Gather Up Your Love
Title: Gather Up Your Love
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Baekris, ninja!Hunhan
Genre: Fluff, HS!au
Word Count: 3766
Summary: When Baekhyun and Kris slowly piece together their love, they find something more than music that they have in common.
Inspired by this
Baekhyun still remembers the first time he saw Kris.
It was his first year of middle school and sitting at the back of the second violin section in his very first full orchestra rehearsal, the 12 year old boy had been contently zoning out during a particularly boring and long rest for the strings. He had been contemplating whether or not he should buy a sandwich for lunch when from directly behind him, a loud cymbal crash and an especially enthusiastic bass drum roll rudely woke him up from his much needed nap.
(“Woke you up? You shrieked like a little girl and almost fell out of your seat” Chanyeol reminded him with a shit-eating grin. That ungrateful twerp. Baekhyun tried not to mind the utterly unnecessary commentary on his little trip down memory lane).
Baekhyun, with an ungainly flush on his surprised features, had turned to glare behind him at whoever interrupted his peaceful rest. He had been uncommonly forward as the youngest in his orchestra and clearly had no fear of his upperclassmen back then.
(“Oh how things have changed” Chanyeol gleefully mocked him).
He had opened his mouth, prepared to sass the perpetrator but stopped when he was faced with a tall head of blonde hair and an unfairly handsome and smirking face. One hand was clutching the offending pair of cymbals while the other carelessly twirled a pair of drumsticks, the wooden instrument precariously dangling between two exceptionally long fingers.
Baekhyun stared wordlessly.
Wow his hands are big.
“Yes?”
A tilt of the head accompanied by a slight eyebrow raise followed as Blonde Percussionist wrinkled his forehead in confusion at the sight of the tiny boy in front of him.
“Y-You…”
Baekhyun stuttered as he tried to hide his rather blatant bout of staring.
Blonde Percussionist bit his lips casually as he waited for Baekhyun to finish his sentence.
Wow his lips are so ummph what would it be like to kiss those…and his teeth are so
“Your teeth are pointy like a vampire’s!”
Needless to say, Chanyeol never did let him live that one down.
5 years later, Byun Baekhyun still hasn’t managed to utter a coherent sentence in the presence of Blonde Percussionist.
Of course, he had found out his name, courtesy of some much well-intentioned bullying of Kris’s co-selection leader Chanyeol, the school’s resident puppy on crack and Baekhyun’s best friend within a week of being cornered by the tiny violinist in front of the band hall.
His little crush had remained mostly undiscovered to all but himself and Crackyeol for the remaining years of middle school. Baekhyun had thankfully graduated to the 1st violin section which was situated, both thankfully and regretfully, nowhere near the percussion huddle of drums, cymbals, and the occasional gong that Chanyeol was so fond of.
Then came high school and for the 1st 2 years, not much changed for Baekhyun except well, the nerd got even nerdier. Thick glasses and a backpack heavy enough to be hiding a dead body accompanied the boy wherever he went and his group of friends was as far from Kris’s crew as Chanyeol was from his idol Dara.
(“You never know” Chanyeol had told him indignantly when Baekhyun proceeded to crush his hopes and dreams of ever meeting the 2NE1 member)
Baekhyun could only pine after the handsome blonde from behind his black framed lenses and his wistful glances was unnoticed by the popular percussionist who was perpetually surrounded by his impossibly good looking friends.
There was Yixing, the foreign exchange student from China who could often be seen being nagged at by Kris in Mandarin, the absent minded teenager forgetting to come in on his triangle at the most obvious of cues. Despite his forgetfulness, he was still immensely popular among the students and had girls and boys alike swooning over his side hobby of guitar playing.
In Baekhyun’s mind though, it was probably the dimples that brought the boys (and the girls) to the yard.
Then there was Luhan, the epitome of a flautist, skinny and blonde and perpetually smiling. Age wise, it was hard to believe that he was actually the oldest out of the 3, with his baby face and wide Bambi eyes fooling everyone. His honey blonde hair and a pair of cute pink lips had even the coldest of hearts melting and along with Kris and Yixing, the 3 of them formed the band’s drum majors (or the Golden Trio as their worshipful subjects dubbed them).
It was a widely believed rumor in the school that Luhan and Kris were dating, their many fangirls lovingly swooning over their “Golden Couple”. To be fair, Luhan’s pretty looks complemented Kris’ manly features and to quote that one Chinese proverb Baekhyun’s mom had attempted to teach him sometime during the 3rd grade, a complementary couple is a happy couple.
Still, Baekhyun hated Luhan’s guts. And his smile. And his pretty face. Luhan was just ugh.
(“But he’s actually really nice” Chanyeol had whined in his attempt to pacify Baekhyun. The violinist scoffed.)
Junior year. Baekhyun had looked to this year with much dread and trepidation. His seniors had warned him about just how exhausting this year would be and for the mere mortals in his school, just a glance at Baekhyun’s schedule would send them trembling in fear.
Arriving at school after hurling his blaring alarm clock at a line of innocent stuffed animals, Baekhyun quickly sought out his Crackyeol, finding the lanky teenager perched on a timpani while stuffing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his mouth. Eagerly comparing his schedule with that of Chanyeol’s, Baekhyun pouted to discover that they only had 2 classes in common, full orchestra and their lunch period.
Long used to his best friend’s admittedly cute aegyo when angry, Chanyeol simply patted the still pouting teenager on the head.
“Yah midget, it’s not my fault you’re taking all senior classes.”
Baekhyun huffed.
Gathering up their belongings as the 1st period bell rang, Baekhyun waved goodbye to his moronic best friend as he headed off towards Advanced Calculus while Chanyeol goofily strolled to his early morning swim practice. Stepping into the already crowded classroom, his eyes scanned across the faces he would spend a year with before resting on a pair of familiar dark black eyes.
Oh right. Kris was a senior.
Calculus was a senior class.
Shit.
Baekhyun sunk into his assigned seat despondently, head flopping onto the hard wooden desk. Luckily for him, the seating was arranged alphabetically and Kris was a couple of rows behind him so at least he was saved from an entire year of ogling at the back of his crush’s perfect blonde head.
When the bell rang for the next class, the short teenager all but ran from his calculus classroom, heaving a sigh of relief as he stepped into the empty biology lab. Picking a seat in the front of the room, Baekhyun gingerly placed his sweater on the desk and laid his head down, eyes closed for a brief nap before the start of class. The room gradually filled with the buzz of conversation as more and more people filed in, the noise a pleasant background fuzz in the sleeping teenager’s ears.
When the tardy bell rang, the biology professor immediately launched into the customary beginning of the year speech that Baekhyun didn’t bother picking up his head for. He was just about to dream of dancing bacon and eggs when he felt a tap on his shoulder, instantly dissolving the cute pastel colored images floating around in his head. Slightly disoriented, he gingerly looked up and found himself face to face with the same head of blonde that he fell for 5 years ago.
With a disarmingly charming smile, Kris grinned sheepishly at the sleepy junior.
“Hey could I borrow a pencil?”
Not trusting his voice, Baekhyun stiffly nodded, handing over the first pencil he could get his hands on from his pencil bag. Looking up, he saw Kris muffling a bout of laughter behind those manly hands as he received the writing utensil.
Hello Kitty.
Baekhyun had just handed him his limited edition punk rock Hello Kitty pencil.
(“Shoot me now” he whined to Chanyeol as they met up in the halls between periods. Chanyeol only laughed at his pain.)
It all seemed like déjà vu to Baekhyun as he walked to all seven class periods in a daze, surreptitiously checking his surroundings only to find the object of his affections sitting oh so casually in every single one of his classes. He didn’t know whether to send the school counselors flowers or arsenic for coordinating his schedule unknowingly to match Kris’s. On one hand, he now had 7 more opportunities than before to perhaps, just maybe, talk to his crush. On the other hand, this was 7 more opportunities to embarrass himself (and kill his grades while he was at it).
When the bell rang for dismissal, Baekhyun almost ran over his professor in his attempt to escape the room, narrowly escaping the embarrassing fate of face-planting onto the Communist Soviet Union flag his teacher kept in the class corner.
His history teacher scratched his head as he was unceremoniously shoved into his beaver plushie collection.
He didn’t think his class was that horrid.
Skidding to a stop in front of Chanyeol’s band locker, Baekhyun tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his giant oaf of a best friend to show up. Long used to using his Crackyeol as a punching bag/person to vent to, the junior couldn’t wait to get started on his tirade of how unfair his schedule was and how ohmygoshI’mgoingtofailphysics and how Kris never gave him back his pencil. Angrily tapping his limited edition Barbie Princess Hello Kitty pencil against the bars of the locker, Baekhyun huffed a “finally” in his mind as a much taller shadow loomed over his figure.
“Yah Dumbyeol why did you take so long. It’s only the first day and you already have me waiting here for-“
Oh.
It wasn’t Chanyeol.
Baekhyun’s face flushed a bright tomato red as the boy took in the figure of Kris chuckling to himself as he leaned a hand against the band locker right next to Baekhyun’s short little head.
Ohmygosh this is like those dramas where the heroine gets kissed asdfknworwe
“Are you waiting for Chanyeol?”
A smooth deep voice interrupted Baekhyun’s inner fangirl.
Unable to meet his eyes, Baekhyun stared resolutely at the ground as he stumbled to reply.
“Uh yea. We usually meet at his locker after school…”
Kris shifted a bit, his torso leaning a bit closer to Baekhyun as he smiled down at the younger boy.
“Chanyeol has extra percussion lessons today. Apparently Director said that he needed more work on hitting the gong with less passion and more precision. So he won’t be free until after 4 PM.”
Baekhyun bit his lips. Chanyeol was usually his ride home as the violinist had yet to get his license (blame his love of speeding for the 3 failed driving tests) and now he would be stuck at school for an additional 3 hours. Call him a nerd but even he doesn’t enjoy extra hours at the hellhole they call school.
“If you want, I can take you home today. Chanyeol mentioned that he usually drives you right?”
Baekhyun resisted the urge to squeal as he looked up hopefully at the grinning angel before him. He quickly nodded his head yes and Kris mumbled something along the lines of wow you look even more like a puppy than Pupyeol before leading him out to the student parking lot.
Bypassing Chanyeol’s adorable but entirely too small Volkswagen Beetle, Baekhyun’s eyes shone with admiration as well as a tiny bit of jealous when they stopped in front of a flaming red Mustang convertible.
Noticing Baekhyun’s awestruck expression, Kris chuckled.
“Do you like it?”
The younger nodded an affirmative, his appreciation for the car evident in his wide open mouth as he took in the shiny exterior and the plush leather interior.
Kris was even gentlemanly enough to open the door for him as he gingerly sat down on the cushy leather seats, hands clutching his behemoth of a backpack. The space inside suddenly felt too small as Kris settled into the driver’s seat, shifting the car out of parking as he smoothly reversed out of the school parking lot.
Baekhyun hesitantly peeked at the driver as the passed by the farmland (aka the wilderness as Chanyeol fondly called it). He admired the sharp jawline of the senior percussionist and the way his lips settled into a firm line whenever the elder was focused on something. The peek of pearly white teeth was even attractive in Baekhyun’s love struck eyes and the slightly vampire-like canines that poked out whenever Kris smiled will forever go down as his 2nd favorite thing about Kris physically.
The first was obviously his man hands. Duh.
The way the above mentioned body part was wrapped around the steering wheel was giving Baekhyun’s inner fangirl a field day as Baekhyun attempted to make his staring less obvious.
Mmm those hands would feel so nice wrapped around my wrist when he confesses to me or when they’re tangled in my hair when we finally kiss…
Baekhyun shook his head rapidly before his mind could proceed to conjure up some less than appropriate images.
As Chanyeol would say it, Baekhyun was definitely a goner.
When they reached Baekhyun’s house, Kris once again opened the door for Baekhyun (swoon) and gave a beyond cool 2 finger wave to the younger before suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“Hey would you mind helping me with Physics next week? I’m not understanding the concepts of torque that well and I heard from Chanyeol that you are really good at Physics.”
Psh good at physics my ass. I’m the sole reason Chanyeol passed the class.
Baekhyun glowered at an invisible Chanyeol as he thought back to the hours spent coaching Chanyeol on how no dear, gravity always goes down, not up, and no even if we’re on the moon gravity still goes down.
Glancing back at his crush, Baekhyun reconsidered.
Maybe Chanyeol does have his uses.
Kris grinned sheepishly at his younger classmate as Baekhyun muttered a shy “Yes” to his question.
“Great. How about next Thursday in the band hall right after school?”
This time Baekhyun smiled widely despite his attempts to be demure goddamnit.
“Sure”
It’s a date.
Next Thursday comes and Baekhyun and Chanyeol are sitting together at lunch at their usual table, Baekhyun’s perfectly cooked spaghetti primavera (his Thursday staple) and Chanyeol’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich (his 365 days a year staple) the usual fixture on the wooden surface. They were in the middle of debating the logistics of a violin gong duet when Baekhyun couldn’t help but overhear a dramatic sob coming from the next table over.
“He won’t even look at me anymore. I can’t do this Yixing. What is life. What is love. Yixing only you love me. ”
It was Luhan.
Baekhyun hated to say this but even with snot and tears running down that perfect porcelain face, Luhan was still the most freaking pretty person in the entire school as he proceeded to sob uncontrollably onto a clearly uninterested and nonchalant Yixing’s shoulder.
Life is so unfair.
“There there, he loves you Luhan. Everyone loves you.” Yixing proceeded to comfort Luhan in his monotone, zoned out voice.
Baekhyun turned back around.
Ugh. The oh-so-hard life of the elite.
Making a bee-line for the band hall as soon as 7th period was over (and knocking over his poor professor once again in the process), Baekhyun eagerly stood with his hands clasped in front of Kris’ band locker, waiting for the man himself to show up for their study date(as Baekhyun called their little rendezvous in his head).
He bit his lips in anticipation as his nervous habit of foot tapping appeared once again, this time tapping out the rhythm of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Major (he was really fond of that piece ok). Every time the door opened, the violinist would look up with an almost child-like eagerness, pouting when it was just another band geek coming in to collect their spit valve or something.
The next time the door opened though, Baekhyun froze.
He didn’t expect to see Kris and Luhan hand in hand, the latter wiping off tears as he tittered in that high pitch stereotypical flautist giggle. Kris was smiling too, as he pulled Luhan towards the exit, that classically handsome smile making Baekhyun’s heart ache a little as he observed the duo from behind a timpani drum.
A complementary couple is a happy couple.
Baekhyun sighed. Maybe his mother had a point after all.
Weeks after, Baekhyun had managed avoid Kris all together. Luckily for the violinist, their seats were never that close in all of their classes and with Biology, he had managed to persuade his professor to let them work at lab groups, allowing him to escape the close proximity his seat provided with Kris.
Chanyeol noticed the downtrodden demeanor in his friend and pouted unhappily when Baekhyun shoved him away after inquiring if his date with Kris had not gone so smashingly.
(“Did his breath stink?”)
(“Did he fart in front of you”)
(“Does he have a tiny d-“)
(“Shut up Chanyeol”)
The one thing Baekhyun couldn’t avoid though, was his school’s annual winter showcase. Featuring all of the fine arts classes, both him and Kris were obligated to perform and to his luck, the orchestra director had decided to feature Baekhyun on electric violin while Kris did his magic with a drum set.
(“It will be a Christmas extravaganza!” said Professor Heechul with an evil grin in his eye)
It was concert night and the entire school had come out to watch them, the auditorium filled to the brink as parents and students alike mingled during the brief intermission. Baekhyun was setting up the unnecessarily complicated cords for the electric instrument when Kris showed up unexpectedly, tapping him on the shoulder as the elder set down a set of crash cymbals. Warily, Baekhyun turned to face him.
“Hey good luck today. I’ll be watching you so we can stay together in the music better.”
Baekhyun groaned internally.
He just couldn’t catch a break could he? Kris was everything he wanted, and all that he wanted ever since 6th grade. He was dashingly handsome, polite, and talented and everything he said just stirred up something in Baekhyun’s heart that made his stomach churn like a bottle in the middle of sea.
The junior managed a weak grin.
“Yea, I’ll do that too.”
And so the concert began smoothly, both of them playing their parts dutifully like the well trained musicians they were.
Ugh. Just let me get past this concert and I’ll get over you Kris.
It was in the middle of the 2nd page when things took an interesting turn.
Baekhyun and Kris both shivered involuntarily when the AC vent directly behind them turned on, a blast of cold air hitting them unexpectedly as both played on professionally despite the frigid interruption. What they didn’t plan for however, was for Kris’ music to fly right out his stand.
For a moment, they both stared open mouthed at the gracefully floating pieces of sheet music.
Kris’ drumsticks were paused in midair and Baekhyun’s fingers moved on autopilot as they both gasped at the unexpected sight.
It was Baekhyun who sprang into action.
Long accustomed to playing outdoors where wind was a common occurrence, he pulled out his trusty Hello Kitty hair pin and deftly picked up Kris’ fallen music, praising the composing gods for putting a rest in his part for the next 12 measures. Rapidly slapping the music down on the stand, Baekhyun clipped the 1st 2 sheets onto the metal with his hair pin before quickly scuttling back to his seat.
He missed the lovingly appreciative grin on Kris’ face.
The rest of the concert went by without another mishap (praise the lord) and Baekhyun and Kris received a well-deserved standing ovation as they pulled of the rest of the piece without fail. Shyly giving Kris a smile, Baekhyun mentally patted himself on the back for what he thought was a pretty good save on his part.
Stepping back stage, the violinist was about to hunt for his best friend to give him a ride home when a large hand grabbed his wrist.
Whirling around, Baekhyun looked up surprised at a flushed Kris, panting as he had run to catch up with the diminutive junior.
This Kris was something he had never seen before.
Soft blonde hair was fluffed handsomely around his chiseled face and a most lovely blush could be seen across those model-like cheekbones. Perspiration dripped slow motion down his flawless face and long eyelashes batted nervously as the man blinked rapidly.
Baekhyun tilted his head.
Kris cleared his throat awkwardly.
“So I just wanted to let you know, my heart was as lost as those pieces of music before you found me. And you picked me up and put me back together again just like what you did with the music.”
All Baekhyun heard was “mumble mumble mumble” as he stared at his long time crush in shock.
Wow is it just me or was that super cheesy but it’s perfect and I like it and ohmygawd am I hallucinating or is this rea-
“What?”
Kris shook his head impatiently.
Well then, maybe actions would be better than words.
Just like in Baekhyun’s daydreams, Kris pulled him in unexpectedly by the wrist, their bodies flush against each other with Baekhyun pressed against the theater wall, the cold bricks digging in against his sweater that he had worn underneath the tuxedo jacket. Kris released his hold on the younger’s wrist only to gingerly cup his hands around Baekhyun’s face as he leaned in closer and closer. Baekhyun could count each of Kris’ eyelashes as the senior loomed over him, the tall body curving almost protectively over his smaller frame.
The gesture seemed much more intimate in the dimly lit theater interior and Baekhyun could hear the audience applauding as the next performing ensemble finished their jazz version of the hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. He stifled a giggle as Kris tenderly brushed his cold nose with his own, the unexpectedly sweet gesture causing his heart to race even more out of control.
Oh my gosh am I about to be kissed. I’m losing my kiss virginity. Wait until Chanyeol hears ab-
Mmmphhh.
All thoughts trailed off as a pair of warm lips pressed sweetly to his own and Baekhyun could feel Kris’ smile through the kiss, that candy sweet curve of the lips that made him unconsciously mirror the same action. Shy hands grabbed onto wide steady shoulders as the violinist stood on his tip-toes to reach, lips no longer so hesitant as the elder curved his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, long fingers holding the boy in his arms steady.
Finally when the need for oxygen overwhelmed the two teenagers, Baekhyun circled his arms around the percussionist and tucked his head against Kris’ broad chest, face blushing as he listened to the furiously beating heart beneath the cotton fabric he had tangled his fingers in.
And just like that Baekhyun was lost, lost in the dream that only a certain handsome senior percussionist could provide.
And he was confident enough to say that he’d be dreaming for quite a long time.
(“But what about Luhan”)
(“Oh, he was just having his midlife crisis about how Sehun wouldn’t notice him. I took him out to bubble tea where Sehun unbelievably, with his stoic face and all, proceeded to grab Luhan from me and make out furiously with him right between me and my strawberry milk tea”)
(“Oh, okay.”)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Baekris, ninja!Hunhan
Genre: Fluff, HS!au
Word Count: 3766
Summary: When Baekhyun and Kris slowly piece together their love, they find something more than music that they have in common.
Inspired by this
Baekhyun still remembers the first time he saw Kris.
It was his first year of middle school and sitting at the back of the second violin section in his very first full orchestra rehearsal, the 12 year old boy had been contently zoning out during a particularly boring and long rest for the strings. He had been contemplating whether or not he should buy a sandwich for lunch when from directly behind him, a loud cymbal crash and an especially enthusiastic bass drum roll rudely woke him up from his much needed nap.
(“Woke you up? You shrieked like a little girl and almost fell out of your seat” Chanyeol reminded him with a shit-eating grin. That ungrateful twerp. Baekhyun tried not to mind the utterly unnecessary commentary on his little trip down memory lane).
Baekhyun, with an ungainly flush on his surprised features, had turned to glare behind him at whoever interrupted his peaceful rest. He had been uncommonly forward as the youngest in his orchestra and clearly had no fear of his upperclassmen back then.
(“Oh how things have changed” Chanyeol gleefully mocked him).
He had opened his mouth, prepared to sass the perpetrator but stopped when he was faced with a tall head of blonde hair and an unfairly handsome and smirking face. One hand was clutching the offending pair of cymbals while the other carelessly twirled a pair of drumsticks, the wooden instrument precariously dangling between two exceptionally long fingers.
Baekhyun stared wordlessly.
Wow his hands are big.
“Yes?”
A tilt of the head accompanied by a slight eyebrow raise followed as Blonde Percussionist wrinkled his forehead in confusion at the sight of the tiny boy in front of him.
“Y-You…”
Baekhyun stuttered as he tried to hide his rather blatant bout of staring.
Blonde Percussionist bit his lips casually as he waited for Baekhyun to finish his sentence.
Wow his lips are so ummph what would it be like to kiss those…and his teeth are so
“Your teeth are pointy like a vampire’s!”
Needless to say, Chanyeol never did let him live that one down.
5 years later, Byun Baekhyun still hasn’t managed to utter a coherent sentence in the presence of Blonde Percussionist.
Of course, he had found out his name, courtesy of some much well-intentioned bullying of Kris’s co-selection leader Chanyeol, the school’s resident puppy on crack and Baekhyun’s best friend within a week of being cornered by the tiny violinist in front of the band hall.
His little crush had remained mostly undiscovered to all but himself and Crackyeol for the remaining years of middle school. Baekhyun had thankfully graduated to the 1st violin section which was situated, both thankfully and regretfully, nowhere near the percussion huddle of drums, cymbals, and the occasional gong that Chanyeol was so fond of.
Then came high school and for the 1st 2 years, not much changed for Baekhyun except well, the nerd got even nerdier. Thick glasses and a backpack heavy enough to be hiding a dead body accompanied the boy wherever he went and his group of friends was as far from Kris’s crew as Chanyeol was from his idol Dara.
(“You never know” Chanyeol had told him indignantly when Baekhyun proceeded to crush his hopes and dreams of ever meeting the 2NE1 member)
Baekhyun could only pine after the handsome blonde from behind his black framed lenses and his wistful glances was unnoticed by the popular percussionist who was perpetually surrounded by his impossibly good looking friends.
There was Yixing, the foreign exchange student from China who could often be seen being nagged at by Kris in Mandarin, the absent minded teenager forgetting to come in on his triangle at the most obvious of cues. Despite his forgetfulness, he was still immensely popular among the students and had girls and boys alike swooning over his side hobby of guitar playing.
In Baekhyun’s mind though, it was probably the dimples that brought the boys (and the girls) to the yard.
Then there was Luhan, the epitome of a flautist, skinny and blonde and perpetually smiling. Age wise, it was hard to believe that he was actually the oldest out of the 3, with his baby face and wide Bambi eyes fooling everyone. His honey blonde hair and a pair of cute pink lips had even the coldest of hearts melting and along with Kris and Yixing, the 3 of them formed the band’s drum majors (or the Golden Trio as their worshipful subjects dubbed them).
It was a widely believed rumor in the school that Luhan and Kris were dating, their many fangirls lovingly swooning over their “Golden Couple”. To be fair, Luhan’s pretty looks complemented Kris’ manly features and to quote that one Chinese proverb Baekhyun’s mom had attempted to teach him sometime during the 3rd grade, a complementary couple is a happy couple.
Still, Baekhyun hated Luhan’s guts. And his smile. And his pretty face. Luhan was just ugh.
(“But he’s actually really nice” Chanyeol had whined in his attempt to pacify Baekhyun. The violinist scoffed.)
Junior year. Baekhyun had looked to this year with much dread and trepidation. His seniors had warned him about just how exhausting this year would be and for the mere mortals in his school, just a glance at Baekhyun’s schedule would send them trembling in fear.
Arriving at school after hurling his blaring alarm clock at a line of innocent stuffed animals, Baekhyun quickly sought out his Crackyeol, finding the lanky teenager perched on a timpani while stuffing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his mouth. Eagerly comparing his schedule with that of Chanyeol’s, Baekhyun pouted to discover that they only had 2 classes in common, full orchestra and their lunch period.
Long used to his best friend’s admittedly cute aegyo when angry, Chanyeol simply patted the still pouting teenager on the head.
“Yah midget, it’s not my fault you’re taking all senior classes.”
Baekhyun huffed.
Gathering up their belongings as the 1st period bell rang, Baekhyun waved goodbye to his moronic best friend as he headed off towards Advanced Calculus while Chanyeol goofily strolled to his early morning swim practice. Stepping into the already crowded classroom, his eyes scanned across the faces he would spend a year with before resting on a pair of familiar dark black eyes.
Oh right. Kris was a senior.
Calculus was a senior class.
Shit.
Baekhyun sunk into his assigned seat despondently, head flopping onto the hard wooden desk. Luckily for him, the seating was arranged alphabetically and Kris was a couple of rows behind him so at least he was saved from an entire year of ogling at the back of his crush’s perfect blonde head.
When the bell rang for the next class, the short teenager all but ran from his calculus classroom, heaving a sigh of relief as he stepped into the empty biology lab. Picking a seat in the front of the room, Baekhyun gingerly placed his sweater on the desk and laid his head down, eyes closed for a brief nap before the start of class. The room gradually filled with the buzz of conversation as more and more people filed in, the noise a pleasant background fuzz in the sleeping teenager’s ears.
When the tardy bell rang, the biology professor immediately launched into the customary beginning of the year speech that Baekhyun didn’t bother picking up his head for. He was just about to dream of dancing bacon and eggs when he felt a tap on his shoulder, instantly dissolving the cute pastel colored images floating around in his head. Slightly disoriented, he gingerly looked up and found himself face to face with the same head of blonde that he fell for 5 years ago.
With a disarmingly charming smile, Kris grinned sheepishly at the sleepy junior.
“Hey could I borrow a pencil?”
Not trusting his voice, Baekhyun stiffly nodded, handing over the first pencil he could get his hands on from his pencil bag. Looking up, he saw Kris muffling a bout of laughter behind those manly hands as he received the writing utensil.
Hello Kitty.
Baekhyun had just handed him his limited edition punk rock Hello Kitty pencil.
(“Shoot me now” he whined to Chanyeol as they met up in the halls between periods. Chanyeol only laughed at his pain.)
It all seemed like déjà vu to Baekhyun as he walked to all seven class periods in a daze, surreptitiously checking his surroundings only to find the object of his affections sitting oh so casually in every single one of his classes. He didn’t know whether to send the school counselors flowers or arsenic for coordinating his schedule unknowingly to match Kris’s. On one hand, he now had 7 more opportunities than before to perhaps, just maybe, talk to his crush. On the other hand, this was 7 more opportunities to embarrass himself (and kill his grades while he was at it).
When the bell rang for dismissal, Baekhyun almost ran over his professor in his attempt to escape the room, narrowly escaping the embarrassing fate of face-planting onto the Communist Soviet Union flag his teacher kept in the class corner.
His history teacher scratched his head as he was unceremoniously shoved into his beaver plushie collection.
He didn’t think his class was that horrid.
Skidding to a stop in front of Chanyeol’s band locker, Baekhyun tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his giant oaf of a best friend to show up. Long used to using his Crackyeol as a punching bag/person to vent to, the junior couldn’t wait to get started on his tirade of how unfair his schedule was and how ohmygoshI’mgoingtofailphysics and how Kris never gave him back his pencil. Angrily tapping his limited edition Barbie Princess Hello Kitty pencil against the bars of the locker, Baekhyun huffed a “finally” in his mind as a much taller shadow loomed over his figure.
“Yah Dumbyeol why did you take so long. It’s only the first day and you already have me waiting here for-“
Oh.
It wasn’t Chanyeol.
Baekhyun’s face flushed a bright tomato red as the boy took in the figure of Kris chuckling to himself as he leaned a hand against the band locker right next to Baekhyun’s short little head.
Ohmygosh this is like those dramas where the heroine gets kissed asdfknworwe
“Are you waiting for Chanyeol?”
A smooth deep voice interrupted Baekhyun’s inner fangirl.
Unable to meet his eyes, Baekhyun stared resolutely at the ground as he stumbled to reply.
“Uh yea. We usually meet at his locker after school…”
Kris shifted a bit, his torso leaning a bit closer to Baekhyun as he smiled down at the younger boy.
“Chanyeol has extra percussion lessons today. Apparently Director said that he needed more work on hitting the gong with less passion and more precision. So he won’t be free until after 4 PM.”
Baekhyun bit his lips. Chanyeol was usually his ride home as the violinist had yet to get his license (blame his love of speeding for the 3 failed driving tests) and now he would be stuck at school for an additional 3 hours. Call him a nerd but even he doesn’t enjoy extra hours at the hellhole they call school.
“If you want, I can take you home today. Chanyeol mentioned that he usually drives you right?”
Baekhyun resisted the urge to squeal as he looked up hopefully at the grinning angel before him. He quickly nodded his head yes and Kris mumbled something along the lines of wow you look even more like a puppy than Pupyeol before leading him out to the student parking lot.
Bypassing Chanyeol’s adorable but entirely too small Volkswagen Beetle, Baekhyun’s eyes shone with admiration as well as a tiny bit of jealous when they stopped in front of a flaming red Mustang convertible.
Noticing Baekhyun’s awestruck expression, Kris chuckled.
“Do you like it?”
The younger nodded an affirmative, his appreciation for the car evident in his wide open mouth as he took in the shiny exterior and the plush leather interior.
Kris was even gentlemanly enough to open the door for him as he gingerly sat down on the cushy leather seats, hands clutching his behemoth of a backpack. The space inside suddenly felt too small as Kris settled into the driver’s seat, shifting the car out of parking as he smoothly reversed out of the school parking lot.
Baekhyun hesitantly peeked at the driver as the passed by the farmland (aka the wilderness as Chanyeol fondly called it). He admired the sharp jawline of the senior percussionist and the way his lips settled into a firm line whenever the elder was focused on something. The peek of pearly white teeth was even attractive in Baekhyun’s love struck eyes and the slightly vampire-like canines that poked out whenever Kris smiled will forever go down as his 2nd favorite thing about Kris physically.
The first was obviously his man hands. Duh.
The way the above mentioned body part was wrapped around the steering wheel was giving Baekhyun’s inner fangirl a field day as Baekhyun attempted to make his staring less obvious.
Mmm those hands would feel so nice wrapped around my wrist when he confesses to me or when they’re tangled in my hair when we finally kiss…
Baekhyun shook his head rapidly before his mind could proceed to conjure up some less than appropriate images.
As Chanyeol would say it, Baekhyun was definitely a goner.
When they reached Baekhyun’s house, Kris once again opened the door for Baekhyun (swoon) and gave a beyond cool 2 finger wave to the younger before suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“Hey would you mind helping me with Physics next week? I’m not understanding the concepts of torque that well and I heard from Chanyeol that you are really good at Physics.”
Psh good at physics my ass. I’m the sole reason Chanyeol passed the class.
Baekhyun glowered at an invisible Chanyeol as he thought back to the hours spent coaching Chanyeol on how no dear, gravity always goes down, not up, and no even if we’re on the moon gravity still goes down.
Glancing back at his crush, Baekhyun reconsidered.
Maybe Chanyeol does have his uses.
Kris grinned sheepishly at his younger classmate as Baekhyun muttered a shy “Yes” to his question.
“Great. How about next Thursday in the band hall right after school?”
This time Baekhyun smiled widely despite his attempts to be demure goddamnit.
“Sure”
It’s a date.
Next Thursday comes and Baekhyun and Chanyeol are sitting together at lunch at their usual table, Baekhyun’s perfectly cooked spaghetti primavera (his Thursday staple) and Chanyeol’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich (his 365 days a year staple) the usual fixture on the wooden surface. They were in the middle of debating the logistics of a violin gong duet when Baekhyun couldn’t help but overhear a dramatic sob coming from the next table over.
“He won’t even look at me anymore. I can’t do this Yixing. What is life. What is love. Yixing only you love me. ”
It was Luhan.
Baekhyun hated to say this but even with snot and tears running down that perfect porcelain face, Luhan was still the most freaking pretty person in the entire school as he proceeded to sob uncontrollably onto a clearly uninterested and nonchalant Yixing’s shoulder.
Life is so unfair.
“There there, he loves you Luhan. Everyone loves you.” Yixing proceeded to comfort Luhan in his monotone, zoned out voice.
Baekhyun turned back around.
Ugh. The oh-so-hard life of the elite.
Making a bee-line for the band hall as soon as 7th period was over (and knocking over his poor professor once again in the process), Baekhyun eagerly stood with his hands clasped in front of Kris’ band locker, waiting for the man himself to show up for their study date(as Baekhyun called their little rendezvous in his head).
He bit his lips in anticipation as his nervous habit of foot tapping appeared once again, this time tapping out the rhythm of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Major (he was really fond of that piece ok). Every time the door opened, the violinist would look up with an almost child-like eagerness, pouting when it was just another band geek coming in to collect their spit valve or something.
The next time the door opened though, Baekhyun froze.
He didn’t expect to see Kris and Luhan hand in hand, the latter wiping off tears as he tittered in that high pitch stereotypical flautist giggle. Kris was smiling too, as he pulled Luhan towards the exit, that classically handsome smile making Baekhyun’s heart ache a little as he observed the duo from behind a timpani drum.
A complementary couple is a happy couple.
Baekhyun sighed. Maybe his mother had a point after all.
Weeks after, Baekhyun had managed avoid Kris all together. Luckily for the violinist, their seats were never that close in all of their classes and with Biology, he had managed to persuade his professor to let them work at lab groups, allowing him to escape the close proximity his seat provided with Kris.
Chanyeol noticed the downtrodden demeanor in his friend and pouted unhappily when Baekhyun shoved him away after inquiring if his date with Kris had not gone so smashingly.
(“Did his breath stink?”)
(“Did he fart in front of you”)
(“Does he have a tiny d-“)
(“Shut up Chanyeol”)
The one thing Baekhyun couldn’t avoid though, was his school’s annual winter showcase. Featuring all of the fine arts classes, both him and Kris were obligated to perform and to his luck, the orchestra director had decided to feature Baekhyun on electric violin while Kris did his magic with a drum set.
(“It will be a Christmas extravaganza!” said Professor Heechul with an evil grin in his eye)
It was concert night and the entire school had come out to watch them, the auditorium filled to the brink as parents and students alike mingled during the brief intermission. Baekhyun was setting up the unnecessarily complicated cords for the electric instrument when Kris showed up unexpectedly, tapping him on the shoulder as the elder set down a set of crash cymbals. Warily, Baekhyun turned to face him.
“Hey good luck today. I’ll be watching you so we can stay together in the music better.”
Baekhyun groaned internally.
He just couldn’t catch a break could he? Kris was everything he wanted, and all that he wanted ever since 6th grade. He was dashingly handsome, polite, and talented and everything he said just stirred up something in Baekhyun’s heart that made his stomach churn like a bottle in the middle of sea.
The junior managed a weak grin.
“Yea, I’ll do that too.”
And so the concert began smoothly, both of them playing their parts dutifully like the well trained musicians they were.
Ugh. Just let me get past this concert and I’ll get over you Kris.
It was in the middle of the 2nd page when things took an interesting turn.
Baekhyun and Kris both shivered involuntarily when the AC vent directly behind them turned on, a blast of cold air hitting them unexpectedly as both played on professionally despite the frigid interruption. What they didn’t plan for however, was for Kris’ music to fly right out his stand.
For a moment, they both stared open mouthed at the gracefully floating pieces of sheet music.
Kris’ drumsticks were paused in midair and Baekhyun’s fingers moved on autopilot as they both gasped at the unexpected sight.
It was Baekhyun who sprang into action.
Long accustomed to playing outdoors where wind was a common occurrence, he pulled out his trusty Hello Kitty hair pin and deftly picked up Kris’ fallen music, praising the composing gods for putting a rest in his part for the next 12 measures. Rapidly slapping the music down on the stand, Baekhyun clipped the 1st 2 sheets onto the metal with his hair pin before quickly scuttling back to his seat.
He missed the lovingly appreciative grin on Kris’ face.
The rest of the concert went by without another mishap (praise the lord) and Baekhyun and Kris received a well-deserved standing ovation as they pulled of the rest of the piece without fail. Shyly giving Kris a smile, Baekhyun mentally patted himself on the back for what he thought was a pretty good save on his part.
Stepping back stage, the violinist was about to hunt for his best friend to give him a ride home when a large hand grabbed his wrist.
Whirling around, Baekhyun looked up surprised at a flushed Kris, panting as he had run to catch up with the diminutive junior.
This Kris was something he had never seen before.
Soft blonde hair was fluffed handsomely around his chiseled face and a most lovely blush could be seen across those model-like cheekbones. Perspiration dripped slow motion down his flawless face and long eyelashes batted nervously as the man blinked rapidly.
Baekhyun tilted his head.
Kris cleared his throat awkwardly.
“So I just wanted to let you know, my heart was as lost as those pieces of music before you found me. And you picked me up and put me back together again just like what you did with the music.”
All Baekhyun heard was “mumble mumble mumble” as he stared at his long time crush in shock.
Wow is it just me or was that super cheesy but it’s perfect and I like it and ohmygawd am I hallucinating or is this rea-
“What?”
Kris shook his head impatiently.
Well then, maybe actions would be better than words.
Just like in Baekhyun’s daydreams, Kris pulled him in unexpectedly by the wrist, their bodies flush against each other with Baekhyun pressed against the theater wall, the cold bricks digging in against his sweater that he had worn underneath the tuxedo jacket. Kris released his hold on the younger’s wrist only to gingerly cup his hands around Baekhyun’s face as he leaned in closer and closer. Baekhyun could count each of Kris’ eyelashes as the senior loomed over him, the tall body curving almost protectively over his smaller frame.
The gesture seemed much more intimate in the dimly lit theater interior and Baekhyun could hear the audience applauding as the next performing ensemble finished their jazz version of the hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. He stifled a giggle as Kris tenderly brushed his cold nose with his own, the unexpectedly sweet gesture causing his heart to race even more out of control.
Oh my gosh am I about to be kissed. I’m losing my kiss virginity. Wait until Chanyeol hears ab-
Mmmphhh.
All thoughts trailed off as a pair of warm lips pressed sweetly to his own and Baekhyun could feel Kris’ smile through the kiss, that candy sweet curve of the lips that made him unconsciously mirror the same action. Shy hands grabbed onto wide steady shoulders as the violinist stood on his tip-toes to reach, lips no longer so hesitant as the elder curved his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, long fingers holding the boy in his arms steady.
Finally when the need for oxygen overwhelmed the two teenagers, Baekhyun circled his arms around the percussionist and tucked his head against Kris’ broad chest, face blushing as he listened to the furiously beating heart beneath the cotton fabric he had tangled his fingers in.
And just like that Baekhyun was lost, lost in the dream that only a certain handsome senior percussionist could provide.
And he was confident enough to say that he’d be dreaming for quite a long time.
(“But what about Luhan”)
(“Oh, he was just having his midlife crisis about how Sehun wouldn’t notice him. I took him out to bubble tea where Sehun unbelievably, with his stoic face and all, proceeded to grab Luhan from me and make out furiously with him right between me and my strawberry milk tea”)
(“Oh, okay.”)