Chapter Text
The human race is a marvel of nature. Its capacity for adaptation has developed the species over the years in an exceptional way, surpassing biological limits far beyond any other species on Earth.
So much that human desire and reproductive need have generated what is known as subgenders over the centuries. Humanity is no longer just divided between male and female; there are also the three subgenders of alpha, beta, and omega.
Most of the population is beta, with no special characteristics. But a small percentage present as alphas and omegas. Alphas and omegas are seemingly normal people who have the ability to emit pheromones. This allows them to attract romantic interests and greatly enhance their reproductive capability, to the point that an alpha woman can impregnate another woman in the same way that a male omega can become pregnant by another man. The limits of sex no longer matter when it comes to alphas and omegas.
In older times, those who presented as omegas were terribly discriminated against, considered second-class citizens whose only value was sexual activity and reproduction. This was due to a particularity that omegas had: heat. All omegas experienced an increase in their pheromone emission when they were most fertile, increasing their sexual desire and the attraction they produced in others to the point of losing sanity. This uncontrollable longing for sexual relations, especially directed towards alpha partners, contributed to their discrimination.
Particularly male omegas, considered a rarity even within their subgender, were used as bargaining chips for sexual favors because, despite their ability to become pregnant, their fertility compared to a woman's was negligible. They were labeled as useless to society except as sexual slaves.
Obviously, with the development of society, technological and pharmaceutical advances, the pheromone emission of omegas was controlled, nullifying or masking its effects to the point that omegas could reintegrate with full rights into society, becoming indistinguishable from betas. Only the presence of heat differentiated them from the rest, but today it is no different from a cold. A few days at home taking the appropriate medication and the problem is solved. Despite all these advances, there were still groups that discriminated against omegas, leading some of them to want to hide their condition.
This is the story of one of them.
***
The day began like any other. Classes at the high school were monotonous and repetitive. The incessant noise in the hallways, composed of the laughter and shouts of groups of students, was the typical background music of every day.
A boy with a sullen face was walking down one of these hallways, headphones isolating him from his surroundings and a guitar case slung over his back. People who crossed his path avoided bumping into him and made way for him. The boy, Till, was known for his explosive temper. Violent and rough with anyone who dared to approach him from day one.
He would be considered the typical lone wolf, except that he was always seen as part of a small group of people. Surprisingly, two of the most popular people in school used to spend time with him. Mizi was famous for being part of the drama and singing club. A girl with pink hair, large clear eyes, a beautiful smile, and an even more beautiful personality. Mizi was the kind of person who radiated light and innocence, an angel on earth. Many were surprised that a being of light like Mizi was friends with someone as taciturn as Till, but they assumed that no one could resist the warm presence of such kindness.
Being friends with Mizi inevitably meant having a relationship with Sua. Class delegate, occasional choir member, and Mizi's inseparable partner. Rumor had it that from the moment they locked eyes in the singing club, they became inseparable.
Sua, like Till, was known for being unsociable, preferring not to engage in conversations or large groups of people unless absolutely necessary. With a serious and taciturn demeanor most of the time, her eyes only lit up in Mizi's presence, her smile reserved for her.
At first, Till did not get along with Sua. He still remembered her piercing and murderous looks when Mizi started spending time with him, brought together by their mutual love for music. Being in her presence was extremely uncomfortable. The fact that Till clearly could not hide his attraction to Mizi did not help. But Mizi was so sweet and kind that he could not help but adore her.
Till's social awkwardness caused him to blush and stammer every time Mizi gave him the slightest attention, something Sua did not particularly like. Only with time and the realization that Till was harmless to her relationship with Mizi (the boy was incapable of articulating a complete sentence without stammering, let alone having the courage for anything more) did Sua lower her guard a bit and start treating Till as a "friend."
Till really enjoyed spending time with the girls. Something about them, the atmosphere they created when they were together, calmed him. Mizi's warmth and incessant chatter filled any room they were in, and Sua's serious and quiet presence accompanied him even in rare moments of silence. Till could say he was completely content with his school life if not for a small inconvenience.
A tall inconvenience.
Ivan.
Ivan was Sua's younger brother. Smaller only in age, as he was taller than most of his class. And a real nuisance in Till's life.
Interacting with Mizi led to interacting with Sua. And interacting with Sua led to the inevitable consequence of meeting Ivan.
Till still did not know what he had done to deserve such punishment. Maybe in his previous life, he spent his time killing puppies. From the moment they were introduced, Ivan had become his shadow, a real pain in the ass. Bothering him at every moment, following him down the hallways, accompanying him in any activity he showed the slightest interest in.
He couldn't even complain as people looked at him without understanding. Who in their right mind would complain about Ivan showing interest?
And Till didn't know what they were feeding them at their house, but both siblings were talented, intelligent (Ivan belonged to the damn student council, for crying out loud. Where did he find the time to harass Till!?) and, despite his reluctance to admit it, extremely attractive.
You'd have to be blind not to appreciate the beauty they had, although Till would take those opinions to his grave. The last thing he needed was for Ivan to know that Till found him attractive. In the most platonic and objective way possible, of course. It was just that Till didn't want to give him more reasons to mess with him and much less to boost his ego, which was already soon not going to fit through the door.
Speaking of doors, he had reached his destination. If it weren't for the time he spent with Mizi and company, Till wouldn't even bother attending classes. Everything seemed boring and pointless to him. Only the moments when he met with Mizi to compose songs and sing, occasionally accompanied by Sua, made the effort of getting up every morning worth it.
If he was in the mood, he even allowed Ivan to be present at these sessions. Usually, Ivan's taunts and comments drove him crazy, and he ended up kicking him out violently or running out of the room to get away from him, to the exasperated and resigned looks of the girls. It happened very rarely, but once in a blue moon, Ivan was even tolerable. In those rare moments, he let Ivan look at the songs he was composing with (for, but who cared about technicalities) Mizi. Naturally, Ivan also had a good voice (seriously, what was up with that family!?) and would hum the songs in the process of being finished. Listening to Ivan singing his incomplete songs always left Till feeling uneasy.
That only made Till even more irritated. Ivan was in every aspect a freaking perfect person, if only it weren't for his annoying obsession with him. Ivan really needed another hobby that wasn't bothering Till.
The classroom where they usually met after classes was empty when he arrived. Mizi had already told him she would be late today, so he had plenty of time to settle into a chair and start unpacking his materials. The truth is, these minutes of solitude were very useful. He needed to pull himself together a bit. He had been feeling like crap all day. A pulsating headache behind his eyes that wouldn't go away despite all the medication he had taken as soon as he started noticing the symptoms. Besides, he felt dizzy; maybe he had caught a cold? Only an idiot like him would get sick in the middle of spring.
He closed his eyes momentarily, wishing his head would stop spinning. Weren't they taking too long? How much time had passed since he arrived at the classroom? Why was everything so blurry?
***
Sua was heading to the classroom where she had agreed to meet Mizi and, therefore, Till.
The truth was that the boy was a box of surprises. Who would have thought that behind that delinquent appearance was such an sensitive and artistic being? A true genius in everything related to art.
Sua didn't usually like the flies that swarmed around Mizi (who could resist such sweet beauty), but she had to admit she had gotten used to Till's presence. She wouldn't confess this to anyone, but she had been moved when Till composed a song for her and Mizi to sing. Sua didn't delude herself into thinking Till had done it for her; it was clearly dedicated to Mizi, the adoration he had for her was almost cute. The masterpiece Till gave them, that song called "My Clematis," was a memory Sua would treasure for the rest of her days. The recording of the duet with her beloved Mizi was lovingly kept under lock and key.
Sua accepted Till in their company after this, as long as he kept his distance, and has to admit the boy was endearing.
Besides, thanks to Ivan's absurd fixation on Till, she doubted he would disappear from their lives anytime soon.
Sua didn't mind her brother's quirks; he had always been a strange guy. Completely disconnected and uninterested in the world until he found something to obsess over: the stars, the neighbor's dog, eating flowers from the garden, long black shirts down to the floor (seriously? As his sister, she should try to steer him away from such a fashion disaster, but honestly, she preferred to have a good laugh at his expense). Till had the misfortune of being the latest focus of Ivan's obsessive behavior.
Well, it was his funeral. Or wedding, but at the pace Ivan was going, the former was more likely. At least she was gathering plenty of blackmail material.
Upon arriving at the classroom, she immediately noticed something was wrong. The atmosphere was strangely tense, and she couldn't pinpoint why. She entered and saw Till lying on a table. This wasn't unusual since Till was known for falling asleep in classes (how he hadn't been suspended yet was a mystery); the strange thing was the heavy breathing she could hear from the door. Sua approached Till and quickly noticed something was wrong: labored breathing, face drenched in sweat, flushed skin... Sua touched his forehead and felt he was burning up. Apparently, the fool came to class sick.
Knowing that Till didn't like to draw attention to himself and that she could gain new blackmail material, in addition to earning some extra favors, she made a cruel decision (from Till's perspective).
She called Ivan.
As expected, as soon as she told him she needed his help with something involving Till, he dropped everything to come to her aid. Sua smiled maliciously, her brother was so whipped.
“What did you need me for?” speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Sua simply pointed to Till lying on the table, his frown deepening more and more. He seemed to be really suffering.
Ivan sighed as he walked through the door. While he was grateful to have been called to help Till, he would have preferred if he were awake to appreciate it. This boy needs to start taking better care of his health; his dark circles were a constant presence on his face. Not that it affected his beauty. Ivan thought they gave him a special touch, a unique character. If only it weren't at the expense of his well-being...
Suddenly Ivan stopped dead in the middle of the classroom. He had just registered the scent coming from Till.
But, could it be? All this time, there hadn't been any sign that Till was...
All his instincts went on high alert. In front of him was a completely defenseless being, smelling delicious. If only he could taste him, lick his flesh, savor his sweat.
He could hear his heartbeat in his ears.
So close, so easy...
“Ivan?”
Sua's voice snapped him out of his reverie. He quickly headed back to the door. He needed to keep his distance to maintain a clear mind.
“Sua, call Mizi. Have her get the medical staff and bring inhibitors.”
“Inhibitors? What are you talking about, Ivan? Since when do you need inhibitors?” Sua asked, confused. Why was Ivan behaving so strangely? And why was he stepping back when he usually looked for excuses to get close to Till?
Especially since this time she had served it on a silver platter.
“They're not for me.”
Ivan's voice sounded strained. He had brought his hand to his face, covering his mouth and nose. It seemed like just standing was costing him an enormous effort. Sua had never seen her brother like this. Finally, she looked into his eyes.
Normally an impenetrable black, she could see a reddish gleam. But he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was fixed on Till, which wasn't unusual in itself. However, his fixation was even more obsessive, unnatural; he wasn't even blinking.
Sua looked at Till again, who was still whimpering slightly, his skin's flush becoming more pronounced. She was about to brush his hair away from his face to see him better, but what sounded like a growl came from the door. Startled, she looked wide-eyed at Ivan, who was trembling.
He was clenching his fists tightly, biting his lip to the point where she could see the glint of blood staining it.
“Call... Mizi... now,” he said, each word seeming to cost him an enormous effort.
And suddenly Sua realized the situation. Her brother, who always appeared impassive and indifferent to everything around him, trained from a young age to control his emotions.
Her brother, who had presented as an alpha early in his childhood, who had received instruction and medication to avoid being controlled by pheromones, whom she had never seen having a problem controlling his instincts, had disappeared.
In front of her stood an alpha, a predator craving his prey.
But she wasn't the prey. Not only was she his sister, but she was also a beta. So that meant...
She looked again at the gray-haired boy lying on the table. All his symptoms now painted a different picture. But Till had never shown the signs and behaviors typical of a...
"... omega?"