170513

 

Park Chanyeol walked out of the headmaster's office, his new school's student card clutched in his hand among other forms and instruction brochures. Though the brand new school uniform itched a bit at his neck and waist (his mum had forgotten this morning to remove the labels inside the clothing), he was wearing it with pride. He smiled softly at the school's emblem, stitched on his also new backpack, when he put the papers from his hand inside.

This school would be awesome, he was determined. Even though he and his family just moved in town where he didn't know a single soul. He knew he'd be able to make friends within seconds, so he wasn't as frightened as others maybe would be in this situation.

 

But still, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous at all, when he hesitantly knocked on the biology classroom's door after fixing the fringe of his chocolate brown hair for the fifteenth time. He had been momentarily lost inside the big new building, confusing the digits of the rooms' numbers. And when he finally arrived at the right classroom, the silence inside the room apart from the teacher's voice indicated that the lesson had already started.

But luckily the teacher smiled at him, as she opened the classroom door for him. Letting him inside she told the class: “Guys, that's the new student I mentioned earlier. Please be nice to him.”

 

She asked him to write his name on the blackboard and shortly introduce himself to the class. Chanyeol made sure to smile a lot and was relieved, when no mean comments were heard after his short speech. The teacher directed him to a seat, and when Chanyeol sat down, the tanned boy sitting next to him friendly nodded and quietly introduced himself as “Jongin, but everyone calls me Kai,” before turning around again to face the teacher, who had continued with her biology lesson.

 

While she was gesticulating at some more or less comprehensible drawings of chromosomes on the blackboard, a load was taken off Chanyeol's mind. He was aware of the importance of first impressions and everything had started well and at least the majority of the class seemed to accept him.

Since he wasn't able to concentrate on the lesson after his agitation anyway, Chanyeol entertained himself by furtively watching his classmates. Especially the males since he generally preferred those. He noticed that many of them were conspicuously handsome and even pretty, but the prettiest in his opinion was the short, brown haired boy sitting in the very first row of desks. He had exceptionally beautiful hands and Chanyeol couldn't but follow the boy's sleek fingers with his eyes, whenever the boy raised one of his hands to answer the teacher's questions (which was nearly all the time). Chanyeol spent the rest of the class silently admiring the boy's prettiness and obvious smartness.

 

~*~

 

While his wandering around the school in the morning, Chanyeol had come across a poster of the basketball club, touting for new members. Since there hadn't been a basketball team at his former school, Chanyeol hadn't played basketball in a team since elementary school, though he had always missed it. Reasoning that it also couldn't hurt his health as well as his plans of making loads of new friends at his new school, Chanyeol decided to join the basketball club.

 

The team's leader Kris (a half Canadian-half Chinese giant; the others on the team only called him duizhang affectionately) was delighted when Chanyeol approached him the next day after classes in the gym. Or at least he seemed to be, since he still looked rather stern. But Chanyeol was sure he saw Kris' constantly scowling expression brightening for a moment when he told him he'd like to join the basketball club.

But in fact, Kris' personality turned out to be a lot fluffier and nicer than he looked and after a rather successful first training session, where the newcomer's height had proved to be a real enrichment for the team, Chanyeol already felt like he knew the other guys for years and not only a few hours.

 

That's why he decided to dare asking the others later in the locker room about the boy with the pretty hands from his biology class. But the reactions surprised him.

 

“Ah you mean Byun Baekhyun? That lame nerd...” Sehun drawled when Chanyeol described the boy to them.

 

“Baekhyun's not that bad,” Zitao defended him. “He's actually quite nice. Though he really doesn't care about any sports and studies all day...”

“That's what I said! Lame!” Sehun exclaimed while pulling his jersey off over his head.

 

“Sehun's just jealous because Baekhyun gets better marks than him,” Chanyeol's desk neighbour Jongin commented and promptly received a whack in the ribs from Sehun's jersey. He just cackled and poked his best friend back.

 

Seeing Chanyeol's eyebrows still furrowed in confusion, Kris leaned over to him and explained, “That Baekhyun-guy isn't exactly terrible, just... really boring, to be honest. All I know about him is that he's among the top five of all students in our school, so yeah... We don't really care about him, I guess...”

 

Chanyeol said nothing and only nodded but an idea already sparked in his head.

 

~*~

 

The next day during lunch break Chanyeol politely dismissed Jongin and the others from his basketball team and sallied out in search of Byun Baekhyun. He reckoned a studious kid like Baekhyun to spend his lunch break most likely in the library. But when Chanyeol arrived there and poked his head into each and every aisle, the shorter boy was nowhere to be found. He knew he couldn't ask any his basketball friends since they wouldn't know Baekhyun's whereabouts anyway. And Chanyeol still didn't know enough about the school to know who might be Baekhyun's friends so he couldn't ask them either.

He decided to look around in the school building for just half an hour more before he'd postpone his search for Baekhyun to the next day.

But thirty minutes later he walked into the schoolyard with his head hanging low. Where could the boy be? He'd even searched in the empty classrooms but hadn't found anyone apart from two guys who seemed to be studying. (At least they seemed so on first glance, books and notes being laid out on the desk between them, but Chanyeol had more the impression that the black haired guy with the cat-like face just told the slightly shorter and brightly smiling other boy jokes and other funny stories. Maybe they were dating, who knew.)

 

Chanyeol started to absentmindedly stroll over the school yard, away from the noisy other boys and girls, running around, talking, screaming and laughing loudly until he reached a little grove at the very back of the school yard. Here the noise was only barely audible anymore, drowned out by the rushing of the early summer's warm wind in the treetops. The sun shone through the leaves and sprinkled spots of golden light over the thick grass on the ground. The sweet fragrance of the numerous jasmine-bushes drifted through the air. Chanyeol smiled and sighed contentedly at the peacefulness of the place.

Suddenly the leaves behind one of the biggest jasmine bushes rustled and pair of dark button eyes appeared next to the green branches. It was Baekhyun.

 

At first his expression mirrored Chanyeol's surprise, but then it quickly formed into a scowl.

 

“What do you want?” Baekhyun demanded.

 

Taken aback, Chanyeol only stuttered. “Ah, uhm, hello. M-my name is Park Chanyeol and... you are Byun Baekhyun... right?”

“Yes... But are you deaf or something? I asked you a question,” Baekhyun said, still frowning while closing the thick book which he had been reading.

 

Chanyeol briefly pondered about why this boy was so hostile, but then suspended the thought with a shrug and smiled instead. If Baekhyun was just insecure, it was best to show him his friendly intentions.

 

“Well, I heard you're very good at school, especially at science,” Chanyeol began. Baekhyun just waited. “And since I at biology, I was wondering, maybe you'd agree to be my tutor?” Chanyeol revealed his plan.

 

Baekhyun still didn't say anything, but at least he didn't look so angry anymore, only thoughtful and curious.

 

Silence followed. Chanyeol carefully sat down on the soft grass, next to Baekhyun. Baekhyun let him and when he finally dismissed the taller of his scrutinising gaze, Chanyeol inaudibly let out a breath which he hadn't known he was holding.

 

“Fine,” Baekhyun said.

 

Chanyeol perked up. “Really? You'll be my biology tutor?”

“Yes... b-but if you do anything without my consent... it'll be over and your marks will be your problem again, got it?” Baekhyun stated harshly.

 

Chanyeol just stared at him. “....huh?”

 

Suddenly Baekhyun blushed fervently. “W-what? Are you disappointed that I'm not... that I'm not that easy or what?” Baekhyun defended himself but held up his nose in an attempt to save his pride.

 

When Chanyeol finally caught up, he grinned and shook his head. “I had nothing like this in mind, but now that you brought it up... now I got ideas forming in my head...” Chanyeol , chuckling again when Baekhyun spluttered.

 

The school bell's ringing sound floated over at this moment and Chanyeol stood up, brushing off his pants and shouldering his backpack. He reached out a hand for Baekhyun to grab it. Hesitantly, the shorter boy complied. But when Baekhyun tried to pull his hand back, Chanyeol only strengthened his hold. Baekhyun looked up to the other in surprise and seeing Chanyeol's mischievous grin with his tongue poking out between his lips, he frowned while his cheeks turned slightly pink again. Chanyeol laughed at his pouty expression and turned around to head off to the school building, a indignantly squawking Baekhyun still in tow.

 

In Chanyeol's opinion, Byun Baekhyun was far from “lame”.

 

~*~

 

When the last class on the next day ended, Chanyeol packed his notebooks and pencil case in his backpack and hurried up to the empty classroom on the fifth floor, where Baekhyun had told him to meet him after classes for their first tutoring session. But Chanyeol arrived earlier than Baekhyun, so he already went inside, chose a desk near the window and arranged two chairs around it. He considered calling or texting Baekhyun's phone, since they had exchanged numbers after the encounter yesterday. But then he decided against it. He was afraid it would reveal too much of Chanyeol's interest in the other boy and besides, it might make Baekhyun uncomfortable.

So he sat down on one of the chairs and took out his biology notebook, lazily flipping through the pages of his illegible scrawl. The margins were full of little doodles, some more and some less artistic.

 

Chanyeol was busy finishing a particularly felicitous drawing of a phoenix on the backside of a worksheet about ecosystems in East Asia, when the door opened and Baekhyun walked in.

Or rather, a huge pile of books on skinny legs and with a brown shock of hair on top stumbled in.

Chanyeol jumped up and hurried over to take the heavy books from Baekhyun's arms.

 

“Why did you heft all those tomes up here?” Chanyeol asked him incredulously and heaved them on the table.

 

Baekhyun didn't answer and only let his backpack down on the floor next to the table with a bump and sighed when he flopped himself on one of the chairs. “Thanks,” he wheezed. “Well, I guess I just wanted to be good tutor...?” he explained when he had caught his breath again. Upon hearing his own deficient explanation, he blushed slightly. But Chanyeol thought he was endearing.

 

Chanyeol experimentally tried to lift the backpack but grimaced and gave up after a few moments. “How is this even possible?!” he exclaimed. “How is a walking stick figure like you even able to carry this heavy bag around all day?”

“Says the beanpole,” Baekhyun deadpanned.

 

Chanyeol grinned and sat down on the other chair. “You know I'm just teasing you. So how was your day?” he asked, attempting small talk.

 

Baekhyun just stared back at him for a second, clearly startled by the sudden question.

 

Chanyeol was just wondering whether he had been too meddlesome, when Baekhyun gave the taller boy a small smile and quietly answered, “It was okay... I guess? And... and yours?”

 

Chanyeol beamed again. “Mine was okay, too. Korean was boring as hell but I read the novel we'll read in English from next week on already in my former school, so I won't have to read it again which is kinda cool, because it to be forced to read such a depressing story,” he rambled. He was slightly nervous but Baekhyun didn't seem to mind or notice. He listened attentively and nodded.

 

“I know, right? It was okay for the first fifty pages, but after a while it became just boring to read about nothing else than the characters' misery,” Baekhyun said while he rummaged in his crammed backpack for his pencil case.

 

Chanyeol cocked his head to the side. “You already read it, too?”

Baekhyun's head shot up in alarm. “Err... I mean,” he mumbled and looked away nervously.

 

But Chanyeol understood. “Ah, of course. An exemplary student like you would've already read all of the curriculum's literature, right?”

 

Baekhyun blushed again a bit in embarrassment and miserably hung his head. “I'm sorry. Gosh, now you think I'm nothing but a nerd...”

 

“Eh? What are you sorry for? I could only wish to be this disciplined!” Chanyeol retorted. “Really! I think it's impressive,” he added when Baekhyun gave him a doubting look.

 

At that a shy smile appeared on the shorter boy's face. “Thank you... Well then, let's get started with tutoring!” he said in a visibly better mood than before.

 

Chanyeol groaned and slumped down on the table with his head on his arms. “I hoped you'd forget. Meh, I'm so tired,” he groused.

 

He heard Baekhyun chuckle and quickly peered under his eyebrows at the other. Wow, such a cute sound...

 

“Come on, stop pretending. Didn't you just say that you wanted to be as good as me at school? Chop-chop! Take your notes out,” Baekhyun said good-naturedly.

 

Chanyeol moaned again in annoyance but complied.

 

They worked for half an hour, mostly on Chanyeol's homework, with Baekhyun explaining to Chanyeol some of the complicated words whenever necessary. After quickly finishing his own homework, Baekhyun himself worked on a worksheet which looked suspiciously like advanced physics but Chanyeol just shook his head in incomprehension without a comment.

 

Suddenly Baekhyun noticed the drawings in the margins of Chanyeol's notes.

 

“Woah! Did you draw these?” he said with an admiring gaze as he flipped through the pages.

 

Chanyeol looked up. “Huh? Oh those... well, yeah...” he said, scratching the side of his neck. “But don't look too closely at them. Some have really awful anatomy and others just look weird.”

 

“No, I think they are awesome!” Baekhyun praised and Chanyeol couldn't suppress his smile.

 

“Thanks!”

 

Baekhyun pointed at a collection of twelve symbols which Chanyeol had doodled during some math class. They included abstract forms of a waterdrop, a snowflake, an ox, an hourglass... even a unicorn. “Those look really cool,” Baekhyun said.

 

“You think so? Which one do you like best? I like this one the most,” Chanyeol said and pointed to a symbol of a bird, flying to the upper right corner of the paper.

However, Baekhyun laid his (pretty) finger on a symbol which resembled an eight-pointed star. “This one is the nicest. I think I like its simplicity.”

 

“If you want I can draw it again for you,” Chanyeol offered.

 

“Really? But where? Ah, wait, let me check if I have a spare sheet of paper for you...” Baekhyun said and moved to dive again into his backpack. But Chanyeol quickly grabbed the other's right hand and his pen and began to draw the star-symbol on the back of Baekhyun's hand. The shorter boy blushed and fidgeted.

 

“Hold still!” Chanyeol instructed and his tongue poked out between his lips in concentration. “I don't want to smudge a line.”

“But it tickles,” Baekhyun whined, but stopped moving his hand and only bit his lower lip.

 

They sat in silence as Chanyeol worked and the sun slowly set outside the window. He even refined the original design, adding thin lines which gave the impression of delicate chains around Baekhyun's wrist and fingers.

When he finally finished it was already almost dark in the room. “There you go,” he said, letting go of the shorter boy's soft hand reluctantly.
Baekhyun held his hand up to his face and tried to see the drawing on his hand in the dying light. “I nearly can't make anything out right now but thank you anyway,” he said and Chanyeol knew the other was smiling brightly by the shine of his teeth, visible even in the darkness.

 

Suddenly nervous, Chanyeol cleared his throat and gathered his things. “Look how late it is, let's head home now.”

Baekhyun nodded and started to pack his bag as well when he paused. “But you didn't finish your homework, did you?”

 

Chanyeol froze. “Ehhh... Maybe next time!” he exclaimed cheekily and ran out of the classroom's door. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow but followed him, only to get the heck scared out of him, as Chanyeol jumped out in front of him in the dark corridor, howling like a gorilla. But at Baekhyun's girly scream he proceeded to laugh his head off, the shorter boy, despite his embarrassment, joining him soon after because his giggles were just too contagious.

 

Chanyeol kept cracking jokes all the way down through the gate and to the bus stop, where they had to part eventually since they lived in opposite directions. Some of the jokes were better and some of them were lamer. But Baekhyun didn't seem to mind as he laughed at all of them, sometimes even supplying one or two rather witty ones himself, causing Chanyeol to double over in laughter and slap his leg in joy.

 

In spite of their differences, Chanyeol had an inkling he had found his soulmate.

 

~*~

 

In the following days and weeks Chanyeol not only learned (slowly but steadily) about ecosystems and the theory of evolution from Baekhyun, he also found out that they both shared a passion for old-school videogames, Harry Potter and most important: music.

 

Baekhyun told him about how his childhood dream had always been to become a singer someday, and he had even taken professional singing lessons regularly until he'd entered highschool and his parents had decided for him that he needed a real job later in life. Now, with the pressure to gain just the best grades in class, he hadn't even time to join the school choir. But on the other hand, it even gave him more incentive to work hard: he was aiming to get the school's scholarship so he could study abroad. Over there his parents wouldn't have such a strong hold over him and he would be able to engage again in his beloved hobby. But until then, his daily life consisted of studying during nearly all his waking hours, leaving no spare time for activities with friends. Which was why he basically didn't have any.

 

“Actually, I have no 'friends' as in 'people I share the same hobbies with and meet after school just to hang out'. The only people I share at least the same 'interest', in a way, are Do Kyungsoo, the boy living next door from me, and class president Kim Junmyeon since they both are swots, too. Okay, I guess Kyungsoo would still count as my 'closest friend' since I know him since kindergarten, but as he is always busy studying himself, I am mostly all alone,” Baekhyun admitted one afternoon, when he and Chanyeol were sitting in the empty, slowly darkening classroom, after finishing their tutoring lesson. Chanyeol had asked the other about what he liked to do in his free time, together with his friends because Chanyeol felt like he simply couldn't know enough about Baekhyun.

But after hearing this miserably mumbled answer, Chanyeol could only barely restrain his urge to hug the shorter boy.

 

It was then that Chanyeol decided to take Baekhyun out for some fun on the next day.

 

~*~

 

When the bell rang on the next day to sign the end of classes, Chanyeol hectically crammed his books and notebooks into his bag, waved with a quick “Bye guys, see you tomorrow!” to Jongin and Kris and dashed off to the usual classroom on the fifth floor. Of course he was too early and while he waited impatiently for the other boy to show up, he bounced and fidgeted around in the corridor, collecting a few strange looks from the students who trickled out of the other classrooms on the floor. He checked his appearance nearly every minute in the selca-camera of his phone.