Title: Inner Child
Dedicated to: Victoria_luhan
Date: 160122
Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Rating: G
Word Count: ~2.5k
Description: Baekhyun goes to work by train every day and Chanyeol works at a toy shop inside the station.
Warnings: none
Prompt: 1900-1910 timeline, toymaker!chanyeol, going-to-train-everyday!baekhyun
Message from Author: Becoming an adult is inevitable. Retaining the heart of a child is optional. 

Whoosh!

The train rushes past him as he runs towards the platform, panting. Byun Baekhyun runs his hand through his hair, trying not to curse.

It’s the first time in his life that he had missed the train.

Byun Baekhyun is someone who likes order, who has spent the last three decades of his life following the rules, being punctual, listening to orders, and all these feats have had him stand where he is today, with a fairly stable job, and more than enough money to pass through the days. Never had he missed the train before.

Except today.

Feeling stressed, Baekhyun runs his hand through his hair and paces around, staring up at the clock. It’s going to be another hour before the train comes! If he’s unfortunate, he’s going to be at least one minute late, and that’s something that majorly stresses him out.

As if finding that stressing on the spot will do him no good, the man decides to find something to eat, since after all, he usually buys his breakfast at a mini bakery next to his workplace. He walks around, a slight jittery to his feet as he stares at the available stores, and gets himself a bread roll.

Breakfast in his hands, he walks slowly around, telling himself that he still has at least fifty minutes until the train comes. If he wants to wait there earlier, then forty minutes. He wanders around, looking for a toilet, and he finds it at the corner of the entrance of the station. When he walks out a few minutes later, a small shop next to him catches his eyes.

Without even knowing what it is, he enters it, eyes looking past the ‘Closed’ sign in front of the wooden doors as he walks in and stares around him with wide eyes. There are toys everywhere, all placed on shelves meticulously and carefully. Baekhyun, eyes wider, bends down to look at a particular robotic-looking toy. These toys seem handmade, something a little less often seen considering recently everything’s been made easier by factories, yet they have a charm to it with its intricate details made out of utmost care.

“So pretty.” He whispers to himself, wanting to touch them, but afraid that if he does, it’ll break. After all, handmade things are not cheap, he’s pretty sure.

“They are, aren’t they?” Baekhyun jumps a little upon hearing that deep voice. He lifts his head, finding a tall man wearing an apron, hat and gloves straighten his back and smile at him from the back of the shop. “The store’s not open, you know.”

“Oh.” Baekhyun adjusts his hat, blinking in embarrassment. “Sorry. I just …”

“It’s all right.” The tall man takes off his gloves. He seems to be in his mid-twenties. “It’s still early, so I didn’t really expect anyone.”

“D-don’t mind me!” Baekhyun says quickly, huffing as he adjusts his tie. “I was just … May I see what you’re working on?”

“Sure.” The tall man smiles and gestures for him to come closer. Baekhyun does so, grabbing his workbag as he hurries over, not for the first time annoyed at his large work shoes. His other hand reaches up to grab his hat, afraid it will fall out of his head. He cautiously walks over the many, many incomplete toys on the floor, and eventually ends up by the taller man’s side. His eyes widen as he sees a wooden rocking horse at work.

“Did you … make that?” He asks. The proud grin on the man’s face tells him the answer.

“Me and old man make all the toys here.” He says, picking up the wooden horse carefully for Baekhyun to look at. It’s unfinished and unpolished, but somehow its incomplete state makes it look even more beautiful. Baekhyun remembers the time when he had been a mere child and he remembers his wooden horse was his greatest joy.

“It’s beautiful.” Baekhyun says softly, then he twists around to the entire shop, looking at all the toys with such a unique mark on them. “They’re all beautiful.”

“Come by anytime.” The taller man says, and even though there is dirt and sawdust on his face, Baekhyun finds it charming. Then he stands, dusting off his work pants. “Wait here. I’m going to turn on the lights.”

“I-It’s all right!” Baekhyun says quickly. The man laughs.

“No, I meant – for the customers.” The man smiles charmingly. “It’s nearly eight, after all.” Baekhyun frantically pulls up his sleeve to check his watch – indeed it’s nearly eight!

“Oh no!” Baekhyun exclaims, pressing down on his hat as he tries to weave through the toys quickly yet carefully. “I need to go!”

“Nice meeting you!” The man calls out as Baekhyun approaches the door and he opens it. “Come by any time!”

There is something about that shop that makes Baekhyun attracted.

When he heads off to bed at night, blowing out his candle, he thinks about the toys, how, even though they aren’t moving, seem to have life blown into their little bodies. Baekhyun doesn’t know how to explain, but it sends a nice fluttering feeling of excitement in his heart if he considers visiting again – something he hasn’t felt for ages. Something he hasn’t felt since he had been a child.

And, without even knowing how, he finds himself in front of the toy shop again, wishing to take another look at the toys.

He walks in timidly, once again overseeing the ‘Closed’ sign at the front. His heart is beating with excitement, this time spending more of his attention on specific toys rather than the entire wonder of the shop. He sees a little metal carousel, wondering how it would look like if it moved. He leans in closer, eyes looking at the defined features of the horses, every single horse having a different colour, different saddle, and different features. It’s amazing at how much care had been taken to make these.

“Hello.” The voice is different. This time, it’s an old man, standing right behind him. Baekhyun jumps again this time, grabbing his hat just in time for it not to fall onto the ground. “Do you like it?”

“Yes.” Baekhyun says, turning around at the carousel again. He remembers watching people ride it, the lights going off in different sparkles and colours, and how he had wanted to ride it when he was younger.

“Chanyeol made that one.” The old man smiles. “He absolutely loves making toys.”

Baekhyun assumes Chanyeol had been the young man from the other day.

“What brings you here?” The old man continues. “Not many people come by here anymore. Not a full-grown adult, at least.”

“Oh …” Baekhyun, face red, takes off his hat and grips it in his hands. “I was … just … a little curious.”

“Curious, you seem to be.” The old man smiles. “A lot of people come here the first time, but they never return.”

“Why not?” Baekhyun looks around, eyes wide in disbelief. “This place is beautiful!”

“That’s because only people with the heart of a child will think so.” When Baekhyun looks at the old man, he can see the kind wrinkles adorning his face. “Many others find this place dull.”

“Pops!” A new voice calls from the other side of the shop. “I did it, pops!”

“I don’t doubt it.” The old man calls back. “Chanyeol, come here. I think this was the friend you were talking to me about the other day?” Baekhyun flushes in embarrassment. Did Chanyeol really talk about him? Eventually, the same face from a few days ago pops up from behind the door near the back, face once again dirty. He spots Baekhyun and disappears.

“He’s a little shy.” The old man chuckles. “He doesn’t have many friends. At least not older ones.”

I’m not his friend. Baekhyun wants to say, but he shuts his mouth, for a few reasons he’s sure, but he doesn’t know what. After a few minutes, Chanyeol pops up again, this time his face considerably cleaner. He walks towards them, wearing an apron and gloves again, his hat gone, and he stretches his arm out to Baekhyun.

“Hi again!” He greets excitedly. Baekhyun looks down, wanting to accept the hand. He notices the glove is dirty with dust. Chanyeol seems to have noticed it too, and he laughs sheepishly before taking it off, then stretching out his clean hand. Baekhyun takes it. “I’m Chanyeol. We didn’t get to … uh, introduce ourselves last time.”

“I’m Baekhyun.” Baekhyun says, smiling politely. Then he turns around and points to the little carousel. “Did you make that?”

“Oh! Yes …” Chanyeol scratches his head, looking flustered. “Actually, I’m not that proud of that one …”

“What are you talking about?” The old man cuts in. “That’s one of your best works!”

“Yes!” Baekhyun agrees, even though he hasn’t seen the others. Chanyeol seems even more flustered by that.

“Well, I’ll be going now.” The old man heads towards the door and grabs his cane and hat from the clothes hanger by the door. “Goodbye.”

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol calls, surprised.

“Somewhere.” The old man throws a cheeky grin over his shoulder, then disappears behind the wooden doors. Baekhyun, not exactly understanding what has happened, starts walking along the aisle made from two shelves, and stares in wonder at all the toys. He sees metal cars and metal trains and wooden animals and even soft toys. They are not perfect, he knows, but somehow it makes everything look even more enlightening. Chanyeol follows behind him this entire time.

“Why do you make toys?” Baekhyun asks eventually, hand outstretched, as if to touch, but in the end he always retreats, as if his touch will stain.

“Because I want to give all children a childhood.” Chanyeol replies. Baekhyun stops, turns around and looks at the young man before him.

“Don’t all children have a childhood?”

“I didn’t.” Chanyeol explains. “I was an orphan, and I was ten when old man took me in. I fell in love with all the toys in here, and I’ve been working here ever since I came of age. I told myself that my dream was to make toys so children can be happy!”

“And how does this make them happy?” Baekhyun asks, genuinely curious.

“Because they can come by and play with them whenever they want!” Chanyeol says with a bright grin on his face. “Isn’t that meaningful? This entire shop is theirs!”

Despite being a businessman who cannot understand this logic, Baekhyun smiles and nods.

“I have to show you.” Chanyeol says, and when his hand (without his glove) reaches down and grabs Baekhyun’s own, his heart skips – Chanyeol’s skin is rough, probably from all the callouses from making toys, but it feels nice against his own skin. He lets the toymaker pull him to the back of the shop, where there are even more toys, except this time, they are unfinished ones.

“Look.” Chanyeol whispers as he bends down. Baekhyun bends down too, and he sees the wooden rocking horse – the same one that he had seen a few days ago. “I’m finally able to make it rock smoothly!”

“That’s great.” Baekhyun says softly, reaching out and wanting to touch, but he retreats his hand. Chanyeol grabs it suddenly, his large hand closing over Baekhyun’s smaller one, and then Baekhyun feels the tips of his fingers touch the softness of the wood.

Despite being able to finally touch a toy, Baekhyun instead thinks about Chanyeol’s hand on his, his longer arm pressed up against his own.

“The kids have been pestering me for ages to make one of these.” Chanyeol says softly. “I think I always wasn’t able to make a perfect one, because I always rushed things.”

“You’re very passionate about this.” Baekhyun notes, closing his eyes as he thinks about Chanyeol’s hand on his own, warm and soothing.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol replies. “After all, I didn’t – couldn’t – have toys when I was a child. I didn’t want anyone to feel that way, whether they could or could not afford it. Making toys hold so much meaning, you know? Because it comes from the toymaker’s heart.” Baekhyun nods, understanding a little.

“The carousel …” Baekhyun retreats his hand suddenly, face burning because Chanyeol had squeezed his hand. Chanyeol retreats his hand too, but acts as if nothing has happened. “It was really intricate. It was pretty.”

“It wasn’t perfect though.” Chanyeol sounds frustrated. “The expressions weren’t right. Horses don’t have that kind of expression. I’m not as good as Pops.”

“But you’ve only just started.” Baekhyun says, smiling. “You’ll get better.” Chanyeol flushes.

“It can move, you know!” Chanyeol exclaims suddenly, and he pulls Baekhyun back to the front of the shop. He bends down and holds the carousel carefully, then tilts it a bit and plays with a mini switch at the bottom. Once he presses it, the entire thing starts moving slowly. Baekhyun’s eyes are wide with amazement as he watches in awe. Even though there are no lights, Baekhyun can feel himself watching those children on the horses again, smiling and laughing.

This time, he can imagine himself being on them.

“Do you … like it?” Chanyeol asks hesitantly.

“It’s perfect.” Baekhyun whispers. The taller then grabs the carousel and stretches his hands towards Baekhyun, presenting his toy on the palms of his hands.

“You can have it!” Chanyeol blurts. Baekhyun blinks, then stands up along with Chanyeol.

“I can’t.” 

“Take it.” Chanyeol insists, but Baekhyun shakes his head.

“These are for the children.”

“These are for people who love toys.” Chanyeol argues.

“But I’m an adult.”

“And you’re an adult who has the heart of a child.” Chanyeol grins, grabs Baekhyun’s hand with his glove-free hand and places the carousel carefully on the top. “Can’t adults love toys too?”

Baekhyun laughs.

“I want this whole shop though.” He says. Chanyeol blinks.

“Eh?” Chanyeol blinks again, hand retreating in surprise. Baekhyun laughs.

“It means I want to come by this place every day.” Baekhyun says.

“Oh! That’s … that’s great!” Chanyeol’s face widens into a grin. He looks like a child. “Of course you can!”

“Will you teach me how to make toys too?” Baekhyun asks, holding the carousel closer to his chest. Chanyeol’s grin widens if possible.

From that day on, Baekhyun visits every day. Somehow, the shop has captured his heart. Sometimes he enters the shop with other, excited children, watching as the shop comes to life with beautiful toys made from love and good intentions. Baekhyun knew what he had been missing this whole time – the purity of a child, unbounded by the burdens of work and the stresses of life, and he knows this is the place that will always make him remember how it felt like when he was a child himself. Maybe the reason why he had been so attracted to this place was because underneath the surface of the shop, it brimmed with life and the toys exploded with love.

Making toys hold so much meaning.

Seeing these toys move have so much meaning.

That’s because it comes from the toymaker’s heart.