Mornings were always hard for Yuichiro. He had a natural tendency to sleep in, and the betas at the facility never saw a reason to change that. A rested omega was a stress-free omega. How many times had Yuichiro been told to relax, to take a deep breath and let it go? How many times had he been told that 'a stressed omega is an infertile omega'?
Since arriving at the military base, Yuichiro was forced to learn how to manage his time. If he had to meet Goshi at seven to raise the flag, it meant that he had to be in bed by ten if he wanted to sleep the eight hours he was used to. It'd taken him a while to get used to it, but Yuichiro had been proud of the way he'd managed to follow his new routine.
Basic training took every shred of accomplishment Yuichiro'd felt and shoved it in his face. Waking up at five thirty every morning, while going to sleep at eleven the night before had sounded like a bad joke in the beginning, but Yuichiro soon learned that it was to be his new reality. Six hours just wasn't enough and he couldn't understand how his team was so energetic in the morning. It was all Yuichiro could do to pull himself out of bed and get dressed.
This morning was different. Yuichiro woke up before the tent's alarm clock went off. He curled up in his sleeping bag and dug his fingers into his palms.
Oh, god, he thought, unable to drift back to sleep. Mikaela's going to be so mad.
A million scenarios ran through his mind as he thought of his summons to Mikaela's office. None of them were good.
Mikaela had recognized him right away, despite his different coloring and scent. A brief image of Shiho berating him for his horrible dye job came to mind, and Yuichiro groaned in frustration. Of course four-eyes would end up being right, after all. He could practically hear the smug 'I told you so'. If only he'd let the alpha redo his hair, maybe Mikaela wouldn't have realized it was him…
Yuichiro shook his head. That was silly. Of course Mikala would recognize him. Even if he'd been blond and his eyes blue, his face was an immediate giveaway. It was just his luck to encounter someone he knew on his first week of basic training.
Running away made a brief appearance, but Yuichiro shook that away as well. There was nowhere to run to. If he was going to die, he'd rather be shot with poison than suffer a slow death out in the wild.
Was there even a need to run away?
Yuichiro thought about that. Meeting Mikaela was preferable to having a beta from the facility recognize him. What was the worse Mikaela could do? Yell at him for disappearing without notice?
That was assuming that the alpha cared enough. They'd only been together for one heat, after all. For all Yuichiro knew, Mikaela could have already been assigned a new omega.
Yuichiro tried to ignore the stab of pain that came with that thought.
He can give me in.
Yuichiro's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't considered it before, but extradition was a real possibility. What was to promise that Mikaela wouldn't hand him over to the Board once he confirmed his identity? There was a lot the beta could lose should the Board discover that he was harboring a fugitive. Yuichiro doubted he was worth that much to the alpha that he'd risk his neck for him. It wasn't like he was carrying his child…
Yuichiro climbed out of bed and quickly began to dress. The alarm rang just as he grabbed his gun from beneath the mattress and headed toward the bathroom. Shinoa blinked her eyes blearily at him right before he left the tent.
Yuichiro brushed his teeth and studied himself carefully in the mirror. His hair didn't look as disastrous as it usually did. Biting his lip, Yuichiro wet his hands and dragged his fingers through his now-brown locks, smoothing them down. He considered his reflection. Sure, his brown eyes weren't his favorite color, but they were his eyes. He wondered if Mikaela liked brown…
Shame colored his cheeks, but Yuichiro refused to look away from his reflection. He looked presentable. If nothing worked… if Mikaela recognized him and insisted on sending him back into the hands of the Board…
Well, Yuichiro knew just the way Mikaela liked his cock sucked.
"Will you move already?"
Yuichiro frowned as he was jostled by Makoto, but aside from giving the beta the finger behind his back, he didn't act up. He didn't want any trouble, not when he was about to face Mikaela. The last thing he needed was another fight on his record.
He walked back to the tent and made his bed. For the first time since leaving the complex he had spare time in the morning and once he finished organizing all of his things, Yuichiro didn't know what to do with himself. He sat down on the bed with his gun carefully balanced on his lap and watched as everyone prepared themselves for the day.
"Hey," Shinoa said as she sat across from him on her bed, pulling on her socks. "How are you feeling?"
Yuichiro shrugged.
"You're going to be fine," Shinoa said firmly. "You'll walk in there and apologize. What's the worse punishment he can give you? Extra guarding duty?"
"Actually, I'm pretty sure he can be kicked out," Mito said from the other side of the tent as she polished her boots. "My cousin lost his gun during basic training and had to go back to the city and work to pay back the cost. These things cost a bunch," she nodded at Yuichiro's gun.
Shinoa shot her a look. "That's different. Ryuu didn't lose his gun, he just forgot it. You're not going to be kicked out," she turned back to Yuichiro with a smile. "Don't let her scare you."
Yuichiro smiled nervously. He hadn't even thought about the punishment he was bound to face.
I'm so screwed.
The morning passed by quickly after that. Breakfast was eaten in the rec hall and it was all Yuichiro could do to keep down his hardboiled eggs. He tried to concentrate when the squad stood in formation outside and listened to Lacus reading out the day's schedule, but all Yuichiro could think about was his summons.
"Amane, you'll be coming with me to the Company Commander's office."
Yuichiro snapped into focus and realized that everyone's eyes were on him. He nodded, his blood pounding in his ears.
"The rest of you can return to your tent for a short break until I return. Dismissed!"
Shinoa squeezed Yuichiro's shoulder reassuringly before walking away with the others. Yuichiro watched her go before following Lacus down the path.
They walked silently through the base, Yuichiro always two steps behind his squad leader. Five minutes later they stopped in front of an office building. Lacus turned to face Yuichiro.
"You're going to speak to the Company Commander now. He's going to ask you a few questions and based on your answers, he'll decide your punishment. Salute when you enter the room and when you leave. Am I being clear so far?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Do you remember the way we came?"
Yuichiro nodded. His palms were sweating.
"I expect you to return immediately to your tent once you're done. Commander Shindo's office is the first one to the left."
"I will, sir."
Lacus turned to go, but paused long enough to meet Yuichiro's eyes.
"Good luck, Amane."
"Thank you, sir," Yuichiro blinked, taken aback at Lacus's forwardness. The alpha was already gone.
Steeling himself, Yuichiro walked into the building and approached the first door to the left. He gathered his courage and knocked.
"You may enter."
Yuichiro took a deep breath and opened the door, closing it after him as he walked in. Mikaela's office was a small room, full of shelves and paperwork. The alpha was sitting behind a desk and was watching Yuichiro intently as he entered the room.
Recalling Lacus's instructions, Yuichiro raised his hand in a salute, which Mikaela returned. He lowered his hand.
"You wished to see me… sir?"
"Yes. Take a seat, Amane."
Swallowing thickly, Yuichiro pulled back the chair on the opposite side of the desk and sat down, looking down at his lap. His pulse was thundering in his ears.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Yuichiro nodded. "I abandoned my weapon, sir."
Mikaela cleared his throat. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, soldier."
Yuichiro raised his eyes. He hoped his face didn't betray his mortification. Mikaela's blue eyes were hard and his lips were pressed in a thin, disapproving line.
"I've been looking through your files. I found them rather incoherent. This one," Mikaela picked up a page from his desk, "states that you studied at Shinku high school. This one, on the other hand," he set the paper down and pointed at a different one, "says that you went to Oma. Which is it, then?"
Yuichiro was certain that his cheeks were burning red. "Shinku, sir."
"Really? Then why did you list two different high schools?"
"I… I transferred in my second year," Yuichiro said quickly.
"I see," Mikaela said blandly, looking down at the document. "And what of your residence? You wrote here that you lived with your friend at 40 Center street in the city, but Center street only goes up to thirty five."
Shit. Yuichiro had frequently shopped on Center street and thought he could confidently bluff at the very least about his address, but he'd never actually paid attention to the house numbers.
"That's a mistake. I live at 20 Center street. I don't know why it says forty."
Mikaela watched him for a long minute before crunching the document in his hand and throwing it into the trash bin to his right.
"Nice try, but I've checked the city's registry. No one by the name of Ryuu Amane has ever lived there."
Yuichiro froze.
"However, there is a Yuichiro Hyakuya listed. Or rather, was listed. He died, you see," Mikaela caught Yuichiro's eyes. "Around the same time you registered at the base. Interesting coincidence, don't you think?"
Yuichiro looked away. There was nothing he could say.
"Yuichiro. Look at me."
This time when he said it, Mikaela's tone was soft. Yuichiro's gaze returned to the alpha's face. What he saw took his breath away.
He hadn't seen someone looking at him with such need in so long.
"It's okay, Yuu. You can let go."
Yuichiro's breath caught at the nickname. Mikaela had only ever used it when he was close to completion.
"I don't know what you're talking about, sir," Yuichiro insisted, balling his hands into fists on his lap. "I don't know why the registry didn't have my name, but it isn't Yuichiro. My name is Ryuu."
Yuichiro grasped at the last threads of his false identity. He didn't know what Mikaela's intentions were. For all he knew, the moment he got a confession, he'd tie him up and send him back to the city.
Mikaela looked taken aback. He sat back in his chair and frowned.
"Don't play coy. You're a terrible liar, Yuu. I don't know how you changed your scent, but no hair dye or contacts are going to fool me. What do you take me for?"
Yuichiro shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know what you're talking about."
He watched as the emotions played on Mikaela's face. He looked confused, hurt, and Yuichiro wanted nothing more than to push away from the chair and launch himself into the alpha's arms. He wanted to reassure him that he had his omega back.
But he just couldn't take that risk.
Mikaela's scent spiked and before Yuichiro could react, he was yanked out of his chair. The alpha grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him up, forcing Yuichiro to stumble against his chest. Yuichiro tried to pull away, but the alpha's other hand held him securely by the waist.
"There's no reason for you to deny it, Yuu. You're safe with me."
Yuichiro shook his head violently. "Let me go!"
It would be so easy to melt into Mikaela's touch, to let the alpha hold him and relinquish control to older, more experienced hands…
"You know you want me," Mikaela whispered, brushing his lips against his ear. "God, I've missed you so much…"
Tears formed in Yuichiro's eyes. Mikaela's scent was overwhelming. He needed to submit. He wanted to tell the truth.
No. I'm not a weak little omega anymore.
Summoning all of his strength, Yuichiro pushed away, backing against the wall. His face was red, but his eyes narrowed in determination. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
Mikaela looked like he was about to step forward and grab him again, but instead his face drew a blank. Yuichiro watched in confusion as the alpha returned to his desk and sat down, regarding him impassively.
"Fine, then. Two can play this game."
Yuichiro tensed.
"As for your punishment. You'll be helping out in the kitchens for the next week."
Blinking, Yuichiro watched the alpha's face carefully. That wasn't too bad.
"Of course," Mikaela continued, "you'll be doing it in your own free time. You're to wake up early to help prepare breakfast for your platoon. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." Yuichiro's heart sank.
"I expect you to keep up with the rest of your squad. I don't imagine that'll be much of a problem for you. It's not like you're an omega. Did you know that they need at least eight hours of sleep every night to function?"
Yuichiro grit his teeth. "I'll be fine, sir."
"Good," Mikaela narrowed his eyes. "You're dismissed."
Yuichiro raised a hand in a shaky salute before leaving the room. He rushed out of the building and slammed the doors behind him. His blood boiled.
If Mikaela thought he could bully him into breaking down, the alpha was dead wrong.
The game was on.
