Piano Boy

20

• Jimin •

"Let's go in here for coffee!" I reach for Yoongi's elbow, tugging him gently toward a small cafe ahead of us, and he smiles a bit, letting me pull him excitedly toward the door. "I've seen this one a couple times, have you ever been here? I've been wanting to try it, the store always smells so good from the outside," I open the door for the two of us, a small bell announcing our arrival as Yoongi slows so I can fall into step beside him again.

"I haven't been here," he says, and I grin at him.

"Great, that means we can try it together!"

We make our way to the counter, studying the menu, and I skim it quickly, deciding almost instantly on a caramel macchiato, then turn to Yoongi, about to ask him what he wants when my eyes fall in the way he's squinting at the board, his lips moving ever so slightly as he reads silently. My mind quiets, the world almost seeming to slow down just looking at him, the way his light skin glows golden in the dimly lit shop, the way his perfectly red lips almost whisper the words, soundlessly, as his eyes move along the menu.

His tongue wets his lips slightly as he tilts his head, then nods as if to himself, turning from the menu board to me, and his cheeks redden as he realizes that I was already watching him. I clear my throat, an automatic smile finding its way onto my face as I speak. "You decided what you want?"

He nods slightly, turning to the employee behind the register, his voice low. "An Americano, please."

Yoongi pulls his wallet from his pocket but I reach over to still his hand, handing my credit card to the cashier. "And a caramel macchiato for me, please. Same bill."

Yoongi glances at me, and I give him a smile, a light squeeze of his fingers. "I invited you, I'm paying."

He blinks a couple times, biting his lip, and I have to stop myself from reaching out to remove his poor bottom lip from the confines of his teeth, instead squeezing his hand again, closing his fingers around his wallet more tightly. "Put that away before I do it for you," I joke playfully, and Yoongi's face reddens as he hurriedly stows the wallet in his back pocket once again, his dark eyes slightly round with embarrassment.

"Come on, where do you want to sit?"

Yoongi shrugs slightly, and I grin, reaching for his hand, tugging him gently after me. "Let's sit over here, then."

It's weird, how natural holding his hand feels, how perfectly his fingers fit into mine as I lead him toward a small table in the back corner of the coffee shop, and I release his hand so we can both sit, my fingers missing the feel of his skin almost instantaneously.

"So, you're an Americano type of guy, huh," I grin at Yoongi, leaning my elbows on the table so I can rest my chin in my hands, knowing that I'm obviously flirting but not caring right now. Yoongi nods slightly, his eyes sweeping over my hair, my face, then wandering to the wall, unable to sustain eye contact.

"I don't like sweet drinks." His voice is low, and I pretend to pout.

"What do you have against them?" I grin at him and he smiles slightly, his shoulders beginning to relax for the first time since we walked in here.

"They're...sweet."

I can't help my laugh, and Yoongi's eyes linger on me as I shake my head, my laughter lingering. "Well...you're not wrong, I guess."

A light laugh slips past Yoongi's lips and my heart stops beating for a moment, the soft sound making every nerve in my body go haywire. His laugh is beautiful.

It's a moment of silence before I can't help smiling, my eyes finding Yoongi's again, and a pink flush creeps over his cheeks as he looks away, tongue dampening his lips nervously. I glance at his now empty coffee cup, then reach for it, standing, flashing him a grin. "C'mon."

He blinks, surprised, but stands, following me to the door, and I stack our cups on the tray before turning to face him, hesitating for only a moment before I reach for his hand, closing my fingers around his.

I nudge the door open, leading him out, and the chill hitting us makes me shiver slightly, grinning at the older boy. "Are you cold?"

Yoongi shrugs slightly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and I slip our intertwined hands into my pocket, forcing Yoongi to walk slightly closer to me. "Do you want to come to my place? It's a bit down the street, but we can watch a movie and make popcorn or - how do you feel about cookies?"

Yoongi's eyes crinkle slightly, and he replies after a moment, his voice soft. "I'd like that."

My chest is so light, so happy, that I can't help dropping Yoongi's hand to run ahead on the mostly empty street, turning to grin at him, my voice loud, laughing slightly. "You're so perfect, Min Yoongi! How is someone even as amazing as you are? Like, what the heck?"

I laugh into the cold air, giddy with the day and the smile on Yoongi's face and the fact that we're going to watch movies all afternoon, and I just want to hold Min Yoongi's hand until our hands are old and arthritis closes our fingers around each other's for as long as life allows.

The overwhelming urge to grab those pink cheeks in my hands and pull him against me makes my whole head cloudy; I shake it away, instead just laughing again, lightly, the sound floating away in the freezing air as I skip to Yoongi, taking his fingers in mine, joining both our hands as I walk backward to grin at him, and he's so pink right now that I just know that this time, everything would be all right. I hold my tongue, instead just grinning at the older man as I squeeze his hands in mine, tugging him with me as I dance down the street to a tune only I can hear, a tune of happiness and warmth and pink cheeks and love.

And it takes a moment, but Min Yoongi lets himself just grin, blindingly perfect, as I tug him with me, a slight bounce entering his step as his dark eyes never leave mine,

dancing down the street like only the two of us exist right here, right now.

~

Hope you liked this chapter, I know it's a bit rough. I have a large paper due Tuesday, so I don't have much time to edit and revise this story.

Thanks for reading!