Personal Rehab (Chapter 4)
Title: Personal Rehab
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: 2Min
Summary: Determined to save Minho from the dangerous life he's chosen, Taemin goes to Minho's apartment to confront him directly about his addictions.
Taemin had only noticed what time it was when he realized his back was in pain from sitting in his desk chair for so long. “Oh man…”
2:58 A.M.
The numbers glared at him mercilessly and he scolded himself for letting Minho’s problems bother him so much; he’d probably never see the guy again so why was he so worried? But then again, he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from his computer screen.
All night (and now morning) he had been searching online for information about drug addiction and substance abuse, becoming excessively concerned as he read the side effects. “Long term use could result in severe physical and mental impairment, depression, memory loss, hallucinations, sudden loss of breath, kidney, liver or heart failure…” Taemin couldn’t keep reading as the list went on for many paragraphs. He couldn’t really comprehend why someone would willingly put themselves at such risk for a momentary high.
To Taemin, Minho appeared to be such a sweet, gentle and smart person; the drugs were just hiding his beautiful features. He’d seen the small glimmer of kindness in his handsome face when he smiled and knew it was honesty trying to escape. He cringed at the thought of Minho drugging himself to keep all of that deep down inside of him. Why would he want to build such barriers around himself? That thought alone sent Taemin’s mind running through endless possibilities; was Minho simply doing drugs to party? Did he have a traumatic past he was trying to forget? Or what if he was suicidal…?
The more he sat and pondered about Minho, the sicker he felt. He felt compelled to help him as it seemed like no one else was. Maybe Minho was waiting for someone to save him and Taemin could be his guardian angel. On the other hand, Minho might totally reject Taemin’s help.
Either way, he had to offer his support; even if Minho said no, Taemin would be able to sleep at night knowing that he at least tried to help him. He took out his phone and backtracked to his texts with Key to copy down Minho’s address. When he built up enough courage, he would pay him a visit.
“Time for bed…” He stretched and looked to his bed as if he were speaking to it.
~*~
“Yeah, come in…” Minho was sorting and weighing tiny plastic bags filled with assorted powered drugs when he heard a knock on his door. By the specific hollow sound and amount of knocks, he knew it was his cousin on the other end. “What’s up Tabi-hyung?”
“Don’t give me that, Minho. You know why I’m here.” While Seunghyun was protective of Minho with other people, he was ruthless when it came to just the two of them.
He gulped when he saw the look on the elder’s face; it was that look, the one he made when things were serious. “Where’s the cash?” Seunghyun held out his hand. If there was anyone that scared Minho, it was his cousin.
“I-it’s not the end of the month yet, hyung… I’m still waiting on a few people.” Minho used that excuse too many times. While he was grateful to have such a dependable supplier, he cringed whenever it was time to pay him for his services.
Seunghyun took in a long, irritated breath. “Alright Minho,” He nodded with a fake smile and reached down to ruffle the younger’s hair. “I’ll give you one more week. Remember, it’s $2000 this month, okay?”
“Yup, I remember.” Minho kept his head down as Seunghyun walked out and was only able to relax his body once he left. “Fuck, I need a drink…”
~*~
When Taemin parked in front of the shady-looking apartments, that’s when the anxiety started. Would Minho even remember this skinny, boring person? It had been a week after all, is that a long time for druggies? And what would make him want to listen to what I had to say anyway? Taemin had the thought to just leave right there but his conscience reminded him of the important duty he promised to uphold.
Noticing there was an elevator and inwardly thanking the world, he rode up to the ninth floor. Although it was a bit shaky and slow it was a hell of a lot better than nine flights of stairs. “There it is… apartment 912…”
Taemin knocked on Minho’s door with so much hesitance he swore even the door could tell. He wished he had just turned around instead, especially when the door opened. Joon peeked through between the narrow opening that was bound by the chain and without a word to Taemin, he turned back and called to Minho.
The door closed for a mere second before it opened again, this time a little less than two feet wide to reveal only half of Minho who was nearly naked. “What’s up?” He raised his eyebrow and waited for an answer. His tone wasn’t exactly interested, though.
“Um, hi. Do you remember me? I just wanted to come by and…”
Taemin noticed Joon come behind Minho and wrap his arms around the latter’s waist. From the looks of it, he was wearing nothing and using Minho to hide his naked skin. Minho cocked his head to side as Joon moved his lips between his neck and shoulder. As Joon placed gentle kisses he shot daggers at Taemin with his dark eyes, urging him to leave.
“Look, I’m really fucking high right now, and frankly a little busy.” A strange tar-like smell emitted from the apartment that made Taemin cover his nose. Minho flinched slightly as Joon’s hand disappeared behind the younger. “C-can you come back later?” Taemin couldn’t see what was making Minho writhe so much, but from the look on Joon’s face, it was obvious.
“…Yeah…” Taemin tore his eyes away from the pair and darted down the hallway again, jamming his finger into the elevator button furiously when he reached it. Stupid stupid stupid! He knew he shouldn’t have come; he could add that encounter to his ‘most embarrassing life experiences’ list for sure.
“But when is later?” Taemin couldn’t believe that he was telling himself to go back later. Am I really that obsessed with this? As if answering him, his stomach growled for some food. “Haha, okay… we’ll go get food and then go see Minho.”
He brought himself to a café that offered free wifi and busied himself with his laptop while eating his late lunch. He finished up some essays, played a few games, and reviewed the information that he wanted to say to Minho. He managed to wait around until 7:35 P.M. and then made his way back to Minho’s place.
~*~
Come on, Taemin. You can do this. He’ll listen to you; there’s no reason he wouldn’t. The door opened in the middle of his pep-talk, startling him enough that Minho noticed.
“So you really came back, huh?” He laughed and opened the door to welcome him in.
“Thanks,” Taemin walked into the apartment and made sure to leave his shoes at the door. Minho’s place wasn’t the Ritz, but it still deserved simple care. As he walked further and followed Minho into the kitchen, he noticed how truly messy the place was; a dozen or so empty liquor bottles surrounded patches of burnt foil and equally burnt spoons on a small black table. Taemin couldn’t imagine what they were for and part of him didn’t even want to know. “Sorry to um… disturb you and your boyfriend earlier.”
Minho scoffed. “Boyfriend? No, Joon’s not my boyfriend.” He laughed while shaking his head at the forever impossible chance of that happening. “So what are you here for? I doubt it’s to buy from me…”
“Um well, I want to help you…” Taemin sat at the little dining table and wrung his hands as he watched Minho light up a cigarette.
“Help me?” He laughed, knowing exactly what Taemin was getting at but playing dumb anyway. “What do you mean ‘help me’?”
“Er… I mean help you with your… problem.” Taemin felt so confident when he was rehearsing the lines earlier but looking at Minho now while saying them made him weak and anxious.
Minho raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Oh, so you’ll help me clean my apartment?” He took in a drag of his cigarette to hold in a laugh.
“…What?”
“Isn’t that what you’re offering to help me with?” Minho blew the smoke away from Taemin and smiled.
Taemin was floored. He wasn’t sure if Minho was doing it on purpose or not, but he’d completely flipped the situation in his favor.
“Great! It’s settled then!” Minho smiled and helped Taemin up. “I have customers coming soon, so you should go. But wait…” He went to a drawer and dug through it for a few seconds before he dropped a key into Taemin’s palm. “It’s the key to my place. Just let yourself in. Can you start tomorrow?” He winked at the dumbfounded boy.
Taemin blushed and nodded. “S-sure…” He let Minho guide him back out of the apartment but stood completely still once he was in the hallway.
Why did you just agree to that, pabo!?
He sighed and pocketed the old key, telling himself that it could have gone worse.
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: 2Min
Summary: Determined to save Minho from the dangerous life he's chosen, Taemin goes to Minho's apartment to confront him directly about his addictions.
Taemin had only noticed what time it was when he realized his back was in pain from sitting in his desk chair for so long. “Oh man…”
2:58 A.M.
The numbers glared at him mercilessly and he scolded himself for letting Minho’s problems bother him so much; he’d probably never see the guy again so why was he so worried? But then again, he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from his computer screen.
All night (and now morning) he had been searching online for information about drug addiction and substance abuse, becoming excessively concerned as he read the side effects. “Long term use could result in severe physical and mental impairment, depression, memory loss, hallucinations, sudden loss of breath, kidney, liver or heart failure…” Taemin couldn’t keep reading as the list went on for many paragraphs. He couldn’t really comprehend why someone would willingly put themselves at such risk for a momentary high.
To Taemin, Minho appeared to be such a sweet, gentle and smart person; the drugs were just hiding his beautiful features. He’d seen the small glimmer of kindness in his handsome face when he smiled and knew it was honesty trying to escape. He cringed at the thought of Minho drugging himself to keep all of that deep down inside of him. Why would he want to build such barriers around himself? That thought alone sent Taemin’s mind running through endless possibilities; was Minho simply doing drugs to party? Did he have a traumatic past he was trying to forget? Or what if he was suicidal…?
The more he sat and pondered about Minho, the sicker he felt. He felt compelled to help him as it seemed like no one else was. Maybe Minho was waiting for someone to save him and Taemin could be his guardian angel. On the other hand, Minho might totally reject Taemin’s help.
Either way, he had to offer his support; even if Minho said no, Taemin would be able to sleep at night knowing that he at least tried to help him. He took out his phone and backtracked to his texts with Key to copy down Minho’s address. When he built up enough courage, he would pay him a visit.
“Time for bed…” He stretched and looked to his bed as if he were speaking to it.
~*~
“Yeah, come in…” Minho was sorting and weighing tiny plastic bags filled with assorted powered drugs when he heard a knock on his door. By the specific hollow sound and amount of knocks, he knew it was his cousin on the other end. “What’s up Tabi-hyung?”
“Don’t give me that, Minho. You know why I’m here.” While Seunghyun was protective of Minho with other people, he was ruthless when it came to just the two of them.
He gulped when he saw the look on the elder’s face; it was that look, the one he made when things were serious. “Where’s the cash?” Seunghyun held out his hand. If there was anyone that scared Minho, it was his cousin.
“I-it’s not the end of the month yet, hyung… I’m still waiting on a few people.” Minho used that excuse too many times. While he was grateful to have such a dependable supplier, he cringed whenever it was time to pay him for his services.
Seunghyun took in a long, irritated breath. “Alright Minho,” He nodded with a fake smile and reached down to ruffle the younger’s hair. “I’ll give you one more week. Remember, it’s $2000 this month, okay?”
“Yup, I remember.” Minho kept his head down as Seunghyun walked out and was only able to relax his body once he left. “Fuck, I need a drink…”
~*~
When Taemin parked in front of the shady-looking apartments, that’s when the anxiety started. Would Minho even remember this skinny, boring person? It had been a week after all, is that a long time for druggies? And what would make him want to listen to what I had to say anyway? Taemin had the thought to just leave right there but his conscience reminded him of the important duty he promised to uphold.
Noticing there was an elevator and inwardly thanking the world, he rode up to the ninth floor. Although it was a bit shaky and slow it was a hell of a lot better than nine flights of stairs. “There it is… apartment 912…”
Taemin knocked on Minho’s door with so much hesitance he swore even the door could tell. He wished he had just turned around instead, especially when the door opened. Joon peeked through between the narrow opening that was bound by the chain and without a word to Taemin, he turned back and called to Minho.
The door closed for a mere second before it opened again, this time a little less than two feet wide to reveal only half of Minho who was nearly naked. “What’s up?” He raised his eyebrow and waited for an answer. His tone wasn’t exactly interested, though.
“Um, hi. Do you remember me? I just wanted to come by and…”
Taemin noticed Joon come behind Minho and wrap his arms around the latter’s waist. From the looks of it, he was wearing nothing and using Minho to hide his naked skin. Minho cocked his head to side as Joon moved his lips between his neck and shoulder. As Joon placed gentle kisses he shot daggers at Taemin with his dark eyes, urging him to leave.
“Look, I’m really fucking high right now, and frankly a little busy.” A strange tar-like smell emitted from the apartment that made Taemin cover his nose. Minho flinched slightly as Joon’s hand disappeared behind the younger. “C-can you come back later?” Taemin couldn’t see what was making Minho writhe so much, but from the look on Joon’s face, it was obvious.
“…Yeah…” Taemin tore his eyes away from the pair and darted down the hallway again, jamming his finger into the elevator button furiously when he reached it. Stupid stupid stupid! He knew he shouldn’t have come; he could add that encounter to his ‘most embarrassing life experiences’ list for sure.
“But when is later?” Taemin couldn’t believe that he was telling himself to go back later. Am I really that obsessed with this? As if answering him, his stomach growled for some food. “Haha, okay… we’ll go get food and then go see Minho.”
He brought himself to a café that offered free wifi and busied himself with his laptop while eating his late lunch. He finished up some essays, played a few games, and reviewed the information that he wanted to say to Minho. He managed to wait around until 7:35 P.M. and then made his way back to Minho’s place.
~*~
Come on, Taemin. You can do this. He’ll listen to you; there’s no reason he wouldn’t. The door opened in the middle of his pep-talk, startling him enough that Minho noticed.
“So you really came back, huh?” He laughed and opened the door to welcome him in.
“Thanks,” Taemin walked into the apartment and made sure to leave his shoes at the door. Minho’s place wasn’t the Ritz, but it still deserved simple care. As he walked further and followed Minho into the kitchen, he noticed how truly messy the place was; a dozen or so empty liquor bottles surrounded patches of burnt foil and equally burnt spoons on a small black table. Taemin couldn’t imagine what they were for and part of him didn’t even want to know. “Sorry to um… disturb you and your boyfriend earlier.”
Minho scoffed. “Boyfriend? No, Joon’s not my boyfriend.” He laughed while shaking his head at the forever impossible chance of that happening. “So what are you here for? I doubt it’s to buy from me…”
“Um well, I want to help you…” Taemin sat at the little dining table and wrung his hands as he watched Minho light up a cigarette.
“Help me?” He laughed, knowing exactly what Taemin was getting at but playing dumb anyway. “What do you mean ‘help me’?”
“Er… I mean help you with your… problem.” Taemin felt so confident when he was rehearsing the lines earlier but looking at Minho now while saying them made him weak and anxious.
Minho raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Oh, so you’ll help me clean my apartment?” He took in a drag of his cigarette to hold in a laugh.
“…What?”
“Isn’t that what you’re offering to help me with?” Minho blew the smoke away from Taemin and smiled.
Taemin was floored. He wasn’t sure if Minho was doing it on purpose or not, but he’d completely flipped the situation in his favor.
“Great! It’s settled then!” Minho smiled and helped Taemin up. “I have customers coming soon, so you should go. But wait…” He went to a drawer and dug through it for a few seconds before he dropped a key into Taemin’s palm. “It’s the key to my place. Just let yourself in. Can you start tomorrow?” He winked at the dumbfounded boy.
Taemin blushed and nodded. “S-sure…” He let Minho guide him back out of the apartment but stood completely still once he was in the hallway.
Why did you just agree to that, pabo!?
He sighed and pocketed the old key, telling himself that it could have gone worse.