Inappropriate Winking [1/2]
Title: Inappropriate Winking
Author: Adw1017/annie1017
Genre: romance, highschool au
Wordcount: ~15k
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Yixing tries his best to deal with the new kid in school who seems set on invading every part of his private life and sexually harassing him with inappropriate winks.
The day that Kris Wu appeared in Zhang Yixing's life, the whole school was in uproar. Students were actually lining up along the street and hanging out of the windows to get a glimpse of the new kid coming in through the school gates.
"What the hell is going on?" Yixing had asked his best friend as they were shoved aside by a gaggle of girls storming towards the door. He bounced off a locker, barely escaping the much nastier fate of diving headfirst into a garbage can.
"Apparently he's like a supermodel or something," Lu Han answered, steadying Yixing. "He's in magazines a lot, and walks catwalks in Paris and Milan and New York. I guess he's a big deal, since he's only 18."
A big deal? Yixing didn't see it.
"Oh, I think that's him!" Lu Han had paused by a window, and was pointing out at the front gates.
A sleek, black Mercedes had pulled up in front of the school, depositing three people onto the sidewalk.
The driver parked, and got out, went to the back trunk, lifting out suitcases onto the street.
Another man, dressed in a black suit, had gotten out of the passenger seat. He resembled a manager or a bodyguard, and was honestly probably a mix of the two. The man was busy shouting into the iPhone that was held up to his ear with one hand, and he reached out with his other hand to open the door to the back seat, a haggard expression on his face.
However, the door to the back seat opened before the manager could lay a hand on it, and a tall blond frame unfolded out of the car.
Yixing squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look, but could see nothing impressive about this 'big deal'. All he saw
was an expensive hairdo, a lot of eyebrows, a pair of pretentious aviator sunglasses, and crisp, designer jeans.
The new kid seemed to glance around, taking in his surroundings and the adoring fans he had already attained as he waited patiently for his manager/bodyguard to get off the phone, then followed in the other man's wake as he cleared a path through the throng of students. A minute later, the new kid had disappeared into the main administrative building.
Lu Han's voice pulled Yixing out of his reverie. "Hey, Xingxing, we're going to be late for math class if we don't get going."
Yixing tried to get going, but it didn't help. As he and Lu Han tried to make their way down two flights of stairs, the fangirls outside were trying to make their way back up.
Yixing was not amused when the teacher gave him detention for arriving 3 minutes late.
He was even less amused when he went back to his dorm room after said detention to find all of his stuff on the floor, and a tall, blond giant sitting on his bed.
"Three minutes. How does being late for three fucking minutes equal an hour of child labor?" Lu Han complained as he swept away the last of the pencil stubs and dust into a garbage can.
"This sucks balls," Yixing agreed with a sigh. He had just spent the longest hour of his life cleaning every blackboard in the hall and poor Lu Han had just swept the entire place. "And it wasn't even our fault," he added.
It was all because of the new kid and the disturbance he had caused that afternoon.
Clapping excess chalk dust off his hands, Yixing shouldered his backpack and followed Lu Han out of the building.
"Now I have to go to soccer practice," Lu Han groaned. "I bet coach is going to be pissed that I missed an hour of practice and he'll probably give me a few extra laps as well."
Yixing glanced up at the sky and pointed silently to the dark clouds rolling in.
"Fuck, my day just keeps getting better, doesn't it," Lu Han cursed. With another growl, the boy shouldered his gym bag and started off at a run for the locker rooms.
Yixing couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend's misfortune.
That chuckle died quickly, however, as he stepped through the room he shared with Lu Han to find everything - his pillows, his sheets, his blankets, his guitar - everything that had been on his bed - on the floor in the middle of the room.
"What...?"
A tall blond in tight, dark pants was sitting on his bed. Only, it didn't look much like his bed anymore. Yixing's navy blue sheets had been replaced with white ones that looked like pure Egyptian cotton and the pillow was a deep red, probably actual satin.
"What are you doing? That's my bed!"
The stranger looked up, slowly, and Yixing was met with a pair of dark, piercing eyes and a lot of eyebrows. It was the new kid.
"I'm moving in today and I like this bed," the kid said, shrugging.
"But...that's my bed," Yixing repeated.
The new kid just looked at him, and then stood up...and up...and up, until he was towering over Yixing's slim 5ft 10 frame, and took a few rather threatening steps forward.
Up close, Yixing thought, the new kid was a lot more impressive. The expensive hairdo was highlighted with lighter shades of blond, the designer clothes hung off his 6ft 2 body like a glove, and even the wild eyebrows worked somehow with the rest of the angular face.
Okay, so maybe the new kid was a 'big deal', but right now, the 'big deal' looked like he was about to pummel Yixing to a pulp.
Instinctively, Yixing took a step back. Was he about to die in his own room?
Suddenly, the giant stuck out a hand and gave Yixing an icy smile. "Hey," he said, letting out the first of many inappropriate winks. "My name is Kris. Kris Wu. I'm your new roommate."
Yixing took the hand, and shook it quickly."Zhang Yixing," he replied, still confused. "But I already have a roommate."
Assistant Principal Li was not happy about being accosted outside of his office right as he was about to go home for the day, but then, neither was the student glaring at him.
"Kyungsoo, the exchange student from Korea, doesn't leave until next week," explained Assistant Principal Li. "Until then, Mr. Wu here will room with you."
"I already have a roommate," Yixing argued.
"Another one won't hurt, and it's only for five days."
Another one won't hurt?
"But our room is a double," Yixing explained, now desperate. "There are only two beds, and he wants me to sleep on the floor!"
"You guys make it work," Assistant Principal Li replied, scooting pass Yixing.
In other words, he was not going to inconvenience the almighty famous Kris Wu.
Unbelievable.
"Why the hell can't you sleep on the floor?" Yixing asked as he glared at Kris, who was lying calmly against a pillow. "That was my bed first."
Kris turned his head slightly, but didn't look at him. "My body is a temple and I need to protect it," he muttered, seriously. "This body makes all the big bucks."
Yixing could hear Lu Han choking from the bathroom, and rushed over just in time to find his best friend coughing up toothpaste.
"Did he really just say that?" Lu Han whispered, doubled over with laughter.
Yixing shrugged, and then felt his blood boil a little when he noticed that all of his stuff in the bathroom had also been moved over to make room for a bag full of facial scrubs and bb creams.
"I guess his face is a shrine and he needs to protect that too," Lu Han sniggered under his breath.
They made their way back to the main room, and Lu Han climbed up to his upper bunk. Yixing glared at what was now his bed--the floor--and sighed.
"Well this body is going to get stiff from the hardwood floor and is going to fail dance class," Yixing groaned. "How do I protect this body?"
Lu Han peaked over the railing, and quickly took pity on his friend. "You know how much I hate having people touch my bed, Xing, but for you...just for you, you can sleep here with me until the giant moves out."
"What did you call me?" Kris asked mildly.
Lu Han ignored Kris' comment, and moved his pillow aside. "Come up, Yixing."
Yixing thought it was only his great luck that he had such an accommodating friend like Lu Han.
Not so much, after Lu Han, while dreaming about participating in the FIFA world cup for team China, kicked him in the ribs in the middle of the night.
Maybe, Yixing decided, he’d rather just gather extra blankets and sleep on the floor.
Yixing thought that the dorm room was empty when he first woke up. Lu Han's side of the bed was neatly made, and the boy had even fluffed his pillow.
Rolling his eyes at his slightly OCD best friend, Yixing leaned over the railing to look for the intruder, but found his old bed made and empty as well.
Geez...it was only 8:00 on a Saturday.
While Lu Han had morning conditioning with the soccer team (laps in the chilly morning air), what excuse did Kris have for being up at such an ungodly hour?
Carefully, Yixing climbed down the stairs, turned, and slammed into what felt like a brick wall.
Nope, only Kris' chest.
"What the hell?" Yixing groaned, rubbing his forehead. He looked up, to find the tall model studying him with a curious expression on his handsome face. Kris was dressed in a fitted white t-shirt and gray jeans, and had a towel draped across his shoulders to catch water dripping from his damp hair.
"Hey, Xingxing, has anyone ever told you that you look really cute when you're all sleepy?" Kris asked with yet another inappropriate wink.
Yixing was pretty sure that this was sexual harassment.
"Isn't it enough that you've taken over my bed? Do you have to invade my personal space too?" Yixing grumbled. "And don't call me that."
"Lu Han calls you that," Kris pointed out.
Yixing snarled and pushed past him. "And you're not Lu Han."
"Thank the lord," Kris muttered, trailing after Yixing. "I'd hate to be that short."
"Hey, I'm 'that short'," Yixing replied, a little offended. "Anyway, don't you have anything else to do that doesn't involve bothering me?"
"I got up two hours ago, took a jog around campus, did 100 sit ups and 100 push ups, and took a shower. Now, I need you to take me to breakfast."
Yixing splashed some water on his face, and glared at Kris through the mirror. "Take yourself to breakfast," he snorted. "Despite what you seem to believe, we are not friends."
Kris' eyes opened in mock surprise, and flashed an innocent supermodel smile. "But I don't know where the cafeteria is, Xingxing."
Yixing doesn't understand why the new kid insisted on sticking by him everywhere. It was kind of annoying. Kris had invited himself to eating lunch with Yixing, Lu Han, and their friends, Tao, Chen, and Xiumin. And of course, wherever Kris went, crowds of over-giggly girls followed, creeping nearby or just straight up staring.
It annoyed Yixing to bits.
"Loosen up, Yixing Ge," Tao said, looking pretty pleased at all the extra attention. "Girls are looking at us and you're complaining?"
Easy for him to say. Tao was a junior, and one of the star members of the school’s martial arts team. He had girls staring at him on a regular basis anyway, while Yixing just wanted to dance and disappear.
"You think you didn't have admirers before?" Tao asked, as if reading Yixing's mind. He scoffed, and reached over to steal some food from Yixing's tray. "I'm pretty sure the entire female body of this school died when you and Kai performed together at that showcase last semester."
"It's not the same," Yixing muttered, blushing.
"Oh so you're a dancer?" Kris asked, looking up from his healthy chicken breast and egg white lunch.
"What's it to you?" Yixing shot back.
"Nothing," Kris replied, grinning. "Now, that banging body makes sense."
The lunch table was silent and everyone processed Kris' words. Even the chattery Xiumin and Chen duo had shut up for the time being.
"See?" Yixing wailed, scooting himself further away from the giant and closer to his best friend. "This is the harassment I have to deal with on a regular basis."
Lu Han shrugged at him, an impassive look on his face as he moved yogurt carefully from the cup to his mouth. "It's kinda true," he replied through a mouthful.
The rest of the guys all chuckled.
"I thought you were on my side, Lu Han," Yixing huffed.
"Chill out, I'm just teasing ya," Kris interrupted, reaching out and actually ruffling Yixing's hair.
Yixing knew that. He knew full well that Kris was just being obnoxiously greasy and annoying.
Still, something about Kris' teasing attitude just rubbed Yixing the wrong way, and the feelings of animosity definitely started with the bed stealing. So, he did his best to avoid the tall giant, which ended up being not so easy of a task. Kris had a habit of showing up wherever Yixing was, whether it was at a vending machine getting chips or on the soccer field, kicking a ball around with Lu Han.
"Why are you everywhere?" Yixing had asked, finally getting annoyed enough to confront the giant as he was shooting hoops - alone, previously - in the gym.
Kris had just shrugged. "Despite what you believe, we really are friends," he insisted, waving a hand for the ball.
Yixing tossed it to him a little harshly, but Kris caught it with ease.
"Oh, you play basketball?" Yixing asked, raising an eyebrow and moving out, preparing himself for a game of one on one.
"Play?" Kris scoffed. "I'm 6ft 2. Of course I play."
Turns out, Kris didn't just play basketball. He owned basketball.
Being 6ft 2 was, of course, a huge advantage, and Kris easily dominated Yixing in a game of one on one.
"That wasn't a fair game," Yixing wheezed, finally dropping down to the floor in exhaustion.
"Yeah, now you say that, after I've won," Kris laughed, dropping down next to him. Kris, too, had sweated through his clothes.
"It was never fair," Yixing repeated, gulping down half a bottle of water.
He turned to look at Kris, exhausted, sweaty, make-up free, dressed in basketball shorts and a sweaty hot pink tank, and noted how different he looked from his aloof photographs in all the fashion magazines.
"You know, you're not bad looking," Yixing muttered without thinking.
Kris' angry bird eyebrows rose, and he let out a low laugh. "Was that a compliment, Xingxing?"
"Don't call me that," Yixing shot back instinctively. He coughed, and quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you ever smile like that in your photoshoots?"
Kris shrugged, and sprawled back on the floor. "Because my concept is that I'm unapproachable and unattainable, too cool to live kind of thing. The perfect feel is what they want, so the bitchface is what I give," Kris sighed, and his voice dropped. "Sad thing is, I'm none of those idealist adjectives."
Okay, Yixing thought, maybe Kris Wu, apart from the constant sexual harassment, wasn't all that bad after all. Just maybe.
Assistant Principal Li called the three roommates into his office one afternoon between classes and apologized for the inconvenience.
"It must have been hard, having three people living in a two people dorm," he said to Kris.
"It's nothing, Sir," he replied.
"I'm the one who's been sleeping on the floor," Yixing muttered.
Assistant Principal Li just glared at him, before turning a smile back to Kris.
"Well, Kyungsoo moved out this morning, and his stuff is cleared, so now, your problems are solved. Jongin is on the top bunk right now, and the bottom one is empty."
"Well, giant, that's that then," Lu Han said, gruffly, sticking out a hand for Kris to shake. "Bye."
"I don't want to move."
"What do you mean?" Yixing asked, immediately.
"I'm comfortable where I am right now," Kris answered, shrugging nonchalantly.
Lu Han’s mouth opened, and hung open for a second, stupefied by the audacity of Kris’ words.
"Last one in, first one out, right, Assistant Principal Li?" Lu Han asked, rounding on the administrator.
"It doesn't matter to me," answered Assistant Principal Li. Again, he didn’t dare inconvenience the almighty famous Kris Wu. “Besides, is something wrong with rooming with Jongin?”
“Kai? No, we’re both friends with him,” Yixing answered. “But Lu Han and I have been roommates for three years! We’ve always lived together."
Assistant Principal Li sighed, as if he was the one being kicked out of his dorm room. "Why don't you draw tabs?" he suggested. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out three sticky notes and ripped a corner off one note. Then, he crumbled them all up, and shook them around in his hand.
“Are you serious?” Yixing asked, incredulous.
“Whoever gets the torn piece moves out,” Assistant Principal Li shrugged. “Take your pick.”
It was Lu Han who drew the torn paper.
“This total bullshit,” he growled as he angrily packed his stuff for the move. “I’ve been living here for three years; why the hell should I have to move just because some pretty boy model likes your bed?”
“I know; it’s my bed,” Yixing agreed, watching his friend sadly.
“At least I’m only down the hall,” Lu Han amended.
An hour later, the upper floor to the room that Yixing had shared with his best friend for three whole years was empty. He just felt numb, as if none of this was real. But it was. It was all too real. With a sigh, Yixing started to move all of his stuff up to the top floor.
Several hours later, when Kris returned from whatever the hell he had been doing, Yixing turned his face to the wall and pretended to be asleep.
Who the hell did Kris think he was, to come in and just disrupt his life like this? Was it even fair that Lu Han had to move when Kris’ stay was supposed to be temporary? Why was it that one word from Kris could change Assistant Principal’s mind about anything?
The next morning, Yixing was out of the dorm before Kris even woke up. He went to Lu Han’s room, and together, they took a morning jog around the soccer field.
“It’s not too bad,” Lu Han said, in between measured breathes and counted paces. “Kai’s a pretty cool guy, I guess, but I still miss rooming with you. It just feels weird, you know?”
Yixing knew alright. He also knew that everything was Kris’ fault.
“Hey, Lu Han, why don’t you invite Kai to sit with us at lunch from now on?” Yixing asked, suddenly.
“Sure, I guess,” Lu Han replied, confused. “Why now?”
Yixing just shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to for a while now anyway. He’s been looking a bit lonely since Kyungsoo left and I know him pretty well from dance class so I thought he could hang with us.”
Yixing tried harder than ever to avoid his roommate. He slept in on the weekdays when Kris went out on his morning runs, and got up early for dance practice on the weekends when Kris slept in. He spent a lot of his time in Lu Han and Kai’s room, and also anywhere but in his own room.
Even at lunch, Yixing pretended that the tall giant wasn’t across the table, trying to catch his eye. He spoke only when spoken to, and even then, only in terse replies.
Kris was dead to him, as far as he was concerned. Kris, however, did not seem to get the memo.
“Xing, will you show me where the music rooms are?” Kris asked, interrupting Yixing's thoughts.
Yixing just gave him a blank look. “Don’t call me that,” he said after a long pause, and then turned away.
Kris Wu, as far as Yixing was concerned, was not relevant in the slightest. Just because he was rich and famous at such a young age did not give the right to mess with his life. Just because he got extra attention and extra privileges from everyone else doesn’t mean that Yixing was going to acknowledge his superiority. Super model Kris Wu was nothing but a spoiled brat.
Kris has had it up to his scary eyebrows with the cold shoulder. The fact that Yixing was not just avoiding him but also ignoring him was driving him slowly insane. Also, it wasn’t just Yixing. The other people at the lunch table, Xiumin, Chen, Lu Han, and Tao, have also been getting colder and colder with him.
It doesn’t help, of course, that his manager has been sending texts and calling non-stop for the past three days.
“Manager Ge, for the last time, I said no,” Kris snapped, not bothering to even say hello as he picked up the third call of the day.
“But-”
“I will block your number and never talk to you again,” Kris threatened.
“You can’t do that,” Manager Wei replied, matter of factly. “As your manager and agent, not talking to me would be a very bad career choice.”
Kris scoffed, but quieted.
“Anyway, I’m not calling to talk about the Happy Camp opportunity, which is always still open as a wonderful career choice, by the way. But no, I’m calling about an endorsement. ShanCha Jelly Drink. How about it?”
“I don’t drink those,” Kris muttered, getting up to pace the room. Yixing had disappeared again, probably to Lu Han and Kai’s room, and Kris was just in a bad mood.
“What does that matter? Just film the commercial, Kris.”
“Those drinks are tasty, but they’re full of sugar and additives. I refuse to endorse a product that I don’t use.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Manager Wei snapped.
At that, Kris just rolled his eyes. Manager Wei had a fiscal brain, not a moral one. He just didn’t get it. It wasn’t about being able to look handsome while posing with some ridiculous jelly drinks; it was about being true to oneself.
“I’m not going to be a fake,” Kris said decisively. “Look, I worked nonstop for the past eighteen months and made more than enough money for me to take a break from the business. Stop calling me.”
“How long, Kris?” Manager Wei asked, warily. “How long is this break we’re talking about?”
Forever, maybe.
“At least until I graduate high school, so a year at minimum.”
There was a beat of silence, and a long sigh from Manager Wei. “When I agreed to let you attend school, it was with the impression that you will continue modeling,” he said, voice carefully controlled.
“Well you thought wrong. If I’m going to be a student, then I’m going to do it the right way,” Kris countered. He took a seat on the edge of his bed, and then flopped onto his back.
“As your manager and agent, I believe that-”
At that, the door to the room opened, and Kris looked up to see Yixing slipping through the doors.
“Look, I have to go,” Kris interrupted, cutting off Manager Wei mid-sentence. “We’ll talk later, okay? Actually, no. Don’t call me if it’s about that again. But otherwise, let’s meet up for lunch some time.”
Ignoring Manager Wei’s protests, Kris pressed the red end button on his phone, and sat up to watch Yixing.
The smaller boy had silently gone up to his upper loft, and a moment later, appeared with a light rain jacket tucked under his arm.
“Ah, is it raining?” Kris asked, trying to start a conversation.
Yixing just gave a noncommittal shake of his head, and sat down on the last step to put on socks and tennis shoes.
Kris bit his lip, and tried again, “Look, Yixing, I’ve been meaning to ask-”
The door swung open yet again, and this time, Lu Han stepped into the room. “Ready to go, Xing?” he asked.
“One moment,” Yixing replied, starting on his shoe laces.
Completely ignoring the presence of Kris in the room, Lu Han took a seat in Yixing’s chair, and casually tossed his soccer ball leisurely into the air.
“Hey, HEY!”
This was the first time that Kris had ever raised him voice with the other two. Lu Han froze mid catch, and his soccer ball hit the floor and rolled under the desk. Yixing had looked as well, shock registering in his pristine.
“Look, I’m sorry for being such a brat, okay? I’ll move out if you want. Just please stop ostracizing me.” Kris was never one for apologies, and he expected to be embarrassed at having to make this one. However, he meant every word that came out of his mouth, and felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he let them out.
Lu Han turned to Yixing, and the two exchanged noncommittal looks. Kris felt his mouth go dry, as Yixing turned away again. Were they never going to forgive him?
Suddenly, Lu Han stood up, and flashed him trademark smile at Kris. “It’s fine, giant,” he said, gruffly, reaching out with a hand for Kris to shake. “You don’t have to move out. I’ve already settled in with Kai.”
Shocked, Kris reached out and took Lu Han’s hand, the first sign of friendliness the blond had shown him since his entrance into the school.
“We forgave you ages ago; all we wanted was to hear an apology.” Yixing had gotten up also, ducking under the desk to retrieve the soccer ball. He faced Kris, eyes turning into smiling crescents. “Although, watching you get all stressed was a little fun.”
For a moment, Kris was pissed. Had Yixing and Lu Han just been playing around with his feelings? But then again, he had probably deserved it.
“Anyway, want to come down to the field and play some soccer? The teams are uneven and we could use someone with long legs like you,” Lu Han said.
“Yeah, Kris,” Yixing added, already halfway out the door. “Let’s see if the almighty Kris Wu can play soccer as well as he plays basketball.”
Suddenly, Chen, Xiumin, and Tao were back to their original friendliness, almost as if nothing had happened and they had not just ignored Kris the day before. Kris guessed that it really was the apology that saved their friendships. Kai joined the lunch table the day after, and brought with him his two friends, the best friend pair of Chanyeol, who never seemed to stop smiling, and Baekhyun, who played on the soccer team with Lu Han.
“You know, you’re pretty tall,” Chanyeol said, looking Kris over.
“Um…yeah…hence the model thing,” Kris replied awkwardly.
“You should join the basketball team!” Chanyeol continued, eyes widening excitedly.
“Do you play?”
“I’m the starting point guard on the team,” Chanyeol replied. “We had tryouts already the week before you got here, but I can probably talk coach into having a special tryout and seeing some of your skills.”
“Kris needs to get involved in school activities,” Tao jumped in, nodded approvingly and taking a bite of his apple. “I suggested the Wushu club, but apparently, he can’t risk damage to his body or his face.”
The table erupted into laughter, and even Kris let out a good natured chuckle.
“Well, no promises,” Chanyeol laughed, clapping Kris on the back. “Basketball can get a little physical.”
Although Kris had been forgiven, he didn’t feel safe going back to his old ways around Yixing. It was as if at any moment, Yixing could still suddenly decide to start ignoring him again, and that was a fate that Kris definitely did not want.
Yixing noticed, of course, that the inappropriate winks had more or less stopped since they had made up, and he found himself missing them, against all odds. Not that he wanted Kris to wink at him like a creeper or anything. Rather, he had gotten use to the winks as part of the Kris package.
It was almost a week later, at lunch, when he saw the new boy. Although the kid was rather tall, Yixing had seen in him dance classes, and knew that Oh Sehun was only a sophomore. The boy had transferred to the school about 2 weeks after Kris, and had attracted considerably less attention due to everyone focusing on supermodel Kris. Now the original excitement of having Kris Wu attending the school had died down to a degree, Sehun was back on the chopping block.
This time, it was a group of three big, blocky seniors who had cornered the poor boy when he had gotten up to through away his lunch.
“So cute, Thehun,” one of them sneered, reaching out and giving Sehun a rough shove on the shoulder. “It’s adorable how all the girls love you because you can’t even talk right.”
“What a douchebag,” Lu Han muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder at the scene unfolding. “One of those guys is on the soccer team, and when coach gets wind of this, his ass is going to be running laps for the rest of his life.”
“Actually, it’s not so adorable,” another continued as Sehun stepped back nervously. “I think it’s kind of disgusting.”
“The girls might think it’s cute, loser, but you better watch it. I really don’t appreciate my girlfriend going on and on about the cute little sophomore with adorable little talking problem.”
By then, Sehun’s back had collided with the side of the garbage can.
Almost instinctively, Yixing stood up.
“What are you doing?” Xiumin hissed nervously. “At least wait for T-”
Yixing brushed aside his words, and stalked up to the guys, clapping loudly. The three boys turned around, and Sehun took the chance to step out around the garbage can.
“You guys are so cool, you know?” Yixing said, innocently, widening his eyes. “Making fun of a kid for a lisp. Wow, I wish I could be just like you.”
A ripple of laughter spread across the room at his obviously sarcastic remark. One of the bullies’ face turned pink, and he stepped forward, menacingly.
“Who the fuck are you?” he jeered, rounding on Yixing. “Little Thehun has friends?”
“Leave Sehun alone,” Yixing answered, not blinking an eye. So what if he was about half a foot shorter and 30 lbs lighter than any of these three guys. If he was going to get a beating, he might as well as take it like a man.
“Oh yeah?” the bullied replied, smirking. “What are you going to do about it, midget?” At the last words, his hands flew out, and he shoved Yixing hard, who stumbled back a few steps.
Then, several things happened in very quick succession. Kris sprung up from his seat, and launched himself behind Yixing, steadying him before he could fall. Then, he took two steps forward, and punched the bully who had pushed Yixing square in the face.
“If you touch any of my friends, you answer to me,” Kris said, voice scarily calm.
The three bullies were shocked for a moment, but then seemed to decide that the three of them could take down one of Kris.
“Just don’t sue when we fuck up your face, pretty boy,” one of the guys sniggered.
There was a cough from behind them.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Tao had finally arrived, lunch tray in hand, surveying the scene in front of him.
Seeing Tao, who was widely known to be a wushu champion, the three bullies quickly deflated.
“We’re - yeah we’re just about to leave,” they stuttered, actually pushing each other out of the way in an effort to get as far as possible from Tao.
Tao watched them leave with a bemused look on his face before turning to Yixing. “Ge, don’t get into fights when I’m not around, okay? I know you mean well, but you could really get hurt.”
Yixing ignored him with a huff, and sat back down in his seat.
“Sehun, why don’t you come sit with us,” Kai called, moving over to make room for the grateful underclassman who had been awkwardly watching the exchange. “Come here!”
“That was really nice of you, Kris,” Yixing muttered to the tall man who had also taken his seat at Yixing’s side. “It would have been sad, however, if they had messed up your moneymaker, so next time…maybe you just sit aside and let me take the beating.”
Kris gave him a sideways look, and scoffed. “Please, I have a 5th degree blackbelt in Taekwondo. No one going to ‘mess up my moneymaker.’ I hate people like that. I don’t understand why … it’s just … if I see them bullying Sehun again, I’m going to snap them in half.”
Yixing felt a pang of admiration for his roommate. Kris wasn’t just all hot air after all; he had a heart, a heart of gold, in fact.
“Sorry to bother you guys,” Sehun muttered, slipping into the spot Kai waved him into, with his eyes fixed on the table. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your lunch time.”
“What? No, you’re not bothering us,” Yixing replied, hurriedly.
“You’re welcome to sit here from now on,” Chen said, giving Sehun a kind smile.
“Please sit with us,” Tao agreed. “Although, as a fair warning, the youngest, which used to be me, usually has to throw away the trash.”
“No, Tao, that had nothing to do with age. We just like making you mad,” Lu Han interrupted.
Tao gave an indignant stutter, and even Sehun managed to crack a small, tense smile.
“Want some of my m&ms?” Chanyeol asked, pushing a packet at Sehun. “Here, take some.”
Seeing the others all doing their best to make Sehun feel comfortable brought a smile to Yixing’s face. It was during moment like this when he truly realized how great his friends were. Every single one of them, even Kris.
Yixing turned to the blond giant next to him, and muttered a low ‘thanks.’ Kris just nodded, enjoying the moment in silence.
Something happened that day. Something had snapped back into place in Kris and Yixing’s relationship, and the very next day, the ambiguously inappropriate winks made their reappearance.
Part two
Author: Adw1017/annie1017
Genre: romance, highschool au
Wordcount: ~15k
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Yixing tries his best to deal with the new kid in school who seems set on invading every part of his private life and sexually harassing him with inappropriate winks.
The day that Kris Wu appeared in Zhang Yixing's life, the whole school was in uproar. Students were actually lining up along the street and hanging out of the windows to get a glimpse of the new kid coming in through the school gates.
"What the hell is going on?" Yixing had asked his best friend as they were shoved aside by a gaggle of girls storming towards the door. He bounced off a locker, barely escaping the much nastier fate of diving headfirst into a garbage can.
"Apparently he's like a supermodel or something," Lu Han answered, steadying Yixing. "He's in magazines a lot, and walks catwalks in Paris and Milan and New York. I guess he's a big deal, since he's only 18."
A big deal? Yixing didn't see it.
"Oh, I think that's him!" Lu Han had paused by a window, and was pointing out at the front gates.
A sleek, black Mercedes had pulled up in front of the school, depositing three people onto the sidewalk.
The driver parked, and got out, went to the back trunk, lifting out suitcases onto the street.
Another man, dressed in a black suit, had gotten out of the passenger seat. He resembled a manager or a bodyguard, and was honestly probably a mix of the two. The man was busy shouting into the iPhone that was held up to his ear with one hand, and he reached out with his other hand to open the door to the back seat, a haggard expression on his face.
However, the door to the back seat opened before the manager could lay a hand on it, and a tall blond frame unfolded out of the car.
Yixing squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look, but could see nothing impressive about this 'big deal'. All he saw
was an expensive hairdo, a lot of eyebrows, a pair of pretentious aviator sunglasses, and crisp, designer jeans.
The new kid seemed to glance around, taking in his surroundings and the adoring fans he had already attained as he waited patiently for his manager/bodyguard to get off the phone, then followed in the other man's wake as he cleared a path through the throng of students. A minute later, the new kid had disappeared into the main administrative building.
Lu Han's voice pulled Yixing out of his reverie. "Hey, Xingxing, we're going to be late for math class if we don't get going."
Yixing tried to get going, but it didn't help. As he and Lu Han tried to make their way down two flights of stairs, the fangirls outside were trying to make their way back up.
Yixing was not amused when the teacher gave him detention for arriving 3 minutes late.
He was even less amused when he went back to his dorm room after said detention to find all of his stuff on the floor, and a tall, blond giant sitting on his bed.
"Three minutes. How does being late for three fucking minutes equal an hour of child labor?" Lu Han complained as he swept away the last of the pencil stubs and dust into a garbage can.
"This sucks balls," Yixing agreed with a sigh. He had just spent the longest hour of his life cleaning every blackboard in the hall and poor Lu Han had just swept the entire place. "And it wasn't even our fault," he added.
It was all because of the new kid and the disturbance he had caused that afternoon.
Clapping excess chalk dust off his hands, Yixing shouldered his backpack and followed Lu Han out of the building.
"Now I have to go to soccer practice," Lu Han groaned. "I bet coach is going to be pissed that I missed an hour of practice and he'll probably give me a few extra laps as well."
Yixing glanced up at the sky and pointed silently to the dark clouds rolling in.
"Fuck, my day just keeps getting better, doesn't it," Lu Han cursed. With another growl, the boy shouldered his gym bag and started off at a run for the locker rooms.
Yixing couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend's misfortune.
That chuckle died quickly, however, as he stepped through the room he shared with Lu Han to find everything - his pillows, his sheets, his blankets, his guitar - everything that had been on his bed - on the floor in the middle of the room.
"What...?"
A tall blond in tight, dark pants was sitting on his bed. Only, it didn't look much like his bed anymore. Yixing's navy blue sheets had been replaced with white ones that looked like pure Egyptian cotton and the pillow was a deep red, probably actual satin.
"What are you doing? That's my bed!"
The stranger looked up, slowly, and Yixing was met with a pair of dark, piercing eyes and a lot of eyebrows. It was the new kid.
"I'm moving in today and I like this bed," the kid said, shrugging.
"But...that's my bed," Yixing repeated.
The new kid just looked at him, and then stood up...and up...and up, until he was towering over Yixing's slim 5ft 10 frame, and took a few rather threatening steps forward.
Up close, Yixing thought, the new kid was a lot more impressive. The expensive hairdo was highlighted with lighter shades of blond, the designer clothes hung off his 6ft 2 body like a glove, and even the wild eyebrows worked somehow with the rest of the angular face.
Okay, so maybe the new kid was a 'big deal', but right now, the 'big deal' looked like he was about to pummel Yixing to a pulp.
Instinctively, Yixing took a step back. Was he about to die in his own room?
Suddenly, the giant stuck out a hand and gave Yixing an icy smile. "Hey," he said, letting out the first of many inappropriate winks. "My name is Kris. Kris Wu. I'm your new roommate."
Yixing took the hand, and shook it quickly."Zhang Yixing," he replied, still confused. "But I already have a roommate."
Assistant Principal Li was not happy about being accosted outside of his office right as he was about to go home for the day, but then, neither was the student glaring at him.
"Kyungsoo, the exchange student from Korea, doesn't leave until next week," explained Assistant Principal Li. "Until then, Mr. Wu here will room with you."
"I already have a roommate," Yixing argued.
"Another one won't hurt, and it's only for five days."
Another one won't hurt?
"But our room is a double," Yixing explained, now desperate. "There are only two beds, and he wants me to sleep on the floor!"
"You guys make it work," Assistant Principal Li replied, scooting pass Yixing.
In other words, he was not going to inconvenience the almighty famous Kris Wu.
Unbelievable.
"Why the hell can't you sleep on the floor?" Yixing asked as he glared at Kris, who was lying calmly against a pillow. "That was my bed first."
Kris turned his head slightly, but didn't look at him. "My body is a temple and I need to protect it," he muttered, seriously. "This body makes all the big bucks."
Yixing could hear Lu Han choking from the bathroom, and rushed over just in time to find his best friend coughing up toothpaste.
"Did he really just say that?" Lu Han whispered, doubled over with laughter.
Yixing shrugged, and then felt his blood boil a little when he noticed that all of his stuff in the bathroom had also been moved over to make room for a bag full of facial scrubs and bb creams.
"I guess his face is a shrine and he needs to protect that too," Lu Han sniggered under his breath.
They made their way back to the main room, and Lu Han climbed up to his upper bunk. Yixing glared at what was now his bed--the floor--and sighed.
"Well this body is going to get stiff from the hardwood floor and is going to fail dance class," Yixing groaned. "How do I protect this body?"
Lu Han peaked over the railing, and quickly took pity on his friend. "You know how much I hate having people touch my bed, Xing, but for you...just for you, you can sleep here with me until the giant moves out."
"What did you call me?" Kris asked mildly.
Lu Han ignored Kris' comment, and moved his pillow aside. "Come up, Yixing."
Yixing thought it was only his great luck that he had such an accommodating friend like Lu Han.
Not so much, after Lu Han, while dreaming about participating in the FIFA world cup for team China, kicked him in the ribs in the middle of the night.
Maybe, Yixing decided, he’d rather just gather extra blankets and sleep on the floor.
Yixing thought that the dorm room was empty when he first woke up. Lu Han's side of the bed was neatly made, and the boy had even fluffed his pillow.
Rolling his eyes at his slightly OCD best friend, Yixing leaned over the railing to look for the intruder, but found his old bed made and empty as well.
Geez...it was only 8:00 on a Saturday.
While Lu Han had morning conditioning with the soccer team (laps in the chilly morning air), what excuse did Kris have for being up at such an ungodly hour?
Carefully, Yixing climbed down the stairs, turned, and slammed into what felt like a brick wall.
Nope, only Kris' chest.
"What the hell?" Yixing groaned, rubbing his forehead. He looked up, to find the tall model studying him with a curious expression on his handsome face. Kris was dressed in a fitted white t-shirt and gray jeans, and had a towel draped across his shoulders to catch water dripping from his damp hair.
"Hey, Xingxing, has anyone ever told you that you look really cute when you're all sleepy?" Kris asked with yet another inappropriate wink.
Yixing was pretty sure that this was sexual harassment.
"Isn't it enough that you've taken over my bed? Do you have to invade my personal space too?" Yixing grumbled. "And don't call me that."
"Lu Han calls you that," Kris pointed out.
Yixing snarled and pushed past him. "And you're not Lu Han."
"Thank the lord," Kris muttered, trailing after Yixing. "I'd hate to be that short."
"Hey, I'm 'that short'," Yixing replied, a little offended. "Anyway, don't you have anything else to do that doesn't involve bothering me?"
"I got up two hours ago, took a jog around campus, did 100 sit ups and 100 push ups, and took a shower. Now, I need you to take me to breakfast."
Yixing splashed some water on his face, and glared at Kris through the mirror. "Take yourself to breakfast," he snorted. "Despite what you seem to believe, we are not friends."
Kris' eyes opened in mock surprise, and flashed an innocent supermodel smile. "But I don't know where the cafeteria is, Xingxing."
Yixing doesn't understand why the new kid insisted on sticking by him everywhere. It was kind of annoying. Kris had invited himself to eating lunch with Yixing, Lu Han, and their friends, Tao, Chen, and Xiumin. And of course, wherever Kris went, crowds of over-giggly girls followed, creeping nearby or just straight up staring.
It annoyed Yixing to bits.
"Loosen up, Yixing Ge," Tao said, looking pretty pleased at all the extra attention. "Girls are looking at us and you're complaining?"
Easy for him to say. Tao was a junior, and one of the star members of the school’s martial arts team. He had girls staring at him on a regular basis anyway, while Yixing just wanted to dance and disappear.
"You think you didn't have admirers before?" Tao asked, as if reading Yixing's mind. He scoffed, and reached over to steal some food from Yixing's tray. "I'm pretty sure the entire female body of this school died when you and Kai performed together at that showcase last semester."
"It's not the same," Yixing muttered, blushing.
"Oh so you're a dancer?" Kris asked, looking up from his healthy chicken breast and egg white lunch.
"What's it to you?" Yixing shot back.
"Nothing," Kris replied, grinning. "Now, that banging body makes sense."
The lunch table was silent and everyone processed Kris' words. Even the chattery Xiumin and Chen duo had shut up for the time being.
"See?" Yixing wailed, scooting himself further away from the giant and closer to his best friend. "This is the harassment I have to deal with on a regular basis."
Lu Han shrugged at him, an impassive look on his face as he moved yogurt carefully from the cup to his mouth. "It's kinda true," he replied through a mouthful.
The rest of the guys all chuckled.
"I thought you were on my side, Lu Han," Yixing huffed.
"Chill out, I'm just teasing ya," Kris interrupted, reaching out and actually ruffling Yixing's hair.
Yixing knew that. He knew full well that Kris was just being obnoxiously greasy and annoying.
Still, something about Kris' teasing attitude just rubbed Yixing the wrong way, and the feelings of animosity definitely started with the bed stealing. So, he did his best to avoid the tall giant, which ended up being not so easy of a task. Kris had a habit of showing up wherever Yixing was, whether it was at a vending machine getting chips or on the soccer field, kicking a ball around with Lu Han.
"Why are you everywhere?" Yixing had asked, finally getting annoyed enough to confront the giant as he was shooting hoops - alone, previously - in the gym.
Kris had just shrugged. "Despite what you believe, we really are friends," he insisted, waving a hand for the ball.
Yixing tossed it to him a little harshly, but Kris caught it with ease.
"Oh, you play basketball?" Yixing asked, raising an eyebrow and moving out, preparing himself for a game of one on one.
"Play?" Kris scoffed. "I'm 6ft 2. Of course I play."
Turns out, Kris didn't just play basketball. He owned basketball.
Being 6ft 2 was, of course, a huge advantage, and Kris easily dominated Yixing in a game of one on one.
"That wasn't a fair game," Yixing wheezed, finally dropping down to the floor in exhaustion.
"Yeah, now you say that, after I've won," Kris laughed, dropping down next to him. Kris, too, had sweated through his clothes.
"It was never fair," Yixing repeated, gulping down half a bottle of water.
He turned to look at Kris, exhausted, sweaty, make-up free, dressed in basketball shorts and a sweaty hot pink tank, and noted how different he looked from his aloof photographs in all the fashion magazines.
"You know, you're not bad looking," Yixing muttered without thinking.
Kris' angry bird eyebrows rose, and he let out a low laugh. "Was that a compliment, Xingxing?"
"Don't call me that," Yixing shot back instinctively. He coughed, and quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you ever smile like that in your photoshoots?"
Kris shrugged, and sprawled back on the floor. "Because my concept is that I'm unapproachable and unattainable, too cool to live kind of thing. The perfect feel is what they want, so the bitchface is what I give," Kris sighed, and his voice dropped. "Sad thing is, I'm none of those idealist adjectives."
Okay, Yixing thought, maybe Kris Wu, apart from the constant sexual harassment, wasn't all that bad after all. Just maybe.
Assistant Principal Li called the three roommates into his office one afternoon between classes and apologized for the inconvenience.
"It must have been hard, having three people living in a two people dorm," he said to Kris.
"It's nothing, Sir," he replied.
"I'm the one who's been sleeping on the floor," Yixing muttered.
Assistant Principal Li just glared at him, before turning a smile back to Kris.
"Well, Kyungsoo moved out this morning, and his stuff is cleared, so now, your problems are solved. Jongin is on the top bunk right now, and the bottom one is empty."
"Well, giant, that's that then," Lu Han said, gruffly, sticking out a hand for Kris to shake. "Bye."
"I don't want to move."
"What do you mean?" Yixing asked, immediately.
"I'm comfortable where I am right now," Kris answered, shrugging nonchalantly.
Lu Han’s mouth opened, and hung open for a second, stupefied by the audacity of Kris’ words.
"Last one in, first one out, right, Assistant Principal Li?" Lu Han asked, rounding on the administrator.
"It doesn't matter to me," answered Assistant Principal Li. Again, he didn’t dare inconvenience the almighty famous Kris Wu. “Besides, is something wrong with rooming with Jongin?”
“Kai? No, we’re both friends with him,” Yixing answered. “But Lu Han and I have been roommates for three years! We’ve always lived together."
Assistant Principal Li sighed, as if he was the one being kicked out of his dorm room. "Why don't you draw tabs?" he suggested. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out three sticky notes and ripped a corner off one note. Then, he crumbled them all up, and shook them around in his hand.
“Are you serious?” Yixing asked, incredulous.
“Whoever gets the torn piece moves out,” Assistant Principal Li shrugged. “Take your pick.”
It was Lu Han who drew the torn paper.
“This total bullshit,” he growled as he angrily packed his stuff for the move. “I’ve been living here for three years; why the hell should I have to move just because some pretty boy model likes your bed?”
“I know; it’s my bed,” Yixing agreed, watching his friend sadly.
“At least I’m only down the hall,” Lu Han amended.
An hour later, the upper floor to the room that Yixing had shared with his best friend for three whole years was empty. He just felt numb, as if none of this was real. But it was. It was all too real. With a sigh, Yixing started to move all of his stuff up to the top floor.
Several hours later, when Kris returned from whatever the hell he had been doing, Yixing turned his face to the wall and pretended to be asleep.
Who the hell did Kris think he was, to come in and just disrupt his life like this? Was it even fair that Lu Han had to move when Kris’ stay was supposed to be temporary? Why was it that one word from Kris could change Assistant Principal’s mind about anything?
The next morning, Yixing was out of the dorm before Kris even woke up. He went to Lu Han’s room, and together, they took a morning jog around the soccer field.
“It’s not too bad,” Lu Han said, in between measured breathes and counted paces. “Kai’s a pretty cool guy, I guess, but I still miss rooming with you. It just feels weird, you know?”
Yixing knew alright. He also knew that everything was Kris’ fault.
“Hey, Lu Han, why don’t you invite Kai to sit with us at lunch from now on?” Yixing asked, suddenly.
“Sure, I guess,” Lu Han replied, confused. “Why now?”
Yixing just shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to for a while now anyway. He’s been looking a bit lonely since Kyungsoo left and I know him pretty well from dance class so I thought he could hang with us.”
Yixing tried harder than ever to avoid his roommate. He slept in on the weekdays when Kris went out on his morning runs, and got up early for dance practice on the weekends when Kris slept in. He spent a lot of his time in Lu Han and Kai’s room, and also anywhere but in his own room.
Even at lunch, Yixing pretended that the tall giant wasn’t across the table, trying to catch his eye. He spoke only when spoken to, and even then, only in terse replies.
Kris was dead to him, as far as he was concerned. Kris, however, did not seem to get the memo.
“Xing, will you show me where the music rooms are?” Kris asked, interrupting Yixing's thoughts.
Yixing just gave him a blank look. “Don’t call me that,” he said after a long pause, and then turned away.
Kris Wu, as far as Yixing was concerned, was not relevant in the slightest. Just because he was rich and famous at such a young age did not give the right to mess with his life. Just because he got extra attention and extra privileges from everyone else doesn’t mean that Yixing was going to acknowledge his superiority. Super model Kris Wu was nothing but a spoiled brat.
Kris has had it up to his scary eyebrows with the cold shoulder. The fact that Yixing was not just avoiding him but also ignoring him was driving him slowly insane. Also, it wasn’t just Yixing. The other people at the lunch table, Xiumin, Chen, Lu Han, and Tao, have also been getting colder and colder with him.
It doesn’t help, of course, that his manager has been sending texts and calling non-stop for the past three days.
“Manager Ge, for the last time, I said no,” Kris snapped, not bothering to even say hello as he picked up the third call of the day.
“But-”
“I will block your number and never talk to you again,” Kris threatened.
“You can’t do that,” Manager Wei replied, matter of factly. “As your manager and agent, not talking to me would be a very bad career choice.”
Kris scoffed, but quieted.
“Anyway, I’m not calling to talk about the Happy Camp opportunity, which is always still open as a wonderful career choice, by the way. But no, I’m calling about an endorsement. ShanCha Jelly Drink. How about it?”
“I don’t drink those,” Kris muttered, getting up to pace the room. Yixing had disappeared again, probably to Lu Han and Kai’s room, and Kris was just in a bad mood.
“What does that matter? Just film the commercial, Kris.”
“Those drinks are tasty, but they’re full of sugar and additives. I refuse to endorse a product that I don’t use.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Manager Wei snapped.
At that, Kris just rolled his eyes. Manager Wei had a fiscal brain, not a moral one. He just didn’t get it. It wasn’t about being able to look handsome while posing with some ridiculous jelly drinks; it was about being true to oneself.
“I’m not going to be a fake,” Kris said decisively. “Look, I worked nonstop for the past eighteen months and made more than enough money for me to take a break from the business. Stop calling me.”
“How long, Kris?” Manager Wei asked, warily. “How long is this break we’re talking about?”
Forever, maybe.
“At least until I graduate high school, so a year at minimum.”
There was a beat of silence, and a long sigh from Manager Wei. “When I agreed to let you attend school, it was with the impression that you will continue modeling,” he said, voice carefully controlled.
“Well you thought wrong. If I’m going to be a student, then I’m going to do it the right way,” Kris countered. He took a seat on the edge of his bed, and then flopped onto his back.
“As your manager and agent, I believe that-”
At that, the door to the room opened, and Kris looked up to see Yixing slipping through the doors.
“Look, I have to go,” Kris interrupted, cutting off Manager Wei mid-sentence. “We’ll talk later, okay? Actually, no. Don’t call me if it’s about that again. But otherwise, let’s meet up for lunch some time.”
Ignoring Manager Wei’s protests, Kris pressed the red end button on his phone, and sat up to watch Yixing.
The smaller boy had silently gone up to his upper loft, and a moment later, appeared with a light rain jacket tucked under his arm.
“Ah, is it raining?” Kris asked, trying to start a conversation.
Yixing just gave a noncommittal shake of his head, and sat down on the last step to put on socks and tennis shoes.
Kris bit his lip, and tried again, “Look, Yixing, I’ve been meaning to ask-”
The door swung open yet again, and this time, Lu Han stepped into the room. “Ready to go, Xing?” he asked.
“One moment,” Yixing replied, starting on his shoe laces.
Completely ignoring the presence of Kris in the room, Lu Han took a seat in Yixing’s chair, and casually tossed his soccer ball leisurely into the air.
“Hey, HEY!”
This was the first time that Kris had ever raised him voice with the other two. Lu Han froze mid catch, and his soccer ball hit the floor and rolled under the desk. Yixing had looked as well, shock registering in his pristine.
“Look, I’m sorry for being such a brat, okay? I’ll move out if you want. Just please stop ostracizing me.” Kris was never one for apologies, and he expected to be embarrassed at having to make this one. However, he meant every word that came out of his mouth, and felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he let them out.
Lu Han turned to Yixing, and the two exchanged noncommittal looks. Kris felt his mouth go dry, as Yixing turned away again. Were they never going to forgive him?
Suddenly, Lu Han stood up, and flashed him trademark smile at Kris. “It’s fine, giant,” he said, gruffly, reaching out with a hand for Kris to shake. “You don’t have to move out. I’ve already settled in with Kai.”
Shocked, Kris reached out and took Lu Han’s hand, the first sign of friendliness the blond had shown him since his entrance into the school.
“We forgave you ages ago; all we wanted was to hear an apology.” Yixing had gotten up also, ducking under the desk to retrieve the soccer ball. He faced Kris, eyes turning into smiling crescents. “Although, watching you get all stressed was a little fun.”
For a moment, Kris was pissed. Had Yixing and Lu Han just been playing around with his feelings? But then again, he had probably deserved it.
“Anyway, want to come down to the field and play some soccer? The teams are uneven and we could use someone with long legs like you,” Lu Han said.
“Yeah, Kris,” Yixing added, already halfway out the door. “Let’s see if the almighty Kris Wu can play soccer as well as he plays basketball.”
Suddenly, Chen, Xiumin, and Tao were back to their original friendliness, almost as if nothing had happened and they had not just ignored Kris the day before. Kris guessed that it really was the apology that saved their friendships. Kai joined the lunch table the day after, and brought with him his two friends, the best friend pair of Chanyeol, who never seemed to stop smiling, and Baekhyun, who played on the soccer team with Lu Han.
“You know, you’re pretty tall,” Chanyeol said, looking Kris over.
“Um…yeah…hence the model thing,” Kris replied awkwardly.
“You should join the basketball team!” Chanyeol continued, eyes widening excitedly.
“Do you play?”
“I’m the starting point guard on the team,” Chanyeol replied. “We had tryouts already the week before you got here, but I can probably talk coach into having a special tryout and seeing some of your skills.”
“Kris needs to get involved in school activities,” Tao jumped in, nodded approvingly and taking a bite of his apple. “I suggested the Wushu club, but apparently, he can’t risk damage to his body or his face.”
The table erupted into laughter, and even Kris let out a good natured chuckle.
“Well, no promises,” Chanyeol laughed, clapping Kris on the back. “Basketball can get a little physical.”
Although Kris had been forgiven, he didn’t feel safe going back to his old ways around Yixing. It was as if at any moment, Yixing could still suddenly decide to start ignoring him again, and that was a fate that Kris definitely did not want.
Yixing noticed, of course, that the inappropriate winks had more or less stopped since they had made up, and he found himself missing them, against all odds. Not that he wanted Kris to wink at him like a creeper or anything. Rather, he had gotten use to the winks as part of the Kris package.
It was almost a week later, at lunch, when he saw the new boy. Although the kid was rather tall, Yixing had seen in him dance classes, and knew that Oh Sehun was only a sophomore. The boy had transferred to the school about 2 weeks after Kris, and had attracted considerably less attention due to everyone focusing on supermodel Kris. Now the original excitement of having Kris Wu attending the school had died down to a degree, Sehun was back on the chopping block.
This time, it was a group of three big, blocky seniors who had cornered the poor boy when he had gotten up to through away his lunch.
“So cute, Thehun,” one of them sneered, reaching out and giving Sehun a rough shove on the shoulder. “It’s adorable how all the girls love you because you can’t even talk right.”
“What a douchebag,” Lu Han muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder at the scene unfolding. “One of those guys is on the soccer team, and when coach gets wind of this, his ass is going to be running laps for the rest of his life.”
“Actually, it’s not so adorable,” another continued as Sehun stepped back nervously. “I think it’s kind of disgusting.”
“The girls might think it’s cute, loser, but you better watch it. I really don’t appreciate my girlfriend going on and on about the cute little sophomore with adorable little talking problem.”
By then, Sehun’s back had collided with the side of the garbage can.
Almost instinctively, Yixing stood up.
“What are you doing?” Xiumin hissed nervously. “At least wait for T-”
Yixing brushed aside his words, and stalked up to the guys, clapping loudly. The three boys turned around, and Sehun took the chance to step out around the garbage can.
“You guys are so cool, you know?” Yixing said, innocently, widening his eyes. “Making fun of a kid for a lisp. Wow, I wish I could be just like you.”
A ripple of laughter spread across the room at his obviously sarcastic remark. One of the bullies’ face turned pink, and he stepped forward, menacingly.
“Who the fuck are you?” he jeered, rounding on Yixing. “Little Thehun has friends?”
“Leave Sehun alone,” Yixing answered, not blinking an eye. So what if he was about half a foot shorter and 30 lbs lighter than any of these three guys. If he was going to get a beating, he might as well as take it like a man.
“Oh yeah?” the bullied replied, smirking. “What are you going to do about it, midget?” At the last words, his hands flew out, and he shoved Yixing hard, who stumbled back a few steps.
Then, several things happened in very quick succession. Kris sprung up from his seat, and launched himself behind Yixing, steadying him before he could fall. Then, he took two steps forward, and punched the bully who had pushed Yixing square in the face.
“If you touch any of my friends, you answer to me,” Kris said, voice scarily calm.
The three bullies were shocked for a moment, but then seemed to decide that the three of them could take down one of Kris.
“Just don’t sue when we fuck up your face, pretty boy,” one of the guys sniggered.
There was a cough from behind them.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Tao had finally arrived, lunch tray in hand, surveying the scene in front of him.
Seeing Tao, who was widely known to be a wushu champion, the three bullies quickly deflated.
“We’re - yeah we’re just about to leave,” they stuttered, actually pushing each other out of the way in an effort to get as far as possible from Tao.
Tao watched them leave with a bemused look on his face before turning to Yixing. “Ge, don’t get into fights when I’m not around, okay? I know you mean well, but you could really get hurt.”
Yixing ignored him with a huff, and sat back down in his seat.
“Sehun, why don’t you come sit with us,” Kai called, moving over to make room for the grateful underclassman who had been awkwardly watching the exchange. “Come here!”
“That was really nice of you, Kris,” Yixing muttered to the tall man who had also taken his seat at Yixing’s side. “It would have been sad, however, if they had messed up your moneymaker, so next time…maybe you just sit aside and let me take the beating.”
Kris gave him a sideways look, and scoffed. “Please, I have a 5th degree blackbelt in Taekwondo. No one going to ‘mess up my moneymaker.’ I hate people like that. I don’t understand why … it’s just … if I see them bullying Sehun again, I’m going to snap them in half.”
Yixing felt a pang of admiration for his roommate. Kris wasn’t just all hot air after all; he had a heart, a heart of gold, in fact.
“Sorry to bother you guys,” Sehun muttered, slipping into the spot Kai waved him into, with his eyes fixed on the table. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your lunch time.”
“What? No, you’re not bothering us,” Yixing replied, hurriedly.
“You’re welcome to sit here from now on,” Chen said, giving Sehun a kind smile.
“Please sit with us,” Tao agreed. “Although, as a fair warning, the youngest, which used to be me, usually has to throw away the trash.”
“No, Tao, that had nothing to do with age. We just like making you mad,” Lu Han interrupted.
Tao gave an indignant stutter, and even Sehun managed to crack a small, tense smile.
“Want some of my m&ms?” Chanyeol asked, pushing a packet at Sehun. “Here, take some.”
Seeing the others all doing their best to make Sehun feel comfortable brought a smile to Yixing’s face. It was during moment like this when he truly realized how great his friends were. Every single one of them, even Kris.
Yixing turned to the blond giant next to him, and muttered a low ‘thanks.’ Kris just nodded, enjoying the moment in silence.
Something happened that day. Something had snapped back into place in Kris and Yixing’s relationship, and the very next day, the ambiguously inappropriate winks made their reappearance.
Part two