Lex was surprised to see Forest above him, though perhaps he shouldn't have been. The country boy was nothing if not kind. The model flinched as Forest reached for him, but settled quickly as the farmer's fingers tenderly lifted up his chin. "I'm okay," Lex mumbled, smiling weakly as Forest examined. Lex looked tired, with dark circles underneath his eyes, his gaze dull and worn. Eyes lacking their characteristic gleam.<br/><br/>As his eyes took to roaming, he could see Forest's lower lip, swollen and busted open. Blood trickled from the wound. Without thinking, Lex lifted a hand, running his fingers along Forest's tender mouth and wiping at the quickly congealing liquid. Forest had left him an open invitation to tell him the truth. He realized this, and yet something inside of him caused him to hesitate. What would Forest think of him, he wondered? Would he understand? Would he think less of him? Forest was kind, but still a good, Christian boy at heart. Trading sexual favors was just a matter of survival. Sanity too, perhaps. How many times had Forest said they all were in desperate need of a little bit of intimacy?<br/><br/>"Mason is jealous of us. Of you, I mean," he began, stumbling over his words. Perhaps the whole truth wouldn't be appropriate. Not quite yet. But a half-truth seemed harmless enough. "We've been together since the beginning of it all, you know? Looking out for one another in our own way. I think when Mason suggested we come here, he wasn't sure if you'd even be alive. Perhaps was preparing for the worst scenario. He feels like I'm spending too much time with you, to put it simply." It was a ridiculous explanation but close enough to the truth for Lex. For now.<br/><br/>"He told me to stop being so friendly with you. I told him to fuck off. Mate didn't appreciate that much. Honestly, I don't want anything to do with him right now. Bloke's gone off his trolley if he expects me to just smile and nod my head at everything he says. He was nice before, y'know. Always toeing the line with that temper but never went further than a few tongue lashings." He let out a long sigh, stroking Forest's cheek affectionately, not thinking.<br/><br/>"You're golden, mate. Thanks for stepping in. You didn't have to get yourself all bruised up on account of me."