Chapter Text
The day started out pretty normal. Sophia woke up just in time for her alarm to ring, and this was the first time in a while that she had slept a full eight hours or so - which she considers a win due to their immensely busy schedule recently.
She looks to her right and recognizes her roommate, their youngest, still sleeping soundly.
Sophia takes a mental note of HYBE’s genius scheme in rooming her with Yoonchae.
First is that Sophia is the designated speaker of the group. It’s only natural that they room Yoonchae with someone who is patient enough to teach and practice her conversational and “interview” English with.
Second is that, well, Yoonchae is a beta and is a minor. As such, she hasn’t exactly gone through puberty and cannot - for Sophia’s benefit - smell pheromones or sense heats and ruts.
Which basically makes it easier for Sophia to keep her secret away from the girls when her own roommate can’t tell or sense anything.
Sophia can’t help but sigh as she stands up from the bed to start her day, thinking about how HYBE hit two birds with one stone with this arrangement.
When HYBE assigned her the leader position shortly after winning first place in their survival show, the management insisted that she keep it away from the public and the members that she is an omega.
The entertainment industry isn’t exactly the kindest when it comes to omegas. For someone to succeed in said industry, one has to be extroverted and confident, traits that for some reason, the world does not believe omegas possess.
To make matters worse, she was also assigned leader of the group. A group which had three alphas and two betas. Simply speaking, in hierarchal terms, she ranks the lowest in their group in terms of their second gender. Anyone would question why she would be given that title when she was just a low omega.
Sophia snaps the depressing thoughts away from her head as she makes her way into her and Yoonchae’s shared bathroom, bringing along her purse that she held on to for dear life.
When she gets to the bathroom, she locks the door and opens up her purse. There she sees bright red and blue pills that make her stomach churn.
Scent blockers and heat suppressants.
HYBE allowed her into the group under the condition that no one must ever know of her second gender. To do that, they had medical professionals issue her pills which she has to drink everyday just to regulate her pheromones and heat.
She whimpers at the thought, not really liking how her body feels everytime she takes in the pills. Not liking how she has to go through so much trouble and temporary body modifications just to fit in and get a chance to pursue her dream of being a singer.
“You can do this.”
Sophia whispers to herself as she stares into the mirror. With a deep breath she brings two of those pills to her mouth and into her system.
The effect is immediate.
She’s burning.
Her head feels nauseous, she grips on the edge of the sink to keep her balance and to keep herself from vomiting.
Heat suppressants are pretty much normal for an omega’s everyday life at this point. Scent blockers, on the other hand, which are specifically modified to mask her omega scent and replicate that of an alpha’s, are unnatural. Sophia doesn’t even know if such pills are legal. All she knows is that she signed a waiver with HYBE that if anything goes wrong with her hormones and pheromones, it would not be HYBE’s fault.
Totally a wrong, irresponsible move from someone who prides herself in being the “responsible one” in the group.
Well, anything to pursue my dream.
So she sucks it up as she grips on her stomach. She feels her body churn and her breathing growing unsteadier by the second.
Five more minutes, she counts.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
It is done. The initial effects have subsided and she feels the same as she felt before taking in the scent masking pills. The only feeling engulfing her now is the emptiness of losing a big chunk of herself to…whatever this is.
Sophia finally looks up and gently slaps both her cheek to wake herself up as she stares into the mirror once again. She flashes her charming smile, one that she has mastered to conjure even during the most tiring and painful days.
“Let’s do this.”
“Hey Mama.”
Sophia playfully rolls her eyes at the teasing voice and nickname. She feels sturdy arms wrap around her waist and weight pushing down on her right shoulder. With a smile directed to the familiar presence, she continues stirring the ladle for the food she’s cooking for her members.
“Good morning to you too, Manon.”
Manon moans against her shoulder and hugs her from the back even tighter. She’s still very much groggy, evidenced by how she is clinging to Sophia like a koala. But as all of their mornings go, Manon had to drag herself awake in time for their fan sign event today. Sophia being a comfortable pillow was a welcoming sight when she entered their shared kitchen this morning.
“How can I see what Sophia is cooking when you’re blocking the view?”
Another voice resonates from behind them which the two immediately recognize as none other than Daniela’s.
Manon grunts against Sophia’s neck and then turns around to glare and put her tongue out at her fellow alpha, “Check from her other side then. This right side is occupied by me.”
Daniela squints at the Swiss-Ghanian girl, you’re lucky you’re cute.
She thinks.
To which she squints again - but to herself - because why would she think that another alpha is cute?
So the Latina makes her way onto Sophia’s left side to look at the sinigang that their leader is making for late breakfast and early lunch.
She smiles at the scent of the food and beams at Sophia, “That smells soooo good.” Daniela slurs.
Sophia smirks and turns to her with a spoon offered up to the Latina’s lips, “I know. Here, take a sip and stop fighting with Manon.”
Daniela stares at the girl, heart skipping a beat as she did. Sophia looks so warm offering up food to her with that gorgeous fucking smile that she thinks she might be in the presence of the actual sun.
Daniela thinks she might be fucked. She hasn’t even been awake for 10 minutes and yet all she’s done is call two of her fellow alpha members cute.
As Daniela takes a sip of the heavenly broth, Lara and Megan arrive shortly by the dining table. They take in the view of whatever the hell is happening in the kitchen.
Sophia being sandwiched by Manon on her right who is hugging her from the back and Daniela is on the left with her face an inch or two away from Sophia’s as they discuss whatever is going on with the food.
“If I didn’t know better, I would think Sophia is their omega.” Megan jokes, “Look at how she’s keeping those two at bay, almost like she’s the only one that could ground their chaotic alpha energy.”
Yoonchae also arrived a minute later, catching up on the discussion quite easily.
“Sophia would make a great omega.” she whispers to herself which did not go unnoticed by the two girls sitting beside her.
“Oh- Yoonchip I didn’t think you wanted our leader in that way -“
“NO! Not in that way!” Yoonchae stutters while turning red, immediately looking at Lara in disbelief, “God…what I mean is, she has all the qualities of an omega. I’m actually surprised that she presented as an alpha after the survival show.”
Megan and Lara both nod in thought, letting the words of their youngest simmer down.
As much as alphas are given so much importance in their world, omegas also have clearly defined roles. Omegas are typically the nurturing and collected ones, the one who are meant to care for their alphas and to calm them down.
Lara thinks that these stereotypes are a load of bullshit.
If they were to go by the standards of a typical alpha and omega, then Sophia would be both. She is assertive and confident as their leader - who is also pretty damn scary when angry - but she is also nurturing and warm as the mother of their group.
The group had just finished enjoying their brunch, courtesy of Sophia’s delicious cooking.
“Thanks for the food Soph!” Megan, the over excited beta, grins and hugs her before going back upstairs to her and Lara’s room, shouting about how she needs to use the toilet real quick.
Lara sighs and looks across the table to meet Sophia’s eyes, “Ugh. I also needed the bathroom but Megan beat me to it. Can I use yours instead?”
Sophia, being too busy to put more rice on Daniela’s plate, just absentmindedly nodded, “Sure thing Lara.”
The Filipina feels a pair of eyes watching her from her other side so she turns around to see Manon pouting at her and Daniela.
“Why don’t I get more rice?”
“Didn’t you just say that you’re so full you could die?” Yoonchae deadpans at her.
“Well-“ Manon stutters but soon regains her composure and grins, “That was a while ago! I’m hungry now.”
“A minute ago is not what I would call a while ago, but sure Manon.”
Sophia giggles at Manon groaning after being called out by their youngest, “Stop being such a baby.”
The leader places a spoonful of rice on Manon’s plate while reaching out to rub the alpha’s arm at a soothing pace, to which Manon happily leans into.
Truthfully, the eldest is super full she could die. But as she stares at the rice served by Sophia in front of her, she realizes that dying is a small price to pay just to have Sophia take care of them.
Sophia is too busy gushing on the two alphas, each taking turns in glaring at each other and vying for her attention that she forgets one important thing.
Her suppressants.
Fuck.
At the realization of having left her pills on their bathroom sink for the world to see, the Filipina hurriedly stands up, shocking the two alphas and beta with the chair that fell due to her sudden movement.
“Sophia-“
“I forgot something.” Her lips are pressed thin and her face contorted in a mix of panic and worry as she urgently makes her way out from the kitchen and upstairs into their room.
Their room where she accidentally left her purse of suppressants open, into the same room that Lara, their other alpha, asked her if she could use just minutes ago.
Sophia repeats the word no to herself over and over as she runs upstairs. As if saying it would manifest it into reality.
She almost trips as she swings the door to their bathroom open.
And then her face drops.
“Lara…”
In front of her is Lara holding two bottles of those damn pills. Those damn fucking pills.
The younger does not look up at her. Her eyebrows are crossed as she reads through the content of the bottles, and Sophia freezes in her spot like a deer in headlights.
“Lara that’s not-“
“This is yours.”
Lara finally looks up. It’s hard to tell from her expression what she is thinking. Is she angry? Surprised? Disgusted?
The Indian notices Sophia’s hesitance and vulnerable expression - things she had never seen from their leader before - and so she takes a step closer.
“This isn’t Yoonchae’s. It’s literally illegal for a minor to be prescribed these. And besides…” Lara turns the bottle to show her, “It has your name written on it by the doctor.”
Lara is looking at her intensely and maybe Sophia finally gets the difference between an alpha and an omega. Here she was, cowering and shaking at the alpha’s serious stare. She feels so small under her gaze and so…damn pathetic.
Sophia puts a hand on her arm to calm herself down and to hopefully stop herself shaking. She can’t speak in fear of her voice breaking into a sob instead of words.
Lara stops a respectable distance from her and says words she never wanted to hear from any of her members.
“You’re an omega.”
The truth is out. Someone knows.