“It’s over, it’s finally over,” Baekhyun muttered to himself over and over again as he escape from the hell hole he now called school. Somehow, he had managed to make it through the day without being noticed much.

  Rounding the corner, Baekhyun skidded to a stop when he saw a familiar figure prowling the corridor ahead. Immediately, Baekhyun turned around and started in the other direction, just as Jongin caught sight of him and, with a sneer that clearly said “Chanyeol isn’t here, so I can and will bash you up”, started to give chase.

  Baekhyun raced down the corridor, weaving between bodies before darting into the nearest unlocked room and slamming the door shut. He leaned against the wooden door, breathing hard and straining to hear Jongin as the bully's voice got fainter and fainter as he continued down the hall.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, Baekhyun was just about to open the door and continue on his way when it occurred to him that Jongin might come back again. Deciding that he would have a higher chance of survival camping out in the room for a while rather than venturing out into the hall, the brown haired boy stretched his hand out, feeling for a switch and flicking it on, bathing the room in a bright yellow light and illuminating the grand piano that stood as if mocking him.

  Baekhyun stared at the piano wistfully. He wanted so badly to run his fingers over the keys, to play any of his favourite songs. Unknowingly, he found himself going over to the piano and sitting before it. Looking at the black and white row of keys before him, he wondered if there was a chance that maybe the doctors were wrong, that maybe he could still play the piano like he used to.

  Suddenly filled with determination, the brown haired boy deftly undid the bandages around his hand and flexed his fingers, letting the white strip of cloth flutter to the floor and ignoring the sharp flash of pain in his hand. With trembling hands and closed eyes, Baekhyun was just about to bring his hands down on the piano when he was suddenly filled with doubt. What if they were right, that he would never play again?

  He had to try. Taking in a deep breath, Baekhyun started to play, just as he had his entire life. The fingers on his uninjured hand flew over the keys like lightning, perfectly executing the most complicated piece that could be achieved with only one hand. But his left hand, the injured one, was a totally different story. The fingers would not move fast enough, the movements clumsy, and with every move he made, every pressure that was applied when he pressed down on the key, a lightning of pain shot his bones.

  Crying out in frustration and with tears blurring his vision, Baekhyun brought his hands down on the keys harder, ignoring the pain that speared through his fingers. But it was no use, his hands would not cooperate. Giving up, Baekhyun allowed the tears to fall freely as he drew his knees up onto the bench and wrapped his arms around them. Why him? He thought for what was probably the millionth time.

  So absorbed was he in wallowing in his misery that he failed to hear the door creak open, failed to see a head of frizzy, orange hair poke through the small gap, saying, "Hey, school's about to be locked up-" before noticing the crying boy. Failed to notice the tall boy stride over to him and plonk himself on the bench next to Baekhyun.

  Only when Baekhyun felt arms encircling around him did he finally look up into the face of Chanyeol. , I look like a wreck, Baekhyun thought, cringing and expecting the taller to start laughing at him. But instead, all he heard was a soft voice, so different to the one he had heard that morning, asking, “Baekhyun, what’s wrong?”

  And for some reason, just hearing that voice so full of concern was enough to make Baekhyun trust Chanyeol, and despite the fact that he barely knew the other, Baekhyun, sniffling every few sentences, poured out his entire story to Chanyeol.

  Chanyeol could have left anytime he wanted, could have abandoned the smaller boy to cry alone. But he didn’t. Instead, he simply sat quietly, listening, holding and comforting the boy he only got to know a few hours beforehand.

     Baekhyun did not know for how long they sat together, all he knew was that he was grateful the other’s company. Finally, he calmed down, his sobs becoming sniffs. “Hey, Baekhyun ah,” Chanyeol gently wiped away the other’s tears. “Don’t be sad, you can still play the piano, just wait for your hand to get better first okay?” Chanyeol bent down, grabbing the bandages, before wrapping them quickly but neatly around Baekhyun’s hand. The said boy was staring at him in puzzlement, his expression clearly asking why Chanyeol believed he could still play the piano.

  “Because I believe in you, Baek,” Was the only answer Baekhyun got before Chanyeol returned to his crazy self, and, grinning his trademark “I’m on crack” grin, practically shouted into Baekhyun’s ear,” Now let’s go get some bubble tea!”

~*~

  And that was how Baekhyun found himself sitting in the café near their school, nervously sipping his chocolate drink and keeping his eye on the seemingly bipolar boy seated opposite him. With all the sugar Chanyeol had added in his drink, Baekhyun would not be surprised if the taller male decided to do something crazy.

  But one question was bugging Baekhyun. “Why are you so nice to me?” he suddenly blurted out, instantly regretting his question when Chanyeol responded by yelling so loudly that almost everyone in the café turned to stare at them, “Because you’re so small and cute!” Chanyeol chuckled and reached over the table and pinched Baekhyun’s cheeks.

  “Stop that,” Baekhyun’s face flushed a bright red as he slapped the other’s hands away from him. “And be quiet, everyone’s staring.” If Chanyeol had heard his words, he did not show it, instead lean over and pluck Baekhyun’s phone from his pocket. “Yah!” Baekhyun shouted in protest, attempting to grab his phone back, but Chanyeol’s height was a big advantage over the much smaller Baekhyun and he held the phone high, out of Baekhyun’s reach.

  After several pointless moments of trying to snatch his phone back, Baekhyun gave up and sank back into his seat, glowering at Chanyeol as the latter busied himself with typing stuff and taking selcas, with his phone.

  “Baekkie ah, where do you live? I’ll bring you home.” It was a full hour before Chanyeol grew bored and passed Baekhyun back his phone. “Uh… It’s okay. I can get home myself, no need to trouble yourself.” To be honest, Baekhyun would have been more than glad to have company on the way home, but he wasn’t so sure how his mother would feel seeing her son with someone she would describe as a ‘potential mass murderer’.

  “Okay, Baek, see you tomorrow!” And once again, before Baekhyun could even reply, Chanyeol was off to wherever he needed to be, pausing only once to shout, “I put my number in your contacts, call me or whatever whenever you want!”

~*~

  That night, Baekhyun lay in his bed, scrolling through the pictures Chanyeol had taken with his phone and giggling. The pictures all consisted of Chanyeol making funny faces into the camera, sticking his tongue out, raising his eyebrows comically and the like.

  Suddenly, there was a beep, signalling that he had a message. Slightly surprised that anyone would be messaging him this late at night, Baekhyun pressed the ‘view’ button. And grinned when he saw that it was of a picture of Chanyeol with his hair damp and all over his face, his teeth bared. There was another beep and this time it was a message that read, “Baekkie ah, sleep well tonight, okay? Dream of my handsome face! :D”

  Rolling his eyes at Chanyeol’s ego, Baekhyun snapped a quick picture of himself making an ‘I’m so scared’ face. Typing “Yeah right, if I dream of you, it’s because I’m having a nightmare!”, he hit ‘send’.

Almost instantly, there was another beep. “So mean >.< Alright Baek, sweet dreams!” Baekhyun smiled, and as he replied a ‘good night’, he realized, he had found an unlikely friend in Park Chanyeol…

A/N

Actually managed to update in a week /feels proud/ Apologies if nothing in this chapter makes any sense OTL