A/N: Early update, but the next one will be a little late~ Sorry ^^

Oh right, Seunghyun here is T.O.P from Big Bang.

Sungmin pushed open his eyelids, failing twice at the attempt as they fluttered close again. Inhaling deeply, he pulled his hand out from the blanket, dragging it across his forehead and rubbing his temple to chase away the drowsiness. When fingers pushed away his own to massage both sides of his head, his eyes shot wide open to meet his alpha’s cold expression.

He stared for a few seconds, the firm circles his alpha was rubbing into his skin calming him. Then, he remembered what he was supposed to do.

Sungmin pushed the hands away, turning away from his alpha.

“Sungmin.” His alpha tried to roll him back by his shoulder, but he refused to budge, holding up until his alpha slammed him back forcefully with both hands on his shoulders.

“Sungmin.” His alpha called out in a low voice, a hiss following when he deliberately avoided his alpha’s gaze.

“Look at me.” He tried to defy the order, but when his alpha grabbed his face with one hand, he had no choice but to abide, staring into the fuming gaze. Sungmin held the eye contact for seconds, fighting the urge to lower his gaze in submission. “Why?”

Though he didn’t know exactly what his alpha was asking for, he let a smile spread across his face. “Why not?”

The grip on his face tightened with his alpha’s nails threatening to dig into his cheeks, but Sungmin held up his sickening smile. “Why did you try to run just now?”

“Why not?”

“Lee Sungmin!” He reveled in the scarce angry expression on his alpha’s face, ignoring the submissive part of him that was shivering in fear inside him.

Abruptly, his alpha released him, straightening to turn his back to him. “I know you’re upset about Zhoumi being claimed by Heechul, but creating such pointless trouble won’t change the situation a single bit.”

“Oh?” Sungmin said in the most mocking tone he could gather. “Who said I was doing it for Zhoumi?”

His alpha spun around at his words, hand raised in the air.

“Do it!” Sungmin exclaimed, ignoring the tear that rolled down his cheek. “Hit me! Punish me as you like!”

Shock flashed past his alpha’s eyes, freezing his alpha in spot for seconds before Kyuhyun turned, striding out and slamming the door in the process. Sungmin turned away from the hostile door he had often stared crying at, wiping the fallen tear as the trembles shook him.

Don’t cry, Lee Sungmin. You can’t let him see your tears anymore. 

But his alpha didn’t return to him that night.

~--~

One way or another, his words seemed to have gotten to his alpha. Though Kyuhyun was back to being cold and in control of his emotions, there was no longer any whip or cane involved in the punishments Sungmin received. Instead, they were uninjurious ones that simply stopped the trouble he was creating.

On the first day of his rebellion, Sungmin had deliberately tried to run away from classes and the bodyguards several times. Eventually, his alpha placed a leash on his collar, shortening it till he was dragged along at an angle of fourty-five. Leashing was a sign that the omega had disobeyed the alpha, a move to humiliate the omega and force him back into submission. But Sungmin was beyond humiliation. He had already decided to give up on his alpha; what more was pride when he was losing everything?

He knew he had worried everyone around him – his friends who tried to get him to talk, the bodyguards, Leeteuk and Kangin hyung, even his director phoned back from the orphanage upon hearing what had happened from Donghae. But he brushed off all the concern with a fake smile and nonchalant tone, hiding his true broken self in the sardonic façade he had built.

The first night, after being locked up in the room for the entire afternoon and evening with his food brought to him by Yoseob, his alpha had tried to hold him in bed. Sungmin struggled, though he had yearned for his alpha’s warmth so badly the entire day.

His alpha had asked him in exasperation for the tenth time that day, “What’s wrong?” And for the first time, he answered, “Everything’s wrong.”

To his relief, that was the last time his alpha tried. In the next two days, his alpha didn’t try to hold him, didn’t try to ask him, didn’t try to talk to him again. Neither did his alpha touch him; his alpha stuck to the uninjurious punishments – forbidding him to eat on the second day when he flipped the dishes in the morning, then taping his mouth on the third day for breaking the rules and eating the day before. There were no whips, no canes, not even a slap.

It came as a relieving break for his emotions that his alpha became distant, because there were only so many times he could resist before giving in and spilling things in his alpha’s warm embrace. However, it meant that the progress of his plan remained stagnant. Sungmin didn’t have much time left; he planned to break up with his alpha before his next heat.

Thus, on Saturday evening, when he was dragged to a social party by his alpha, he stepped up on his efforts.

“This is not a place for you to throw your tantrum.” His alpha warned, holding him close with hands adjusting his shirt collar that was already neat. If it wasn’t the event being the largest party co-organised by the Youth Council across all the seven high schools, Sungmin doubted his alpha would have taken the risk to bring him here. “As usual, no alcohol.” His alpha picked up a glass of orange juice from a waiter passing by, pushing it into his hand.

Sungmin took a sip as his alpha watched him, letting an amused smile slip. “Did I tell you I get drunk on orange juice too, Master?”

His alpha’s eyes narrowed at him, but the words that were going to follow were cut off by Donghae’s loud voice slashing through the tension between them.

“Min!” The omega waved, his eagerness suggesting how he would have ran over if Hyukjae didn’t pull him back by the wrist. After the omega was seemingly reprimanded by his alpha, he followed over obediently behind Hyukjae.

“Kyuhyun-ssi,” Hyukjae offered his alpha a handshake. “Pardon my omega. We hardly attend such events so he forgets the behavior he should put on when we do.”

“It’s fine, Hyukjae-ssi. We all have problems with our own omegas.” His alpha replied, throwing a glance in his direction.

Sungmin deliberately grinned at his alpha, taking a step forward towards Donghae. He let out a loud whistle, smacking the omega on his back. “Looking good hur, Hae?”

Donghae frowned at his intentional actions, turning to his alpha. “May I be so bold to request a few minutes to speak to Sungmin alone, Kyuhyun-ssi?”

“Sure, Donghae-ssi.” His alpha smiled, allowing Donghae to drag him away from the two alphas. Sungmin didn’t miss how his alpha's smile fell immediately while nodding at Hyunseung and Junhyung, who followed after them from a distance.

“Min…” Donghae sighed when they were finally sitting alone in a corner.

“Orange juice for you?” Sungmin offered, holding out his glass to his friend.

His friend snatched the glass over, placing it down on the side table before turning back to him with a scowl. “Seriously, what are you doing?” 

“What?” Sungmin smiled, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back on the chair to assume a relaxed posture.

“Causing trouble everywhere? What are you trying to do exactly?” Donghae rambled on in irritation. “If it’s because you feel betrayed by Mi, he apologized a few times already, didn’t he? And I’m sure you understand how he couldn’t just lie to his alpha. It was his first day for goodness sake. He was scared! Can’t you just forgive him and forget about it?”

“I never blamed him,” Sungmin said, the short whisper rendering Donghae speechless instantly.

“Then—what—”

“Do you think Jiseok hyung would take me back?” Sungmin asked before he could stop himself. He had held back those words for three days, and he knew he should continue doing so, but with Donghae sitting alone in front of him and the bodyguards for once out of hearing range, he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Jiseok hyung? What… You-you’re planning on going back to the orphanage?” Donghae didn't bother to hide the shock in his tone, grabbing his hands tightly.

“Do you think he will?” He questioned, deciding that he should at least tell Donghae out of everyone.

“Wait wait wait," Donghae held up a palm. "Why so sudden, Min? What happened?” 

“Do you think he will?” Sungmin repeated, ignoring the question he didn’t want to answer.

Donghae opened his mouth, closed it, and then sighed again. “Of course he will… You’re like his kid he will forever be proud of. He wouldn’t even hesitate a single bit in taking