One month later.

Taehyung waited outside of Big Hit, letting the sun warm his back. It was early fall now, the temperatures cooler yet still comfortable. This time of the year was one of his favorites.

The final two weeks of the tour sped by as the boys performed in the last few scheduled cities. While more dates could have been added - there was an extremely high demand for additional concerts around the world - Big Hit decided to wrap things up for now. With Bang Si-hyuk leading the forces, the company wanted to give everyone a much deserved break.

There were some changes for the last few concerts, however. Taehyung sang Inner Child along with two of his old songs, which caused a frenzy with the fans. He was offered the chance to join in on Jungkook's, Jimin's, and Yeonjun's group numbers as well, but he politely declined. This was still their concert after all.

Another development was Namjoon's promotion to Head of Artist Development. It was a new role within Big Hit, one responsible for planning out the careers of the company's artists. Si-hyuk had greatly admired the producer's ingenuity and fire when it came to helping Taehyung, so the CEO offered him the role. Namjoon accepted, under the condition that he was still a producer as well.

After Taehyung read the contract in full, he found Namjoon wasn't lying about the freedom the CEO offered him. Under this new agreement, he had the ability to be whatever type of artist he wanted to be. There were no touring obligations, lyric restrictions, or media requirements. As long as Taehyung wasn't proposing anything crazy - and as long as Namjoon signed off on it - he could do whatever he wanted.

He was taking that opportunity and running with it. Over the last couple weeks, he thought deeply about the type of career he saw for himself. There were still many aspects to work out, but he was in no rush. Right now, he was focusing purely on his personal development.

Taehyung wanted to ensure he had a life outside of being a world famous artist, so when the time came to inevitably take a step back, he'd have other passions to pursue.

And all of that would come with time.

But, as for right now, he had one crucial thing he wanted to lock down. He waited outside of Big Hit for his target.

A few minutes later and a familiar voice called his name. "Hey, Tae!"

Taehyung turned towards Jimin and waved him over. "Just the person I've been waiting for."

"Me?" Jimin questioned. "Aren't you waiting for Kook?"

"No, he's at therapy right now," the younger explained.

As soon as everyone returned home from tour, Jungkook immediately booked an appointment with Lee Hyun. He knew there were still dark areas in his mind and heart that he wanted to air out, and after hearing of Taehyung's experiences, he knew just who to go to. Those sessions were as cathartic for Jungkook as they were for Taehyung; he was immensely grateful for Taehyung's positive influence and motivation.

Jimin sat next to him. "So what can I do for you?"

"I have something to ask you," Taehyung began, nervously biting his lip. "It's a question I'm going to ask Jungkook too, but I wanted to come to you first. I think I already know what his answer will be."

"Oh. My. God!" Jimin exclaimed, shooting up to a standing position. "Are you asking him to marry you?! Are you asking me for your blessing? Because permission granted, TaeTae. Permission fucking granted."

Taehyung shook his head and laughed heartily, grabbing Jimin's wrist to pull him back down. "No, I'm not asking him to marry me yet. But good to know you approve."

"Damn it, Tae!" Jimin groaned, lightly pushing the younger's shoulder. "You got me so excited for nothing!"

"I'm sure there will be an actual proposal coming up. Then you can plan that wedding," Taehyung reflected, a serene smile reaching his eyes.

Jimin's own eyes widened. "Wait. What do you know? Yoongi just asked me to move in so this seems a little fast -"

"Hoseok and Becky, Jimin. I was thinking of Hoseok and Becky."

The elder sighed in understanding. "Now that makes more sense. Not that I was opposing anything for myself, but I don't think I'm there yet. I want to enjoy being Yoongi's very public, very monogamous boyfriend for a while."

Taehyung chuckled at his friend, watching as Jimin's expression turned soft. "You're so in love with him."

"Yeah. I know," Jimin smiled. "Anyway, what was your actual question?"

"I've been thinking a lot about the new contract with Big Hit and how it gives us all creative flexibility," Taehyung explained, trying to neatly arrange his thoughts. "I had so much fun those last few weeks on tour, watching you all perform together and also singing my own songs. The rapport and companionship was nothing I'd ever experienced on a tour before."

"It was so much fun," Jimin agreed enthusiastically. "It took a lot of the pressure off and it comforted me knowing you were all there for support."

"Exactly," the younger said, looking down at his hands. "So what I wanted to ask was . . . when it does come time to tour again, would you be interested in touring with me? As in at the same time and same venue? And I don't know, maybe we could perform some songs together and -"

"Yes."

Taehyung jerked his head up. "Really?"

Jimin threw his arms around Taehyung. "Of course, Tae. I can't imagine a better scenario! That's going to be so much fun!"

"You can take time to think about it," Taehyung assured, but Jimin was having none of that.

"I don't need any time. My answer is yes. And you're going to ask Jungkook, too?"

The younger nodded, a playful look coloring his face. "And I have a feeling he might just agree. That boy can't stay away from me."

Jimin rolled his eyes in an amused manner. "Well, I'm honored to be asked, Tae."

"I'm going to ask Yeonjun, too. I know I haven't gotten as close to him as you and Kook, but I hope to change that."

The elder pursed his lips. "You haven't heard? Yeonjun is delaying his contract by a couple of years. He's going to focus on school."

Taehyung felt proud of the boy, even though he didn't do much in his development over the program. Yeonjun proved not only that he was super talented, but that he also had a good head on his shoulders. He didn't let the industry corrupt him and he kept his priorities straight.

"I'll make sure to let him know the offer is open at any time," Taehyung concluded, satisfied with the decision.

The two boys talked for a while longer before a new presence joined their conversation.

"Why is my boyfriend having fun with someone who isn't me?"

Taehyung turned and stuck his tongue out at Jungkook. "So possessive, aren't we, baby?"

Jungkook sat down right next to Taehyung, pressing theirs sides together. He wrapped a protective arm around the older male's waist. "Yeah, but you like it."

Jimin smiled at his friends before announcing his departure. "I somehow let Yoongi talk me into learning how to play basketball, so I'm off. If I show up in a wheelchair tomorrow, you'll know why."

"He might be in a wheelchair for a completely different reason," Jungkook muttered to Taehyung, but not softly enough.

Jimin flipped up his middle finger as he walked away.

Taehyung took hold of the younger's chin and angled it to his face. "How was your session, Kook?"

"It was productive. We talked a lot about the past and how to effectively let out my emotions. Even though I've forgiven myself for the most part, it's been helpful to get Lee's take. He's helped me realize I tend to beat myself up over things I have no control over, so we're working on strategies for dealing with that."

"You make me so proud," Taehyung murmured, quickly pecking the boy on the lips. "Are you going to let me see your journal anytime soon? I showed you mine."

Jungkook smirked, bringing his hands up to card through Taehyung's hair. "You just want to see how many times you're mentioned. You want to know if I wrote something like, Dear Diary: Today, Taehyung looked so cute and I really wanted to pinch his ass. Or maybe more like, Dear Diary: Taehyung fucked me over our dining room table real good yesterday. He's a sex god, a reincarnation of Eros himself . . ."

"You know what words do for my confidence," Taehyung giggled. "Your moans last night told me I did, in fact, fuck you real well but reading it too -"

Jungkook kissed him swiftly, cutting off the elder's speech. "You're impossible."

"And I'm all yours, baby."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Tae," the younger said, his tone turning serious. "I love you just the way you are."

"Good," Taehyung affirmed, letting his lips ghost over Jungkook's. "Because I love you just the way you are, too."

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《