Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Her

Joon and Ava had quickly lost sight of Shae and Hoseok on the dance floor.

Shae, on the other hand, was nervously transfixed by her ever-smiling partner with the critical gaze.

"I feel like you're laughing at me, but I don't know the joke so I can't see the punch line," Shae confessed.

Hoseok grinned smugly. "Accurate."

"You made a promise to my friend. I'm here to receive the reward."

Hoseok shifted his hand, so that it was behind Shae's back rather than resting on her waist, and he pulled Shae closer into his hips. Their faced were parallel to each other, and Shae felt his cheek brush against hers. He said in a low voice next to her ear, "You shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations. It's rude." His words were sharp, but they were followed with a chuckle.

He didn't say anything more. Hoseok effortlessly carried Shae through a series of complicated turns, and she had to let herself get swept up in the moment.

This strange man moved like dancing was his first language. The rush of elegant motion stole Shae's words, her breath, and she forgot for a brief and beautiful spell where she was and why. It was a fleeting, lovely dream.

Then the music quieted. Jung Hoseok led Shae out of those sweeping movements, into a simple step pattern. His hand slid from behind her back and to her waistline again, and they danced again face-to-face.

"Wow." Shae knew her dress was tight, but that wasn't why she couldn't breathe.

That ex-combat specialist of Noon Mool smiled his goofy, simple grin. He knew he was an exceptional dancer.

Then that darkness shifted back into his face.

"I promised a secret."

She waited.

"Well, it's not much of a secret really—except perhaps to you and your lovely friend."

"And?"

His eyes were angry... and sad, Shae realized. What did he have to be so sad about?

Hoseok blurted out his reason, clear as day: "He murdered them."

"Who? Wait, what?"

The word "murdered" felt like a fist to Shae's chest.

"You heard me. Kim Namjoon," he spat, "is a murderer."

It wasn't only her feet that were spinning. Shae gripped Hoseok's shoulder a smidge tighter to brace herself.

"Surely not," she said, barking a single hollow laugh that betrayed she wasn't sure of her own words. Shae didn't know why she was defending Joon...why she didn't want these words to be true.

"Their names were Kiara and Dai Yu."

Somehow they'd trailed to a standstill on the edge of the dance floor, but Shae hardly noticed.

"They weren't tools. They were people. But Joon used them and then destroyed them without a second thought."

Hoseok reached out a hand and ran his fingers through Shae's short blonde hair. His fingers curled into claws and tugged uncomfortably at the ends before Shae's hair slid free. "Dai Yu had the same hair color as you." His eyes were looking distantly over Shae's shoulder, but they snapped to attention and were staring daggers into her face now. Angry. Bitter.

"I loved her. Her laugh was like air to me. And Joon killed her." His eyes grazed over Shae's hair again, lingered, then shifted down to her neck.

"I...I'm sorry that happened." Words. She had none. Shae took a step back from Hoseok, wishing she wasn't in heels.

"No you're not. You didn't know them. But that bastard Kim Namjoon did. He's the one who should be sorry." Hoseok stepped closer to Shae again. "I'll make him sorry."

___

Joon found an easy smile dancing with Ava, whenever he let himself overlook the absurdity of some of her comments.

But he kept his senses alert, continually scanning the dance floor for Jung Hoseok. Noon Mool's former combat specialist was unstable. Joon had to intercept them without causing a scene, but first...to spot them.

Well into the dance, and they were in sight. Shae's brimming midnight blue gown. Jung Hoseok's floral suit jacket and crimped red hair. If he and Ava could just make a few more turns, then they would be right on that same edge of the dance floor. Joon resigned himself to that route through he crowd.

But that was before Joon saw Hoseok's hand lash out like a claw around Shae's bare throat.

____

It literally never ends.

Ava shook her head and watched Joon make a run for it, having abandoned her suddenly in the middle of the dance floor. She didn't notice where he was running to, just that she'd tripped over his big ass feet as he turned and bolted.

Then, in a blink, all the light in the room flickered out, and everything around her was swallowed up in pitch black. Ava couldn't see her hands in front of her face, the people nearby on the dance floor, or anything at all. She felt a couple roll into her, and she stumbled and fell to her hands and knees. The corner of a boot stepped onto her hand.

"Hey, watch it!"

Someone nearby let out a high-pitched scream.

The room quickly erupted into chaos.