A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

55: A Late Goodbye

"We really need it."

Namjoon sighed, "I know. It's getting warmer and the food needs preserving, I know."

"I don't mean to nag," Jin shook his head. Namjoon patted Jin's back, and the two stared despondently at the broken solar generator. What they had been using to power the coolers that kept their food preserved had blown a fuse. Yoongi was already on it, hoping to fix it by the end of the day, or the next day at the latest. It wasn't looking too good, but Yoongi offered some repose.

"I have the parts already, all I need is some time," Yoongi said, "Im not sure if our back-up is still functional."

"I checked," Namjoon replied, shaking his head when Jin turned to him hopefully. Jin deflated, groaning as he walked away. Yoongi was left to work alone on the porch, his tools out and a hat placed on his head to keep the rays of sun from his eyes. Out from the lodge came Mara, who brought him a cup of water for his troubles.

"I don't know how you do it. I would've electrocuted myself by now," Mara joked, earning a timid smile from Yoongi. He sheepishly remained silent, and Mara took that as her cue to leave.

After revealing he had been a part of the cult he and Mara had narrowly escaped from, Yoongi's behavior towards her had changed. Mara had tried to reassure him that she did not hold a grudge against him for Haneul's attempt to expose her, nor was she resentful that he had kept that from her. However, Yoongi seemed to have placed the blame on himself for the accusations thrown against Mara. He refused eye contact, his visible shame making Mara's heart sink.

The only thing she could do was be patient. Yoongi was a skeptical soul, and mere words wouldn't be enough to convince him.

Mara snuck up on Jungkook, who stood idly by the chickens.

"Boo!"

Jungkook didn't jump, not even a little bit, and instead he glanced over his shoulder at Mara with a smile.

"I can smell you from a mile away, stink."

Mara discretely sniffed herself, raising her brows and joining Jungkook's side. He gave her temple a kiss, and she wrapped her arm around his, giving it a light squeeze.

"Whatcha doin?" Mara asked.

"I've got nothing to do," Jungkook blew raspberries, "I know Namjoon said we would rest a little, but I need something to do or else I get bored."

"You're restless. You should relax," Mara chuckled.

"I'm trying," Jungkook whined, "But I'm not made for that."

Mara shook her head with a smile, "Honestly, same. I feel a little useless when I'm not doing anything," Mara sighed. Jungkook leaned forward, picking up a hen and holding her delicately.

"I've been thinking about yesterday," Mara brought up, somberly picking at her nails, "And I keep wondering if they're okay. Sure, they caused trouble but I hope nothing bad happened to them."

Jungkook slowly shrugged, "I'm not too worried. I'm sure they're fine. They had protection with them."

"We both know that only gets you so far. I wonder if they were close to home. If the horses made it, then that means they weren't too far, no?" Mara wondered out loud, drawing Jungkook's attention. He peered down at her, noticing her far away stare and setting the hen down.

"We can't really do anything. We've got a lot to focus on here at camp," Jungkook brushed her hair out of her face, "Whatever happens is out of our hands."

Mara hummed, giving an unsure, pursed smile, "Right. Well, I'm going to help Jin," Mara said, pecking Jungkook's cheek before heading to the greenhouse. When arriving, she could hear Jin's frustrated mumbling as she opened the flaps. He snipped and aggressively pulled out weeds, clearly stressed.