In the Dead of Winter || •PJM• ✔️

In the Dead of Winter

"But what if I don't want you to go?" Jimin asks before he can stop himself.

Jihyun reaches back into his jacket, then grabs a chain that jingles as he takes it out. He hands it to Jimin, and his eyes expand as he takes it back. The locket. Jimin's locket. He takes it and holds it in his small hands, glancing down at it while Jihyun chuckles. There's no humor in the soft sound, Jimin tearing up realizing what's about to happen.

"I don't know who I am. The apocalypse is a terrible, terrible thing. But that's no excuse for me to have lost my way this much. Enough for me to hurt you. Get your friend killed. Kidnap others. Lock you away and... I'm sorry. All I can say is that I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it, Jungkook didn't either. None of you did. I'm no longer Park Jihyun. I don't know what name I'll use, but it won't be that. Not until I earn the name Park."

Jimin puts the locket back on with shuddering hands, his eyes flicking up to Jihyun. The man who's now a stranger. Jihyun stands, stepping away from the table and straightening his jacket, tugging on the cuffs of it before shaking his head. "If anything happens," Jimin whispers, rubbing his thumb over the metal of his locket. "Don't be scared to come back. It's better than death. I'd rather you here than dead. Please tell me you'll remember that."

Jihyun pats the table with his hand, then walks away. Jimin watches the man go back to the front gates, opening them and slipping out without another word. Just like that, Jimin's brother is gone. He always was, according to Jihyun, but that doesn't mean Jimin will see it that way. So, he grips his locket. And without another thought, he goes back to his lover.

Once he's inside her room, he finds her sitting on the bed. Only this time, she's not staring at the ground blankly. She peeks up at him as soon as he walks inside, and he furrows his brows at the sight. In a flash, she's on her feet. And right when he closes the door behind him, she jumps into his arms, embracing him tighter than she has before. He stumbles from the force of it, then hugs back with the same need. His hand tangles itself in her hair, and his other grabs her back to keep her locked in place in his arms.

She tilts her head up, her eyes shut as her breath does a tap dance against his ear. "I love you," she whispers, and the crevasses of his skin form goosebumps, his eyes shutting with hers so he can feel the serenity of the moment. He lets out a short breath, and it feels as though the world just got a bit brighter despite the events they've had to endure. And then, he smiles.

"I love you too."

~~~

Day 861

Jimin kicks the haystack, chuckling as he does so. The light pours in through the wooden pallets, Jimin laying down on the ground in the middle of the barn. Ves leans against the entrance, crossing his arms over his chest and observing the way Jimin makes an angel out of the hay around him.

"Why are we here?" Ves asks, glancing around the terrible state of the barn. "This place is a dump."

"This dump was my old home," Jimin replies, sitting up as Ves snorts. "You laugh, but it worked for me. This is where I lived before Y/n found me." Ves pushes off of the entrance and shuts the barn doors, coming over and sitting next to Jimin. "We're here because I want to be here. How does that sound?"

"We're supposed to be scavenging."

"And we are. Hay can be useful. We can feed horses."

"Tell that to the horses we don't have."

"Wiseass," Jimin mumbles, Ves nudging him. Jimin snickers and peeps around the barn that was once his home. It feels different now. Not in a good or bad way, it's just different. Being here with Ves makes him feel safe, almost.