I hit the supermarket with George before heading back home and picked up a couple of things for that boy. He also needs toiletries, in addition to pajamas. He's a chatterbox, but he does have some issues with seizures and falling asleep in the middle of a conversation.
Yesterday, he looked especially cheerful, just relaxing and enjoying the sunshine from his bed. He said he loved to look at it. I just found out that he was always locked up in Madam Rose's place, that confined space.
He didn't know who I was. Yeah, I only met him once when I went to Gil's place to collect payment. The kid never left the room Gil had set up for him.
"Hey, boss, you bought these things for the boy?" George asked, I nodded, and we kept walking down the supermarket aisle, looking for stuff he would need.
"His current shape really limiting how we can use him right now." I said then.
"I heard he was a bit mistreated by a number of clients while he was in the brothel." George said, as he pushed the shopping cart.
"Honestly, his condition was really rough when I first found him with Shin."
"Also, I heard he's actually a lot more handsome in person than he seems in that picture we saw."
I was pretty shocked when George said that. If you ask me, he's the most handsome Omega I've ever seen. His hair is gorgeous, it's so smooth and sleek. And his eyes? They're so clear! He seems weak, but he also comes across as somewhat cautious.
"You can meet up with him later." I told George.
We walked down each aisle and up the fruit aisle. There were a lot of oranges, and I picked up a tangerine that had a tag on it. I pick it up and smell it.
Ah, is this what my pheromone smells like? It smells so sweet.
In the end, I bought a lot of tangerines on that day.
Every day, I made sure to stop by Shiloh's room to watch him sleep. He looks pretty when he's asleep, and his eyelashes are really long. I'd help out with clipping his nails during the day while he was napping or just brushing his long hair.
"Uh, you've got a bit of a smell on you." He said it when I got home from work and didn't have time for a shower before heading to his room. He looked a bit puzzled.
"Wait, are you telling me it's bad?" I took a look at myself, a bit taken aback by what he said. I'm a little worried that my sweat smells really bad.
He said, "You smell like blood."
I was caught off guard for a moment, but then I laughed and said, "It's not blood, it's just steel. They smell the same." I tried to come up with a excuse, but my foot moved back from where he was sitting.
"Oh, you lift some heavy stuff at your job?" He asked, confused, but I just laughed before leaving his room.
I always hop in the shower after that before heading back home.
"So, you brought the boy to your place, then?" Cross asked, looking a little shocked, and we were eating with Joshua by the way. We usually have a bite to eat and chat about work together every Friday during the second week of the month. We've been doing this kind of thing for a while.
We're all pretty busy with our jobs these days, so it's hard for us to find time to talk. Usually, we only refer to each other as "superiors" and "subordinates" in our everyday conversations. That's why Father suggested getting together every month.
I gave a piece of meat to Joshua, who was eating while watching a kids' video on his phone. Cross used to scold him all the time, but he never gave it any thought. I think we're more like his parents than his older brothers. Well, there's a pretty big difference in our ages, actually.
"That's not the plan! Why did you choose to bring that boy into your home?" Cross is still spouting nonsense.
"Just wanted to let you know that Andrew suggested it that way."
When I said Andrew's name, Cross and Joshua looked over at me at the same time. Andrew's my primary care doc, he's pretty much the guy who knows everything about my health.
"That kid's body doesn't react well to the Alpha pheromones. For me, it's different."
"What?!" Cross was a riot, as always.
"Andrew said we could use the kid as a test subject to figure out how to treat my condition." I gave the explanation.
Cross wiped his greasy mouth with a handkerchief on the table, then looked at me.
"He didn't react at all? He's the dominant Omega, right? You sure he's not a recessive Omega?" He grilled me with a few questions.
I shook my head and replied, "He really is the dominant omega. Andrew, draw his blood and check it. That's why Andrew was interested. The boy didn't react when he smelled my pheromone. Also..." I stopped my sentence midway, looking at my two brothers, one after the other.
They sat there patiently waiting for me to continue.
"He said my pheromones smell like a sweet tangerine."
There was a brief pause, and then they burst into laughter. I was taken aback and looked around. Luckily, we had the whole floor to ourselves, so there were no other customers around.
"Seriously, don't be silly! You? Smells like sweet tangerine?!" Cross was laughing so hard that I could barely see the tip of his tongue. Moron.
Joshua also laughed. He paused the video he was watching on his phone.
"I'm not sure. He said that to me, jerk!" I tried to defend myself.
"Gruvv, isn't he just flirting?" Joshua said as he drank some orange juice, "He knows he's the one responsible for his dad's debt. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to mention it as a way to flirt?"
I took a quick second and shook my head, saying, "I haven't said anything to him yet."
Cross and Joshua looked at me, like they were trying to figure out what was going on.
"He's only been coherent for a few days, he was on drugs last week when he was still unconscious. He's awake but not fully coherent. I mentioned his dad's name yesterday, and he had another seizure. The doctor said it's probably stress-related."
It was clear from the looks on Cross's and Joshua's faces that things were taking a serious turn.
"Honestly, I don't think you need to worry about him. Just stick with the plan you originally set out." Cross made his point clear. He put the chopsticks on the table and looked at me straight on.
Joshua didn't say anything. He lowered his head and silently chewed on the meat he had.
"But this is the chance I've been waiting for to learn more about my illness."
Cross looked a bit uneasy. "We're thinking about how to deal with Gil's debt. We shouldn't get involved in that boy's business. You gotta sell him now."
I grabbed my chopsticks and said, "You and Dad were both really loud about me not being able to get married and blamed my illness. But now that there's someone who can accept me and be a specimen to find out more about it, you don't like the idea."
"Look, Gruvv, that boy is not doing well. What if something happens to him? We need to sell him to get the cash his dad borrowed from us." Cross told me he didn't want any problems for the company if something happened to the boy. He said he didn't want to have to deal with any lawsuits or anything else that could put the company in a tight spot.
"We still have the option of selling Gil's assets to pay off the debts, and I can pay the boy when he becomes a specimen for my illness. At the end of the day, all he has to do is pay the interest.
Cross let out a sigh. He looked at me with a stern look on his face.
"Don't make a joke, ok? It's not funny anymore. You know, Gil's assets won't cover his debts. So, why are we looking for his son when Gil's assets can cover all his debts? It's not going to work."
Cross is right. We've checked all the assets Gil's got, but even half of his debt won't get covered.
I'm already pretty annoyed. I got up from my chair, leaving Cross and Joshua. He called my name a few times, but I ignored him. I don't want to hear anything. It's the first time I've met someone who doesn't even find my pheromones annoying.
Cross-reactions are excessive.
It doesn't mean I'm going to marry that kid anyway. Damn it.