A Thousand Words (Min Yoongi x OC)

Midnight Payton

**March 9th**

Mariana woke up the next morning to someone excitedly knocking on her basement door at 2:00 in the morning.

Mariana groaned as she pulled herself from sleep. "What crazy person knocks on a door in the middle of the damn night......" She mumbled and got out of bed and walked to the glass patio door right outside of her room.

'Ah. MY crazy person...' She thought to herself as she opened the door for an overly-excited Payton who burst inside as soon as she was able.

"Ohmygod! Ana! You are not gonna believe what just happened!" She exclaimed as Mariana closed and locked the door.

"You mean the crazy person knocking on my door in the middle of the night? Cuz that's what I'm currently seeing, so, yeah, I'd believe it."

Payton looked clearly confused before she checked her smartwatch, her eyes bugging with the realization that it was in fact past two in the morning. "Oh no. I am so sorry Ana!"

"It's fine now. I'm up. What's going on?" Mariana asked and led the way back to her bedroom.

Payton closed the door behind them and caught up to Mariana to join her sitting on the bed. "Okay, so you know how you surprised me with Jimin and Jungkook that night in Korea when I visited you on vacation and Jungkook and I switched numbers and then ended up texting each other through most of the movie night so that we wouldn't be talking during the movie and we were getting along really well and...." Payton started, quickly picking up speed as her excitement started showing more and more.

Mariana covered Payton's mouth with her hand. "Payton. Breathe. And less specific details. I was there, I remember that night." Mariana said before slowly taking her hand away.

Payton took a breath and slowed down her sentences. "Jungkook and I have been talking for almost two months now, right?"

Mariana nodded. "Yeahhhhh." Mariana said with a slightly suspicious eyebrow raised.

"Well. I was video chatting him earlier like we do pretty much every night. And our conversation got a little more serious."

Both of Mariana's eyebrows were raised in caution. ""Serious?" Do I need to prepare a lecture for something he said?"

"What?! No!" Payton rushed out.

"Then could you get to the point? I'd like to go back to bed. Suga calls me before he goes to bed, which is when I get up."

"Jungkook asked me out! And I said yes! We're dating now!" Payton rushed out with a huge smile.

Mariana beamed through her groggy haze. "Payton! I'm so happy for you! That's awesome!"

"Thanks! I'm so excited! And super nervous. But mostly excited!"

"It's a hectic kind of relationship, but I think you two will be fine. You know you can text me whenever you need me."

"I know." Payton started with a smile and started rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry I just showed up in the middle of the night. I was way too excited to wait to tell you." She admitted.

Mariana chuckled a bit. "It's okay. I know how you feel. You wanna just crash here for the rest of the night? It's been years since we've had an impromptu sleepover."

"That'd be great! If only we weren't worlds away most of the time...."

"I know. But at this point, that may become a permanent situation..."

Payton looked heartbroken for a moment. Last she knew, Mariana was still coming back to the states when she finished school. "Ahhh. I can't blame you. Suga treats you really well from what I can see, and judging from their radio interview, all the other guys like you too. Honestly, at this point I think I'd be more surprised if you didn't stay there. For him, if nothing else." Payton said with a little half-smile.

"Even if he is the only reason I stay, I'll still have to make a decision on my career....."

"I know you're going to school over there on a full scholarship. But, if you decide to stay there after you finish at this school, doesn't that mean you'd lose the translation scholarship from that...Whatsitsname big-wig company that gave it to you in the first place?"

Mariana bit her lips together and nodded.

"And you're contemplating leaving that??"

Mariana nodded again.

"Ana..."

"I know...."

"Do any of the guys know that?"

Mariana took in a breath and shook her head.

"Mariana..." Payton said with a bit of disappointment. "They need to know. Suga if no one else."

"I know. But... I don't want to break his heart over something that might not even happen..."

"I understand that, but you can't just let this go for so long without letting them know. At least tell Suga. I know that you know he'd appreciate it not just being dumped on him last second. They all have enough things to stress them out as is." Payton pointed out.

Mariana sighed. "I know. You're right."

"You need to tell him. I suppose you can wait until you go back to Korea, but I wouldn't wait any longer than that. He needs to know. Really, he should have known from the beginning." Payton interrupted, scolding Mariana a bit.

Mariana's brows furrowed a bit at being scolded. "How am I supposed to tell him? "Hey, by the way, if I stay around after I graduate next year, I lose my one shot at a potential internship, but, oh well."? Cuz, that'll go over really well." Mariana pointed out.

Payton blinked a few times. "Well, first. Take the smartassery out of it." She started. "Second. I know you're stressed about it and currently sleep-deprived, but that doesn't give any right to bite." Payton pointed out. "Just go with your heart and tell him the truth. Be honest and don't hide anything. He may be surprised or even a bit upset at first, but he'll understand. It's you, Ana."

"Or. Because he's a K-pop idol, he'll dump my dumb ass and move on to someone significantly better."

Payton just stared at Mariana like that was genuinely the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "Ya know....that is, the dumbest thing, I have ever heard. Especially coming from you. Have you seen the way the man smiles around you?! He loves you, and if you can't see that, you're blinder than a bat in daylight. He obviously doesn't want someone "significantly better". If he did, don't you think he'd have made that choice by now?"

"Yeah, but look at how Seon turned out when I made that decision too late."

"Seon was a stranger you met at an airport! What else did you expect?"

"And where did I first meet Yoongi?" Mariana pointed out.

Payton narrowed her eyes and quickly thumped Mariana in the middle of her forehead. "Suga's. Not. Seon. And if you keep arguing with me, I'm going to get Suga on a video call, so HE can talk some sense into you."

Mariana flintched a bit at being thumped. "Okay, okay. Point made."

"Good. Are you going to tell Suga tomorrow?"

"No." Mariana started, making Payton sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose. " I'm going to tell him that I need to talk to him when I get back. That way I don't risk the amount of sleep he gets."

Payton dropped her hand into her lap. "Okay. That's acceptable."

"Can we go to bed now?" Mariana asked with a slight whine, making Payton chuckle.

"Yeah. I'm tired too." Payton agreed before they both settled into bed.