pairing: BaekChen
length: 2118 words
A/N: Written at the request of lurvejunho! Hope you like it!
Part One: My Hero

Ever since he was a young boy, Baekhyun loved to sing and dance. He would twirl around his house while singing little ditties at the top of his lungs, much to his mother’s amusement as she perched on the couch with a book in her slim hands and kept watch over her son out of the corner of her eyes. Whenever he demanded for her to watch him perform, she would dutifully place her book down on the nearby coffee table and sit up straight, giving her undivided attention to the talented young boy whose eyes sparkled brightly as he acted out a silly routine he had conjured on the spot.

His mother would clap and laugh while her body swayed to the music, and Baekhyun would feel his heart swell with love and support as he continued performing for the woman he loved most. The child couldn’t imagine ever being separated from his mother, not when she was the one who played with him in their otherwise empty home while his father worked in a corporate office. Not when she cooked him his favorite food and bought him yummy snacks while they were grocery shopping for the upcoming week’s meals. And certainly not when she tucked him in bed at night and softly crooned a lullaby as she his soft hair to lull him to sleep. Baekhyun didn’t know what he would do if his mother ever disappeared from his life.

So his heart hurt for the crying boy whose name he would soon learn was Chen, who had been seemingly abandoned by his mother. His heart ached as he felt the waves of despair washing over Chen, who crouched on the curb in a ball with rivulets of tears dripping down his pale face. His heart burned with anger when he realized that some good-for-nothing boys were bullying poor Chen, who was unable to defend himself against their unwarranted attacks.

Thus, Baekhyun became Chen’s sword and shield. He protected the lonely boy from those lousy bullies and attacked them when it became clear that they wouldn’t back off of their own volition. Baekhyun was strong for a five-year-old, having taken dozens of hapkido lessons at his father’s request, and it was easy for him to make quick work of the older boys who weren’t experienced in martial arts whatsoever.

He was rewarded with such an adoring look in Chen’s eyes that Baekhyun felt his heart soar, because he had been able to successfully help someone in need. His mother would certainly praise his heroic deed once he told her about it at dinnertime that evening. And Baekhyun hummed his current favorite melody as he tightly grasped Chen’s hand in his own while leading the other boy to the playground.

--

Baekhyun’s heart shattered into smithereens when his father announced that they would be moving cities due to a job promotion. The young boy couldn’t leave Chen all alone, not after promising that they would form a band together since they both loved to sing.

“And we’re going to be the best band that’s ever been created!” Baekhyun exclaimed as he energetically pumped his fist in the air. “We’ll sell a bunch of records and perform on the biggest stages all over the world!”

“A-are you sure?” Chen asked somewhat apprehensively. “I’m awful at dancing though.”

“Don’t worry! I’m sure you’ll grow out of your clumsiness when we become teenagers!” Baekhyun reassured his best friend while lightly patting him on the back.

But this move meant that he’d be… Baekhyun would be abandoning Chen, just like the poor boy’s mother had when they were five years old.

Baekhyun cried and begged for his father to stay at his current office. He sobbed and pleaded, saying that their family didn’t need more money and that their lives here were just right. He promised to be an obedient son, the perfect one, if only they didn’t have to leave.

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Baekhyun’s mother took her tearful son into her arms, murmuring words of understanding and apology. The heartbroken young boy buried his face in his mother’s chest and cried even more noisily, knowing that he wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to Chen since they would be leaving during the weekend. And when their car pulled out of the driveway for the last time, Baekhyun stared blankly out of the window as he thought of the apologetic words he would never get to say to his best friend who was alone once more.

--

Years passed. Baekhyun walked the halls of the high school he now attended, smiling cheerfully to everyone who waved at or greeted him. His good looks, sunny personality, and infectious laughter made him relatively popular amongst the student population. And his participation in the school choir and the dance club was also a subject of discussion, since it was rare for people to be admitted into both.

He couldn’t say that he didn’t enjoy the attention, but a tiny part of him continually wished to trade all of this popularity for a reunion with his childhood best friend. While his eyes impassively looked to the front during classes, Baekhyun would let his mind wander as he thought about Chen and what the other boy was up to nowadays. If he had managed to make any other friends after being left behind again. If the bullies had come back for the small kid who no longer had his knight in shining armor to guard him. If he still remembered their promise to form the best band of all time.

One day, Baekhyun almost fell out of his chair when he heard a new kid introduce himself as hailing from his old hometown. The startled boy fixed his gaze on a tall, lanky male who seemed to have a perpetually impassive expression on his handsome face. And when it was time for a short break between classes, Baekhyun immediately walked over to the new kid’s desk and asked for his name.

“Oh Sehun. I introduced myself earlier this morning.”

“Do you happen to know anyone from your previous high school named Chen?” Baekhyun questioned anxiously, wringing his hands behind his back as he waited for the other boy to respond.

“Chen?” Sehun took several moments to think before realization dawned on him. “Oh, you mean Kim Jongdae. Only his best friends call him Chen, so I almost didn’t recognize who you were talking about.”

Baekhyun’s heart almost stopped and he excitedly grabbed both of Sehun’s hands, asking, “But you know him, right? You know Chen?”

“Well, I suppose so—”

“Please! Tell me all that you know about him! About how he’s doing right now!”

Sehun was feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment. It was his first day at a new school and suddenly, this weird nameless kid was bombarding him with questions about Jongdae, who was someone he had only casually talked to. However, when he saw the raw desperation in Baekhyun’s eyes, Sehun sighed deeply before half-smiling and answering, “Okay. I will. My friend Lu Han is close friends with Jongdae, so I can ask him for you.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” Baekhyun wildly shook Sehun’s hands up and down, feeling like a huge weight had finally been lifted off of his shoulders.

--

Sehun and Baekhyun, now best friends, were staring wide-eyed at a paper that had been given to Baekhyun while they were eating lunch in the mall. It contained details for an entertainment label that a company scout had urged Baekhyun to audition for upon spotting him as they ate. The scout had recognized the shorter boy from one of the talent shows that their high school held each month, especially since he had performed in two acts as part of both the school choir and the dance club.

“You have a lot of talent, young man. I strongly believe that you would do well as an artist and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

“The guy isn’t wrong, you know.” Sehun tore his gaze away from the paper to glance at Baekhyun instead. “Loads of people would kill to sing and dance like you can, and be scouted off the streets to become an entertainer. You’ll be able to perform on stage for thousands of people if you take this offer.”

But would it mean anything if Chen didn’t share that same stage with him? If Chen knew that Baekhyun had become a world-famous star without him, would he feel betrayed? Or worse, would Chen hate him?

Sehun could tell that Baekhyun was remembering Chen as the shorter boy continued staring unblinkingly at the paper. Even though Baekhyun had never explicitly explained why the other boy was so important to him, Sehun had managed to infer that Chen was someone whom Baekhyun treasured with all of his heart and it pained him to see his usually confident best friend act so dumbstruck, simply because of the uncertainties that ran through Baekhyun’s mind in regards to Chen. “I’m sure Jongdae would be proud of you,” Sehun said quietly.

“…Yeah.” Maybe Chen would. And if he wasn't, then Baekhyun would just have to work twice, thrice, or even five times as hard to make sure that his childhood best friend did.

--

Oh Sehun
He’s in the audience with Lu Han, so go do your best.

After reading the text message, Baekhyun set down his cell phone on the waiting room counter while exhaling deeply. This was the first night of the solo artist’s overseas concert tour. The first stop was in New York City, which Chen had mentioned was the city he had wanted to visit most when they were younger.

“My mom loved Broadway. We… We were supposed to go together when I was older…”

Placing a comforting arm around Chen’s thin shoulders, Baekhyun answered cheerfully, “Well, we’ll go together instead!” Using his free hand to point at the map of New York City that laid on the floor in front of them, Baekhyun continued with a wide grin, “We can see the Statue of Liberty, play in Central Park, and speak English with the locals!”

“Your English though,” Chen pointed out.

“So does yours,” Baekhyun retorted with a childish pout. And then the two boys burst out laughing, because they knew it was true and the thought of the two of them speaking English with their heavy accents was too comical.

“This is for you, Chen,” Baekhyun whispered with his eyes closed as he relived the memories. Once his makeup artist put the finishing touches on his eyeliner and blush, the solo artist stood up from his seat and pulled on his bejeweled black suit jacket. The stage manager walked in, speaking rapidly into her headset in preparation for the start of the concert. Upon seeing that Baekhyun was ready, she quickly ushered him out of the waiting room and to the back of the enormous stage.

The heavy velvet curtains were the only thing separating him from the thousands of fans who were currently screaming their lungs out while several of his songs blasted at full volume in the background. These curtains were the only thing separating him from Chen, whom Baekhyun hadn’t seen since he had moved away all those years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but also just yesterday when he rescued that crying little boy from bullies on the playground when they were five years old.

Did Chen even know that Byun Baekhyun, the world-famous solo artist, was the same Byun Baekhyun from the playground that day? Did Chen know that he was the same boy who had promised so many things when they were younger, only to break those promises by moving away without a notice? Did Chen even want to be here or had Lu Han and Sehun conspired together to bring him against his will?

Before Baekhyun could dwell any further, the stage manager signaled for the solo artist and his backup dancers to take their places on the center stage. Soon, the background music faded and the concert venue’s ceiling lights dimmed. The screams and yells of the fans grew even louder in anticipation for his performance.

As the instrumental track for his first song played, Baekhyun took a deep breath and mentally chanted to himself that all would be well. He would show Chen that he still meant the world to the solo artist. His music would convey all of the words he wanted Chen to hear and feel.

After all, Baekhyun had built his career—his life—upon the muse that had materialized in the form of Chen.

♈♈♈