Sweat forms rapidly along Jongdae’s forehead as he does his tri-weekly exercises.  Toning was the name of the game here.  He wasn’t looking to be bulky and jacked as some of the other muscleheads in the room that looked as if they could crush him with their bare hands.  He just wanted to stop being called “toothpick” or “Capri-Sun straw” by his best friends, constantly being jabbed in the ribs and having his arms squeezed and laughed about during lunch. 

Screw childhood friends Baekhyun and Chanyeol with their impressively defined abs.  And sinful arms.  And formidable legs.  And-- you know what, lets not talk about them.  The couple in love since they started high school decided to start working out together in their junior year, and the results had been jaw dropping.  Cute and soft Baekhyun and gangly string bean Chanyeol transformed into the hunky stuff of wet dreams seemingly overnight.  Jongdae wanted that.  The muscles part, not the wet dream about his platonic friends, because ew.  Just no.

He has a routine.  Mondays and Fridays are upper body, arms, and abs days.  Those are killer.  Wednesdays are strict leg days, with stretching to increase flexibility and sometimes running up and down the long hallway outside the weight room for sufficient aerobic exercise. 

Jongdae is very impressed with himself.  Over the fall semester, he gained a fair bit of muscle mass and healthy weight, not to mention a faint outline of a 4-pack on his abdominal area.  Noticeable enough for gym teacher and workout fiend Kris to give him extra credit (straight 100s Baekhyun!) for actually making full use of the exercise machines and weights unlike half the class who only used the period as a way to get out of the regular sports played in the other gym classes. 

Today is Monday, the first day of the spring semester.  People are switching in and out of the class, and new students file in.  There are the typical bodybuilders and hulked out high schoolers who are definitely taking steroids.  Actually, they make up most of the new class.  But among the already sweaty meatheads is a small student that seems to be out of place.  He’s looking around like a lost kid in a department store.  His cheeks puff out in curiosity as he seemingly takes in his surroundings before his eyes stare into Jongdae’s own.  Jongdae quickly glances away as he recognizes the guy as his crush since the start of senior year.

He had never seen that guy before outside of the one class he has with him.  He knows the student is a fellow graduating senior because he’s in his senior economics class.  He also knows that his name is Minseok Kim.  Minseok is insanely smart (top 5% of the graduating class), has a mutual love for digital media, advertising, and marketing, and is intent on majoring in that particular field in college, just like Jongdae.  Jongdae also knows this classmate applied to the same universities in the same major as he did because his guidance counselor had commented about it after thoroughly reading through his college applications.  The guidance counselor even had the audacity to ask Jongdae if he and Minseok were brothers as they shared last names and common higher educational goals.  Jongdae quickly (too quickly) denied this and walked out of the clear glass office, cheeks flushing a bright pink.

Minseok also volunteers at a tutoring center during the weekends and loves kids, just like Jongdae.  Minseok is also about Jongdae’s height, and this combined with his composed and pleasant demeanor just made Jongdae fall for Minseok even more. 

Jongdae wants to introduce himself and flirt up a storm with him, but doesn’t even know if Minseok swings that way.  Minseok doesn’t really showcase his uality like Baekhyun and Chanyeol do, and Jongdae himself hasn’t really made it apparent to the rest of the school.  Perhaps by being associated with the other two, Jongdae has let out subtle hints about his uality?  He isn’t too sure what the rest of the graduating class thinks of him.  But their graduation is in five short months, and Jongdae is stuck between confessing to a straight guy and embarrassing himself or keeping his feelings bottled up, never to be let out since everyone will be going their separate ways after high school graduation.

After Kris comes in to introduce himself, Jongdae snaps out of his daydream about Minseok.  Kris speaks about the objectives of the class and the different equipment to the disinterested students.  After an agonizing 55 minutes, they are finally dismissed early to head off to their next period.  Jongdae thinks about that full cheeked senior throughout the rest of his morning classes.

During his lunch period, Jongdae heads to his Beagle Squad’s^TM table.  He and his best friends had been given that nickname during freshman year by his philosophy teacher, Mr. Lee. He had seen the trio of Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol fooling around and laughing at cracked jokes made in the back of the classroom instead of analyzing Shakespearean sonnets like the rest of the bushy eyed students.  The way the trio seemed to stick together after class and have simultaneously shocked “puppy” expressions on their faces while begging Mr. Lee to not give them afterschool detention again was enough for the nickname to spread throughout the entire freshman student body.  Jongdae liked it, and besides, everyone jokingly called them that as well.  The moniker stuck from that moment onward.

 Chanyeol and Baekhyun are already there, giggling at something on Baekhyun’s iPhone as Chanyeol places sloppy kisses on Baekhyun’s forehead.  As Jongdae sits down at the brown lacquered wooden table, Baekhyun immediately gives him a warm welcome.

“What’s up, Dae?” Baekhyun exclaims, reaching out a toned arm waiting for the regular bro hug.  Jongdae unfortunately doesn’t reciprocate, and leaves Baekhyun hanging as he sits down heavily into the seat across from the couple.

“What the heck, Jongdae?  You don’t do that to my boo,” Chanyeol growls out as Baekhyun retracts the offered arm and pouts at Jongdae.

“I’m doing fine, Baekhyun.  I just have something bothering me right now, and I have strange feelings about it,”  Jongdae sighs into the sleeve of his oversized Nike hoodie.

“What is it?” Baekhyun says, his previous disappointed and slightly miffed demeanor changing over to a worried look as he gives his best friend his undivided attention.  Chanyeol also mirrors his boyfriend’s own expression.

“Yeah, is someone bullying you?  Because if that is indeed the case, I’ll be sure to make that sad loser’s life a miserable one,” Chanyeol states, a fierily glint in his eyes as he cracks his neck.

“No, no.  It’s nothing like that.  Just my stomach has felt unsettled since weight training and it hasn’t gone away.  I kind of feel sort of nauseous right now,” Jongdae says as he lays his head on the table.

“Are you pregnant?  Is it morning sickness?  Dude, who’s the father?  Is it Kyungsoo?  Damn, I always knew you had a thing for short dudes.  You aren’t as innocent as I thought,” Baekhyun joked with a eating grin plastered onto his face.

“No, it’s definitely not th---,” Jongdae gets cut off by Chanyeol’s booming addition to Baekhyun’s outlandish claim.

“How will you survive college?  Damn, your parents are gonna flip over this, Dae.  You only came out to them in freshman year, and now you’re knocked up?  How will you hide the gigantic stomach you’ll be sporting during prom in May?  Tuxedoes don’t come in maternity sizes, Jongdae.  You’ll mess up our squad look,” Chanyeol laments.

“I totally forgot about that, Yeollie!  Dude, think about our prom pictures!  They have to be perfect,” Baekhyun whines.

“Guys,” Jongdae tried to intervene.

“And your body, dude.  Eww, stretch marks?  And where’s the kid even gonna come out?  Your kid’s gonna be so tiny.  Kyungsoo and you could create the next wave of Korean smurfs,” Baekhyun laughs.

“You’re so right, babe,” Chanyeol manages to say before snickering and high fiving his boyfriend.

“I’m not pregnant!!! And definitely not with Kyungsoo’s child.  I don’t even like Kyungsoo like that!” Jongdae shouts out.

By this time, the entire right side of the lunchroom is silent and is staring at Jongdae after his outburst.  With his cheeks flushing scarlet, Jongdae sits down moodily and takes swig of his water from his water bottle to cool himself down.  Normal lunchroom chatter immediately fills the awkward silence again.

“Sorry about that.  But why are you acting like this, Dae?  You’re normally so calm and collected.” Chanyeol whispers out, wanting to calm Jongdae down.

“It’s just that I think I’m in love with someone in my weight training class.” Jongdae sighs.  “And I don’t even know if he swings that way.”

Baekhyun gives an excited glance at Chanyeol.

“Who is it?” Baekhyun questions.

“Mnmfeok Mimmm,” Jongdae says from the soft cotton sleeve of his hoodie.

“Huh?” the two remark incredulously and in perfect unison (Oh for god’s sake, get married already!).

Jongdae blearily looks up, and focuses his eyes on his friends.

“Minseok Kim,” Jongdae whispers out before banging his head against the wooden table.

“Dude.  I think you’re okay.  He’s like, a super gay Korean guy.” Baekhyun assures.  Jongdae squints his eyes at Baekhyun.

“How do you know?” Jongdae questions.

“Seriously, you didn’t hear?  It was all over the school last year!” Chanyeol says.  “He dated that Chinese foreign exchange student for like two years.  They started becoming serious freshmen year and Luhan crushed his heart when he left at the end of sophomore year.  All the guys in school want him, but he always politely declines.”

“And his Facebook bio states, and I quote, ‘Looking for a prince charming to sweep me off my feet.  Sorry, ladies.’ ” Baekhyun adds, reading off his phone.

Jongdae looks between the two of them.  He lets out a loud groan when he thinks about the lost time that he'll never get back in which he could have been flirting with Minseok.

“Why have you guys never told me this?” Jongdae spits out. 

“You never told us you had a crush on Minseok,” Chanyeol reminds him.

“Oh.  Right.”  Jongdae slumps back down into his hoodie cocoon.

“But don’t worry, Dae.  Seriously.  He’s been single for a long time.  And judging by his Facebook posts, he’s more than ready to get back into dating,” Baekhyun winks at him.

“What do you mean?” Jongdae asks.

“Oh, yeah, he’s more than ready.  But don’t look at his profile just yet.  Watch him the next time you’re in the workout room.” Chanyeol winks at Jongdae knowingly.

“Why?” Jongdae questions.

“You’ll see,” Baekhyun singsongs.  “Enough talking though.  I’m starving. Lets eat.”

As Baekhyun says this, Chanyeol pulls out a gigantic container of rice and bulgogi with kimchi and pickled radish on the side for Baekhyun and himself that was leftover from his family’s dinner last night.  Jongdae pulls out his own Tupperware container full of kimchi fried rice and with that, becomes lost in his thoughts as he discusses banal gossip and schoolwork with his best friends.

In Jongdae’s last class of the day (Economics because of course the universe hates him), he silently admires Minseok’s profile from his seat across the room.  He wonders why Minseok would even need muscles and tries to imagine Minseok being ripped.  With that thought in his head, he laughs aloud.  A bit too loud for his teacher’s liking.  Oh shoot.

“Is something funny, Jongdae?” his economics teacher Mrs. Choi asks, turning around and crossing her arms.

“No, nothing at all.” Jongdae replies promptly.

“Really?  School is not a place to joke around.  If you weren’t so busy laughing about whatever it is you teenagers amuse yourselves with nowadays and paid attention instead, you would know that in times where share prices are rising and thus encourages buying, that is called a---“

“Bull market.” Jongdae finishes for her.  He smiles sweetly back at his teacher.  “The opposite is called a bear market.  I read ahead in the textbook before this class.”

Mrs. Choi stares at Jongdae with wide eyes.

“Okay, Jongdae,” Mrs. Choi sighs in defeat.  “Since you do so well in this class, I’ll let it slide.  But please, keep your laughter to yourself for the benefit of yourself and the other students,” Mrs. Choi turns around continues drawing a graph on the whiteboard.  Jongdae glances back at Minseok, who seems to flash him a gummy smile and gives him a quick thumbs up before facing the front of the class again. Jongdae has to stop himself from swooning. 

Back at home after Jongdae’s school day has ended, he finishes the last of his AP Calculus homework and thinks about the best way to go about confessing to Minseok.  He has choir tomorrow (which is a Tuesday) and Thursday with Baekhyun, and his less strenuous workout is on Wednesday.  Jongdae finally decides to confess to Minseok in the locker room after Wednesday’s gym session.  As Jongdae gets ready for bed, thoughts of his profession of interest in dating Minseok, the cute and big-cheeked Korean classmate, finally about to come true after months of pining, swirl in his head.

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AN: Xiuchen is life goals. They seriously already act like a married couple in real life. And that mpreg part. That was fun to write.  I think this story will have three or four chapters (depending on how I edit my writing).  I would also like to give a warm thank you to the subscribers who wanted to follow this story even when I just posted the foreword.  It means a lot to me.  Please don't forget to comment on anything of interest in this chapter, and I hope I can update soon!