"J-Jeongguk, I can't-!" Taehyung paused to cough out the water he attempted to drink. Jeongguk patted his back gently, helping Taehyung to clear his throat.

"No, no. It's okay, Taehyung, you don't have to." He comforted, giving him a warm smile, now rubbing the boy's back.

"But I- I want to." Taehyung stammered, clutching the bottle of pills tightly in his hand.

They were sitting on Jeongguk's bed, Taehyung had just received his new prescription earlier and wanted to be able to swallow them properly. He texted Jeongguk about it and the boy was more than happy to help, inviting him to his dorm.

"Have you ever tried crushing them up and taking them?" Jeongguk enquired, looking into Taehyung's glittery eyes.

"I- I have but the taste makes me want to throw up and just r-reminds me of everything and-"

"Shh, it's okay. Here, I'll try to show you. I think I have a mint I can use for this." Jeongguk patted his pockets, letting out a sound of triumph when he felt a packet of mints. He took one out of the paper, showing it to Taehyung.

"You see this? My aunt taught me this trick, so what you do is put the pill on the back of your tongue." Jeongguk opened his mouth, popping the mint in his mouth.

Jeongguk then grabbed the water bottle from Taehyung's hands, taking a gulp, tilting his head down and swallowing.

"Ta-da!" Jeongguk grinned, opening his mouth to show the mint was gone. "So, the trick is to lean your head down then swallow. You can do it, I know you can!" He beamed, giving Taehyung his water bottle back.

Taehyung nodded, heart racing as he brought out another pill with trembling hands, placing it in his palm and staring at it with a blank expression.

He felt his breath grow erratic as he gazed deeper at the pill, painful memories surfacing at the sight. Taehyung's hand balled up into a quivering fist as blood pounded loudly in his ears, nails digging into his palms.

Jeongguk abruptly clapped his hands which made Taehyung jump slightly, snapping him out of it.

"It's okay, Taehyung. You can do this."

Jeongguk reassured, nodding enthusiastically. Taehyung blinked, taking a deep breath.

He could do this.

With shallow breaths, Taehyung opened his palm and placed the pill on the back of his tongue, keeping eye contact with Jeongguk. His heart sped up even quicker as he wrapped his fingers around the bottle, taking a large mouthful.

Taehyung tilted his head down but his body refused to swallow, Taehyung tried again but memories came flashing back which resulted in him spitting the water out all over the bed along with the pill, coughing after.

"O-oh gosh, hold on." Jeongguk took a tissue from his pocket to dry Taehyung's mouth off along with the bed and picked up the pill before throwing it in the bin. The boy's expression represented defeat as his mother's words echoed in his head, rain clouds forming in Taehyung's eyes as he rubbed them, tears smearing around his cheeks.

"Don't give up, Taehyung. Do you wanna try again?" Jeongguk asked, caressing the boy's cheek, and Taehyung nodded.

"I'll talk you through it but first you need to be calm. Breathe in and out for me, okay?" Jeongguk reached to squeeze Taehyung's palms. The boy did so, closing his eyes breathing in and out to control his nerves. He opened them again, looking at Jeongguk who had a reassuring grin on his face.

"Do the same thing again, put the pill at the back of your tongue, get some water, then lean your head forward and swallow." Jeongguk softly spoke, stroking Taehyung's arm.

The boy wordlessly followed, placing the pill back on his tongue, he looked back at Jeongguk again.

"Take some water then quickly lean your head down and swallow." He repeated as he gazed at Taehyung with encouraging eyes.

Taehyung breathed out through his nose, taking another gulp from the bottle and quickly leaned his head down, eyes screwed shut.

"You can do it, Taehyung. You're doing so well right now." Jeongguk praised, watching the boy in anticipation. "You just have to swallow, that's all you need to do."

Taehyung nodded slowly with close eyes, listening to Jeongguk's words. He could do this, he had to do this.

He wanted to prove his mother wrong after everything she had done, she had said. Taehyung wanted to prove that he wasn't as pathetic as she said he was, that he was capable of something. That's why he was going to-

Suddenly, Taehyung felt the water flushing down his throat as his mouth emptied. Jeongguk audibly gasped, clasping a hand over his mouth.

Did he just-?

Taehyung felt around his mouth, an unsure expression on his face as Jeongguk was still in awe. When he felt that there was nothing in his mouth, that's when he finally realised that the pill was gone! He- he did it! He was able to swallow it!

Taehyung looked at Jeongguk with the brightest of eyes, a smile creeping up his face.

"You did it!" Jeongguk squealed, pulling Taehyung to his feet as they got off the bed. "You really did it!" He cried, jumping on his feet whilst clapping his hands.

Taehyung had the widest smile on his face, his mouth forming a rectangle as Jeongguk kept jumping up and down in excitement. "I- I really did!" He couldn't stop smiling, not after he had just been able to do something he couldn't do his whole life!

Taehyung grabbed onto Jeongguk's arm, pulling the boy towards him and kissing him all of a sudden, catching Jeongguk off guard as he stopped leaping.

Jeongguk threw his arms over Taehyung's shoulders, kissing back with a smile on his face as Taehyung's hands fell to his waist, gripping it lightly.

Pulling away, Jeongguk brought his hands to Taehyung's face, wiping his damp cheeks with his thumbs. "I knew you could do it." He breathed out, still smiling widely.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jeongguk, hugging him tightly. "Thank you." He whispered, tucking his chin into the boy's shoulder.

Jeongguk hugged Taehyung back, inhaling his scent. "I didn't do anything, Taehyung. It was all you." But the boy shook his head. "You helped encourage me all the time and told me I could do it, even when I didn't believe that I could." He pecked Jeongguk's shoulder. "Thank you."

Jeongguk said nothing, basking in Taehyung's warmth as they stood in the middle of his dorm. He then felt Taehyung begin to nip at his neck, trailing down kisses which made Jeongguk giggle at the feeling.

"S-stop! That tickles!" Jeongguk laughed, trying to push Taehyung off. The boy chuckled into Jeongguk's neck, still nibbling.

"T-Taehyung! I said that tickles, go away!" Jeongguk cried, Taehyung didn't listen and kept at it. Jeongguk squealed and hit Taehyung's chest which made the boy nibble harder. Before they knew it, they both tumbled onto the bed and Jeongguk was pulled onto Taehyung's lap, the boy's lips still on his neck.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Jeongguk finally asked when his smile wore off, neck still tingling from Taehyung's kisses. The boy detached his lips. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Okay, but this time it's a good question." Jeongguk giggled, fingers tracing along the veins of Taehyung's forearm.

"Ask away."

"Why do you like theatre and acting?" Jeongguk slowly moved his index finger in circles. "You looked so passionate about it during the auditions."

Taehyung pursed his lips, he brushed a strand of hair away from Jeongguk's face. "Well, I like the rush of adrenaline it gives me."

"What do you mean?"

Taehyung blinked, trying to gather his words. "It's like- when I get on that stage I don't have to worry about anything." He looked at Jeongguk who seemed to be listening intensely. "Like my problems just- disappear. Y'know?"

"That really showed when you auditioned." Jeongguk smiled, pressing his fingertip onto a particular vein on Taehyung's arm. "You've also kinda been acting happier these days." He added.

Taehyung grinned at his words, he pressed a kiss against Jeongguk's jaw. "Have I?"

"I mean, you don't seem like you second guess yourself anymore like you said you did or get anxious when something goes wrong. Do you still do that in your head?"

Taehyung scratched the back of his neck, his hand remaining there for a moment before falling to his side. "I still sorta do but it isn't as bad as before to the point that it's the only thing I think about."

Jeongguk continued to brush his fingertips across Taehyung's arm. "But at least you're improving. Hey, since you can swallow pills now maybe you'll get even more better?"

Taehyung nodded, looking off to the side. "You'll still help, right?"

The boy stopped tracing over Taehyung's arm and pulled him into another hug. "Of course I will, I'll always help."

Taehyung hugged the boy back, planting a kiss from behind his ear. "Thanks."

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

After a couple of moments, Taehyung pulled away from the warm embrace, grabbing his bottle of pills. "I'm gonna get going then. Thanks for your help again."

Jeongguk nodded and hopped off the boy's lap, allowing him to get up. "Talk to you soon?"

Taehyung brushed himself off, tucking some tufts of hair behind his ear. "Yeah, I'll text you later today." He walked to the door, opening it and giving Jeongguk a wave. "See ya."

"Bye!" Jeongguk then heard the door close shut, the fading sounds of footsteps after. He laid onto his back on the bed with a sigh, staring at the blank ceiling.

"Zodiac signs are basically glorified stereotypes based on your birthday. I said what I said." Hoseok bravely announced, not caring how controversial his opinion sounded.

"How so?" Jeongguk asked as he tilted his head, walking beside him in the hallway, and Hoseok huffed.

"So, I was born in February which makes me a Pisces and because of that- I'm apparently shy and a sensitive bitch all the time just because of my fucking birthday!" Hoseok cried, a frustrated expression on his face. "That's not fair, us Pisces are always stuck with being the whiny bitch-"

"You're an Aquarius." Jeongguk deadpanned.

"Oh," Hoseok let out. "Nevermind then, turns out I've been looking at the wrong star sign the whole time on those zodiac tweets."

"Fuck your star sign." Jeongguk started, looking at Hoseok. "Were you a Greek Mythology kid or an Ancient Egyptian one?"

Hoseok blinked, looking at Jeongguk blankly. "Neither, because I didn't give a shit about that when I was a kid."

"What?" Jeongguk gasped in disbelief. "Fuck you, I was a Greek Mythology kid. Always fucking loved Hades-"

"Jeongguk!" Yeri cried breathlessly, sprinting up to him and Hoseok.

"Yeri?" Jeongguk looked at her with big eyes while Hoseok had a look of confusion on his face. "What's up-"

"The cast for the school play has been announced! It's on the pegboard chart," Yeri grabbed Jeongguk's wrist, tugging on it. "Come on!"

Jeongguk looked at Hoseok who then nodded. "Okay, um. I'll see you later then Jeoncock!" Hoseok said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"See you soon!" Jeongguk cried before feeling Yeri begin to pull harder on his arm, eventually deciding to drag the boy across the hallway.

Jeongguk nearly tripped at the sudden action before he began running too, feeling a sense of excitement bubbling up within him. Even though he didn't audition, Jeongguk was anxious about Taehyung. He hoped that he got the part he wanted since he worked so hard on it.

They finally made it to the pegboard which was crowded by many of the students from Jeongguk's theatre class. Yeri let go of Jeongguk's wrist, letting him see the chart for himself.

Jeongguk tried to past the crowd, muttering small apologies as he tried to get a look at the chart, eyes scanning for Taehyung's name.

"Fuck yes!" Jin cried. "In your fucking face, Seulgi! I got King Alonso, take that!" He mocked, Seulgi repeatedly hitting his chest in frustration.

Jeongguk laughed at the two but went back to looking at the chart, still in search for Taehyung's name as he shoved past many.

"Oh my gosh! I got Miranda!" Yeri cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

Jeongguk saw Jennie beside him, her shoulders dropping as soon as Yeri said that. He pursed his lips, turning around to the girl.

"Hey," Jeongguk called out. "You tried your best and that's all that matters." He smiled warmly at her, secretly questioning why he was even talking to Jennie.

"Thanks." Jennie smiled back just as warm, fiddling with her fingers in front before walking off.

Jeongguk was just about to turn back around to look for Taehyung's name again until he heard-

"Fucking hell!"

Jeongguk recognised that voice to be Taehyung's. He seemed pissed.

"Somebody explain to me why I got Ferdinand?!" Taehyung angrily demanded, pointing at the chart.

Jeongguk's mouth fell open. What?

"-And why did Yugyeom get Prospero?" He looked the boy with rage, who was just snickering at Taehyung's reaction.

"I- I mean, you would make a pretty handsome prince, after me of course." Jin laughed, clutching his stomach.

"Then why didn't you audition for him if you think you'd make a better prince?" Taehyung asked as Jin tried to compose himself.

"Why be a prince when you can be a wholeass king?"

Jeongguk rolled his eyes at his words, expecting that from Jin but was still fairly surprised that Taehyung didn't get Prospero, even after his amazing performance!

Most of the students started to leave after finding out their part in the play, some cheered while others sulked. Now, Taehyung and Jeongguk were the only ones left, Taehyung boring holes into the chart while Jeongguk stayed silent.

"I can't believe you got Ferdinand." Jeongguk breathed out, and Taehyung snapped his head towards him.

"I barely believe that myself. I worked so hard for Prospero so why do I have to get some dumbass prince character?" Taehyung grumbled, Jeongguk leaning his shoulder against the board with his arms crossed.

"At least you got a role, right?" Jeongguk tried, frowning when Taehyung still seemed upset, head hung low.

"Look, maybe you can talk to Mr. Han about it?" Jeongguk said softly, patting Taehyung's shoulder. "Maybe ask why you didn't get the part you wanted."

Taehyung looked up at Jeongguk. "Maybe, you're right." He had a small smile, slightly encouraged by Jeongguk's words.

"Of course, I always am," Jeongguk smirked, a hand on his hip and Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Jeon."

"I- I think I might go now to ask," Taehyung muttered, slowly walking back. "Thanks for the suggestion, see you, Jeon!" He cried before turning around and running out of the hallway, presumably to go downstairs to Mr. Han's office.

Jeongguk stood there with a small smile on his face, seeing how Taehyung soon disappeared from his line of vision, sighing out after.