Jongin hates Thursdays. He will never be able to voice his hatred for Thursdays enough.

He hates it because it's so close to the end of the week, yet so far from the weekend. He considers it the blue balling of the week. And frankly, if he could remove the entire day out of the week, he would.

Some Thursdays are better for him than others though, unlike today.

Jongin came home from work late. Usually he would be home by 5:30pm, but today he had a client yelling at him for an extra thirty minutes about how androids were incompetent and how they were stealing jobs from the deserving humans. Days like these aren't unusual, however. It's become a norm to complain about androids overrunning the work force. Although Jongin agreed that the production of androids did take away from the humans that needed jobs, he had to admit that they did a way better job of their work than most humans did.

His body ached, not from physical labor, but because he had not gotten used to the small cubicle that he was relocated to. Jongin is a tall man who needed space to stretch his arms and legs, but he couldn't complain. He pitied the interns who were stuck shoulder to shoulder in the back room that no one dared to go into. 

Jongin stumbled into his apartment, hastily closing and locking the door behind him. He shed his work jacket and quickly threw it to the couch, where he promptly collapsed and groaned in exhaustion. Today wasn't too bad, he tried to convince himself. At least he got the chance to talk to Baekhyun more often than he used to when he was a manager.

Just as he was about to get up to change into more comfortable clothes, he heard two small knocks at his door.

Who could it be? He wasn't expecting any company.

He lazily dragged himself off of the couch and over to the front door to look at the peephole.

Outside, he saw a chubby cheeked android with a cap on and a nametag on his left chest which proudly displayed 'Android: Kim Minseok'. Jongin straightened himself up and opened the door with a forced smile. With the whole android now in view, he realized that put off to the side was a tall, wood box on a moving dolly.

If Jongin was being honest, he had completely forgot that Baekhyun got him an android boyfriend for his birthday.

"Hello, I am Kim Minseok-032630 from Build-a-Boyfriend. You are Kim Jongin, I presume?"

Jongin nodded, eyeing the tall box. Minseok smiled with delight, "Congratulations on your new boyfriend! May I bring him in?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course."

The smaller android took the dolly and wheeled it into Jongin's living room, "As I unpack your product, I must state instructions for maintenence of your new boyfriend as it is protocol."

Jongin wasn't sure what to think, and it was all happening so fast. He watched the android unhook a hammer from his utility belt and begin to pull out nails at each corner of the front side of the box. The entire front panel of wood fell and landed against Minseok's hand with a satisfying smack. Jongin flinched as Minseok gently lowered the wood panel onto the floor.

If Minseok were human, Jongin was sure that his hand would be broken.

"First off, is this the product you requested?"

Jongin peered into the box, and sure enough, the android was the same beautiful figure he saw on screen back when he had first designed him. The android stood stiff and unblinking, but he looked as if he were a living being. He was dressed in his standard, white android clothing with the name tag 'Android: Do Kyungsoo'

"Yes, this is him. Thank you."

Minseok reached into the box and pulled Jongin's new boyfriend out, who still stayed stiff and unmoving. He set Kyungsoo in front of Jongin and cleaned up the box that he had disassembled.

"So, some basic things about your new boyfriend: for the first few days of operation, it will be your responsibility to spend time with him in order for the system's AI to adapt to your personality and ensure a long lasting relationship. The current product is essentially a blank slate for right now, but as you bond with him, he will begin to develop his own personality and sense of self."

 Jongin stared at Kyungsoo with wide eyes. He waved his hand in front of Kyungsoo's face and expected for the shorter, pale boy to flinch, but did not get a reaction.

"Your new boyfriend will be able to eat and drink like a regular human, but will not be able to digest it and will have to spit it out within a few hours. He will have a sleep schedule, known as the recharging period to androids, and will be expected to go to sleep at night. And lastly, if you are absent from your boyfriend at any point within the first few days, you must give them instructions or else they will shut off and go into a forced recharging period to prevent any damage to your product or your belongings."

"Is that really all I need to know? Is there no manual?"

Minseok finished putting the wood panel back onto the box and faced Jongin with his hands on his hips, "The android is self sufficient and will not have to be watched. If there are any problems with the product, you may send it back at any time."

The android put his and out towards Jongin, "Please scan your fingerprint to confirm that you have recieved your new boyfriend!"

Jongin reluctantly pressed his finger to the android's palm and pulled his hand away when he heard a 'ding' come from Minseok's mouth.

"Your free 6 month trial has begun! To activate your new companion, you must either hug or kiss him. In 6 months, I will be back to either negotiate means of payment, or retrieve your unwanted android. Thank you for shopping at Build-a-Boyfriend!" And as fast as he came in, Minseok left and closed the door behind him with a soft click, leaving Jongin speechless and not knowing what to do. It was so quiet, and he still stood in front of the shorter boy in awe.

Hug or kiss him to activate him? That sounds easy enough, but he feels weird about kissing something not human. In fact, the entire thing felt off to him. He admired the incredibly attractive features on his boyfriend's face and reached out to touch him. Does he even feel real?

To Jongin's surprise, the skin on the android was soft and warm. The chubby cheeks were a good choice, Jongin thinks to himself as he moved his hand to trace the boy's plush, heart shaped lips.

Jongin's heart skipped a beat. Everything about the android screamed 'I'm a human!'.

There was nothing else to do but activate him. Jongin hesitantly pulled the beautiful android into his arms, and he felt a soft stirring of the boy. He waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. He pulled away to see if he did something wrong and noticed that the android's eyes were now flickering from side to side. It was a little creepy, seeing as that was the only movement that the boy did. Nevertheless, Jongin mustered up the courage to plant a soft kiss onto his lips.

The android's lips were so soft against his.

Almost immediately, a small gasp escaped from the android's mouth, causing Jongin to jump back and scream and nearly knocking the android to the floor. The android stumbled and regained his balance, blinking hard and scanning the room before he laid his eyes on Jongin.

"Hello, Master. I am Do Kyungsoo-011227."

The voice was deep and velvety, and nothing that Jongin had expected coming from the incredibly feminine looking boy. It made Jongin's heart race, and he suddenly forgot how exhausted he was prior to the arrival of his new boyfriend.

Jongin inched closer in shock, "Uh, yeah no. You're not gonna call me master."

Why was that even the default? They weren't slaves, why was he calling Jongin his master?!

Kyungsoo blinked rapidly, still processing the environment around him, "What would you like me to call you, then?"

"Jongin."

"Registered. Your name is now Jongin. If you would like to change this at any point, please tell me."

Jongin was conflicted to say the least. Right in front of him is an exact replica of what a human is, and yet he had just watched someone unbox him like he were a toy! He didn't like the way they referred to him as a product, he was just too human-like for god's sake! Maybe going through with Baekhyun's reservation was a mistake.

It was awkward. So awkward, but Kyungsoo couldn't tell. This was probably the first time he's interacting with a human, afterall.

"So, um. Kyungsoo. How about a tour of my apartment?"

"That would be appreciated, Jongin."

Jongin shuddered at the sudden use of his name. Never in his life had he heard his name in such a monotone manner, but Kyungsoo was still robotic and Jongin was determined to change that.

He led his boyfriend through his 1 bedroom apartment. It had all the basics for a single person: one bathroom, one bedroom, one kitchen, and one living room. In any other case, Jongin would be embarrased by the mess that his apartment was in at the moment, but he was just still in shock. He took Kyungsoo to the living room and sat down, hoping to strike some sort of conversation.

"So Kyungsoo, tell me about yourself."

"I am able to do house work, such as cleaning, sewing, cooking, and more. I am also able to tend to your ual nee-"

"That's enough! I get it." Jongin pressed his hand to Kyungsoo's mouth, face heating up. Kyungsoo tilted his head in confusion.

Jongin didn't really wanna know the details of having with a robot just yet, he was still just trying to get used to even talking to him.

"If you wish not to participate in my ua-"

"We'll talk about that when we get to know each other better," Jongin cut Kyungsoo off and pulled his hand back.

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding, "I am able to understand you better the longer we spend time together."

"Okay, so is there anything you would like to do?"

"I don't know. What would you like to do?"

Jongin pinched the bridge of his nose. It felt like he was talking to a wall. He shrugged and glanced at Kyungsoo expectantly.

"If you would like to bond, may I suggest cooking or singing since you have chosen these specific traits as my strengths?"

Jongin gave Kyungsoo a slight smile, "Yeah, sure! I need to learn how to cook anyways, and it would be nice to help someone experienced with cooking." He stood up, but Kyungsoo still stay seated and looking up at Jongin with his pretty eyes.

"Why would you need to help me? I am here to serve you."

Jongin's smile disappeared and he furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't like the idea of having someone serve him like a trophy husband of some sort.

"You don't have to serve me, Kyungsoo. In a relationship, two people take care of each other together. You aren't a servant, not to me."

"Is that how you would like for our relationship to progress?"

Jongin huffed, hoping Kyungsoo didn't realize this as annoyance, "Yes."

"Noted. From now on, I will not serve you. However, I must ask for instructions for when you are absent for the next few days." For the first time, Kyungsoo smiled at Jongin. If Jongin weren't so in shock that he had just ordered himself an android boyfriend (although forcibly, courtesy of Baekhyun) he was sure he would have swooned. Kyungsoo is an attractive man- uh. Android? Boyfriend?

Kyungsoo is just attractive in general, Jongin concluded.

Jongin offered Kyungsoo his hand and pulled him up, "I'll worry about that later. Right now, I'm really hungry."

They both walked into the kitchen, and Jongin let Kyungsoo explore the fridge and pantry to see if there was anything they could make. Kyungsoo proposed that they make kimchi spaghetti. Jongin obliged, rummaging through the pantry for noodles and any spices they needed while Kyungsoo made himself busy with cutting vegetables. Jongin found a clean pot in a cupboard and filled it up with water, waiting for the water to boil.

"Do you need help with cutting those?" Jongin asked Kyungsoo, who was cutting something that looked to be some sort of pepper. Jongin didn't even remember buying it, but he didn't question where Kyungsoo got it anyway. Kyungsoo shook his head, still cutting the pepper into perfectly uniform slices.

"I would find it inconvenient if you were to injure yourself," he answered blandly.

Jongin hummed in acknowledgement, but wondered if the android really understood the concept of injuries. He returned to his pot, which now held water that bubbled violently. Grabbing the box of spaghetti noodles, he sloppily tore it open and dumped the contents into the pot. Jongin thought back bitterly to his past relationships as he watched the noodles sink into the water. Had he even cooked with Taemin before? Who was Jongin kidding, him and his ex had never even thought of moving in with each other!

"OW!"

Jongin jumped and nearly screamed again. He looked over to his boyfriend, who had put down the knife and observed a small slice on his index finger.

Do androids feel pain?

"Are you okay, Kyungsoo?! Do you need a band aid?" Jongin rushed over to the smaller man. The cut was minor, but a clear fluid began to bead at the corners of it. Without missing a beat, the smaller boy brought his finger up to his mouth and it as Jongin stared in awe.

The skin on his finger melded back together and looked like nothing happened at all.

Kyungsoo shifted his eyes back up at Jongin for a moment and Jongin swears that he saw amusement in his eyes.

"Jongin, the noodles."

On cue, Jongin whipped his head back and saw the water that he had been boiling began to bubble over.

"!"

He ran back over and turned off the heat, sighing in relief when the bubbles settled down and there was no damage to the countertop surrounding the pot. Behind him, he heard Kyungsoo let out a beautiful, deep laugh which made Jongin's face heat up. He turned back around and admired the boy, who now wore a wide smile and still laughed gleefully.

This isn't too bad, Jongin thinks to himself.

"Was that funny?" Jongin returned the laugh, enjoying the sight of not an android, but a beautiful boy with a beautiful laugh.

Kyungsoo stopped and his face phased into confusion. He glanced to the side and back into Jongin's eyes, "I don't know. I believe my program forced me to respond with laughter." Jongin's face fell and his stomach dropped. Right, this isn't a person. This is an android.

Jongin didn't respond and the two of them finished preparing the meal. They made two plates, and Jongin lazily tossed the pots and pans into the sink so that he could deal with them later. With two plates full of noodles in his hands, and two forks in Kyungsoo's, the went over to the dining table and set the table. Kyungsoo sat across from Jongin.

They didn't say a word. Kyungsoo sat almost as stiff as he was when he was first taken out of the box, and watched Jongin carefully.

Jongin couldn't lie, he was a little unnerved but the feelings of discomfort washed away as he scooped up a fork full of noodles into his mouth.

"Holy , this is really good!"

Jongin began to shovel more of the noodles into his mouth, chewing happily and relishing the combination of sour, sweet, and spicy on his tongue. He looked up at Kyungsoo, who observed him with curiosity in his eyes.

"I'm glad you enjoy it." Kyungsoo smiled for the third time today, and Jongin feels like he's talking to a boy once again.

"Why don't you eat?" Jongin urged Kyungsoo. The doe eyed boy tilted his head questioningly, "Would you like me to eat?"

"That's up to you, Kyungsoo. You're allowed to make your own choices."

Kyungsoo reluctantly picked up the fork and twirled it into the noodles before bringing it up to his mouth.

Jongin swears his heart melts when he sees Kyungsoo close his eyes and sigh in content. He wonders if androids even had the sense of taste.

"Is it good?" Jongin grinned, scraping up the last of his noodles and finishing them off. Kyungsoo swallows and brings his fork down to twirl more noodles onto it.

"I do...find it enjoyable," Kyungsoo gingerly slid the ball of twirled noodles into his mouth and chewed, "However, I will have to spit this out in approximately 2 to 3 hours."

"Oh right, you don't have a digestive system."

"If this makes you uncomfortable, I will no longer eat."

Jongin shook his head, "No! No, I want you to experience more things with me. That's like, 90% of the fun in a relationship, right?" Jongin noticed Kyungsoo's mouth twitch up into a half smile before he responded.

"Encouraged bonding with partner noted."

Jongin sighed in frustration, "So how long will it take for your personality to develop?"

"It varies and is completely dependent on how long you are willing to spend time with the product."

Jongin cringed at the use of 'product' when the android referred to himself. However, he ignored it and tried to keep the conversation going.

"So why don't we plan a date for the weekend? We can start planning when I get home from work tommorow."

"Would you like that?"

Jongin got up from his chair and took his and Kyungsoo's dirty dishes over to the sink, "I wouldn't mind it, but I would like your input." He put the dishes on top of the pots and pans, then walked back over to the table.

He could always do them later.

Kyungsoo puts his arms on the table and blinks hard. Jongin notices that he does this when he is deep in thought.

"I Would find it beneficial to understand you better."

Beneficial.

Kyungsoo would find it beneficial. Not 'I would love to go on a date!' or 'I think it would be fun!'

No, Kyungsoo finds that it would be beneficial to go on a date. Despite Jongin's distaste for the conversations that obviously lacked in personality, or even just interest, Jongin pushes through and simply manages to say "Okay."

The two get ready for bed. Jongin handed Kyungsoo a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt he no longer wears, and he continued on with his nightly routine while Kyungsoo went into the bathroom to spit up the dinner that he had eaten. Jongin agrees that it was a waste of food, but he decides that it was okay since it's for the sake of Kyungsoo's experience with the world.

When the both of them are done, Jongin still isn't sure how the rooming situation was going to work. He settles on Kyungsoo getting the bed, because he feels like he should still be treated with respect like a human. Jongin would be sleeping on the couch for now. With Kyungsoo now tucked into bed, Jongin left the room and closed the door before heading to the couch and finally, like he did before, collapsing on it with exhaustion. He looked up at the ceiling, finally able to process what had just happened.

There were mixed feelings that remained in the pit of his stomach. On one hand, Kyungsoo was definitely attractive and had a wide range of things that he could do, but on the other hand, something irked Jongin about the entire process. Kyungsoo was definitely something resembling human, but his speech patterns told him otherwise. 

He decided that he should just go to sleep before he stays up thinking about it. He figured that everything was fine.

Everything, was in fact, not fine.

Jongin felt a small hand prod at his ribs, waking him up from a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kyungsoo looking down at him with a distressed expression on his face. Jongin immediately sat up and blinked away the sleep from his eyes and glanced to a clock hangin on the wall. It read 1:44am.

"I'm sorry to disturb your sleep, but I am unable to recharge."

Jongin's head felt muggy but he still managed to slur, "What's wrong? You just can't sleep?"

"I'm not sure. But something in my program urged me to wake you up to fix it."

Jongin huffed, and ran his fingers through his hair. Androids were supposed to be low maintenence!

"That's kind of annoying..."

Kyungsoo's expression fell from distressed, back to a blank poker face.

 "I'm extremely sorry for your dissatisfaction with the product. I urge you to please send me back to Build-a-Boyfriend if at any point you find me troublesome."

Jongin, now more aware of his surroundings, stood up and gave Kyungsoo an intense stare and furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't believe his ears, was he really asking Jongin to send him back? He just got him!

"No. No, I'm not gonna send you back. I just said it's annoying!"

The doe eyed boy stared back in confusion, "Jongin, I am unable to recharge and you have found me unsatisfactory. Please send me back if you do not enjoy my service."

"Please stop referring to yourself as a product! Or android. Or any of that. From now on, you are simply Do Kyungsoo and you're Kim Jongin's boyfriend. Got it?"

Kyungsoo blinked hard, and his mouth twitched up once again, "Registered. I am Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin's boyfriend."

The two stood in silence as Jongin searched Kyungsoo's eyes for anything, any expression, any sign of a human. A glimmer of hope washed through Jongin when he saw Kyungsoo blink. But ultimately, he saw nothing.

Nothing.

Jongin sighed in disappointment, "Would you like me to sleep with you?"

This time, making Jongin smile giddly, Kyungsoo responded, "Yes."

That was the first time Kyungsoo gave a definite answer! Maybe there is a chance that this relationship would work!

They both went back into the bedroom. Jongin jumped into bed, making the bed creak as it adjested to Jongin's weight. Kyungsoo stood at the other side of the bed, only watching Jongin tuck himself in and wrap himself in the thick, white comforter.

"It's okay, you can get into bed with me."

Kyungsoo hopped onto the bed, mimicking Jongin.

Jongin laughed in amusement as the smaller boy took part of the shared blanket and wrapped himself with it closer to Jongin.

It was warm.

Jongin moved onto his side, and closed his eyes.

He can't sleep. He felt Kyungsoo's eyes burning holes onto the back of his head with how intensely he was staring. Jongin turned back around to look at Kyungsoo.

"Is there anything else you need, Kyungsoo?"

Kyungsoo bit his lip, and his eyes shifted away. Was he feeling nervous right now?

"I was wondering what it felt like to be cuddled."

Jongin chuckled at the vulnerable looking boy who peered into Jongin's eyes in a shy manner.

"Would you like me to cuddle with you?"

It was almost like those words caused a switch in Kyungsoo's demanor. The smaller boy shrunk back and looked away.

"...yes please..."

Jongin's heart skipped a beat. He was finally making progress!

He felt his stomach fill with butterflies. He hadn't felt like this since he had confessed to his first love in middle school. Nonetheless, he pulled Kyungsoo into his arms and snuggled close to him. He felt his boyfriend wrap his arms around his neck and sighed with content.

Jongin knew that Kyungsoo was asleep when he heard snores. It was oddly comforting, and for once, he didn't feel alone.

Within a few minutes, Jongin let himself close his eyes and drift into a deep sleep, not letting Kyungsoo go.