Personal Rehab (Chapter 9)
Title: Personal Rehab
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: 2Min
Summary: Taemin is taking care of Minho as he detoxes, but when Key finds out he highly disapproves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The warmth surrounding Minho when he woke up was at first affectionate and comforting, cradling him in a tight bundle that reassured him of his absolute safety. He couldn’t quite open his eyes but he could detect a familiar smell next to him, something sweet that only came from one thing; Taemin.
“Taemin-ah…?” He called out in a growly voice, eyes still closed. The warmth around him started to increase uncomfortably, making his skin tingle with an irritating heat.
“I’m here.” Taemin was awake and sat up to look over him. “Are you okay?” He felt Minho’s forehead and sighed. “You’re burning up.”
“I’m really hot.” He panted slightly, a fever flushing his body very suddenly. The withdrawal from the heavy amount of drugs the previous night was pushing his body to its limits. “Fuck it’s so hot…”
Taemin shot up to get him cold water, fever reducing medicine, and a cold cloth. “Hold on, okay?” He returned within a minute, immediately wiping the ice-cold cloth on his neck and chest to relieve some of the heat. He knew Minho needed him and was prepared to sit by his side until he was better; this was his chance.
“Taemin,” Minho finally opened his eyes, an obvious pain showing on his face. “I’m hurting.” He breathed through his mouth, trying to find some relief from the heat in his body.
He knelt on the floor beside his bed, helping Minho sit up for some water. “Drink, hyung. Please.” He put the edge of the glass to Minho’s lip and tipped it forward slowly, holding his hand under his mouth in case any water spilled. He didn’t have any second thoughts about what he was doing, it came instinctually.
Minho managed to drink only a small mouthful before pushing the glass away. “I feel so sick…”
“I know, but you have to be strong.” Taemin continued to wipe the cold cloth over Minho’s face and neck, concentrating on his forehead and jawline. He wouldn’t say he was worried. For one, he wouldn’t admit to Minho, nor would he admit it to himself.
“If you get me some H I’ll feel better…” Minho gave him a hopeless look, knowing it was a request that would most likely be ignored.
Taemin lowered his eyes, indeed ignoring it. “Will you take some medicine? It’s just a fever and pain reducer…” He held the two little pills in his hand.
Minho blinked slowly and took the pills after a few seconds, putting them far back on his tongue and forcing them down with water. “I just want to sleep more…”
“…Okay.” Taemin complied and went back to his side of the bed, laying down just to keep an eye on Minho. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
~*~
After a short nap, Minho began to stir and make groaning noises. He kicked his legs and gripped the sheets, trying to do anything to rid himself of the painful withdrawal symptoms; he was in a cold sweat, had cramps all over his body, his muscles ached, he was nauseous, and worst of all he had an extremely inconvenient hard-on.
“Minho?” Taemin sat up again, worry written across his face. “You doin’ okay?”
“Fuck, no~” Minho whined, a bit hysterical. “I’m fucking miserable.”
“What can I do?” Taemin rubbed Minho’s arm gently.
Minho shut his eyes. “Fuck, anything.” He replied sharply, not intending to sound angry but he was just so irritated. “Suck me off, swallow my cum.” He nearly demanded.
“What!?” Taemin stammered. “How will that help!?”
“URGH!” Minho clenched his jaw. “I don’t fucking know! At least it would distract me from this other shit!” He clawed angrily at his body, trying to find relief in any way possible.
“… Is that really what you need…?” Taemin asked softly, a bit defeated as his eyes turned downcast.
“For fuck’s sake. Forget it, I didn’t mean that.” Minho rubbed his eyes forcefully, frustrated. “Just… leave me alone or something.”
Taemin backed away without arguing. “Well, I’m just glad you called me…” He leaned against the doorframe, eyes still low. “You know, instead of someone else…”
“Hmm?” Minho half registered his words.
“I was starting to worry about you.” He closed the door as soundlessly as possible and let out a sigh.
~*~
Minho was forced to stay in bed by not only his nausea, shakes, and fever, but by Taemin as well. The boy skipped almost a week’s worth of classes to stay home and take care of him. No matter how much he yelled, screamed, cried, and begged, Taemin never gave up or left his side. Of course Minho tried to get Taemin to get him some drugs, even something small to just alleviate some symptoms, but his attempts went ignored. He never reacted violently, physically at least. Taemin simply let the insults, threats, and arguments pass right through him. He told himself that Minho didn’t mean a word of it; they were just another symptom of withdrawal. He would wait until Minho was feeling better for an apology. Until then, he expected nothing from his hyung except sobriety.
At some point Minho lost the energy to fight with him anymore. He couldn’t keep any food down so he was weakened tremendously. Taemin started to worry about his weight, too. He was way too skinny for his height. At six-foot-one, shouldn’t he be at least 140 pounds? He weighed no more than 115, if that.
Even worse, ever-keen-on-details Key called Taemin to ask exactly why he’d not been on campus the past five days. He couldn’t very well just tell Key that he had Minho stashed in his bed and was taking care of him through a huge drug detox, now could he? He would have to go back to campus soon or Key would just arrive without notice to see what the problem was for himself. All hell would break loose, surely, because Key really hated the idea of his ‘baby’ with a druggie.
So without much of a choice, Taemin prepared to leave for class late Monday morning. Minho was sleeping most of the time anyway. He placed a cool, damp cloth on Minho’s forehead before he left for class and sealed it with a kiss. “I won’t be gone long, rest well Minho-hyung.”
He planned to return every two hours when he had a break to make sure everything was going alright. He’d left a pot of water on the stove, ready to boil if Minho decided he wanted tea or something. There was plenty of noodles and soup for his upset stomach available too, right on the middle shelf in the fridge in front of everything else so it was easy to find. If that wasn’t easy enough, he pinned a note to the nightstand explaining all of this and wrote out his phone number in case of emergency.
Still, the further he got from his place, the more the looming feeling of trouble made him want to turn back.
~*~
“Taemin…” Minho cried out hopelessly into the empty apartment; he was used to the boy being right there. He used the cloth to wipe away the sweat from his forehead but the heat from his core burned even hotter. His blurred eyes squinted to make out the time on the digital clock: 3:35.
“Taemin.” He called again, unaware of the younger’s absence. “Where are you?” He needed anything to settle the nauseating shakes and terrible headache. Fine, he figured, I’ll take care of myself.
Sitting up was the hardest part, and the sudden rush of blood away from his head made him even dizzier. He managed to stand, but was barely able to hold himself up. He stumbled towards the bathroom and rummaged through a medicine cabinet. “He’s gotta have something…”
Mild pain reliever.
Allergy reducer.
Cough suppressant.
Vitamins.
Fuck, doesn’t this kid have anything remotely strong!?
As desperation and panic set in, his hands shook more and anything he tried to hold onto just fell to the floor. He groaned loudly, angrily, and slapped his hand against the sink. His fingers were numb but he managed to open the bottle of pain pills, which really were for nothing more than headaches, and downed an uncounted handful of them.
“God damnit…” He was so used to instant gratification and this was just infuriating. He should have crushed them up and snorted them, at least. The delivery would have been faster. But after a few minutes, his heart started to beat erratically and his weakened body couldn’t quite keep up with the pace.
He didn’t feel his body fall onto the cold tile floor.
~*~
Taemin stepped inside quietly, happy to be done for the day. First things first, though: check on Minho. When he came earlier, the older was sleeping like a baby. “Hyung, are you awake ye−” He froze when he saw the empty bed and his eyes darted everywhere. “Hyung?” He looked into the kitchen and living room, both empty.
“Oh god…” He began to panic. His worst fear was that Minho would run away. “Hyung! Where are you!?” He checked the bathroom last and nearly screamed.
The older laid on the floor in the most unnatural position; his arms splayed out above his head and were discolored from the lack of blood flow. His legs were the same. He was breathing very shallowly, wheezing through his mouth that was nearly obstructed by his position against the floor.
“Oh my god oh my god,” Taemin turned him over quickly and cradled his head. “Hyung! Wake up!” He shook Minho’s shoulders desperately, getting no response from him at all. “Hyung stop playing around!! This isn’t funny!!” He cried and yelled to him, only then noticing the tipped bottle of pain medicine.
He had no idea what to do. He was panicking, scared, and couldn’t think straight. He needed someone to think for him, to help him. With Minho still in his arms, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only person he knew would come immediately: Key.
“Yoboseyo~”
“Hyung, please come over right away! Don’t make me explain why right now, it’s too urgent!”
“What!? Are you hurt?”
“No! I’m fine! Just please come right this second, I need you!”
“Okay, calm down. Just take deep breaths and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As promised, Key let himself into Taemin’s place using his spare key within minutes. “Taemin?”
“In the bathroom, hyung…”
Key turned the corner and gasped. “What is this!?”
Taemin turned to look at him. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, cheeks stained with tears. “He’s dying, hyung. Help.” His voice was pathetic, begging shamelessly. He looked back down to Minho and wiped his forehead lovingly.
“Is this what you’ve been doing the past five days!? Taking care of this waste of space!?” Key shouted.
“Can’t you looked past that right now and help me!?” Taemin yelled back. “Tell me what to do! I called you because I trust you, so don’t be a jerk!” It was the first time he was so direct and defiant to his hyung. He was almost disrespectful.
Key threw his hands up in defeat. “What even happened to him?” He would scold Taemin later for his rude mouth.
“Swallowed a bottle of pills…” He started sobbing again. “I don’t know what to do!”
“Just… get him into the bathtub! We need to wake him up.” The two worked together to lift the feather-light man over the ceramic edge. “Get in with him, I’m not getting wet.” He turned on the water, intentionally making it cold to shock Minho awake.
Taemin stood over Minho, splashing the water onto his face. “Wake up hyung, please wake up.” They were both being soaked, clothing and all, but Taemin couldn’t care less. Minho’s life was more important at the moment.
It was a miracle when Minho started to cough, followed by his eyes opening slowly. Taemin wrapped his arms around him and cried harder. “Hyung! Minho-hyung! I was so scared!”
“Taemin…” Minho’s hoarse voice was hard to hear over the water. “…Why are we in the shower?”
The younger laughed through his tears and stroked Minho’s cheek. “It’s okay, don’t worry about anything. I’ve got you…” He nuzzled him close, shielding him from the water.
Key rolled his eyes and turned off the shower, but only because he didn’t see the reason to keep having Taemin soaked. He cared nothing for Minho.
“Yah, stop crying.” Minho reassured him. “What’s going on? Why are we in the tub?”
“Stop complaining and be grateful that you’re still alive!” Key sat on the edge of the sink and folded his arms.
“Hyung, please…” Taemin sat up and pulled his shirt off, letting it air dry. “Don’t be aggressive, he’s not well.”
“Not well? Yeah, I know that! And you’re not well for letting him stay in your place! All he is doing to you is ruining your life, Taemin!” Key didn’t hold back his opinion. “You skipped out on your education to take care of this asshole and look what he did to repay you! He tried to kill himself!”
“I didn’t try to kill myself…” Minho interjected quietly, regaining a steady breathing pattern. He was beginning to understand what had led him to this point and what was going on.
“My ass, you didn’t! You try to kill yourself every goddamn day with your fucking drugs!” Key approached Minho violently. “And you’re fucking up everything by just existing because Taemin has sacrificed everything just to try and help you the past few months. Did you know that? Yeah, I bet not, because time and time again you pushed him away! You chose your fucking drugs over him! And yet he still cares for you!”
“Hyung, stop!” Taemin stood between them.
“No!” He shoved Taemin aside. “You’re a worthless piece of shit, Minho! You don’t appreciate anything anyone does for you! You don’t deserve Taemin’s kindness at all! I hope you die, you fucking asshole!”
“Hyung!” Taemin used all of his strength to push him out of the bathroom and into the hall. “What are you doing!?”
“Just telling the truth, Taemin. Neither of you seem to get it so I’m spelling it out for you. Now go and get him up, get him out of your house, and never speak to him again.” Key pointed his finger in Taemin’s face.
“…No!” Taemin pushed him away. “Get out of my face, Kibum!” He didn’t care for formalities anymore; Key had crossed the line. “Stop telling me how to live my life! I’m an adult!”
“Are you serious? You really wanna say this right now?” Key cackled. “I’m an adult ooo~”
“Fuck. You!” Taemin had had enough; he lunged forward and pushed his hyung to the ground. “If you can’t manage to be supportive of what I want to do, then butt out of my life! Forever!” He never yelled like this before in his life, it was terribly upsetting and tears came uncontrollably. “I don’t need a control freak, I need a friend. I thought you were better than that.”
Key looked up at him, shocked. “And I thought you were smarter than to try again and again to make a drug addict love you.” He smirked, knowing he dropped the ultimate bomb on him.
Taemin froze; was he that pathetic? It’s true; all this time while he was looking after Minho, even since the night they first hooked up, all he’d been trying to do was have Minho care for him back.
“I thought so.” Key stood and picked his things back up. “Call me when you decide to stop being a moron.”
And he was left alone to deal with his true feelings, vulnerable and broken.
“…Am I ruining your life?” Minho stood in the bathroom doorway, his wet clothes discarded and only a towel covering him.
Taemin turned around quickly, rubbing his eyes and catching his breath. “No, no. Really, you’re not.” He tried to smile. “Key is… He means well, he’s protective…”
“He’s right though, I don’t deserve your kindness.” Minho kept his distance and never met Taemin’s eyes. “All I’ve done is treat you like shit.”
“Minho-hyung, t-that’s not true.” Taemin shook his head, clenching his fists. “You’re sick and I’m taking care of you, that’s all. You haven’t done anything bad to me…”
Minho blinked slowly and sighed. “…Do you love me? Was Key right?”
He gasped, skin flushing a blood red. “Hyung, I…” He swallowed nervously.
“You don’t have to answer.” Minho ruffled his wet hair and looked up. “Sorry for being so blunt.”
Taemin stepped closer. “No, it’s fine…”
“But, thank you.” Minho closed the gap between them. “I mean, I don’t know what you find so important about me. I am pretty worthless.” He was being serious. “So thank you for whatever you see in me.” He touched Taemin’s cheek and watched his eyes.
“You’re not worthless.” Taemin replied with a shaky breath. The closeness of their shirtless bodies was making him warm.
Minho slid his arm to wrap around Taemin’s waist and slowly pulled him closer. “I’ll work harder for you, Taemin. You’ve done too much for me, so I’ll do my best to return that favor.”
Taemin’s shaking hands rested on Minho’s chest and slid down and around to his lower back where his fingertips brushed the soft skin there. “Y-you mean a lot to me…” He admitted, tears threatening to spill over again.
Minho tipped Taemin’s chin up with his knuckle and smiled. “I’ll worship you from now on.” He curled his hand around Taemin’s head, cradling it gently while his lips seduced the younger’s mouth open.
He was intoxicated with just one kiss. He held onto Minho and melted into their kiss, allowing his tongue to pass over the older’s. He breathed in Minho’s scent and was lost even more. When he felt Minho direct his body towards the wall, he didn’t stop him. Then they were caught up on each other, adding their bodies to the fervor of their kiss. “Minho-hyung,” Taemin whined between breaths.
“Ne?” Minho moved to kiss his neck.
Taemin couldn’t hold back any longer. “I love you."
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: 2Min
Summary: Taemin is taking care of Minho as he detoxes, but when Key finds out he highly disapproves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The warmth surrounding Minho when he woke up was at first affectionate and comforting, cradling him in a tight bundle that reassured him of his absolute safety. He couldn’t quite open his eyes but he could detect a familiar smell next to him, something sweet that only came from one thing; Taemin.
“Taemin-ah…?” He called out in a growly voice, eyes still closed. The warmth around him started to increase uncomfortably, making his skin tingle with an irritating heat.
“I’m here.” Taemin was awake and sat up to look over him. “Are you okay?” He felt Minho’s forehead and sighed. “You’re burning up.”
“I’m really hot.” He panted slightly, a fever flushing his body very suddenly. The withdrawal from the heavy amount of drugs the previous night was pushing his body to its limits. “Fuck it’s so hot…”
Taemin shot up to get him cold water, fever reducing medicine, and a cold cloth. “Hold on, okay?” He returned within a minute, immediately wiping the ice-cold cloth on his neck and chest to relieve some of the heat. He knew Minho needed him and was prepared to sit by his side until he was better; this was his chance.
“Taemin,” Minho finally opened his eyes, an obvious pain showing on his face. “I’m hurting.” He breathed through his mouth, trying to find some relief from the heat in his body.
He knelt on the floor beside his bed, helping Minho sit up for some water. “Drink, hyung. Please.” He put the edge of the glass to Minho’s lip and tipped it forward slowly, holding his hand under his mouth in case any water spilled. He didn’t have any second thoughts about what he was doing, it came instinctually.
Minho managed to drink only a small mouthful before pushing the glass away. “I feel so sick…”
“I know, but you have to be strong.” Taemin continued to wipe the cold cloth over Minho’s face and neck, concentrating on his forehead and jawline. He wouldn’t say he was worried. For one, he wouldn’t admit to Minho, nor would he admit it to himself.
“If you get me some H I’ll feel better…” Minho gave him a hopeless look, knowing it was a request that would most likely be ignored.
Taemin lowered his eyes, indeed ignoring it. “Will you take some medicine? It’s just a fever and pain reducer…” He held the two little pills in his hand.
Minho blinked slowly and took the pills after a few seconds, putting them far back on his tongue and forcing them down with water. “I just want to sleep more…”
“…Okay.” Taemin complied and went back to his side of the bed, laying down just to keep an eye on Minho. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
~*~
After a short nap, Minho began to stir and make groaning noises. He kicked his legs and gripped the sheets, trying to do anything to rid himself of the painful withdrawal symptoms; he was in a cold sweat, had cramps all over his body, his muscles ached, he was nauseous, and worst of all he had an extremely inconvenient hard-on.
“Minho?” Taemin sat up again, worry written across his face. “You doin’ okay?”
“Fuck, no~” Minho whined, a bit hysterical. “I’m fucking miserable.”
“What can I do?” Taemin rubbed Minho’s arm gently.
Minho shut his eyes. “Fuck, anything.” He replied sharply, not intending to sound angry but he was just so irritated. “Suck me off, swallow my cum.” He nearly demanded.
“What!?” Taemin stammered. “How will that help!?”
“URGH!” Minho clenched his jaw. “I don’t fucking know! At least it would distract me from this other shit!” He clawed angrily at his body, trying to find relief in any way possible.
“… Is that really what you need…?” Taemin asked softly, a bit defeated as his eyes turned downcast.
“For fuck’s sake. Forget it, I didn’t mean that.” Minho rubbed his eyes forcefully, frustrated. “Just… leave me alone or something.”
Taemin backed away without arguing. “Well, I’m just glad you called me…” He leaned against the doorframe, eyes still low. “You know, instead of someone else…”
“Hmm?” Minho half registered his words.
“I was starting to worry about you.” He closed the door as soundlessly as possible and let out a sigh.
~*~
Minho was forced to stay in bed by not only his nausea, shakes, and fever, but by Taemin as well. The boy skipped almost a week’s worth of classes to stay home and take care of him. No matter how much he yelled, screamed, cried, and begged, Taemin never gave up or left his side. Of course Minho tried to get Taemin to get him some drugs, even something small to just alleviate some symptoms, but his attempts went ignored. He never reacted violently, physically at least. Taemin simply let the insults, threats, and arguments pass right through him. He told himself that Minho didn’t mean a word of it; they were just another symptom of withdrawal. He would wait until Minho was feeling better for an apology. Until then, he expected nothing from his hyung except sobriety.
At some point Minho lost the energy to fight with him anymore. He couldn’t keep any food down so he was weakened tremendously. Taemin started to worry about his weight, too. He was way too skinny for his height. At six-foot-one, shouldn’t he be at least 140 pounds? He weighed no more than 115, if that.
Even worse, ever-keen-on-details Key called Taemin to ask exactly why he’d not been on campus the past five days. He couldn’t very well just tell Key that he had Minho stashed in his bed and was taking care of him through a huge drug detox, now could he? He would have to go back to campus soon or Key would just arrive without notice to see what the problem was for himself. All hell would break loose, surely, because Key really hated the idea of his ‘baby’ with a druggie.
So without much of a choice, Taemin prepared to leave for class late Monday morning. Minho was sleeping most of the time anyway. He placed a cool, damp cloth on Minho’s forehead before he left for class and sealed it with a kiss. “I won’t be gone long, rest well Minho-hyung.”
He planned to return every two hours when he had a break to make sure everything was going alright. He’d left a pot of water on the stove, ready to boil if Minho decided he wanted tea or something. There was plenty of noodles and soup for his upset stomach available too, right on the middle shelf in the fridge in front of everything else so it was easy to find. If that wasn’t easy enough, he pinned a note to the nightstand explaining all of this and wrote out his phone number in case of emergency.
Still, the further he got from his place, the more the looming feeling of trouble made him want to turn back.
~*~
“Taemin…” Minho cried out hopelessly into the empty apartment; he was used to the boy being right there. He used the cloth to wipe away the sweat from his forehead but the heat from his core burned even hotter. His blurred eyes squinted to make out the time on the digital clock: 3:35.
“Taemin.” He called again, unaware of the younger’s absence. “Where are you?” He needed anything to settle the nauseating shakes and terrible headache. Fine, he figured, I’ll take care of myself.
Sitting up was the hardest part, and the sudden rush of blood away from his head made him even dizzier. He managed to stand, but was barely able to hold himself up. He stumbled towards the bathroom and rummaged through a medicine cabinet. “He’s gotta have something…”
Mild pain reliever.
Allergy reducer.
Cough suppressant.
Vitamins.
Fuck, doesn’t this kid have anything remotely strong!?
As desperation and panic set in, his hands shook more and anything he tried to hold onto just fell to the floor. He groaned loudly, angrily, and slapped his hand against the sink. His fingers were numb but he managed to open the bottle of pain pills, which really were for nothing more than headaches, and downed an uncounted handful of them.
“God damnit…” He was so used to instant gratification and this was just infuriating. He should have crushed them up and snorted them, at least. The delivery would have been faster. But after a few minutes, his heart started to beat erratically and his weakened body couldn’t quite keep up with the pace.
He didn’t feel his body fall onto the cold tile floor.
~*~
Taemin stepped inside quietly, happy to be done for the day. First things first, though: check on Minho. When he came earlier, the older was sleeping like a baby. “Hyung, are you awake ye−” He froze when he saw the empty bed and his eyes darted everywhere. “Hyung?” He looked into the kitchen and living room, both empty.
“Oh god…” He began to panic. His worst fear was that Minho would run away. “Hyung! Where are you!?” He checked the bathroom last and nearly screamed.
The older laid on the floor in the most unnatural position; his arms splayed out above his head and were discolored from the lack of blood flow. His legs were the same. He was breathing very shallowly, wheezing through his mouth that was nearly obstructed by his position against the floor.
“Oh my god oh my god,” Taemin turned him over quickly and cradled his head. “Hyung! Wake up!” He shook Minho’s shoulders desperately, getting no response from him at all. “Hyung stop playing around!! This isn’t funny!!” He cried and yelled to him, only then noticing the tipped bottle of pain medicine.
He had no idea what to do. He was panicking, scared, and couldn’t think straight. He needed someone to think for him, to help him. With Minho still in his arms, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only person he knew would come immediately: Key.
“Yoboseyo~”
“Hyung, please come over right away! Don’t make me explain why right now, it’s too urgent!”
“What!? Are you hurt?”
“No! I’m fine! Just please come right this second, I need you!”
“Okay, calm down. Just take deep breaths and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As promised, Key let himself into Taemin’s place using his spare key within minutes. “Taemin?”
“In the bathroom, hyung…”
Key turned the corner and gasped. “What is this!?”
Taemin turned to look at him. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, cheeks stained with tears. “He’s dying, hyung. Help.” His voice was pathetic, begging shamelessly. He looked back down to Minho and wiped his forehead lovingly.
“Is this what you’ve been doing the past five days!? Taking care of this waste of space!?” Key shouted.
“Can’t you looked past that right now and help me!?” Taemin yelled back. “Tell me what to do! I called you because I trust you, so don’t be a jerk!” It was the first time he was so direct and defiant to his hyung. He was almost disrespectful.
Key threw his hands up in defeat. “What even happened to him?” He would scold Taemin later for his rude mouth.
“Swallowed a bottle of pills…” He started sobbing again. “I don’t know what to do!”
“Just… get him into the bathtub! We need to wake him up.” The two worked together to lift the feather-light man over the ceramic edge. “Get in with him, I’m not getting wet.” He turned on the water, intentionally making it cold to shock Minho awake.
Taemin stood over Minho, splashing the water onto his face. “Wake up hyung, please wake up.” They were both being soaked, clothing and all, but Taemin couldn’t care less. Minho’s life was more important at the moment.
It was a miracle when Minho started to cough, followed by his eyes opening slowly. Taemin wrapped his arms around him and cried harder. “Hyung! Minho-hyung! I was so scared!”
“Taemin…” Minho’s hoarse voice was hard to hear over the water. “…Why are we in the shower?”
The younger laughed through his tears and stroked Minho’s cheek. “It’s okay, don’t worry about anything. I’ve got you…” He nuzzled him close, shielding him from the water.
Key rolled his eyes and turned off the shower, but only because he didn’t see the reason to keep having Taemin soaked. He cared nothing for Minho.
“Yah, stop crying.” Minho reassured him. “What’s going on? Why are we in the tub?”
“Stop complaining and be grateful that you’re still alive!” Key sat on the edge of the sink and folded his arms.
“Hyung, please…” Taemin sat up and pulled his shirt off, letting it air dry. “Don’t be aggressive, he’s not well.”
“Not well? Yeah, I know that! And you’re not well for letting him stay in your place! All he is doing to you is ruining your life, Taemin!” Key didn’t hold back his opinion. “You skipped out on your education to take care of this asshole and look what he did to repay you! He tried to kill himself!”
“I didn’t try to kill myself…” Minho interjected quietly, regaining a steady breathing pattern. He was beginning to understand what had led him to this point and what was going on.
“My ass, you didn’t! You try to kill yourself every goddamn day with your fucking drugs!” Key approached Minho violently. “And you’re fucking up everything by just existing because Taemin has sacrificed everything just to try and help you the past few months. Did you know that? Yeah, I bet not, because time and time again you pushed him away! You chose your fucking drugs over him! And yet he still cares for you!”
“Hyung, stop!” Taemin stood between them.
“No!” He shoved Taemin aside. “You’re a worthless piece of shit, Minho! You don’t appreciate anything anyone does for you! You don’t deserve Taemin’s kindness at all! I hope you die, you fucking asshole!”
“Hyung!” Taemin used all of his strength to push him out of the bathroom and into the hall. “What are you doing!?”
“Just telling the truth, Taemin. Neither of you seem to get it so I’m spelling it out for you. Now go and get him up, get him out of your house, and never speak to him again.” Key pointed his finger in Taemin’s face.
“…No!” Taemin pushed him away. “Get out of my face, Kibum!” He didn’t care for formalities anymore; Key had crossed the line. “Stop telling me how to live my life! I’m an adult!”
“Are you serious? You really wanna say this right now?” Key cackled. “I’m an adult ooo~”
“Fuck. You!” Taemin had had enough; he lunged forward and pushed his hyung to the ground. “If you can’t manage to be supportive of what I want to do, then butt out of my life! Forever!” He never yelled like this before in his life, it was terribly upsetting and tears came uncontrollably. “I don’t need a control freak, I need a friend. I thought you were better than that.”
Key looked up at him, shocked. “And I thought you were smarter than to try again and again to make a drug addict love you.” He smirked, knowing he dropped the ultimate bomb on him.
Taemin froze; was he that pathetic? It’s true; all this time while he was looking after Minho, even since the night they first hooked up, all he’d been trying to do was have Minho care for him back.
“I thought so.” Key stood and picked his things back up. “Call me when you decide to stop being a moron.”
And he was left alone to deal with his true feelings, vulnerable and broken.
“…Am I ruining your life?” Minho stood in the bathroom doorway, his wet clothes discarded and only a towel covering him.
Taemin turned around quickly, rubbing his eyes and catching his breath. “No, no. Really, you’re not.” He tried to smile. “Key is… He means well, he’s protective…”
“He’s right though, I don’t deserve your kindness.” Minho kept his distance and never met Taemin’s eyes. “All I’ve done is treat you like shit.”
“Minho-hyung, t-that’s not true.” Taemin shook his head, clenching his fists. “You’re sick and I’m taking care of you, that’s all. You haven’t done anything bad to me…”
Minho blinked slowly and sighed. “…Do you love me? Was Key right?”
He gasped, skin flushing a blood red. “Hyung, I…” He swallowed nervously.
“You don’t have to answer.” Minho ruffled his wet hair and looked up. “Sorry for being so blunt.”
Taemin stepped closer. “No, it’s fine…”
“But, thank you.” Minho closed the gap between them. “I mean, I don’t know what you find so important about me. I am pretty worthless.” He was being serious. “So thank you for whatever you see in me.” He touched Taemin’s cheek and watched his eyes.
“You’re not worthless.” Taemin replied with a shaky breath. The closeness of their shirtless bodies was making him warm.
Minho slid his arm to wrap around Taemin’s waist and slowly pulled him closer. “I’ll work harder for you, Taemin. You’ve done too much for me, so I’ll do my best to return that favor.”
Taemin’s shaking hands rested on Minho’s chest and slid down and around to his lower back where his fingertips brushed the soft skin there. “Y-you mean a lot to me…” He admitted, tears threatening to spill over again.
Minho tipped Taemin’s chin up with his knuckle and smiled. “I’ll worship you from now on.” He curled his hand around Taemin’s head, cradling it gently while his lips seduced the younger’s mouth open.
He was intoxicated with just one kiss. He held onto Minho and melted into their kiss, allowing his tongue to pass over the older’s. He breathed in Minho’s scent and was lost even more. When he felt Minho direct his body towards the wall, he didn’t stop him. Then they were caught up on each other, adding their bodies to the fervor of their kiss. “Minho-hyung,” Taemin whined between breaths.
“Ne?” Minho moved to kiss his neck.
Taemin couldn’t hold back any longer. “I love you."