beside my garden ; sohye_x3ctmh ;
taemin/minho, (there is a little jongkey if you squint :P) ;
pg-13 (mentions of sex) ; fluff ; wc: ~2,336 ;
Taemin's a new kid on the block, Minho's a stubborn teenager who smokes because his parents say not to; Taemin is a determined dancer that lights up the whole apartment, and Minho is an annoying neighbor who makes Taemin believe in love, beside his mini-garden.
requested by
tagasaing bb♥ @
twomin_utesoflove .
---
idea by
the girl in 14g and much thanks to one of the posts in
bone_a_manrp (Holiday).
"I'm here Sungmin hyung, I'll call you back when I'm done unpacking."
Taemin snapped his phone shut, shoving his luggage between his legs, then unlocked the door to his new temporary apartment in New York.
Wow, it's gorgeous.
The street that Taemin's apartment was located was near the biggest buildings of the capital of America, and well of course it was flawless.
He pushes his luggage through the wooden door, then stops when he sees the faded number '14' on the door, but slams it shut anyway.
---
"Hyung~" Taemin takes a sip of soda, then continues. "Mmm, I'm fine here... I'm tired though.... What time is it there?"
Knock.
"Hey hyung, there's someone at the door. Call you later."
Knock, knock.
"Coming!"
It's September twenty, Taemin opens the door, then the overwhelming smell of New York summer gets in his way of talking properly.
"Did you just move here?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Choi Minho. You look like an Asian."
"I'm Lee Taemin. I'm not. And you don't look local, either."
"I'm from Incheon."
"Oh."
"So why are you here?"
"The annual dance competition at Staples Centre."
"Isn't it in LA? Why are you here though?"
"Hey, our boss said here, so it's here. Now would you let me finish unpacking my stuff?" Taemin points to the mess in the living room.
Minho scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, I haven't talked to a lot of people my age recently. I'm sorry for disturbing you." He backs down, waves with a smile as comfortable as the summer scent, then Taemin fights back the urge to grab him back and hug him, but he bites his lips and closes the door instead.
---
It's evening, Taemin grabs a packet of chips and a bottle of ice coffee and sits on a chair outside his door.
A miniature balcony or garden, he thinks.
It's pretty quiet; for a whole apartment, but he hears the shuffle of slippers, and he looks over the fence beside.
"Hey, Minho."
He looks over, there's a hint of sadness in his dark eyes but Taemin goes against the idea of blushing.
"Hey."
"I'm sorry for dissing you off just now. I had a pretty bad headache after the flight."
"It's okay."
Minho lights a cigarette and lifts it, Taemin wonders why should such a piece of trash be so close to his lips.
The smoke drifts over, then Taemin pinches his nose in disgust.
"Minho, why do you smoke?"
"Because I like it."
"How in the world do people actually like smoke? It smells disgusting."
"You'll never know, Taeminnie."
Taemin blushes at the way Minho calls him by a nickname only known to him and his parents, and Minho chuckles.
"How old are you?"
"I'm twenty. Unexpected?"
"Oh... You're tall for your age."
Minho takes a puff.
"I get that a lot. How old are you then?"
"Eighteen."
"You're skinny."
"I get that a lot, too." Taemin rolls his eyes.
They chat for a bit, about their families and about themselves, and of course their loves, making Minho shocked because Taemin claims he doesn't believe in love, or it's not suitable for his age, then Taemin yawns. It's ten.
"Go to sleep Taeminnie."
"Mmm, but I'm not sure whether I would fall asleep."
"Need me to sleep with you?" Minho laughs, and Taemin pouts.
"Oh, I have dance practice tomorrow at six. See you tomorrow!"
Taemin smiles, then throws Minho's pillow over the fence; back at him (because he was cold yet lazy and there was a spare pillow on Minho's lap) , then skips back into his apartment like an excited bunny.
Minho sighs at the stars above, then smiles to himself, an unknown urge of wanting to do something to someone locked away in his heart, the chains old and rattling, a tingling sensation but ignored.
---
Taemin wakes at five twenty in the morning of September twenty-one- he likes being early than late.
He's dressed in a simple long-sleeved tee and jeans, high-cut sneakers with a stylish cap.
"This early?"
He turns to his left, 13G's gate, then smiles when he sees Minho stretching, the white expanse of skin exposed when his sweatshirt gets pulled up.
He hums as a reply, then sits by the metal gate- another thing he likes doing, it helps him relax before his day.
"I bet you didn't sleep well."
Taemin looks at Minho with an anguished expression, then tsked at nothing.
"I slept well. I bet you didn't."
"You didn't."
"I did!"
"You didn't."
"You're annoying, Minho."
"I know. Previous owner of 14G left because I was too rebellious."
Minho looks away, that feeling engulfing his heart yet again, he doesn't want to be too carried away to make wrong decisions.
Taemin wants to ask why must Minho act so wrong for someone like him, why did Minho make him want to know more about him, why did he want to see Minho, why can't Minho drop his pretense, but he looks at his watch- five forty, he grabs his bag, adjusts his cap, and decides otherwise.
"Bye Minho, see you when I come home."
Taemin nearly trips when the owner of 15G, (upstairs) sing too loudly and echoes through the window, and Minho laughs.
---
Taemin lies on the green grass outside his house in the night of September thirty, crying because his coach says he's useless for the tournament, and Minho grabs a chair, climbs on it and jumps over the fence separating the two, wipes the trail of hot tears away from Taemin's cheek, then sits beside Taemin, knees to his chest, head on his knees, and then Taemin hugs him.
It isn't anything books describe, it's only a simple hug that friends give each other when they need it, and Minho knows it too well.
"Hyung..."
Minho saves that voice in his head, because Taemin isn't going to call him hyung any time soon, he knows.
"Coach said I'm useless... I should go back to Korea..."
Minho turns around to look at the boy in the eyes, he cups Taemin's face, then gives a gentle peck on Taemin's lips- and at that moment Minho knew- it was the same urge he'd been suppressing for ten days, from the first moment Taemin opened the door and him closing his eyes in the summer air.
He withdraws; the feeling in his heart freed, and he feels as if he'd been freed too, the feeling almost taking all over him, until he blinks, and there wasn't anymore fluttering wings in his heart, there's only Choi Minho and Lee Taemin, under a night sky of stars in Taemin's garden, lying down, Taemin's head on Minho's chest, and they decide in their hearts; this is a nice place to be in.
"You're not useless Taemin, you just need concentration and determination. That way you'd win over your coach's heart, win over your judges' hearts at the competition, and a lot of hearts from the population of teenage girls here."
Taemin smiles; Minho could feel it over the fabric of his shirt, then Taemin contemplates for a moment.
"You're not rebellious Minho, you just need a good neighbor, some time, and a me. That way you'd let your parents know you're not only capable of smoking, you're capable of making someone else feel better, and... you're a good hugger. If that's a word."
"It's not." Minho sits up, Taemin's head on his lap. "Are you advising that I should go apply to be a counsellor or something?"
Taemin snuggles into the warmth of Minho's shirt, then giggles nervously, his long bangs covering his eyes.
"Nope, you shouldn't. You should just stay at home and be my personal counsellor."
Minho laughs, making Taemin rock forth and back, and Taemin hits Minho's stomach, because he was still in his lap, then Taemin hums something unknown to Minho, and Minho says something that Taemin wished, or wished not.
"So you're saying I should stay at home and be your good boyfriend?"
Taemin pokes Minho's cheeks, groans in embarrassment then runs back into his apartment, yelling good night.
---
October three, and Taemin wakes up on a bed that's not his; his eyes are red and swollen, and he reaches down for the blanket, but catches Minho's arm instead.
So he stops for a few seconds, staring at the flawless arm, then rolls his eyes sheepishly.
"Hyung~" Taemin almost jumps on the mattress, frustrated because Minho is such a heavy sleeper.
He remembers vividly about how he almost fails the audition for the dance competition, then he skipped to Minho's house, knocking on the door, then the next thing he knew he was in the air; in Minho's arms- Minho was so happy for him.
He was sure nothing happened last night, because both of them weren't drunk. He's happy like that.
"Hey Taemin... you're already up."
Taemin shoves an alarm clock in Minho's face, telling him it was already one in the afternoon, and he better get his lazy ass up.
"Ten more minutes," that's all Minho manages, before slumping down and Taemin giggles.
---
"Fuck," Taemin whispers, it's not on purpose, but who cares when you're preparing lunch, and suddenly you feel a pair of warm arms around your waist?
"It smells nice Minnie, I bet if you were a girl you'd make a great wife. And you nag too. Wow."
Taemin spins around with a knife in his hands, then pouts.
"Okay okay, I'll go wait for your lunch yeobo~" It's a joke, but Taemin couldn't stop blushing.
He convinces himself it's the chillies and the heat in the kitchen, but his heartbeat says otherwise.
---
October nine, and Taemin's busy practicing for his dance he doesn't realize Minho standing by the door.
Taemin's sweaty and hot, Minho thinks it's perfect, and they kiss by the huge mirror in the dance room for five minutes, then Taemin feels hotter, Minho feels more perfect.
"I'm supposed to practice," He pouts, and Minho avoids looking at Taemin because he knows he'll fall for the trap.
"No, you're supposed to keep me company." He wraps his arms around Taemin- a gesture both of them loves, then Taemin sighs.
"I'm supposed to practice. Plus I'm all sweaty and sticky now. Dinner? Promise." Both of them stand up, Taemin tip-toes and presses a kiss on Minho's lips, then pushes him out of the door.
"Come over at seven~"
---
October eleven, and Taemin's busy preparing dinner.
"I'm hungry~"
Taemin chuckles at his antics and his adorable face when trying too hard to be cute, then sets the dishes on the table, and they stare at each other.
"Feed me."
Taemin takes a spoonful of kimchi, puts it in front of Minho's face. "Say ahh~"
"No~ Mouth-feed me."
Taemin puts the spoon down, then hits Minho on the arm.
"You're a bully."
"But you love me."
"That's the most pathetic part of me. And sadly it's true."
Minho smiles in victory.
---
"Will you stop smoking Minho? For me?"
It's late in night on a chilly October seventeen, Taemin's cuddled on Minho's chest, on Taemin's lawn, Minho smoking.
Minho flicks the cigarette away after stubbing it, then takes a sip of water in the water bottle, spits it out, then kisses Taemin's forehead.
"Anything for you."
Taemin smiles, his hair tickling the bare skin of Minho's stomach; so he tugs Taemin up to his shoulder, rubbing his nose on Taemin's cheek.
Taemin doesn't remember where he had fallen asleep, but when he wakes up, he's in his own bed, Minho not in sight. but he has nothing to worry; because it's the competition the next day, and Minho would find him somehow, so he goes off to practice instead.
---
"AHH MINHO! I WON THE COMPETITION!"
Taemin jumps in his garden, and Minho can see his hair flying in the wind, so he laughs and climbs over the fence with a ladder they built together for convenience, and hugs Taemin tight.
Taemin bites his lip in shame (he was too loud, he noticed) when Jonghyun- the owner of 15G, looks down from his window and congratulated Taemin; but smiles in return, thanking the older boy.
Both of them laugh; it's relief to know, and because both of them worked hard for this.
Minho leans down for a kiss, but Taemin's so relaxed he lets Minho do whatever he wants, and soon they're on Taemin's couch (in the house, of course, what would the neighbors think?) , Taemin feels cold, and all of a sudden he realizes he has no clothes on.
He looks at Minho, lust-driven, but his head clear and sharp as usual.
"Marry me."
Taemin smiles, because he couldn't think of any reason to deny; or to even say out the cruel word; "no".
So he nods, whispers 'yes' because he knows what is going to come next, and that the night of October nineteen is going to be over fast and memorable, and he knows Minho's going to be responsible for whatever they're going to do, so he lets go of whatever restrain in himself, and gives in to Minho and the rest of want in his mind.
---
It's been a month.
Both of them migrated back to Korea because Taemin passed the competition and should be back, and Minho couldn't bear to live by himself.
They look at the rings on their ring finger, sparkling the way couple rings- marriage rings should be, and they smile at the fond memories of 14G and 13G, the memories of laying on the moist grass, admiring the sky with each other; the memories of eating kimchi with each other in a foreign land (for Taemin); the memories of lunch sessions with Jonghyun and his boyfriend Key; the memories of love scattered in every corner of their apartments, and they think; it's only two months, but it's all worth it.
Because Minho made Taemin believe in love in a month, using a ladder, a fence, a patch of wet grass and his heart.
-----
a/n; second request down! :D i hope you like it, bb
tagasaing , but i think it's nowhere compared to your days, but nevertheless i still hope you like it :P sorry because minho isn't exactly annoying enough, and that it's lacking other
neighbors.
new works would be posted to
parad_oxical instead, sorry for the inconvenience.
old fics would still be rooted here (because i'm lazy to recover the fics that might be lost here, or reposting them again).