Chapter Text
Renjun smoothed out his dress shirt, feeling the material brush against his fingers as the white fabric straightened out. He had mind to wonder why his parents had called him into their office. Perhaps it was another event where they wished for him to make an appearance. Renjun wasn’t too fond of those. The air was often too stuffy, his suit too hot, and he had to force a perfect smile on his face and act as if his opinions hadn’t differ from those he was speaking to. Renjun tried to not let the thought sour his mood, letting out a quiet sigh as he reached for the doorknob.
Renjun entered the room carefully, eyeing his parents where his father sat at his desk, his wife stood beside him.
“Mother, Father,” Renjun nodded towards his parents in greeting, walking towards the pair when his mother lightly gestured for Renjun to come over, “You had called for me?”
“Take a seat, Renjun,” His father had spoken up that time around. Renjun pushed his worry to the pit of his gut, moving to take a seat across from his father.
“You may come in now.”
Renjun looked at his mother who had just spoken, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Who-?”
He stopped his question there, twisting his head upon hearing the side door open. Renjun watched as a boy seemingly around his age entered, closing the door behind him with ease as if he had prepared so, practicing hundreds of times beforehand. The boy hadn’t given even a single glance towards Renjun, his eyes cold as his hands were held behind his back. Renjun turned his attention back towards his mother as she began speaking, her chin raised up high.
“Renjun, this is Jeno. He’s the lastest D-NCT042300 model, and he’ll be acting as your guardian. He can help with numerous tasks, and he’ll be monitoring over you to make sure you are constantly safe.”
Renjun’s jaw wanted to drop from his skull’s structure. Out of all things Renjun had been expected, a hunk of scrap metal having to follow him around was not on his list.
“Are you serious? He’s a robot .”
“He’s an android, Renjun.” His father cut him off sternly, “And the best of his kind. You are a Huang. One of the heirs to our company as well as a member of one of the wealthiest families known. Jeno will become a good addition to your life.”
Renjun felt himself sink into his chair, deciding that he no longer cared whether he was keeping a good posture or not despite feeling his mother’s glare pierce through his ribs. His lips stretched out into a thin line, “Does Sicheng have one?”
His father shook his head.
“Your brother is a grown man and unlike you, he accepts the bodyguards we have provided for him.”
Renjun sunk further into his seat, mumbling under his breath, “I’m a grown man too.”
“Don’t be stubborn. You’re still a teenager, Renjun. We don’t want you to make any rash decisions. Now, do you have any questions before you are dismissed?”
“No. I think I’ve heard enough here.” Renjun scoffed out. Sitting up, he took a quick look at ‘ Jeno ’, narrowing his eyes at the android. To his disappointment, the boy returned no visible reaction before Renjun had abruptly stood up and turned to march out of the room. He was allowed two... three... four steps away from the chair before his parents called him back.
Renjun froze in his spot for a moment— contemplating the idea of simply storming out of the room, but decided against the action last minute— groaning as he turned around, Renjun dragged his feet back towards his parents.
“What?” The boy grumbled out as he refused to make eye contact with his parents.
“Bring Jeno with you, Renjun.”
Renjun kept his hard gaze as he brought his eyes off the floor, bringing his glare towards Jeno whose irises seem to see right past him like a wall of glass. His eyes were blank and unfocused, the feeling of Uncanny Valley threatened to crawl up Renjun’s skin.
“ Fine .” Renjun barked out, his voice laced with poison as he reached for Jeno’s hand.
However, he hadn’t expected the android to be so… warm?
Jeno hadn’t felt like touching cold hard metal as Renjun would’ve expected from the boy. On the contrary, his hands felt soft— human. If his parents hadn’t said anything, Renjun might’ve even believed that Jeno was just another one of your run-of-the-mill average teenage boy.
Renjun was pulled out of his daze the moment Jeno’s eyes flashed, light piercing through from behind his synthetic eyes. He shook any strange thoughts from his head as he replaced his shocked expression for a bitter scowl in its place. Renjun pulled the boy forward, and the android followed without resistance, allowing the small boy to stomp out of the office with their hands intertwined. Their footsteps echoed as Renjun yanked the android across the empty halls. He released his tight grip from the android in order to pull out his key card from his wallet, scanning the card to his bedroom’s door before he hazardly pushed the door open, seeing as the lights flickered on.
“Come on.” Renjun hissed through his clenched teeth, grabbing Jeno’s wrist to tug the boy into his room. Renjun listened as the door shut behind the android, the entrance letting out a soft noise to inform Renjun that it had automatically locked itself.
Renjun sighed as he pulled Jeno further into his bedroom, pushing the android to sit upon his queen-sized bed, “Just… Stay there for a second, okay? I need a moment.”
Jeno nodded as he sat politely, no further movement coming from the android.
Renjun turned away from him, taking a couple steps away from his own bed.
“An android… My parents got me a fucking android…” Renjun groaned out, pushing his hands against his face before he drew his hands away, taking deep breaths as he ran his fingers through his hair. Renjun wanted to scream— he wanted to let everyone know how frustrated he was with the situation, let his cries be known to the whole world. He wanted to bang his head across his pure ivory walls and never wake up.
But he didn’t.
Instead the boy let his breaths fill the room, feeling as the AC’s air blew gently at his skin. Renjun sighed one last time before he walked towards his desk, plopping himself onto his chair as it wheeled a couple feet away from its original position due to the sheer amount of force Renjun threw upon it. Renjun rolled himself back to his desk, reaching for his book bag, the small boy pulled out an old sketchbook Jaemin had gifted to him that previous year for his birthday. He opened to the latest page where he had been doodling moomins upon the thick sheets. Renjun leaned over to grab a black pen from a mug that had sat upon his desk. He uncapped the pen with grace, delicately balancing it between his fingers as he began running the dark ink over the page of his sketchbook.
Renjun allowed the silence to fall over him like a comfortable blanket, nothing but the light ticking of the clock and his soft breathing is heard. Renjun would’ve completely forgotten about the other entity that he left on his bed— if he hadn’t spoken up, of course.
“Did I do something you aren’t pleased about?”
Renjun paused his movement for a second before dropping his pen. He twisted his chair to the side, turning to face the android who— hadn’t moved from where Renjun had left him— gazed back at him carefully. Renjun opened his mouth, completely and absolutely prepared to answer “yes”, but his mouth shut as quickly as it had opened. The words that he had planned to say left his system, balled up at his gut and dissipated before they had the chance to leave his lips. Jeno’s face was still relatively blank, but Renjun noticed small things. The way his lips were just the littlest bit turned downwards or the small furrow of his eyebrows. With his new discovery, he felt guilty as Jeno continued to voice out words.
“Do you hate me?” Jeno tilted his head as if he was genuinely confused. Maybe Renjun was placing too many unsolvable variables into the android’s systems, unknowingly causing his network to fail. Or maybe that wasn’t possible. Maybe Jeno was just placing an illusion of human expression across his face, a deception programmed to draw people in.
Renjun wouldn’t know.
What he did know, however, was an illusion or not, it was getting to him. He felt bad, curling his hands into fists upon his lap, Renjun heard himself sigh. The boy leaned back into his chair, running one hand through his hair as he glanced to the side in order to stare into his empty walls for a moment.
“Look I-” Renjun looked back towards the android who only blinked at him in return. “I don’t hate you.”
Renjun watched as the android’s eyes seemed to light up, a radiant gleam tracing his irises in a circle before sparkling away. Jeno’s back straightened up, his furrowed eyebrows and downturned lip replaced with a neutral face and the lightest tilt of his head.
“I’m not happy with our situation either though.” Renjun sighed, “I really don’t like the thought of having you follow me everywhere.”
Renjun clicked his tongue before he twisted his chair back towards his desk. The boy leaned forward, grabbing the pen that laid upon his sketchbook before capping it closed, returning it back to its original spot in his carefully positioned mug.
“I-“
Renjun paused upon hearing the android’s voice, his fingertips still ghosting over the bottom of the pen.
“I can’t claim that I won’t be by your side more often than not. I was given a command by your parents, and I cannot go against their expectations.” The android voiced out calmly and clearly, not a single sign of apprehensive can be heard through his voice.
Yet, it was nice.
Low and charming in its own way.
Renjun slowly turned around, a delicate action as his eyes matched with Jeno’s, the android stared back at Renjun with a sense of something Renjun couldn’t quite pinpoint swimming in his eyes. However, it was peaceful, almost reassuring in a way. Renjun couldn’t exactly tell you in vivid detail.
How could he if he’s barely got anything figured out himself?
“I’ll try to make you comfortable to the best of my ability. I will respect your boundaries, Renjun.”
Renjun felt his throat go dry, but he tried to swallow his breath down anyways. He pushed his chair towards his bed til the wheels softly crashed into the edge. Renjun leaned forward, his chest pressed gently onto the mattress as he rested his head on his arms.
“...How about you?” Renjun asked, his voice quiet yet Jeno had still managed to hear.
“What do you mean?”
“Is there anything I should know about you? Any rules? Do I have to like... charge you? Replace your batteries? Are you gonna go apeshit crazy for blood like all the robots in those sci-fi movies or-?” Renjun lifted his head up, rising slightly while using one of his hands to gesture along with his words.
Jeno’s eyes flashed once more (they seem to do that often) before he spun out a reply.
“I have multiple rules programmed into my code. Yes, you have to charge me. And no, I cannot go…” Jeno tilted his head, seeming to ponder for a moment, “ Apeshit crazy ? It’s against my laws. I cannot go against a command given let alone injure or place a human in harm.”
Renjun stared back at Jeno, the other only blinked once again.
“...Did I say something wrong?”
At that Renjun sputtered before letting out an abrupt cackle that was hiding at the back of his throat. The boy giggled, flopped himself back onto his bed as genuine laughs fell from his lips.
“Holy shit.” Renjun caught his own breath, gasping for a second as his grin refused to fall from his face. Renjun looked up towards the android, a new expression on Jeno’s face that clearly marked his confusion, “You actually said apeshit crazy . That’s so weird. It doesn’t match up with the rest of your tone or words.”
The slight downturned curve of Jeno’s lips reinstated itself to the android’s face, and Renjun felt his own smile begin to fumble.
Had he said something wrong?
“Sorry, I’ll refrain from using that type of language.” Jeno had said, the sentence causing Renjun’s face to contour up in puzzlement. His head took a moment to comprehend the words.
“...Oh! No, you got it wrong! I like it!” Renjun paused, the feeling in his cheeks threatening to heat up as he repeated, “I like it. I prefer it that way rather than you sounding so formal. It was just funny when you say it with such a straight face.”
Jeno seemed to process for a second before he nodded, “Okay, I’ll try to make my words not so formal? I’ll be more… chill from now on.”
Renjun laughed again, the noise echoed throughout his room.
“You still say it with a straight face. It doesn’t really work out but…” Renjun allowed himself to smile at the android, “You’ll get the hang of it.”
At that moment, Renjun decided, yeah, maybe he was stuck with an android.
But at least that android was Jeno. An android who knew how to look confused, wanted to make sure Renjun was comfortable, and repeated words like apeshit crazy. It sparked a sense of curiosity within Renjun, like a child with a new toy. He wanted to know what else he could draw out of the android.
And just maybe.
Renjun could make do.
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Injunie
So yeah Ig I have an android now??
Nana
Cool but is he hot
Injunie
JAEMIN
Hyuck
Jaem is just asking the true questions here ;P
Injunie
I fucking hate you two I’m going to sleep
Hyuck
don’t have too much fun <3
Injunie
Fuck off
◇▢□▫▣▫□▢◇
Per usual, Renjun awoken to the loud blaring of the alarm set on his phone. The boy groaned as he reached over to grab the device from his bedside table, unplugging it from its cord as he checked the time. The numbers 7:10 stared back at him, and Renjun was forced to squint at his phone from the sheer brightness of his screen. He let out another groan as he rose from his sheets. Renjun noticed his room seemed a bit cleaner than usual, out of the ordinary, but he hadn’t thought much about it after. The boy simply got up begrudgingly before making his way towards his washroom.
As Renjun walked out of his room, his uniform lazily tucked into his pants, tie hung loosely around his neck, and backpack weighing on his shoulders, a savoury aroma that filled the air finally hit him like a rough punch to the gut once he set foot into his kitchen. Renjun felt his own mouth begin to water, and he swallowed before he could have the chance to drool. He took a look upon the counter to see a dish, the entree carefully positioned upon the ceramic. As Renjun’s eyes strayed away from the counter, they caught the culprit who must’ve prepared the breakfast. His hands were scrubbing away at a pan over the sink, water flowing down onto his hands gently.
“Jeno? How long have you been here?” Renjun questioned as he walked towards a stool that faced the counter, sliding his bag onto the floor before pushing himself up into the seat. He placed his arms on the countertop, leaning his chin upon his palms as his eyes laid on the back of the android’s head.
Jeno twisted his head, his face was still blank per usual, “Not long. Did you just wake up?” Jeno answered before quickly retracting his attention back to the pan. Renjun made a noise of affirmation before he watched silently as the android washed the soapy suds from the pan before storing it to its typical spot. Jeno wiped his hands dry before he looked back at Renjun who only tilted his head towards the plate on the table.
“Is that mine or…?” Renjun pointed towards the dish, reaching for it the moment Jeno nodded, “Eggs on toast, Nice.”
“Is that okay? I know it’s not much.” Jeno replied before he walked towards the counter, resting his arms upon the opposite side to Renjun. Renjun nodded as he took a bite from the corner. The boy perked up, making a noise of contentment in the process.
“It’s good!” Renjun hummed out before leaning in for another bite.
“I’m glad.” Jeno finally made his way around towards the only other boy in the room, taking a seat beside him.
“Renjun,” Jeno seemed to hesitate— if androids were even allowed to hesitate— before continuing his statement, “I’ll be driving you to school from now on. I’m also gonna accompany you throughout the day.”
Renjun paused his chewing for a second, before looking back at the android. Renjun would argue that in such a short amount of time, Jeno’s eyes quickly changed in some sort of way. Renjun wouldn’t be able to say how exactly, but they didn’t seem as unfocused as Renjun could recall. It felt more as if Jeno was looking at him rather than right through him. So, even if a part of him wanted to, he couldn’t get frustrated with the android. Jeno was as stuck in the situation as he was. So, Renjun only sighed before nodding.
“Okay.”
Renjun had already taken his last bite as Jeno picked up his plate from the counter and brought it over towards the sink. The android washed the single plate as Renjun stepped off of the stool and began reaching towards his backpack. Jeno made his way back to him, glancing down at the boy the moment he stood directly in front of him.
“Do you want me to carry that?” Jeno questioned. Renjun made a face of confusion before he followed Jeno’s gaze down to his hands which were wrapped around the straps of his backpack. Renjun looked back at the android before he swung his backpack over his shoulders.
Renjun shook his head before he spoke, “It’s fine. Let’s go?” Jeno seemed to process Renjun’s words before he nodded. The boy turned away from Renjun as he made his way towards the key rack, grabbing at one of the multiple keys that hung upon the hooks. Renjun stayed silent as the pair walked to the car.
The ride was less than thrilling— the two sat in relative silence the whole drive. Renjun would argue that it was unfair on his part. Jeno wasn’t affected by the slightly tensed quiet, but Renjun shifted in his seat, unaware of if he should speak up or simply continue to watch as the scenery passed by his window.
After some thought Renjun settled with the latter.
Upon arriving, Jeno opened one of the side compartments before pulling out a plain black lanyard with what appeared to be an ID of sorts at the end. The android carefully threw the lanyard over his head, allowing it to rest around his neck before looking back at Renjun.
“Ready to go?” Jeno asked gently.
Renjun replied with a simple nod which Jeno returned before the two began to exit the vehicle. Jeno locked the car, stuffing the keys into his pocket as he walked over to Renjun, who waited for Jeno without much thought. As Renjun walked beside Jeno, he began to notice more. The android scanned the area with care, his eyes were narrowed and his irises held an assertive look. Renjun walked with his usual stance, an aura that surrounded him alone from being— well to put it plainly, a Huang. Regardless of being in a school surrounded by only the richest and strongest families— Renjun was still placed above them all.
He was never too fond of that proposition.
Despite all the advantages that came along with it.
The title felt lonely and tedious at times.
Yet, even then, Renjun felt the extra amount of eyes on him. Of course, there were always eyes on him— always exceptions that Renjun would feel pressured to keep up with. They wouldn’t ever go away, and Renjun learned that fact from a very young age. Just the same, Renjun had learned to be observant— learned body language like it was the back of his hand. He knew how a person was feeling merely from a quick glance, and Renjun was dangerous in that sense.
He was aware.
So naturally, at that very moment he was aware of the way people were looking. Only this time, the extra eyes were not upon him, but rather Jeno . Jeno who walked beside him with a menacing gaze in his expression. Renjun had firstly concluded that it must’ve been because of the threatening presence the android had forcefully pushed out, followed by the idea that it might’ve been because he was walking with Renjun. Renjun who was elegant and intimidating— who only allowed Jaemin or Donghyuck close. But on closer inspection, those eyes that followed the two throughout the halls weren’t that of fear or doubt, but rather— infatuation ? This was only confirmed when Jeno had glanced over to a small group of three girls whispering to each other, only for each of them to flush a soft pink with their eyes widened at Jeno’s one-second attention. Renjun wanted to scoff.
Still, something about it bugged Renjun, pushed his buttons in the wrong way— just a single time. Even then, a single time was more than enough for Renjun. He pushed himself closer to the android and looped an arm around the boy’s arm. Renjun looked forward plainly as he’s reminded about how warm the android was, feeling Jeno’s heat through a layer of fabric between their skin. If it had affected Renjun, the boy refused to show any signs.
“Renjun?”
Renjun brought his eyes over to Jeno, who— drastically different from his earlier glare— looked at Renjun gently. Renjun would might even play around with the thought and say that concern played across Jeno’s face, but of course he wouldn’t ever admit that aloud.
“Is something bothering you?” Jeno questioned, prompting Renjun to shake his head in denial. Jeno’s eyes narrowed once more as he scanned their environment.
“I just wanted to hold on, okay? Stop looking like you want to kill someone. I thought we already discussed you not going blood-crazy.”
“I’m not going blo-“
“Well then come on!” Renjun groaned out as tugged at Jeno’s arm, pulling him through the halls similar to the way he had the night before.
Like the night before, Jeno followed along with little to no hesitation.
Renjun and Jeno walked into the classroom, eyes followed the two as Renjun sat on a seat to the side, Jeno choosing to take a seat behind the boy. Renjun sighed as he pulled out a pencil and his notes, grateful when their professor walked into the room at the same moment. Now was the moment to focus on his studies. No troubles were allowed to enter Renjun’s head.
Not even Jeno, a warm android who laid his eyes ever so softly on Renjun.
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Lunch came sooner than later.
Renjun found himself already exhausted with the day. Too many eyes on him— too many eyes on Jeno. Renjun constantly felt irked, that arm that looped around Jeno’s stopped reassuring him after a while. Reassuring him from what? Renjun himself isn’t even quite sure anymore. The looks? The new forms of judgement? What felt like fangirls cooing over an idol? Maybe. Or maybe not. Renjun only sighed as he swung his backpack over his shoulder, walking out of his classroom with Jeno following close behind. Renjun was allowed one step out of the room before-
“JUNNIE!”
Renjun snapped his head to the left only to see his overly cheerful (see: annoying!) friend run towards him, his calmer friend slowly trailing behind. Renjun rolled his eyes as his best friend threw himself at him, causing the small boy to stumble back a couple steps.
“Hyuck-” Renjun had groaned out, but naturally swung an arm around his best friend anyways. At once, Renjun felt the way Jeno’s eyes laid on the two carefully— analyzing. Jeno’s eyebrows furrowed as he took a step towards the two, pushing Renjun to speak up.
“These are my friends. It’s okay, Jeno.” Renjun assured as he pulled away from Donghyuck who looked towards the android, glancing over his build once before a mischievous grin grew across his cheeks.
“Oh. This is Jeno?” Donghyuck unlatched himself from Renjun the same moment Jaemin had finally caught up, choosing to stand beside Renjun, “Hi, Jeno! Lee Donghyuck, nice to meet you!”
Donghyuck stuck a hand out which caused Jeno to slowly drag his eyes down Donghyuck’s arm, ending at his hand. Jeno stood there idly before his eyes lit up for a moment.
“Nice to meet you too, Donghyuck.” Jeno stuck out his hand, encasing Donghyuck’s in his own. The android shoke Donghyuck’s hand firmly.
“Oh! Renjun,” Donghyuck twisted his head around without letting go of Jeno’s hand, that grin still across his face, “he’s strong. Deep voice too. I see you, Jun.”
Renjun almost choked.
“Donghyuck! You-!” Renjun grabbed onto Donghyuck’s arm, dragging him away from Jeno who only seemed lost with the situation, “I really hate you sometimes, you know? Let’s just head to lunch, stop being annoying, Hyuck.”
To no one’s surprise, Donghyuck continued teasing Renjun while asking Jeno questions the android seemed unable to comprehend.
When the four of them sat at a table, Donghyuck stuffed himself beside Renjun, causing the android to sit with Jaemin across from the two. The moment everyone was seated, Jeno scanned the area once more before asking a question— not exactly directed towards any of them. Renjun looked on carefully.
“People keep looking this way. Is there a reason why? Is there something we should be worried about?” Jeno asked, his eyes darting around the room. Donghyuck scoffed as he grabbed the apple off his tray before sinking his teeth through the fruit.
“They always stare, just ignore it. They start getting weird ideas when you don’t.” Donghyuck stated coldly before taking another bite, “I will say though, there’s definitely more people staring than usual.”
“Why?”
“They’re probably staring at you.” Jaemin replied coolly, nudging the android before he grabbed the sandwich off his tray. Jeno looked at Jaemin, a look of confusion blooming across the android’s face. Jeno tilted his head.
“Why would they stare at me?”
Jaemin eyed the android for a moment before shrugging.
“You’re attractive. People around here like a good-looking face.” Jaemin took a bite of his sandwich, swallowing down his bite before he smiled at Jeno, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the other, “You could get anyone to fall for you.”
Jeno looked down at his lap, his eyes flashing light for a split-second. If Renjun were to blink at that moment, he has no doubt that he would’ve missed it. Renjun feels like he almost lost his breath, feeling extremely taken back when his eyes suddenly made contact with Jeno’s.
Jeno began to speak, purposefully not breaking his eye contact with Renjun.
“Anyone?”
Renjun swallowed.
“Yeah! With a face like that, anyone would fall for you.” Jaemin chuckled out, causing Jeno to pull his gaze away from Renjun and return it to the other. Renjun wishes he could say he was fine— unaffected, but soon after Renjun heard an alluring sound that only pulled him in further.
“I’ll keep note of that.”
Renjun couldn’t believe his eyes as Jeno smiled at Jaemin, low chuckles falling from his lips as his eye crinkled up into crescents. For some reason, Renjun found himself flushed, hearing his own heartbeat resonate in his ears as his eyes found themselves locked onto Jeno.
He hadn’t known the android could smile— laugh.
He had only seen the boy show looks of confusion, bewilderment, expressionless even, but happiness? Amusement?
Renjun had decided that he found his favorite expression on the android— objectively speaking of course.
Jeno just looked his best when he was smiling.
Nothing about the way Renjun's face heated up or the way his heart felt like it was melting in his chest decided that.
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“I didn’t know you could smile.” Renjun had commented as casually as he could manage when the two walked to his next period, his arm still looped around Jeno’s, tightening it upon seeing another group check out the android.
“Ah. Most androids could, they just choose not to. I didn't think much about it…” Jeno only glanced down at Renjun, “Do you not like it? I could stop if you want. If you find it weird or whatever.”
Renjun shook his head before squeaking out, “No, I like it.”
Jeno grinned softly.
Renjun was captivated.
Jeno nodded, “Okay.”
What a plain answer.
◇▢□▫▣▫□▢◇
His room was dim, only lightly lit by the lamp beside his desk and the night view gleaming from his windows. Renjun blinked rapidly as he stared down at his textbook, already feeling fatigued as the need to pass out washed over him. Renjun’s eyes rested for a moment, jerking open only upon hearing a soft clink of a glass beside him.
“Orange juice.”
It was Jeno.
Renjun looked at the glass beside him before trailing his eyes up to look at Jeno tiredly who only continued to speak, “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
The voice came out as a whisper— a soothing one at that.
It didn’t help the fact that Renjun wanted to do nothing more to fall asleep, his face pressed onto his textbook.
Renjun felt himself yawn, covering his mouth politely in the process. He shook his head softly, “No, no. I’m fine, don’t worry about it. You’ve done a lot for me today already, Jeno.”
Renjun wasn’t simply praising for no reason either. Jeno had taken notes in every single one of Renjun’s classes unbeknownst to Renjun, only handing Renjun the notes once he had started his work at home. Renjun stared down at the written notes for a while then— noticing the android’s nice handwriting and the way his notes were straightforward, simple yet helpful. Jeno had even knelt beside Renjun at one point, giving the boy tips and pointers that found themselves to be tremendously useful.
Renjun was grateful to say the least.
He carefully wrapped a hand around the glass Jeno had brought up, he could feel the wet condensation that had formed around it. Bringing it up to his lips, Renjun took a generous sip, tasting the sweet citrus against his tongue before placing it back down onto his desk.
“Where’s your nearest charger port?” Jeno suddenly questioned, causing Renjun to make a small noise of confusion as he twisted his chair to better face Jeno.
“Umm, there’s one right here.” Renjun pointed not more than a couple inches from himself, right beside his desk, “There’s also one by my bed…? And another one in the opposite corner over there, by the door to the balcony. Why?”
“My battery is running low.” Jeno informed.
“Oh… Do you need like a wire…? A cable or something?”
Jeno laughed, and Renjun felt the soft noise echo in his head. The heart within his chest wished to chase after the sound.
“No, nothing like that. I just kinda… sit next to it…? As long as I’m close enough, it’ll work. The closer I am the faster though.” Jeno said gently, “I’ll go to the one by the door.”
Renjun nodded and watched as the android walked across the room only to sit down in the corner, in front of where Renjun knew a charger port was to be. The android wrapped his arms around his legs lazily, looking up to catch Renjun’s eyes. He smiled.
“Goodnight, Renjun.”
Renjun paused before letting out yet another nod.
“Night, Jeno.”
Renjun watched a little longer before the android’s eyes flickered with a dim light— on and off, and Renjun wondered if he should’ve been concerned. However, the flickering stopped after a couple seconds and Jeno’s eyes shut closed before the android leaned his head against the wall.
Is he… asleep?
Renjun supposes that was the closest Jeno could get to ‘falling asleep’. He needed to restore his energy, just like a human would. Renjun shook the thought from his head. He must’ve been having some troubleshoots in his brain with the amount of times he’s compared Jeno to a normal human being at this point.
He tried to remind himself that Jeno wasn’t much more than metal and wires paired alongside an extremely advanced AI.
It wasn’t something difficult to understand, therefore he understood it.
Jeno was an android.
An android who was warm with the cutest eye smile and a laugh that seemed to be able to light the whole sky up— but still.
An android.
Renjun did his best to wrap his head around the concept.
He shook his head after deciding he was overthinking for no reason before returning his focus back to his textbook— Renjun had four more pages to read before he’d allow himself to rest. After about half an hour, Renjun had already stuffed his textbook back into his backpack hazardly, completely prepared to flop onto his bed. Yet, for some unknown reason, Renjun’s eyes decided to stray over to no other than Jeno. The android still seemed shut off, and as Renjun hadn't yet released his curtains from their constraint, the skylights reflected off Jeno’s face carefully, his mouth partially parted.
He looks uncomfortable.
Renjun couldn’t help himself from thinking those thoughts.
“...Is he not cold?” Renjun whispered the thought aloud, his eyes glued upon the android. He paused before reaching over to his desk, picking up the empty glass which had previously contained the orange juice.
Renjun was careful when exiting his room. It was late, he hadn’t wished to disturb anyone. Renjun glanced both ways before gently pulling at his door, making sure to leave it slightly ajar in order to return to the room later on. Renjun began making his way into the kitchen. When he entered, Renjun quietly allowed the water to run before he started scrubbing at the glass cautiously. He rinsed the cup with ease before returning the glass to it’s shelf.
“Renjun?”
Renjun jumped at the voice as he abruptly turned around, his eyes widened. Upon seeing the other person in front of him, Renjun closed his eyes as he let out a small sigh, letting his head drop in relief.
“Sicheng, you can’t just sneak up on me like that!” Renjun hissed, crossing his arms.
“Sorry,” Sicheng replied with a grin, dragging out the ‘y’.
Renjun could tell his older brother was not the littlest bit apologetic.
“I was about to make some tea before heading back to my room. Jasmine, your favorite. You want some?” Sicheng offered as he walked past Renjun, reaching into their pantry.
On a usual basis, Renjun would’ve declined. But he was a sucker for a nice cup of jasmine tea, so he accepted without much hesitation.
Renjun sat down at their table as he listened to Sicheng shuffle around the kitchen, the soft shrill of the water boiling ringing throughout the air. It wasn’t long before Sicheng made his way over to Renjun, placing a single cup of tea in front of his younger brother before sitting across from him.
“Careful, it’s still hot.” Sicheng informed before blowing at the surface of his own cup.
Renjun only nodded as he stared down at the liquid before mirroring Sicheng. Picking up the cup carefully before blowing at the steaming tea swimming within the cup, Renjun watched with small bits of amusement as the liquid circled around the cup. He took a sip from the cup.
“I heard mother and father got you an android,” Sicheng spoke before also taking a sip from his cup, “Jeno, huh? How is he?”
Renjun gulped down the rest of his tea, the hot liquid burning at the back of his throat. He placed the cup down on his plate, the ceramic clanking loudly upon hitting each other.
“I-I’m gonna head back to my room,” Renjun blurted out before snapping up from his chair.
As he left the room, Renjun swears he heard a couple giggles fall from Sicheng’s lips.
Renjun hadn’t gone back to his room, however.
Rather he took a small detour towards where he knew their extra blankets were stored, grabbing a rather thick one before making his way back to his bedroom. Renjun slipped past his door silently before shutting it completely closed.
Renjun sighed before he turned around.
Jeno was still in the corner.
The city lights still reflected onto Jeno’s skin.
Renjun quietly shuffled towards his bed, dropping the blanket onto the bed before switching the lamp beside his bed on. He walked over to the right side of his curtains, unlatching the ribbon that tied the curtains closed, he slowly began to pull the large curtains across his room in order to cover the ginormous window that took up almost the entire side of that wall. Only the balcony door stopped the wall from being an entire window, and even then that door was made of glass. The curtain stopped halfway, and Renjun began to walk over to the left side of the room. Renjun felt himself hover over Jeno as he unlatched the ribbon from the left side of his curtains. Renjun felt as if he was holding his breath as he dragged the curtain across his room once again, careful to make sure the fabric didn’t smack against Jeno’s leg.
Renjun dropped the ribbons onto his desk’s chair before he grabbed the blanket from his bed.
He felt as if time slowed down when he made his way towards Jeno. The blanket in his arms suddenly weighing him down. What felt like minutes of walking, Renjun finally found himself in front of Jeno. He let out a gentle breath before crouching down beside the android. Renjun slowly began to wrap the blanket around Jeno, tucking in the android carefully. Renjun had a tiny smile on his face as he tucked the blanket around Jeno’s arm.
When he suddenly felt something tighten around his wrist.
“What are you doing?”
Renjun felt his eyes widened as he jerked his head up, only to see Jeno’s eyes look back at him.
A moment of silence passed between the two, and Renjun felt his own lungs malfunction.
Renjun who was usually so sharp-tongued felt as if he couldn’t utter a word even if his life had depended on it.
“Renjun…?” The android breathed out, his eyes lidded as he stared at Renjun.
“You looked cold.” Renjun forced out as he pulled his face away from Jeno’s.
Jeno’s eyes still followed Renjun, he released his grip around Renjun’s wrist.
“I don’t produce warmth the same way you do, Renjun.”
Renjun laughed, but it sounded forced even to his own ears.
“Right! Sorry, I didn’t think too far about it. I could just-” Renjun went to pull the blanket off Jeno, only for the android to suddenly grip onto the blanket tightly. Renjun’s eyes only widened once more as he looked back to Jeno.
“No.” The android only mumbled, causing Renjun to release his grasp on the blanket— confused. Jeno shifted around slightly before pulling the blanket over his own body. Jeno’s eyes made contact with Renjun. Renjun felt himself swallow as Jeno’s eyes went soft to match the gente grin that appeared on his face.
“... You’re right.” Jeno whispered softly, not breaking his eyes away from Renjun’s, “It’s warm.”
◇▢□▫▣▫□▢◇
Renjun adjusted the tie around his neck, which had felt as if it was clinging to his skin.
Yet another party.
Renjun isn’t even so sure what for anymore.
Jeno had driven him out to the venue, and as quickly as he brought him here, left in order to speak with his parents. Renjun felt filled with bitterness.
He just knew his parents were using Jeno as a bragging right.
“Feeling a little lonely?” The voice came as a man stood beside Renjun.
“You don’t need to watch over me. I’ll be fine, Sicheng.” Renjun only grumpled out before taking a sip from his champagne glass. It was filled with sparkling water, and Renjun absolutely despised it. It tasted disgusting, and the fizz felt uncomfortable against his throat. He still forced himself to swallow it down, only this time he didn’t have to constrain a smile onto his lips. Perhaps for once, Renjun was glad it was only his brother that stood beside him.
“I know.” Sicheng only hummed out, “You seem quite fond of Jeno.”
“Hah!” Renjun rolled his eyes, “Please. Where would you get an idea like that?”
“Do you think I didn’t see you walk back into your room with an extra blanket that one night?” Sicheng teased, ruffling at Renjun’s hair. The younger let out a noise of dissatisfaction as he pushed his brother’s hand away.
“That was for me!” Renjun argued back, his tone holding no room for disagreements.
It was a lie of course, but Sicheng didn’t have to know that.
“I’m sure it was, Renjun.” Sicheng smirked at his brother before sighing, “I should go chat with the other people here. You should do the same, Junnie. Making connections early is important.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
Renjun had enough of the party already, and he had only spoken to Sicheng. The boy stomped off grumpily as he made his way over to the appetizers they were serving. Renjun was tired of eating hors d'œuvres, but at least his mouth would appreciate the distraction.
Renjun stuffed his face with about three different selections before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned hazardly, smacking the hand away with little grace.
“Ah! Huang’s son! I hadn’t meant to startle you, my apologies.” The man in front of Renjun, seemingly in his fifties, belly laughed.
Renjun, on the other hand, wasn’t so amused.
“Ha hah. Do you require something?” Renjun forced out, his perfectly trained smile plastered across his lips.
“How improper of me, let me introduce myself! Gwan Dongwon, owner of Gwan Industries, we are a new sponsor to the Huangs.”
“...It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gwan.” The sugar-coated voice was Renjun’s, but Renjun hated the sweetness dripping off his words when he wanted this man to do nothing but leave him alone, “I hope we can be good partners with one another.”
“Yes! Yes! Of course! Speaking of partners, do you have someone special, Mr. Huang? A nice girlfriend, for instance?” The man seemed pushy. Renjun took a step back.
Okay. This was getting far too uncomfortable and personal for Renjun’s liking.
“No, I do not. I do not believe that’s an appropriate question to ask either.” Renjun said firmly, the smile on his face almost threatened to slip off in place of a scowl.
“Oh, but I have this beautiful daughter around your age! I’m sure the two of you would get along wonderfully!” He took a step towards Renjun. The man’s smile at that point went from slightly off-putting to creepy to Renjun’s eyes.
“...I’m sure your daughter is lovely, Mr. Gwan,” Renjun’s smile fell from his face as he pushed the words out through clenched teeth, “But I am not interested in any sort of relationship at this moment.”
Renjun began walking away at that point. Renjun was a ticking time bomb, and he refused to put up with that man’s demands.
“Wait!”
Renjun felt a hand harshly wrap around his wrist, fingers digging into his skin.
“What are you doing?! Let go of me!” Renjun yelled at the man, tugging at his own wrist, but the man only tightened his grip.
“No! Not until you listen to me! My daughter! You’ll love her! Are you seriously so selfish that you won’t even give her a chance!?” The man roared, Renjun felt like his wrist was going to bruise.
“I’ve never even met your daughter! Get your hands off of me!”
Renjun felt tears form in the corner of his eyes as he tried to pull his wrist back with little results.
Why was no one doing anything? Were they that distracted?! Was Renjun that forgettable?
The death grip surrounding Renjun’s wrist suddenly disappeared, and Renjun felt himself stumbled a couple steps before he could finally find his balance.
“Just what were you doing?” The voice was so sharp, intimidating even to Renjun.
Renjun looked up, and saw Jeno.
Jeno helped him.
Jeno came.
Jeno’s here.
The android's glare was serious, unwavering. The man’s hand was gripped within Jeno’s, and Renjun watched as he tried to break out of Jeno’s grasp in a futile effort.
“W-Who do you think you are!? Are you crazy!? Let go of me in this instance!”
Jeno’s eyes only narrowed, Renjun could see the way Jeno’s grip only tightened around the man’s wrist.
“Aren’t you the insane one? Huang Renjun is an important figure at the event you are currently attending. If Mrs. Huang or Mr. Huang heard of this, I doubt they would hesitate to cut any ties with you, Gwan Dongwon.” Jeno’s voice was so cold, Renjun never heard anything like it come from him.
“H-How do you know my name?!”
“Facial recognition is very important to my system.” Jeno stated with a grin, his signature eye smile appearing on his face, “Security is here now. I hope you had a great time here, Mr. Gwan. I can assure you that the Huangs will not be inviting you back anytime soon.”
Jeno released his grip, and just as he had stated, two large security guards stormed towards the man before escorting him out of the venue. Jeno only watched with narrowed eyes until they were no longer within view.
“...Renjun, are you okay?” Jeno brought his gaze back to Renjun, his eyes turned soft. There was a tiny downturned frown across his face, and his eyebrows were furrowed. Renjun paused before nodding gently.
“I’m okay… Thank you, Jeno. I really needed you so much right now.” Renjun breathed out, unable to move. Jeno shook his head.
“I should’ve came sooner.” Jeno whispered as he stepped towards Renjun, taking Renjun’s wrist in his hand before lifting it up towards his face. The boy rubbed Renjun’s wrist gently before he continued speaking, “When I came, you were giving off so many signs of distress. Seriously, I should’ve been here faster.”
“You were the only one who came.” Renjun looked up at Jeno, whose face seemed blank once more.
Unreadable.
The music echoing off the walls began playing a soft tune, and Renjun only observed as Jeno brought his hand closer, kissing the inside of his wrist.
“May I have this dance, Huang Renjun?” Jeno spoke, a smile reappearing on his face. In the moment Renjun gave him a shy nod, the boy gently placed a hand around Renjun’s hip. So carefully— as if Renjun would break if anything stronger was placed on him. Renjun wrapped one hand around Jeno’s shoulder, and the two began swaying around to the music. Delicate circles as Renjun took the time to admire the suit Jeno was dressed in. He was so used to seeing the boy in a plain black long-sleeved combined with dark-washed jeans, Renjun was beginning to wonder if the clothes were programmed with him. Renjun decided the suit was a nice change. It fit Jeno well.
“What are you thinking about?” Jeno whispered as they peacefully followed the music.
“... Hmm. Nothing important.” Renjun murmured, avoiding Jeno’s gaze. Renjun quickly discovered that the action had been a bad idea as he caught numerous eyes on him. Some people were whispering, some stared harshly. Yet, all of them looked judgmental.
Renjun wanted to throw up.
“Everyone’s staring. I hate it.” Renjun mumbled, his eyes fixed to the ground.
It was his own personal thought.
For himself, but of course Jeno had heard.
“I’m not quite fond of it either. Everyone seems like they have expectations for you, that doesn’t seem fair.” Jeno confessed, and Renjun’s eyes only widened as he looked up at Jeno.
“You could see it too?”
“I couldn’t at first.” Jeno spoke as he pulled Renjun closer, “I don’t know what changed, but the way they look at you is distasteful.”
The music slowly faded away as the song came to an end, and Renjun felt as Jeno pulled away from him.
“It was a pleasure dancing with you, Renjun.” Jeno bowed politely, and for a single moment Renjun hadn’t cared about those staring.
The feeling came back quickly though.
“Jeno.” Renjun jerked forward to squish the boy’s cheeks between his hands, “Jeno, let’s get out of here.”
Jeno’s eyes widened before he brought his own hands up, removing Renjun’s hands off his face.
“R-Renjun, I can’t do that.” Jeno stammered out, leaving Renjun feeling confused for a moment.
Firstly because Jeno had driven him here, so Renjun couldn’t really understand what the boy meant. Renjun knew Jeno was fully capable of driving a vehicle, so what was wrong?
Secondly because why did Jeno have to look so shocked? Panicked? Was getting Renjun out of a situation he hated that much of a bad idea to Jeno?
“Jeno, please. I hate it here, I just want to leave. Please,” Renjun breathed out, placing his hands on Jeno’s shoulders, “I don’t want to be here. Jeno, let’s leave.”
Jeno looked around before biting his bottom lip, his eyes seemed to shake.
“R-Renjun… I-I can’t, it’s against one of my rules. Y-Your parents said to keep you here til the end of the party. I c-can’t let you leave… It’s against my programming, Renjun.”
“Jeno, please. ”
Jeno paused.
Renjun watched as Jeno swallowed.
“Okay.”
◇▢□▫▣▫□▢◇
Renjun wondered if he had made a mistake. Jeno had seemed so anxious on their drive home, and the moment they arrived home, Jeno’s expression went blank once again. When Renjun asked Jeno questions, he only got short replies, lucky if the answer was any longer than a single word. Renjun felt frustrated with the android. What was wrong with him? It was just a single stupid rule. Weren’t rules meant to be broken anyways? Renjun couldn’t find it himself to push any harder, exhausted with the day, Renjun only flopped onto his bed before passing out. Renjun woke up in the middle of the night. It was five to be exact. Renjun’s mind had cleared itself, and he sighed before taking out his phone. He began typing into the little bar provided.
‘Can androids break rules?’
Renjun pushed the search button, and he waited patiently as the sites began to load in. He clicked onto the first one that had popped up, which ended up being an official site.
Q&As // ANDROIDS —
Q: Can androids break any of the rules programmed into their code?
A: No. Androids should not be able to break any of their programmed rules. They cannot injure or harm a human nor can they go against a human’s words or commands. All androids are tested before being sold. No android can or will break their rules.
Renjun paused, his eyebrows furrowing at the words he read. He tried rereading the answer to no avail. The words hadn’t changed no matter how long Renjun squinted his eyes at them.
Maybe it’s just this site… I should look around more…
Yet, no matter how many sites Renjun visited, no matter how many forums or articles Renjun read, they all said the same thing.
It was impossible.
But, it couldn’t be impossible .
Not when Renjun witnessed Jeno do just that yesterday.
But everything else seemed to say otherwise.
“... What the fuck?” Renjun mumbled to himself, unable to find anything helpful.
Maybe Renjun was taking Jeno breaking one of his rules way too lightly.