(for everyone) the roommate agreement
For: everyone
Title: the roommate agreement
Rating: G
Word count: ~2000
Summary: Kyungsoo doesn't really like people touching him, but Jongdae is quite the cuddle monster. Luckily, their roommate agreement is set up in such a way that everyone is happy and content.
A/N: Jongdae and Kyungsoo are both asexual, and Kyungsoo is aromantic as well! This was very self-indulgent, and just a little slice of life fic.
Kyungsoo isn't really an affectionate person. He enjoys hugs and sometimes even cuddling, but he has to be the one to initiate it. It's weird, he knows, and a lot of people have told him that it's not really fair, and he understands that. But it's just not something he can help. He just doesn't like people touching him unless he has said that it's okay.
He lives with his overly affectionate roommate, Jongdae. At the very, very beginning - back when Kyungsoo had first moved in - Jongdae would constantly wrap his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulder's, or his waist, and press his face against Kyungsoo's neck. That's just the type of person that Jongdae is. Thankfully, Kyungsoo was able to tell Jongdae that he wasn't comfortable with such lavish.... displays of affection. Or, well, touching in general. Jongdae respects Kyungsoo's boundaries and he doesn't force Kyungsoo to cuddle with him, and he doesn't come up behind Kyungsoo to give him a back hug like some of the idiots at the office like to do. He does, however, make an excellent cuddle buddy when Kyungsoo is starved for human companionship.
Fridays are their 'roommate movie nights' according to the roommate contract that they created when Kyungsoo first moved in. Jongdae had thought it would be fun, and Kyungsoo indulged him because Jongdae seemed nice and it would be good to have some of their particular... quirks and pet peeves in writing so that there would be no misunderstandings. Jongdae had understood completely, and in exchange for some of the odder rules that Kyungsoo had asked Jongdae to add to the agreement, Jongdae had asked for a weekly movie night together.
"It'll be good for roommate bonding," he'd said, chewing on the tip of his pen with a smile.
Kyungsoo had said yes, Jongdae had scribbled it into the margins of the roommate agreement, and thus movie night was born.
Tonight is Jongdae's night to pick the movie, and Kyungsoo's turn to make the popcorn and snacks. The kitchen is dark when he enters, so he flips on the lights as Jongdae yells to him, "How do you feel about some good, old fashioned Star Wars?"
"That's fine," Kyungsoo calls back as he opens the pantry, rummaging around for the box of popcorn among the various cereals and other snacks all shoved inside. He finds it hidden in the back, and pulls out a packet to stick in the microwave. While the microwave is running, Kyungsoo heads on over to the fridge to grab two cans of soda. He hurries into the living room, fingers growing cold from the chilled cans in his hands, and sets them onto the coffee table before rushing back to the kitchen to check on the popcorn.
It's ready, and Kyungsoo pulls out a mixing bowl from the cupboard and dumps the popcorn inside. Popping a piece into his mouth, he heads back to the living room where Jongdae has set up a monster pile of blankets and pillow on their couch. Kyungsoo sets the bowl onto the coffee table next to their sodas and flops back onto the couch, wiggling his way under the blankets until he's pressed up against Jongdae's side.
Jongdae freezes, body stiffening. "Kyungsoo... is this okay? I know how you are about people touching you."
Kyungsoo hums an affirmative. "Yes."
Jongdae's body relaxes next to him and when Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae, there's a bright smile on his face. "Can I put my arm around your shoulder?"
Kyungsoo takes a minute to consider this. After a few moments, he nods. "Okay."
Jongdae's arm settles across Kyungsoo's shoulders as the movie starts, and Kyungsoo curls up closer to Jongdae. He yawns and pulls the blankets around them tighter.
He falls asleep within the first ten minutes of the movie. When he wakes up, Jongdae is snoring softly right next to his ear and the movie has gone back to its title screen, which means that it ended a while ago. Jongdae's arm is still wrapped around him and their sides are pressed up close together, and... it's really nice. Everything feels warm and safe, and Kyungsoo is surprisingly content.
This is new. Kyungsoo is very adamant about not wanting to people to touch him - usually it makes his skin crawl and he hates the sensation. That's why he is so particular about when he initiates skinship. But now... this isn't uncomfortable at all. This feels good - it feels natural.
Jongdae stirs by Kyungsoo's side, unconsciously wrapping his other arm around Kyungsoo and pulling them even closer together until Jongdae's breath is tickling Kyungsoo's cheek as he sleeps.
The weird thing is that Kyungsoo doesn't mind. He actually scoots closer with a gentle sigh and closes his eyes, drifting back to sleep in Jongdae's arms. When he wakes up again, Jongdae is in the kitchen and the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove can be heard throughout the apartment. Soft light filters in through the filmy curtains, and Kyungsoo realizes that it must be Saturday morning.
He sits up with a yawn and stretches his arms above his head before gathering a blanket around his shoulders and shuffling off into the kitchen to check on his roommate. Jongdae is standing at the stove, humming as he shakes his ass around in a little dance, and Kyungsoo just stares for a moment before rolling his eyes and walking right back out of the kitchen. He could have gone his whole life without seeing that.
According to the roommate agreement, whoever chooses the movie is the one that has to clean up after, but Kyungsoo is feeling especially generous today and decides that since Jongdae is making breakfast, he might as well clean up a little. He drops the blanket around his shoulders onto the couch, and then he grabs the empty soda cans and throws them into the trash before heading back to the living room to get the popcorn bowl. Jongdae is singing under his breath as he scoops the bacon out of the pan using a pair of tongs and places them on a plate before patting them down with a paper towel to remove the excess grease. Kyungsoo dumps the leftover popcorn into the trash before walking over to the sink to rinse out the bowl.
"How many pieces do you want?" Jongdae asks, turning to Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo adds the tiniest amount of dish soap to the bowl before turning on the tap and letting the water fill it up. "Uh, two."
"Alright!"
Once Kyungsoo is done rinsing out the popcorn bowl, Jongdae ushers him over to the table where their food is waiting. They take their seats, and Kyungsoo murmurs a soft, "thank you."
Breakfast is a quiet affair, but it isn't dull. Jongdae munches happily on his bacon as he chatters animatedly about the new guy at his work. Jongdae works at a tattoo parlor, even though he doesn't have any tattoos himself (or any that Kyungsoo has seen, anyway) and apparently the new guy is a scrawny kid named Sehun. "I think he has a thing for our boss," Jongdae laughs.
"Your boss is Minseok, right?"
"Yup," Jongdae says, taking another bite. "Sehun follows Minseok around everywhere like a little puppy. He's always tugging on Minseok's sleeve and asking for tips, and Minseok just smiles and indulges him. It's actually really cute."
Kyungsoo reaches forward to grab his glass of orange juice as he lips curl up into a small smile. He takes a sip. "They sound like they would be adorable together."
"I have a feeling they might," Jongdae admits. Now that his plate is empty, he scoots his chair back and gets up from the table. Kyungsoo follows him and they amble on over to do dishes together - Jongdae rinsing and Kyungsoo setting the plates and the pan Jongdae used earlier for the bacon into the dishwasher.
The roommate agreement is heaven sent, honestly. Kyungsoo loves how it outlines everything that they're each expected to do, and Jongdae is a great guy who follows it to the letter. In past roommate situations, Kyungsoo hadn't thought about enforcing a roommate agreement. He thinks it probably would've been a lot of help when he was roommates with Chanyeol. Chanyeol was a really nice guy, honestly, but he always pushed himself into Kyungsoo's space, trying to hug and cuddle him, until one day Kyungsoo just couldn't take it anymore and decided to move out.
Kyungsoo's next roommate was Jongin, and although Jongin was a sweet guy... he had a tendency to swing his arm wildly whenever he laughed, hitting whoever was next to him. That was usually Kyungsoo. Jongin was quiet most of the time, and respectful, but he was kind of a ... slob, too. Kyungsoo likes keeping things neat and clean, and he didn't like having to be the one to clean up the apartment all the time.
Baekhyun was okay. He was awfully loud, though, and Kyungsoo didn't feel particularly close to him. His girlfriend came over a lot, though, and Kyungsoo spent most of his time hiding out in his room, which he didn't really think was fair. Not that he could complain - he chose to hide out in his room rather than spend time with Baekhyun and his girlfriend. Overall, though, living with Baekhyun was, at most, eh.
And then Kyungsoo had met Jongdae, and his roommate agreement, and everything had fallen into place.
Now, Kyungsoo is really happy with this arrangement. He thinks he may even be growing closer to Jongdae, which makes him smile a little bit to himself. When he straightens up from setting the dishes into the dishwasher, he finds Jongdae staring at him curiously. "What are you so happy about?"
"What?" Kyungsoo is startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, well I was just thinking... I really like it here."
"Really?" Jongdae's eyes light up and his lips stretch into an easy smile.
"Yeah," Kyungsoo answers. "I think you're the best roommate I've ever had." He laughs and Jongdae opens his arms, looking as though he's about to go in for a hug. Kyungsoo tenses up, but Jongdae doesn't move.
"Is it okay if I hug you?" Jongdae asks, and Kyungsoo shakes his head apologetically. He really just does not want to be touched right now.
"Not this time." Kyungsoo answers, rubbing his arm in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be!" Jongdae smiles again. "I told you that I understand completely." Jongdae goes back to washing the silverware, humming under his breath. He hands them to Kyungsoo one at a time, and Kyungsoo makes sure to place all the spoons together and all the knives together in separate compartments.
After a moment, Kyungsoo pauses and looks back up at Jongdae, a question forming on his lips. "Jongdae, are... are you sure you understand?" He asks. "Nobody has really understood before. Everyone says that I shouldn't be so picky about letting people touch me, or that I'm weird."
Jongdae stops what he's doing and turns off the tap so that he's not wasting water before answering. "While I may not understand why you don't like to be touched, I understand that that is just how you are, and I respect that." He says, slowly and carefully. "I have plenty of friends who are comfortable with different levels of touching - Jonghyun is okay with anything and everything, while Joonmyun doesn't like when people touch his back. There are different levels of tolerance, and I can see that. You're just at a lower level than most people. Probably the lowest. But!" Jongdae smiles, and Kyungsoo can't help but smile back. "That is perfectly okay."
"Thank you, Jongdae." Kyungsoo had never thought it would feel this great to have someone actually understand him, but Jongdae does. Kyungsoo can't stop smiling, even after they both go to work.
There's honestly no better roommate than Jongdae, Kyungsoo thinks. Maybe he'll even be comfortable with giving him a hug later tonight.
Title: the roommate agreement
Rating: G
Word count: ~2000
Summary: Kyungsoo doesn't really like people touching him, but Jongdae is quite the cuddle monster. Luckily, their roommate agreement is set up in such a way that everyone is happy and content.
A/N: Jongdae and Kyungsoo are both asexual, and Kyungsoo is aromantic as well! This was very self-indulgent, and just a little slice of life fic.
Kyungsoo isn't really an affectionate person. He enjoys hugs and sometimes even cuddling, but he has to be the one to initiate it. It's weird, he knows, and a lot of people have told him that it's not really fair, and he understands that. But it's just not something he can help. He just doesn't like people touching him unless he has said that it's okay.
He lives with his overly affectionate roommate, Jongdae. At the very, very beginning - back when Kyungsoo had first moved in - Jongdae would constantly wrap his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulder's, or his waist, and press his face against Kyungsoo's neck. That's just the type of person that Jongdae is. Thankfully, Kyungsoo was able to tell Jongdae that he wasn't comfortable with such lavish.... displays of affection. Or, well, touching in general. Jongdae respects Kyungsoo's boundaries and he doesn't force Kyungsoo to cuddle with him, and he doesn't come up behind Kyungsoo to give him a back hug like some of the idiots at the office like to do. He does, however, make an excellent cuddle buddy when Kyungsoo is starved for human companionship.
Fridays are their 'roommate movie nights' according to the roommate contract that they created when Kyungsoo first moved in. Jongdae had thought it would be fun, and Kyungsoo indulged him because Jongdae seemed nice and it would be good to have some of their particular... quirks and pet peeves in writing so that there would be no misunderstandings. Jongdae had understood completely, and in exchange for some of the odder rules that Kyungsoo had asked Jongdae to add to the agreement, Jongdae had asked for a weekly movie night together.
"It'll be good for roommate bonding," he'd said, chewing on the tip of his pen with a smile.
Kyungsoo had said yes, Jongdae had scribbled it into the margins of the roommate agreement, and thus movie night was born.
Tonight is Jongdae's night to pick the movie, and Kyungsoo's turn to make the popcorn and snacks. The kitchen is dark when he enters, so he flips on the lights as Jongdae yells to him, "How do you feel about some good, old fashioned Star Wars?"
"That's fine," Kyungsoo calls back as he opens the pantry, rummaging around for the box of popcorn among the various cereals and other snacks all shoved inside. He finds it hidden in the back, and pulls out a packet to stick in the microwave. While the microwave is running, Kyungsoo heads on over to the fridge to grab two cans of soda. He hurries into the living room, fingers growing cold from the chilled cans in his hands, and sets them onto the coffee table before rushing back to the kitchen to check on the popcorn.
It's ready, and Kyungsoo pulls out a mixing bowl from the cupboard and dumps the popcorn inside. Popping a piece into his mouth, he heads back to the living room where Jongdae has set up a monster pile of blankets and pillow on their couch. Kyungsoo sets the bowl onto the coffee table next to their sodas and flops back onto the couch, wiggling his way under the blankets until he's pressed up against Jongdae's side.
Jongdae freezes, body stiffening. "Kyungsoo... is this okay? I know how you are about people touching you."
Kyungsoo hums an affirmative. "Yes."
Jongdae's body relaxes next to him and when Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae, there's a bright smile on his face. "Can I put my arm around your shoulder?"
Kyungsoo takes a minute to consider this. After a few moments, he nods. "Okay."
Jongdae's arm settles across Kyungsoo's shoulders as the movie starts, and Kyungsoo curls up closer to Jongdae. He yawns and pulls the blankets around them tighter.
He falls asleep within the first ten minutes of the movie. When he wakes up, Jongdae is snoring softly right next to his ear and the movie has gone back to its title screen, which means that it ended a while ago. Jongdae's arm is still wrapped around him and their sides are pressed up close together, and... it's really nice. Everything feels warm and safe, and Kyungsoo is surprisingly content.
This is new. Kyungsoo is very adamant about not wanting to people to touch him - usually it makes his skin crawl and he hates the sensation. That's why he is so particular about when he initiates skinship. But now... this isn't uncomfortable at all. This feels good - it feels natural.
Jongdae stirs by Kyungsoo's side, unconsciously wrapping his other arm around Kyungsoo and pulling them even closer together until Jongdae's breath is tickling Kyungsoo's cheek as he sleeps.
The weird thing is that Kyungsoo doesn't mind. He actually scoots closer with a gentle sigh and closes his eyes, drifting back to sleep in Jongdae's arms. When he wakes up again, Jongdae is in the kitchen and the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove can be heard throughout the apartment. Soft light filters in through the filmy curtains, and Kyungsoo realizes that it must be Saturday morning.
He sits up with a yawn and stretches his arms above his head before gathering a blanket around his shoulders and shuffling off into the kitchen to check on his roommate. Jongdae is standing at the stove, humming as he shakes his ass around in a little dance, and Kyungsoo just stares for a moment before rolling his eyes and walking right back out of the kitchen. He could have gone his whole life without seeing that.
According to the roommate agreement, whoever chooses the movie is the one that has to clean up after, but Kyungsoo is feeling especially generous today and decides that since Jongdae is making breakfast, he might as well clean up a little. He drops the blanket around his shoulders onto the couch, and then he grabs the empty soda cans and throws them into the trash before heading back to the living room to get the popcorn bowl. Jongdae is singing under his breath as he scoops the bacon out of the pan using a pair of tongs and places them on a plate before patting them down with a paper towel to remove the excess grease. Kyungsoo dumps the leftover popcorn into the trash before walking over to the sink to rinse out the bowl.
"How many pieces do you want?" Jongdae asks, turning to Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo adds the tiniest amount of dish soap to the bowl before turning on the tap and letting the water fill it up. "Uh, two."
"Alright!"
Once Kyungsoo is done rinsing out the popcorn bowl, Jongdae ushers him over to the table where their food is waiting. They take their seats, and Kyungsoo murmurs a soft, "thank you."
Breakfast is a quiet affair, but it isn't dull. Jongdae munches happily on his bacon as he chatters animatedly about the new guy at his work. Jongdae works at a tattoo parlor, even though he doesn't have any tattoos himself (or any that Kyungsoo has seen, anyway) and apparently the new guy is a scrawny kid named Sehun. "I think he has a thing for our boss," Jongdae laughs.
"Your boss is Minseok, right?"
"Yup," Jongdae says, taking another bite. "Sehun follows Minseok around everywhere like a little puppy. He's always tugging on Minseok's sleeve and asking for tips, and Minseok just smiles and indulges him. It's actually really cute."
Kyungsoo reaches forward to grab his glass of orange juice as he lips curl up into a small smile. He takes a sip. "They sound like they would be adorable together."
"I have a feeling they might," Jongdae admits. Now that his plate is empty, he scoots his chair back and gets up from the table. Kyungsoo follows him and they amble on over to do dishes together - Jongdae rinsing and Kyungsoo setting the plates and the pan Jongdae used earlier for the bacon into the dishwasher.
The roommate agreement is heaven sent, honestly. Kyungsoo loves how it outlines everything that they're each expected to do, and Jongdae is a great guy who follows it to the letter. In past roommate situations, Kyungsoo hadn't thought about enforcing a roommate agreement. He thinks it probably would've been a lot of help when he was roommates with Chanyeol. Chanyeol was a really nice guy, honestly, but he always pushed himself into Kyungsoo's space, trying to hug and cuddle him, until one day Kyungsoo just couldn't take it anymore and decided to move out.
Kyungsoo's next roommate was Jongin, and although Jongin was a sweet guy... he had a tendency to swing his arm wildly whenever he laughed, hitting whoever was next to him. That was usually Kyungsoo. Jongin was quiet most of the time, and respectful, but he was kind of a ... slob, too. Kyungsoo likes keeping things neat and clean, and he didn't like having to be the one to clean up the apartment all the time.
Baekhyun was okay. He was awfully loud, though, and Kyungsoo didn't feel particularly close to him. His girlfriend came over a lot, though, and Kyungsoo spent most of his time hiding out in his room, which he didn't really think was fair. Not that he could complain - he chose to hide out in his room rather than spend time with Baekhyun and his girlfriend. Overall, though, living with Baekhyun was, at most, eh.
And then Kyungsoo had met Jongdae, and his roommate agreement, and everything had fallen into place.
Now, Kyungsoo is really happy with this arrangement. He thinks he may even be growing closer to Jongdae, which makes him smile a little bit to himself. When he straightens up from setting the dishes into the dishwasher, he finds Jongdae staring at him curiously. "What are you so happy about?"
"What?" Kyungsoo is startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, well I was just thinking... I really like it here."
"Really?" Jongdae's eyes light up and his lips stretch into an easy smile.
"Yeah," Kyungsoo answers. "I think you're the best roommate I've ever had." He laughs and Jongdae opens his arms, looking as though he's about to go in for a hug. Kyungsoo tenses up, but Jongdae doesn't move.
"Is it okay if I hug you?" Jongdae asks, and Kyungsoo shakes his head apologetically. He really just does not want to be touched right now.
"Not this time." Kyungsoo answers, rubbing his arm in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be!" Jongdae smiles again. "I told you that I understand completely." Jongdae goes back to washing the silverware, humming under his breath. He hands them to Kyungsoo one at a time, and Kyungsoo makes sure to place all the spoons together and all the knives together in separate compartments.
After a moment, Kyungsoo pauses and looks back up at Jongdae, a question forming on his lips. "Jongdae, are... are you sure you understand?" He asks. "Nobody has really understood before. Everyone says that I shouldn't be so picky about letting people touch me, or that I'm weird."
Jongdae stops what he's doing and turns off the tap so that he's not wasting water before answering. "While I may not understand why you don't like to be touched, I understand that that is just how you are, and I respect that." He says, slowly and carefully. "I have plenty of friends who are comfortable with different levels of touching - Jonghyun is okay with anything and everything, while Joonmyun doesn't like when people touch his back. There are different levels of tolerance, and I can see that. You're just at a lower level than most people. Probably the lowest. But!" Jongdae smiles, and Kyungsoo can't help but smile back. "That is perfectly okay."
"Thank you, Jongdae." Kyungsoo had never thought it would feel this great to have someone actually understand him, but Jongdae does. Kyungsoo can't stop smiling, even after they both go to work.
There's honestly no better roommate than Jongdae, Kyungsoo thinks. Maybe he'll even be comfortable with giving him a hug later tonight.