Chapter Text
"Hyung! Hyung!" Seungkwan yanks one ear bud out of Wonwoo's ear. "Join the cheer team with me!"
"Why would I want to do that?" Wonwoo grumbles. He tries to put the ear bud back in his ear but Seungkwan just takes his phone away from him, earbuds and everything.
"You said that you wanted to join a club and I found one we both can join!" Seungkwan says enthusiastically.
"I was talking about the chess club or something, not the cheer team." Wonwoo says sternly, trying to reach for his phone but Seungkwan is not giving it back anytime soon.
"Please!" He whines likes a small child. "I'll buy you lunch for a month. Like everyday for a month. I promise."
He keeps jumping up and down like an excited puppy. Wonwoo considers his options. He could refuse to tryout for the cheer team, experience weeks of Seungkwan's nonstop whining about how terrible of a friend he is. Or, he could tryout and get free food for a month. It's not like he'll actually make it on the team anyway. Seungkwan might, he's all preppy and loves being loud. Wonwoo is the complete opposite though. He likes wearing black, he's an introvert, and he loves rock music. But he loves the idea of free food more.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Seungkwan screeches so loud that everyone in the hall startles and stares at them. Wonwoo doesn't even flinch. He may be a little shy but he could care less what people think about him and his friend who's always screaming at nothing.
"Tryouts start next Wednesday, which means that we have a week to prepare. So that means you have to come to my house everyday after school so that we can practice for at least an hour!" Seungkwan waves the flyer in front of Wonwoo's face. "Meet at my house at 5!"
With that, Seungkwan skips away merrily, leaving Wonwoo to wonder what the hell he got himself into.
*****
Wonwoo is in his third year of college, but he's friends with a freshman. He doesn't really care because, to be honest, he hasn't made new friends since high school. He doesn't even know how Seungkwan and him even became friends. Seungkwan literally just came up and asked to be friends and it just happened. It's nice because Seungkwan does all the talking, and Wonwoo just nods along when needed.
"I can't believe we just learned the whole choreography to Cheer Up." Wonwoo groans as he lies on the floor of Seungkwan's living room, having finished their first one hour practice. The choreography wasn't too hard to learn. They both got most of the moves down already.
"I didn't pick it. The captain of the cheer team picked it for us. But I like the song, it's catchy. And cute. Like me." Seungkwan flutters his eyelashes like he's the most prettiest thing on the planet.
"But it's just so... generic." Wonwoo scrunches his nose.
"That's because you're a hipster and you hate every remotely popular song there is."
Wonwoo ignores that comment, and proceeds to ask for what he is determined to get. "Buy me food."
"Ugh... would it kill you to say please?" Seungkwan mutters. "You driving?"
Wonwoo nods, grabs his keys, and they're off.
*****
"I can't believe you chose this place out of all the expensive places that we could have gone."
He's right, they're at some hole-in-the-wall ramen place but it's honestly Wonwoo's favorite restaurant. The waiters are nice, the food is great, and it's cozy.
He also doesn't want Seungkwan to pay for an expensive lunch (dinner?) for both of them every single day for a month. He wants Seungkwan to have enough money for an expensive dinner at least ONCE each week for a month.
The boys order, the food arrives, and they eat peacefully and quietly. That is, until Seungkwan sounds like he's choking and he punches Wonwoo right on his arm.
"What the fu---"
"HYUNG SHHHH THEY'RE HERE." Seungkwan quietly hisses.
"Who are you taking about?" Wonwoo glances around to see three guys standing by the door, waiting to be seated by a waitress.
"THE HOTTEST GUYS IN SCHOOL. OMO VERNON CUT HIS HAIR. HE'S SO CUTE. OH MY GOD THEY'RE COMING OVER HERE. HYUNG ACT NATURAL." Seungkwan whisper-shouts, siting up straighter and fixing his hair.
"What do you mean---" before Wonwoo even realizes what is going on, he's being pushed all the way to the wall, 2 boys sliding into the space next to him.
"Can we sit here? Thanks." One of the boys asks Seungkwan with a smirk on his face, as if he already knows the answer to the question.
"Of course Vernon." Seungkwan bats his eyelashes and scoots so that Vernon can sit down next to him.
"Um..." Wonwoo should probably say something like "no you guys can't sit here because I hate new people and I just want to eat in peace," but Seungkwan and Vernon are looking at each other like they're both seeing the sun for the first time, and although it makes Wonwoo want to puke, he still wants Seungkwan to be happy. And Vernon seems to make him happy. So he grumbles to himself as he shoves his face with more of his ramen.
"Are you joining the cheer team Seungkwan?" Vernon asks.
"Yeah, Wonwoo is joining too."
Vernon finally breaks eye contact with Seungkwan, finally remembering that there are in fact other people seated at this table.
"Oh. You most be Wonwoo, Seungkwan talks about you all the time. I'm Vernon."
"Hey," Wonwoo waves awkwardly, his smile probably looks more like a grimace than anything but Vernon just smiles back friendly.
"These are my friends Seokmin and Mingyu."
Wonwoo smiles in their direction quickly, averting his eyes as the two boys next to him bow at him politely.
"God, why am I so awkward?" He thinks to himself.
After the other boys have ordered, Vernon and Seungkwan get lost in their own conversation, as well as Seokmin and Mingyu. Wonwoo doesn't mind not talking, it's actually what he prefers.
"So... you're joining the cheer team too?" Wonwoo jumps, not expecting Mingyu to actually start talking to him.
"Yeah I am."
He can feel Mingyu staring at him, probably expecting him to look at him back, but Wonwoo can't, or else he'll start stuttering. He's not good at meeting new people.
"That's cool. Vernon, Seokmin, and I are on the football team. So if you end up making it on the team, you'll probably end up hanging out with us."
Wonwoo stops chewing his food and stares at Mingyu. "What?"
Wonwoo laughs, "yeah, the boy cheer leaders usually have to change with us. Since the cheer leaders and football players both practice at the football field, we'll probably see a lot of each other at practice and football games of course."
Wonwoo should have expected that. He hates football players so much. They're obnoxious and always smell like beer.
"Great...So I'm gonna have to mingle with you guys." Wonwoo's voice is laced with venom, a defense mechanism that he uses when he wants to scare people away, but Mingyu only smiles.
"I'm afraid so." There is no trace of bitterness in Minygyu's voice, which makes Wonwoo feel bad for being rude.
He never feels bad for something like that. But, he doesn't apologize, turning back to his food instead.
If Mingyu knows that Wonwoo doesn't want to talk to him, he doesn't seem to care, because he continues talking to Wonwoo anyway.
"I've seen you around school, it's seems like you'd make a good cheer leader." Wonwoo goes against his better judgment and scans Mingyu's face to see if he's teasing him, but his expression seems normal.
"Why is that?"
"You seem flexible."
Wonwoo nearly chokes on his ramen.
Why did Mingyu's voice get 3 octaves lower?
Did he bite his lip?
Was Mingyu flirting with him?
His face is turning red, either from choking or blushing, and Seungkwan quickly thrusts his cup of water in his hand.
Wonwoo gladly takes a sip, trying to ignore the way Mingyu is chuckling deeply next to him.
"Well, I guess we should go." Vernon gets up and stretches. "We have morning practice tomorrow."
Vernon reaches in his pocket and pulls out his wallet. "This should be enough for all our meals, and a tip."
"Thank you Vernon." Seungkwan bats his eyelashes at the other boy, making said boy blush.
"It was nice meeting you Wonwoo, good luck!" Mingyu winks at him discretely. "See you later Seungkwanie."
With that, the boys finally go, not before Mingyu bows at them slightly.
"Isn't Vernon just dreamy?" Seungkwan says while staring off in the distance.
"Why didn't you tell me that you liked Vernon?" Wonwoo asks, a little hurt that Seungkwan has been keeping this secret from him.
That question seems to snap him out of his trance. "I don't like him."
"Then why were you giggling at all his stupid jokes?"
"Cause... he's funny?" Seungkwan says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Wonwoo would beg to differ, he caught at least a couple of dad jokes in their conversation.
"You know he likes you right?"
"He does?" Seungkwan actually sounds surprised.
Wonwoo realizes that his friend can't be any more clueless.
"Everyone says that, but I just don't see it. We're just really good friends."
"He literally paid for all of the food we just ordered."
"And???"
Wonwoo shakes his head in disbelief. "You're helpless."
"Let's talk about you and Mingyu shall we?" The sudden shift in subject makes Wonwoo nervous. They make their way out of the restaurant and to Wonwoo's car.
"Don't think that I didn't see you blush because I did. Mingyu's pretty cute, you should talk to him."
"No, absolutely not, he's a football player; therefore, he's a giant douche."
"He's not though, you're just cynical and think the worst of people."
Wonwoo can't deny that. "I'm just being realistic. Me and him probably won't get along."
"You don't know that, he's actually really cool and he's nice to talk to."
"He might be, but there's no way he'd be interested in someone like me..."
"God, you know how much I hate it when you say stuff like that." Seungkwan sounds really upset, but Wonwoo isn't surprised, he can never get away with talking bad about himself when he's around.
The conversation drops until Wonwoo is just a couple blocks away from Seungkwan's house.
"I hope we'll make it on the team." Seungkwan's voice is filled with worry. "It's something I've wanted since high school."
"Why didn't you try out in high school?"
"I did but I didn't make it."
That does something weird to Wonwoo's ice cold heart.
"Thanks hyung!" Seungkwan jumps out of his car once they've pulled up to his house. "I'll see you tomorrow, my house, at 5."
Wonwoo grunts in response, waiting until Seungkwan gets into his house safely before driving back home.
Seungkwan has always put up with his negative outlook on life, even though most people aren't able to.
Seungkwan has been there to sit with Wonwoo in between his classes so that he wouldn't be lonely.
Seungkwan never lets him talk bad about himself, he always listens the few times Wonwoo has had something heavy weighing on his mind.
Seungkwan has done so many good things for Wonwoo, but what has Wonwoo done for him?
The least he could do is join the cheer team, Seungkwan begged him anyway.
It may be a dumb way to pay back a friend for all that they have done, but Wonwoo knows how much this means to Seungkwan.
He also hopes that they'll make it on the cheer team. What's the worst that can happen anyway? Maybe Wonwoo will come out of his shell and finally make some friends.
*****
A week later, after days of practice, their hopes are answered.