"My, my..." Xavier leaned heavily on his golf club "...what a rare visitor I have." He watched the approaching pair with amused but keen eyes.
"Father." Alexei nodded at him in greeting before glancing at Jason, who had arrived hours before him, tapping away on his phone.
"This must be the rumoured treasure." He reached out a hand for a handshake but was blocked by Alexei who planted himself firmly between them "Aren't you being a bit much?" He retracted his hand.
Ethan sidestepped Alexei to present himself before his lover's father "Good afternoon."
Xavier did not to hide his amusement "What a charming young man." He held out a hand to him "Come closer, let me have a closer look at you."
When Ethan stepped forward, Alexei pulled him back with a scowl.
"Seriously?"
Ethan glared at him. When Alexei had told him that today was the day he would finally meet his father, he was a little excited, also very worried.
Extremely worried.
He was a nobody from nowhere and Alexei was well... He was Alexei. He didn't know what to expect from the meeting, but Alexei's behaviour was definitely not what he expected.
"Don't touch him." Alexei announced.
Jason looked up briefly, only to roll his eyes and return his attention to the phone.
Xavier let out a jolly laugh, one that caused his whole body to shake. "You are really treasured, no?" He asked Ethan after his laughter died down. He squinted at him "So, you say you're a beta?" He asked with a smile that made Ethan uncomfortable.
"Father..." Alexei interrupted before the conversation could progress "...we should head inside. It's hot out."
Xavier adjusted his visor, giving Ethan a brief sharp look "You're right, it wouldn't be good to keep your precious beta out in the sun." He handed his putter to the attendant on the side, turned around and led the way.
Ethan's discomfort grew, the way the man said the word made him feel like he knew what he was hiding. He followed the trio to a hall, where they were all seated at a large table.
Alexei leaned over to whisper "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
He bit his lip and shook his head.
Alexei gave his hand a comforting pat "Don't be scared, we'll leave soon. I promise."
"You said you would let me meet your partner..." Xavier complained "...but look at what you're doing. I can't even converse with him."
"You've met him. I did what I said, and I can't imagine what kind of conversation you could possibly want to have." He retorted and immediately returned his focus to Ethan.
Xavier gave up on the man. There was no helping it "And you?" He decided to target Jason, instead.
Jason's fingers froze mid-air "What are you talking about?"
"Yul told me everything."
He exhaled heavily as he tucked his phone into his pocket "I'm sure she told you a lot of things." No doubt after one of their poorly hidden escapades.
"Why won't you bring him here? Are you scared?"
"Me?" Jason, he pointed a finger to himself with raised brows "Scared?"
"Yes, perhaps you are worried I would find some problems with him."
"No."
"I can't understand why my sons keep their partners hidden. Am I such a scary person?" his question was directed to no one in the room in particular.
"Father, you are a bit…" Jason searched his mind for an appropriate description "…of an overwhelming presence?"
"I am flattered by your praise but-"
"But nothing. Rosalein's busy, I don't really want to drag him out here for nothing." He showed a small polite smile.
"Your brother brought his lover."
"My baby took some days off work. We have a little getaway planned." Alexei chimed in "Right, baby?"
Ethan nodded with pursed lips.
It is not that Xavier was despised by his sons, it was quite the contrary. The two held the man in great regard and held deep affection for him but Xavier has been known to be a little… too protective of his children.
For good reason, yes but still…
Lunch was served.
Ethan listened quietly to their conversation. It was mostly business talk, he couldn't understand much of what was being said and he couldn't keep up so he poked at the food on his plate aimlessly. He felt queasy so he excused himself from the table.
"He is rather soft looking, just your type."
"Please don't look at my lover with lecherous eyes."
Jason snorted "You have a problem."
"Oh please..." Alexei razzed "...like a control freak, like you, has any right to speak."
"Pervert."
"Psycho."
"Boys…" Xavier knocked on the table twice, lightly "…not at my table."
Both men turned fierce glares to the man seated at the head of the table.
"I have been receiving reports..." Alexei started "...it seems a lot of people are uncomfortable working with Yul. Something about her being covered in pheromones so potent no one is willing to share an office with her."
Xavier reached for his glass and took a sip "She works with pheromones, it's no surprise she would be covered in them."
Jason muffled a laugh at the audacity of the man. Alexei had to have gotten his shamelessness from somewhere "Cut the shit, the whole world knows you're sleeping with her."
"Language, Jason."
"And you aren't even trying to hide it." Alexei chided "I can literally smell it from a mile away. What is wrong with you? Why are you sleeping with one of my best researchers? What if you piss her off and she leaves? She's younger than me, you know that, right? She's years younger than your sons."
"Relax, she won't leave. Yul isn't going anywhere. In fact, just think of it as me taking one for the team." He swirled the liquid in his glass playfully.
"The team?! Dad-"
"I have to agree with him Alexei, I don't think she's going anywhere." Jason spoke up "She seems to have an obsession with him."
Alexei settled into his seat "Isn't that dangerous?" he eyed his father with pure disgust "Shameless old man."
"Remind you of something? Like a person who won't let his partner shake his father's hand?" Jason asked.
"Oh? It's about me now? Ha! Can't be any worse than a fucking stalker like you."
"Language…" Xavier interjected quietly.
"I did NOT stalk him."
"Sure, sure… it's not stalking. You just set a meeting on the outskirts of town, had me drive out there in the middle of the week and watch him from a window…" He made a show of inspecting his cutlery "…psycho." He said under his breath.
"That's rich coming from you." He leaned forward, narrowing his gaze "Does your baby know you've got your hand around his manager's neck?"
Xavier ignored their banter, choosing instead to enjoy his meal.
"Shouldn't you be running after your precious baby? Aren't you worried someone will snatch him up in the two minutes he left the room?"
"Ethan isn't going anywhere."
Jason scoffed "Of course, he's not. Look at you, you're already at the edge of your seat."
"At least he doesn't reek of pheromones all the fucking time."
The room fell silent.
"Father…"
'Hm?"
"Does she know about it?" Alexei asked.
Xavier threw him a side glance but said nothing.
Alexei made a derisive sound at his father.
"Unbelievable..." Jason said under his breath.
Ethan washed his face again.
He just couldn't help but feel unsettled. He had only ever had one lover before Alexei and John was nothing but trash. He had never met his lover's parents. His own parents were nothing to speak about, they were just opportunists, what's worse, they were stupid about it. Since they disappeared, he had never asked about them. Honestly, he didn't even want to know.
He stared back at his reflection.
Would Alexei's father actually like him? He was just a defective product lying to his son and something deep within him was certain that Xavier knew.
His stomach churned.
A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Baby, are you okay?" Alexei's concerned voice came through the door.
He rinsed his face again, turned off the faucet and hurried to open the door to let Alexei in.
"Do you feel sick?" he asked immediately he stepped in.
"N-no. I'm... I'm... Alex, do you think your father is okay with me?"
Alexei chuckled "Is that what you were worried about?" He wrapped his arms around his waist "Were you worried Father would dislike you? He has no choice."
"Alex, I'm serious."
"I'm serious too. You're the most lovable creature there is, Ethan. Trust me, he likes you."
Ethan nodded, allowing himself to be held, resting his head on the other's chest.
"There's no one that would ever dislike you."
He grabbed a handful of Alexei's shirt "Please don't hate me."
Alexei chuckled again "Never." He kissed his temple "You didn't eat much earlier, did you not like the food?"
"No... No, I just..." He dropped his forehead to his chest "... I'm not really hungry "
"That's fine. If you don't want to, you don't have to. We'll leave soon, okay?"
Xavier motioned to an attendant who stepped forward "Even though we didn't get to speak much or at all, I did enjoy meeting you today, so I prepared a gift. If my son…" he glanced at Alexei "…doesn't mind."
Alexei waved away the older man's concern.
The attendant opened the box to display an exquisitely crafted music box with intricate carvings etched into it. Ethan's eyes widened in wonder as he stared at the beautiful antique. He wanted to reach out to touch it but stopped himself.
"It's from afar and carries quite a history. One of a kind really..." Xavier explained "...I believe it is best enjoyed in the dark. That way you'll get to experience its full enchantment. I really hope you like it."
Alexei was provoked "Seriously? Are you competing with me?"
"Can I get one of those?" Jason asked.
"No." He replied to both men with one word. He turned to Jason, completely ignoring the fuming Alexei "If you want a fancy gift for your lover, you have to bring them over."
"I don't think Rosalein would appreciate it that much but his mother might."
Xavier was impressed "That's smart. If his parents are on your side you'll always win but the fact remains."
Alexei took the box from the attendant "This is why it took so long to bring him around. How could you be aiming to impress your son's lover?"
Xavier was fed up "Boy, what is your problem?"
Ethan pinched his arm "Stop it." He turned to Xavier "Thank you. It's very beautiful. I like it very much."
"So adorable. I like you even more." He wanted to pinch his cheek, but Alexei swatted his hand away.
"I told you not to touch him." He held up the box "Thank you for the gift. We'll stop by again, I hope you have something else that Ethan would like in your collection."
"He's welcome to browse it anytime." He looked at Ethan "Really, it gets quite boring being locked up out here, feel free to stop by anytime you wish."
"Thank you." Ethan replied, lightly.
Jason scoffed from the side earning him a fierce glare from his brother.
When he got back to his apartment, Jason replied to Lein's message, stating he was in his back into town. The two had been texting each other a lot. His phone was always abuzz with messages. Lein talked about everything without any form of restraint.
And that person sure had a lot to say.
Lein got his barista license, the coffee shop would soon be open for business. Not that he didn't already know all of this. He had actually been keeping an eye on the matter for quite some time. One could even say he was even involved but Lein and his family did not need to know that.
This time Lein was excitedly telling him about Mari giving him back his bike.
This felt nice.
Spending some time apart seemed to be the right call. Lein could clearly express what he was feeling now. He wasn't as agitated or irritated as he used to be, he was much calmer now. They had met a few times with things going only as far as kissing. Though he could still be clingy, but it was not as worrying as before, it was more like how one would not wish to part with their lover. He liked that.
But he was still upset with Lein. How does one even forgive and get over such a thing?
So yes, he was upset with him but not as much as he was angry at himself for letting himself get involved with him again, against his better judgement.
Well, whatever, it had already happened.
The best thing was to focus on the positives, chart the best course of action. Nothing good would come of clinging to the past so he had to make the most of it.
Help him through school, maybe they'll move to a bigger place, one closer to the coffee shop. Maybe get him his own space…
Although, he did notice that Hank seemed a little disapproving of him. In retrospect, sending Lein home covered in bloody bites wasn't a good idea. Any sensible parent would be worried for their child.
When his message was delivered, the other called him almost immediately.
The nightly calls that went on for hours had also become a thing. They talked about things they already said in text, what they were doing at the moment, what their plans for next day were. It was quite unexciting but unexciting was something he believed they definitely needed.
Tonight, they ended up making plans to meet for dinner sometime during the week.
"Jay?"
"Yes."
"I miss you."
Jason remained silent. He heard Lein take a deep breath on the other side.
"When will you come take me home?"
It's not that Jason hadn't thought about it. He wanted to bring him back more than anyone could even imagine but he always stopped… he had to stop himself. It was distressing "Rosalein..."
"Yea?"
A moment of quiet passed "Goodnight."
The line went silent.
Lein placed his slightly heated phone by his pillow. He was sad about how the call had ended. He let out a long sigh and turned on the diffuser. He still had a lot of pheromone capsules left. Hank said it was weird to have another alpha's pheromones in his home, so he rarely used them. He drew in a deep lungful of the scent, but he wasn't satisfied.
He wanted the real thing.
He wanted it soon or he would go crazy.
The meeting, which was held on one of the higher floors of the hotel, ran longer than he had anticipated. Resolving the issue of the talents of Blue Star ENT. involved with drugs proved to be more of a task than he had anticipated.
To be honest, the whole affair was quite an annoyance. He made up his mind to toss the matter to someone else as soon as the opportunity to do so presented itself. He checked his watch, Lein must have been waiting for quite some time.
They had arranged to meet in the cocktail lounge on the third floor.
He hurried over with brisk steps, only stopping when he was a few feet away from the doorway to watch the person, seated by the window, waiting.
Lein stared out the window for a few seconds before checking his phone again. He propped an elbow on the table and cradled his chin in his palm, the fingers of his free hand tapping in time with the background music.
The waiter came by a few times to ask if he wanted to place an order, but each time Lein declined, stating he was still waiting for his partner. Two minutes later, another attendant arrived by his side with a drink, courtesy of another patron, which was rejected with a kind smile. He glanced at his phone again, not a sign of impatience in his movements.
He must have felt Jason's eyes on him because he suddenly looked over, lighting up as soon as their eyes met. His whole person softened as he stood.
It was a stunning sight for Jason, something in him was set alight. He wanted to take him home and adore him, but he returned his smile and walked over "Sorry, I took too long."
He leaned closer so Jason could drop a kiss on his cheek "It's fine."
He held out the chair for Lein "Did you get something to drink?"
Since leaving rehab, Lein hadn't had even a drop of alcohol and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. It was a part of his determination.
Jason signaled to the waiter before taking his seat on the opposite side "There are also non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails, you should give it a try."
Lein nodded, carefully looking through the menu for something he might like.
"They also have nice side dishes."
When Jason leaned in to explore the menu with him, Lein caught his scent. It took great effort to remain in his seat and not claw his way over the table, to its source.
He let out a slow, tortured exhale.
Heavens help him…
The night was filled with mindless small talk, stolen glances and casual touches heavy with intention. It was perfect, so much so that Jason actually toyed with the idea of getting a room upstairs. His musings were interrupted when someone called out to Lein from across the room.
Both turned to the intruder.
Lein did not recognize this person or the person behind her. He looked to the direction they had come from and saw a familiar face.
It was June.
He immediately begun to panic. "Jay, can we leave? Please?" It was a beat too late, the intruders had arrived and they intended to stay.
"Lein! We almost didn't recognize you." She immediately turned her attention to Jason "Is this your new partner?"
Lein's hands crept across the table to tug on Jason's finger "Please..." He whispered "Please, let's just leave."
However, Jason remained seated. He looked passed them to see what made Lein so distraught. A brow lifted when he caught a glimpse of June.
"He's hot."
The second intruder agreed, giggling wildly.
He recentred his focus "Pardon?"
"You know the last person Lein was with was a total buzz kill..." She started as she touched Jason's arm casually "...Lein couldn't stand him, he said he nagged too much but the sex was great, so he had to stay…."
Jason watched Lein grow smaller in his seat with each word.
"…we were all so eager to have a taste because he must have had quite the skill if he was good enough to have Lein coming back for more even though he absolutely hated the guy's guts." She let out a dramatic sigh "…but Lein must have really hated the idea because he never brought him around, even though he had no qualms with others' partners."
Jason let out a mirthless chuckle, but his eyes were cold "What?"
"Oh, you don't know about us? We're all really good friends and..." She leaned in and lowered her voice "...we like to have fun. Lein would know all about it." She turned to Lein with eyes full of hostility and resentment "Right? Lein. You should know, you've had a lot of fun, but you hid your boyfriend? That's not fair. Everyone was so excited."
The implication was clear.
And Jason was revolted at the idea, but he said nothing.
The chatty omega returned her attention to him "But you look like fun. Much better than the other guy, seriously, it was a total nightmare for Lein. They would get into fights all the time and Lein would head over to the bar to you know, have fun and de-stress." She cocked her head to her friend "Remember when he insisted no one should leave marks on his body because his didn't want his boyfriend to find out?"
The quiet omega nodded and the two broke into a bout of wicked laughter.
Jason's eyes drilled a cold gaze into the tiny person seated across him.
"Oh..." The chatty omega recalled something "..I heard he was really boring too…" she turned to her friend, again "Remember that incident, where he asked some alphas to beat him up and use pheromone suppression on him because he wanted to stir up drama or try something new? It was wild."
The two shared another giggle.
"But I'm sure you'll be much more fun than he was. You should come around…" she eyed him flirtatiously "…in fact I really hope you do."
Jason glanced at the hand still resting on his arm following it up to the face of its owner.
She retracted her hand as a chill ran down her spine. She grabbed her friend and hurried off.
Jason huffed out a slow controlled breath before withdrawing his hand from Lein's grasp. He emptied his tumbler, calmly rose out of his seat without sparing Lein any bit of attention and walked out of the lounge.
Lein was on his heels "Jay, wait."
Jason wasn't listening. He wasn't interested in what he had to say.
Lein grabbed his arm and pulled him back "Jay."
He sighed and turned around expressionlessly.
"It's not-"
"It's not true?" He asked gently "I'm not stupid."
"I'm not… it's not like they said."
"Rosalein..." He stepped closer, he brought his hand to his cheek, cradling it tenderly "...do you remember what I told you?" He backed the trembling Lein into the wall.
Lein was suffocating, literally.
The hand that caressed his face was now pressed hard against his face, covering both his nose and mouth. He couldn't breathe. He found himself pinned against the wall with no place to go.
"I told you to make sure I never found out or I would kill you."
His initial panic turned into chilling terror. For the first time, he was truly scared of Jason. His hands tightened on the man's wrist, but his struggle was for naught, Jason did not loosen his grip. The strength in his body diminished and his struggle lacked energy. He really thought he was going to die. His eyes reddened and his vision blurred as tears poured out involuntarily. Just before he could pass out from a lack of air, Jason released him. With limbs too weak to keep him up, h collapsed, chest rising and falling heavily, heaving as he tried to fill his chest with air. His throat hurt from the hacking cough.
Jason stared down indifferently at his trembling frame "You have exhausted every-" he smiled bitterly. See? it was a bad idea. He couldn't help but mock himself. He had been completely wrung out "Don't ever show up in front of me." He turned on his heels and walked away.
It took a few minutes for Lein to recover. As soon as he could breathe without coughing, he was on his feet stumbling after Jason. He made it out in time to see Jason's car speed away. He ran to his bike, trembling all over as he chased after him.
"Did you get everything?" The chatty omega asked gleefully.
June felt a wave of aversion as he watched her "Why did you do that?"
Her laughter died down "What do you mean?"
"He was just minding his own business, you didn't have to go over there and ruin his night."
"But June, I did it for you. Remember how ruined your relationships? He doesn't have the right to be happy." She turned to her friend "Send it to the group."
June watched her, he knew she didn't do anything for his sake. She was just jealous of Lein, everyone knew that.
#The Bohemians#
XXX users
Online: XX
#O13: *video* *video*
#O10: look who got dumped.
#B2: hold up. That Lein?
#B2: ew. What the fuck is wrong with you?
#A1: you clearly knew that was his boyfriend, why did you do that?
#O8: fucking disgusting.
#O10: 🙄😒 I just gave him what he deserves.
#A4: what exactly has he ever done to you, tho?
#A4: pretty sure he never spoke to you before.
#O10: Lein has hurt a lot of people, he doesn't deserve to be happy. I was getting justice for us
#A2: …
#A2: and how exactly did he hurt you?
#B1: does he even know your name?
#O5: hands up if you've been burned by Lein before.☝️
#B4: 🖐️
#A9:☝️
#B6:☝️
###: 🖐️
###:🖐️
###:🖐️
...
#A4: ok, listen up you little shitheads
#A4: Lein didn't burn you. You burned yourselves chasing after him.
#A4: I don't ever recall him making any sort of commitment to anyone here.
#O8: just cause you like someone doesn't mean he has to like you back 😒
#O8: and if your partners left you, how is that his fault?
#O8: you brought them there by yourselves
#O8: so fucking stupid
#A2: you guys are fucking pathetic
#O3: I think you should delete the videos
#B5: I don't get the obsession of trying to ruin his life tho
#B5: in what way did he burn you? Still don't get that
#A1: I thought we were all just down for a good time. This is actually very sick
#O8: #O10 is just an ugly jealous bitch no one wants and somehow that's Lein's fault.
#O10: don't fucking talk about me like that
#O8: did I lie? No one wants you. Even if you stuffed your face with heat inducers and stood naked in the middle of the street no one would glance at you. Ugly bitch.
#O8: I hope you get jumped
#B9: lol. @#O8, take it easy
#A4: take down those fucking videos
#A4: and any other videos and pictures of him on here
#A2: it's bad enough the guy almost died, gotta ruin his life too?
"Jay!"
Jason tapped in the code to the keypad door lock. It was no surprise Lein got here before him, but he was ignored all the same.
"Please, please let me explain." He clung to his arm, not caring where his snot or tears landed "Just-"
Jason plucked his hand off his arm, bending the other's fingers backwards with an unforgiving and relentless force.
Lein grunted. It hurt, but he could ignore it. He had a mission, and that was to get Jason to at least listen to what he had to say, when he eventually figured out what he had to- needed to say. "…J…" he was suddenly released.
Jason walked in and slammed the door shut in his face.
Lein struggled with the door "Please, I'm begging you! Just let me… please just let me explain." No matter how much he begged or pleaded or implored, the door remained firmly shut.
"FUCK! I said open the door!" His desperate pleading turned into angry shouts and violent pounding on the door. He knocked and banged on and kicked the door until his knuckles bled, his palms blistered and he could barely feel his feet, but Jason didn't show up.
Weariness and despair set in. Jason was done with him. His knees weakened and he sunk to the ground, weeping. He clawed at and scratched the door "Jay please. Please, I'm sorry." He sobbed and cried until his voice ran ragged but there was nothing.
Jason's door remained shut.
"It hurts, please. Stop. It hurts. It hurts so much."
On the other side, Jason was in the sitting room going through cigarette after cigarette and eventually, pack after pack listening to Lein plead with him, then scream angrily at him before exhausting himself and breaking down. Now the only sounds filling the room were those of his sobs and the scratching on the door, like a dog that had been left out in the cold.
The whole episode made him question exactly who was hurt between them both.
Truly, who was the one in agony here?
When Hank saw Lein's bike toppled over in front of the apartment complex, he wasn't sure what to expect but it did fill him with as sense of dread, but he most certainly did not expect the haggard person wailing in front of Jason's door. When Lein didn't call to say when he would be home, they were a little concerned, even if he had been on his best behaviour lately, they didn't want to take any chances. Addicts were always a potential flight risk, and he was their child after all, they knew his personality very well. So, they called and messaged but got no reply. Eventually, Mari suggested calling Jason. It made sense, Lein excitedly told them about their date, so he called.
The man just said their son was making a scene at his place and suggested he come get him.
He arrived at this heart wrenching scene. He had never hated anyone as much as he hated the man called Jason at this moment. He jerked Lein away from the door "Let's go!" He barked.
Lein shrugged him off, choosing instead to remain curled up by the door.
His last bit of patience disappeared. He grabbed Lein's collar and started to drag him away.
Lein put up a bitter fight "No, he'll open the door." He rid himself of the shirt so Hank would have no hold on him and crawled back to the door "He'll open it. I know he will." He mumbled deliriously "If I sit still, he'll open it."
He gave up. Both he and Mari had avoided saying it because they didn't want to break his heart but no more of that. They knew it would be nothing short of a miracle for anyone to accept a lover who would betray them in such a way, he had no idea what had happened between the two tonight but he could tell there was no chance for a revival of their relationship so he steeled his heart said it "Rose, he is not going to open the door. He is not going to take you back and he most certainlydoes not want to see you anymore. That's exactly why I'm here…" he threw the shirt at him "…to take you home. So put your shirt back on and let's leave."
Those were devastating words for Lein who was already on the brink of despair "No..." He whispered.
"ROSALEIN, NOW!"
"Dad…" he wailed.
He helped his trembling son put on his shirt, pulled him to his feet and led him away.
He really hated the man called Jason.
The first thing Hank did immediately the sky brightened the next day was drive back to Jason's. He really had had enough of this. Lein was completely inconsolable the night before. Mari spent the whole night by the boy's side, trying desperately to comfort him up to the point of exhaustion. Everyone was worn out.
Jason was a little surprised to see him at the door so early in the day. It was almost midnight when Hank had left with Lein. He had packed up intending to get away for a bit while Irene aired out the place and got rid of the diffuser.
He was done with Rosalein. That was it, they were completely over.
"I don't get it..." Hank started immediately the door opened "..do you actually hate him that much that you would dangle false hope in front of him just to completely crush him? Even if you were toying with him, don't you think you've taken it too far?"
His grip tightened on the handle of the suitcase "It is me who has been toyed with, not Rosalein..."
"That is not what it looks like to me." Hank argued "Even if he messed up, it would have been better if you had just ended your relationship properly. Why did you string him along if nothing would come of it?"
Shutting his eyes tight, Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, he really needed a cigarette "Look, Hank…" he exhaled slowly "…I tried. I tried until exhaustion. Rosalein had… he just…" he let out a low awkward laugh "Since we met, there has just been Rosalein for me. Can't say the same about him."
"I-"
"I'm really tired." He glanced down at his watch as he croaked "If you don't mind, I have a flight to catch."
Hank took a proper look at Jason for the first time since arriving. He smelled heavily of cigarettes, to the point it was suffocating to stand next to him. His eyes were hollow and dark, his voice was so raspy it was discordant. He looked just as awful as Lein. It was obvious Jason hadn't gotten any sleep either. He began to wonder exactly what had happened to leave both of them in such pathetic states.
Hank stepped aside.