Catalyst

Part 22

I woke up to a blood curdling scream.

"It's okay. You're okay. I'm right here, Pumpkin," Jimin cooed and slowly rocked me back and forth. He held me to his chest, his arm wrapped securely around my torso.

Why comfort me? He should be comforting the screaming woman.

Jimin held me slightly away from his chest, and brought up a hand to brush my cheeks. They were damp. "I'm right here. I will never leave you again."

The screaming had stopped, and I reached my own hand up to my cheeks. Why am I crying?

Jimin pressed me against his chest once more and continued to soothe me.

Snippets of my nightmare surfaced in my memory.

***

Jimin would often leave for days at a time for work, but the look of worry on his face told me this job was different. His normal confident swagger was nowhere to be found.

"I love you, too, Jimin."

"It'll only be a few days." He leaned forward to plant a light kiss on my forehead.

I was no longer in my living room, but in a black room. The only source of illumination was a stunning blonde man with full lips, Jimin.

I rushed to him, and Jimin stretched out his arms for me. My hands reached out for his, our fingertips nearly brushed, when Jimin was suddenly jerked backwards by an unseen force. I tried to grab hold of his hands, but failed.

"Jimin! Don't go!"

I couldn't reach him before he disappeared completely.

***

"You're okay," Jimin whispered into my hair.

"Jimin," I croaked, my voice horse. "What are you doing?"

Jimin's hold on me loosened, and he shifted me away from his chest to look at me. His eyes full of concern, he gently pressed his lips to my forehead. I stiffened at the contact. Am I awake?

"You wouldn't wake up." Jimin's eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "You were calling for me, and then you just kept screaming. I couldn't wake you up."

He clutched me to his chest once again. The pain and concern in his voice made me decide to let him stay.

His embrace was warm and comfortable.

"It was just a nightmare. It's okay, Jimin," I whispered before drifting back to sleep.

***

The alarm on my cell phone told me it was time to get up.

When I tried to move my arms to hit the snooze button I found myself trapped in Jimin's arms. Our legs were tangled together.

I attempted to extract myself from Jimin's hold by sliding down. But the more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. Like a Chinese finger trap. Or a Venus flytrap.

A soft giggle sounded near my ear. "Five more minutes."

"What?"

Jimin nuzzled his cheek against my hair. "Let's stay in bed five more minutes."

"Okay, just let me hit the snooze."

He removed one arm, keeping the other around my shoulders, giving me just enough leeway to reach my phone and hit the snooze button. I tried to roll out of bed completely, but Jimin was faster than I had anticipated.

The arm he had removed was quickly wrapped around my waist, and one of his legs had been draped over my hip before I could even sit up.

"Come on, Pumpkin. Stay." Jimin said sleepily; his eyes still closed.

Pumpkin.

The pet name from my dream. Had he ever called me that before?

I was about to launch into a thought tangent, when I felt a warm breath on my neck that sent tingles down my spine. Maybe I'll dwell on that later.

I felt myself relax against Jimin, letting my eyes shut. He let out a contented hum.

The alarm sounded again, and, this time, Jimin let me get out of bed. He wasn't fully awake, and I let him sleep a little longer while I got ready for what was going to be a very big day.

Stepping out of the shower, I realized I hadn't grabbed any clothes. I secured the towel around my body and quietly crept back into the bedroom, hoping not to disturb Jimin.

Slowly pushing open the bedroom door, I saw that the bed was already made. Jimin was pulling a black t-shirt over his head, and I froze, not sure if I should retreat back to the bathroom and wait, or if I should just grab the first clothing items I came upon.

"I laid out some clothes for you," Jimin smiled at my panicked state. "I'll let you get changed."

He walked past me and out of the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him.

I looked at the dark blue jeans and black t-shirt he had laid out on the bed. Why did he lay out clothes for me? And why does he want us to match?

Maybe it's tactical?

I gave in, and just put on the clothes Jimin had picked out. It was just easier and I didn't want to over-think it.

"Okay, Jimin," I called, stepping out of the bedroom and walking to the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"

Jimin greeted me with a broad smile, clearly pleased that I put on his clothing choice.

"Jin'll make breakfast for everyone," Jimin said and handed me a cup of coffee.

We drank in silence, standing in the kitchen, not making eye contact.

A knock on the door alerted us to Hobi's arrival. Jimin took my cup from me and sat it in the sink.

"Are you ready?"