Taking a deep breath himself, JongWoon placed the call and sat down in one of the dining room chairs, rubbing at his temple. He wasn't sure if tonight could get any worse, but he had not expect to walk into that kind of scene.

The phone rang for a minute before picking up. "…Hello?" KyuJong's voice came through quietly; he sounded like he'd been sleeping. "Who is this?"

"KyuJong? I'm sorry, I woke you up... It's JongWoon, JungMin's friend?" Jongwoon said, wincing a little.

"JongWoon…? Oh, hi," KyuJong had woken up more at JungMin's name. "Uh…what's up, haven't heard from you and Wook in a while…"

"I'm really sorry to call this late... but we thought you should know," JongWoon said, glancing towards the living room. "Wook and I just got home and JungMin was here with some... friends I guess. KyuJong... he's doing drugs, we saw it on the coffee table. They were having on the couch, drinking, doing drugs. He came home yesterday after being out for three days straight, completely trashed. We're really worried about him."

Listening on the other end of the phone, KyuJong felt his eyes slowly widen as JongWoon's voice reached him. "…Drugs?" He whispered, feeling his heart drop. "He's…he's never, I would have noticed if he'd been doing drugs…" He'd have noticed if JungMin had ever came back stoned, right? "Where is he now?"

"I don't know, I just kicked him out," JongWoon replied. "I won't tolerate drugs in my home... Wook and I really wanted to help him through this, but we don't want to be around that. We can't get through to him, we've tried. I think you're the only one who could at this point."

"But…how do you know he'll even listen to me?" KyuJong whispered, biting on his lower lip. "He hates it when I tell him what to do, and he told me if I called he wouldn't answer."

"Because he kept telling us that if he called you, you wouldn't answer," JongWoon said. "That, and I asked him if you called would he answer... he said he would but you weren't going to call him. I don't know if you can get through to him, but you have a better chance than I do, or even Wookie. And JungMin likes Wookie."

Closing his eyes, KyuJong fought with himself, but it was a short-lived battle. "…I'll see what I can do," he said quietly. "Thank you…for calling me and letting me know."

"I'm really sorry KyuJong... and I wish you luck," JongWoon said, hanging up.

KyuJong lowered his phone, looking down at it for a long minute. What was JungMin doing? Why was he hurting himself like this? He'd always thought JungMin smart enough to avoid getting into anything truly harmful…but the partying and alcohol should have been warning enough.

Why should he call? They weren't dating anymore. They'd only been together for four months or so, nearing five. But YoungSaeng had been right about one thing. KyuJong still loved JungMin.

His thumb slowly entered in the familiar number, pressing the green call button. KyuJong lifted the phone to his ear, closing his eyes and listening to the dial tone.

The line rang and rang, it didn't seem like he would pick up but just before it went to voicemail he answered. There was a bit of a shuffling sound before he managed to get it to his ear. "….Kyu?" he said, the question obvious in his voice.

Swallowing, KyuJong reflected on just how much he'd missed JungMin's voice. "Min," he whispered. What was he supposed to say? "I…JongWoon just called."

"...Oh," JungMin replied. "So... he told you what happened then... Why did you call?"

"Because I was worried about you," KyuJong said quietly, voice seeming loud in the silent apartment. "I don't want to see you hurt… What's going on, Min?"

JungMin didn't reply at first, breathing a heavy sigh into the phone. "I met some people... they're fun to be around. That's not a crime. I didn't... I thought... Why would you be worried about me? I thought the point of us breaking up was so that you didn't have to do that again."

"JungMin…I'll always worry about you." KyuJong's lower lip trembled. "Whether we're together or not. So please, take better care of yourself okay? This isn't healthy."

"…No, it's not healthy... but Kyu... I miss you," JungMin said, his voice cracking. "I miss you so much and it hurts... so much. I don't know how to deal with it."

At the crack in JungMin's voice, KyuJong had to stop himself from crying, eyes shut tightly. "I miss you too…Come home Min…come back," he whispered. "We can talk about this…but please, please stop what you're doing. I'm not trying to tell you what to do…I'm just worried about you."

"I... I don't know if I should," JungMin whispered. "The things we fought about... they're still going to be there. I don't want to hurt you again Kyu. I don't know if I can trust myself."

"I'll trust you," KyuJong replied softly. Was this the best idea? Probably not, but he missed JungMin so much. "If you come back, I'll trust you…I'm so sorry Min…If I'd just trusted you, none of this would have happened…it's all my fault."

"… I don't trust myself Kyu. This isn't your fault, I brought all of this on myself," JungMin said. "I... miss you, and I love you so much... but I think I need to fix myself before I can do anything else. I never want to hurt you again."

KyuJong sniffled quietly, wiping at his eyes. "Min…I love you, and my door's always open for you…I'll answer the phone at any time. Please take care of yourself…I don't want the next time I see you to be in the hospital."

"I promise... that's not going to happen," JungMin said. "I love you Kyu... and I'm going to call you every day, just so I can hear your voice... so I know this is worth it. You are so worth it."

"I'm just the grocery store cashier," KyuJong gave a watery chuckle. "I love you too…I mean it, Min. I'll wait for you."

"I won't make you wait forever, I promise," JungMin said. There was a loud commotion on his end of the line, a voice a little to close to the phone.

"Who you talking to Min? I thought you were going to join us?"

KyuJong's lower lip trembled slightly. Was JungMin still with those people? "I-I…I should go, bye Min," he hung up quickly. The phone dropped to the bed as he started to sob, hands over his face and shoulders shaking.

"...Kyu? Kyu? , god dammit HeeChul," JungMin pushed the older man away. "No, I'm not joining you, I have to go."

"Where are you going?" SungMin asked, leaning up against the wall and watching them. "We just got here, who was on the phone?"

"I'm going to get my boyfriend back," JungMin said, pulling his shoes back on. He didn't care if they'd just got there, or how tired he was. He was this close to having something real again and he wasn't going to let a drunk coke head ruin it. Not himself, or HeeChul.

"Seriously? I thought he dumped you," HeeChul said, making a face at him. "Just take a few seconds to breathe, I've got some pot if it'll help you relax."

"...No, no," JungMin shook his head. "No, I.. this isn't me. The drugs, the ... it's not me. Being with KyuJong, that's me. That's where I belong. Not here. Don't call me again." He opened the door and headed out into the hall, running for the elevator.

"Hey, JungMin, wait up," SungMin's voice followed him down the hallway. He caught up with JungMin at the elevator, panting a little.

"You dropped this back at your friends." He tossed JungMin his wallet.

JungMin eyed SungMin, his expression neutral as he caught it. "...Thanks. You're not going to try and stop me?"

"If you're going to leave, nothing I say's going to make a difference. It was fun while it lasted. See you around," SungMin lifted one hand in farewell as he turned to head back down the hallway. "You know where we are if you ever change your mind."

"...Thanks, SungMin," JungMin said, watching him go until the elevator door opened. Stepping in, he took a deep breath, pressing the button for the ground floor. Maybe it had been fun, but it wasn't the kind of fun JungMin wanted. He could have tried to convince himself over and over that he could handle it, but he really couldn't. Not when he saw the looks on his two friend's faces. Heard KyuJong's tear-filled words. This kind of fun, wasn't worth the heartache it caused.

By the time he reached KyuJong's apartment, JungMin was resolved to make up for the things he had done. Even if it took years, he was going to make it up to KyuJong for putting him through any of it. Knocking on the door, he hoped KyuJong would answer.

The seconds ticked by, the door staying shut. The deadbolt unlocked with a click, chain rustling as it was removed. With a low creak the door opened, the room beyond lit only by a small lamp. KyuJong looked back at JungMin with wide, red-rimmed eyes.

"JungMin." KyuJong was out in the hallway, wrapping his arms around JungMin in a tight hug.

"Kyu," JungMin breathed, hugging KyuJong back as tight as he could. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he whispered

"It's okay…it's okay…" KyuJong shut his eyes tightly, burying his nose in JungMin's shoulder uncaring of the strong stench of alcohol. "I'm so glad you're okay…"

"... I'm not though," JungMin shook his head, pulling back to look down at KyuJong's face. "I've done some really stupid things, and I don't know if I deserve to be with you again because of it... I want to prove to you that I can be a better person."

KyuJong opened his eyes, looking up at the younger man's face. "Come inside," he murmured. "We'll talk inside." He drew JungMin in past the door, closing it after them and turning on the lights.

JungMin didn't protest, glancing around the apartment as he sat down on the couch. It hadn't even been a week since he'd been here last, and it already felt like a lifetime. "I never expected you to call me again."

"I didn't expect you to pick up," KyuJong murmured, making sure YoungSaeng's door was closed to avoid disturbing his roommate. He also used the time to compose himself again, wiping at his eyes before turning back to JungMin. "Can I get you anything? Food, water?"

"No, I'm okay," JungMin shook his head. "I almost called you earlier actually... right after I'd called SungMin, I almost called you right then."

Not recognizing the name, KyuJong slowly sat down on the couch next to JungMin. "What happened?" he asked quietly, looking at JungMin. "Why did you…drugs, of all things?"

"Because it seemed like a good idea at the time," JungMin said, not able to look KyuJong in the eye. "No, that's kind of a lie... I knew it was a bad idea, I just needed a distraction. The day after I left here, JongWoon pushed me out of the apartment for the night, guess he had something planned with Wookie. So I went to a bar to drink myself into a coma... That's when I met SungMin."

"Who's that?" KyuJong asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know. He lightly covered JungMin's hand with his own.

"A nice guy, relatively speaking," JungMin said, closing his eyes. "He invited me to a party, and I was kind of drunk already so I went along. He introduced me to his two friends, HongKi and HeeChul. Not so nice guys. They offered me ... I've never done more than a little pot in my life so I don't know what made me do it. But I did, and I had fun. Not that I remember much of the next two days."

Exhaling slowly as he listened, KyuJong looked down at his lap. "…Why did you stop, then?" He asked quietly. "If you were having fun, why did you come back?"

"Because it's not me," JungMin said, finally looking up at him. "When JongWoon and Wookie came home earlier, and they saw what I was doing... the looks on their faces killed me. They're like my parents you know? They've always taken care of me, even if I didn't deserve it. But Wookie turned his back on me, and JongWoon kicked me out. I've never disappointed anyone like that before. I just couldn't take it. Especially when you called, I knew I was done. I knew I needed to get away from them."

"What now?" KyuJong murmured, when JungMin had stopped talking and silence stretched between them. "What are you going to do now, Min?" He looked up at JungMin, meeting the redhead's eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I have some relationships I need to rebuild," JungMin said. "And the most important one is right here. I want us to start over again, take things slower. We jumped into this thing so fast... I was not ready for a real relationship, and it took me losing you to really understand what it is that you meant to me."

Lips quivering slightly, KyuJong looked down at their hands. He curled his fingers around JungMin's more securely. "I missed you so much, Min…Starting over will be good I think, for both of us. I'm so glad you came back, and that you're okay."

"I am too, cause I know it could have got a lot worse," JungMin said, giving KyuJong a watery smile. "I should probably go, need to get a hotel room for the night... Try and talk to Wookie tomorrow, see if I can salvage that friendship before it's too late, if it's not already."

"Min…you know you can stay here, right?" KyuJong said quietly. "You don't have to go and deal with this alone." He wrapped his arms around JungMin, burying his nose in the redhead's shoulder.

JungMin closed his eyes, settling his arms around KyuJong's shoulders. "I just want to do this right, and do right by you. I made such a mess of things." Resting his cheek against the side of KyuJong's head, he breathed in that familiar scent, feeling like he was going to start crying again. He didn't know if he deserved KyuJong, or his forgiveness, but he would try to.

KyuJong ran his hand slowly up and down JungMin's back, turning his head enough so he could speak. "We can take this slow," he whispered. "Slow and steady. But I'm not kicking you out, ever again."

"Unless I deserve it, and I did deserve it Kyu," JungMin said. "I was a selfish , and I promise I'll do better in the future."

Smiling tiredly, KyuJong pulled back and leaned up, pressing his lips to JungMin's forehead in a soft kiss. "Let's go to sleep, you'll feel better with some rest," he murmured. "Maybe a shower too."

"A shower does sound nice," JungMin smiled a little back at him. "Thank you Kyu... I'm sorry I got us into all this mess."

"Kyu?" YoungSaeng's voice called from down the hall before he emerged, rubbing at one eye sleepily. "What... JungMin?" he blinked when he could finally see. "What's going on?"

"Go shower," KyuJong said to JungMin, letting go of the younger man. "You know where my clothes are if you don't have anything to wear." He leaned back on the couch, giving YoungSaeng a tight smile. "He's staying the night."

YoungSaeng stepped out of the way for JungMin as he passed by, watching him until he disappeared into KyuJong's room before looking back at his roommate. "He's staying the night? What happened to he didn't want to talk to you again?" he asked, moving to the couch and sitting down.

KyuJong waited until he heard the door to the bathroom close before relaxing back into the couch, emotions spent for the night. "I got a call from JongWoon saying Min was in trouble," he said, voice quiet. "So I called, and now he's here and safe and that's all that matters."

"What kind of trouble?" YoungSaeng asked, brow furrowed.

"…He got pulled in by a bad crowd, and JongWoon and RyeoWook caught them doing drugs," KyuJong answered after a pause. "Among other things. JongWoon kicked him out of their house, and I called to see if I could talk JungMin out of it. He's left those people now."

"He was doing drugs?" YoungSaeng's eyes widened. "Kyu, that's bad. If JongWoon kicked him out... how do you know he isn't just going to use you for a place to stay now? How do you know he isn't going to keep using drugs?"

"He said he wouldn't," KyuJong opened his eyes and looked up at YoungSaeng. "I'm going to try trusting him this time…the reason we broke up is because I didn't trust him."

"But you have a pretty good reason not trust him this time Kyu," YoungSaeng said. "What if he brings drugs here? Or these friends of his, what if they do? This is really dangerous and I don't know if I would trust him."

"You're the one who kept saying I should call him and talk it out," KyuJong pointed out. "I'm doing that now…we're going to try starting over, taking it slow. Anything that happens…I'll take it as it comes, because I trust him."

"That was before I knew he was doing drugs!" YoungSaeng hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "I don't know if this is such a good idea Kyu."

"I've made my decision, I'm not kicking him out again," KyuJong shook his head, eyes lowering. "I missed him so much, Saeng."

YoungSaeng's shoulders slumped a little as he looked at KyuJong. "I know you did... and for what it's worth I hope he's not going to be doing more drugs or I will call the police on him so fast... Why couldn't you have just called that nice guy I got the number from. He was cute."

"He's not JungMin," KyuJong looked up at YoungSaeng again with a small smile. "Why don't you call him, since you bring him up so much."

"And what, ask him out?" YoungSaeng rolled his eyes. "No one wants to be with someone who's still in the closet Kyu. Would you? Would you want to have to deny you're dating someone to all your friends and family, or even strangers? You and him are the only two people that know, and frankly that's two more than I'm comfortable with."

"Considering you didn't even know what my answer would be, and I'm sure you didn't ask him, you're making a lot of assumptions about no one wanting to date someone still in the closet," KyuJong frowned at his friend, before sighing and getting to his feet. "Even if you don't want to date him…it couldn't hurt to have someone besides me to talk to. It's not fun dealing with things alone, as you should already know."

"How did this get to be about me again?" YoungSaeng frowned up at him. "Kyu, I'd rather deal with my problem alone, just like you didn't want me butting into your problem with JungMin. Lucky for you he came back to make everything right with you again, I don't have someone to sweep me off my feet and make all my problems disappear."

"Suit yourself then," KyuJong sighed, tired of arguing. "I'm going to bed…if he's still here tomorrow while I'm working, be nice..okay?"

"Long as he doesn't try to steal anything to pay for his drug habit," YoungSaeng said, though it was clear he was teasing. "Night Kyu... and for what it's worth I do hope things work out for you two. I hope he proves me wrong."

KyuJong smiled tiredly at the older man. "I hope things work out for you too, Saeng. Night." He headed back into his bedroom, seeing the bathroom door was still closed. He crawled back into bed, settling down under the covers. But he couldn't fall asleep yet, waiting.

The shower had been good, even if it had been the second one of the day JungMin felt a lot cleaner than he had in days. He considered just throwing the clothes he had been wearing away, but they weren't that bad and would survive a washing. Wearing a pair of KyuJong's pajama pants, he left the bathroom and headed into KyuJong's room, dumping his worn clothes in a corner. When he saw KyuJong, his lips quirked a little as he approached the bed. "Are you sure you're okay with me staying? I could sleep on the couch or something," he said.

"You'll wake up with a sore back," KyuJong murmured, eyes peeking up at JungMin from just above the covers. He pulled down the edge of the sheets from the other side of the bed, an invitation.

JungMin quirked a small smile as he sat down and scooted into a comfortable position next to KyuJong. "Tomorrow... we should talk more about stuff," he said softly. "I'm sorry about all this happening so late when you had to work in the morning."

"It's fine," KyuJong shifted a little closer. "I think I'll be able to sleep okay now. Good night, Min," he whispered, eyes closing. "I'll see you after work…right?"

"Yeah... as long as you want me to come back I will," JungMin said. "I'm going to go talk to Wookie in the morning, try and smooth things over if I can, but I'll be back when you get out of work."

"Okay," KyuJong smiled softly. "Night, Min," he murmured, drifting off into sleep. Even with everything that had happened that day, he let himself feel a small amount of hope. Maybe they could be okay again.

Ending the chapter on that positive note xD

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A massive thank you to BlackRose2890 for upvoting <3

@Forever5501: LOL You show him xD Hopefully you don't want to kill them all still after this chapter? 

@tehreem: JungMin is a bit of an in this story, but everything looks different from someone else's perspective xD 

@Forest_pixi: Ooooo double comment! XDD And I went and translated your rant again...lolol it made me giggle <3 I know you're REALLY annoyed with a character when you make me translate what you're saying XDD And 2Min...not SHINee 2Min, but SuJu501 2Min...this is probably the closest we've come to ever writing it LOL. Copy&Paste, writing every single rare pairing in existence since 2010! Or...somewhere around there.

@ping501: Lolol I'm sorry bb /hugs tightly/ Things will get better for them! It won't be the easiest road, but it'll get better. Hopefully you'll feel better after this chappie.

@LovelyYS: All the chapters to this fic are already written, but I can't say when HyunSaeng come back in xD We're trying to give all 3 main pairings equal screen time.