Summary: You didn’t know Dina before she came back to Jackson. She’s guarded, jaded, and carrying the weight of too many goodbyes. Now you can’t stop thinking about her. It’s a slow burn, and you’re patient… but will she ever let down her walls? Or will someone else reach your heart first?
Pairings: Dina x GN!Reader slowburn
warnings: spoilers if you haven’t played the game or seen the show
Previous
You hardly slept tossing and turning until you finally got fed up and went right back to the garage. You had the back casing off the old motorcycle in seconds, fingers slick with oil, the early light pouring in. It was quiet just the low hum of the town waking up and the occasional clink of your tools echoing inside the shed.
You didn’t get to dance with Dina, and if you were honest she was the only woman you wanted to dance with. And now? Now you were trying not to think about it. About the feeling of having her in your arms. Wondering if maybe you would have kissed her again. Would the ending have been different? You rolled your eyes at yourself for being naive. Of course the ending wouldn’t have been different she’s made that clear over and over.
“Guess who brought caffeine and breakfast?” Cam’s voice chimed in from the doorway. She held out a tin mug and a breakfast sandwich.
“Thank you.” You gave her a half-smile, wiping your hands on a rag before taking it.
“Julie is waking up Charlie now.”
You nod eating unaware of how hungry you were.
“The ladies are still talking about how good you looked at the dance by the way.” she added casually as you ate.
“Didn’t feel like it.” You chuckle scarfing down the last bit.
“Damn you scarfed that down like you hadn’t eaten in days.” Can laughed.
“Your wife makes the best food.”
Cam was about to respond when the familiar sound of JJ’s laughter cut through the quiet. You both turned your heads just as he came running around the corner, his stubby arms stretched out in front of him. “Y/N!” He giggled as he ran to you. Dina followed a beat later.
She paused when she saw you and Cam together. Her face did a strange little shift quickly blank, then too neutral.
“Hey,” you said, standing up straighter. You instinctively wiped your hands again, as if the oil on your fingers might undo you.
JJ crashed into your legs with a joyful squeal and you bent to scoop him up. “Hey buddy.”
“Sorry,” Dina said, walking the last few steps. “He saw you from down the path. Made a break for it.”
“No worries,” you said, bouncing JJ gently on your hip. “He’s always welcome. I’m working on a motorcycle. Can you say motorcycle?”
“Mor-mor-cycle.” JJ squealed.
“That’s right, little man.” You say sitting him on the seat holding him as he reaches for the bars.
Dina’s eyes flicked from you and her son to Cam.
Cam offered a small, tight smile. “Cam. Y/N’s best friend.”
Dina nodded. “Dina.”
There was a quiet pause before Cam added, a bit too pointedly, “Really thought you two would dance instead of around each other.”
Dina’s expression didn’t waver. “Seems my dance went to Natalie.”
You looked at her then really looked. There was something soft in her eyes, something weighed down and unspoken. But she said nothing more.
Cam took a long sip from her mug, breaking the silence. “Anyway, I should check in with the kids before they cause some trouble.”
She clapped your shoulder once and disappeared.
Now it was just the three of you as you set JJ down to play with his truck.
You scratched the back of your neck, suddenly painfully aware of every breath.
She glanced down at JJ, smoothing a hand over his curls. “You looked like you were having a good time. Natalie seemed…friendly.”
You smiled, small and tired. “She was.”
A beat.
“I would have said yes you know… I didn’t dance with anyone when you left.” Dina said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Your heart tightened. “Guess we missed our shot.”
She didn’t say anything else. Just looked down at her boots, then back up at you with a familiar kind of ache in her eyes.
“Y/N.” JJ reached for you again.
“Wanna help me fix this bike?” You grin at JJ before crouching down.
“This is a socket wrench.”
“Soc inch.” JJ nodded.
Dina smiled as she perched on the edge of your workbench, shaking her head softly at herself. She couldn’t believe it. No matter what you were doing, you somehow managed to look like a damn heartthrob.
Whether it was the way you moved with quiet focus while fixing something, the calm precision you carried when taking down an infected, or her favorite the gentle way you were with her son and Charlie. It wasn’t just charm. It was something steady, something real. And it got to her every time.
“Mama see!” JJ gasped as he helped you fix the engine.
“I see you’re so handy!”
“Y/N!” He cheered.
Dina watched for a little while longer as you taught JJ the words for different tools and what you were doing with each tool. JJ looked at you so focused on each word. Repeating them as best as he could.
She didn’t realize how long she was watching you both until the sun started getting in her eyes.
“It’s time for me and your little helper to get going,” she murmured walking up next to you.
You nodded, standing up with him in your arms but you didn’t step back.
She didn’t either.
JJ babbled away about different tools as you handed him off to his mother.
God you wanted to kiss her.
You looked away focusing on cleaning JJs hands.
Dina watched and when you finished she leaned up leaving a soft kiss on your cheek. She exhaled, already turning away. “I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah,” you said. “See you.” You gulp as she walks away. You look down at the bike when you hear her voice.
“Y/N?” Dina called out by the garage door.
You looked back, brow raised.
“I don’t think we missed our shot.” With that Dina walked away leaving you even more confused.
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Once Dina made it home from the garden she put JJ down for a nap in his bed, his curls matted with sweat, thumb tucked in his mouth.
Dina sat on the couch, her arms wrapped around a throw pillow, staring at nothing. Thinking about how the party had ended, but the hum in her bones hadn’t stopped. She still saw the way you looked that night. Relaxed. Confident. Open in a way she’d never quite earned from you.
Natalie had noticed it too. So had half the room.
Dina could still feel the phantom heat of that almost-night in her kitchen. Your mouth on hers. Your hands on her hips. The way you froze—not from fear but trust. Vulnerability. Something she hadn’t been ready for.
She buried her face in her hands.
Why did it bother her so much to see someone else standing where she’d pushed you away?
She wanted you. She wanted you badly. But she also knew she’d hurt you if she got close and then pulled away again. She didn’t know how to want something and not ruin it.
Dina curled deeper into the couch, jaw clenched, her chest aching in that old, familiar way.
Maybe you do deserve someone like Natalie. Someone who didn’t flinch at softness or keep their past on a leash that snapped when tugged.
But she hated the thought of you finding comfort in someone else’s arms.
And worse she feared you will soon if she doesn’t do something soon.
The next morning, Maria looked up as Dina stepped into her office, her arms folded tight, face unreadable.
“You okay?” Maria asked gently, though she already had a guess.
Dina shrugged, eyes flicking too quickly to your empty desk across the room. “Just stopping in.”
“They’re up on the roof today,” Maria said. “Fixing one of the outer houses.”
“Oh.” Dina’s voice was neutral, but her gaze lingered just a second too long.
Maria tilted her head, watching her. “You know, Y/N could probably use an extra set of hands.”
Dina gave a slow nod. “Great. I’ll head out there now.”
She turned to go, already pulling her jacket tighter.
“Dina?” Maria’s voice stopped her in the doorway.
Dina paused.
“No one would judge you if you were dating. You deserve happiness too, you know.”
For a moment, Dina didn’t say anything. Just a small nod. Then she slipped out the door before the weight of those words could press too hard on her chest.
By the time she reached the house on the edge of town, the sun was already sharp overhead. You were halfway up a ladder, sleeves rolled, tool belt around your hips, sweat glinting at your temple. Dina let herself look really look for just a second before calling up: “Hi.”
You glanced down and grinned, wiping your forehead. “Hey, you.”
“Maria sent me,” Dina spoke, stepping closer. “Thought you might need help.”
“I never say no to help,” you replied easily. “You scared of heights?”
“Not really.”
“Perfect. Come on up.”
You helped her up the ladder and showed her how to replace the cracked tiles, careful to move slow, explaining each step. She listened, nodded, mimicked your movements, her hands steady but heart a little less so.
The work was quiet. A comfortable kind of silence. Dina could almost forget how weird things had been. Almost.
About an hour in, a voice floated up from below.
“Hi, Y/N!”
Dina looked down. Of course it was Natalie, perfect braid, sunglasses pushed to the top of her head, holding a gingham-lined basket like she was auditioning for a picnic commercial.
You waved. “Hey! I’ll be down in a minute!” Then turned to Dina. “Guess it’s break time. Wanna join? I’m sure she brought enough.”
Dina held up her water bottle. “I’m good. Packed my own.”
You gave her a smile. “Alright. Don’t work too hard.” Then you disappeared down the ladder.
Dina didn’t look.
Not really.
Except she did.
And she saw how Natalie spread the blanket under the tree with a little flip of her hair. How she placed her hand a bit too close to your knee. How you smiled anyway.
Her stomach twisted.
Later, after the last tile had been set and the tools packed away, Dina found herself still sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling.
You were coiling up the extension cord when she finally spoke.
“Didn’t know you were seeing Natalie.”
You looked over your shoulder. “I’m not.”
“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”
You tilted your head, amused. “What made you think that?”
“The dancing the other night. The picnic lunch. The way she touches your arm like it’s a reflex. Don’t get me started on the way she looks at you like a piece of meat.”
You chuckled softly. “She’s just… friendly.”
“She was flirting.”
You paused. “She did talk about her yoga a lot. Something about sweat and hip openers and… flexibility.” You blinked. “Oh.”
Dina smirked. “Yeah. Oh.”
You laughed, rubbing the back of your neck. “Guess I missed the memo.”
“She’s not really your type.”
You looked at her. “And what is my type, exactly?”
Dina faltered for half a second. “Not someone who tries that hard.”
You smiled, slow and searching. “You think I can do better?”
“I know you can.”
There was something soft behind her eyes then—too soft to be casual, too honest to be a joke.
You dropped your gaze with a small, lopsided grin. “I tried.”
She blinked. “What?”
You shrugged. “She’s a good mom. Jack’s a sweet kid. It’s not a big deal.”
“So you’re into moms now?” she teased, a little too quickly, trying to shove down something else rising in her.
You smiled wider. “Not exclusively. But it helps when someone understands the whole kid thing. Most people don’t want to date someone with a child.”
Dina looked down, picking at the frayed edge of her glove. “Jackson’s full of people who’d line up for you.”
You smirked. “Well, not everyone.”
A beat passed.
Then her voice, quieter. “We’re okay… right?”
You looked at her for a long moment, softening. “Dina… if we weren’t, I would’ve found something else for you to do today.”
That made her smile genuine this time.
“Come on,” you added, hopping off the roof and dusting off your hands. “We’re done for today.”
Dina watched you walk toward the cart, sunlight catching the edge of your smile, and followed a few steps behind still unsure of what she wanted, but suddenly afraid she might be too late if she waited much longer.
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“You’re sure this won’t come off desperate?” Dina asked, voice low, almost sheepish.
Kim raised an eyebrow over her coffee cup. “Sweetheart, if it’s coming from your heart, it’s not desperate.”
“She’s right,” Maria added, arms crossed as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “Y/N’s not the kind of person who wants grand for the sake of grand. You want them to hear you? Then show up. Say something real.”
Dina let out a breath. “I just… I screwed it up so bad. I was scared, and I made them feel like they were a mistake. Like it didn’t matter. But it did. It does. I don’t know how to fix that.”
“You start by showing them they were never just a moment,” Kim said. “They were the choice.”
Dina looked down at the ring box in her hand simple, not flashy, something she’d bartered for after days of asking around and rummaging through abandoned buildings. It wasn’t an engagement ring. Not yet. Just a promise of something more. Something real. A symbol of what she was too scared to say before.
She didn’t know if it would be enough. But she was going to try.
The morning sun pressed down over the valley like a hand on your shoulder. You leaned against the post at the main gate, boot braced on the ledge, fingers drumming softly on the rail. It was quiet one of those still, golden mornings that felt borrowed from before the world changed.
You weren’t holding your breath anymore. Not for her. You’d stopped waiting for the knock at your door, for the lingering glances to mean something. Not because you didn’t care. Just because you couldn’t keep hoping for something she couldn’t give.
Still, when you heard her footsteps behind you, something in your chest shifted gentle, not jarring. Familiar.
“Didn’t know you were on gate duty,” Dina said, her voice soft.
You glanced over your shoulder. “Cam needed the morning off.”
She nodded, hesitating. “I was… actually looking for you.”
You gave a quiet smile, the kind you’d learned to wear around her. “Lucky me.”
That made her smile, too, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She stepped closer. “I, um… I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About… everything.”
You stayed still, not bracing, not backing away. Just listening.
She exhaled. “Back then… when I said I wasn’t ready, that I needed space, I thought I was being honest. But really, I was just scared. Of how much you meant. Of what it would mean to let myself want you out loud.”
You looked at her… truly looked and something in her eyes made your heart ache a little.
She took another step. “I didn’t know how to show up the way you deserved. And I’m sorry for all the times I almost did, and didn’t.”
You said nothing, but your expression softened. She saw it some quiet part of her unfurling in the space you offered.
Dina’s voice dipped lower, steadier now. “I’m not saying this to make things messy again. I just… I need you to know that it wasn’t nothing. That you weren’t just a moment I let go of.”
You blinked. Something warm rose behind your ribs. Your lips parted to say something but then a shout came from the wall.
“Approaching group! Three o’clock!”
You turned instinctively, scanning the tree line.
Dina blinked, then followed your gaze.
Two guards jogged up beside you, binoculars already raised. “Looks like a small group. Coming slow. Holding something up looks like a white flag.”
Dina tensed. “What the hell?”
You squinted.
Your heart hiccupped.
No.
It couldn’t!
But it was!
You dropped your rifle and stepped toward the scope mounted on the wall. One look through and you were already moving, down the stairs, fast.
“Y/N?” Dina called behind you.
But you were already at the gate as the group drew closer, dusty and sun-worn from the road.
Then she stepped into view.
Tall. Blonde braid. Green eyes that hadn’t changed a bit.
Your voice cracked. “Lili?!”
Her head snapped up and her face broke into the brightest smile you’d seen in months.
“Holy shit,” she breathed. “Y/N Y/L/N?!”
You ran.
So did she.
You collided like no time had passed at all, her arms wrapping tight around your shoulders, your hands gripping her waist. She laughed against your neck, and you closed your eyes, a flood of something too big for words crashing over you.
“I thought you were gone,” you murmured.
“We never got to say goodbye.” she said breathlessly, smiling wide. “I looked for you at every stop.”
Behind you, Dina stood just inside the gate, frozen.
She remembered. Every story. Every soft smile that crossed your face when you’d talked about your first kiss your best friend who vanished with the end of the world.
Now here she was. Real.
Lili’s parents dismounted nearby. “Well, if it isn’t Y/N,” Mr. Cooper said, beaming. “Didn’t expect to see you full-grown and still breathing.”
“You still look just as cute as ever!” Mrs. Cooper added fondly.
Lili grinned, eyes never leaving yours. “We were pretty much inseparable. Might’ve even figured out what that meant if the world hadn’t ended.”
You ducked your head, laughing. Your cheeks warmed. It wasn’t flirty, it was just soft. Familiar.
Dina’s stomach twisted in a knot.
Dina finally stepped forward, clearing her throat. “I’m Dina.”
“Lili,” she replied, extending a hand. Her handshake was calm, firm. Polite.
“We’re just looking for a safe place to rest a few days,” Mr. Cooper added. “We’ll trade for food and shelter, then move on.”
“You’ll need to be vetted. Have any of you been bitten?”
“They’re good people,” you said, already sliding back into the role of vouching. “I trust them.”
“That was before.” Dina shook her head.
“Whatever you need.” Lili nodded.
“We are all clean.” Mr. Cooper nodded.
“We’ll take them to Maria.” Dina nodded.
Then Lili’s gaze found yours again. “If you’re free later… I’d love to catch up.”
You hesitated for only a second. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
The family moved forward toward the gates, the guards checking over their gear.
You walked beside Lili, falling easily into conversation. There was history there years of it. The way you talked had an ease that didn’t need catching up. It was just there. Waiting.
Dina stayed behind at the gate, hands clenched and heart hammering.
Because the rest of her confession the part about love, about regret, about wanting a future never made it out.
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