(it's been so long akhdsak forgive me. this chapter might be cute or it might be cringe, who knows at this point. regardless, i hope you enjoy xx

**yes, it's still unedited #juliaisaflop)

✧･ﾟ: * twenty-five *:･ﾟ✧

Madeline can't quite process her emotions as she stands before her front door, staring at the chipping paint of the white wooden door, the screen door hanging off a single hinge to the side. She used to hate how worn down her house is, but now she realizes how much she missed it. Her house isn't the nicest, and her mother certainly isn't the richest, but this little shack and the lady anticipating her arrival inside are hers. A part of her.

She wonders if she should knock. The front door is never locked; not since the deadbolt rusted and stopped sliding out. No one would want to rob them, anyways. They wouldn't make out with much.

She might give her mother a heart attack if she just walks in and stands in the doorway, so she decides knocking is better preparation for her mom's weak organs.

She raises her fist, pauses, then raps her knuckles two times on the door.

Silence swallows her. She purses her lips, looks around at the quiet neighborhood. Understandably, since it's quite late.

A moment passes.

And another.

Then, the front door is swinging open and her mother is staring at her as if she's nearly forgotten her daughter's face. Madeline's eyes widen. She hasn't seen her mother since she was about thirteen or fourteen. Her mother had looked exhausted back then but now... Now she's looks completely run down.

It's heartbreaking.

"Mom..." Her voice cracks, despite trying to keep her shoulders straight and her chin high. She doesn't know if it's the alcohol, the stress, or both that's made her mother look so empty, but it's a sight she can barely stand.

"Maddie," her mother says with a choke, as if her breath is stuck in her throat. "You can... You can really s-see me?"

By the time Madeline manages to nod, both of them are embracing and crying. The ugly cry. The genuine one.

The two stand there on the front porch, in between the broken screen door and the fraying carpet of the entrance room. The light above the door is flickering, barely able to brighten the doorway. She can't let go of her mom. She can't stop crying. She thinks about how her mother must've felt after her daughter went blind and her husband walked out. She never took a long enough chance to consider why her mother chose alcohol over living.

She never imagined life could be that painful.

She understands now after seeing her mother with her own two eyes. She understands after leaving abruptly with a grudge against a woman who was only trying her hardest. Her mother isn't perfect, but Madeline realizes now that she doesn't expect her to be.

"Let's go inside," her mother says, pulling away just enough to walk them both through the door. "I want to hear all about your trip. Especially this Taehyung-miracle-worker-guy."

***

About an hour later, Madeline noticed how tired her mother was. It's one in the morning, after all. They'll have all day to keep talking about her trip, though Madeline could go on for hours at this very moment. It took a lot of convincing to get her mother to go to bed, but Madeline has to admit that she's a bit exhausted as well. The plane ride really messed up her sleep schedule. She barely slept on the plane out of anxiety of returning home.

Now, she lays in bed, and despite herself, she's staring at his contact picture that he took the other day when they exchanged numbers.

She goes to Google, seeing what the time difference is between them.

Almost fourteen hours.

Her heart sinks. How are they going to be able to talk as much as she wants them to? It's almost two in the morning for her, so for him it's nearly four in the afternoon, right? She wonders if he's up to anything important... She only wants to hear his voice again for just a brief second...

Her finger hovers over the green button, her bottom lip between her teeth. She doesn't want to bother him. She keeps forgetting he's famous. He's probably doing important famous-people-stuff right now. Like... Like...

Oh to hell with it.

The least he'll do is not answer.

But what does that thought make her so upset?

She mentally calls herself ridiculous, then presses the button, holding her breath as she puts the phone to her ear.

It rings once.

Twice—

"Hi, Maddie," his deep voice answers with a cheerful tone.

She slowly exhales the breath that had been stuck in her lungs. "Hi, Taehyung. Am I bothering you?"

"No, no. You never bother me, Maddie."

She purses her lips. She doesn't even have anything particular to say to him. She just... She just wanted to hear his voice.

"Did you have a good flight home?" she asks, if only to hear him speak a little while longer.

He tells her, in determined English, that his flight was restless and he was anticipating getting home to see his "brothers." He also tells her that he misses her, which makes her cheeks flame with the dumbest grin spreading across her face. Before she can say she misses him too, he gasps.

"Maddie! What time is it?"

"Uhh..." She doesn't want to answer, knowing that he'll want her to sleep.

"It's late, yeah?"

"Maybe..."

"You need sleep," he says, trying to sound stern.

She chuckles at his cute attempt. "I'm not tired."

That's a blatant lie. She yawns right after she says it.

"We can talk when you wake up," he tells her.

"But then you'll need to sleep," she retorts.

"I promise I will talk to you first, okay?"

"We're both going to be sleep deprived all the time now, you know."

"Sleep de... huh?"

She grins. God, she really does miss him already. "We're both going to be losing sleep. Not getting enough."

"Oh, yeah. But it's okay. I want to talk to you more than sleep."

"So why are you making me go to sleep?"

"Because I worry. You need much rest."

"That's some twisted logic," she mutters. "Fine. I'll only go to sleep because I'm exhausted."

"Good."

She chews the inside of her cheek, grateful he can't see how red her cheeks are. "Hey, Taehyung... never mind."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Talk to you soon?"

"Yes, I promise. Good night, Maddie."

"Good night, Taehyung."

She dreadfully hangs up with a frown tugging on her lips. She fumbles with her phone a moment or two, then pulls up the messaging app he showed her.

madeline: what is it you call me in korean again?

She knows exactly what it is. She just needs a segway to get her own pet name for him in there without making it weird. Or maybe she's already made it weird. She doesn't know how relationships work, anyways.

taehyung 💕: good night maddie x

She glares at the game he's playing.

madeline: i promise i'll go to sleep if you tell me one more time

taehyung 💕: why do you hate sleep so much

madeline: i don't hate sleep!

taehyung 💕: you always try to avoid it

He definitely translated "avoid." She smiles at his effort.

madeline: no i don't 😤

stop bullying me

taehyung 💕: ahaha that's cute 😜

madeline: that emoji just proved you're bullying me

Suddenly, there's no response.

She sighs.

He's probably busy, or he really wants her to go to sleep. Maybe she's annoying him? She should stop being so clingy already. It'll be a turnoff for sure.

She decides tomorrow will be her research day. She'll spend some time with her mother, then sit down and figure out just who this band is that the man she's falling for is apart of. Clearly, he's a bit popular, but she wants to know about it. Truly dedicate some time into becoming one of those supportive fans, because the music he showed her was indescribably wonderful.

She's just about to give up and click her phone off when another message pops up.

taehyung 💕: good night jagiya xx

She smiles.

There it is.

It's not the same as hearing his deep voice pronounce it, but she can imagine the syllables rolling off his tongue nonetheless.

She steals her nerve and starts to reply.

madeline: good night babe xx