Jongdae liked company. He liked partying and being among people. He had no problem with alcohol (quite the opposite, actually, since he was one of those guys who just soaked up whiskey with a smile), and he liked partying at home, in bars or clubs. It wasn’t like he was desperate to fry his brain cells at every opportunity; but once in a while, partying was nice.

Still.

He looked around the mass of heads, glowing clothes, strobe lights and found that everything was blurry, lost under thick smoke. For one, he liked places where smoking was forbidden since the thick air gave him a headache. But everything else about this place was just as terrible. The was known for being shabby, the bottom of the barrel when it came to nightclubs in Seoul - though to be fair, most 24h clubs fell under that category. Everything screamed cheap - the furniture, the technology, the drinks, the people. Jongdae grimaced at the sticky feeling of his arm against the bar and wiped at it with a dry tissue. Cheap and dirty. Even normal folks like them should have more dignity than to hang out here, where Jongdae vaguely feared catching an STD just from sitting on the creaky chair. His friends were all over the place already and Jongdae had snuck off - though snuck off sounded way more subtle than he had been; Jongdae had openly left them, yelling how he’d get himself a drink. Now that he sat here, he wasn’t too sure whether he really wanted a drink, judging by how filthy just about everything looked. He ended up ordering a tap water – and instead of returning to his friends, he kept sitting there, vaguely nodding to the beat. Even the music was cheap and dirty. Aggressive beats, calling for people to rip off their clothes and forget about their audience. Jongdae slurped his water through a straw as he judgingly watched the crowd. No finesse at all. Maybe he should actually get drunk enough not to care anymore. But boy, he wasn’t sure he had enough money on him to get that drunk.

At that moment, someone clumsily tapped his shoulder and Jongdae turned around, his entire expression sinking when he realized that it was a stranger slipping into the seat next to him. Jongdae wasn’t above flirting with strangers, but this was the wrong place for it. The guy ignored his expression, leaned in just a little too close for comfort to half-purr, half-yell into his ear.

“Hey, babe.”

Jongdae was caught between cringing, and…not cringing. The stranger looked young and so handsome it was surreal. Even in the awful lighting, he could see smooth skin and wide, clear eyes that would have looked innocent if not for the thick brows adding maturity and determination to his expression. Jongdae certainly hadn’t seen anyone looking this sober ever since he had left the house earlier. Belatedly, caution kicked his metaphorically distracted self, telling him to be extra careful. If that guy was sober and hitting on him, chances were high that he was out for date (though the word date was about as misplaced in this club as table manners).

“I’m not interested,” Jongdae said, quick but not unfriendly. His gaze dropped down from his soft face to a leather jacket that looked as if it was about to fall apart, as well as a shirt that would probably reek if this place wasn’t so smoked out. The tattered clothes only confirmed Jongdae’s suspicions about this being a shady person.

“Maybe I can make you interested,” the stranger insisted, and even over the terrible noise of trashy music, Jongdae could hear how hard the other tried to sound seductive.

“I’m sure you can’t. Have fun-” he said, already getting to his feet when a hand grabbed his arm and Jongdae slapped at it, instinctively. That’s when he realized it. Or assumed it, for he shot the stranger a confused look, rubbing his fingers against each other. The other’s skin had been way too hard.

“You’re an android?”

The other didn’t even hesitate.

“Totally. You got a problem with that?”

Jongdae blinked. For one, androids didn’t talk like this. They were supposed to sound intellectual and far more superior than some thug at a bar. Because they were.

“I guess not? I’m still not interested though,” Jongdae hurried to clarify, his fingers clinging to the glass of cool water to chase away the sting. The android looked actually disappointed and it looked so real it was eery. At least the other’s surreal looks were explained now. That made the situation no less bizarre though. Jongdae had never seen an android run around freely at an establishment like this. They usually belonged to a company or human and acted as employees. Sure, they had a lot of sentient androids enjoying freedom, but disgusting clubs were not the kind of places intellectual beings would prefer to spend their free time at.

“It’s okay, take it easy. I’ll buy you a drink,” the android brushed him off with ridiculous confidence, and Jongdae got more and more puzzled.

“Why are you here?”

The android looked away from the bartender and at him, tilting his head as if he hadn’t quite understood him.

“Excuse me?”

“Shouldn’t you go home? This is not a good place for androids-” Jongdae began, only to get silenced by a finger on his lips. He didn’t even have the mind to feel harassed, for everything about this was just so strange.

“Don’t you worry about me, sweetheart,” he said, and it was so ridiculous that Jongdae actually snorted. This tiny android (really, he must’ve been shorter than him, and Jongdae was already considered a shortie) with wide eyes was hitting on him, sputtering the biggest nonsense with utter seriousness.

“This is not working on me,” Jongdae provided with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Are you being paid to entertain boring customers?”

The android was all up in his face again, hands down Jongdae’s back.

“I don’t think you’re boring,” he said, and it might have looked like an acceptable attempt at sounding , if not for the noise of the club forcing him to almost yell it. Jongdae was so far away from being that he only patted the android’s shoulder with a smile.

“You really should consider going home. There’s a lot of weirdos around here, and while you’re kinda one of them, you don’t deserve meeting a bad weirdo.”

The android still looked like he was the one speaking nonsense.

“But this is my home. Whatcha talking about?”

“This is your home?” Jongdae asked, absently slipping back into his seat. The android watched the movement and followed, taking the neighbouring seat again.

“Yeah.”

For some reason, Jongdae knew that this wasn’t a metaphor - granted, this android might be strange, but in general, androids moved on the literal, straightforward side of things.

“As in, you are here all day? Every day?” Jongdae asked, and the android looked rather unimpressed, which was the first time he reminded Jongdae of an actual android.

“That’s what the concept of home is, isn't it ?”

“But why? Do you belong to the club?”

“Nah, man. I’m my own entity,” the android waved him off, and Jongdae watched the gesture, shaking his head to focus on the matter at hand.

“So you’re homeless and afraid someone would catch you if you left?”

“Why would I leave? This is my home. I’ve always been here.”

“Always?” Jongdae asked sceptically. Maybe the poor thing got abandoned, he thought. The poor thing certainly didn’t look sad or pitiful though.

“Yeah. Woke up in one of the rooms in the back, and before my initial boot was done, people left. Think they were in a hurry, too. Well, I doubt they’ll ever come back, so whatevs.”

Jongdae looked at him and tried to process these news. This android had never known anything but this dirty, sleazy club and for some miraculous reasons, he hadn’t gotten himself abducted or killed yet. Or taken in by the officials, for that matter. Androids had to belong to someone so that someone could take responsibility. Nobody took responsibility for this one. Or cared for him for that matter. Even if the club tolerated him, no one seemed to have bothered buying him a new shirt in years.

Jongdae acted on impulse, the words tumbling out before he knew it.

“Wanna come home with me?”

To his surprise, the android seemed delighted.

“For real? No one’s ever offered me that. yes, I would.”

Before Jongdae could say another word, the android was all up in his face again, this time flat out groping his thigh as he leaned in close for what Jongdae assumed to be a kiss. He turned to the side and without much grace, pushing the other’s head away.

“Will you stop that, please?” he asked, looking around, a little embarrassed all of a sudden. No one was paying them attention though. The android didn’t try to kiss him again, but his hand was still splayed across his thigh.

“What now? I thought you wanted to take me home?”

“Not like that!” Jongdae spluttered, unable to resist giving the other a quick once over.

“Do you even know what that implication means? Like, can you even… do that?”

“Do what?” the android asked, and he seemed a little uncomfortable with where this was going. Well, that made two of them.

“You know,” Jongdae said vaguely, making a few gestures that meant nothing at all. “Have . Androids don’t really do that.”

To his surprise, the other looked discouraged. Jongdae had never seen so many emotions on an android’s face. Alright, maybe that wasn’t exactly true, but something about the other was so very off compared to other androids, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“So you won’t take me home,” he said. It was a statement, not a question.

“I thought you were happy here?” Jongdae asked suspiciously, and the other shrugged.

“Well, sure, but that’s what people do. They make out and take each other home,” the android said like he was explaining to Jongdae that the sky was blue. Which was ironic. Did this android even know the sky was blue?

“It’s the ultimate goal and I’ve just not been able to achieve it. But if I stop trying, then I’m obviously a failure when it comes to being part of society. Then again, I think that’s pretty obvious by now,” he ended, rolling his eyes again. Jongdae was still confused in so many ways and he knew he needed time to sort out his feelings and thoughts. But he just couldn’t let the android behind until that time came. Sure, he had survived to this day, but Jongdae had learned along the way that playing safe could turn against you and that some chances had to be taken asap, or else they’d never come back. So he got to his feet and gently grabbed the android’s arm.

“I’ll still take you home. Come on, before you catch some robot STD or something.”

“What’s an STD?” the android yelled over the noise as he pliantly followed him.

“I should have guessed no one has told you about that,” Jongdae mumbled to himself.

And just like this, he had made a very big decision in questionable circumstances. One that would change his life a lot.

Well, at least he’d been sober while doing it. Mostly.

The android was all but clawing into his back on their whole way to the subway station, and when they actually entered a close-to deserted train, Jongdae feared the little thing was going to combust. With his eyes wide open, he kept looking around, head whipping from right to left.

“It’s okay,” Jongdae said quietly, patting the hand that was painfully digging into his arm. “I do this all the time, it’s gonna be fine. Just transportation.”

The android didn’t react immediately, as if Jongdae’s voice was on a lower priority at the moment - which he wasn’t going to hold against him.

“Sure,” he finally said, sounding about as convincing as a freshly graduated guy advertising himself at a job interview. Jongdae wasn’t used to androids being this emotional. That is, he wasn’t used to being able to tell this easily. Most androids were perfectly independent entities, but they didn’t have a human body dictating their expressions, so why would they act them out in what they usually perceived to be a comically over-the-top way?

The only other passengers in their line of sight were two old ladies and a person drunk enough to be considered 90% passed out (his eyes were still open, though, so Jongdae wouldn’t vouch for it). He was pretty certain none of them suspected the guy next to him to be an android. Which reminded him…

“I haven’t even asked your name yet. I can’t believe I kidnapped someone who I don’t even know the name of.”

A split second passed before the android turned to look at him, and then confusion spread across his face. There was a certain delay, but Jongdae could hardly blame it on his android nature. Not when he sometimes stared at fallen food for close to five seconds before his brain even started to consider the ‘three seconds’ rule.

“Yeah? So? Isn’t that how it goes? No one cares about names, right?”

Jongdae sighed.

“You know, I feel like you might have gotten a few things wrong.”

“About what?” the android asked, his attention now fully focused on him. At least he wasn’t close to shaking anymore.

“About humans in general,” Jongdae said slowly, and the android tilted his head and raised his shoulders with a questioning expression - it looked very human. Oh, the irony.

The walk to Jongdae’s apartment complex was uneventful. He had expected to be bombarded with questions but it seemed like the android preferred to silently soak up his surroundings, so he let him be. When he punched in the code and entered the non-too glamorous but all-too-familiar place he called home, Jongdae felt like the night had lasted ten hours longer than it actually had. If he were alone, he might have not even bothered switching on the light, but he had a guest today, so he did.

“Welcome to my humble home,” he said, his voice adjusting to the loneliness of the place, which must’ve been a stark contrast to the android who only knew noise and flickering lights. He was standing in the doorway, scrutinizing the hallway in a way that made Jongdae self-conscious as fast as a long look from his grandmother.

“I know it’s a saying but my home really is humble, and maybe even that is a stretch. I hope you don’t mind. Just make yourself at home.”

Apartments in Seoul were ridiculously expensive, and this one was as good as it got, for someone of Jongdae’s caliber. It was rather narrow, most windows were rather small, some rooms like the bathroom had no windows at all and everything smelled a little dusty, though that was on Jongdae. Sometimes, when he shuffled into his apartment after a long day, he thought about how the slight scent of dust and the stale air reminded him of his workplace. Though here he could just open a few windows, while at his workplace he had to get by on the metallic, dry air that the conditioners tried so hard to filter.

He hung up his jacket and went to the living room, flipping off a switch and grabbing one of the stray pieces of chocolate off a shelf before proceeding to walk into the room, aiming for his bedroom.

“I’ll take a quick shower first - I smell worse than an ashtray. Do whatever you wan-”

He looked around to find the android still standing in the hallway, albeit in the middle of it. He didn’t seem inclined to actually move, content just standing there. Jongdae blinked and walked a few steps back towards him.

“Do you want a tour first?” he asked slowly, and the android looked at him like he was stupid.

“You want to have a concert in such a small place?”

Jongdae mirrored his expression for a second before it cleared into mild exasperation.

“I meant ‘do you want me to show you my apartment’?”

“We’re already in it. I can clearly see it,” the android countered, when his face lit up at another incoming thought.

“Unless... this is you asking for some y make out action. Sorry, I usually pick up on this stuff, and the shower statement should’ve tipped me off already. But you know I’m ready to drop-”

“Never mind,” Jongdae groaned, using both hands to wave and hoping to shut the android up before things could get weirder again. Yes, weirder.

“You don’t have to stay in the hallway is all I’m saying. Feel free to explore the apartment. It would be a bonus if you didn’t break anything and gave me some privacy in the bathroom,” Jongdae said in the voice of a man who had given up entirely. He simply grabbed some fresh clothes (and considered burning the ones he was wearing. He didn’t even know whether the smell of them was going to make him retch or get him high. It was one of his favourite shirts, too, and it did not deserve such treatment).

Now it was sort of a given that people had deep shower thoughts. At least Jongdae constantly read about people lamenting shower thoughts, from artistic ideas to deep and philosophical or absurd questions about life. It made Jongdae, who mainly thought about what he was going to do after the shower and - occasionally treating himself to some quick and clean self-loving - feel a little stupid. But maybe there was a certain efficiency in that, at least compared to questions about how a society with dinosaurs in it would work. This was not an ordinary shower, though. It was a sobering up shower. The tiny bit of rest alcohol was evaporating for good while he was all by himself under the steady, sterile bathroom light. So on top of the usual ‘what’s next?’, sobriety forced Jongdae to go through a clean re-cap first. And the results were quite messy. Why had he taken in a homeless android again? Androids were expensive to maintain, and this one was currently walking illegal grounds by not belonging to anyone. Was he committing a crime by housing an unregistered android? Could he just find someone to register him, or maybe even do it himself without consequences? What if the android didn’t want that? What would officials do with such a… social butterfly of an android? And really, Jongdae thought as he looked at nothing in particular while towelling his damp hair, why, of all abandoned androids, had he picked such a special snowflake?

He almost expected to find the android in a state of undress, waiting for Jongdae to finally drop his facade and get to the part. What he didn’t expect was for him to orderly sit on the couch, Jongdae’s modem sitting in his lap. He looked up when Jongdae entered, followed his gaze to the object perched on his thighs, and in an almost defensive voice, he said “I was careful. I don’t think I’m breaking it.”

Jongdae stared. For some reason, this guy made him look like the android out of the two.

“Yeah, no, it’s okay. Definitely won’t break. What are you doing though?”

“I’m sitting.”

“I noticed, but what are you doing with the modem?” Jongdae asked with a fresh wave of patience still damply clinging to his skin. It was faintly cherry-scented, just how he liked it. The android looked down at the blinking object with a new-found interest.

“That’s what it is? I had no idea.”

The way his fingers ran over the surface was almost reverent, and Jongdae felt like an idiot when he finally understood.

“You like it? Because it blinks and stuff? And has multiple colors?”

“Yeah,” the android admitted readily. “It’s pretty. Although it’s a bit annoying that I can’t seem to find a pattern in the blinking.”

“I’m pretty sure there is none,” Jongdae said as he padded into the kitchen with a yawn.

“Should I put it back?” he heard the other call from the living room.

“No, no. It’s okay. Just don’t switch it off, please, or my life’s independency level will sink by about 80%,” he replied, grabbing a chilled bottle of sparkling water.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Jongdae began, popping his head back into the living room, “that I’d have no internet.”

The android nodded knowingly and Jongdae moved on, ready to get things done so he could sleep. It was approaching two in the morning and there was no pressing need to stay up any longer.

“So, I was thinking about calling it a day for now. You sleep, too, don’t you? You must be exhausted as well.”

The android nodded. He looked a little lost in his ragged clothing, sitting on his couch and cradling the modem in his lap.

“I do sleep. Usually, I only do standby, though, because it’s risky to sleep among so many people. Wouldn’t want anyone to knock me over.”

Jongdae imagined an android in a packed club, looking like an apathetic drunk that was occasionally jostled around. And that was his idea of resting.

“Okay,” he said, more to himself than anything, swallowing all the questions he had. “Okay. I’ll get you some clean pajamas and you can take my bed for tonight. We’ll think of a better solution tomorrow.”

“Why, am I gonna stay for another night?” the android asked, and even he himself didn’t seem to know whether he was hopeful or unhappy about that idea. Jongdae hesitated.

“We’ll think of that tomorrow, too,” he said vaguely, “and also how to properly get you cleaned. No offense, but you kinda reek and I have no idea if androids shower.”

“I only know golden showers?”

“Stooop… talking, right there, before I rethink letting you in my bed,” Jongdae shuddered, pushing the android inside his bedroom, tossing a pair of old, but clean pajamas at him.

“I never said I did those… a lot.”

Jongdae shushed him and bustled around the bedroom to get whatever he might need in the morning while the android dressed with remarkable efficiency. Jongdae refused to think about why he was so practiced. By the time Jongdae stood by the door, one hand on the light switch, the android was already tucked in, the modem placed on the nightstand.

“I’m a little confused about almost everything,” the android admitted, and Jongdae nodded.

“Me too, man. Weird day. That’s why it’s time to sleep and hopefully process some of it. Want me to leave the door open?”

“Yeah. Silence is unsettling.”

Jongdae made a mental note to put together some music for the android (though he’d rather not have tacky club music blast through his apartment all night) and switched off the light. Just when he was about to leave, the android called out for him one more time.

“My name is Kyungsoo, by the way.”

“Oh. Okay,” Jongdae said, all out of intelligent responses.

“Figured that if everything’s upside down, you might wanna know my name, after all,” the android called Kyungsoo said.

“I do,” Jongdae assured him. “Or rather I did, because now I know. Goodnight, Kyungsoo.”

“Goodnight.”

Not too long after, Jongdae switched off all the lights and threw one last look at the curled up android who was facing the blinking modem. It was odd, but at least he didn’t have any regrets in that very moment.