Licking his lips nervously, Kit knocked on Flynn’s door and walked in. He didn’t know why the HR department wanted to talk to him again and it made Kit panic.

 His documents were in order. He’d made sure of it. And if anyone called his family, they knew better than to reveal his true status. His grandfather swore he’d talked to them after Kit passed the tests and they would be embarrassed if anyone ever knew their Omega son was an active soldier. So why did Flynn want to see him?

Kit looked up and saw Flynn gazing at him steadily, causing his heart to race even faster.

“Sit down Kit,” Flynn said softly.

Kit swallowed and sat down, placing his hands on his knees. He wasn’t able to meet Flynn’s eyes, staring down at the surface of his light brown desk instead.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Flynn finally spoke, “You know, there’s a lot of people on this base that come from pretty difficult situations. I’ve had a fair number of very serious conversations with some people. Some went well and some didn’t. But in the end, all of them trusted me and they’re all still on this base.”

Kit’s eyes widened and he finally met Flynn’s gaze, shaken to his core and wanting to sob even though he never cries. Because what he saw in Flynn’s eyes was warm acceptance and understanding.  He felt hollowed out, his guts and secrets all spilled out on the desk for Flynn to inspect and prod at.

“How’d you know?” Kit finally rasped.

“Damon, that is Dr. Flint, is my friend. I asked him to run some tests.”

Kit’s mind reeled as he tried to recall his appointment with the doctor two days ago. “The cotton swab. He took a sample from my mouth.”

Flynn nodded. “I’m sorry it had to be done that way. But I had to be sure. If an Omega was running loose on the base, with other soldiers, I had to know.”

Hearing the truth stated so bluntly made Kit’s entire world flip. He felt like he was going to faint and struggled to calm himself. He wasn’t like other Omegas who lost their heads. He could face the most stressful situations and keep his cool. Taking a deep breath he asked, “Now what? Are you going to turn me in? Have me fired?”

“Why do you assume that?”

“Because that’s how it works. Omegas aren’t meant to be soldiers. They’re supposed to get married and have small meaningless jobs.”

“Like mine?” Flynn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kit realized insulting the guy who could end his entire career wasn’t the best idea. But he wasn’t used to positive interactions with other Omegas. On the rare occasions he left his town and had to interact with them, he couldn’t hide his contempt for their placid acceptance of the rules society forced on them.

“If you like your job that’s fine. But it’s not for me.”

“And shooting guns and saving people is. Because you want to be, what was the word you used? Different.”

Kit swallowed and nodded.

Flynn sighed and leaned back in his chair, “Are you taking your heat suppressants?”

Kit nodded vigorously.

“And how do they affect you? Any symptoms?”

“None. The pills always worked well for me.”

Kit could swear he saw Flynn’s eyes flash with irritation but it was gone so fast he thought he must have imagined it.

“And I’m guessing you’re using the Scent Suppressant pills. They aren’t 100% effective, you know.”

“I know,” Kit mumbled, “But they’re effective enough. No one has scented anything Omega from me.”

“Yet,” Flynn interjected. “You’re walking a thin line here, Kit. What you're doing is really risky. If you are caught you could get kicked out, or worse, imprisoned for forging your status as a Beta.”

Kit inhaled deeply, clutching his knees tighter, “I know. But I’m willing to risk it.”

Flynn continued to stare at Kit and Kit did his best not to so much as blink. Suddenly, Flynn smiled.

“I like Omegas like you. Well people really. Anyone who works hard for what they want and screw society.”

Kit blinked, trying to fathom Flynn’s jovial expression. “So...you’re not turning me in?”

“Your documents are in order. Your family knows. You passed the tests. And technically, there is no law saying an Omega can’t be a Hawk, just like there’s no law saying that an Alpha can’t be one either. As long as you don’t cause problems on the base, I won’t come after you.”

Kit exhaled, all the tension leaving his body and he finally smiled, “Thanks...Flynn. I owe you one.”

“Oh you have no idea,” Flynn smiled wickedly, causing Kit to shift nervously. Nothing good could come from that smile.

“I need an Omega friend. Mine are pretty dull. And I’m guessing you don’t have any. So, in exchange for my silence, you have to have dinner with me. Every week. Deal?”

“You...want to have dinner with me?” Kit asked in disbelief.

“I want us to be friends,” Flynn replied cheerfully, his expression almost boyish, “But we can start with dinner and see how it goes from there. Or are you that against making friends?”

This had to be the weirdest conversation Kit had ever been a part of. How old was this guy? He vaguely remembered hearing he was twenty-four, so shouldn’t he be more mature? But then again, Kit didn’t really have friends so maybe this is how some people bonded. Flynn’s joyous expression seemed to imply that. 

His palms sweaty and dreading his possible future, Kit nodded, “Sure we have a deal.” And with that, Kit felt like he sold his soul to the angelic devil in front of him.