pairing: BaekLay
length: 1479 words

Lay happily hummed to himself as he carefully finished outlining the giant white circle in front of him with yellow chalk. Circles were never the easiest to freehand, especially on such a large canvas. But after years of practice, drawing circles came to him just as easily as breathing did.

And it showed.

There were dozens of small circles incorporated in today’s piece, connected with straight and squiggly lines, dotting the edges, and stacked on top of each other in various forms. These circles—both perfect and purposefully imperfect—were part of a larger whole. Almost like the circle of life…

This thought caused Lay to chuckle as he recalled his Disney-inspired piece from the week before. He had drawn Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Nala, and Zazu chasing each other in a circle that had been bright as the sun.

Not unlike the circle he was completing now. Except this one represented a golden medallion, rather than the golden sun.

This medallion was sectioned in twelve, each containing a detailed outline of an animal from the Chinese zodiac. After he finished this circle, Lay planned to fill in the colors and hopefully finish the entire piece before sundown so that he could take a quick picture. He knew if he waited until the next day to return for a picture, the drawing would already be destroyed by the power washes that were performed every night. It was just past noon at the moment, which gave him a solid five to six hours to finish everything. Perhaps he shouldn’t have started off with such a large canvas, but then he might as well have just drawn this on a sheet of paper at home instead.

And where was the fun in that?

As per usual, a crowd gradually formed around his workspace, watching in excitement and taking pictures of the chalk artist while he worked. Lay didn’t mind the attention, as long as no one walked on his designated canvas. Luckily, people had enough sense to mind the makeshift barrier that he had created out of his boxes of chalk and his belongings seemingly haphazardly strewn around him.

Once the yellow outline was complete, Lay carefully stowed the stick of yellow chalk into its designated box before carefully stepping around to grab a stick of gray chalk.

And just like that, once the chalk hit the cement, he found himself in a comfortable lull as his right hand rhythmically filled in the rat outline with care and precision. It was like clockwork. Incredibly therapeutic and creatively fulfilling. The perfect combination.

Step by step, Lay made his way around the circle and the chalk drawings gradually came alive as he gave them depth, form, and texture with the simplest of tools. When he put the finishing touches on the pig’s curly tail with his stick of pink chalk, he was finally able to let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding for an extended period of time.

He stood up, stretched his cramped arms, and surveyed his work with satisfaction. Dozens of onlookers took this moment to snap pictures and videos of the finished product, which Lay graciously allowed as he stepped to the side to take a sip of water.

“Um, excuse me?”

“Hm?” Lay turned to see who was speaking to him and suddenly found himself face-to-face with a bespectacled young man.

“Would it be alright if I took a picture of your chalk art?”

Well, that was a first. People rarely ever went out of their way to ask for his permission. Lay could already tell that he would like this man. “Go for it,” he answered genially. “This sidewalk is public domain. You can take as many pictures as you like. I don’t mind.”

“Oh, great! Thank you!” The young man eagerly took out his DSLR camera and began snapping away at the chalk mural. “Wow… This is awesome…”

Lay just smiled to himself after taking another swig of water and leaning against a column. With the sun slowly dipping down now as evening approached, shadows were starting to cast on the cement ground, Luckily, he’d had the foresight to draw far enough away from any structures or buildings that could intersect with his artwork, leaving the chalk mural completely untouched by the shadows.

“How long have you been doing this for?”

The question abruptly jolted Lay out of his wandering thoughts and he found the photographer staring at him, wearing a bright grin. “Oh, um, it’s been a little over a year now, I think. I haven’t really kept track. I just started doing this for fun one day and decided to keep doing it, since it gives me a chance to relax and unwind.”

“You’re so talented,” the photographer breathed out as his gaze wandered over the giant chalk drawing once more. There was a brief pause before he shyly asked, “Is it okay if I ask for your name? I wanna look you up on Instagram!”

“I don’t post on Instagram—” The other young man instantly deflated. “—but I can still give you my name. I’m Lay.”

“Hi, Lay! I’m Baekhyun! Wow, even your name is cool too!”

“It’s a childhood nickname,” Lay explained with a chuckle as he got up to begin packing his supplies. Most onlookers had already finished taking pictures and he could easily duck out of the way for any stragglers who stopped by.

“Super cool!”

“Thanks.” When the photographer didn’t step away like the other onlookers did, Lay politely asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

“Yes!” Baekhyun enthusiastically replied before immediately pulling back, wearing a sheepish smile on his face. “Well, uh, I hope this isn’t too much to ask…”

Lay nodded encouragingly. “Go on.”

“Would I be able to commission something from you?” the photographer asked, eyes shining brightly with hope.

“It depends on what you’re asking for,” Lay answered as he carefully began placing his boxes of chalk into his carrier.

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly deep in thought. Several long seconds later, he finally responded, “Dealer’s choice!”

“Huh?”

“I wanna see what you can come up with!” Baekhyun reiterated. “I’m no good at coming up with ideas myself. I’m better at capturing them in the moment. So I trust in your vision and I’ll make sure it’s immortalized forever in my photos.”

Lay thought back to all of the sub-par photos he had taken of his work in the past and smiled wryly to himself. “Can I see your pictures first?”

“For sure! Here, they’re unedited—duh, I just took them, everyone knows that—but I still think they came out well!”

And he wasn’t wrong. Lay couldn’t help but let out a small gasp as he stared at the gorgeous photographs on the camera. The crisp light from the setting sun illuminated the medallion’s outline and for a split second, Lay truly believed that it was encased in gold, just like he had imagined it. The shadows and highlights of each animal were emphasized, and they stood out from their panels as if they were three-dimensional, which Lay didn’t think was possible. At least, not to this caliber.

“And this is what your photos look like unedited?!”

“Um, yeah… Are they okay?” Baekhyun shyly asked.

“Of course they’re okay! They’re even more amazing than my chalk drawings!” Lay exclaimed. Shifting the box of red chalk to the crook of his left arm, he extended his right arm and held out his hand. “You, my friend, have got yourself a deal.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you!” Baekhyun vigorously shook his hand, practically bouncing on his feet. “This is such an honor!”

“I’m the one who’s honored,” Lay said with a wide grin. “Anyway, I’ll be back here next week for my next chalk drawing. Does that work for you?”

“Yeah! Here, let me give you my number so you can text me when you’re here.” Baekhyun fumbled as he took out his phone and presented it to Lay. “Sorry, I’m just really excited about this!”

“No worries, here you go!” Lay then called himself with Baekhyun’s phone before ending the call after several rings and saving the photographer’s number on his own phone. “Can you send me the edited pictures once you’re done? I’ll treat you to dinner as a thank you.”

“I was gonna send them to you anyway, but I won’t say no to free dinner!” Baekhyun cheerfully said as he helped Lay tuck the last few boxes of chalk into his carrier. “Do you need to drop off your supplies before we eat?”

Lay nodded. “My place isn’t far. And there’s a really good ramen restaurant nearby.”

“Say no more!”

And with that, the two new friends set out towards Lay’s apartment, talking and joking as if they’d known each other for years.

♈♈♈