Work Text:
What you listening to? ” You tip your chin towards the person seated next to you on the bus.
The boy in question seems to shrink back at your sudden invasion of his personal space. Popping the bubble of fragile, socially constructed silence.
“Music. ” He bluntly mutters, as if holding back the duh from his tone. His eyes avoid yours as he entertains himself going through his phone.
You crack a smile at typical Min Yoongi behaviour. You knew your classmate was taciturn and shy towards everyone, specially strangers. You’d seen him be a little more lively when around friends though, so maybe if you got past his shell these rides home would be less awkward. The both of you lived on the same street, walked the same route home.
When you got on the bus and saw Min Yoongi huddled up in a corner at the very back of the bus, no other seat available but the one next to him, you’d made up your mind: the two of you would become friends.
He had ignored you at first, unintentionally or not, by staring out the window, earphones on. And now that you had just approached him he shot down any possibility for small talk. But you were persistent.
“Oh, yeah? Let me hear. ” You reach out for the white cable and softly snatch it out of his ear to put it on on yours in a swift motion.
His body goes tense next to you, and he is, as humanly possible, cornered to the window. You almost laugh out loud at his expression, for a second his brain seems to short-circuit.
As you adjust the earphone better, musical notes from a melancholic piano piece drift through your ear. The soft melody of patient fingers feels like a caress that sends goosebumps all over your skin. The notes rising in pace as they build up to a desperate crescendo that spills passion through each key. A lump forms in your throat as the piece rides the crescendo to a quiet end. Patient, almost hesitant strokes of the keys, a murmur, the consumption of a-
“Hey! ” The boy snatches his right earphone back. It’s barely above an annoyed whisper, the look in the man’s eyes however screams bloody murder. He glares at you with an expression akin to that one of whom has watched his dog being kicked.
But all that you can think of is the melody repeating itself over and over again in your head. However, you’re slowly pinned down to earth again as his eyes pierce into you.
“What was that for? ” He demands in a low voice. There’s a nervous manner to the way his fingers hold on to his earphones away from you, away from your touch.
You’re unable to form words in an order that makes sense. Your heart is pounding in your chest in a way that disconcerts you, you release the breath you’ve been unconcioulsy holding in.
“I… ”
He lifts his eyebrows.
“That was beautiful. ” You breathe.
You stare into his deep black eyes with newborn curiosity; you thought all there was to Min Yoongi’s taste in music was hip-hop and rap. It never crossed your mind the cold aloof boy would be drawn to instrumental pieces too.
He seems to shy away under your intense stare. He fidgets with the white cable between his long, transparent fingers. Your mouth goes dry watching the motion, you were never this captivated by a pair of hands before.
“It was me. ” He whispers, almost inaudible.
“Sorry? ” You ask, your eyes drifting from his slender fingers back to his face. There’s a hesitant look clouding his eyes for a moment.
“It was a recording of me playing the piano. ” He admits, averting his eyes from you to the window.
“Oh… ” You fidget with the hem of your skirt, the heat of a blush spreading through your cheeks “I- I never knew you… ”
“Yeah. ”
A pregnant silence forms and suffocates the air between you. You bring your knees together, and draw your arms close, suddenly shy yourself. The soft piano notes linger on your mind, echoing in a crescendo that fills your heart to the brim until you can no longer stand it and you let it overflow with emotion.
“You… ” You turn to face him abruptly and he flinches. “That piece was wonderful. It’s filled with such passionate abandon… ” You continue, pausing to hold his gaze, and for some reason he holds yours back.
“It really touched me. ” You confess, hand to your heavy heart filled with overwhelming sincerity.
“You think? " He nervously whispers, his gaze shying away from you. His thumbs playing with the white cable on his lap again.
"Yeah. ” You breathe, unable to look away from the veins that stand out on his milky skin.
A peaceful silence descends upon you both, Yoongi staring out the window and you staring at his hands, your heart pounding loudly against your chest, your mind reeling with the thought of watching his dexterous fingers playing that haunting piece of music just for you.