"felix, please don't make me do this," minho was practically begging on his knees, eyes swimming with anxiety.
"no, minho. you agreed to let us help you, and this is where it all starts."
surprisingly, there weren't that many people at the aa meeting, maybe six or seven in total. minho was still scared shitless, even though both chan and felix said they would stay in the room with him. this was all so new. his body was craving alcohol more than it ever had before. he was in so much pain, still healing from the broken ribs, though it had already been a few weeks since the incident.
"here, drink this," chan emerged from behind them, handing minho a fresh cup of coffee. his smile was warm and comforting, although it didn't help much as minho felt as if his feet were being tied down by an anvil, hands shaking as he became increasingly desperate for even the smallest drop of alcohol. the room was blurred slightly. the boy tried to focus on chan as much as he could. he felt light-headed, wanting nothing more than to climb back into bed and never wake up.
"min, they're starting, go grab a seat."
"but-"
"we'll be sitting right here on this bench. we won't leave. don't worry," felix ran a couple of his fingers through minho's fading blue hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. it helped to ground the elder a little, but the fear coursing through his veins was still highly prominent. chan promised the meeting shouldn't last long, but to minho, it had already felt like an eternity and they hadn't even started.
hesitantly, he moved towards the circle of chairs, sitting down next to a smaller boy with neon orange hair, multiple arm tattoos, and piercings on almost every part of his face you can get them; yet he still looked just as scared as minho, despite his appearance. the boy seemed to notice him, looking over in his direction and eyeing minho softly, "is this your first time?"
minho hummed in question, raising his head slightly, blue hair covering his eyes, "o-oh. yeah, it is..."
the boy smiled softly, "don't worry, it's only my fifth time - but, hey, if i've learned anything from having alcoholic friends, it's that these meetings actually help."
"really? you sure they're not a waste of time?"
the kid laughed, playing with his cross earring that hung quite low, "i was in doubt my first day as well, but hearing stories from people who've been sober for years — really puts things into perspective, y'know? inspires and motivates you to want to keep coming back, become successful like them."
