5, 6, 7, 8!

Yixing stares as Kris preens in front of the gym's bathroom mirror. He glances at his watch because they've been in there for more than 15 minutes, which means that practice has been delayed for just about 20 minutes.

"Are you done?" Yixing sighs insufferably.

Kris shoots him a look. "You can never have enough time to make yourself look good," he tells him haughtily, running another brushstroke through his hair, making sure that his pink and red ribbon is perfectly tied.

"Well can you tell me what time you'll be done?" Yixing rolls his eyes, pulling at his own hair ribbons and flattening his hands on his pink and red cheerleading uniform. "Just so I can tell the team when we'll start cheerleading practice this afternoon. Because, you know, you're team captain."

"Is the basketball team out yet?" Kris asks, peering through the bathroom doorway.

Yixing makes a face. "I knew this was about him," he grumbles, shaking his head. "It's not like he's forgotten about you, Kris. Or about that thing with you doing three cartwheels in the middle of a game just as he was about to do a three-point shot."

"Semester break can do things to people!" Kris hisses at him. "He could've started dating someone new or--"

"He's not," Yixing drawls, already bored.

"But what if! WHAT IF!" Kris is practically hysterical at this point so Yixing does the only thing he can think of and slaps him. Kris just shrieks even more because now there's a red handprint on his right cheek.

"Your cheek is now rosy, BIG DEAL!" Yixing firmly grabs onto his arm and drags him out of the bathroom. "We have a practice to run!"

-




Kris is moping about his red cheek when the basketball team comes out of the lockers, led by their team captain Kim Jongdae.

Kris immediately stands up and does his stretches, making sure to emphasize his s-line and the perfectness of his smooth legs. He's bending downwards when there's a tap on his . He straightens up, affronted.

"Hey there cutie," Lu Han wiggles his eyebrows up and down at him, biting his lip as he checks out all of Kris.

"How dare you!" Kris says, raising a hand to slap him, but Yixing stops him.

Yixing tuts, wiggling at finger at his face. "You can't touch him if he can't touch you," he simply states, exchanging a smile with Lu Han, who smirks at him.

"Traitor," Kris huffs and turns away. His face then breaks into a smile when he sees Jongdae walking up behind Lu Han. "Hi Jongdae," he breathes dreamily, putting both his hands on his chest as he bats his eyelashes at him.

"Hey Kris," Jongdae nods at him then puts an arm around Lu Han. "Are you done flirting or can we get started?"

Lu Han winks at Yixing, who blushes, as they walk back in the middle of the court. Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Baekhyun joins then and gets ready to start drills.

Kris, with renewed energy because Jongdae had smiled and had greeted him and had SAID HIS NAME using his gorgeous lips, turns towards the squad and claps his hand. "Today, you're going to watch me do some new cheers!" he cheerfully informs them.

"Just watch?" Minseok raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Just watch," Kris confirms with a resolute nod.

"O...kay," Chanyeol agrees and shrugs when he and Sehun exchange a dubious look.

Kris turns and faces the court, where the basketball team has started with their skirmishes. Kris raises both pom-poms in the air in starting position then he beams with all his might and starts the cheer.

"Kim Jongdae is number one! We're gonna rock and roll 'til the day is done!" Kris shouts, his deep voice booming across the court. He does a high kick and split kick and waves his pom-poms afterwards.

There is silence in the court as everyone, including the basketball team, has frozen in their movements. Kyungsoo is on the floor from when he tripped over Baekhyun, wide eyes wider than ever. Junmyeon’s face is a mixture of amusement and disgust, while Lu Han is laughing unabashedly.

Tao shifts in his seat, tugging on his skirt. "Uh, I don't think that's--"

"No talking," Kris shuts him up, his eyes on Jongdae, who has just lifted his head to meet his gaze. Kris holds his breath until Jongdae forms a smile and then a chuckle. After which, he claps his hands and orders the team to go back to practice. Kris is ting rainbows by this point so he continues.

"I don't know what you've been told, Kim Jongdae is good as gold. Kim Jongdae is the best, we cheer loudest than the rest!" The cheer is perfect because Kris has practiced this so much that he can do the cheer and the dance in his sleep.

Yixing buries his face in his hands, while Jongin coughs.

"I didn't know our school name has been changed into Kim Jongdae," Jongin comments.

"Shut up," Sehun snaps. "This is ridiculous." He shoves Yixing. "Do something about this!"

"Who rocks the house? I said Kim Jongdae rocks the house! And when Kim Jongdae rocks the house, he rocks it all the way down!"

"That's so suggestive!" Minseok complains. "We can't use that cheer!"

"Well, it isn't really for our school team?" Yixing tries to pacify them and save whatever dignity Kris might still possess. "It's a Kim Jongdae cheer."

"Yeah, and I hear that Jongdae really does rock the house all the way down," Chanyeol shares, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "If you know what I mean."

"I should quit," Sehun sighs exasperatedly.

"Kim Jongdae, I can do karate. Kim Jongdae, I can move my body. ("Can he?" Jongin interestedly asks Sehun, who slaps his face.) Kim Jongdae, oops I'm sorry. To the front!" Kris claps twice. "To the back!" He claps two times more. "To the side, to the side, let me see that butterfly! 5 6 7 8, let me see that booty shake!"

Sehun stands up and is in the middle of jumping Kris to the ground when Yixing grabs his skirt and pulls him back down on the bleachers. Jongin catches Sehun and wraps his arms around him as he waves indiscreetly at Kyungsoo, who coughs and turns red.

"Kris," Yixing grabs Kris and shakes him violently. "You are not Kim Jongdae's cheerleader. We're the school's cheerleading team and you're team captain and--"

"Do you think it worked?" Kris asks, allowing himself to be manhandled, eyes bright.

"What?" Yixing blinks.

"Do you think he noticed me?" Kris giggles, glancing at Jongdae, who's still laughing.

"Well he definitely noticed you alright," Minseok dryly comments.

“Everyone noticed,” Sehun wants to scream. “It’s not everyday you get a personal cheerleader and a personal cheer and a huge team captain jumping up and down in splits.”

“At least I don’t hurt the spotters during lifts because my bones don’t injure people,” Kris pokes his tongue out at him.

“Okay children, that’s enough,” Yixing bares his teeth at them. He turns to Kris. “He noticed and yes, maybe he will ask you out. They were… interesting cheers.”

"Great!" Kris claps his hands. "I have another cheer!"

"NO!" the squad choruses.

-




Kris sighs for the hundredth time as he packs his clothes into his gym bag. He'd done about three more cheers even when his team members protested just to make sure that Jongdae noticed him. But he didn't. Because after practice, Jongdae just followed his teammates into the locker room, shoving them when they to Kris.

"Stop sighing or I'm going to sock you," Yixing growls.

"But I learned all those cheers. I practice the whole break," Kris whines. "I practically didn't go on vacation because I was working so hard on it just so he'll notice me and finally ask me out." He pouts, which Yixing finds very disturbing.

Yixing pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why can't you be a normal person and just tell him that you like him?"

Kris' eyes widen and he shakes his head. "I can't do that! Guys should do the asking out in relationship!" he tells him seriously.

Yixing stares at him. "You're a guy."

"But I'm the cheerleader!" Kris points at himself. "He's the basketball star. He should be doing the asking out."

"You look more manly than him okay! He’s like a ballerina. So man up!" Sehun yells from the showers. "ASK. HIM. OUT. To free us from the misery of your awful and overly ual cheers!"

"Hey, it wasn't that bad." Now Kris looks really hurt and Yixing feels his irritation floating away.

"Look," Yixing sighs, hating himself because his heart softens too easily when it comes to Kris. "He's noticed you, that's for sure. You should just... let nature run its course. He'll ask you out."

"Are you sure?" Kris bats his eyelashes at him in hope.

"Yes," Yixing says. "Now can we stop talking about this and go home? I have a ton of homework."

"Okay," Kris cheers. He waves at the rest of the squad. "Bye guys! Practice again tomorrow!" He ignores the groans as he and Yixing walk out of the locker room.

-




Kris is opening his car after having said goodbye to Yixing, who has a sudden date with Lu Han, when there's a tap on his shoulder. He turns around and takes a surprised step backwards, his back hitting the car. Jongdae is standing there, freshly showered and looking very handsome in snug jeans and his dark red varsity jacket.

"Whoa," Jongdae raises his hands in front of him to show he doesn't mean any harm.

"What are you doing here?" Kris asks breathily, his shirt because of nervousness. He may be head cheerleader, but head cheerleader and the basketball team captain barely had any interactions for some reason. Or maybe because Kris is a wimp, who only managed to express how he feels about the team captain earlier and through cheers, too.

"I was hoping to catch you after practice, but you were gone when I came out," Jongdae explains coolly. Kris merely blinks at him. Jongdae chuckles. "Those were some really great cheers."

Kris' eyes brighten. "Oh you liked them?" He starts clapping his hands. "Who rocks the house? I said Kim Jongdae rocks the house! And when Kim Jongdae rocks the house, he rocks it all the way down!"

Jongdae grabs his hands to stop him from clapping and from doing any more cheers. "I did," he laughs after his face goes through
shock and embarrassment. He clears his throat and smiles shyly. "And I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me."

Kris stares at him for a second before positively beaming. "Kim Jongdae is number one! We're gonna rock and roll 'til the day is done!" he cheers brightly.

"That's a yes?" Jongdae asks uncertainly and nervously.

"YES!" Kris claps.

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven then," Jongdae grins at him.

"Bye," Kris waves and fights the urge to do some jumping splits.




-




"So..." Jongdae asks in the middle of eating his pasta. "How exactly can you move your body?"

Kris flutters his lashes at him. "Oh wouldn't you like to find out."