# 86 Street Musician Fanfic
## WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY VIVASTPAULI

HER
lena is the talented street musician who barely gets by and shin is the rich kid with a classical music education, playing piano and occasionally trying singing more contemporary things (which his parents dont approve of)
HIM
one day he sees her perform with her guitar in the streets and feels inspired
so after silenty watching her perform several times he tries to gain more confidence in singing maybe? trying out a small night gig in a run-down bar, singing and playing the piano, trying out other music styles
HER
then one day lena comes in, disheartened by a bad day and watches him perform, just how shin did with her, from the back of the bar, watching him have genuine fun, she regains her confidence

after the performance she invites him for a drink, he's taken aback by this enthusiastic girl who compliments him on his skill, he's over the moon for someone praising him for something else than his classical music skills, they have a long talk about musicians they like and dont like

at the end of the night theyre about to go home, shin is about to leave and she thinks "why not?" and asks him if he wants to try out busking on the street with her, he doesnt know what to say, feeling overwhelmed by more people seeing this side of him, what if his parents might get wind of it? he refuses politely and leaves, but adds that he had a fun time with her

> (im just typing stuff up as i go, this is very spontaneuos :LenaKEKW: )

shes a bit sad about it but thinks she might meet him again in the bar, and so a few weeks pass and he sometimes sees her perform in the streets, but always from afar, afraid to step into this unfamiliar territory again with so many people watching, she meanwhile tries to meet him again in that bar, yet without success because he decides to focus on his set path for a while and sees his run-ins on the street as quick break from his reality

but despite his best efforts he cant take his mind off of her and that night, he begins to write a song about her and his wish to see other (musical) shores, after he finishes it he finally finds the courage to perform in the small bar again
as fate (well not really, shes there a lot since then) will have it shes there too and is delighted to see this mystery man again, see him perform this unfamiliar song with all his heart about a certain girl and him going on an adventure where they eventually end up at the sea, watching the waves come and go together

afterwards she invites him for a drink again and tells him how moved she was about the song, that the girl hes singing about must be very lucky, not sure how to react he doesnt talk much but is glad she likes the song, she asks him why he doesnt want to try to sing with her in the streets, that its a waste of talent to sing to a more than half emptry bar, that he shouldnt hide his talent from the world

this time he decides to tell her about his situation, that he has to keep certain appearances and that expectations are placed upon him, that he cant stray away from the path he's been set upon
> (christ im writing a novel here)

she reacts surprised, asks why the harm is in trying out something different, acting upon what he wrote in the song, while being a bit jealous of that girl in it, but out of fear to take the leap he once again politely, but surely declines before leaving again, after a minute of contemplation she tries to follow him, trying to convince him but hes already vanished in the busy nightlife crowd , leaving her with regret and sadness
> (we're not done yet)

again, the days pass and shin, more pressured by his practice regiment than ever, seeks out that 10 minute pause in his day to see her perform, but he notices her being off, missing that certain spark he saw and heard before, not understanding why that is

> (im not sure about spicy tbh :LenaKEKW: )

after several weeks of unsuccessfully trying to meet him in the bar and feeling down, she tries to figure out why she even wants to meet him again so badly, what did even make her feel so attached to this person she only met twice, so she does what she does best and writes a song, trying to understand her feelings - though not exactly that, shes trying to remember as best she can the song the played the last time they met, ending up with a slightly altered, but very close adaption with similar lyrics about going on an adventure together with his boy which ends up by the sea, just from her perspective

after finishing it she realises that she found and lost that certain someone she wanted to try and walk the path of music together as quickly as she found him, sad and hopeful at the same time. so every day she she performs the song at the end of her set, hoping he might appear in front of her and hear her plight, cause he would know when he hears it

in this time shin is a few weeks away from the city, for a contest in another country, by now he feels miserable because he denied what he secretly wanted to do twice already, stuck on a path he started out of joy but slowly and surely suffocates him now, since he buried himself in practice he actually wins the contest and gets showered in praise, yet it all rings hollow for him as he accepts the price, staring at this meaningless piece of metal hes not even sure now why he wanted it in the first place

> (we're not there yet)

so he returns (she's been trying to reach him with the new song for weeks now) and sees her perform again in one of her frequent spots to feel better, to get an answer to his misery, but stays out of sight because he feels ashamed for rejecting her offer, so this time he doesnt just stay for one song or two, but for all of it, trying to silently make up for it somehow. but he notices how she's now got a recognisable sad tinge in her voice, not sure how this girl who was so bright when talking to him about music could sound like that now
then she sings that song, her version, it sounds almost as if shes crying her heart out, but at the same time a silent plea for someone to answer. and it hits him like a truck, wasnt this his song? why is she singing it? wait, its different? just a bit? how did she manage to memorise it so well? did i leave that much of an impression on someone? with the song I wrote? what does this mean? confused by his own feelings and a tear in his eye and he almost flees the scene after she is done and trying to make out a familiar face in the crowd, only to be disappointed once again
>(we're not there yet)

that night, he doesnt know why, he visits their small bar again, this time though only for a drink. and another. and another. all while he waits for something. ah, yes. he waits for her to appear in front of him for a third time but no matter how long he waits and no matter how much he drinks she doesnt walk through the door, if only it was that easy. meanwhile he thinks about where he's at in life, why he's actually playing the piano anymore and if its all still worth it. jaded and drunk he returns back home, waking up the day after again in his routine, or so it seems
>(we're getting there)

the day starts like any other for him following his busy schedule of practice and family meetings, almost on auto-pilot, the suffocating feeling slowly rising again. he suddenly feels like he cant breathe and in the spur of the moment he steps out and goes on a walk to get some fresh air. after wandering aimlessly for a while he comes a cross a shop selling music instruments, in the window a portable keyboard on a stand. he walks by it, only seeing it in the corner of his eyes. he walks down the street half-way when a an idea crosses his mind, an absurd, stupid idea going against what he tried to hard to maintain
> (getting closer)
he turns around, first walking then sprinting, ending up almost crashing into the door while trying to enter, the dumbfounded clerk is left behind with a hasty, nonsensical explanation and a fist full of cash, left with more than the keyboard would have cost. and now hes standing on the street with a keyboard under his arm, not sure where to go. after a minute of hesitation he starts walking, trying to search the spots she frequents, he's sure he knows them all by now, surely she will be at one of them. he searches for the rest of the day, and yet.
disappointed and confused as to why he couldnt find he ends up going home for the day, his arms sore from dragging the keyboard around... after getting an earful by his parents he closes himself off in his room, staring at the keyboard he so foolishly bought, was it a lapse of judgement? was it a sign that he didnt find her?

no.

he will try again tomorrow, the keyboard being across from him was the proof he needed. he would try again tommorrow. and so he did. searching in the usual spots, day after day for a week, every times he returns a little more defeated and his arms feeling numb from dragging around the proof that wanted something else in life.
feeling his resolve fading he ventured out again, starting to feel like she gave up on him, on that adventure to the sea they both sang so vividly about, almost picturing it in their head while going through the verses, what he would give to make up for his past mistakes, to see her once again. after hours of searching he stops on a bench by the city square, getting eyed weirdly by passerbys who wondered why he dragged around the keyboard all over the place and resting in spots without playing, gazes he got accustomed to after week. is this the end of the line? did he miss his chance? was it all too late?

but then, a voice, clear as a silver bell resonated through the air.
> (yes i went there, sue me)

he knew the voice so well, he frantically looked around, spotting a small crowd at the egde of the square. again he stood a good distance away for her usual set, but close enough to see her. her voice was beautiful but still felt like something was missing, got stolen away for some reason. he listened silently and patiently for end of the set, hoping for her not to have forgotten about his song...her song? their song? it was their's in the end, wasnt it?
she ends with the last one, waiting for the crowd to clap and donate some change. after a week away from street performances and finally found the courage again to play. she doesnt even know why or how she dragged herself out again, some platitudes and hollow motivational quotes spurring her own, "the show must go on" as they say, and despite everything she liked to believe that she wasnt someone to give up quickly, and so she looks into the crowd, trying to find that familiar face again, was he there this time?
i cant see him, figures. disheartened she couldnt bring herself to play the song so she starts to pack up her guitar and prepares to leave when suddenly, out the corner of her eye, just a short distance away, someone starts to play on a piano, a familiar voice, a familiar song, a plea for something else, for something more. she rushed over, her guitar barely packed and looks at him dumbfounded as he nervously sings the first verse, aksing desperately with his eyes, as if to say "i jumped into cold water here, please help me already"

as if knowing exactly what he wanted to convey she hastily packs out her guitar again and seperates herself from the small crowd that was just listening to her and migrated the small distance over to the boy nervously singing a song they thought they heard somewhere before, somewhere on there streets. she slowly steps onto the small "stage" formed turns to the crowd with an anticipating smile, quietly humming along until the verse was done and slightly swinging along to the melody.

he starts to lose himself in the song, starts to grow calm now that she appeared in front of him, ready to walk the rest of the way with him, by his side. and then. her guitar starts to join in, slowly adjusting to the tempo and tone of his slightly different version, harmonising bit by bit until she joins in to sing the refrain about their journey with that certain other person that they met one day and made them wish for something more, together, ending up by sea. they lose themselves in their cautious dance, it feels almost like an eternity and like a intense rush at the same time.

and then the song ends, they both feel its almost too soon but theyre glad and out of breath and cant believe what just happened. the crowd which got a lot bigger during their song cheers and claps and they're surprised about where the fuck did all these people come from? they look at each other for a moment without a word, forgetting the crowd, smiling at each other as if its the first time. then finally shin gathers the courage to say

"i finally caught up to you"

she laughs and responds with tears in her eyes

"i knew you would"