Come On, Rock My World (Hankyung/Heechul/Siwon, PG-13)
Title: Come On, Rock My World
Author: meiface
Recipient: daidetre
Characters/Pairings: Siwon/Hankyung/Heechul, Sungmin
Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): high school AU, band AU
Warnings: swearing, underage drinking
Author's Note: I was so thrilled at your prompts, daidetre! I love ShiHanChul and this AU was really fun to write. I hope you like it. Happy new year!
Heechul vetoed the fliers without even looking at them. Siwon, impressively, managed to look like a six-foot tall kicked puppy. “Hyung!” he protested in injured tones. “Don’t you at least want to see them first?”
There was no one who could lean back in an uncomfortable school chair the way Heechul could, all insolent, lazy grace. “No,” he said. “You made them. Do you or do you not have the word ‘Jesus’ on them?”
There was a telling silence.
“But hyung-”
“Siwon!”
The chair rocked forward, its front legs meeting the ground. “Yah, I’ve told you! We’re a rock band, not a We Love Jesus band. We’re not going to be singing about love and peace for the world. Do you want to ruin our image? Hankyung, what were you thinking, letting him make our fliers?”
Hankyung blinked slowly from the neighboring desk where he’d been playing spectator, head propped up on an arm. “He wanted to,” he said with a shrug.
“‘He wanted to-’ The both of you! Totally useless!” Heechul reached over and thwapped him hard on the back with a rolled up notebook. Swinging his feet off his desk from where he’d propped them earlier, he surveyed the classroom. “Where’s Lee Sungmin? That brat. I’ll get him to do the fliers.”
“He left to talk to Jongwoon in 3-B.”
“Aisshh.” Heechul made a face and exchanged the notebook for his phone. As his thumbs flew over the keypad, Siwon sank into the vacant seat in front of Hankyung’s desk, expression still drooping.
“We could be a Christian rock band,” he said. “It’s not like Jesus hates rock music. We could sing about sex and drugs and Jesus. Although, I mean, maybe not the drugs. Or the sex. Not that sex is bad, as long as you’re married. The Bible actually encourages you to have a lot of sex, you know?”
Hankyung resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It’s easier to just do as Heechul says.”
Siwon sighed, a tiny bit petulant. It did nothing to erase the sulking puppy impression. “I know. I just wish hyung would give it a chance.”
Privately, Hankyung thought a Heechul swept away in religious fervor would be way more terrifying than the current version they dealt with on a day-to-day basis. He had a feeling Siwon wouldn’t agree though, so he kept his opinion to himself and patted Siwon’s hand consolingly instead.
***
Sungmin’s fliers were thankfully free of any proclamations of love for or from Jesus. They read:
MODERN SC
Live!
Saturday @ NOISY BASEMENT #2
9PM
No cover!
The flier also had their official photo plastered over it, the one with them dressed to the nines in leather and studs (per Heechul’s artistic vision) and posing like they were the next big idol group (except idol groups couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance, and couldn’t play instruments, as Heechul pointed out snidely).
Once approved by Heechul, Sungmin promised to make copies and distribute them to the others so they could plaster them around the city. Hankyung suspected Heechul would pass off this menial chore to either Siwon or himself - or maybe one of those unsuspecting starry-eyed underclassmen who tagged after Siwon.
Siwon asked, not for the first time since they’d agreed on a band name, what “SC” meant.
Heechul just grinned at him, as always, fluttering his lashes. “Siwon Choi, of course.”
Hankyung only laughed. He looked forward to the day Siwon finally figured it out.
***
They weren’t well-known by any means, but they’d played enough around Hongdae to earn themselves some name-recognition and genuine welcome from the audience. Still, they were overlooked for the most part for other bands, older ones, because while university students could admit that Modern SC put out a good sound and knew how to work the whole rocker image (“All thanks to me,” Heechul said, “and you’re welcome.”), they could never bring themselves to be real fans of high school students.
“You guys will be awesome once you hit uni,” more than one person had told them.
“If you’re still together then,” added the more practical of those.
“Thanks,” said Sungmin, who tended to be the politest out of all of them.
“Fuckers,” said Heechul, when they were alone. But for all his disgruntlement at his older audience (he had such little respect for authority and seniority that even Hankyung, who hadn’t grown up in this rigidly hierarchical society, was surprised), he kept playing. Heechul wanted to be the best and, despite the flighty image he cultivated, was willing to put his head down and work hard to get there.
He had goals and motivation and dedication and all the things his counselors at school despaired of. He just didn’t bother applying them to the typical academic path. Rather, he spent his creative energy on things like Modern SC’s perfect outfits for their Noisy Basement gig.
So they went out in lace and leather, hair spiked and gelled according to Heechul’s critical eye.
They played their set, a mix of covers of Korean rock and American rock and their own songs. The club filled up as they played and more and more people wandered over from the bar to circle their platform and eye them with interest. Heechul stood front and center with the mic, gripping it tight and mouthing over it obscenely as he sang, his hair a fiery red halo under the lights. His black lace top was patently see-through.
Siwon sat on drums, biceps bare and eyes intense. Sungmin rocked their guitar with eyeliner smudged dark around his eyes. Hankyung stood more or less still with the bass in skintight black pants he had a wretched feeling would be impossible to peel out of later. It was a minor concern in the back of his head, though, flooded back against the high of performance, an electric thrill that seemed to rush through his blood under his skin.
Of their short career, it was the best performance yet.
“That was amazing,” Sungmin said breathlessly when they wrapped up.
“We were amazing,” rasped Heechul.
Hankyung passed him a bottle of water and grinned, fierce, when their gazes collided. Heat sparked low in his belly when Heechul deliberately brushed their fingers taking the bottle from Hankyung. His lips were pink and wet against the mouth of the bottle, his throat white and glistening with sweat as he drank. He licked his lips after, still looking at Hankyung.
“We were pretty kickass,” Hankyung said.
Heechul’s eyes flashed. “Yeah.”
***
Dark alleyways had never really been Hankyung’s choice of venue for making out, but he’d done a lot of things he hadn’t expected to in Korea. High school had been one new experience after another thanks mostly to Kim Heechul.
Heechul had latched onto the new boy - foreign, the whispers all said, not unkind but endlessly curious - and taken him under his wing, of sorts. Hankyung had grown taller than Heechul only three months after first year started but it was never a question that Heechul was the one leading, full of ideas and plans and opinions he was sometimes too free with sharing.
Hankyung had asked him before why he’d chosen Hankyung as a friend. “You looked interesting,” Heechul had replied with a shrug. “I mean, you looked all goody two-shoes and boring, but I could tell you were more than that. And that made you interesting.” He’d grinned. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
He had been. Hankyung might be able to pass for the good son and diligent student, but he would never be mistaken for having anywhere near the kind of earnestness Siwon did. Choi Siwon was from a good family, well-bred and handsome, so polite. He was a year younger than them and on the student council. Girls loved him. Guys thought he was cool. No one really understood why he wanted to hang out with Kim Heechul all the time, but they figured having Hankyung there made a difference. Hankyung was kind of boring, they thought, so he probably toned down Heechul’s craziness.
It was Hankyung who’d first kissed Heechul though, halfway through second year. It was Hankyung who’d said, “Yeah, that sounds like fun” when Heechul first came up with the idea of starting a band. He was the one who said with a smirk, “Ask Siwon,” when they needed a drummer. He was the one who didn’t mind climbing into leather pants and wearing a leather choker around his throat. He was the one who liked to smoke and stay up late drinking.
Heechul wouldn’t be half as crazy if he hadn’t had a partner to go along with him.
Hankyung didn’t mind if people thought he was boring. He kept Heechul from getting into heated arguments about it, writing it off as a waste of time. It didn’t matter what other people thought. Hankyung was happy with who he was; he was happy backing Heechul against the building wall and kissing him deep and open-mouthed.
“You smoked earlier,” Heechul accused when he paused for breath.
“During our set break,” Hankyung agreed.
“I told you not to smoke,” said Heechul, annoyed. “It tastes gross. And it’ll kill you!”
Hankyung laughed. “I can see you’re real concerned for my health.” He leaned back in and caught Heechul’s mouth, hands cupping his hips. Hankyung shifted his thigh between Heechul’s legs and he could feel the moment Heechul gave in with a low moan, spine curving off the wall.
Heechul’s hands scrabbled against his back before one wound into his hair and clenched there, mindless of the sweat and sticky remnants of gel.
They made out until Heechul got impatient and thrust a hand down the front of Hankyung’s pants. They had to take a moment to sort themselves out when they realized he had no wiggle room - the pants were that tight - but the moment Hankyung had carefully slid his zipper down, Heechul’s palm was back cupping his cock.
“God, Kyungie, you look so hot.” Heechul panted against his neck as he worked his fist around Hankyung.
Hankyung groaned when he came, fingers digging into Heechul’s hips.
He laughed softly against Heechul’s cheek as he brought Heechul off too. “You always did have an eye for art,” he mocked.
“Matchless,” said Heechul when he slumped against the wall.
“So,” said Hankyung. “Siwon?”
***
The first time Hankyung had brought it up, Heechul had looked scornful. “No way. No fucking way. That boy is so in love with Jesus I’m surprised he’s dated before. I’m surprised Jesus hasn’t come back already just to see him, that’s how in love with him Siwon is. He would never.”
Hankyung had shrugged philosophically. “Well. Just a thought.” He’d knocked back another shot of soju and slid his hand up Heechul’s thigh under the table.
***
Sungmin was a second year, like Siwon. He was a Christian too, like Siwon. But where Siwon had girls of all ages half in love with him, Sungmin had a steady girlfriend from middle school named Choi Sooyoung. Where Siwon was tall and handsome, Sungmin was average and often called “cute”. Heechul had looked at him and saw potential, just like he’d seen with Hankyung.
“More than what he seems,” Heechul had said confidently.
He’d been proven right when Sungmin had readily agreed to join their band and impressed them with his guitar skills. He was the last key piece and from there Modern SC had been born.
Outside of band activities, Sungmin didn’t spend that much time with them. He had his friends from his year and a childhood friend in the third-years. He was always friendly when he ran into his bandmates at school, but their paths didn’t cross all that often.
But if even he could see the crush Siwon had on Heechul, Hankyung knew it wasn’t nearly as hidden as Siwon hoped it was.
“Are you kidding?” Sungmin laughed. “I think half the student council knows at this point. My friend Kyuhyun’s on it and he’s only a first year but he even he’s noticed how much Siwon keeps bringing up things Heechul-hyung said. Like Heechul-hyung has anything relevant to say about school policies.”
“Well, he certainly has a lot of complaints about them,” Hankyung said after a moment’s reflection.
Sungmin bent over his guitar again, strumming idly as Hankyung tuned the bass and waited for their other two band members to show up. “He talks a lot about you too, hyung.” Hankyung blinked at him, surprised, and Sungmin smiled. “Your opinions are actually more helpful, Kyuhyun says. Siwon seems to respect both of you a lot.”
“Unfortunately,” Hankyung said dryly, “I suspect neither of us are Christian enough for him.”
Sungmin grinned and let the topic die. He was never as obnoxious about his faith as Siwon was, yet Hankyung would still consider himself closer to Siwon in a heartbeat. He considered this for a few minutes, turning it over in his mind, until the doorbell announced the arrival of one of their bandmates. The second ring, coming barely after Sungmin had gotten to his feet to get the door, announced that it was Heechul.
“Good thing my parents aren’t home,” sighed Sungmin. “Hyung is never patient.”
He returned with both Heechul and Siwon on his heels and both, to Hankyung’s surprise, were oddly flushed. Siwon looked embarrassed, eyes cast downward and his tail, if he’d had one, would have been dragging along the floor. Heechul looked a cross between annoyed and dismissive which meant, in Hankyung’s experience, that he was uncomfortable.
“Blue?” he said.
Heechul flopped onto the couch, newly-blue hair wafting around his face before settling. “Yeah, we needed an image change. I’m thinking we go the denim route this time. You could rock a pair of tight jeans.”
“I can rock anything,” Hankyung said with a smirk.
Heechul kicked him with a socked foot. “Only because I make you look good. You’d be a disaster if I let you dress yourself.”
“I’m so glad you’re an artist.”
“Artiste,” scoffed Heechul, but he looked far less uncomfortable than he had only two minutes ago.
Siwon, on the hand, spent the entire rehearsal refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. He managed to keep on beat, thank God, but was otherwise might have had a giant neon arrow pointing to him and declaring Emotional Wreck. He darted off as soon as they wrapped up. Hankyung nodded after him and raised an eyebrow at Heechul.
“What’s with him?”
“Probably ran off to Bible Study,” Heechul said dismissively. But now he was the one refusing to meet Hankyung’s eyes.
Hankyung wasn’t dumb. If even Sungmin could see Siwon’s crush on Heechul, then Heechul himself couldn’t be as oblivious as he pretended to be. And Siwon, tall and earnest and well-meaning as he was, was not unaware either of his own charms. He had girls from all three years at school confessing to him, after all. He had to know that his attention was not typically considered a bad thing.
Interesting, thought Hankyung, because Heechul had been wrong. Apparently Siwon wasn’t so in love with Jesus that it precluded any other relationship.
***
Heechul had a thing for Hankyung swearing. If Hankyung were into pop psychology or any of that crap, he might be able to work out some reason for it. But Hankyung was a good student only in that he did his work and memorized the necessary materials for class - he wasn’t that interested in learning all the material school constantly shoved at him. So all he could really guess was that Heechul liked Hankyung swearing because it proved to him again that Hankyung had those hidden depths Heechul had known right from the start. Heechul loved being right, after all.
Hankyung did too. It was why he pulled Heechul’s hair during sex because even though it made Heechul snap and fuss, he knew Heechul liked it. It was why he hung out by the boys’ locker room after school until Siwon emerged, fresh from his post-club shower. “Hankyung-hyung.” Siwon’s eyes normally lit up at the sight of him but today he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
He looked guilty, Hankyung thought. He smiled.
“Hey, Siwon. Want to go grab something to eat?”
“Uh, I should- It’s kind of-” Siwon stammered. He met Hankyung’s eyes. “I have to meet a classmate for a project.”
It was probably true. Siwon didn’t tend to lie, as much as he would’ve liked to. Hankyung stuck his hands in his pockets and said, “Okay. I’ll walk you to the subway.”
There wasn’t much Siwon could do about that so he shouldered his bag and fell into step beside Hankyung.
Two blocks from school, Hankyung said, “So you kissed Heechul, huh?”
Siwon flushed red.
“I guess I did always know you liked him,” Hankyung said softly, not looking at him. “He knew too, didn’t he?”
Siwon seemed to struggle for words. His brows drew together, wrinkling. “Hyung. I-” Hankyung slowed his pace and gave him a sideways look. “I do like Heechul-hyung, but, I mean. It’s awkward. He’s…”
“With me?” Hankyung finished.
Siwon stopped walking altogether, forcing Hankyung to follow suit. They stood in the middle of the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon and looked at each other. Siwon’s face was unusually pale and solemn. Hankyung watched the panic drain away, replaced by something he couldn’t identify. “No,” Siwon said quietly, “I meant to say, he’s not the only one I like.”
That-was not what Hankyung had been expecting to hear. At all.
Everyone loved Heechul. He had a prickly sort of charm. Everyone loved Siwon - he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, plus charming to boot. Hankyung was the boring one. Oh, he knew his own strengths well enough and he didn’t care much about what other people thought about him, but he knew in comparison to either Heechul or Siwon, he wouldn’t ever be first choice.
To be totally honest, he hadn’t thought he’d even be a choice at all.
Hankyung didn’t rouse from his stupefaction until Siwon drew him into a narrow alleyway off the street and leaned in to kiss him gently.
Hankyung snapped out of his daze. “Seriously?” he said. “You’re serious. You’re not fucking with me?”
There was something like fear in Siwon’s eyes but he made a fair attempt at a smile. He kept a hold on Hankyung’s hand. “I’m serious.”
***
“He loves us more than Jesus,” Heechul crowed, gloating. “I knew you had hidden depths too, Siwonnie, but I didn’t expect them to go this deep!”
Hankyung remembered his drunken ponderings and leaned back into the couch, smug, one arm slung across the back. “He said you would never go for it but I was right in the end.”
Siwon hid his face in his hands. “You guys,” he said and that was definitely a whine to his voice. A petulant puppy still. “I love you guys, but I love God too, okay?”
“God and us and Jesus? You’re looser than I thought!”
“God and Jesus are the same!”
Heechul laughed at him. “I’m just teasing, Siwon.” He kissed Siwon’s red cheek in apology then dropped into Hankyung’s lap and hooked an arm around his neck. His hair was pink today. His homeroom teacher had only sighed when she’d seen.
“This is sort of awkward,” said Sungmin from the armchair. “Should I leave the band? If we have to be in a relationship for this to work… I already have a girlfriend, you know.”
“She was fine when I kissed you that time!”
“That was a performance, hyung! If that’s going to become a usual thing, I may have to rethink being in Modern SC.”
Hankyung frowned. “Don’t quit, Sungmin. We don’t want to have to find another guitarist right when we’re getting big.”
Siwon looked over. “That reminds me, what’s the ‘SC’ stand for?” Heechul started laughing again and Siwon frowned. “I know it’s not ‘Siwon Choi’ so don’t lie to me again, hyung. It’s not fair. Now that we’re-” a blush “-in a relationship, we should be honest with each other.”
“Should I tell him?” Hankyung fit his hand over Heechul’s hipbone.
“I guess we should,” Heechul chortled. “It seems appropriate now.”
Sungmin pulled out his phone.
“Our band name,” Hankyung explained, “is Modern Sex Challenge. Heechul came up with after we decided to get more creative when having sex. He wanted to mix it up. I guess,” he added thoughtfully, “adding a third to the mix would qualify as mixing it up.”
Heechul threatened to make the photo Sungmin snapped of Siwon their new album cover, but Hankyung relented enough to help Siwon persuade him otherwise. Sungmin declared from now on he never wanted to hear about their negotiation process but would accept their decisions as long as they promised to never put him in a dress. They kept the name Modern SC and built up their reputation in the Hongdae clubs until even university students were willing to call themselves fans. There was just something about the band’s chemistry on stage, they said. It was hard to pin down exactly but there was definitely something about them no other band had.
Plus, of course, the crazy gorgeous lead singer and his ridiculous visual kei-inspired hair.
***
“Please,” Heechul scoffed at graduation, one arm looped around Hankyung’s waist as he beamed up at Siwon. “This is only the beginning. Don’t even worry about your entrance exams, that guy loved our demo. We’re gonna be offered a contract at any moment and then we’re going to blow the world away!”
This entry was originally posted at http://sujuexchange.dreamwidth.org/12354.html?mode=reply. Please comment there using OpenID (i.e., your LJ account's URL).
Author: meiface
Recipient: daidetre
Characters/Pairings: Siwon/Hankyung/Heechul, Sungmin
Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): high school AU, band AU
Warnings: swearing, underage drinking
Author's Note: I was so thrilled at your prompts, daidetre! I love ShiHanChul and this AU was really fun to write. I hope you like it. Happy new year!
Heechul vetoed the fliers without even looking at them. Siwon, impressively, managed to look like a six-foot tall kicked puppy. “Hyung!” he protested in injured tones. “Don’t you at least want to see them first?”
There was no one who could lean back in an uncomfortable school chair the way Heechul could, all insolent, lazy grace. “No,” he said. “You made them. Do you or do you not have the word ‘Jesus’ on them?”
There was a telling silence.
“But hyung-”
“Siwon!”
The chair rocked forward, its front legs meeting the ground. “Yah, I’ve told you! We’re a rock band, not a We Love Jesus band. We’re not going to be singing about love and peace for the world. Do you want to ruin our image? Hankyung, what were you thinking, letting him make our fliers?”
Hankyung blinked slowly from the neighboring desk where he’d been playing spectator, head propped up on an arm. “He wanted to,” he said with a shrug.
“‘He wanted to-’ The both of you! Totally useless!” Heechul reached over and thwapped him hard on the back with a rolled up notebook. Swinging his feet off his desk from where he’d propped them earlier, he surveyed the classroom. “Where’s Lee Sungmin? That brat. I’ll get him to do the fliers.”
“He left to talk to Jongwoon in 3-B.”
“Aisshh.” Heechul made a face and exchanged the notebook for his phone. As his thumbs flew over the keypad, Siwon sank into the vacant seat in front of Hankyung’s desk, expression still drooping.
“We could be a Christian rock band,” he said. “It’s not like Jesus hates rock music. We could sing about sex and drugs and Jesus. Although, I mean, maybe not the drugs. Or the sex. Not that sex is bad, as long as you’re married. The Bible actually encourages you to have a lot of sex, you know?”
Hankyung resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It’s easier to just do as Heechul says.”
Siwon sighed, a tiny bit petulant. It did nothing to erase the sulking puppy impression. “I know. I just wish hyung would give it a chance.”
Privately, Hankyung thought a Heechul swept away in religious fervor would be way more terrifying than the current version they dealt with on a day-to-day basis. He had a feeling Siwon wouldn’t agree though, so he kept his opinion to himself and patted Siwon’s hand consolingly instead.
***
Sungmin’s fliers were thankfully free of any proclamations of love for or from Jesus. They read:
MODERN SC
Live!
Saturday @ NOISY BASEMENT #2
9PM
No cover!
The flier also had their official photo plastered over it, the one with them dressed to the nines in leather and studs (per Heechul’s artistic vision) and posing like they were the next big idol group (except idol groups couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance, and couldn’t play instruments, as Heechul pointed out snidely).
Once approved by Heechul, Sungmin promised to make copies and distribute them to the others so they could plaster them around the city. Hankyung suspected Heechul would pass off this menial chore to either Siwon or himself - or maybe one of those unsuspecting starry-eyed underclassmen who tagged after Siwon.
Siwon asked, not for the first time since they’d agreed on a band name, what “SC” meant.
Heechul just grinned at him, as always, fluttering his lashes. “Siwon Choi, of course.”
Hankyung only laughed. He looked forward to the day Siwon finally figured it out.
***
They weren’t well-known by any means, but they’d played enough around Hongdae to earn themselves some name-recognition and genuine welcome from the audience. Still, they were overlooked for the most part for other bands, older ones, because while university students could admit that Modern SC put out a good sound and knew how to work the whole rocker image (“All thanks to me,” Heechul said, “and you’re welcome.”), they could never bring themselves to be real fans of high school students.
“You guys will be awesome once you hit uni,” more than one person had told them.
“If you’re still together then,” added the more practical of those.
“Thanks,” said Sungmin, who tended to be the politest out of all of them.
“Fuckers,” said Heechul, when they were alone. But for all his disgruntlement at his older audience (he had such little respect for authority and seniority that even Hankyung, who hadn’t grown up in this rigidly hierarchical society, was surprised), he kept playing. Heechul wanted to be the best and, despite the flighty image he cultivated, was willing to put his head down and work hard to get there.
He had goals and motivation and dedication and all the things his counselors at school despaired of. He just didn’t bother applying them to the typical academic path. Rather, he spent his creative energy on things like Modern SC’s perfect outfits for their Noisy Basement gig.
So they went out in lace and leather, hair spiked and gelled according to Heechul’s critical eye.
They played their set, a mix of covers of Korean rock and American rock and their own songs. The club filled up as they played and more and more people wandered over from the bar to circle their platform and eye them with interest. Heechul stood front and center with the mic, gripping it tight and mouthing over it obscenely as he sang, his hair a fiery red halo under the lights. His black lace top was patently see-through.
Siwon sat on drums, biceps bare and eyes intense. Sungmin rocked their guitar with eyeliner smudged dark around his eyes. Hankyung stood more or less still with the bass in skintight black pants he had a wretched feeling would be impossible to peel out of later. It was a minor concern in the back of his head, though, flooded back against the high of performance, an electric thrill that seemed to rush through his blood under his skin.
Of their short career, it was the best performance yet.
“That was amazing,” Sungmin said breathlessly when they wrapped up.
“We were amazing,” rasped Heechul.
Hankyung passed him a bottle of water and grinned, fierce, when their gazes collided. Heat sparked low in his belly when Heechul deliberately brushed their fingers taking the bottle from Hankyung. His lips were pink and wet against the mouth of the bottle, his throat white and glistening with sweat as he drank. He licked his lips after, still looking at Hankyung.
“We were pretty kickass,” Hankyung said.
Heechul’s eyes flashed. “Yeah.”
***
Dark alleyways had never really been Hankyung’s choice of venue for making out, but he’d done a lot of things he hadn’t expected to in Korea. High school had been one new experience after another thanks mostly to Kim Heechul.
Heechul had latched onto the new boy - foreign, the whispers all said, not unkind but endlessly curious - and taken him under his wing, of sorts. Hankyung had grown taller than Heechul only three months after first year started but it was never a question that Heechul was the one leading, full of ideas and plans and opinions he was sometimes too free with sharing.
Hankyung had asked him before why he’d chosen Hankyung as a friend. “You looked interesting,” Heechul had replied with a shrug. “I mean, you looked all goody two-shoes and boring, but I could tell you were more than that. And that made you interesting.” He’d grinned. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
He had been. Hankyung might be able to pass for the good son and diligent student, but he would never be mistaken for having anywhere near the kind of earnestness Siwon did. Choi Siwon was from a good family, well-bred and handsome, so polite. He was a year younger than them and on the student council. Girls loved him. Guys thought he was cool. No one really understood why he wanted to hang out with Kim Heechul all the time, but they figured having Hankyung there made a difference. Hankyung was kind of boring, they thought, so he probably toned down Heechul’s craziness.
It was Hankyung who’d first kissed Heechul though, halfway through second year. It was Hankyung who’d said, “Yeah, that sounds like fun” when Heechul first came up with the idea of starting a band. He was the one who said with a smirk, “Ask Siwon,” when they needed a drummer. He was the one who didn’t mind climbing into leather pants and wearing a leather choker around his throat. He was the one who liked to smoke and stay up late drinking.
Heechul wouldn’t be half as crazy if he hadn’t had a partner to go along with him.
Hankyung didn’t mind if people thought he was boring. He kept Heechul from getting into heated arguments about it, writing it off as a waste of time. It didn’t matter what other people thought. Hankyung was happy with who he was; he was happy backing Heechul against the building wall and kissing him deep and open-mouthed.
“You smoked earlier,” Heechul accused when he paused for breath.
“During our set break,” Hankyung agreed.
“I told you not to smoke,” said Heechul, annoyed. “It tastes gross. And it’ll kill you!”
Hankyung laughed. “I can see you’re real concerned for my health.” He leaned back in and caught Heechul’s mouth, hands cupping his hips. Hankyung shifted his thigh between Heechul’s legs and he could feel the moment Heechul gave in with a low moan, spine curving off the wall.
Heechul’s hands scrabbled against his back before one wound into his hair and clenched there, mindless of the sweat and sticky remnants of gel.
They made out until Heechul got impatient and thrust a hand down the front of Hankyung’s pants. They had to take a moment to sort themselves out when they realized he had no wiggle room - the pants were that tight - but the moment Hankyung had carefully slid his zipper down, Heechul’s palm was back cupping his cock.
“God, Kyungie, you look so hot.” Heechul panted against his neck as he worked his fist around Hankyung.
Hankyung groaned when he came, fingers digging into Heechul’s hips.
He laughed softly against Heechul’s cheek as he brought Heechul off too. “You always did have an eye for art,” he mocked.
“Matchless,” said Heechul when he slumped against the wall.
“So,” said Hankyung. “Siwon?”
***
The first time Hankyung had brought it up, Heechul had looked scornful. “No way. No fucking way. That boy is so in love with Jesus I’m surprised he’s dated before. I’m surprised Jesus hasn’t come back already just to see him, that’s how in love with him Siwon is. He would never.”
Hankyung had shrugged philosophically. “Well. Just a thought.” He’d knocked back another shot of soju and slid his hand up Heechul’s thigh under the table.
***
Sungmin was a second year, like Siwon. He was a Christian too, like Siwon. But where Siwon had girls of all ages half in love with him, Sungmin had a steady girlfriend from middle school named Choi Sooyoung. Where Siwon was tall and handsome, Sungmin was average and often called “cute”. Heechul had looked at him and saw potential, just like he’d seen with Hankyung.
“More than what he seems,” Heechul had said confidently.
He’d been proven right when Sungmin had readily agreed to join their band and impressed them with his guitar skills. He was the last key piece and from there Modern SC had been born.
Outside of band activities, Sungmin didn’t spend that much time with them. He had his friends from his year and a childhood friend in the third-years. He was always friendly when he ran into his bandmates at school, but their paths didn’t cross all that often.
But if even he could see the crush Siwon had on Heechul, Hankyung knew it wasn’t nearly as hidden as Siwon hoped it was.
“Are you kidding?” Sungmin laughed. “I think half the student council knows at this point. My friend Kyuhyun’s on it and he’s only a first year but he even he’s noticed how much Siwon keeps bringing up things Heechul-hyung said. Like Heechul-hyung has anything relevant to say about school policies.”
“Well, he certainly has a lot of complaints about them,” Hankyung said after a moment’s reflection.
Sungmin bent over his guitar again, strumming idly as Hankyung tuned the bass and waited for their other two band members to show up. “He talks a lot about you too, hyung.” Hankyung blinked at him, surprised, and Sungmin smiled. “Your opinions are actually more helpful, Kyuhyun says. Siwon seems to respect both of you a lot.”
“Unfortunately,” Hankyung said dryly, “I suspect neither of us are Christian enough for him.”
Sungmin grinned and let the topic die. He was never as obnoxious about his faith as Siwon was, yet Hankyung would still consider himself closer to Siwon in a heartbeat. He considered this for a few minutes, turning it over in his mind, until the doorbell announced the arrival of one of their bandmates. The second ring, coming barely after Sungmin had gotten to his feet to get the door, announced that it was Heechul.
“Good thing my parents aren’t home,” sighed Sungmin. “Hyung is never patient.”
He returned with both Heechul and Siwon on his heels and both, to Hankyung’s surprise, were oddly flushed. Siwon looked embarrassed, eyes cast downward and his tail, if he’d had one, would have been dragging along the floor. Heechul looked a cross between annoyed and dismissive which meant, in Hankyung’s experience, that he was uncomfortable.
“Blue?” he said.
Heechul flopped onto the couch, newly-blue hair wafting around his face before settling. “Yeah, we needed an image change. I’m thinking we go the denim route this time. You could rock a pair of tight jeans.”
“I can rock anything,” Hankyung said with a smirk.
Heechul kicked him with a socked foot. “Only because I make you look good. You’d be a disaster if I let you dress yourself.”
“I’m so glad you’re an artist.”
“Artiste,” scoffed Heechul, but he looked far less uncomfortable than he had only two minutes ago.
Siwon, on the hand, spent the entire rehearsal refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. He managed to keep on beat, thank God, but was otherwise might have had a giant neon arrow pointing to him and declaring Emotional Wreck. He darted off as soon as they wrapped up. Hankyung nodded after him and raised an eyebrow at Heechul.
“What’s with him?”
“Probably ran off to Bible Study,” Heechul said dismissively. But now he was the one refusing to meet Hankyung’s eyes.
Hankyung wasn’t dumb. If even Sungmin could see Siwon’s crush on Heechul, then Heechul himself couldn’t be as oblivious as he pretended to be. And Siwon, tall and earnest and well-meaning as he was, was not unaware either of his own charms. He had girls from all three years at school confessing to him, after all. He had to know that his attention was not typically considered a bad thing.
Interesting, thought Hankyung, because Heechul had been wrong. Apparently Siwon wasn’t so in love with Jesus that it precluded any other relationship.
***
Heechul had a thing for Hankyung swearing. If Hankyung were into pop psychology or any of that crap, he might be able to work out some reason for it. But Hankyung was a good student only in that he did his work and memorized the necessary materials for class - he wasn’t that interested in learning all the material school constantly shoved at him. So all he could really guess was that Heechul liked Hankyung swearing because it proved to him again that Hankyung had those hidden depths Heechul had known right from the start. Heechul loved being right, after all.
Hankyung did too. It was why he pulled Heechul’s hair during sex because even though it made Heechul snap and fuss, he knew Heechul liked it. It was why he hung out by the boys’ locker room after school until Siwon emerged, fresh from his post-club shower. “Hankyung-hyung.” Siwon’s eyes normally lit up at the sight of him but today he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
He looked guilty, Hankyung thought. He smiled.
“Hey, Siwon. Want to go grab something to eat?”
“Uh, I should- It’s kind of-” Siwon stammered. He met Hankyung’s eyes. “I have to meet a classmate for a project.”
It was probably true. Siwon didn’t tend to lie, as much as he would’ve liked to. Hankyung stuck his hands in his pockets and said, “Okay. I’ll walk you to the subway.”
There wasn’t much Siwon could do about that so he shouldered his bag and fell into step beside Hankyung.
Two blocks from school, Hankyung said, “So you kissed Heechul, huh?”
Siwon flushed red.
“I guess I did always know you liked him,” Hankyung said softly, not looking at him. “He knew too, didn’t he?”
Siwon seemed to struggle for words. His brows drew together, wrinkling. “Hyung. I-” Hankyung slowed his pace and gave him a sideways look. “I do like Heechul-hyung, but, I mean. It’s awkward. He’s…”
“With me?” Hankyung finished.
Siwon stopped walking altogether, forcing Hankyung to follow suit. They stood in the middle of the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon and looked at each other. Siwon’s face was unusually pale and solemn. Hankyung watched the panic drain away, replaced by something he couldn’t identify. “No,” Siwon said quietly, “I meant to say, he’s not the only one I like.”
That-was not what Hankyung had been expecting to hear. At all.
Everyone loved Heechul. He had a prickly sort of charm. Everyone loved Siwon - he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, plus charming to boot. Hankyung was the boring one. Oh, he knew his own strengths well enough and he didn’t care much about what other people thought about him, but he knew in comparison to either Heechul or Siwon, he wouldn’t ever be first choice.
To be totally honest, he hadn’t thought he’d even be a choice at all.
Hankyung didn’t rouse from his stupefaction until Siwon drew him into a narrow alleyway off the street and leaned in to kiss him gently.
Hankyung snapped out of his daze. “Seriously?” he said. “You’re serious. You’re not fucking with me?”
There was something like fear in Siwon’s eyes but he made a fair attempt at a smile. He kept a hold on Hankyung’s hand. “I’m serious.”
***
“He loves us more than Jesus,” Heechul crowed, gloating. “I knew you had hidden depths too, Siwonnie, but I didn’t expect them to go this deep!”
Hankyung remembered his drunken ponderings and leaned back into the couch, smug, one arm slung across the back. “He said you would never go for it but I was right in the end.”
Siwon hid his face in his hands. “You guys,” he said and that was definitely a whine to his voice. A petulant puppy still. “I love you guys, but I love God too, okay?”
“God and us and Jesus? You’re looser than I thought!”
“God and Jesus are the same!”
Heechul laughed at him. “I’m just teasing, Siwon.” He kissed Siwon’s red cheek in apology then dropped into Hankyung’s lap and hooked an arm around his neck. His hair was pink today. His homeroom teacher had only sighed when she’d seen.
“This is sort of awkward,” said Sungmin from the armchair. “Should I leave the band? If we have to be in a relationship for this to work… I already have a girlfriend, you know.”
“She was fine when I kissed you that time!”
“That was a performance, hyung! If that’s going to become a usual thing, I may have to rethink being in Modern SC.”
Hankyung frowned. “Don’t quit, Sungmin. We don’t want to have to find another guitarist right when we’re getting big.”
Siwon looked over. “That reminds me, what’s the ‘SC’ stand for?” Heechul started laughing again and Siwon frowned. “I know it’s not ‘Siwon Choi’ so don’t lie to me again, hyung. It’s not fair. Now that we’re-” a blush “-in a relationship, we should be honest with each other.”
“Should I tell him?” Hankyung fit his hand over Heechul’s hipbone.
“I guess we should,” Heechul chortled. “It seems appropriate now.”
Sungmin pulled out his phone.
“Our band name,” Hankyung explained, “is Modern Sex Challenge. Heechul came up with after we decided to get more creative when having sex. He wanted to mix it up. I guess,” he added thoughtfully, “adding a third to the mix would qualify as mixing it up.”
Heechul threatened to make the photo Sungmin snapped of Siwon their new album cover, but Hankyung relented enough to help Siwon persuade him otherwise. Sungmin declared from now on he never wanted to hear about their negotiation process but would accept their decisions as long as they promised to never put him in a dress. They kept the name Modern SC and built up their reputation in the Hongdae clubs until even university students were willing to call themselves fans. There was just something about the band’s chemistry on stage, they said. It was hard to pin down exactly but there was definitely something about them no other band had.
Plus, of course, the crazy gorgeous lead singer and his ridiculous visual kei-inspired hair.
***
“Please,” Heechul scoffed at graduation, one arm looped around Hankyung’s waist as he beamed up at Siwon. “This is only the beginning. Don’t even worry about your entrance exams, that guy loved our demo. We’re gonna be offered a contract at any moment and then we’re going to blow the world away!”
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