✧･ﾟ: * thirty-two *:･ﾟ✧    

It's surreal for Madeline to be walking through the mall, her hand intertwined with Taehyung's. It's so oddly natural, like this is how she should be walking all the time. It's pleasantly familiar, however, what's better is the fact that she can see him this time. She can watch him marvel at things he finds fascinating, things he's never seen or understood. She gets to see the wonder in his eyes brighten his entire face.

His favorite place in the mall is the food court. In fact, he enjoys it so much that he buys something from every venue. Namjoon is shaking his head, trying to hide his face despite Madeline laughing hard and Sage stealing some of everything he got. So far, they have more bags of food lined along their arms than bags of clothes.

Madeline is greatly enjoying herself. It's so relieving to not be stuck in a loop of horrible thoughts and images, regretting everything she can no longer fix. It's nice to not worry about the funeral, or how she's going to support herself, or the fact that she didn't tell her mother she loved her enough. It's nice to just forget... if only for a little while.

It feels a little like babysitting, though, with how ecstatic the older boy is. He gets incredibly fascinated at the stand of various candies in the middle of the mall walkway. He gawks at them as if he's never seen any of it, asking the lady with his broken English if he can try some of them. Namjoon is practically his father, telling him when he's had enough and to just freaking pick already.

It's awfully amusing.

"Are you two or twenty-two?" Namjoon grumbles, shaking his head as he reluctantly pays the woman for Taehyung's multiple bags of candy. Regardless, though, Namjoon makes sure to steal a few pieces of everything.

"Should we actually shop now?" Sage asks, grabbing a gummy worm out of Taehyung's bag. "We've walked around for an hour eating everything in sight and haven't bought a single clothing item."

"Probably a good idea," Madeline agrees. "Where do you guys usually shop?" she asks the two boys.

Taehyung pauses midchew with a mouthful of chocolate almonds, looking at her with wide eyes, obviously having missed what she said. She laughs, and Namjoon speaks up. "Anywhere, really. We aren't too picky."

"Lead the way."

Namjoon asks Taehyung something in Korean, to which he nods and makes an "ahh" sound of understanding, taking the front position as he walks, scanning each store. He makes a beeline for H&M. Namjoon seems to approve of his choice, the two instantly splitting off to their desired styles. Madeline loses Sage, too, as she veers off to the women's section.

She follows Taehyung, naturally, genuinely interested in watching his mind work. She wants to see how he goes about picking something he likes versus something he isn't sure of. He picked out majority of the clothes she has now, after all. And she loves every piece. So it's almost like a movie for her as he skims through the racks, his lips pressed together in thought.

His outfit he's wearing now is quite simple; a blue button-down with some black jeans. But from airport photos and other pictures of him she's seen, she knows his style is more out of the box than that. And somehow he can pull off literally anything.

Soon enough, he's got an armful of clothes that he takes to the dressing room, skimming through each piece a second time with critical eyes. Madeline can't believe how serious he is about his clothes--most men grab some button downs, t-shirt, jeans and they're done. They don't even try them on.

But not Taehyung.

She admires it a lot, actually.

If only she cared that much...

When the two are walking to the register, Go Go is suddenly blaring from Sage's phone. Her head pops up from behind a rack, eyes wide as she hurries to turn it down. Before she can manage, though, Taehyung is passing the clothes to Madeline. She takes them in his rush, confusion flooding her features.

Then he starts doing the dance.

Specifically, the "backpack kid" part.

Sage pauses in awe, no longer caring that everyone in the store can hear it.

Namjoon comes in out of nowhere, a bag on his arm from already purchasing his items. Madeline is shocked, yet incredibly amused at how both idols do the dance as if they were actually performing it.

Well, aside from Namjoon's classic derp face where he acts as if he's taking it more seriously than he actually is.

When the ringtone shuts off, the two idols continue as if they hadn't done anything, albeit Taehyung is giggling and apologizing to Madeline before taking his clothes back.

"Can I like... just keep playing your songs?" Sage asks, partially kidding but not really.

"Why don't you dance with them?" Madeline suggests with a smirk, making Sage's cheeks flush a bright red.

Taehyung's eyes widen. "You know dances?"

"W-w-well, I would s-say I know them..."

Madeline lets Taehyung check out, and decides to bring it up again when they're walking out. "Sage and a group of her friends have a dance club at school, just for K-pop."

"Really?" Namjoon asks, intrigued. "I want to see."

"I think not," Sage replies, still blushing madly as she glares at Madeline. She jabs an accusing finger at the girl. "S-she knows the dances too!"

"I'm not apart of the club, though. Not officially."

"I'll dance if you dance," Sage challenges, raising her eyebrows.

Madeline snorts. "I don't even talk to people, and you want me to dance in a crowded mall?"

"It's only fair if--"

Both of them freeze in the middle of the walkway when Mic Drop starts playing from Taehyung's phone. He looks up with a boxy grin, as if anticipating the show Sage should put on. "Do you know this one?" he asks.

"It's my favorite," she mutters, her fingers already twitching as she tries to fight the urge.

Madeline grins. Sage is a sucker for dancing to any song, but more so if she knows the choreography as if she invented it.

Namjoon starts doing it without anyone else, not caring at all that people have started to look at them strangely.

"I can do the fanchants," Madeline suggests, pulling out her phone to record the matter. If Taehyung starts dancing, Sage can kiss her willpower goodbye.

Lo and behold, Taehyung starts when Hoseok's verse does.

Sage is still refusing (although she can't help but to yell "MIC MIC BUNGEE" at the top of her lungs), crossing her arms over her chest. Madeline records the two boys, smiling like a maniac while others begin to gather around. Namjoon and Taehyung are both pestering Sage, encouraging her to join in while Yoongi's part is about to end. She's waving her hand, shaking her head, and then--

The chorus strikes.

Sage is a goner.

It's easy to forget they're in a public place, truthfully. Madeline is so enthralled, and so entertained at the three, that she doesn't notice the crowd closing in on them. She's cheering them on as if it's actually for a trophy. She feels so happy right now, laughing hard with her cheeks aching. It's so, so nice.

She watches Taehyung, his smile so bright she can't believe she's lived so long without seeing it. Namjoon has broken down laughing, unable to keep up with the other two anymore. Sage is still blushing, but she's more focused on her dance reputation at this point to care about humiliation. Madeline could watch this all day; all three of them smiling and laugh and she's smiling and laughing.

When the song ends, it isn't just Madeline that cheers--it's nearly the entire mall. People on the second level are looking over, clapping while some are laughing in amusement, probably second-hand embarrassment. The most comical, though, is how both Taehyung and Sage get shy when they notice everyone had been watching. Taehyung bows his head politely, but he's covering his face with his hand, beet red. Sage is pulling her hair across her face, cursing Madeline under her breath as she walks by.

And then the moment is crushed.

"Taehyung!" a girl's shrill voice shrieks through the crowd, startling the idol as he looks up with wide eyes. Obviously a fangirl, she's pushing her way to them, excitement written plain across her face.

She isn't alone, though. Soon after she screams his name, there are other shouts of glee and realization. The crowd is dispersing now, however, most are curious as to why a group of girls are racing for the two idols. A few catch on and ask for selfies just because the boys have been confirmed famous, or at least as far as they know.

Somehow Madeline gets pushed back, Sage with her as more and more girls flood towards them like a tidal wave.

"Maybe drawing attention was a bad idea," Sage murmurs.

Madeline hadn't really thought of it. It was easy to walk around, eat and shop without them being recognized. If she's honest, she forgot the two were famous, really. It seemed so natural hanging out with them that she just... she just forgot. She also didn't consider how popular they now were in the states.

Mall security is breaking through the girls, undoubtedly to keep anyone from getting hurt. They try to form a mini circle around the idols, ushering them towards the exit. Madeline can barely see the tops of their heads now. Anger flares through her, though, when she notices how some of the girls are trying to grab onto the boys' clothes, as if dragging them back to stay. She also catches Taehyung trip over someone, but luckily is saved by Namjoon from falling and potentially getting trampled.

"Let's hurry over there before the crowd follows," Sage suggests, grabbing Madeline's hand. The two girls race for the side of the mall the security is pushing the boys towards, hoping to get there first so they don't get lost in the sea of teenagers.

Not to mention, they're the idols' ride and shelter, though Madeline knows they could afford both if necessary.

The girls get to the Macy's entrance, waiting anxiously for the boys to show up so they can leave quickly. The mass of bodies is moving slowly, the security trying to prevent anyone from getting trampled or injured in the mix. One security officer leans down to his walkie-talkie, and soon there's a few more guards running to the scene.

A Macy's manager comes out, catching the onslaught of girls and gasps. "Oh goodness. I'll have to shut the gate or those girls will knock over everything in here." She starts undoing the locks to pull the gate out to close the store when the boys arrive.

Madeline is fidgeting with her fingers, hoping neither of them are hurt. The fact that she knows they're scared, though, is enough to make her angry.

How can people be so thoughtless? She understands perfectly that they're excited to see their role models, but there are better ways to treat and approach them.

Mobbing them is certainly not it.

"Can one of you girls grab the other end?" the manager asks. "We need to close it as quickly as possible."

Sage nods, rushing to the other side after the lady unlocks it, already tugging it close to the middle to meet with the other side. There's a big enough opening for the boys to fit through and that's it.

They're close now. Close enough for Madeline and Taehyung's gazes to meet. His eyes are wide, confused and fearful as he tries to quick his pace to get to her. The guards make it difficult, albeit they're keeping the girls away the best they can.

When they're finally only a few feet away, the guards open their locked arms and push the boys to hurry, but they don't need to be told twice. Sage and the manager slam the gate as soon as they're through, the manager securing the padlock. Girls crowd against it like zombies would in a horror film, making Madeline gape at them is disbelief.

"You better hurry before they make it outside," the manager tells them.

Again, no one needs to be told twice, Taehyung taking her hand as they start running for the escalators leading to the parking garage where Sage's old, rusty car awaits. They tumble inside, Sage quickly igniting the engine, but they seem to be home free now. There's no one yet outside, no one to follow their car home, thankfully.

"I'm sorry," Madeline says out of instinct, turning to look at them from the passenger seat. It may not really be her fault, but she feels responsible for egging them on. "Are you guys okay?"

Namjoon is rubbing the back of his neck, seeming exhausted. "Yeah, we're not hurt. That was... that was crazy."

She looks to Taehyung, but he's curled up in the seat, his cheek on Namjoon's shoulder. He catches her looking and tries to give her an assuring smile, but all it does is make her more concerned and guilty.

Scaring everyone, Namjoon's phone rings. He frowns at the caller ID. "I checked in with him when we landed," he murmurs, but answers nonetheless, switching to his native tongue. Taehyung's interest is piqued during the conversation, his eyes shifting to Namjoon's.

When he hangs up, Madeline stifles her questions, not wanting to seem nosy as she watches Taehyung sink further in the seat, a sorrow look in his eyes.

However, Namjoon answers them anyways.

"That was our manager," he says. "Apparently... pictures are already spreading on Twitter." He gives her a pitied look. "Now it's our turn to apologize, Maddie."