"I can't believe you attacked Joon."

Lilith was leaning into the shelving inside their small transport shuttle, a steaming mug tucked into her chest. She took a long, slow drink from her mug. Then her fingers plucked up the tag attached to the tea bag, reading the flimsy label: Detox Tonic.

Jin shoved his own now-empty mug onto the low table in front of the low chair in which he sat. His narrowed eyes shot across the floor to where Kim Namjoon lay unconscious, pushed up against the back of the pilot's and copilot's seats.

"He was all up on you like caramel frosting on an already-perfectly glazed doughnut. And it was disgusting."

"Jin."

"... Lil."

Lilith was being pulled somewhere between annoyed and amused, and Jin could tell.

"As much as I appreciate being compared to dessert—"

The good doctor smirked. "--Because you know I have a sweet tooth for your—"

"JIN. Let's try to stay on track here."

He sighed. "Oh, alright. You're no fun."

"So. As I was saying, as much as I love it when you sweet talk me—pun intended—you really didn't need to knock him out cold. He was high as a kite. He kept calling me SHAE."

"If he tries to kiss you again, I don't care if he thinks you're Angelina Jolie or the lead singer of Queen back from the dead... he's not gonna live to tell about it."

Lilith shook her head slowly, but she was smiling just enough to make Jin feel a deep sense of satisfaction settle into the pit of his stomach, soothing the burning jealousy that was threating to swallow him whole. He stood from his low white chair.

Lilith could count on one hand the number of times that Kim Seokjin had looked at her with such dark intensity. He bridged the gap between them like a quietly building storm cloud pulling its way over a lone, vulnerable island—the ocean of his desire raging up around Lil in tow.

Jin reached out and his fingers, rather forcibly, and pulled the hot mug from Lil's hands. His eyes staying fixed on her, Jin reached around her and set the mug on the small counter behind her. The thud of the ceramic onto a metal surface was deafening.

Jin leaned in.

Lil began with, "Joon is right there. We came back to an empty shuttle and Chimin's who knows where. We need to try and call him! Maybe now's not the time—"

There was angry energy about Jin when he took a step back, his dark eyes still drinking hers in. A flush rose in Lilith's cheeks.

Phew. Jin, what's gotten into you?

The good doctor strode over to Kim Namjoon's limp frame. He yanked Joon up by the ankles and dragged the limp body across the length of the shuttle—until he shoved him out the back door into the small filtration pod between the cockpit and the small storage bay. Jin slammed his hand onto the door's fleshy wall pad, and the automatic door slid shut. Then Jin slid a small bar of light onto the pad, officially locking and sealing the door from being opened from the outside.

"But Joon's—"

Kim Seokjin's dark eyes were void of their typical amusement completely now. He crossed the short length of the shuttle for where Lilith still stood pressed up against the small counter. She gripped the edge of countertop behind her to brace herself.

Jin shrugged. "That bitch is fine. The air is clean in there. Let him sleep it off."

"But Chimin—"

Jin's hands reached out and braced against the counter to the left and right of Lilith's head. He leaned down over her and his lips brushed against her left cheek as he mumbled grimly, "Lil, just let the world burn for a fucking minute without us."

"Just a minute?"

Lilith could feel the curl of his smile into her lips as his mouth found hers. She lost her hesitance. Lost her logical resistance.

Damn, Lil, you asked for it.

There was no laughter in Jin's eyes, no playful caress in his hands. He was all tension and pull, cutting fingertips and teeth. Lilith felt a dark fire in her own skin as she burned beneath Kim Seokjin. He growled forcefully into her chest, fingers tearing past the front of her shirt, "You're mine."

Lil answered with haughty amusement. "I'm sorry. I'm whose?"

Jin didn't take the bait for lightheartedness. Not today. He only roughened his onslaught, his incisors tearing across her bare shoulder. He felt Lilith tense and burn beneath him with a cry almost painful. But he didn't back down.

Just before his lips found hers again he growled once more: "Mine."

And Kim Seokjin took his sweet as apple pie time proving his point, until he was a dizzy dark ocean that Lilith was drowning beneath.

--

Kim Namjoon woke to a pounding headache and to the sound of someone screaming.

He rubbed at his eyes, his heartbeat bounding somewhere in his temple as he squinted up at the shaggy blonde hair of the back of Park Chimin's head.

Chim was pounding angrily on the door into the shuttle, and he was screaming angry profanities whenever his attempts to enter went entirely ignored.

"This is NO time to be a diva, Jin! Open this door NOW."

Chimin looked like he was ready to set something on fire, Joon noted with grogginess. Then the ex-leader of Noon Mool admitted to himself that Chimin OFTEN looked like he was ready to set something on fire, but it was usually out of a look of deranged masochism. Today, Chim looked more angry at being inconvenienced.

Joon shifted himself up onto one elbow, wiping at his tired eyes with his free hand.

"Find a way into the Library of Mirth, Chim Chim?"

The golden treasure hunter wasn't the least bit startled to discover his unconscious comrade in arms was suddenly awake on the floor beside him. Chimin shrugged. "Not exactly. But I did do some calculations thanks to your notes on the planet's terrain that were helpful."

Joon gave a groggy yawn. "Glad I could be of assistance."

"Yeah. Now I know the right intensity for using mass explosives on the mouth of the cave. Also, for modifying our breathing masks so we don't all lose our fucking minds out there like you all did this afternoon." Chim barked a cruel laugh at this.

Joon blinked through his faded memories. "Wait... Shae..."

"She's not here, Joon." Chimin gave the door another good pound and roared. "C'MON, we have WORK to do!"

Joon felt his heart sink. He lay back flat onto the floor of the shuttle and moped quietly.

"If she's not here, then who...?"

"You were all up on Lilith. Pissed Jin off so he knocked you out cold. Then they left you out here on the doorstep like some stray dog. So nice of them." Chimin gave another laugh, this one somewhere between bitter and amused.

Joon mumbled, "Oh." He felt a sense of defeat slink even more heavily into his shoulders, with a hint of embarrassment.

As if they needed another reason to loathe me forever.

Joon sighed and let the backs of his hands rest over the tops of his eyes as he let out a mournful groan. He was just... so... tired.