Work Text:
LED lights, blasting sounds from speakers on the corners of the brick walls, cramped space, old repainted metal stools, cheap alcohol, these are the things that are far from anything that a person like Doyoung will be expected to like. He likes the comical LED lights that barely reach the ends of each side of the four-walled space. He likes the sounds a bit blasted and distorted, sometimes, from the old speakers, and so does the lack of distance between the tables, between anybody. The squeaky creaks from the rusted rotary of the stools are all so familiar.
Familiar. What a word to keep in mind for the night . . .
It’s not just those that are familiar, but Doyoung, himself, is already familiar with the faces that can appear around the nearby tables or the people at the bar area. He’s a frequenter, let’s say. And he’s not only familiar to those people but to one, particularly the lead vocalist of the band that just finished performing their last song for their gig of the night.
The said lead vocalist is stepping down first at the side of the stage, eyes fleeting among the crowd, looking for the familiar figure that always sits at the table at the middle back, right where they often meet each other’s gaze. They’ve done it so often that it has been embarked in them to search for the familiar gaze whenever it is a cocktail night Tuesday or Happy hour Thursday because those are the days they both are present in the night.
On other nights, like this particular night where neither of them is expecting to see each other in a different place—in a different bar. Coincidence and fate are funny as they’re technically the same, but people see them differently. Doyoung believes in fate just like he believes that this particular night is actually a fateful one.
So, there he is, sitting by the bar, a stool away from the lead vocalist.
“Are you following me around?”
“No,” Doyoung deadpanned as he said a small ‘thanks’ to the bartender after serving his drink.
“So, what is this, some coincidence or work of fate then? That you always appear in places where I am?”
“I don’t know. How big is the city anyway for us not to end up in the same place now and then?”
“I don’t know,” the lead vocalist mocks partnered with a shoulder shrug. “Big enough for us not to end up meeting in this bar. My name’s Jaehyun, by the way. If you still didn’t know by now.”
“I actually found out about that just now.”
Jaehyun hums, taken aback to hear an honest direct response, and is surprised to know that his assumption is wrong. For someone that performs at a local bar on specific days of the week and running to a person that is always present in your gigs, you will be expecting that they know your name already. He bottoms up his drink with a hard gulp before taking in a deep inhale as he buries his head in his palms for a moment to let the alcohol sink in.
“Well, it was a pleasure to finally have a conversation with you.”
“You didn’t ask for my name, though,” Doyoung states a second almost late before Jaehyun disappears completely in the crowd.
“I don’t have to,” Jaehyun replies, factually. What he says next with a smug grin earns a flustered smile from Doyoung. “For I have the honor of having a fan like the Kim Doyoung, a broadway actor and famous balladeer.”
Doyoung wets the bottom of his lip, getting a bit dry and tasting bitter because of the mocktail he’s drinking. "I do am a fan, and it seems like fate likes making our paths cross.”
Jaehyun nods briefly, one hand tucked in the pocket of his pants the other wrapped at his nape. There’s an unsure smile at his lips that can be labeled as squeamish or shy. “Yeah, I guess. See you around, Doyoung.”
“See you too around, Jae.”
Neither of the two minded the casual slip of the nickname as they head on their separate agenda of the night. Jaehyun drinking to ease his mind to function, Doyoung drinking to unwind the stress of a whole week of rehearsals.
Wednesday date night arrives faster than Jaehyun and his bandmates expected. As he was not expecting at all, since it’s a Wednesday night, not a Tuesday nor a Thursday, a familiar face stands out among the small pool of blurry faces. The very second their gazes meet, a small smile tugs the corners of their mouth, and then they nod at each other.
“When I said see you around, I didn’t mean to see you soon,” the first thing Jaehyun said as he approaches the table Doyoung occupies. They share a short chorus of soft chuckles, barely audible because of the blaring sounds from the speakers. “Um, wanna go outside?!” Jaehyun shouts.
“Sure!” Doyoung complies, echoing the volume to make sure Jaehyun heard him.
They are inhaling the cool night city wind as Jaehyun leads them to the rooftop of the building. Doyoung has his back leaned on the bricked barrier. Jaehyun is in the same position, standing a few respectable feet away from Doyoung as he is taking a smoke.
“Why do you smoke when you’re a lead vocalist? Wouldn’t that damage your vocal cords or, or your voice?” Doyoung asks, hesitantly as he doesn’t want to sound intruding in the person’s life.
A light chuckle came from the direction of the aforementioned, then a huff of smoke once again leaves an aroma that makes Doyoung cover his nose and mouth. “It’s an old habit. I only do it whenever I feel nervous or stressed out, or bothered. I don’t smoke that often. How ‘bout you, you sing in theatre but you seem to drink cold sugary alcoholic drinks a bit often . . . ?”
Doyoung lets out a small laugh before turning to Jaehyun with a meek smile. “I don’t drink those kinds of drinks. Mocktails don’t count and I only drink those on the times I want to feel the numbing feeling of liquid sugar with alcohol.”
“So you drink because you want to feel numb. I smoke because I also want to feel numb and hazy in some ways. Would you call that coincidence that has the same reason behind intaking vices or . . . you’ll call it fate?”
They share the same understanding grins and gesture that is turning their eyes on the ground as they lower their heads.
“Coincidence or fate, whichever of the two works for me. Because I only care about the fact that for the first time in my life, I met someone that knows who I am but still treated me like a normal person.”
At some point, Jaehyun was expecting to hear that kind of line, all thanks to the influence of romance and drama series and movies that a friend of his always watch using his Netflix account. But it somehow hits differently when it was said to you by someone who seems to be troubled with their perfect life.
He changes the foot he’s leaning his weight on before taking a short inhale from the cigarette. “Are you free this Friday?”
“Hmmm, depends on the time of the day. I have vocal practice in the morning and then rehearsals in the late afternoon. The remaining hours before tomorrow comes might be for me resting.”
“Would you like to watch us do band rehearsals in the night then? Or would you prefer to spend the night to rest?”
Doyoung takes a few seconds contemplating before giving his response.
“Will you pick me up and drive me back after?”
Jaehyun pushes himself to stand up to throw the cigarette to the ashtray of the nearby trashcan, then nods. “Sure. See you at 5?”
“See you at 5 on Friday.”
“Right, on Friday.”
Friday comes faster than Jaehyun’s car arrives ten minutes late at the front of the building where Doyoung had his rehearsals. When Doyoung hops in the car, Jaehyun immediately babbles apologies, which are cut off by two hands covering his mouth. Jaehyun’s eyes widen with the sudden gesture and because of the giggles coming from the owner of the hands.
“Are you done?” Doyoung asks after removing his hands from Jaehyun’s mouth, keeping the gummy smile from giggling a moment ago. “You seem so fazed about the few minutes you were late,” he says while putting on the seatbelt (safety first!).
“Um, yeah—ah, well,” Jaehyun stutters as he puts the car back in drive. “It’s my first time to have a superstar in my car, so I perhaps spend the whole day deep cleaning my car, and then spring-cleaned the studio apartment that we do our rehearsals in at the beginning of October. That’s why I might’ve forgotten to watch the time.”
Doyoung can’t help but grin widely as he listens to every word and takes in the whole thought of Jaehyun’s reasoning for the ten minutes he’s late.
“You’re very adorable,” the first thing that came out of his mouth, which startles Jaehyun that he almost froze in his seat (which is very dangerous because they’re in the road, but this fanfic, this is jaedo so we’re all good, they’re all good ).
“Do you just casually drop those kinds of words?”
“Hmm, it’s true, though. You do look and sound adorable with the way you babble and explain with your hair spiking in every direction, and your ears are very red,” Doyoung kindly points.
Everyone welcomes Doyoung warmly and treats him like a friend of the group. There are four of them: Johnny the drummer, Taeil the keyboard, Donghyuck the Flute, and Mark the guitarist. Doyoung got along immediately with Donghyuck, the youngest of the bunch, as they both shared mutual love in ballet musicals, specifically the Nutcracker. As they were rehearsing, Doyoung is the one that gives comments on improvements and adjustments in the vocals and the keys in the instruments. While rehearsing everyone is serious, and then in the in-betweens, everything is all casual and fun. Doyoung offered to order the dinner using his phone, but Jaehyun immediately stops him.
As he succeeded in convincing Doyoung to split the bill of the order, he is unaware of the stares and held in laughs and grins from the four band members watching them. The band goes for six more rehearsals of the three songs they will be performing for the next week’s special date night promo setlist. When the clock strikes ten, all of the band members give their thanks to Doyoung’s help and advice on how to improve and smoothen or ease their vocal cords and body while performing. They also thanked him for being a very fun friend that hanged out with them even though he came from practice and rehearsals himself.
Donghyuck can’t keep it in anymore when Jaehyun walks up to Doyoung’s side.
“Doyoung Hyung!”
“Hm?”
“Are you single? Jaehyun Hyung is available if you are, but if you’re not, forget I asked.” He smiled so brightly that anyone will be blinded by it.
There’s a pin-drop moment, which made Jaehyun wishing for the ground to open up and swallow him whole right at that very moment. As much as he loves and endears the youngest, there are times he would love to squeeze the ball of sunshine in a jar and contain the chaotic energy that it randomly shoots out.
Doyoung’s Pikachu meme reaction is very cute, as much Jaehyun doesn’t want to admit to himself.
“So you’re single?” Doyoung brings back the topic that Jaehyun is hoping that he would’ve forgotten. “If you are, are you looking for someone?”
Jaehyun, honestly thinking, doesn’t really want to give an answer to the question because he is not ready to talk about it.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to say anything,” Doyoung reassures him, seemingly caught up with Jaehyun’s internal argument. “You look really adorable when you’re flustered.”
“You’re making it worse,” Jaehyun jokingly retorts, earning a chuckle.
“But are you?”
“Looking for someone? I think I’ve already found who I’m looking for,” he pauses as he steps in the breaks for the stoplight, and then he turns to the person sitting at the passenger seat already looking at him.
“You have?”
“Hmhmm. That person has been watching all of my gigs, and we seem fated to have our paths cross even though we live in this very big city.”
“Sounds very romantic.”
“Yeah? Doesn’t it sound familiar, though?”
Wide grins, twinkling eyes, blushing cheeks, car engines running, and in sync heartbeats in the background. What a night indeed. . .