✧･ﾟ: * twenty-four *:･ﾟ✧

It's time.

The airport is busy, people bustling and hustling this way and that, scrambling to get to their terminal in time. TSA is barking orders, ushering those quickly through the lines. The lights are so bright, one wouldn't know it's evening unless they looked out the window. It's so loud, the airport could be a miniature city of its own.

Taehyung stares down at his hand, holding Madeline's ticket out to her. She bites her bottom lip, wishing she didn't have to take it. Wishing, if nothing else, they could have just one more day. It could be a lazy day, for all she cares. Cuddling and watching movies. Or even just being in his company. She isn't picky. She just isn't ready to leave.

Reluctantly, she reaches out her hand, her fingertips brushing the printed ticket. She wants to rip it instead. It takes a lot of willpower to grab it, but then Taehyung doesn't let it go. He's still staring down at it as if it's ruined his entire life, the saddest glint ever in his eyes.

Overhead, her flight is said to be now boarding.

"Taehyung," she whispers, gazing at him. She doesn't want to, but she can't let his money be wasted on her any longer. Her voice drops even lower when she says, "I have to go."

As if those were the words needed to be spoken to break him, he looks up at her with tears in his eyes.

He's crying over me? She can't fathom it. She doesn't deserve his tears.

She purses her lips, deciding to hug him one last time. The two had already gotten their goodbyes and "I'll miss you's" out of the way, but somehow there seems to be so much left unsaid. Madeline feels as though she needs a speech prepared, but it's too late for that.

"Sorry," he mumbles into her shoulder, tucking his face into her neck. He has to bend down slightly to hold her this way, but it's almost as if he's the smaller one in this situation. "I am scared, Maddie."

She frowns. "Why? Scared to go home?"

"No. Scared of you..."

She pulls away to look at him. "What do you mean?"

He averts his gaze, and the way he always wipes her tears away, it's her turn to wipe his. "You don't like me so you will forget me."

She gapes at him. "Where'd you get that idea? I told you I want to be with you, Taehyung. I meant it. Because I like you."

"I cannot be there... for you."

The frown on his face is so genuine that Maddie's chest actually hurts.

She contemplates asking him if he really wants to try this whole long-distance thing, but now her own hopes have gone up too far. It would crush her just as much if the two parted as if they didn't have something special together. Short-lived, yes, but she can never forget these two weeks. Regaining her eyesight is only one of the groundbreaking things that happened to her.

She thinks she's falling in love, too.

"We'll talk as much as possible," she assures him. "I want to try, Taehyung. I don't want to just... act like we never met."

At first, his face stays blank and she wonders if he even understood what she was saying. But then he catches her off guard, swiftly cupping her cheeks and bringing their lips together. She melts into him like she always does, hooking her arms around his neck, except this time, much more desperately.

The kiss is over as quickly as it happened, the next warning playing through the speakers. She rests her forehead against Taehyung's a moment or two, then takes a step back, clutching the duffel bag Taehyung bought her so she could put all the clothes he gifted her with in. She's taken too much from him. He's treated her too well. She forces another step back, their entwined hands hanging in the space between them.

The second their fingers slip apart, Madeline turns around with all the willpower left in her. Her fingernails are carving crescents into her palm from holding the duffel bag so tightly, her lungs burns from the breath she refuses to heave. She wants to look at him one last time...

But she doesn't.

***

It doesn't really hit Taehyung until he's checked in, boarded the plane, and has been sitting down for thirty minutes in silence. He keeps glancing over next to him, completely instinctual. Usually, he would be making sure Maddie was comfortable, or if she could find the tray to pull out for the snacks the attendant would soon bring by. Albeit Maddie can see now, Taehyung is still so used to being her eyes.

He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, unraveling his earphones. Maybe some music can distract him a bit and make the time go by faster. However, you can only speed up an eleven hour flight so much.

He fights the urge to look over again. He knows Maddie isn't there, and surely the person next to him will begin to get creeped out. He taps his foot instead, staring at the window as if there were anything interesting to see. Clouds surround them, so all he can see is never-ending whiteness, foggy and thick.

He didn't think it would be so... awkward.

Two straight weeks together. Three-hundred and thirty-six hours. Nonstop. Always within reaching distance. And now...

She's just gone.

It's almost like he's forgotten how to act on his own after getting so used to taking care of someone else.

He decides to call one of his mates if only to lose himself in the hours ahead, then remembers they're probably all still asleep. It's about ten at night right now, so it's probably near six in the morning back home. He'll have to wait until at least eight o'clock Seoul's time to call.

Which means he gets two full hours to be alone with his thoughts and the humming of the airplane.

Is it too clingy to text her already?

Only an hour or so has passed since their separation. Surely that's too soon to text her. She may get weirded out and rethink her decision on trying to be with him. His foot taps faster as he thinks before he finally grumbles under his breath, scrolling to her newly inputted contact. He doesn't even have anything to say to her except...

taehyung: i miss you|

taehyung: i miss|

taehyung: i|

taehyung: hi

He needs to tone it down, after all. He doesn't want to be that person who smothers Maddie every minute of every day.

His heart skips a beat when she responds rather quickly.

maddie 💕: miss me already?

Well, since she brought it up...

taehyung: yes 😢

maddie 💕: it's weird being by myself

taehyung: i keep looking for you next to me

maddie 💕: well that just made this ten times sadder

maddie 💕: it's barely been an hour and we're struggling 😅

taehyung: we can make it work

taehyung: it will be okay. okay?

The two go back and forth for awhile, until Maddie says she's sleepy and Taehyung tells her to go to sleep.

maddie 💕: but i wanna talk to yooouuu

taehyung: get some rest~

maddie 💕: don't leeaavvee

maddie 💕: taehyung...

maddie 💕: it's been five minutes

maddie 💕: are you really giving me a text-silent treatment

maddie 💕: i'm wounded, truly

maddie 💕: finE i'll go to sleep. good night ❤️

taehyung: good night maddie x

maddie 💕: you actually gave me the silent treatment over text just because i won't go to sleep i can't believe

Taehyung, a bit shamefully, admits he used Google Translate for that one since it's so long, but he picked out enough words to make sense of it. It makes him smile.

When he notices the time and realizes it's a quarter to one in the morning, he contemplates sleep himself. However, just then his phone vibrates, Jimin's face popping up on his screen. He answers, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb anyone else. Luckily, the person next to him is also awake, doing a quiet FaceTime with someone.

"Taehyung," Jimin says in a singsong voice on the other end. "When will you be home?"

In the background, he hears Jungkook shout, "Remind him he owes me dinner!"

Taehyung rolls his eyes with a grin on his face. "I have about six or seven hours left."

Jimin huffs. "That's too long. Two weeks have felt like two months. Jungkook keeps bothering me and Hobi-hyung since you've been gone. How do you deal with him? He's asked me to play 'Overwatch' five times a day!"

"Uh-huh!" Jungkook argues, closer now. "Only three times."

"I miss you guys," Taehyung says, leaning back in his seat. "It's been odd cooking myself breakfast instead of Jin-hyung's meals."

"You actually used a kitchen?" Jimin asks in disbelief. "Did you burn anything?"

He did burn pancakes the one morning he tried to fix some for Maddie, but he doesn't tell Jimin that.

"I'm an adult," he says instead. "I can cook a little."

"Did he just say he can cook?" Jungkook questions with a snort. Jimin undoubtedly has him on speaker.

"Ya!" Taehyung catches his tone, instantly quieting again. "I can cook."

"We want to hear all about your trip as soon as you get back," Jimin intervenes. "We've all been relaxing around Seoul, so we need the excitement from your big adventure."

Taehyung purses his lips. "Yeah," he murmurs. "Of course."

"It's probably late, isn't it?" Jimin tsks. "We'll let you sleep, okay?"

"Walk in the door with the dinner you owe me, please," Jungkook adds in a cute voice.

"Jimin," Taehyung says, "please smack Kookie in the back of the head."

A moment of silence.

Then a soft slap.

"I hit his shoulder," Jimin says. "I don't want to hurt him."

Typical. The most aggressive Jimin has ever been is performing on stage. Off-stage, gently shoving the members is the closest to abuse he's ever gotten.

Taehyung sighs. "Good enough."

Even though Jungkook is laughing at Jimin's pathetic attempt.

"Get some sleep!" Jimin says, the three exchanging goodbyes a moment later before Taehyung hangs up.

He curls up in the seat with his pillow that he takes everywhere, trying to get comfortable. To no avail does sleep lull him; instead he lays awake, his thoughts a whirlwind in his head.