Irises are Taehyung's favorite flower. He loved irises and their scent. He bought his mom iris scented perfume once but nothing compared to the actual, authentic smell of irises.
He loved irises so much his reference photo for when he wanted to dye his hair purple was a picture of an iris.

Taehyung also really loved the sun. He loved the way it felt on his skin. Especially when the climate changes drastically and it's super cold or damp one minute but when the sun comes out the feel of warmth. Like you're receiving a loving hug. He loved how the sun changed his skin color. He was so tan, a beautiful color painted on his skin. The sun also paints Taehyung's skin with freckles.
He thinks they look funny, but cute. They tell a story. On his forearm, he squishes the skin between two freckles and makes an elephant.

Taehyung naturally doesn't fit the normal korean beauty standard. His dark skin being a huge focal point. So at school you can only guess people who just didn't really understand made Taehyung feel bad about himself.
Made him feel bad about his beautiful dark skin, his sprinkled freckles, and his obsession over flowers.

Taehyung hated Irises. Hated the way they smelled. Hated the way they looked. Hated tucking them behind his ear.

Taehyung also hated the sun. How it cursed him with dark skin and ugly spots on his face. He hated the way the sun felt. It was too hot.
But taehyung wasn't a hateful person. He held a grudge against a type of flower and the sun only for a few days.

He still didn't like his appearance, and sometimes got sick to his stomach at the scent of irises when thinking too much about negative things some days.

Kids still ridiculed. Calling him a pansy which ironically, was a type of flower. Telling him he was too black, how he couldn't be seen at night time. How it looked like someone took a permanent marker and just loved polkadots.
Some days Taehyung could handle it, sometimes he couldn't.

The days he couldn't he ran away from the school, not leaving campus but going to the outside area where people ate lunch usually, and he'd find a shady tree and cry. Hug his knees and cry. It didn't matter if he was missing class. He just wanted to escape for a while.
No one ever finds him there and if they did they didn't say a word.

Not until Park Jimin, a 3rd year squats down next to him.

"Why are you crying?" Jimin puts his hand on top of Taehyung's head and pets him.
It takes a while to register, and when he does he basically jumps out of his skin.
"I-I'm sorry I was just leaving-" Taehyung attempt to stand up but Jimin looks at him almost starstruck and grabs his wrist.
"Dude, what's that on your face?" Jimin points at Taehyung's cheeks, and the younger gets sad. Yet another person to see him as an exotic animal.
"They're freckles-- I know you don't have to tell me how ugly they are, or how dark my skin is, I hear it enough." Taehyung chokes up but it goes unnoticed.

Jimin doesn't say anything.

He pulls Taehyung from under the tree into the sunlight.
He grabs both sides of his face and uses his thumb to rub over the freckles that curses his skin.

"I-I'm speechless. You are probably the prettiest person I've ever laid eyes on."

Taehyung doesn't believe it. He can't believe it. No one with dark skin and freckles can be pretty. It's impossible.

Jimin senses the doubt.

"Dark skin is so beautiful. So beautiful. Korean beauty standard. Just because light skin is the supposed normality doesn't make you any less beautiful. You're so pretty, I honestly don't know how else to put it. And the freckles are like the cherry to the cake. It's a compliment and it suits you. I don't know how else to put it. You're beautiful."

Taehyung doesn't say anything else. He just drops to his knees.

≈☆≈

High school kids can be vicious. Extremely vicious.

When Taehyung comes home to see his flower garden completely ruined, flowers torn and stepped on, he feels like crying. He does cry.

He worked so hard.

Maintaining flowers is so hard.

It wasn't even the fact that his beautiful flowers were gone, he felt as if he was the flowers. Torn and stepped on.

I guess his distress didn't go unnoticed though. Three days later he sees a small pouch on his doorstep. A sticky note that reads 'I'm sorry about what happened to your garden. :^('

Inside the pouch was different packets of different sorts of flowers. Taehyung chest felt all warm inside.

The next day Taehyung decides to plant all of the gifted flowers. He has a cute apron on and customized gloves (they're pink), he puts on a hat but decides against it because he loves the sun now.
He works diligently, pulling all the dead flowers.

A few moments, a few footsteps, and the sound of knees cracking because of squatting, taehyung is now next to someone.

"I didn't know what kind of flowers you had, so I just went to store and picked the prettiest flowers to match you."
Taehyung turns around to see Jeon Jeongguk, a 1st year.
"I wanted to see if you needed any help?" Jeongguk asks questionable, but Taehyung nods not sure what to say.

"Why did someone do this? Do you know why?" Jeongguk breaks the silence, honestly curious.

Taehyung automatically looks sad. "I like flowers. Especially irises. But everyone at school seems to target me for it. They think i'm too "girly" because I like to keep flowers tucked behind my ear. I just really like flowers. They smell nice and look nice. But obviously that's wrong" Taehyung stopped working on what was in front of him.

"H-hold on" Jeongguk gets up and sprints to his house. Taehyung sighs at the lost of warmth, plus the younger boy smelled so nice. It takes a few minutes but Jeongguk returns with a small white flower. He squats again, getting eye level with the older, getting so close they could almost touch noses. Jeongguk takes the flower and tucks it over his ear. He smiles, keeping the distance short and starts brushing Taehyung's hair with his fingers.

"Perfect."

And that's all Jeongguk has to say.

≈☆≈

Taehyung loves irises. The way a certain iris smelled. How the iris walked him to school, making sure there was a flower tucked over his ear. Loved the way the iris helped him tend to a certain garden even though that certain flower had no idea what he was doing.

Taehyung loves the sun. Loves the way the sun talks to him about dark skinned models, and artists. Loves how the sun takes him to the pool and tans with him. Loves how the sun's smile fits his perfect eyes and perfect nose. Loves how the sun gives off a wonderful warmth he never wants to lose.

Jeongguk holds out a bouquet of flowers to Taehyung. An arrangement of different colors and flowers. He pulls him into a long hug.
"I saw them and how unique they were and thought of you."
Taehyung's smile is so wide, so pretty.

"You're my iris, Jeongguk."

Jimin intertwines his fingers with Taehyung. They're at a park, sitting closely, watching the sunset. The sky painted blue, pink, purple An ombre of colors.
"Your hands are always so cold, tae." Jimin laughs and pulls Taehyung closer, his head naturally falling onto the older's shoulder.
"It's not me!! Your hands are warm! You're always warm," Taehyung adjusts, snuggling onto his chest.

"You're my sun, Jimin."

"Dad?"

"NO- frick"

≈☆≈

Taehyung loves his dark skin.
Loves his freckles. Loves his obsession of flowers.

Taehyung loves Jeongguk and Jimin, too.