✧･ﾟ: * thirty-one *:･ﾟ✧    

Madeline tightens the blanket around herself, slouching deep into the couch. The television is playing some comedy show she's never heard of, but she's mostly zoned out, unbothered by the noise it's emitting. She hasn't moved from the couch since this morning when she spoke to the doctor about arranging a funeral.

She's only twenty. She has no idea how to go about planning a funeral.

Something clatters in the kitchen, followed by Sage's cursing. However, the girl comes out with a soft smile and a platter of cookies.

"Look. Can you believe I didn't need a fire extinguisher this time?" she jokes.

Madeline doesn't even hear her.

Sage purses her lips, setting the cookies on the coffee table. "Maddie," she says with a pout. "You haven't moved in four hours. Don't you at least need to pee?"

Madeline doesn't remember the last time she drank anything. Or ate, for that matter.

"You know," Sage says kindly. "You don't have to stay here. My mom doesn't mind you staying. I think she likes you more than me, honestly."

Madeline exhales heavily, the only sign of her listening. While her mother was in the hospital, it felt wrong to be home. Now that she's gone, though, it feels worse to be far away. She can almost picture her mother sitting in the recliner if she tries hard enough. She hasn't dared step foot in her mother's room yet, but she knows that will be an obstacle eventually.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Sage continues. "At least I know the couch is comfortable since you haven't bothered to move from it."

Madeline tucks the blanket further under her chin.

Sage sighs dramatically, flinging herself back into the cushions. "It took a lot of stress to make those cookies, you know. Can you at least glance at them?"

Sage leans forward, grabbing one to take a bite. Her jaw pauses mid-chew, her face scrunching up. She grabs a tissue and spits it out. "I'm ashamed of myself," she murmurs, scowling at the plate.

Suddenly, Madeline's phone pings on the table. The only thing that causes her to look at it is the thought that it could be Tae.

And it is.

She reaches for it, the first movement she's made since she spoke to him last night.

"Oh, I see. The best friend gets no attention but Mr. Heart-Eyes Emoji sparks your interest," Sage says, partially serious but mostly kidding.

Madeline frowns at the text he sent.

taehyung: have you checked your mail recently? (:

madeline: is there a reason i should

taehyung: i sent you something

Her eyebrows furrow. When had he sent something? It takes a good few days for a package all the way across the world to arrive.

Although her body aches, she manages to get to her feet. Her curiosity gets the better of her, pondering what the boy could've sent her way. Another letter? He's become more sparse with them since his English has improved. She'll admit... she misses them.

"Oh my gosh, she moves," Sage says in awe, but relief lights in her eyes amidst her teasing.

It hurts just to walk the small distance to the door. She tucks the blanket tighter around herself, resting her chin on her hands beneath the soft fabric. Her legs hurt so bad. She ignores it, pulling the door open.

Then her breath catches in her lungs.

Is it...? No. No, no, it couldn't be.

But he looks so real.

"Taehyung?" she whispers, her voice cracking.

He barely manages a smile back before she throwing herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. She shoves her face into his shoulder, tears already soaking through his shirt, but he doesn't seem to care. He engulfs her, his arms so firmly wound around her waist she cries harder.

His hair is soft against her cheek, his cologne the most comforting thing she's smelt in weeks, ridding her of the bad memory of the hospital stench. She runs her hands down his back, up his neck, just making sure he's really there. She's not dreaming.

She pulls away, stammering through her disbelief. "W-why are you here?"

He cups her cheeks, gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "For you."

God, she missed his voice. It's different over the phone than when he's right in front of her, staring at her with the kindest eyes she's ever seen.

"Um... so..." Sage's voice abruptly says. "You, um... you weren't joking. When we met. That... Kim Taehyung is your boyfriend?" Her voice steadily rises in pitch, her eyes wide.

Madeline forces herself to look away from Taehyung, wiping her eyes. "Sorry. Taehyung, this is Sage. She's a huge fan."

Sage licks her lips. "I think my unicorn needs to be fed."

Madeline blinks at her.

"In this dreamworld, of course I have a unicorn."

Madeline snorts, rolling her eyes. "You aren't dreaming, Sage."

To prove it, Taehyung bows politely. "Nice to meet you." Then he angles his body sideways, revealing his own friend. "This is Namjoon."

Namjoon gives a little wave with the cutest dimple grin she's ever seen. "Hi, Sage, Maddie. Nice to finally meet you in person."

She smiles, nodding in agreement. Then she realizes the state she's in and flushes, waving her hand dismissively. "Sorry you have to meet me like... this."

"Don't apologize. I understand."

"I'm the only one being weird, okay...," Sage mutters, running a hand through her hair. "It's not like two Korean idols are standing in my best friend's doorway on first name basis. Nope. Not happening."

"Come on in," Madeline says softly, Taehyung's hand instinctively intertwining with her own. "I know it's not much... Definitely not a five star hotel, but, you know. It's home." She shrugs slightly, the weight on her chest getting heavier. It's all her mother could get.

Namjoon chuckles. "Neither of us started off in a mansion, so there's no judgement on our end, I swear."

Taehyung is scrunching his nose, frowning. "You both should speak slower, please."

Madeline grins, naturally leaning into him as she laughs. "Sorry, babe."

The word slips from her lips easily, albeit she notices Namjoon's eyebrows quirk teasingly and Sage's jaw drops. "You just... I really can't fathom this. And here I thought you ran one of those rare Twitter accounts that stalks celebrities."

Namjoon laughs.

Madeline glances at Taehyung. "When I first met her, she saw your picture on my phone." She clicks her screen on to emphasize so he can easily understand. "I said you were my boyfriend but she thought I was speaking as a fan."

"As a normal person would," Sage argues. "People aren't just dating idols on the regular."

"You're a K-pop fan?" Namjoon asks her.

Sage's cheeks turn red as she stammers, "W-well, I may dabble sometimes in t-that area of YouTube."

Namjoon smirks. "What's your favorite group?"

"That's like asking what my favorite pizza is."

"There are bad pizzas."

She gasps. "No true pizza lover would ever fault art."

"Okay," Madeline trails off. "So, um, I didn't really intend on any company... hence why I'm dressed like a homeless woman with a rat's nest for hair. Are you guys staying here?"

Taehyung snaps. "Oh! I forgot a hotel."

Namjoon gives him a look. "If you weren't yanking me through the airport, you wouldn't have forgotten."

"It's okay," Madeline intervenes. "You guys can stay, of course. It's just, well, like I said, not as comfortable as you're probably used to."

"Oh..." Taehyung purses his lips, looking a little guiltily to Madeline. "We need clothes too."

She gapes at him. "You didn't pack anything?"

He shakes his head.

Namjoon remarks, "He was too concerned about getting here to bother with logic."

Madeline's chest swells, but with a different pressure this time. She gives him a soft smile to which he returns by kissing her cheek.

A squeal frightens all of them, and Sage stands as the culprit, a hand clamped over her mouth. "I am so sorry. That was totally instinctive. Not voluntary at all."

Madeline sighs heavily in amusement.

Sage holds up a finger. "But I'm up for shopping if I'm invited?"

"Duh," Madeline laughs. "Also, you're the only transportation we have."

"You could Uber."

"The last Uber I had told me about his deceased niece that he makes contact with."

"Right, I'll drive."

"I should shower," Madeline murmurs, frowning down at herself. Shamefully, she admits it's been a couple of days. "Do you guys mind hanging out a bit? I'll be quick."

Namjoon shrugs, plopping down onto the couch. "Take your time."

Taehyung pouts, though, squeezing her hand slightly. She rolls her eyes, but her chest feels so tight. She missed him so much. "I'm only going down the hall," she says with a laugh. "Sage will be... amusing company."

All three of them look to her and her eyes widen as she nods slowly in agreement.

He kisses the tip of her nose before reluctantly letting go of her hand. As she's walking off, Sage catches her wrist and whispers, "I might faint in two seconds if you leave me alone with actual living gods."

She grins. "I'm sure they'd take good care of you."

"Good idea. Faint on purpose." She nods curtly to herself.

Madeline shakes her head, but enters the bathroom feeling lighter than she has in weeks.

***

Taehyung sits next to Namjoon, watching Maddie disappear down the hall. Namjoon makes a gasp of excitement before leaning forward. "Oh, cookies!"

Sage surprises both of them by diving in front of the table, nearly falling over as she snatches the plate up. "I-I don't recommend them."

Namjoon smiles kindly. "Not a chef?"

"Not even in the ballpark," she murmurs, scrunching her nose. "I'll take these to the kitchen so no one dies."

When she leaves, Namjoon is quick to face Taehyung, eyes wide and somewhat impressed as he switches to Korean. "I figured you two must be close, but it seemed like you've been dating for years."

Taehyung blushes. "Why do you say that?"

"You definitely weren't shy to kisses."

He sinks into the couch some. "It's almost a natural reaction, honestly. Sometimes I don't realize I'm doing it."

"It's not a bad thing. It's cute." Namjoon pinches his cheek like he's a baby. "And I can tell she really cares about you. She seemed so dull when she opened the door, but then her entire face literally lit up when she saw you."

"You think so?"

Namjoon nods, then shrugs a little. "I'm a little jealous, Tae."

It's Taehyung's turn to be shocked. However, before he can ask any further questions, Sage returns, albeit a bit hesitant. She has her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes nervously darting around the room. She opens her mouth--then her phone rings.

The melody of "Blood Sweat and Tears" fills the small living room.

Both idols are smirking now, very entertained and quite humbled.

Her face flushes a deep red as she scurries to cut it off. "S-sorry, I didn't mean..."

"You don't have to apologize. It's a compliment."

She's still scrambling to shut it off, and her anxiety forces her to drop her phone. Namjoon offers to get it, which only freaks her out more, and Taehyung can see why when the phone call cuts off and her lock screen comes up.

It's Namjoon himself, in a rather... seductive pose.

Taehyung chokes on a laugh, putting his fist against his lips to keep himself from embarrassing the poor girl further.

Namjoon blinks a few times when Sage snatches the device away, holding it to her chest. "So, the 'Blood Sweat and Tears' era is your favorite then."

"Excuse me," she says meekly, "while I go cry and wake up from a nightmare."

Namjoon looks like he wants to stop her, but she's already gone, closing a door behind her.

"Way to go," Taehyung says in their native tongue. "You scared off my girlfriend's best friend within the first hour of meeting her."

Namjoon cringes. "I was trying to be helpful..." Then he says, "You think she'd send me that picture? For you know, future references."

Taehyung groans in response, then they both burst into laughter.