Aircon Problem

Pairing: Xiumin & Chen

Rating: PG

Summary: Chen wants his roommate to sleep peacefully. 

Fact: Xiumin and Chen are roommates.

“Minseok hyung, I’ve prepared supper for you.”

Jongdae strolled over to the door upon seeing Minseok enter the room. He handed over a face towel that he prepared and voluntarily carried his roommate’s belongings. Minseok muttered a quick ‘thanks’ before walking farther into the room, hands fanning himself.

“It’s so hot,” Minseok said, exhaustion plastered on his face. Just a look at him, anyone would know that he had just ended soccer practice. His jersey was glued to his chest, and his chestnut brown hair stuck to his forehead—sweat. He then proceeded to sit in front of a desk fan and adjust the speed to its maximum.

Jongdae—on the other hand—was arranging his roommate’s soccer boots on the shoe rack. Minseok was always petty when it comes to being tidy. In fact, the entire room had been spotless, partly due to his roommate’s love and dedication to clean and organise the room in a presentable manner.

“You can leave it there, Jongdae,” Minseok said from afar. It was no longer his original voice, instead, replaced with a robotic tune as he lips were inches away from the fan.

“It’s okay, hyung. I can do it for you,” came Jongdae’s reply. In fact, Jongdae had been used to tidying the room which stemmed from the elder’s habit. When they first met, Minseok would always be full of nags: “you need to do your bed the first thing in the morning; don’t leave dirty clothes on your bed; wash the dishes as quick as possible if not they will stink.” It took Jongdae a whole year to fully comprehend and understand his roommate. Deep down, he knew it was for his own good, hence, he acted accordingly and never complained.

As the months flew passed, Jongdae was grateful for heeding his elder’s advice. Even the roommates who lived next door was in awe because of it being so immaculate that they would even want to exchange rooms. Soon, the XiuChen room became dormitory goals which were constantly praised by other roommates.

Jongdae—who was then in the kitchen—scooped some ice cubes and poured Pocari Sweat into Minseok’s favourite blue mug. He sauntered to where his elder sat, and handed the beverage over when he was within an arm’s length.

“Thanks Jongdae.”

“Hyung, you need me to turn on the aircon?” Jongdae asked. Up this close, he could discern sweat on Minseok’s forehead which never seemed to dry even with the intense winds. This bothered him because the weather was alarmingly hot that day. Without proper hydration, he was sure that the elder would fall sick, and he didn’t want that.

“It’s okay.” Minseok slurped the beverage down his throat, feeling refreshed. “I will go and shower first. I can turn it on later.” Though he appreciated the latter’s kind gestures, he felt a little guilty; Jongdae had done so much for him already. Minseok chugged the mug of Pocari Sweat and washed the utensil afterwards. “Thanks again,” he said, and touched his roommate’s shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom.

While Minseok was showering, Jongdae remembered how uncomfortable his roommate was when he arrived. Ultimately, he decided to ignore Minseok’s opinion and the air-conditioner. With the controller, he set it slightly cooler than room temperature as he didn’t want the elder to catch a cold upon stepping out of the shower.

With nothing else left to do, Jongdae went to his desk and resumed his homework. Apparently, Jongdae’s Literature Professor allotted six essays—all due tomorrow. He had everything completed, except for one final essay. Sighing, Jongdae started to type out his introductory paragraph on his laptop.

It had been fifteen minutes and Minseok was still in the shower. Well, not exactly showering, instead, he had been scrubbing the ceramic tiles with soap. There was some dirt in between the tiles which irked him a little. Though he was utterly tired, he always had a kernel of energy left for cleaning. When he felt satisfied with the results, he let the cold water pelt against his body and afterwards dried himself.

One would think that Minseok was finally done, but nope. This time around, he pulled open the cabinet and started his usual nighttime routine. Layering skincare products on top of his delicate skin, he needed to prepare himself