"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.

"Taehyung, oh God, hey," Jeongguk cried, lifting the boy out of the mess easily, rushing to the couch. He laid him down gently, resisting the urge to sob.

Taehyung's breaths were still quick, sweating and panting and blue-lipped and trembling in a way that almost paralyzed Jeongguk. He dialled the only number he could think of, free hand fluttering uselessly.

"Hello?" Namjoon's groggy voice answered, somewhat grouchy. Jeongguk took a sharp breath, trying to compose himself.

"J-Joonie, I'm with Taehyung and he- he just fucking- fuck, I don't know what happened, he just fucking fell, and he's pale and shaking and unconscious and I don't know what the fuck to do," Jeongguk spat out, voice wavering. Namjoon was already rustling around.

"Okay, it's okay. What's the address?" he asked, voice calm and steady, the opposite of how Jeongguk felt. As Namjoon drove, he kept instructing Jeongguk on what to do, what to look for.

"So... he was disoriented? Kind of spacing out?" Namjoon clarified.

"Yes, yes, and he- he's breathing really quick, and his heartbeat's really fucking fast," Jeongguk explained. Namjoon hummed, seeming to consider it.

"Look at his arms," Namjoon instructed. Confused and agitated, Jeongguk did so, rolling up his sleeves delicately.

His skin was marred with scars, burns and cuts and bruises, small red dots littering his inner elbow. Jeongguk choked, a tear finally escaping, rolling down his cheek slowly.

"There's- He- I-" Jeongguk stammered. Thankfully, Namjoon seemed to already have known.

"He's overdosing. Okay, turn him onto his side. Make sure he doesn't choke, okay? I'm almost there," Namjoon reassured. Jeongguk swallowed thickly, slowly getting Taehyung onto his side and placing the phone down.

"Please be okay," he muttered, pressing his forehead to Taehyung's clammy one. "Please."

Namjoon arrived not soon after, bursting through the door, briefcase of medicine in one hand.

"Watch out," he commanded quietly, beginning to work. Jeongguk watched silently, holding Taehyung's hand the whole time. The elder looked in so much pain, eyebrows furrowed, weak body shaking pathetically.

"Woah, what's that?" Jeongguk interjected defensively, staring warily at the needle in Namjoon's hand. The doctor rolled his eyes, gently prying Taehyung's hand from Jeongguk's iron grip.

"Naloxone," Namjoon explained. "It'll help, trust me, kid."

Taehyung, much to Jeongguk's disappointment, didn't wake up right after the medicine was injected.

"Why isn't he-"

"He'll wake up whenever he wakes up," Namjoon sighed. He continued doing things to Taehyung, checking this and that. Eventually, he leaned back, pulling off his rubber gloves with a sigh.

"My diagnosis? Heroin overdose, mixed with exhaustion, mixed with an unhealthy diet. He's pretty fucked up, Jeongguk. I mean, have you seen the scars on him?" Namjoon groaned, picking up Taehyung's arm. Jeongguk didn't look at them, busying himself with staring at Taehyung's face.

"What do I do?" Jeongguk asked, voice quiet. He sensed more than saw Namjoon looking at him, an indecipherable look on his face.

"Well, someone's just gotta watch him for a few days. He'll be in pain, going through withdrawls, so he definitely can't be alon-"

"I'll do it," Jeongguk said immediately. Namjoon still had the same look on his face, as if he knew something Jeongguk didn't. The two were quiet for another moment, Namjoon idly bandaging Taehyung's arms up.

"Jeongguk..." Namjoon started. Jeongguk cut him off.

"Don't start. He's nothing, yeah? Nothing," Jeongguk growled. Namjoon chuckled, shaking his head.

"You don't get this worked up over nothing, kid. Just... don't get in too deep, yeah? If the public finds out-"

"They won't, Jeongguk snapped. "This means nothing to me."

Namjoon left a short while later, leaving Jeongguk with some measly instructions and his work phone number.

Jeongguk transferred Taehyung from the couch to his bed, his heart crashing at the way Taehyung's body shook.

When Jeongguk realized how stiff and uncomfortable Taehyung's mattress was, he sighed, chewing the inside of his lip.

"Why do I care so much?" he groaned out loud, as if Taehyung could hear him. "I shouldn't. I mean, I don't ." Taehyung didn't respond, but his face scrunched up in pain, and Jeongguk groaned again, pulling out his phone and dialling Yoongi.