EXO FICS.

BaekYeol. Spica

He’d been born in a sea side town, his father a boat maker and his mum an ordinary housewife, passing each day mechanically, peppered with routine chores and school. Byun Baekhyun was, considered by other parents and peers, a plain, plain child. His already small eyes were hidden behind thick, bulky spectacles, his slightly chubby frame buried beneath layers of frumpy hand me down sweaters and shirts, and his shoes were never really quite the right size for him. Clumsy and quiet, he’d spent a good majority of his time running away from the relentless school bullies, never returning home after school, instead always hiding out in the library about three kilometers away from his home.

He’d first discovered the old piano in the library’s music room, buried under layers of dust, old and neglected, its once glossy finish now muted and chipped. The place was pretty much deserted most of the time, the folks in is town far too occupied with sustenance and survival to take time out to read. Occasionally he would bump into someone he knew, but they would usually pass each other wordlessly with only silent nods as greetings.

Baekhyun had headed straight for the music section and outwardly squealed at the entire shelf of books waiting for him, excitedly flipping through pages and chapters of trebleclefts and crescendos but he puts those aside, gingerly, searching for a book that he could actually understand. On good days he would grab a book or two and check them out, tucking them into his backpack before heading out closer to the shore, reading away his time on benches under clear blue skies. When the weather turned sour he would stay in the shelter of the library, sitting alone at the piano, trying to memorise chords, melodies and progressions.

The second born male in his family, Baekhyun had had much more freedom to entertain his whims and fancies, his older brother bearing the brunt of the responsibilities and expectations of inheriting the family business. His parents hardly blink when he slips through the door at dinnertime, never questioning him on his whereabouts, and he finds he appreciates the silence, occasionally doing additional chores to make up for the liberty that they give him.

For two years, the music room had become his solitary sanctuary - a place where he could sing at the top of his lungs, where he wasn’t just plain old mousy Byun Baekhyun, but the person that he thought he probably wanted to be.

**

He first meets Chanyeol when he’s recovering from a particularly bad encounter with the middle school bullies, hiding in the music room, sniffling as he painstakingly tapes back the torn pages of his note book, carefully mending his precious scores.

Chanyeol doesn’t say a thing, sitting wordlessly with him, picking up the scissors to help cut smaller pieces of cellotape, passing them to Baekhyun one by one as he stuck the ripped pieces of paper back together. When he finally stops sniffling and looks up to thank his new found friend, the blinding smile he receives kind of knocks him off his axis and he falters, dropping his newly mended book again.

The other had reached over quickly and picked up the book of scores, dusting it off gently with his shirt before handing it back to a rather stunned Baekhyun.

“I’m Chanyeol.” He grinned, right eye twitching. “What’s your name?”