Quiet | BTS ✓

38

Before Yoongi realizes what he's doing, he's sprinting out the door after slipping his shoes on and grabbing his keys. Not stopping for a moment to calm his mind, he jumps into his car and rushes over to Aria and Hoseok's apartment, not even checking the time.

His fingers are gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turn white and his fingers begin to go numb, but he doesn't even notice the discomfort as he rushes to get to the apartment complex.

After parking and locking his car, he runs to the elevator and presses the button to go up, but when it takes a second too long, he groans in frustration before taking off again, running as fast as he can up the flights of stairs to get to Aria and Hoseok's floor.

His mind has one single thought; it is all-consuming and he is not focused on anything else. He does not notice that his shoes are untied. He does not notice that he's nearly dripping in sweat and he's out of breath from running. He does not notice that he didn't even think to grab his jacket and the chilly autumn night air was causing chills to erupt on his exposed arms when he was outside.

Almost frantically, Yoongi knocks on their door, oblivious to the pain shooting through his hand from knocking so hard. He's not focused on anything except the single thought controlling his every impulsive move, and that thought has brought him to Aria's doorstep.

After a few tense moments of Yoongi's fist pounding on the door, the door swings open and reveals a messy-haired Hoseok, his eyes squinting in the harsh light of the hallway.

"Yoongs?" He asks in a raspy voice, yawning and scratching the back of his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Where is she?" Yoongi asks in a quiet voice, though he is surprised he is able to speak at all.

"Yoongi, it's 1 AM. Are you okay?"

"I need to see her, Hobi," Yoongi insists, his voice slightly stronger than before. "I need to see Aria."

"She's in her room," he says, frowning slightly in confusion. "She's practicing piano. She always stays up late and-"

"Thanks," Yoongi says hurriedly, sending Hoseok a quick smile before slipping his shoes off and racing across the living room towards the stairs.

He takes three steps at a time so as to not waste any precious seconds and in a few moments, Yoongi is standing outside of Aria's room, a soft, peaceful melody floating through the air.

As silently as he can, he opens her door and slips into her room, closing the door shut behind him.

He sees Aria seated in front of her keyboard, playing a beautiful song that causes brilliant flowers to bloom in Yoongi's heart. It is like she is watering his soul with love through the song, and is coaxing the most beautiful parts of his being to bloom and shine.

Her hair is in a messy bun and she is in a baggy white t-shirt and black leggings, one of her bare feet pressing on the pedals situated on the ground as the melody comes to life under her whim. Yet right now, in this moment, he has never seen her look so beautiful.

Yoongi bites his lip to keep himself silent so he can listen to the song being played. He hears her sadness in the piece, as he always does when he hears her play, but there is something more to this song. There is calmness; there is a tranquility that makes Yoongi feel like she is, for the first time in a long time, at peace with herself.

It is as if she is standing on her own two feet and saying to the world that though her heart is broken, she is beginning to understand that she needs to move forward, holding all of her broken pieces to her chest and willing herself to let those pieces fall back into their natural places. She knows that her heart needs to go on, even if it is not what it used to be. It may not fit into her chest as perfectly as it used to, but she knows that she needs to try.

And for the first time in such a long time, she is willing to try. She is at peace with being broken; she is at peace knowing that it is okay not to be okay.

The notes fade away into the air around the two people in Aria's bedroom, and Aria sits completely still, her fingers still laying gently against the keys of her keyboard. It is like she is afraid to move; it is like she is afraid to break that incomparable peace that she feels within herself in this moment.

"Aria," Yoongi says softly and Aria's head turns to face him, her eyes widening when she sees that he is in her bedroom in the middle of the night, standing before her still slightly out of breath from all of the running that he did to get to her as soon as possible.

"Do you remember the first time I came into your bedroom?" He asks, taking tentative steps forward until he's in front of her. Aria stays on the bench, looking up at him with a nervous expression on her face. Slowly, she nods.

Yoongi drops to his knees and takes her hands into his, caressing the soft skin underneath his fingertips as his heart pounds in his chest.

"Do you remember that you gave me permission to ask you three questions?" Yoongi continues and Aria nods again.

"I only asked you two questions that day, and I told you that I would save the third question for later," Yoongi reminds her and Aria's facial expression remains lost and nervous as Yoongi takes a deep breath to steady his racing heart.

"I'd like to ask you that last question now, if that's okay," he says in a breathy voice and Aria bites her lip as tears fill her eyes.

She nods.

"Aria, do you love me?" He asks her, voice barely above a whisper as tears fill his own eyes.

Tears fall from her eyes, glistening against her cheeks as she silently sobs. Aria's head drops, her gaze locked on their interlocked hands on her lap, and Yoongi holds back a sob of his own before taking another shaky breath.

"Aria, baby," he says in an unsteady voice. "Do you love me?"

Very slowly, Aria turns her gaze back to Yoongi.

With quivering lips, she does something Yoongi doesn't expect.

"I love you, Yoongi," she mouths silently.