the same way. Funny how a stranger is his new best friend. Hell, Jimin doesn't even know her hometown. He hasn't even bonded with her dog and surrogate son yet. Baby steps. Before he can pursue his feelings, he needs to make good connections first.

Jimin grins at his thoughts. He smiles a real smile, one he hasn't had often thanks to the state of the world. This woman in his arms is the first person who's ever seen the inside of his locket. He met her mere days ago and here he is, letting all the flaws of his past spring free into the spotlight. It's almost as if his brain is telling him to do it on purpose. Like it's fate that they met. Jimin was never a strong believer in fate, but views change. Just like people.

He holds her a little closer than before, unable to help himself. He kisses the top of her head, the tips of his fingers brushing over the braid she did. Jimin, being the cheeky bastard he is, hasn't taken it out yet. Why would he? He has no reason to. The braid in his hair is like a gift. A gift from the girl he's starting to like. It's precious. Gorgeous, even. That may be a dramatic way to describe a hairstyle, but it feels special. Because she made it special.

A stir alerts him to her presence. Her conscious presence, anyway. It takes a full minute of groaning and muttered curses, but she finally wakes, her eyes fluttering open. "Hi," she says in a yawn. Three seconds pass. Her eyes practically pop out of her skull, "Um, hi."

He laughs and brings her face to his chest, making her snuggle up against his shirt. "Morning," he says, stroking his fingers through her locks. "Don't you remember last night? You asked me to stay, L/n. Not the other way around."

She hums against him, pretending to think about it. "What if I regret it now?"

"Oh bullshit, I can feel how tightly you're holding me. I can barely breathe," he says, panting to add dramatic effect.

She pulls away from his chest to instead place a hand on his cheek, "Thank you for showing me your locket." If there was no apocalypse, he'd be kissing her right now. But he needs to think about self-preservation. If he falls for her, his life is pretty much over. He'd sacrifice himself for her in a heartbeat. Not to mention if something happened to her, he'd want to die too. Oh and there's the whole 'not trusting this group yet' thing he has going on. Jimin can't trust her fully yet. He hates that he can't, but he can't.

"Thank you for caring about it," he whispers in response, softly smiling. She returns his expression, then goes back to snuggling up against his chest. Okay, so he's a bit flustered right now. He's still a man. Sure, he's a cold, badass, survivor of a man, but he's still a man. A man that has a woman he's attracted to curled up against his chest. Half of him is telling himself not to fart, the other half is saying 'kiss her head again!'. He listens to both halves.

Jimin kisses the top of her head, a little nervous to do it while she's conscious. She goes still for a moment, then, she snuggles somehow even closer. "We scavenge today," she murmurs. "Do you want to come with us?"

"You're going?" he asks. She's his number one concern in this group. Maybe he'll end up liking someone else more than her, but until that happens, he's keeping her as the thing he focuses on. Other than himself, of course.

"I normally do, Jungkook's staying behind this time," she says.

"The kid coming?"

"Ves," she replies. "If you want me to like you, you have to make sure Ves likes you. You can start by calling him by name."

"Ves," he teasingly says.

She snickers and pulls away from him. "There you go. Progress. See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Oh I almost died," he murmurs, placing a hand on her cheek.

The two stare at each other, the conversation fizzling away. Instead, all they do is feel. Feel the closeness they share. They both know that there's something drawing them to the other, but none of them address the elephant in the room: she's cuddled up in his arms and letting him kiss the top of her head. That's not 'just friends'. But at the same time, it's way too early for either of them to admit their attraction to one another.

He places his forehead on hers, cherishing her cheeks. His thumbs rub gentle circles into her skin, their breathing even. "Are you coming?" she asks in a whisper. He doesn't even care that both of them have morning breath and are getting a bad whiff of it every time they breathe. He doubts she cares either.

"Only because you are," he replies. She breaks out into a cute grin, his heart doing a jolt seeing that. Shit, every second she's here it gets worse. The way she smiles and laughs, the way she talks, the way she-

No.

Jimin can't do this. He can't be sure these are real feelings. He's been so touch starved and lonely that the first girl he sees in months is the one he goes for. That can't be a coincidence. He can't hurt her or him by finding out. Jimin backs off, sitting up. "You should go get ready," he says.

Her brows knit together, but she doesn't question his sudden change in demeanor. "Alright... need anything before I go?" she asks.

He shakes her off. "I'll be okay. Go ahead." 

She slowly nods, standing and letting her bare feet hit the floor. Then, she departs the room. Jimin lets out a breath. Does he feel bad about pushing her away? A little. But is it for the best? Probably. He glances down at his feet, his hand stroking the braid in his hair. He may be uncertain about a lot of things, but one thing's for sure: this is gonna be a long fucking day.