“Yes, I won’t be coming in today. Thanks Katy,” Flynn murmured before he hung up.

As Damon predicted, his heat had started. He wasn’t always consistent but it usually came around the same time. Technology had advanced enough that most Omegas were able to suppress their heats with pills, feeling only slight discomfort, if even. However, the pills didn’t affect Flynn the same way.

While his heat symptoms were lessened and they lasted a day rather than a week as Omegas had to pre-pills, he still felt such…urges and pain that he couldn’t go to work. It was embarrassing that everyone in the HR department knew when he was in heat, but they were pretty sympathetic and understanding. But all the Omegas at his office grew up with the pills, like him, so they never experienced a true heat or a fraction of what Flynn went through. None of them truly understood what he experienced every two months. The pain, the urges, how it was to lose complete control and be a mindless…thing. And he was too ashamed to ever tell them. 

He didn’t think the other departments and soldiers on the base knew as Katy usually kept his schedule pretty empty around this time. If other people knew that he always had to take a day off for his heats he didn’t know how he could hold his head up in the base again.

Suddenly, a wave of heat coursed through Flynn and he gasped, releasing a deep breath when it passed quickly. The fact that it was starting so fast meant that it might not last as long, but it would be intense during. Already, Flynn could feel slick begin to form at his entrance and groaned, clutching his pillow.

Four hours later, he was naked and writhing and panting as the symptoms increased. He had become fully erect, painfully so no matter how many times he relieved himself. Slick coursed down his thighs and soaked his sheets while his body spasmed and burned! He was so hot. Too hot. He couldn’t stand it! Couldn’t imagine living another minute without combusting because surely there had to be a limit. There never was, but he always prayed it would end, the heat would suddenly die down or burn itself out. Pleas he screamed out, silently and aloud, all in vain. There was no end to this. 

Flynn was trying to recall facts about some soldiers to distract himself when a cold hand pressed against his forehead. He looked up and felt such relief he sobbed when he saw Damon.

“Damon,” Flynn said brokenly, but no tears fell. He shed them all hours ago until not a drop was left.

“I’m here. Flynn. I’m always here,” Damon said gently, stroking his face, cooling Flynn’s skin with his own.

Flynn grabbed Damon around the neck and pulled him down, inhaling his scent. But as always, his scent was faint. A Beta scent. Not enough for his Omega senses to feel appeased. Growling, Flynn tried to take off Damon’s shirt when Damon grabbed his wrists.

“Hold on. I think we need to relieve you a bit first.”

Flynn felt a flash of anger, wanting Damon to bite him and thrust into him. He was about to pull Damon back down when Damon touched him and he groaned. He leaned back against the pillows, panting and covering his eyes with his wrist when he felt Damon take him into his mouth, sucking and licking him the way he knew Flynn liked. It barely took a minute for Flynn to let go, his body reaching the release it craved. 

Flynn lay there panting for several minutes while Damon began to undress and the sight of Damon’s naked body fueled Flynn’s desire again.

“More,” Flynn said softly. Damon turned to look at him then slowly leaned over him, licking his collar bone, then the rest of his body. Damon understood what Flynn needed, he always did, entering Flynn when he couldn’t stand it anymore, touching him in ways that had Flynn sobbing in a mix of relief and primal need. 

Suddenly, he felt Damon bite him, not as harshly as an Alpha would but enough to satisfy Flynn. His body tightened and he shattered, sagging with satisfaction and relief that his heat was abated. For now.

Hours later, Damon finally felt Flynn go limp, passing out like he always did once his heat had receded, his body settling after the intense heat and pleasure. 

And the whole time, Damon held his own desires back. Because this wasn’t about what he needed. He was a Beta and never felt intense urges like ruts and heats like Alphas and Omegas do. Not the way Flynn did. Flynn needed this, not him.

Gently and carefully, he lay Flynn down on his side and went to the bathroom where he found his own release. Once he was done he walked back to Flynn and cleaned him up, happy that it only took three orgasms for Flynn to calm down. Sometimes, Flynn had to come four or even five times before he went to sleep and his heat passed.

Once he finished, Damon got dressed and was about to leave and head back to work but couldn’t help looking at Flynn one last time. He looked so peaceful sleeping that Damon wanted to just lay down with him and hold him in his arms.

 Not for you Damon, not for you. He always had to remind himself of that to get him to leave Flynn’s side. To pull away when Flynn hugged him and looped their arms together, smiling up at Damon like he was the brightest and best thing in Flynn’s life. And every time, Damon had to pull away.

 He had to. 

He would always be there for Flynn, to give him all the attention, love and friendship Flynn needs. But there was a line he wouldn’t cross because as much as Flynn has needed him their whole lives, he needed an Alpha more. Someone who could bond with him and knot him the way Flynn’s body desired. And that was something he could never do no matter how much he wished he could.

 Resolutely, Damon left the apartment, locking the door behind him.

Two days later, Damon rubbed his hands nervously against his thighs, looking down once more at Kit Kelly’s medical records. Everything was perfect. His family history was complete with everyone listed as a Beta. There were no diseases except for a great-grandfather who died of a heart attack. His birth certificate with his status as a Beta looked authentic. If Flynn hadn’t asked him to test Kelly he never would have suspected anything.

It wasn’t that Damon knew documents couldn’t be forged. While tHeracles had moved with the times and possessed more advanced technology, the government facilities themselves still relied on paper and basic computers, deeming them safer given how easy it was to infiltrate even the most guarded servers. So finding someone to forge documents and hack the birth records was possible. Expensive and a risk, but possible.

“Dr. Flint, Kit Kelly is here,” his Omega nurse Oliver said.

“Right, ah, send him in,” Damon said, wincing at how high pitched his voice sounded. He definitely wasn’t made to be a spy. Flynn was always the one who was good at lying while Damon stood behind his stronger friend, sweating bullets and trying not to look guilty.

“Hello, I’m Kit Kelly.”

Damon looked up and smiled, clearing his throat for good measure, “Hello, Mr. Kelly. I’m Dr. Flint. You must be wondering why I called you in.”

Kelly sat down, his expression blank which made Damon even more nervous. And hot. Did Oliver turn off the AC?

“Yes, I thought everything was in order. Is there a problem?”

“No!” Damon cleared his throat again and coughed, “No...problem. I just wanted to check your vitals and general health. You started your training a week ago and I just wanted to check that you’re in tip-top shape.”

“Do you do this with all the cadets before they start?” Kit asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Damon went over the lies Flynn had coached him to say that morning, grateful that his friend had prepared a speech for him. “Ah, no, not everyone. To be honest, Sergeant Carter said you looked a bit…tired. So I thought it would be best to make sure you’re fine. It could be you’re about to catch a cold or you’re just not used to your new environment. Like the food. Even home sickness can affect your health.”

Damon noticed Kelly stiffen while he spoke, a reaction Flynn had predicted. Could he be right? Flynn was generally pretty perceptive and he’d deliberately chosen words that would throw the possible brazen Omega off his game. Instead of being cautious, Flynn had claimed, the accusation that he might be sick for such flimsy reasons as a new diet or homesickness would annoy the cadet so much he’d let his guard down and focus on proving his health.

“I’m fine,” Kelly bit out. “I don’t know what Sergeant Carter has noticed but there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not sick.”

“Well, then you don’t mind if I just check you over do you? Just your pulse and weight and a few other things.”

Reluctantly, Kelly nodded. Now that his lies had been accepted, Damon was able to relax, losing himself in the routine check up. Pulse, heart beat, ears.

“Now, open your mouth and say ah,” Damon instructed.

Kelly opened his mouth and Damon swiped the cotton swab into it, touching his tongue and the side of his mouth as he pretended to inspect him.

“OK, it all looks good. You can go. Thanks for coming by.”

Kelly nodded and left without a word. As soon as the door closed behind him, Damon splayed across his desk and exhaled loudly. His heart was beating erratically. That was as hard as he thought it would be.

Carefully, Damon sealed the cotton swab, then put it in a sample bag. He took out his cell phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he wanted and hit the call button.

“Hello, John. I have a favor to ask you. I have a patient who may have potentially contracted a virus and I need you to run a test on his sample. It’s not someone on the base so I can’t have it done in the labs here. Can you help me out?”

After he hung up, Damon looked down at the sample. Once John was done testing it, he would send the results of the ‘virus’...along with the class of the anonymous sample. One way or another, they were going to solve the mystery in the next 48 hours.