Chapter Text
CRASH!
Seokjin raises his head warily when he hears the loud noise from the bathroom, and he wonders what Namjoon’s managed to break this time. It wouldn’t be the first time their mirror has shattered or their shower curtain has been torn. He contemplates getting up to see what the fuss is about, but he's settled comfortably in his bed. Besides, Namjoon will tell him anyway.
Sure enough, Namjoon knocks at Seokjin’s door sheepishly a few moments later to announce that he’s somehow managed to break the toilet seat. Seokjin sighs, grabs his wallet, and heads out the door to buy a new one. It’s getting late but he hopes that there’s still a hardware store open somewhere. He manages to get to the closest one just fifteen minutes before it closes.
The man at the cash register is obviously sending annoyed glares at the back of Seokjin’s head. He shudders from the holes being burned into the back of his head. Seokjin can’t help that he’s completely clueless when it comes to things like fixing toilet seats. He’s a business major: he's not trained to fix household appliances.
“What type of toilet do you have?”
Seokjins startles are the voice coming from next to him. He stares at the young man tapping his foot impatiently. It’s the guy from the register. Seokjin’s slightly flustered at the man's proximity. He’s handsome in spite of how grumpy he looks.
But he’s grumpy in a cute way, Seokjin thinks.
“Um, the type in the college apartments? The ones right off campus?” he replies.
The man at his side takes a seat off the display and powerwalks over to the cash register. Seokjin follows awkwardly.
“That’ll be twenty dollars.”
Seokjin mentally reminds himself to make Namjoon pay him back for it as he hands the man the money. The man hands him the toilet seat and his receipt. Seokjin wonders if he should say “Thank you,” or “Good-bye.”
“Thanks,” he finally mutters, unsure.
The man at the cashier smirks. “Anytime.”
Seokjin leaves the store and finds a seat at the bus stop. He sighs. His left eye is blinking and he’s starving. He’d left before he could have dinner, and Namjoon can’t cook. He tries not to think about all of the nice things he can make once he gets home, but the effort is futile. His stomach starts to rumble, and Seokjin starts to think of all the ways Namjoon can make this mess up to him.
“Hi again.”
It’s the cute man from the hardware store.
“Uh…Hi.”
He doesn’t say anything to Seokjin on the bus, and Seokjin doesn’t want to say anything to the man either. He's convinced that he'll embarrass himself. Unfortunately for Seokjin, the man gets off at the same stop that he does. He even winds up at the same building as Seokjin.
“Uh, what floor do you live on?” Seokjin asks as they start to trudge up the stairs together.
The man shrugs. “The third floor.”
Seokjin isn’t sure if he should laugh or cry.
“So do I.”
“Huh.”
They continue on down the hallway of the third floor. Seokjin and Namjoon live at the end of the hall, so it’s odd to Seokjin that the man is still walking with him. But the man keeps walking past door after door with no sign of stopping. When he finally takes out his keys, Seokjin really wants to cry.
The cute man lives next door to him.
Directly next door.
“Min Yoongi,” the man introduces, grinning a little. He offers his hand to Seokjin, and he takes it gingerly.
“Kim Seokjin.”
The man turns the key in his apartment lock, but before he can open the door, Seokjin stops him. He’s realized that he still needs the man’s help. He’s mortified that he didn’t think of it sooner. He just hopes that Yoongi won’t be mad at him.
“C-Could you do me the huge favor of installing this toilet seat for us? I don’t know how to do these things, and my roommate breaks everything. I don’t want to him break this right after buying it.”
Yoongi exhales deeply. Seokjin panics a little as he imagines Namjoon breaking this new toilet seat as well. He really doesn't want to have to buy another toilet seat.
“I-I can make you dinner? If that makes up for it?” he blurts out.
Yoongi’s head perks up at the mention of dinner.
“Are you good at cooking?”
“I’m minoring in culinary studies?”
Yoongi locks his door and strides over to Seokjin and Namjoon’s. Seokjin stares at him, dazed. Yoongi only stares back at him expectantly.
“Well, what are we waiting for? I’ve been eating nothing but cup ramen for the last week. Let’s go.”
Without a word, Seokjin opens the door. Yoongi snatches the toilet seat from him and barges into the apartment. He pauses in the foyer.
“Where’s your bathroom?”
Seokjin points in the general direction of the bathroom.
“Tools?”
“We don’t have any?”
Yoongi sighs. “I’ll be right back.”
Seokjin doesn’t know what to do as Yoongi runs to his own apartment to get his toolbag. Namjoon is piqued by the commotion and creeps into the living room.
“What’s going on?”
Seokjin frowns at him. “First of all, you owe me twenty bucks. And that was…”
“I’m Yoongi. Your neighbor. And I am fixing your toilet for food,” Yoongi replies, reappearing through their door and bustling to the bathroom. He nods at Namjoon, who introduces himself.
“Alright, give me maybe ten minutes max,” Yoongi says, before popping back into the bathroom.
“Where did you find this guy?” Namjoon asks quietly as he trails behind Seokjin to the kitchen.
“That’s…An interesting story…” Seokjin replies, getting vegetables and meat out of the refrigerator.
“Stop evading the question and answer it!”
“Uh. He was working at the hardware store I got the toilet seat at. And we rode the bus home together and found out we live next door to each other.”
Namjoon shakes his head with a grin. “Well, if he can fix our toilet seat, I don’t care about anything else.”
True to his word, Yoongi finishes everything within ten minutes. Seokjin hasn’t even finished cooking yet. He invites Yoongi into their kitchen/dining area so that he can sit down. Namjoon flashes Seokjin a cheesy grin before retreating to his own room. Seokjin kind of wants to strangle his roommate, but he doesn’t.
“So…What are you majoring in?” Seokjin asks after Namjoon leaves.
“Mechanical Engineering. I like making things. You’re wearing a pink apron,” he says matter of factly.
Seokjin hesitates. How is he supposed to reply to that?
“It’s cute,” Yoongi says, after a moment of awkward silence on Seokjin’s end. He flashes Seokjin a smile, and Seokjin’s stomach does a little flip-flop.
“Uh, thanks?”
Yoongi sniffs the air.
“Dinner smells really good.”
“Annnnd it’s ready,” Seokjin replies. “Namjoon, food time!” he yells in the general direction of Namjoon’s room.
Yoongi stares at the plates of food Seokjin sets on the table.
“You and your roommate eat like this every day?”
Seokjin shrugs. “It’s a little late, so I didn’t really have a lot of time to make anything fancy, but I hope you like it.”
Yoongi is still staring. “Are you kidding me? This is a gourmet meal. Wow, is there anything else I can fix for food?”
“Not right now,” Seokjin replies shyly.
Yoongi shakes his head and tastes the food. He closes his eyes, and Seokjin is worried for a moment that Yoongi is going to cry. “I almost wish that your roommate would break more things. I’d kill to eat like this every day.”
Namjoon joins them, and the three chatter pleasantly over dinner. Yoongi and Namjoon find a shared interest in underground hip-hop artists, and they spend most of dinner talking about that. Seokjin is just glad to eat quietly and watch.
When Yoongi leaves, he continuously thanks Seokjin for the meal. They trade phone numbers, and Yoongi makes Seokjin promise to tell him when they need anything fixed.
“I live next door, and you cook better than my mom,” he says.
After Yoongi leaves, Namjoon is all cheesy knowing grins and waggling eyebrows.
“Don’t say anything,” Seokjin scowls.
“I’ll take that as my cue to break more things.”
“Do not do that!” Seokjin replies immediately.
“Do that? Ok, anything to get you with the guy next door, friend.”
Seokjin really wants to strangle Namjoon.
But secretly, he does hope to see more of Yoongi in the future.