If the choice was between wasting time with the mild-mannered—if a bit paranoid—Forest and getting fucked by Mason in a bed built for one, Lex had to admit the former sounded much more appealing. He used to like their arrangement much more than he did these days. Selling his ass for protection hadn't seemed like such a bad deal once upon a time, but as the nights grew more dangerous and Mason grew greedier, the fucking had seemed to lose much of its appeal. What was once a little bit of fun with added benefits had grown into something aggressive and hasty, less a “blowing off steam” situation and more a way for Mason to exert his power over Lex in the form of a raging hard on and carelessly released semen. The novelty had worn out, Lex wasn't so interested in playing the game anymore. Forest was the better option.<br/><br/>“Actually, Mase, I think I'm going to take up our gracious host on his offer,” Lex said, rushing to follow Forest through the doorway. He didn't turn back to look at his<i>friend</i>, not wanting to see whatever dark look Mason was throwing at his backside.<br/><br/>“Wait up,” Lex called, jogging to catch up to Forest's side. The model was statuesque in nothing but his boxer briefs and his dirty mop of shaggy brown hair, though the light bruises on his skin were all the more obvious with no dirty rags of cotton and denim to hide them. The cool breeze was nice against limbs, and he liked the way the grass tickled the bottoms of his bare feet as he walked.<br/><br/>“'A change' is an understatement, love,” he laughed, shaking as head and lightly crossing his arms over his naked torso. “Never in a thousand years would I have believed something like this could happen to the world. To me. I would have brushed up on my sharpshooter skills had I taken all the warnings seriously. But I didn't. Everything seemed to change so fast. My head was spinning before I even realized all the airports were closed and I'd never be able to make it home.”<br/><br/>He sighed, lifting up his head to get a look at the full moon as it shone above them. It was stunning, bright and shining with stars surrounding it, a velvet blanket encrusted with diamonds. He wondered how it was possible for things to look so peaceful and idyllic tonight when the world was anything but. “Don't let the boys' muscles fool you; we've mostly be playing scavenger. Looting supplies as we go, hiding out in abandoned buildings and sleeping in shifts. We started out in the city but that became too dangerous once resources began to dwindle and our friends on the streets became more aggressive. Mason thought it best we try and head out to the suburbs. More spaced out, less chance we'd run into someone eager to shove a shotgun barrel in our mouths. That worked, for a while. Eventually it felt like we had stripped every home we came across bare, and so we just kept moving. Mason got the bright idea to come to your farm; he thought you'd be dead. I'm glad to see you're not.”<br/><br/>Lex glanced at the gun in Forest's hand as they strolled, silently hoping the farmboy wouldn't find a reason to use it while they were wandering out alone on the property. “You're quite a ways out. Wallis and I questioned whether Mason was even leading us to a real place, honestly. But you're not wrong... the place is a paradise compared to the skeletal remains of the city we've had to pick through. It's incredibly impressive, the way you've managed to keep this place going. Have to be frank though, mate, can't say I'm terribly eager to learn the ways of farm management.” Lex chuckled to himself. “I'll be chuffed once we got that brewing started. All the fun seems to be in that basement.” He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “You uh... you haven't had too much of a problem with looters out here, have you? I imagine that jumpiness must come from somewhere. Must be scary trying to protect your livelihood like this.”