Lex hummed thoughtfully as he felt Blue turn again in the vent. How do you tell someone that they’re unnecessarily apologetic and that you’re just an asshole? “Yeah, dads can be dicks,” he agreed as they started to crawl again. She at least knew how to look on the bright side. Marcus would have had a<span style="font-style: italic">much</span>easier time surviving if he wasn’t constantly worried about feeding Lex and their mother. Lex of course repaid the debt by taking the vacant role of mother, cleaning the house when he knew something needed done, or stitching up wounds that Marcus frequently came home with. It might have even been easier to have their father around, but Lex could say with 110% certainty that he was glad the bastard was dead.<br/><br/>Lex hadn’t always hated his father, but even his earliest of fond memories conveniently excluded the man. It had always been Lex, Marcus, and their mother, even when their father had supposedly been around. As soon as he’d graduated, Lex had been determined to get out from under his father’s financial control and make a better life for his brother and mother. The irony was almost enough to make him laugh.<br/><br/>“Good fucking god,” Lex hissed under his breath, stopping to sit back on his legs again. In one quick swoop, he jerked his t-shirt over his head. It was damp with sweat, he realized as he tucked it in at the back of his belt, and taking it off didn’t do much to alleviate how hot it was, but at least he felt like he could<span style="font-style: italic">breathe.</span>