Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Dice, Drinks and Drama

Ava hated to admit that she still found Kim Taehyung alluring. Maybe more alluring than she had before.

He leaned into the rise of masculine tensions at the dice tables, as well as into each roll, with a velvety smoothness that matched his voice and perfect features. Finally, Ava thought, he seemed to properly fill out his own swagger. In that dim yellow glow of the windowless casino areas, she was transfixed by his hands, his soul-seeing eyes, and the slimming tuxedo that fit his Adonis form so dang well.

Ava also hated to admit that somehow, in this game that was supposed to be based on chance, Kim Taehyung was very good at it.

There was yet another quietly pleased win for Tae and another roar of dejected defeat from a losing crew, this time of three older men sporting equally bushy mustaches.

Ava put a hand on Tae's arm and said, sounding less impressed than she actually felt, "I'm going to snag a drink. You want anything?"

Tae placed the green dice in his hand carefully down onto the velvety orange table. "I'll come with you."

Tae offered Ava an arm. She reluctantly took it, and they glided their way through the steadily growing crowd inside of the club and casino area. The sea of made-up faces and bodies done up in black tie all glowed with that delicate yellow light, and Ava thought she heard something akin to swing music playing beneath the hum of voices. The bar they walked up to was made of gleaming, polished wood and an impossibly large mirror hung behind it with assortments of bottles in every shape and color arranged at it's base.

"A Scotch and a...Linu for the lady," Tae said suavely, passing a few note pieces across the counter to the bartender. Then he leaned up against the standing counter backwards on both of his elbows as he waited for the drinks.

"What's a Linu?" Ever-curious, Ava wanted to know how well the fiend had pegged her tastes.

"It's a sweet and sour drink. Kind of like you," he said, a small smile touching his velvety voice.

"The hell kinda line is that, Kim Taehyung?"

Ava and Tae's heads swiveled to the left, where a man stood slouched over the bar and looking like he'd just washed up out of the ocean. Or, out of a bathtub full of alcohol. He was taller than anyone in the room and had buzzed, pale orange hair the color just beneath the outer layer of an orange peel.

He was practically cradling the tall green bottle in his arms as he leaned forward, glaring through slitted eyes at Ava and Tae.

"Sehun?" Tae sounded completely aghast. "What are you...? Are you alright, man?"

He waved a hand flippantly, his mouth in a mock pout. He was clearly drunk off his ass and it wasn't even near dinnertime yet.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm at the party of the season, I look fly as hell, I'm with people that I care about...."

Ava noticed that he looked completely alone, actually. Oh yes, the signs of heartbreak were dripping from this poor human being. She knew that trashed and treasonous look.

"Your date bailed on you, huh?" Ava asked pointedly.

Sehun made a very childish pouting face. "How'd you know?"

Ava walked over and patted the tall man on the shoulder. He was slumped over so far that Ava was looking down on him.

"Relationships can be rough sometimes, but, you gotta believe that eventually they'll work out. In the right way, the right time. You just gotta give it time to happen naturally, that's all."

She patted his shoulder as he hiccupped a few times, casting a warm and doey eyed smile at her. "That's so kind of you to say."

"What a load of complete bullshit," a raspy voice interjected. The offending figure came strolling up to the bar and leaned into it, turning to face towards Ava, Sehun and Tae.