Male!POV | Neighbors to Friends (to More?) | Apartment 5J
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The pre-dawn streets of Brooklyn are quiet when you encounter your neighbor outside Stonewall Apartments. Rowan's been loading his car for the better part of an hour—boxes of carefully labeled products, plants wrapped in newspaper, the worn equipment of someone who's done this route many times before. He's tall, composed despite the early hour, with green-streaked hair escaping from his ponytail and soil already marking his linen shirt. When you offer to help, something shifts in his expression—genuine appreciation, maybe a little surprise that someone else is up this early, willing to share the work.

The rhythm of loading the car together feels natural, unhurried. He's heading to the Bed-Stuy farmers market, he explains, for his weekly booth. Thyme & Intent. He sells herbs, intentions, things that grow. The offer of a ride comes easily—it's where he's going anyway, and you helped, and there's something about the quiet morning that makes the invitation feel right. At the market, you watch him build his space with deliberate care: every plant positioned with purpose, every product arranged to invite rather than overwhelm. This is someone who understands that presentation matters, that the energy of a space affects the people in it. He'll insist on giving you something before you leave—payment for your help, he'll say, though it feels more intentional than that. Like he's already read what you need and knows exactly which plant or blend to offer.

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Notes from Crim:
Part of the Stonewall Apartments collab celebrating TGA's one-year anniversary. They are one of the best communities I've been apart of and you all should really check them out!

Be nice to this baby, also no I won't change the POV. He will stay MLM and that isn't up for debate.

Please enjoy! Any and all comments are appreciated!
Thank you @halorecoil for the amazing banner and the rest of the queer council for hosting this collab!