Chapter Text
"I'm sorry Sugawara san but you're not who we are looking for."
Sugawara Koushi's heart sank. This was his sixteenth interview since graduation and he's been turned away from every single one of them even though he matched the required qualifications.
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what is it about me that is not right?" Suga asked with as much politeness as he could muster. "For future reference it may help
me out next time?"
The man interviewing him, a middle-aged balding alpha, suddenly looked very awkward. "Well you see Sugawara san...The majority of the staff we employ are alphas and...as of yet we don't have the facilities or the funding to be employing omegas at this current moment in time."
Ah. Suga gritted his teeth at the obvious discrimination. "Funding?" he questioned.
"Well...we don't have the expenses to pay our staff for...the time they'll need off for..." The man started to turn red as he struggled to find the words. Suga just raised his eyebrows in mock innocence. "...For the time they'll need off for...for their heats."
"Okay. I see." He didn't see. Suga didn't want to waste any more of his time with this ignorant man. He raised from his seat and outstretched an arm for a quick handshake. "Thank you for your time."
He didn't return the smile the interviewer gave him and he hardly looked back as he stepped out the office. Suga walked quickly down the hallway, passing a couple of employees at a coffee machine. He heard them whisper and jab at each other as he walked past. The wolf whistle didn't take him by surprise. He just sighed and continued out of the building without looking up from his feet. Another job opportunity lost due to the simple fact that he was an omega. He was weaker. He was less capable. He was something to be lusted after and nothing more. Suga refused to let the tears threatening to fall creep past his eyes as he made his way to the train station. He just wanted to be home so he could take off this ridiculous suit and start looking for another job. To think he made such an effort for a job that he hardly wanted in the first place. At this point Suga was getting desperate with rent due and student debt looming over him. He just needed income.
The train pulled up to the platform and Suga stepped on. He decided that he wasn't going to let today get him down. He didn't with the last failed attempts and he wasn't going to start now. 'Chin up!' he thought to himself and he felt marginally better. 'Ice cream would help as well' he concluded. The train was full of other business men and women considering it was lunch hour and Suga found himself a bit cramped but nothing too terrible. That was until he felt a hand lightly trace up the side of his thigh and around towards his backside. Suga froze, his breath catching in his throat. If I just keep still until my stop maybe they'll go away. The pressure of the hand increased but Suga remained as still as he could. This has happened before and he knew that reacting would just spur the pervert on even more. What felt like an eternity later, the train came to his stop and Suga bolted off the train without a second glance. Why today? After his shitty interview he then had to get harassed on the train home. He half walked half ran to his apartment and rushed inside, dead-locking the door for good measure. He had heard horror stories of omegas getting followed home and jumped on by a persistent alpha who thought they had dibs.
Suga shrugged off his suit jacket and flung it over the small sofa before he sank into it himself. He was shaking slightly but he chose to ignore it in favour of embracing the fact he was home and safe. He needed to remain strong otherwise all the assholes who turned him away from jobs would be right. He needed to prove them wrong.
"Hey you're back!" a voice from behind him brought him back from his thoughts.
"Noya thank God you're here" Suga turned to face his flatmate and smiled for the first time today. Noya returned it just as brightly and moved to sit next to Suga on the sofa. He looked him up and down and sighed.
"Another bad interview was it?" He asked sincerely. Suga just nodded. Noya sighed again and opened his arms so the other man could rest his head on his chest for a well needed hug. Noya started to stroke his hair gently. "Wanna talk about it?". Suga shook his head. He felt like a disappointment. Noya was currently paying all of the rent with an agreement that Suga would pay back his half as soon as he secured a job. Noya was lucky and had a job as a sports journalist in the local paper meaning he could work at home where it didn't matter that he was an omega. Suga felt like he was letting him down. That thought suddenly got Suga angry. He pressed his head harder against the smaller man's chest and clenched his fists tightly.
"It's just so unfair!" he exclaimed. "Just because I'm an omega makes me not suitable for the job?! That's discrimination!" Hot tears slowly found their way down his cheeks. "I worked hard at university! I should be allowed to actually DO something with my degree you know?!"
Noya just held him closer until all the anger and tears had worked their way out of Suga's system. "It's just not fair..." he repeated again with less anger and energy than before. The silence that followed was comforting and Suga felt slightly better after cursing out every company in town. Noya looked down at the man in his arms, then had a brilliant idea. He carefully pried the ashen haired man off of his chest and lightly nudged his chin to get him to look at him.
"Hey I have an idea..." A mischievous smile was spread across his face and a gleam was in his eyes.
"Oh no, what?"
"Well...You could you know..." He made a gesture with his arms. "Lie?"
Suga looked at the other man confused "I'm not following you?"
"Well you know they are going to ask you when you go in for an interview, so why not just lie?"
"Oh that's easy isn't it? They are going to smell the fact that I'm an omega before I even step into their office!"
"Just hear me out. Go on suppressants, it'll muck up your hormones a little bit but it'll weaken your scent. Then tell them you're a beta with an omega for a flatmate! Then that will explain the slight scent!"
Suga looked at Noya with apprehension before allowing the idea turn over in his head. "You know...that might just work!" Suga's face brightened up immediately.
"Right?! Am I a genius or am I a genius?" he beamed back at his friend.
Suga lent over and pecked Noya on the cheek before jumping up to grab his laptop from the kitchen table. "Gross!" Noya called after him but Suga chose to ignore him. He sat down, flipped open his laptop and went to the bookmarked job listing website furiously typing in the search bar.
"You're going to start looking for another job right now?" Noya asked looking over his shoulder behind him.
"I gotta! This is going to be it! This is going to be the time I'll finally get the job!"
This has got to be it! He thought before pressing enter.