“What club are you going to sign up for?” Sehun asks.

Junhong looks up from where he’s working on Philosophy homework and stares. Sehun can’t really say that he blames them. They’ve been roommates for a week now and they’ve barely said two words to each other. He’s not sure if it’s because they’re both a little shy or a little antisocial or if they both just at making small talk – he knows that’s the case with him – but they don’t really talk much.

Eventually Junhong clears his throat and says, “I wasn’t planning on joining a club. I don’t really do the club thing.”

Sehun nods, thinking that they will drop the conversation there.

But Junhong surprises him by continuing. “What are you going to sign up for?”

Sehun debates not answering but in the end gives in. “The dance club.” Then he pauses. “Isn’t it a requirement to join an extracurricular activity during first year?”

Junhong shrugs. “That’s what they say, but I managed to get into this school without a single extracurricular, so I’m hoping they won’t say anything.”

Sehun frowns. “How did you manage that? To get accepted without any extracurriculars? Are your grades really good or something?”

“Hell no,” Junhong answers with a little laugh. “I’ve done more studying in the last week than I’ve done my entire life. Hell if I know why I’m here. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“You should come to the dance club with me,” Sehun says. He’s not exactly sure why he says it, but the offer is out there. Part of him hopes that Junhong will decline, but another part of him hopes he’ll agree. Junhong is the closest thing to a friend he has, he supposes.

Junhong seems surprised by his own answer. “Sure. I guess it can’t hurt to check it out.”

So, after dinner Monday night, the two of them change into training clothes and head to the gymnasium located behind the castle, in what Sehun thinks is called the Basilica. They find the dance studio underground, in the gym’s basement. There are about forty other students there, waiting anxiously for the tryouts to begin.

Sehun feels right at home in the dance studio. He loves the marley and the floor-to-ceiling mirrors and the bars bolted to the walls. He loves the bright lights and the smell of chalk and sweat.

He’d grown up with a secret love of dancing. He’s never taken any classes or lessons, but he’s watched YouTube videos and reruns of So You Think You Can Dance and downloaded copies of famous dance performances. He has a deep love and appreciation for the art. He’d always been too nervous to try it out for himself before but now, now that he is at a new school where there are obviously lots of people who share the same love, he feels a bit more confident.

A tall, dark-haired boy with glasses claps his hands at the front of the room. “Alright, listen up,” he says, and everyone immediately shushes to better hear what he’s saying. “My name is Shin Dongwoo, and I’m the captain of Peritia Academy’s dance team. This,” he gestures to the petite boy with the honey-colored hair standing beside him, “Is my co-captain, Luhan.”

Sehun stands on his tiptoes to see over those gathered before him, eyes honing in automatically on the one called Luhan. Though he’s of a fairly average height, he’s thin and waifish, slender and elegant. He would almost be feminine if it weren’t for the clearly defined muscles on display in his loose-fitting tank top. His facial features are delicate, with soft lips quirked up into a smile and deep eyes.

Sehun in a breath. This guy is ing gorgeous.

“I know that these are tryouts, but don’t stress yourselves out,” Dongwoo continues. “Dance club is about having fun. I’m going to call roll just to make sure I’ve got a face to go with the names. Then Luhan and I will teach you a short combination.” He clears his throat and begins calling roll.

When he gets to the O’s, he calls Sehun’s name. “Oh Sehun?”

“Here,” Sehun says, and he tries to deny the warmth that spreads across his cheeks when the pretty third year called Luhan looks his way.

When Dongwoo finishes his list, he calls for those whose names weren’t called to raise their hands. Junhong, along with a few other last minute applicants who hadn’t had a chance to sign up, raise their hands and Dongwoo dutifully writes them by hand into his list. Then they start learning the choreography.

Though the dance studio is big, it’s not quite big enough for all of the assembled students to really have enough space, but they make do as well as they can. Dongwoo and Luhan teach them a brief combination that involves a lot of popping and ing and twirling in the too small space, and then they’re given some time to work on the choreography on their own while Dongwoo and Luhan move amongst the hopefuls, giving helpful advice.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Junhong whispers, trying to make his gangly limbs move appropriately.

Sehun wrinkles his nose. “I haven’t a clue,” he admits. “I’m just sort of flailing my arms around.”

Junhong laughs but then proceeds to fall on his face, earning him a glare from the boy in front of him.

Sehun focuses on the moves. Though he’s never been trained, he feels that he has a decent grasp of the choreography. Step, step, look. Body roll. Shoulder pop, look. He thinks it’s getting it down pretty well.

“Pretty good,” a voice says, and Sehun is shocked to find Luhan beside him, watching him with hawk eyes that seem to see everything. “Just, on that last look, make it a little bit sharper. It’s a focal point, you know? So it has to be on point. Like bam.” He nods at Sehun. “Try it again.”

Sehun swallows the lump in his throat. It’s one thing to work on the moves on his own lost in a sea of other struggling students, but it’s something else entirely to show those same moves to this honey-haired hottie. He squeezes his eyes shut and performs the combination, making sure to incorporate Luhan’s advice regarding the look at the end of the choreography.

“Good,” Luhan says, sounding pleased. “Just keep your eyes open. You don’t want to trip over anybody. Where did you train?”

“Uh, I didn’t?” Sehun says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Luhan eyes him up and down, arms still crossed over his loose-fitting tank top. “You haven’t had any training before?”

Sehun shakes his head. “I, uh, I watch a lot of videos?”

Luhan laughs delightedly and then gives Sehun’s shoulder a squeeze. “Well keep it up. You’re doing great.” And he disappears into the crowd to help another student.

Sehun’s hand wanders up to rest on the spot that Luhan had touched.

After a while, Dongwoo claps his hand to regain everyone’s attention and they perform the combination in groups of five while the others watch. Sehun and Junhong manage to get into the same group, but it’s still incredibly nerve-wracking having the eyes of thirty-five other students on him. Sehun isn’t used to being in the spotlight.

It’s getting late by the time the tryouts are over, and Sehun is biting back a yawn as they gather their belongings.

“We’ll be posting the results on the bulletin board in the lobby tomorrow morning,” Dongwoo calls as they head out. “We can only take twenty-five, so don’t be too disappointed if your name isn’t on there.”

“Do you think we’ll make it?” Sehun asks as they traipse through the chilly evening back to the main part of the castle.

“You probably will,” Junhong replies. “They seemed to really like you. I don’t know about me though. I think I was more of a mess than anything.”

“I think you did well,” Sehun says, and it’s true, too. While Junhong had struggled in the beginning with his inordinately long arms and legs, he had picked up on the moves after a while and he’d done quite well by the time they performed it at the end of the audition.

Junhong smiles wryly. “Thanks. I guess we’ll just see when they post the list tomorrow morning.”

Sehun doesn’t wait for Junhong in the morning. Junhong has a difficult time getting out of bed and Sehun is hungry, so he heads down to the Great Hall on his own. He sees that several notices have been pinned to the bulletin board in the entrance hall overnight, so he goes to see the dance club list, heart pounding.

There is already a cluster of students searching for their names on various lists, so he waits patiently until there is a spot for him to squeeze into. The dance club list is posted high on the bulletin board, so he can see over the heads of the shorter students in front of him.

The first thing he notices is Junhong’s name.

The second thing he notices is his own name, down among the O’s.

The third thing he notices is a smiley face drawn beside his name.

Now what on earth does that mean? 

Lu Han: EXO