Chapter 16: Visits

The Alpha woke him up around noon for lunch:

-"You need to eat sweetheart."

-"I'm not very hungry..."

-"Just do me a favor. You need to eat and rest if you want to come with me tomorrow."

Eren straightened up :

-"All right."

The meal was more relaxed than the day before. They talked a little more and it was Eren who asked questions. Needless to say, he was happy that Levi answered him sincerely, well, he hoped it was sincere:

-"I have to go to work. If you need anything, use the beeper. All right?"

-"Ok."

The Omega hadn't forgiven the mobster, but he was willing to give him a chance to redeem himself and take him back to his sister... It was worth a try. But he wasn't gonna make it easy for Levi. The Alpha was going to have to work hard to make things better between them. Eren still enjoyed the caress on his cheek that the mobster gave him before he left the apartment. The Omega did the dishes and went to take a shower. He stayed for a long time under the shower while savouring the feeling of plenitude which ran through him. Things would soon get better. All was not lost.

The rest of the morning was fairly quiet and dotted with naps on the soft sofa in the living room. His anxiety attack this morning had exhausted him deeply. In fact, the totality of the last events had exhausted him. In between naps, he played the console game and ate what he wanted from the fridge. He didn't care that it wasn't right to eat all day, he just wanted to keep busy. And food was a wonderful occupation.

It was 8:00 pm when Levi got back to the apartment. Eren was in his pajamas, sitting on the couch with a book in his hand and a blanket around him:

-"Are you okay?"

-"Hm, hm," confirmed the youngest while continuing his reading."

The part he was reading was very interesting and he didn't want to stop right away:

-"Are you cold?"

-"A little."

The Alpha returned to the elevator and turned up the heat in the apartment by a few degrees:

-"You should feel better in a little while."

-"Thank you."

-"Actually, I stopped by your place today."

The young man closed his book and quickly turned to the mob:

-"Did you stop by my place?"

-"Yes. And I brought you this."

The Alpha handed him a box that he had no trouble recognizing. It was his "special heat" box. Eren ran up to Levi and ripped the box from his hands and made him blush from ear to ear:

-"Thank you."

-"You're welcome. I know they won't arrive until next month, but I thought you'd be reassured to know you have plenty to do in advance."

-"Thank you."

The Omega ran to his room and sat on his bed with his precious box. He opened it cautiously to see that everything he needed was there. But there was something more. A flat rectangle surrounded by a cloth. He unfolded it slowly and tears immediately came to his eyes. These were the two photos he had always kept on his bedside table; a photo of his family and a photo of him with Mikasa and Armin. He put the two frames on his bedside table, put his box in one of the drawers and took a deep breath to contain his tears. Then he joins Levi downstairs. The Alpha was sitting at his desk and playing on his laptop keyboard:

-"... Thanks for the photos."

-"You're welcome. I thought you'd appreciate having a memento of your family and friends."

Friends... Jean! :

-"Is... Is Jean okay?"

The mobster finally lifted his head from his screen:

-"Sure. Why?"

Eren bit the inside of his cheek:

-"Because I... I asked him about the Omega protection system..."

-"And he didn't tell you. -And he didn't tell you. He didn't make that mistake. And if there's no mistake, there's no punishment. So your friend is fine. I mean... he's sad about your death, like everyone else, but other than that, he's fine."

In a way, that reassures the Omega. He should have worried about John earlier, but he'd been too busy worrying about his own life:

-"Tomorrow morning I'll come and wake you up early so you can follow me. As you don't have the official uniform yet, I'll ask you to wear the most elegant thing you have in your wardrobe."

-"Right... when you say early, that is?"

-"6 o'clock for a 7 o'clock departure."

It reminded him a bit of his tea room schedule:

-"So, I'm going to bed. -I'm going to bed. Good night, Levi."

-"Good night Eren."

The young man wasted no time and went up to his room. He threw himself on his bed and watched the city lights from the bay window. He was looking forward to tomorrow. He was going to learn more about Levi's work. He just hoped it would be a good experience and not another reason to be afraid of the Alpha. Eren wrapped himself in his sheets and closed his eyes, he would see tomorrow.

Eren woke up feeling something caressing his cheek. He grunted before he could hardly open his eyes. It was Levi's fingers touching his skin with tenderness:

-"It's time to wake up sleeping beauty. We have to leave here in 15 minutes."

-"Ok. Ok."

-"Good. I'll wait for you downstairs."

The Alpha left the room immediately afterwards. Eren rubbed his eyes before stretching out and leaving the warmth of his sheets. He took a quick wash before standing in front of his wardrobe. Levi had told him to wear clothes that were as classy as possible, but he hadn't bought anything like that... He took a pair of black jeans and a white shirt and crossed his fingers that Levi was satisfied. The Omega came down the stairs making as little noise as possible and headed towards the kitchen. Levi sat there, a cup of tea in his hand, facing a plate of scrambled eggs. When the older man raised his head to look at Eren, he didn't say anything, just detailed him from head to toe. Eren began to twist his fingers in anguish and lowered his shoulders a little:

-"I don't have a suit, so... I put this on."

-"We'll go buy you one later. In the meantime, this will do. Sit down and eat. The eggs are still warm."

The young man sat down in front of his host and began to eat. Levi was a really good cook, there was no doubt about it.

After breakfast, the duo went to the elevator. Levi used his access badge to unlock the machine. The descent was quiet and a bit scary for the Omega, but he tried to stay as calm as possible. Levi got out of the elevator first and headed immediately to his office. He used his badge again and opened the door. The Alpha invited Eren in first and he obeyed. He stopped in the center of the room and waited for Levi to join him. The mobster closed the door behind him and moved to his office:

-"Come here."

The young man joined Levi and watched what he was doing on his computer. He was checking his e-mails and from what he was reading, the mob was running his club... A feeling of disappointment took hold of the Omega. He expected anything but that. He didn't know why, but disappointment overtook him. Silence fell in the office. Neither of them spoke for a long time:

-"You know. The mafia aspect of the movies is wrong. We don't spend our time doing secret meetings, murders and other illegal trafficking. We also have our business to run and that doesn't mean we need to kill for it. But if that's what you want to see, I can show you how Survey Corps works."

Eren almost dislocated his head so quickly he turned it around:

-"Really?"

Levi took his eyes off his computer to look at the Omega at his side and arch an eyebrow:

-"I want to know what I'm involved in, Levi."

-"All right. I'll take you back to the starting point as soon as I'm done dealing with this."

-"And how long is that gonna take?"

The Alpha smiled an amused smile:

-"Impatient?"

-"Curious."

Eren's immediate response made Levi smile a little more:

-"I'll try to make it quick then."

The mobster turned his attention to his computer while the young man kept staring at it. He remembered what Levi had told him yesterday; he was going to try to control himself so as not to hurt him. Eren thought he could do it. After all, if he couldn't control himself, he would have marked him yesterday in the halls of Erwin's mansion. But despite their proximity and his excitement, Levi hadn't. He had been able to keep him in control of his inner Alpha so as not to hurt him. Just for that alone, the young man was willing to give him a chance. And that started with letting him understand the new environment around him.

Eren was startled when he heard Levi's voice again:

-"We're moving."

Levi stood up from his desk and held out his hand to the Omega. The young man didn't hesitate a second before taking it. He blushed up to his ears when he saw that Levi didn't let go of his hand, but simply pulled it out after him. The young man didn't try to let go of the mobster's hand either. He appreciated the gentle warmth that emanated from his palm and came to warm his own. Eren didn't know why Levi's touch was still pleasant to him despite all that had happened. He'd have to tell Hanji about it.

The duo went to the private garage under the club and climbed into Levi's car. Levi grabbed his phone and called someone:

-"We're on our way to School."

And he hung up:

-"Once you're there, you don't talk to anyone and you don't look anyone in the eyes."

-"Why?"

-"Because that might be considered a challenge and you'd get yourself killed."

-"All right."

-"You stay close to me."

-"All right."

Eren had to hang on to his seat because Levi was driving fast and dry. The young man was never happier than when he put his feet on the ground. The building they were parked in front of was the very cliche of the gym. But they didn't enter through the front door, but through the back door after the two guys guarding the door recognized Levi and hurried to open it.

The young man was surprised to find himself in front of a reception counter held by a very (too) muscular man:

-"Mr. Ackerman."

Levi simply nodded his head before pointing to the door on the right:

-"This is Mike's desk."

Then the mobster pulled Eren towards the left door, this one gave on a small vestibule with two doors:

-"On the right are the women's locker rooms and on the left are the men's locker rooms."

They went out the left door. There were metal lockers and an enclosed shower area. The duo went through the locker room to push the next door and they came to a large gym. The first part of the large room was full of sports equipment. The second part of the room was organized around a ring and a space covered with sports mats. At the back of the room was a large steel door:

-"The door at the back is the access to the target practice area."

Eren swallowed up seeing all those people practicing. And those in the ring and on the mats were not soft on each other. And their looks weren't exactly... classic either. The young man couldn't help but hide a little behind Levi. No doubt the Alpha must have been pleased that Eren sought protection and safety near him. But he didn't show it:

-"This is where Mike trains new recruits for the Survey Corps. The classic gym at the front of the building serves as a front and brings us money. I try to come and train as often as I can but I don't always have the time. Luckily my job keeps me in shape, whether I train or not."

The slightly amused tone he took to finish his sentence made the young man wince. The latter tensed up as he felt a breath on the back of his neck:

-"Here's a delicate scent I'd know anywhere..."

Levi turned around slowly:

-"How many times do we have to tell you not to sniff people, Mike?"

-"I can't resist a perfect sniff."

-"Well, I'm gonna have to bite your nose off."

Eren curled up on himself as Levi released pheromones to wipe Mike's amused smile from his lips. They looked at each other for a long time before the blonde laughed:

-"All right. Very good. I would enjoy his scent as discreetly as possible. What can I do for you?"

-"I want to show Eren how we work."

The Beta turned his attention to the young man who tried to hide behind Levi despite their height difference:

-"Eren, I'm glad to see you safe. Welcome to The School. This is where we train our new Erwin-approved recruits. Here they learn the basics of combat before being sent to the area they have an interest and skill in, their training continues there. Would you like to begin your training?"

The Omega stiffened but he had no time to answer:

-"He's not here for that and he doesn't need it. My team and I take care of his security."

Mike smiled mischievously:

-"I'm happy for you."

-"Shut up, Mike."

Levi began to growl while taking a step towards Beta. Eren squealed, crushed again by the Alpha's dominance. If Levi's latent pheromones were exciting to him, when he used them to dominate his surroundings, they crushed him and frightened him:

-"Levi…"

The latter immediately stopped scolding and turned to the young man. The anxiety was visible in his eyes:

-"What's wrong? You are trembling."

Eren didn't realize it, but he was shaking. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm down, but Levi's pheromones were still filling the air too much. He barely refrained from sighing with pleasure as he smelled the soothing pheromones. Levi, sensing an Omega in distress, had instinctively begun to release soothing and comforting pheromones:

-"Let's go outside and get some air."

The Alpha slipped one hand on Eren's lower back and guided him to the door:

-"See you both soon", Mike threw at them as they passed.

To which Levi replied with a middle finger.

Once out in the parking lot at the back of The School, Eren took a deep breath. The fresh air did him good. He felt a hand on the back of his neck and applied light caresses:

-"Do you feel better?"

-"Yes... Thank you."

-"What happened?"

-"Your pheromones. I can pretty much handle your latent pheromones. But when you voluntarily release them to dominate others, I... I can't. They're so... strong.

-"We're going to have to work on that. If I'm gonna show you what I do, you're gonna have to put up with my pheromones because I can't always get you out."

-"... OK."

Eren wasn't 100% sure he really wanted to voluntarily confront Levi's pheromones, but he might have the opportunity not to... :

-"Do you want to go on or do you want to go home?"

-"Who are we going to see? -Who are we going to see?"

-"Hanji."

-"I should be able to make it."

-"Right."

The Alpha opened the passenger side door so the younger one could take a seat.

The ride was silent, which allowed Eren to calm down. Today's demonstration of dominance reinforced his instinct in his choice of Alpha. And the young man was surprised once again to think that with Levi, he and their cubs would be safe. The Omega shook his head sharply, he must not have been thinking about that:

-"You mustn't touch anything once you're at "The Fabrik"."

-"Why not?"

-"Because Hanji's in charge of Survey Corps drug trafficking. She develops them, produces them, and distributes them to her dealers for sale. So we're not gonna get you high with powder or rainbow tablets."

-"Ho... I see."

-"She's also developing medical treatments for Omegas."

-"Sorry?"

-"You heard me."

The young man was shocked. Medicine and science had long since stopped studying Omegas because they were too few in number and represented an unprofitable investment. It had been shown that their organism could tolerate the Betas medicines quite well, so it had been decided to give them this. On the other hand, the Alphas' bodies did not react to the Betas treatments. And since they were a significant and valuable population in today's society, studies were still being done on them and treatments had been developed just for them. Eren knew that the drugs had little effect on him so most of the time he suffered in silence, especially during his heat. If Levi was telling the truth, Hanji was a real ray of hope for Eren and many Omegas:

-"Is that true?"

-"It started a few years ago. I don't understand much when she talks to me about her work, but maybe you'll understand something."

Eren found it very difficult to hold on to them until they reached their destination. He had so many questions to ask Hanji.

The car stopped in front of a white gate with a security shed on each side, each housing two security guards. Levi simply lowered his window to show his face to the security guard closest to him. The guard nodded his head and waved the gate open. The car drove to the building's parking lot and the Alpha turned off the engine. Levi got out of the vehicle and Eren did the same. He looked up at the blue letters that adorned the top of the main door "Zoe's Laboratory":

-"Are you coming?"

The Omega joined Levi and they went through the sliding door together. They were greeted by a man in his forties, a red-haired man with big brown eyes:

-"Mr Ackerman, welcome. How can I help you?"

-"Contact Hanji and tell her that Eren and I are waiting for her downstairs."

-"Yes, sir. Please wait a few moments."

Levi turned his heels and fell on one of the sofas in the lobby, not far from the reception desk. Eren didn't imitate him. He preferred to stand and observe everything that was going on around him. Everything was in light tones and everything was clean. Levi was almost an intruder in his black suit. It wasn't long before the young man heard the characteristic sound of an elevator arriving at its destination and then heard the sound of hurried footsteps:

-"Eren !"

The Omega had just enough time to turn around before being suffocated by a bear hug:

-"Hello to you too, Hanji."

The Beta put her hands on his cheeks and examined him from every angle:

-"How do you feel?"

-"I'm fine. And you?"

-"I'm fine."

She turned to Levi, who was still on the couch with his phone in his hand:

-"What's going on?"

-"He's introducing me to Survey Corps."

She looked at him suspiciously:

-"Wait... Levi Ackerman, the Survey Corps icicle, is your guide?"

-"Eh... Yes?"

She slowly turned to the Alpha, who was staring at her:

-"Woha. That's... Interesting.

-"You're giving him the tour, or am I?", Levi scolded.

-"I'll get it."

The trio headed for one of the elevators and Hanji used her badge to activate their ascent:

-"I'll give you a tour of our research labs first."

-"Are you really working on omega treatments?"

-"For Alphas, too. But yes, I have a branch that specializes in Omegas. The Omegas in our protection network are always happy to let me take some blood, slick or tissue samples from them to further my research. The data I have collected has enabled me to identify interesting targets for treatments and we are in the process of modifying the treatments for Betas so that they will be effective for you. We have almost completed trials for a painkiller, and I am confident that we will be able to make it available on the market by the end of next year. The data we are studying helps us to better understand how you function, especially in hot weather. We need to understand if we want to be able to help you through this difficult monthly period."

Eren was filled with gratitude. Finally someone was interested in the fate of the Omegas. He wanted to take Hanji in his arms to express his gratitude:

-"Thank you Hanji... Thank you."

-"You're welcome. "

Hanji showed him the labs and explained what each team was doing. They arrived at the first door where Hanji had to identify herself. Then they entered an airlock where she had to confirm her identity and they were decontaminated. When the airlock door opened, they found themselves in a large clean room with many production machines:

-"Welcome to "The Fabrik", Eren. We outsource the production of Betas medicines here. We have a production line in preparation for our own medicines when they are authorized for sale. They are packaged in its large bubbles to ensure sterility of the processes. You have to go through decontamination airlocks and wear a specific suit. The finished products come out of the sterility bubble through further decontamination and are immediately injected into the last series of machines that pack them and lower them into the storage shed that is connected to the loading docks. If we took the stairs behind the door you see at the back, we would reach the hangar and the docks."

The young man was impressed but didn't really see how the Beta was involved in drugs:

-"The last part of the visit is behind this door."

Hanji had to confirm her identity twice before she could open the door. Behind it was another production line, but it was not kept in a sterile bubble:

-"This is our only production line for recreational substances. It leads to a different part of the storage shed and the crates are not the same to avoid confusion."

Levi had to pull Eren after him when Hanji left the site through a door to their right, after many more identifications. They ended up in a corridor with two doors on the right and two on the left:

-"Here are the two new drug development labs as well as the offices of the teams working there."

They went through the door at the other end of the hallway and found themselves in the great hall that led back to the medical research laboratories and the main elevator :

-"There you go. The most important thing is here. On the ground floor are simply the administrative offices and mine and access to the storage shed and the docks. Nothing too exciting. Do you have any questions?"

-"Is it drug money that pays for your Omega research?"

-"In part, yes."

Eren was shocked, he was happy to know that someone was trying to find treatments for Omegas, but he wasn't sure he liked that the money for this research came from drug trafficking... Hanji put her hand on his shoulder:

-"Try not to think too much about it. The two areas are completely separate and nothing moves from one group to the other in terms of materials and biological resources."

The young man ends up gently nodding his head:

-"All right."

-"May I have a sample of you?"

Eren didn't have time to respond that Levi was pushing Hanji away:

-"Levi!"

-"You're not touching him."

The young man grabbed the Alpha's arm, pulled it to him, and flooded him with soothing pheromones:

-"Calm down", he whispered.

Levi simply scolded Hanji as a warning:

-"How sweet you are..."

Omega's got the mob in check again:

-"What kind of samples do you need?"

© 2019 - Happy Umbrellla - All Rights Reserved for this text. No reposting and/or modifying of any form on any media is allowed. No translations allowed.