speak up- pop etc

"Listen up kids, I got a hot date tonight, so I'll be leaving a half hour early. You two are responsible for closing up, okay?" Stevens said the following Thursday. It'd been a week since your 7-Eleven trip with Yoongi, and you were pleased that after that night, things hadn't become awkward between the two of you. In fact, when Yoongi showed up for work the Tuesday after you'd had dinner with him, he seemed in a better mood than you had seen him in so far.

"Sure," Yoongi said, sipping his latte. You had decorated it with a leaf design again.

"Another date?" You questioned your uncle while slightly rolling your eyes.

Stevens was notorious for going on bizarre dates with random people that he met on offbeat dating sites, and those dates never had a bright outcome. In some ways you felt sorry for your uncle, seeing as he was simply going on those dates to try and fill the void that had been created after his wife had passed away. But on the other hand, you wished he would find a more proactive way to meet people that weren't total nutjobs.

"Her name is Patsy and she's a high school art teacher," Stevens said defensively.

"There's no way her name is "Patsy"," you scoffed, shaking your head.

"You don't know her life! Her name most definitely could be Patsy!" Stevens exclaimed, and Yoongi laughed, immediately covering his mouth after doing so.

"Sorry," he mumbled from behind his hands.

"Look, Stevens, go for it! Go on this date. But, if she turns out to be a catfish like last time, I don't want to hear you complaining about it."

"You got a lot of sass, you know-" Stevens began to lecture you, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and the first wave of customers entering. Yoongi glanced down at his watch and nearly jumped. He set his empty cup down on the counter and gave you a small closed-mouth smile before running off to the piano to begin playing. For nearly 5 minutes after, you could still feel your heartbeat in your ears.

|||||

Sometime around 9 pm, thirty minutes before closing, Yoongi was in the middle of playing Clair De Lune. You had your face resting on your palms as you leaned against the counter, watching him intently. The rush of people had slowed as the cafe was now packed, and all of the customers were happily sitting with their tea and pastries, chatting amongst themselves and listening to the music.

You watched Yoongi's jaw clench as he reached a critical moment in the song, his eyes still closed, not depending on the sheet music. You were so into watching him that you didn't hear Stevens trying to talk to you. It wasn't until he literally snapped his fingers in front of your face that you acknowledged his existence and focused back into reality.

"You okay?" Stevens raised an eyebrow at you as you stood up straight.

"Fine," you cleared your throat.

"Okay then. I'm leaving for my date with Patricia," he informed you, flashing a grin.

"I thought her name was Patsy."

"Oh, right. My date last week was named Patricia...Anyway, I'm off. Do you feel comfortable being here with him?" Stevens asked, nodding in Yoongi's direction. He was still playing piano with his eyes closed.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just looking out for you. If he makes you uncomfortable we can just close down before I leave," Stevens said, still eyeing Yoongi from afar.

"No, it's fine. Really," you reassured him even though you did appreciate his consideration.

"Alright. I'm a phone call away if you need me. See ya!" Stevens waved, half skipping his way to the front door before promptly exiting. You couldn't help but smile; he reminded you of the way your father used to be.

Shaking the thought out of your head, you looked back toward Yoongi, who had moved on to Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. You sat there watching him, only looking away to tell customers goodnight as they slowly began to filter out. By 9:30, the place was empty and Yoongi had finished off his last song.

Rising from the piano bench, Yoongi looked content, a small smile on his face as he gathered his sheet music together and placed it back into his music folder. You flipped the door sign to closed and began to clean up the tables. He began helping you without you having to ask.

"You did well," you complimented him as you were collecting cups from a table. Yoongi was wiping it down with cleaner.

"Oh? Thank you," he offered a small smile.

"You seem like you don't get told that often enough," you blurted out before you even had a chance to think thoroughly think about it.

"What do you mean?" he replied. The two of you moved onto the next table.

"People haven't told you how talented you are. It seems like you don't even realize the potential that you have."

"Ahh, come on. I'm not that good," he waved your comment off, but it didn't seem like an act. It didn't seem like he was being modest out of politeness; it seemed like he truly thought he wasn't that talented. And that made you upset.

"Yoongi, you're amazing," You said seriously, stopping your cleaning to look him straight in the eye. The tips of his ears turned pink as he broke eye contact, looking down.

"Thank you. That means a lot," he murmured, before picking up the cleaning spray and rag and moving onto a different table. There was something so pure and genuine about his response that made your chest hurt.

The two of you didn't talk anymore as you finished the rest of the cleaning. By 10, everything was finished. You met by the door; he flicked the lights off as you put on your jacket. As he had a week before, he opened the door, allowing you to walk out first, then checking to make sure it was locked behind you.

"I'll see you on Tuesday?" You asked.

"Yup," he smiled a small smile and the two of you turned away from each other on the sidewalk, beginning to walk in different directions. Part of you felt disappointed as you breathed in the cool air, walking away from Yoongi. However, the feeling didn't last long as less than 20 seconds later, you heard footsteps quickly approaching from behind you.

"Y/N!" It was Yoongi, calling out your name. You stopped dead in your tracks, turning around to face him.

"I was just, um, thinking that maybe, um, I should, uh, walk you home?" He stuttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"I-I was just thinking about what Stevens had said before...Uh about you walking alone at night..." From the light of the street lamps, you could see his face had flushed. He was embarrassed.

"I m-mean it's cool if you don't need me to, I just thought maybe I should offer. You know, because-"

"Thanks, Yoongi. I'd appreciate that," you smiled, cutting him off because he couldn't stop nervously babbling.

"Sure," he nodded, his cheeks turning an even dark shade of red as he began walking alongside you.

"My dorm is only a few blocks away," you informed him casually, trying quite hard to keep your cool. He had turned around and came back for you, just to make sure that you got home safely. You bit your lip, trying your best not to full-on grin. The slight disappointment you had before had completely disintegrated. Yoongi had come back for you.

"Okay, cool," he stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked a bit closer to you than he did the night you two went to 7-Eleven. You walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Yoongi?" you said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"That day you came in for the audition...Why didn't you have an umbrella?"

"Oh...that," he hesitated slightly, "I wasn't having a very good day." Yoongi's shoulder brushed against you accidentally as you walked. You waited for him to elaborate further, but he shifted the subject slightly instead.

"To be honest with you, I haven't been having a very good past couple of years. I've been trying to work hard because I don't want my family to feel ashamed of me." You looked toward Yoongi, but he kept his gaze facing forward as he continued talking.

"My parents wanted me to go to University, but I can't afford it right now. Even if I could afford it, it's not what I want to do. I just want to pursue my music, but my family doesn't approve of that, so I feel like I can't..." He trailed off. You glanced up at his face again. He looked melancholy, and it made your chest hurt.

"I'm sorry, Yoongi. Honestly, I'm sorry you're having to try and juggle that." His shoulder brushed against you again.

"Yeah...So, right now I'm kind of caught in the middle. I'm working to save money to attend school when I don't even want that, and I'm playing music at the cafe and looking for random opportunities even though I know it's a long shot," he sighed and you suddenly found yourself filled with a rare form of bravery. You stopped walking and lightly pulled on the sleeve of his dress shirt, causing him to stop walking as well.

His eyes were wide as he looked at you with curiosity, and you wondered if maybe your gesture had made his heart beat faster.

"You'll get your shot, Yoongi. Talent like yours is few and far between. It's only a matter of time before someone more important than me or Stevens takes notice of it," you reassured him as he blinked a few times. "I mean it," you whispered.

"I hope so," he nodded. You both stood there for a few short moments before Yoongi spoke up, "It's cold. Let's get you home."

By the time you arrived at your dorm building, you had a lot on your mind. But, something felt different between you and Yoongi after that conversation. It was almost as if there had a been an emotional wall that had been broken down. He didn't feel so much like an acquaintance or just a work partner anymore; he was really starting to feel like your friend. He had been slightly vulnerable in front of you, and you didn't take that gesture lightly.

"Thanks for taking the time to walk me home," You said as the two of you lingered outside the front door.

"No worries," Yoongi smiled at you, and it was real this time.

"So I'll see you soon?" you asked, even though you already knew what the answer was. For some reason, you yearned for confirmation that you would see him again. Confirmation that this was all real, and he was real.

"Of course you will," he assured you, and something about the way he looked at you compelled you to believe him. His eyes were soft and honest, and you were completely and utterly lost in them.

"Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well," he said softly, before turning and walking away.

You stood on the front steps of your dorm building for several minutes, watching until you no longer could see the outline of him.