Jongdae's room wasn't nearly as empty as Chanyeol had expected it to be. It was neat, of course, and nowhere near as personalized as Chanyeol's own room, but through the course of the night, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander away from the book in his lap, eyes long adjusted to the dimmed lighting. And there were quite a few things to look at.

For starters, there was a small bookshelf containing what appeared to be non-fiction books, some of them familiar to Chanyeol, others not so much. The collection of the photography club was still resting on his desk though, giving the impression that it was meant to be returned soon; and on the bottom row of the shelf, he could spot three more hardcovers that looked artsy rather than scientific or historic.
His weapon of choice was mounted on the wall, right above his bed - a personalized saber with intricate golden details glinting in the dim light. It looked majestic even from afar, and he had to resist the temptation to study it up close. There was a second, less impressive saber located in one corner of the room, and Chanyeol remembered it from the day before, when it had been pointed at his throat. A box of maintenance supplies was sitting next to it, standing out with its slightly stained tools and cloths

Surprisingly enough, Jongdae not only possessed an orbal radio, it was also positioned on his night stand, insinuating actual use of it. Chanyeol couldn't remember ever having heard so, but then again, he had never strained his ears for it.

All in all, the room was still rather sterile, with no photographs or pictures or the random assortment of memorables people like Chanyeol accumulated in an alarming amount of time. It didn't feel completely deserted though.

At around three in the morning, it started to pour outside.

Jongdae remained asleep, not even stirring when Chanyeol checked his temperature.

He looked less sickish in the dim, warm light, and his features were more relaxed than he'd ever seen, despite his obvious difficulty to breathe properly.

With his occasional, soft snores and sighs, he didn't look quite that perfect anymore. Just seeing him like this felt like trespassing, so Chanyeol tried not to pay too much attention as he carefully removed the wet packs. With a clean towel, he dabbed the skin dry over the faint little scratches and blemishes that seemed to culminate on his upper arms. Imperfect and oddly human.

Chanyeol blamed it on the light, on the serenading sound of rain and his own, growing drowsiness. The combination of all those aspects surely explained why he didn't feel the least bit irritated by being in Jongdae's presence. Quite the opposite.

In that  very moment, Chanyeol felt nothing but a deep, almost comforting calmness.

 

With the sun high up in the azure sky and Chanyeol being wide awake... he decided that this night had never taken place.

...well, that might be a little dramatic, but he could still erase the details from his memory. He'd helped out a sick guy, which was a perfectly upstanding thing to do, and now they could both mutually act like it never happened. It wasn't like he even expected anything else from Jongdae - if the other even remembered anything. His fever had been obnoxiously high.

It subsided after that night though, and when he first saw him at the breakfast table two days later, he looked almost perfectly recovered. Chanyeol internally gave himself a pat on the back for being a good nurse and moved on with his life, doing his absolute best to ignore the fact that the other didn't pick a single fight with him.

Which was surprisingly hard with how Jongdae seemed to be everywhere that day.

He was with them when they walked to the academy, staring holes into his head.

He sat with them to study in a free period, still staring a lot without saying anything - until Minseok thankfully found them and pulled Chanyeol aside to drill him some more about his 'pretty friend', much to his disturbance.

And he was still there when they were all gathered on the field, waiting for their combat instructor to arrive.

"Are you sure you want to participate again already?" Jongin asked, ever so worried.

"There's no need for concern," was all Jongdae said, looking haughty and collected as ever, stretching his arms behind his back. The familiar spark of irritation was back. How... nice.

Their eyes met and before Chanyeol could compulsively complain about his tone, Jongdae lowered his gaze again.

Chanyeol didn't even have time to dwell on it, however, because the other's eyes were back on him already, and now he was speaking up instead.

"Park-"

"Park Chanyeol!"

They both flinched, with Chanyeol switching to irritation in a split-second at the sound of a very unwelcome, nasal voice.

"What?" he demanded, turning around to see none other than Huang Zitao stomp towards them. He looked agitated - which was quite unfounded in Chanyeol’s opinion, considering that they hadn't interacted ever since the incident in the forest.

"I can fight my own battles," Jongdae began, only for Zitao to walk past him with long, determined strides and stop before Chanyeol, voice loud and clear.

"I challenge you to a duel."

Chanyeol blinked, too dumbfounded to get angry.

"Me? What?"

Zitao remained unfazed.

"A duel. Let's see how your skills compare to mine," he announced, and the fact that there was no smug smile tugging at his cat-like lips only added to Chanyeol's confusion.

"My sword-fighting skills?" he asked, just to be sure they were on the same page.

Zitao rolled his eyes.

"No, your sewing skills. Of course I'm talking about combat. Draw your sword-"

"Are you kidding?" Chanyeol asked, involuntarily taking a step back. "You'll wipe the floor with me."

"Again," Jongdae supplied helpfully from behind. Chanyeol shot him a withering glare.

"Well thanks for the reminder, I'm sure we all forgot-"

"Are you denying me?" Zitao cut him off, looking equal parts baffled and mad.

Chanyeol shrugged.

"Well. Yeah. What about it? I thought I was a useless sparring partner, anyway. Think I'm in the mood to eat dust just to satisfy your whims? I don't think so-"

"Don't you have any pride?" Zitao asked incredulously. It was quite comical how such a  simple, blunt reply could take the wind out of his sails.

Chanyeol pretended to think about it.

"As a swordsman? Nah. As a human being? Well, kinda. So if you'll excuse me now, I'm busy here."

"You're busy?" Zitao echoed, clearly offended, and if not for the instructor starting their lesson, the other would have probably never backed down after such a blatant display of disrespect. As it was, however, he had to begrudgingly return to his noble posse, and Chanyeol was left to wonder what on earth had prompted this sudden interest in him.

He pondered that some more when their instructor chose him to showcase a defensive maneuver and Zitao enthusiastically volunteered to act out the part of the aggressor. As Chanyeol was kissing the ground a little too often for his taste, the other seemed to gloat over every single hit like it was an actual achievement. By the end of the lesson Chanyeol was covered in dirt, annoyed, and had forgotten all about Jongdae.

"Zitao really has it out for you, doesn't he?" Jongin asked a while later, while they were walking back to the dorms. It was all of them sans Yifan, who was still attending club practice, and the topic had quickly moved to Chanyeol's earlier humiliation.

"I don't know what his problem is," he huffed, kicking up a pebble.

"Maybe he's still angry over what happened in the forest?" Jongin suggested, causing Chanyeol to scoff.

"You mean he's pissed over attempting to drown Luhan? I'd say that would be rich, but I guess being filthy rich is all he has going for himself, so-"

"I wouldn't have drowned," Luhan protested with a vaguely dismissive gesture, "...probably."

"But why would he be mad at you only?" Jongin pondered.

"I don't know, cause he hates me?" Chanyeol asked right back, only for Yixing to smile.

"Oh, I think he likes you."

"That is the most absurd thing I have heard in a while," Jongdae (of all people) commented.

Chanyeol hummed.

"As much as it hurts, I have to agree on that one. That's ridiculous, Xing."

"You think so?" Yixing asked, still looking awfully sunny. "I'm guessing he was most impressed by you and is now seeking to compete with you."

"Or," Luhan chimed in, dragging the word out, "-he still feels hurt in his pride and is obsessed with making you submit to mend his ego."

"Tough luck," Chanyeol snorted. "I haven't submitted to anyone so far, and I'm not planning on starting for this jerk. Over my dead body."

Yixing chuckled benevolently, effectively reminding Chanyeol once more that he was the only noble worthy of the power bestowed on him.

Jongin, however, seemed stuck on something else.

"Why though? I've been wondering about this for quite some time, and it's still not making much sense to me - everyone seems very afraid of nobles, but you don't. Why is that?"

"Yeah. Do your parents work for the royal family or something?" Luhan joked, really, but there was curiosity lingering in between the syllables.

Chanyeol waved him off, but figured that there was no harm in telling them at this point.

"It's nothing that dramatic. My parents both work for RF though, and are department heads."

While Luhan whistled and Yixing looked pleasantly surprised, Jongin was still lost.

"Isn't that... a company focused on technology?"

" The company producing anything tech-related," Luhan corrected him. "At least on this continent. They produce everything from household orbal tech to war weaponry and have no competitors within the country. As a company, their influence is easily equal to that of nobles."

"I see," Jongin muttered, looking down at his orbal wristwatch which - of course - was another RF product. "So Chanyeol doesn't have to fear for his parents' workplace like Yifan does?"

"Exactly," Luhan confirmed, shooting Chanyeol a judgmental look. "Doesn't mean he isn't really pushing it sometimes."

Chanyeol shrugged.

"I'm not gonna stand by and watch when people are mistreated - and I'm not gonna have anyone walk all over me either."

"So you're taking the initiative, huh?" Luhan joked, and for a moment, Chanyeol mentally stumbled over the fact that the jab came from Luhan, not Jongdae. A fleeting look told him that Jongdae was staring at the ground, appearing disinterested in their conversation.

Weird.

"Anyway," Luhan yawned. "About dinner - what do you guys think of meeting at the restaurant at eight? I need to get some homework done still."

"That would be fine by me," Yixing agreed easily, and Jongin nodded. Chanyeol hummed in affirmation, but made sure to slightly fall behind as the conversation moved on to local dishes. Jongdae had already been trailing after them, but it seemed like his steps slowed down as well. It wasn't like Chanyeol was eager to get the snippy comments back - but if something was bothering him, it was best to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

Jongdae seemed to share the sentiment, judging by how he was once again the first to speak up.

"Park," he began, not meeting his eye.

Chanyeol parted his lips for a semi-snarky reaction when the air was pumped out of his lungs by a hearty clap on his back.

"Chanyeol! There you are," Minseok said enthusiastically. Like he'd been looking for him.

Like Chanyeol wasn't doubting his eyes right now because seeing Minseok outside of the club house was surreal.

"Uh... yeah?" he asked, feeling helpless under the sudden, very un-Minseok-like behaviour. The other was wearing his uniform for once, and it looked surprisingly clean. The tell-tale green commoner jacket was open and the sleeves slightly rolled up, showcasing a pristine dress shirt with subtle pinstripes that somehow managed to make him look even more mature. Even his unruly black curls seemed tamer than usual, and really, Chanyeol was surprised he'd managed to recognize him at first glance.

And then there was his dazzling smile.

"You didn't show up at the club today," he said conversationally, as if absolutely nothing here was out of the ordinary.

Chanyeol felt himself starting to sweat nervously.

"Errrno? Sorry about that?"

Minseok didn't seem to care much for his response though, as his eyes wandered past him, and then Minseok wandered past him, extending a hand.

"Luhan, right? We've met before but I don't think I had the chance to introduce myself."

Chanyeol had never seen anyone approach another in such a blunt fashion while coming across so devilishly charming.

Yixing shook his hand, wearing a mildly confused smile.

"Yixing," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

The glare Minseok shot him over his shoulder was withering, to say the least, and Chanyeol suddenly didn't feel all that tall anymore.

"Eep," he muttered blankly.

To Minseok's credit, he took the misstep in stride and smoothly transitioned into introducing himself while Chanyeol discreetly slipped out of sight at the first opportunity.

Obviously, he wasn't needed anymore - and he didn't want to be around when Minseok needed him.

"The pretty one, he said," Chanyeol grumbled to himself as he walked back to the dorm on his own. "Should have been a little more specific..."

Again, Jongdae was forgotten for the time being.

"And then they decided to schedule a date," Luhan burst out incredulously, uncaring of any other potential restaurant visitors, supported by random gestures of his thankfully empty spoon. "Like we weren't right there-"

Watching Yifan squirm in his seat as he was trying to determine which reaction would be appropriate was amusing, to say the least.

Yixing didn't seem fazed at all.

"Meeting up for a cup of tea is hardly scandalous," he commented good-naturedly, and while Chanyeol had to agree, that didn't make their bluntness any less unusual.

"He seemed really nice," was all Jongin provided. He appeared a bit flustered over the subject, and Chanyeol wondered whether the highlands had different ideals and traditions when it came to... courting people. Because what Minseok had been doing definitely counted as courting, and an aggressive form at that.

"He's pretty chill," Yifan agreed slowly. "At least, that's what I used to think..."

"There is really no need to make such a fuss," Yixing brushed them off lightly, and Chanyeol sighed.

"But mom, don't your kids have a say in this as well?" he asked, the facade already cracking half-way.

Immediately, Yixing put up a concerned expression as well.

"Don't worry my dear," he began, softly placing a hand on Chanyeol's upper arm. "Nothing will change and your breakfast will always be done at seven in the morning sharp."

Chanyeol snorted.

"Shut up you two," Luhan groaned, but he was grinning as well. "If Yixing is the mom of the dorm, the role of the father would be taken already. It would clearly go to Kyungsoo."

"Not to you?" Jongin quipped, sparking an entire discussion on the role distribution of their imaginary family. Chanyeol valiantly fought for the role of the middle child, all the while enjoying a refreshing pasta soup. It was fun, sitting with a group of friends over dinner, chatting and laughing with everyone being drowned in warm, orange light. Sure, Chanyeol had had friends at home - plenty of them - but he could already feel that these new bonds were special. That he'd look back to moments like this one even years later. At least he really hoped he would.

"But what about Jongdae?" Jongin asked all of a sudden. They turned towards Jongdae, who hadn't said much the entire evening, and looked startled by the sudden shift in attention.

"Feel free to leave me out of this-" he began, but no one paid him any heed.

"The spot of the eldest brother is already taken by Yifan," Jongin hummed. "And if Luhan's the eccentric uncle and Chanyeol the youngest-"

"Hey-" Chanyeol whined, only to get ignored all the same.

"Yeah, Jongdae could be... hm," Luhan hummed, fingers drumming on the table as he thought hard.

"The cat," Yifan said, evidently regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth.

Luhan snorted, and Jongdae shot poor Yifan a very cool look, under which the other seemed to shrink.

"Uhm. Joking," he tried, but Yixing seemed delighted at the suggestion.

"Now that is a sweet one though! And quite befitting. You do remind me of a cat."

"I am not your pet," Jongdae complained, slipping out of his broody mood for the first time that day, and Yixing cooed.

"Of course not. Have you ever seen a cat that is truly a pet?"

"They do depend on others to feed them though," Luhan remarked with a small grin, and Jongdae drew up his shoulders ever so slightly, the lightest hue of red dusting his ears.

"Cats are hunters in case you forgot-"

"Brilliant - glad you like our choice," Luhan cut him off with a wide grin, and for a moment, Jongdae was utterly out of words. Maybe it was the late hour or the comedic timing or the look on Jongdae’s face, but something about it was simply hilarious to Chanyeol, who burst out laughing.

"Will you cease laughing?" Jongdae demanded, growing redder by the second. "You have just been labeled a child, so I don't see how you're in any position-"

"Youuu totally accepted your role as a the residential cat," Chanyeol snorted.

"I did not- this is ridiculous-" Jongdae stammered, looking slightly overwhelmed with the situation.

"I love cats though," Jongin added helpfully.

"Me too," Yifan agreed, though he didn't dare look up from his food.

"Such elegant, majestic beings," Yixing hummed, and Jongdae actually groaned.

"Stop it. All of you-"

Chanyeol couldn't stop though. He couldn't stop chuckling because all of this was fun.

The warm and fuzzy feeling persisted until they left the restaurant an hour later, stepping into the crisp night air.

"I am stuffed," Chanyeol sighed as he stretched out his arms, feeling quite like a content cat himself.

"For real. I also feel like I've had alcohol instead of fruit juice," Luhan added, to which Yixing gave him a mildly scandalized look.

"Alcohol is prohibited for students, isn't it?"

"Right," Luhan dragged out mock-gravely. "Which is why I would never even think of drinking it. In fact, I've never even tried it before either. Not even once."

"I feel like you're not taking these rules seriously-"

"I've been drinking since I was twelve," Jongin merrily threw in. "It's custom to have a sip during festivities and-"

"Park?"

It had come out quietly, too quiet to be heard by the others, but it had been joined by the lightest touch to his shoulder, and Chanyeol turned immediately.

"Hm?"

Jongdae immediately gave him space again, careful to stay a step behind the others.

"Do you have a moment?"

He was doing this thing again, where he seemed torn between meeting Chanyeol's eyes and staring at the ground.

"Sure?" Chanyeol asked rather than stated, feeling dubious about the entire thing already.

Jongdae nodded to himself.

"Alright. Could we keep it between us?"

Weird. He was setting off Chanyeol's wariness antenna with the stilted, quiet way he was talking, but if there was one single thing they agreed on, it would be the fact that they didn't want to be seen together. So he fell back without a word, slipping into the next alleyway. This was his second successful escape of the day, and if his friends weren't so immersed in their conversation about alcohol, he'd gloat about his own sneakiness. 

"Let's take the route crossing the square," he muttered, still listening to the distant chatter. "Before they realize that they're horrible friends who keep losing half of the group along the way."

Jongdae didn't huff or complain, or said anything, for that matter. It was somewhat eerie, to be honest. For a long time, they just walked in silence, with Chanyeol quietly making up all the possible scenarios that could be awaiting him. Whatever it was, it was clearly related to the night two days ago.

Did Jongdae intend to complain about the unwanted help of Chanyeol? Him invading his privacy? Was he going to convey his anger over what Chanyeol had said, or threaten him to keep quiet about it, or throw a hissy fit over the way Chanyeol had ruffled his hair-

"I suppose I owe you an apology."

Chanyeol stopped in his tracks, with Jongdae narrowly avoiding bumping into him.

"Huh?"

They were standing near the square, and thanks to both streetlights and the full moon above them, he could take in the other's stoic expression, could see the way his rapid blinking betrayed it.

A quick, deep breath and straightened posture later, Jongdae was meeting his eyes again.

"I said I'm owing you an apology. In regards to Saturday night."

"Uhm. An apology?" Chanyeol echoed unintelligently, stumped by the sudden turn of events. Jongdae nodded, looking nothing but serious.

"I was not acting the way I should have. I'm not proud of it-"

"What are you even talking about?" Chanyeol cut him off, genuinely confused.

"This isn't funny, Park," Jongdae snapped, crossing his arms. "I’ll have you know that this was the most humiliating moment in my entire life."

"This?" Chanyeol repeated in disbelief. "Well, gee, I guess I topped that before noon today. Are you bragging now? I mean, good for you?"

Jongdae pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"However you would assess the situation, I'm hereby apologizing," he said with a certain finality.

Chanyeol had never been good at not having the last word, however.

He would not have anyone apologize to him for being sick, for god's sake.

"Of all the things you could be sorry for, this is a particularly dumb one," he insisted. "There is nothing to be sorry about."

To his surprise, Jongdae didn't fight back or berate him. He looked almost taken aback by the statement, eyes flitting to the ground. Chanyeol shrugged to himself, deeming the conversation over for now, and when he continued his walk to the dorm, he heard Jongdae trail behind him. They had crossed the square when he heard him speak up in a murmur almost too quiet to be heard.

"I hate to admit it but you're right."

"Hm?"

"I really shouldn't apologize."

Chanyeol hummed, wondering where this was going.

"It's quite disrespectful," Jongdae added. "And dismissive."

Chanyeol furrowed his brows at nothing in particular. What was he going on about now?

"I should be thanking you instead."

What?

Chanyeol turned, mind wiped blank.

Whether or not Jongdae was interpreting the silence as a demand was unclear. All he did was look him straight into the eye, with his perfect posture and even voice, radiating quiet determination.

"Thank you for... your efforts."

It didn't come out sarcastic at all, which might be the reason Chanyeol was completely void of a reply. How had he come to this conclusion? Was Kim Jongdae really thanking him right now?

Chanyeol could only stare at him as the seconds ticked by.

It took an entirety of five seconds for Jongdae to blink and lower his gaze again, clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm not going to repeat myself," he muttered. "And I'm considering us even now."

He parted his lips once more, but thought better of it.

"What?" Chanyeol asked, still wary, but Jongdae only shook his head.

"Nothing. That was all. I'm heading back to the dorm. If you'll excuse me."

"We're... living in the same dorm," Chanyeol commented, brain running on autopilot.

"And goddess forbid I might actually be able to forget about that for just one day."

"Sleep on the roof then," Chanyeol blurted out. "...kitty."

Jongdae looked quite offended and it was enough to have him walk ahead with brisk steps. Chanyeol didn't even try to catch up, content with lingering behind. It gave him a bit of the privacy he needed - but no matter how much he focused on the messy feeling in his stomach and head, he couldn't quite place it.

Even when he lay in bed later that night, it just refused to subside and let him sleep.

The day after, Chanyeol and Jongdae were well on their way of having a third argument before noon, and Luhan announced that they made him want to tear his hair out.

Things had gone back to normal and despite the lingering voice inside his head telling him to further evaluate everything, bickering with Jongdae was easy. Familiar. And he preferred it over the awkward silence.

Not like there was much time to think, anyway, with Kyungsoo announcing that they were scheduled for their first actual field trip. It was supposed to last three days and the locations for first years had been chosen at random. Or so he said, because Chanyeol refused to believe that much.

For their first field trip was going to Bareahard; a large, fancy town not too far from the school, known as a stronghold for the nobility, and, to their dorm, as the home of Yifan... and Jongdae.

Great. Just great.

I thought about changing the names of the company and the city, in order to be less... annoying to people who don't know the source material. But then I figured that it really doesn't make a difference whether I come up with a new name or not.
Also I've always loved the name Bareahard. Something about it just rolls off your tongue nicely~

Anyway, I'm having a blast with this fic, as per usual ♡
Things are getting dire again regarding covid, so I'm doubling my wishes for you guys to stay healthy. We can do thiiis.
♡

Love,
Sugary