A/N - Hey guys! Decided to put the question here so more ppl can see lol Who is your favorite character in this story and why? Please answer in the inline comment because it serves as a survey! Thankies!

You were currently on the deck, sitting on the wooden floor with crossed legs as you looked up at the sky. It was currently middle of the afternoon but you could see the clouds shifting to a starry night sky, both orange and blue mixing perfectly. Sighing, you ran a hand through your silver hair before counting the starts that were just starting to appear.

One, two, three.

"What are you thinking about?," K asked from next to you, her sitting position the same, purple cape draped over her knees and legs. You glanced at her and stared at her face, noticing the small smile that was barely noticeable. Huh, how strange.

You pressed your lips together before looking up at the sky once again. Sky. For the first time, you doubted your identity. Were you really Sky? Who were you? The stars were coming out. Four, five, six. "You can read my mind, right?"

"I only choose to," K faced you, a now evident smile on her face, purple eyes glinting. You blinked multiple times, a bit taken aback by this sight and even secretly pinched yourself to make sure you weren't hallucinating. "This time, however, I would like to speak to you."

"Who are you and what have you done with K?," You squinted your eyes as you picked up the scabbard from the ground next to you and drew your sword out, pointing it at an amused K.

"Sky, I am very much myself," K laughed a bit as she shook her head and leaned backwards, using her arms to support her as she looked up, silver hair falling off her shoulders. Wait, laughed. You were getting more confused by the second. "Forgive me for my actions before. I realized that I haven't been that kind to you."

Despite your confusion, you still managed to smile. You've always known that K wasn't the emotionless woman she claimed to be and you were glad that she was finally opening up. Although, a small part of you wished that she would have done it sooner to avoid awkward silences and sarcastic remarks right in her head. "It's okay. You have your reasons for acting that way."

"You truly are as kind as he says you are," K whispered and you unfortunately failed to hear this. The Helian woman put on a smile, which brightened up her usually dull face, before tilting her head slightly. "Now, Sky, what are you thinking about?"

You frowned. It wasn't because of K's question but because of your answer. You turned towards the sky once more and brought your knees up, hugging them close to your chest, glad that Suran's outfit had given you shorts instead of a skirt like Emily's. "I'm thinking about the sky. K... ever since you told me about my parents, I've been thinking about my identity. Am... am I really Sky? Am I really the person I've known myself to be for eighteen years? I don't even like I was supposed to be guardian. All I did was find them but I can't even protect them when I need to."

Silence fell as you placed your chin on top of your knees, now tied silver hair flowing behind your back. It was the truth. After the revelation, you felt both confused and worthless. At one point, you even suspected that they had chosen the wrong person to be the guardian and thinking back to all the fights you were in, you rarely protected anyone. Instead, you were the one who needed protecting.

And you hated that thought.

"Guardians aren't selected from the very beginning," K spoke suddenly, making you look up at her with eyes widened in curiosity. The Helian side eyed you and if she wasn't a dear friend of yours, you would have been intimidated by her stare. She then sighed loudly before straightening her legs, which were wrapped with dark stockings. "They are pre-selected in groups then chosen ultimately after every candidate turns eighteen. This process happens for each generation. In our case, we belonged to the same and most recent generation of guardians."

You thought about it for a while, not knowing what to think of many people having the possibility of becoming the guardian you are now. Almost losing your balance at the revelation, you wondered why you ended up getting chosen among them. "There were candidates?"

"Yes, Sky, there were candidates. Hel tried their hardest to get rid of them ," K scooted a bit closer to you, the distance you both closing. She then placed a hand on your shoulder and you were a bit weirded out at how a dead person felt so warm. Still, you were comforted. "All I'm saying is that there was no mistake in you being chosen as the guardian. Like I said, when we first met, it is your destiny."

"Thanks, K," You smiled warmly and attempted to hold K's shoulder. Of course, you hesitated because she was a spirit but was stunned when the Helian pulled your hand to her arm. You felt her warmth against your palm.

"I can materialize myself whenever I want to Sky," K chuckled, her smile fading as she glanced at her side. You didn't even get the chance to follow her gaze when she spoke. "Oh, thank me later. Looks like someone wants to talk to you."

Tilting your head in confusion, you turned around and saw Taehyung staring at you from behind the captain's wheel, Jungkook taking care of the statistics as usual. You were a bit flustered by the thought of him speaking to you, cheeks unconsciously flushing red. "Uh, K, I don't think—"

You paused after turning around and realizing that K was gone, only dust taking up her space on the floor. For a moment, you just stared at the empty space stupidly, suddenly pitying K and wondering how she was coping with life after death.

"Hey."

You nearly fell out of your seat in shock when Taehyung suddenly appeared behind you, purple mist fading around his feet. Glancing over his shoulder, you saw the captain's wheel spinning by itself, Jungkook still watching Greta's statistics. "You gave me a bit of a shock there."

Taehyung didn't reply to your statement. Instead, he looked away, face void of any emotion as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't worry about the ship, it's on auto-pilot. I'm not stupid."

An awkward silence then fell between the two of you, making you want to fall of the ship just to prevent it. Taehyung wasn't obviously making sure that he wouldn't have any sort of eye contact with you. The only sound was coming from the way he was tapping his foot against the wooden floor.

"So," You coughed, Taehyung finally flicking his dark eyes towards you. With an awkward smile, you pat the floor next to you. "Do you want to, uh, take a seat?"

Taehyung only stared at you, his glare so strong that you felt like you were going to melt into a puddle right then and there. For a while, you thought that he was going to walk away but was stunned when he slowly sat next to you, only leaving a few inches of space between you both.

The amount of awkwardness was suffocating you. You were unsure whether Taehyung actually wanted to speak to you or not because of his silence, although K did mention that he had the intention. Still, you were nervous, heart pounding against your chest. It was strange, how you were shutting down at his mere presence. Why were you acting like this?

"In Hel, I couldn't do things like this," Taehyung spoke suddenly, voice surprisingly soft. You slowly turned towards the darkness gem bearer and saw him sitting with his legs bent silently, hands plopped over his knees. He was looking up with his hoodie still on, barely giving you a view of his dark eyes and prominent nose. "Whenever I would look up, I wouldn't see the bright sky or the shining stars. I'd... only see rock and... darkness."

You continued to stare at Taehyung, eyes tearing up because of how sad you felt. Looking back up at the stars, you noticed that there more appearing. Seven, eight, nine, ten. "Well... what do you think of them?"

"Me? I think they're stunning," Taehyung breathed as he glanced at you. Since you were still looking up, you didn't notice the way he was staring at you, a small smile curling on his lips. "Absolutely stunning."

"What's it like there?," You asked while facing Taehyung, who looked away just in time. "In Hel, I mean. How was your family like?"

Taehyung stiffened evidently at your question and you immediately realized that you had brought up a sour topic for him. Ugh, stupid head!

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Stop apologizing for something that was never your fault in the first place. You didn't know," Taehyung snapped after he regained his composure, a snarl on his face. You flinched a bit at his expression. "You're too kind."

"Is kindness a crime?," You asked a bit sarcastically with one eyebrow arched.

"If it was then you'd be guilty as charged," Taehyung chuckled a bit and you blinked at the realization of him laughing. However, when he realized it as well, his eyes widened before he put on a stoic face. "You do know that being too kind is bad, right? People can take advantage of you."

You remembered how Emily would tell you the very same thing back in the orphanage. She would always say the same thing after protecting from a bully or a nun who would pick on you for the day. Learn to stand up and stop being so kind! The memory brought a smile to your face. There were more stars. Eleven, twelve, thirteen. "In a world where you need to work and pay for everything, only a few things are free. One of them is kindness... So, I do my best to be kind, no matter what. It's what I believe."

Taehyung stared at you in silence, seemingly caught up in his own thoughts. You stared back at him and got lost in his eyes, which seemed like an endless pit of darkness. The eye contact only broke when he turned away before lying down, his head resting on one of his hands. "My father was a very authoritative man. He didn't take no as an answer and would do anything to get what he wants. My sister, she... she's just like my dad but..."

Because of the way Taehyung's voice trailed off, you could tell that he and his sister weren't exactly in good terms. Seeing how uncomfortable he was, you decided to change the topic. "And your mother?"

"My mother?," Taehyung's sour expression faded as yo mimicking his position, both hands resting over your stomach. You watched as numerous expressions crossed his face until finally, he left a small smile on. More stars. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. "She was the reason why I kept going. Despite all the fucked up things that went on in Hel, she was there to comfort me. But... after she died..."

Taehyung trailed off once again and you could see his glassy eyes glistening in the sky that was turning dark. He then turned away, your heart aching due to the pain you felt, the pain you knew and had lived with for so long. Sighing deeply, you spoke your next words softly. "I never met my father and mother. At least... if I did meet them then I won't remember anyway."

You saw Taehyung turn a bit and glance over his shoulder to look at you. The sight urged you to keep going.

"I grew up in an orphanage and was surrounded by people who thought I was weird. They said I was a freak because of my hair, that I was an old woman trapped in a child's body and stuff like that," You combed the ponytail of your hair with your fingers and played with some strands of your silver hair. Taehyung was still staring at you in silence. "The only who actually cared about me was Emily. She was the only one who would stand up for me and protect me. Now that I think about it, it makes sense, you know? Why I was called a freak, why I was picked on for being so... different. I had no family, no past, no identity. Even I think that's weird."

"That's stupid," Taehyung's response shocked you and you saw him now leaning on his side, facing you with a stern expression. "Vredeians and Humans... they're different species but both so stupid. My mother was discriminated for being human. My family was discriminated for having human blood. People... they can't accept that being different can be good. Being different meant being unique. Why can't they just..."

"Taehyung," You breathed out, a bit surprised at how he had revealed himself of being half-human. Taehyung's eyes were glowing purple, mist surrounding him as he gritted his teeth in anger. Out of instinct, you grabbed his arm.

Taehyung didn't answer. Instead, he flicked his glare towards you, pupils and irises pitch black. You widened your eyes at the piercing glare he was giving you and noticed the purple mist towards your arm.

"It's so annoying," Taehyung hissed, the tone of his voice terrifying you, eyes becoming darker by the second.

"T-Tae," You gulped, the purple mist around you both thickening. From the corner of your eye, you could see Jungkook staring from the captain's area. "Taehyung!"

Thanks to your call, Taehyung finally snapped out of his trance, dark eyes turning back to normal. He sat as the purple mist evaporated and tugged his hand away before running it through his hair. You could hear him whisper curse words to himself.

"Hey, it's okay," You said softly as Taehyung buried his head in between his knees. Sitting up as well, you hugged your knees to your chest once more. Honestly, you were a bit terrified by how his eyes had gone pitch black but the same time, you were worried about him. You felt like he was going through something nobody knew, something he had decided to handle alone. "You may have scared me but I'm fine."

"I hate this stupid gem. This is why I have to stay away," Taehyung hissed to himself, voice loud enough for you to barely hear, his words making your eyes widen for a bit. At that moment, you realized why he had been disappearing at random moments in your journey to find the wonders. You glanced at his gem, its purple color pulsing, somehow giving out an aura of pure mischief. You then realized his motives, the reason why he kept leaving. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

And the fact that everyone thought Taehyung was running made your heart ache. That was never his intention at all.

"All those times you left...," You trailed off as the truth hit you like a train. Taehyung was still sitting next to you but he refused to make any eye contact. "Taehyung... You aren't going to hurt us."

"How are you sure?," Taehyung spoke through gritted teeth as he pulled up his hood and masked his expression. You could only see his now glowing purple eyes in the shadow of the cloth. "I already hurt Jungkook and I almost hurt you just a few minutes ago. Do you know that I'll never be able to live with myself if I ever leave a scratch on you? How are you sure that I'm not putting every single living being on this ship in danger, huh? Tell me! How?!"

You no longer flinched at Taehyung's sharp tone, knowing that he was frustrated towards the gem and towards himself. Scooting closer to the darkness gem bearer, you watched him sadly as he inching away from you. You had a flashback of your argument with Yoongi and came to a realization. "I trust you, Tae. You won't hurt us."

Taehyung glanced at you through the corner of his eyes, the wind whistling as the night sky turned blue, more stars appearing like sparkles in a canvas. However, you no longer faced up to look at them. Among all the stars that existed, only one of them mattered.

After all, the brightest star was sitting right next to you.

"You're an idiot," Taehyung scoffed with a small smile on his face, his knees dropping to the floor. Now he was casually sitting down on the deck and was staring ahead at the horizon.

"If being an idiot meant trusting you then I'm the most stupid person in the whole galaxy," You followed Taehyung's gaze and smiled at the orange light up ahead. Since Greta was flying upwards, you could see the Krystal Sea from high up in the air, the twin suns slowly disappearing.

Another silence fell between you and Taehyung but there was no awkwardness or tension. Instead, what filled the air was a soft aura, mixed with the breeze of the ocean and the cold winds from the clouds.

The silence was only broken when Taehyung muttered and you barely heard him speak. "What's lesson two?"

"Hm?," You hummed, your eyes fixated at the sunset, which was almost gone.

"Lesson two," Taehyung faced you as he slowly pulled his hood down to reveal his fluffy dark hair. He looked away for a while before he made eye contact with you again. "Lesson one was comfort. You told me that friends and loved ones would sympathize with others when they felt pain, whatever that means. What's lesson two?"

You thought about it for a while. If you would be honest, you had completely forgotten about all the lessons of social tips that you had initially planned out for Taehyung. You wanted to tell him that what he just did for you was a way of comforting but based on his expression, you could tell that he knew as well.

Scanning his figure, you stared at his face for a bit until your eyes landed on his hand, which was pressed on the ground as he watched the sunset. Your own hand was on the ground as well, pinky fingers less than an inch apart. Seeing this made you blurt a word without thinking. "Contact."

Taehyung faced, the look in his eyes telling you that he was asking for a further explanation. You wanted to facepalm at how you spoke before thinking but there was no turning back.

You coughed awkwardly and continued to speak. "Contact. Close friends or lovers show affection through close contact. It can be hugs, kisses, hand-holding or just the plain presence of one another."

"Sounds cheesy," Taehyung mumbled.

"It is," You shrugged. "But... it works."

Another silence, this time filled with awkwardness. You fiddled with your fingers, thinking that you had brought up such a topic to Taehyung, who you knew was not a big fan when it came to any form. Thinking you have just embarrassed yourself, you sighed and attempted to stand, pulling up your socks in the process.

You had just turned around when Taehyung grabbed your hand, making you pause. You could hear him mumble a single word softly.

"Contact."

Slowly glancing over your shoulder, you saw Taehyung tightly gripping your hand, gaze still fixated towards the sunset. He didn't say anything but the way his grip was tightening with each second that passed told you one thing. The last thing he wanted to do was let go.

You carefully turned around, wrist twisting in Taehyung's hold, and sat down next to him. Glancing at him for a while, you slowly moved your hand to grab his and waited for a reaction.

Taehyung whipped his head towards you, an expression of shock crossing his features. You smiled softly as you intertwined your fingers with his.

There was only silence as the two of you stared at each other. The sun had fully set and all the stars were out, the sky resembling a galaxy of purple and blue colors. Taehyung discretely moved closer to you as he fully held your hand, grip locked tightly. You noticed how big his hand was compared to yours.

From behind the captain's wheel, Jungkook held the handles as he smiled at the sight of you and Taehyung holding hands. Next to him was Kiana, who was staring at the angel longingly.

Kiana hesitated before she reached for Jungkook's hand and squeezed it. This made the Hemelian turn and look straight at her but unfortunately, he could not see her.

And Jungkook dismissed the sensation of Kiana's hand on his as the cold breeze.

-

"Morning, Joonie!"

Namjoon peeled his eyes away from his jacket, which he had taken off after feeling a bit too warm and was currently examining. Taking one last glance at the patch of Aarde's logo, he turned around and became face to face with Jimin, who had also taken off his jacket and was now wearing a sleeveless black leather top, the muscles of his arms popping. He blinked slowly at the sight. "Yeah?"

"You busy?," Jimin asked with a smile, his eyes disappearing into crescents.

Namjoon stared at Jimin for a while before he started folding his jacket. Smoothing the cloth with his hands, he carefully placed the leather jacket on his bed before turning around and rolling his shoulder. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

Smile disappearing, Jimin pressed his lips together as his eyes turned solemn, his gaze shifting to the ground. Namjoon was instantly struck with worry at this since it was obvious that he was bothered by something. Still, the thunder gem bearer kept a tiny smile on his face as he looked up at the purple haired man sorrowfully. "I'll tell you once the club gathers in my room, okay? Could you call Yoongi please? He's in the kitchen."

Namjoon squinted his eyes at Jimin, feeling extremely worried about him. Despite this, he was glad that the thunder gem bearer was now letting people see his true state, whether he was sad, happy or anything else. Now he and the rest of the Single Men Club had the chance to comfort their leader, who had always been the one to comfort them. And that made the earth gem bearer smile.

Slowly closing the door of his bedroom, Namjoon glanced around the hallway and saw Jimin's figure disappearing into his own room. Sighing, the purple haired man spun on his heel and turned towards the kitchen. He could hear light mumbling through the slightest opened door, making him wonder what Yoongi was doing inside.

Namjoon could hear the mumbles getting along louder as he stepped closer, along with what sounded like nails tapping against tiles. At that moment, the earth gem bearer's imagination ran wild as the noise continued. Then, what came after was Yoongi's voice himself, which was screaming. "Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!"

Pausing, Namjoon's imagination ran wild as Yoongi continued to shriek from inside the kitchen. What was going on inside? Who was Yoongi talking to? Most importantly, was he getting hurt? Shaking his head and thinking it was nothing, the earth gem bearer scolded himself for being too much of a worrywart before he continued walking.

Namjoon's hand was right on the doorknob when he heard a second voice ring. "U-Ugh! Hey! What do you mean be a little quicker? I'm being as fast as I can— Ugh!"

Wait what? Namjoon's mind immediately fell straight to the gutter as he tried to understand what was going on. Was Yoongi getting on in there? But with who? Or what? Was he talking to an actual living being or did he have some strange satisfaction with speaking to inanimate objects? For a moment, he just stood in front of the door stupidly, trying to figure out if opening the kitchen door was going to scar to him for life.

Namjoon then realized that he was being too much of a wuss and wrapped his hand around the doorknob, intent on entering the kitchen. Before stepping in, however, he decided to peak through the small opening, just to make sure that he wasn't going to disturb Yoongi in any way.

The sight was something Namjoon did not expect. Yoongi was standing in front of the kitchen counter, a brown apron draped over his turtleneck jacket. Did he not feel warm at all? He was whisking some kind of mixture in the bowl, causing slushing sounds and the sound of nail against metal. Holly was on top of his right shoulder and was poking his cheek with its mouth. This caused the fire gem bearer to groan and let out a frustrated complaint.

Namjoon sighed at how he had jumped into very dirty conclusions so quickly. He continued to stare at Yoongi and saw him smiling lovingly at Holly despite his continuous complaining. That gummy smile... he remembered how the fire gem bearer would flash it at you and it didn't matter if you noticed it or not. The earth gem bearer smiled as the dragon purred, knowing that the grey haired man really did love his little pet.

And Yoongi was type to love unconditionally. Namjoon could tell.

"Yoongi," Namjoon finally spoke as he leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed and a dimpled smile on his face. Yoongi turned around and instantly switched out his gummy smile to a frown. "Jimin wants the club to gather in his room."

Yoongi continued to frown as he squinted his eyes at Namjoon, who glanced at Holly, the little dragon now digging into whatever had been mixed into the ceramic bowl, its wings flapping in joy. When the fire gem bearer finally spoke after a few seconds of awkward silence, his mouth moved in a very evident pouting motion as he stroked his dragon's back. "Did he say why?"

"He didn't...," Namjoon trailed off once he recalled the sorrow on Jimin's face. He shook his head lightly, the only sound in the room coming from Holly, who was dragging the bowl around during its meal. "But... I know Jimin needs us right now more than anything. You should have seen the look on his face."

Yoongi didn't say anything, instead he pursed his lips into a straight line and swallowed hard. He glanced down at Holly, who was already licking its own hands after eating its meal. Namjoon wasn't surprised, after all it did have a big snout. "Holly, c'mere."

Holly made a sound as it walked towards Yoongi, nails tapping against the surface of the counter. Once it was on the fire gem bearer's shoulders, it made a few grunts and groans.

Yoongi immediately raised an eyebrow at this. "Holly, you've had enough to eat for one meal."

Namjoon blinked at how Yoongi was conversing with the dragon as Holly made a loud and long groan before nuzzling its snout onto his cheek.

"No, I'm not feeding you apples," Yoongi said sternly, to which Holly groaned sadly as a reply. Almost a nanosecond later, his expression shifted into a soft one as he smiled and gently pet his dragon, voice soft as he spoke. "...I'll give you one later, okay?"

Holly nodded, a grin spreading across its scaly red cheeks. Yoongi then stepped forward, expression shifting to a stoic one once he became face to face with Namjoon, whose dimple were out due to his smile. "So you can understand a dragon's language, huh?"

"What do you mean?," Yoongi asked cluelessly, an eyebrow cocked upwards. Holly was staring at Namjoon with a tilted head.

"Well, to me Holly sounds like its just gurgling," Namjoon laughed a bit, purple bangs shaking from side to side as he shook his head. "But you can actually translate it into some form of communication. Kind of like parsel tongue, you know?"

"What's parsel tongue," Yoongi's question came out as more of a statement due to the tone of his voice as he brushed past Namjoon and stepped into the hallway, Holly's tail nearly slapping him across the face.

Namjoon stood frozen for a bit until he slowly trailed behind Yoongi with wide eyes. Disbelief struck the earth gem bearer after hearing the question, making him rub his temples. "Uh, Harry Potter? JK Rowling? Harry Potter talking to snakes?"

There was a moment of silence, only the duo's footsteps ringing across the hallway as they made their way to Jimin's room. Once they were in front of the thunder gem bearer's bedroom, Yoongi faced Namjoon with a frown. "This Harry Potter person... I'm guessing he's from a family that owns a pottery business?"

What.

Namjoon's jaw dropped at Yoongi's question and it didn't help that the fire gem bearer looked dead serious. He wildly shook his head, not having the capability to process that someone who wasn't Vredeian didn't know who Harry Potter was. "...You haven't read the books?"

"Books?," Yoongi scoffed sarcastically, a slight smirk on his face. Somehow, Namjoon could hear the pain in his voice and it didn't matter how cold he was trying to sound. "Never had the money to buy them or had the time to read them. If I ever tried to take one of my mother's novels, well..."

Yoongi's voice then trailed off, his expression turning into one of fury, eyes burning bright orange as Holly nuzzled its snout into his neck to comfort him. Namjoon didn't say anything, after all he already had an idea of what his next words were going to be. So instead of replying, the earth gem bearer swung open the door to Jimin's bedroom instead.

Namjoon was greeted by the sight of Jungkook sitting on a chair, legs spread as he slouched, arms resting on his thighs. Due to the angel's position, he could part of his exposed back as his wings spread behind him, a very worried expression on the Hemelian's face. Following his gaze, the earth gem bearer discovered that Jungkook was looking at Jimin, who was sitting across the room. The thunder gem bearer had a solemn expression on his face as he sat, his vision towards the ground, looking small due to how he curled himself in.

Thankfully, even though Namjoon had no idea what to say to shatter this very awkward silence, Yoongi was able to speak up. "You called, Jimin?"

Jimin snapped out of his trance and faced Yoongi, a smile automatically lighting up on his face, eyes disappearing into crescents. However, he didn't say anything and only continued to stare at the two. Somehow, Namjoon knew what it meant.

Namjoon noticed Jungkook shooting him a glance of concern before he and Yoongi sat on the bed, right in between Jimin and the Hemelian. He turned towards the angel, whose eyebrows were furrowed together, and watched as he mouthed a something is wrong.

Namjoon agreed. Something was definitely wrong.

"So," Jimin clasped his hands together, the sudden noise making Holly raise its head and clack its nails against Yoongi's shoulder. The thunder gem bearer raised his pointer finger, lips forming a circular shape as he spoke. "It's time for our weekly session! Today's theme is expression! I want everyone to share a story from their past, if you guys feel comfortable about it of course."

This idea did not sit well with Namjoon at all and it made him wonder what was going on through Jimin's mind at the moment. He glanced at Jungkook, who was still looking at the thunder gem bearer with concern written all over his face. He glanced at Yoongi, who was wordlessly petting Holly while chewing on his lip.

"I... guess I'll start first," Jimin announced after a few minutes of painstaking silence. The club meetings were usually lively and noisy but since the leader himself seemed way out of it, Namjoon and the rest had their moods flushed down as well. The thunder gem bearer ran a hand through his hair before speaking. "Hm... I guess I was pretty much a petty kid? During my first few years as a celebrity, I met this veteren actor called Do Kyungsoo. I invited him to my first ever movie premiere but he didn't come even though he promised to."

"So what did you do?," Jungkook urged and Namjoon was glad since he knew that Jimin was bothered by something and had to vent out through any means necessary.

"I attended his movie premiere with an all Gucci outfit from head to toe," Jimin smirked triumphantly, eyes glinting with mischief as he stroked his chin. The atmosphere was starting to lighten. "The paparazzi didn't even notice him, it was like he was invisible! Instead, the press released a ton of articles about me and my outfit. You can just imagine how furious Kyungsoo was."

"Wow, you really were a petty kid," Yoongi said with a stoic expression and monotonous voice, Holly nodding as it transferred to his lap.

"Told you so," Jimin smirked, looking proud of what he had done for some reason.

"I was the same but a little different too," Namjoon spoke up after realizing that Jimin was trying to break the thick tension through his stories. He also knew that the leader just wanted to bond with everyone, especially because they had a new member in the club. So, the earth gem bearer pulled out a dimpled smile as he recalled the few happy memories of his childhood. "I was very passive aggressive—"

"You still are," Jungkook teased, making Jimin snicker and Yoongi smirk.

"As I was saying," Namjoon shot a glare at Jungkook, who just gave him a crinkly eyed bunny smile paired with a thumbs up. "One time, Yuna and I fought over a bar of chocolate and I ended up taking all the umbrellas with me on the way to school."

"Umbrellas?," Yoongi asked softly, gaze still concentrated on Holly.

"Yeah... It was raining that day too," Namjoon smiled, the other members fully understanding his motive one by one. He laughed at Jimin's wide eyes and Jungkook's dropped jaw.

"You didn't."

"Oh but I did."

"You're evil."

"Earthlings," Jungkook shook his head, everyone else still laughing at Namjoon's story. The angel stood up straight and curled his wings in to hug himself as his smile faded and was switched out to a stern expression. The earth gem bearer could tell that angel was thinking about something serious. "When I was a kid, I was never allowed to go outside my house and play with the commo— I mean, with the other children."

Namjoon faced Jungkook as the seemingly cheerful atmosphere in the air died down instantly. The angel was chewing his bottom lips, gazed fixated to his intertwined hands. Glancing at Yoongi and Jimin, the earth gem bearer could see them staring at the Hemelian in concern. "Jungkook, if you don't mind... May I ask why?"

Jungkook puckered his lips together, making a small chup sound. Holly seemed to be imitating the angel because it was doing the same, Yoongi glancing amusingly at the dragon despite the situation. The blonde licked his lips in silence before flicking his baby blue eyes upwards. Namjoon was filled with concern. "My... full name is Jungkook Aurum, which means gold. I came from a very prestigious family, one of most ancient nobles of Hemel. My father, he... he didn't like the idea of me interacting with children of those who aren't noble. He always wanted me to be this perfect child since I was his only son but I didn't. I just... want to be like everyone else."

A silence. Namjoon glanced at Jimin, who was giving him an equal look of concern. Yoongi wasn't making eye contact with the earth gem bearer but he could tell by the way he was petting Holly that he was worried sick as well. Jungkook's blue eyes were glassy with tears.

Namjoon felt like an idiot because he had absolutely no idea what to say to console Jungkook since he felt like anything he'd choose to do would just worsen the situation. He fiddled with his fingers as the silence continued to suffocate everyone in the room. What should he do? Was he being the worst friend ever? Not allowing himself to be consumed by the silence, he opened his mouth to speak.

"My mom and dad used to be a happy couple and I used to be a happy kid," Yoongi spoke suddenly, stopping Namjoon and making him turn towards him. The fire gem bearer had a sad smile on his face as he pet Holly. It was looking up at its owner with worry. "After my dad left, my mom remarried and became a bit... violent."

Lightly nudging Holly aside, Yoongi tugged on the cup of his sleeve and hesitated for a moment. A sour expression flashed across his features until he sighed deeply and pulled the cloth backwards. Namjoon gasped at the cigarette butt burn marks on the pale skin. Jimin looked away with a hiss and Jungkook's eyes widened.

"There are some things we can't control, some things we will be forced to deal with no matter how stupid or how fucked up it is," Yoongi pulled down his sleeve, Holly curling on top of his lap with soft whimpers. He pet his dragon to reassure it that he was fine. "But... that doesn't mean you should feel helpless. You still have one thing you can control — you. Your life, your emotions, your actions. That's all you. Anyone can say shit about it but you should be proud that it's the one thing nobody can take away from you."

Another silence fell in the room as everyone processed what just happened. Namjoon was pretty sure that his jaw would have dropped right down to the floor if possible because he had never in his life expected Yoongi to say all that, especially after showing them his scars. A mixture of shock and strangely... joy filled his system. Somehow, he was happy that the fire gem bearer had opened up to them, which was contrary to how shut out he was when they first met.

"Yoongi's right," Namjoon broke the silence after assuming that Yoongi wasn't going to speak any further. He faced Jungkook, whose mouth was slightly open, eyes widened at the fire gem bearer's words. "At least you should be happy about that, Jungkook. I mean... at least your father cared about you, even if he didn't really show it properly."

Yoongi snorted as Namjoon did the same.

"...That's true, I guess," Jungkook muttered before he showed off a big bunny smile, wings flapping a bit behind him. "Thanks, guys."

Namjoon raised an eyebrow when he heard a sniffle. Turning his head towards the noise, he was taken aback when he saw Jimin crying, fists curled into his jeans as tears silently ran down his cheeks.

"Jimin...," Yoongi's eyes were squinted as his face contorted into an expression of confusion and disbelief. Holly was staring at Jimin with its head tilted a bit. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry, it's just...," Jimin sniffled and used the cup of his sleeves to wipe away his tears. Namjoon looked at him sadly, the sight of the club leader weeping making his heart ache. "I realized something when I woke up. It's the reason I called for a meeting. After we defeat the King of Hel and after all this is over... We'll be ruling our respective kingdoms, right? That means we'll be separated for a long time and... we won't be able to do meetings like this anymore. I... I'm going to miss you guys so much."

Jimin continued to sob as everyone processed what the thunder gem bearer had said. Still, Namjoon didn't fail to realize that he was right. That after becoming Kings, things like this won't be that accessible to them anymore. They wouldn't have the chance to meet and talk naturally and if they would, it would be a rare occasion. Jungkook's lips were trembling as he thought the same.

Namjoon's heart pained at the thought.

"Idiot," Yoongi hissed suddenly at a crying Jimin, making both Jungkook and Namjoon glare at him. Even Holly snapped its jaws at him. The fire gem bearer immediately raised both of his arms defensively with wide eyes. "Guys, chill out. I only said Jimin was an idiot because becoming Kings isn't going to completely destroy the Single Men Club. I mean, sure, we won't have that much time but we aren't fools. We'll find a way to meet in between all the crappy stuff that Kings do, right? We'll still be in contact with one another."

"Wow, Yoongi, that's the smartest thing I've ever heard from you," Namjoon smiled, dimples popping. He knew that Yoongi was right, though, and that everyone in this room, especially Jimin, was never going to let this club die no matter what.

Namjoon laughed. And to think that this club was just initially Jimin's silly idea to bring the single men together.

"Are you saying that I'm stupid," Yoongi's eyes flashed orange, his voice stern and tone dead serious.

"So you don't regret joining the club?," Jungkook teased with a raised eyebrow, lips curled into a cocky smirk. Namjoon was glad that he didn't need to reply to Yoongi's rhetorical question.

"Shut up. I only joined this nonsense club out of impulse," Yoongi spat as he turned away with a pout, cheeks puffed as he did so. Holly watched him silently as it curled on top of his lap. Namjoon couldn't help but smile as the grey haired man continued to speak. "But you're right. I don't."

After a short moment of silence, Jimin jumped out of his seat before giving Yoongi a big hug, their cheeks pressing together, Holly squealing a bit out of shock as it flew on landed on Namjoon's lap. The fire gem bearer's eyes glowed orange as his body literally heated up but the orange haired man didn't seem to mind. "Thank you, Yoongi."

Yoongi stared at Jimin a bit questionably, eyes still burning in a fiery orange color. After a moment, the grey haired man pursed his lips and slowly pat the thunder gem bearer's back. Namjoon didn't fail to notice the smile he was desperately trying to hide as he hesitantly pet Holly. "Uh... You're welcome, I guess?"

Holly made a few snapping noises and Namjoon assumed that he was communicating with Yoongi, who frowned at first, then nodded at the dragon. He faced Jungkook, who had plucked one of the white feathers of his wings and was currently inspecting it with a small pout. After staring at the angel for quite a bit, a question popped up in the earth gem bearer's mind. "Jungkook?"

"Yeah?," Jungkook muttered while chewing his lip, eyes still focused on the feather.

"Why do we need to go to Hemel?," Jungkook immediately looked up upon hearing Namjoon's question. "Sky told us that only Hemel hasn't been taken over by Hel."

Jungkook stared at Namjoon blankly, seemingly trying to come up with an answer. Before he could speak, however, another voice came from the door.

"Jungkook!," Hoseok was floating upside down, which Namjoon noticed was a habit of his, in front of the doorway as his hair fell to reveal his forehead. The air gem bearer pulled off his goggles before grinning with a heart-shaped smile. "Taehyung needs you."

"He does?," Jungkook breathed, his eyes wide and wings flapping in excitement.

"Yeah," Hoseok nodded as he flipped in the air and softly landed on his feet. "He said he needs you to make Hemel's gates open for us."

Jungkook gulped. Namjoon wondered why the angel seemed so nervous. "I'll be right there."

-

A/N - 7K UNEDITED AND MOST PROBABLY TYPO FILLED WORDS ARE FINALLY DONE!! I'm so sorry for the late update school has been killing me recently :(( i hope this chap didn't suck huhu

Soooo Taesky with a dash of KooKi happened I can already sense all the incoming angst

Also I realized one thing... In one of the chaps I wrote KIM TAEHYUNG. Let me just clarify that in this story, Taehyung's surname is NOT Kim. I wrote Kim out of instinct huhu so pls ignore it I'll change it asap :((

Anyways yeah!! Idk when the next update will be but please bear with me!! See y'all in Chap 62!!

This is the angst of the next few chapters coming to kill you all HAHAH bye