Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Seungkwan wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be sitting at his desk in his room as he pored over his microbiology textbook. Or curled up in his nest watching My Demon with a Choco pie. Or even sitting out on the balcony with a warm mug of tea. Anything but sitting at a bar next to his roommate as a band set up on stage.

And it was all Soonyoung's fault. The older omega just had to burst into his room demanding he come with him to 'hype him up as he pursued his newest conquest'. And despite Seungkwan's initial refusals, he'd somehow ended up agreeing to go. Soonyoung had seemed so kind and innocent during the roommate match up. Now Seungkwan knew he was actually the devil.

"Look, there he is!" Soonyoung elbowed Seungkwan and pointed to the stage. "God, he's so hot!" Seungkwan glanced up from the textbook he'd brought with him--his condition to coming with Soonyoung being that he still got to study--and saw a very muscular alpha settling in behind the drum set. "I want him to pulverize me." Side eyeing Soonyoung, Seungkwan not so subtly scooted his stool away from him and turned back to his textbook.

Seungkwan didn't get very far in his studying when the music playing cut out for someone to announce something called a 'black eye' performing that night. From the way Soonyoung started slapping him in excitement, Seungkwan assumed that was the band they'd come to see. The one that Soonyoung had discovered on TikTok and become obsessed with and had decided to sleep with the drummer after learning what nightclub they frequented for live for performances. Why did he need Seungkwan there again?

Just as the 19-year-old started to close his textbook with the intent to sneak out of the club now that Soonyoung's attention was fully captured by the stage, the band began playing and the voice that came through the microphone had him pausing. It was a very nice voice, one that had Seungkwan settling back onto his barstool and turning to see who it belonged to. The person on stage--an alpha, Seungkwan assumed from his build--had an equally nice face to go with the voice. He had big brown eyes and brown wavy hair and unique features that made Seungkwan think he wasn't fully Korea. He actually looked a little like Leonardo DiCaprio if Seungkwan thought about it.

All thoughts left Seungkwan's head when the alpha's eyes seemed to meet his, a strange feeling entering his chest. He had no idea what that feeling was, but he did know that it was crazy to think the singer had actually looked at him. With how dark and crowded the club was, the alpha probably couldn't even see anything beyond his microphone. But the alpha kept looking over in his direction. It was kind of unnerving, especially since every time it seemed that their eyes met, that strange feeling returned. Seungkwan battled it by turning back to his textbook and attempting to tune out the band's set.

He was so focused on trying to ignore them that he didn't even realize the set ended until Soonyoung started hitting him in excitement again. "Ow! What?"

"It's time to make my move." Soonyoung said, fixing his clothes and fluffing his hair. "Wish me luck."

"No." Seungkwan shook his head as he watched Soonyoung stalk off in the direction of the band leaving the stage before turning back to his textbook.

His studying was, once again, interrupted by an unfamiliar alpha whose musky scent was so strong it nearly had Seungkwan gagging. "What's a gorgeous omega like you doing all alone?"

"Why do you think me being alone is an invitation to bother me?" Seungkwan retorted without looking up.

"Don't be like that, baby." Seungkwan grimaced as he side eyed the alpha. "Let me buy you a drink."

"No."

"Come on, just one-"

"He said no." There was that feeling in Seungkwan's chest again as he looked up to see the singer from the band staring at the creep. There was a moment of posturing--at least on the creep's side, the singer didn't seem all that fazed at all--before the creep left. Then the singer gestured for bartender. "Cheol, can I get a beer?"

Seungkwan wasn't sure what to do with himself, that strange feeling in his chest increasing to the point that his heart was starting to race. Was he getting sick? Shaking his head slightly, he decided how to proceed and cleared his throat. "I had that handled."

"I know you did." The alpha responded without hesitation. "But it wouldn't have felt right to ignore what was happening."

Now that was surprising. And so was the way his heart jumped when the alpha looked at him and met his gaze. Seungkwan quickly averted his gaze, turning back to his textbook. "How do I know you weren't just playing hero so that I'll thank you ever so graciously?"

That time there was a slight pause before the alpha responded, amusement in his tone. "Do you want to thank me ever so graciously?"

"I want to study." Seungkwan said, looking up to find a tiny smile on the alpha's face, a slight twinkle to his eyes. He really did have beautiful eyes, the thought flitted through Seungkwan's head before he could stop it.

The singer chuckled. "Don't know if a nightclub is the best place for that but good luck." The alpha picked up his beer that had just been delivered and raised it slightly towards Seungkwan before walking off.

Seungkwan couldn't help but watch him disappear into the crowd, still wondering why his chest was feeling weird around him. Then he caught sight of Soonyoung swapping spit with the drummer and figured that was his permission to go back home. He closed his textbook and slid off his stool, looking around the club on his way to the exit for a certain pair of brown eyes before catching himself.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Soonyoung had forced Seungkwan to the club and the lead singer of the band had been on his mind every second since. From the moment he woke up in the morning to the moment he went to sleep, and even in his dreams, Seungkwan just could not get rid of the image of those warm brown eyes. And with it, the questions.

What was the alpha's name? How old was he? What was he studying? Did he have a job outside band performances? Had he been trying to weasel his way into Seungkwan's thoughts by acting nonchalant and not like typical alphas and now Seungkwan was just feeding into exactly what he wanted? If that were the case, the alpha was good.

Seungkwan sighed as he took his place behind the counter at the on-campus café he worked at, wanting to feel like an actual contributing member to society while his parents paid his tuition, rent and, utilities. It wasn't a particularly horrible job--save for the occasional customer that could ruin anyone's day--but it was definitely a bit of a drag, just him going through the motions of taking people's orders and occasionally helping make drinks when needed. Towards the end of his shift, it was tiring to even put on the smile and cheery tone he was supposed to have, causing his greeting to come out a bit monotonous as he wiped up a spill from a drink that had just been made. "Welcome to Shining Diamond Café, what would you like to order?"

"Four iced americanos and one green tea latte, please and thank you."

Seungkwan froze for a second at the familiar voice, slowly looking up from the cash register to see that his ears weren't playing tricks on him. The lead singer of Black Eye was standing in front of him. The alpha who had been torturing him all week. The way the alpha's lips quirked slightly made Seungkwan aware of how long he'd been staring, so he cleared his throat and pulled his eyes away. "Will that be all?" The alpha hummed in confirmation and as Seungkwan rang the order up and the alpha paid, he realized it was the perfect opportunity to have one of his questions answered. So even though the café was fairly empty, as it was a typical slow period for them, Seungkwan grabbed the sharpie reserved for writing customer's names on the cups. "What name?" He asked, pressing the tip of the marker to the first cup in preparation.

"Hansol." The alpha said as he slid his card back into his wallet and pocketed it.

Hansol, Seungkwan thought as the alpha shifted over to the pickup area of the counter. The name suited him. As Hansol waited for his drinks to be made, Seungkwan drummed his fingertips on the counter, trying his best not to look over at the alpha or talk to him. But he just couldn't help himself. "So you go to school here too?" Seungkwan practically blurted out as he turned to Hansol once more.

To Seungkwan's surprise, Hansol laughed. A small chuckle as Hansol shook his head to himself. "Oh no, college is not my thing." Seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows a bit but before he could ask why the alpha was at a university café, Hansol was already giving him an answer. "Most of my bandmates go to school here and we're getting together. I was put on coffee duty."

Seungkwan nodded slightly, not knowing how to respond to that. His parents had always drilled how important college was in order to have a good career while also warning him about people who didn't prioritize their education. But Hansol didn't seem like a lazy entitled bum who would manipulate people instead of working hard to get things.

At some point while Seungkwan was having an internal battle with the thoughts that were definitely produced by his parents’ teachings versus his gut, Hansol began to study him, tilting his head a bit as a tiny smile played at his lips. "What?" Seungkwan asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Nothing." Hansol shook his head, grabbing the drink carrier from Seungkwan's coworker with his finished drinks. But instead of leaving right away like Seungkwan thought, the alpha said, "I have another show tonight, if you want to some background music for studying again." He didn't wait for Seungkwan's response before turning and walking out of the café.

***

When Seungkwan got home from his study group at the library, a song Seungkwan recognized from the club the week before was blaring out from Soonyoung's bedroom and a freshman that Soonyoung had adopted at the beginning of the semester was sitting on the couch dressed for the club. "Hey, Chan." Seungkwan greeted him, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the music.

"Hey, Seungkwan." Chan waved as Seungkwan crossed over to the kitchen to start making some ramen for dinner.

Soonyoung came out of his bedroom with a flourish at that moment. "So what do we think of this one?" He asked, striking a pose to show off his outfit.

"You look just as hot as you did in all the others." Chan said with a bored tone.

"I'm going for fuckable, not hot." Soonyoung pouted.

Chan groaned. "Obviously you're fuckable regardless of what you're wearing, now can we please go?"

Soonyoung let out a laugh as he walked over to grab his phone. "Someone's eager to get fucked themselves."

"I want to dance." Chan deadpanned.

"The horizontal tango?" Soonyoung asked but didn't give Chan a chance to respond as he leaned against the counter separating the kitchen from the living room to watch Seungkwan make his dinner. "Staying in tonight?"

Seungkwan nodded. "I have a tub of ice cream and Everything Everywhere All At Once calling to me."

"If that's how you have fun." Soonyoung snorted quietly. "Meanwhile, I was so mind-blowing last week that Jihoon invited me to this week's show as his 'special friend'." Seungkwan was confused for a moment before realizing Jihoon must have been the drummer Soonyoung was stalking the previous week. "I'm officially a groupie now!" Soonyoung cheered. "That means when Black Eye makes it big, I get to tell all the other bitches that I was sucking his dick before they even knew he existed!"

Seungkwan blinked at him. "Have fun with that." He then bit his lip, shifting on his feet while feeling a bit unsettled. "Isn't this the part where you try to drag me along with you?"

"No, I have Chan this time." Soonyoung said. "Plus, your wingman duties were already fulfilled as my goal was met." He turned and joined Chan over by the door where the younger omega was waiting not so patiently for him. "Have fun with your ice cream and movie!" He left with Chan, leaving Seungkwan feeling lost for some reason.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was restless, unable to focus on his movie or his ice cream. Instead, his mind just kept replaying his interaction with Hansol at the café earlier that day. When the alpha had mentioned having a show, if you want some background music for studying again. Was that an invitation? Or was the alpha mocking him for his academic priorities. After debating with himself internally, Seungkwan threw himself out of his nest and marched over to his closet.

He didn't have much in the way of club suitable clothes, so he settled for a pair of jeans he barely wore but that Soonyoung described as 'making his ass look even more out of this world than norm', a loose pink shirt, and a denim jacket to go on top. Then he attempted to do a light layer of makeup, although he quickly grew frustrated as he'd only worn makeup on special occasions and usually his mom did that for him since it was usually a family function anyway. Then he questioned why he was even going all out in the first place. It wasn't like it was a date, nor was he going for anything other than to listen to the band's performance. He cleaned his face of the failed makeup look he was going for then grabbed his things to head out for the night.

When Seungkwan arrived at the club, the band was in the middle of a song Seungkwan didn't recognize, and he didn't recognize the voice either. Furrowing his eyebrows, he moved to the crowd until he found a good vantage point of the stage and found a new face amidst the rest of the band who'd been there the week before. This one was an omega--a gorgeous omega, Seungkwan couldn't help but notice--and was playing guitar while singing along with Hansol. And while Seungkwan knew it was important for bandmates to have good chemistry in order to work well together, he couldn't help but feel like there was something more between them as they smiled at each other over their microphones.

So Hansol truly had been mocking him for his study habits. Or if it was an invitation, the alpha must have been wanting to humiliate Seungkwan by showing him that he wasn't interested at all. Not that Seungkwan was interested in the alpha either, he kept telling himself. But no one liked to be embarrassed.

"Thank you! You guys have been amazing! We have been Black Eye!" The band giving their final bows pulled Seungkwan out of his thoughts and he quickly began to try to push his way through the crowd again to leave.

He was only halfway to the door when Hansol appeared in front of him with that same smile he always had. "Hey, did you enjoy the show?"

Seungkwan tried to swallow down the pang in his chest. "Yeah, you and your boyfriend are really talented."

"Boyfriend?" Hansol furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, the other singer tonight." Seungkwan said.

Hansol blinked, then amusement filled his features. "You think Shua's my boyfriend?" As Seungkwan tried to think of a response, Hansol glanced across the club. "Then he certainly has some explaining to do."

Seungkwan followed his gaze to find 'Shua' in the middle of a heavy makeout session with some alpha not too far from the stage. He felt his cheeks flaming as he turned back to Hansol, the alpha already looking at him with a smirk. "Yeah, so, I'm kind of a dumbass." He said awkwardly. "A dumbass who should be heading home." He moved to step past Hansol.

"Can I walk you?" Hansol asked.

A fluttering started up in Seungkwan's chest as he looked back at the alpha. "Why?" He asked but didn't actually give Hansol a chance to answer just yet. "Oh, is this where you say an omega shouldn't be walking alone this late at night?"

Hansol let out a chuckle that increased the fluttering. "No, this is the part where I say I'd like to spend more time with you."

And that was how Seungkwan found himself walking alongside Hansol towards his and Soonyoung's shared apartment. "So my roommate is very obsessed with your band." Seungkwan said. "Particularly your drummer."

"Soonyoung's your roommate?" Hansol asked, and Seungkwan nodded. "That explains the studying at the club. I'm assuming he dragged you out last week?"

"Something about needing a wingman but then not actually needing me at all." Seungkwan breathed out a laugh.

Hansol snorted. "Definitely not. Jihoon's just as infatuated and has been since Soonyoung approached him." He glanced at Seungkwan again. "So what made you come out tonight then. No textbook, so I'm assuming you weren't dragged."

Seungkwan gave a tiny shrug. "You invited me, didn't you?" His eyes widened a bit. "Unless that wasn't an invitation."

"You could call it that." Hansol said. "Or statement of hope."

The smile Hansol gave him had Seungkwan's cheeks heating up again. "You were hoping I would come?"

Hansol nodded slightly. "Kind of like I'm hoping I'll get to see you again after this." They reached Seungkwan's apartment building. "Preferably not at the club following a gig or at the café during your shift."

Seungkwan knew he shouldn't. His mom had been lecturing him since the day he'd presented about not letting alphas distract him from his studies. To wait for love and dating and all of that until after he'd gotten through med school and cemented himself in his career as a doctor. But something inside of Seungkwan told him he would regret it if he rejected Hansol that night. "I'd love that."

Chapter Text

When Seungkwan left the café following his shift, a part of him was surprised to find Hansol waiting for him. Only part because the rest of him recognized that the alpha was cashing in on his wish to see Seungkwan again, and that had a smile spreading across the omega's face. As Seungkwan approached him, Hansol looked up from his phone. "Well, you're seeing me." Seungkwan said before immediately cringing. "Okay, that was bad. Pretend like I never said that."

Hansol chuckled, reaching out to poke the omega's burning cheek. "You're cute, you know that." Seungkwan felt as if his entire face was on fire and he sputtered a bit as he tried to come up with a response, but no words came to mind. "Please tell me you're in the mood for ramen because I am starving."

Seungkwan took a deep breath to try to calm his body that seemed to be going haywire on the inside. "Ramen sounds great. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"You skipped lunch?" Hansol asked in concern.

"No time." Seungkwan shrugged. "Besides, my mom always says it's good to fast throughout the day in order to keep my weight down." Hansol's frown deepened and Seungkwan was worried he'd overshared but the alpha didn't say anything as he gestured for Seungkwan to follow him.

They ended up at a ramen shop just off campus, going straight to the kiosk at the register to select their broth and toppings. Seungkwan went first but before he could pull his card out to pay for his meal, Hansol jumped in and added on his own order before swiping his card to pay for both. "You didn't have to pay for mine." Seungkwan said.

"I know." Hansol flashed Seungkwan a smile. "But I always like to pay for my dates."

Yet again, the alpha had Seungkwan feeling like he was short circuiting as they claimed a table. "This is a date?" Seungkwan asked.

"Unless you don't want it to be." Hansol shrugged.

"No, no, date is fine!" Seungkwan blurted out. "Date is great! This is totally, 100% a date!" His face grew hot as that seemed to be his default state around Hansol. "Although you probably no longer want this to be a date, which is totally understandable-"

Hansol cut him off. "Are you kidding? This is already the best date I've ever been on."

Seungkwan blinked a few times. "But all we've done is sat down at a table."

"Yeah but I'm with you." Hansol said and Seungkwan felt like he was seconds away from spontaneously combusting.

A server brought their ramen out to them at that moment and Seungkwan took the opportunity to turn the conversation away from himself as he picked up his chopsticks. "So are you from Seoul?" He asked, figuring that was the most polite way of asking where Hansol was from.

"Yes and no." Hansol answered. "I was born in New York but moved to Hongdae when I was five and I've been here since. What about you?"

"I was born in Busan but grew up in Jeju." Seungkwan said. "So if you aren't in school what do you do? Besides the band, I mean."

"Sometimes I tutor kids in English to make ends meet." Hansol shrugged. "But I mostly focus on the band. What are you studying?"

"Pre med." Seungkwan answered.

Hansol raised his eyebrows slightly. "A doctor in training, huh? That adds an extra layer of understanding to the whole studying in a club thing." Seungkwan let out a laugh at that. "How long have you wanted to be a doctor?"

"Well, being a doctor was my mom's dream but then she got pregnant with my oldest sister and had to drop out of med school to focus on being a mom. So since I could walk and talk, she and I have been preparing for my future." Seungkwan looked up from his ramen to see Hansol looking at him with that same concerned expression he'd had over the fasting comment. "What?"

"Is being a doctor what you want?" Hansol asked.

Seungkwan opened his mouth to answer but for the first time found himself struggling with that. "I…I don't know." He eventually admitted. "It's just always been the plan."

Hansol tilted his head curiously. "Well, if you could do whatever you wanted, what would that be?"

That was hard for Seungkwan as he'd never imagined pursuing anything other than medical school. In fact, the only considering he did was what kind of doctor he wanted to be. Currently he was considering psychiatry but his mom was always talking about how that was quack medicine so he was also thinking about pediatrics. But outside of medicine, he truly hadn't thought about what he might like to do. He thought about that for a long quiet moment, running through any interests he had outside of his academics. "I kind of like singing." Seungkwan said. "But that's clearly not a viable career option." He froze as he remembered who he was talking to. "For me." He quickly added on. "Not for you. You're great at what you do."

"Why thank you." Hansol chuckled. "But how do you know it's not viable for you if you haven't even come close to trying?" Seungkwan didn't have an answer to that but it didn't really matter as Hansol changed the subject. "Do you have another class after this?"

Seungkwan shook his head. "I'm free for the rest of the day."

Hansol's eyes glinted. "How would you like to come to see my band practice?"