(*unedited* again, i'm a flop adksjhdas. hopefully this fluff-overload of a chapter makes up for any mistakes x)

✧･ﾟ: * twelve *:･ﾟ✧

"A gondola?" Maddie asks in disbelief, her eyebrows furrowed as if she isn't quite sure what it is, but Taehyung can tell she's more confused as to why they're going.

He had already reserved one when he was planning out his trip a couple of weeks ago, however, he never expected to have a companion alongside him. Not that he's complaining. But, if he's honest, the idea does make him blush a bit since gondolas are heavily connected to romance. For once, he's glad Maddie can't see him. He doubts she feels as calm when he speaks to her as he does when she speaks to him.

Besides, how can she like someone she can't see?

Taehyung chews the inside of his cheek, looking over heads in the crowd for the sign. Rather than holding Maddie's hand in such a thick mass of people, he keeps his hand on her lower back so she keeps to his pace and doesn't get caught in the rush. She still holds the side of his shirt, though, just in case.

It's very busy along the canal this evening, many activities off to the side for tourists, not to mention the people lining up for a gondola ride. He's grateful he was able to make a reservation for one. There's a specific place he has to find for it, though.

"Is that okay?" he questions, finally forcing himself to face the topic, hoping she doesn't think too far into it. It's just a boat ride, right?

"Y-yeah, it's fine. You'll have to describe the view for me. I know it's supposed to be beautiful."

Taehyung smiles to himself. He's been focusing particularly on that aspect of English. He wants his vocabulary to be as broad as possible to paint the best picture for you. He thinks he can create the perfect mental image now, or at least he can get close to it. He hasn't been losing sleep over this language for nothing, after all.

He's been working on English for years now, however, he's never been quite so determined until now. Namjoon will be so proud of him when he returns. He'll surprise all of the boys by being fluent—or near enough to it.

He finds the spot where the two will get on the gondola, a few people in line ahead of them, but not nearly as bad as the rest of the lines. Taehyung's stomach strangely begins to note, his throat going dry. He watches a lovey-dovey couple set off down the canal, smiling dreamily at each other. Unable to control it, his eyes dart over to glance at Maddie.

He's never been this way around someone. He's always outgoing with everyone, touchy-feely with anyone. It's natural for him to be comfortable around people, regardless of who it is, but he's never felt this... anxiety before. Just sneaking a peak at her face makes his cheeks flush. It's unfathomable.

Taehyung fiddles with the strap of his camera. He's been forgetting it at their hotels, but this activity in particular is what he really wanted to capture. The canal looks so beautiful in the evening with slight moonlight peering down from the sky, reflecting off the smooth surface of the water. He's been trying to be more serious about his photography, since it's something he really loves.

When it's their turn not too long later, Taehyung steps in the boat first before helping Maddie. The gondolier politely helps, asking if she's sick. The problem is, he's worse with his English than Taehyung is, so Taehyung doesn't think he understands when he says Maddie is blind. He nods nonetheless, though, offers a friendly smile, then asks if they're ready with a thumbs up.

The seat is definitely cozy, a cushioned little bench in the middle of the boat. The gondolier walks behind them, pushing off into the canal. Taehyung tries to hide his nervousness being so close to Maddie by scooting forward to the edge of the bench, turning his camera on. He doesn't know why it's different now. The two literally shared a single chair earlier, so this should be easier for him.

It's not.

"Take good pictures," Maddie says encouragingly, leaning back comfortably on the bench.

He will. He'll take good pictures with the intent of showing them to Maddie eventually, so she can see every beautiful detail he could never depict perfectly by words.

"The, uh... water," he says, grinning to himself. "It's very calm, and blue. Bright blue because... because of the, uh... buildings? They have lights. Yellow lights. On water."

He looks back at Maddie. Her eyes are closed and she's smiling. She does that a lot when he describes things. He hopes she isn't making fun of him.

"Reflecting," she says. "The lights are reflecting. Like a mirror."

He snaps his fingers. "Ah, yes! Refrexing."

She giggles. "Reflecting."

He repeats her slowly and she nods in approval.

He takes a few pictures before the scenery becomes repetitive, and he realizes he's only taking extra to avoid sitting back all the way next to her. Why are his palms sweating so bad?

He looks over to her. She has a content smile on her face, her hair gently blowing with the breeze, her eyes closed and her cheek resting on her forearm on the side of the boat. It's almost an instinct for him to raise his camera. He blushes immediately after taking the picture, but he doesn't delete it. She looks far too beautiful to do that.

The boat begins to rock slightly due to the traffic of other gondolas in the canal. Taehyung assumes a Saturday night is probably the worst night to do this, but it was the only reservation available. It is quite busy, causing gentle waves to lap against the boat. However, with this swaying, the current pushes them towards the stone wall lining the canal.

"Please push off wall," the gondolier speaks with a heavy accent, gesturing to Maddie.

She reaches her arm out, either assuming he had spoken to her or trying just in case. The wall approaches, and Maddie leans towards it. Her palm slides across the stones, but the weight in the boat makes it difficult to push off with one hand. Before Taehyung can stand to help, she gets on her feet and places her other hand on the wall. She pushes off easily then.

But with the way she had been leaning over the edge of the boat, and the business in the canal causing small waves, she loses her balance. Taehyung instinctively grabs the hem of her shirt to catch her, standing to catch her properly. And yet, the abruptness in which he tries to stand makes the rocking of the gondola worse. He basically trips over his own feet in the small space, falling back onto the bench.

Still holding her shirt to keep her from going overboard, he accidentally pulls Maddie down towards him. To add onto the ridiculous amount of clumsiness, the gondolier paddles forcefully to get out of the waves with good intention to help the two. Unfortunately, he makes it worse. Such a sudden movement causes Maddie to stumble forward and then—

And then Maddie has both hands on Taehyung's shoulders, holding herself up, practically sitting in his lap and—

And, rather ungracefully, their lips smash together.

Taehyung's eyes widen so much, it almost feels like he pulls a muscle. Yet, at the moment, he doesn't care about that or the way his nose hurts from Maddie's crashing into it. He tells himself to pull away, but apart of him wants to kiss her properly, wants to absorb every second of the feeling. This is wrong, though. Accident or not, he feels guilty. Like he's violating Maddie's trust somehow. Like he's taking advantage of her not being able to see.

Before he can pull away, Maddie seems to grasp what happened and she does first. He watches her cheeks actually change to a bright red color. She straightens up, murmuring apology after apology for falling on top of him like that. He wants to tell her it's okay, but for some reason he can't speak. He simply stares at her, disbelieving.

She fumbles to sit back down next to him on the bench, pressing herself far against the side of it, putting as much distance between them as possible. Their thighs still touch slightly, nonetheless, and their shoulders brush. He keeps staring at her face, watching her reactions. She looks scared. It makes his heart sink. He ruined their friendship, didn't he?

The water finally begins to smooth out. Taehyung glances over to the gondolier who has a strange smirk on his face, probably laughing at the scene he just witnessed. He looks far too amused for Taehyung's liking, but Taehyung doesn't want to make Maddie's night any worse so he stays quiet.

He helps Maddie off the boat once they return, then goes to tip the gondolier since he paid online. He doesn't know if he should tip the man, but it seems like something he should do. He pulls out his wallet, but a hand covers his.

"No, no," the man says. "You use money for flowers." He nods in Maddie's direction, where she stands patiently a few feet away. "Kiss is good, no?" The Venetian man gives him a big, friendly grin and it makes sense to Taehyung now why he had been so amused earlier.

He practically made the event happen.

He didn't make the water's rough, no, but he definitely, purposefully, paddled too forcefully to knock Maddie over.

How many couples has he pulled this stunt for?

Taehyung doesn't tell him it was a bad thing, instead he manages a smile of his own and a polite dip of his head before walking off.

He uncertainly grabs Maddie's wrist, letting her know he's there, and she moves her hand to hold onto his shirt, her new favorite way of getting around.

It's late now, past dinner time. He's sure Maddie is starving as she hasn't eaten much all day. He's in the middle of thinking about restaurant signs he saw on the way or close to the hotel, contemplating pulling out his phone for a map, when Maddie tugs on his shirt and stops walking.

Even though she can't see him, it takes a great deal of effort for him to turn around and face her. He hasn't been this nervous in a long time.

She fiddles with her fingers, facing the ground. "T-this doesn't have to be awkward or anything, you know. It-it was an accident, s-so we can leave it at that, okay?"

He doesn't even have the strength to be proud of himself for understanding all of that. Instead he swallows a lump in his throat, avoiding her face. She always catches him staring somehow, and now is really not a time to risk that.

"Okay," he basically whispers.

She wants to forget about it. He understands that. He wishes he wanted to forget, but that unintentional incident strangely means something to him. It's stupid and selfish of him. However, he can't really deny anymore that he likes Maddie. Not that he denied it before, but he tried to ignore the feelings she gave him. It isn't fair to her. She doesn't even know what he looks like, for heaven's sake. He can't act so inconsiderately.

But... there's no crime in thinking, right?

He's allowed to think about wanting to kiss her for real, isn't he?

He shakes his head, groaning internally. It's definitely not the time for this. He reaches for her wrist again to walk off, but she surprises him when she yanks her hand out of his grasp. It shouldn't hurt as bad as it does. He's so delusional to think Maddie would like someone she can't see and can barely communicate with.

"Are you upset?" she asks softly.

This throws him off guard. "What?"

She purses her lips.

He blinks at her. "N-no, I'm not upset. You think I'm upset?"

She shrugs. Luckily, shrugs are a universal language. The action makes him relax, a small smile creeping its way onto his face.

"I just... I don't want you to..." She sighs heavily. "Nothing. Never mind. It's all forgotten now, right? Are you hungry? We should make dinner at the hotel. It's cheaper, you know. And we need to improve your skills from those pancakes. Definitely don't need that disaster again. Well, let's go."

She speaks so quickly that he only grasps "dinner," "hotel," and "let's go."

Soon the two are in a small grocery store for ingredients, and he can only imagine how terribly wrong this is going to go.