[ 1v1 ] Redo (Horace / Lex )

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex crumpled as soon as the blades dug into his kidneys, the shield finally breaking, Lex feeling the full brunt of Horace's tenacity. He smiled as he fell, a smug smirk even though he clutched his hip. "Well, s**t." Lex muttered, lying on the grass and staring at the sky for a half second too long.

He sighed heavily, then sat up, right arm dangling off one knee and his left leg tucked behind the other. "Alright, maybe it does need variety. Haven't really thought of sleeping with any of the dicks on this island, in complete honesty." Lex cracked a smile, patting the ground in an invitation for Horace to sit. "Ask any questions you want; I'll do my best to answer."  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace flopped down, de-summoning Jannisari as he went. Lex was looked over with a critical eye. "Well, if you wanted to, you most certainly could." Horace cracked his neck.

"But more importantly, why're you living in the basement now?"

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex cocked a brow at Horace, s**t eating grin wide on his face. "Are you flirting with me, Horace?" Lex chuckled, cracking his knuckles and biting his lip.

He really didn't want to explain his living situation to Horace, or anyone (he was even hesitant when he told Claude what had happened), who wasn't in the loop just by nature of acquaintances. But, a deal had been made.

"I cheated on Ami." Lex sighed, grin quickly fading into a frown, his face losing its palor.

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He sighed gustily. "Always, Lex." Then he waited for the actual explanation When it came, he sat there for a second, dumbfounded. That... was unexpected. Horace's first instinct was to press for details - the who, when, what (he knew the what, he guessed - sex). But he ate most of his questions, doubting that Lex would want to pour the details out.

"I take it she didn't forgive you?" His hand picked at some of the sparse grass on the field.

carhop cavalier

im sorry for taking so long :c

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex would have been flattered to have Horace hitting on him, were he in a better place mentally and physically. Instead, he just gave the man an exasperated chuckle, shaking his head with the weariness of Atlas. "That's the understatement of the century, Horace."

The Lifer picked at his threadbare Pacsun tee, the miffed look in his eyes and scrunched nose giving in to resentment. "I ******** up - I knew what I was doing. I deserve this." He whispered the mantra more to himself than Horace, but glanced up briefly to the younger man. "I want her back."

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He looked at Lex and stifled a sigh. Lex was abrasive a lot of the time and sometimes a jerk, but he was hurting now. And he didn't deserve it.

"Why did you do it?"

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex turned to look at Horace with deadpan eyes and no warmth in his lips. "Because I'm a ******** idiot, Horace."

xxthe semblance of unity

whoops forgot to tag u

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[The Semblance of Unity]

"Congratulations. Got any ideas how to fix it?" Deadpan was met with deadpan, but there was certainly more life in Horace's face than Lex's.

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex's face grew dark, fists clenching the grass beneath him. "I can't just 'fix' this, Horace." He sighed, letting the blades go with his brief anger. Horace didn't have the full context of their relationship - very few people did. They'd both been broken by love, or lack thereof. Ami had been scarred so permanently by adultery that, for a time, they both thought she'd never fully love again.

Sometimes, Lex wondered if she still thought so. Maybe he did as well, subconsciously, and maybe that thought had planted the unease in his head. A seed that grew quickly into a choking weed of discontent. "It honestly depends on if she even wants me back, let alone to see my face ever again." The older man looked over in the direction of her house, using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. "You ever play the Life labs version of Jenga? Imagine that she and I were playing a two-year long game of it, very carefully and precise, and one day I just got bored and knocked the entire damn tower over."

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace sighed, all flippancy gone in the face of Lex's frustration. "Look, I know I can't really help, but if you ever need anything, let me know. I don't have advice for you because I don't know her and all the cheesy romantic tricks I know won't work on everyone." He huffed out a breath. It wasn't fair that their relationship had fallen apart, even if it was Lex's fault. Horace was interested in happy endings for the people he knew, and that included Lex.

carhop cavalier

 

[Carhop Cavalier]

Lex gave Horace a sideways grin, clapping the boy's shoulder. "You're too good of a person, Horace." He chuckled, used Horace as a support to get himself off the ground, then walked off to the labs for coffee and more book-reading.

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace watch Lex go, more than a little sad that he couldn't help him. He wanted to tidy away everyone's life, help people fall in love, be happy, all that romantic bullshit. Le'x parting phrase caused him to huff out a disbelieving breath.

"Yeah ******** right," he muttered. Horace knew he wasn't good in any sense of the word. Sighing, he turned back to the field. Maybe he could hit a dummy or two.

carhop cavalier

fin!