w a r n i n g : in this chapter, jaehyun thinks that he's a badass and likes to curse.

The following few days passed uneventfully - not much had changed between Doyoung and Jaehyun. While the robot desperately tried to get Jaehyun’s attention, the other simply locked himself in his room to avoid him. They hardly exchanged any sentences. 

Another thing that Jaehyun did to steer clear of Doyoung was leaving the house in the evening and returning at early hours of the morning. 

Doyoung never admitted it to the brown-haired boy since he was afraid of starting another argument, but his behaviour made him constantly worried for his safety.
 

When the orange-haired boy opened his eyes after a full recharging session, the digital clock standing beside the TV displayed Saturday as the day and 8:38 AM as the time. He blinked several times, allowing his system to adjust his eyesight to the brightness of the room, before stretching his limbs and standing up from the sofa that he continued to sleep on. Noticing that some of the pillows ended up on the carpet, he picked them up and arranged neatly. 

He walked towards the window to inspect the weather. It was considerably different - the sky was clear with the exception of small clouds, and the sun melted the thick layers of snow that accumulated over the past several days. 

The weather is nice, he thought sombrely, Jaehyunnie will leave earlier than usual. 

Doyoung passed Jaehyun’s room on his way to the kitchen, and smiled softly when he heard the other’s loud snores from behind the door.
 

Jaehyun woke up to an unusual sight of the sun beaming through his curtains and straight into his barely open eyes. 

He grimaced and shut his eyes tightly, falling asleep once again until soft knocks woke him up. 

“Jaehyunnie? I made breakfast,” he heard from the other side of the door. “wake up before it gets cold!”

Jaehyun sighed in annoyance at the thought of another disgusting breakfast, though he began stretching and sat up nonetheless. He quickly threw on a random t-shirt that he pulled out of the wardrobe along with black sweatpants before opening the door for his face to be met with Doyoung’s knocking fist. 

“Jaehyunni- oh no! I’m so sorry!” the robot exclaimed when he saw the other clutching his nose and groaning in pain. “A-are you okay?”

“You’re a ing robot! Can’t you see through the door with that x-ray vision that robots are supposed to have?” Jaehyun moaned, massaging his face to ease the pain. He noticed Doyoung coming closer to inspect his injury and backed away. 

“We can’t actually see through objects,” Doyoung informed him. “I’m really sorry that Jaehyunnie’s in pain because of me, so please accept the breakfast I made as an apology!”

The robot managed to grab Jaehyun’s hand despite his constant attempts of retreating deeper into his room and dragged him towards the kitchen table. When the brown haired boy finally sat down, he noticed that a plate filled with ham and cheese on toast awaited him. 

Doyoung sat on the other side of the table and watched the hesitant Jaehyun with a warm expression plastered all over his face. 

“Try it! My system tells me that it’s tasty.” He encouraged, and Jaehyun couldn’t hold back his sarcastic comment. 

“Did your system say the same thing about those ing scrambled eggs? If it did then I’ll pass,” 

“W-Well, the eggs didn’t receive a final analysis,” Doyoung blushed in embarrassment. “but your negative reaction was upsetting and I wanted to do everything to prevent it from happening again.”

Jaehyun’s expression softened slightly and he nodded in understanding. Truthfully, the toast didn’t look bad at all - and it certainly didn’t smell bad, either - and the longer he spent staring at the plate, the more he was persuaded to eat it. He finally decided to pick up a slice, and eagerly bit into it. 

Doyoung’s eyes lit up with happiness when Jaehyun continued to eat instead of cursing and locking himself in his room. 

“This, my robot friend, is better than .” The brown haired boy finally said when he finished chewing and reached to grab the second slice.  

When Jaehyun raised his head to look at Doyoung, he realised that the other didn’t have a portion of his own and had his eyes fixated on Jaehyun’s face for the entirety of the meal.

“Hey, why aren’t you eating? I’m sure you said that robots can eat?” He questioned.

The robot smiled, turned his head away to avoid his eyes and shrugged lightly. 

“Robots like me aren’t suited for a lonely life. We’re usually designed to be loving and affectionate, and so we don’t find solitude comfortable. Eating reduces my charging time which isn’t very convenient since the charging time makes my loneliness easier to withstand.”

Jaehyun decided not to mention the subject again and continued eating until his stomach was sated and until the plate was filled with nothing but bread crumbs. 

“I’m guessing that you’ve accepted my apology?” Doyoung smirked, eyeing the empty plate. He continued when Jaehyun nodded. “Good. It was also an apology for being so clingy last night. I know that Jaehyunnie doesn’t like me, so I’ll try not to be such a nuisance and control my actions to become Jaehyunnie’s perfect boyfriend-“

Jaehyun cut the robot off with a small smile. “Apology accepted. You’re not that bad when you’re not annoying me. Just cut it out with that Jaehyunnie ; let’s call it a truce then.” 

Doyoung nodded happily. 

The lack of affection from Jaehyun secretly made his artificial heart ache, though he masked the feeling with a genuine laugh. 

Being friends is closer to love than being archenemies. 

“Does that mean we can talk normally now? I don’t have to avoid you? I can ask questions?” the orange haired robot questioned and Jaehyun appeared to look intrigued. 

“Is there something you need to ask?”

“Actually, there is…” Doyoung trailed off. “I really enjoyed being with Kun last week! I get really lonely and restless when you leave… C-Could I leave the house too and spend some time with him?”

“No,” Jaehyun replied sternly without a second thought, but the tone of his voice wasn’t scolding or unpleasant. “You don’t know how to behave around normal humans yet and I can’t have people saying that Jung Jaehyun’s flatmate is incompetent.”

“But Kun can help-“ 

“Kun is only a robot, too. You can meet him when you’re with me but that’s not going to happen often. I have things to do.” The brown haired boy insisted.

Doyoung shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to confront Jaehyun - and secretly wished that his rejecting reaction was out of overprotectiveness instead of the fear of potential embarrassment - but feared that it would lead to another argument. 

“B-But you always go out and leave me here alone! I understand that Jaehyunn-“ he felt the other’s piercing stare and quickly composed himself. “Jaehyun doesn’t have any feelings for me, but I wish he could let me be at least half as happy for a few hours as I would be if I could spend every second of my simulated life surrounded by Jaehyun’s love.” 

Doyoung’s words seemed to have affected Jaehyun greatly since within seconds he jumped off the chair, was hastily throwing his leather jacket onto his shoulders and exiting the apartment with a loud slam of the front door. 

The orange haired robot’s eyes lingered on the door. They eventually pulled away from the sorry sight and Doyoung sighed, then placed the empty plate into the sink and began to wash it.
 

As Doyoung predicted, Jaehyun did not return at an early hour. 

The knock on the door came after several hours of Doyoung’s stress and constant worry for Jaehyun’s safety. It didn’t exactly seem like an ordinary knock; it sounded as if someone collided with the door. 

Why would Jaehyunnie knock if he has the keys?

Doyoung hesitantly approached the door and felt reassured when he heard mumbling and Jaehyun’s voice. He quickly snatched the spare pair of keys that Jaehyun owned for emergencies, unlocked the door and was greeted by the other falling straight into his arms. 

He jumped back, startled, but the stranger standing behind Jaehyun shocked him even more. He looked unfamiliar. The snow white hair looked unnatural - though it seemed as if the colour belonged to him completely - and Doyoung felt fearful. 

What if he’s a robot too? What if Jaehyunnie doesn’t want me anymore and bought another one to replace me? What if-

“Hey, calm down,” the person spoke, and Doyoung was brought out of his trance by his surprisingly deep voice, not realising that he was speaking out loud. “I’m Lee Taeyong. I live in the apartment block on the next street.” 

For the first time, Doyoung neglected Jaehyun’s command of not speaking to strangers and decided to respond; Lee Taeyong seemed friendly enough. 

“I-I’m sorry… My name is Kim Dongyoung b-but please call me Doyoung.” He hesitated momentarily before saying the second part. “I’m Jaehyunnie’s perfect boyfriend.”

Taeyong chuckled and threw the half-unconscious Jaehyun’s arm across his shoulders. 

“Alright then, nice to meet you. As you can see, Jaehyunnie is drunk. Can I come in and put him to bed or can you do that yourself?” 

Doyoung quickly grabbed Jaehyun’s other arm and slung it around his neck. “Please come in! J-Jaehyunnie never came home like this before and I don’t really know what to do…”

The orange haired boy was surprised to see Taeyong leading the way to Jaehyun’s room and behaving as if it was his second home, though he prioritised Jaehyun’s wellbeing and briefly ignored it. He watched as Taeyong casually threw Jaehyun onto the bed and covered him with a blanket. 

He turned to look at Doyoung. “Let’s leave him here. Don’t bother waking him up; he won’t move anyway.”

They both walked out of the room, and Doyoung shut the door before speaking again. 

“Taeyong-ssi?” He asked, and continued when the other paid attention. “D-Did Jaehyunnie bring you here to replace me?”

Taeyong looked at the robot with a blank expression. “What do you mean by replace?”

“Did Jaehyunnie buy another robot because he didn’t like me enough after all?” Doyoung asked desperately, taking a deep breath. “If you are Jaehyunnie’s new perfect boyfriend, please take care of him well. Make sure to love him more than anything, but don’t display public affection often because it makes him uncomfortable. Please finish recharging by 8:30 so that you have enough time to prepare breakfast. Try avoiding eggs, Jaehyunnie doesn’t like-“

He was stopped by Taeyong’s hand that reached out and covered his mouth to halt his speech. 

“Hold up! This is a misunderstanding. I’m Jaehyun’s best friend, the one that lives in the apartment block nearby. Why would I replace you?”

Doyoung’s eyes drifted awkwardly between the white haired boy’s hand and face, and Taeyong rapidly pulled his hand away after decoding the meaning of the other’s stares. 

The robot took a deep breath to relax. “Jaehyunnie wasn’t very satisfied with my functions and traits since I was delivered to his house, even though he selected them himself. I thought that he would contact the company to report me as a defective model or get a refund…” 

“Functions? Model? Are you trying to tell me that you,” he pointed at Doyoung with a puzzled look on his face, “are a robot?”

Doyoung nodded. Taeyong’s eyes widened in shock. 

“And you thought that I was one because…?”

“Well…” the orange haired boy started unsurely, his system scanning Taeyong’s appearance thoroughly. “You’re the first person I’m seeing with a hair colour similarly unique to mine…”

Taeyong laughed lightly, and he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m actually a dancer. I decided to change my looks a little for an upcoming performance but that’s it.” 

Doyoung’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he quickly bowed in apology, muttering at least twenty things to show how remorse he felt because of the misunderstanding. Taeyong simply placed his hands on Doyoung’s shoulders and pulled him up.

“Don’t worry about it! I don’t know you as much as Jaehyun does, but you’re very smart and caring for a robot. I’m glad that the has someone who will put up with him no matter what.”

“Ah!” Doyoung exclaimed, suddenly remembering Jaehyun’s current predicament. “Is Jaehyunnie going to be all right? My system researched that alcohol is a very harmful and unhealthy depressant.” 

“Don’t worry about him. Apart from a small headache he’ll be doing just fine in the morning. Give him two painkillers and he’ll be good to go.” 

With that, Taeyong allowed Doyoung to him out with a friendly goodbye and a promise to meet again soon. 

When the apartment was once again drowning in silence, Doyoung entered Jaehyun’s room with careful footsteps to find the other sleeping comfortably and peacefully. He smiled, grabbing his hand and laying his head on Jaehyun’s blanket covered chest to listen to his steady heartbeat. 

“I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
 

Jaehyun woke up to three strange sensations: a pounding headache, an unsettled stomach and a tuft of dishevelled orange hair tickling his nostrils. 

He strongly pulled on the hair to bring it as far away from his face as possible, and heard a high pitched whine as soon as he tugged on it. 

“Jaehyunnie, this isn’t a nice feeling!” Doyoung cried, and Jaehyun’s face contorted in confusion. 

“Why were you in my room? Near my bed? Sleeping on me?” 

The orange haired robot was pushed away as Jaehyun slowly sat up, in pain and clutching his aching head. Doyoung left the questions unanswered and instead focused on picking up a bottle of water alongside the two tablets that he had previously prepared for Jaehyun’s headache. 

“Questions later!” He exclaimed as he unscrewed the bottle and passed it to the brown haired boy. “Swallow these first, Taeyong said that you’ll feel good afterwards!” 

Hearing his best friend’s name come out of the robot’s mouth made Jaehyun unintentionally release the bottle, causing water to spill all over the blanket and the white sheets. Doyoung gasped and quickly turned in the direction of the bathroom to get a towel. 

Jaehyun’s sudden tight grip around his wrist pulled him back, and the sharp tug made Doyoung turn around again. 

“Jaehyunnie, let me go, I’ll clean this u-“

“Shut up,” Jaehyun cut him off briefly. “and tell me why I heard you say my friend’s name.”

“Taeyong brought you here when you were intoxicated and told me how to look after you!” Doyoung explained, twisting his wrist out of the other’s tight grip but to no avail. 

Jaehyun clenched his teeth in fury. “You stupid robot! I told you clearly that you can’t open the door when I’m not here!” 

“Hey, don’t call me stupid,” Doyoung pouted. “Taeyong said that I’m very intelligent for a robot, and he called you the , Jaehyunnie.” 

The last traces of colour completely from Jaehyun’s now abnormally pale face. “Taeyong knows that you’re a robot!?” 

The orange haired boy nodded and the other swiftly threw his arm to the side, then kicked off the blankets and shrugged off his damp jacket. 

“I’ll have to explain everything to him because of your big ing mouth. And you,” he pointed at the confused robot. “will stay here. If you step out of the apartment for even a second, I’ll make sure that the company accepts my refund.” 

Two consecutive sounds of doors slamming followed soon, and Doyoung was left alone in the room. 

He silently pulled off the wet blankets, pillows and bedsheets to replace them with clean and dry ones when he found Jaehyun’s discarded jacket. Although he knew that Jaehyun would probably eviscerate him if he ever found out, he checked the pockets for any documents to save them from getting soaked through. Instead, he found an unlocked cellphone. 

Curiosity got the better of Doyoung and he soon searched the contacts with blurry eyes and shaking hands. 

He paused on Kun’s name and dialled the number, waiting anxiously until the beeps were replaced by the other robot’s soothing voice.

“Jaehyun? Is everything alright? You usually call Sicheng, not me.”

“Kun,” the other whispered. “Jaehyunnie said that he’ll return me.” 

The last things Doyoung heard before dropping the cellphone and adding even more moisture to the already drenched sheets were Sicheng’s promises of “ending the ” and Kun’s reassuring words telling him that they would arrive soon.
 

A / N : a silent return of sicheng, the swearing savage; to be continued in the next chapter (◡‿◡✿) 
i write satire well because my life is a joke, but angst? i'm sure it will come naturally after i see my tragic results. 

// p.s. who else got absolutely destroyed by exo's teaser? i'm an exo and nct loving piece of i apologise.

have a nice day; until next time! ☼ ♡