Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

"I've Already Packed Your Lunches, Kids."

"I don't want that woman to set foot on Noon Mool ever again. No."

Tae's jazz-soul voice was as smooth as it was irritated, as he replied, "Joon, we have to make sure the ladies are outfitted properly before the Ganche Games, and Lillith is the absolute best women's armorer out there. You know she is! I thought this was already decided...."

Joon and Tae's conversation echoed through an open doorway, into a public lounge where Ava and Shae sat at a gleaming white dining table that was pilled high with stacks of holographic magazines.

Ava was preoccupied with a series of vibrant red evening gowns progressing across the screen of the pages in her hands.

Shae was holding her magazine of choice sideways, trying to understand the centerfold diagram that was rippling over the slim, foldable surface. It displayed a series of skinny swords with thin, ornate handles that looked as if they were made of ivory infused with flowering veins of lapis lazuli.

Thanks to a little help from Tae, Shae had figured out how to make these magazines convert their text into English. Sometimes what she read still came out looking jumbled, though.

"Geji Dualing Swords," she read the diagram title softly to herself. "How interesting."

Joon's voice was growing louder now. The thud of luxury boots on polished floors signaled that he was walking from the hallways and into the longue area where Shae and Ava sat. "It's a matter of security. I don't care how many times Chim vouches for her character."

Taehyung followed after the slicked-haired leader of Noon Mool, looking like a pissed off puppy. Tae's annoyed eyes bore into the back of his leader's head.

Joon's tone was firm as he kept walking away from Tae. "She's not coming here. We'll meet at Okie Port, just like we always do, or she'll have no business with us at all. End of story."

"Then shall I prepare our rendezvous?" Tae asked flatly.

"Yes."

"Alright."

Tae stopped mid-step and spun on his heels with his eye-roll in tow.

Joon seemed not to notice Tae's annoyance, or his own brusqueness. He walked up behind Shae and put a hand onto the back of her chair, then leaned down over her to peer at the diagram of Geji Dualing Swords she'd been examining.

"Interested in learning how to pick a fight?" he asked, a confident chuckle in his voice.

"Only if it's deserved," Shae answered coyly.

Ava shot a pointed look over the top of her magazine at where Joon now stood leaning over Shae's chair, then turned back to her fashion adventure. All the while, Ava eavesdropped away.

Joon leaned down closer to Shae, his chest hovering close enough to her cheek that she could smell an oaky musk coming from his silky grey shirt collar.

Joon pointed to the longest of the Geji swords in the picture she held. "Do you think it would be easier to use this," his finger then moved left on the page, to the smallest Geji sword, "or this, in trying to win a dual with someone?"

He pulled back to stand just slightly bent over her, but his hand still rested on the back of her chair. A sly smirk played on his lips as he waited for an answer.

"I'd say that it depends. For you, probably this one." Shae pointed to the longest sword.

"And for you?"

She hesitated. Then, instead of pointing to the smallest sword, Shae pointed to a shortsword next to it, the length of a forearm. "This one."

He threw his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Short swords require speed to be effective."

"Are you saying that I'm slow?" her voice was playfully incredulous.

"I'm saying that you're average."

She sent Joon some side eye and a teasing smile. "But how would you know how—"

Like the lashing of a snake, Joon's free hand shot out, stopping fast and firm at Shae's throat. The side of his palm pressed against her tender neck skin.

She swallowed.

The playful tone had just been cut like a knife.

Joon cleared his throat and he withdrew his hand clumsily.

"Sorry, I was just trying to make a joke," he said, his voice low and careful now, instead of big and boastful. "And failed miserably." He ran the fingers of that hand nervously through his slicked back white hair.

"I take it you're good with the short sword," Shae answered quietly.

"Helps with the job description," his voice mirrored her soft tone. "I've had my share of duals."

"That makes sense."

Shae touched her neck where Joon's hand just had, then cursed herself for doing so while he was watching her.

Joon stepped back from Shae's chair and cleared his throat. His authoritative tone returned as he said, "We'll all be taking a bit of a field trip today after lunch. Hope you're excited to see a change of scenery."

But just then, another voice bumbled into the room to interrupt this notion completely.

"Uh, you aren't going anywhere, Joonie." It was doctor Jin, and he was plucking grapes one at a time off of a short vine in his hand to eat as he spoke. His eyes were narrowed slightly in satisfaction.

"How's that?" Joon wasn't enjoying being contradicted.

Jin, however, was immensely enjoying contracting him. "Crisis mode in sector 4. Just now. You'll need to make an appearance as soon as possible. So I'll take over for the afternoon."

"I love that you think you can just decide to—"

"What's the goal? Finding the right gear for the ladies, and charming Lillith into giving us the best deals. Seriously, no one in this entire fortress is more qualified than I am for that kinda job." He gave Joon a slow, scrutinizing once-over from head to toe. "No one. So shut up and head to the transport bay. Jungkook's already there, waiting to take you."

Joon looked like he was the one with the sour grapes in his mouth.

Jin flashed him a smug grin.

And so, Joon left the room in a huff as his heavy boots echoed in his wake against the hard flooring.

Shae and Ava couldn't help but stare as Jin munched contentedly on his grapes, still standing in the doorway. He was dressed in khaki shorts, a striped polo and white sneakers today. His black sheath of hair was tucked up beneath a NY ball cap that looked oddly juxtaposed inside of the Era alternate universe—and yet, there it was.

Jin addressed Ava and Shae lazily, "There's not really a meltdown in sector 4. I just told him that because I want to go shopping...but there's only room for four people in the stealth shuttle car."

"Uhhhh...." Ava and Shae exchanged a look.

"I've already packed your lunches, kids. So hop to it! Or you'll get your asses left behind, while Chiminie and I enjoy window shopping and eating the universe's best street tacos without you."

The ladies hopped to it, then.