The steps of recovery; PG-13; first part of chapter 3/?
Jonghyun felt anxious. He’d been walking around the city centre for what had felt like a year. Still three hours to kill before the AA meeting would start. Jonghyun just couldn’t sit home alone. The weekend had been hell, he had been so close to finding the nearest place where he could gamble. And loose all the money he didn’t have. Jonghyun needed something else to think about so that’s why he was wandering aimlessly around the huge shopping centre. He walked past a row of slot machines and it took all the will he had not to run over and play and play until he would feel the thrill he so badly needed. Sighing, Jonghyun hurried to the nearest clothes shop. He needed a distraction and he needed it now.
Jonghyun was looking at the t-shirts and let his mind go back to last week. On Monday’s meeting they had mostly discussed what feelings had Jinki’s story raised in them. Jinki had also warned them that they should be careful not to just replace their addiction with a new one. At that point Minho had confessed that when he had broke his leg and hadn’t been able to do sports he had started watching over what he ate too closely. He had told them that now that he was trying not to do sports that habit had gotten stronger and he would count calories and avoid eating after 7 pm. Like that guy needed to do that, Jonghyun sighed.
What had most surprised Jonghyun had been the way Kibum acted. He was still the cold, bitching pain in the ass but he had started to involve himself more. He had given Taemin rides when he needed them and even if his comments were snappy they started to be helpful as well. Taemin clearly looked up to Kibum even if the boy was still scared of him.
On Thursday Jinki had said they should do something creative, to help them find a healthy way of expressing their feelings. Jonghyun had found out Minho was one hell of a rapper and in no time they were singing together, Jonghyun’s high notes and Minho’s powerful voice sounding amazing together. Jinki had mentioned that Taemin liked to dance and Kibum had practically forced Taemin to perform. It had certain perks that Taemin was too afraid to say no to his hyung. Taemin’s skills had taken all of them by surprise. Jonghyun remembers just staring at the boy open mouthed. Taemin was a completely different person when dancing, he got them all hypnotized with his graceful movements. He was brilliant and they had let him know that. The kid had blushed vigorously but looked pleased.
Jonghyun actually laughed out loud when thinking back about Kibum’s performance. He had also danced but it had been a lot different, to say the least. Kibum had asked Jonghyun to sing Beyonce’s Sweet Dreams and at that point Jonghyun should’ve known no good would follow. He was a great dancer as well but it had felt like watching a skilled stripper give his best performance. The way Kibum had moved his hips and let his hands travel all over his body had definitely had an effect on all of them. Jinki had looked both amused and interested, Taemin had stared at Kibum in awe and Minho, well, Minho hadn’t been far away from drooling. Jonghyun had been worrying that Minho’s eyes might pop out, so wide had they been. In the middle of the song Jonghyun had burst out laughing and Minho had nearly strangled him for interrupting the show. Kibum hadn’t missed Minho’s expression and had winked at him before sitting down. Jonghyun couldn’t believe the sensible and normal Minho would have the hots for someone like Kibum.
Speaking of the devil, Jonghyun spotted Kibum looking at the jeans only a few meters away. He had his back turned at Jonghyun but it was impossible not to recognise him. The multicoloured hair and stylish clothes. Jonghyun crept closer until he was able to poke the boy to the back of his head. Kibum turned to face him and looked pissed off when he saw who it had been.
“Fuck off, hyung”, Kibum greeted him with a scowl.
“Nice to see you too, Kibum”, Jonghyun laughed and pulled the other boy into a hug. Kibum hissed him to let go but didn’t push him away so Jonghyun knew he didn’t mind as much as he wanted him to believe.
“So what are you doing here?” Jonghyun asked while pulling back.
“Shopping, isn’t it obvious?” Kibum answered and went back to fiddling the jeans. Jonghyun grinned even if the other couldn’t see it. Kibum was being his charming self.
“Mind if I join?” Jonghyun asked even though he knew what the other would say.
“Yes I actually do. I have to spend enough time with you already”, Kibum answered. Jonghyun decided that honestly was the best policy.
“I just need to do something before I lose all my self control and give in to my craving to gamble.” Kibum stopped running his hand over the black jeans in front of him turned to face Jonghyun.
“And you’re not saying this only because you feel bored and want to make my life more miserable?” Kibum stared at Jonghyun’s face, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him.
“This is probably the only thing I wouldn’t use as an excuse to bother you”, Jonghyun grinned at him.
“Fine, it’s not like I could stop you”, Key sighed finally and Jonghyun gave Kibum another hug, smiling happily.
“But you better stop touching me or I’ll break your arms. Both of them”, Kibum warned him before making his way to the shoe department. Jonghyun rolled his eyes and followed the other boy. Kibum sure liked to act all diva.
Spending time with Kibum was more fun Jonghyun would have thought before. The boy would snap at him constantly but he was witty and had a good sense of humor. Jonghyun had a short attention span but Kibum most definitely wasn’t boring. Being around him meant that Jonghyun had to be alert all the time, ready to have an answer to his comments and half hearted insults. They were sitting in a small café sipping their latte’s and Kibum was going through all the stuff he had bought.
“You didn’t buy anything”, Kibum noticed when he stopped admiring the pair of sunglasses they had found at some vintage shop Jonghyun hadn’t known existed.
“I don’t exactly have too much money at the moment”, Jonghyun explained and felt a sting of regret.
“Right, the gambling thing”, Kibum nodded. “When you’re over this shit and have more money you better buy those skinny jeans I showed you. Stop. Using. Sweatpants.” Jonghyun felt warm inside at Kibum’s indication that he believed Jonghyun WOULD be rid of his addiction sometime in the future. He knew better than mention it to Kibum though.
“Minho uses sweatpants all the time but I don’t see you complaining”, Jonghyun said instead, hiding his grin behind his coffee mug.
“That’s because he looks good in them”, Kibum pointed out. “You just look even shorter”, he added with a devilish smile.
“I do not look short!” Jonghyun protested.
“Nothing wrong with being short, hyung”, Kibum smirked. Jonghyun thought about sulking but decided the other probably wouldn’t care.
“If you ever decide to become an “exotic” dancer you’re sure to have one regular”, Jonghyun changed the subject, doing the quotation marks with his fingers.
“I’d have plenty of them”, Kibum said confidently. “But I suppose you’re talking about Minho.”
“I was sure the poor boy would have a heart attack any minute”, Jonghyun chuckled.
“I have that effect on most men”, Kibum sounded satisfied with himself.
“No doubt. I think the two of you would make a nice couple.” Jonghyun laughed as Kibum rolled his eyes.
“I don’t do that whole couple thing”, Kibum snorted. “But I wouldn’t mind doing him”, Key added.
“I think you better keep your hands to yourself”, Jonghyun had hard time trying to hide his amusement. “By the way, I think we need to leave now if we want to make it in time to our date with Minho and the rest.”
“I take it you need a ride there”, Kibum grimaced.
“That’d be great. I promise to behave”, Jonghyun flashed a smile.
“That I’d like to see”, Kibum muttered under his breath, loud enough for Jounghyun to hear it. Kibum led the way to his car and Jonghyun followed humming happily.
When they stepped out of the car Kibum pulled out a box of cigarettes and took one out, placing it between his lips.
“That’s a bad habit you know”, Jonghyun told him while walking towards the doors with Kibum. “You should stop.”
“I will”, Kibum told him, inhaling the smoke with closed eyes, “when you get rid of your bad habit of meddling with things that are none of your business.”
“Ouch, why so mean”, Jonghyun faked a sob. They arrived at the main door and Kibum leaned against the wall. Jonghyun decided to stay with him as they were there a bit early because of Kibum’s aggressive style of driving. They were standing there in silence when Minho suddenly appeared behind the corner.
“Hey there”, Minho greeted then with a smile. The boy’s eyes spotted the cigarette and hi wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You shouldn’t be smoking, Kibum.”
“How does that sound so familiar?” Kibums voice was dry as he rolled his eyes. He seemed to do that a lot.
“How was your weekend?” Jonghyun asked Minho who settled himself against the wall as well, next to Kibum.
“Pure torture. I watched every single football match I could find and kept walking around as I couldn’t jog. ”Minho shook his head and rubbed his temples. He looked exhausted. “I even went grocery shopping four damn times just so I wouldn’t have to be still.”
“I know the feeling”, Jonghyun gave him a sympathetic smile and moved closer to give the other a tight hug. It felt a bit awkward as Minho was so much taller but the things you do for friends. When he pulled back he saw Minho’s eyes scan Kibum’s appearance.
“You look good today, that shirt looks nice on you”, Minho commented. That clearly took Kibum by surprise as he looked shocked for a second before going back to his bored expression.
“I know.” Kibum just shrugged and did a little pirouette so they could get a better look. Minho was eating Kibum’s body with his eyes and Jonghyun suspected it had little to do with his shirt.
“It really does”, Jonghyun agreed and put his hands around Kibum’s waist. He slowly stroked the boy’s chest with his fingers. “The material is so soft”, he said with faked admiration. The expression in Minho’s face didn’t change but it was obvious he was jealous by the way his body tensed. Kibum grinned as he took Jonghyun’s hand and started to guide it closer to the hem of the shirt.
“Yeah, whatever, I’m going inside”, Minho snapped at them and rushed past them. When he disappeared inside Jonghyun stepped back and shook his head.
“He makes it too easy”, he grinned and was rewarded with a soft chuckle. A wide smile spared across Jonghyun’s face, it was the first real laughter he’d hear the boy make. Not a mocking one like usually.
“Let’s go”, Kibum said and pulled Jonghyun towards the door by his arm. Jonghyun felt happier than in a long time. However, his smile died quickly as the two of them entered the meeting room.
A/N2: Divided this chapter to two because I think it works better that way. It's Jonghyun-centered this time so expect some Jonghyuness. Enjoy and COMMENT <3
Jonghyun was looking at the t-shirts and let his mind go back to last week. On Monday’s meeting they had mostly discussed what feelings had Jinki’s story raised in them. Jinki had also warned them that they should be careful not to just replace their addiction with a new one. At that point Minho had confessed that when he had broke his leg and hadn’t been able to do sports he had started watching over what he ate too closely. He had told them that now that he was trying not to do sports that habit had gotten stronger and he would count calories and avoid eating after 7 pm. Like that guy needed to do that, Jonghyun sighed.
What had most surprised Jonghyun had been the way Kibum acted. He was still the cold, bitching pain in the ass but he had started to involve himself more. He had given Taemin rides when he needed them and even if his comments were snappy they started to be helpful as well. Taemin clearly looked up to Kibum even if the boy was still scared of him.
On Thursday Jinki had said they should do something creative, to help them find a healthy way of expressing their feelings. Jonghyun had found out Minho was one hell of a rapper and in no time they were singing together, Jonghyun’s high notes and Minho’s powerful voice sounding amazing together. Jinki had mentioned that Taemin liked to dance and Kibum had practically forced Taemin to perform. It had certain perks that Taemin was too afraid to say no to his hyung. Taemin’s skills had taken all of them by surprise. Jonghyun remembers just staring at the boy open mouthed. Taemin was a completely different person when dancing, he got them all hypnotized with his graceful movements. He was brilliant and they had let him know that. The kid had blushed vigorously but looked pleased.
Jonghyun actually laughed out loud when thinking back about Kibum’s performance. He had also danced but it had been a lot different, to say the least. Kibum had asked Jonghyun to sing Beyonce’s Sweet Dreams and at that point Jonghyun should’ve known no good would follow. He was a great dancer as well but it had felt like watching a skilled stripper give his best performance. The way Kibum had moved his hips and let his hands travel all over his body had definitely had an effect on all of them. Jinki had looked both amused and interested, Taemin had stared at Kibum in awe and Minho, well, Minho hadn’t been far away from drooling. Jonghyun had been worrying that Minho’s eyes might pop out, so wide had they been. In the middle of the song Jonghyun had burst out laughing and Minho had nearly strangled him for interrupting the show. Kibum hadn’t missed Minho’s expression and had winked at him before sitting down. Jonghyun couldn’t believe the sensible and normal Minho would have the hots for someone like Kibum.
Speaking of the devil, Jonghyun spotted Kibum looking at the jeans only a few meters away. He had his back turned at Jonghyun but it was impossible not to recognise him. The multicoloured hair and stylish clothes. Jonghyun crept closer until he was able to poke the boy to the back of his head. Kibum turned to face him and looked pissed off when he saw who it had been.
“Fuck off, hyung”, Kibum greeted him with a scowl.
“Nice to see you too, Kibum”, Jonghyun laughed and pulled the other boy into a hug. Kibum hissed him to let go but didn’t push him away so Jonghyun knew he didn’t mind as much as he wanted him to believe.
“So what are you doing here?” Jonghyun asked while pulling back.
“Shopping, isn’t it obvious?” Kibum answered and went back to fiddling the jeans. Jonghyun grinned even if the other couldn’t see it. Kibum was being his charming self.
“Mind if I join?” Jonghyun asked even though he knew what the other would say.
“Yes I actually do. I have to spend enough time with you already”, Kibum answered. Jonghyun decided that honestly was the best policy.
“I just need to do something before I lose all my self control and give in to my craving to gamble.” Kibum stopped running his hand over the black jeans in front of him turned to face Jonghyun.
“And you’re not saying this only because you feel bored and want to make my life more miserable?” Kibum stared at Jonghyun’s face, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him.
“This is probably the only thing I wouldn’t use as an excuse to bother you”, Jonghyun grinned at him.
“Fine, it’s not like I could stop you”, Key sighed finally and Jonghyun gave Kibum another hug, smiling happily.
“But you better stop touching me or I’ll break your arms. Both of them”, Kibum warned him before making his way to the shoe department. Jonghyun rolled his eyes and followed the other boy. Kibum sure liked to act all diva.
Spending time with Kibum was more fun Jonghyun would have thought before. The boy would snap at him constantly but he was witty and had a good sense of humor. Jonghyun had a short attention span but Kibum most definitely wasn’t boring. Being around him meant that Jonghyun had to be alert all the time, ready to have an answer to his comments and half hearted insults. They were sitting in a small café sipping their latte’s and Kibum was going through all the stuff he had bought.
“You didn’t buy anything”, Kibum noticed when he stopped admiring the pair of sunglasses they had found at some vintage shop Jonghyun hadn’t known existed.
“I don’t exactly have too much money at the moment”, Jonghyun explained and felt a sting of regret.
“Right, the gambling thing”, Kibum nodded. “When you’re over this shit and have more money you better buy those skinny jeans I showed you. Stop. Using. Sweatpants.” Jonghyun felt warm inside at Kibum’s indication that he believed Jonghyun WOULD be rid of his addiction sometime in the future. He knew better than mention it to Kibum though.
“Minho uses sweatpants all the time but I don’t see you complaining”, Jonghyun said instead, hiding his grin behind his coffee mug.
“That’s because he looks good in them”, Kibum pointed out. “You just look even shorter”, he added with a devilish smile.
“I do not look short!” Jonghyun protested.
“Nothing wrong with being short, hyung”, Kibum smirked. Jonghyun thought about sulking but decided the other probably wouldn’t care.
“If you ever decide to become an “exotic” dancer you’re sure to have one regular”, Jonghyun changed the subject, doing the quotation marks with his fingers.
“I’d have plenty of them”, Kibum said confidently. “But I suppose you’re talking about Minho.”
“I was sure the poor boy would have a heart attack any minute”, Jonghyun chuckled.
“I have that effect on most men”, Kibum sounded satisfied with himself.
“No doubt. I think the two of you would make a nice couple.” Jonghyun laughed as Kibum rolled his eyes.
“I don’t do that whole couple thing”, Kibum snorted. “But I wouldn’t mind doing him”, Key added.
“I think you better keep your hands to yourself”, Jonghyun had hard time trying to hide his amusement. “By the way, I think we need to leave now if we want to make it in time to our date with Minho and the rest.”
“I take it you need a ride there”, Kibum grimaced.
“That’d be great. I promise to behave”, Jonghyun flashed a smile.
“That I’d like to see”, Kibum muttered under his breath, loud enough for Jounghyun to hear it. Kibum led the way to his car and Jonghyun followed humming happily.
When they stepped out of the car Kibum pulled out a box of cigarettes and took one out, placing it between his lips.
“That’s a bad habit you know”, Jonghyun told him while walking towards the doors with Kibum. “You should stop.”
“I will”, Kibum told him, inhaling the smoke with closed eyes, “when you get rid of your bad habit of meddling with things that are none of your business.”
“Ouch, why so mean”, Jonghyun faked a sob. They arrived at the main door and Kibum leaned against the wall. Jonghyun decided to stay with him as they were there a bit early because of Kibum’s aggressive style of driving. They were standing there in silence when Minho suddenly appeared behind the corner.
“Hey there”, Minho greeted then with a smile. The boy’s eyes spotted the cigarette and hi wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You shouldn’t be smoking, Kibum.”
“How does that sound so familiar?” Kibums voice was dry as he rolled his eyes. He seemed to do that a lot.
“How was your weekend?” Jonghyun asked Minho who settled himself against the wall as well, next to Kibum.
“Pure torture. I watched every single football match I could find and kept walking around as I couldn’t jog. ”Minho shook his head and rubbed his temples. He looked exhausted. “I even went grocery shopping four damn times just so I wouldn’t have to be still.”
“I know the feeling”, Jonghyun gave him a sympathetic smile and moved closer to give the other a tight hug. It felt a bit awkward as Minho was so much taller but the things you do for friends. When he pulled back he saw Minho’s eyes scan Kibum’s appearance.
“You look good today, that shirt looks nice on you”, Minho commented. That clearly took Kibum by surprise as he looked shocked for a second before going back to his bored expression.
“I know.” Kibum just shrugged and did a little pirouette so they could get a better look. Minho was eating Kibum’s body with his eyes and Jonghyun suspected it had little to do with his shirt.
“It really does”, Jonghyun agreed and put his hands around Kibum’s waist. He slowly stroked the boy’s chest with his fingers. “The material is so soft”, he said with faked admiration. The expression in Minho’s face didn’t change but it was obvious he was jealous by the way his body tensed. Kibum grinned as he took Jonghyun’s hand and started to guide it closer to the hem of the shirt.
“Yeah, whatever, I’m going inside”, Minho snapped at them and rushed past them. When he disappeared inside Jonghyun stepped back and shook his head.
“He makes it too easy”, he grinned and was rewarded with a soft chuckle. A wide smile spared across Jonghyun’s face, it was the first real laughter he’d hear the boy make. Not a mocking one like usually.
“Let’s go”, Kibum said and pulled Jonghyun towards the door by his arm. Jonghyun felt happier than in a long time. However, his smile died quickly as the two of them entered the meeting room.
A/N2: Divided this chapter to two because I think it works better that way. It's Jonghyun-centered this time so expect some Jonghyuness. Enjoy and COMMENT <3