A/N: Loosely based on the MCountdown video because *cough* I cannot fully comprehend Korean.

It’s strange, to love quiet as much as he does in a hip-hop band. The pulsing beats can get him dancing on his feet, but chaotic noise just sends him into a state of panic. Silverware scraping dishes, babies wailing, construction noise, he’s plain noise adverse. Nothing quite riles him up the way needlessly noisy people do, people speaking too loudly in too many frequencies at once.

That’s why he’s glad to find an empty room to just sit in to work on his latest set of lyrics, away from the noise echoing down the hallways. Soft breathing and the whirring sound from the fans are the only things that can be heard, comfortable companionship.

“Jeon Jungkook!”

Even before a familiar deep voice resonates across the confines of his silent room, he already hears the six elephants disguised as hyungs trampling towards is direction. They’re so different, all loud and confident while behind all the makeup he’s really just an awkward gangly seventeen year old. Shy, socially inept and insecure.

Still, when they make a ruckus, he’s not really annoyed any more. The noise is comfortable, familiar, and altogether sort of sweet.

Surrounding him, they steal the lyrics from under his elbows. J-Hope reads it dramatically, with enough flair to convince the random passer-by he was practicing for a musical. He smiles fondly, before declaring how so in love their dear darling maknae must be to be writing cheesy toe-curling lyrics. A friendly thump to his back, but it’s difficult to force a smile when he’s feeling so conflicted. Whoever says lyrics echoes the feelings of the heart the mouth can’t say is probably right. Nowadays all he can hear is that voice ringing in his ears, rapid heartbeats forming a tense but sweet melody.

They joke about it, Jimin stealing the flower Jin abuses relentlessly from the performances, offering it like some prince from a fairytale. Suga yells at him to go on his knees while he’s at it, but Jungkook takes it. Ridiculous, but it’s still to know his hyungs care. So his face falls when he feels it being jerked from his fingers, his eyes widening in shock.

“Get out of the way, she’s too good for you.” Taehyung sings, pulling out a bouquet out from absolutely nowhere. He’s now facing a face full of plastic flowers, ears stinging from the lyrics directly ripped from Delicious. It hurts, to know that that’s probably the closest thing he’ll ever get to having his feelings reciprocated. Quoted song lyrics. He sort of wants to cry, but in his distraction he doesn’t realize Jin whining about how confessions were supposed to be more romantic than that. He’s lost, confused. The sounds merge and surround him, noise threatening to overwhelm him. Just barely he manages to process Jin attempting some terribly cheesy 60s movie scene where kisses are to risqué for TV, before Suga pushes them away. He’d like that, the ability to be with someone such that no one can interfere. But that’s never going to happen, not when Taehyung doesn’t feel the same way. It’s a dream, one of those ridiculously hopeful ones that only little kids should be allowed to have. Blindly optimistic, he can picture himself all small saying how Taehyung feels the same way with same kind of naivety he used to say he would one day become a super powerful wizard.

It’s that annoying voice that he can’t stop from getting stuck in his head that pulls him back to reality, some rant or another about “being a man”. It’s dumb, looking at him getting all superficially arrogant as if his jacket is not the exact same replica that everyone else is wearing. So his breath hitches when Taehyung suddenly closes in, warm hands tilting his neck up such that he stares straight into his chocolate brown eyes and they flutter shut, refusing to get lost in them. He fights it, the flush that rushes up to his cheeks, the sudden breathlessness and the sound of his heart selectively taking over everything else but his sweet voice.

Taehyung leans in, just close enough for him to hear his soft breathing. His heart can’t take this, not when he knows Taehyung is just fooling around because everyone else in and it hurts, because it’s unfair how much he just wants to lean forward but can’t. Friendship is beautiful, and he’s not willing to single-handedly destroy their easy band dynamic. Being the cause for Bangtan’s demise does not feature anywhere on his bucket list. Still the temptation is so great, and time seems to stop as he hesitates, heartbeat escalating in volume and pace every split second longer he stays there.

He doesn’t know quite how it happened, but disappointment eats away at him when Taehyung drops his chin and Jimin starts copying y dances and he doesn’t even know anymore. Messy, noisy and completely chaotic. Six voices merge to form jarring noises worse than nails scratching against the blackboard, and he flinches. Too much, he can’t handle this. Not now, not when his head is confused to and the noise is just too much. Pulling together his last shreds of composure he fakes a fast smile and leaves, using some clumsily pieced-together excuse. They can question him later, but right now he needs out. The empty silent hallways beckon to him as he climbs out, before he runs down and out of the company, needing peace and quiet. And distance from Taehyung. Before his blood pressure skyrockets or he gets a heart attack from unnatural palpitations.

“Did Jungkook just climb out of the window.”

Namjoon said, side-eyeing Jimin who was still on his cheap late-night shows greasy mode. Jungkook was a golden maknae for a reason, and rational thinking should be included as his fourth threat. It was completely in order for Taehyung to boycott doors for human cruelty or Suga to suddenly think entering and leaving by low windows was rebellious and swag, but for Jungkook? That was not normal.  

“I’m worried.” Jin says, peering in the direction where Jungkook has dashed off in. He looked so stressed about something just now, even his casual distress by uncharacteristic silliness failed to shock him at all.

“Just get Taehyung-ee to confess. Spare me the idiocy called push and pull.” Suga says, dryly checking his reflection in the phone screen. Draping an arm over Jin, he clung on like a koala bear when Jin tried in vain to shake him off. It’s a mess again, noisy and boisterous exchanges livening up the room atmosphere again.

Then when the din dies down, Jimin looks around to see the Taehyung already having disappeared from his previous location. He must have escaped earlier, sneaking out when the members weren’t looking. And considering the still tightly shut door, said alien must have gone the same way as Jungkook- through the window.

“C’mon. I still need to video the confession to keep as blackmail material.”

The outside is less stressful, the roads blissfully silent. The swing creaks from his weight, but nothing sounds worse than the rush of air when Taehyung moved back. He’s immature, really, not being able to handle his feelings like a proper adult but just today he decides to be soft on himself. Too much foul noises, too much unbearable discomfort. He’ll give himself fifteen minutes before he heads back to the company. He can’t mope and pine after unattainable things forever. He lets the momentum carry him up high, let his body be light and his worries drift away. Preferably with the voice that both heals and haunts him losing its effects.

“Ya. Jeon Jungkook.”

Startled, he lets go of the metal chains. He grabs back on them in time, but not before losing his momentum from shaking. The clinking sound is suddenly as jarring as Taehyung’s sudden appearance. When did he get so silent, when did he learn to soften his footsteps from elephant trampling to soft deliberate steps. When did he get so serious, his eyes carrying nothing but sincerity that was disturbingly clear.  Unwillingly he slowed to a stop, grip tightening against the metal chains as if they could keep him safe, defend him from his own emotions.

Taehyung moves over, standing directly in front of him. It’s overwhelming and he wants to run, before realizing he was effectively cornered. Not flexible enough to escape from the back, knees already weak from fear, the only way to flee is by kicking him away. It’s pathetic, but no matter how scared and hurt he is he can’t bring himself to hurt Taehyung in any way.

“What’s that, leaving from the window.”

“…”

Part of the reason he likes silence is because it’s safe, that there’s no chance of hurting anybody when you don’t say anything. From young he’s realized that keeping quiet is part of being good, that if you kept quiet long enough people just instructed you to apologise and that was it. Silence is his trusty companion, one he carries around like four walls to keep the world out when it got scary.

“… You know if you don’t say that you like someone, it’s practically impossible for someone to know.”

Unnaturally soft and low for Taehyung even, as he feels familiar fingertips brush at his chin again pushing it upwards. He blinks, brown orbs staring straight back at him with the promise of something, and for the first time he feels close enough to hear Taehyung’s heartbeat as well.

It’s the same, too loud and frantic.

Then he understands, and his heart feels like it’s going to burst. Removing his hands from the chains, he leans forward just enough for Taehyung to understand. His breath is erratic, but nothing else matters at this moment.

More than just a kiss, it’s the silent reply to all of his feelings that he’s been keeping quiet from the start.

When they do break apart, the rest of the sounds in the world suddenly rush into his ears once again. He can hear J-Hope’s proud motherly tears, Jin clapping like a proud papa, Suga cheering over good blackmail material and Namjoon clapping with wild abandon. Beautiful noise, really. The heat rushes to his face, but everything is okay when he can feel gentle heat radiating from Taehyung’s hand to his.

The band members create the best noise, but it’s not quite music. It’s just delightful background noise to the real music, their too-fast heartbeat, soft breathing and embarrassed chuckles.

Nothing is really noise when it comes to Kim Taehyung. Whatever noise he makes is music to his ears.