Being Omega

Honeysuckle

Nines was walking through the bullpen the next day when he smelled it. A new scent. He paused. It was light. Gentle. Sweet. Calming. It was a really nice scent. He closed his eyes as he breathed it in slowly, trying to put his finger on it. He'd smelled it somewhere before. It was so familiar. A flower of some sort. He followed his nose through the bullpen towards the main entrance, surprised as he almost walked straight into Connor. His eyes widened in something akin to horror as the realisation hit him like a freight train.

"Connor, what have you done?" he demanded in distaste, watching Connor wince at the strength of his disapproving scent. Connor had only had his secondary gender for a few hours, so he wasn't used to breathing in all these different scents. They were assaulting him on every side. The alphas were all aware of the newest presence in the precinct. They were releasing their scents to attract his attention and posture, showing him who was worthy of attention. Connor wasn't used to his omega yet either. It was unsettling to feel the phantom presence within his own body. It was almost like having a pet within his zen garden, only it was a constant sensation. He could feel it with him at all times.

They were aware of each other. He couldn't exactly see it, but he knew what it looked like. It wasn't like a canine, but it wasn't a cat or a fox either. It was big. About the size of a jaguar or mountain lion. It had almond eyes that shone with a yellowish green hue. It had long, soft fur that he imagined being a warm brown colour, and large, pointed ears that had drooped with the strength of Nines' scent. It cowered before Nines' alpha, which had a much larger and darker presence, like a huge panther. Nines' scent was the strongest in the precinct, but he couldn't help it at that moment. He was furious.

"Explain!" he demanded sharply, watching the way Connor's hazel eyes winced in an almost pained manner at the strength of his reproach. Amber started creeping into his irises in distress. Nines sighed as he lowered his own lids and tried to rein in his alpha's instincts. He could feel its restlessness. It was bad enough having Reed's omega scent wafting around day after day. Now he'd have to deal with Connor's, too.

"I-I had my secondary gender installed," Connor replied timidly as he looked at the floor and lowered his shoulders to seem smaller. The sight sent a wave of disgust crashing through Nines' system. Connor wasn't supposed to look like that. He wasn't supposed to look so weak. So feeble. So pathetic. His body was vaguely trembling in submission as he lowered his head. Cowering. Just like his omega. "I thought about it a lot, and...I was originally going to choose the beta program, but at the last minute, I decided..." Connor trailed off hesitantly. Weakly. Submissively. He wasn't like Reed. He didn't raise his eyes in defiance. He was either programmed to be extremely submissive, or too new to the experience to do anything else. Hopefully, it was the latter.

"How could you do this? You're the second most advanced android ever created by Cyberlife! It's shameful!" Nines snapped angrily, making Connor flinch away from him. He watched Connor's hazel eyes finally rise in defiance, though he couldn't hide the hurt he felt at Nines' sharp words. It was never nice to hear such things. Especially from family. Luckily, a second presence arrived, coffee in hand, just catching the last part of their conversation. If Nines' strong scent bothered him, he didn't let on.

"What's shameful?" Reed asked curiously as he sauntered by, watching Nines pull back from Connor with a tightened jaw. He looked like he was ready to pummel someone. What the phck's his problem? He paused as he examined Nines. It was rare for him to be this riled at anyone besides him. It was even rarer to see him at odds with his Connor. Connor was his older brother. He usually respected him. The surprise seemed to be mutual. Connor looked hurt and somehow tired as he sagged against the wall.

"Yes, why don't you tell him, brother?" he almost dared, knowing Nines would never outright say he was ashamed to have an omega working in the precinct. Reed seemed to ignore that as he sniffed and leaned closer to Connor. It was subconscious, but as he leaned in, he'd released his own scent in greeting, allowing Connor to take in and recognise his own omega pheromones. Connor could feel his own omega's ears prick with interest at the warm greeting. It seemed Reed's omega didn't get to socialise that often. He couldn't quite picture it as clearly as his own, but he sensed its slightly smaller size and lighter, snowy colouring. Cinnamon and coffee tickled Connor's senses as he breathed in with a small sigh. Reed's scent was sympathetically soothing the mild trauma cause by Nines' temper.