(so bc i'm shit a updating, the timeline of the comebacks and such is WAY off. so we're gonna skip queens dna and fake love and jump to legend idol just to keep it relevant! so let's forget they were practicing for the melon awards, bc now it's just a comeback stage, ta-daaa--don't hate me pls. just a note so no one gets confused from the earlier times of the story bc none of them will be exact anyways. enjoy x)

✧･ﾟ: * thirty-six *:･ﾟ✧    

Madeline can hear the squeaking of sneakers when they reach the door, a small square window at the top. She sees two figures gliding across the floor, working fluidly with each other in their steps. She's hesitant to step inside after watching how focused the two seem to be, however, Taehyung doesn't falter when he throws the door open. The music spills out of the room, neither of the boys hearing their entry because of it.

It's one of their songs, Madeline realizes, their newest title track "IDOL." Madeline may or may not have replayed the song a good twenty times every day the entirety of the first week it came out, just a few days prior to her mother's passing. Hearing it now puts her in a calmer mood, her nerves easing.

Taehyung waits until they've finished the last move before he pauses the music, catching both of their attention. Out of breath, the two boys manage a smile when Taehyung introduces her to them. The shorter one she knows is Jimin, specifically because of how Taehyung always talks about his height, has a wide grin on his face as he dips his head respectfully, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

"Nice to meet you, Maddie," he says enthusiastically, his attitude rubbing off on Madeline as she beams back at him.

The other boy uses a towel to dab at the sweat on his face. He flashes a grin so bright, Madeline's heart flutters a little. "I'm Hobi," he says cutely, dipping politely to her. "Do you dance?"

Her eyes bulge a little. "Oh, no, no..."

Taehyung exchanges something with the two in Korean, whatever it being enough to make the boys smile and Hobi to grab her wrist.

She glares at Taehyung as she's led to the middle of the room. "What did you tell them?"

Taehyung smirks, and she hates how good he looks doing it. "About your school. Your club."

She gapes at him. "That's just for fun! I don't really--"

Jimin chuckles while moving to the computer in the corner. "It's okay, Maddie. You dance with us."

Heat of embarrassment flares in her cheeks as "Go Go" starts overhead. Taehyung nudges her from behind, falling into his own position just as Hobi and Jimin do the same. Madeline pinches the bridge of her nose, refusing to be dragged into further humiliation, even as they begin to dance around her. Hoseok starts shouting in that loud, encouraging way, and she can see his grinning reflection in the mirror. Jimin is giggling, yet he doesn't miss a beat of the song.

Taehyung is watching her, biting back a smile, using the toe of his shoe to gently hit her ankle, urging her to join. She does a good job of ignoring them, hiding her flushing cheeks until the chorus hits. She slowly raises on of her hands, bringing it down in notches like she's seen Jungkook do in performances. She finds herself dancing along with them, earning cheers and she starts to laugh because she can already feel their energy radiating onto her.

Soon enough they dance through three songs from the shuffle going on over the speakers. However, when "Blood Sweat & Tears" starts, Madeline shakes her head and backs away.

"Absolutely not. There's not one move in this song I can do decently."

Taehyung laughs, repeating what she said in Korean, the other two grinning teasingly at her as they continue to fluidly move with the music. She must admit, this is one of her top favorites from them, especially in choreography, so she doesn't mind hanging back and watching. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself entranced watching Taehyung, dancing to it as if the moves are engraved into his body. It's so easy for him, so graceful and, well... attractive as hell.

At the final move, Madeline stifles the urge to clap as Hobi pauses the tracks, chugging a bottle of water.

"So do you guys just practice for fun?" she asks, knowing half the songs won't be performed again any time soon.

Taehyung shrugs. "Sometimes. I think Jimin and Hobi-hyung think they need to."

Madeline frowns a little at this, but Jimin is asking Taehyung something before she can reply. Tae walks over and laces their fingers, not unnoticed by Jimin and Hobi, who stare at their entwined hands almost in shock before they force themselves to avert their gazes. Madeline blushes whereas Tae seems oblivious.

"Let's go get ready for dinner," Tae says. "The members need to finish up."

Madeline nods, waving to the boys with a kind smile on her way out as they do the same. They seem to start shutting the room down, readying to leave.

On the way back up to the room, Taehyung dips down to plant a quick kiss on her cheek, startling her. She turns to him in surprise, asking, "What was that for?"

He's grinning from ear-to-ear, looking like a child on Christmas morning. He shrugs, squeezing her hand as his gaze meets hers, eyes sparkling. "I'm just really happy."

Her cheeks flush as she smiles back, leaning into him as they step out the elevator.

Maybe she can fit in after all.

***

While Madeline waits for Taehyung to get out the shower in the attached bathroom, she sits on his bed a bit awkwardly, pursing her lips and patting her thighs. She glances around at the art and pictures for the sixth time in the span of five minutes, her throat dry from thirst. She had taken her shower first, her wet hair resting on her shoulder in a neat braid. A blouse Taehyung had actually bought her and snug jeans adorn her body, her ankle boots waiting by the door.

She groans to herself, pushing to her feet. She can't be shy and uncomfortable around the other members forever. She needs to break out of her shell, needs to not feel so... disconnected. It'll only make it weirder for the boys, too.

Waiting a casual moment to see if the water stops, she sighs when it doesn't and hesitantly cracks the door open. She cringes at how nervous she is, scolds herself for acting so childishly. She huffs, straightening her shoulders and throwing the door open, taking a confident step out.

And loses all of it when the other six members sit in the main room, all dressed and ready to go--except for Jimin, who's grumbling with one sock in his hand, presumably searching for the other as he checks under the couch cushions.

With all their eyes on her, she sucks in a breath and feels heat creep up her neck.

"Hey, Maddie," Namjoon says kindly, gesturing next to him. "Taehyung is in second place for being the slowest, next to Jimin who holds the record."

Jimin hears his name, jerks his head up, but being unable to understand he merely frowns and goes back to scavenging under the coffee table.

"Thanks," she replies slowly, trying a smile that should look natural. "But... I was actually going to see if I can get some water?"

Namjoon scoffs, standing. "Well, you don't have to ask to drink. Come on. I'll show you where the cups and things are."

She smiles appreciatively, dipping her head to the other members as she follows Namjoon's tall figure into the kitchen. She can feel five pairs of eyes on her back as she goes. Not so much harsh, but scrutinizing all the same.

She pays close attention to where everything is, thanking Namjoon when he fills a cup for her. She takes a few sips, then lets him tug her back to the main room where the members are in quiet conversation. The talk falls silent when they spot her in the entryway.

"You haven't met Yoongi yet," Namjoon remarks, gesturing to the man with black hair and striking eyes.

Yoongi lifts his hand in a polite wave, nodding his head at her.

Abruptly, a sense of overwhelming washes over her. Guiltily, she leans over to Namjoon. "Can you tell them all I'm sorry?"

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Sorry for what?"

"For not being able to speak to them properly. This isn't fair to them."

Namjoon blinks at her for a few seconds before slowly starting, his words trailing curiously before he makes up his mind and strings his native language together fluently. A bit ashamed, she wrings her hands together while watching their expressions shift from suspicious to surprised, an expression she can't quite read.

Yoongi responds in Korean, his voice deep and words smooth. When he finishes, he gives Madeline a soft smile.

Namjoon squeezes Madeline's shoulder. "He said everyone comes from somewhere, and they're just as at fault for not knowing English. It isn't your fault you don't know a foreign language, and he's happy to meet you."

Madeline's breathes a sigh of relief.

"I told you," Namjoon says softly. "No one is going to hold it against you. You communicated with Taehyung easily enough, right?"

She snorts, biting back a smile. "Yeah, but to be fair, I was blind in the process. We were both struggling to communicate."

His eyes turn sad for a brief moment. "Sorry," he murmurs. "I keep forgetting you were... you know."

She chuckles. "It's okay, Namjoon. It's not this big sensitive topic with me. Truthfully, it's hard for me to believe all this happened... It's surreal, like out of a book or something."

"Since we're being honest," Namjoon says, leaning in like he has a big secret. "We all knew Taehyung would be one of the first in a relationship. Between him and Jimin, the two are too mushy for their own good."

Madeline smirks. "I don't know, Namjoon. I think you could be the shy and romantic type, too."

Namjoon's lips part, but a blush fills his cheeks and he presses them together, glancing to his toes a bit sheepishly.

"So where are we going to eat?" she asks casually, switching the subject.

"Actually, it's Taehyung's favorite--"

"My favorite what?" Taehyung says, stepping out of the bedroom while doing his top button. His hair is still damp from a rough towel dry, and he shakes his head gently, brushing his fingers through his bangs.

"Restaurant," Namjoon finishes, giving him a look. "Did you take long enough, princess?"

Taehyung rolls his eyes, but smiles when he meets Madeline's gaze. "Are we ready?"

Madeline shrugs, looking to everyone else and the members start to stand, slipping on their shoes. They file out the front door in noisy chatter, Taehyung entwining their fingers and leaving Namjoon behind to lock the door.

Admittedly, the dinner is a bit awkward at first. The members almost seem hesitant to speak, knowing they can't fluently communicate with Madeline, but soon enough they start messing around with each other. It's nice to watch, albeit, she does feel a little left out but it's her own fault, after all. She really needs to crack down on her language skills if she ever has hope to be able to get to know any of them.

Taehyung touches her knee whenever he notices she's bumming herself out, and it does help to a certain degree. Even Namjoon tries to steer conversation to where she can join in, but it lasts a couple of minutes and then falls flat. She doesn't want to interfere with their dinner. It's supposed to be a welcome home celebration for Taehyung, not for her.

Madeline is taking a bit of her noodles when she feels a gentle kick on her ankle. Frowning, she looks up to meet Jungkook's eyes, a nervous smile on his lips. Taehyung is in the middle of a conversation with Jimin, and doesn't notice the younger lean slightly across the table, naturally causing her to lean in too.

"Hyung is very happy," Jungkook says softly, nodding to the boy beside her. "Thank you."

A little flustered, she laughs quietly. "Tae is a happy person."

It's Jungkook's turn to frown. "No... He can be very sad. His father, uh..." He makes a gesture with his hands, like they're floating up to the sky.

"Passed away," Madeline fills in with a sad smile.

Jungkook nods. "And hyung was sad. A lot. He is always very... happy. Now." He nods again, but this time to himself, like he's proud of what he's said.

Madeline considers this, glancing over at the boy next to her, laughing loudly at something his best friend had said. She finds herself smiling, looking back to Jungkook, but the younger is already back to his meal, tuning into whatever Namjoon and Yoongi are talking about on her other side.

She supposes she can take a little credit, if only because she understands and completely relates. With her mother gone, having Taehyung around is the only thing keeping her from staying in bed all hours of the day. He's the only reason she bothers to wake up, why she bothers to consider a future for herself. Her mother is all she's ever really known, even if sometimes she hadn't been the best at it. She was still Madeline's mom, and Madeline is still lost without her.

Taehyung is keeping all of her intact, though.

And maybe she helped keep him intact, too.

***

Back in his room after dinner and all the good nights to the members, Madeline kisses him and tells him she loves him. There's a sparkle in his eyes, a question he doesn't ask aloud, and instead kisses her back, those three words spoken softly on his lips.