✖ zitao's apartment

@huang zitao "Is that so?" Sehun asked, but he was not very much convinced. He knew that humans could cook a lot better than he would ever be able to, because he lacked the natural refinement that were the combination of five senses. He could hear, he could see, he could feel, no, not feel, but measure - pressure and the temperature - but he could not smell and he could certainly not taste. And weren't those two important for the cooking process as well? He would never know if his seasoning was perfect, always having to rely on a human to taste his food. All that went through his head, but Sehun kept mum, opting to simply look at Zitao instead, watching his own reflection in the other's eyes.

"Let's go to bed then," Sehun mumbled, although he didn't have to. He should have known that Zitao would carry them to bed, with the way the other made sure to have the doll's legs secured around him. Sehun reacted fast, his arms moving to wrap around the other's shoulders, and he kept his legs in place, locked around Tao's hips as the other carried him to the bedroom.

Sehun was ready to be placed onto the bed, the way he was carried reminding him of that one scene from some romance dramas that had been fed to his system for reference, but Tao surprises him by sitting down instead. As the human leaned back, Sehun's body followed suit, hovering above Tao, as his hands moved fast, placed on each side of the other's head, so he would hover over the other, instead of pressing his whole weight on him. It was a silly thought, Sehun realized a moment later. Zitao just managed to carry him here without problems, so why would Sehun weight too much for the boy to handle? The doll blinked. "Are we going to sleep now? If so, we have to wash up first."

@009 - sehun "You'd be surprised at how many people find just following a recipe correctly difficult." Smiling softly, Tao watched the television screen's reflection in Sehun's eyes, glad that he seemed to be enjoying the film as he himself had done as a child watching it for the first time. Tao realised that he wanted to spend his time exploring all the things that Sehun had never tried, watching his reactions to each one and learning more and more what sort of a person his doll was. Though he knew it was merely the work of a pre-programmed database, Tao let himself forget that simple fact for a while, preferring to look at Sehun as a doll with a personality, since it was definitely one way of looking at things.

Sehun sat on his lap rested their heads together, surging butterflies through Tao's chest as if a cage of the things had just very suddenly been released at the touch. He thought he hid it well though, simply running a hand along the male's thigh gently. "I am a little..." He admitted chuckling softly. "We've had quite a busy day."
Getting a firm grasp on Sehun's legs around his waist, Tao carried him across the living room and into the bedroom after nudging the television off with his foot. Oddly enough, this was what Tao had been spending most of his day looking forward to, snuggling up with his boyfriend, as cheesy as it was. He sat on the end of the bed, the doll still perched on his lap, and slowly leaned back until he was lying across the covers, Sehun above him.

@huang zitao "Like a drama?" Sehun asked, repeating the other's words. It could be either positive or negative, and the machine needed a moment to understand what Tao had meant. The smile on the other's face calmed him down though, knowing that he hadn't done anything wrong. Drama here probably just meant soap opera, and guessing that Tao must like watching those, Sehun's action probably reminded him of one, which was not necessarily bad.

Smiling a bit at the compliment, Sehun ran a hand through his hair - in an attempt to display sheepishness - as he replied, eyes gazing down to his lap. "I just followed your recipe." It was a good thing to see Zitao eating up fast, for it proved the compliment to be true and not be made out of politeness. At the same time Sehun was slightly concerned that the other might choke on his food if he wolfed it down like that. Only when Tao was finished did Sehun stop keeping an eye on the other, focusing on the movie playing on the screen instead. He didn't know that movie yet and it intrigued him, for Sehun was just as curious as any other human, maybe even more enthusiastic about learning something new.

It was then that he was pulled into his boyfriend's lap, slightly confused as he couldn't see any reason for this action to be triggered. Spontaneity, Sehun thought, putting it into the one category he used when he could not find an explanation. He blinked down at the other male who currently had his face buried in the crook of his neck, and Sehun tilted his head downwards to rest it atop Tao's head. "I'm not tired," Sehun responded. He never was, as long as his battery could still provide him with enough energy. "But if you are, we should go to bed." You're the human after all, Sehun thought but didn't voice out, deciding that pointing out their differences was just pointless. It wouldn't make Tao feel more comfortable with him, so why should he do so?.

"Are you tired already?"

@009 - sehun That focused on the warm food and the good entertainment (he loved this film, though it was such a stereotypical Chinese movie he wasn't sure he wanted to admit it), Tao glanced at the unexpected thumb on his skin, chuckling softly. "That was just like a drama!" He nudged Sehun's side gently with his elbow, smiling and pecking his cheek once he'd swallowed his mouthful of dinner.
"This is great by the way." He gestured in the direction of their plates. "I guess I shouldn't expect any less..." Smiling and shoving another forkful of spaghetti hungrily into his mouth. It wasn't long before they were halfway through the movie, plates on a pile on the coffee table and Tao stretched out across the sofa. He'd had the urge for sometime now, warm, full and completely content, to remind Sehun of his feelings, but decided against it when he remembered the awkward implications. Still, he felt no less than he did, snaking an arm around the doll, inching him closer enough so that he was slowly but quite obviously sliding towards the elder male. Tao tried to school his expression into a neutral one, doing his best to keep from smiling but he just ended up with a shy smirk, glancing up at his boyfriend only to burst into soft laughter, pulling him properly into his lap.
"Are you feeling tired at all?" He nudged the male's neck with his nose, inhaling and pecking there. "We can go to bed anytime you like..."

@huang zitao Sehun must be doing things right now, seeing how Zitao was hugging him from behind while he was cooking, a sign of affection in a still functioning relationship as he knew from the few books and movies known to his system, as well as other data stored as reference for him. It would be sad if Tao wasn't happy with him or kept his distance to him, when he was there to actually be with the other. If there was no interaction between them, there would be no use of Sehun being there.

He heard Tao shouting from the living room, replying with an amused okay, maybe not loud enough for the other to hear. It didn't matter much, when Sehun was already finished with the cooking part already, now occupied with serving the food. The result looked okay, but nowhere close to pictures on restaurant's menues. He would have to learn a lot more and enhance his cooking to woe his boyfriend at least with his culinary skills.

Sehun walked into the living room, balancing a tray with the plate of spaghetti and a glass of water that he set down on the table. He sat down, leaning back against the couch with his eyes focused on the screen for a while, until Tao was leaning against him. He glanced at his boyfriend, a hand reaching out to wipe away the excess sauce on the corner of his lips.

@009 - sehun When he re-emerged from his bedroom, washed and comfortable, a warmth spread through from the kitchen along with the peppery smell of tomatoes and pasta. Tao inhaled deeply and smiled to himself, walking through to cuddle Sehun from behind whilst he was busying himself at the stove. "Thank you for doing this." He kissed the back of the doll's neck before resting his chin on his shoulder, more than happy with watching Sehun's hands methodically switching from stirring to sprinkling. No one had cooked for him since he'd moved out of his parents' place, and he hadn't realised how much lighter he felt without just the simple pressure of having to make something edible for himself in the evening.

Not wanting to disturb the male any longer or get in his way, Tao moved through to the living room, browsing his small but brilliant stash of movies that he'd managed to collect over the years. "I'm gonna put in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon okay? I think you'll like it, it's set in China." Once again he was smiling fondly at the memory of his home country as he slotted the disc into the dvd player and set everything up. Moving around cushions and digging out the fluffy blanket he stored away every year until winter would inevitably sneak in through the walls, Tao created a cosy makeshift snuggle area on the couch for the two of them while he ate, leaving the DVD on the menu until Sehun shouted him through. "Lets go sit and watch kay? Then we'll go to bed early or something, it's too cold to do anything other than cuddle and laze about."

As they settled, Tao stuffed a forkful of pasta and sauce into his mouth, humming in appreciation and resting his head against the doll beside him.

@huang zitao "I'll cook for you," Sehun repeated, voice firm. "You need to rest for tomorrow," he reminded his boyfriend. Sehun was fine, as long as he got recharged, he did not need a moment of rest. Zitao was different, he was human, and if he got too exhausted today, he wouldn't be able to work properly the next day.

Watching his boyfriend with interest, Sehun peeked over Tao's shoulder. The recipe that was written down was a familiar one and Sehun nodded. There were a few simple dishes that he could do, rice and simple soups, mainly Korean dishes, but pasta was not foreign to him either. "I'll call you when I'm finished with cooking."

Filling a pot with water, he put it on the stove to boil it for the noodles. While the water was heating up, he worked on the sauce, his movements quick and efficient. Spaghetti was a simple dish, and the doll wondered if Tao would like his cooking. After all, he couldn't taste, and as of now, he didn't know Tao's preferences yet. Did his boyfriend prefer mildly seasoned food or did he like salty food? And would Tao like it if Sehun learned to cook more dishes? There were still so many questions that weren't answered yet, and Sehun wondered if one day he would wake up and know that there was nothing more he could learn about his boyfriend because he knew everything already.

@009 - sehun Tao looked at Sehun like he'd just offered him the holy grail, exhausted after the day's activities and a solemn dread creeping up on him upon the slow arrival of the next morning. They'd have to get up early, and most of all Tao would return to his day-to-daily life like nothing had changed. Of course Sehun would be there, and that would make things a million times better, but it still meant a day spent restricted and not able to really relax until they were home again.

Nodding and trying not to look too eager about it, Tao smiled gratefully. "Are you sure? That would be so nice of you." He rummaged around the kitchen cupboards, digging out a half-empty packet of spaghetti and some tinned tomatoes before writing down a brief recipe. Whether Sehun had that sort of knowledge locked away in his database Tao didn't know, and he certainly didn't want him feeling too awkward to ask, so he wrote it down all the same.

"Would you mind cooking this? It's pretty simple..." He handed the scrap of paper with his scrawled handwriting and leaned forward to kiss the doll on the cheek. "I really appreciate it Sehun."

Once he'd made sure the male was alright in the kitchen, Tao went through to his bedroom and got changed quickly into pyjamas, sighing in comfort once the tight jeans were pulled off and thrown in the wash basket.

@huang zitao "I'm sure we can if both of us are working," Sehun replied, giving Tao a bright, optimistic smile, at least that was what he was attempting. The doll knew there were different kind of smiles and while he did have different ones programmed into him, he wasn't sure if they gave off the right vibe. After all, he was not a human, not a real living thing with real emotions, but he was trying to understand. He wanted to feel, too, wanted to be an equal to his boyfriend. And hopefully, one day he would succeed.

Sehun had heard the quiet confession, but he chose not to reply to it, acting as if he didn't hear. His senses were sharper than a human's, but that Zitao didn't have to know. He was still not able to respond, and therefore he rather avoided touching that subject.

Back at home, Sehun took of his jacket and shoes, putting them away before he looked at Tao. Usually, Sehun would wait for his boyfriend to suggest what to do next, to give commands, but if he wanted to be human, he figured out, he had to do things differently, yet he had to stay Sehun. Tao said he loved him like this, so he couldn't change too much either. "Are you hungry? It's time for dinner, right? Should I cook for you tonight?"

@009 - yixing "Yes I enjoyed it too. Yeah, lets come back again... Maybe one day we'll be able to afford to take in that little guy." Tao squeezed his hold on Sehun, once again feeling blessed to be able to have such a thing in his life. Sure, society might not have classed it as 'real' but then what did that matter, when nobody liked society anyway? It was real to Tao, stirred real emotions in his chest, made him want to do things to him that most definitely were real, and as long as that was true he didn't care how other people viewed them. Tao took note of the small action Sehun intitiated by swing their hands, smiling broadly and kissing along his knuckles impulsively.

"I love you." Although he muttered it under his breath this time, barely even audible and focusing his gaze on where they were walking rather than checking for a reaction. He squeezed the doll's hand again briefly, making the rest of the journey home in silence until Tao had unlocked the door and they'd moved inside, shedding off jackets and outerwear.

@huang zitao Sehun watched Zitao picking the kitten up. Now that both kitten and human were staring at him, he could definitely say they had similar eyes, or at least his boyfriend had quite feline eyes. And since he was programmed to like every aspect of Zitao, his boyfriend's looks were his ideals. Tao was beautiful and so was the kitten in his arms. "You could be the father," Sehun said, smiling. "We could be its parents."

They were holding hands when the shop assistant told them the shelter would close. Sehun stayed quiet, listening to the short exchange between his boyfriend and the staff, wondering how well they knew each other. Zitao must come over here a lot for the assistant to call Tao by his name, and Tao called the other hyung, too. Bowing a little, Sehun said goodbye to the staff, too, before they made their way back home.

"It was nice," Sehun said, offering a smile. "But did you like it?" Because Sehun had not real emotions to actually enjoy a thing. More important was what Zitao had been feeling, what he had been thinking of today, though if he judged by the other's expression, Sehun could already tell that his boyfriend was content. "We'll stop by the shelter earlier next time then," Sehun concluded for both of them, lightly swinging their laced hands.

@009 - yixing "Oh- do you think so?" Looking over at the kitten Sehun had mentioned, Tao smiled and gave it an affectionate , picking him up gently to hold against his chest. "I dont know, this guy seems way too cute..." As if he'd understood, the kitten mewled quietly, bringing a surprised laugh out of the male. "Alright, you can go back to playing with your buddies." He placed him back down and rubbed the fur at his neck before taking Sehun's hand again, thumb grazing over the back of his palm and subtley ensuring that they were as close as he could manage whilst still being able to walk normally.

The shop assistant came over and bowed to the pair of them, an apologetic smile on his face before speaking. "I'm sorry Tao, we have to close up soon."
"Oh, sure hyung, sorry for bothering, I just wanted to introduce Sehun."
He waved the comment off and smiled again. "It's fine. I'll let you know of anything comes up okay?" They were lead out of the shelter and Tao turned to bow properly as they left. "Yes, thanks again. Bye!" Tao waved at the man and also took a moment to say goodbye to the puppies at the window before turning his full attention back to his boyfriend.

"So. Did you enjoy it?" He grinned, heading back to the apartment side by side with the doll. "Sorry it was so short, but its getting quite late. We can always go again another time if you wanted?"

@huang zitao Sehun thought he wasn't too obvious with his comment, but apparently, Zitao had caught the deeper meaning behind it. It was weird how Zitao seemed to understand Sehun's way of thinking quite well, whereas the doll still couldn't make sense of his boyfriend. Were machines really that simple?

Zitao's words were reassuring when Sehun was worried with the other's decision all the time. But even now, with Zitao saying that he was happy with his decision, it didn't mean he would be happy forever. Humans were different from machines and their feelings could change over time, too, and their personality could change as well. Sehun though, would always be the same, maybe a little bit more experienced, better with making the right decisions, but his basic personality would never change. It was what made him Sehun, model 009 from the boyfriend factory.

Nodding, Sehun didn't dare to say more, following the other to the kitten instead. They were small and cute, but in a different way than the puppies, yet they were the same, on the search for a soft, caressing hand and a little affection. Petting another kitten, soon another cat caught Sehun's attention. Its eyes reminded him of Zitao's and Sehun pointed towards that one. "Tao, look, that one looks just like you."

@009 - yixing Tao wondered silently to himself the whole way to the shelter. Sure, he could easily beat the crap out of anyone that managed to steal Sehun away, but even if he kissed him again, he thought he recalled reading something about how his memories would be lost as soon as he was stolen. He couldn't let that happen, and it made him terrified to let Sehun out the door, but he knew he was being ridiculous. As long as everyone thought he was just a regular human, he should be fine. Who goes up to strangers and kisses them anyway?

Shaking the thought away, Tao forced himself to focus on what was happening, concentrating on the animals and the noise and Sehun's reaction to it all. "Adopted...?" He noted the past tense and shook his head dismissively, smiling gently. "I love all the animals, but even if I adopted one I would feel bad for the others. Its better this way, I can give them all an equal amount of love and attention." He pulled Sehun's hand in towards him and muttered in his ear. "I'm very happy with my decision." Leading him over to the other side of the room, the elder moved a hand down into the kitten pen, wiggling his fingers playfully at a particularly boisterous tom cat before giving him a gentle rub behind the ears. He looked back up at the doll and smiled reassuringly. "Here, look. They're fine." Pulling Sehun's hand carefully down to pet the kittens, Tao chuckled softly.

@huang zitao Their picnic was more like a cuddling session out in the open, but Sehun didn't mind the PDA. There was nothing he wouldn't do, as long as it made Tao happy and smile like this. He was not programmed to judge, even if his boyfriend wanted him to, he just couldn't. Which made his decision making more like guessing and finding out what option was the better one. His memory was full of statistics and based on them, he chose what hopefully was the right answer.

"It won't happen," Sehun said, giving Tao a light smile and a reassuring squeeze to his hand. It was not being optimistic, but rather Sehun knowing that he should never let someone get too close to him - physically close - so there would be no incidents with lip to lip contact. "If you stay close, you can always get me back with a kiss," Sehun reminded the other. Nothing could happen when he was with his boyfriend at all times. They would even work together at the same place, so there was no need to worry, right?

The shelter was a loud place, louder than Sehun had expected, but with the puppies barking excitedly, tails swagging from side to side, Sehun would say he was a little excited, too. Glancing around, he took in the sight of dogs in different sizes and with different colors, more in variation than humans could ever be. He greeted the staff politely before focusing back to the dolls, squatting down to pet one of the puppies' head, the way Zitao had done before.

"You like dogs," Sehun concluded after a while, smiling at the other. "You could have adopted a puppy." Instead of spending so much money on me was left unsaid.

@009 - yixing "Great, I go there quite regularly too. I keep looking for an opening for a job." Putting his wallet away, Tao smiled at the impromptu kiss on the cheek, giggling quietly under his breath and flinging an arm around Sehun's waist. He pulled him down to lie comfortably against the fabric, pointing in warning above them belatedly before a stray leaf had fallen on Sehun's face, Tao picking it off with another kind-hearted laugh. "Aish sorry, that was bad timing." Still chuckling, the elder held the doll's face in his hands, kissing his nose after another minute or two.

The rest of their time at the park proceeded in much a similar fashion until the sun was already beginning to set, what with it nearing winter and it being almost 4pm. Standing up slowly with a yawn and dusting himself off, Tao helped Sehun up, gathering the blanket and any remaining signs of human activity amidst the green. "We should start heading to the shelter. It'll shut soon. And if I'm honest I'm still pretty edgy about someone stealing you from me." Rubbing his head, Tao smiled, a little ashamed and quickly tugging Sehun along by the hand.

He could tell when they were getting close, even if he hadn't made this journey a thousand times already, judging by the amount of barking going on, which only intensified once they'd gotten within visual range. They let themselves in and Tao immediately bent to pet the puppies all clamoring up the side of their pen for attention, an excited smile lighting his face up. "Aish calm down! Its just me...and I brought a friend today." Straightening up, he introduced his boyfriend to the single member of staff that was lingering around to handle things in the front of the store, squeezing his grip to let him know it was okay.

@huang zitao Sehun hummed softly, listening to the other talking. Hopefully there would be no reason for stress anymore. Instead, Sehun wants the reason to go to the park to be dates and romantic walks together.

Sitting up, Sehun took the sandwich with a soft smile. "Thank you. It's alright, don't worry. It would probably be weird if only you were eating when we're in public. People will know that I'm not human then. Either that, or they will think you're a bad boyfriend." He frowned at his own words. Zitao was a good boyfriend, Sehun couldn't imagine a better one. And the other assumption could be dangerous as well, when people realized the person in front of them was a robot boyfriend, they might try to make him their own when Tao was not looking. The factory still didn't change that part.

"The shelter sounds good," Sehun responded softly, not because they would save money, but because of the pets there. Sehun had not interacted with anyone except for Tao, and now that animals were mentioned, Sehun's curiosity was awakened.

The second Sehun saw the camera, he knew what his boyfriend was planning, and so he put on a smile, looking straight into the camera just as lips pressed against his cheeks. He turned to watch Tao shake the card. Leaning closer, chin resting on the other's shoulder, Sehun stares at the picture, now safely stored in Zitao's wallet. Tao seemed happy, and so was Sehun. He couldn't tell what led him to do so, but Sehun quickly pecked the other's cheek, pulling away right after to watch his boyfriend's reaction.

@009 - yixing "I'm glad you like it. Not often. Occasionally though. If I'm stressed out I try and make time to come here." Leaning back, Tao rummaged in for a sandwich, pulling a separate one out for Sehun and handing it over awkwardly. "I know its stupid... Its just habit I guess. It feels weird letting you go without. Its stupid though... I'll try and stop." He changed the subject quickly, smiling and patting the other's thigh. "Its a beautiful day. We could go get ice cream after." He took a bite into his food, happily leaning against his boyfriend and, once they'd finished eating, shifted to lie with his head in Sehun's lap comfortably. "Or we could..." He hummed to himself, thinking for a bit. "I don't know, go visit the rescue shelter and play with some of the pets there? Go to the arcade? I think I can splurge on that much now that we'll both be working." He grinned and then hesitated. "Well, the shelter is free I guess but the arcade I meant..." Chuckling, Tao watched the clouds, amazed that at even this unflattering angle, Sehun looked amazing. He reached an arm out for the polaroid, sitting up slightly to lean back on one palm whilst raising the one with the camera to snap a shot of him kissing the blonde on the cheek. Laughing, Tao shook the card until the image came through, giggling and nodding in satisfaction. "Nice." Pulling his wallet out, he opened the section with the window of plastic to slide in the photo, happy with the result.

@huang zitao Sehun put on the clothes given to him, securing the skinny jeans with a belt. His own hips were a little narrow and the skinnies threatened to slip off when he walked around for a while. The shirt was okay though, a little wide, but Zitao seemed quite content with his look, and so Sehun smiled as well.

Holding hands, they made their way to the park, the first time Sehun had actually been there - that was in this life, of course. The park was quite picturesque with a water fountain that Sehun watched for a while, before he glanced around, recognizing some of the flowers still in full blossom. He knew that summer would end soon though, and if they didn't go out for a picnic now, who knew if they would still have enough chances to this year.

"It's nice here," Sehun said and laid down next to Zitao, not hesitating to inch closer and rest his head against the other's shoulder. "Do you go here often?"

@009 - yixing "Why? Its dorky and loud..." Tao laughed sheepishly, a little embarrassed by the compliment. "But thank you..." He obediently turned to let him massage soap into his hair, biting his lip to stop from laughing when he felt the movement of Sehun attempting to create a hairstyle. He must have given up eventually because a hand smoothed it down again, gently tugged back under the water to rinse.

Grabbing towels for the both of them and taking the liberty of wrapping Sehun's for him, Tao found himself rummaging around with nothing really "date suitable" to wear. The doll would likely look pretty delicious in some skinny jeans and a white button down, and so picked those out, throwing them on the bed towards him. He selected a blazer and a wife beater with another pair of skinnies - these black and ripped across the front - and wiped absently at his soaking hair after pulling the towel away and changing. Shoving his phone, keys and wallet into his pockets, Tao glanced over himself in the mirror, straightening out his blazer before kissing Sehun's cheek and taking his hand to lead him to the kitchen, packing all the lunch things into a basket along with a blanket and a polaroid. "Come on then, ready?" He smiled, heading out the door with his doll and calling the elevator. The park he had in mind was a little further, but it didn't take long before they'd arrived, a flower garden surrounding a water feature which sat in the centre. Tao looked at Sehun, checking for a reaction, before laying the blanket out on a nice stretch of grass.

@huang zitao Sehun kept laughing and squirming for as long as Zitao held him in his arms, hands tickling unforgivingly. "Didn't know it either," Sehun replied, leaning against the other. He wasn't sure if a doll feeling ticklish was similar to a human feeling ticklish, but it was nice to experience something close to a human and have Zitao laughing with him. "I like hearing you laugh," Sehun admitted, blunt as always. It was nice to have Zitao so excited, like a child, even when Sehun didn't quite understand the fun factor of washing someone else's hair. As long as his boyfriend felt happy though, Sehun would be happy, too.

"My turn," Sehun announced once the shampoo had been rinsed, and just like Zitao, he played with the other's hair a bit. Different from Zitao though, he was more concentrated, serious, as he tried to make Zitao's hair stand up into all directions, which he gave up after a while, frustrated, because Zitao's hair was too long and thus too heavy to support its own weight. Gravity pulled at it and in the end Sehun simply patted all his hair down.

They spent an awful lot of time in the shower, but once they were finished, Sehun could tell that Zitao was not only clean, but refreshed, too. It was as if the serious talk before never happened, both of them in high spirits for their picnic lunch date. That was, if they could find something suitable for Sehun to wear, who was only clad in boxers so far, sitting on the bed and watching Zitao pull out different clothings.

@009 - yixing Eyebrows raising and a wide grin spreading itself across his face, Tao laughed in surprise, leaning in to grab at Sehun and tickle him some more. "I didn't know you were ticklish..." He pulled him firmly to his body so that he wouldn't slip (or escape), before tickling the younger mercilessly. After a minute or so of this, when their cheeks had begun to ache and feel sore, Tao put Sehun down and kissed his cheek repeatedly, still chuckling and giggling to themselves. "You're so adorable I want to cry." Breathless and happy, he made sure the rest of the suds had been washed clear of Sehun's body before massaging shampoo into his hair, watching it lather up and playing with different hairstyles, bursting into childish giggles once more at the updo he'd managed to achieve.

@huang zitao A shower proved to be exactly the distraction needed to stop worrying over each other and their life together. Under the warm sprinkle of water, Sehun could see Zitao relaxing, muscles loosing their tension more when Sehun motioned the other to hand him over the sponge and the soap. It was cute, the way Zitao insisted on washing Sehun had the doll insisting on washing his boyfriend in return. The awkwardness had eased away completely, yielding and making room for soft laughter when Zitao's hands found a spot that had Sehun shaking in laughter. "Ticklish!" Sehun shouted, the discovery of that spot new to him as well. He didn't think machines like him would be ticklish, but it could as well be an upgrade to make them more human-like.

@009 - yixing "You should." Nodding in agreement, Tao wondered if Sehun meant it, or whether he would simply store it away for when he thought his owner wasn't looking. In this respect, they seemed the perfect match, constantly more concerned for the other than themselves. Perhaps it would be different if Tao was rich like the other buyers, able to lie around in bed and have whenever they wanted - all day if they wished it - because having money meant having a life. A real one, free from mundane jobs and working hard just to get by, free to think, say or do anything they pleased. Tao knew he was jealous, would eagerly trade his financial situation over if it meant unlimited, unadulterated bliss with the boy flush against him.
He was startled from his daydreaming however, brought back to the reality of Huang Zitao's life with Oh Sehun. "Yeah, I guess we can't put it off any longer." Once they were both under the warm spray of water, Tao felt his shoulders visibly relax, grabbing hold of the soap to begin washing Sehun's pale torso.

@huang zitao "Am I that obvious?" Sehun asks, pouting a bit. He didn't want Zitao to know of his worries, adding on to the ones his boyfriend already had. He didn't want to burden the other further when there were enough other things to take care of already, managing their household and arranging their living to survive. Sehun had taken a quick glance at the other's account and judging by the numbers they were living with the minimum now. Maybe that was the reason why both of them were always so anxious; the smallest things could irritate them.

"I will stop questioning that then," Sehun promised, although he might not be able to keep it. There were always what-ifs, and Sehun was no different from humans in that department. He would analyze his choices over and over again, to see if he had made the right decisions and to draw conclusions to do better in the future. It was all for Zitao, and right in the beginning there might be more error with the trials, but for later Sehun hopes that his failures and mistakes would reduce further until he was the flawless boyfriend for Zitao, because enough didn't mean perfect.

"Let's go shower now," Sehun said, nudging the other. It would distract both of them from their rather serious conversation.

@009 - yixing "No not really, I'm just kidding silly. I can tell that you're worrying though." Tao waited patiently, quietly, squeezing the male's waist to let him know he was there for him when he rested their foreheads together. He'd done his fair share of worrying for the doll, but hoped he'd hidden it well enough to prevent him from noticing. Sometimes they just seemed to create a combined ball of anxiety without realising.

The question took him by surprise, eyebrows furrowing as Tao smoothed out blonde strands at the nape of the younger's neck. "Sehun..." He sighed softly, shaking his head slightly and pressing his lips longer than perhaps necessary against the same head of blonde. "I think I'm happy with you in my life full stop. Why are you thinking about things like this? Just a few days ago I thought I'd never be able to see you again once our contract ended. Now I have you forever..." Tilting Sehun's chin up, he willed the latter to look him in the eye. "That's more than enough for me."

@huang zitao Sehun didn't want to lie, so he stayed quiet instead. He didn't want Zitao to worry. It was an unnecessary thing when Sehun himself had not sorted out his thoughts yet. He would do so later, when Zitao was sleeping, because Sehun didn't need as much rest. On the other hand, he should shut down or switch into standby mode, just to save electricity, which meant saving just a little more money.

"Can you really?" Sehun wasn't sure if that was normal or if something was wrong with him already. It should be written in the manual, although Sehun thinks that unless he is really thinking a lot, other people would hear a soft, buzzing sound. Sighing softly, Sehun pushed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "I want to be even more amazing. Do you think you would be happier with me if I was a real person and not just some manufactured doll?" He couldn't help but ask that question.

@009 - yixing "Yeah, definitely need a shower." Tao grinned a little, not even slightly tempted to smell himself for fear of wanting to get out of the comfortable position immediately out of embarrassment. He lay there quietly instead, listening to Sehun's soft murmurs in response and the automatic imitation for breathing that he did, chest rising and falling ever so slightly against his own.
"I can practically hear you worrying." Tao poked the younger's head gently, looking down at him and smiling warmly. "What are you thinking about? I can hear the gears in your head." It was an ironic joke, Zitao grinning again to show the doll. "You haven't done anything wrong, you know that right? In fact, you're more admirable and amazing to me now than before. If that's possible."

@huang zitao "We could go early and just walk around the park? Like all the other couples do." Sehun smiled softly, hoping that would lighten the mood. Zitao would surely like to do couple things, if not he wouldn't have Sehun here. "Before we go we both need a shower though."

Blinking, Sehun found himself pressed close against the other's warm body. He listened quietly, humming softly as he did, and when Zitao ended his words with a soft kiss on his forehead, he knew that Zitao was not mad at him, probably more mad at himself for getting so worked up when there was no problem, but Sehun's promise to try and do better instead. "I'm glad I can make you feel like that," Sehun whispers. He can't really picture what Zitao is saying, but judging by Zitao's expression, it must be a wonderful feeling and if he can make Zitao feel that way, then he has fulfilled his purpose. "I don't need anybody else either," he adds quietly. What would Sehun be without Zitao? Just some trash, since he was not one of the newest models anymore. After Zitao, if Zitao ever happened to return him, there would be no one else.

@009 - yixing He could feel the tension, thick and awkward and very much unwanted in the air between them. Tao felt terrible, like an idiot, although he had meant what he said at least. But still, he hated things being weird like this, it was never weird with Sehun. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he felt the doll move beside him, glancing over at the male on his side. "Oh, uhh..." Tao swivelled to check his phone. "11:30 ...still a little early. But we can go in a bit if you'd like?"

He seized his opportunity then, grabbing Sehun's waist and pulling him onto his chest, lying across his front. "Really, can we just focus on the fact that I love you and forget the rest of the that I overreacted about? I seriously just feel..." The elder struggled to find the words, "lighter than air when I'm with you. Like I don't need anybody or anything else." Tao knew he was blushing fiercely, but kissed Sehun's forehead gently and hugged him close, hands running up and down his back.