*taekook*

007

"Taehyung?" Jeongguk called out timidly, voice not conveying his slight worry. Instead, he just sounded bored and dull. There was no response.

"Yo, Taehyung, open up," Jeongguk tried again, voice slightly louder. This time, he was met with a loud thump and a low groan. Jeongguk's heart dropped slightly, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"Tae? Seriously, I'm a little worried," Jeongguk tried, voice trying to be light but coming out serious once again. There was another quiet whimper before the door handle was wobbling, jerking open to reveal Taehyung.

"I-I'm okay," Taehyung said automatically, interrupting Jeongguk's protests. Taehyung was not okay; his hair was matted down to his forehead from the sweat coating his body, his normally bronze skin pale and sickly, his whole body trembling. His plump lips were tinted an unnerving blue colour, eyes hazy and unfocused, breaths sharp and shallow.

"Taehyung-"

"Would you like some coffee? Come in, I-I'll make some," Taehyung managed, voice weak and crackling. Jeongguk stepped inside wearily, eyes never leaving Taehyung as the two of them walked inside.

The apartment was a mess, ridiculously small and dingy. Jeongguk had known that Taehyung wasn't very well off financially, but he didn't think it was this bad.

Said boy was stumbling to his tiny kitchen, supporting himself on the counters as he started to boil water and dump instant coffee into chipped mugs.

"Taehyung, are you-"

"Y-Yes! I'm okay, really, just s-sick, tell Jimin I have a cold. Y-You can, uh...." Taehyung trailed off, eyes unfocusing. He snapped back after a second, shaking his head blearily, the movement seeming to cause him pain. "S-Sorry for being a bother, you can g-go whenever."

Jeongguk felt genuine fear growing in his chest. He knew something was so off, so wrong, but he couldn't place what.

"Bullshit," Jeongguk argued. "Did you hit your head? Is it a concussion?"

"N-No! I-I'm..." he stopped again, as if he forgot what he was trying to say. The sudden screaming of the kettle brought him back, his face scrunching up in pain at the sharp noise.

"Hey, just-" Jeongguk interjected again, but Taehyung wasn't listening, pouring the hot water into the mugs.

"I-It's okay," he whispered, sounding so far from okay that Jeongguk wanted to cry. It's been so long since he'd ever felt this kind of crushing anxiety over someone else, a feeling that was pushing his heart into overdrive and making tears want to gather in his eyes.

"Can I at least help-" Jeongguk offered. Taehyung shook his head, slower this time.

"N-No, I-" he began, sentence cutting off once more. He swallowed thickly and coughed, whole body shaking from the action. Taehyung lifted the mug and made it about half a step before his arm wobbled, the mug slipping from his fingers as if they simply weren't strong enough to hold it. The porcelain shattered over the floor, the hot liquid spilling.

"Oh," was all Taehyung gasped before his legs gave out too. He crashed into the mess of coffee and shards, eyes rolling up into his head. Jeongguk had lurched forward the moment he noticed but he was too late; Taehyung's head hit off the floor with a sickening crunch, his limp body crumpled.