Tae and I are out for a relaxing Friday evening drive along the coastal highway, just for some fresh air and a change of scenery, when our playlist gets interrupted by a text notification on his phone. He pushes the text-to-voice button, and the computer lady's robotic-sounding voice tells us, "From: BTS Kim Namjoon-hyung. Everyone, Jin hyung hurt his finger and had to have surgery today. He will stay the night in the hospital and then go home tomorrow. Stay safe and well, see you tomorrow."

We glance at each other, wide-eyed. "Oh, shit!" Tae says. "We should take him some fruit tomorrow."

I nod. "It's only, mmm, two weeks until the Grammys? Is he going to be healed by then?"

"I don't know. He might have to sit on a chair again. That happened to him once before." He sighs heavily.

"Ugh, that sucks. Poor Seokjin-shi!"

Tae drives in silence for a few minutes. "Birdie, are you sure you don't want to come to the Grammys ceremony? I would be happy if I knew you were there."

I sigh. "I am still afraid of how I would react if you guys get robbed again, love. I don't want to end up in prison for beating up Recording Academy officials. I was literally seeing red and wanted to stab somebody after last time! You guys took it so much better than I did, at least in public!" I laugh.

"Yeah, we were disappointed, but not surprised. It's kind of rigged, I think."

"It is, and I hate that. I don't think of the US as being corrupt, usually, but the Grammys are really corrupt. It makes me stabby." I look over at his profile. "Those bullshit changes they made to voting, just to get ARMY off their backs, aren't really going to change anything," I growl. "Babe, if they rob you guys again, you should just not submit any songs for consideration next year. You should have a concert somewhere in the US at the same time as the Grammys, broadcast on a rival US network, and see which event draws higher viewer ratings. Because fuck the Academy." I can feel my chin jutting out.

Tae laughs, then reaches over and squeezes my leg. "I love you! But I don't think we'll be able to do that, because the hyungs might be in the military then. It would be funny, though!" He chuckles again.

__________________________________

On Wednesday, just five days later, I walk back into the studio after a meeting with the song-writing team that is working on the English portions of one of Jimin's solo songs. I'm startled to see Tae sitting at his desk - he has been so busy lately that he's rarely there, and I have almost started to think of it as my studio.

"Hello, stranger!" I say, cheerfully. He turns his chair around and smiles at me, but his eyes look worried. I raise my eyebrows. "What's up?"

"Hobi-hyung just tested positive for corona."

"Oh, shit." I do some mental math. "Well, it's ten... eleven days until the Grammys? He'll probably be OK by then, right? He's fully vaccinated." I grimace at him uncertainly. "Do you guys already have the choreo nailed down, babe?"

"No," he laughs mirthlessly. "Not at all." He makes a 'yikes' face at me.

"Oh, shit," I say again. I feel faintly panicked, and exhale loudly.

"Yeah."

I set my laptop down on my desk, and then walk over and he pulls me down astride his lap, facing him. I chuckle and lean in to kiss him. A thought strikes me, and I sit up straight. "Does this mean that all of you have had it now, anyway?" I ask.

"Uh, everybody except Jungkook-ie," he replies.

I nod and furrow my eyebrows fiercely. "JK's so tough, even corona is afraid of him!" I laugh.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and then chuckles, too. "Yeah, that must be why," he says, pretending to bite my nose.

____________________________________

I am reading on the sofa after dinner Friday night. Tae is playing a video game, but he hits pause to check a text on his phone. I look up and see him frowning at the screen.

He glances over at me. "Namjoon-hyung says that JK had to leave early today to Las Vegas. He went with some staffs." He opens his eyes wide at me.

"Suddenly? That's weird," I say, trying to read his mind. Then, realization hits. "Oooooh, shit. Really? But it's only, uh, what, eight days now until the Grammys?"

He sighs. "I mean, Namjoon-ie hyung didn't say that's why, but I can't think of any other reason to change all of the sudden."

I nod. "I bet he just started to feel a little bit sick and they sent him without doing another test, so they could have deniability." I scoff lightly and shake my head.

"We can't do the Grammys without Jungkook-ie. Already Jin-hyung is injured and his cast will still be on, and we haven't ever gotten to rehearse the whole choreo with Hobi-hyung, and he is still testing positive, and now this..."

I sigh. "I guess bad things actually do happen in threes." I study his face. "I know that everyone would be so disappointed, and you guys most of all, but when shit like this happens artists do pull out of performances. You might have to skip the Grammys this year." I make worried duck-lips at him.

"This is probably our last chance for several years." He gives me Tata Mic eyes. "I really don't want us to cancel!"

_______________________________

On Sunday, Tae carefully coordinates his airport outfit to match his Mute bag. When he walks out into the kitchen, the bag slung casually over his shoulder, I wolf-whistle at him and grin. "Wow, babe, you look great! I love this 'fit. Also, I'm going to steal that bag when we get back here, just so you know."

He smirks at me. "I can just get you your own, Birdie. We will have couples bags!" We both laugh.

"Like couples shirts, but much fancier?" I say, and he grins. I dry my hands and walk over to give him a hug. "Have a safe flight, my love. I'll see you Friday, I hope?" He nods and kisses me. "Call me when you get a chance."

"I will. I love you. Peakboy-hyung will be over in a couple of hours to get Lulu." I nod.

"Sounds good. I love you, too, Taehyung-ah. To the moon and back!"

"I love you to the stars! See you soon, but not soon enough," he says, leaning down for one more deep kiss. Then he stands up, running the back of his fingers down my cheek, and sighs. His phone vibrates loudly inside his bag. "My car is here. I guess I really have to go."

I lock my arms around his waist. "No. You can't go. I won't let you." I laugh.

He gives me tiny kisses all over my face and then breaks free. I follow him to the elevator, pouting, and throw him a kiss as the doors close. Then I go back to the kitchen to eat the grapes I just washed. I feel a weird pang, remembering how devastated I was last fall when he went to Washington, comparing that with how OK I feel right now.

'Well, I will be there too in just a few days. It's not like when he went to the UN and I had to just stay here!' I tell myself, but I still feel strangely guilty that I'm not more upset.

_______________________________

I ignore the captain's spiel about our altitude and flight conditions, and try to focus on my book, but feel too uncomfortable and grumpy to really follow what it's saying. I'm squashed into the middle seat in coach, sandwiched between an equally grumpy looking businessman sitting in the window seat, and an elderly lady who is wearing way too much perfume on the aisle. I was able to get a direct flight from Incheon to Vegas, at least, so I only have to endure it for eleven or twelve hours...

'I am so damn spoiled. One flight on Hybe's private jet, and I'm no longer willing to put up with coach?' I scoff silently at myself. 'Don't get all over-privileged. You can't stand people like that.'

I wish that I could text Taehyung, but of course you aren't supposed to do that on commercial flights. I close my book with a sigh and pull the little side flaps of my headrest forward so that I can try to sleep without slumping onto either of my neighbors. 'At least I haven't sunk so low that I am willing to recline my seat onto the person behind me,' I think, laughing silently. 'I still have some human decency!'

After an interminable flight, we touch down earlier than we left, thanks to the international date line.

I'm here! How are you today, babe? I text, as soon as our wheels hit the tarmac.

Birdie! I'm so glad. 😚 I'm just getting out of dance practice. Do you want to come pick me up at the corner of Paradise and East Desert Inn Road in about an hour?

Yes! I'll go check into the house and then come get you. So excited to see you! Love you, babe!

I love you too!

I walk through the airport on my way to the baggage claim area, shaking my head and laughing at the slot machines lining the terminal's walkways. I stop in a women's bathroom, which is disgustingly dirty. I decide that I don't really need to pee, after all, but I'm gagging so hard my eyes are watering, so I splash a handful of water on my face before I hurry away. 'Really, Vegas? Really?! I hope that was an April Fools prank,' I think, feeling whatever the opposite of patriotic pride would be. A sign advertises a liquor store located next to the baggage carousels, and I smirk. "Don't tempt me!" I mutter quietly to myself.

It's hard to stay grumpy, though, as I roll my suitcase out to the rental car lot and climb into my cute compact SUV. I set the navigation to the vacation rental's address, and drive out into a sunny early spring day. A soft breeze rustles the palm fronds, and even the sandhills outside of town look pretty to me.

The host is waiting to meet me and give me the keypad codes, plus the grand tour. The house is really nice, and the guy shows me how to operate all the controls for the hot tub and gas grill several times each. I laugh. "Guests have problems with these things, hm?"

"Oh, you have no idea! I love calls about the hot tub at 2 am!"

I chuckle. "We'll only call during business hours, then, unless it's an actual catastrophe."

He nods, and wishes me a pleasant stay. I carry my suitcase up to the master suite, use the bathroom (finally!), change into shorts, sandals, and a cute summery top, and then go to meet Tae.

My heart races when I spot him leaning up against a sign for the nearby golf course, and I beam and wave. He gives me a cool James Dean look and then breaks into a boxy smile as he climbs in. "Hey, there, sexy papa! Are you going my way?" I tease, laughing.

"I'm going anywhere you're going, sexy mama!" he replies, biting his lip at me.

I laugh and give him an air kiss as I pull back out into traffic. "It's so good to see you, my love. How are you? How has Vegas been?"

"It's been good. I always like it here. Our hotel is less fancy than LA, but I like it, too." I nod and chuckle.

"Do you guys have any more schedules today?"

"Nope! We have the rest of the day off." He gets quiet for a minute and I glance over. "Our choreo is not going very well without Hobi-hyung and Jungkookie, and with Jin-hyung sitting most of it out." He sighs.

I put my hand over to squeeze his thigh. "Well, you're missing almost half the group including the dance leader, so that stands to reason, love. Is Hobi coming, though?"

"Yeah, they're still planning that he will come tomorrow. But he has to test negative first. If he doesn't come tomorrow, we have to cancel."

"Jeez, one day to prepare together? And JK is still testing positive?"

"Yeah. I think the company will just... do whatever... so JK can perform, if Hoseok-ie hyung can get here," Tae looks at me and raises his eyebrows above his sunglasses.

"Ah, interesting," I say, nodding my head. "Oh, shoot, I didn't ask where you want to go! I was just following the navigation directions back to the house!" I laugh and make a 'yikes' face at him.

He grins. "Yeah, let's go see the house!" Then he stares forward out the windshield, but reaches over and runs his index finger from the top of my knee all the way up under the hem of my shorts, and I giggle.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this is one of those no sex allowed rentals. Sorry, babe." I raise my eyebrows at him and lick my lower lip.

"In Las Vegas? That doesn't exist!" he says, laughing.

"OK, OK, that's true." I giggle again, reach over to squeeze his hand. Then I pretend to honk at the cars in front of me, like I'm too impatient to get back to the rental. "Get out of the way, you fools!!" I yell and he laughs again.