“Henry! I don't have time to be goofing off, my graduation performance is in two weeks and I haven't even started composing a piece for it yet!” Ryeowook complained loudly, pulling against the grip on his wrist. Unfortunately, his unusually small wrists provided a good grip to the other male, who continued determinedly down the street. Stupid thin wrists.

“Oh, come on, hyung! You've been cooped up in your room, or one of the practice rooms, trying to compose that piece for weeks now with nothing to show for it. All you've been doing is staring at your keyboard or a piano which clearly isn't working, so taking one day off isn't kill you!” Henry whined, fingers digging into sharp wrist bones as he continued pulling the slimmer man along.

Ryeowook bit back a retort, knowing that any chance of escaping Henry had passed as soon as the younger had dragged him off of campus. Looks like it was going to be another day of no success for his piano piece, a thought which caused his stomach to cramp.

“Who knows, hyung. Maybe you'll find some inspiration while were out. Which, if that becomes the case, you can thank me latter by buying me dinner,” Henry continued.

“Where are we even going?”

Instead of answering, Henry pointed to the large sign ahead of them, giant bold letters reading Seoul Zoo.

“The zoo?” In his four years of living in South Korea's capitol, Ryeowook had never once stepped foot in the zoo. He never had reason to, as he had dedicated himself solely to the piano. The few times he had hung out with friends hadn't ventured far from campus, usually going to a cheep restaurant catering specifically to poor students who couldn't afford anything more expensive.

Though Henry's choice of going to the zoo shouldn't have surprised Ryeowook, as Henry was a second year student in the school's zoology program, which meant he had free access to the zoo and an immense interest in animals. If Ryeowook was remembering correctly, Henry was spending this semester working in the baby animals exhibit for one of his classes.

“Come on! You're slowing us down, and I want to show you all of the baby animals I've been working with!” Baby animal exhibit – confirmed. “To get there we'll pass by some of the larger land animals, like the tigers, panda bears, and tortoises. Oh, and we'll get to see the giraffes too!” Henry grinned.

Ryeowook sighed in resignation, but smiled none the less at the promise of seeing his own favorite animal. If he was going to be dragged away from his work, he could at least enjoy himself. Who knows, the trip to the zoo could be fun, providing a relaxing environment. Or maybe even supply some inspiration as Henry had suggested.

It took the two of them less then five minutes to get through the gate, Henry flashing his student and zoo ID at the desk with a quick word to get Ryeowook in as well. Despite having finally made it to their destination, Henry had yet to let go of Ryeowook's wrist, instead dragging him off on one of the many trails branching off from the park's entrance. It seemed the younger didn't want to waist any time shuffling about, heading straight for the animals they would be able to see on the way to the baby animals exhibit.

Listening only halfheartedly to Henry's long monologues about each animal, Ryeowook instead opted to spend a few minutes viewing each animal before spending the remaining time people watching. The zoo was crowded that day, with families, groups of friends, couples, and even what looked like groups of children on a school trip. There were employees milling around, some answering questions, others tending to the animals. Noise levels were high, mostly from the crowd than the animals, but Ryeowook didn't mind. He found the background chatter soothing compared to the near silence he had been cooped up with since trying to compose his graduation piece.

“Come on, Ryeowook! The tortoise exhibit is next, and I think Jongwoon-hyung is working today. We have some some baby tortoises, and I had some questions for him. He knows everything there is to know about them!” Henry bragged, grinning over his shoulder.

Sighing again, because it seemed to be the only response Ryeowook could be bothered with, he followed behind his dongsaeng who practically bounced ahead of him. He could already see the tortoises ahead of them, two of them standing (or laying? Ryeowook wasn't sure) on the edge of a small enclosure that had a small pond and a large boulder. There didn't appear to be any employees around, but that didn't stop Henry from bounding up to the low-level wooden fence calling out, “Hyung!”

Just then, a dark-haired male stepped around the boulder, immediately zeroing in on where Henry and Ryeowook were gathered. His dark-brown hair, which appeared black at a distance, feathered just above the man's dark eyes as well as around his ears, practically concealing them. He smiled widely once he spotted Henry, pale pink lips stretching attractively over white teeth. Ryeowook felt the small knot growing in his stomach clench strongly when the man spoke, voice low and husky.

“Henry-ah! What are you doing around here, I didn't think you were working today.” Jongwoon commented, gaze lingering on Ryeowook longer then the smaller man thought necessary.

Ryeowook was positive he was blushing, based off of the heat emitting from his cheeks. He averted his gaze from Jongwoon's face to check out the rest of the man, which was mostly hidden underneath his beige work uniform. Not that Ryeowook's mind had a hard time imagining what the other man must look like. Probably muscular, lithely so, from the physical demands of the job. Strong biceps, and his thighs-. Abruptly, Ryeowook moved his gaze to the tortoises, fighting back against the burning sensation around his cheeks. The tortoises were probably safer to look at anyway. Definitely safer, he decided, when he started listening in to the conversation again.

“-wook. The one I told you about who plays the piano, and is majoring in music.”

“It's nice to finally meet you, Ryeowook,” Jongwoon greeted, smile only seeming to grow wider when Ryeowook turned back to him.

“It's nice to meet you as well, Jongwoon-hyung,” Ryeowook greeted back, bowing slightly in respect. He glanced once more at taller man, felt an inevitable blush starting on his face, and quickly looked back at the tortoises. Tortoises equal safe, Ryeowook reminded himself.

He quickly stopped listening to the specifics of the other two's conversation as it moved on to the baby tortoises Henry had mentioned. Instead of focusing on the words being said, Ryeowook listened to Jongwoon's tone of voice, becoming gradually more excited the more Henry asked for his expertise.

Before listening to this conversation, or half-listening as it were, Ryeowook had never understood Henry's desire to work with animals. Now that he could hear both Henry and Jongwoon talk about it together, he realized it was the same motive that had him glued to his piano whenever he had spare time. Passion.

They were passionate for their line of work, helping to nurture and care for animals that they could then educate the public about. It must come with a similar feeling of accomplishment to what Ryeowook felt every time he composed and performed a song for a group of people. It was a translation of his feelings, what he felt was important, into a means that he could communicate with the world outside of his head. While Ryeowook choose to express his through a piano, Jongwoon and Henry did so through their actions of caring for the animals and lobbying for their well-being.

The epiphany left Ryeowook feeling surprisingly calm, his jumpy nerves easily dissipating as though they had never been around. In their stead was the sound of piano keys in his head, just a few simple notes that caused Ryeowook to pause. He mulled over the notes thoughtfully before more joined in, and he realized that he needed to get to a piano and some blank score sheets fast.

Interrupting Henry's next question, Ryeowook bid a quick farewell, no longer listening to anything but the notes playing inside his head. With a hasty bow, he turned sharply and practically ran from the zoo, determined to make the trip as fast as possible. He had finally found the inspiration he had been looking for, the few notes of his graduation piece repeating in his head. After all this waiting, Ryeowook would be damned if he let it escape him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fingers flew smoothly across the ivory keys of the university's performance piano, creating a powerfully alluring tune which seemed to have silenced the audience. Not that Ryeowook would notice, too focused on the sounds he was creating to listen to what was going on beyond the stage. He paid little attention to his fingers, moving fluidly and quickly, pounding out the tune he dedicated a week to create. Two days for creating the first draft, and five to edit out flaws, making his final piece composed in university perfect. Ryeowook couldn't be happier with his song.

As the song neared its end, the notes became louder and more abrupt for a short time, then soft and relaxed causing audience members to subconsciously learn forward to catch every note. When complete, Ryeowook allowed himself a moment to caress the stark white keys with a deep breath before standing up from the piano bench. Deafened by applause, he bowed and quickly retreated from the stage, briefly catching the proud grin of his mentor professor from the front row. Ryeowook could happily call his final university performance a success.

The next ten minutes passed in a blur, Ryeowook bowed to different members of the audience as they came up to congratulate him and quietly murmured thank you back. He both loved and hated this part of a performance, as he was sure his face had become permanently red with the constant attention. However, he wasn't allowed to leave until he checked in with his piano mentor, who was currently praising his performance. A more detailed critique would come later on that week, once the older man had had a chance to sit down and think back on the performance.

“Brilliant Ryeowook-sshi. I think with that performance, the full scholarship should easily be yours if you wish to continue your education,” the man smiled.

“Thank you!” Ryeowook grinned, he had forgotten about the scholarship he had applied for. It was a dream to think that he could continue on to get his masters from the same school, and on a fully paid scholarship too. He bowed again to the man, then turned to leave.

Except instead he ran into someone, nose hitting painfully against the other's chin.

“Uff,” the other man grunted, his own nose connecting with Ryeowook's forehead. “Well, that wasn't how I imagined our second encounter going. Though I probably shouldn't have been standing so close,” came a familiar husky voice.

“Jongwoon-hyung!” Ryeowook exclaimed, face immediately bursting into a bright blush. “I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have turned around like that. Of course this place is crowded, so I was bound to bump into someone. I'm sorry, I- you- I. . .” Ryeowook trailed off, embarrassed by both his stuttering and stumbling. “Um, what are you even doing here?”

Jongwoon chuckled, grinning as Ryeowook babbled. “Calm down, it's fine. No damage done, see,” he pointed to his nose which had turned a slight pink from the impact, but was quickly fading to it's original pale color. “And I'm here because I wanted to hear your performance, which was perfect by the way. I don't think I've heard a piano song that was so beautiful before.”

It was official, Ryeowook's face was going to be in a state of permanently blushing if he continued to run into Jongwoon. The other man seemed to know just what to say to bring out the pink color, which was also staining the tips of his ears this time. “Thank you. But, how did you find out about the performance? If you don't mind me asking.”

“Henry, of course. As soon as you bolted that day, he turned to me and explained that you had probably had a break through for your performance. I'm glad he told me too, your performance really was breathtaking. Henry also told me your graduating, does this mean your going to be leaving to find a job?”

Blinking at the change of topic, Ryeowook shook his head. “No, I'm planning on continuing to go to school for my masters. My piano professor told me that he thinks I have a chance in winning a spot with a fully paid scholarship.”

“Oh, so you'll be sticking around then?” Jongwoon asked, looking pleased.

“Uh, yes. I hope to at least.”

“Mmm, that goods. It means I can do this then,” the taller murmured almost too quiet for Ryeowook to hear. But then he was leaning forward, the distance between their faces quickly disappearing as warm, chapped lips collided with his own soft ones.

Squeaking in surprise, Ryeowook froze, watching with wide eyes as Jongwoon pulled back. This time it was the older who blushed brightly, though he wasn't the only one.

Jongwoon rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous all of a sudden. “So, I- I mean, if you're interested, I heard that there is an orchestra near by. It might be fun to go, I'm not sure. I've never been to the orchestra before, but-”

“Hyung,” Ryeowook interrupted. Something about watching the other stumble over his words, when up to this point he had been nothing but calm and collected emboldened Ryeowook. “Are you trying to ask me out?”

“Uh, yeah. If you're interested that is. I just thought that, with your reactions when we met, and you were blushing. I thought maybe you were interested, maybe. I-,”

Ryeowook interrupted again, “Okay.”

“What?”

“I said okay, I'll go.”

“I . . . really?”

“Yup, that is if you haven't changed your mind about asking me,” Ryeowook commented amused, smiling brightly.

“Oh, no. I mean, no, of course not!” Jongwoon grinned, looking very much like he had won some sort of grand prize. “Let me see your cell phone, I'll call my number, that way we can have each others' numbers. It'll be easier setting a date later when we can figure out what days the orchestra plays.”

Digging through the small bag slung over his shoulder, he paused before handing it over. “One thing before I give you my phone.”

“What?”

Smile softening, Ryeowook reached up with the hand not currently occupied by his cell, grasping Jongwoon's shoulder tightly. “This.” He then leaned over, pressing his own kiss to Jongwoon's lips, shuddering lightly at the sensation. The kiss didn't last any longer then their first one did, but it still pulled a moan from the taller man.

“Okay.” He handed over the phone, smiling sweetly to hopefully draw attention away from the blood pooling in his cheeks. A date with Jongwoon sounded perfect.

A.N - Here we go, my first Super Junior fic. I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think! :)