HEE:LIFT | TXT & Enhypen

~ ninety-one ~

TW: mentions depression, addiction, and alcoholism

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The Ball Drop (Reprise) || 3/4

"Heeseung," Sunghoon urgently whispered. "Heeseung, wake up."

"What?" Heeseung groaned, stretching out on his back. He opened his eyes, discovering that the room was much darker than before. "Is it time to go?"

"No, but..." Sunghoon pursed his lips. "It's Taehyun. He's been in the shower for almost an hour. Refuses to come out."

"Fuck," Heeseung sighed, rolling out of bed. He quickly pulled on a sweater and left the bedroom, finding the others waiting for him in the hallway.

Beomgyu exhaled slowly, his forehead pressed against the locked bathroom door. "Tae. Please, talk to me. What's going on?"

A grumbled "nothing, go away" sounded from within.

Heeseung passed by his worried members, grabbing the communal emergency key from the desk in the living room before returning to the hallway. He gently knocked on the wall. "Taehyun, it's Heeseung hyung. Is it okay if I unlock the door? We just want to check on you."

A moment passed before they received a defeated "Yes."

Heeseung unlocked the door and stepped aside, allowing Beomgyu to enter first. A wall of steam descended on them, dispersing into the hallway air. Heeseung pursed his lips, catching a glimpse of their blurry reflections in the fogged-up glass mirror.

"Taehyun." Beomgyu's voice was relieved but shaky as he peeled back the shower curtain.

Taehyun sat on the bathtub floor, facing the faucet. He hugged his legs, chin resting on his knees as he stared at the drain with hollow eyes. Water ran down his bare back, the shower raining down on him like a never-ending torrent keeping him anchored to the floor.

"You okay?" Beomgyu whispered, his face etched with worry. "You've been in here for almost an hour."

The younger boy's head drooped under the weight of his sodden hair. "I was just taking a break."

Beomgyu slowly swallowed, rolling up his sleeves. He took a knee beside the bathtub, reaching a hand in to feel the downpour. Though he didn't say anything, Taehyun's eyes closed with shame and exhaustion.

"I know it's hot," he mumbled. "I just like the heat."

"That's okay," Beomgyu quietly reassured. "I do too. I'm going to turn down the temperature a bit, okay?"

He twisted the knob for the hot water, one hand still feeling the water. After a minute, he nodded, satisfied. Heeseung watched the older boy take off his socks, tossing them into a pile with Taehyun's dirty clothes before climbing into the bathtub behind him.

"Alright, lover boy." Beomgyu placed his palm on Taehyun's forehead, blocking water from running into the younger boy's face. He gently kissed the back of Taehyun's head. "Let's get you cleaned up."

The faint ring of a doorbell echoed their dorm.

Heeseung turned around, confused.

"It's probably Kai," Beomgyu hummed as he lathered shampoo into Taehyun's hair. "He left his keys in the dorm when he went out with Yeji noona and Yuna."

"He went out with them?"

"Yeah, about an hour after you fell asleep."

Heeseung frowned. He left the bathroom, gently shutting the door after himself, and followed the rest of his members to the living room. The front door swung open and two tipsy girls stumbled in, followed by a nonchalant Kai.