Use Me Like A Drug

Fear Follows.

On the weekends, Soobin's sleep was cherished. He never got the same amount of sleep during the week and so at times like this, his bed was the most comfortable thing in the world. This time, he enjoyed the soothing scent of lavender instead of the harsh scent of peppermint that usually jolted him awake. Instead, what jolted him awake from his half-sleep was his harsh ringtone that was specifically meant to wake him up quickly. It was Taehyun's ringtone. Taehyun never called him unless it was urgent so when Soobin heard that ringtone, he felt more awake than he ever had, despite his lack of proper sleep.

"Hello?" He asked, sitting up, his voice gravelly. He'd only just answered the phone and his heart was beginning to pound frantically.

"Soobin? Oh my god, I think Taehyun broke his arm or something." His fears were confirmed with your panicked voice. Soobin could tell that you were having issues breathing.

"Take a breath," Soobin answered calmly despite his rapidly pounding heart. "What happened?" He asked, his voice betraying his panic.

"We're at the skate park and he was just skating and he fell or something and landed on his arm and now he can't even move it," you answered. Although Soobin wasn't there, he could vividly imagine what was happening. Taehyun was probably laying on the ground, doing his best not to make a peep and you were beside him, panicking with indecision.

"Hold on, I'll be right there," Soobin responded, not hanging up the phone. He kept the phone flush to his ear, glad that he had been so tired that he didn't change out of his work clothes.

It didn't take him long to get there and he remained on the phone with you as you asked Taehyun panicked questions, none of which he answered. Soobin ran as fast as he could, which wasn't super fast, and he was there within minutes. His saving grace was the fact that the skate park was close to where he and Taehyun lived. Of course, Soobin had imagined correctly. Taehyun was cradling his arm arm, biting his lip so he didn't make a single peep, and you were beside him, unable to help in any way.

"Taehyun," Soobin called as he breathlessly approached. Taehyun opened his eyes that were previously clenched shut and Soobin could see the look of guilt that plagued them. Taehyun couldn't say anything. He could only cradle his arm and feel helpless.

"What should we do?" You asked, looking to Soobin desperately. He wanted nothing more than to hug you and melt your worries away but now was not the time for that.

"We take him to the hospital," Soobin answered. He examined Taehyun quickly. His long sleeves spares him from any cuts, so he was free of scrapes. "Your legs are fine? Did you hit your head?"

"No," Taehyun responded to the second question only.

Soobin helped Taehyun up as you watched helplessly. Taehyun bit into his lip even harder. He forced his eyes shut, his face contorting in pain, concealing any possibly noises or tears that may have attempted to escape.

"My board," he forced out as Soobin aided him.

Soobin looked to you. He knew you were desperate to help in any way and he knew he needed to give you something to do. You nodded at him in response and turned back to grab his board. You ran to catch up with the two of them and they walked slowly.

You wanted to cry as you sat in the waiting room. You felt absolutely helpless although that felt like a common theme whenever you were in a panicked situation. The only relief you felt was when you saw Soobin return with Taehyun. Taehyun had a cast on his right arm, but he no longer seemed to be in pain. It made you release a breath of relief.

"Just a fracture," Soobin told you. "He has to wear the cast for six weeks."

You stood and Soobin could tell that you wanted to pull Taehyun into a hug. You asked Taehyun if he was alright in several different ways. He had been given pain medication so he no longer needed to grit his teeth and clench his eyes shut.

As the three of you walked, you'd began to wonder. Why Soobin? Why call Soobin? Why not his parents? Maybe Taehyun's parents didn't care. You just assumed that was the case and followed them closely behind. The two of them had decided that they would drop Taehyun off to get some rest and then Soobin would walk you home. You insisted that you could go alone, but that was quickly rejected.

  When you approached a rickety old apartment building, you weren't surprised. Somehow, it fit the vibe of the town, though you found yourself disliking the fact that Taehyun lived there.

  "Are your parents home?" You asked Taehyun. You didn't mean to pry. You just didn't want to get too close, lest you be spotted by his parents.

  Taehyun and Soobin stopped in their tracks. They were incredibly synchronized. They turned to look back at you and their looks of pure surprise were met with your look of utter confusion.

  "Hyung, we never told her," Taehyun mumbled.

  You wanted to ask, but you would never force them to tell you something unless they wanted to.

  The two of them met eyes for a second and seemed to have a whole conversation. Soobin took initiative and began to speak.

  "I haven't seen my parents in four or five years," he told you, continuing to walk. "I can barely even remember what happened. Not in detail anyways. Long story short, I've lived on my own for a long time. That's why I work so often."

"My parents kicked me out a few years ago. Not something I want to get into now, but I ended up living with Soobin Hyung," he told you.

You couldn't seem to find a response so you remained silent, following them to the door of their shared apartment. The situation put you at a loss for words. You kept your eyes glued to the ground although that didn't seem to make it any better. The cluttered walkway that was littered with gravel was distracting and almost pitiful.

  "Just wait out here for a minute okay? I'm gonna get him situated and then I'll walk you home," Soobin told you. You nodded and then leaned against the hand rail which creaked under your weight. The two of them disappeared inside

The state of this building was just like the rest of the town. Broken down with only a few nails keeping it together. You felt almost paranoid when you heard one of the other apartment doors open. You snapped your head up to see who it was. Given the state of the building and the absence of the familiar rust orange car, you weren't expecting to see Yeongcheol there. To counter that, he most certainly was not expecting to see you. The surprise in his eyes morphed to pure panic and anger. He marched up close to you, so close that you could feel his breath on your face and you felt your heart stop and your blood run cold.

"If you tell anyone... you're fucking dead."

That was all he said before continuing on with his errand. As if to emphasize the fact that he wasn't joking, he looked back to you and glared as he continued to walk. He reached for his pocket and pulled out one of those dinky pocket knives. One that probably couldn't cut paper, but could most certainly hurt when used correctly. He placed it back in his pocket and continued to walk without another spared glance.

It was only when your eyes began to burn in their dryness that you remembered to blink and breathe. Your heart pounded like crazy and just like that, a new fear was instilled in you. It wasn't like fear was new. Wherever you went, fear followed close by, pouncing whenever it got the chance.

"Alright, let's go," Soobin mumbled as he stepped outside of the apartment, being sure to close the door.

"Um," you began stalling for time. It's not like you knew how much time you needed. Just enough to let Yeongcheol get far away. "Is Taehyun Gonna be alright on his own?"

"He fell right asleep. Now it's time to get you home so I can do the same," he joked lightly, hoping you didn't hear the slight seriousness he felt.

He'd only gotten a half hour of descent sleep. Sometimes he was used to it but after huffing the smell of peppermint for hours on end in attempt to keep him awake, he just wanted to let his eyes close so that he didn't have to worry. He could only stay awake for so long.