"...I think it went quite well! Everyone was veeery professional and I did basically nothing!"
"Really? That's nice to hear!" Chanyeol exclaimed with that wide smile of his that caused all of his thoughts to stare and crash into each other to temporarily short-circuit his brain - at least that's what it felt like.
And Chanyeol smiled a LOT.
It was rather self-explanatory that a smile brought on by Kyungsoo himself was even more precious. Which is why Kyungsoo pulled out a small paper bag and put it on the table.
"By the way... I brought the present for your sister. That is, if you want it." he hastily added.
Chanyeol eyed the bag with curious, big eyes and for a second they flitted away to meet his' once more, as if to ask for permission before reaching for it with poorly concealed eagerness.
Kyungsoo pretended to be overly distracted by his tasty but otherwise completely uninteresting frozen cookie drink and twirled the straw around, ruining the perfect whipped cream on top.
"Wah, it's so pretty! Is it a scarf?"
"Uhm... Kind of?" Kyungsoo vaguely repeated while he watched the rather calloused fingertips gently sliding over the fabric in admiration. He loved his hands. Now that sounded wrong, even to Kyungsoo himself and he lightly shook his head.
Meanwhile Chanyeol was clearly confused by the silver metal ring which was about the width of his thumb(Kyungsoo's thumb, that is; clearly Chanyeol's fingers were bigger and he should really stop thinking about it) and had four long strips of pastel-colored flowing chiffon fabric attached by tiny snap hooks. The almost translucent fabric was hand-dyed in various soft colors and adorned by tiny glass beads, transparent sequins and subtle flower patterns.
"It's actually one of my accessories from last semester. I was going for women's wear inspired by seasons and this is an accessory for the spring-themed outfit. You can wear it as a necklace and braid the strips around the metal ring. But since they're removable you can basically do anything with them - so yeah, if you want to, it can be a scarf."
"So you MADE this? Like, including the beads and all?"
"Yeah, including the damn flower pattern. I even tried to bleach this by hand since the beige fabric was so cheap. Totally stupid in retrospective since pure silk can't be bleached by anything I would ever get my hands on." Kyungsoo said monotonously, almost glaring at the object in question as if it had been the accessory's idea to try bleaching it.
The look Chanyeol shot him was one of pure awe. Which turned into evident disbelief.
"Wait, you can't just give me this! It's like. Handmade designer-jewelry."
Kyungsoo almost snorted.
"Oh pleeease. It's just an experimental piece done by a student. It's just lying around and the matching outfit ripped ages ago. I know I won't patch it up anymore. You're basically doing me a favor by taking this remnant outta my sight." he lied. Well, the first bit was true. He'd never in his life touch this old nightmare he had tried to bury in the depths of his closet ever again but the accessory he'd actually always been kinda fond of. Well, he was positive that Chanyeol's sister who was obviously to humble to ask for useless things like jewelry would appreciate the change of scenery.
"Really? I mean. Seriously? I don't know, I feel bad... Like I'm leeching off of you or something-"
"Nonsense. Take it. Please. If your sister likes it, it at least serves a purpose." he firmly intervened with his hands raised in dismissal.
He could still see the awe in his warm eyes but also the conflict written all over his scrunched eyebrows.
"I just...", he began with a hand distractedly rubbing his neck, "I feel like you help me out a lot while not getting anything in return. It's kinda lame. I'M kinda lame..." he mumbled, refusing to meet his eye.
"What? You wouldn't even know how to spell lame!" Kyungsoo burst out with his hands thrown up in exasperation before he could help it.
Still, the hesitation didn't leave his face and Kyungsoo almost pouted. He wanted him to be happy, after all.
"Look. I don't need anything in return. We're friends, right?" he hopefully tried. It had an almost opposite effect and instead of smiling, he got the most miserable look he had ever seen on Chanyeol.
Oh . Why? .
His thoughts were running wild, desperately thinking of a way to turn away from what seemed to be a sensitive topic to him.
"A-alright, then repay me. Please." he bluntly said before his brain could actually follow and Chanyeol blinked in surprise.
"That is, not in money. I don't need money for it." he quickly specified.
"Then what would you like?" he asked and instead of angry he looked interested.
"Uhm..."
Yeah no, he hadn't thought this through.
"No idea. You think of something." he simply shrugged in a mock-challenging tone.
Instead of turning it into a joke, Chanyeol got oddly serious and nodded in determination.
"I will."
This change of atmosphere made him nervous and he tried to laugh it off even though his fingers were slightly shaky and his face suspiciously warm.
"Don't treat it like a life or death mission! Take your time, I can wait. Like, really, no need to hurry."
Finally his features softened a bit and the smile was back. That magical smile.
"Alright. Be prepared." he announced with a chuckle and Kyungsoo turned his attention back to his drink before he could do something silly.
Unfortunately he had already turned his beautiful piece-of-art-drink into a gooey mass with all the absent twirls of his straw.
Quite similar to the insides of his head he had to admit.
In moments like these he always realized how little he knew of Park Chanyeol.
One moment(no, most moments, actually) everything seemed to be fine and then all of a sudden he'd get the feeling that it wasn't anymore. The nuances were fine and for some reason he found it very hard to predict him.
And as quickly as the emotions flashed over his face they were gone again, replaced by the open and approachable Chanyeol who kept admiring the colored silk across him.

"Aaaaaaaaah I'm so DONE with this ! this!"

Kyungsoo didn't even flinch at Luhan's outburst and kept stitching on his Asian-inspired garment. It wasn't that uncommon - most people had to vent their frustration once in a while and Luhan was no exception.
"What even possessed me into studying this ?! Why didn't I just study some business whatever-bull?!" he groaned in frustration, ruffling his hair into an almost comical mess.
"Maybe because you just labeled it bull?" Kyungsoo absently gave back, re-adjusting the seam in his already numb fingers. Stupid sturdy fabric.
"Yeah... But maybe I wouldn't be such a ed up mess now if I'd picked whatever. I'd still be able to eat baozis everyday, too..." he trailed off tiredly and Kyungsoo finally looked up at the change in his voice and put his fabric aside.
It was Saturday, the day after his shooting and Kyungsoo and Luhan were the only ones occupying the school. Kyungsoo had arrived at about 10 in the morning, so presumably five hours ago.
Now he looked across the room at a depressed Luhan who was a picture of personified misery. His usual classy clothes had been replaced by a worn-out hoodie with mismatching but probably comfortable pants stopping below his knee. The strawberry-blonde hair looked still soft but was a hot mess nonetheless while his cheeks were flushed and his eyes slightly glassy and puffy.
"Oh god, Luhan. Say, since when have you been here?"
He got an annoyed look in response which would have been far more threatening if his eyes weren't that red.
"I don't know, since yesterday 8 AM? When school started? You do the math, I'm don't even wanna know anymore-" he mumbled, burying his head in his arms.
Kyungsoo knew he was treading on very, VERY thin ice and tried to keep his voice casual.
"You slept last night? Like, at all?"
"Half an hour around 2 AM." the blonde murmured back, not even trying to lift his head.
"Geez, you need to take a break man. You're gonna collapse."
"'mnot."
"You so are."
Luhan's head shot up and he almost hissed at him.
"Everyone keeps saying this but I CAN'T, don't you get it? I won't finish it at this rate!"
With an annoyed huff he sank back into his arms and Kyungsoo's voice softened a little, altering the direction slightly.
"Your deadline is far later than mine, right? How about I'll help you if mine is out of the way?"
Luhan hummed noncommittally but turned his head to look over at him. Even from here he could see his shoulders shaking a little from being cold. Not that it was actually cold but a lack of sleep did that to you.
"Really, I mean it.", he reassured him, "I'll be your full time assistant, I'll pull the all-nighters with you together. I can do menial tasks or computer work. In fact I'm also sure you can count in Chen for the video or whatever - nowadays you can just bribe him with a few Chinese lessons. You will finish it. You've come this far and the last few weeks are not gonna get the better of you."
Luhan inhaled deeply and tried to get a hold of himself.
"Okay. Thanks. Really."
"No big deal, I'm gonna have too much free time anyway." he said, shrugging it off and Luhan finally cracked an actual tired smile.

Kyungsoo had always looked up to Luhan.
Every semester he was struggling to get his work done while the seniors like Luhan had double the amount to deal with. Even so he was a cheerful lad who would always keep going no matter how sleep-deprived or stressed. For him to be whiny, snappy or annoyed was a rare occurrence. On top of that he seemed to be very homesick and Kyungsoo couldn't bear seeing him like that.
Then again he couldn't recall the last time he hadn't seen Luhan at school and while he wouldn't usually give this type of advise he felt it was definitely necessary in this case.
So he stretched and winced when his shoulder cracked in protest.
"Oookay, that's enough for today. How about we go get some pizza?"
He saw the blonde mop of hair tilting from one side to the other in hesitation.
"I don't know..."
"When was the last time you ate something?" Kyungsoo strictly asked while carelessly throwing the yarn back in his box.
"Uhm."
Luhan seriously considered this, brows scrunched in concentration.
"Around 6 AM?"
"Alright and when was the last time you ate something NOT coming from the supermarket?" Kyungsoo continued, not missing a beat.
For a few seconds he looked into the completely blank face of Luhan who tried to process the question.
"Uhm... I think... It was around..."
"Nevermind, let's go get some greasy pizza. Come on. And after that, you go and catch some sleep. Nope-", he interrupted when a noise of protest was heard, "-don't even think about protesting. One night. You shouldn't be alone in here anyway, you'll sew through your finger at this rate. Tomorrow I'll be back around noon and we'll have the whole sunday to us."
"But-"
"ONE NIGHT. Remember, I'll help you. So you can afford it."
Luhan's mouth was still open but a very long and hard gaze of Kyungsoo made him close it eventually.

Soon after they found themselves in a cozy pizza restaurant close to the main station, discussing whether it'd be silly to order extra tomatoes despite the fact that a pizza already had plenty of tomato sauce when Luhan's phone screen blinked to life.
"Hm? Oh, Fan seems to be around..." Luhan absently said before an idea hit him and he picked up the phone, dialing a number.
He was far more chipper already with the lack of white walls and the pleasant buzz of actual people around him. Well, the double espresso he had almost downed in one shot probably helped, too.
"Yo, Krissi-Baby!" he crooned into the phone exaggeratedly and Kyungsoo almost laughed at his hyper behavior.
"Are you free right now? I'm currently having an actual break and we're at a pizza restaurant. Huh? Ah, me and Kyungsoo, you know, this designer who- ah, yeah. Yeah exactly."
While Luhan kept talking, Kyungsoo flipped through the menu, completely unable to decide.
Chicken and broccoli or mozzarella and tomatoes? Hm... Or bacon? Pasta pizza?
Though pasta pizza always tasted best when homemade. This made him wonder whether Chanyeol ever ate it. For some reason he could picture him and his little sister enjoying it, even though he had never even seen her before.
"Ah, you are? Bring him along? I'm sure it's fine. Kyungsoo, do you mind Fan joining us with his friend?"
"What? Uh, no?" he replied, suddenly ripped out of his thoughts.
"See, he doesn't mind. I'll send you the address. See ya!"
Kyungsoo was so lost in thoughts about how he could 'casually' sneak Chanyeol more food that he almost flinched when Luhan dropped the phone back on the table.
"Sorry, I'm not being rude, am I?" he asked while sipping on his (second) cup of coffee. If it had been Kyungsoo, he'd already suffer from a caffeine overdose.
I wonder if I'm gonna be that caffeine resistant as well when I'm in his year.
I hope not. I'll NEED that stuff.
"It's just that it has been quite some time since I've seen him and you even know him, so-"
Only then did Kyungsoo realize that they were talking about Wufan. He had nothing but respect and admiration for the handsome model but having him join them for dinner seemed like it would be awkward. They'd probably converse in Chinese, making him feel like a third wheel.
But one look at the familiar sparkle in Luhan's eyes was enough to convince him of the idea. This was his much deserved break, after all.
"It's alright. Wufan was really awesome, I already know the photos turned out great."
"Haha, you seem to be nervous. Don't sweat it, Fan is a cool dude, actually. He only told me good things about you, too." he added with a twinkle in his eyes that made him freeze.
"W-why? What did he say?"
"Also told me the photographer was very good. I look forward to the photos~" he added, completely ignoring him.
"So, have you decided yet? I think I'll order another espresso-" he mindlessly hummed and Kyungsoo eyed him warily.

About ten minutes later he found his suspicions come true when all the sugar and caffeine of whatever fancy drink he had downed began to get to the sleep-deprived boy's head and he couldn't sit still while animatedly discussing their taste in movies.
"Yeeessss, I LOVE superhero movies!" he claimed almost a little too loudly for the little restaurant.
"I watched the Avengers three times already! I think my favorite hero is Thor! Cause he's all like 'I'm a GOD, and a KING and you should bow down and bring me a huge- beer!' but at the same time he's so clueless about humans, it's just too funny!"
Kyungsoo nodded, a bit overwhelmed.
"Yeah, I like him too. Though I also like Hawkeye. Archery is so badass. And he's like the only human among them but still keeps up. That's kinda cool. Oh, and Black Widow. Her background story seems so interesting, I'd love to see a full movie." he thoughtfully added while sipping on his orange juice.
"Black Widow? I like HULK." Luhan cheerfully said.
"Of course you would." Kyungsoo chuckled back at him and resisted the urge to shake his head.
"I mean, Black Widow and Hulk are kinda cool, but I'll be disappointed if Avengers 3 is gonna have too much mushy romance. Hulk's supposed to be strong and wild and manly!"
He seemed to think about something, tapping his chin in thought.
"Oh, but he's still not a GOD, so Thor wins for me, after all."
"Hey Luhan." a deep voice(that still wasn't as deep as Chanyeol's, Kyungsoo couldn't help but noticing) suddenly said and their heads whipped around to where the giant tall figure of Wufan towered next to them with an almost equally tall guy half a step behind him.
"Hello Kyungsoo." he calmly added with a friendly smile directed at the slightly intimidated student and he hurried to return the greeting though the Chinese didn't have a chance hearing him with Luhan all but throwing himself at him, happily calling out to him.
"Krissy-baby!! Heeey, what's uuup?!"
"Oh my, are you on a sugar-high again?" he replied with a mocking roll of his eyes while prying him off him.
"Guys, this is Tao, a friend of mine."
The stranger stepped forward and he could hear Luhan silently gasping and freezing on the spot. Kyungsoo could understand him, in a way. The guy looked even more scary than his model with sharp features, a rather bold amount of dramatic make up Baekhyun would definitely approve of, eye-catching and expensive-looking clothing and countless heavy silver accessories like bracelets and ear piercings. His soft, bubble gum pink hair was probably supposed to take an edge off his appearance but in his eyes it only added to the exotic vibe. This guy looked like he could cut you in an instant.

The whole moment was ruined when a shy smile appeared on his kittenish lips and he bowed deeply.
"Hello. I'm Huang Zitao, but please call me Tao. My Korean isn't very good but I'm trying my best."
His voice was rather high-pitched and soft, totally mismatching his overall aura.
Kyungsoo blinked, being caught off-guard.
"Uhm. Hi. Nice to meet you too. I'm Kyungsoo."
The next surprise hit him in the form of a bowing Luhan. He had never seen him bow before(formalities were not a thing in the fashion business).
"Hello. I'm Lu Han, also from China. I've been living here for three years already so I'll gladly help you out any time."
Now this was odd. Not the words, or him being nice. But something about his voice was slightly off. It was too careful, too soft for Luhan.
Then he shot Tao a small, almost reserved smile. Which was even more odd since if there was ONE thing Luhan was not, it was being reserved about anything, really.
"Why don't you all sit down first? I was going to the bathroom anyway. I'll be back any second."
Unconsciously he and Wufan shared a questioning look before Luhan sauntered away.

"Reeeally, you do Wushu?" Luhan asked with big eyes, blinking innocently.
Not right.
"Oh, yeah. I've been practicing it for years. It's healthy and keeps you balanced." Tao added conversationally while they all waited for their order to arrive.
"Ah, I know what you mean. I also did martial arts once, uhm, what was it? I think Taekwanda or something."
"You mean Taekwando? Didn't you-" but Wufan didn't finish the sentence and a suspicious thumping noise made him scrunch his face in pain.
"I always love it when martial arts are practiced in movies, too. So much better than brute force." he earnestly added, nodding along.
Unsettling, Kyungsoo thought and threw a side-glance at the suddenly calm and collected blonde.
"But just now when we talked about the Avengers you said your favorite was-"
"-Black Widow." he interrupted without missing a beat.
"Oh yeah, she's cool." Tao replied casually, completely unaware of the weird faces Kris was still making, being an obvious about what had probably been a harmless hit against his leg.
("You see this? This is the bruise from last week, Luhan. LAST. WEEK." - "Oh, stop whining!")
"You know, Black Widow is so smart and strong. Being smart is much more important than pure strength. I bet she could take out all the others if she only tried."
"Hmmm... Even Hulk? I saw the second movie and I was surprised about their love story." Tao said, genuinely invested in the conversation and happy that his vocabulary was not failing him for once.
Luhan cocked his head to the side and cutely puffed out his cheeks in thought.
"Hmm..." he pondered for a while before breaking into a sweet smile.
"I bet she could! But she's too kind for that, so it's alright."
Okay, this is downright creepy. CREEPY.
Wufan seemed to share this thoughts and flashed him an almost panicked look that would be an amusing sight if Kyungsoo wouldn't be feeling him so much this moment.
...the is going on here.
He had long ago stopped trying to intervene and instead attempted to converse with the model instead, who seemed grateful for the distraction.

Wufan really did turn out to be a cool guy who wasn't arrogant or cold at all. In fact, he was completely different from his photoshooting persona. He was calm but friendly and Kyungsoo coaxed quite a few stories and experiences out of him by asking politely.
It was difficult to imagine but he seemed to be an introvert which was more than fine by him and possibly the reason they got along quite well.
In a matter of minutes he went to calling him Kris(which seemed to ring a bell in his head, though he couldn't quite place it).

Meanwhile the duo next to them had begun to talk in Chinese and Kyungsoo was still considerably freaked out.
He had often heard Luhan talk in Chinese and it was always interesting to listen to his endless string of foreign words toppling over each other when he was overly angry or excited(which were two of the top reasons for him to fall into talking Chinese in the first place).
This time around however, he sounded different. His voice was more quiet, the words sounded softer and he still wore this unnervingly reserved, sweet smile.
"What are they talking about?" he very quietly asked Kris who shrugged a little in response.
"Just about their home towns. But seriously-" he equally quietly added before leaning towards him and lower his voice even further.
"-it's freaking me out."
Kyungsoo flashed him an 'I know, right?!' look when his phone buzzed.

[17:12]
From: PCYeol
Hey Soo!
I know this is pretty sudden but are you free tonight?
My shift has changed and I only gotta work later tonight...
So I meant to ask whether the Tamagoyaki-offer is still standing?
 

His heart immediately sped up.
Now? Like right now? I'm not ready. AND I should probably work, but...
Oh, screw it.

[17:13]
To: PCYeol
Sure!
I'm currently close to the main station but I can be at home in about half an hour... :o
 

[17:14]
From: PCYeol
Ah, I actually thought we'd do it at my home
If it's not too much trouble!
But my sis would love it I think
 

Alright, now his heart definitely skipped a few beats.
He was invited over. To Chanyeol's home.
He wanted him to meet his family and oh my god, this was amazing.
No words could describe the sudden giddiness flaring up inside him as he rapidly typed back.

[17:16]
To: PCYeol
Hah, then YOUR kitchen will be today's victim! :P
Not that I think your cooking
I mean, I wouldn't know
Uh, where do you live again?
 

He was already reaching for his bag and stuffing a last piece of pizza in his mouth.
"Sorry guys, something came up. Gotta go. It was nice meeting you though!"
Instead of simply dismissing him, Luhan turned his whole body to him and quietly bid him farewell with a coy smile that sent a shudder down his spine.

He was halfway down the street when his phone alerted him about an incoming message from his newest contact.

[17:18]
From: Kris
Traitor.

Mmmh, Pasta-Pizza... Wait, where was I?
Hey guys! c:
Here comes an early update cause I feel like it! And in half an hour it's Friday here, anyway.
As promised I'm trying to pick up the pace and finally revealed one of the potential couples~ (Oh who am I kidding, you probably noticed the tag, right?)
Why do I feel like my chapters are getting longer and longer...? I hope I can keep this up :<
Luhan's condition is, like the whole study-thing, closely drawn from real life - some people handle stress quite well, but there should be limits.

Love,
Sugar-and-Salt x3

P.S.: The next chapter's gonna be a solo again~ c:
P.P.S.: This time there was no song at all in the chapter :<
So the title's derived from the hilarious song that inspired Luhan's... quirky behavior.
It's not a well-known German song so there's hardly a translation but an extract goes like this:
"I acted as if I had class
-Another sip of wine, oh my, not that much!-
I put on makeup so you'd see me
Flaunted myself like a little fox
Was the blonde fairy with the lowered gaze...
...But it was nothing but a farce."
I might get back to this song later on ;D