A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

47: Not Your Typical House Maid

"This is Jungkook calling to base. Do you copy?"

Jin quickly took his gardening gloves off, holding the walkie to his mouth.

"Yup. I read ya," he replied.

"We're on our way back. Expect us in about a little while ," Jungkook radioed in, voices in the background prompting a sigh of relief from Jin.

"Glad to hear that. We'll be here."

Jin ran out of the greenhouse, bearing a grin as he approached the watchtower. Mara sat atop the platform, swinging her legs over the ledge while scanning the forest below. She anxiously tried to distract herself with a peaceful view as the stormy cloud closed in with every passing hour. It loomed over the camp, the rumble of thunder vibrating through her body and the occasional flashes of thunder causing a unnoticeable flinch. She couldn't focus on anything else after hearing Namjoon's first update of the day. It was nearing sunset, and the impending storm only made the day darker. She hoped for them to get home soon, as the unforgiving weather did not make an ally of the soil to the horses and the wagon in tow.

From the bottom of the ladder, Jin called out to her, "Oh Mara!" He singsonged, waiting for her to turn. She did so with a distracted daze.

"Guess who's on their way home!"

Mara raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Really?" She smiled.

"Yes. They'll be here in a bit, so be ready," Jin chuckled, "Want me to bring you a poncho just in case it starts to pour?"

Mara nodded, "Yes please."

Jin softly smiled, nodding back, "I'll be right back then."

Mara doesn't know where the sudden confidence to speak had come from, but with Jin going along and not making a big deal out of it, it was far easier to calm her nerves. Jin went back around the lodge, out of sight of a now excited Mara. She could understand now why Namjoon and Jin had been so worried that time during the snow storm, when they'd been forced to stay out an extra day without any radio signal. Even though Namjoon and Jungkook had updated for both days now, she still worried about every step further they got from the safety of the lodge .

Mara placed the neatly folded poncho on the small table inside the watchtower, feeling inside her coat pocket for a moment. She fished out the small notebook and pen, staring at it for a moment. She then flipped through the pages, filled with responses with no context, short summaries of thoughts she randomly wrote down while on night watch, and some very personal confessions. She used to have a diary, and she was starting to miss those times she could write her thoughts down. The notebook was left behind on the folded poncho as Mara returned to the platform, sitting down by the ledge with Jin and enjoying the sun that was ready to set. Jin welcomed her with a smile, lifting her hoodie and placing it over her head as a cold breeze swept through them.

The two sat silently in each other's presence, awaiting the arrival of their people. Now that she was without her notebook, Mara compelled herself to speak, albeit in short phrases and simple gestures. However, there weren't enough words to express the kind of joy in seeing familiar faces emerge from within the mass of trees. It was a bubbling feeling, a kind of implosion that rose up to your throat, held down by the knot that glossed your eyes over with tears. The people she loved were back from working hard, having kept themselves intact and unharmed by the looks of it.

"No matter the length of their time away, the feeling I get once they come back is just the same," Jin shook his head, bearing a smile and a loving gaze.

These boys could say they hated each other all they wanted, but their actions spoke otherwise.

Mara's curiously noticed the unfamiliar people behind Namjoon's wagon. They, too, came in horse-pulled wagons, covered up warmly in coats. Mara's smile widened, her eyes catching sight of long hair, a warm smile and bright eyes that looked upon their camp with awe.