Archive of Our Own ^beta

He has no idea who is playing and he had put in a request on his note asking if the person could play one of Namjoon's favorite pieces, Passacaglia in D minor by Buxtehude.

So when 3PM comes around, Namjoon waits wondering if the person would play for him. He looks at his clock. 

At 3:04 he hears the familiar notes of his favorite piece and even though it was originally written for an organ the person plays so beautifully that Namjoon is left in TEARS when the person finishes their piece. 

Namjoon leaves a note on their door again thanking them for their beautiful music. His neighbor is so quiet except for these afternoons where they play music. A part of Namjoon wonders what kind of person lives next door. 

Namjoon imagines a young lady, someone who has succulents growing in their window and opens a bottle of wine on Friday evenings to relax or perhaps his neighbor is an old war veteran, music healing his gentle soul. 

Namjoon writes a note and leaves a box of tea leaves and a box of his favorite ground coffee on their doorstep. He writes how he isn't sure if his neighbor is a tea or coffee person so he's just left both. A little thank you for serenading him. 

The person must be pleased because he gets a note back, their letters are scrawny and the paper unlike Namjoon's own white bland sticky notes are shaped like a cat, in pastel colors. Namjoon wonders what kind of cute person owns this stationary. 

The person writes "I'm definitely a coffee person but I like a warm cup of tea on occasion. Thank you. Do you have anymore requests? I can try to play it if you like?"

Namjoon spends the next few hours trying to find some music he likes. Something he would like to hear. 

He's got Post Malone's circles in his head so he writes that on his boring white square sticky notes. He sticks it on his neighbor's door. He goes about doing his work, zoom meetings and reports. The only sound he hears during he day is his coffee machine and his printer, buzzing 

He longs for 3 PM when he takes a break for lunch at 1, reheating leftovers from last night. He slurps his noodles and his mind wanders into his usual thoughts, thinking about his mysterious neighbor. He wonders what kind of job they do, whether music was part of their work. 

He wonders if he could meet them. And when 3 PM rolls around he hears the black and white keys played. He hears circles played, and Namjoon smiles as he sings the words out loud.

The next day he finds another note on his door. This time on a note that's shaped like an orange. 

"I like Better Now more than Circles."
Namjoon snorts. He continues to read.

"Any more requests?"

Namjoon quickly writes the first song he can think of which is Troye Sivan's Talk Me Down.

He pastes the note on their door and slips in quickly. 

His neighbor plays Talk Me Down. Namjoon looks for his portable piano, he finds it covered in dust under his bed. He dusts it out and sets it up to play.

He plays a few notes before he has an idea. Perhaps if his neighbor is down he can pursue it. 

He writes the next day, asking if they can do a duet if sorts. He tells his neighbor that he only remembers how to play Clair de Lune and if he could play the first part and his neighbor could do the rest?

Namjoon isn't sure if it'll work but he stops his work at 3PM. 

He sits at his little piano and begins to play. He does all the notes until the part that is mostly black keys.

There is silence. No one is playing anything and Namjoon is a little sad.

He closes is piano book. And gets up to go back to his work. He sighs deeply. 

That's when he hears the notes of Clair de Lune being played. Namjoon struggles with that part but his neighbor plays it like they are Debussy themselves.

Namjoon smiles brightly leaning his head on to the wall that separates them. 

They do this almost everyday. Namjoon writing a song and his neighbor plays part of it and Namjoon tries to play along. He's terrible but he enjoys it you know. Beats the monotonous nature of his new lockdown life.

It's been almost 2 months of back and forth notes. 

Namjoon decides he needs to see this person, this person he has been kind of falling in love with. He can tell that the other person is funny. They leave little comments on their cute stationary that makes Namjoon snort, giggle and sometimes laugh outright. 

Namjoon orders cute stick notes and it finally arrives and he uses the first one to ask if they would join Namjoon for coffee at 4PM.

Namjoon sticks it, a little nervous. He doesn't know what would happen. What if they don't like Namjoon? 

What if the magic of their relationship ends? He goes down to the local bakery to pick up a few pastries and savories. He brings out the fancy dishes he never uses, the ones his mother gave him when he first moved to his apartment. At 3 his neighbor plays a song as usual. 

Namjoon runs around cleaning his apartment, he sets the table and warms up the cakes and pastries he bought. He runs his coffee machine and puts cream and sugar on the table. At 4PM he hears a timid knock. He takes a deep breath. He opens the door. He gasps. 

The man in front of his door is gorgeous. Floppy black hair almost covering his eyes, his cheeks are chubby like a warm freshly baked bun. He smiles with his gums showing and does a cute little wave. He's much shorter than Namjoon and Namjoon just wants to boop his nose.

"Hi!" 

Namjoon sputters when he hears the man's deep voice. Namjoon is fucked. Fucked and very much enamored by this man. He welcomes him inside watching as the man steps put of his shoes.

"I'm Namjoon." He says bowing slightly.

"Yoongi." The man smiles, before bowing too. 

Namjoon welcomes the man in, guiding him towards his table with a nervous chuckle. Namjoon doesn't do well in the presence of cute guys. He turns into an awkward clumsy gay. Not the greatest first impressions. 

Yoongi looks about, he smiles when he sees Namjoon's bonsai tree collection. One of his most prized possessions.

"That's a plum tree." Namjoon tells him, starting the pot of coffee.

"How do you take your coffee? Would you like some cream or sugar?"

"Black is fine." 

Namjoon busies himself with making coffee and Yoongi stands awkwardly in Namjoon's living room.

"So what do you do for a living?"

Namjoon tells him that he works as a business analyst at a shipping company. Yoongi nods his head.

"What do you do?" 

"Music producer… I work at BigHit entertainment."

Namjoon nods his head, he's heard a couple songs from the group TXT from that company. He tells Yoongi that he only knows TXT.

"Do you have a favorite song from them?"

"I like Blue Hour… I listen to it a lot." 

Yoongi gives him a small smile and Namjoon looks at him curiously.

"Did you? Did you work on that?"

"No comment."

But Yoongi looks at him with an amused smile.

Namjoon guesses he did. He notices Yoongi has a small pin on his shirt, a little cat with a rainbow over its head. 

The words love is love written underneath in cursive.

Yoongi spots Namjoon staring at it.

He frowns at Namjoon, and Namjoon points at it. 

"I love your pin, where did you get it?" Yoongi seems to visibly let out a deep breath he was holding.

He chokes as he answers.
"My friend, he designs these cute LGBTQ+ merch."

"Oh do they have a website I'd love to buy some."

"Oh. You're one of us?" 

Yoongi asks amused and Namjoon points at his Kaws figurine, his most prized piece of his apartment (apart from his bonsai babies). The figure was holding a little bi flag and Yoongi bursts into amused laughter.

"That is so fucking cute." 

Namjoon almost says just like you.

They spend the next few hours talking until their coffee has long gone cold, and only crumbs are left on their plates. The sun has set, and the sky has turned dark outside.

"Thank you for inviting me." 

Yoongi bows as he leaves and Namjoon grabs onto his hand.

"Wait, give me your number so we can text each other."
Yoongi smiles and types his number into Namjoon's phone and steps out with a smile. 

As Namjoon closes the door he sees that Yoongi didn't save his number under his own name but wrote "cute pianist neighbor" instead. Namjoon chuckles and texts the number.

"Hello cute pianist."

Yoongi replies instantly "hello hot bonsai dad." 

Namjoon chokes on his own spot and has to calm down from realizing that Yoongi may have just called him hot?

He takes a minute before he responds asking if Yoongi is joking. 

Instead of a text Namjoon gets an image back, a screenshot of how Yoongi has saved his number on Yoongi's phone.

And there it is, hot bonsai dad. Namjoon laughs. 

They text regularly, but Namjoon still leaves little sticky notes on Yoongi's door. Yoongi still plays his piano at 3 and their relationship settles into a comfortable friendship.

Yoongi invites Namjoon over for dinner and Namjoon gets excited and longs to try Yoongi's food. 

Namjoon isn't much of a cook himself and he hopes Yoongi is a better cook than him. The bar is pretty low for him but Yoongi had admitted to enjoying the time he takes to prepare meals so Namjoon thinks that might count for something. 

Yoongi's apartment is similar in structure to Namjoon's own but their decorative styles are vastly different. While Namjoon has abstract art on his walls Yoongi's wall is lined with a case full of records, a record player on top of it. 

A fairly compact piano sits in his living room, the one he must constantly play.
Instead of plants, Yoongi has pictures of a cute brown poodle. 

The poodle seems a clear favorite since the pup seems to in almost every picture. Yoongi has a lot of candles, some lit up and the room smells of vanilla and rose petals. 

There's a picture of Yoongi with a really cute guy, he seems to have stars in his eyes and looks so darn cute. Namjoon wonders for a moment if the guy is Yoongi's boyfriend. 

It should be. There's no way a cute guy like Yoongi is single. Absolutely no way. 

He invites Namjoon over to his dining table, he's obviously gone through to prepare a nice meal for Namjoon. Namjoon is very grateful. The plates are super cute with cat motifs in baby blue with a matching chopstick rest. 

He's even got a cute vase with some bright flowers that Namjoon can't name.

Yoongi has made japchae, one of Namjoon's favorites. He's never attempted to even make it because Namjoon isn't too great in the kitchen. But Yoongi's japchae? It smells heavenly. It smells like home. 

Yoongi serves Namjoon a generous portion encouraging him to dig in while he serves himself. Namjoon picks up the noodles and chews. The first bite itself has Namjoon meaning. Yoongi chuckles at him, amused. 

"You sound like you experienced your first orgasam."

Namjoon chokes on his noodles and Yoongi bursts into full blown laughter.

"It's really good."

Yoongi tuts, taking a bite himself. 

Namjoon looks back at the picture of the cute boy and Namjoon sees what he looks at.

"That's the one who makes the pins." Yoongi points at a new one on his shirt. A little cat with a rainbow colored heart on its paw.

"Ah."

"Is he your boyfriend?" 

It's Yoongi's turn to choke on his noodles and he grabs his glass of water.

Namjoon's eyes widen in horror.

"Are you okay?"

Yoongi nods, taking a sip of water and waving his hands at Namjoon's concerned face.

When Yoongi finally settles down he laughs at Namjoon. 

"Ha no. He's not. Jungkookie is my friend and coworker. He plays the drums."

"Oh."
Namjoon goes back to chewing.

"He's cute."

"Is he your 'type'?"

"Ugh" Namjoon stares at him awkwardly. 

Yoongi giggles and Namjoon finds it so adorable and endearing.

"I'm teasing. Jungkook is great. A total sweetheart."

Namjoon had no idea why they were talking about this cute guy and Namjoon was blushing for no reason. 

Namjoon switches topics complimenting Yoongi on his cooking. Yoongi blushes embarrassed.

"This is the best japchae I've ever had."

Yoongi laughs, a bright sonorous laughter that echoes the hall, the kind you want to bottle up and open on a sad day. 

The kind that makes Namjoon forget what he was even talking about in the first place.

"I can teach you… how to make it?"

Namjoon shakes his head.

"I'm really bad at cooking." 

Yoongi smiles fondly, his eyes disappearing and leaving a little crescent shaped crease.

"We can try."

That's how they find themselves a week later back in Yoongi's kitchen. 

Namjoon has already had a terrible day dealing with clients and he just wants to chill out.

Yoongi had played 34 + 35 out of all things and Namjoon couldn't help but picture certain things. Certain NSFW things about his neighbor. 

Yoongi almost screams when Namjoon holds the knife upside down. Yoongi gently guides him, his soft fingers running over Namjoon's own fingers.

"Here, hold the onion like this, and now cut, slowly." 

Namjoon feels a little sad when Yoongi steps away, it felt almost like Namjoon was the little spoon as Yoongi stood behind him and guided his hands. He tries a couple more times and his onions look… well… they aren't great. 

Yoongi just smiles, handing him a peeler and carrots.

"It's okay, everyone has to start somewhere."

If Namjoon could place a bet, he'd wager that Yoongi wasn't half as terrible as Namjoon was… maybe not even a quarter. Namjoon knows his strengths and cooking is not one of them 

However he was excellent at cleaning up, and perhaps that is what a compatible relationship required someone who cooked and someone who cleaned.

Namjoon is getting ahead of himself. 

Yoongi talks, telling him things he's doing as he goes about preparing his japchae, Namjoon nods along noting sesame oil and soya sauce that Yoongi puts to marinate the meat. 

Namjoon watches Yoongi, who seems so at ease in the kitchen, his little space while Namjoon himself feels like a bull in a china shop.

He's terrified that Yoongi will stop being friends with him. He likes him too much. 

When dinner is ready Yoongi proudly beams and congratulates Namjoon, as if Yoongi didn't do 80% of the cooking. But Namjoon appreciates the kindness and invites Yoongi over for beer and fried chicken. 

Namjoon puts on a movie and they sit side by side, not quite close enough but their fingers almost touch. Namjoon is too shy to reach out and hold his hand. But he wants to, so badly. 

"OMG. You like him!" Jungkook screams over the Zoom call and thankfully Yoongi has his headset switched on. It still doesn't stop Yoongi from hissing at Jungkook who bursts into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. 

"OMG you really do like him! This makes so much sense!"

"What does?"

"Um… your latest song?"

"Respect?"

"That whole song is a fucking love song!"

"It is not!"

"It absolutely is, don't even try pretending otherwise." 

Maybe it was but Jungkook doesn't need to know that.

"Have you asked him out?" Jungkook asks, flipping his blue colored bangs off his forehead.

"No."

"When can I see him?"

"Never."

"Hyung!!!" 

Yoongi shakes his head.

Jungkook realizes that he's fighting a losing battle and switches tactics.

"Well at least tell me what he is like…"

Yoongi sighs, how does one encompass all that is Kim Namjoon in a few words. 

Smart, kind, witty, with an obsession for plants and an incredibly endearing soft side. Yoongi wanted so badly to hold his hand when they watched a movie at Namjoon's place. He was just so close but Yoongi had doubted himself. Held back.

"Earth to Yoongi." 

Yoongi stares at Jungkook, who chuckles at him.

"Gosh he must be really something if he puts that dopey smile on your face." 

Yoongi chides him and tells him that they need to get back to work on the new song. They may be in lockdown but Yoongi and Jungkook continued to have work. 

Yoongi listens to the track that Jungkook had edited and they make a few more tweaks here and there before Yoongi adds the final touches. 

It's late when Yoongi realizes he didn't play today. And he's mad at himself for forgetting. He checks his phone to see if Namjoon contacted him but sees no messages. Ah. How could he forget it? He ALWAYS played at 3PM, that was their thing! 

Yoongi's fingers flutter over his phone's keyboard. What could he even tell Namjoon? 

And just when Yoongi tries to type something Namjoon sends him a text asking if he is okay. And Yoongi feels like an idiot. He just forgot. Got caught up with Jungkook's teasing. 

He calls Namjoon, it’s the first time he actually calls and even though he knows Namjoon fairly well now he is anxious about actually CALLING.

Namjoon sounds amazing over the phone and his hello rings in Yoongi’s mind and he sort of forgets to speak to him. 

“Yoongi?” Namjoon’s voice sounds concerned.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… sorry I just got busy today and forgot to play…"

"Oh I was worried… I was wondering if something had happened. I left you some biscuits…" 

Yoongi runs out to open his door to find a box of biscuits, with all sorts of flavors, each of them had a different filling, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and Yoongi's personal favorite, marmalade.

Yoongi thanks him profusely and Namjoon asks him if he would care to take a walk 

Namjoon sounds tired, drained and exhausted.

"Sure."

He hears Namjoon knock on his door, and Yoongi picks up a mask on his way out, grabbing his satchel. 

They ride down the elevator in silence and Yoongi breaks the quietness by complimenting the design on Namjoon's own mask. It seems to make Namjoon happy and he talks about the design and how proud he is of his younger brother who drew the art on his mask. 

They walk past stores that are now closed because of COVID, the city is still lit up, but the pandemic has brought over a quietness, an unsettling awkwardness.

Namjoon leads the way, walking towards a walking path that runs by the river. 

Yoongi wrinkles his nose as a gush of cold wind flutters by. They see a few others walking along, admiring how the reflection of lights glows in the surface of the water. 

Namjoon stops when they come to a resting area and they sit next to each other as if time had stopped for a moment and the only movement was the gentle breeze that lapped ripples across the lazy river. 

Flower petals and lights colored the dark water and Yoongi sat in comfortable silence. When they walked back home, Yoongi brushed his fingers close to Namjoon, reaching to hold his hand. 

Yoongi watched Namjoon's reactions, tentatively as he extended his fingers to actually hold his hand, and Namjoon's eyes only smiled. 

They held hands, Namjoon fully grasping Yoongi's fingers in his own. They didn't speak about it but they walked back home. When Namjoon reached his door he turned finally to look at Yoongi with a smile. 

He removed his mask and Yoongi removed his and Namjoon leaned down to kiss Yoongi.

"Good night Yoongi."

He whispered and as quickly as he kissed his cheek he slipped back into his own apartment leaving Yoongi amused, confused and flustered. 

He stood outside for a moment, touching the place where Namjoon's lips had grazed his cheek. He blushed at the thought of Namjoon doing something so sweet. 

He runs into his apartment and catches himself in the mirror wearing the dopiest smile on his face and somehow that makes him laugh more.

He feels like he and Namjoon have been on the borders of flirting. He wants to ask Namjoon out for real, but they technically can't go "out" 

Namjoon kissed his cheek so that should count for something. Right?

He immediately calls Jungkook to decipher the hidden meaning of "cheek kisses".

Jungkook bursts into a fit of giggles as he watches Yoongi in full panic mode trying to explain everything that happened. 

Jungkook smiles through the whole time and coos at Yoongi calling them cute.

"Tell him, Hyung… tell him you like him."

And so Yoongi tries in the best way he can tell. He plays Yellow by Coldplay on the piano. He hopes Namjoon will know what he means by it. 

Namjoon texts him asking if Yoongi wants to walk tonight as well and Yoongi smiles as he responds with an affirmative.

He plays, right at 3PM the notes soothing in his ear. He hopes Namjoon knows. 

Namjoon knocks on his door right at 6:30 like he was waiting for Yoongi, waiting for this moment.

They don't walk down to the river but Namjoon leads him towards the corporate jungle. 

On a usual day they would have found scattered groups of people surrounding buskers, but tonight the streets are empty. 

Covid has brought about a silence, and the sounds of the city have turned from sweet music of a girl with her guitar and the sound of corporate shoes slapping over the tarred roads to an eerie silence. 

But Yoongi likes the quiet. He likes the quiet when he is with Namjoon. Namjoon holds his hand out and Yoongi smiles as he places his own fingers between the spaces of Namjoon's fingers. T 

hey walk with no words exchanged but Yoongi blushes when the weather turns colder and Namjoon tucks their entwined fingers into the pocket of his jacket. 

When they go home Yoongi grabs on to Namjoon's elbow asking him to wait a moment.
Namjoon looks at him confused. Yoongi lowers his own mask and takes a deep breath. 

He stands on his tip toes, his thumbs grazing over Namjoon's dimples, holding his face gently. He kisses his lips softly like a secret whisper, so quick that Namjoon feels like he blinked and missed the moment. 

When Yoongi tries to move away Namjoon begs him.

"Wait..."

Yoongi looks up at him curiously and Namjoon leans to kiss him properly this time. 

“So he kissed you?” Namjoon’s brother Taehyung asks grinning away.

“Yeah.” Namjoon blushes embarrassed.

“So are you guys dating?”

“We haven’t really talked about it…” 

“But you’ve been doing these date walks for how long?”

“Maybe a month?”

“A MONTH HYUNG? A WHOLE MONTH?”

Namjoon quickly wants to hang up when he hears his doorbell ring and Yoongi is standing outside.

“Hi.” 

Namjoon kisses him this time and he can feel Yoongi’s smile as he does.

“So Jungkook asked me if I was your boyfriend…” Yoongi whispers not making eye contact with Namjoon and Namjoon giggles at how his brother asked the exact same thing.

“What are we Joon?” 

“You’re my person, Hyung.”

Yoongi smiles brightly gums showing before he slips his mask on.

He seems to like that a lot.

“Labels are for jars.” Yoongi jokes and he looks up at Namjoon and pokes Namjoon’s cheeks with his fingers. 

“You’re my person too.”