Piano Boy

4

• Jimin •

"You did great yesterday, just keep it up today!" Hoseok gives me a grin, leaning on the other side of the bar as I count the glasses laid out on the polished wood, picking four up to set on the shelf behind me, turning for four more.

"Thanks." I give him a grin, and the door opens behind him as the dark-haired man from yesterday, the piano boy, slips inside, heading straight from the piano. Hoseok turns, his grin broadening as he sees him.

"Yoongi, you're early?" He's light, teasing, and Yoongi flicks him off over his shoulder casually, sitting down at the piano as Hoseok laughs, turning back to me, and I blink at him in surprise. Hoseok grins at the look on my face. "I've known Yoongi from the beginning of time. Give it a couple months before you're flicking me off, though."

I laugh, brushing my blond hair out of my eyes. "I'll try my best."

Hoseok laughs, then glances toward the kitchen door as a crash sounds. "I should see what that is. Fridays are usually our busiest, but you'll be fine. Ask Yoongi if you need to know anything, I'll be busy in the back all night." He flashes his grin again before disappearing, hurrying toward the kitchen, giving Yoongi's shoulder a slap as he passes, earning another middle finger from the smaller man at Hoseok's back.

It's silent now that Hoseok's gone, and I finish stacking the glasses on the shelf, glancing over at the man sitting at the piano in the corner, and he's literally just sitting there, his eyes on the keys, hands in his lap. I hesitate, then reach for one of the glasses I just stacked, filling it with ice as I open the bottle of liquor, pouring it over the ice and making my way over to Yoongi.

"Tequila on the rocks?" I give him a grin, and he glances up from the keys, those unsettling eyes landing on the glass in my hand, widening with perhaps surprise. I reach into my pocket for a napkin, setting it on top of the piano, setting the glass on it as I lean against the smooth wood, resting my chin on my hand as I grin at him.

Yoongi doesn't say anything, his eyes on the glass, and it's a long minute before he meets my eyes, voice low. "Thanks."

Some kind of black makeup is carefully smudged around his eyes, highlighting their gentle almond shape, his skin smooth and shining, and I follow the line of his jaw until my eyes fall upon his earrings, then his loose black shirt and choker, several delicate silver chains hung around his neck. "You have amazing fashion sense," I grin at him, leaning a bit closer. "What's your secret?"

His face is impassive as he reaches for the glass next to my arm, taking a long drink, and I can see how tense his shoulders are as he sets the glass back onto the napkin, finally meeting my eyes again. "Don't flirt with me for tips. I work here. I'm not going to tip you."

I blink, caught off guard at his blunt tone, and Yoongi looks down at the piano again, his hands finding their ways to the keys, wandering over the notes aimlessly.

I'm not sure what to reply, and he doesn't look up again, almost as if I'm not even here, his head in the music instead of the conversation we were having. Finally I let out a breath, turning away, making my way to the bar again.

I can feel his eyes on my back as I recede, the soft piano morphing into notes I recognize, the beginning of Iris, and I tilt my head as I return to the bar, leaning on the wood, my eyes on his back as I hum the melody under my breath, finally forcing myself to look away from his stuff shoulders and rearrange the liquor bottles, singing along under my breath.

And I don't want the world to see me,
'cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am.
I just want you to know who I am.

He finishes the slow instrumental and I grin, turning to talk to his back, ignoring the voice in my head saying that I'm flirting, that he's not interested, that I should stop trying to reach out to this shut off man.

"I love that song, so much, it's so amazing."

Yoongi's shoulders relax slightly, and I can picture that tiny smile from yesterday, that interested glance. "Yeah."

I smile a bit, encouraged, noticing his now empty glass. "You want another drink?"

"Later."

I open my mouth to reply, and Hoseok flies out from the back, hurrying to the door, unlocking it as he switches on the open sign. "Okay, it's five now, let me know if you guys need anything."

Yoongi turn from his seat on the piano bench, his eyes on Hoseok. "You stressed?"

"Nah, just that half the kitchen staff is out sick." Hoseok shrugs, walking back toward the door to the kitchen. "Take your break whenever you want, Yoongs. Find a nice guy to have drinks with," he grins cheekily and Yoongi rolls his eyes, grinning a bit.

"You suck. Go back to being stressed about the kitchen."

Hoseok laughs, throwing a playful kiss toward Yoongi as he disappears through the swinging door again, and Yoongi shakes his head, a small smile still on his face as he turns to the piano again, his shoulders less stiff than before as he shakes out his hands.

I tilt my head at his back, mindlessly running a rag over the polished wood of the bar, my mind on Hoseok's words, unsure of their meaning. Find a nice guy to have drinks with.

I wonder.

~

An early chapter, because I'll be too busy streaming Interlude: Shadow later to post 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks for reading.