So.....I actually really like this but idk what you guys will think of it ^^" I was actually gonna delete this but then Kaistal happened and my inspiration came back so...yeah <3 

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Taemin sighed tiredly as he slumped against the wall, he didn’t even feel upset anymore. Everything was just numb. He couldn’t feel anything anymore even if he wanted to, so with that in mind he took another swig from the vodka bottle he was holding, hoping it would numb him some more.

His boyfriend was cheating on him.

His friends left him.

 

He lost Jongin.

He supposed that was what hurt the most, losing Jongin. Sure the other two were strikes to his heart but Jongin was what truly tore him apart, they had known each other ever since they were little, they grew up together and knowing that he might’ve lost him forever. The other two reason for his heartache couldn’t even compare.

His boyfriend cheating on him couldn’t compare. 

 

“Taemin please wait! We can talk about this!” Minho pleaded while Taemin hurriedly ran down the stairs, when he finally reached the doorknob he felt himself get turned around and he was faced with what he know acknowledged as his ex-boyfriend.

“Taemin just hear me out….I-“

The latter abruptly cut him off, shoving his hand off his shoulder and narrowing his eyes at him then hissing out. “How long?”

Minho flinched but tried not to make it visible as he sighed and his lips nervously.

“I really wasn’t-“

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR ING EXCUSES.” Taemin rolled his eyes and opened the door but was stopped again.

“Please don’t go.”

He sighed and turned his head to look back at Minho. “I’m only going to ask this one more time, how long?”

He could see the internal battle playing in his eyes before he sighed and looked down to the ground, his grip on Taemin’s wrist loosened.

“Two…years.”

Taemin took a deep breath slowly and closed his eyes feelings his chest constrict.

“Baby I’m so…so sorry I-“

“Stop….” Taemin mumbled.

“But I really am, you don’t know how sorry I am.”

Taemin scoffed and his eyes snapped open, his eyes blazing with an unrestrained fury. “Sorry? You think sorry is going to fix it? Two years!”

He chuckled bitterly and shook his head. “Please….two years….please just shut the up Minho because if you’re telling the truth I think we both know that you’re not sorry, you’re only sorry that you got caught.”

He then turned around promptly and slammed the door shut in Minho’s face.

 

His friends leaving him couldn’t compare.

 

“So you’re just leaving?” Taemin asked in disbelief, staring at his so called friends who only returned his stare with pity and regret.

“I mean would it have really hurt to listen to him?”

He shook his head, he couldn’t believe this. Ever since him and Minho had broken up somehow everyone just tried to make it seem like it was Taemin’s fault.

He was the one that got cheated on, that was strung along, that had his heart played with for two years yet here they were. All seemingly convinced that Minho was the victim. That just because he didn’t sit down and listen to all the excuses the other would give regarding as to why he cheated was the reason why their relationship ended, the reason he was heartbroken.

He clicked his tongue in frustration and stood up, scanning the group he realized Key hyung wasn’t here, he didn’t know if that meant he was on his side or not but he shook his head.

“You know what whatever, I don’t need dimwitted people such as yourselves to be around me. So yes please do me a favor and stay away.”

 

It would never compare to when he lost Jongin.

 

“No I’m tired of this!” Jongin shouted, throwing a water bottle straight at Taemin’s head who fortunately dodged.

“So that’s it? You’re just going to throw away our friendship like that?” They were both breathing heavily, all their frustration and anger being each other.

Jongin didn’t say anything only averting his gaze to the polished wood floor as Taemin stared at him longingly, despair slowly creeping up into his chest.

“Do me a favor and don’t call me anymore. Don’t even tell people we know each other.” Then he stormed out leaving Taemin to stare in the spot he was in a few seconds ago.

 

Tilting his head up he let a tear run down his cheek as he remembered him leaving, it was the only memory that actually caused him to cry. Huffing in desperation he decided he wasn’t numb enough, and proceeded to down the rest of the bottle.

 

 

 

It had been two months since anyone had last heard from Taemin. At first Key didn’t mind it, he figured he needed time to cool down after what those idiots had put him through.

Contrary to popular belief Key hadn’t taken Minho’s side, everyone assumed even Minho himself that Key would just choose him since they had known each other the longest. Key however had reproached Minho for his adulterous affair and made sure to slap him so hard you could see his handprint for the next three days.

He was heavily disgusted and disappointed with his behavior, he knew how much Taemin cared for him and he applauded the man for dealing with him for so long. Maybe just maybe if Minho and his lover had developed something, the old cliché that it was supposed to be a one-time thing but then it evolved into something more and feelings blossomed. Maybe then he could learn to overlook his mistake in the future but he knew better, he knew Minho had only done it for his own selfish pleasures, he had overheard them talking on the phone once, probably a week before Taemin discovered them.

He wanted to tell Taemin but he didn’t know how, the guilt slowly ate away at him so when he heard Taemin had finally found out he couldn’t be there when their group of friends demanded to meet up with him, couldn’t look him in the eye, instead he refused spouting some excuse about a sick something or someone he couldn’t even remember what.

So he let the first two weeks pass by, he figured that would be enough time but going on the third week he still heard nothing.

He just sighed and shrugged deciding to give him some more time, he was sure he could call when he was ready. But by the second month Key knew something was wrong.

So the very first week of the third month he dropped by the dance studio that Taemin and Jongin worked at, he was relieved to know that Taemin was still working but was just as easily perplexed when he found out Taemin switched his hours from evenings to the early mornings.  He always said he loved working in the afternoon since then when classes were over it was just him and Jongin, locking up then one of them driving the other home. He knew those two had been best friends longer than anyone could remember, they were both there before anyone else was in the picture.

He shook his head thinking maybe something happened and they both switched but frowned when he asked and was told Jongin still had his old work hours. Had they gotten into a fight?

He checked the clock on the wall and saw it was seven thirty, he had come hoping to catch both but if he found Jongin that would be good enough at least he would get some answers to Taemin’s whereabouts.

 

He waited until his class was finished all the dancers had filed out to walk in slightly and knock on the door alerting the other to his presence.

“Huh..o-oh..Key hyung.” Jongin only made his suspicions raise as he looked at him skeptically.

“Hello Jongin I’m glad I caught you, I wanted to talk about Taemin.” He saw no reason to beat around the bush, his eyebrow raised as Jongin’s body visibly tensed.

“Did something happen to him?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

Silence reigned over the room before Key sighed. “Look just tell me where he is and what he’s been doing and who he’s been with.”

He didn’t expect for Jongin to scoff and roll his eyes, staring into his own reflection in resentment. Any other day he would’ve scolded him for his rude behavior but he knew something was irritating the other male.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know anything?”

“Taemin and I got into a fight and we haven’t talked in like two months I guess. He switched his hours didn’t you see? It’s so we wouldn’t have to see each other again. H-He didn’t even try to talk to me again, I didn’t even ask him to change his hours he just did it.”

Jongin was now glaring at himself and Key sighed, his suspicions were confirmed. He was about to leave but his protective instincts jumped to the surface when he saw Jongin tilt his body slightly and a soft sniffle was heard.

He walked closer, slowly reaching out to touch the other’s arm, he wasn’t sure what to say since he wasn’t that close to him but he couldn’t just leave him.

“Jongin?”

That appeared to have broken whatever was holding Jongin together as the male let out a loud sob and slowly crumbled to the ground, covering his face with his hand as Key kneeled in front of him and pulled him into his embrace, starting to rub his back in soothing circles.

“H-He didn’t even f-fight for me hyung? Did I-I really mean that little to him?” Jongin managed to stutter out between his sobs.  

“W-We were supposed to be best friends.”

Key sighed then something suddenly hit him, two months.

“Jongin this is important when exactly did you and Taemin fight?” The aforementioned male tried calming down as he sensed the urgency in the other’s tone.

“I-I told you hyung, t-two months ago.”

“But when like…..in the beginning, middle or end of the month.” He knew in the state Jongin was in he couldn’t remember the date.

“Umm…..”He sniffled, rubbing his eyes furiously as he tried to remember. “The middle?”

Key nodded then suddenly the door open and Jongin sighed and waved. “Hey Krystal.”

Said women frowned when she saw the two of them but sighed in understanding then smiled softly. “Why don’t you come with me oppa?”

Key raised a brow, and watched the two leave then went back to the front desk and started asking for all the gossip he could possibly get and sure enough a whole lot was about Jongin and Krystal, and he knew Taemin must’ve overheard someone. 

 

 

Key didn’t wait at all after that he went straight to Taemin’s house, he still wanted to have faith in Taemin but he decided he had given the other too much time. What if something had happened and nobody knew because no one could get in contact with him?

His heart started racing as all negative implications of what could have possibly happened to him started to run through his head, starting to drive him mad. He could barely keep himself calm as he drove all the way to the younger’s house. He was terrified at what he would find, and even more vexed at himself for not having checked up on the younger sooner like he knew should have done the minute he found out Taemin was practically locking himself up in his house, no longer interested in communication with others unless it was through dance with his students.

 

 

Not getting any answers he used the key the younger had given him and swung the door open, his eyes widened in fear as he spotted all the empty bottles that once contained a different alcoholic drink of almost every kind. He only hoped he had the sense to not drink and mix them all at once.

Before he could even take a step closer he heard groaning coming from upstairs, he rushed up and found Taemin in his bedroom with his pants half on and his black button up shirt completely ed as a bottle of beer rolled away from him. He sighed deeply and slowly walked up to him, sitting behind him and slowly pulling him onto his lap, brushing away the hair from his face he gently whispered.

“Tae? Taemin? Focus on me okay, Tae?” After a while with no response from the other he was about to give up and try to drag him to the bed when his eyes cracked open slowly. His voice came out hoarse and raspy as if he hadn’t used it in a long time.

“K-Key………..hyung?” He managed to mumble out, barely audible and Key had strain to hear him but nodded once he deciphered what he had said.  

Taemin’s next mumble. “Minho.” Then he coughed and Key slowly sat him up, cradling him to his chest.

“Forget about that idiot hun he doesn’t matter right now.”

Then suddenly a thought struck him that quite frankly he should’ve thought of sooner but really hoped he wasn’t the cause of this but he sighed.

“Is all this about Minho?”

To say he was startled when Taemin growled and started swatting his hands away and hitting at his chest weakly was an understatement. He cooed apologizes into his ear while rocking them both slightly hoping to calm him down.

Once he deemed Taemin was calm once again he his hair affectionately. “Alright love so who caused this?”

Taemin didn’t say anything but instead stared at a picture frame near on his dresser, Key followed his gaze and saw a picture of Taemin and Jongin. They were cuddled up together in a corner, the dance studio most likely judging by the wood floor and mirror he could see.

“Jongin?” He asked just in case and he nodded.

“What happened between you and Jongin?”

It took a long time for Key to get the full picture since Taemin took long breaks between speaking due to his hardly used voice, by now they were in the kitchen and Key was helping Taemin drink some water slowly.

“And since then you guys haven’t talked?” Taemin sighed and nodded.

Key his lips and slowly went about cleaning his house, halfway through Taemin joined in feeling bad about having his hyung clean up after him. After that was done they both settled down on the couch with Taemin snuggled up to Key’s side.

“Why don’t you talk to him? He wants you too.” The younger looked at him like he was crazy but Key nodded anyway. “He looked very upset when you didn’t call him or anything.”

Taemin rolled his eyes and mumbled out something incoherent.

“Say that again Min?”

“Didn’t seem so. He seems just fine with his new bestie.” Taemin grumbled out then looked down to the floor.

“Taemin that’s not true.”

“It is! He had no problems replacing me, he actually told me not to call him, pretend not to know him and oh coincidence Krystal is his new best friend?!”

Key stayed silent then decided to switch the topic onto something he had wanted answered since he got there. 

“Why didn’t you talk to anyone? You didn’t even answer my calls!”

Taemin stayed silent and he slightly regretted it as he saw another tear run down his cheek. “I-I’m sorry it’s just…..”

He closed his eyes tightly then took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry Key hyung it’s just…..it doesn’t bother me much anymore but at the time finding out about Minho…..then the fight…..then those idiots leaving me AND YOU WEREN’T EVEN THERE!”

Key jumped, startled from Taemin’s outburst and bit his lip, moving closer to Taemin, coaxing him back into his arms. “It felt like……everyone was against me.” He mumbled and Key sighed then his lips.

“I was never against you, you’re my little baby Taemin I would never take that moron’s side, what he did was morally wrong and he has no excuses. Now….I wasn’t there that day because….honestly I felt guilty because I knew Minho was cheating on you. I overheard him on the phone a week before you caught him.”

Key held his breath as he finally let it off his chest but Taemin only sniffled and held him tighter. “Please don’t leave.”

“Never hyung isn’t leaving you.”

 

 

 

A week had passed and in that week Key had been staying with Taemin, helping to start eating regularly and making sure he doesn’t drink himself into a stupor anymore. He convinced him to switch back to his regular hours since he couldn’t avoid Jongin forever.

Everything had been going great, Taemin had returned to his old self for the most part, he was happy again even his students could see the shift in their teacher and they enjoyed having his old self back, the hoped he would stay this way now.

Key even introduced him to two of his friends, Jonghyun and Jinki, who weren’t a part of Minho’s circle of friends, the four of them were getting along great and Taemin could finally say he was happy.

 

Until he saw Jongin.

He couldn’t deny that he missed the younger male, their laughs, their inside jokes, their similar mannerisms that had evolved from spending so much time together, the way they would dance together. 

He hated seeing Jongin sharing this with someone else, someone that wasn’t him, with Krystal.

It all came boiling down to when he had accidently walked into the wrong practice room, distracted from the group chat he was currently in, mentally laughing as Key berated Jonghyun.

Honestly only Key can manage to still look intimidating through text. 

He didn’t notice his mistake at first until he heard the music, he figured he had walked into a class and looked up ready to apologize then froze when he saw Jongin and Krystal, pressed together just staring at each other through the mirror, then suddenly Jongin’s eyes shifted and met his. Before he could say or do anything Taemin quickly walked out and into his own practice room, leaning on the door while a rush of jealousy and depression crashed onto him.

 

 

 

When it was time to close up Taemin didn’t look at Jongin and neither did the latter.

It wasn’t until they were about to leave that Jongin heard well at least he thought he did, a small mumble. “I still need you.”

It made his heart slightly break, he had missed the older man. He couldn’t even remember what they had fought about in the beginning. Actually no, he did remember.

Taemin was his best friend, no he was more than that. That’s where their root problem came from, he had confronted Taemin about their feelings and as usual Taemin denied everything and this time Jongin just couldn’t take the heartache.

Even if yes he did try to replace him with Krystal it wasn’t the same, she didn’t dance like Taemin, she didn’t understand him as well as Taemin.

She wasn’t Taemin.

“I still need you too.”

 

 

 

Taemin didn’t know what time it was, he just knew he had been staring up at his ceiling for more than two hours and he didn’t feel slightly drowsy.

Having nothing else to do since Key had gone back to his own apartment earlier on in the month he got up, starting to walk around his house until he found unopened bottle of whiskey.

He stared at it then shrugged, maybe just having one sip would help him go to sleep.

 

 

 

Jongin groaned in annoyance as his phone rang for the third time, cracking an eye open he glanced at the time. It was three in the morning, yawning he reached for his phone he nearly dropped it out of shock when he saw the person calling was Taemin.

Quickly he answered then blinked when he heard the others laughter then it died down.

“Jonginnie~ Were you ignoring hyung~” Taemin cooed and Jongin knew he was drunk, he sighed and sat up.

“No hyung…” He cleared his throat trying to speak more clearly since his voice was so hoarse. “But it’s three….” He glanced at the time again. “It’s three thirty in the morning, you should be sleeping like I was.”

Everything was silent and he sighed about to hang up before he heard sobs coming from the other male and his heart stopped.

“T-Taemin?!”

He heard him whimper. “I’m sorry Jongin!”

Jongin tilted his head in confusion not knowing what was happening, by now he was already downstairs trying to find some shoes, he didn’t care that the other hadn’t asked for him, he still cared about Taemin, still loved him more than anything.

“Tae-“

He got cut off with another sob. “I’m sorry I’m so stupid! So jealous, so…so…..s-so dumb to not realize it.”

“Taemin please calm down.”

Jongin was in his car now, the phone on speaker as he buckled his seatbelt and started the engine, it was silent once again before he heard Taemin speak softly.

“I know you said not to call anymore but…..I don’t know how you expected me to live without you. I need you Jongin I’ve always needed you and I will always need you. I found a bottle and lost control then called you….I-I…..I just….I’m sorry I called but I really need you.” Taemin started tearing up again at the end and Jongin took a deep breath to stop his own.

“I’m coming.”

 

 

 

By the time Jongin had gotten there, Taemin had sobered up quite a bit. He was waiting for him on the couch and when he saw that Jongin let himself in with the key they had both forgotten he had until now, he held his arms out and he immediately fell into them, nuzzling his face into his neck.

“I’m here.” Taemin held him tighter and nodded, and Jongin let him, knowing that the other had yet to grasp that this was reality and not just his own twisted imagination.

“You’re here.”   

“I need you Taemin.”

“I need you more.” He whispered and they both stayed like that, eventually falling asleep with Taemin on Jongin’s chest, holding onto each other tightly.