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From the moment Taehyung woke up he knew it was going to be a bad day. There was a dull throbbing pain right behind his eyes. Sitting up at the edge of his bed, he squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing the sides of his head. They had a fan-sign event today. Taehyung knew if he said something, he would be forced to sit it out. He couldn’t let Army down like that.
Taking a deep breath, Taehyung rose from his bed, slowly making his way into the bathroom. He grimaced as he turned the lights on. Slowly opening his eyes, he stared at himself in the mirror. Everything looked blurry. He blinked a few times before bending over the sink to wash his face. There was a knock on the bathroom door.
“Jin says you better be getting ready. We have to leave soon, and you haven’t eaten or taken your medicine,” Jimin said from the other side of the door.
“I’ll be out in a minute”
Taehyung sighed, hearing Jimin walking away from the door. He shook his head, wishing the headache would go away. After finishing washing up, he made his way back into his bedroom. He quickly threw on a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt, knowing he would have to change into his designated outfit at the event. Taehyung plastered a smile on his face, walking into the kitchen.
“Aye it’s about time you woke up. Even our golden maknae is awake,” Jin said, placing a bowl of cereal in front of him, along with his medicine.
He quickly swallowed his medicine. Tae hated it. It was a constant reminder that he was not your typical K-Pop idol. He was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. Doctors thought he would grow out of it, but he never did. Instead, he’s stuck taking medication, hoping that he wouldn’t have a seizure in front of the fans. He hid it from the other members for the longest time, hoping no one would find out. It wasn’t until Yoongi found him following a seizure that he had to come clean to the group. Since then, there are plans in place just in case a seizure comes on during a performance, fan signing, interview, etc.
Tae took a few bites of cereal, not having much of an appetite. He got up, emptying his bowl and placing it in the sink. The dull pounding behind his eyes still present.
“You ok?” a voice asked, breaking Tae out of his trance. He turned around with a smile on his face, nodding his head. Namjoon raised an eye, as if he didn’t fully believe Tae.
“I’m fine. Just stayed up late last night,” Tae quickly added, hoping Namjoon would buy what he was saying.
Namjoon sighed, knowing the maknae line had a tendency to stay up late playing video games. “Go get your shoes on, the van is here,” he said before turning and leaving the kitchen.
Tae let out a sigh of relief. All he had to do was get through the fan signing and then he was in the clear. He grabbed his belongings, shoving his feet into his shoes, before leaving. Tae lucked out, grabbing an empty seat in the back of the van. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the window. It’s just a headache, he repeated to himself.
Tae must have drifted off to sleep. Next thing he knew he was being poked on the cheek. He groaned, slowly opening his eyes to see Jungkook staring at him. “Wake up, we are here,” he said, flashing a smile. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, rubbing slightly before exiting the van.
Once entering the building everything was such a whirlwind. Tae was seated in the make-up chair with a stylist noona attending to him. He could see Namjoon looking over at him every once in a while. Did he know? Maybe he was being paranoid. He couldn’t help it though. Along with the pounding headache, he was now feeling nauseous. He just had to last 2 hours, he could do that, right?
Tae thanked his stylist before getting up from his chair, swaying lightly on his feet. He grabbed the back of the chair to steady himself. He looked up, letting out a sigh of relief. No one had seen him. Tae walked over to the rest of the group, receiving a brief run-down of how the event was going to run.
The boys walked out, taking their designated seats. Tae was relieved to be sitting between Yoongi and Jungkook. Yoongi always made him feel relaxed while Jungkook always made him laugh. He felt safe sitting between the two. I mean…what could go wrong?
They were one hour into the event when Tae felt the tingling sensation in his hands. He squeezed his hands together a few times before wiping them on his pants. He could push the headache and nausea to the side, but he couldn’t ignore the tingling in his arms. Tae knew exactly what was coming. He needed to get backstage and fast.
Tae nudged Yoongi’s elbow, trying to discreetly get his attention. Yoongi shook his elbow, continuing to chat with their fan. “Hyung”, he whispered, making a second attempt. Still nothing. Tae became more panicked, unsure how much time he had left. He needed to leave now.
“Hyung,” Tae whined, tugging at Yoongi’s elbow. That was enough to get his attention. Yoongi let out a sigh, looking over at Tae. “I think…I need…” Tae attempted to say, finding it hard to get the words out. Yoongi’s eyes went wide, he knew what was happening. He elbowed Namjoon, nodding over towards Tae. Namjoon flagged down security while Yoongi and Tae stood up. Yoongi had a firm grip on Tae as they exited backstage.
Luckily their break room was empty. Yoongi knew how embarrassed Tae got. He guided Tae down onto one of the couches, sitting down by his head. He set a timer on his phone for 5 minutes. Any seizure longer than that and they would have to call for an ambulance. It wasn’t long before Tae’s body started to shake. The timer on Yoongi’s phone started. Yoongi kept his gaze forward, glancing down at Tae every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t going to accidentally hurt himself.
Four minutes later and it seemed like the seizure was ending. Yoongi ran his hand through the younger boy’s hair. All he could do was sit there and comfort the boy as he came out of the seizure. Tae let out a sigh, his eyes starting to flutter open. “Shhh…it’s ok,” Yoongi said quietly as he continued to run his hand through Tae’s hair.
Tae let out a small whimper. He was becoming more aware of the uncomfortable sensation. Tears formed in his eyes. He had peed all over himself. Yoongi looked down, noticing the tears. “Hey, no crying now, “he said softly, reaching over to wipe his eyes, unaware of Tae’s current condition.
Tae was having a hard time forming words. He wanted out of the soiled pants before the other members came into the room and saw him. He let out a groan, reaching down to undo his belt. His coordination was still off, fingers fumbling over the buckle. Yoongi glanced over, noticing the wet stain on his pants.
“Here, let me help you,” Yoongi said softly, “We can clean you up better once we are home”. He started to undo the belt buckle when there was a soft knock at the door. Tae let out a whimper as Namjoon opened the door, peeking his head in.
“It’s just me and Hoseok,” Namjoon said quietly, slipping through the door with Hoseok following. “How’s he doing?”
Tae adverted his eyes away from the older hyungs, embarrassed by his current situation. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. He wanted out of these clothes and to be back in his own room, in his own bed. Hoseok walked over to the couch, crouching down to wipe away the tears.
“It wasn’t a bad one this time,” Yoongi said, as he walked over to retrieve Tae’s clothes. “I was just going to help him change into something more comfortable. Where are the others?”
“Jin has the others down the hall. They wanted to come in, but I figured it was for the best,” Namjoon said quietly.
“Yoongi…” Tae whined.
“I’m here. Let’s get you changed, yeah?” Yoongi said as he walked back over to the younger boy.
Hoseok helped the younger boy sit up on the couch. Tae’s limbs felt heavy. It took two of them to change him into his clothes. “Tired,” Tae mumbled once they were done.
“The van should be here shortly. You can lay down. We’ll let you know when it’s here,” Namjoon replied. Tae nodded, laying back down on the couch. He fell asleep almost instantly, his head nestled in Hoseok’s lap.
“I guess we should let Jin and the others back in the room,” Namjoon said, “He’s probably being driven crazy.” He pulled his phone out, shooting off a quick text.
Yoongi smiled, knowing how much it could be to handle the maknae. There was another knock on the door. Namjoon opened the door, whispering something, before Jin entered with Jimin and Jungkook following.
“He’s ok, just sleeping,” Hoseok said quietly, noticing how Jimin and Jungkook were looking over at Tae. The younger boys always had a hard time dealing with Tae’s seizures. They were always worried what would happen to Tae during and even after an episode. The boys nodded, both relieved to know he was ok.
The rest of the group moved around the room quietly, changing back into their clothes, removing their makeup and gathering their belongings. Jin had traded spots with Hoseok, allowing him to gather his belongings.
“The van is here,” Namjoon announced, looking down at his phone.
Yoongi walked over to the couch, crouching down next to Tae. “Hey, it’s time to get up,” He said softly, running his hand through Tae’s hair. Tae let out a small whine. “You can sleep once we are in the van.”
Yoongi and Jin helped the younger maknae up. With firm grips on the boy, they made their way into the van. Jin got in first, helping Yoongi guide Tae down into the seat. Once the boy was buckled in, Yoongi got in, taking the seat next to him. Tae instantly leaned his head down onto Yoongi’s shoulder, nestling into him. Yoongi could feel his breath evening out, knowing he had fallen back asleep. He snaked his arm around Tae’s shoulder, keeping a protective grasp on the boy as they drove back to the dorms in silence. While Yoongi could never understand how the boy was feeling, he did know he could always be there for him, protecting him in any way he could.