Epiphany || Taejin Oneshots

Cacti (neighbours AU)

Neighbours AU

Seokjin waited, with his eyes peeking from in between his mint curtains, even though he knew it would make him running to work after getting off the bus. Three minutes passed and Seokjin thought of defeat when a man emerged through the mosaic french doors and stepped into the balcony diagonal to Seokjin's. The man wore a black beret and a matching black long-sleeved t-shirt. He perched the bottom of the violin in his hand against his shoulder and the bow in another hand. Seokjin could not hear what he was playing because his glass panes were shut. He didn't want to suddenly go to his balcony and listen to the man like some creep either.

So he just watched from a safe distance. Even creepier.

As much as he wanted to stay, Seokjin knew his salary won't grow on that lovely little bonsai tree Namjoon gifted for his birthday last year.

Correction: dying little bonsai tree

Namjoon wouldn't be too happy to see that. Seokjin decided to spray it with water, although in vain.

"Cacti make better plants," Seokjin thought before heading off to work, thoughts circling the violin man in a beret swarming in his head.

_________________

Seokjin grinned, and sneezed afterwards, but then grinned harder. Snifling, Seokjin wrapped the blanket around him tighter as he slid open the glass pane to his balcony. He dragged a chair and stuffed a book under his arm before closing the pane behind him. Finding a comfortable spot with his book on his lap, Seokjin waited.

Nothing's better than staying at home sick and waiting for the man of your drea- neighbourhood.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the violin man slid into his balcony with his violin and bow, looking ten times better than what Seokjin used to see from behind his dusty glass panes.

It took all of Seokjin's willpower to not stare at the man. He would take quick glances at him as he cleaned the instrument with a piece of cloth, and tried not to look too much of a mess; he was very conscious of his red nose.

Seokjin closed his eyes, and waited for the music to start.

Instead, he felt like his ears might start bleeding any moment.

Seokjin looked up at the beret man in guffaw, almost demanding to know what was up with that nonsense, and the intolerable sound of what felt like a fork being scratched against a plate stopped. Beret man just gave him a smile, a rectangular and devastating-ly cute one and disappeared into his apartment after shouting:

"YOUR BOOK IS UPSIDE DOWN!"

"The audacity after playing garbage," Seokjin grumbled as he dragged himself back into the warmth of his home, silently hoping that it wasn't the last time he would meet the terrible violinist.

And to his delight, his doorbell rang after thirty minutes and he found himself looking dumbfounded at the beret man who had a small pot of cactus in his massive hands. Seokjin was almost scared that his hands were on the needles.

"The violin was just for show," came a greeting in a deep, velvety voice.

Seokjin blinked a couple of times to regain his bearings, hugging the blanket closer, and said, "I'm guessing the cactus isn't...?"

"No." He beamed. "It's a small apology gift. For catfishing you all those weeks."

Seokjin's face bloomed with red and pink. He knew.

"Come in," he said instead, still mortified that beret man was very much aware of his not-so-sneaky eyes.

Beret man placed the cactus on the coffee table which had Seokjin's book of Guide To Take Care Of Your Own Bonsai! lying on it to amplify his embarrassment.

"Your friend is dying," beret man pointed out from the living room as Seokjin fetched two cups for hot chocolate while trying his best to sneeze quietly.

"That's why I got the book," Seokjin lied. Namjoon found out about his dying present.

"You work at Mono Cafe, right? I saw you a few times getting off work. My university is near the cafe," beret man spoke, already comfortable with a stranger. If it were Seokjin in his shoes, he would've been worried about getting murdered.

"Yeah, I'm one of the managers." Seokjin paused for a moment to ready himself to face beret man before asking, "What do you study?"

"Architecture. Nothing too fancy."

"Fancier than being a manager atleast," Seokjin shrugged as he placed down their cups on the low table, his blanket coming off and pooling at his feet.

Before he could bend down to pick it up, he found himself being wrapped in it with an addition of gentle arms and the scent of rich vanilla. Seokjin thought he would faint from being so close to beret man's face. His lips looked really...

Stop it, Seokjin!

Seokjin snapped out of whatever his mind was luring into but didn't find the will to move away. Beret man really smelled nice...

"I'm Taehyung. I think it's too soon for a date?"

"Seokjin, and no, it's not."