Originally written in May. It was also gift for Viv, who needed more xingdae in her life, and Tera, who wanted a non romance xingdae.

The bucket sways from side to side, threatening to fall with any sudden movement. No one knows how he managed to place that bucket on top of the door, let alone how no one saw him. He likes this feeling, being able to one up his classmates in every task, especially pranks, but mostly being able to wipe the pretty smile off his teacher, Mr. Luhan, who seems to always punish him just because he knows how to have fun. He bets his teacher won't know what fun is if it smacks him in the and drags him across the room.

Hmm that sounds like something I should do to him. Now how to get a deer inside this classroom...

He ponders before realizing his teacher is about to enter the room, his large shadow towering outside the door. He clenches his fists, grits his teeth, and anticipates that shrill yell that he has grown accustomed to.

Splash!

Luhan screams in shock, drenched in cold water and feeling the dampness quickly seeping through his clothes. His perfectly coiffed hair is hanging near his face, and his body is shivering. The bucket has now rolled to the other side of the room.

Jongdae laughs maniacally, hands slapping his lap, and he falls to ground, shallow breaths coming out as he tries to laugh and breath at same time.

“'Kim Jongdae!” The shrill, familiar yell always follows after he does a harmless prank. He grins at his teacher with mischievous eyes, and a warm feeling of pride rises in his chest as his teacher glares at him with darkened eyes. The older man stomps in front of him with his back straight and an angry look on his face, but all Jongdae can see is scowling, girly features, no matter how many times his teacher tries to sound menacing.

He pulls on Jongdae’s ear and drags him outside the classroom, feet stomping into the ground, and he huffs as if the sound effect will cause Jongdae to cower in fear. However, Jongdae is used to this: the ear pulling, and the constant yells that will follow whenever they enter the black hole.

The black hole is a room, though ironically painted in yellow, but kids seem to tremble in fear whenever a teacher threatens to bring them there. However, for Jongdae, the black hole is just another room where even the cold stare of Principal Kyungsoo won’t hinder his motivation.

“Look what he did to me this time! This kid needs to learn manners. You need to call his parents and tell them to enroll him in a disciplinary school!” Luhan’s piercing voice echoes through the room, and Kyungsoo doesn’t even flinch at the fluctuating decibels. In fact, his features remain stoic, and his voice never wavers when he scolds for inappropriate behavior regardless of age.

“Luhan, he’s six. The fact that he keeps outsmarting you means you’re falling behind in disciplining him.”

Luhan can only gape at his reply before he starts his exhausting rant on why kids like Jongdae can’t be helped and that only the strict form of discipline, hinting at some form of military school, will help brighten his future. Kyungsoo merely stares at him with an air of indifference.

“Luhan, recess ends in 10 minutes. We can argue about your unrealistic request, or you can change your clothes before the other students return.”

“Fine, but this is not over,” Luhan states with a hint of gripe before walking away, leaving Jongdae under the glare of Kyungsoo.

“So what is your excuse this time?” Kyungsoo crosses his arms while Jongdae looks at him with an innocent smile. He shrugs in reply and starts to fiddle with the hem of his shirt.

“He just looks so happy in the morning. I just want to wipe his smile off his face,” he responds as if his reply is normal for a 6 year old.

“And what is wrong with being happy? Don’t you want others to be happy?”

“Sure, but if crushing their happiness makes me happy –“ he shrugs again. “--then they should stay sad.”

Kyungsoo gives him a pointed look before sighing.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really the spawn of your dad,” Kyungsoo says, as he recalls how sweet and gentle Suho is.

“Ba has said that way too many times. Can I go now, Uncle Kyungsoo?”

“Your parents will be called again,“ Kyungsoo says, but Jongdae shrugs it off since it’s old news.

“Can I go see my friends now?” he asks impatiently.

“Are you sure you’re even friends with them?” Kyungsoo asks, since he wonders if Jongdae knows the difference between real friends and mindless followers, but this kid seems way too smart to not realize these things.

“Yep,” he replies and starts to fiddle with his clothes again, a telltale sign that he’s nervous or impatient at the moment.

“Okay, you may leave.” Kyungsoo gestures to the door but barely sees Jongdae as the younger immediately disappears from his sight. He sighs for the third time today and begins to dial the number he has since then memorized.

***

Jongdae runs to his classroom, where a few of his classmates have returned. Some seem to step around the large puddle that’s blocking the entrance, while others step on it as if it was a small puddle made to entertain them.

“Eww! Chanyeol peed in his pants again!” Jongdae shouts and points at the boy who is standing in the middle of the puddle. Chanyeol was trying to jump as high as he could to create the largest splash.

“I…I didn’t!” Chanyeol shouts with eyes as wide as saucers and small whimpers beginning to form in his throat. The students begin to crowd around them as some laugh at Jongdae’s words while others cringe at being so close to the pee puddle.

“Aww, are you going to cry to mummy?” Jongdae teases again, and Chanyeol shakes his head furiously. A deep shade of red appears on Chanyeol’s skin, and he starts to stutter excuses so his classmate won’t start to call him “Baby Channie” again.

Suddenly, Luhan enters the class in a rush, anger still boiling in his veins. His eyes look for the cause of trouble and quickly grabs Jongdae’s shoulders as soon as he finds him. He drags him to the silent corner, which is dedicated to punish students like Jongdae.

“Stay in that corner, and don’t you dare move,” Luhan growls in his ear before greeting his students with a cheery voice.

“Good afternoon, my little deers. I hope you’re ready for some crazy fun. Yea! We’re going to learn how to do origami this week. Ouhhhh!” Luhan states in his funny voice, a tone he uses whenever he wants a new project to sound cool.

Jongdae makes a vomit expression to one of his closest friends, Baekhyun, who always sit in front, and he can see him snickering behind his palm before quickly replacing his happy face to an expressionless one when Luhan’s eyes snap to him.

“Now, let’s pair you all up!” Luhan claps his hands and begins to usher the students to pick their own partner. Baekhyun runs towards Jongdae, ignoring the pleas of Chanyeol, who sits next to him. He would have sat next to Jongdae if the teacher allowed them, but Luhan made a ridiculous rule that Jongdae must sit alone in the back, where he couldn’t entertain others. Luckily, Jongdae loves it since he can study everyone from the back and shoot the occasional spitball at Luhan’s back, causing the class to snicker quietly.

“No!” Luhan suddenly jumps to Baekhyun’s side before the younger can grab Jongdae’s hand. “Baekhyunnie, don’t you want to be with Chanyeol? He’s all alone,” Luhan nervously asks him as he doesn’t want his favorite student to be associated with Jongdae, yet again.

The question remains on why Baekhyun is Luhan’s favorite, despite the fact both are extremely alike in personality. However, Luhan seems to think the boy is a puppy who needs a lot of love, and that was fine with Jongdae since he clearly likes to annoy his teacher more than to receive his love.

“Nope. I like Jongdae,” Baekhyun grabs his hand, and Jongdae sticks his tongue out at Luhan’s scowling face, who walks away grumbling.

They swing their arms together, hand in hand, and they smile at each other.

“Origami is lame. Let’s do something else,” Jongdae suggests.

“Like what?”

“Let’s – “ Jongdae ponders for a moment before an idea strikes him. He leans closer to Baekhyun’s ear and whispers his plan. The other boy smiles widely at his idea and nods.

As usual, Jongdae will make the plan, and Baek follows his actions, always waiting for Jongdae’s signals. Jongdae walks slowly to the class pet, a white mouse named Pinky, while making sure Luhan isn’t looking his way. He opens the cage door and reaches for the mouse, gently gripping the mouse’s abdomen. He closes the cage quietly before walking towards Baekhyun, who’s ready for the next step.

Baekhyun walks to Luhan, an innocent smile on his lips before he starts asking him irrelevant questions regarding origami. Jongdae slowly walks towards Luhan’s back, while avoiding his line of sight, and carefully places the mouse onto his back. He steps away from him and hides behind Luhan’s desk. The mouse crawls up his back and stops at his shoulder, paws rubbing his own face.

“Mr. Luhan, why is Pinky on your shoulder?” Baekhyun asks as he points to the mouse. Luhan thinks he’s joking until the corner of his eyes catches the mouse.

Luhan screams and jumps up and down, causing the mouse to jump into Baekhyun’s hands. Jongdae laughs deliriously, followed by Baekhyun and the rest of their classmates, the ones who aren’t afraid of the mouse.

***

“And then he just laughed…like the devil spawn that he is. Your son is a disgrace. He should not have been born!” Luhan rants to Jongdae’s parents, who sit quietly in their chairs in front of Kyungsoo’s desk.

“Mr Luhan!” Kyungsoo’s voice booms in the room, the rare time it ever echoes loudly through the room. Angry eyes slant towards Luhan as he holds the urge to punch the teacher for his careless words. Suho gapes at Luhan’s words while Kris clenches his fists.

“You may leave.” Kyungsoo gestures towards the door

“But – “ his argument falls short as Kyungsoo gives him another pointed look at him. Luhan mutters under his breath as he walks out of the room. He stares at Jongdae who’s sitting outside impatiently and gives the younger a cold look before walking away.

“I’m so sorry about that – “Kyungsoo starts to say, but Kris cuts him off.

“If that’s the way his teacher behaves, then I don’t want my son in this school,” Kris tells him and then faces his husband, looking for agreement.

“Honey, I’m sure it was just the heat of the moment.” Suho grabs his hand, trying to calm him down, but Kris clenches his other fist in anger.

“I don’t care. We’re transferring him. Give me the forms,” Kris orders Kyungsoo, but Suho stops him.

“No, we’re not. He loves it here. His friends are here,” Suho glares at him.

“He can make new friends. Pass me the goddamn papers!” Kris snarls at Kyungsoo, making the principal’s eyes widen as a result. Kyungsoo rarely sees the calm, collected Kris so angry, even if it is justified.

“I said no.” Suho glares at him, daring him to disobey him again. Kris’ eye twitches as he can’t decide between protecting his baby and obeying the love of his life.

Kyungsoo clears his throat before the couple before him continue arguing.

“Kris, I promise Mr. Luhan will fix his attitude towards Jongdae, and he will formally apologize to you both and your son. Please don’t make a hasty decision regarding Jongdae’s future,” Kyungsoo states calmly. Kris huffs in reply, showing his disdain towards the entire situation.

“I know my baby is sweet and gentle. He’s not like this at home. Perhaps we rushed in deciding to have another. Maybe he feels unloved at home…” Suho says worriedly and bites his lip out of habit. Kris tightens his grip on Suho’s hand before whispering to him that the latter should not take any blame.

“It’s only been three months since he began behaving like this. With the right discipline, he can grow out of this phase. I just need both of your help at home,” Kyungsoo explains to them.

“We’ll try. Whatever it takes. We just want him to get along with his classmates,” Suho says, agreeing to the idea. Kris grudgingly nods along, wishing his son was classified as “well-behaved
instead “bratty.”

***

“I really appreciate this. I know any other principal would expel him or scold him as hard as the other troublemakers,” Suho says as he hugs his long-time friend, thanking him for everything.

“You make it sound like I enjoy punishing brats,” Kyungsoo teases him as they pull apart.

“Well, you kind of do, ever since the first time I saw you with little kids. I’m still surprised you decided to become a principal.”

“Well, someone has to teach them manners. Plus, it’s not like you’ll ever let me forget that Jongdae is my godson.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at this fact.

“Well, you’re his favorite uncle.”

Kris clears his throat and glares at them for taking too long. Jongdae manages to copy Kris’s stance and face, causing Suho to giggle at the sight.

“My baby is so cute,” he reaches down to pinch his cheek, but Jongdae flicks his hand away.

“Da, don’t embarrass me,” Jongdae whines and pouts.

“Come on, love. Jongin is waiting for us at home,” Kris reminds him of their toddler son. Suho’s parents are currently watching him.

“You’re right. I’ll see you Saturday.” Suho smiles at Kyungsoo before taking Jongdae’s hand. “Say goodbye to your uncle.”

Jongdae sticks his tongue out at his uncle, and Kyungsoo does the same, their special way of greeting each other.

“Bye.” Kyungsoo doesn’t bother to wave, but he secretly does miss his godson whenever he doesn’t see him for a few days.

***

The next few days are harsh for Jongdae since his parents grounded him, forcing him to spend time with Jongin, the ugly troll. That’s the nickname he gave his baby brother because he looks so ugly, and he walks like a stupid troll, since Jongin has started to learn how to walk. Jongdae scowls as he was forced to watch his toddler brother roam around the room, practically falling every few minutes but somehow managing to get back up with the help of the nearby chairs.

“You’re so ugly, you know. I bet no one wants to be your friend when you’re older,” Jongdae says to him as he carefully watches Jongin’s movements, making sure he doesn’t bump into a table or the wall.

“I hope you get a tummy ache one day so I can eat ice cream in front of you while you can’t have any,” Jongdae tells him as he sings the last part to him, while poking his brother’s face. Jongin giggles at him and tries to reach for him with his chubby hands, but Jongdae pushes him away, causing the younger to fall to the floor. A sudden whimper forms in Jongin’s throat and tears threaten to fall which causes Jongdae to quickly hug his brother, making sure his Da doesn’t notice his bad behavior.

“You’re such a crybaby. I’m gonna call you crying troll from now on.”

Suho watches from afar and stifles his laugh as he watches his son interacts with his baby brother. Despite the vehement claims that his brother is an ugly troll, and that he hates him, Jongdae has shown a lot of love to him in his own way.

“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Suho asks him in his teasing tone, one that Jongdae extremely hates.

“Troll is ugly. He should wear a paper bag on his head every time we go out in public.” Jongdae nudges his brother towards his Da as Suho picks up the toddler from the floor. Jongdae wrinkles his nose at the sight of his Da kissing the baby’s cheek.

“Gross. I hope he infects you with his ugliness, and I get all of the ice cream.” Jongdae smirks at his Da, who just laugh at his words

“You can have some ice cream since you’ve been good today.” Suho reaches out to ruffle his hair, but Jongdae steps away before he can do so and runs towards the kitchen instead.

***

When Monday arrives, Jongdae is happy since he can finally see Baekhyun again. He feels guilty that he was forced to reject Baek’s open invitation to his house during the past few days. He smiles widely when he sees his friend waiting for him in front of the classroom door.

“Dwarf.”

“Camel.”

They greet each other with wide grins before intertwining their arms to go inside the classroom.

“Who should we bully today?” Jongdae asks him.

“I heard there’s a new kid today. From China.”

“I bet he’s a crier.” Baekhyun laughs at his word

They reluctantly let go of each other’s arms and head towards their chairs as Mr. Luhan, cheery as ever, greets the class with a toothy smile.

“Class, isn’t today so beautiful~?” Luhan sighs to himself as Jongdae holds back pretending to vomit.

“Anyway, we have a new student joining us this year,” Luhan says as he walks towards the door, and a shy boy with black hair and chubby cheeks stares at Luhan.

“Don’t be shy.” Luhan grabs his hand and drags him slowly to the front of the class. “His name is Yixing, and he’s from China. Let’s welcome him, okay?” Luhan wraps his arm protectively around the little boy.

“Hi, Yixing,” the class greets him, and Jongdae can see a tiny blush on the new student’s cheeks.

“Let’s see where you can sit.“ Luhan looks around the class and can only see an empty spot next to Jongdae. He doesn’t want to make the new boy suffer, but moving another student will also mean moving all of their stuff. So he begrudgingly lets Yixing sit next to Jongdae.

Jongdae turns to face Yixing as he watches the boy sit down, a small flush remaining on his cheeks. He wonders how long it will take to make Yixing cry, whether it’ll be as short as Chanyeol or as long as Baekhyun.

So when Luhan is busy explaining the concept of numbers, Jongdae carefully watches Yixing, studying his behavior and seeing any weaknesses he can exploit. To his surprise, Yixing turns his head towards him. Jongdae is used to the whimpers and the nervous actions whenever his classmates catches him looking at them, but Yixing is different. He smiles at him, and Jongdae sees a dimple on his right cheek.

“You look like you have a toilet in your right cheek,” Jongdae states bluntly at his face, expecting a shock or even an angry expression on his face. Instead, Yixing keeps smiling at him as if the comment doesn’t faze him.

“You’re cute! Let’s be friends,” Yixing says to him, the dimple never leaving his face, and he reaches out to Jongdae. He hugs Jongdae to the side, and Jongdae sits there in shock, eyes becoming wide as he realizes Yixing’s actions.

“Get away from me!” Jongdae shouts as he pushes Yixing away.

Luhan snaps his head to their direction and sees an annoyed Jongdae trying to get Yixing’s arms off his body. Jongdae finally succeeds when Yixing reluctantly lets go.

“Yixing, are you okay?” Luhan runs towards him immediately and glares at Jongdae. “Let’s move you to another spot.”

“No! He’s my friend!” Yixing shouts at him before grabbing Jongdae’s right arm so the teacher can’t separate them. Jongdae tries to get his hands off violently, while pushing him away at the same time.

“But – “ Luhan starts to argue, and Jongdae is willing to agree with his teacher, but Yixing pouts. Jongdae stares in disbelief as Luhan immediately gives in to Yixing’s request.

“Okay. Just no more shouting,” the teacher states before walking back to the front.

Jongdae can only stare at Yixing suspiciously for manipulation as Luhan goes back to teaching them the first ten numbers in arithmetic.

***

The first two hours are repetitive as Yixing keeps trying to cling onto Jongdae’s side, and Jongdae pushes him away a second later. Yixing would give up momentarily before trying again. Luckily, by the third hour, Yixing finds a new victim as Luhan pairs him off with Baekhyun, and Jongdae is stuck with clumsy Chanyeol for their origami project.

Jongdae watches as Yixing successfully makes a simple tulip while Baekhyun gapes at his talent. The latter quickly hugs Yixing for having talented fingers, and Yixing grins widely at the sudden affection. Even from far away, Jongdae can hear Yixing say Let’s be friends to Baekhyun, who seems to nod along and looks excited as ever. Jongdae scowls in his seat as this new kid is already stealing his best friend, and to make it worse, he’s a lot better at origami. He grunts in disapproval before noticing Chanyeol’s ball of paper, which is Chanyeol’s attempt on folding a jumping frog. He groans internally as he realizes that he’s stuck completing this project all alone.

By lunch time, Jongdae is happy because he can have Baekhyun to himself again, but he finds Baekhyun holding hands with Yixing, both talking excitedly about the new episode of their favorite cartoon.

“Baekhyun and Yixing sitting in a tree - ” Jongdae teases them, and he immediately sees Baekhyun dropping his hand away from Yixing. Happiness spreads in his body, and he is so close to having his best friend back.

“Baekhyun and I are friends,” Yixing states as if this was exciting news.

“Yeah, whatever,” Jongdae scoffs at him before grabbing Baekhyun’s arm to lead them away from this dimple boy.

They manage to escape from Yixing, who seems to find a new target named Sehun in the corner of the cafeteria.

“He’s so weird. I bet his hometown is called Circus Town.” Jongdae shivers at the thought.

“I like him. He’s funny,” Baekhyun states before taking a bite from his sandwich while watching Jongdae gape at him.

“He’s not funny. He’s an idiot. I bet he can’t even do sports like that thumbsucking kid, Tao,” Jongdae tells him, but Baekhyun remains unfazed by his words.

“He reminds me of you when we eat cotton candy at the circus,” Baekhyun teases him. The older recalls the moment when Jongdae was too hyper and kept hugging Baekhyun since sugar made him extremely affectionate.

“I hate you.”

“Want my pudding?”

“Yes, “Jongdae immediately answers. “Still hate you though.”

***

The next few days is even tougher as Yixing continues to be his smiling self, and Jongdae can’t find a single weakness that he can exploit. At first, he thought it’d be sports...

“Wow, that was amazing. I can’t believe you’re so good at soccer,” Baekhyun praises Yixing, and Jongdae scowls even more.

“I’m surprised Jongdae couldn’t shoot a goal, and Yixing was able to make three!” Chanyeol shouts, and Jongdae glares at the amount of treachery before using his best insult.

“I’m surprised Chanyeol had an accident on the field.” Jongdae points at his , and Chanyeol immediately turns a deep red color.

“It’s dirt!” he tries to defend himself, but the students giggle at him.

“Aren’t you upset, Yixing?The other team won’t be your friend since you made them lose. Most of them are in our class,” Jongdae says nonchalantly as he waits to see the sad look on Yixing’s face, but the damn kid is still smiling.

“That’s okay. I still have you,” Yixing grabs his arm and tries to snuggle his head into Jongdae’s shoulder. Jongdae pushes him away again and glares at him.

“Yixing, come over to my house, okay? Let’s watch that show together,” Baekhyun urges him while tugging the sleeve of his shirt. Yixing nods happily in reply.

“What – “ Jongdae frowns at Baekhyun. “But we always hang out.”

“I’ll see you on Saturday, anyway,” Baekhyun tries to explain, but Jongdae doesn’t care. He doesn’t want Yixing to steal his best friend.

***

Jongdae thinks it must be academics. Yixing looks like the type that always spaces out and doesn’t pay attention to the teacher…

“Now, if we add these two numbers together, they become 10,” Luhan explains using drawn up M&M candies as a visual.

“Let’s try an easy one. What does 1 + 2 equal?” Luhan asks, hoping for someone else to answer his question besides Jongdae. Outsiders will think Jongdae wants to be the teacher’s pet, but in reality, Jongdae just want to be better than the rest.

“It’s 3, Mr. Luhan,” Jongdae shouts from the back, not letting Luhan’s obvious dislike of him deter him.

“What about 3 + 5?” Luhan dares Jongdae to reply.

The students begin to move their heads back and forth as they watch their teacher and Jongdae argue over math.

“8”

“7 + 7?”

“14!”

“Well, what about 22 + 15?!”

Jongdae is about to open his mouth to reply when he realizes that he does not know how to count double digits yet. He scowls at his smirking teacher and glares at him. The students begin to stare at him with wide eyes, realizing how Jongdae just gave up. Suddenly a voice beside him echoes, and all eyes move towards Yixing.

“It’s 37,” Yixing says with a happy voice, and the pesky dimple returns. Jongdae gape at him as if Yixing has suddenly grown two heads. He resists the urge to punch Yixing’s arm for stealing his spotlight.

“Wh-what? How did you know?” Luhan is also gawking at him as he never thought that this transfer student could be smarter than Jongdae.

“I like math. It’s my favorite subject,” Yixing states as he shrugs and swings his legs under his chair.

“Well Yixing, I‘m very impressed.” Luhan crosses his arms and grins at Yixing, knowing how his compliment will make Jongdae frown even more.

From that moment on, Jongdae vows that Yixing will never be his friend.

***

When Jongdae makes that vow, he actually thinks he can fulfill it. After all, he gets his motivation from remembering how Yixing keeps stealing his friends and stealing his reputation as the smartest in his class. He doesn’t realize how his hatred causes him to change his personality, and Baekhyun is the first to notice the lack of pranks.

“Why don’t you just switch Chanyeol’s milk with glue or even put brown paint on Mr. Luhan’s chair? Why do you focus on Yixing so much?” Baekhyun asks him one day.

“I’m not focusing on him. I’m studying him so I can beat him in something,” Jongdae retaliates in frustration.

“But why? So what if he’s better at you? I would rather do pranks with you than follow Yixing around during recess,” Baekhyun scowls at him, and Jongdae can only sigh.

“I have to get my reputation back okay? I just need to make everyone see that I’m better than him.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes before following Jongdae again.

Suddenly, Jongdae sees Yixing playing at the monkey bars. He notices how Yixing hangs onto one bar with both hands gripping it but doesn’t seem to want to move onto the next bar. He smiles widely as he realizes that this is something he can beat Yixing at.

He runs towards the dimple boy and clears his throat.

“Yixing, let’s play a game,” Jongdae tells him, and Yixing jumps to the ground, both feet making a thumping sound.

“Okay,” Yixing smiles at him.

“Whoever can hold on to the monkey bar the longest wins.”

“What do I win?”

“Well if I win, you have to do whatever I ask tomorrow for the whole day without questions,” Jongdae says with a hint of malice.

“Okay, if I win, can we play together?” Yixing asks almost shyly and for some reason, Jongdae has the urge to coo at him. The tone is similar to how Jongin would use his puppy eyes so Jongdae would hug him.

“Yeah, whatever,” Jongdae replies.

“Look! They’re going to fight!” Baekhyun automatically yells, and a few of the boys run towards them.

“You’re an idiot. We’re just going to compete,” Jongdae explains to the crowded students as he rolls his eyes.

“Just start already. Recess will end in 10 minutes.” Baekhyun gestures exasperatedly with his hand.

Jongdae stands on the metal foot of one end of the monkey bar, while Yixing stands on the other end. He smirks at his opponent while Yixing smiles at him, and for once, the dimple doesn’t show.

“On the count of 3, you have to hold on to that first bar as long as you can. Whoever falls or slips first loses. There is no redo just because your hands were slippery,” Baekhyun explains to them, while making an off-remark to Tao, who lost a similar competition due to “slippery” hands. Tao pouts at him while his friend consoles him.

“1….2….3!”

Both hang on to the metal bar as Jongdae takes a deep breath. He hopes Yixing isn’t that strong. However, he can see Yixing swinging his body as if the latter is showcasing how much strength he has. Jongdae can only silently hope Yixing’s hands will slip soon as he can feel his own knuckles becoming white from pressure.

“Ball!” is the last word Jongdae hears before he feels a sudden impact of something on his body, and he falls to the ground. His eyes are wide, and a piercing pain radiates to his stomach, but most of all, he can feel the numbing pain in his back, elbows and head.

“Jongdae!” He can hear Baekhyun’s yell as the older rushes towards his injured friend.

As brave as Jongdae can be, the pain seems to overtake his body, and he feels the first drop of tears in his eyes. Baekhyun helps him sit up, and he gasps when he sees Jongdae’s scratched elbows. A few students seem to run away, either looking for an adult or running away from responsibility. By the time, the first tear falls onto Jongdae’s cheek, he can’t seem to stop his tears from flowing out.

A sniff and a whimper come out of his throat as Baekhyun tries to hug him, but Jongdae pushes him away, fearing a bigger blow to his strong reputation. He can see Yixing in the corner of his eye, and Baekhyun tells him to stay with Jongdae as he goes to fetch the principal.

He doesn’t want his biggest enemy to hug him,  let alone console him when he looks so pathetic. But here is Yixing, refusing to let him go from his hug, and he whispers the most comforting words that Jongdae thought was only possible from his Da.

In a few minutes, he sees Mr. Luhan in front of him, a sincere, worried look in his face as he tries to pick up Jongdae from the ground, but Jongdae kicks him away.

“I don’t want you! I want Da!” his voice quivers, and he doesn’t realize that his hands are gripping tightly onto Yixing’s shirt, as if holding on to it wouldn’t let Luhan take him away from him.

He sniffs again, and he finally sees his uncle in front of him as Kyungsoo pushes everyone else away.

“I want Da.” Jongdae finally lets go of Yixing and reaches out to his uncle.

“I know.” Kyungsoo easily picks him up in his strong arms and carries him away from the crowd. Jongdae buries his face into his uncle’s neck, not wanting his fellow classmates to see his face when he feels so fragile and weak.

***

It takes Suho 25 minutes to get to the school as he has to buckle up his toddler son in his car seat, while almost forgetting the diaper bag. However, it was the frantic call to Kris that delayed him the most, stating that their oldest son is injured. Kris, who was used to Suho’s dramatic words, calmly tells him to go there first, and he’ll try to leave as soon as possible. Even though his words are calm, Kris feels a sudden pang of emotions as he never thought he would receive this type of call. All he can think of is how someone will get fired for letting this incident happen.

Jongdae sits in the bed, located in the nurse’s office after his vehement claims of The nurse is evil! is ignored. Luckily, Kyungsoo asks the nurse to step out as he tries to convince his godson to listen to him. Jongdae manages to stop crying when he enters the room, but he hates how swollen his eyes are and how snot is dripping down his nose.

“Just let me rub this antiseptic onto your cuts, okay? It’ll make your elbows feel better.”

“No.”

“Jongdae, please.”

“I want Da,” Jongdae says for the fifth time.

“He’s on his way, but I don’t want him to see that you’re not being taken care of,” Kyungsoo pleads to him.

“Well, he should! This school , and I hate everyone in here,” Jongdae huffs and looks away. Even though Kyungsoo knows Jongdae doesn’t mean what he just said, he is more concerned that Suho will scold him for leaving his son unsupervised. It suddenly reminds him to speak to the two teachers who were supposed to be present during recess since they seemed to have disappeared. For now, he can only sigh as he finally hears Suho arriving.

“Where’s my baby?!” Suho’s voice echoes outside. Kyungsoo reluctantly opens the door and can hear Suho’s gasp from twenty feet away.

“My baby!” Suho runs towards him, ignoring Kyungsoo’s claims that Jongdae is mentally okay.

Jongdae does seem fine, besides the large scratch marks on his elbows, and his headache is not getting any better. Luckily, he wore pants today so his legs were protected from impact.

“Da everything hurts.” He pouts at him, and Suho manages to caress his cheek while holding Jongin in his other arm. Kyungsoo reaches out to take Jongin, and Suho lets him.

“I know, baby. Let’s fix you up.”

“Can I have ice cream so I feel better?” Jongdae asks in a hopeful tone, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his godson’s obvious manipulation. The guilt isn’t gone, so he doesn’t comment on it.

“You can have anything you want.” Suho smiles at him. “This will hurt a bit, okay? Do you want to hold my hand?”

Jongdae shakes his head and shouts when he feels the antiseptic touch his elbow. He immediately grabs Suho’s free hand, and Suho lets him grip it tight as he finishes cleaning the wound. By the time Da is done bandaging the wound, he notices his uncle and the troll are gone from the room.

He hears noises outside, and his uncle steps in with Jongin holding onto his uncle’s fingers. Baekhyun and Yixing are standing outside, waiting for permission to enter. Jongdae widens his eyes as he’s already embarrassed that everyone has seen his weak moments, despite the fact that Baekhyun has known him since infancy.

“Hi, Jongdae,” Baekhyun says with a small smile as he walks closer to him, and Yixing follows Baekhyun’s movements beside him.

“They want to give you something,” his uncle states.

“What is it?”

“It’s a ‘Get Well Soon’ card from the whole class. I made sure everyone signed it,” Baekhyun says with pride and Yixing nods along. He hands the blue card to Jongdae, and he stares at the decorated card.

“Thank you,” he says, with a blush rising on his cheeks.

“Here.” Yixing hands him a lollipop in his favorite flavor.

“For me?”

“Of course. You should always get a lollipop after a doctor’s visit,” Yixing explains, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Thank you,” he mumbles and grips onto it.

“Thank you. You can go back to your class now,” Kyungsoo tells them, and they obey as they wave goodbye to him.

***

Jongdae returns home an hour later, the card and lollipop in his hands, and he smiles as he enters the house. He reads the card during the drive, and he can’t help but smile at their sincere words. He doesn’t want to admit Yixing’s words were his favorite despite the fact that Yixing is supposed to be his number one enemy. However, he does smile brightly as he eats the lollipop in front of Jongin, who keeps whimpering to have some. He reluctantly lets his brother taste it before his Da notices.

The next day, Jongdae is not sure if he wants to come back to school. At first, he pleads with his Ba, who agrees, but his Da overpowers their decision as education comes first before silly school reputations.’

So he scowls when his Da drops him off for school, and he can see a smiling Baekhyun waiting for him near the school doors.

“Jongdae! Are you feeling better?” he asks as he eyes the bandages on Jongdae’s elbows.

“A little sore.”

“Good” Baekhyun smiles at him and grabs his hand, pulling him towards the doors. However, Jongdae hesitates, and he stands still, not letting Baekhyun overpower him.

“I’m afraid. What if they laugh at me?” Jongdae whispers to him, who replies with wide eyes.

“They won’t okay. If they do, I’ll punch them,” Baekhyun tries to say in a threatening manner, but Jongdae knows he’s the strongest out of both.

“Can’t we just hide in the bathroom?”

Before Baekhyun can reply, Chanyeol shows up in front of them with a knowing smile.

“Oh, look. It’s the crybaby. Where’s your daddy, Jongdae? Or is it Dada?” he teases him with a full grin, and his voice echoes to their surroundings as students begin to watch them.

Jongdae is usually quick to whip out a reply, but right now, he feels frozen. He can only tighten his hold on Baekhyun’s hand.

“Shut up you, big elf,” Baekhyun retorts in his best friend’s defense, shoving Chanyeol briefly. However, Chanyeol doesn’t move much from his spot.

“What’s wrong, Jongdae? Can’t defend yourself now? Making your Dada and your friends fight for you?” Chanyeol laughs loudly and for some reason, his words hurt more than it ever did. Jongdae wants to run away, but he still feels frozen to his spot. All of a sudden, he sees a familiar face in the corner of his eye, and he watches Yixing place himself between them.

“Mr. Luhan was right. Only a coward would pick on a weak person. I wonder if you’re this brave when Jongdae is okay,” Yixing states, and Chanyeol can only gape at Yixing’s words. Yixing turns away, not giving Chanyeol a second chance to answer for himself.

“Hi Jongdae. Are you feeling better?”

Jongdae can only nod at Yixing’s sudden behavior.

“Good. Don’t worry, you’re even cuter with that Poporo bandage.” Yixing smiles at him, that cute little dimple protruding once more. Suddenly, Jongdae feels a lot better.

***

The next few hours are relatively calm as the students treat him normally, and Yixing stays by his side as Luhan gives them a new project. At lunch time, Yixing grabs his hand and leads them to a large tree, where he insists it’s the perfect spot to eat together. Even though no one is bothering Jongdae, he can feel it, the sudden change of hierarchy as he sees his fellow classmates not cowering in fear in front of him. In fact, they even made him wait in line to use the stationary sharpener located at Luhan’s desk.

So he wonders why Yixing wants to be his friend despite yesterday’s events. He knows Yixing is different, but he can’t help but feel Yixing shouldn’t treat him this way. Yixing is too good to be friends with a crybaby, Jongdae reminds himself.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Jongdae asks when he sees Yixing is done with his lunch.

“We’re friends.” Yixing smiles at him.

“But why do you want to be friends with me? I’m not the nicest friend you can have.”

Yixing shrugs.

“You’re just different. You say what’s on your mind. I like that.”

“But it doesn’t hurt you when I say them?”

“No. I see them as truths. You don’t really want to hurt people with your words.”

Jongdae remains speechless, and Yixing stares at the passing students as they sit in silence. They both chuckle when they see Chanyeol falling to the ground by accident when he tries to play with Baekhyun. Jongdae catches the sight of his dimple, and he can’t help but poke it.

Yixing quickly turns towards him, and Jongdae widens his eyes as he worries over his action.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Everyone likes my dimple – except me.”

“But it looks so cute.”

“I look like I have a toilet in my cheek,” Yixing replies, and Jongdae laughs at his words.

***

10 years later

Jongdae walks outside to the field, searching for his friends, who are most likely causing a ruckus by banging on chairs or even creating graffiti on the walls. However, the sight surprises him as he sees the school bully, Sehun, gripping his Yixing’s collar, almost lifting him off his feet. Jongdae immediately runs towards them. He notices how Baekhyun is on the ground, while Chanyeol is helping him up, and he realizes that he must protect his friends.

“Hey! Let go of him,” Jongdae shouts from 5 feet away, fists clenching at his sides.

“You’re gonna get it!” Baekhyun yells from the side.

Sehun drops Yixing and faces Jongdae. He his eyebrow before giving Jongdae his smug smirk. Yixing runs to Jongdae’s side, trying to make him step away from the impending fight, but the older knows it’s a lost cause.

“Running to defend your boyfriend, Jongdae?”

“Why? Are you jealous that he’s mine?” Jongdae knows that Sehun has a huge crush on Yixing, and it’s funny because Yixing is always dense when it comes to romantic feelings.

“He’s a freak. Plus, I was with your father last night,” Sehun taunts him.

“That’s funny considering I hear you Yixing’s name in the locker room after football practice.”

The students begin to loudly chatter as Sehun blushes in deep red.

Sehun lunges towards Jongdae, who immediately dodges while pushing Yixing to the side. Jongdae throws the first punch at Sehun’s face, and he can hear the small crack that indicates a broken nose.

***

“Da is going to be so~ mad,” Jongin says to him, a toothy grin showing. “But that was like the coolest fight ever. I can’t believe you gave him a black eye and a broken nose.” Jongin is immensely proud of his big brother-- he’s his number one fan.

Jongdae can only grin at him as he sits still for Yixing to care for his right hand’s knuckles; a deep blue begins to show around the cuts.

“Are we ever going to go one week without you punching someone?” Yixing asks him tiredly.

“I can’t help it that my friends are defenseless, and I’m their bodyguard.” Jongdae grins at him, and he sees Baekhyun returning with a cold ice pack.

“Managed to steal it from the unguarded nurse’s office. You owe me one.” Baekhyun sits beside him, and Jongin rushes to sit on Jongdae’s other side.

“Hyung~ who’s going to defend me when you graduate?” Jongin pouts.

“Hmm, I suppose you can ask Taemin.” Jongin eyes widen at his words, and he blushes. “He throws a really good punch, and he’s very quick on his feet. Come to think of it, I should ask him out to the movies.” Jongdae gives Baekhyun a knowing smile, who immediately gets the hint.

“Yeah, you should. I hear he’s the best kisser in his grade,” Baekhyun joins Jongdae in this round of teasing.

“But – “Jongin starts to say, unsure if he should admit his crush on Taemin. “Isn’t he too young? It’d be like dating your little brother.”

“It’s a good thing he isn’t then. I saw him dancing one time, and I’d love to have his body rub against mine,” Jongdae says, noticing Jongin’s fists clenching at his words.

“Mmm yeah,” Baekhyun agrees with a small euphoric groan.

They watch for Jongin’s reaction as a sullen look forms on the younger’s face. They laugh loudly together and gestures to Jongin’s face, causing the younger to groan.

“You’re the worst,” he huffs before taking his bag and walking away from the mischievous duo.

“You should ask him out before someone else has the sense to!” Jongdae yells at him, and he can hear another one of Jongin’s groans from ten feet away.

***

Yixing remains quiet as they walk home from school. Jongdae keeps looking at him, expecting him to say something or at least hum one of those catchy commercial tunes. So he feels weird when Yixing is quiet and not smiling like he usually does.

“Are you okay?”

His question remains unanswered as Yixing keeps walking without acknowledging him.

“Hey!” Jongdae pushes him a little, and Yixing immediately stares at him in confusion. “I asked if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” he replies with a small smile.

“Says the boy with the gloomy face, which I’m surprised that even dimple boy can frown.”

Yixing grins at his words.

“Well, how else do I show my displeasure of you hurting yourself?”

Jongdae scoffs at him and ignores his presence.

“But – “ Yixing starts to say but seems to stop his words.

“What?”

“How come you don’t ask him out if you really like him? Is it because of Jongin?” Yixing asks this strange question, which causes Jongdae to wonder which guy he is talking about. It suddenly clicks in his brain. Taemin.

“Oh, I don’t like him that way. I was just kidding.”

“Oh.”

A long silence remains between them.

“Wait – is that why you were broody? You thought I liked him?” Jongdae grabs his arm, making sure Yixing stops walking.

Yixing can only blush before he tries to make some lame excuse, but Jongdae grins at him.

“You’re so cute,” Jongdae tells him in a slightly teasing tone. He hugs Yixing’s side and feels his body tense in surprise. It takes Yixing a few minutes to register this before he decides on his reply.

“Shut up.” Yixing tries to push Jongdae away from him, even though his efforts are barely there, and his tone hardly sounds angry. He smiles shyly at Jongdae, who sticks his tongue out and takes his hand, leaning against him.

----

15 is the classroom number...so Jongdae was the king of his class.