"Why can't I see Lein?" Ethan was upset. He knew something was up, but Alexei kept evading the topic.
"You can't go to where he is right now." He tried to pull him back to sit but the other swatted his hand away. He was a little surprised.
"Why do you keep treating me like a child?"
"Baby, I'm not."
"You are, do you think I really can't tell what is going on?'
He reached out again "Ethan."
"Don't touch me." He said coldly, backing away "I can tell you're limiting my interactions and I don't like it. I ignored it before, but don't you think you're taking it too far now?"
He rubbed his forehead. Did he really have to tell him that his only friend was now in rehab for drug abuse? There was also the thing about the set up "Ethan, that's not what is happening."
"Then what is it? I can't meet Lein. You've made it so I leave the office immediately after work. I've been here for months, and I don't even know my coworkers."
He didn't want to admit that he was right. If he had his way, Ethan wouldn't even be working. The feeling of wanting to keep the other next to him had only worsened over time. "I do feel a little anxious when you're away from me." He answered honestly.
He started to get angry "So you want to keep me trapped here? That's imprisonment."
"I'm not trying to-"
"I want to leave."
"What?"
"I'll move out. If you're going to keep doing this, then I will leave." He was resolute.
The two stared each other down for a few minutes.
"He's in rehab." Alexei said finally "He got into some ugly business and now he's trying to get clean. Are you happy?"
He pursed his lips "Oh… th-that's… Why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"
"Because I didn't want to see you make that expression, especially not for someone else." The slight tremor of the corner of the other's lips did not escape his notice.
"I told you I don't like Lein like that."
Another stare down ensued.
"I want to make friends."
Alexei crossed his arms "You think the reason you can't make any friends is because of me?"
"I never have time to speak with anyone because you make me come home immediately."
"Oh?" He smiled a little, suddenly relaxed "Okay, that's my bad."
"Alex, I'm not blaming you. I-I…"
"It's fine." See, Alexei had a certain thought, just off the top of his head. If the person before him were capable of making friends, he would have done so by now. He had to admit, their relationship only came to be because of his unsolicited interference. Also, there was the thing about the rumours in his office. He took another look at Ethan and hid a smile. "Fine but you can't get rid of the driver, just tell him to come pick you up later." He wasn't worried at all, if Ethan had been working in that office for months and had still not formed a single meaningful relationship, then there was absolutely no reason to be.
"Really?" He asked, a little doubtful. The sudden change in attitude made him a little uneasy.
"Yup." He pulled the slightly resistant person back into his hold "I'll back off. Make as many friends as you like."
Ethan's doubts only grew "I don't like the way you said that."
He laughed and kissed the top of his head.
Alexei was right, it took a long time before Ethan could make his first friend, an older omega female by the name Geen. Well, it was more of a maternal thing…
The first week of rehab was rather difficult for Lein.
The five-day detoxification was harrowing. It really was a test of one's will.
There were no visitations in the early weeks, but once he earned the privilege, he could make calls. He called Hank to update him on his progress, but Mari still refused speak to him.
Life in rehab was very structured. They were woken early, had breakfast and then some meditation. Morning counseling followed by free time where they could either read, undertake some creative endeavor, or maybe even sports.
The afternoons were spent in a similar fashion; lunch, free time or counseling, depending on the patient.
Evenings as well, just that they had a group counseling session instead.
After getting past the initial anxiety, Lein found the whole process a little relaxing. He had some time to think things through properly. He reflected on his actions deeply. He felt sorry to his parents and to Jason. It was fine, he was working through the process. He would get better. If he could get better, he would gather up his courage and try to speak with him again. Those things he said that day, he didn't really mean them.
Alexei scrunched up his nose as soon as Jason walked into his office "I see you picked up smoking again. G-ross."
He ignored him. Rather than his usual place, he chose to sit at the desk, across from Alexei.
Dawson came in shortly after with a stack of files, announcing that the vice president had sent back some documents for review before promptly taking his leave.
"Your chin?"
"Got punched." He answered apathetically.
Alexei snorted. Jason had a cold, somewhat scary air about him. He was the kind of person one would automatically apologize to if he stepped on them. He had to respect the person that had the guts to punch him "Who did it?" He asked not that he particularly cared, he just wanted to gossip.
"Rosalein's father."
"Wooooow!" He gushed "I'm so jealous. Is that what parents do? Punch their kid's ex?" He leaned forward "Do you think Father would punch someone for us?"
The two exchanged a glance and snorted at the thought. It was more likely the man would pummel they themselves into the ground first if they ever ended up in such a situation.
"Yul will be here soon."
Jason hummed.
"Hey"
He raised a brow.
"I got an erection."
"Congratulations." He replied indifferently after a short while without shifting his focus from the files before him.
Alexei feigned offense "Can't you be happy for me? I can finally give you cute nephews and nieces."
"You can have kids even without that not that I asked though." He looked impressed "Seven years, huh? I guess Ethan is really something."
Alexei threw a pen at him "Don't think about my baby like that you fucking psycho. He's pure. He's an angel."
"Sure, sure."
He plopped back into the chair "I should probably talk to a professional."
"The glasshouse probably has a few."
"Alexei…" he straightened "…isn't he a beta? Where are the kids coming from?"
"Our love will overcome all that."
Jason stifled a laugh and returned his attention to his work.
He sighed "We also have to visit Father." He shuddered at the thought "It's been a while."
Jason agreed "When should we go?"
As they deliberated a time for their visit Yul walked in. The brothers exchanged a glance, looked at Yul and exchanged another look.
Jason shook his head.
Sure enough, Alexei got the message and remained silent as they listened to her report on the progress of her work and their father's condition and when she was done, they saw her to the door.
"Jay?"
"…yea?"
"Is that…" he scratched his head "…is that our new step mother?"
Jason laughed at the thought.
Yul, a beta female, was currently bathed in their father's pheromones.
She knew about it, right?
She's a beta so she can't tell but surely, someone must have said something, right?
The Centre for Disabled Alphas and Omegas was a place for those who suffered from various kinds of pheromone disorders and deemed unable to function properly in society.
The Rockwells, bless them, had their own version of such an establishment. A place they commonly referred to as the Glasshouse.
That is where Yul worked.
A beta female and the head researcher at the place known as Hanzel's factory.
An orphan, not from birth though, as her parents were shot to death by Xavier Rockwell right in front of her, who coincidentally is the alpha father of her direct superior, Alexei Rockwell. Not much of a coincidence really.
It was by design.
Her design.
She had been chasing after the man called Xavier Rockwell for twenty long years.
She met him when she was just seven years. Both her parents were betas. They were also trash. The kind that should not be recycled but burned into nothing. Her father was a gambling drunk, and her mother was just an idiot who did anything to please her husband, even if anything involved being pimped out to strangers to make money to fuel his dumb addictions. An act that soon involved her.
It was a time were the world was focused on alphas and omegas, their conduct in private and public, secondary gender reforms and all that. At the time, all the focus was on alphas and omegas, no one cared what the betas were doing.
Xavier was chasing after someone and she couldn't get the details, but one thing led to another, and he stumbled on to the scene of her getting raped. He did not hesitate to put a bullet in the fucker's head. He told her to close her eyes and cover her ears, after that, two more shots rang out, and she was promptly made an orphan. He said something about already being a shit father and he was unwilling to ruin another life, so she was packaged and dumped her onto a nice couple with some sizable funds in tow.
They weren't especially mean or kind to her, but they took good care of her. It seemed they owed Xavier something. Anyway, as she grew older, she searched tirelessly for him only to find out her saviour had been reduced to a pathetic mess who suffered from pheromone addiction, courtesy of a bitch named Iris. So, she got herself into university, became a pharmaceutical scientist and pheromone disorder specialist and did everything in her power to appear before Xavier Rockwell, who was now a permanent resident at the Glasshouse.
Initially, she only meant to help. She just wanted to cure him, to save him like he had saved her, so she worked hard.
She did feel a little jealous when she saw him go through omegas like he was changing clothes. Perhaps her jealousy showed because one night, while his latest partner was being escorted out of his room, he asked her if she wanted a go at it. He probably meant to tease her but before he could dismiss it, she hopped on the opportunity, ridding herself of her clothes and crawling into his bed. They spent the night together and then several other nights.
One day, just after their bedroom activities, she reached for his gun in his bedside drawer and pointed it at him.
He simply looked amused and walked off to pour himself a drink before sauntering to a nearby sofa.
She followed behind, gun still aimed at him.
He observed her for a moment, and reached under the coffee table to pull out a dossier "Yul..." He said, still amused, tossing it onto the coffee table "...want to take a look?"
She glanced at the table, scattered on it were papers and papers of detailed information about her, down to her bra size. It wasn't much of a surprise, she had seen enough to know how he worked.
"So? Revenge for your parents? You won't be the first one to crawl into my bed looking for revenge, though."
She changed targets, the gun was pointed at her head now "That's not it."
"It's not?" he chuckled at her action
"I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for twenty years." She confessed shakily.
"And now you want to kill yourself in my bedroom. Why?" He asked, casually taking another sip.
"At least you'll remember me this way."
"Honestly, if you do that. It'd be a hassle, not just to clean up but also for my boys too. You're the head researcher, they'll make a fuss." He glanced at her feet "…and I actually really like this rug, cost quite a bit to get it out here."
She followed his gaze "Sorry."
He suppressed a laugh when she actually stepped off the rug.
"I don't think I can do this anymore." A shaky finger rested on the trigger.
He moved as quickly as he possibly could, lunging at her with practiced precision.
A shot rang out.
He made it just in time to turn the muzzle towards the ceiling. He snickered "So, you're like crazy crazy?" He asked before peeling her fingers off the gun "Don't ever do that again." He instructed, as he tapped the gun on her head twice before walking to the door to dismiss the people the commotion had attracted.
Her knees gave way and her trembling frame tumbled to the floor. It was over. She was probably going to lose everything. Her job, the opportunity to be next to him. She was instantly filled with regret.
He walked past her in the direction of the bed. Tucked the gun away and turned to face her "Are you planning to sleep on the floor?" He asked casually.
She stared at him, bewildered.
"Get over here."
So, if one were to wonder why she was strutting about doused in his pheromones, that almost questionable relationship is why.
No, she doesn't know about it. No, no one has told her about it either. In fact, her co-workers avoid her general area for this reason.
Jason got a call from an unknown number. He could hear the person on the other end breathing, it was sometimes shallow, sometimes deep but it was obvious that the person was extremely nervous.
"J-Jay?"
It was Lein.
He hummed.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
Another low hum.
"Can I call you again?" He whispered, almost breathlessly.
This time there was no sound this time.
"I'm sorry."
The call ended. Jason put aside his phone and reached for a cigarette.