“You look like an owl.”

Kyungsoo startles and looks up from his algebra textbook to see a petite boy with auburn hair staring fixedly at his face. “I beg your pardon?”

“You have the most freakishly large eyes I’ve ever seen. And it’s like you’re wearing magnifying glasses in place of prescription lenses.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Name’s Byun Baekhyun,” the stranger chirps, flashing him an exuberant smile and extending a hand, which Kyungsoo takes in skeptically before shaking.

“You have beautiful fingers.”

“Thank you! I play the piano.”

“My name’s Kyungsoo, by the way. Do Kyungsoo. So you don’t get any ideas about calling me Owl Boy or something.” The two boys share a lighthearted chuckle. “I presume you just transferred here?”

“Mmm hmm. I lived with my dad since the divorce, but then he got remarried so I moved in with my mom instead.”

Kyungsoo jolts at the directness of the statement. Baekhyun was so open about his parents’ divorce, bringing it up in conversation with someone he just met as if it was the most casual thing to say. He doesn’t know why, but he feels he too can be honest with Baekhyun. “My parents are together, but I rather wish they weren’t. Either they give each other the cold shoulder or they end up in a shouting match. I lock myself in my room and wear earphones, but even at full volume, I can still hear their high-pitched arguing and the sound of ceramic shattering. They even buy boxes of new plates regularly just to fling them at each other.”

Baekhyun thought living with just one parent was difficult, but having heard Kyungsoo’s story, he actually now considers himself having the better end of the bargain. “I guess we both have crappy families. Are you an only child, too?”

Kyungsoo nods in assent.

“It wouldn’t be easy, but it sure would be easier if we had siblings to go through this with, don’t you reckon?”

“Yeah. My parents wouldn’t even let me adopt a puppy. Ironically, it’s because they think it’d make too much noise.”

“I’ll be your brother! Or your puppy – that’d be ok too. And call me Baek, by the way.”

“Call me Soo.”

Call me friend.

---

“Baekhyun, hey.” Kyungsoo waves a hand a few inches from his dazed friend’s face. Said friend startles out of his reverie and acknowledges Kyungsoo for the first time since they arrived at the library.

“Sorry, you were saying?”

“I wasn’t saying anything. I was reading? You should too? That’s sort of why we’re here. Why are you so out of it, anyway?” Kyungsoo turns around in his seat toward the direction of Baekhyun’s gaze. The Kim siblings were sitting opposite them at the far end of the library. Comprehension dawns on Kyungsoo. “Oh. You were checking out Taeyeon?”

“Huh? Yeah. Haha, you got me. I was so checking out Taeyeon. Don’t tell anyone though.”

Kyungsoo smiles at the nervous laugh and violent blush the mention of Taeyeon induced in Baekhyun. His best friend had a crush and it was adorable. Also pretty potent blackmail material. “You should ask her out.”

“What?! I’m shy.”

“Byun Baekhyun, if there’s something you aren’t, it’s shy. I’m actually surprised that shy is even in your vocabulary.”

“Just…just let go of it, alright Soo?”

Crushes are weird, thinks Kyungsoo. But he decides not to press further and aggravate his friend even more. “So now can you go back to studying? We have three exams scheduled tomorrow. Honestly, are our teachers that clingy that they even have to schedule exams on the same day?”

“I’d say they’re just sadistic. But yeah, I’ll get to studying now. How again do you integrate?”

Baekhyun trusts Kyungsoo more than anyone else in the world, but he thinks he isn’t ready to tell him that Taeyeon wasn’t the Kim he was gazing at…

It was Junmyeon.

---

A couple of weeks after the incident in the library, Kyungsoo spots Baekhyun conversing shyly with Junmyeon by their lockers. He waits for the latter to make his way to class before running excitedly to his friend. He stops abruptly and jumps in his spot. “Oh my goodness, Baekhyun. Are you using Junmyeon to get close to Taeyeon?” He has a cheeky grin on his face, as if already knowing he was right. Baekhyun panics.

“Yeah, totally. But don’t tell anyone, alright?”

“I knew it! But you really should skip Junmyeon and just talk straight to Taeyeon. A little bird told me she has a thing for you. Your crush! Taeyeon! Likes you!”

“Is this little bird actually little and has high cheekbones and a grin so wide it feels as if an incision was made across his mouth and is only just stapled at the sides?”

“Well…sort of. But that’s beside the point! I’m so excited for you.”

“Yes, yes you are. Even more than me.”

Baekhyun is dispirited because he really does want to come clean to Kyungsoo, but he values their friendship too much to want to risk the possibility of Kyungsoo looking at him differently when he finds out that Taeyeon had intentionally spread the rumor so everyone in their high school would back off of him. Because, and Baekhyun still thinks it’s surreal, Taeyeon was saving him for her brother. Junmyeon had gone up to him this morning and asked him out for ice cream tomorrow after class. He happily, but not too enthusiastically so he didn’t look overeager, said yes.

Junmyeon waits for him a few blocks from school on the afternoon of their date. They were wary not to be spotted together in fear of being exposed to the whole school. Baekhyun speed walks to their rendezvous, now and then turning around to make certain he wasn’t being followed. When he rounds the corner, his heart stops and then rapidly picks up.

Junmyeon is standing patiently with a bouquet of honeysuckles in his hands. He waves at Baekhyun when he spots him and bashfully holds out the flowers to him. “Is this cheesy?”

“No, it’s really thoughtful. How’d you know what flowers I like?”

“I may have watched you playing with the flowers in school once or twice,” Junmyeon admits. Baekhyun just takes his hand and leads the way.

---

His jovial mood from his date carries over the next morning and Baekhyun finds himself humming love songs on his way to class. The smile falls from his face when he is stopped in his steps by a disgruntled Kyungsoo. “Where were you yesterday?”

“I told you I had plans.”

“I know, but where were you? And why didn’t you answer any of my calls?” An idea then comes to Kyungsoo, light bulb flashing over his head, and his previous irritation is all too quickly replaced by exhilaration. “Did you go out with Taeyeon?”

As always, Baekhyun just admits to the accusation. “Yeah, we had ice cream.”

Kyungsoo giggles like a blushing schoolgirl. “That is so cute! Tell me all about it.” Baekhyun complies essentially, although he has to be careful about replacing the identity of his date with the sister. At the end of it, Kyungsoo could not stifle his thrill and runs off to his next period cooing.

Kyungsoo shares physics with Taeyeon and corners her after class as she is putting on her makeup. “Hi, Taeyeon!”

Said girl pauses glossing lipstick over and stares at Kyungsoo. “Hi?” If it were anyone else, she’d flip the guy off for interrupting her, but Kyungsoo never talked in class and here he was going up to her to say hi. She was curious.

“I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you and Baek. I’ve been pushing him to ask you out, so I’m glad he finally grew the balls to. I know he can get too loud at times but he’s a really great guy. You’d make a cute couple.”

Taeyeon raises a brow in confusion. She knows it might not be her place to tell him, but she thinks it only merciful to release Kyungsoo from his ignorance. “Soo, I’m not dating Baekhyun.”

“But he told me.”

She places a hand on Kyungsoo’s forearm and has him look her in the eye. “Soo, Baekhyun’s dating my brother.”

Kyungsoo trembles. “I get that you maybe don’t want to admit it, but come on Taeyeon, don’t joke about your brother like that.” Kyungsoo is praying with all he has that Taeyeon would break out in laughter and admit that she was only kidding. But the look he sees instead is one of serious concern.

“I think you have to talk to your friend,” she puts in before finishing her makeup and exiting, leaving Kyungsoo stock still in disbelief in the empty room.

---

Now it is Kyungsoo who won’t pick up Baekhyun’s calls and he’s starting to worry. He goes up to Kyungsoo the next day when he spots him in the hallway but is taken aback by the look of hurt and anger in his eyes. Kyungsoo shrugs him off and walks past him. Confused, Baekhyun pursues him. “Hey, Soo! What is up with you?”

Kyungsoo turns to him and spits out, “I can’t believe you would lie to me, Baek. I can’t believe you’ve been lying for so long and will probably continue to lie to my face. How could you?!”

Seeing Kyungsoo unravel this way sends a surge of guilt through Baekhyun’s body. He doesn’t know how Kyungsoo found out, but he knew exactly what he was pointing at. “I’m sorry. I was scared.”

“Scared of what? That I’ll judge you? I thought you trusted me more than that.”

“I do!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?!”

“It isn’t that easy. I know how this goes; I’ve seen it before. I was worried that when you found out I was gay, you’d feel as if you didn’t know me and second guess our entire friendship, thinking I was only trying to get into your pants.” Baekhyun feels a hot tear trail down his face but trudges on. “And you’re the only person I have, Soo. I couldn’t lose you.”

“I just feel so betrayed. How can you expect me to trust you anymore?”

“I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Then maybe we should stop talking.”

And as Kyungsoo walks away from him, Baekhyun is worried that he’s also walking out of his life.

---

They don’t talk at all after that and Junmyeon notices how lifeless Baekhyun is even while on their dates. And as he always seems to, he knows what’s up. “It’s Taeyeon – she told Kyungsoo. I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun stops playing with the rim of his coffee cup and looks up. “No, don’t be. It’s entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have lied to him.”

Junmyeon holds a hand over his and rubs comforting circles with his thumb. “Baek, look at me. You can’t blame yourself. People can’t expect you to just be honest with them when even you are struggling to be honest to yourself. It’s not so easy to figure this out – being gay, because you immediately deny the idea the moment it materializes. And if someone is really your friend, he’d let you take your time. You don’t need someone to bang on the closet and force you out; what you need is someone to patiently wait outside and then take your hand when you finally do come out. I know Soo isn’t talking to you right now, but he’ll realize that eventually. Because I knew from the minute I first saw you two together that you’re real friends.”

“I love you” is the only coherent speech Baekhyun can muster through his sobs. When Junmyeon just smiles at him and squeezes his hand tighter, he thinks it’s enough.

“I love you too, Baek.”

Apparently, meddling runs in the Kims’ blood, because what Junmyeon failed to mention to his boyfriend is that he just gave the same speech to Kyungsoo that morning. He thinks it’s only a matter of time.

---

Baekhyun is lying in bed, pondering Junmyeon’s words, when the buzzing of their doorbell jolts him. He reckons it must be his mom coming home from the grocery store. He pads barefoot on the wooden boards and opens the door to see not his mother, but Kyungsoo.

“Can I go inside?”

“Of course.” Baekhyun lets his friend in before closing the door and making his way to the couch. Kyungsoo follows suit.

“Junmyeon talked to me this morning.”

“He did?” Baekhyun doesn’t remember his boyfriend bringing that up on their date this afternoon. “That is something he would do.”

“Yeah. Those Kim siblings love to stick their noses in other people’s business, but only because they know they have to. I’m sorry, Baek. I should have been more understanding. I was too caught up feeling betrayed that you’d lied to me that I forgot to consider why you lied to me. And now that we’re being completely honest, I guess I was sad to see you keeping your uality a secret because then I realized that maybe…

I should also keep mine a secret.”

Baekhyun jumps up a little at that but then Kyungsoo continues. “I of all people should know it isn’t that easy. So what do you say? Let’s skip the angst?”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, you .”

All of a sudden, the house doesn’t seem too hollow because their laughter fills every corner.

---

A/N: Squeal! The back story ended up being really long, so I decided to split it. This is their journey through high school, and then uni comes after. I hope you enjoyed it! And keep posted for more. :D