Quiet | BTS ✓

14

Aria is afraid to give herself to the music. She is holding it at arm's length, just like Yoongi did. She's afraid that the music will leave her, just as her parents and her voice did.

That's what it is. That's why she won't let Yoongi in. She's afraid of what letting him in could mean for her and her future.

Her future, the one that was once so clear and laid out for her, is now a hazy, broken path in front of her. And part of her is terrified that Yoongi will make her path clearer.

She is terrified that this, like everything else, will be ripped away. And she can't handle something else being ripped away from her.

So she's locked everything away so tightly, terrified that if she unlocks the door, it will either be ripped away from her immediately, or even worse... it will stay and she will be in constant agony, wondering when it will leave her just as she expects it to.

"Do you think she'll beat me up if I go up to her room?" Yoongi asks suddenly, and Hoseok purses his lips.

"I can't say for sure, but good luck. Her room is the second door on the right," Hoseok laughs and Yoongi nods before standing up from the stool and cautiously making his way up the stairs.

Once he reaches the second room on the right as Hoseok said, he can hear a soft melody through the closed door.

Yoongi takes a deep breath before bringing his hand up to the door and knocking softly.

After a few moments of tense silence, the door opens and Aria's light blue eyes lock onto Yoongi's brown ones, a blank expression on her face.

"Hi," he says.

She continues to stare at him with an emotionless face. Her mask of indifference is on, preventing Yoongi from understanding what her true emotions are.

"I came to check on you," Yoongi says, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Aria's eyes slowly move from Yoongi's to his hands that are nervously clasped together in front of him before she purses her lips and motions for Yoongi to come into her room.

"Um, okay," Yoongi says with a nervous smile.

After entering the room, he looks around and smiles to himself as he takes in the sight of the mess.

There are dozens of pieces of sheet music littered throughout her room, all messily scribbled on. Her queen-sized bed is situated in the corner of the room, the headboard matching the dark wood of the floor. Her bedside table is littered with empty water bottles.

There is a keyboard similar to the one Yoongi has in his apartment tucked away in another corner, sheet music taped on the wall around it, with a couple of stray pieces of paper laying messily on the keyboard itself and the stool that is settled in front of the instrument.

"Messy," Yoongi jokes and Aria lightly shoves him before making her way to her bed and sitting herself on the mattress cross-legged.

Yoongi clears his throat uncomfortably before spotting a desk littered with more sheet music and notebooks.

"May I sit?" He asks, pointing to the chair next to the desk and she shrugs.

After sitting down in the chair, he turns himself so he's facing Aria, who is watching him with a small frown on her face.

"Moonlight Sonata," he comments when he realizes what song is playing from her laptop.

She nods, smiling softly as she gently sways back and forth to the piece.

"It's one of my favorite classical pieces," Yoongi says, and Aria's eyes immediately light up.

"Yours too?" He asks, a grin breaking out across his face.

She nods excitedly, grinning back at Yoongi with a genuine look of happiness in her eyes.

Yoongi has never seen her look so happy before, and he's floored by how beautiful her smile is.

"Wow," he says absentmindedly and she raises her eyebrows questioningly.

"Uh, I just love this piece," he says quickly, clearing his throat.

Aria smiles again, nodding her head as she continues to sway softly to the melodic sounds of the piano.

"Aria... can I ask you something?" Yoongi asks in a moment of bravery, fueled by her seemingly open nature at this moment.

She purses her lips, thinking for a moment, before she nods and rests her chin in her hand, her elbow resting on her thigh as she watches the man expectantly.

Yoongi holds his breath for a moment, taken off guard that she's agreed because he honestly expected her to turn him down instantly.

Now, he has a chance to ask her something, and he even feels like she might answer him in whatever way she can.

What should he ask her? He has a million questions running through his mind, but he needs to settle on asking only one so he doesn't push his luck. This is his chance to get her to truly begin to open up and show her true self to him, so what should he ask her in this moment?

She raises her eyebrows, signaling him to ask his question.

"Sorry," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't think I'd get this far."

She rolls her eyes at him, but he can't help but notice the small smile on her lips.

"I have about a million questions I'd like to ask, to be completely honest," Yoongi admits and she frowns slightly.

After a moment, she holds up three fingers.

"I can ask you three questions," Yoongi says, confirming what he believes she's trying to convey and she nods hesitantly.

"Okay," Yoongi says, smiling at her.

After a moment of thinking, he decides on his first question.

"Did you enjoy playing with me?" He asks, biting his lower lip.

Slowly, Aria nods.

"I enjoyed it too. That piece was truly beautiful. You're a talented composer as well as musician," he says before holding his hands up in surrender quickly. "Sorry. I know you don't like compliments."

She shrugs before gesturing him to ask his next question.

He takes a deep breath, steadying himself as he asks his next question.

"The reason you don't like playing for other people... is it because of your parents?"

She blinks a few times, clearly taken aback by Yoongi's forwardness.

He can see that she desperately wants to shut Yoongi out, but something in her is seemingly telling her to let him in. So she does.

She nods, keeping her eyes locked on Yoongi's, her face slowly becoming less and less of the mask she so steadily wears and more of her true face. Her face filled with the sadness he hears when she plays.

This is the true Aria.

"You never got to show them this side of you because you never thought about anything but singing as your passion," Yoongi says, more of a statement than a question.

She nods again, this time letting her eyes fall onto her hands that are laying in her lap.

"You're afraid of the music leaving you like everything else you loved did," he concludes and she softly sniffles to herself.

After a moment of silence, Aria looks up at Yoongi with tears pooling in her blue eyes.

And for the first time since he's met her, he can see exactly what she's thinking just by looking into her eyes.

As clearly as if she's speaking to him... she is relieved.

Relieved because someone understands.

"Dinner is ready!" Hoseok calls from downstairs.

"I still have one more question. But I'll save it for another time," Yoongi says, sending her a small smile before standing up and making his way back downstairs.