Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter Text
The world was truly unfair. That was what Seonghwa had always thought. The dynamics were just wrong. Their society was wrong. So what if he was a bit cynical? That didn’t change the fact that even the optimist of the world acknowledged that there were some things about the way the world worked that were off. It wasn’t even entirely their fault. People were assholes but it was mother nature that was the real bitch. And optimists could go eat shit with their little ‘yes, life is hard but we have to accept it’ bullshit. Life was hard. It was unfair. And in no part of that scenario could Seonghwa see himself coming to terms with it without a grimace on his face. So he would swallow the pill that life delivered, but he wouldn’t be happy about it. And he would need a fuckton of chasers to get the dirty taste out of his mouth.
See, the world was divided in a way that made what Seonghwa felt inside impossible. Seonghwa was an alpha. Yes, he was not the tallest. But he was a tall, strong featured alpha with a potent scent that obviously screamed to the world that this man was a true alpha. He had to push down aggression that would rise up in his body without his consent and without provocation. He had to wear scent blockers so that his classmates didn’t erupt into chaos. He didn’t need alphas picking fights because his scent offended him and he didn’t need omegas hitting on him when they were the furthest thing away from what he wanted.
That mayhaps was the true source of his hatred for the roles that the world played out for them. Omegas were designed to be sweet, submissive, pretty little things that spoke in soft tones. Alphas would woo at them because of their perfection and the omegas would act like they weren’t equally attracted. Betas were the middle ground, the closest to normal you could get. Lucky bastards. They could be whoever they wanted to be as long as they didn’t step on either of the other subgenders toes. Alphas? Yeah, alphas were supposed to be all powerful, high standing, self entitled dipshits that had more going on in their pants than in their brains. That was Seonghwa’s take on them. He was an alpha but he had already filed all of them away in that category. Alphas were supposed to be stronger, smarter, faster, better than everyone else but they honestly never ceased to piss Seonghwa off. He hated the stereotype.
The cold hard truth was that Seonghwa was a bottom. Well, he had never actually fucked anyone but a group of alphas that he had reluctantly agreed to hang out with in high school had invited him over to watch porn. One of them had smuggled it from their cousin who had gotten the rare item during his time abroad. Seonghwa had watched in mild disgust at the portrayal of the alpha. His friends had not seemed to agree because most of them had their hand in their pants. A whiny omega begging for it and an alpha all too happy to fuck them into the mattress of a cheap hotel room. And Seonghwa...well, he had been fixated on the idea of being the one who was fucked rather than who did the fucking. He had experimented and come to realize that yes, he preferred taking it in the ass. His suspicions were only further proven when the first and last girl he had fucked had not satisfied him at all. He had had to come up with some wild excuse as to why he hadn’t knotted her. He had told her alphas couldn’t knot outside of rut, a bold faced lie, and had graduated high school before she could call him out on it.
Hence, Seonghwa was stuck in purgatory of cocky alphas and his pungent scent that would drive away any alpha that would be willing to fuck him six ways to Sunday. Seonghwa functioned in mostly scentless and cold exterior to keep the omegas away and managed to not piss off alphas. His personality was perhaps a bit lacking which would explain why he was in his final year of school with not a friend to his name. And so what if his younger brother had made fun of him over winter break for not having anyone to bring home? So what if his brother had over his ridiculous amount of friends to rub it in Seonghwa’s face that he was a lonely man.
The only one who knew how truly affected Seonghwa was by the display when he returned to school in the spring would be the ridiculously strong glass of liquor he was staring into like it would give him the name of an alpha who could fuck out his misery. It was unlikely, as the level of the liquor went down and he was given a refill, but he still looked into the deep gold color all the same.
“A gin and tonic, please. And one of those fruity drinks.” Seonghwa jumped a bit in his seat at the sudden voice. It was the first close sound of the night because he was so obviously brooding that no one had wanted to get near his bitter scent that was able to cut through the two or three layers of scent blockers he had applied. He was tempted to look up to see the brave face but as he stared at the small set of feet attached to the voice, he lost interest. It was probably a beta or an omega. Which, fine, betas would be more willing to fuck him but they didn’t have knots to split him open and make him forget his name.
The same voice chuckled as he gathered his two drinks, “And one more of whatever he is having. Seems like he needs another.” The bartender who had warily been placing the drinks in front of him for the past hour laughed nervously, “Oh, I think he has had enough.” Seonghwa lifted his head, away from the still nameless liquor, and frowned, “I’ve only had 5.” The voice giggled, “See, bartender, he has only had five. Just one more.” Seonghwa actually looked over this time and had to blink. Why the hell was this asshole so pretty? He was shorter than Seonghwa, had the prettiest set of sharp teeth he had ever seen, a pointy nose, and dark blue hair cut up in some punky business with a suggestion of a mullet at the back. His eyebrow was split, a metal bar accentuating the gap there and his ears had about three shiny pieces of silver each. Seonghwa blinked back down at his glass like there would be an answer to how a person could be that pretty but the ice just stared back at him. He had finished another one. Fuck.
The pretty boy left, the oversized bomber shifting as he did so and Seonghwa froze. That was...an alpha. That pretty man was an alpha. And he had just walked right up beside Seonghwa without even flinching, even offered to buy him a drink. The bartender delivered said drink with a scowl, “I don’t want a drunk alpha causing problems. That’s your last one.” Seonghwa’s scent flared in irritation and the man stuttered out an apology before leaving. The alpha stared down at his drink thoughtlessly, the scent rolling around in his mind, a fantasy of those same teeth biting in his neck flashing through his mind. He threw back the drink and stood from his spot. He knew when he needed to leave, even pouty, sexually frustrated and right out pissed off. He headed towards the exit, barely registering that the crowd of the bar made a pathway for him and he stepped out into the night, unaware of an interested pair of eyes following him as he left.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Summary:
Okay I just realized I spelled theatre like...not the way we spell it here but deal with it.
Chapter Text
Monday. His least favorite day of the week. He wanted to look forward to the new semester. He had a light load of classes because he would have to get together an impressive portfolio by the end of the semester. He was thankful that he had busted his ass the first three years so that his senior year would be a breeze. It didn’t make it any more enjoyable. Doubly so when his professor made the announcement.
“The Performing Arts department has discussed this on numerous occasions and we have finally decided to try it out. The theatre department will be working with music production, fashion design and dance for your final project. It’s been a long time since we had anything musical to perform. We hope to end this dry spell and showcase some of your other talents.” Truly, if Seonghwa wanted to sing and dance, he would have taken the scouting agents advice when he was 20 and joined a kpop group. He was here for acting. Despite his cold exterior, he had a very expressive face when he desired. It was the best kept secret of the theatre department that the icy man had perhaps the most expressive face among them all.
He tried to conjure up any faces from either of the departments but found he couldn’t remember a single one of them. He had neglected to attend the performing arts dinners and parties throughout his years in attendance. He preferred the easy going atmosphere of his apartment with a book in his hand and his cat in his lap. The other members of his class were already mentioning names of their fellow classmates that they hoped to work with. He could think of none and was left stumped.
The teacher cleared his throat and the class fell silent once again, “I understand that this will be a huge project. We have set aside rehearsal times you can sign up for once the groups have been created. We have already paired you up with groups that we think will best suit your individual strengths so please don’t go texting all of your friends and making plans.” There was an obvious sound of protest but the teacher silenced it with one look. “The list is posted with their emails. Feel free to get to know one another. Preparations start next week.” Seonghwa could almost smell the distress in the room. He tried not to crinkle his nose in disgust. The only problem being in theatre was that alphas more than likely were scouted. They didn’t need school. Omegas normally pursued it through university to get proper training. Seonghwa had wanted to know as much as possible so that if and when he started his career, he would be a step ahead of the assholes who had thought that looks and luck were enough.
Even so, he found himself surprisingly comfortable with the group, despite the high number of omegas. He had to double up on scent blockers but he preferred the subdued personalities of the omegas over the outright loud ones of alphas. He hoped that the mixing of classes wouldn’t give him a huge headache.
Seonghwa headed out of his class, stopped to see who he had been paired with and snapped a picture of the sheet. He didn’t want to dwell on it more than necessary. He would meet them the next week. Getting to know them was unnecessary. He could just follow what they planned and speak up when he had an opinion that he thought would help. It was the final project before he graduated and he had intended to put his all into it. But with something like this, he didn’t want a lead role. A support or chorus role was honestly preferred to having to dance and sing in the spotlight. He wasn’t comfortable with singing, his deeper voice making him sound more foreboding then pleasant. And athleticism, outside of maintaining a fit physique, wasn’t his forte.
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“Okay, I’m sure you all have already met each other so please get into your groups.” Seonghwa blinked at the teacher. Um, no he had not? He didn’t know any of their names. Had been busy with another assignment and had blissfully avoided any emails from anyone except his professor. He had no freaking idea who the fuck the people on his list were. He sat in his seat, watched the others get into their groups. He awkwardly grabbed his bag, tried to look like he knew what he was doing. There was a particularly loud group in the corner. Apparently, they already knew each other very well and were in the midst of hugging and screaming in excitement that they were conveniently paired with their friends. There were two who weren’t screaming. One looked a little bored but a small smile still came to his face as a boy with dark hair and blond highlights fell in his lap only to be pulled back up by a jealous looking boy with jet black hair. The other quiet one was looking around the room searchingly until his eyes landed on Seonghwa and they lit up mischievously. Fucking hell, it was the boy from the bar. He had changed his hair in the week that Seonghwa had been trying his damn best not to think about him. It was a bronze color now, still chopped in an edgy way.
And then the man stood up and started walking towards Seonghwa. Seonghwa wanted to run away but the man was already in front of him, “Hello, grumpy alpha. Did you get home well the other night?” Seonghwa looked away from the smirk on the man’s face, “Yes. I got home fine. As I said, it was only 5 shots.” There was a laugh, “Six. Counting the one I got for you.” Seonghwa nodded, gripped the strap of his bag tighter as the man’s scent invaded his senses. Shouldn’t this guy wear scent blockers with how fucking potent his scent was? It was expected of Seonghwa, a true alpha, to do so. This guy obviously didn’t have that gene with his petite features but he sure as hell spread his scent around like it was his goddamn job.
The man leaned forward, ducking down so he could make eye contact, “Well, as lovely as this catching up thing is going, Park Seonghwa, I believe you should come meet your team since you conveniently dodged out invitations this past week.” Seonghwa’s head snapped up, taking a step back to get away from the proximity, “Dodged? I...honestly, I was working on a project and ignored all of my emails. Group? I’m...in that group.” The man grinned, “Yes, that group. Don’t worry. Your ears get accustomed to the noise.” Seonghwa groaned inwardly. This was going to be a fucking nightmare.
Despite the obvious reluctance in him, the man dragged him by his sleeve over to the group. “This is Park Seonghwa. He’s a little sensitive to noise so let’s try not to scare him off, okay?” It was silent for only a moment before there was an eruption of noise. “Nice to meet you!” “Oh, so this is the infamous alpha of theatre!” “He’s pretty!” “Shut the fuck up, Wooyoung, you can’t call strangers pretty.” Seonghwa tried not to snap, that aggression crawling up as he was greeted with the smell of two betas, three alphas and an omega. He kept a neutral face as the smirking man made introductions.
The one with the highlights, who had called him pretty, was the omega, Wooyoung, who was inseparable from his alpha friend San (Seonghwa thought from the possessive grip and pouty expression they were more than friends). The two giants were both alphas, Yunho and Mingi. Mingi looked up lovingly at Yunho when the peach haired man had bowed politely upon introduction. The two betas were Jongho and Yeosang. Jongho seemed afraid of the girls who were watching the group closely and Yeosang managed to look polite despite the absolute bored expression. And the one that Seonghwa had been waiting for, “And I am the oldest of this little troupe, Kim Hongjoong.” Seonghwa tried to register all of that information as he introduced himself, “I am Park Seonghwa. I graduate this semester. I hope we get along.” There was a round of applause before Hongjoong smirked, “Ah, so now you are the oldest, huh? Take care of us well, hyung.” And really, as Seonghwa watched the flash of the other’s eyes and took in his scent, Seonghwa was kind of hoping the shorter would take care of him.
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Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Chapter Text
Working with his group was exhausting. Truly. They were so loud. And they decided that any and all planning should be done from a restaurant. Which truly only bred chaos because they all drank every time they were together. Like it was some ritual that each time their groups collided, they need alcohol to celebrate. And Seonghwa did exactly what he said he would do. He remained a calm part of the group, only giving agreeing noises when they would pop off an idea. His form of communication was simple. Good ideas got a yes and bad ideas got a very sour expression. Thankfully, the group was talented (he could admit it) and there were few times that he had to pull his mouth up in displeasure. Hongjoong seemed to be very good at salvaging bad plans. Seonghwa always paid for each of their meals. He would excuse himself when it looked like they were all ready to go. He would pay as they got on their jackets, and even though they all complained and said they would pay the next time, Seonghwa still did it. He felt obligated to contribute to the meetings somehow even if his social avoidance made it hard to contribute verbally.
It was on one of those extremely hard nights that Seonghwa said he was going out for a smoke. He didn’t actually smoke. He just carried around a pack so he would have a reason to get out of conversations. He stood on the sidewalk, away from the view of the window with the cigarette held loosely in one hand and the lighter in the other. His breath made small clouds in the cold air and he found himself smiling at the sight. “Oh, that’s a pretty expression.” Seonghwa jumped, dropping his lighter, at the sudden voice.
He looked over and winced when it was Hongjoong. The alpha smiled at him, all teeth, as he continued his steps towards him. “I’m really curious. Do you carry that around just to have an excuse to leave?” Seonghwa looked down at his hand and felt a blush coming to his cheeks. Which was fucking weird because he truly didn’t have the emotional capacity to blush, or perhaps he had just never met someone who could make it appear. “Uh...yeah. Is it that obvious?” Hongjoong tilted his head to the side, “Not to them. But your scent was a bit overwhelmed in there so I figured you were planning your escape.” Seonghwa stiffened. He was sure he was wearing enough scent blockers. “Ah, shit, I apologize. I know my scent can be a bit abrasive--” “I like it.” Seonghwa stopped at those words. “I’m sorry, what?” Hongjoong got closer to him, now nearly standing toe to toe. “I like your scent. It smells nice. Inviting.” Seonghwa stumbled back, his back hitting the wall. “Oh. Well, thanks?” Hongjoong laughed. It sounded like a mean laugh and Seonghwa tried to remain calm. “You gonna stay out here or come back inside? I’m sure they are trying to scheme a burlesque theme right now.” Seonghwa reached into his pocket, holding the bottle of scent blockers in his grip tightly, “Ah, I’ll come back in in just a second.” It was meant as a goodbye, or rather a ‘go back in without me’ but the other alpha just stood there.
Seonghwa let out a sigh. If Hongjoong was just gonna stand there, he saw no point in arguing. He pulled the bottle out of his pocket and started to squeeze some onto his fingers when a small hand caught his wrist, “Don’t put more on. That’s unhealthy.” Seonghwa hissed as he jerked his hand away, eyes narrowing. “I’ve used it for years. I’m fine.” “I just think it’s a shame you cover up that scent.” “Trust me, the rest of the restaurant will thank me.” “I think you are wrong.” “Hongjoong-ssi, please go back inside.” “I don’t think I will.”
Seonghwa took a deep breath. This alpha was riling him up on purpose. He could see the glint in the other’s eyes. He was challenging him, trying to get a reaction out of him. But Seonghwa wasn’t going to give him that pleasure. So, instead, he capped the blockers, wiped the stuff on his pants before he turned around and walked away. Hongjoong wasn’t one to be deterred however. “Are you just leaving? The kids will be so sad.” Seonghwa gritted his teeth and kept walking. Like hell they would. He never talked. The most he did was arrange all of their ideas in an organized fashion after a very disorganized meeting. He would send a picture of it in the groupchat and then he would drop out again. They didn’t know him. He didn’t want them to. Also, he felt a bit like the odd man out. San and Wooyoung were obviously fucking. Mingi and Yunho were just proof that his feelings weren’t a pipe dream but then a painful reminder of what he couldn’t have. And Yeosang and Jongho danced so painfully around each other that it was fucking exhausting to watch. And the leader of the group, Kim Fucking Hongjoong, seemed to be the picture of chaos and peace all wrapped into one. He was a force so big that Seonghwa didn’t even bother finding a place anywhere near it. Being in the group made him so tired. He couldn’t wait for the next step where they would all work on their individual pieces so he could get the fuck away from them.
“Park Seonghwa.” Seonghwa stopped, turning to see that while he had been having a very deep conversation with himself in the head, Hongjoong had been following him. Hongjoong had some look on his face that he had not yet seen on those sharp features, “Park, I think you need to get your head out of your ass and just enjoy this. We don’t want to feel like we are forcing you. So can you at least pretend that you are having a good time for the kids?” Seonghwa blinked at the blunt words. But he didn’t say anything. Hongjoong continued, “You are supposed to be a damn good actor so practice those skills. They are afraid to say anything actually creative because they don’t want you to shoot it down.” Seonghwa wanted to roll his eyes, “Then do the meetings without me. I will be all too happy to agree to some minor role in this thing. I don’t want to sing or dance anyway. It’s not in my set of skills and neither are drinking nights at restaurants. I’ll stop showing up. Or I can order you all something to pick. I’ll even pay for the alcohol--” “We don’t want your fucking money, Park. We need a theatre person to help us create a project that won’t get us a failing grade. If you hadn’t noticed, all the other groups got two or three of you. We only got one. And Eden insisted you were the best which was why we only got you. So why don’t you just suck it up and--” “I’m not looking for a fight. I just want to get through this project. So...just text me what I need to do and I’ll do it.”
Hongjoong stared at him for a moment before he let out a sarcastic laugh, looking up at the sky like it had answers, “You know, you sure are a piece of work, Park. You look pretty and you smell pretty but that’s all there is to it.” And really...those words hurt. They hurt really bad. Yes, that was what he was. That was all he had ever been. It was why he didn’t like to be around people. It was why he avoided having friends because he was just a pretty face with a pretty wallet. But hearing it still hurt.
He tried not to show how much it had hurt him but...he could feel his facial expression slip for a moment before he schooled it again. “Then you won’t be disappointed. That’s really all there is here. Just a pretty face. Don’t expect more.” And with that Seonghwa turned on his heel and headed home.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Chapter Text
A week later and they had finally finished giving concept ideas. They had settled on something that they could make. And with some strategically placed quotes within the margins of his notes on the group meeting, he was able to give them ideas that they thought were their own. But Hongjoong had noticed. He could tell that the man had noticed by the way he looked at Seonghwa as the group finally arrived at what they wanted. It was a twist on the story of Pan. Pirates that had Shadows that had detached themselves from their owners. It was dark and twisted. Pirates had been an idea that the group had come up with but with no true story line except that they wanted a conflict. Seonghwa was the one who had penciled in what the concept was, blaming it on the airheaded Wooyoung who looked confused but pretended he had said it. He was very forgetful. Seonghwa had learned because the others had brought up his ideas a couple of times and he had looked equally confused.
The idea hadn’t been hard to come up with. After all, Seonghwa felt like he was constantly haunted by the shadow of his alpha. Whispering doubts into his ear, telling him he wasn’t alpha enough because he liked it up the ass and the sharp teeth flashed in his mind like his own personal tempting hell. So he had done it. Seonghwa actually had to talk for this next meeting to hammer out the storyline. Everything he said was short and he refused to look at any of them as he lined everything out on a plot line. Basically, he had written up the entire thing the night before the meeting and had slid it across the table and asked them if they hated any part of it. He would write the script seeing as he was the only theatre major. When they had been reading over it, there had been absolute silence.
San was the one who spoke first, “Damn, hyung, this is fucking dark.” Seonghwa’s hands twitched in his lap but he said nothing.
Wooyoung thankfully saved him, “This is really good. I like it. I can already think of a lot of really good dances that could tie in with this theme. Hongjoong hyung, you think you and Mingi can work with this?” Hongjoong was quiet and when Seonghwa chanced to look up, he saw the alpha eyeing him. And then the man looked away, “Yes. Mingi and I can start brainstorming. Seonghwa-yah, please upload this in the chat.” Seonghwa nodded his affirmation.
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And then they stopped meeting up in big groups. He would wait for Hongjoong to finish his songs before he wrote the full script so he could bend the lines to match with their theme. He sent one simple message after the meeting to Hongjoong before he knew he could disappear for a while: Please send me the demos when you are done so I can start the script. And he hadn’t even bothered to look for a response.
His phone would occasionally buzz with notifications from the group chat. But he never looked. He glanced to make sure it wasn’t important but it seemed that the group had taken to posting memes in the chat.
It took three weeks for Hongjoong to send him audio files. Seonghwa listened to them, writing down lyrics that peaked his interest as he went. They were very...hurtful. Not offensive but...the songs sounded so torn that Seonghwa had to take breaks in between them. He started out a list of characters, their personalities, and the quirks he thought they would have first. They were too much to take pictures. He had always been a bit too thorough with his character studies. So he attached the typed pages into an email to send to Hongjoong. When he got approval from the smaller man, he knew that he had to see the others more before he could decide who could fit the roles. And that meant...sneaking.
He had always been a bit of a phantom on campus with his scent blockers smothering his scent so it wasn’t hard to spy on the others. It helped that they were so loud and chaotic that it wasn’t hard to spy on them from afar. He didn’t even need to spy on Hongjoong to know he would be the grieved, fierce Captain of the Aurora. His normal presence would be enough to have the crowd believing he was a Captain of a crew that was haunted and twisted. The story fell into place. Hongjoong was a captain who had lost his love to the sea and he had tried to get his love back but at a price. At the price of his crew bearing the same curse as he. A phantom crew that looked like them but acted out their darkest desires was what greeted them when they returned to sea.
But when it came to the transitions to the songs where he had fitted them, he needed to personally see the choreography that Wooyoung and Yunho had created. So he spent three weeks in the studio, watching them practice until they had perfected the routine before he could write down the stage directions he needed. He never spoke during the meetings. But then when he got the end of the script...he choked. He didn’t...have an ending. There was something huge missing in this. And that was when he realized he had forgotten to give himself a part. And it was with great dread that he approached Hongjoong’s studio the next day.
He knocked on the door, expecting something more intense than a simple ‘come in’ being called. When Seonghwa walked in, Hongjoong looked over his shoulder and froze. “Oh, Seonghwa, this is...unexpected.” Seonghwa just cut to the chase. “I have a problem with the script. It’s due in two weeks and I realized something when I was going over the choreo with Wooyoung...I…” Hongjoong just eyed him. “I forgot to give myself a part. I always planned from the start to make it tiny but Wooyoung was creating a routine for 8...and I realized I had forgotten to even give myself a character. I need an outside opinion. I don’t need a part but I don’t want to screw up all of Wooyoung’s hard work…so can you read this over for me. I haven’t...shown the others yet because it might be a bit...it still needs work.” Hongjoong slowly took the papers from him. He had typed it out and now there were thousands of notes in the margins, he was sure. It was a very tattered copy that he had poured over but not had time to type up yet. When it was safely in Hongjoong’s hands, he bowed politely and left.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Chapter Text
Hongjoong didn’t really like Seonghwa. When he had first met him at that bar, he had thought that the other was...simply brooding over something that had happened that week. It wasn’t uncommon to find brooding alphas on a weekend sitting at the bar. He had noticed that his scent was very...strong. It filled his nose up a bit too heavily when he had gotten close enough but he still offered to buy the guy a drink because he had been the alpha sitting there one day.
The second time he had met him, he had thought that perhaps Seonghwa was just shy. But then the more they met up, it was obvious to everyone that the alpha really did not want to be there. He always paid for their food and would give confirmations but he never really contributed. And then Hongjoong thought that maybe Seonghwa was just...not a people person. But then he had started to pay more attention to the other alpha on campus. He would sometimes scrunch up his nose in distaste at scents. And then Hongjoong heard a rumor that the guy was a true alpha. Which, go figure. That would explain something. Hongjoong had a very strong scent. He had never taken to covering it up because why should he. He didn’t flaunt it but he wasn’t about to cover who he was. But there was that very chemical smell coming off of Seonghwa each time they met up. So, the alpha was ashamed of his scent maybe? Which was a shame because sometimes, right at the end when the other alpha would excuse himself, Hongjoong picked up on it. It wasn’t unpleasant at all when it wasn’t spiked with emotions. It was pretty even.
Hongjoong had only seriously considered buying the guy a drink that night because when he had stopped to see who was giving off that stench, he was a bit stunned by how pretty they were. Alphas were normally so rough cut and Hongjoong had been made fun of for being a pretty alpha...up until he started kicking their asses. So, it was a shock to him that he had met an alpha who was pretty. Like really pretty. And that was all that he knew about Park Seonghwa. He was a true alpha with a pretty scent and a pretty face. But that really was all there seemed to be to the boy. He never spoke, barely gave any indication he was interested at all.
The final strike was one of their last meetings when Wooyoung had curled under Hongjoong’s arm with a pout, “Seonghwa hyung must really dislike us if he runs off like that all the time.” Hongjoong had stiffened at the obvious distress in his scent. San had gently held Wooyoung’s hand, “He’s probably just...a bit tense, baby. We’ve all known each other forever. And we are pack. He probably just feels a bit out of place. He’ll come around.”
But the thing was, Seonghwa didn’t come around. He didn’t get better. If anything he got worse. And it all came to a head when he overheard his pack having a full blown discussion about what they could do to make Seonghwa more comfortable. So Hongjoong had waited for an opportunity to talk to the man. He thought that some teasing would break the ice but the other had just retreated. And then when he had said that he could just sit out completely...Hongjoong agrees that he had lost his temper and said some unnecessary things. Especially when he saw a fraction of a break in the stoic expression on Seonghwa’s face at his words. And the bitter acknowledgement that he was just a pretty face. And Hongjoong had felt like shit about it.
But the next week had made his life even more complicated. They had settled on pirates as the theme. He remembers everyone had been excited. He could see Seonghwa’s gears turning, silent as always. He remembers being royally pissed that the other hadn’t offered any sort of thoughts into the discussion. That was until Seonghwa sent a picture of the notebook that he always sent notes from. Seonghwa had become the unofficial scribe. Hongjoong had thought that it was just an excuse to be silent. The alpha had a reason not to speak if he was writing down every little thing that the others said. But when he had opened the group chat, dead set on ignoring the little summary, his eyes caught on something written in the margins. Shadows. A ship crew who was haunted by shadows that were created from a curse. They whispered in the ears of whoever would listen and acted out on dark desires that were buried beneath the compass of human morality. It was so dark.
The next meeting came around and Hongjoong was confused that everyone seemed to agree that Wooyoung had mentioned the Shadows. Wooyoung had looked confused but his name was next to the idea plain as day on the papers. The others just accepted it because Wooyoung was known to spout out ideas at random. Seonghwa had caught a few of them before that the others remembered vaguely but Wooyoung didn’t remember at all. But a theme like that? Wooyoung? That wasn’t like him at all. That idea was purely Seonghwa’s. The boys loved the concept because it had so much potential musically and with dance. They were already millions of steps ahead in excitement and Seonghwa just sat there with a perfect mask. As if it didn’t bother him that someone else was taking credit for his idea. An idea that had completely overtook the original pirate theme and created the potentials for a storyline that was so complex. Hongjoong wondered why a true alpha would let an omega get away with taking credit for something that was so obviously his. And that idea...was something that Hongjoong wouldn’t have thought up even after days of contemplation. Park Seonghwa was more than just a pretty face. But it seemed that he was going to refuse to show anyone that he was.
And weeks passed with no communication outside of sending demos and then sending proper songs. Hongjoong still had other projects so he and Mingi had busted their ass. And Hongjoong knew that Seonghwa was writing the script. It seemed that he intended to present as a whole piece instead of sending bits and pieces. Of the choreo videos that Wooyoung sent to Hongjoong, he could see the alpha in the corner of the room, hunched over a laptop. He looked skinny. And then the impossible had happened.
Park Seonghwa had visited his studio and handed him the script. A true alpha had forgotten to give himself a character. Had intended to give himself a small character and was now asking Hongjoong to help him figure out if he should just have his name on the script and not perform in it. So Hongjoong read the script. And he was...deeply disturbed. He had an idea of what the story would be like based on the character study sheets that he had received. And he had been surprised when he opened it up to the first page where the cast was listed that Seonghwa had chosen characters for each of them that match their personalities and skill sets...perfectly. The story itself...made Hongjoong think that this alpha was more complex than he had first thought. Had layers upon layers to him that Hongjoong could never hope to peel away and understand completely. He found himself deep in thought. This was obviously very...personal. The script felt like it came from a place that Hongjoong didn’t have permission to enter. But as he read the story, he saw the gap. Seonghwa helpfully supplied that he had not written the end. And that one more song was due to be added.
Seonghwa had written a very brief note beside the song title ‘Desire’. The Captain is overcome by his grief. The Shadows seem to have won. The Captain sees his love and his shipmates are bound by it. He will never see his love again but he resolves to keep the fire he felt for his love and destroy the shadows once and for all so that they do not taint it.
And Hongjoong decides then who he thinks Seonghwa should be.
Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Chapter Text
Seonghwa blinks at the smaller man. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.” “I think you should be this lost love, Seonghwa.” “No, I heard that. But...why?” “Wouldn’t that make sense? The reason for this curse in the first place is because his love is haunting him. And then in the end, it no longer becomes a haunting memory but a burning one. One that fills him with desire. One that he uses to end it. Having his love appearing during choreos would make sense because the memory keeps appearing. The boys are really good at improv. I think with a little tweaking of them obviously not noticing you but me noticing you would tell the audience that you weren’t real. The big reveal would be at the end with the shadows fading completely along with you.” Seonghwa knew it made sense. But...the phrasing could have been a little kinder, he thinks. He knows it's just his mind supplying him with doubts. Fading away. He could do that. Yeah. He could... “So, an illusion. Should this illusion have feelings?” Hongjoong seems to think that through, “Yes. Because in the Captain’s mind, his love will miss and desire him just as much.”
--
Seonghwa finishes the script. He does. He types everything out in a final copy. Apparently, everyone will perform their own to the class. But the top 2 grades will perform for the campus. All that is left is for them to learn the choreo that Yunho and Wooyoung have created. They’ve already changed a few details for Hongjoong’s idea. Seonghwa was thankful he didn’t have to explain it all.
But he’s having a hard time portraying the emotion he needs to when they are learning the choreo. Hongjoong is a natural at it but Seonghwa normally has to drill the routine into his head a million times before he finally feels the connection. It’s what has him staying in the dance studio, sneaking in long after the others have left. But without Hongjoong there, it is hard to picture it. So he makes the choice to track the smaller man down. He is a perfectionist. Won’t tape the choreo to send it in until he has this down. So, he gathers the courage to speak to the man. It takes him a week to do it but it is by coincidence that he finds Hongjoong on campus. They cross paths and Seonghwa almost just lets him walk away after the small greeting but he is calling out Hongjoong’s name. The alpha turns in surprise and Seonghwa tries to still his features so that he doesn’t show that he is at his wits end. That he isn’t asking the alpha to help him practice the choreo because he can’t do it on his own.
“Do you have time to run through the choreo? Just the two of us. And Wooyoung if he has time. I’m having a hard time connecting the story and the dancing.” Truthfully, he wasn’t much of a dancer. He hoped that Wooyoung wasn’t silently cursing him for destroying his beautiful choreo. Hongjoong speaks slowly, like he isn’t entirely sure what is coming out of his mouth either, “Yes. I will text you when I am free.” Seonghwa nods and retreats as he always does.
And Hongjoong text him sooner than he thought he would. The two of them decide to meet at the dance studio two days later. Wooyoung said he had a date with San. It was the only day they could do it with all of the projects they had coming up so Seonghwa only said to enjoy their date. And then he and Hongjoong were alone in the dance studio. It was awkward. Seonghwa had managed to make things less awkward with the others because he had been a phantom presence in most of their planning of the choreo. He had even managed to make things less awkward with Mingi because Mingi was just so...eager? But Hongjoong was still someone that he felt uncomfortable with. No, perhaps uncomfortable wasn’t the word. He felt on edge. The only emotion he had been able to channel with Hongjoong had been fear and lust. Hongjoong’s sharp tongue seemed to be able to point out all the thoughts that swirled in the shadows of Seonghwa’s mind and everything Hongjoong did made fire swirl in his belly. But this was important. This was essential. It was necessary.
He queued up Desire. “If I can do it with this song, the others should be easy to do. Just with this song and then you can go.” Seonghwa said this quietly. Hongjoong looked confused, “The ending song?” Seonghwa hummed in affirmation as he set up the aux and he spoke like he always would when his classmates asked him why he wanted to learn the ending of a play before the beginning, “The ending is always the shadow of the beginning. The ending must happen for the beginning to make sense.” Hongjoong was quiet before he spoke, “That implies that all things have to end.” Seonghwa’s motions slowed. That is because all things do. They all end. But he doesn’t voice his thoughts. He only presses play and gets into position. Hongjoong does the same. He dances and they move around the phantom figures. This is the song that definitely has the most interaction. Wooyoung had said that it would have been good for them to touch but after watching the reactions of both of the alphas he had just laughed and said that it wasn’t necessary but would help. And really, watching the way Seonghwa moved in and out of orbit with him, sometimes getting so close that he could smell nothing but the alpha, he felt his fingers itching to touch him. Especially now that there was no one else in the room. There were no distractions. Seonghwa was not focusing on his feet to keep them in step because he had beaten the memory of the dances in his mind a hundred times over. His focus was Hongjoong. No, his focus was the Captain of the Aurora. He stopped suddenly and Hongjoong did as well. The music kept playing but Seonghwa stared down in thought. “Uh...Hongjoong. You know the part right before they split us up dressed as the shadows?” Hongjoong nodded. “You can say no, but...what if...just…” Seonghwa showed the motion with his hands and Hongjoong watched them before understanding flashed in his eyes. “Oh, so when we are dancing in sync with each other, have our hands touching before we are separated again.” Seonghwa nodded. Thankful he didn’t have to say it. Talking exhausted him. It was why he preferred being alone.
“Okay. That’s fine. But there are other parts that I think would probably be a little more impactful with some slight alterations. I think showing you will be easier than telling you. Want to start from the beginning? And I do have permission to touch you right? I won’t be inappropriate.” Seonghwa nodded. Hongjoong went over to restart the song and Seonghwa went back to his spot. He was mentally preparing himself to be touched by Hongjoong. In the name of theatre. In the name of their grade. That would be why the man was touching him.
The beginning of the dance was just the two of them on stage. Hongjoong was in the front, Seonghwa behind him, just slightly to the side so that the audience could see that his dance was mimicking Hongjoong’s perfectly. Or he hoped it was. He had watched their first rehearsal a million times to copy the man’s movements. Hongjoong was a good dancer. Not as good as Wooyoung but he was very much so a talented dancer. The mood was very much one of loss and turmoil. It was sad and full of longing. The next move, they were supposed to get close to each other. Before they had leaned into each other’s space. Not crossing that boundary of personal space. But Hongjoong got close, almost pressed against him. Seonghwa accepted the change, filing it away before he pulled away like the choreo said. Like a push and pull. It was getting close to when the shadows were supposed to break between them. Seonghwa would start the move with his back turned and Hongjoong reaching for him. He would turn and do the same. If Seonghwa’s idea was accepted, instead of just reaching, their hands would meet. So far, Hongjoong hadn’t outright touched him. Just gotten closer than they normally would. But then, as Seonghwa completed the pull away and turned his back, instead of seeing Hongjoong’s outstretched arms between as he always did as he glanced at the mirror. Hongjoong reached, took steps that looked almost pained before he was flush against Seonghwa’s back, hands coming around. One slid along his side, while the other slid across his chest and rested against his throat. Not squeezing, just holding. Seonghwa reacted instinctively, tipping his head to side before his muscle memory kicked in and he turned in Hongjoong’s hold. It seemed to be what Hongjoong had wanted him to do before the other just nodded slightly before he slipped into character again. The beat picked up, it was heavier as Seonghwa could hear Hongjoong’s voice echoing I love my desire. Hongjoong's head tipped up, his nose almost running along Seonghwa’s throat before he pulled away, his hands dragging down his arms before their hands connected and the split was there. San would come between them. The jagged steps of being ripped apart from each other. Except this time, Seonghwa was looking at Hongjoong. He was looking at the Captain. He could feel the jarring heartbreak cross his face just like he thought the lover would feel. Hongjoong would stop his staggering, would stand tall with a defiant look on his face as he leveled a look. The shadows would fade first and then Seonghwa would follow but only after Hongjoong turned towards the audience and he graced his shoulder once more.
When they had done the choreo before, Hongjoong would turn his head away as Seonghwa would weakly mime their beginning dance together. A figment of his past trying to recreate what they once had before it realized that the present no longer bent to it. But Seonghwa felt like it suddenly wasn’t enough. Just the faint mimics. So his moves were slow and steady. He felt like he was rocking across the ocean after a storm, his body moved along with the force of the near peaceful waters, nearly crashing against the Captain but not quite until the last moment where he gently pressed against Hongjoong’s back, his face hovering ever so slightly at his nape before he pulled away. And then he stepped out like the stage directions said and the last beat his. Hongjoong’s chest was moving quickly and Seonghwa had slumped against the wall. Their breathing was the only thing that could be heard in the room. Hongjoong let out a laugh, “So? What do you think?” Seonghwa gave a nod before he answered, “That was better. I feel a lot better about that now.” Hongjoong gave a thumbs up before he laid back on the floor. “Want to run it again?” “Okay.”
Chapter 7: Chapter 7
Chapter Text
Wooyoung knew that Hongjoong and Seonghwa had met up to practice the choreo. But he hadn’t expected this. It had only been four days since they had last practiced. Wooyoung knew that Seonghwa hadn’t met Hongjoong until the day before. They had all said they would record the choreo to send into the professors for approvals on Friday. Wooyoung was happy to see that Seonghwa looked far more comfortable with the choreo of the first 5 songs. He had been glad that the awkward tension between the two hadn’t stopped Seonghwa from making the progress that he had. It was near perfect. But the amount of progress he had made couldn’t have been in one night. The boy looked tired and Wooyoung wondered just what they had been practicing for him to look so tired like that. Had Seonghwa been staying late to practice all week? How long had they practiced the day before? But when the last song came on, Hongjoong spoke. “Okay, Seonghwa and I have adjusted a bit of the choreo but it doesn’t affect you at all. Just go at the rhythm you always go. We will move around you. Good?” Wooyoung had been a little perplexed because Hongjoong was a good dancer but had never gone out of his way to change anything before. In fact, Hongjoong had expressed very intensely before that he would never write choreo no matter how much Wooyoung said that he could add some very nice twists to things.
The first thing Wooyoung noticed was that the beginning of the song was done in perfect sync. Actually, it was flawlessly done. He wonders if they had worked hard on making that perfect. But then, instead of doing the push and pull that they had agreed on because the two didn’t want to touch each other...Hongjoong did go in for the pull. But he was so close to Seonghwa that their noses almost touched and then they pulled away again. But the second mirror routine wasn’t done facing each other. Hongjoong slipped behind Seonghwa, too close, Wooyoung thought. Seonghwa was going to be uncomfortable. That was why they had done the no touching thing because while Seonghwa had not disagreed verbally, he had looked uncomfortable. But Hongjoong was behind him, hands gliding up his back, Seonghwa bending to his will before the hands glided over his shoulders across his arms until they were in the starting position for the sync dancing. It was very much push and pull. Like marionettes but they kept tangling with each other. Instead of breaking down in front of each other, Seonghwa slid to his knees, spine bending as if in pain, Hongjoong leaning over and with guiding hands brought him up again before they spun away from each other again back to the original choreo. Wooyoung saw in the corner of his eye that the others were getting ready to interrupt the reaching that should happen when the beat drops. And he moved with them but didn’t take his eyes off the scene in front of him. Facing away from each other before Hongjoong turned as if in searching and his arms reached but then they didn’t stop, sliding around Seonghwa. Wooyoung watched in shock as Seonghwa practically melted against Hongjoong, bearing his neck so easily for the hand that gripped his neck before Seonghwa turned in Hongjoong’s grasp. They two went back to the original choreo...almost. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were pressed together, Hongjoong’s hand still around the other’s neck, using it to tip the other’s head back and run his nose along the other’s neck and up his lawline before they started to separate, clinging to each other as if pained them to do so. I love my desire came on and their hands were connected. Wooyoung watched San come between them, adjusting well to the new movement to break them apart. The shadows had their part of turmoil that they played. It was aggressive. Wooyoung had written the part specifically for the despicable character that San’s shadow was as he was in the lead of this movement. Wooyoung chanced a look at Seonghwa who looked to be in absolute pain. Like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Like the love of his life was gone. Wooyoung tried to stick with the choreo, barely managing as he watched Hongjoong’s defiant gaze as he looked at the shadows. And finally, with the turn of Hongjoong’s head, the shadows got the signal to disperse. The boys dropped the act and watched the rest of the scene. The faint echoes that simmered of the heaviness that had been the bridge still played. They watched as Hongjoong stared ahead before Seonghwa’s moves reflected the beginning of the song, just like Wooyoung had recommended but then Seonghwa pressed himself against Hongjoong’s back, arms circling around the Captain until his hands rested over Hongjoong’s heart. Hongjoong’s own hands followed the movements and pressed over Seonghwa’s. The two sank to the ground together and rested against each other like they were in their own pocket of time before Seonghwa pulled gently away and took the steps back until he would disappear if they were on a stage. Hongjoong looked forward to where the audience would be with something bitter but strong on his face. And that was it.
The music stopped but there was no noise until Hongjoong rose with a laugh, “Shit, I’m going to be able to do that in one in my sleep. Good job, Seonghwa.” Wooyoung looked to Seonghwa who was just leaning against the wall. The older man just waved at Hongjoong like ‘yeah you, too.’ Wooyoung was just...shocked? Overwhelmed? Awestruck? Seonghwa pushed off the wall, walking towards the camera. “This is the last thing I need to put in the file before I send it in. Anyone want to have another go at any of those or are you satisfied?” There were mumbles of fine and okay before Seonghwa left after grabbing his bag. The others slowly started packing up their things. Mingi and Yunho were whispering to each other before Mingi giggled and followed his boyfriend out. Yeosang dragged Jongho demanding chicken because he had danced all of his lunch out. And San smiled knowingly at Wooyoung who kept glancing at Hongjoong who was unplugging the aux and shutting everything down. San gave a wave at Wooyoung, which meant ‘see you at home,’ before he left.
Hongjoong turned around and startled when he saw Wooyoung. “Shit, Woo, I thought you left. Is something wrong?” Wooyoung took a deep breath, “Hyung, that was absolutely lovely what you two put together. So, when I say this, please do not think that I am insulting your choreo in any way but what the fuck?” Hongjoong blinked at him, “Sorry, but what?” “What the fuck, hyung? How did you get that in one dance practice.” Hongjoong shrugged like it was no big deal. “We ran through it once as is and then Seonghwa said we could touch at the split part and we just kind of evolved it into that. And then we had to run it a few times to work out the kinks but it works pretty well with the theme, right?” Wooyoung just shook his head. That wasn’t what he was asking at all. “Did anything else happen? That was just so…” Hongjoong seemed to realize what he was asking and shook his head, “Intimate? Yes, I know. He’s actually pretty passionate. He’s a good actor. It wasn’t hard for us to play off of each other until we got the result we wanted. We just both happen to be perfectionists, I think. I just hope it gets approved. Seonghwa seemed to think it wouldn’t be a problem because he heard that someone wrote an implied sex scene in theirs.”
And really Wooyoung could just strangle his hyung sometimes because the image of Seonghwa melting against him came into his mind. Seonghwa was a true alpha. They didn’t submit to anyone. For anything. So Hongjoong had to have done something for a result like that.
--
Seonghwa was at work. It was a somewhat odd occurance. Truth be told, he didn’t need to have a job. His parents paid for everything. But he had been working throughout college to save up money so that when he graduated, he wouldn’t have to owe his parents a dime. His scholarships paid for school and the single dorm he lived in. All the extra money he had after groceries that his parents sent went straight into a savings account. His parents had tried to buy him an apartment but he had refused (it’s important that I learn to live beside others so that I will not struggle later in life). The thing was, Seonghwa was being completely honest when he said that his life was a shit storm. His parents were those kind of alpha parents. They were the kind that tried to set him up in arranged marriages. Much like the arranged marriage meeting that he was missing right then. He was at work (I want to experience capitalism with its highs and lows so that I will be able to better understand the world later in life) and his parents had called sixteen times about the same damn meeting that was supposed to start...10 minutes ago. He had canceled the last one because of midterms, the one before that because he had a play he was rehearsing for, and the one before that was because he had been in a rut (a complete lie). All of the people that his parents tried to set him up with were the petite, omega daughters of prominent members of their society. To say he was not interested was an understatement.
Seonghwa heard the door ding and he looked up to see Hongjoong there. He was growing out his hair for the Captain part. There was more of a mullet now. Hongjoong was a double major in production and fashion so he had already designed all of their outfits. Seonghwa had yet to see his own because Hongjoong started working on it when they had found Seonghwa’s part in the story. Hongjoong was typing on his phone. Seonghwa wanted to shrink into the counter when he saw the pissed off expression and dismissive way that the alpha slipped his phone in his pocket. It was...it shouldn’t be as attractive as it was. But Seonghwa was only a man. A man who wanted the smaller one to rail him. But that wasn’t what was important. What was important was the shocked look on his face when he saw Seonghwa behind the counter of the cafe that was 3 miles from campus but still seemed to have an overabundance of college students visiting.
“Oh, Seonghwa, I didn’t know you worked here.” Seonghwa nodded, “Just Saturday through Wednesday. I haven’t been working a lot recently because of the...project.” The shorter alpha nodded before he spoke up, “I am almost done with your outfit but you will have to stop by the studio for a fitting. Your waist is so fucking tiny there is no way that I will be able to get the measurements right.” Straightforward as always, Seonghwa thought. He ducked his head, “Yeah...sorry about that. Genetics.” Hongjoong scoffed, “No, you need to eat more. I never see you eat. Even when we went out to dinners, you barely took a bite.” It sounded like a reprimand but somehow it also sounded...concerned? “Did you want to order or…?” Seonghwa chanced a look up from where he was furiously scrubbing the already pristine countertop. He had a thing about messes and it seemed that there was always something sticky on the counter no matter how cleaned it looked.
“Oh, right. An iced caramel macchiato with three shots of espresso and two extra shots of sugar. And one of those little lemon cake things.” Seonghwa rang the order in, something bubbling inside him at the thought of this alpha who commanded a room without the true alpha title, an alpha who called more attention than he did, ordering a sweet drink and a sweet treat. It somehow suited the alpha, however, so he couldn’t really put on a judging face at all. Despite his face remaining clear, Hongjoong seemed to catch on. “Don’t fucking judge me. Americanos are bitter.” Seonghwa shook his head, “No, I wasn’t...I was just thinking that it suited you. People normally match their coffees.” Hongjoong’s lip quirked at that. “Oh yeah? What kind of coffee do you drink?” “I don’t.” “How have you survived college?” “What makes you think I have?” “Don’t your parents help pay for stuff? Maybe that’s why you’ve made it.” Seonghwa felt a twitch of pain at the words. Hongjoong didn’t even mean them in a biting way but Seonghwa, for some reason, this time he felt the need to defend himself, “I’m on scholarship. My parents don’t pay for anything. I live in a single room dorm for alphas.” Hongjoong stared at him wide eyed. “Oh? That’s, fuck, that’s really cool. I totally flunked gen-ed classes because they were so boring.”
Seonghwa finished making Hongjoong’s order before he set it down. He fully expected the alpha to take it and go but it seemed that the man hesitated. “Hey, Seonghwa, what do you drink instead of coffee?” Seonghwa thought about telling the man. But it was kind of one of those things that he poured immediately into his own cup so no one would see him carrying it around campus. “A...a strawberry vanilla smoothie.” Hongjoong’s lip quirked up on one side before he gave that blinding smile, sharp canines peeking at Seonghwa, “I think that suits you too. Much better than a bitter coffee.” And as Hongjoong left, Seonghwa felt like he had been given a great compliment.
Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Chapter Text
Seonghwa eventually made it to Hongjoong’s studio later that week. When he knocked on the door, he got another ‘come in’ that sounded less daunting this time. Hongjoong spun in his chair and his eyebrows rose. “Finally. I was about to burn your outfit as an offering.” Instead of responding with anything, Seonghwa opened his phone and showed Hongjoong the email from the professor. Hongjoong’s brows furrowed before he smiled, “Approved! Good. I didn’t want to burn 7 more outfits. Alright, so, if you are uncomfortable with this outfit, please tell me.”
The top was a mesh material up top before it evened out to a more solid material that looked like it would be tucked under something.The sleeves were elegant, long and Seonghwa knew they would flow around him freely. The bottoms looked to be form fitting, the top high waisted, made of what he supposed would be faux leather and buckles to cinch his waist. All of the material was made of white. Every inch of it. “I have an option for shoes but with the whole illusion idea, I thought going shoeless would be…” Seonghwa finished the thought for him, “It would make the character more ethereal. I get it.” Hongjoong seemed like he had something else to say but wasn’t sure if he should. “Hongjoong-ssi?” Hongjoong looked up at him, teeth digging in his bottom lip. “I...uh...made two options for the bottom. I will give them both to you to try on. I made the belts adjustable so you shouldn’t have a hard time fixing them right. If they look awkward, let me know.” Hongjoong handed him the two garment bags and then another bag that wasn’t see-through. “Just...let me know. And send a picture if you don’t mind. So I can make sure that it fits okay.” Seonghwa took the bags skeptically. “Okay. I’ll try them on when I get back to the dorm.”
--
Seonghwa stared at the material in his hands. It was...a skirt. It was exactly like the pants, but it was a skirt. Well, shorts were underneath it. But the skirt came down to a bit above his knees. He had put it on in confusion because he had seen the shorts underneath to folds of fabric and assumed they were pants but as he looked in the mirror at the full outfit, he realized that the shorts were there for modesty, This was definitely a skirt. Seonghwa decided not thinking about it was better than thinking about it. He tightened up the waist until it fit snug but he could still move for some bits of choreo that he knew were a bit of a stretch. He snapped a picture of posing in front of the mirror. He did the same before the pants. He sent both pictures to Hongjoong, packed up the bags and set them in his closet. A good shower and some sleep would do him good. As good as it gets, really.
--
Hongjoong was up late in the studio again. He drank from his bottle of water slowly as he decided whether he should finish this last run or save the progress and head home. He checked his phone in the meantime. He hadn’t checked any notifications, thought it buzzed quite a bit. He saw that Wooyoung had tried to call him. And then a text that said he needed to go home and rest. A meme from Mingi and then three notifications beside Park Seonghwa. Hongjoong remembered that he had given him the clothes. The skirt...he had thought about what would be elegant and had made the skirt first. But after realizing that he had been about to put an alpha into a skirt...that he felt comfortable wearing but was sure Seonghwa wouldn’t...he made the pants too. But he had already made the skirt so he could at least give the other alpha the decision to wear it or not.
Hongjoong choked on his water as he looked at the first picture. The clothes fit him perfectly. The shirt showed off his pretty collarbones, making the ash blonde hair look angelic next to the white color that Hongjoong could not remember the alpha wearing before. And the skirt. Fuck the skirt. Seonghwa had obviously cinched the waist quite a bit and the skirt came down right above his knees. It was more of a ¾ skirt. The fabric was almost pleated around his waist, the side opening up in a slit to reveal the shorts that came down halfway down his thigh. The way that Seonghwa was posing had the stretch of skin being exposed. And Hongjoong almost thought that the other was teasing him with the slip if it weren’t for the very Seonghwa expression on his face. Stoic. Calm. Void. The next picture was him in the pants. They made his legs look impossibly long. And then finally, a message. Let me know which one you prefer. You are the stylist. And truly, that was so unfair. Because of course...Hongjoong toyed out his answer before his mind could catch up with his stupidity. The skirt looks pretty. And then he pressed send before he cursed. Shit. He was fucked.
--
It was the day of the performance. They had rehearsed a million times over. One day, they rehearsed in their outfits. Seonghwa said he had forgotten his at home. No, he had not. But the bravery of actually performing would push him to put on that skirt. He had been surprised with Hongjoong’s response. Even more so surprised when he found himself replying okay, I will wear it. And then the day of the performance was there.
Wooyoung was doing makeup along with Jongho who apparently had aspirations to open a beauty shop if singing didn’t work out for him. Seonghwa got dressed after Wooyoung told him it was his turn for makeup so he needed to change. Seonghwa got dressed quickly and stepped out of the small room they were all using backstage for clothes changes. Seonghwa heard a choking sound when he entered the small area that was dedicated to their group. Seonghwa looked over in concern at Hongjoong who was holding his chest. There was water spilt down his front. He wasn’t wearing his clothes yet. He had a couple outfit changes during the play. So it wasn’t like he had to worry about heavy makeup because he was supposed to look aggressive and rough. “Hongjoong-ssi, are you okay?” Hongjoong’s eyes snapped up, “Yes, just went down the wrong pipe. The outfit looks nice on you, Seonghwa.” Seonghwa nodded and sat himself down in the seat. Wooyoung was frozen in place as he looked Seonghwa over but he forced himself to start getting ready. They had already decided that Seonghwa’s hair would be a wet look. Like he had come out of the ocean. And his eye makeup would be reds and browns. By the time Wooyoung was done, Seonghwa blinked at his own reflection. He looked...pretty. He never wore makeup except for shows. But his domineering roles normally didn’t call for something so flattering. This was a first. And he found that he liked it. He stood from his seat and gave the full outfit a once over before a small smile found itself on his lips. He didn’t notice Hongjoong watched the expression with something heavy in his chest.
--
“Okay, now that we have all of you here, we would like to announce the results of the presentations from last week.” Seonghwa was sitting beside Hongjoong in the lecture hall. It was the only way they could fit all of the departments into one room. They had had to meet up after all classes let out for this. Seonghwa’s phone kept buzzing in his pocket. He knew it was his parents. He needed to call them soon before they showed up at the school. But right now, he was actually eager to hear the results.
He thought that their play went along flawlessly. It was everything that they had practiced and better. The energy, the emotions, the skill...Seonghwa was almost surprised that none of them had been in theatre before. They were phenomenal actors. Seonghwa almost found himself wishing...but he didn’t wish. He wasn’t the kind.
The professors went on and on with the other groups first. Their name had not been called yet. And when there were only two groups left, Seonghwa realized that they were one of the final two. They were going to get to perform their play on campus. And then, after a spill on another performance the professor cleared his throat, “And the first place, the highest grade from the professors, was Kim Hongjoong’s group with their play Hala Hala. The story was very deep, boys. From the script alone, I knew as soon as it was submitted that you would be chosen as one of the two. The tracks were seamless in their inclusion in the play. The choreography...flawless. Very emotional and told the in between pieces so well. But I think that really what made your first place was the last song. Seonghwa, the only reason that the other departments are not trying to recruit you is because you graduate in four months. Hongjoong too. We are very disappointed that this skill set only showed in your last year.” Seonghwa was gripping his chair, partially in elation and partially in anxiety. Being called out like that in front of all the departments was a bit much. His team still seemed to be processing it before Wooyoung hopped out of his seat, “Yes! Sannie, we did it!” Mingi soon followed until all of them were screaming but Seonghwa was rooted to his spot. Even Hongjoong had gotten up to cheer with his team. But Seonghwa couldn’t move. He felt himself melt against the seat. All that hard work had really paid off.
Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Notes:
Okay, Cameo number one from dear old Da. Seonghwa has a very minor melt down after this. But he calms down quickly. It shouldn't be too heavy, dears.
Chapter Text
Seonghwa was walking with the team to a barbeque place. He had agreed to come to celebrate but only because he still had too much nervous energy to actually go home and sleep. They were almost there when a car suddenly slammed on their breaks. “Park Seonghwa.” Seonghwa stiffened as did everyone else in the group. That was obviously an alpha’s bark. And not just any kind of alpha. A true alpha. Seonghwa slowly turned. His Dad was standing there in all of his pissed off glory. “Seonghwa, we were just headed to visit you but now that we’ve found you here, you can come with us.” Seonghwa looked in the car and saw that there were two occupants. His mother was one. The other looked to be female as well. Jesus Christ. His parents were bringing one of his arranged marriage dates to his fucking college. Seonghwa took a step back and was surprised to feel heat behind him. He looked over to see Hongjoong with some unreadable expression. Seonghwa could feel the anger rolling off his father in waves and he watched as Hongjoong’s jaw set.
“Mr. Park, Seonghwa has mentioned you before. We’ve just finished getting our result back from a big project. We were headed to celebrate getting the top grade. Did you and your wife want to join us?” Seonghwa nearly gaped at the confident offer and he winced when he saw the fire in his father’s eyes. But his father was nothing if not a good actor. He had to learn it from someone after all. “Seonghwa hasn’t told us about his group members.” Hongjoong smiled the kind of smile he gave to the professors, polite but demanding, “I am Kim Hongjoong.” Seonghwa watched as his father smiled, it looked uncomfortable. His father had never been able to perfect it much like Seonghwa could not fake a smile of his own, if he had a smile of his own. “Kim-ssi, we appreciate the invitation but our meeting with Seonghwa is pretty urgent. Seonghwa, we really are in a hurry. Yuki has a curfew.”
His father took a step forward and Seonghwa reflexively reached for Hongjoong’s sleeve, holding on tightly. Hongjoong seemed shocked but his father watched the motion with a pensive gaze. His father’s stride across the road did not falter, however. Soon he was right in front of him. “Seonghwa, it’s time to leave now. You don’t want me to embarrass you in front of your friends, do you?” Seonghwa’s grip tightened on Hongjoong’s sleeve, “I assure you, father, I am plenty capable of embarrassing myself without your aid. Please let Yuki know that I am unfortunately unavailable to accept the request because I am busy with my last year of university.” He met his father with the same polite tone that he had always been taught to use. He knew that his words were going to anger his father but there was no way in hell he could sit in an enclosed space with an omega. His father’s hand came up to grab Seonghwa’s arm but Hongjoong was pushing Seonghwa behind him. “Mr. Park, we really do need Seonghwa-yah for this celebration. He wrote the script himself. He is the man of the hour. So I can’t give him to you.” Seonghwa felt a blush creep over his cheeks. I can’t give...it sounded so possessive that Seonghwa’s heartbeat picked up.
His father grit his teeth, “Seonghwa, we need to have a talk about...a lot of things that you have seen fit to involve yourself with in college. Like how you failed to mention you had dropped your interest in business. Among other...less appealing things.” He said the last bit as he gave Hongjoong a once over and Seonghwa felt a rush of anger fill him. “I’ll call you when I have time but I don’t think there are any unappealing things to be taken care of.” His father sent him a glare as he turned away and got in the car. Seonghwa felt weak in the knees as he watched the man of his nightmares drive away.
And when he was no longer in view, his legs gave out. There was a shout of surprise from Yunho who had apparently come closer in the mess. Yunho barely managed to catch him before his knees hit the ground. “Hyung, are you okay?” Seonghwa blinked up at Yunho. Seeing his father always made him...queasy. Faint. Disgusted. After all, life was a shit hole. His father had made sure to contribute to that. Images of chains, lectures, and fist flashed in his memory for a moment before his breathing started picking up. “I think he’s having a panic attack.” He was taken from Yunho’s arms and held against someone’s chest as they gently brought them both to sit on the ground. “Seonghwa, follow my breathing okay? Just focus on me.” Seonghwa curled in towards the comforting scent, his head resting against the firm chest. “In. Good job. Now out. In. Out. In. Out. It’s okay. He’s gone now. You don’t have to worry. We’re here.” Seonghwa’s breathing was still a bit choppy and then he heard a whisper, “I’m here, Hwa. Joong is here.” Joong. Hongjoong. Alpha. Pretty Alpha. Alpha who touched him gently when they danced. Alpha who called him pretty. Alpha who had said that strawberry vanilla suited him. Seonghwa clenched the shirt underneath him with shaking fingers. “Joong.” “Yeah, keep breathing, Hwa.” Seonghwa nodded. His breathing calmed down and he felt really sleepy all of sudden. He was probably scent drunk because his face was pressed into the alpha’s neck. But it was so calming. He didn’t want to move away even when this primal urge in him called for him to get away from the alpha. Seongwa’s still won out and he stayed pressed against the man cradling him.
“You still with me, Hwa?”
Seonghwa blinked, trying to clear away the edges of sleep, “M’sleepy.”
“Okay, I can take you home. Which dorm do you live in?”
Seonghwa tightened his hold, “Don’t…leave. Stay.”
He felt the body underneath him stiffen at the request. Seonghwa felt like he was jerked awake from a dream. He peeled his body away, landing on the ground with a huff as he stared wide eyed at the alpha who had his hands outstretched in surprise. “I’m sorry, Hongjoong-ssi.” Seonghwa stood, swaying a bit, “This was such an inconvenience to you. I will head back to the dorm to wash up.” He looked around and saw that the others were watching him. “Please enjoy your dinner. The usual dinner is already paid for. I called ahead. If you get anything extra, you’ll have to pay for it. It’s under Hongjoong’s name. So…” Seonghwa turned on his heel and walked away. He was barely sure if he was going in the right direction but he needed to get away.
--
Hongjoong watched the other walk away still in shock. He couldn’t move, still didn’t move until Wooyoung shoved him over with his foot. Hongjoong glared at him, “The fuck was that for?” “For not going after him quick enough.” Hongjoong sat up, slowly pulling himself up from the ground, “He’s fine. Those were full sentences.” Wooyoung glared at the alpha, “He just had a panic attack because his father tried to force him into a car with some random girl. His father, Hongjoong. Do you really think he is okay? Do you really think he should be alone when he asked you to stay.” “He would’ve asked anyone of you--” “No, you stupid alpha. He wouldn’t have. The only one he seems to be comfortable with in the entire fucking school is you. In a really weird, tense way, he is comfortable around you. Now get your head out of your ass and go after that alpha.” Hongjoong looked in shock at Wooyoung who was practically seething. Yeosang, quiet Yeosang, spoke up, “Hongjoong, I don’t think you need us to tell you all the reason why you should go?” Hongjoong scoffed, “No, I think I do.” “Seonghwa is attached to you somehow and you are attached to him too. I can’t say like but no one can dance like that without something there. And he is a true alpha who willingly bared his neck for you. I think you should think about what that means while you track him down.”
--
Seonghwa was sitting at the park close to their school. He wasn’t ready to go to his room yet. He was laying on a bench looking up at the stars trying to calm his mind. He didn’t want to go into his room and stink up the place when he was like this. His room was sacred. He wanted it to remain a calm and safe haven.
Seonghwa heard someone running and he was tempted to look up to see who the heck was running so frantically in the middle of the night. But he just stayed laying there until he got the scent. Hongjoong’s scent. It hit me like a train and he stiffened where he was lying down. He chanced to look up and saw Hongjoong standing there, looking at the dorms. And then Hongjoong seemed to settle on something because he started walking towards them. “Hongjoong-ssi?” Hongjoong steps faltered as he looked around for where his voice had come from. When he spotted Seonghwa half laying on the bench, his entire body relaxed. “Oh, Seonghwa, I was looking for you.” Seonghwa’s brows raised in surprise and his heart hammered in his chest. Looking for him? Why? Had Seonghwa pissed him off?
“Oh, well, I am here.” Hongjoong got closer before he was standing beside the bench. Seonghwa felt small looking up at him this way. It was both a sensation that made his skin warm but his inside twist uncomfortably. “What are you doing out here?” Seonghwa blinked up at him as he tried to process what was being said. “I wanted to...de-stink myself before I went inside. I burned through my scent blockers.” Hongjoong frowned. “I know I’ve said this before, but you shouldn’t use that stuff so often.” Seonghwa laid back against the bench and closed his eyes.
He knew that. He knew that too much exposure to the harsh chemicals could potentially harm him over a long period of time. But did he really have a choice?
Omegas were pushy. Like, a beta or alpha wouldn't have gotten into a car with his parents just to go to his college to see him. She had most likely been told that Seonghwa was shy or perhaps his parents had been honest and said that he was a little unwilling. It had happened before. Fresh out of high school, he had been brave and outright told the omega at the meeting that he had no intention of marrying her. He had been beaten when he got home but the following week when his injuries had cleared up, she was at his house eating breakfast with his family--a look on her face that seemed to say if your parents are willing, then you should be. He had run from her enough that her own parents had agreed to a different agreement. And Seonghwa had paid for the money they lost with sweat and blood.
Alphas weren’t better. He was a true alpha which meant that he was supposed to be challenging. But it was so exhausting to keep up that facade of strength when he really just preferred to curl up on his couch and take a nap before he started his homework. He had learned that the hard way when his first year, dozens of alphas challenged him just for existing. In the line at the cafe, in the cafeteria, in the stairwell at his dorm. So, he had gone to the pharmacy and made his first purchase as an adult. At 20, he started to cover his scent. The only time his skin wasn’t burning with scent blockers was when he was at home.
Seonghwa sighed, “It’s not like I want to use them all the time. But omegas get pushy and alphas get territorial. It’s just better this way.” He didn’t dare look at Hongjoong. He felt like he was raw. Like everything about himself was being poured out of him for Hongjoong to see. He didn’t like it. He wanted to pull it all back in and hide it away. He had never told anyone about his parents. They just knew that he was a Park, one of the big true alpha families in Seoul. He let them assume he was a silver spoon. It was easier that way. And no one would look at him in pity. He hated that. He was an alpha. He was supposed to be strong, and yes, he could fake the facade for others but he didn’t want that look of pity to follow him home. He didn’t want the faces they would make burned into his memory where they would appear and remind him that he wasn’t what he was supposed to be.
“I’ll protect you then. When you are with us, don’t wear them. I’ll make sure alphas and omegas stay away.” Seonghwa opened his eyes to see Hongjoong wasn’t looking at him with pity. He was just gazing down at him with no true emotion outside of honesty. He meant what he said. Seonghwa let out a laugh, “You can’t protect me forever, Hongjoong…” Seonghwa thought back to the hand that had gripped his waist to push him behind the shorter alpha. The way that the alpha had defiantly leveled a look at his father. The hand that squeezed every now and then where it stayed on his hip protectively. Hongjoong gave a smile, the one with pretty teeth, “Don’t underestimate me, Park Seonghwa. You should know that I am not the kind to back down.”
At the same time, Hongjoong pushed Seonghwa up and sat one the end of the bench. Seonghwa’s only option was to sit up or lay back with his head on the other’s lap and he was caught in between which one he should choose. But Hongjoong made the decision for him, pulling on his shoulder until Seonghwa’s head rested against his thighs. Seonghwa looked up at the man with wide eyes but Hongjoong gave a close lipped smile that made his eyes crinkle before Seonghwa felt fingers running through his hair. “I’ll protect you, Hwa. So just let go and let me.”
Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Chapter Text
Seonghwa’s phone sat heavy in his pocket. He was sitting at the cafeteria with the others. His phone buzzed in his pocket every five minutes. Another missed call. He was afraid his father was going to show up again. His mother was no less terrifying but she was more careful than his father. She made sure that no one would see. Which truly, was almost scarier. But she wasn’t allowed in the dorms because she was an omega. A true omega but that didn’t give her the authority to do it either even if the rest of the world bowed to her, the college had strict rules. She had tried once before when he had gone AWOL. It didn't work and she had almost made him move out of the dorms. But his name was signed on the lease and he was bound.
Seonghwa tried to keep his emotions in check. He wasn’t wearing his blockers. He had worn them the first few days after their conversation. Hongjoong hadn’t said anything but he had stared at Seonghwa with a meaningful gaze so when Seonghwa had gotten up that morning, he had set down the bottle of blockers on his dresser and forced his legs to move him out of the dorm. When he had met up with them at the cafeteria, Hongjoong had sniffed the air as he always did when he saw him that week and then he had smiled. He had patted Seonghwa head but said nothing else.
But the conversation going on right then...he can’t believe he hadn’t realized...they were a pack. It was obvious in the way they were talking that they all lived together. “Sannie drank all the milk this morning. Mingi, can you pick some up after your class. You go home first today.” Mingi hummed out a confirmation around the food that Yunho was feeding him. Mingi chewed before he spoke, “Oh, Hongjoong, the neighbors complained about noise again.” Hongjoong rolled his eyes, “Okay, I’ll take care of it. But you kids need to keep the noise down. We have headphones for a reason.” Wooyoung pouted, “But dancing with the music surrounding you is so much better--” “Woo.” “Okay, alpha. Headphones, got it.” Seonghwa dropped his fork, wincing when a couple faces turned to him. “Sorry,” he mumbled out as he bent down to pick up his fork.
Hongjoong was the pack alpha. It made sense he supposed. It made sense with their dynamic. Normally, the most impressive looking alpha would be the leader. Mingi was tall and he had this intimidating look on his face when he wasn’t fawning over Yunho. But it was obvious that Hongjoong was the one who was the most commanding. But they were all in relationships with each other. No marks on their necks so he wondered if and how Hongjoong had claimed them. Not all packs did the pack bond bite nowadays but it was more permanent. Maybe this wasn’t a lifelong thing. But Seonghwa was almost envious. They all went home together. They all ate dinner together. They all probably fought over showers in the mornings and bickered over chores. He had never had that. His parents were only ever home to punish him or teach him how to be a real alpha. They didn’t eat dinners with him unless they were stuffy events where business was discussed and Seonghwa’s plans were made as if he wasn’t there. They didn’t assign chores because they had people for that. His parents weren’t going to ask the other to pick up milk on the way home.
Seonghwa was spiraling in his thoughts and then he felt someone grasp his knee. Hongjoong was looking at the others, talking about a project he and Mingi were doing for their soundcloud. Hongjoong just squeezed his knee and Seonghwa allowed himself to relax. He focused on the warmth of it and he was almost a puddle in his chair when someone approached their table. “Seonghwa oppa?” Seonghwa immediately stiffened and the grip on his knee tightened that much more.
Seonghwa looked up and saw a girl who didn’t look like she belonged in their school cafeteria. Her clothes were too flashy, her makeup was obviously professionally done and her entire aura screamed privilege. She looked like his parents wanted him to look. While he opted for a sweater, hair down over his forehead and jeans that made him feel comfortable, this girl was dressed to impress. Seonghwa knew who she was. She was the prospective mate that his parents picked out. Apparently, his parents were insistent on this one if they were going to send her in like a soldier. “Who are you?” The girl blinked at Seonghwa’s dead tone. “Uh, I’m Yuki.” Seonghwa nodded, “Sorry, I assumed if you were calling me Seonghwa oppa that you knew me. But I don’t recall having met you.” The girl was not to be deterred, it seemed, by his cold responses because she smiled. Her teeth were round. Set in straight lines and obviously groomed to perfection. They weren’t as pretty as Hongjoong’s. “Oh, we were supposed to meet but you were busy with your...friends.”
The table was quiet behind him and Hongjoong was gripping his knee almost painfully by then but he was thankful for the grounding pressure. “Yes, and we are having lunch right now. Is this matter important or can it wait for another time.” Yuki blinked at him, seemingly shocked that he was showing absolutely no interest in her. “Uh, yes, it is important. Could I speak with you privately?” Seonghwa didn’t respond, just stared at her. This was going to be brutal if he had to do this in the middle of the cafeteria. Normally, he was able to express his disinterest as he had been doing so far. Obvious but polite. If they were too pushy, he would pull them aside and tell them. But he didn’t like the sickly sweet smile that she had on her face when she said privately. Nor did he like the hand that had made its way onto his shoulder. It was manicured and he thought he could smell the nail polish. She must have had them done that morning.
He didn’t want to be alone with her. And he was trying to lean away from her grasp but she just followed the movement, not removing her hand until Seonghwa was grasping at the hand on his knee to ground him. “Yuki-ssi, I would prefer--” “He’s spoken for.” Seonghwa's voice died in his throat as the aggressive words punched out a lot closer to him than he had thought they would be. Yuki broke her gaze from Seonghwa to look at the source. Hongjoong. “Oh, you are his alpha friend. I’m sorry, what did you say?” Hongjoong stood from his seat, the legs scraped across the ground and Seonghwa mourned the loss of the warm hand but Hongjoong was standing behind him, nearly pressed against this back. Seonghwa could feel Hongjoong's hands on his shoulders and then he was pushing Yuki’s off of him. “Seonghwa-yah is spoken for. More accurately, he won’t be courting you because he is already committed to another courting matter. And my pack and I would appreciate it if you didn’t touch him.” Seonghwa looked around the table and saw that, indeed, the entire table was glaring at the girl. Yuki took a step back when her eyes landed on Mingi. “Oh, I wasn’t aware. We will talk later, Seonghwa oppa.” Seonghwa gritted his teeth, “I hope not.” And with that Yuki winced, her facade broken before she bowed and took her leave.
Hongjoong didn’t move from him even when Yuki had turned her back. Seonghwa melted against the other man’s front, his head thumping into Hongjoong’s chest. Hongjoong’s fingers carded through his hair and Seonghwa leaned his head back to look up at the man. Hongjoong had a small smile on his face, “You okay?” And as Seonghwa felt the warmth that wasn’t pulling away and the fingers brushed through his hair gently, he thought that maybe, for the first time in his life, he could hope for it. He could hope to be okay. “I’m okay.”
The lunch carried on after Hongjoong had sat down again. His hand returned to his knee and the short alpha ate with one hand as the conversation slowly built up again. Seonghwa looked at his food. He had lost his appetite. But then then Hongjoong set a piece of chicken on his plate, a wordless order to eat. You need to eat more. So Seonghwa did.
--
It was a learning process over those two weeks. He had to concentrate in classes to keep his scent light. He knew he was failing when an alpha would glare at him. Omegas kept approaching him but he was able to turn them down, more gently than Hongjoong had with Yuki. But when he told them he was sorry but he was dating someone, they accepted it begrudgingly. He heard whispers about the ice prince of the theatre department dating someone. And he thought that the doubt in the rumors should be offensive. But instead he just let them roll. After all, it was hard for even him to imagine dating someone. He had never dated. Had never even really kissed anyone except for that one omega girl that had acted as the catalyst for his distate for fucking.
Hongjoong was a busy man and he couldn’t always be there. So Seonghwa made sure he went to his classes and he went home. When he was home, he felt relaxed. He could let his scent out all he wanted to. Their performance was coming up but instead of going to the studio, he took to practicing in his room. One time a week, they would get together and run through it to make sure no one had forgotten any transitions. Seonghwa savored the moments he could touch Hongjoong freely during their choreography. He felt the greatest comfort and calm when they were touching. It made going back to his room alone harder but he was sticking to all things having to end. And he did feel better. The chemical burn of blockers was no longer there, he didn’t feel as tired. He managed to eat a bit more, even if it wasn’t nearly enough. He knew that but he had no appetite. So he sometimes forced himself to stop and eat.
And then the day of their performance on campus was there. It was the end of finals. They were all tired but they all got ready, this time in quiet as everyone was trying to cut through the final’s stress and get in the mindset for their performance. And Hongjoong had nearly had his makeup done when Hongjoong approached him with a bag. “I know you are already dressed, but I made this for the performance today. For you. If you are interested.” Seonghwa looked at the garment bag. He opened it with shaky hands. There was lace at the top. That much he knew. When he had gotten it out of the bag, he was in awe of how pretty it was. It had a high collar, lace material made up the top, the sleeves and the upper chest area. And the center looked to be an actual corset, without the tough bars that would cause him to be stiff. It was just leather material that was designed to look tight fitting like a corset. And from that, the material flowed out with a pattern that was subtly impressed in the fabric. The material, all of it, was black. The center corset was a black leather piece. Seonghwa smoothed his hands across the skirt portion. “Okay.” Hongjoong looked nervous, “Okay you will wear it? Or okay?” Seonghwa looked up at Hongjoong. There was this hopeful look in his eyes, “Okay, I will wear it. Wooyoung, will this be okay to put on.” Wooyoung smiled almost sadly, “Yes, just don’t touch your face or hair.”
When Seonghwa put the dress on he was surprised that it flattered him so well. There were tight biker shorts in the bag that wouldn’t bulge under the dress but would keep him modest. But he couldn’t tighten the center corset with the way the strings were in the back. He peeked his head out of the changing room, “Hongjoong-ssi, could you tie up the corset.” Hongjoong had been whispering with Wooyoung and he jumped when his name was called. “Of course.” Hongjoong slid into the changing room with Seonghwa. Seonghwa tried not to think about being in a close space with the shorter man. He hoped that Hongjoong couldn’t hear his heart beating in his chest, like a drum beckoning him. Seonghwa turned to the mirror. Hongjoong started tightening up the corset, “Is this too tight?” “No. Thank you.” He was about to turn around when he felt hands pressing into his sides, “Your waist is so tiny.” The hands pressed harder and Seonghwa felt his face flush. He could see Hongjoong’s expression through the mirror. His eyes were focused on his hands around Seonghwa’s waist, like he was drinking in the sight. There was a knock on the door and both of them jumped. “Joong-ah, we gotta get ready to start.” “Okay!” Hongjoong reached forward to adjust the position of the top before he smiled, “Ready?” Seonghwa nodded, “Ready.”
The performance went well. It went extraordinarily well. When they were finished, there was silence before the auditorium erupted into praise. It was a paid ticket event but almost the entire school and people of the community had showed up. He could see their professors in the front row. When they all lined up, just the eight of them--a small group in comparison to the 20 members of the others--it seemed that the people were even more in awe. That a small group like this had put all of this together. They had made the stage props. They had been the ones moving things in between scenes, adopting black cloaks to hide their costumes and figures as they did the work. They had written the story, written the songs, performed the dances, created their clothes, built the props, adjusted everything for perfect fluidity. Just the eight of them.
Seonghwa felt pride bubbling in his chest and when he looked over to see Hongjoong looking almost overwhelmed with praise, he felt his mouth lifting up. A full smile, one with teeth, his canines peeking out. He put his hand over his mouth as surprise wracked him that he had smiled. It felt foreign and his cheeks hurt but the joy that he felt seeing Hongjoong soak it all in was...it was too much. And suddenly, Seonghwa realized something. Hongjoong deserved the world. He deserved the whole world to look at him in awe. He deserves the recognition. He deserved...everything. He was deserving of everything. And Seonghwa wanted to give him that. But he didn’t know how. And even if he did, he wasn’t sure he could.
Seonghwa took off his outfit sadly. He wanted to keep it on but the others wanted to go out for BBQ and drinks like they had in the beginning to celebrate. Seonghwa thought back to his conversation with Hongjoong. The beginning is always a phantom of the end. The end. This was the end. But he could savor this. He could hold onto the last few strings until they were washed away completely. He changed into his own clothes. A sweatshirt and the only clean pair of pants he had, black skinny jeans. He waited in almost numb existence as everyone else chatted excitedly and changed back into their own clothes. The auditorium staff had said they would clean up for them so they could go celebrate sooner. Seonghwa soaked it all in, memorizing the sensations, the voices, the warmth of the atmosphere that felt like it kissed his skin.
And then they left the backstage area. His phone vibrated in his pocket. 13 missed calls. He looked at it. Park Seonghwa, you better call me. His father. As if his father would have taken the time to see that his son was performing that night. He had never gone to any of his performances. He had not even asked about them when Seonghwa had been the topic of conversation when they had performed a very dark play that had captured the attention of multiple entertainment agencies. Seonghwa’s face and name had been everywhere for two months and his father had never mentioned it. But neither did Seonghwa. He was only aware that it had happened because a group of betas had asked for his autograph on the magazine that had his character’s face plastered on it. His face. It was the only lead role that had not been drab or evil. It was a broken man that he had played. And apparently he had done it very well. He was broken, after all. He did not need to search deeply to portray that.
He looked between his phone and the backs of his group. Hongjoong turned to him, most likely smelling the shift in his scent, “Seonghwa?” Seonghwa held up his phone, “I need to call my father.” Hongjoong glanced around, “Is he here?” Seonghwa shook his head, “He’s never come to these things.” Not that that should be a surprised. Hongjoong gestured for the others to go ahead, “I can wait with you. When you are done, we can walk to the restaurant together.” This was the end. The end that was coming. He wasn’t ready to face it. If he went to that dinner, it would be the closing chapter. Maybe...if he didn’t go...he could pretend that the chapter never ended. That the end had never come. “No, it’s okay. This will be a long conversation. You go ahead with them.” His voice wavered. He didn’t mean for it to. He was normally so good at masking his feelings. But they had bled out. They had been bleeding out ever since he met Hongjoong.
Hongjoong’s eyes hardened and he stepped forward, wrapping his fingers around Seonghwa’s wrist, “Honestly, Hwa, fuck your Dad. Come eat with us. It won’t be complete if you aren’t there.” The end. No. It would be the end. They would all go back to their packhouse. Seonghwa would go back to his dorm. The winter break would begin and Seonghwa would sit in his dorm all alone. The new semester would start and they wouldn’t be there. They would disappear. They would evaporate before him like every other hope he has ever had. But that was part of life. Right? Hopes were just that. They were hopes. They were figments and aspirations that would never come to pass. They were dreams. So he focused on the hand on his wrist like it was his only ground, and he slipped his phone into his pocket, “Okay.”
Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Notes:
Sorry this one is really long. I couldn't decide where I wanted to block this one. But here ya go.
Chapter Text
There was something wrong with Seonghwa. Hongjoong could smell it. The others could too. Ever since they had finished the performance, the alpha had smelled...distressed. It would come and go like he was suppressing it, only overflowing when great strain made it leak out. Mingi sent Hongjoong a concerned look that flashed between the two alphas. Hongjoong couldn’t really tell him what was wrong. His father had made Seonghwa anxious. Scared. But this was nearly overwhelming. This was like Seonghwa was losing his mate--Hongjoong nearly choked as he realized it. The end is always a shadow of the beginning. The ending must happen for the beginning to make sense.
It didn’t matter what Seonghwa thought. This wasn’t the end. He would make sure the alpha knew that this wasn’t ending. This time, there wouldn’t be an end.
--
Seonghwa waved goodbye to the boys outside of the restaurant. He was almost there. It was almost finished. He just needed to get back to his dorm and then he could fall apart. He stood straight, with his shoulders set and his face mute save the small smile he showed them. He watched them all walk away but then noticed that Hongjoong wasn’t going with them. Instead, the shorter man waved them off and stood beside Hongjoong, “Let me walk you back.” Seonghwa had hoped he could do that alone, get it all out before he had to taint his room but Hongjoong wasn’t leaving room for argument so he just silently agreed. The walk back was quiet. Hongjoong didn’t say anything and they were growing nearer to the campus.
Eventually, they were in front of the dorms. Seonghwa looked up at the lights, his own room was dark, and let out a breath. “Thank you for--” “This is not the end, Seonghwa.” Seonghwa jerked around to look at Hongjoong. He was standing there, confidence rolling off of him, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. “I know that you feel like this is it. But we aren’t letting you go. I’m not letting you go. We’ll go visit our families over the holidays, and when we come back, we will be here. This is not the end.” Seonghwa just stared at the smaller man dumbly. Had he somehow said it out loud? Had he been mumbling as they walked?
“I didn’t know what was wrong. You’ve smelled weird all evening. But then I remembered what you said, and Hwa, believe me when I say that this is not the end. I wasn’t just bluffing when I told that girl you were spoken for.” Seonghwa’s brain was moving sluggishly. There were possessive pheromones curling around Hongjoong and it was hard to breath around it. “What?” Seonghwa probably looked like an idiot but Hongjoong was suddenly up in his space, hands gripping his waist too tightly. “You are mine, Park Seonghwa. You are spoken for.” Seonghwa’s phone started buzzing in his pocket, Hongjoong pulled him close until they pressed against each other. He ran his nose along Seonghwa’s throat. Seonghwa was frozen in place, his heart thumping in his chest. “I will tell your father. I will tell the whole damn school. Anyone who looks at you will know it. Any omega who tries to talk to you will smell it on you. Any alpha who tries to touch you will have to go through me. You are mine.” The last bit came out a growl as Hongjoong’s scent started to cling to his clothes, his skin.
Seonghwa felt a whine bubble in his throat, his body finally working as his hands came up to grip Hongjoong’s arms, “Hongjoong.” Hongjoong’s chest rumbled possessively as his hands slid along his body, one hand pressing into his lower back, the other cradling the back of his head as Hongjoong lips brushed against his neck. His sweater slipped to the side and Hongjoong took the opportunity to bury his nose in the exposed scent gland before he licked over it. Seonghwa’s knees were weak, his grip tightening on Hongjoong’s shoulders. When Hongjoong’s teeth scraped over the nub at the bend of his neck, Seonghwa melted against him, “Hongjoong.” “Hm?” “Please.”
Hongjoong pulled away and his stomach tightened at the sight. Seonghwa lips were red, bitten, swollen and his eyes had a sort of fog over them. He looked so pretty. He always looked so pretty but this was his favorite look. Seonghwa’s grip tightened on him like he was afraid the Hongjoong would pull away completely but Hongjoong tightened his grip around his waist. Seonghwa relaxed a bit at the pressure. “You still with me, Hwa?” Seonghwa looked down at him with foggy eyes. His lips were moving but nothing came out. Hongjoong moved his hands to gently hold his face. “Hwa?” “Alpha.” Hongjoong felt shivers run up his spine at the small whisper. He gritted his teeth to hold himself back and instead brought Seonghwa closer to him again, just holding him there.
“Let’s get you inside. Can you lead me? I promise I won’t leave.” Seonghwa nodded against his shoulder. Hongjoong grabbed his hand and with a squeeze, Seonghwa started walking towards the dorm. They went up a set of stairs before Seonghwa led them down the hall until he stopped in front of a door. “It’s here.” Seonghwa struggled to get his keys out of his pocket so Hongjoong did it for him, unlocking the door and leading the alpha towards the couch. Seonghwa melted into the couch, and Hongjoong was going to get him water but he was tugged down on top of the other alpha.
Hongjoong landed with a huff of air before Seonghwa wrapped his arms around him. Hongjoong tried not to move as Seonghwa nuzzled against his neck. “Hwa. Let me get you some water.” “Don’t need it.” Hongjoong let out a laugh and adjusted himself so he was a bit more comfortable. He ended up straddling the other alpha. This position should have made him feel weird but from the pliant way that Seonghwa just laid out under him, his inner alpha just purred. Hongjoong pulled away to push Seonghwa’s hair out of his eyes. “You are so pretty, Seonghwa. Inside and out. You are such a good boy.” Seonghwa shivered. Hongjoong could see it as Seonghwa’s eyes fluttered. Hongjoong filed that away for another time. “It’s pretty late. We should get you into bed, hm?”
Seonghwa seemed to be deep in thought. His hands trembled where they came up to grasp Hongjoong’s arms. “Will you...stay?” Hongjoong grinned, ‘Of course, baby. I’ll stay.”
--
Seonghwa woke up warm. It was an odd thing for him to wake up to. His dorm ran cold and he normally became a cocoon of blankets. Whoever said alphas ran warm were obviously wrong. Well, except maybe the alpha who he was hugging like his life depended on it. Seonghwa stiffened as he realized exactly what was making him so warm and who he was holding onto. He tried not to panic. He didn’t want to wake up his apparent body pillow with his panic so he took deep breaths. He tried to peel himself away from the other but it seemed that his body pillow was certainly conscious and wasn’t having it.
Seonghwa was pushed off, onto his back where Hongjoong caged him there. “Were you trying to run off?” Seonghwa gulped, “No.” “Hm...seemed like it. Do you not remember what I said last night?” You are mine. Yes, Seonghwa remembered every single detail. Every single touch and every word. Seonghwa tried to look in the alpha’s eyes but they were too raw. His eyes went down and they caught sight of Hongjoong’s lips instead. Shit, he should’ve just kept looking at his eyes. He wanted those lips pressed against his. He had felt them on his neck. They were so soft, his teeth were so sharp. They would feel divine digging into his lip, his neck, his hip, his thighs. Seonghwa quickly looked down further until he was studying the pattern on Hongjoong’s t-shirt. “Seonghwa-yah.” Seonghwa looked up. Hongjoong had a glint in his eyes.
“Do you remember what I said? Hm?” Hongjoong lowered his body until he was pressed against Seonghwa. Seonghwa was forced to spread his legs to accommodate him and a rush of arousal shot through him. Hongjoong nosed at his neck, Seonghwa could feel him grinning against his skin, “Answer me, baby.” Seonghwa jolted as teeth scraped against his neck. His hands flew to Hongjoong’s back, one of them carding through the alpha’s hair to hold him to his neck. Hongjoong’s scent spiked in surprise but there was later contentment. But Hongjoong was just teasing, nose along his neck, pressing barely there kisses, only scraping his teeth, not biting. “Alpha, please.” And there it was. That spike of arousal he was hoping for. The grip on his waist turned bruising. Hongjoong growled against his neck, “Not until you say it baby.” Seonghwa arched into Hongjoong’s chest when he felt the alpha’s fingers slide underneath the edge of his sweater. They hadn’t even changed the night before.
“I’m yours. I belong to you. Please, alpha, please.” It came out more like a whine than the steady thing that he had hoped it would be. But it seemed that it was what Hongjoong was looking for because he pushed the collar of his sweater aside, on the safe side of his neck. He nosed against it, kissed the skin with more heat before he sank his teeth in there. Seonghwa had been clawing at Hongjoong’s back to get him closer, but with that action he melted into the cheats, a happy hum settling in his throat. Hongjoong pulled away to look at him. “What do you want, baby? Tell alpha what you want like a good boy.”
Seonghwa was burning up. His skin was on fire. “Want you. Just want you.” Hongjoong chuckled, it sounded a bit mean, but that was just the way Hongjoong was. Kind but a little bit mean. “That’s not very specific. I could do whatever I wanted with that.” Seonghwa nodded, “Yes.” Hongjoong blinked down at him, like he couldn’t understand whatever it was Seonghwa was saying before Seonghwa watched his jaw lock, “You want me to do whatever I want. I’m an alpha, Hwa. I could edge you until you cry. Fuck you open on my knot for hours and mark every inch of your skin.” Seonghwa’s lip trembled with how much he wanted that. “Please, alpha. Want it. Want to feel it for days. Want everyone to know I belong to you. Please.” Hongjoong rolled his hips forward, a tight hold around Seonghwa’s neck, “Fuck. Okay, baby, I’ll give it to you. I’ll give it all to you.”
Hongjoong pushed himself up and pulled his shirt off. Seonghwa looked at the ink that was pressed into his skin. His trembling hands reached up to trace the black ink, mesmerized by it. “Pretty.” Hongjoong looked down at him tenderly, “You are the prettiest, baby.” It didn’t take long from then. Hongjoong was surprisingly gentle despite the obvious arousal and need in his scent. Seonghwa found he liked this too. This gentle side. Finally, they were just in their boxers and he watched as Hongjoong sat back on his knees to look at Seonghwa from head to toe. Hongjoong groaned, “God, your so fucking--shit you are so fucking hot. So pretty. Gorgeous. I want to mark every inch of this pretty skin. You’d like that wouldn’t you, angel?” Seonghwa nodded his head, wanting Hongjoong closer.
Hongjoong heard his silent plea because he lowered himself over him and started kissing his chest and down his stomach. He sucked on the skin of his hip bones before he trailed lower. He didn’t pay attention to the large bulge in Seonghwa’s underwear, instead he kissed at his thighs before he locked them within his jaws, his sharp teeth digging in nearly hard enough to draw blood. Seonghwa arched off the bed, moaning as he blindly reached for Hongjoong. He was anchored by a hand that grasped his own. “So sensitive baby. Look at it. Look at this mark. It’s already turning colors. Do you like it, angel?” Seonghwa opened his eyes and looked at the indentation of teeth on his thigh. It was red, the indentions already purpling a bit. Seonghwa nodded, “Love it. Want more of them, please?” Hongjoong grinned as he pressed more open mouth kisses on his thighs, “So polite, baby. I’ll give you more.” Hongjoong breathed in against his skin, growling as his ministrations got harder, more aggressive. Seonghwa knew he would feel them if he rubbed his thighs together. It was so good.
His cock was throbbing, a wet patch already showing up on the front of his boxers. And Hongjoong seemed to notice because with one last mark to his right thigh he went higher, mouthing at his cock through his boxers. Seonghwa’s hips twitched. It was a natural reaction to having heat around his cock but inside he knew it wasn’t where he wanted attention. Hongjoong groaned, “You always smell so good. Like a lemon treat. Bitter but sweet on the edge. Have I ever told you that? You taste like my favorite treat.” Hongjoong hooked his fingers in Seonghwa’s boxers, looking up once more for permission. The expression on Seonghwa’s face and the desperate nod was all he needed. Seonghwa’s hard cock bounced free, slapping against his stomach. Hongjoong snickered, “It’s a shame really that you have a cock this big because it’s not what I wanted to taste.” He smirked up at Seonghwa who was a little confused but then Hongjoong went lower. His legs were thrown over the man’s shoulders before Seonghwa felt something warm and wet at his entrance. He let out a noise of surprise that was quickly cut off by a whine.
Hongjoong licked at his rim, before he sucked on it, his canines unsheathing to run across his sensitive skin. “Alpha, please, alpha.” Hongjoong growled low in his chest, his hands coming around to grip his thighs harshly, his fingers digging into the skin there so hard it would bruise. Hongjoong seemed to realize that because his grip loosened a bit. Seonghwa reached down, placed his hands on top of Hongjoong’s and squeezed. Hongjoong looked up at him for a moment before a flicker of something flashed in his eyes and his grip tightened again. Hongjoong dived in. The sounds he was making were absolutely obscene and then Seonghwa could feel his tongue fucking into him, licking inside and he rolled his hips to get it deeper, closer. His eyes rolled back because it felt so good.
Seonghwa moaned, “S-so good, alpha. It’s so...so good.” Hongjoong groaned before sliding a finger in. With all the spit, it went in easy. Hongjoong pulled away as he fucked his finger into him, “Your driving me insane, baby, I just want to fuck right into right now.” And the thought didn’t sound horrible. Seonghwa debated it. The burn he would feel, the way he would feel it for days. His cock twitched at the thought and Hongjoong shook his head. “I’m not gonna hurt you like that. I gotta prep you first. You got lube?” Seonghwa pointed vaguely at his night stand. Hongjoong pulled his hands away, shushing Seonghwa with a kiss to the forehead before he rummaged through the drawer, pulling out a half empty bottle of lube. Hongjoong raised a brow and Seonghwa covered his face in shame. “No, don’t hide from me, baby.” Hongjoong pulled his hands away and when he did so, his face was hovering right above Seonghwa’s. Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong’s lips. He wanted to kiss him. He really wanted to kiss Hongjoong.
Seonghwa heard the click of the lube bottle. Hongjoong had pulled back just a bit to drizzle it on his fingers, rubbing them together to heat up the lube. But instead of pulling away completely to prep him, he stayed hovering above him. Seonghwa felt the first digit circle his rim, spreading the lube around. Hongjoong massaged the muscle there before a single finger slid in. It was easy with how relaxed Seonghwa was. He mumbled out for another and Hongjoong watched his face. There was a slight burn, but nothing that made him uncomfortable. If anything, he was more content. This felt better. He felt fuller.
He had only ever used his fingers and toys before. It had felt much better than fucking that omega but he had never been able to find someone to fuck him. Having someone else’s fingers inside of him was divine. The pressure against his walls, the way Hongjoong curled his fingers for that drag. He had smaller hands than Seonghwa but he somehow managed to reach deeper. When Hongjoong hit a certain spot, his vision spotted for a second, his mouth falling open. Hongjoong zeroed in on the movement. Seonghwa could tell he was watching his mouth, the way Seonghwa’s tongue peeked out a bit at the lovely pressure. Seonghwa mewled when Hongjoong pushed on the spot with more pressure. Hongjoong cursed, scissoring his fingers. “Alpha.” Hongjoong looked up into his eyes. “Kiss me.” Hongjoong didn’t need to be told twice.
Their lips smashed together, Seonghwa immediately letting his mouth fall lax as Hongjoong tilted his head to the side to kiss him deeper. Hongjoong licked across his bottom lip for a moment before he ran the appendage across Seonghwa’s teeth. And then Hongjoong was tasting inside his mouth. Seonghwa could taste himself on Hongjoong’s tongue. It caused heat to pool in his stomach and at the same time, Hongjoong squeezed in a third finger. Seonghwa’s moan was swallowed by Hongjoong’s mouth as he massaged his tongue with his own. Hongjoong pressed hard kisses to his mouth before he pulled away, “How does it feel, baby? You like my fingers. You're dripping wet and I haven’t even touched you yet.” Seonghwa felt embarrassment flare up. He had never been able to come untouched. He would always have to squeeze his knot, but he had gotten close. Hongjoong could do it though. He proved it by adding a fourth finger, causing Seonghwa to almost thrash against the bed from how full he felt. Already, Seonghwa was feeling overwhelmed. His stomach kept clenching, his cock hurt from how hard he was, the base already getting fatter as he got closer to his orgasm.
Seonghwa was going to be fucked dumb and he didn’t even care. “Want you, alpha. Want your knot. I’m ready, I promise. Please.” Hongjoong groaned, pulling his fingers out. He lubed up his cock before he spread even more lub on Seonghwa rim. He twitched with how sensitive he was. Instead of fucking into him immediately, Hongjoong instead rubbed his cock between his cheeks. It caught on his rim a couple times and Seonghwa was nearly sobbing with how bad he wanted it. But Hongjoong had that teasing smirk on his face and a bit of fire lit in Seonghwa’s chest. He pushed Hongjoong back, Hongjoong’s face flashing in surprise before his mouth dropped open as Seonghwa got on all fours. “Hongjoong-ah, please fuck me.”
It was so fucking hot. This alpha was on all fours, head dropped between his shoulders as he presented to another alpha asking for it so sweetly. And Hongjoong couldn’t say no, couldn’t tease anymore. He lined his cock up with the twitching hole, moaning at how pretty it was, how it flushed from his fingers abusing it for so long. He almost wanted to eat Seonghwa out again but that could wait. He pressed his cock against the rim, swallowing back a growl at how Seonghwa’s rim sucked him in greedily. “So fucking tight, baby. Such a greedy little hole, sucking me in like this. I’ll fuck you until you can’t think about anything but me. Until all you feel, smell, and know is me. Want me to fuck you stupid baby?” Seognhwa nodded his head quickly. Hongjoong rolled his hips forward, only sinking in a bit before he pulled out again, teasing the stretch, “What was that? Use your words.”
He saw that Seonghwa’s shoulders were shaking and there was a wet sound. Hongjoong stilled. Seonghwa was crying. “Shit, are you okay? We can st--” “No! Please. Don’t stop. Just want it so bad. Make me yours, alpha. Fucking...fucking breed me please.” There was really no hope for Hongjoong. He slammed his hips forward, fully sheathing himself inside. Seonghwa screamed into the pillow he was gripping. Hongjoong stilled to let Seonghwa adjust but Seonghwa rolled forward so he could fuck himself back on his cock. The sight made his mouth water and something animalistic rose in Hongjoong’s chest. Seonghwa’s pretty back and his pretty neck exposed to him, his baby fucking himself back desperately. Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s hips harshly in his grip before he pulled out and slammed in again. He slowly built up a rhythm that had Seonghwa babbling into the sheets, “S-so good. So deep. I feel so full. Please. Please.” Hongjoong pressed Seonghwa’s hips down so he had to spread his legs wider. The angle changed and Seonghwa screamed out his name as he rammed into that spot over and over again.
Hongjoong leaned over, not stuttering in his thrust as he reached around Seonghwa’s center to pull them both up so now Seonghwa’s back was pressed to his chest as he fucked into him with no mercy. It felt like the dance move during Desire that had made Hongjoong’s heart beat hard in his chest. Seonghwa melted against him now just like he did then and when Seonghwa rolled back his head, bearing his neck Hongjoong was done for. He kissed at his nap before his canines started to ache. Just don’t bite the mating gland. Instead he sunk his teeth into the pack of Seonghwa’s neck at the same time he rammed into Seonghwa’s prostate. The alpha in his arms arched his back sinfully before he was shuttering, coming untouched all over the sheets. But Hongjoong didn’t stop when Seonghwa’s pretty lips kept whimpering and whispering out, “Inside. Want it inside. Please.” And Hongjoong could feel it. His knot was swelling. He didn’t know if Seonghwa’s body could take it but the way that Seonghwa purred when he felt the swelling push past his rim made Hongjoong move forward. “Taking me so well, angel. Like you were made to take my cock. You were made for me. Mine. My alpha. My angel. You gonna take my knot, baby.” Seonghwa nodded as best as he could as he had gone boneless, only being held up by the bruising grip of Hongjoong’s hands. “Knot me. Mark me. Want it.” Hongjoong growled as he slowed his thrust. He rolled his hips, slow but deep thrust that had Seonghwa moving weakly to meet his movements. “S-so good. Alpha’s so good to Hwa. Want alpha’s knot. Give it to Hwa please? Hwa wants it.” It was obvious that Seonghwa was slipping into some headspace. Hongjoong focused on keeping his thrust steady as he kissed along Seonghwa’s neck, mouthing at his shoulders. He made soothing movements to try to bring Seonghwa back but Seonghwa just bared his neck. “Bite.” Hongjoong grit his teeth before resting his forehead against Seonghwa’s nape. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? I’m not gonna mate you when you aren’t in your right mind.” Seonghwa whined, hands grappling to hold the arms wrapped around him. “Please, alpha, Hwa wants alpha’s mark. Please.” Hongjoong shook his head to clear his thoughts, instead he kissed along Seonghwa’s shoulder, licking over the swollen nub that was just begging to have teeth sink into it. Seonghwa started crying so Hongjoong move just to the side of the gland, closer to his shoulder than his neck before he bit down hard enough to draw blood. And then his knot popped. Seonghwa had been fighting against him but as he felt the knot fill him and the teeth sink into his skin, he went limp against Hongjoong.
Hongjoong still had his teeth in Seonghwa’s shoulder as he felt the first rush of cum fill the alpha that was purring against his chest. Hongjoong unhinged his jaw and laid them on their sides. He spooned the taller alpha as he waited for his knot to go down. He kept kissing tenderly at the bruises he had sucked all over Seonghwa’s neck and shoulders. He licked the wound that was slowly dripping blood to help it heal faster. He stroked Seonghwa’s hair and whispered sweet things to him until he felt Seonghwa start to come back. “You back, Hwa?” Seonghwa scooted closer to Hongjoong to feel his warmth.
“Hwa?” “I’m okay. Sorry, I just…” “Don’t apologize. It was really hot. I’m really happy that you could slip into that space with me. There is nothing to be sorry about.” That seemed to be what Seonghwa needed to hear because his hand curled around the one that was resting against his stomach. It was quiet for a moment. Seonghwa let out a small whine when he felt Hongjoong release another load inside. Hongjoong just rubbed his stomach in comfort. Seonghwa remembered asking Hongjoong for a bite. Not just any bite, but the bite. He was embarrassed. They had known each other for 5 months now, and they had been actually talking and getting to know each other for two. It was probably really weird for him to ask for something like that. Hongjoong hummed thoughtfully like he could hear Seonghwa’s mind work.
“If we want to mate, it will need to be something we talk about first. That was the only reason I didn’t claim you. Also, I would want you to move in with the pack before we did that. I would feel better to have you close.” Hongjoong was quiet and Seonghwa was afraid to breathe. Hongjoong leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Plus, I don’t want you living here with all these alphas. They might try to steal my Hwa when they realize how beautiful you are.” Seonghwa snorted and swatted at Hongjoong who just laughed before pressing a kiss against the bite on Seonghwa’s nape. Seonghwa melted at the sensation. “Okay. I can wait. I just asked...I know that we don’t...know a lot about each other. But ever since I saw you the first time I--” Seonghwa stopped talking. They really hadn’t talked about their first first meeting. And Hongjoong grinned against his skin. “Oh? The first time, huh? You've been thinking about me that long?” Seonghwa scoffed, “Don’t flatter yourself. Your teeth were pretty.” Hongjoong laughed, “Oh my god, Seonghwa, my teeth? That’s what did it for you? I just gotta smile more often then if it’s gonna get you hot like this.” Seonghwa tried to whack him but Hongjoong hissed when the movement caused Seonghwa to clench around his cock, “Jesus Christ, Hwa, don’t move. I’ll knot you longer that way.” Seonghwa hid a grin in the pillow before he intentionally clenched around Hongjoong. It was honestly a double edge sword because his own cock twitched in interest but the growl that came ripping from Hongjoong was worth it.
Hongjoong dug his fingers into his hips before his hand grabbed his leg, lifting it up before Hongjoong rolled his hips, if possible, fucking himself deeper into Seonghwa. The knot pressed on his prostate and he moaned. “Do that again.” He knew Hongjoong was smiling because his voice was thick, “What? Do what again? This?” He grinded his hips forward and stimulated that same spot again. Seonghwa nodded, “Yes, fuck yes, Hongjoong, don’t care if you knot me again. Just keep doing that.” Hongjoong cursed, fucking the knot deeper before it tugged on his rim. Another rush of cum filled him. His hand was laying on his stomach and he realized that his stomach was fucking bloated from Hongjoong’s cummed and his cock pressing so deep.
Seonghwa grabbed the hand that was holding his leg up. Hongjoong protested but stopped when he felt what Seonghwa was doing. “Shit, you...bloated with my cum, baby? Wanna see it. What’s it look like?” Seonghwa looked down where Hongjoong was now pressing in one the flesh. The shift made him jerk as he was stimulated from both sides. “Looks so full, Joong. Like...like I’m full of your pups, alpha.” Hongjoong thrusted hard enough at those words to have Seonghwa pushed forward on the bed. “I’ll fuck you so full. Knock you up. Would you like that? Be full of our pups.” That had Seonghwa’s head reeling. Knew it wasn’t possible with him being an alpha but our pups. “Our pups.” “Yes, our pups. Wanna see if we can do it. I’ll keep you full and knotted all day until your belly is so bloated. Full of me. You’d smell like me for days.”
Hongjoong’s knot thickened again. He was talking himself closer just imagining his pretty Hwa swollen with his pups. It had never been a thing for him but his alpha howled at the thought. Wanted to claim Seonghwa. His canines ached and he was digging his teeth into the same spot as before as he started cumming inside Seonghwa. He felt Seonghwa tense up before he came as well, spilling onto the sheets.
They were breathing heavy before Seonghwa started giggling. Hongjoong was still in a bit of a haze but he blinked it away. “What are you laughing at?” “My sheets are fucking filthy. They’ll never be the same. I’ll have to buy new ones.” Hongjoong giggled with him before he pressed a kiss to his nape, “I have sheets at my place. They smell like me. Why don’t you just use my bed instead?” Seonghwa’s giggles died down. He wanted to turn to see Hongjoong. He wanted to see his face so badly. “Joong, I wanna see you.”
Hongjoong understood. Wanted to look at Hwa’s face as well. It took some adjusting, hissing and moaning before Seonghwa was still in Hongjoong’s lap, knot still tucked snug. Seonghwa twisted his face, “I’m going to be so sore. Getting knotted twice in one day..one hour. It’s only 9 AM and I’ve been knotted twice.” Hongjoong smiled fondly at the alpha that seemed to be talking himself in circles. Seonghwa continued mumbling about how ridiculous it was before he seemed to realize he was saying it all out loud and blushed. Hongjoong just squeezed his thighs gently, “Do you want to move into the pack house? We don’t have an extra room. If you wanted your own room, I’d have to make Yeosang and Jongho stop dancing around each other. They’d probably thank me.” Seonghwa was quiet, deep in thought.
He remembered how jealous he had been when he had realized that they all lived together. Experienced all the domestic things that Seonghwa had never had. It was something that he wanted. And for once in his life, he wasn’t going to let his mind tell him all the reasons he shouldn’t. Hongjoong must have taken his silence for being unsure, “You don’t have to. And I mean, to be completely honest I would probably make you stay in my room--” “Okay.” Hongjoong blinked up at him, “Okay, like you want to move into the extra room or you want to move into my room.” “Your room. You smell nice. Like cinnamon and sweet coffee.” Hongjoong grinned. He leaned up to press a chaste kiss to Seonghwa’s lips. Seonghwa squeaked in surprise but returned it nonetheless. And then Seonghwa smiled, “So…” Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s hand and pressed it against the bump in his belly. “You can see it now.” Hongjoong looked away from the pleased smile on Seonghwa’s face to his tummy. And it looked...so hot. So right. His cock twitched and he pumped more cum inside Seonghwa who shivered and shifted just the slightest at the sensation. “You would look stunning with a pregnant belly. But you look stunning anyway.” Hongjoong rubbed the belly before he wrapped his arms around Seonghwa’s waist.
“In the beginning, I’m sorry about all the things I said. My alpha was really irritated because you were always so...cold. Like you didn’t want to be around and that made me angry. And sad. I’m not trying to excuse what I said. But I didn’t mean it. You are pretty. You are so fucking gorgeous but you aren’t just a pretty face. You are so much more than that. You are talented, thoughtful even though you try to hide it, and your passion for what you do, what you wrote in that play...there was no way that I could ever think you are just a pretty face. It never mattered to me that you were an alpha. You were just...Hwa.” He had wanted to say it for a long time. But it had never seemed like the right moment. Hongjoong grinned, “And of course I had to take advantage of the chance to touch you. Any excuse would do.” He looked away from where he had been studying the way their hands looked together to see Seonghwa’s eyes full of tears. They were silently falling down his face. It was a picture that Hongjoong almost wanted to commit to memory because he had never seen someone cry so...serenely. So beautifully. Like there wasn’t more to admire about Hwa.
Hongjoong gently wiped away the tears before he cupped the taller alpha’s face and brought their lips together for a tender kiss. It was slow, warm, comforting. And he could taste Seonghwa’s tears. Hongjoong pulled away from the kiss but kept his hands holding Seonghwa’s face. He kissed his cheeks, along his nose and pressed his lips to his forehead, “My Hwa. My pretty alpha.” Seonghwa smiled. It was blinding. It was a smile that stretched across his face beautifully, his teeth were pretty and his canines were sharp just like Hongjoong’s. And Hongjoong liked that. He had never fooled around with alphas before. He had played with betas and omegas but he had never been with an alpha. And he found that he didn’t mind the heavy scent, he didn’t mind the pretty, but strong features, he didn’t mind that Seonghwa’s cock had a knot that was pressed against his belly. He really, truly liked Seonghwa.
Hongjoong was stuck in a state of reverence, “Your smile is beautiful. Can I see it more?” Seonghwa blinked back tears that threatened to spill over and he leaned forward to rest his head against Hongjoong’s shoulder, “Only for as long as you are my alpha.” Hongjoong petted Seonghwa’s hair, “Always.”
Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Notes:
Cameo Number 2 and the last of dear old Da. There is a smidge of violence and that over the top reaction that apparently is my thing. Sorry to all of my old readers if this feels like it's already been done by me but hey...I'm a creature of habit. I just can't seem to break the Seonghwa is a fucking treasure to be saved and protected trope out of my head.
Chapter Text
Hongjoong had to go visit his family. He and Seonghwa spent the two days together. They stayed at Seonghwa’s dorm because Seonghwa didn’t know if he was ready to see the others yet. After it had all happened. He was still a little raw about seeing them walk away like it had been goodbye. Hongjoong understood and went home to get a change of clothes. When he got back, he had said that the others had already left to visit their families. But he didn’t ask Seonghwa to go to the pack house to see it. It was like he already knew that Seonghwa wasn’t ready to step outside of this heaven that they had created. So instead, they ordered take out (Eat every bite, baby) and they watched dramas (I like the ones with serial killers) and Hongjoong found another reason to like Seonghwa.
Seonghwa had been washing up dishes and was singing softly to himself as Hongjoong took a shower. He hadn’t sang in any of the songs for the play. He was a phantom, there was no need for him to have a voice. It had made the part that much harder because it was all about how he moved and how he changed his expressions. But he did enjoy singing to himself. He got a little braver when he heard Hongjoong start the shower. He sang a little louder.
Hongjoong left the shower, towel drying his hair as he walked into the main living space and froze when he heard it. It was obviously Seonghwa’s voice, coated in soothing honey, dark and gliding like a siren across the open air. He was singing. And it was one of the prettiest sounds he had ever heard. He may be a bit biased but he could hear a million of the songs that he had put back because they were missing something and here it was. They were missing this voice. Hongjoong rushed around the counter quickly. Seonghwa dropped the bowl he was washing in the sink in surprise but it didn’t shatter so he just stared at Hongjoong with soapy hands, “Joong?” “Park Seonghwa, if you don’t sing for one of my songs, I might actually lose my mind. Your voice is just what I have been missing for months. Please sing in my songs.” Seonghwa blushed and looked down, “I’m not...I have no professional training. I wouldn’t know--” “All you have to do is learn the song and sing. It will be perfect. God, you are so perfect.” Hongjoong crashed their lips together as he poured compliment after compliment on Seonghwa until he was blushing bright red, hiding his face in his apron. “Stop! Okay, I will sing in your song. Is this some weird kind of loving torture?” Hongjoong giggled, “It worked didn’t it?”
And now, Seonghwa was wearing a turtleneck under his winter coat because the bite marks were definitely still visible. Even with the turtleneck, the one on the back of his neck still peeked out a bit. Hongjoong had pressed on the ones on his shoulders as he said goodbye, a duffle bag over his shoulder as they stood in front of the cab that would take Hongjoong to the train station. “Don’t forget to call me, Hwa. My Mom will only yell if it's during dinner.” Hwa giggled as Hongjoong made a terrified face, “I’ll make sure to call during dinner.” Hongjoong whined, “You know I will answer. Are you trying to kill your alpha? Do you want to get rid of me that badly?”
Seonghwa just rolled his eyes and bent down to press a quick kiss to Hongjoong’s lips. “You're the only alpha I’ve ever had. Why would I want to get rid of you? I’m yours, alpha.” Hongjoong growled a bit before he closed his eyes, “Okay, I’m not going to make you come with me. Nope. I will leave you here to have your little break. I’m not going to kidnap my baby.” Seonghwa laughed as he pushed Hongjoong towards the cab. “Hurry or he’ll give you bad rates. Text me when you get there so I know you got there safe.” Hongjoong put his bag in the seat as he spoke, “Right. Oh, wait--,” Hongjoong turned quickly and pulled Seonghwa into a passionate kiss before he kissed his nose and slid into the cab. Seonghwa was left shocked on the sidewalk. Hongjoong rolled down his window, “I’ll see you in a week, baby!” Seonghwa waved as the cab pulled away. He reached up to his shoulder and squeezed, relishing in the dull pain that it brought as he smiled to himself. A week. He could make it through a week. And then he would see his alpha.
--
Seonghwa was packing up his things. That was his agenda for the first week of break. He started with the nick nacks he had picked up over the years. There weren’t many. He then started packing his summer clothes. He had taken nothing from his home so, truthfully, there weren’t many of those either. He set aside a couple outfits for the week that he kept hanging in the now bare closet. By the time he was done packing everything, there were only three boxes and one large suitcase of clothes. He had a bag set aside for all of his toiletries. It was the sixth day of his Hongjoong absence. They called every night before Hongjoong went to bed. Hongjoong talked about his younger siblings. About his Mom worrying he wouldn’t be able to find a job (Your music is the best, hyung. And the dress you made me was so pretty. You’ll be snatched up as soon as you graduate). Hongjoong had said he needed to get off the phone early because he planned to take the earliest train back and he didn’t want to oversleep. So Seonghwa had hung up with a happy feeling in his chest.
This was a surprise. He and Hongjoong had talked on the third day about when he wanted to move into the pack house. Hongjoong had insisted he could take as much time as he wanted. But then amended by demanding that he move in no later than graduation. Seonghwa was going to surprise him when he got there by having everything already packed up, ready to move in. It was a new feeling. He was so used to hating being alive so this new feeling bubbling in his chest was something foreign but welcome.
The marks on his skin had started to fade. The four overlapping bite marks on his shoulder had not however. They had scabbed over and were on their way to healing but Seonghwa would occasionally press on them to feel the tenderness there. It was reassuring and reminded him that Hongjoong did like him. Enough that he had bit into him to leave a mark over and over again. Seonghwa heard a knock at the door. He was confused because he hadn’t ordered any food and he didn’t know anyone outside of the boys.
He warily approached the door and looked through the peephole. It was his father. His father was standing in front of his door. Seonghwa stepped away quickly, holding his breath and trying to calm his scent so his father wouldn’t smell him through the door. The knocking became banging. “Seonghwa! I know you are in there. I can smell you. Is there another alpha in there too?” The banging got harder. Seonghwa tripped over one of the boxes and scurried backwards, grabbing for his phone. He called Hongjoong. It went straight to voicemail. Seonghwa was probably making no sense as he babbled into the phone. And then his father busted down the door. He took one look at Seonghwa, curled up against the couch and when he saw the bite marks peeking around the loose collar of his shirt, his father’s eyes glowed red. Seonghwa screamed.
--
Hongjoong was going home early. He had been on the phone with Seonghwa for most of his trip but it had died about an hour away from home. He squeezed the object in his pocket one more time before he plugged up his phone. He was going to go straight to Seonghwa’s but he wanted to tease him a bit. Call him on his way there and say he was staying for longer and then show up on his doorstep. He laughed to himself as he thought about the cute, angry face Seonghwa would make when he opened the door.
His phone dinged, telling him it was ready to use. He unlocked it to check how much it had charged and his brow crinkled in confusion as he saw a voice message from Seonghwa that was from 10 minutes ago. He opened it and his blood ran cold. “Hongjoong--my Dad is here. I don’t know what is going to happen. But...I want to move in with you. I already packed all of my stuff. Whatever happens, remember that okay? I want to move in with you, mate with you, join your pack. I want to...stay with you forever. Don’t...forget me please.” Hongjoong nearly ripped his charger from the wall as he yanked it and took off down the hall. He was yelling as he ran through the house. “Yunho! Mingi! San! Seonghwa’s been attacked!” There were loud thumps as everyone ran out of their rooms, tugging on clothing. Mingi’s eyes were wide, “What?” “Seonghwa left me a voice message.” Hongjoong shoved his shoes on, “His father is there. I gotta---we gotta--his dorm.” The others would follow him but he yanked the door open and took off down the street. It was a 30 minute walk from their house to the dorm. He would make it faster.
He was sprinting down the sidewalk when he saw the flash of a car in the corner of his eye. He knew that car. It was Seonghwa’s Dad’s car. A foreign car that didn’t fit in with the neighborhood here. He stopped in his tracks and took off running after it. He saw Mingi and Yunho up the road, “That car! Stop that car!” Yunho shouted an affirmation before he was running down the street. The car slammed on his breaks as Yunho ran too close. And then both Mingi and San were hopping on top of the car so the driver wouldn’t move. But the man did try to move. Hongjoong was nearly there, he barely got there in time to jerk on the door handle before the man pressed on the gas. Hongjoong saw the side profile, that was Mr. Park. He growled as he slammed his fist through the glass. The man hit the brakes at the action. San and Mingi slipped off the hood but Hongjoong could smell Seonghwa. Distressed Seonghwa. He opened the door and dragged Mr. Park out by the collar. San and Mingi had stood back up, brushing themselves off but otherwise looking eerily calm. Mr. Park growled at Hongjoong. A true alpha growl, designed to make another alpha submit. But Hongjoong growled back, shoving the man to the ground. “Hold him down. Don’t let him get away.” The three alphas of his pack obeyed immediately, holding the man down and managing to dodge his snapping teeth. “Who the fuck are you?” Hongjoong ignored him. He opened the back door and saw Seonghwa slumped in the seat unconscious. His lip was split, his cheek bruising already and blood matted his hair on his forehead.
Hongjoong grabbed for him, gently, so careful as he rearranged him until he could pick him up from the car. Seonghwa whimpered but Hongjoong shushed him, cradling him to his chest as he released comforting pheromones. “Hwa, baby, I’m here. Alpha is here.” Seonghwa didn’t wake up but his whimpering stopped as he relaxed against Hongjoong, hand gripping the short alpha’s shirt subconsciously. “San, called the police. And an ambulance.” “Yes, alpha.”
Hongjoong could hear Mr. Park growl, demanding that they listen but all of them easily ignored his calls. “Who the fuck are you people? How--” “Hongjoong marked us. We don’t listen to anyone but him. He is our pack alpha. So would you please shut up. I’m on the phone.” Mr. Park’s mouth opened and closed before he was thrashing again but Mingi and Yunho had no problem holding him down while San talked on the phone a few feet away. “What the fuck are you? You are just a regular alpha--” Hongjoong glared at the man, “Seonghwa is mine. If you ever try to touch him again, if you ever talk to him again, if you ever look at him--I will find you. And you won’t like what happens then.”
Mr. Park shut up at that. This anomaly of an alpha was challenging him. A true alpha. Even his own son, a true alpha of his own blood, could not challenge him. But this kid, this barely wet behind the ears alpha was able to do it. Mr. Park felt bile rise in his throat as he watched the way Hongjoong cradled his son and the way that Seonghwa’s body, even unconscious, was receptive to it. It was disgusting. And his son reeked of the other alpha. His teeth were marked into his skin. He wanted to kill Seonghwa when he found him, smelling of another alpha in that way, almost proudly showing off the marks that were left on him. Like an omega. Like a useless omega.
--
Seonghwa woke with the smell of a chemical kind of clean. He jolted up in the bed and looked around at his surroundings. A hospital. He was in a hospital. His father had never taken him to a hospital but then his father had never hit him over the head and knocked him out either. He would be back soon. Seonghwa was panicking, and could hear the heart monitor beeping quickly as his heart rate increased. He started pulling out the IV and all of the wires. There was a loud screeching sound from the machine when he pulled off the heart monitor. He stood on wobbly legs but pushed himself to walk. When he got to the door a nurse was already there. “Sir, you can’t leave. You were hit on the head--” “Get away from me. I need to go. My father--” Seonghwa’s throat felt tight. “I can’t see him. Please, you have to understand--” And then the scent hit him. Alpha. His alpha. He looked around frantically for the scent and his eyes landed on Hongjoong who was walking with an ice coffee in one hand and a smoothie in the other.
The nurse was trying to restrain him, but he wanted to get to his alpha. A loud whine echoed across the area and Hongjoong’s eyes flashed to his. The drinks were quickly set on the counter at the nurse station before Hongjoong was running towards him. “Seonghwa, what are you doing out of--” Seonghwa pushed the nurse away and collapsed against Hongjoong. “A-alpha.” Hongjoong held him tightly, “Hwa, we need to get you back in bed. You have some pretty severe injuries--” “I thought my father was--” Seonghwa broke off with a sob and Hongjoong let out calming pheromones. “It’s okay, Hwa, he’s gone. Okay? The police took him away. Wooyoung caught his confession on camera. He said he’d leak it if they didn’t do something about it. You are safe, okay? Never again. I won’t let it happen again?” Hongjoong was probably holding him too tight but Seonghwa was holding him close. Seonghwa melted against Hongjoong.
Hongjoong bent down and scooped Seonghwa up, walking the both of them into his hospital room before he set him down on the bed. “I was here the whole night. They said you would probably wake up soon so I went to get you your favorite. I didn’t think you’d wake up while I was gone.” Seonghwa jumped when he felt a nurse touch him but he let her put everything back on. He clutched at Hongjoong’s hand when he saw the needle but with Hongjoong by his side, he could be brave.
Chapter 13: Chapter 13
Chapter Text
His father’s eyes were blazing red. “Seonghwa, what the fuck is going on here?” Seonghwa pressed himself against the couch, trying to sink into it to hide. His father took steps forward, “You are coming home--” “No, I won’t. I don’t owe you anything. Everything here is mine. I paid for it. My degree is mine. This dorm is under my name. And you can’t take me.” His father sneered, “What about all these boxes, huh? You running away--” “I’m moving in with my pack.” Seonghwa was trying to be brave. He was trying to show his father that he couldn’t control him. He wanted to prove that he was good enough. Good enough for Hongjoong. Strong enough to stay by his side.
“A pack?! No, you are coming home with me. You will attend that meeting. You will apologize to Yuki for embarrassing her in public. And you will never see that alpha again.” His father grabbed him by the arm but Seonghwa ripped away from him, scrambling over the back of the couch. He tried to get to the closest door, his bedroom. He stumbled inside and slammed it. He looked around for anything to protect himself with. His fist wouldn’t be enough. They had never been enough. He saw the lamp by the bedside table. He lunged for it just as his door erupted in splinters. He swung the lamp but his father caught it and Seonghwa felt pain. He stumbled back, sprawling on the bed. “Seonghwa. Don’t fight with me.” “I won’t mate anyone but Hongjoong. No one else. You can give up.” His father growled, grabbing him by the throat. Seonghwa clawed at the hand, “Be obedient.” Seonghwa’s movements slowed. His father had always made him do whatever he wanted with his alpha commands. But Seonghwa had something to fight for now. Seonghwa kicked his leg up, thankfully connecting with something.
His father let out a huff as his grip loosened. Seonghwa slipped out from under him. He ran for the door but there was a sharp pain on his head and his vision grew fuzzy. He felt his knees connect to the floor and then everything went black.
--
Seonghwa bolted awake and took a deep breath. Hongjoong. It smelled like Hongjoong. He looked to his left. Hongjoong was still sleeping. Right, they had taken him home from the hospital the day before. Seonghwa’s stuff had been messed up when they got back to the apartment. Seonghwa had waited outside while the pack went in. He didn’t want to go back inside.
When Hongjoong had walked in, his stomach churned. It was very obvious that something violent had happened. Two boxes were still pushed against the wall but the third was spilled over, many of the contents having been smashed. Hongjoong remembered that Seonghwa had said in the call that he wanted to move in with him. He had packed everything, ready to go as soon as Hongjoong had come back. He tried to push down the regret that he hadn’t immediately gone over to Seonghwa’s dorm. If he had been there...but there was no reason to dwell on ifs. He had learned long ago that guilt was something that was hard to work around. He didn’t want to walk forward with Seonghwa with guilt. He had gotten there in time. Just not right on time. The couch was shoved from where it had been when he had been there last. There were grooves in the floor from the force of it. And when he got to Seonghwa’s room, there was blood on the hardwood floor. The door was in pieces, the bed shoved like they had been fighting on it. Seonghwa had tried really hard. He had fought back.
Despite how horrible it all looked, Hongjoong had felt a swell of pride. Seonghwa had fought back. Doubtful Seonghwa, who questioned everything that he had in his life, had thought that this one was a fight worth fighting for. After that, the boys had made quick work of salvaging what they could. They packed up the rest of his clothes and returned to the car where Seonghwa was eagerly waiting. He stood outside, bandaged still on his forehead and when he saw Hongjoong, that beautiful, toothy smile appeared on his face.
Seonghwa laid back down and relaxed again. It wasn’t hard to do that anymore because Hongjoong’s scent was good enough. He watched Hongjoong sleep and felt a sense of peace come over him. Yes, this was what he had been missing. He had been unfulfilled. Unhappy. Life had been giving him a lot of shit hands. But now, he had gotten a good one. A very good one. And surely, he realized that life wasn’t going to be perfect.
He knew that when he graduated, he would need to find a job. It might be hard but he could work for it. He knew that he would be living with 7 other people. He wasn’t great with people or reading their emotions, so there would be a lot of misunderstandings. He was dating an alpha. They couldn’t have kids and the mating mark might not take because he was a true alpha. It would be hard to fight his biology on that. But all of that, all of those hardships were things that he could work on. Things that he could work past. Things he could improve. He finally understood what all of those optimists were talking about. It wasn’t that life wasn’t hard, but that life, even with all of its setbacks, was something worth experiencing. It was something worth fighting for.
Chapter 14: Epilogue
Notes:
And this is the end. I truly wrote this one night and thought it was a bit shit but Twitter said to post it so I'm gonna post it even though I am still not sure if it's not shit. But I'm all about fullfilling needs. I hope you like the ending.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Three Years Later
They were all at a bar. They were celebrating their youngest finally graduating. Seonghwa was getting roles. They weren’t lead roles yet but his manager had called to say that someone was interested in casting him as a second lead. So far, he had only been getting recurring roles as side characters. The back up couple, you could say. But this new one was a second lead. And that wasn’t something he would pass up. It was hard working in the entertainment industry. Most of the craze was romantic shit. And he still didn’t like touching people who weren’t part of his pack. But Hongjoong was very understanding about it. If Hongjoong scented him heavier on the days he would have to do a kiss scene, then no one had any say in it. Not when Seonghwa would skip onto set, smiling happily. If his kissing partner was a little pissed off afterwards because Seonghwa was so obviously taken then he didn’t care.
Hongjoong was a producer. He created songs for big names. And while Seonghwa got paid quite a bit for his job, it was nothing compared to the salary that Hongjoong had. They had bought a bigger house that was further from the center of everything so they could relax. It was in a neighborhood that promised privacy because a lot of rising names were in their pack. Wooyoung and Yunho were choreographies for big kpop groups and Mingi was a hip hop music producer. Yeosang worked in fashion. The other boys were constantly running into each other for their jobs. Yeosang had even styled for one of the shows that Seonghwa had a cameo on. The crew had been very surprised when Seonghwa had openly hugged the stylist. And Jongho was graduating. He already had offers from different companies to be a solo artist but Jongho was holding out for a duo project.
It was always fun going out with them. Seonghwa had felt like everything had gone a complete 180 from the first time they had gathered. Seonghwa was chatting happily with Yeosang about some clothes he had seen on one of the neighboring show sets that he had designed. Hongjoong ruffled his hair which brought Seonghwa’s attention back to his mate. It had stuck. The mating bite was clear as day, barely concealed by the shirt he was wearing. If he tugged to the side even just a little bit, Hongjoong’s teeth marks would be on show. “I’m gonna get us a drink, baby, the usual?” Seonghwa blushed. He never got used to the pet names. He didn’t think he ever would. They just made his heart beat faster. Everyone had said that his feelings for Hongjoong would change. After the first year, with plenty of arguments, they still cared for each other. At the end of the first year, Hongjoong had blown up. Seonghwa still remembers what he had said, Fucking hell, Hwa, I don’t want to control you. I just want to protect you because I love you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Do whatever you want, just let me know where you are. It was the first time that Hongjoong had said I love you and Seonghwa had been so focused on it that he had completely forgotten why they were fighting in the first place. A week later, Seonghwa asked for the bite, the mating bite. And the fighting ceased because Hongjoong could feel that Seonghwa was okay.
“The usual is fine. Thank you, alpha.” Hongjoong grinned and kissed his lips quickly before he took off. There was a round of groans from his pack. “It’s been three years. When will you two stop being so nauseous?” Seonghwa stuck out his tongue, “Don’t be jealous because my alpha loves me more, Wooyoungie.” San choked on his drink, “Excuse you? That is absolutely not true. I love Woo--” “You don’t have to rub it in, Seonghwa hyung.” San gasped at his mate’s admission. “Woo, baby, that’s so unfair. You are supposed to defend our love. We’ve been mated longer than they have. Where is the loyalty?” Wooyoung rested his head on his hands, “When you can make me scream like Hongjoong makes Seonghwa scream when he eats him out, then I will consider defending our love.” There was a dark look on San’s face but Seonghwa covered his own in horror. “Jung Wooyoung, you cannot talk about--” “Uh-oh. Hyung, some omega is trying to get your man.” Seonghwa stopped his lecturing as his head snapped over to the scene. Hongjoong was leaning against the counter, glaring down at some small boy. The boy put a hand on Hongjoong’s arm. He watched as his mate pushed the boy’s hand off and started talking. He already knew that Hongjoong was chewing him out. His eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets when the omega just leaned forward all over Hongjoong, running a hand up his chest.
Seonghwa tore away from his seat. He knew he smelled like burnt lemon custard and cinnamon (Hongjoong’s scent had mixed with his almost perfectly) as he walked through the center of the club. They all parted at the sight of the pissed off alpha. Hongjoong had already pushed the omega away by the time he got to his side. Hongjoong glanced over and his nose crinkled at the burnt scent Seonghwa was giving off before a smile almost flickered on his face. Hongjoong easily accepted Seonghwa pressing into his side. “Hey, baby, I was just getting our drinks.” Seonghwa draped over Hongjoong from behind, posessively, “You took too long. So I came to find you.” He acted like he was pouting and Hongjoong snickered, “Always so impatient, angel.”
Seonghwa chanced a glance at the omega who was staring at him with his jaw dropped. “You--you are Park Seonghwa.” Seonghwa cocked his head to the side. He wasn’t famous enough to be recognized in public often. He was at the healthy amount of fame that let him live his life decently while also making good money. “Oh? And who are you?” The boy was obviously grasping for straws. Seonghwa smiled, it looked none too kind he knew, before he pulled away from Hongjoong, intentionally letting his collar slip to the side. He watched as the omega looked at the mark and then back at Hongjoong before he looked ready to throw up. “I was just--I was...um…” Seonghwa gently patted the boy on the shoulder, “Thank you for trying to keep my mate company. But I can take over from here, okay?” The boy nodded and nearly ran away. Seonghwa turned around with a huff and Hongjoong was grinning like an idiot. “Not the possessive type, huh?” Seonghwa swung at him, “That’s fucking different. He literally pressed himself against you. I know you can take care of it--” Hongjoong easily caught the swing, pulling the man to his chest. “I’m just kidding, Hwa. It was hot.” Seonghwa still pouted until the bartender set down two drinks. “Here are your drinks sir.” Hongjoong pecked Seonghwa on the lips before he grabbed the two drinks, handing one of them to Seonghwa.
They joined their friends again. The table broke into snickers when they spotted the omega glancing at their table every so often. Seonghwa gritted his teeth, “I was trying to be nice because he knows who I am, but if he looks over one more time, I swear I’m gonna--” The omega chose that moment to look over. Seonghwa tried to lunge from his seat but Hongjoong caught him with a laugh, pulling him into his lap. “Joong, let me go. I’m gonna show that little shit that he’s looking in the wrong--” Hongjoong sunk his teeth into Seonghwa’s nape and the alpha went boneless. “He’s looking at you, Hwa. When you went all defensive, he thought it was hot. He’s been checking you out. I should be the one upset.” Seonghwa whined, before Hongjoong sunk his teeth in again, settling him. “You already know I’ve only ever been yours. From the beginning.” There was a happy hum from Hongjoong but he didn’t unlatch his teeth and Seonghwa let himself succumb to the fog.
“Why don’t you settle me like that, San? Hm? Are you afraid to get a little freaky in public?”
“I’m not Hongjoong, Woo. I’m not gonna fuck my mate on a gross table in a bar.”
“Gross table. How about the bathroom? They fucked in a bathroom. Four different times.”
“Just have Hongjoong fuck you if you are so unsatisfied.”
“Yunho, can you settle me like that? If I...get upset? It looks nice.”
“Mingi, sweetheart, we are the least kinky in this group. But if you want me to settle you in public like some asshole, then your wish is my command.”
“Yeah, San, why can’t you be more like Yunho?”
“Wooyoung, I will stuff that loud hole with something real soon if you don’t shut the fuck up.”
“Fucking try me, bitch.”
“You know, I was really flattered when you guys said you’d buy me drinks for graduation, but I’m honestly feeling like this is not about me at all.”
“Jongie, it’s time you accept that some things will never change.”
“Yeah, Jongie, Yeosang has been trying to get dicked down by your beta ass since you two met. It’s been 6 years. Make a fucking move.”
“Yeosang-hyung, wanna leave these assholes here and go watch a movie?”
“Only if you cross ‘get dicked down by your beta ass’ off my bucket list.”
“Okay.”
“Like okay you’ll dick me down? Or okay, let’s watch a movie.”
“Okay like we can fuck in the movie theater if we choose the back row.”
“Great. So Yeosang and Jongie aren’t even dating but Jongie agreed to give Yeosang some dick just because he asked--”
There was a sudden ruckus as San dragged Wooyoung towards the bathroom, a smirk on the omegas face the whole way. Seonghwa watched with blurry vision as Wooyoung sent their group a thumbs up and a wink. And Seonghwa decided that he really loved his pack. He really loved Hongjoong.
Notes:
You can't blame me for closing this out with some Woosan chaotic energy. Okay? Like, what do you expect?
And also I'm a huge fan of those circular stories that end where they begin. I'm all about that. I thought, they met in a bar and the beginning of their forever should be in a bar too. I re-read this to make sure that it was at least grammatically correct and not gonna lie. I really liked the dynamic between these two. I feel like I almost managed to do a build in their relationship that was pretty gradual up until the point where it snapped. Hope you liked it. I know I didn't mind rereading it.
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