GLOW-UP

09 | don't look down on me

Over the last few days, Taeil had kind of forgotten that Johnny was straight. Which was why it was rather jarring to see him chatting up a girl in their Math class that week.

"Yeah, so obviously I had to tell him that I lift way more than him," Johnny was bragging as the girl in question perched on the edge of his desk. "I mean, it was hard to say it, you know? He was so disappointed- oh, hey, Moony!"

Taeil stopped a few feet short of the desk, hands gripping his bag straps and a rather blank expression on his face. "Hi," he responded.

"Oh, you're the banana guy, right?" the girl asked, suddenly intrigued (and looking far more interested in Taeil than Johnny at this point).

"Yeah," Taeil sighed, "that's me."

The girl laughed and embraced him with a quick hug. "Sorry, I just never noticed you in class before," she admitted. "I'm Sooyoung, by the way."

"Whatever, stop chatting with my girl and fill up my water will you, slave?" Johnny interrupted.

"Slave?" Sooyoung repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Kinky."

"It's a long story," Johnny smirked. He handed Taeil an empty water bottle and waited expectantly.

"But I just got here," Taeil complained, dumping his bag on the desk with a huff. "Do it yourself."

"Yeah, do it yourself," Sooyoung agreed. "Stop bullying Taeil already, asshole."

"Hey, it's not like that!" Johnny defended himself. "It's part of a deal we've got going on, right, Tae?"

Taeil hesitated at the 'Tae', feeling that weird sensation in his stomach he got every time he heard that word.

"I thought you'd keep to your end of the deal," Johnny added, shooting Taeil a pair of the most heartbroken looking puppy dog eyes he could muster. "Or do you not want me to help you?"

"Okay, fine." Taeil finally nodded, taking the bottle from Johnny's hands. "But you're only doing this to get rid of me so you can ask Sooyoung if she wants to hook up later."

Johnny gaped for a moment. No one ever caught him off guard like that. "Well... he put the question out there," he said to Sooyoung with a shrug.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "In your dreams," she replied.

"That's what getting rejected feels like," Taeil drawled.

"Geez, someone's had a confidence boost," Johnny remarked. "You want Step Three then? I'm gonna give you the honest truth - your hair looks like a cat vomitted up its own ass hair."

Sooyoung glanced up from where she had been writing her number on Johnny's book. "I mean... that's kinda harsh but-"

"Please tell me you agree," Johnny begged her. "I need to convince him to get a haircut."

"Well... a haircut always looks nice?" Sooyoung put in with an awkward smile.

"See? even Sooyoung thinks you need to get rid of the cat vomit," Johnny said triumphantly. "Hey- Tae- where are you going?"

Grumbling, Taeil marched out of the room in the direction of the water fountain with Johnny's bottle to hand. His hair wasn't that bad... was it? Maybe Johnny would drop the subject when he got back.

"Aw, Tae, don't be mad at me," Johnny called after him, following Taeil out into the corridor.

"Stop fucking calling me that!" Taeil demanded, ignoring Johnny who so easily caught up with his little steps.