Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dear Mr. Sung,

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to the welcome ball for the Kim pack, who recently moved into Hymsworth, just facing the lake. I am aware that you also have a son, and I cordially extend my invitation to him. The ball will be held at my Estate, at Luckpoint. I eagerly anticipate your reply.

With kind regards, 

Zhang Hao, Luckpoint Estate

~

Matthew only needs to skim through the letter addressed to Hanbin’s father briefly before tossing it to the ground in a huff. Distantly, he considers ripping it to shreds, but given how Hanbin’s father had passed it to Hanbin and Hanbin then passed it to him, there was no way such a thing could be hidden. An identical looking letter was probably already floating around the Seok Estate, perhaps already even in the hands of his parents. Damnation.

He looks up at his friends, expecting them to show a reaction to his obvious displeasure, but there is none at all. Hanbin is leisurely pacing over to where Matthew threw the letter, and Lia is busying herself with annotating sheet music, absentmindedly tapping the pencil on the armest of her chair. From the looks of it, they definitely were not as negatively affected by the contents of the letter as Matthew was.

“Hanbin, I beg of you, please don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of going,” Matthew heaves a sigh, “you can always refuse, or be absent, or lie and say you intend to go but mysteriously contract influenza, or a stomach bug, or say you went into sudden heat, or…”

Hanbin lets out a non-committal hum at Matthew’s rambling, picking up the letter and folding it back in a neat rectangle. Matthew stops, narrowing his eyes.

”You are not hearing a thing I’m saying, are you,” he grumbles, picking up a tangerine from a nearby plate of fruits and immediately lobbing it at Hanbin. It hits him square on the head and Hanbin scowls, his scent of cinnamon immediately taking on a peppery undertone. 

“Seok Matthew, just because you detest these events does not mean I have to. For the record, I’m pretty sure it is just you who does.” Infuriatingly, Hanbin picks up the tangerine and peels it, tossing the skin in Matthew’s direction. A playful move, but Hanbin’s words echo and bounce around Matthew’s head.

It is no well kept secret that Seok Matthew, son and omega of the Seok Estate, hates these sorts of events. When his older sister had just presented and was thus ready to debut, Matthew remembers how he watched from the sidelines with adoring eyes. The way his sister charmed everyone, coy smiles and a strong laugh that had everyone enamoured. There was no way else of putting it – his sister, oldest alpha of the Seok Estate, had everyone wrapped around her finger with her witty charm. Matthew wanted nothing more than to be like her. But by some cruel turn of fate, when he woke up one day, his room heavy with the sickly sweet scent of lilacs, a painful twisting in his belly and a fever that felt nothing like that of a regular sickness, he knew he would never be looked upon the same way that his sister was. 

Male omegas were hardly uncommon, but the way Matthew saw it, his next few years were awful. His parents were gracious enough to let him have some time alone to process the fact that he presented as an omega, the first omega son in generations, no less, but soon the world eventually had to know that he was one. In that time, he learnt of all the societal expectations and legalities that he had to face. He would not be eligible to inherit the estate, it was to be left to his sister. As an omega and second-born, he would have to marry into another family. The entire ordeal left a sour taste in Matthew’s mouth.

The worst thing of all was his debutante ball. The beautiful glass sculpture that was the memory of his sister’s debut was shattered to pieces. The older alphas cared not about him, or his personality, or his interests. They did not care for his wicked sense of humour nor his charm. Instead, they cooed only over his looks, choruses of what a pretty omega and any alpha would be lucky to have you surrounding him. His final straw was when an alpha much older than he or his sister approached him, gripped his face by the chin and turned his head side to side, making a sick comment that haunted Matthew to this day. 

“A beautiful omega like you would make wonderful pups for me.” 

Matthew does not remember much of that day, only that his sister immediately picked up the way his scent flared in distress from across the room and came to his rescue. The next few minutes are all a blur to him, he remembers that his sister got caught up in some alpha posturing with the stranger and that he was quickly taken outside. The clearest memory he has of the aftermath is the carriage ride on the way home where he finally came to, sobbing and clutching at his sister’s gown. Ever since then, Matthew swore to himself that alphas, all of them, were terrible. Presenting as an omega was the worst thing that happened to him. From that day onwards, he gave up on trying to maintain the expected image of an eligible omega at public events. Alphas began to avoid the youngest child of the Seok Estate, who never gave more than what his presence required. He would agree to dances and make small conversation only to avoid being nagged at by Hanbin or chided by Lia, but would be distant towards most strangers, especially an alpha stranger. 

Deep down, he still yearned for the attention of an alpha (not that he would admit to it). Actual attention, not someone who would just comment on his looks. He yearned for someone to recognise his wit, his humour and speed. But as much as Matthew allowed himself to dream, there was no real possibility that he would ever find what he pined for.

Now, in the present, Matthew wants to burn holes in the letter with his eyes. A new pack in the area could mean anything. The Zhang Estate was hardly familiar themselves, having moved to the area less than a year prior. Zhang Hao himself was the talk of the town for a while, his status as an eligible alpha bachelor and his extensive wealth being the teatime gossip of choice. The arrival of the Kim Estate, in that regard, attracted even more gossip. Based on what he had gathered, they were three sons that lived together, all three eligible bachelors too. Not much was known about them or their subgenders other than that of the eldest, a certain Kim Jiwoong, a typical alpha, rich beyond his means. (“I heard he inherited over a few million pounds!” Lia had jovially exclaimed one day, the beta’s words being met with nods of confirmation from Hanbin. Matthew wanted to smack them upside the heads.) As his two trusted childhood friends, Matthew sought the presence of Hanbin and Lia to talk about anything besides the newly moved in family. The arrival of the letter derailed those plans.

“You know Matthew, maybe you should give this ball a chance. Let yourself be guided for once,” Hanbin walks over to him, pressing his wrist to Matthew’s, lightly scenting him to calm him down. Matthew was not even aware of the fact that his scent began to emit tangy iron notes from stress. Gratefully, he accepted the gesture.

“Well, my dear Hanbin, I suppose I will give it a shot. Just this once,” for good measure, he patted Hanbin’s palms. Looking at the way Hanbin grinned back at him made him briefly reconsider.

~

If he did not have any regrets coming to the ball, he certainly did now. Of course, the Zhang Estate outdid themselves (curse those extremely upper class families and their obscene amounts of generational wealth). Luckpoint was a show of opulence, the architecture of the building lending itself to the atmosphere of the ball. Matthew’s friends had quickly abandoned him. Lia was whisked away to dance by a member of the Hwang pack whom he knew was trying to court her, the two women giggling as they went. Hanbin, much to his surprise, was approached by Hao himself for a dance, blush running all the way from his ears down past the collar of his shirt as he stuttered in acceptance (Matthew pointedly chose to ignore the way his cinnamon scent spiked in excitement, immediately being met with a pleased swell of cherry blossom from the alpha). He entertained a random beta with a dance, but he quickly left his dance partner once the song was over , plucking a random glass of some unknown alcoholic beverage from a nearby server. He was by no means a heavy drinker, but a little alcohol certainly would make the day more bearable. He could not wait for the event to be over. 

Matthew spent the next few hours silently observing the crowd, periodically refilling his glass. The alcohol was a great help, relaxing him and leaving him loose-limbed. A few more hours of this and then he was no longer obligated to stay.

As he sipped away at his drink, he noticed Zhang Hao breezing past him from the corner of his eye, approaching someone who, like him, was standing to the side, glass in hand, grim expression on his face. If I may be honest, he's pretty handsome, Matthew thought to himself, turning his head to steal a longer glance at him before turning his head away, keenly listening to their conversation.

“You know, Jiwoong, with the lengths I went to to arrange this for you, I thought you'd be more appreciative!” Zhang Hao made a playful move to punch the man on his side. Matthew suddenly straightened up. It was the man of the hour standing a little away from him. As far as he knew, neither man was paying attention to him. He tried to strain his ears to listen in more clearly on their conversation. In the meantime, Jiwoong remained as stoic as he was, not having any visible physical reaction towards Zhang Hao’s banter besides a pained quirk of his lip. 

“Hao, I appreciate the effort. It's just… I do not think this was necessary at all, really.” Matthew lets out a quiet chuckle at that, at least we are on the same page.

“Well, you can say whatever you want, but you really haven't made much of a move to dance with anyone or socialise, have you? The company here is simply lovely, I must say. I myself have been particularly enamoured by one of the Sung children, Hanbin is his name. Just a year younger than I am, and such an endearing fellow.” Okay, maybe Matthew did not want to hear everything the two had to say.

“Hao, I'm certainly happy for you, but I do not share your sentiment.” He hears Hao tut at Jiwoong's statement.

“Not at all? Well, maybe I should get Hanbin to introduce you to one of his friends. He's all mine, but he did come with a friend. In fact, he's right there!” They're referring to me, Matthew realises, trying not to splutter and choke on his drink from the shock. He composes himself, reminding himself that he was definitely not supposed to look like he was eavesdropping.

“Him? Well, he's okay. But certainly not handsome enough to tempt me.” Jiwoong comments, going back to his drink. 

What..? The words take a while to settle in Matthew’s hazy alcohol-ridden brain. Not handsome enough? To tempt him? Matthew whirls around in anger, his lilac scent burning through the air.

“Excuse me? Tempt you? Just because I am an omega, is that all you think my subgender is good for?” He stumbles over to Jiwoong, angrily jabbing a finger in his chest. He is met with a flare in the alpha's scent, clean rainwater, clearly tinged with shock. Smelling it only drives him further in his tirade, directing his anger to both Zhang Hao and Jiwoong this time.

“Omegas aren't meant to be just pickings for you cocky alphas. At least get to know us first, we aren't just your damn pup givers, or your pretty sculptures to look at, we-” Matthew gets cut off abruptly by a hand to his mouth. He cranes his neck around, ready to release another scolding on the offender, only to see Lia's disappointed face, already pulling him away from the two alphas. Hanbin is there too, giving him a disappointed glance before making his way to the two alphas, likely to apologise. Zhang Hao is slightly amused, but Jiwoong's expression is unreadable, his rainwater scent confusing.

Oh, Matthew definitely regrets coming for this event, but this time for a different reason. 

Chapter Text

Dear Hanbin,

Once again, your apology for your friend’s behaviour is appreciated, but unnecessary. I am sure he had his reasons for behaving the way he did. Likewise, I also extend an apology on the behalf of Kim Jiwoong and myself. He spoke out of turn and quite harshly of your friend, and I, as Jiwoong’s friend, did nothing to reprimand nor prevent him from speaking in the manner that he did. 

On a lighter note, I greatly enjoyed your presence at the ball and appreciate the correspondences we have exchanged since then. If you are so willing, and able, I would be overjoyed to have your company again on the coming weekend over at Luckpoint, for us to enjoy afternoon tea. I hope to see you there. 

Sincerely,

Hao

~

The past few days, to say the least, were embarrassing for Matthew. When he finally sobered up that night after the ball, he was immediately faced with scoldings not just from Hanbin and Lia, but also his sister. The latter scolding felt the worst, his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs as she finished off with the most disappointed look he had ever seen on her face. The hug he received from her after the scolding did feel nice, but the weight of her words was still heavy on his mind. 

Beyond that, however, was a new problem. Growing up, he had seen his friends fawn over crushes that they had, little infatuations that went nowhere. He himself had them. But ever since the day of that ball, he had a Hanbin-sized problem on his hands (who had a Zhang Hao-sized problem on his). The man was so utterly smitten, every conversation that the three friends had were infiltrated by mentions of Zhang Hao, much to the tremendous annoyance of Matthew (“You have only talked with him for one day. One day!”) and even Lia (“Hanbin, even I don’t mention Yeji that much, and we have been courting for a year!”). Hanbin would feign a mock-offended expression, and exclaim that they had been exchanging letters regularly since then. Ever since that conversation, beyond just mentioning the man, Hanbin would relay the contents of the letters to the others, each time to the amused horror of Lia and the disgust of Matthew. To top it all off, when Zhang Hao invited Hanbin to his Estate, the man had whooped so loudly in celebration that Matthew swore he could hear ringing in his ears for days after. On the arranged day, it took very little from Hanbin for him to bid the two a happy farewell and immediately book it to Zhang Hao’s place. 

Lia and Matthew were thus left to their own devices, a sour taste lingering in Matthew’s mouth. He knew he was supposed to be happy for Hanbin, really. It was obvious that Hanbin was being courted by Zhang Hao, he had witnessed the same happening with Lia a year prior. The same shy expressions that graced his friends' faces when they received a letter, the blooming blush they would wear when writing one back. The way they seemed to glow when talking about that special someone. When Lia had first broken the news that she and Yeji were courting formally, Matthew was overcome with joy for his friend. However, something about Hanbin seeing Zhang Hao just… unsettled him. 

“Matthew, tell me what’s wrong right now, or I’m calling your sister to get whatever you’re hiding out of you,” Lia called from a neighbouring armchair, feet neatly crossed at the ankle. Ah, right. Shortly after Hanbin had left the two where they initially met at the Seok Estate, the weather turned ugly, a heavy downpour falling on the town. The rain refused to let up for hours, thus Lia decided to make herself comfortable (“Matthew, I am a lady. I am not going to travel in the rain,”) it was not the first time such a thing had happened anyway. 

“Seok Matthew, are you going to say something, or am I really going to have to get your sister?” Matthew sat up, sulking. Lia’s expression softened when she saw the face the younger boy had.

”I could hear you thinking all the way from here, and you’re never this quiet. So?” Her gentle prompts forced Matthew to think. Really, what was wrong?

”I… don’t think I’m okay with Hanbin seeing an alpha,” he confessed, still uneasy. Somehow, that still did not feel right. 

“Not okay with an alpha, or not okay with Zhang Hao?” Lia asked in response, walking over to lightly rub her scent gland on her wrist against his. Again, my stupid scent flaring up, Matthew thought, disgruntled. Betas did not carry a strong scent — some also did not even have any, but the action of platonic scenting carried the same calming effect anyway, their scents sometimes mingling with whoever they scented and coming off a little more clearly. The mild yet calming scent of honey now mingled with the frazzled lilac Matthew was letting out. Matthew let himself breathe, regaining his composure.

”Not okay with Zhang Hao. Why do you ask?” Lia hummed at his response, frowning down at Matthew. “What, why that reaction?” Lia stood up again, facing Matthew.

”What do you think of your sister, with her being an alpha?” Matthew tilted his head quizzically. What was she getting at?

”Well, she’s my sister, so I trust her, you know? Maybe it was for the better that she presented as one, so at least the Estate goes to someone in the family. Why do you ask?” Lia dismissed his question, instead moving on.

”Now, what about Yeji? She’s been courting me for a year, is there anything about her that sets you off? You knew from the start that she was alpha too, yes?” Matthew tries to recall the first time he met the alpha, her spiced vanilla scent was a little intimidating at first, but he accepted her pretty quickly. 

“No, but-“

”Last one, I promise. Would you still be okay with Hanbin being courted by Zhang Hao if he were a beta, or even an omega?” Matthew paused. Beta-omega relationships were rare, and omega-omega relationships even rarer. Both were frowned on societally. But somehow, Matthew found himself reconciling the situation quite quickly. As for why, he could not place it. Lia picked up on his realisation, slowly dipping to a kneel beside Matthew. 

“See, Zhang Hao is not the problem. What I am seeing, and what you should too, is that you have a certain… distrust of male alphas.” The realisation felt like a cold burn pressing itself onto his skin.

”Lia, if you went through what I did, you would too, I mean, alphas, I can’t trust them, no matter what I do. They’re… they’re freaks, Lia, I don’t think I-“ Matthew’s rambling is cut off by Lia taking his hand and holding his finger to his lips. He meets her gaze with tears welling in his eyes, lips trembling from holding back cries. At the back of his mind, 

“Matthew, I know you’ve been through a lot, and no one deserves to go through what you did. That one alpha at your debutante ball really was something else, and as scummy as they come, yes. But you just showed that you still have the capacity to trust alphas. If anything, you’re also a little way away from trusting Zhang Hao too. Despite what you may feel, I know that you know how to recognise the good in people. If Hanbin trusts Zhang Hao, we as his closest friends should trust his judgement too, correct?” Lia slowly dabs away his tears, soothing him. Matthew lets himself show a small but thankful smile, met by one from Lia too.

“Thank you, Lia, I really needed that.” Perhaps she did have a point, did he really let all his future experiences be ruined by one thing that happened in his youth? 

“Anytime, Matthew, you know I'll always be here for you and Hanbin…” her words trail off, face slowly twisting into a worried expression as she looks past Matthew. Curious, he follows her line of sight. Right at the entrance of the sitting room is a very agitated looking attendant of the Seok Estate, with a neatly folded letter in hand. Matthew wastes no time crossing the room, taking the letter from the attendant, bidding him a quick farewell before opening it to read the contents. Lia follows him closely, peering over his shoulder to read the letter too.

–

Dear Matthew,

I hope this letter reaches you quickly, Zhang Hao assured me that it would reach you within the hour. Shortly after arriving at Luckpoint and spending some time with Hao, I went into a sudden and unexpected heat. In light of the situation, because it is unsafe for me to travel longer distances such as back to my own Estate, Hao has thankfully made some arrangements for me. Do not worry.

Best, 

Hanbin

–

“Hanbin has gone into HEAT?” Matthew whirls around, nearly hitting Lia in the process with his flailing arms.

“Matthew, let's calm down for a second-”

“No, no, how am I supposed to know if Hanbin is safe? What on earth does ‘arrangements’ mean? Zhang Hao’s family are all alphas, aren't they? What if they have their way with Hanbin?”

“Matthew, what are you going on about? Not every alpha is like that, what did we just talk about before this?” Lia's words fly over Matthew, his eyes already trained on the door.

“Oh, I do not like that look in your eyes, you better not do anything foolish-”

“I'm going to Luckpoint.” Matthew interrupts her, already throwing the letter on a nearby table and making his way out of the room. With a yelp, Lia follows, grabbing his arm.

“Matthew, it's still raining!” He glances out the window. He may as well have not, the landscape outside the window grey and shapeless, barely visible due to the torrential downpour. 

“So what? I'm still going.”

“Matthew, no sane person would drive a carriage in this weather, and no horse would be willing to move in it either. How on earth are you going to get there?”

Matthew barely considers his words before he blurts out, “I'll just run.” 

Lia's face turns ashen, looking at Matthew as if he just grew a second head. “You cannot be serious, are you? Matthew, please think for a moment!” Lia pleads, shaking him. Matthew makes no response. Instead, he just pulls himself away from Lia's grasp, running out of the sitting room, out the front door, and into the heavy rain. 

Running in the rain to a place he has only been to once is about as good as it sounds, which is not at all. The rain is relentless, the flowing water causing his hair to repeatedly get into his eyes. The shoes he has on are not made for running, the heel digging into his ankle painfully the further he travels. The rain has also made the ground all soft, his feet sinking with every step, sometimes going all the way to his shin, mud staining his clothes. All the way there, panicked thoughts swirl in his mind.

Hanbin had better be okay. Zhang Hao better not have done anything with him.

By some miracle, he makes it to Luckpoint in one piece, hammering on the main door the second he gets there. It takes some time, but eventually the door is opened by a beta attendant, and Matthew practically growls out, “Take me to where everyone is, now.”

Before he knows it, he is taken to one of the sitting rooms where a small group is gathered. One look and he sees four people, of which includes Jiwoong and Zhang Hao, the two alphas previously in deep conversation, now looking at Matthew quizzically. Hanbin is nowhere to be found. One sniff tells him that the other two strangers are unmistakably alphas, and with no trace of Hanbin in the room, something in Matthew snaps. He makes quick strides to Zhang Hao, grabbing his collar roughly with a snarl. The other two alphas jump, but Jiwoong holds his hand up, stopping them. Not like Matthew cares right now, though.

“What did you do with Hanbin? Where is he?” Matthew hisses. In his shock, Zhang Hao gapes before Jiwoong finally comes to his rescue.

“Hanbin is safe. We moved him to Hymsworth, as we live just a moment away. My brother and other attendants are with him.” 

Jiwoong’s… brother?

Matthew explodes again, now directing his fury towards Jiwoong, who unmistakably stiffens when Matthew starts yelling, “You left Hanbin alone with some random alpha at your place?!”

This time, one of the unknown alphas steps in, hurriedly exclaiming, “We would never! Jiwoong and I are the only ones who presented as alphas. Taerae is a beta, and the only one among us who would best know how to deal with the situation!” Hearing him, Matthew finally decides to regard the alpha warily. Based on what he said, he was most likely to be one of the three Kim brothers. Even without gauging his scent, the way he towers over Matthew is a clear indication of his subgender. Despite that, he looks at Matthew with such soft, pleading eyes that he relents slightly.

“I didn’t feel that it was fair to Hanbin to stay in my presence any longer. I did initially offer him a room here, but he refused,” Zhang Hao pauses with an awkward cough, adjusting his collar, “I had to respect his wishes somehow, and thankfully, that is when Ricky suggested that we move him to Hymsworth,” Zhang Hao motions at the other alpha, who has remained silent all this time. 

Ricky nods, “Gyuvin and Jiwoong could thus come here, allowing Taerae, their brother, to care for Hanbin temporarily. Hanbin agreed readily, only asking that he send a letter to you immediately. Really, the only other thing that he accepted and that Zhang Hao offered beyond that arrangement was a scented handkerchief, just to ease his nerves.” 

As Matthew hears the alphas recount the story, his anger and panic slowly simmer down into embarrassment. The entire situation was not ideal from the beginning, but he had to say that it was handled somewhat admirably, much to Matthew’s slight annoyance of admitting so. Despite the mess, Hanbin was undeniably safe. 

“I… thank you. And I apologise for my behaviour,” Matthew dips his head slightly, acknowledging his thanks to the alphas in the room. Zhang Hao offers a consoling smile, while Ricky and Gyuvin nod back in return. Lastly, he notices Jiwoong. Somehow, his position had not moved an inch from when Matthew was confronting him until now. Instead, a blush was gracing his cheeks, eyes trained on Matthew. 

Matthew suddenly becomes hyper aware of the scent of rainwater cutting through the room, no doubt coming from Jiwoong. The eye contact makes him glance at himself, and he becomes all too aware of the way that he himself is drenched in rainwater (Jiwoong’s scent, he makes the horrified realisation), shirt sticking to the outline of his body, mud fully covering his shoes and going all the way up to his knees, with some specks that had even landed on his thighs. Matthew burns in embarrassment, his own blush matching Jiwoong’s.

Zhang Hao quickly notices the two staring, clapping his hands suddenly, jolting the both of them out of their stupor. Effectively having both their attention, he makes a nervous laugh and turns to Matthew, motioning to his messy state.

“How about this, I’ll have someone show you to the facilities here, and you clean yourself up while we wait for the storm to pass. Afterwards, I’ll have someone show you to Hymsworth, where you may check on Hanbin. Is that alright?” Matthew nods, noting that Jiwoong had taken that as an opportunity to excuse himself, resolutely walking out of the room. Gyuvin quickly followed, his face a mix of amusement and confusion. 

“There’s no need for you to send someone with me to Hymsworth, thank you.” Matthew responds curtly, but pauses for a moment.

“Thank you for your hospitality. Both to myself and Hanbin,” he adds, showing a small smile to Zhang Hao. He notices how the alpha suddenly relaxes, a relieved musky rosewood scent slowly seeping into the air.

“No, no, please, no need to thank me,” Zhang Hao motions in a flurry, “If anything, please tell me how I can be better for you and Hanbin.” Matthew raises an eyebrow at that. Better? How? He mouths, not daring to say the words out loud. Zhang Hao catches the movement, sighing softly.

“I… really want to do things right by Hanbin. Of course, as his best friend, I have to do things right by you too, don’t I? After all, if you were to be unhappy, so would he, and I would never want to see him unhappy,” Zhang Hao explains, the words slowly sinking into Matthew.

All this was unfamiliar territory. He knew that it was sometimes in an alpha’s nature to show chivalry, however he was more familiar with this when it was simply between an alpha and his chosen mate. For him to witness it first hand despite not being the one who was courted surprised him, though not unpleasantly so. Lia’s words from earlier in the day now resurface in his mind, slowly filling him with an emotion he cannot quite place. Not exactly shame, as he knows why he would never forgive that one alpha, but not exactly enlightenment either.

As he makes his way to clean himself up, all that weighs on his mind is how deeply incorrect he was. Even further at the back of his mind, he becomes aware of a nagging feeling, a little inkling of a guess that pipes up that perhaps he would change his mind about one specific person, a rainwater-scented alpha, very, very soon.