Two months into the year, their practical training was set to start, and Chanyeol was pretty excited. He was no stranger to burying his nose in books, and they'd had regular training sessions to keep them physically fit. In fact, those training sessions alone were enough to leave Chanyeol gasping like a fish on water, so he'd tried to sneak in some private exercises whenever he could. Unlike nobles, Chanyeol had never received basic lessons with weapons of any kind. In fact, even most commoners had more weaponry expertise than Chanyeol, who, at best, was decent with an orbal rifle.

So if he embarrassed himself, he'd prefer it didn't start with him gasping like a fish on land after the warm ups.

"You're even more hyper than usual today," Luhan commented, setting down a can of orange juice before slipping into his seat for breakfast. By now, they had an unspoken seating arrangement with Yixing at the head of the table, closest to the kitchen, followed by Luhan and Yifan by his side, and Chanyeol and Jongin a seat further into the room. Which meant that Chanyeol was usually seated across Jongin, with a good look at Luhan... and Jongdae. Who was sitting next to Jongin, as far away and isolated as possible without actually leaving empty seats. Luhan had already threatened to have them sit on opposite heads of the table, if only to minimize their bickering - in Chanyeol's eyes, that would be a blessing, if anything. Still, giving in meant... giving in. To what, Chanyeol wasn't too sure, but he liked his spot at the table, and he wasn't willing to move simply because Jongdae's only hobby was silently daring him to snap.

"Well, our training sessions start today," Jongin provided, looking a little more awake than usual as well. "I hope I'm allowed to use my lance."

"It's a traditional weapon where you're from, right?" Yixing asked, ever so interested in Jongin's home country.

"It is!" he agreed with all but sparkling eyes. "Though we also learn to use a bow, since it's a valuable hunting tool."

Having to hunt for food out in the wild sounded like a nightmare to Chanyeol, but he refused to slip into the prejudice that highlanders were savages. After all, Jongin was about as savage as Yifan, who was currently busy channeling his inner stone statue - something he usually did when Yixing or Jongdae were around.

It had taken Chanyeol a while to notice, but once he did, he could not unsee it.

Yixing, however, seemed blissfully oblivious of Yifan's uncomfortable state.

"Have you been training in the weaponry department as well?"

"A little," was all Yifan said, focusing on his food like he was worried it might slip away should he avert his gaze for only a second.

"With a sword?" Yixing kept prodding, and Chanyeol decided to put the other out of his misery.

"That's already infinitely more than I can say about myself," he whined. "I'm not exactly from a military background. I never even held a sword in my entire life."

"Then why are you here again?" Jongdae asked, vaguely bored and still a bit too drowsy to come up with a sharper, snarkier response.

"To learn it? I don't know what you've been doing here, but as far as I see it, academies are meant to teach you things."

Of course Jongdae wouldn't let a successful jab go unanswered.

"Coming here wholly unprepared, expecting people to drop knowledge into your lap. How unexpectedly entitled for someone so proud of being of the working class," he drawled out.

"And I had some lessons with a bow as a kid - which went terrible, by the way, thanks for asking," Luhan cut them both off with a tight smile daring them to further violate their new rule of 'no feuds at the breakfast table'. Not being able to have the last word on this, Chanyeol pouted into his sandwich, but the disappointment was short-lived.

Because he may be a total beginner when it came to traditional weaponry, but he was very confident in his skills regarding the second part of their training.

And that area was one where Jongdae's fancy court-fencing (or whatever nobles did in their copious amounts of free time) wouldn't get him very far.

Jongdae had no idea what was coming for him.

A small stream of water swirled through the air in a neat spiral. There wasn't even the faintest wobble to it.

"Splendid, Kim, keep it up."

Was Chanyeol disappointed? Quite frankly? Yes.

He tried not to show it, though, because the other already had a head big enough to fill out the entire gym.

This was the first day of orbal training, and Chanyeol had been so confident on that one. Because while he wasn't well-versed in weaponry of any kind, he had a knack for using orbs, the natural stones containing elemental energy. Sure, technically, anyone could use them, but it took a lot of intuition and mental control to achieve anything other than an outburst of unfocused energy.

Having grown up around mechanics, however, Chanyeol was well-accustomed to orbs and how to use them.

He knew how to arrange the small, round stones on a connector board in order for them to influence each other, and he knew exactly how to activate and use their energy. He could put together an orbal hair dryer with no problem, for heaven's sake.

So why was Jongdae still the one everybody praised?

Why did Kim Jongdae have to be perfect at everything he did?

"Next, try a three element combination," the instructor - a cranky old ex-army witch - demanded with crossed arms. "See if you can hold it. Spread out, keep your distance, we don't want any fatal injuries."

Chanyeol resisted the urge to roll his eyes, if only out of fear of their instructor. Sustaining fatal injuries with three tiny orbs would count as an achievement. He reached into the bowl entrusted to him earlier, taking out three of the marble-sized orbs. Fire, Air, Water. Arranged in a line with Air being the connector. Easy.

His right hand was his dominant one, so wearing the glove holding the orbs on his left hand came natural to him - and with his pointer and middle finger, Chanyeol touched the water orb first, feeling the cool energy well up and magnify the water in the air around him. He willed it into a thin, focused stream hovering in the air, forming a simple circle. His thumb came to a rest on the fire orb next, fingers quickly drawing together to end on the centerpiece, air. With a hiss, the water evaporated, creating a circle of steam that was turning slowly. Chanyeol kept watching it for a while, even tilting the angle a little, just for fun. Using orbs was fun.

Not all of his dorm mates seemed inclined to agree though, judging by the level of chaos around him that kept the instructor busy. Luhan had somehow managed to drench both his arms to the point that water was dripping everywhere, while Yifan was clearly wearing the glove on his wrong hand, Chanyeol could tell even from afar. Jongin just stood there, looking mildly frustrated as seemingly nothing happened. Yixing hadn't gone for a specific form to channel the orbal energy into, but he seemed to have no issues keeping them stable at least. Generally speaking, all the nobles seemed to do a slightly better job than the commoners - a fact that did not go unnoticed by Chanyeol. Because of course their privilege would enable them to get their hands on orbs early on. They'd probably also had first class connecting boards and private lessons. And Jongdae's background probably took the cake, considering how rich and important he was.

That might explain the other's skills, but it didn't make Chanyeol feel any less annoyed about it.

His moment of triumph, however, came a while later, when they went over the singular elements one by one, going a little more in depth. The instructor seemed interested in knowing their pre-existing skills and boundaries, adding more and more challenges until every student had ended up bowing out. And while Jongdae did ridiculously well with every other element, he had to step down rather quickly when it came to fire exercises. The instructor even told him he was lacking balance. Chanyeol noticed because he'd been watching him - because controlling fire came so easy to him that he barely needed to focus on keeping it in the desired shape at all. In fact, he was the last one standing in no time, and the instructor chickened out before he did.

Keeping his proud grin at bay was pretty hard, and a fleeting glance told him that Jongdae was definitely pissed. Good, Chanyeol thought.

Take that, pseudo-perfect noble boy!

With a groan, Chanyeol hit the ground, scraping up his lower arm in an attempt to soften the fall.

He could hear people chat amongst themselves, could hear faint scoffs, and he knew his face was not only beet red from exertion right now.

Above him, Huang Zitao sighed, swinging the tip of his wooden sword like he was shaking excess blood. Show off.

"Can I get another partner already?" he whined - because at this point, he was being so nasal and bored that it all came full circle and he sounded like a whiny child to Chanyeol.

With a huff, Chanyeol got back to his feet, making an attempt to righten his clothing and get back into position. As far as he was concerned, he'd wholeheartedly agree to switching partners. Zitao had humiliated him for most of the training session now, and he was pretty sure he wasn't learning anything but how to kiss the ground. The instructor didn't even bat an eye at the noble tantrum.

"Partners will be switched when I announce it," he said, and that was that. At least to Chanyeol.

Zitao didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"This is just a waste of time," he sighed, moodiness bleeding into his moves that turned a little more aggressive as disarmed Chanyeol with two swift slices, and the wooden sword clattered to the ground.

Chanyeol found it hard to think straight with how humiliated he felt, but he bit his lip and reached for the sword again, wrapping his burning fingers around the grip.

It wasn't exactly fair - Zitao was a high-ranking noble, trained not only in traditional court fencing, but also in an exotic form of swordsmanship that Chanyeol had never even heard of, much less seen in action. By now, he was still pretty sure he'd seen nothing but glimpses of the others skills, and he himself barely knew how to hold a sword.

Yes, sure, battlefields weren't fair either, but Chanyeol knew that already, and getting thrown to the ground while an instructor occasionally yelled at him to be less, well, him, wasn't very helpful.

Giving up was not an option though, so Chanyeol swallowed around the lump in his throat and bent down to reach for his sword, only to feel a foot on his shoulder, pushing him to the ground. It wasn't even the roughest shove, but Chanyeol glared up at the poor excuse for a noble, anyway.

"The hell are you doing?" Zitao asked, after having kicked Chanyeol to the ground before he'd even readied himself. "You can't even lift a sword. Pathetic-"

Chanyeol felt the tears well up, and panicked. If he cried now, nobody would ever let him live it down, so he kept his head down as he blindly reached for his sword-

Only to feel resistance as a foot held it down, expensive boots keeping it in place. With a shaky exhale, Chanyeol tried to gather himself, when he looked up and realized that it wasn't Zitao who was standing on his sword. It was Jongdae.

"How about I be your sparring partner?" he suggested, wearing a thin smile as he regarded Zitao with what Chanyeol could only describe as silky contempt. "I am most impressed by your swordsmanship. Humor me?"

Zitao's eyes lit up at this, clearly eager to face off someone of Jongdae's rank. The foot on his sword was lifted and Chanyeol took it, stepping out of the way without as much as a look in Jongdae's direction. He should be yelling at him to get lost, to let him fight his own battle, but at this point, Chanyeol hardly saw a point in insisting on his place. He was neither going to learn anything nor would he be able to score a hit. With a skill gap this vast, even being conniving or quick-witted wouldn't get him anywhere, so if the two nobles wanted a posturing contest, well, Chanyeol was too tired to be a part of it right now. His fingers were throbbing, his skin burnt where he'd chafed it open, and he just wanted a break.

To his surprise, both Zitao and Jongdae got in proper position and bowed to each other. It was a quick, fleeting move, but he could already tell that Zitao took the other seriously where he had just toyed with Chanyeol earlier. Jongdae's posture radiated routine and experience as well. Straight, controlled, and with no hesitation in his grip or expression. Just razor sharp focus as he deflected Zitao's first attack. Chanyeol wanted to watch and learn, but they both moved too fast, too purposeful to try and even understand what was going on. Chanyeol had rarely gotten the opportunity to watch people spar up this close, much less on such a level.

He'd also never seen Jongdae actually exert himself. For once, the effort was written into his face, displayed by the sheen of sweet and heavy breathing as he responded to Zitao's attacks with poignant strikes of his own. Zitao's technique was foreign, flowy and full of unpredictable moves, and Jongdae was undeniably shorter than him, but he stood his ground. Despite Chanyeol's embarrassing lack of expertise, the influences of traditional court fencing were obvious in his every flick and sweep.

"They're both so good," Jongin hummed next to him. They weren't the only ones watching though - by now, a few other couples had put down their swords in favour of watching them, and the instructor was standing nearby with his arms crossed, looking wholly unimpressed. He let them fight though, watching as Jongdae was seemingly pushed back more and more, only for him to suddenly dart to the side, bat Zitao's sword away with a resounding clank of wood on wood, and then it was over. Just like that, it was all over, with the blunt tip of Jongdae's sword hovering over the other's throat.

Two seconds of stunned silence later, the chattering around them picked up again, and both Jongdae and Zitao reverted into their original positions for a final bow.

"Thanks for the match," Jongdae said, somehow managing to sound entirely unaffected, despite the sweat matting down his bangs.

"The honour is mine," Zitao responded through gritted teeth, clearly embarrassed over his loss.

"Are you done with this childish display?" the instructor asked, heaving a sigh. "I shall let this slide because it's our first lesson, but the next time I catch one of you disregarding my orders, there will be consequences. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, instructor," they both responded, more or less in unison.

"That was so nice of Jongdae though, wasn't it?" Jongin asked conversationally.

Chanyeol shot him a confused look.

"What are you talking about?"

"About him helping you out?" Jongin asked, tilting his head in question. "Clearly, he couldn't stand seeing this guy push you around any longer."

Chanyeol scoffed.

"I don't think you interpreted this correctly," he trailed off, watching Jongdae and Zitao receive criticism on their swordsmanship. "He just wanted to prove himself."

And the fact that he had indirectly proven Chanyeol that he was out of league didn't exactly make him feel any better. Arrogant prick.

"You think so? It's not like Jongdae to seek attention though," Jongin trailed off, but Chanyeol dismissed him with a wave.

"Being noble is all about being better than others. At best, he wanted to put the people below him in their place."

Jongin hummed, sounding a bit skeptical still, but Chanyeol wasn't even particularly angry at Jongdae. As much as he hated to admit it, Zitao had deserved to be put down a notch, even though it came at the expense of Chanyeol's pride.

"And since you're apparently so eager to fight each other, how about a little competition?" the instructor suggested, ripping Chanyeol out of his grumbling.

"You get three days to prepare and form teams of five. Show me what you come up with."

The chatter around them rose in volume but Chanyeol only groaned. Jongin patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"I don't know much about fighting with a sword, but I can practice with you? We'll be in a team together, right? Oh, we should ask Luhan and Jongdae, too-"

Chanyeol didn't even bother putting up a fight as Jongin skipped off to their other dorm mates.

When Jongdae looked his way, Chanyeol made sure not to meet his eyes, trying to look entirely unaffected by this entire disaster of a training session. If Zitao could take humiliation with his dignity somewhat intact, so could he-

"Hey Chanyeol. Jongin wanted us all to team up so- ah, there's a leaf in your hair," Luhan provided helpfully. Chanyeol closed his eyes and took a deep breath...

"Oh, and a little twig. There you go."

...and gave up.

He was screwed.

Straight back, tense arms, a deep breath-

Swipe.

The sword made a faint whirring sound as Chanyeol swung it down. Once. Twice. Thrice.

Well, if he counted every single strike he'd done that day, he'd probably be well on his way to a hundred now, but aside from a terrible ache in his arms, he didn't feel like he was making any progress. He was following the advice Yixing had given him earlier - or at least he was trying to.

With a sigh, he finally lowered his arms, wincing at the pain. The sun was about to go down and every muscle in his body was aching, while the ones in his arms were on fire. There was no way he'd turn into a masterful swordsman within three days. He didn't want to drag his team down though, which was why he was currently standing in the shadow of the South wing, getting in some last, secret training. But if he pushed any further, the blisters on his fingers would probably burst, and then he could kiss the idea of even holding a sword the coming day goodbye. with a frustrated huff, he sank into the grass.

He really couldn't stand losing. Back in his hometown, Chanyeol was known to be hard-headed and stubborn, throwing himself at every challenge until he came out on top, no matter the ridiculous amount of effort needed. And Chanyeol was proud of that reputation. This time, though, his own physical limitations were getting in the way, and it was frustrating.

A rustle cut through the air, followed by a faint hiss, and Chanyeol perked up in worry. Within the blink of an eye, he had dragged himself up and around the corner, only to see his efforts wasted on none other than Jongdae, who was standing there, fingers raised to his lips.

"Oh. It's just you," Chanyeol deadpanned, shoulders lowering. The alarm on Jongdae's face quickly melted into an expression comically similar to Chanyeol's.

"Likewise," was all he said, lowering his hand. It didn't take Chanyeol long to figure out what he'd been doing. The red stones on his glove were all-too telling.

"Burnt yourself?" he asked, and it came out a little moodier than intended.

Jongdae's hand was balled into a fist, but the tension wasn't showing on his face.

"I don't see how that's of your concern," he began, and Chanyeol rolled his eyes, sinking back into the grass.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he groaned, stretching out his legs and back. "Not like I care if you end up scarred."

"Such a minor burn will hardly scar-" Jongdae began in exasperation, cutting himself off when Chanyeol tossed him a small water orb.

"It will, if you stop cooling it," Chanyeol snapped, but it lacked his usual vigour. For one, he was beat, in both a literal and figurative way.

And well, maybe he did feel like he was owing Jongdae something, even if the other hadn't done anything for him specifically.

Jongdae thanked him by narrowing his eyes at him.

"I own water orbs."

"Cool," Chanyeol only said, sinking down to lie on his back and allow the cool evening air to fan over his sweaty skin.

After a while, he saw Jongdae sit down as well, keeping a respectful distance between them. Sure, Chanyeol could just get up and leave, look for a place where he could be alone, but now that he was lying down, he didn't have it in himself to get up again. Besides, if Jongdae wanted him gone, he could leave first.

To his surprise, an entirety of two or three minutes passed before Jongdae decided to open his mouth.

"Having second thoughts already?"

Chanyeol blinked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"About what?"

"About being fit for a military academy."

Chanyeol snorted, expression relaxing again.

"Cause some prick wiped the floor with me today? Think that's gonna stop me? You wish."

Jongdae exhaled, expression unreadable from where Chanyeol was lying. Well, at least he was cooling his knuckles in a mass of steadily floating water.

"What about you?" Chanyeol asked, going back to looking up at the sky. "One tiny bit of criticism and you hide away to train like crazy? Can't stand the fact that there's a single thing you don't excel at?"

It had meant to be a jab, a reminder that Chanyeol did indeed exceed Jongdae in something, but the moment it came out, Chanyeol realized that it was about something different altogether. That he wasn't scoffing at Jongdae's inability to reign over fire.

"It's called trying to better myself," Jongdae said eventually, but the answer came out late, and his voice betrayed that Chanyeol had gotten to him. It was something he was always eager for - getting through to Jongdae, managing to make him lose composure and slip out of his carefully crafted, noble persona.

This time, however, the success didn't feel all that good, and Chanyeol sighed.

"This is why I can't stand nobles," he muttered. "Who cares if you're not a prodigy in every single aspect of life? No need to go this crazy."

"I don't wanna hear that from you, of all people," Jongdae sighed. "And I am not a prodigy in any aspect of my life. It's called hard work."

Chanyeol was ready for him to end on something like 'not like you ever heard of that,' or anything similarly provoking - was ready to fight back, really - but nothing came.

He'd seen Jongdae be very unaffected and blasé, and he'd seen him genuinely ticked off and scalding in his verbal attacks, but right now, he was apparently in no such mood. What he was thinking though, remained a mystery to Chanyeol.

"It was just some minor criticism."

"And I'm actually accepting the criticism and use it to hone my skills," Jongdae replied, clearly growing annoyed. "I don't know what you want from me."

With a small grunt, Chanyeol forced himself to sit up, just for the perfect angle to throw a judgemental stare at Jongdae and his hands.

"Your hands are burnt completely. You call that honing your skills? Take a deep breath and relax. You're good already."

Jongdae looked a little taken aback, and the small body of water splashed down as he self consciously curled his fingers into fists.

"If you reach a certain point, you can't expect to improve at the same rate as a beginner," Chanyeol added, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that he had just complimented Jongdae, of all people. "Especially not without any guidance at all."

Jongdae looked like he was about to say something, but Chanyeol was faster.

"No, unlike you, I am a pathetic newbie with zero skills. I could probably hold the sword in my hand while jogging and would still improve."

"Why do you sound so proud of yourself," Jongdae muttered, clearly judging, but Chanyeol wasn't fazed.

"Why would I be ashamed? I'll probably end up dragging our team down, but at least I'll give it my all."

The way Jongdae sighed made it obvious that he thought of Chanyeol as a useless idiot.

"Hopeless."

Oh well, maybe hopeless, too, Chanyeol didn't care-

"Then teach me."

What?

Jongdae on his lip - a motion that Chanyeol paid attention to, for some reason - but he didn't take it back.

"You teach me how to operate fire orbs, and in turn I'll teach you how to use a sword. At least to the point that you're more of a threat to your opponent than to yourself in battle."

When Chanyeol didn't have a reply ready, Jongdae straightened up again, regret flickering over his expression.

"Fine, if you'd rather-"

"Let's do it," Chanyeol cut him off, shaking his head over how eager it had come out. "Not like I'm too hot on having you boss me around, but if that's what it takes to kick that prick's - then let's do it."

Jongdae relaxed, Chanyeol could tell by the faint, arrogant drawl returning to his voice.

"Speak for yourself. I have won against Huang and I could do it again any time."

"Not if I'm on your team," Chanyeol provided merrily, feeling uncharacteristically light all of a sudden.

"I'm not sure what prompted it but your sudden burst of self-awareness is certainly inspiring," Jongdae commented flatly, returning to nursing his burnt hands.

It was almost comical how out of his element he seemed to be the moment Chanyeol stopped firing insults his way.

"Just giving you some incentive. You better teach me well or I'll embarrass you right along with me."

"Like your actions would ever affect my reputation," Jongdae replied, eyes on his own hands as he ran his fingers through the newly summoned mass of water. "Just don't go crying to Yixing if it gets rough."

With a huff, Chanyeol lay back again, trying to count the first stars twinkling in the sky.

"Oh please."

The stream of half-hearted, petty comments eventually petered out as Chanyeol fell victim to his own exhaustion.

By the time a foot nudged his side, startling him awake, the sky was already dark. Jongdae announced that he was going home, leaving Chanyeol to sleep on the ground like the uncivilized person that he was, and Chanyeol bickered back about how there was no need to announce his departure - but by the time they both arrived at the dorm together, none of them brought up their promise to the others, which probably qualified as the first moment of mutual understanding between them.

At long last, I'm back!
This isn't beta'd yet, so sorry for any mistakes. I might smooth them out soon~That aside, I really hope the fact that this is a borrowed AU isn't making things too annoying to read - personally, I just enjoy getting to play with both magic, weapons, and school dynamics.

Also I love Zitao. In case that wasn't obvious. Is he grating on your nerves? I hope he is *haha*

Much love,
Sugary