Wherever We Go || VMIN ✓

☁

Taehyung stirred groggily at the sound of his alarm going off. He fumbled for it blindly, still barely awake. He heard the alarm turn off and his phone clatter loudly onto the floor. With a heavy sigh, he flung off his blankets and headed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. A few minutes later, he came out of the bathroom refreshed and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and rustled through it, making sure he had all his belongings.

He had arrived in Paris this morning and crashed right away. He glanced at the time. It was 7 PM.

"I'll come back later, Yeontan. I'm going to go explore," he called softly, his hand on the doorknob.

The small pup yipped happily. Taehyung chuckled and rubbed the dog affectionately. He was lucky that Yeontan was certified as his emotional support dog. He would have hated leaving him on his own or burderning a friend or family member to take care of him.

Then he exited the hotel, a smile forming on his lips.

"Paris," he breathed, taking in the cold autumn air.

It was even more beautiful than he imagined. The evening sky was purple and pink as the sun set. There were market stalls lining up the streets. People were chatting happily to each other in French. He admired the stalls. Some sold food, while others sold clothes, flowers, or trinkets and souvenirs. Taehyung reached into his backpack and grabbed a leather notebook with the initials P.J.M. on the cover. He opened it and flipped through the pages.

Visit the Louvre

Walk along the Champs-Elysees

Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral

Sky-watching at the Eiffel Tower ☆

He traced the neat handwriting with his finger, careful not to smudge the pen ink. He then circled the Eiffel Tower. The other sightings could wait. As he walked around, he winced, his heart clenching as he saw couples walking around happily. He'd had a crush on Jimin since his first year in high school, but he had yet to tell the older about his feelings. He was too afraid.

What if Jimin didn't see him as more than a best friend?

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He grabbed the device from his pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, hyung!"

Taehyung smiled. "Hey, Jungkook. What are you doing?"

Paris was seven hours behind Korea. If it was late evening in France, it meant it would be the afternoon in Korea.

"I was trying to pull an all-nighter to fix my sleep schedule," Jungkook admitted. His voice suddenly became quiet. "Can you tell Jimin 'happy birthday' for me?"

"Of course I will," Taehyung assured. "You be careful, okay?"

"I will, Taehyung hyung," Jungkook promised. "I have to go now, Jin hyung is calling me. Bye!"

"Bye."

The call disconnected and Taehyung shoved the phone back into his pocket with a sigh. Cold air escaped his mouth and swirled into the air. He turned back to the hotel and began to walk along the stone pavement. He walked for about an hour until he reached the massive iron tower. He began to make his way up as he climbed up about 380 feet to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the only section that was open to the public. When he finally made it, it was surprisingly empty, seeing how late it was now. The sky was midnight blue, sprinkled with only a few stars here and there. He pulled out his phone again and dialed a number. Taehyung sat down, tears spilling down his cheeks as he held his phone to his ear.

"Hey, Jimin. Jungkook wanted me to tell you he said happy birthday. He misses you. I miss you too. We all do. I don't know if you can hear me, but I did it. We did it. We made it to the Eiffel Tower, just like you always wanted." His voice broke.

༄

"Tae... You can still travel the world. For both of us."

"What about the London Eye? Or Eiffel Tower? You've been crazy about Paris for years!"

"I won't be able to go. You heard the doctor. My body's already shutting down. It's only a matter of days before-"

"How is this so easy for you?" Taehyung cried, tears pricking his eyes.

Jimin gripped Taehyung by the hand weakly. "There's nothing else we can do but accept it," he said gently. Taehyung hugged the older, unable to contain his sobs any longer. Tears trickled down Jimin's cheeks as he held the younger in arms.

"I'm sorry," Jimin whispered. "I'm so, so sorry Tae."

༄

Jimin's leukemia had kept him from achieving his dream, but that didn't stop Taehyung from doing it for him. He reached into his bag and pulled out a gold framed photo of his best friend. Taehyung gently touched Jimin's cheeks.

"Happy birthday, Min. I love you."

He stared off into the moonlight, his broken heart finally at ease.