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If You Think the Coffee Sucks, Wait Until You Meet the Owner Any feedback or questions? Send them to zyhperini@yahoo.com Bang Chan's day started wonderfully. He woke up in the early morning darkness with his face pressed into the wall, someone's ass shoved into his lower back, and the beautiful realization that he didn't have to get up if he didn't want to. Days of training Cho Hajoon in the opening procedures had finally paid off and for the first time in three months, Chan did not have a morning shift. He turned his nose out of the plaster and magically, beautifully, fell back asleep. He drifted back into wakefulness an indeterminate time later to the sound of Jisung singing and the smell of Jeongin sitting next to him. What an amazing combo. He rolled over to wrap his arms around Jeongin's legs and nuzzle into his hip. "You slept a long time," Jeongin told him, petting his hair, "It's almost one." It was the longest Chan had slept in one go in ages. He felt like a new person. He also felt disappointed that he only had a couple of hours left until his afternoon shift started. He’d had grand visions of how to enjoy his first fully free morning and they hadn’t included sleeping straight through it. Oh well. He’d have more. He’d have full, actual days off now. That was a good thing, right? He languished a while longer, enjoying the scalp massage, then pushed himself up to ply Jeongin with kisses and pets he had no intention of following through on. "Hyuuung," Jeongin whined when he withdrew. The omega lay back against the askew pillows, flushed red to the collarbones, with dark marks forming in the crook of his neck from Bang Chan’s mouth and teeth. Chan grinned at him, drawing his hands down along Jeongin’s sides to his long, lean thighs. He squeezed the muscles there and unwound them from his hips. "I really have to go eat, Innie-ah, I’m so hungry." Jeongin tried to kick him. Chan caught his ankle and inspected his foot with an air of exaggerated thoughtfulness. He made eye contact with Jeongin and lifted his foot higher to kiss his cute big toe. From the way Jeongin’s brows pressed down, this wasn’t something he’d tried out before and wasn’t immediately enamored with. All right. Still holding eye-contact, Chan ran his lips experimentally along the soft, tender skin of Jeongin’s sole. His foot twitched in Chan’s hold and he exhaled, eyes going languid. There we go. Chan planted a few more light kisses and set Jeongin’s foot back on the bed with a pat. Grinning again, he slid off the bed entirely. Jeongin thumped his arm against the mattress, groaning in tune with Jisung's high note. "Later," Bang Chan promised, feeling a little bit bad for his teasing. A little. "I have all of tomorrow morning free, baby. We can take our time." Jeongin thumped the bed again and awkwardly rolled himself up into a sitting position. His hair stuck out in all directions. "Tomorrow, you say. See if I don't drag you to bed the moment you step in the door tonight." Chan lifted both eyebrows. "Oh, will you?" he taunted. Jeongin was seldom up past ten. "I'd like that." Jeongin blew a raspberry at him. Laughing, Chan snagged Jisung on one of his circuits around the room and risked momentary deafness to chew on him a little, too. His omegas sufficiently harassed, Bang Chan washed up, did some chores, enjoyed a relaxing meal, and headed into work. Nothing of significance happened in the first few hours. There were some tasks left undone by the morning crew and a rainbow of sticky notes all over the office computer of questions and updates from Cho Hajoon, but nothing too worrisome or annoying to fix up. The closing-shift part-timer arrived and the last morning-shift part-timer left. In another couple of hours, the midday-shift would go too and leave him with only one part-timer for the rest of the evening, but he had full coverage for now and had taken the chance to catch-up on paperwork and inventory. Sometime later, he was stocking items behind the counter when he caught sight of a customer stepping up the unoccupied register. He checked around, saw one-timer was preparing drinks while another was heating a sandwich, and slid behind the register himself. "Hello sir, what can I help you with today?" he said, quickly tapping in his passcode to unlock the register. He looked up with his finger already hovering over the Iced Americano button. A stunningly gorgeous young man stood on the other side of the counter, staring at Bang Chan with wide eyes. His full lips were parted around unvoiced words and he’d frozen in the middle of taking his mobile out of his shoulder bag. Chan would’ve turned around to see what shocking thing was happening behind him if he hadn’t also frozen, just taking in the visuals of this guy. Long hair, high cheekbones, oval shaped face, the perfect dot of a beauty mark under one eye. Wow. He shook himself out of it a beat later, remembering that he was a professional and gawking at people was rude as fuck. "Sir," he said and cleared his throat when his voice came out suspiciously chocked, "What can I get you?" The young man, a beta according to the woodiness underlying his floral perfume, gave a slow blink. "I —" He looked down at the mobile held half-way out of his bag, like he wasn’t sure what it was there for. A lock of hair escaped his half-up ponytail and got caught on his long lashes. He reached up to swipe it back with his free hand. His fingers were stained with streaks of color along the sides and cuticles, which did nothing to distract from their raw-boned, elegant beauty. Whew, dial it down, Chris. "Have, uh, have you -- " the beta man cut himself off and looked at Bang Chan again, gaze flitting all over his features like he was trying to memorize him. Abruptly, the beta shoved the mobile back into his bag. His scent went harsh and sour in agitation. Uh-oh. "Who are you?" he demanded, jerking his chin at Chan. "I'm Bang Chan, the manager here." Now Chan was worried. Someone had done something to piss this guy off and Chan did not look forward to being the one to resolve it. He made his voice go politely concerned. "Is there an issue I can help you with, sir?" "The manager here," the boy echoed in an odd tone, almost mumbling to himself, and scraped back his hair again. The sleeves of his soft blue sweater fell over his hand. "A manager, oh my god." Bang Chan held onto his customer service professionalism with an iron grip. "Yes sir, and I'm happy to address any concerns you might have. What can I do for you?" The beta gave him another once over and an array of expressions rolled across his face and through his scent. Bang Chan could not have identified any of them if his life depended on it. At last, the beta firmed up his jaw, gave two tight nods, and said with aplomb, "I want an iced Americano." Uh. "I -- can do that for you," Chan said slowly. He tapped in the order on auto-pilot. "Is that all?" The man inhaled, nostrils flaring, and a wash of sour distress overwhelmed the angry harshness in his scent. His mouth trembled. "Yes. I just -- I just want the coffee. Please." Genuine concern replaced Chan's perfunctory politeness. "Of course, sir," he said softly, "I'll get that started for you." He picked up the nearest cup to attach the order ticket and passed it to the part-timer working the prep-area. That done, he leaned over the counter and lowered his voice to just above the sound of the espressos machine. "Seriously, is everything all right? I can -- " "Oh god," the boy said, voice rising, "Don't be nice to me!" He yanked his mobile out of his bag entirely this time and all but stabbed the surface with his fingers. Bang Chan blinked and withdrew. "Okay." The beta scanned the QR code on the register to pay and stalked away without acknowledging the buzzer Chan held out for him. He made it several feet, stopped, turned, and walked back to take the device with neck visibly red and eyes focused on the ground. He bowed before leaving again. Chan watched him go in mild confusion. Honestly, as far as weird customer encounters went, this wouldn't even make his top ten list, but he couldn't shake the sense that something odd was up. Since there was no one else in line, Chan took his time stacking up empty containers while watching what guy did next. The beta took himself to one of the battered looking wood counters that bordered the big windows and claimed a stool. Once there he hunched over his mobile and even from a distance, Chan could see his thumbs moving rapidly over the screen. He could also see the way the boy's long hair parted over the slope of his neck and left it exposed to the sunlight streaming in. Bang Chan forced his attention back to his work and carried the containers into the back. At this rate, the "something" that was "up" was going to be him. When it came to sexual partners, his preferences weren't generally restricted to what was expected for a particular dynamic or gender - a well-built body, alluring eyes, charming laugh, or cute attitude were plenty enough to catch his eye regardless of the identity attached - but fuck if he wasn't weak to a classic beta beauty. Once all the trash was disposed of, he lingered in the back for several minutes to check his mobile and cool himself down. There was one message each from Jeongin and Changbin about going out shopping together, and four messages from Jisung of the same cartoon hamster face-planted into the ground. A mix of feelings swarmed through Chan at the image of Jeongin and Changbin hanging out together. Relief and excitement, because Jeongin needed a bigger social circle for his own health and Chan knew Changbin would look after him well. Disappointment, because Chan wanted to be there with them. Nervousness, because it felt really, really important that the two of them liked each other and no, Chan was not going to take the time to examine why that was. He had work to do. Work that was seriously, totally important and not a convenient distraction from his feelings. He messaged them all back, telling the first two to have fun and reminding Jisung that he was doing great, he'd planned well and worked hard for the performance, and all he had to do now was keep practicing and trust himself. Chan sent off some other messages to friends, trying his best to keep up with people he hadn't had the time to visit in months, received another hamster gif from Jisung -- this one was screaming in anguish -- and returned to his duties. Chan had helped resolve a dispute with a customer, verified the next stock order, checked the condition of the restrooms, kept sending messages to Changbin because despite his best efforts, he couldn't shake his anxiety about how their hang-out was going, and was doing a round of the front of the house to make sure things were tidy, when Lee Minho stepped directly into his space. "Manager Bang," Minho said and held out a piece of paper. Bang Chan drew himself up instead of taking it. The other alpha was standing way too close and not in a polite or friendly way, either. He’d angled himself so that his big frame — taller than Chan, if not as thick in the shoulders and chest — blocked Chan’s path back to the counter, trapping him in the corner by the community posting board. This would make it the third time he’d done something similar in the days since their embarrassing encounter in the doorway and Bang Chan seriously didn’t know what he was supposed to do about it. Was Lee Minho coming on to him? Testing his newly discovered perchance for being dominated? Trying to retaliate against Chan's actions that day by one-upping him? Chan had no fucking idea, but he was kind of annoyingly into it. Which is to say, the behavior was annoying and he was annoyed that it did something for him anyway. Why? Why was he like this? Why were they both like this? At Bang Chan’s fixed stare, Lee Minho took on an air of contrived innocence. "Hmm?" He waved the paper and jabbed it at Chan a few times, like this might prompt him into accepting it. "Hm, hm, hm?" Chan shifted his stance to fully face Minho, shoulders squaring and head tilting aggressively. The rest of the coffee shop fell away. There was just himself and this man, this beautiful alpha who kept getting in his way. He hoped his expression was showing his irritation and nothing else, but whatever Minho’s mockingly wide eyes saw, it was enough to get him to step back, giving Chan his due space. "Oh, excuse me," Minho said, bowing and not in the proper way; in a way that exposed the side of his neck. Heat flooded Chan’s belly. What the fuck. It wasn’t unheard of for him to be so raring to go with someone, but it wasn’t common either. He was a patient lover and preferred to be the one managing someone’s else desperation, not giving in to his own. Minho’s nostrils flared and his expression turned infuriatingly smug. Chan felt like he was starting to get why Jisung avoided this man like the plague. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Bang Chan asked, doing his level best to keep his tone neutral. Did Minho need his help getting pinned to the wall? Because Chan was a little too ready to lend a hand for that. Minho went "Hm!" again, his smugness reverting to that wide-eye affect, and held out the paper. Chan took it. Across the top in bright red were the words 'Apartments for rent!' Below that were two pictures; one of a full-sized kitchen and the other of a big, empty room with two exterior windows and folding doors along the right side. The walls were white and the floors were laid with a gray tinted wood. Below the pictures, the description read; 'Two units to choose from! Unit 1 consists of one bedroom and one bath: Unit 2 consists of two bedrooms plus nesting den and one bath. Available separately or rent together! Second story walk-up above coffee shop and bakery. Cost open to negotiation! Inquire at number below.' Chan starred at it for a long moment while the tension between them rolled over and died. It was a little surreal to be handed a rental advertisement by one of his (currently) most annoying regulars after spending two weeks looking at ads and talking to agents himself. It was extra surreal to get one that screamed "scam!" from top to bottom. There was always some haggling in rental agreements, but said haggling had to start with a base amount. This advertisement basically said "name your price" and what sort of people was that supposed to attract? "What did you need me to do with this, exactly?" Chan asked at last. Minho pursed his mouth. "Does it look good? I want to put it up on the community board," he added, motioning to the board in question with his chin. "Lee Minho-ssi, I think you’ll have more success if you get a real estate agent to represent you." "Oh, is that so, Bang Chan-ssi?" Minho reached up to curl his finger against his lips thoughtfully, and Chan couldn't tell if he was acting or sincerely didn't know the correct way to go about securing a tenant. He didn't want to think Minho was actually running a scam, but the man owned an entire building for fucks sake. If he didn't know how it all worked, he had to have lawyers or advisors who did. "The truth is," Lee Minho said, dropping the air of bemusement like it was an unwanted jacket, "I really don't have much to do all day, so I thought it would be more interesting to handle the process myself. Besides, I'd rather rent to someone who already likes coming to the coffee shop. That way I'll have something in common with my downstairs neighbors." That... made sense, Chan supposed. If you looked at it sideways. At least it sounded less likely to be a scam -- just a weird guy going about things in his own weird way. Chan’s brows knit together as he struggled to find a diplomatic way to clarify the issue. "You should at least put down an asking price and maybe the address. There's a lot of scams out there, so people tend to be suspicious when the information is too vague." "Should I? But the money isn't all that important, I'm just tired of those rooms being empty." Ah, to be independently wealthy. "Any potential renters are going to care very much about the money, Lee Minho-ssi, so it's good to give them a place to start." Chan held out the paper to give it back. "You can still put this up if you want, but I think you'll get a better response if you make some edits. It might be worth talking to an agent to get some advice, too." Minho took the paper back and frowned at it. They both stood there for several beats, Chan waiting for a response and Minho fiddling with the corner of his advert. There was something oddly vulnerable about the other alpha in that moment, all of his playful energy dissipated. Was he disappointed Chan didn't like his advertisement? That didn't seem likely. He had no reason to want to impress Bang Chan of all people, potential flirting or no. Before Chan could say anything or decipher his mood further, Minho's head came up. "Do you want to see it?" "The apartment?" Chan asked, startled. Minho nodded eagerly. "Hm! It's just upstairs. I can put here --" He pretended to write on the side of the paper and started to snicker like he found his own words funny " -- ask the manager for reference! He thinks it's great!" He laughed harder and slashed his hand across the paper. "Five stars!" When Minho laughed, his cheeks scrunched up and his two front teeth stuck out. It was so infectious that Chan found himself laughing along. "Nooo, could you imagine?" Chan mimed holding a paper in front of him. "Ooh, the manager recommends this place? I always take housing advice from shop managers!" "I would," Minho insisted, gesturing to himself, "I really would! When something stands out, you should always pay attention to it. Like if I went to a restaurant and the menu said 'our cook thinks this shopping mall has really good deals', I would go shop there immediately. They went through all that effort to put it on their menu, there must be something to it." "Oh my gosh, but what if the deals were bad?" Minho seemed thrown for a loop by the very prospect and his expression of mingled confusion and betrayal was somehow the funniest thing Bang Chan had seen all week. He had to brace a hand on Minho's shoulder to keep from doubling-over into hysterics. Minho's expression broke after a moment and he sputtered out another laugh. "That would serve me right for taking advice from some words on a menu, wouldn't it?" Bang Chan wheezed, trying to get himself back under control. He wanted to hug Minho so badly, it was ridiculous. The realization shifted his perception of the other alpha sideways. Uh oh. He withdrew his hand. "It would," Chan agreed, sobered somewhat by his flare of other-than-sexual interest, "But at least you'd get an adventure out of it." "I would," Minho agreed. He was watching Chan with sparkling eyes. "Really, you should come up to see the apartment. I won't put anything in the ad, but I'd appreciate it if you could recommend it to any friends who are looking for a place. I swear I'm only asking you up to look around," he added, waving a negative with one hand. The corner of his mouth slid into a smirk. "I know my manners." A fission went up Chan's spine. Some packs were fully open to outside relationships or additional members and some were fully closed to them, but the majority hovered in an in-between "not actively looking but not against the right person" area. Casually flirting with a mated person was taken in good spirits even by someone who was exclusive, but there was a line between allowed testing and an invasion of someone else's territory and that line wasn't always clearly defined. That was the advantage of more traditional courtship; it's stated up front what the established pack is looking for and how far the un-mated person can pursue intimacy without pushback. In the absence of formal courtship declarations, though, there were rules and etiquette for avoiding conflict. The most straightforward being to express interest and then back off to let the mated person take the lead, so they'd have a chance to either seek approval from their pack or establish that they had it already. Was that "I know my manners" actually an "I'm interested and the only reason I’m not inviting you upstairs for a hook-up is to avoid a fight with the omegas whose scent you're slathered in?" In reaction to Bang Chan's undoubtedly stunned stare, Lee Minho's smirk widened. It absolutely was. Several feelings piled on Chan at once. Excitement (holy shit yes, please invite me upstairs for a good time), giddiness (oh my god, he’s into me), disbelief (seriously, Lee Minho is into me? Me, Bang Chan? Do his eyes work?), uncertainty and worry (ah, I haven't had this specific talk with Jeongin yet) (I would probably need to check in with Jisung too because - Lee Minho), but above them all was guilt. Guilt that he’d caught the attention of an alpha when his pack needed a beta. Guilt at the thought of rejecting Minho, because it’d be out of responsibility and not lack of attraction. Bang Chan had no problem with lying to someone’s face for the sake of his pack, but now, when a feasible and polite lie welled up in the back of his throat, something about Minho’s smile trapped it on his tongue. "I’d like that," he said instead, for once doing his best not to hint that he’d like the unspoken part, too. Not a rejection, not an acceptance.There was no harm in looking at an apartment and being social with a member of his community. Who knew, maybe it’d be the perfect place for his pack, even if the idea of living above the coffee shop gave him hives.The key part of all this was that he didn’t have to think or make a decision about anything right away. "I can’t right now and I won’t be off until eleven, though," he went on, "Maybe tomorrow afternoon." "Eleven o’clock?" Minho said, again with the mockingly wide eyes, "That is the only time my schedule is fully booked. I have a very important date with my bed." His tone was playful and showed no sign of disappointment at Chan neutral response. It turned out Chan was disappointed enough for both of them, though, the feeling warring with his relief that Minho was going to accept the situation peacefully. "Tomorrow, then," Bang Chan reiterated, "I wouldn’t want to get between a man and his bed." "No," Minho said. He eyed Chan and all at once, they were treading back into dangerous territory. "That didn’t strike me as your usual position." It was pushing things, but Chan couldn’t stop himself from saying, "Yours either." Minho lifted one shoulder, at the same time angling his neck that certain way to make it look more vulnerable and, coincidentally, releasing more of his lush, suggestive scent. "I’ve decided I’d like to try being persuaded." And he was ready to be an easy fucking sell, it looked like. For a hot second, Chan contemplated the logistics and sense of interrupting Jeongin’s friend-date and Jisung’s practice for a quick consult. He aggressively smothered the urge. Look, Lee Minho was beautiful and blisteringly hot and apparently ready to be taken for a ride despite having way better options, but in the end, all that was just sex. Bang Chan wasn’t looking for "just sex" with anyone. And if he wasn’t going to reject things outright and he didn’t want to risk setting his domestic life on fire, he had to be sensible and controlled about this. Luckily, it seemed Minho was serious about knowing his own place, because after a tense moment of them looking at each other, the air between them having gone a little too thick, he took another full step back and said, "Well, since you won’t be keeping me company today, I’ve got a show to get to. I’ll see you tomorrow --" He lifted a questioning eyebrow. "Afternoon?" "Yeah," Chan said. He shook himself slightly and continued in a firmer voice, "Around 1:30?" Minho nodded and repeated the time in agreement. "Here," he added, and passed back his advertisement, "For my number." Chan took it with a wry smile and tucked into the front pocket of his apron. There was another beat where they continued to stand and look at each other, only this time it was with the awkward realization that they didn’t know how to gracefully end the encounter. They finally both settled for turning away silently and heading in their separate directions. Bang Chan didn’t have far to go, because one of the part-timers was hovering a few feet away, her deadpan expression screaming "really, oppa" in big, bold letters. He cleared his throat. "What’s up?" Owner Chen wanted to see him in the back. Chan almost said "who?" because hearing that name was so unexpected. The man was never around twice in the same month. Fuck, what happened now? He instinctively looked over his shoulder for Minho. If Chan could get Owner Chen to wait, than maybe - Lee Minho was walking along the big front windows on his way to the door. In the process, he passed by where the strikingly beautiful beta from earlier still sat and, as if sensing Bang Chan’s attention, the young man looked up in time to make eye-contact with him. The beta’s expression went fierce. Oop. Bang Chan turned back to the part-timer and assured her that he’d take care of it. She looked between him and the now nearly departed Minho, said "sure, oppa" with more judgment than an entire knitting circle of grandparents, and headed to the counter. Chan let her go ahead and decided not to get in the middle of whatever was going on between Lee Minho and Owner Chen. Also, now that there was some distance between him and Minho, the embarrassment of the last few minutes was catching up with him. Did he seriously just agree to an apartment viewing because of a pretty alpha he felt bad saying "no" to? What the fuck, Chris. He did, however, glance at the beta again. The boy was not lunging to his feet in search of a confrontation, like Chan half-feared he would be, but he was typing aggressively on his mobile. As Chan watched, he tossed the device onto the pitted wood of the window table, and buried his face in his hands. Chan’s chest twinged and it was a genuine effort not to go over there. He’d already been told to shove off once; he didn’t need to make a repeat performance just because he felt bad about some stranger’s distress. He made he way into the back of the shop. Owner Chen was indeed there. He’d wedged his tall frame into the office roller chair and was controlling the computer mouse with one hand while holding a lit cigarette with the other. Bang Chan quickly closed the door into the store room, the one that had been standing open so long it took him several seconds to pry free the squashed cartoon of filters they’d been using as a door stop. Hopefully they were far enough back that none of the fumes would make it into the front of the house. "Hey Channie," Owner Chen said without looking over, "Come tell me about these purchases." The purchases in question were the usual stock order and Bang Chan went through the frustrating, but familiar, spiel of justifying each one.This was one of the things he hadn’t missed about Owner Chen being gone all the time. Owner Chen listened throughout it while smoking silently. At the end, he blew out a smokey snort, and said "Scalpers, the lot of them. I’ll talk to my people, make some calls. One of them has to have a better deal. Come show me the till." This was also familiar and to Owner Chen’s credit, it did occasionally result in some new vendors with cheaper options. It also sometimes resulted in supplies arriving sporadically, without Chan having ordered them, in unmarked vans and with grim faced people who went "do you want them or not?" when questioned. At least those sorts of deliveries only lasted a few months before stopping as abruptly as they’d started. Owner Chen put out his cigarette without being asked, at least, though the cloud of freshly burnt tobacco and tar followed them out to the register. There were a couple of customers being served, so they stood out of the way for a minute, chatting. Owner Chen had questions – and doubts – about the new staff and newly promoted supervisor, and Bang Chan realized pretty quick that he was digging for criticisms of them. Probably so he could complain about wasting money on layabouts.Chan made a point of talking them up and then they huddled around the register, checking the totals for the day and making sure everything was still working well. It was something better suited for after hours, especially since Bang Chan could see people start to come up to the counter only to turn and leave when they were within a few feet. Undoubtedly after getting a whiff of Owner Chen. Among them was the beta boy, who’d been walking up to the counter only to cringe back with his whole body. It was hilariously cute and Chan was almost disappointed that he immediately about-faced and went back to his seat. Not that he’d wanted to deal with a customer who was clearly unhappy about something, but a confrontation would have sated his curiosity about said beta and spared him the tedium of have to go over and explain every purchase, process, menu item, and bottle of flavored syrup to someone who should already understand all this. By the time Owner Chen declared himself satisfied – or rather, declared himself done lecturing Bang Chan to get his act together and earn all that extra money Owner Chen was spending on him – well over an hour had passed. Chan was wildly relieved it was over and parted ways with Owner Chen to fetch the broom he’d abandoned by the community board. He was fully in his own head, fixated on how he was going to make up for the lost hour and still get home on time. It wasn’t that much time in the grand scheme of things, but he hated when things interrupted his usual schedule. Threw off his whole day. Broom in hand, he went to go check on the trash cans. That was when Jeongin burst into the coffee shop. He looked wind-tousled and decidedly pale in the face. Alarm shot through Chan. Why was he here? Why was he alone? What had happened to Changbin? Jeongin saw Chan and the two bee-lined to each other. Chan took hold of Jeongin’s arm the instant he was close enough. "What happened? Are you okay?" "I almost threw up," Jeongin whined and leaned into Chan’s space, breathing in his scent, "That man smelled so bad." Chagrin flushed through Bang Chan. Did Jeongin run into Owner Chen? The timing was right. Seriously, that guy had become a biohazard. What the hell was even up with him? Bang Chan started to ask where Changbin was, when Jeongin jerked up and whipped his head around. His whole body went rigid in alarm. Chan followed the direction of his gaze. The beautiful, long-haired beta was approaching them, all of his attention fixated directly on Yang Jeongin. Chan moved on instinct, putting himself between this stranger and his pregnant omega, his free arm out-stretched to create a wider barrier and the broom held across his front like a half-assed weapon. The beta pulled up short. His eyes snapped between Chan and Jeongin and his intense expression melted into one of confusion and hurt. He looked painfully young and lost in that moment. Bang Chan got the feeling that the beta hadn’t expected such a hostile reaction. The 'why’ quickly revealed itself when he called out in a wounded and uncertain voice, "Innie-yah?" Behind him, Jeongin took a hitched breath and said, "Hyunjin-hyung." Several things clarified for Chan at once, but he didn’t get much time to feel stupid for not figuring out the source of the beta’s distress on his own, because the sound of his name seemed to resolve something for Hyunjin. The lost child look vanished and he drew himself up in indignation. One of those lean, elegant hands lifted to point directly at Bang Chan. "You left me for that?!" he yelled. Every head in the coffee shop turned toward them. Oh fuck. This wasn’t just Jeongin’s church friend 'Hyunjin-hyung’; This was his baby’s beta-sire. It was incredibly shallow, but Chan almost turned around to repeat the question, because Chan had seen himself in the mirror and holy shit, Jeongin had not made an even trade. Jeongin let out a loud groan and the heavy scent of anxious fear on him gave way to annoyance. "Hyung, don’t." "What do you mean 'don’t’?! How am I supposed to react to this?" Hyunjin demanded, a shrill edge of hysteria entering his voice, "You vanished! I’ve been going literally insane with worry and now you’re pregnant?! Is it mine? I can’t believe you already had an alpha when we slept together!" The beta was currently making zero effort to be quiet or private about the situation, and literally every single eye in the shop was on them. Chan’s whole head felt hot. "You had two alphas!" Jeongin protested, nearly as loudly. "Yang Jeongin, you know that’s not the same. I didn’t even know this guy existed!" He slashed a hand at Bang Chan. Oh, there was a big misunderstanding going on here. Chan started to speak when another, familiar voice intruded on the situation. "Yah, yah, enough." It was Changbin, his arms loaded with bags emblazoned in fancy shop names. Chan hadn’t even noticed him arrive. He barged over and put himself alongside the three of them, strategically placed so he was close enough to stop Hyunjin from trying to get closer, without escalating things by putting himself directly in the middle. Thank fuck. Chan felt himself relaxing out of the protective stance. "This is no place to be yelling private business," Changbin said, hands held up placatingly, "Let’s settle down and speak appropriately." Hyunjin gave the other beta a scathing once over and turned his attention back to Jeongin. "Is it his?! Were you cheating on a whole pack with me?" "Oi," Changbin snapped, not appreciating being ignored, but Chan was entirely distracted by the way Jeongin sucked in a breath – and held it. Chan looked over his shoulder and saw the calculation in his expression. He was going to lie, Chan realized like a punch in the throat. He was going to say the baby was Chan and Changbin’s. And while Bang Chan wouldn’t contest that – it was his baby now, in everything but genetics – Changbin hadn’t agreed to be dragged into this. "Innie," Chan said softly. Jeongin flinched, eyes casting downward in guilt. "Hyunjin-hyung is the baby’s sire," he said, voice carrying despite the quiet tone. A single "ooooh" rose from somewhere in the shop. Hyunjin exhaled hard and covered his face with shaking hands. "I don’t understand," he said miserably. "I’m sorry, hyung," Jeongin said, just as upset, "I didn’t mean for it to happen." Hyunjin silently shook his head. Tear-salt mixed into his scent, turning the sour smell mournful. Bang Chan’s chest hurt. Regardless of whatever else was going on between Jeongin and Hyunjin, this was a terrible way to learn about becoming a father. With a little gasp, Jeongin was crying too, more apologies spilling from his lips. He moved forward, like he wanted to go to Hyunjin to comfort him, then just stopped, arms wrapped around himself. The atmosphere among the bystanders shifted, too, going from excited intrigue to agitated unease. Whispers rose in volume, loud enough for the occasional word to stand out – Sad. Shameful. Embarrassing. Slut. Bang Chan and Changbin made eye-contact in a moment of wordless communication. "I’ve got Jeonginnie," Changbin said. He curled one arm around the omega and gently urged him to move. Jeongin looked at him, tears slipping down his cheeks, and planted his feet. "Hyung - " he started, though it was up for debate which one he was addressing. "We’re all going into the break room," Bang Chan said, gentle but stern. He caught Jeongin’s attention and glanced pointedly around the shop. "Where it’s private." Jeongin looked around too and huddled more into himself. He gave into Changbin’s urging. "Use the door behind the counter," Chan told Changbin. He checked the counter himself, where the one closing shift part-timer was watching them all with a deer-in-headlights look. Chan motioned at Changbin with his head and made an 'okay’ gesture so she’d know he’d approved of a random customer going into the back. She blinked at him. Whatever. Changbin would figure it out. Hyunjin was rubbing the heels of his hands over his cheeks, eyes red-lined, but fixed on Jeongin’s retreating back. Bang Chan cautiously stepped closer so he didn’t have to speak too loudly. "Do you need a minute?" he asked. Hyunjin barked a sharp laugh. "If I let that brat out of my sight too long, he might vanish again. I just need my stuff." Chan followed him the short distance back to his window seat. The beta’s abandoned mobile was buzzing and vibrating wildly on the counter. "No, don’t call," Hyunjin muttered at it, sliding the red button up the screen and then unlocking it. Chan caught the flash of an active text chat and looked away. The mobile started buzzing again almost immediately. "Oh my god, stop freaking out. Hold on," he said to Chang, "I have to let him know what’s going on." Hyunjin answered the call and turned half-way away from Chan, his palm cupped around his mouth and the receiver. "It’s fine, everything is fine –- no, I didn’t –- I didn’t, okay? Jeonginie showed up. He’s alright, he’s safe. -- Yeah, he is pregnant. It’s… it’s mine. He confirmed it." It was most likely one those alphas Jeongin had yelled about, or someone else from their pack since Hyunjin was supposed to be in courtship with them, but an sense of promotion washed over Chan. Jeongin hadn’t cut off his entire Seoul-side social circle for nothing and he suspected the likelihood of the alpha-sire finding out about this had increased significantly. Hyunjin went quiet for a stretch, then said, "Yeah right? It doesn’t feel real. Look, I gotta – no, no, don’t, not yet, I need to talk to Innie first. We’re just about to -– yeah, okay. I’ll call you later." He hung up, dropping the mobile carelessly in his bag. He shook out both hands, fingers blurring together, and let out a forceful "ugh!" Chan felt that. When Hyunjin faced him again, his chin lifted and his jaw firmed, giving the beta a piercing, slightly glaring look. "Let me introduce myself correctly," he said formally. He extended his right hand, forearm lightly supported with his left. "Bang Chan-ssi, I am Hwang Hyunjin and I am going to be a raising a baby with you." [delete later]
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