(*dramatic sigh* .... y'all know the drill)

--fluff overload, though, just saying--

✧･ﾟ: * twenty-two *:･ﾟ✧

That night once the two are back at the hotel, Madeline wants nothing more than to curl up next to Taehyung on the couch and forget about the time. So that's what she does. She's gotten more comfortable initiating the contact since Taehyung never complains against it. He is a bit surprised when she sits on the couch next to him, tucking into his side with her head on his shoulder. Usually the two end in a snuggly position; it never starts out cuddly.

As she expected, though, he doesn't argue. Rather, he puts his arm around her shoulders and tugs her closer.

She likes this. A lot. She likes him.

A lot.

She'll keep pretending he isn't leaving tomorrow night.

Until, however, his phone dings. He glances at the notification, and the strange look on his face makes Madeline ask if something is wrong. That's when he gives her a sad smile and says, "Your ticket is ordered."

She supposes he got a notification saying the plane ticket transaction went through, which makes it difficult to forget they're parting ways in less than twenty-four hours. The two never talked about how she would get home, though Taehyung had asked the other day where she lived in the states. She had answered nonchalantly. She knew where he lived, so it was only natural if he knew her hometown. She hadn't even thought that he needed to know to get her transportation home.

Now she wishes she never told him.

What if she had done that? Just never told him where she lived. Would he leave her here in Rome tomorrow?

Would he take her with him?

She can't do that, though. As much as she and her mother fight, she wants to see her mother's face when she realizes her daughter can see her again. She wants to hug her mother like she hasn't done since before she lost her sight.

And Taehyung has a life. A life of fame that she doesn't exactly fit into. She would only get in the way if she tried to prolong their escapade together. It's best if she lets him go and forget about her, albeit he promised he wouldn't.

He will.

Two weeks with her out of his entire life, there's no way she's significant enough to be remembered long after a few days.

She's prepared for that to happen; or at least, she's trying to be.

When she had told Taehyung she wanted to be with him too, he looked like a little boy that was gifted a puppy. Somehow, he convinced her it could work. She has no idea how, not with a full twelve hour time difference between them. But she can't deny her feelings for him. and that's how she's making decisions right now. It may be foolish and destined for heartache, but it feels worth it.

"Oh," Taehyung mumbles, grabbing his phone again. "I want to show you, uh..." He purses his lips.

She takes a full second to pause and appreciate the face he's making. She finally gets to see his thinking face and it's the most adorable thing she could've ever imagined.

"An app for... talking. Okay?"

She nods, keeping her cheek on his shoulder as he slides through the pages on his phone to the one he's looking for. He taps a blue icon called "SNOW." She's never heard of it. Obviously, she's never had any apps on her phone, but she's heard of the mainstream ones: Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and such. But never SNOW. It's probably South Korea based, she presumes.

"We can see each other," he says, holding the phone up as if he's taking a selfie. "Like, uh... FaceTime."

"Oh, so it has video chatting?"

"Yeah, yeah."

She grabs her own phone, holding back the complaint of video calls. Even when she did have sight and first got an iPhone, she's hated the idea of video calls. She's never liked Skype or FaceTime. She just finds it awkward—it's probably just her that's awkward. Still. She's not fond of the idea, but—like many other things she's gone through with despite being uncomfortable—it's for him.

She downloads it and he walks her through it the best he can. When he pulls up the filters, he shows her the bear, which is his favorite. It's the cutest thing she's ever seen in her life, and the way Taehyung scrunches his face makes it moreso.

The two explore the app for a while, then also exchange numbers after Taehyung tells her about "WhatsApp." Madeline feels so clueless throughout it all. She's just now learning how to navigate her phone and what each app is, much less the specifics of it all. Technology has advanced a lot since she was fourteen. Almost scarily so.

It's late when Taehyung falls asleep, nearly three in the morning. She doesn't know how they've been talking for so long, but it's gotten so much easier. She sits up from against him to look at his face, determined to memorize every detail. She knows there's pictures of him on the internet, but those can't possibly do justice to the living being before her.

She's still ninety-percent positive she's dreamt this entire trip.

Well, she's never dreamt about a Korean guy before, but the mind works in mysterious ways, right?

She just can't fathom that this is real. Even the fact that she snuck out of her home to the airport seems like such a surreal event.

She chews her lip, spotting the photobooth strip of them on the coffee table. She wonders if he wants to take it, because if not, she'll definitely smuggle it with her. The last picture with his lips on her cheek makes her blush again somehow.

It's. Not. Real.

Her new mantra for a little while.

She goes to stand so she can change out of her jeans into comfortable pants when Taehyung groans, stretching his arm out as he reaches for her wrist. She looks back at him, his eyes still closed, but there's a deep frown on his lips, creasing his forehead. It makes her giggle as she allows him to gently pull her back against his chest.

"Taehyung, I need to change," she says, but there's an amused grin on her lips that won't quite fade.

He makes a childish "uh-huh" sound, sliding his arm around her waist and holding her tightly.

"You could go get in the bed, you know," she suggests. "It's more comfortable."

He sighs heavily through his nose, his eyes still closed as he stands, a couch pillow in one hand and the hem of Madeline's shirt in the other. He blindly fumbles his way to the bedroom, hardly squinting his eyes open. Madeline is laughing too hard to help him, but she's also trying to stay quiet so as not to completely wake him up.

He plops onto the bed, tucking the couch pillow into his stomach. He pulls Madeline down, but she braces herself against the edge of the mattress. "Taehyung," she chuckles, "I need to change."

He pouts, but lets go of her, snuggling the couch pillow in the meantime.

What a clingy baby, is all she can think.

The cute kind of clingy, she decides.

She changes into pajama pants, and savors the last night of being able to wear his shirt. She lets the sleeves fall off her hands, folding her arms across her chest as if wrapping herself in his scent. She goes back to the bedroom, Taehyung still in the same spot, and debates if she should actually get in the bed. They've slept together before, but it had been unintentional.

But it's normal for couples to sleep in the same bed, right?

Wait.

Are they a couple? She remembers how they both confessed that they hadn't wanted to leave each other, but does that count as wanting to be "official"?

Madeline thinks so—or rather, she hopes so.

She stifles her nerves, walking to the other side of the bed. She slides under the covers, keeping a distance between them. It doesn't last long. The second Taehyung feels her get in the bed, he rolls over, forgetting his beloved couch pillow as he drapes his arm over her waist. She feels his breaths on the back of her neck, sending chills down her spine. His breaths aren't deep enough for him to be asleep.

Ah, screw it.

"Hey, Taehyung," she says quietly, as if this conversation needs to be whispered. She's really stealing her courage now, though.

"Hmm?" he hums, the sound vibrating in his chest against her back.

"What..." She bites her lip a moment. "What are we?"

"Eh?"

"I mean... like... are we... you know... a couple now? Like. You know. Boyfriend and girlfriend. And stuff."

Wow, how obvious is it that she's never had any interactions with the opposite sex before?

She cringes at herself.

But Taehyung's response surprises her as he presses a soft kiss against her skin where her shoulder and neck meet. "I am yours," he says, almost like a promise. "Are you mine?"

She closes her eyes a moment.

There's no guarantee this could work. If she leaves without ever talking to him again, she'll be heartbroken. If they try this long-distance thing and it doesn't work out, she'll be heartbroken. There's a five-percent chance this can somehow be pulled off. Maybe she's stupid, but oddly enough, that five-percent risk seems worth it.

"Yeah," she whispers. "I'm yours, Taehyung."

She feels him smile against her skin, then he shifts, sitting up on his elbow so he can look down at her. Her cheeks are flushed, but she manages to meet his gaze. Like two maniacs, both of them start giggling. Neither are quite sure why. Nothing is particularly funny. Perhaps it's the scenario the universe has thrown them into, and now they're trying to make the best of it. Maybe it's the odds against them.

She leans up and kisses him; it's impossible to be tired of it. He kisses her back, running the hand that isn't supporting him through her hair, letting his palm rest on the side of her face. He caresses her like she's something fragile, something that could break with the slightest breath. But his kiss is something different, something more desperate. A kiss determined to prove just how truthful he is in wanting to make this work.

Make them work.

He pulls away, reaching over her to switch off the lamp. "Goodnight, Maddie," he whispers, carefully placing a final kiss on her forehead.

She cuddles into his chest, his chin atop her head, their legs entwined underneath the sheets, his arms secure around her waist. She falls asleep easily while he tenderly strokes her hair.