bakerstreet | ABO Meme

ABO Meme

THE ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA MEME

In our world, sexual roles are commonly defined by genders -- male or female or other, by sexualities -- gay or straight, bi or asexual or in-between. But what if they were defined by something else entirely?

Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse is a fusion of fanfiction tropes and animalistic behavior. In this world, sexual roles are divided into three categories: the Alphas (the dominant, the protective and the aggressive), the Betas (ordinary humans) and the Omegas (submissive, fertile and able to carry children).

RESOURCES:
Fanlore on the Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse
Alphas, Betas and Omegas: A primer.

CONTENT WARNING: Below the cut contains descriptions of animalistic sexual behavior as applied to humans, situations of dubious consent, explicit situations, mpreg, and scenarios of societal oppression. Click with caution!

ROLES:
1 - The Alpha.
* Stereotypically type A personalities.
* Anatomically: Males have a penis; females may have a penis in addition to a vagina.
* Alphas knot their mates, meaning that the base of the penis swells and locks them inside their mate while they produce copious amounts of semen in an effort to breed.
* Strong sense of smell.
* Near an Omega in heat, they experience a compulsion to mate that is almost impossible to overcome.
* Alphas may go into rut, which is their equivalent of Omega heat, and drives them to mate.

2 - The Beta.
* Ordinary human being.
* Males have penises; females have vaginas.
* Can mate to anyone.
* Might be able to smell hormones of Omegas and Alphas, but will not be overwhelmingly affected by them.

3 - The Omega.
* Stereotypically submissive, quiet, intelligent and less physically able.
* Female anatomy is similar to Betas; males are self-lubricating and may have either an external or internal vaginal setup.
* Regularly go into heat, which involves being overcome by the urge to mate. They are unable to consent while in heat.
* May be made compliant by a bite to the neck. However, that may also induce a mating bond.
* Often regarded as second-class citizens or prizes to be won.

SITUATIONS:
1 - Bonding - Love at first sight. You've spotted your soulmate. You can smell them, you can feel them, you know that they'll be with you until the end of your days. Unless there's something between the two of you. It could be age - maybe one of you has to wait until the other has reached maturity. It could be that the bond is one-sided, and the other has yet to fall in love. It could be an unwanted bond, or society could have divided you into different places. Is your love strong enough to conquer?

2 - Heat/Rut - The need is coming on you strong. Everyone for a half-mile around can smell it. Better find someone to ride it out with, or hole yourself up in a room with a few bottles of water and a durable sex toy. And you'd better hope that there isn't someone out there who will take advantage of your pliable state. Best case scenario, there might be a Beta who can take care of you, or fend off anyone too predatory.

3 - Pregnancy - Whether through a heat or not, you're pregnant. Congratulations - or condolences. Is it time to start a family, or time to start panicking?

4 - Suppressants - You're using suppressants to keep yourself on an even hormone cycle, skipping heats, or maybe pretending to pass as a different class of society. After all, Omegas might want to be in the military, where they're not usually allowed - or an Alpha might want to take a job in a university or as a nurse. Shouldn't they be allowed to, if their hormones are suppressed? Just hope that you don't miss a dose.

5 - Mistaken Identity - That friend that you always thought was an Alpha, or an Omega, or a neutral Beta, turns out to be something entirely different, and your world is turned absolutely upside down. Does it challenge your preconceptions? Or does it just ruin the balance between you two?

6 - Unlikely Pairs - After all, there's no actual reason that Alphas have to mate with Omegas. Maybe two Omegas can satisfy each other. Or two Alphas. Or your intended mate could easily be a Beta. Maybe this is just about breaking out of your pre-established role and becoming something new.

7 - Manifestation - In some cases, an individual may not know they are Omega, Beta or Alpha until their first heat/rut/manifestation, usually happening in early teen years. It may take you by surprise; it may be a blessing, or may be a deep disappointment.

8 - Other - Adventures in getting jobs, making families, fighting bad guys, and anything else you can come up with!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

"Boys are infinitely easier," Jack murmured. He had one living daughter in their home universe and she currently hated him. He couldn't blame her when he killed her son. It was for the greater good, but... It effected them all. it had taken a century for Jack to be able to sleep all the way through the night again. He had no trouble telling Gabriel about that now, however, because they were like one person.

He could feel the other, not just his breathing or the way his eyelashes touched his skin like a butterfly's wings, but feel him...feel his heart pulsing and his emotions and the pulse of thought running through him.

It was only then that uncertainty hit. Jack wasn't sure if it started with Gabriel or inside of himself but he was suddenly overcome with the thought that he might lose him. He pulled the Omega close, closer than they were forced to be thanks to their recent mating.

"And you always spoil your first," he whispered.

Gabriel didn't know what to do with all these extra emotions. He rarely felt so strongly, and he knew it was because of the bond, but that didn't tell him how to handle Jack's sadness over his daughter.

So of course he felt uncertain. He'd forgotten that he was so different and remembered that he shouldn't be bonded to anyone. And Jack was sure to notice that, and this had all started as a mistake, and- and-

Jack held him close, as if afraid he was going to somehow disappear. It was just what he needed, and that was why Jack had responded that way. Gabriel realized he'd gotten a little tense and relaxed against him. "I'm sure you're right," he breathed back. "Let's both hope for a boy, then. To start, at least."

His head was pressed against Jack's shoulder, his cheeks pressed against the sweaty, wonderful skin. He gave the spot a kiss and a lick and waiting a few long moments before adding, with some surprise, "I can feel you." He knew what he'd learned in school, but he didn't think the bond was going to be like this. It was wondrous- giving him information without demanding to know more. Telling him all about Jack and giving everything over of himself. This would be cherished.

"We're going to be together forever, right?" he asked. He knew what the answer would be, but it was one of those things he knew they both could stand to hear out loud.

"We are, until you choose to dissolve the bond," Jack replied. It could kill an Alpha, send them into berserking rage, to lose the connection to their Omega, but Jack had been through it before and...he couldn't really stay dead. It was one of those remarkable little loopholes when it came to being a fixed point in time. Bonding? That didn't revert back to the way he had been when The Bad Wolf brought him back to life. And he was getting older too...slowly. Very slowly.

There was truly no reason at all to think about it.

"I'm yours for as long as you'll have me." Which could be another few days. If the Beta birth control worked on Gabriel and he wasn't pregnant, the Omega might have an easier time of choosing Mohinder over him...

But Mohinder would grow old. He would turn to dust. Or something else could happen along the way. And Jack was a patient man.

And also a bad man.

Gabriel frowned in concern as Jack brought up dissolving the bond. That would kill him, wouldn't it? It took him a moment to remember that he'd been overwhelmed by the feeling of 'forever' that Jack had given him, and so of course the man would return to life. And apparently it'd be without the bond. It made him sad to even think of it. Why would he bring that up?

Thoughts of Mohinder passed through him. He would grow old, he'd die. It would be heartbreaking.

Mohinder would never accept this bond, either. Gabriel knew how much Mohinder needed someone just for him, someone who wouldn't be constantly looking somewhere else. His stomach dropped as he realized there might not be a way to solve this. He didn't want to give up Mohinder, and he could barely even think about giving up Jack.

He whimpered almost silently and squeezed Jack tight, looking for comfort. He didn't want to vocalize his concerns, but he suspected he didn't have to. He needed both of them. He had to figure out how to make it work somehow, or he- he didn't know what he would do. His sluggish mind didn't want to figure out a strategy just yet, so he was left to wallow in his concern. He'd really messed this up, hadn't he?

Jack had to quash his own issues before they became issues for them both. Now wasn't the time to worry about all of this-- Even though they should both really talk about what they were going to do.

He hushed and comforted his Omega as much as he could until he was finally able to slip free of him and then carried him off for a much needed shower.

They had a more civilized meal after that, and as it was obvious that their hormonal need for one another was passing (the bond actually helped that), Jack finally leaned forward on his elbows and gave Gabriel a very intense look.

In a few weeks, he would be able to smell if the omega was carrying his child but he didn't want to wait.

"What do you want to do with this, Gabe?"

The hormones were fading, and Gabriel was feeling more in control of himself. He really rather lamented that position because then he couldn't even pretend to be responsible. He was just following biology, like he thought he'd been doing when he started hunting.

Now, he couldn't deny that he was actively trying not to think about how messy this whole situation was. That someone would get hurt, and Gabriel would be the one to decide who.

So he frowned as he finally thought about the whole thing. "I want everything. Of course I do. I always do. But I know-" He stopped and shook his head. He still couldn't quite admit he wasn't coming up with an acceptable solution. "I'm about to ask a lot of dumb questions. Hope you don't mind." He looked back at Jack, eyes just as intense and maybe a little sorrowful. "Since you can do it, I should ask you first. Would you want to break the bond? You didn't really get a choice about any of this."

Jack grinned. Gabriel wanting everything? Of course he did. That was the sort of man he was, and the sort of man that would spend over a decade hiding his gender. Jack leaned back. "I don't think it's up to me at all. We aren't in love. Getting there-- that would be easy. The bond will do it in weeks if not days. You have a partner that you're engaged to. I'm trying to stay objective here."

He really was. And it was incredibly difficult.

"But you can't have everything. If I smell him on you and we remain bonded, I will very likely kill him." That was a given. It was biological. "And I don't want to kill him. He's done nothing wrong and it's not at all fair to him. I can't predict what I'll do if we dissolve this thing either. I use to just visit another reality for awhile-- And I can still do that. But you're never going to die. So that makes this pretty impossible. I could also send him to a dimension where a version of you recently lost a version of him-- These are just ideas all right?"

"Ideas are good," Gabriel said, and it was clear he was thinking hard on all of it. "I want as many ideas as possible." Jack's grin had put him a little more at ease, and he appreciated that Jack was trying hard to tell him his options. "I wouldn't make you leave. If anything, if I decided to break the bond, I'd leave." And he'd take Mohinder with him. But even saying as much as he did made him worry intensely about how Jack would do throughout that.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. There were a lot of possibilities buzzing about him at once, but none of them were good. He chuckled quietly, and a little bitterly. "I never let myself think about it, but I think I always planned to come to you. After Mohinder was gone, and I'd had time to mourn...I'm a pragmatic sort of person. I don't do well alone. And I've always liked you." Admitting this much felt like a betrayal. But he was realizing that at this point, anything would.

"I'm sorry I'm an idiot who got us into this situation. I should talk to Mohinder before I make any final decision about this. But I don't think it's going to change anything." He sighed, deeply, and looked up at Jack. His expression was careful and gentle as he searched Jack's face for something. Eventually, it passed and he smiled slightly. "Is it terrible that I just want to hide out here until Mohinder assumes I've died and moves on with his life?" That wasn't fair to anyone, he knew, but the idea of avoiding that talk seemed awfully good right now.

Jack actually laughed and then shook his head. "That's cruel," he said. A few weeks ago, before this little trip, Gabriel had been asking him how he might extend Mohinder's life or at least make him indestructible to a degree. Now he wanted him to carry on thinking he was dead? It was an interesting though. Jack closed his eyes. "You could set the wrist strap for a few decades into the future too. He'd be old if he wasn't dead already."

And Jack would still be ageless. He wasn't sure how he would manage without his bondmate...but the bond wouldn't have left. He'd never stopped feeling Ianto, even when he time traveled.

Maybe that part of it just traveled with them?

"I'm glad I was still your top pick. There are other immortals. Give or take. But I really am a catch."

Gabriel considered the idea of trying to jump ahead that far, but he knew as soon as it was brought up that it wasn't something he was willing to do. Before he'd met Mohinder, sure. But his time with the scientist had taught him things he didn't really want to know about morality and responsibility. He couldn't just decide that the only solution to going too far was to go farther, not anymore. He couldn't just run away from the problems he created.

Jack speaking high praise of himself was just the bit of levity Gabriel needed for all the concerns swirling in Gabriel's mind. He laughed. "What, am I missing out on club meetings or something?" he asked, with a smile. "I'm sure it's a surprise, but I don't actually get along with too many people. So it's really kind of amazing that you're one of them, bond or not."

He fixed his eyes on Jack's face and spoke earnestly. "I don't want you dealing with this bond and with me gone. I know decades probably aren't much to you anymore, but it's too long for that sort of torture. Especially if I'm..." He looked down and patted his belly. They hadn't talked about him being pregnant yet, but it was there in their thoughts, being a very real possibility.

He continued to stare downward, letting himself finally acknowledge the fact that he hoped he was pregnant more than he hoped he wasn't. The idea of raising a child appealed to him greatly, and he didn't think it was just the Omega in him.

"Let's not worry so much about me," Jack said. He wasn't like Gabriel. He wasn't selfish. You don't harm people you love because it will save more people when you're a selfish man. Jack watched Gabriel try to work through all of this. He had to tell Mohinder...obviously. Mohinder would be crushed. Obviously. The Indian was an enigma after that. He was both prone to forgiveness and revenge. But Gabriel, as Sylar, had hurt him before. Being duped like this could destroy him.

And that happened. Betas couldn't provide for Omegas the way that Alphas could and Betas could never be with an Omega was. They suffered if they fell in love with either. Biology eventually caught up.

"We don't know for a few weeks if it took. And if it didn't...we'll try again the next time." He wasn't sure if Gabriel's cycle was messed up. And he really should see a doctor just in case his reproductive system was off. Then again, the man regenerated-- They had such a unique situation. "You should go home. I'll finish this mission up. And then...you can make up your mind."

Jack telling him that they shouldn't worry about him brought forth a very unimpressed look on Gabriel's face. He might be a selfish man, but that only meant that he watched out for the few people he was close to. He didn't want to lose them or damage them- and that was how he thought about emotional torment. Regardless of why, if Jack thought he'd leave Jack's feelings out of the equation here while trying to figure out what to do...well, that just wasn't going to happen.

The comment that they'd try again next time if they had to, however, got a shy smile out of Gabriel. And upon being told to go home, he nodded. "I should pack up and go now," he said, tilting his head to the side. It didn't take a soul bond to tell that he really wanted to stay. He'd like to stay for one more night and to have a little longer in this secure place where things weren't complicated. But his heat had passed and he would have an even harder time facing Mohinder if he had memories of 'carrying on' without it.

But surely one last reassurance wouldn't go remiss. He leaned into Jack's personal space once more, so close their noses were nearly touching. "Can I have one last kiss, before I go? For good luck?" he asked.

Edited 2015-12-29 04:18 (UTC)

"I'm the one that needs the luck," Jack replied softly, thumbing Gabriel's chin to kiss him. He could be returning to a dissolved bond and a pregnant Omega-- or worse, he could be returning to nothing at all if Gabriel decided to leave. Jack didn't think he'd pursue. He hoped he wouldn't. No one liked jealous Alphas.

He wanted nothing more than to keep Gabriel with him, but this had already turned into cheating and not a biological imperative. For Jack, he didn't see the point in monogamy-- or hadn't until he stupidly bit the Omega. Now he had little choice. There was no reason to curse his biology. It just was the way it was.

The kiss lingered. Hot. Longingly.

"Good luck."

The kiss was wonderful, and Gabriel let it last as long as he could. He was bound and determined to do something that actually scared him, here, and it was easy to lose himself in this kiss. It was Jack that needed the luck, but Gabriel needed something to help steady him. And to confirm that Jack still wanted him (even though it was now impossible for it to be otherwise).

He gave Jack a smile of gratitude- yet another expression that didn't frequently pop up on his face- and set about gathering his things. Once he had it all in a small bag, he stopped in front of Jack once more. "All right. I'm going. Good luck, to both of us." He squeezed Jack's shoulder, then let go and set his wrist cuff. "See you in a few," he told Jack. A few what they never knew, due to the lack of reliability from the manipulators. But it probably didn't matter to people like them anyway.

He opened the portal and stepped into it. There was no going back now.

An alarm sounded to signal the opening of a vortex and as he always did when any of the a gents were coming home and Gabriel was still away, Mohinder finished up anything dangerous that he was doing, dropped the rest, and headed towards the landing site. He was there in time to see Gabriel get his bearings and the Indian beamed in pleasure to see his fiancé.

"You've been gone four days!" he said from two levels up and hurried to the stairs. He liked to orient Gabriel with the time and date as well before he flung himself into his arms.

They had always been passionate. Going through the things that they had, it was ingrained in their system.

"That means you have to be home for at least a week. I'll tell Jack myself. I've missed you."

For once, Gabriel's face fell as he saw Mohinder pop into view. Of course the scientist came straight for him. It was how they greeted each other. Gabriel just tried to accept the hug as the last one he'd receive from Mohinder. He put his hands on Mohinder's shoulders and gently pushed the two of them apart. "It's been six weeks for me. I've- I've got a lot to tell you. I didn't finish the mission- Jack's still over there. Let's- let's find a place to sit."

He reached for Mohinder's hand and started walking with him to one of the conference rooms. This was not a conversation he wanted to have (at all) out in the open.

Mohinder's first reaction was to glance at the ring on Gabriel's hand and, seeing it, he relaxed. Just a little. Gabriel hadn't scooped him up and kissed him and while that was unusual, something could have good poorly with the mission or Gabriel might need to go back with reinforcements.

He tried to put his work face on as they headed up to one of the conference rooms. It was small, featuring a round table with only six seats at it's edges. Mohinder shut the door behind them and sat down once he had grabbed a pad of paper and pen from the shelves hung on the wall.

Work mode was not going to make this easier because, unfortunately, Mohinder still trusted him. It had been a trust hard won but now it was solid and true. There was no hint in his eyes that Gabriel's confession was going to be so drastic.

Gabriel watched Mohinder with increasing worry. He took the pad from Mohinder and set it down on the table, next to Mohinder's hand. "This isn't a work thing," he said, watching his hand as it reached out and rested on top of Mohinder's. Mohinder was warm and beautiful, and Gabriel knew the man's hand like his own. And he had to stop thinking like that. He closed his eyes, briefly, to collect himself. "No, this is a thing where I've messed up." And he didn't know how to fix it.

Well, he had to do this. He looked up to stare into his fiance's eyes. Mohinder deserved this confession straight. "Mohinder, I'm-" That was all he could handle and he looked back down to the table. He didn't think he'd ever felt ashamed like this before. "I'm an Omega. I've been taking suppressants ever since my first heat. The mission took longer than it was supposed to and the world there- it was all Betas. No suppressants." He didn't want to go further. He knew Mohinder could put the pieces together on his own, but he probably wouldn't want to, either. "Jack's an Alpha, of course. ...I'm sorry, Mohinder. I'm so sorry." He couldn't finish with the bad news, and he didn't look up. This was bad enough.

At first, mohinder thought that Gabriel slipped. That there was a newly acquired power in his arsenal joined to the others in the old fashioned, extremely bloody way. His eyes had been wide, not fearful but understanding.

It was almost funny how the colour had drained from his perfect face as Gabriel continued, jaw growing slack and the pain of understanding causing his eyes to water and redden.

"Okay-- okay, that's not..." He took a breath and willed his hands to stay under Gabriel's. "That's not the end of the world--" But it was the end of his world and he knew it, though he was trying to think of the best case scenario here. Mohinder scooted to the edge of the chair, as if closeness could mean anything.

Betas could never truly know what it was like to be biologically driven towards a mate for more than companionship and breeding. They were two halves. And sure, he'd read the texts. He'd had Omega and Alpha friends in school growing up. He was liberal despite his conservative background. He was a scientist! But that hadn't meant anything in the long run.

Tears trickled down his cheeks.

He wanted to jump right into asking what it meant of them but instead, selflessly, he went a different route. "You might-- it's been so long that you might have complications. You could develop suppressant shock-- Gabriel, you should let Doctor Watson examine you."

Mohinder could get in one last mother henning before Gabriel left him.

It would've been better if Mohinder had reacted with anger. Then at least Gabriel would figure he was getting everything he deserved. He could be appropriately ashamed. But Mohinder was still fussing over him, even knowing this...

Gabriel could hear him crying, and he sniffled himself. One tear escaped and ran down his cheek. He still didn't look up. "I thought I could just keep on them forever. I never wanted-" His voice caught, emotions too thick on his tongue. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to fix it. I-" He wasn't getting anywhere with this. "I'll go see Dr. Watson," he finally said, weakly.

But he didn't get up from his chair. He just kept staring at one spot on the table and tried not to cry. Some awful, terrible thing in the back of his mind wished Jack was there to hold him, and he didn't think he ever hated being an Omega more than he did now.

Could love and experience and companionship really be turned off so easily in an Omega when presented with a more biologically appropriate choice? Research said that yes, bonding with an Alpha could and did consume everything else in an Omega. Gabriel didn't look sad so much as guilty and perhaps that was mainly due to the fact that Mohinder was so obviously upset.

He removed his hand from beneath Gabriel's. There was no need to say anything more and Mohinder would not torment himself by telling Gabriel he loved him because he very much doubted he would have the sentiment returned.

Instead, he stood and lingered by the door for a moment. "Just take care of yourself," he said as cheerfully as possible-- and that wasn't very cheerful at all. When Gabriel got up to follow or eventually just to leave the room, he would find the engagement band left behind.

The sudden distance between them seemed immense, once Mohinder took his hand away. The purposefully polite response felt colder than any of the angry words flung at him back when they'd been enemies. Gabriel's tears flowed more freely as he saw the man leaving. He'd given Mohinder the opportunity to say what he needed to, and to be the one to pull away (symbolically if nothing else), and Mohinder had taken it.

It was so fast, Gabriel felt dizzy. He stood and ran to the door. "Wait! That's it? We're just-" Of course they were. Mohinder came to the same conclusions, just as quickly as Gabriel did. Gabriel was just still clinging to a solution where everyone would be okay. That's why he'd completely forgotten how he'd intended to act during this whole thing. "You're not even going to yell at me? Mohinder..." And then he said something, in his desperation, that he almost certainly shouldn't have brought up. "There might be other options."

Edited 2015-12-29 16:35 (UTC)

Mohinder didn't want to turn around. Drawing this out meant that there was just more opportunity for his heart of he snapped into a thousand pieces. He could almost feel his lungs closing up already and he had wanted to get someplace private where he could sob against his knees and try to decide of he could stay here, though the chances of running Into Gabriel could be very slight if he stayed in the lab. With Jack as his boss, however...

He was gripping the catwalk railing as if he was seriously thinking about pitching himself into the core (he wasn't, suicide wasn't even contemplated) when he heard that voice bat mercilessly against the side of his ears. He almost snapped then, but he was not that sort of man. And besides--

"Would it make you feel better if I yelled at you?" His knuckles were white. "That seems horribly unfair-- I don't blame you. It wasn't premeditated. And you can't precisely undo what's been done. You lied to me. You his this part of yourself from me. And while I wish to feel anger towards you, I understand why you did it."

Mohinder bit the inside of his mouth, back still to the American. Below them a few people wandered, the content of the conversation masked thankfully.

Gabriel reached out and took a couple of steps, but he stopped before he'd gotten close to Mohinder. Not really feeling steady enough, he found himself leaning against the nearest upright flat surface. "I could try to dissolve the bond," he said, quietly. "We could both run to some other reality, and if- if I'm pregnant, we could raise the child together." It sounded a little too perfect, so he rose the big issue with it as well. "The bond might come back, because of the regeneration."

It wasn't a very good prospect, because it was likely the bond would manage to stick. Gabriel knew that. And he didn't want either him or Mohinder to sit through years of Gabriel trying to hide that he was pining for someone else. But he had to bring it up.

And Gabriel brought that up because, at heart, he was still a child that thought it was interesting to pull the wings from insects, not maliciously but because he was curious. Mohinder's shoulders slumped as he felt the weight of reality tumbling down on his head.

"It isn't what you want."

He couldn't know that for certain. Gabriel was very likely trying to mend a fatal stab wound with duct tape. It would work as a stop gap but only for a brief amount of time. Eventually the patient would still die, experiencing more agony than he might have if just allowed to bleed out.

"I-if you had told me... If this was something to plan for... We could have--" What was the point of ifs and could haves? He finally turned, his eyes never quite reaching Gabriel's as if they were stopped by steel beams. "You have eternity. I have a few more decades. This was always going to end." He had just hoped to experience it for a little while longer. "Don't offer me crumbs when I'm starving," he stuttered out.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject