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Alex blinked rapidly for felt like the eighteenth time as he sat at one end of the table watching Armstrong talk and point at diagrams. He was trying hard not to fall asleep knowing that it was rude and not wanting to hurt her feelings.
Not that Alex could he was sure nothing could truly hurt the vampire hunter in front of him but that still didn't mean he wanted to be rude.
Alex was trying as hard as he could to keep his eyes open trying to focus on the words that were coming from the three adults' mouths but with every word Alex's mind was becoming more and more sluggish.
"I don't know why they even needed me here," Alex thought to himself with a sigh wishing more than anything to be in bed right now curled up under the sheets buried in his dreams.
Alas, Alex knew that he was just being a moody teenager and new why they needed him there with them. Being the youngest of a monster hunter agency wasn't easy not to mention his last name "Van Helsing" put a lot of targets on his back for a lot of powerful creatures. They needed to know that he was safe and that he knew how to defend himself which, of course, he did.
"Who would have thought traveling around the world would have made you an expert on killing things that aren't supposed to exist," He thought to himself as he tried to stay awake but now it seemed even harder than before.
His eyes were getting heavier and his body felt weighed down by an invisible force that came from the unknown.
"I can close my eyes for a few seconds," Alex thought to himself unable to help it as he kept his eyes on Sangster who was now up at the hologram graph looking over as he started to speak as well. "They aren't even talking to me they won't notice," He thought knowing that that probably wasn't true but with a sleep-deprived mind it sounds rational enough. "Besides Ice Maker is locked away and Ultravox is dead," His mind whispered as his eyes finally started to close. "Just a few seconds won't hurt," He finally thought as he let his eyes close and let his head drop to his arms that were crossed on the table.
After a few seconds, his body relaxed and his breathing evened out letting him fall asleep for the first time since the whole boat incident. He knew that he would be scolded for falling asleep knowing full well that would ever they were talking about could possibly be important enough to save his life but at the moment he didn't care and just slept.
The three adults jumped slightly at the sound of a quiet, dulled thump; being monster hunters they had each been trained to stay on their toes no matter what, and they were also taught to expect anything. Their training seemed to have failed them on that part though since they weren't expecting to see the youngest of their agency fast asleep with his face smushed against his arms, breathing in and out deeply.
No one moved for a moment watching Alex sleep unable to process what was happening but they were able to process the guilt that they felt at seeing the normally so calm, steady, and happy young man so worn out and tired.
"We did it again," Sangster whispered quickly with a sigh as he looked down at the glass table they were all sitting at. "We forgot how old he was," He said with a shake of his head silently reminding himself once again that Alex though strong and mature for his age was just a fourteen-year-old boy.
"We need to stop doing that," Amelia said as she looked at one of her oldest friends with a bit of sadness in her eyes before turning her head back to look at the blonde young man that had begun to store slightly. Amelia couldn't help but smile a little at seeing him like this, yes Alex had been the one to demand that he be let into the agency to follow in his family's footsteps but it was nice seeing him act his age. An if that meant falling asleep during a somewhat unimportant meeting like he was in the middle of class than so be it.
They all sat there for another few moments just listening to the quiet in and out breathing that came from the young Van Helsing a wave of protection washing over each of them even if no one other than Sangster who had grown to see the young man as a kid brother would admit it.
"I think it's time to get him home," Carerras suggested but not moving to wake the young man up, he knew how hard it must be for him to sleep and he hated being the one to wake him.
"Or... " Sangster said after a few seconds of silence bring the other two's attention to him. "We could finish the meeting while he sleeps and then I can take him home," He suggested knowing that sleeping on a glass table wasn't the most comfortable place to be but he also knew it had been a while since Alex had gotten any good sleep which is what he desperately needed.
"I think that sounds like a good idea," Amelia spoke up first her eyes quickly going back to the young man who she began to feel protective of.
"Then shall we get back to it?" Carerras asked as he sat back in his seat once more his eyes finally being taken off of Alex and being placed back on the holo screen.
"Of course, Sir just one moment," Sangster said as he quickly grabbed the leather jacket off the back of his sleep and quickly used it to cover Alex up as best as he could. He tried to ignore the point looks and small smiles that the other two were giving him as he walked back around to continue speaking.
As he did so though he couldn't help but worry a little about how his jacket had engulfed Alex and reminded himself to make Alex eat just a little more than usual just for good measure.
As all three of them went back to the grind for the next hour and a half maybe more they let Alex sleep curled up in Sangster's jacket with the side of his face still smushed into his arm.
None of the three hunters minding any of the soft snores that they would sometimes catch coming from the youngest hunter.