The bell rang to dismiss class, and with a sigh of relief Ren snapped his textbook shut. The day had seemed to drag on, as always, but with the following day being Valentines Day he was even more frustrated than usual. He hated the holdiay; the silly ritual of bringing someone chocolates and a card in the hope of wooing them was simply ridiculous and honestly, he felt it was a little pathetic.

With a covert glance across the room, he let out another soft sigh before standing to shoulder his backpack. If he ever did decide to participate in the ridiculous holiday, he knew who he would give chocolates to... but Ren was determined to never again join in the public humilition called Valentines Day. 

He could remember a few years back, in their freshman year of high school, the fateful moment when he had been stupid enough to give in to the holiday's call. He had given his crush a small box of chocolates and a note, only to have the candies thrown in his face and the note pinned to the bulletin board for the school to see. It had been a terrible moment, one that had defined the rest of his high school life; after that he was known as the gay kid, the outsider, the one no one wanted to be friends with for fear they'd 'catch' being gay, too.

He had buried himself in his passion for music, for in the soft melodies of a song he felt peace and joy. Even now he headed for the school auditorium, intent on missing the rush of students headed out to freedom from school, taking solace in the big piano and empty room. Slipping in through the doors, he glanced around quickly to make sure that he was well and truly alone before making his way to the old, worn piano.

Taking a seat on the wooden bench, he let his fingers ghost over the keys for a moment, a soft smile touching his lips as he finally put pressure one one key to bring forth a sound. It rang through the empty auditorium and soon it was joined by more music, Ren's fingers dancing along the keys as he emptied his heart into the music. He played a song none would know, for he himself had written it, but had anyone heard then they would have felt the angst of his song. 

He played several songs, though he was always determined to try and end his 'sessions' on a happy note; he figured that maybe the sweet, joyous sounds could infuse him with some of the same comforts, and every time he left he always felt happier, so he thought there must be some truth to his superstition. Today, though, no happy songs would come to his mind, so he simply sat and stared at the keys for several moments in silence, trying to dredge up a song to play. 

A muffled sound came from the corner of the stage, and when he turned to look he saw the silhouette of another standing there. With a huff of frustration and embarrassment, Ren stood to his feet and grabed his bag. "You're being rude," he snapped as he shouldered it and turned to go, but to his surprise the figure was no longer there. 

Making his way into the hall, he found it deserted, so with a shake of his head he moved to the doors of the school. The sky outside was overcast and from the strange warmth of the air Ren knew it was getting ready to snow, and so he hurried home with quickened steps.

***

That night he lay on his bed, stomach down and feet in the air as he texted his best friend. They had been happily chatting about music and weekend plans when Minhyun asked if he was planning on making a paper heart for Valentines. R