Butterfly

28. The Morning

My door creaks and I roll over, barely registering the sound, my eyes closed. There's a soft brush of a hand against my cheek, and my eyes open to the darkness as my bedsprings creak, a heavy weight lying down behind me, arms wrapping around my waist, a nose burying in my neck.

I breathe in, my eyes widening as I recognize the spicy, sweet scent, and I pull away, sitting up, staring at the dark shape.

"Jimin?"

My voice sounds abnormally loud, thick with sleep, and his hand gently touches mine, his voice low, raspy.

"I didn't mean to wake you up."

I reach out, my hand finding his face, tracing his features, the unshaven stubble on his chin, and my breathing is shaky.

"You're here."

He nods, and I lie down next to him, facing him, my fingers tracing him as if I can't believe he's here, he's real, this isn't a dream.

"What happened?"

He leans into my touch, letting out a breath, his hand finding my hip, running over it gently.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

I shake my head, pulling away, reaching over to switch on the lamp, the light blinding. "Tell me now."

He looks exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, a five o'clock shadow apparent, his hair messy, his face puffy, and I realize he had to have driven all night to be here.

My voice softens, and I meet his eyes, lacing our fingers together. "You okay?"

Jimin shakes his head, his eyes exhausted. "I really was going to come yesterday, babygirl. I'm sorry."

I furrow my brows, tilting my head. "What happened?"

"My mother died yesterday, Y/n."

The room is silent, and I stare at him, realizing how much he's been through in the past twenty-four hours, that he drove all night to get here despite everything.

"She did?"

He nods, his voice tight. "It was sudden. We all thought she had more time."

I stare at him, pulling him to hug me, and he relaxes slightly, letting out a breath, his face buried in my neck.

"It was painless. She has that, at least."

I nod, my fingers knitting in his hair, rubbing his head reassuringly. Jimin pulls away after a minute, his thumb running over my cheek.

"Let's get some sleep, okay?"

I nod, switching off the lamp again, and I pull him close to me, whispering sleepily into the darkness. "I missed you."

He lets out a breath, pressing his lips to my forehead, then burying his head in my shoulder, inhaling my scent, my closeness. "I missed you too, baby," he breathes, and I smile, closing my eyes, letting his gentle touch lull me to sleep.

"Do you think we should wake them?" Sandra whispers loudly from the doorway and my eyes open, blinking in the early morning light. Jimin and I are cuddled up, curled around each other, and I look up at his sleeping face, the exhaustion visible in every ounce of his body.

"No, I let him in at, like, four A.M," Seokjin whispers to Sandra, and he's equally bad at being quiet. Jimin's eyes open, meeting mine, and he gives me a slight smile, his eyes sleepy.

"You guys suck at being quiet," I say, and Sandra laughs softly.

"We'll go now. Sorry." The door closes and Jimin rolls away so he's flat on his back, his arms still around me. I prop myself up with my elbow, looking down at Jimin, tracing the new lines of exhaustion in his face with my fingers slowly.