It was a typical morning in the new life of Mark, but better. 

For once, Mark's solitary window was not fogged up with dew from the tempurature difference between inside his too hot room, and the freezing air outside. It was still cold, yes, but Mark could feel it even from his room: a single ray of sunshine. It brightened Mark, too, in a way. It reminded him of something...someone. 

It was Donghyuck. That sunshine reminded Mark of his sunshine, the childhood friend Mark had never thought he would see again, but that he grew to care for beyond anything he could have imagined. And that's why things were better: everything in his life was brightened by the knowledge that he'd get to see Donghyuck soon enough.

He just had to get through this part of the day. 

These awkward morning hours with his father Jaehyun were something Mark always wished would go a little faster. Yes, he should soak up all the time with his parents that he can get. But it was hard to feel comfortable when he knew his father didn't want to be here, and when he would rather be with Donghyuck instead.

"You know the test hunt's coming up pretty soon," Jaehyun said, just trying to make small talk to fill the time. 

"Oh yeah," Mark answered. "Do you know who Taeyong's thinking of nominating for Head?" 

"The rumour is he's thinking of Donghyuck, actually." 

Mark tried not to react but he choked a little bit on air. "O-Oh." 

"Yeah. You know...I see it," Jaehyun answered. 

"Mmh." Mark didn't know what to say, terrified his father would suspect something. So they fell silent again, letting the awkwardness fill the room. 

Mark watched as Jaehyun turned longingly towards door, casting his eyes outside, before taking a deep breath and coming back to Mark. 

The omega teen couldn't take it any more; he had to confront him.

"Dad?" Mark asked, his voice small, concerned. 

"Are you okay?" Jaehyun answered. The alpha ran back over to his son and looked him over. 

"Dad, dad, I'm fine. I... just want to ask you something." 

Jaehyun looked back over at him. "What is it?" 

"Are...are you upset to be here? Are you embarrassed that Taeyong asked you to take care of me instead of Doyoung?" 

Jaehyun just stared back at his son, eyes wide, inhaling and exhaling deeply. It was obvious he had no idea what to say. 

He sighed, again, and looked down at the ground. 

"I....I don't know if it would be worse to lie to you or tell you the truth about how I feel..." 

"Tell me the truth," Mark firmly spoke, sitting up in his bed and crossing his arms. 

Jaehyun sighed again and turned away. "I...I'm an alpha, Mark. There are certain things alphas are always told we are supposed to do: hunt, be strong, protect our families. I...here, I can't really do those things. I've always tried my best to go against what I've always been told to do, you know? I'm mated to a beta, a beta that's strong, and that hunts, and I love him so much for that. And I don't mind doing omega things sometimes, so he doesn't have to. But...to be in this position all the time, instead? I...it's hard Mark. I'm trying my best, but...oh Mark. You're my son, my child. I love you and I'd do anything for you. I just love you so much." Jaehyun sat down beside Mark's bed to smile at him softly. "It's all worth it, all of this sacrifice. And... it's what's best for the pack too. Doyoung is a good hunter, better than me. He has to be out there with this famine going on. And...it hurts, you know? That I'm the alpha but...I can't be out there. But it's what's best for the pack, and for you, and it's worth it." 

Mark sighed and looked away, tightening his crossed arms. 

Sacrifice? It was a sacrifice to spend time with him, to take care of him? 

Mark clucked his tongue, scrunching his face. How much of a stupid, blind alpha could his father be? Was he just a burden to him? 

Jaehyun claimed to love him. And of course Mark knew he did. But did he love his status more? Did he love his power, his hunting, his reputation more than all of that? More than Doyoung, even, who Mark could clearly see he had towards jealousy towards despite being his mate? 

Of course; Mark should have known. Typical alpha. Was it wrong for him to have hope that his own father would be better? 

"Mark, are you okay?" 

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yup. I'm just fine." 

Jaehyun swallowed and looked away. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie and pretend like everything feels alright because I know you can read right through that, it's why you asked in the first place, right?" 

"Mm-hm. Right." 

"I'm sorry if...it's not what you wanted to hear. I don't mean to hurt you." 

"It's not that it's not what I wanted to hear. It's just that I expected you to think differently." 

"You know...this is a normal alpha feeling. This is just how alphas are." 

Mark looked away sharply. Jaehyun didn't have to be like this. Donghyuck wasn't like this.

But he didn't want to do this, he felt too ty, too sick, too tired to fight. So he shifted onto his side and looked away. 

"I understand," he mumbled. 

Jaehyun smiled a little bit and ran his fingers through Mark's hair. Mark took a deep breath, in and out. He would save his rage for another day; he didn't want to deal with it right now. He wanted his parents to leave him alone; he wanted to feel the sun through the window and have Donghyuck by his side. 

Again, in just a few hours that would be here. He would feel that afternoon sun on his face. He would feel Donghyuck's eyes on him, his gentle smile. Even if Donghyuck and his relationship wasn't to the capacity he wanted, he would still be there, be his friend, endlessly caring about him, fighting to understand him.

He just had to get through this, that was all. 

Jaehyun stood up again, sparing a brief glance at the window before walking out the door probably to get some water, to stoke the fire. 

It would be over soon enough. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a typical afternoon in the new life of Jaemin, but better. 

It was after school and he and Jeno were sitting in their spots, clouded mostly in shade. But today was a rare day when a small ray of the sun had fought its way through the clouds, casting a small bit of sunshine onto the two boys. The air was still freezing cold but that small bit of light had brought a joy to the whole pack; everyone could feel it. There had been a tenderness amongst them that nobody had felt in years and years. The bully alphas even left Jaemin alone, for once. 

And now that light was shining right on Jaemin and Jeno, on their special rock, their special place, during their special time together. And it felt all the more special because of it. 

Jeno had his arm wrapped around Jaemin's neck and Jaemin had his head on Jeno's shoulder, quiet, relaxed. Jaemin could feel a contentedness in his heart that hadn't been there in a long while; especially not since he'd had that conversation with his father, but from even before. Honestly, he hadn't felt quite this at peace since he was a little boy. 

He didn't like to think that it was Jeno's calming presence that made him feel this way. 

But Jaemin just knew that this feeling, as nice as it was, would not be able to beat the feeling of breaking Jeno's heart. The power he would have would trump this peace, absolutely. 

So, he could take in this feeling now. Things could only get better. 

"How've you been?" Jeno asked in his low, comforting voice. 

"Good. Really good." If they were just talking about today, it wasn't a lie. 

But if they were talking about any other recent days, it absolutely was. 

Jaemin had been on edge ever since he'd had that talk with his dad, Head Alpha Taeyong. The whole thing had been...weird. It had been a long, long time since he had spent that much time with the alpha, and the fact that they were spending time together was weird in itself. But his behavior had been even weirder: he'd been so falsely kind, falsely concerned, that in Jaemin's weakest moments late at night, he'd pondered the fact that maybe, Taeyong had meant everything he'd said. 

But Jaemin had quickly remembered himself, his words, the words of both his parents and his friends and the people at school. Of course he'd been lying. All he'd wanted was an excuse to get a break from the hunt. 

Still, the whole thing made him uncomfortable. 

And since then, being in the house had only gotten more uncomfortable. When Taeyong and Jaemin passed one another, however briefly, Taeyong still made an effort to say hello. But the joy he'd always faked was gone; Jaemin figured he didn't feel like he needed to bother anymore. 

But what was worse was his father Ten's behavior. 

It was like he was trying to pretend like everything was the same. But Ten definitely knew what had happened, it was obvious, Jaemin could feel it. He was as cold as he could be while still acting normal, and did it hurt. 

Jaemin had always assumed Ten was on his side, not Taeyong's. But maybe that wasn't the case. 

Late at night, he heard them murmuring hushed conversations like never before. 

The whole thing was just...weird. Uncomfortable. Something Jaemin desperately needed to escape from. 

So, he'd been spending more time with Jeno. Working on his plan, making Jeno fall, not being at home. All in all, it was a win-win situation. He didn't have to deal with his parents and his plan was working more than he ever expected. 

So maybe, it was all a good thing. 

Jaemin gave Jeno a smile as he came out of his thoughts, and Jeno grinned back. 

"It's good to see you smiling again. You've been so...down the past few days. What's been going on?" 

"Nothing," Jaemin easily lied. If he was vulnerable with Jeno for even a few moments, then he knew everything he'd built thus far would just come crashing down. "Just...you know." 

Jeno nodded. "I understand, I understand." He paused for a minute before continuing, looking at Jaemin with the gentlest of affection. "Today's a magical day, you know? I can just feel it in the air." 

"I agree." 

Jeno began to comb his fingers through the little hairs on the back of Jaemin's neck. Jaemin steeled himself from melting a little, squirming to seem like he was shy. Honestly, it was an unusually bold move for the teen alpha. Usually he was way to shy to do anything quite so intimate. 

"Jaemin," he spoke, a pitch lower than his normal voice. His fingers shook on Jaemin's neck and his voice trembled; he was nervous. Jaemin perked up and turned to him, not sure what was going on, but excited to see what could come. Jeno couldn't make eye contact but Jaemin tried, locking the alpha in with his eyes. 

"What is it?" Jaemin asked, tenderly, softly, feeling none of those things in that moment. 

"Jaemin." He sighed, turning his eyes to the ground. "Do you know how nervous I am right now?" 

"I know you well now. I can tell. But really, it's okay. Tell me whatever you need to." Jaemin reached for Jeno's larger, veiny alpha hand and held it in his own delicate omega fingers. Jeno took a deep breath at that, seemingly clearly comforted. 

"Jaemin... I've been wanting to say these words to you for so long, like, almost since we were kids... I... I've always thought you were wonderful and so handsome and kind but getting to know you recently I've realized you're even more of all those things than I thought before... just so smart, so strong, so independent... there's no other omega like you, really. I... I thought the day you asked me to sit with you all at lunch was the best day of my life thus far but each day since has only gotten better."

Jaemin was shaking. If this was the moment he thought it was, then he was beyond overjoyed.

His plan had worked. 

It was a little hard to think of the plan when Jeno was showering him with so much kindness. But Jaemin refocused himself and watched Jeno, squeezed his hand, displayed the nerves that he, for once, didn't have to fake. 

"Jaemin... I have feelings for you. So much, so deep, and I know that I'll never find another omega that I feel this way about. I know we are both young but it's been you, it's always been you, ever since we were children it's been you."

Both of them were shaking with the weight of the moment; Jaemin could practically feel Jeno's heartbeat through the rock. 

What was Jaemin going to do; how could he possibly respond to a confession like that? 

Keep it simple. So, he launched himself across the short distance between them and held Jeno so tight. Slowly, still nervous, still awaiting a response, Jeno held Jaemin back.

"Me too," Jaemin mumbled into the crook of Jeno's neck. "Me too."

"Really?" Jeno spoke breathlessly, and even though Jaemin couldn't see the expression on his face he could feel the smile on his lips. 

"Of course Jeno. How could I feel anything else?"

They pulled away from the hug and Jeno clasped Jaemin's hands tightly. This was the moment. This was that moment, and Jaemin knew what he had to say. 

"When my heat comes... I'll search for you," Jaemin spoke softly, and Jeno shuddered. 

"And in that moment... I can give you the mark?" Jeno asked so nervously, so hopefully. Slowly, Jaemin nodded and Jeno in a breath. "So... we're promised?" 

"Promised mates." 

"Oh my god," Jeno whispered, all one breath. 

Jaemin felt just the same. Maybe not for the reasons Jeno did, but it was a breathless sort of moment.

His plan had worked, fully, completely, utterly. It had gone further than Jaemin had ever expected. Honestly, it was a surprise that Jeno even confessed first; Jaemin had figured he was going to have to be the one to do it. But Jeno liked him so much that he couldn't wait another moment and did it. It was perfect. 

The first part of his plan was complete. He and Jeno were now promised mates. Now, all Jaemin had to do was find the right time to dump him, the right way to dump him, just so it hurt the most, all before his first heat. 

This had been the hard part; that would be easy. 

At least, he could tell himself it would be easy. That this moment with Jeno was not utterly precious, something he could never forget. 

Jaemin let his head fall onto Jeno's shoulder, the two boys facing each other, fingers still intertwined. Jeno slowly moved his hand, from Jaemin's fingers to cup his chin, tilting his head so they locked eyes. 

Jeno gazed at him and let out a soft little exhale. 

"You can kiss me, you know," Jaemin mumbled. 

This wasn't Jaemin's first kiss. He'd played around with his friends, Donghyuck and Renjun and occasionally Chenle, when Jisung allowed, when they had all first presented. 

But this was Jaemin's first kiss that meant something, that wasn't just play. Maybe it meant something different to Jeno and Jaemin respectively. But it meant something nonetheless. 

"It's my first," Jeno mumbled, not giving Jaemin a moment to respond before he pressed their lips together. 

Was Jeno a good kisser? Probably; Jaemin couldn't tell. But it was a good kiss. About that, there was not a single doubt. 

It was as if Jaemin could feel every inch of Jeno's love through his lips. At that feeling Jaemin's heart began to thrum in his chest, and for a brief flash of a moment he thought I can't do this any more. But Jaemin swallowed his hesitation, his fear, his regret, he swallowed back every inch of it and only pressed himself closer. 

He grabbed onto Jeno's shirt just to hold him tight, keep him close. 

Maybe this was too much. 

So the omega exhaled and detached himself from Jeno's mouth. As much as his lips tinged and his heart beat rapidly and his skin felt like electricity where Jeno touched he would have to make sure he didn't feel this way any more. He and Jeno would probably kiss a lot before Jaemin finished his plan; he would have to steel himself, get stronger, if he wanted to be able to follow through with it. 

The two teenagers rested their foreheads together, panting against each other's lips, feeling each other's breaths on their faces. It was all so much. 

"Should I walk you home?" Jeno asked, expression forming a frown, broken at the idea of parting from his promised mate even for a second. 

"No. I don't want to leave," Jaemin answered. Frankly, it was the truth, as much as he hated to admit why. 

"Good. I don't either." At Jaemin let Jeno kiss him again, as much as he wanted, as long as he wanted. 

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: first off i wanna say im exhausted and a bit tipsy so sorry if this chapter isn't up to par; i'll edit it tomorrow. secondly i wanted to thank you all for your upvotes and subscriptions thus far! comments are also very, very much appreciated and are really motivating to me as an author. thank you all so so much!