hhhh did i like scar ya'll with my angst😅
but anyways,, HTT doesn't have any really
dark themes. it's my happy book and i
hope that it's yours too🥺💛

HOWEVER that doesn't mean i'm
saving ya'll from frustration (;

♡♡♡

So this was how it felt to be pretty.

Taehyung wasn't used to it, walking by Jeongguk's side and having people stare at him on the street for an entirely different reason than before. It was odd, really, all the smiles from strangers, and the people actually checking him out! Some girls even stopped them, asking for their numbers.

"Look at you already bagging bitches, Specs!" The younger chuckled, nudging his side as the two of them enter a korean barbecue, which Taehyung insisted on to thank him.

"I'm not bagging any bitches," Taehyung said, nose crinkling as the hostess led them to their seats. He sat opposite of Jeongguk, pushing his glasses up up his nose (he couldn't see shit without them).

"You got two girls' numbers," Jeongguk said in a matter of fact tone. "I think that's some progress."

"No I didn't," He frowned, handing him one of the menus on the table, making sure to not let their hands touch.

"It was more like you got them, and I awkwardly watched as they called me hot a thousand times."

At that, a grin blossomed over Jeongguk's lips. "I don't understand why you won't take the 'W.'"

"Because there's no 'W' to take! You literally got a free booty call right there!" Taehyung found himself giggling as he tried to hide his face behind the menu, eyes never leaving the younger's.

"And that was all you, Specs, and if it makes you feel better, I won't use them!" Jeongguk said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Jeongguk, I'm very, very gay."

"Oh yes. But to them you looked straight. You see, you now are a special type of gay: the spaghetti noodle," He quickly thanked the waiter giving him his water before averting his attention back to Taehyung, a smirk playing on his lips. 

"Spaghetti noodle? Is that an insult to my body?" Taehyung asked, snorting. Jeongguk shook his head, plucking the lemon out of his water and taking a sip.

"No. You see, a spaghetti noodle is very interesting. They look straight on the outside, but when they're wet, they become a squiggle!"

"Please don't tell me that was a sex joke because I'm a hundred percent sure that was a big sex joke," He groaned with a roll of his eyes. "I'm so done with you."

"No you're not," Jeongguk said after they made their order. "You can't be. The four months barely even started."

"God, don't remind me," Taehyung tried to sound bitter but he just couldn't, his lips stuck in a stupid, traitorous smile. "But anyways, did you see me? I totally froze when they approached us."

"Are you telling me that I'm responsible to teach you how to flirt, too? Oh Specs, flirting is basic human nature," He gasped, pressing a hand to his chest, faux offense scribbled over his features.

"It's not my fault! I've never been in a position to flirt with anyone," He murmured, his voice softening toward the end of his sentence as he fidgeted with the wrapper of his straw between his fingers.

"I don't flirt. It's just not in me."

"I don't believe that," Jeongguk folded his hands over the table, leaning forward in his seat. Taehyung lifted his attention from his lap to see him staring directly at him.

"You know what? C'mon, give me your best flirt attempt right here, right now."

"W-what? No. I just told you I physically can't flirt with anyone," Taehyung stammered, not at all expecting that from the younger. Jeongguk raised an eyebrow at him, still staring at him, making him shift awkwardly in his seat.

"I'm literally peer pressuring you into flirting with me right now," Jeongguk declared, earning a snort from the older.

"If I say no homo, will it make you happy?"

"Don't," The older chuckled. God, this boy really was a handful. Taehyung was already exhausted, and all he was doing was listening to him while sitting down. "No homo is the most gayest thing ever."

"Fine. Then flirt with me. Full Homo."

"Jeongguk, you're bisexual."

"Okay geez, flirt with me in bisexual then."

"But I'm a hundred and fifty percent gay. I have gay dads so that makes like me two-hundred percent."

"Do you want me to teach you or not?" Jeongguk cried out, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. Taehyung, on the otherhand, couldn't keep his composure any longer. His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laughter behind his palm (he was failing).

"Alrighty, fine. I'm warning you, I'm horrible at it," A smile fixed itself onto his lips, cheeks aching and eyes squinting to the point he could barely see.

"Go on. I'm waiting," The younger said, gesturing at him to bring it on, and with a deep breath, Taehyung blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Was your father a thief?

"The fuck? How does elderly parent figure scream flirty to you?" Jeongguk frowned, the skin between his brows creasing as all of his hopes died from that one sentence. Taehyung held a finger up, shushing him. 

"'Cause someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes," Taehyung finished, and when he did, he clamped his mouth shut, unable to fight the way his cheeks burned after saying something that cringey.

Jeongguk's eyebrows, on the otherhand, eased, his frown fading into a thin line as he leaned back in his seat, shoulders slacking. Taehyung's heart raced in his chest, wondering if what he said was too weird (to be honest, what even was his limit)? He gulped, ready to apologize but Jeongguk cut him off, clearing his throat.

"Not that bad, Specs, but I'm gonna tell you straight up that was mega cheesy," Jeongguk cracked a goofy smile, his reaction dissolving the panic crawling up Taehyung's throat. Thank god.

"Told you I sucked at flirting. My skills are equal to a walrus," Taehyung mumbled, pushing back his newly-dyed hair behind his ear. It smelled faintly of flowers and vanilla, probably because of the shampoo Jihyo used.

"Nah, with some finesse, I think you can pull it off. Like I said, your natural inner fuckboy is in there somewhere," Jeongguk said.

"Why don't you show me some of your 'natural inner fuckboy' if you believe in it so much?" The older suggested, finding it rather amusing when he teased him. The tips of his ears never failed to turn red, and it humored him knowing he wasn't aware of it.

"You wouldn't last one second, Specs. That's quite the big request," He warned. At that, Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Don't want you catching feelings for me, now instead of Jimin."

"Oh I'd never. I'm worried that it'd be you falling for me, Jeon," Taehyung teased, propping his elbow on the table, balancing his chin on the cusp of his palm as he eyes Jeongguk up and down.

The younger snorted, "Highly doubt it. Remember, with great beauty comes great responsibility. The biggest rule is don't let it get to your head."

"You're one to talk," He muttered, tapping the edge of his nails against the bottom of his lip. "You're a walking airhead powered by your massive ego."

"My ego comes from my magnificent talent in the connoisseurship of volleyball," Jeongguk chuckled, earning a grin from the older. "But seriously, I should make you sign some contract, or some shit. 'Don't let this new power change you, or else.'"

"Jeon, that only happens in movies," He scoffed, sitting back up when Jeongguk shrugged, folding the napkin in front of him into a little cootie catcher.

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when everything goes into shambles."

"I won't. I promise you that. Hey, we aren't even friends."

"Alrightie then, Specs. Whatever you do after our deal is over will be beyond my powers as a super talented, extremely hot, and godly volleyball player." And with that, the two of them fell silent once their food came.

Jeongguk was wrong, Taehyung thought as he watched the younger cook the meat on the grill in front of them. There was no way he'd let it get to his head; the purpose was to feel better about himself and get Jimin to notice him. He didn't care about popularity at all.

It wasn't like he was a complete pretty person— he honestly still felt like a fraud. He was still ugly, just that he hid behind a facade of make-up and clothes that he wasn't really used to. There was nothing to flaunt, no ego to feed.

Jeongguk was wrong, and Taehyung would prove that to him. Whenever that was.

♡♡♡

♡♡♡

Taehyung lept up from the his bed, panic rising up his throat as he threw his phone down and ran out.

He scanned the room for anything of Jeongguk that would make his friends suspicious. He grabbed a shirt off one of the bean bags, some empty cartons of banana milk, and a volleyball, practically sprinting to throw them into Jeongguk's room.

"Uh, Specs? You're crossing the boundary," A sleepy eyed Jeon Jeongguk wandered into the living area, pajama bottoms sagging around his waist, exposing his v-line, shirtless, and hair splayed in different directions.

The older spun around, completely caught off guard by the younger who was carrying a bowl of cereal in his hands. Okay, he didn't expect to immediately run into him, but at least he wasn't having that. Was he even in to morning sex? Hopefully not.

"My friends are coming like right now. They're freaking sprinting like goddamn naruto," Taehyung shook the thought out of his head, breathless as he ran back to the couch to fold the blankets.

"But today's my day to have friends over though, Spec," Jeongguk pouted, spooning some cereal from the bowl he was holding into his mouth. "I didn't quite pinpoint you as a rule breaker."

"I know, god, I'm sorry," He stammered, shoving his fingers through his hair, not caring if he messed it ul at this point. "It's just, they don't like you so I'm kinda trying to hide you? No offense."

"I don't know if I should be offended," The younger muttered, staring sadly at his cereal bowl. Taehyung lifted a questioning eyebrow at him, supposing he just wasn't used to seeing Jeongguk in the mornings.

They usually kept their space, but he guessed that he was starting to get tired of spending every waking second in the isolation of his bedroom. Maybe he could start going out more.

Sure, netflix was cool and all, but he couldn't just snack on just granola bars and nutella jars that he stashed beneath his bed for forever. He was probably to go insane if he stayed cooped up for too long.

"Don't. That was just rude. Sorry," Taehyung shook his head, pushing his glasses up his nose as he fixed the pillows. "I just don't think it's a good time to introduce you to my friends, you know?"

"Why won't you let me meet them?" Jeongguk asked, scratching his bare tummy. "I'm totally qualified."

"Not everybody likes you, you know."

"Yeah, but I'm really cool. I'll use my charm."

"No, just put on a shirt, brush your hair, and your teeth. I'll consider it," He said, barely glancing over where the younger stood, focusing all of his attention on the living area to make sure everything was in place.

"Fine. Aye, aye, captain, but also know you owe me later," Jeongguk's footsteps retreated against the hardwood floors, and it didn't take long to hear the bathroom door swing shut.

The second Jeongguk was gone, Taehyung flopped onto the couch, a sigh escaping past his lips, blue hair getting all over the frames of his glasses. He shoved it back, wondering why he was stressing out all of a sudden— his friends weren't like that.

But a part of him wondered if they would hate him for changing. All Seokjin preached was self-love and being the baddest bitch, while Hoseok was the literal embodiment of it, which didn't make him feel any better that he got up and became some stranger.

He didn't know why he feared they were going to hate it, but he supposed there was always this part of him wondering if he was ever enough for his two best friends. Seokjin and Hoseok had been there for years, cheering him up bully after bully, never failing to put a smile on his face even if he was crying his eyes out.

They were all he had, really. No other people stuck by his side the way they did. Nobody gave him that same burst of confidence like Jin whenever he tried to give him a pep talk. Nobody could make him smile and mean it like Hoseok did.

Maybe they wouldn't hate the change; they were too supportive. And then there was Jeongguk and their plan.

His friends didn't have a good history with his friend group, or with people like Jeongguk. They didn't like the fuckboys with no filters and did whatever they want without fearing any consequences. They hated the privileged, and anybody who felt they were above everyone else.

Certainly, Jeongguk fit that criteria, but Taehyung knew, thet deep down, he was different from what others portrayed him as.

They've been living like this for the last two, almost three weeks of September. On Jeongguk's days, he kept to the isolation of his room. When it was his day, he moved his usual routine to the living space since Jeongguk wasn't there to judge him with his natural (unfair) athleticism.

Jeongguk wasn't discreet whenever he judged someone. He stared at you with those big, round eyes like you just offended his borderline addiction for banana milk.

Taehyung honestly found it hilarious a teenager his age could get high off a sugar rush from the amount of banana milk he chugged a day. To think a guy like Jeongguk did that, but with all honesty, Taehyung had no idea what kind of guy Jeongguk was.

Before all of this, he knew him as this horribly mean, arrogant, privileged fuckboy with no brains. Sure, he was still a bit egotistical, but he always managed to blur all the lines. Instead of blunt insults he made jokes, and on the rare occasions when Taehyung would go out of his room during the night, he always saw him studying by himself.

Sometimes he would see him in some uniform other than their school's at night, which confused him. But to be honest, what about Jeongguk wasn't at all that confusing or highly secretive?

He still wasn't sure what to think if this Jeongguk was real, or if they were even friends despite all of his help. It was just weird between them when they weren't talking about school or the plan.

And the plan, oh God, he wasn't going to tell them anything about it. He knew they would hate him for that, so that story would be saved for another time for sure. His stomach twisted and churned knowing he was keeping a secret from them, but this was for the better.

All of this— the makeover, the plan, getting Jimin, the truce with Jeongguk— was for the better, right?

"Are they here yet?" Jeongguk walked over to where Taehyung was now standing by the kitchen sink, washing his cereal bowl that he forgot to clean up.

"Does it look like they're here?" Taehyung turned to meet his gaze, but he quickly noticed he was still shirtless. Features paling, he forced himself to not look down, absolutely refusing to after the last 'dick' incident. 

"I told you to put on a shirt. Where is it?"

"Too much work. I'll find one later," Jeongguk leaned against the counter, gaze following his hands while he washed the plates. "Why? You bothered?"

"Can you shut up? Everything that leaves your mouth is either sexual, dirty, or highly suggestive," He aggressively scrubbed the bowl, getting suds up his arms. Jeongguk snorted, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"I was kidding, Berry," At that, the older gave him a dirty look. Jeongguk frowned, raising his hands up in defense. "What? I was considering calling you a smurf, but be happy I said berry."

"Do you want to meet my friends or not?"

"Why yes, I do. But before they come, I'd like to remind you that you owe me some of your time," Jeongguk said. Taehyung flicked the sink off, drying his hands with one of the rags.

"If it's anything weird, consider me out," Taehyung said, about to leave, but Jeongguk stepped in front of him, blocking him. Curse his stupid stocky, volleyball player build.

"No, I was just thinking about your shitty flirting skills. Because I feel bad, I'm offering you my expertise on how to flirt with Jimin," Jeongguk crossed his arms over his chest, smirking directly at him.

Taehyung's eyes narrowed, getting a feeling the younger was planning something. "I'm not seeing Jimin anytime soon, though?"

"Yes you are. We are going to a party. It's not a rager, just a banquet for volleyball. They have a preseason one, and one for the end. At this one, you'll come as my plus one to seduce Park!" Jeongguk clapped his hands together.

"Please don't use 'Park' and 'seduce' in the same sentence," The older sighed, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "I don't get how you're going to teach me how to flirt."

"I'm gonna teach you visually. Just watch and listen. Take notes, you nerd."

"But there's nobody here— oh w-woah there bucko,"  Taehyung's breath hitched in his throat when the younger took a step forward, closing the gap of safety between them without a second thought.

"What?" Jeongguk murmured, the edge of his lip quirking upward as he gently tilted his head to the side. Taehyung choked on his words, unable to think of anything except that he was too close.

"W-what are you d-doing, idiot?" He gulped, hands beginning to tremble in front of him. Jeongguk merely smirked, unmoving.

"M'not even that close, Tae," For some reason, his voice was smoother, deeper, lowering a decibel by decibel until it was as soft as a gentle caress— the frack? Was this how he picked up his hook-ups? 

"W-Why are y-you smiling at me like that?" He stammered, the skin between his brows furrowed into a frown along with his lips. "D-don't look at me like that."

"Why not?" Jeongguk chuckled. Taehyung rolled his eyes like it was pretty obvious why he shouldn't.

"You shouldn't be smiling like that."

"Like what? Explain."

"Like you're... being stupid. You shouldn't be smiling at strangers like this if this is what you do. If I were you, I'd just frown. Just frown and then avoid crazy people because this is seriously giving the wrong message."

"I think you're cute."

"Whaaaat?" Taehyung scratched the side of his neck, swallowing. Is this guy high?

"Just saying," Jeongguk shrugged, grinning that shit-eating grin Taehyung wasn't sure if he wanted to punch off or slap off. "I think it's cute when you push your glasses up your nose because they're a little too big on your face but you need them anyways."

"Are you sure you're talking to the right person?"

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be here looking at you, right?" Oh that smooth motherfucker. If he was someone else, he swore his heart might have skipped a beat.

"Tae, I'm trying to teach you something useful," He snorted, and from the corner of his eye, Taehyung noticed his hand was near his cheek. He sucked in his breath, stilling as he pushed his hand back and tucked aside his hair behind his ear himself.

"Okay, sorry. Go on," He laughed awkwardly, lightly patting Jeongguk's chest, and instantly regretting it because oh boy why was his chest hard and muscle-y? Were chests supposed to be hard and muscle-y?

"If you're not ready, I won't try anything," Jeongguk lifted an eyebrow. "I do have some deceny, Specs."

"I didn't say you didn't," Taehyung said, swallowing as he averted his gaze to his feet, unable to meet Jeongguk's eye without his words replaying in his ears. "It's just kinda weird."

"Then I'll stop," He simply shrugged, but before he could take a step back, Taehyung's fingers coiled around his wrist, keeping him from leaving. He didn't realize he did so until Jeongguk gave him a skeptical look.

"M'sorry it's just... like I said, I've never flirted with anyone. Nobody tried to flirt with me when I was ugly, and I'm not as open about my sexuality like you are," The older explained, his tone softening as his grip released from Jeongguk's wrist, his fingers oddly burning at the touch. 

"Oh, Specs, I should have considered that. I didn't think about it," Jeongguk said, pushing his messy hair back. "Does anyone even know yet?" He asked, lowering his voice.

Taehyung shook his head, "Nope. Publically I'm still in the closet, you can say. Only my friends know, and of course my dads. In fact, they knew ever since I was a kid." At that, a chuckle slipped past his lips, dying faster than it did coming out of his throat.

"Specs, if you're not comfortable—,"

"—No, it's okay. I t-think it's good if I came out. I'm not ugly anymore, so people wouldn't be mean, right? Everybody accepted you when you came out that day," He swallowed, though the lump in his throat didn't budge.

Jeongguk's expression suddenly darkened, "I'm not going to convince you to come out if you're not ready. It doesn't matter who you are, Specs."

"Then what am I going to do? I've n-never done something like this. This makeover, or even trying to get someone to like me. I'm lost, Jeongguk. I don't even know what to do without you if you want my honesty," Taehyung pointed out, bringing himself to meet Jeongguk's gaze.

"I've never had a boyfriend, never kissed a guy, never went on dates. I was on the bench, like those guys on your team, waiting and dreaming for their turn but never being called up to experience the actual game," He whispered.

"Specs."

"Jeon Jeongguk."

"Think of this like training for a volleyball game," The younger said, resting his hand on the counter, his body practically hovering over Taehyung's. They didn't have much of a height difference, so he was able to meet his directly, but who knew it was just as deadly doing so?

"I'll teach you every single thing I know to give you the chance to play," At that, Taehyung's features softened as he stared into his warm, chocolate brown eyes, and for once, he didn't question the genuine kindness within them.

"It's time you're on the starting line up, don't you think?" Jeongguk asked. Taehyung nodded once, then twice, the edges of his lips quirking upward.

"The bench is getting a little tiring," He agreed, licking his lips as the younger fell silent. He did too, not a single thought running through his mind like he usually did.

For some reason everything seemed to slow down, including his heart, the only thing his mind focused on being the younger.

It was weird, seeing him this up close, seeing every detail, every imperfection that many others might have failed to notice. It was too personal, defying all their rules, yet neither one of them even attempted to call the other out. They stood like this, silent except for each shallow breath that escaped past Taehyung's parted lips.

He couldn't take everything in, scrambling to remember but knowing it was futile. From the little mole he didn't realize Jeongguk had beneath his bottom lip, to the small scarred crater on his cheek, to the other beauty mark above the sharp curved-edge of his jawline. He smelled fresh, like mint and some sort of tree probably from his bodywash.

What was going on? He couldn't breathe properly, throat closing and lungs squeezing. Jeongguk was inching closer, head tilted to the side and lips parted like his own, bodies nearly pressing yet he could still feel him.

Taehyung's eyes were wide open, dazed like a deer in headlights wondering what was speeding in his direction. His hand flew up to Jeongguk's sculpted chest, yet he didn't push him back, protecting himsef from the impact as the collision surged—

"Taehyung open up the door!"

Both of them sprung apart, flying to different sides of the kitchen, the voice snapping them both to reality. Taehyung leaned against the counter, pushing his hair out of his eyes to see Jeongguk, running a hand down his face.

"Jeongguk," Taehyung whispered his name, but the younger said nothing as he brushed past him and to his room, slamming the door right behind him in the process.

Taehyung merely stood there, heart kickstarted back to normal, but every inch of him was oddly alright. Albeit a bit numb, but he supposed it was the shock. He even looked at his hands, expecting them to be trembling, but they weren't.

He was okay, but was Jeongguk, okay? What even was that? Taehyung shook his head, guessing it wasn't a big deal. He inhaled slowly, sparing a glance at Jeongguk's door before going to the front of the dorm to let his friends in.

♡♡♡

fun fact jeongguk doesn't have
feelings for him YET— ya'll remember
when i said this was slowburn?? i
wasn't kidding 🥰 let's suffer together

oh i'd also like to let you guys know
from the comments that some of you
relate to tae. i'd just like to drop a
reminder for everyone that you're loved,
valid, needed, wanted. you don't need
to changr because you're already amazing
just the way you are💛💛 lub u!!
— mela