Woozi thought he heard...a humming sound, as a set of footsteps entered the machine shop tent where he stood.

The pink-haired pixie man looked up from the small circuit board in his hands, flipping the magnifying lens up that had been hovering over his eyes.

Suga-nim...smiling? What sorcery is this?

Min Yoongi walked right up to Woozi's workbench and down at the circuit in the small man's little hands.

"You didn't sauter this piece on correctly. You should do it again." His command was there, but Woozi was baffled by the...almost CASUAL tone of Yoongi's voice.

"Uh. Right. I can fix that, sir."

"Good."

Then Yoongi turned towards the massive pile of scrap that was heaped in the back area of the storage room. He started shuffling through pieces, plucking up one and then another.

Woozi asked, "Uh, what are you working on, Suga-nim?"

To which the tech specialist replied through a gummy grin, "A new project."

"Oh?" Woozi set the circuit board in his hands down delicately on the table.

"I had a stroke of genius this morning, about how to channel the materials I used to make Petra's prison. You're gonna help me run some tests, alright?"

"Like what kind of idea?"

"Maybe a magi-neutralizer serum. If Jin were here he could help me sort out the whole 'injecting it into the bloodstream without killing someone' conundrum but we'll hold off on that for now."

Woozi laughed polite-nervously. "Isn't that kind of like trying to make gold out of steel? So...alchemy for the earnest idiot."

Yoongi nodded. "Yes. Except in this case, perhaps not." Yoongi yanked a heavier piece of scrap from the bottom of the pile, making a chorus of clanking and scattering metal sounds, as the pyramid toppled in on itself. "It's worth a try at least."

Yoongi plopped on some headphones, before bringing out a heavy saw and getting to work at dividing down his scrap pieces.

Woozi found a set of earplugs, thinking to himself, I certainly hope it works. And if it does, well...

He smirked to himself at the thoughts unfurling beneath his sweaty sheath of pink hair, looking down at the perfect sautering work he had just completed.

—

As her combat training went on, Ava didn't know she was going to love kicking people's asses so much.

She stood with a wooden sparring sword pointed down at one of her fellow trainee's throats, the heel of her black boot propped onto the young woman's chest she'd just flipped back onto the sand, Ava's chest swelled with each proud and exhilarated breath.

She was good at this.

"Great job!" Lisa's girlish voice echoed through the dimming light of evening like a true cheerleader. Lisa clapped her hands excitedly together and waved Ava over to her.

Ava reached down, helped her sparring partner up off the sand, then dusted off her hands as she walked over to Lisa. The wooden sparring sword, she popped up onto her left shoulder in lazy confidence.

"Tips?" Ava asked. Getting advice on better fighting techniques and strategies from Lisa had become her favorite new pastime. Each fresh victory in the sparring ring, another level on her adrenaline rush gauge.

I mean, chasing boys is fun. But so is winning.

She smiled to herself, pleased.

Lisa pointed out a slight shift in the pivot of the hips, and how it would help Ava gain better leverage against heavier opponents. Ava took note.

"Gosh, you're so fun to teach! You're the perfect little sponge, I just love it." Lisa giggled delightedly to herself.

Ava grinned proudly. Sometimes Lisa wasn't so annoying, she thought.

"Mind if I borrow your new trainee for a bit?"

The gravely sound of Min Yoongi's voice made Lisa and Ava snap their attention in the direction of the sound. Yoongi was leaning against a tent pole, watching them for who knows how long.

"It's our unit's time in the training pits, Yoongles. She needs the practice," Lisa said with a wink.

And then sometimes Lisa can be annoying AF, Ava corrected herself.

"She seems to be doing just fine to me," he said with a laugh, his eyes tracing Ava's armored, fishnet laden look up and down shamelessly.

Lisa saw the movement and amusement in his eyes. "Ahhh, well. If you insist." She winked meaningfully at Ava, and then moved her attention back onto the rest of the ladies in her unit who were scurrying across the sand and prepping for another round of sparring.

Ava plucked up her water bottle and headed behind a set of tents in that rosy fading jungle light, on Yoongi's heels. "I thought you said we were going to keep this whole 'us' thing a secret or something. So much for being discreet."

"Lisa is trustworthy."

"Hmph."

"And most of her unit seems to be as well. Besides," Yoongi flipped open the flap of a small tent. A passcode panel rested to the right of the hard shell of a door that rested underneath, and Yoongi pressed his palm into it. At his touch, it slid open and he led Ava inside. "I wanted to see you."

When she walked in, she saw perhaps the last thing that she expected: a picnic style arrangement of beautifully prepared food, dessert, and even a small bouquet of tropical flowers as the centerpiece resting on a low table with long fat pillows laying out next to it.

The door slid heavily shut behind them.

Yoongi gestured, inviting her to sit on a massive embroidered cushion.

Ava stared at him as if she'd never seen him before in her life. "W-what?"

Yoongi stepped close to her and slipped his fingers delicately around the water bottle in her hands, taking it from her. Then he kissed her feather-soft on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "I wanted to have a proper date with you. Indulge a fool, would yah?"

Ava couldn't help but let out a laugh—because she was nervous and surprised and happy all at the same time and she didn't know what to say.

"What's so funny?" he asked, a hint of grumpiness in his tone.

Ava let herself fall playfully into Yoongi's chest. His arm naturally wrapped around her back as she pressed her frame into his and nuzzled her face into his neck, still laughing. Which made him chuckle a little.

"I'm glad you're so amused."

"Oh, I am. All this time I thought you were a hard hearted ol' grump... but now I see the sweet, savory truth." She leaned back, stole a kiss from Yoongi's smiling lips, and then eagerly plopped down onto the throw pillow he had gestured towards. "OK LET'S EAT!"

"That's all I get?" Yoongi teased as he plopped down onto the cushion next to her. "Damn, what a letdown."

"For now." She winked.

Yoongi leaned over her towards the furthest dish. "Okay, but you gotta try this first."

Ava let Yoongi walk her through one dish after the next, the foods and flavors exotic and exciting. She loved the smooth confidence he had, explaining things she didn't know but wanted to. She loved that he did it with a tone of excitement hidden in his words—like he was eager to see her face light up at the next hint of newness, the next fresh flavor or experience. She was sharing these moments of 'newness' with him, and he was so eager to share them with her. Somehow, that made Ava feel oh-so-right.

When the meal was as finished as it could be, Ava scooted closer to Yoongi's pillow and let her frame fall back into his chest. He braced his back against one of the central tent pillars, letting his hands freely wrap around the front of her as he nuzzled the side of his cheek against hers.

"When I first met you, I really didn't take you for boyfriend material, Min Yoongi," Ava sassed.

"No? I'm a pretty solid cook. I made half of this myself, if you must know."

"Only half?"

He pinched once at her side, making her squirm and giggle.

"I'm being serious," she said, turning her head sideways to look up into his small dark eyes.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend then?" he asked, laughing.

"It better mean something," she sassed.

He smiled, sneaking a quick kiss from her lips. "As long as I don't have to call you some lame pet name. I like your name."

Ava smirked. "Deal. Suga-nim."

"Ok then, Ava." He pulled her back slightly tighter into his chest, making her feel even cozier—between her full stomach and the comfort of his form engulfing her.

She didn't know she could feel this kind of ache, when he grumbled the words into her ear, "You're mine. Good Lord, how are you all mine?"

Then his lips found hers, feather-light and sweet with the sugar of their last tropical dessert. They lingered in that kiss, that space, as if the whole world were made up of nothing more than the span of their lips, their hands, and frosted-citrus flavors.

They lingered in that space, in their own suspended time, for a tiny eternity. Or at least, through the depths of the night and on into the morning.