"You should be prepared," warned Taehyung as he sat in the passenger seat, half swiveled to face Jimin who sat behind him in the back.

After dropping Jimin's luggage off at the apartment, Ruby had driven them to Freddi's house. There were already a few cars in the driveway to indicate that Freddi's parents already had some friends over. Ruby had left Taehyung and Jimin in the car so that she could go get Freddi out of the house. Jimin perked up in his seat at Taehyung's comment.

"Why should I be prepared?"

"Freddi's bias is you," said Taehyung. "She doesn't know you're in town."

"I've met fans before, Tae. You act like I haven't."

"Oh, I don't think you've met a fan like her, and remember security isn't around."

Jimin's eyes grew into the size of saucers behind his sunglasses. He reached up a hand to make sure his mask was pulled up firmly over his face to keep his identity concealed. Taehyung couldn't help but laugh for the first time since the incident at the airport. Jimin's text had helped him to ease up some. Besides, Taehyung thought it was funny to see Jimin all freaked out.

Ruby meanwhile stood on the front steps of Freddi's house after having rung the doorbell, watching as Freddi's mother opened the door.

"Well, Ruby! It's been so long since we've seen you! Do you want to come in?"

"It has been a while," said Ruby with a smile, "But unfortunately I'm just here to pick up Freddi. We are going to the mall to hang out."

Ruby was able to see past Freddi's mother's shoulder, looking into the living room where a circle of chairs from the dining room were. Freddi was currently sandwiched between two older women; her eyes rolled up towards the ceiling. Freddi looked as if she was dying of boredom.

"I see," said Freddi's mother, turning to look at her daughter. "Freddi, Ruby's here!"

Freddi shot back to life in an instant upon hearing that, nearly jostling both of the women near her out of their chairs as she made a beeline towards the door. Freddi grabbed her coat and purse off the hook before slipping out the door.

"Have fun, girls!"

"Thanks!" Ruby said as she walked down the steps with Freddi, giving her mother a small wave goodbye before the front door was shut.

"Way to be late!" said Freddi as they walked down the walkway to the car, gently slapping Ruby in the arm.

'Blame that on Jimin,' thought Ruby, thinking back to how long it had taken to settle Jimin into Taehyung and Jungkook's apartment. Jimin wanted a full tour plus time to take a shower so he could stop smelling like a non-stop overnight flight.

"You're just lucky I came," said Ruby.

Freddi walked alongside Ruby as they walked towards the car. Freddi was lifting each arm in turn, smelling them before shoving one in Ruby's face and almost smacking her in the nose.

"I smell like oatmeal cookies and laundry soap," said Freddi. "Sitting there has aged me."

"You're very overdramatic," said Ruby as they reached the car.

Freddi could see someone slouched into the shadows of the backseat and figured that it was Jungkook.

"Where's Ame?" asked Freddi, "And Charming?"

"Ame, Jungkook, and Charming all decided to stay at the apartment together. I'm not sure what they plan on doing," said Ruby.

Freddi looked more closely at the backseat of the car as the interior lights came on upon Ruby opening the driver's door. Freddi recognized Taehyung in the front seat even though he was still masked up. He raised a hand in greeting.

"Hello again," he said.

"Hi Funky Town," said Freddi as she moved to open the door to the back, slipping in next to the man that was currently positioned with himself pressed into the door on his side.

Freddi slammed her door shut, looking over at the man beside her. Now that she was next to him, Freddi could tell for certain that he wasn't Jungkook. Not that Freddi thought Ruby was lying. Ruby had just turned the car back on when Freddi's screech of realization and excitement jumped her.

"PARK JIMIN!"

Ruby turned at the same time Taehyung did to see Freddi lean across the backseat at the realization and squeeze the stuffing out of Jimin. Jimin was pinned helplessly in her embrace.

"Be careful with him," said Taehyung with a chuckle. "He's fragile."

Freddi immediately lightened up her touch on Jimin, nodding her head.

"Sorry. I just...Ruby!"

Ruby let out a small yelp as Freddi leaned forward and slapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"You didn't tell me you knew Jimin too and that he was in town!"

"He just arrived today," said Ruby. "He's only been here a few hours."

"Hello," said Jimin a bit awkwardly, raising a hand in greeting. It was clear he didn't know what else he was supposed to do.

Ruby chuckled as she turned back around and started to drive off. In the rearview mirror, she could see that Freddi was looking over in admiration at Jimin in the dark, peppering him with a hundred and one different questions as if he were being interrogated by the police.

This was certainly shaping up to be one memorable evening. 

- - -

When they arrived at the mall, the four of them decided to stick together to shop. Ruby half wondered if it was because Jimin was a bit afraid of being alone with the overenthusiastic Freddi, and had asked him as much when they stood in a clothing store together. Taehyung had walked off to the changing room to try a few shirts on, and Freddi had walked off to look for some sort of outfit Jimin would approve of.

"You aren't afraid of her, right?"

"Nah," said Jimin. "She just...takes some getting used to."

"She really is more bark than bite," said Ruby.

"She has a lot of bark," said Jimin with a small laugh as he watched Freddi circling the clothing racks as if doing some sort of weird interpretive dance.

Freddi soon pulled a piece of clothing off the rack, waving it above her head as if it were some sort of flag. 

"Is that her way of summoning me?" asked Jimin with a chuckle.

"I'm assuming so, but it's Freddi. Who knows?" Ruby said, chuckling back.

"Well, I'd better go see before she comes and smacks me with clothing again."

Ruby couldn't help but to laugh a bit at the reminder of what Jimin had already been through since they had arrived at the mall an hour ago. Poor Jimin had already been attacked with three different shirts and a pair of pants after Freddi had tossed them at him when he wasn't ready to see if he would approve of them. Ruby was pretty sure Jimin had even accidentally gotten a hanger to the face once.

Ruby watched Jimin wander off, soon standing by herself. She didn't mind being by herself for a moment though. She was happy, and thought that nothing could ruin the moment.

Five seconds later, Ruby really wished she hadn't thought that, feeling that she had jinxed herself as Talia and Alejandro appeared in front of her.

"Well look who it is," said Talia. "It's such a small world, isn't it?"

"Hello Talia," said Ruby politely back before saying 'hello' to Alejandro as well. "Did you need something?"

"No. Just saying hi," said Talia.

Talia could tell that Ruby's eyes were elsewhere, turning to see where she was looking. She spotted Freddi near a clothing rack with a masked man.

"Well look at that! Did your little friend find a boyfriend?"

"Would it matter if she had?" asked Ruby.

Talia turned back to her with a fake smile plastered across her face. She looked more like a shark in that moment than she ever had.

"Even your best friend can pick up a guy unlike Miss Lonely Hearts Club here. Where's your nameless hero from the airport? Oh, wait. He probably ran off on you, right? Or is he married like Dexter?"

Ruby felt a mixture of emotions run through her then, but the one most prevalent was shame. It become even more prevalent when Alejandro turned to look at Talia.

"What are you talking about? Who is Dexter?" he asked.

"Oh it's a married man that Ruby fell for. She's so desperate to find someone she'll just go after anyone."

Ruby felt tears filling her eyes as she turned then to leave the store. She knew it looked cowardly, but she just couldn't take the torture anymore. She had never been so mortified.

Taehyung started to walk back from the changing room section, having decided not to buy anything yet and to think on it instead. Taehyung walked over to Jimin and Freddi when he saw them standing by a nearby clothing rack.

"Hey you two. Where's Ruby?"

"She was over there a second ago," said Jimin as he nodded his head towards where Ruby had been standing.

Taehyung looked that way just in time to see Ruby disappearing out of the store. Talia and Alejandro stood watching her go.

"I'll be back," said Taehyung to Jimin and Freddi before wandering over to Talia and Alejandro.

"You two need to back off," said Taehyung.

"Do we now? And who are you to her mister no name?" asked Talia.

"Just grow up already," said Taehyung in response, "Get a life and stop ruining Ruby's."

Without another word, Taehyung left the store to go and figure out where Ruby had disappeared off to, leaving Talia fuming.