Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Gossip Girls

That night, Ava and Shae were taking full advantage of what appeared to be an unending supply of gourmet finger sandwiches, wine and chocolate nougats. The stone fireplace in their suite  was crackling warmly in the background.

Shae sat with her legs curled beneath her on a giant pillow on the floor, the folds of her long grey nightgown curling around her as she leaned her back against the edge of that fat red sofa. Ava held a wine glass in her hand, with one of the tiny grandma-throw pillows tucked into her stomach. She had a cream shawl draped over her ruffled white nightdress, and she was smirking.

"You like him, don't you?"

Shae sighed. Why did it all have to be so complicated.

Ava rolled her eyes and waved an arm with dramatic flair. "He's obviously into you, so I don't see what the problem is."

"I thought you didn't like Joon." Shae's eyes narrowed over her wine glass as she took a sip.

"Eh. He's not my fave. But, fam, the sparks. Were flyin'."

Shae almost spit out her drink.

"What?"

"You still don't know what happened at the gala. With Joon and Hobi."

Ava's eyes fell into annoyed slits. "Yes, the talker. He was not my favorite human being."

Shae giggled, then her tone was serious again. "Well." She then explained just exactly what had transpired between her, Hobi and Namjoon on the dance floor.

As her story progressed, so did the animated expressions Ava made in response: setting her glass down with a heavy CLINK on the side table next to her as her eyebrows raised dramatically; smirking; jumping to her feet and shouting, "Wait, WHAT!"; throwing her shawl down onto the couch and pretending to roll up her sleeves ("I knew he was the worst."); and finally, Ava curling excitedly back up onto the couch and wrapping her shawl around her in cozy, excited glee.

"Joon. For. The. Wiiiiiin!"

"Did you not hear anything I just told you? About how he's apparently a murderer?!"

"Says THIS guy!"

"Says Joon! The words came from his own mouth!"

Ava shook her head. "All I'm really hearing is that Joon basically is your tall knight in shining armor and that, as I suspected, this Hobi guy is the literal worst."

Shae's face started to flush from ear to ear.

Ava ranted on, "Besides, Joon doesn't seem like the type to bust a cap in someone and...actually, wait. Maybe he does seem like the type."

"You're really not helping."

"But that's kinda part of the appeal, isn't it?!"

Shae tried to glare at Ava, but she couldn't keep from laughing instead.

"He was super sketchy when he first snatched us and brought us here, you can't deny that," Ava continued. "I thought he might eat you alive and spit out your bones, like, that's not even a joke."

Shae's mind flashed back to that nerve wracking, surprising first encounter: to Joon's tall, masculine, domineering presence. But her thoughts immediately flickered to the smallness of his voice and the gentleness of his touch, when she woke up on the medical table and saw him standing over her. Could he be both of these things? Could he be...hard and soft?

The thought was like lightning shooting through her. Shae shook her head, urgently wishing that this wasn't even a question she had to be asking herself. Wishing that she didn't care so much about the answer.

"Ava, how do you do it?" She sent her earnest blue-eyed gaze at her friend.

"Do what?"

"How do you let yourself care so much? About...guys and stuff, I mean...."

Ava sighed. She knew her delicate friend had withstood the whiles of romance well enough, hiding behind her emotional walls safe and sound from male guile and whiles. Until this strange messy situation had swallowed them up in it, that is.

"It's not easy. It's scary as hell sometimes. Because you don't want to get hurt—but to care means you do. You will." Ava wasn't the shining, bubbling wellspring of sass and laughter now. The entertainer persona was being set aside for the moment.

"But even for as much as I've been overlooked or rejected," Ava's voice cracked a smidge, "Heck, even from today."

Shae said in a knowing voice, "Jungkook."

Ava nodded. "Jungkook."

They both shook their heads.

Ava continued, "Even after today, I still believe it's worthwhile to risk that rejection in order to find meaningful connection. Heck, that's how I became such good friends with you, isn't it?"

Shae smiled, feeling her heart swell a bit with pride and gratitude. "Yeah, I guess you have a point." She wanted to believe that something good could come from this connection to Joon, too.

But she also didn't want to be played for a fool.

Then and there, Shae decided that she was determined to figure out the truth of why Joon had killed their former escorts--and if his reasons were really justified after all.

Blinking out of her thoughts, Shae smirked up at her friend over her cup of tea, "But we haven't even discussed the matter of you and Tae today. Your shameless shoulder action. I know you were completely yourself!"

A nervous giggle bubbled up from Ava, and she held one arm out to her side in a kind of fake shrug. "I meeeean. What 's there to say? I'm good at playin' the game."

"Oh yes, I can see that."

The sound of a knock on the massive red-wood door to their room interrupted their peals of laughter.

"Speak of the devil," Shae muttered under her breath, making Ava send her a scathing look.

Tae walked into the room, his auburn hair looking a bit more put into place than it had in the shuttle bay. It seemed his work wasn't finished for the day like theirs was.

"I'm glad to see that you're both recovering well from today's excitement," he said in a deep, rich voice. His face didn't betray any heightened emotions or excitement, but he did look tired.

"Would you like to join us a moment," Shae offered.

"No. Though kindly intended, that would not be appropriate...in the ladies quarters." He held up a hand and shook it apologetically. "I've only just come to let you both know that tomorrow morning, you're being taken on a bit of an excursion." The girls exchanged excited expressions, though they had no idea what that meant. "Joon has decided that you'll both begin training in the art of combat, but you need to get fitted gear first. Safety and all that. Which is where tomorrow's fun will lie. So please... don't stay up too late, and rest well this evening. Well. Goodnight."

Just like that, he was gone again.

Ava and Shae exchanged looks, Ava's of excitement and Shae's of dread.

"Combat training?" Shae couldn't imagine herself in such a context. Dancing was hard enough.

Ava smirked. "One more opportunity to look fly as hell."