"So, did you guys decide on a club already?"

Chanyeol looked up from his pleasantly cool chocolate milk. Only a week had passed since they'd moved into the dorm but it was already obvious that Luhan was going to be the social glue of the group. Him and Jongin. This wasn't the first time he'd initiated friendly smalltalk during breakfast or dinner, and he had a knack for sparking conversations everyone could partake in.

"I was thinking of the literature club," Jongin hummed, sleepy but good-natured. "There are so many literary works of your country that I have never heard of. They're all quite different from my people's writings, too."

"Are they? I gotta admit, I'm not big on reading," Luhan trailed off casually, to which Yifan gave him a look.

"You're not big on reading and entered an Academy?" he asked flatly.

"A Military Academy," Luhan corrected him, scooping up some more of Yixing's perfectly cooked rice. "What club are you gonna go for?"

Yifan shrugged. '

"Swimming, probably."

His response was curt and left no real openings, but Chanyeol was honestly amazed Luhan got a word out of him at all. Yifan wasn't big on talking in general, but in their dorms? He turned completely mum.

Luhan only nodded and turned towards Yixing.

"You? Cooking, right?"

"However did you guess that?" Yixing asked, composed and serene as ever. Chanyeol couldn't keep his thoughts to himself and grinned.

"For real, Luhan - like he still needs to study cooking! Did you actually try this? We're lucky you're on breakfast duty!"

"I'm flattered, but there's still a lot of room for improvement," Yixing commented, reaching for his tea.

As per usual, he exuded this dignified aura; even the way he expressed himself had a very distinct, noble feel to it, and yet Chanyeol had never once been annoyed by Yixing. For some reason, this behaviour didn't come across as stilted and arrogant when Yixing displayed it. In a way, it even suited him.

Chanyeol had absolutely no clue how he did it, but thinking about it inadvertently meant thinking about the second noble occupying the table. The one ticking off all the boxes and even coming up with some new ones.

"A wise outlook," Jongdae commented, curt and distanced as usual.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

"I can only try," Yixing replied. "Has any club caught your attention already?"

"I won't be joining any of them," came the cool response.

"Oh? What a pity."

Yixing sounded entirely unaffected but Chanyeol silently frowned into his food. Sure, joining a club was not obligatory and no one could force you to - but it was a good way to pass time, to act out a hobby or to hone one's skills in an area untouched by their school subjects. But most importantly-

"You sure about that? Clubs seem great for making some friends," Jongin piped up.

He was right of course. It was a known fact that most students regarded their fellow club members as their closest friends. They were like a small community within the academy, like a comfortable circle of people who shared interests. And considering the amount of clubs they had, there was usually one for every common interest. Everyone was in a club. But of course the great Kim Jongdae was itching to be different.

"I've got no interest in making friends," he said with a certain finality to it. It seemed insulting, considering that everyone at the table - and Jongin in particular - was so friendly to him, only to be indirectly shot down. Chanyeol put down his spoon to glare at him. Nobody disrespected Yixing and Jongin in his presence.

"Oh, however will people cope, knowing they're not your friend?" he asked flatly. Luhan's fain't "Chanyeol, no-" completely went over his head when Jongdae just scrunched up his nose, somehow managing to look blasé and unimpressed at the same time.

"However do people cope with actually being your friend?"

Chanyeol hated how familiar the tight ball of annoyance felt in his stomach, and he hated how unbothered Jongdae looked, sitting there in his perfectly pressed uniform, holding his spoon like he was dining with the king himself.

In fact, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized he just hated everything about Jongdae.

"Goddess, I'm sick of you-" Chanyeol began, prompting both Jongin and Luhan to drown out the merrily blossoming argument. Or at least attempting to. Chanyeol was already feeling the heat painting his cheeks red.

"Just admit that you're too good to stoop low enough to have some fun," he snapped. "Besides, it's not my fault you're excruciating to be around!"

"I see you're still in dire need of a mirror?" Jongdae asked back in faux pity. "Though I should have guessed that much just by looking at you."

"Oh? Why? Cause I didn't get my nails scrubbed by some maid who then ironed my uniform for me?" Chanyeol asked, provocation dripping from his every syllable.  Jongdae did that infuriating thing where he raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his seat.

"Maybe a maid tending to your appearance would actually do you some good. She might even explain the concept of a comb to you."

"Maybe joining the cooking club would do you some good so we won't get poisoned tonight-"

"Considering the type and amount of food you eat voluntarily, I seriously doubt any dish could do me that favour-"

With a loud, exasperated groan, Luhan gave up, exchanging looks with the others that Chanyeol missed entirely, too engrossed in hissing at Jongdae for the entire rest of their breakfast.
 

There wasn't a single noble member in the engineering club and Chanyeol wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone was wearing their cheapest set of clothes, jokes and laughter filled the air, and not a single person was without streaks of grime clinging to their skin. It was exhilarating, comforting, and just perfect.

"We'd love to have you," the current club leader beamed, finally tearing his gaze away from the little toy car Chanyeol had brought.

He was a second-year named Minseok with unruly black hair, round glasses and a hint of freckles hidden beneath the dirt staining his cheeks. He was obviously older than Chanyeol, but his child-like enthusiasm made Chanyeol feel at home straight away.

"Really? Thanks," Chanyeol burst out, unable to keep his excitement to himself. "I'm stoked! Man, all your projects look so cool! I can't believe you built that miniature airship. The details are amazing, especially on the rear, just. Wow, I'm honoured I get to work with you guys-"

Minseok dismissed him with a shake of his head.

"We're honoured to have you. Club meetings are every Sunday but the building's open every day, and there's pretty much always someone around here doing something. So stop by whenever you're free, okay?"

He offered his hand, not even bothering to take off the glove. With the widest grin, Chanyeol took it.

This was going to be great, he knew it already.

"I'll come back tomorrow, right after my lessons," Chanyeol promised. "For today, I'd like to explore some more, since, you know, it's a rare opportunity."

"Sure," Minseok shrugged. It was obvious from his expression that nothing of interest could possibly wait outside the engineering shed, but he was benevolent about it.

"Just don't let any other club snatch you away!"

"Not gonna happen," Chanyeol reassured him, and meant it. He'd made a beeline for the engineering club because he knew it was the only club for him but that didn't mean he wasn't curious about what the other clubs were up to. After all, he'd only been at the academy for a week, and hadn't really taken the time to explore the grounds. He'd been to the entrance hall for the initiation ceremony, of course,  and by now, he was slowly getting the hang out of the main building with all the classrooms. But there were plenty of other facilities on the campus, such as the sport's ground, the big, pompous-looking gym, the library, or the multi-storied school union building. Every single building looked old but pristine, with polished marble, columns, and hand-carved stone decorations everywhere. It made him feel like he was exploring a different era, and seeing all the students be completely at home in them felt oddly refreshing. Sure, there were a few nobles lounging around, shooting haughty looks at anyone and wasting air, but Chanyeol was pleasantly surprised to see that most clubs accepted both nobles and commoners (aside from the separated chess clubs).
In fact, class didn't seem to matter much within most clubs. The worst he saw was the fencing club - which seemed like combat lessons all over again - where nobles and commoners stuck to themselves. But he also saw a group of people fishing together, too enraptured in... staring at the water surface, Chanyeol guessed, to care about the different uniforms they wore. He also caught a glimpse of Yifan at the gym, wearing nothing but a tight pair of shorts, which somehow managed to look both comical and concerningly attractive, so Chanyeol didn't stay around for long.

At the student union building, he saw Jongdae hover in the cafeteria on the first floor. Much to his chagrin, he eventually took the stairs, leading up to the club rooms. Chanyeol made a face, but followed him regardless. The majority of the club rooms were located upstairs, and a grumpy little wannabe-prince would not stop him. In fact, he should probably make sure the other didn't go around letting people know how dumb they were for wanting to enjoy their lives. He wouldn't put it past him to make some freshmen cry just for the heck of it.

As expected, the corridor with doors branching off to the left and right was crowded and filled with chatter. Jongdae was simply standing there, just shy of blocking the stairs - though it wouldn't have mattered much, since everyone was careful not to bump into him. People were staring, and Chanyeol wanted to grip every single person by the shoulders and shake them until they realized that there was absolutely no reason to pay attention to that prick.

Jongdae's blank expression made way for distaste when he realized that Chanyeol was standing on the stairs, staring at him.

"Who do I need to pay off for you to leave me alone?" he asked, snide as ever, but Chanyeol swore the words came out more strained than usual.

"Don't flatter yourself," Chanyeol snapped, taking the last stairs if only to be a head taller again. "Watching paint dry would be more riveting than following you around."

"I'm surprised the word riveting is part of your vocabulary," Jongdae retorted in clear condescension, already slipping back into his haughty ways, but before he could say anything else, they were both interrupted.

"Kim Jongdae. What a pleasure to see you again."

Chanyeol turned around in search of the person daring to interrupt them, only to see a second-year noble walk down the stairs. If his slow-paced, dramatic steps even counted as walking. Chanyeol already hated him.

"Good day to you," Jongdae said with the stiff impassiveness that made it abundantly clear he couldn't care less about the guy stopping on the stairs and looking down on him.

"And what a wonderful day it is. Perfect to go for a ride."

While the other was simpering away, voice sickeningly sweet and eyes glinting sharply, Chanyeol took the time to properly frown at him. The guy was perfectly groomed, to the point that he looked like a puppet. His silver hair looked every bit as soft as Jongdae's, and he was wearing visible jewelry consisting of slim, silvery chains around his neck and adorning one ear. He was even wearing makeup - something not even nobles seemed to do on campus.

"Were you stopping by to visit the salon, after all?"

Chanyeol's gaze flickered upwards. Right. The third floor was nobles-only, and apparently included a staffed beauty parlour. For once, Jongdae seemed to share his sentiments, judging by the way his nose wrinkled in mild disgust.

"I'm afraid not," he said curtly, already turning to leave. "My answer is going to stay the same, so there's no need to waste any time on me. In fact, I wouldn't want to keep you. If you'll excuse me."

Just like that, Jongdae slid past Chanyeol and walked down the stairs, somehow managing to look like he wasn't on the run. Because however ridiculous the thought might be, he had definitely just made a run for it. An elegant, prancy run, but a run nonetheless. Not to mention that his choice of words had probably been incredibly rude if even Chanyeol was able to pick up on it. A shadow flickered over the noble's expression but his smile remained - even when his bright eyes were fixated on Chanyeol instead.

"Can I help you?" he asked, and judging by the tone, he could have just as well threatened to strangle him. Chanyeol's shoulders drew up, and the fact that the other made him feel defensive... pissed him off. Still, he stayed calm. Or tried to.

"I doubt it," he said, and the sass had the other narrow his eyes at him.

"You have quite the attitude. If it weren't for the obvious, I'd say you quite match Jongdae."

The other's eyes flit down to his lips, which caused Chanyeol to reflexively rub the back of his hand along the lower half of his face, coming out slightly dirt-streaked. Despite everything, Chanyeol could feel his ears heat up. Without a word, he his heel and walked down the stairs to look for a bathroom.

What a loathsome guy.

While he was washing his face and hands yet again, Jongdae popped up in his head. Clearly, the other had meant to do something upstairs, only to flee when that prissy noble had caught him. Curious.

Yes, curious indeed, Chanyeol thought lightly, leaning against one of the bookshelves, nodding to himself.

It seemed like no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from Jongdae today. He'd had so much fun exploring the clubs and simply meant to stop by the library real quick to grab a certain history book... only to stumble across Jongdae yet again. It was comical, really. There he was, back perfectly straight as he looked at one of the two books in his hand - one in a dark green binder and the other in an almost violently orange one. Chanyeol had been intent on ignoring him this time around, but the history section was right behind them.

He sighed.

He simply didn't have the energy to fight Jongdae again already. The day had simply been too god for that. Maybe he should just return another time. Surely people weren't hoarding books this early into the year-

Someone walked past him, stepping on his foot in the process. Chanyeol grunted in surprise more so than pain, but the offender simply walked past him, leaving Chanyeol to gape.

Some random noble had just stepped on him and just kept walking? Did that really just happen?

He was about to call after him when the guy stopped in front of Jongdae.

"Kim Jongdae," he said, no, announced, and Chanyeol reflexively hid behind the shelf in order to stay unnoticed.

Again? How often did these encounters happen in one day? Why was everyone so keen on talking to Jongdae?

Through a gap in the shelf he watched Jongdae put both books back in an unusually swift and subtle move even as his expression remained unperturbed.

"Huang Zitao," he echoed, and Chanyeol in a breath. Now that was a name he recognized. The Huangs were one of the five noble houses reigning over the country. Not that Chanyeol was impressed or anything. No, it only fueled his anger because apparently, this guy was so infatuated with his own status that he hadn't even spared Chanyeol a glance before literally trampling him. He'd probably done it on purpose, too.

"Baekhyun told me he met you at the student council building."

How anyone could manage sounding more nasal and cocksure than Jongdae was beyond Chanyeol.

"Hardly an event worth passing on," Jongdae commented, and if Chanyeol didn't know any better, he'd guess the other was tired.

"You're underselling yourself," Huang Zitao commented. Interestingly enough, he looked more like a Northener than Jongin did, with his caramel tan and strong, cat-like features - though his sandy blonde hair and jewelry-ridden appearance clashed with that.

Right now, Chanyeol had a hard time deciding whether Zitao or Baekhyun pissed him off more.

"Was there anything you needed from me?" Jongdae asked, which appeared to be noble slang for 'What the hell do you want from me?' - just an educated guess by Chanyeol.

"I was wondering whether you have chosen a club already," Zitao sneered - Chanyeol couldn't help it, it was definitely a sneer and not a harmless question.

"None have caught my interest," Jongdae shot him down swiftly, and it was obvious that to him, the conversation was over and done with.

"As someone of your name, I would have expected you to join the fencing club," Zitao went on as if Jongdae had never even replied. "You do know that Baekhyun leads the club, don't you?"

"I am well aware," Jongdae replied, looking like his patience was running thin. "Fencing is simply something I do not see myself filling my free time with on top of regular practice."

"Is that so?" Zitao asked. Chanyeol couldn't see his face, but he sounded somewhat disappointed.

"Well, since you're obviously not going to join a club as menial as, say, the gardening club, or are to waste your time on art, I was wondering which club you'd choose," Zitao kept pressing, and Chanyeol saw the way Jongdae's jaw tensed.

"I'll do just fine without a club," he said with scalding finality. Something about his tone was different from when he bickered with Chanyeol. Like the light, icy tone Chanyeol was so used to hearing was replaced with a heavier, gloomier one.

It seemed to work because Zitao took a step back.

"I see. What a pity. Maybe you'll change your opinion at some point."

Then he stalked away without as much as a goodbye, cheeks dusted red with embarrassment.

Chanyeol felt a prick of mean satisfaction seeing the other put down a notch, but it dissipated when he saw Jongdae's shoulders sagging. He looked... defeated. It wasn't all that noticeable, but Chanyeol had spent way too much time looking at his uppity, relaxed expression to not see the difference.

He couldn't help remembering their breakfast conversation, and how adamant Jongdae had been about not wanting any friends.

How many snooty students had approached him this day alone, with the sole intent of throwing some noble phrases at him and vying for friendship? They wanted him to go to the salon, told him what kind of clubs he should be attending and simply demanded attention. Just thinking of being in his place made Chanyeol want to tear his hair out.

If he was in his place, he'd just do whatever the hell he wanted.

Right?

He peeked through the shelf once more, watching the way Jongdae threw one last, fleeting look at the bookshelf. After a beat of hesitation, he left - luckily without noticing Chanyeol at all.

Well, Chanyeol thought to himself, slumping against the shelf with his back, at the end of the day, he had absolutely no clue what was going on in Kim Jongdae's head. None at all. Whether he simply had no passions or whether engaging with these snooty people wasn't worth pursuing a club. Maybe he genuinely enjoyed being on his own, or maybe doing whatever he wanted would stir up gossip and whatnot. To Chanyeol, anything was possible at this point, mostly because he didn't understand nobles at all. Not even a tiny bit.

Maybe it was this sheer cluelessness that had him approach the bookshelf and reach for the two books Jongdae had decided to leave behind.

One was a collection of the photography club's exhibitions over the past decade.

The other was a simple recipe book.

For the longest time, Chanyeol simply stood there, looking at the books in his hands as conflicting emotions flickered over his expression.

Jongdae had put his jacket over one of the chairs and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Like that, he stood at the kitchen counter with his back to the entrance. He hadn't moved a muscle for at least ten seconds.

Chanyeol watched him from the door, internally beating down the last of his doubts.
Then he took a deep breath and stalked towards him. He'd never seen Jongdae flinch like that, but confusion turned to annoyance real quick - and then back to confusion when Chanyeol pushed him aside to make room for himself at the counter. He didn't exactly shove him; just somewhat forcefully slipped into his former spot.

"Move it," he ordered, and the tiny glance he allowed himself told him that Jongdae really did look tired.

"What's this supposed-" Jongdae began, but Chanyeol cut him off right away.

"I'm cooking today. We're swapping chores. You clean the windows for me."

He'd be lying if he denied that he was imitating the finality Jongdae had used earlier, at the library. To his utter surprise, Jongdae didn't let out a peep of protest. Too stubborn to look up, Chanyeol reached for a cutting board and tomatoes, waiting for a snide remark that never came.

Nothing but the sound of his cutting knife meeting the wooden board was heard. At some point, Jongdae had wordlessly stepped back to make room for Chanyeol, but he never left.

What started out as annoying silence periodically grew heavier and began to make Chanyeol anxious. That was ridiculous, of course - it was all in his head. That damn Jongdae probably let him stew in his own thoughts on purpose.

Chanyeol saw his reflection in one of the pots, saw him lean against the other end of the isle, just two steps away, arms crossed and gazed fixated on the counter. He simply stood there, no taunts or quips leaving his lips, and so Chanyeol stayed silent himself. It was really weird. Coexisting in the same space without arguing was weird.

It was actually not that hard to focus so as long as Jongdae zipped it though.

Maybe it didn't have to be weird-

The lull of peaceful silence was shattered when the door was opened and chatter flooded the room.

Chanyeol turned around, refusing to meet Jongdae's cryptic gaze for longer than a split second.

"Oh, what is that? Are you helping Jongdae cook?" Yixing asked right away, a delighted smile on his face.

"Somehow, I have an inkling that that's not what's been going on here," Luhan muttered, and Chanyeol scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, turning back to grab an egg from the box. "I've been craving traditional Roer tomato stew and there's no way in hell that guy would get it right."

"I wasn't aware commoners were so picky," Jongdae commented, finally turning away to gather bowls. "How ironic, considering your pride in being oh so down to earth."

"Compared to you I'm not down to earth, I'm three feet under," Chanyeol rolled his eyes, to which Jongdae only snippily added how "Six would work even better," and Luhan groaned dramatically.

"You're never gonna stop, are you?"

"It's not on me that he has the intellect of a block of wood," Jongdae shrugged.

"It's not on me that he's unbearable," Chanyeol huffed out pettily as he dunked the ladle into the stew a little too forcefully.

He still took the bowls that Jongdae was offering him one by one though.

woo, enter Obsession Baekhyun and the fabulous Zitao!
They're off to y start, but I love them both.
A friend told me to make Minseok a nerd of some kind, so here he is, obsessing over mechanical figurines and machines.
This chapter might be a little weird because I've been caught up in the Corona disaster and am exhausted buuut.... I'm posting it, anyway!

Stay safe guys!
Love,
Sugary