Disclaimer: The Tribe and its characters do not belong to me.
You've Changed
Chapter 1
"How's he doing?" Bray asked when Ebony came into sight.
"He stable." She answered, walking down the stairs towards him.
"Never heard Lex called that before." Bray commented.
"He's still his usual charming self" Ebony answered in kind.
"Can I see him?" Bray questioned, getting up from the chair.
"You've changed." Ebony said disappointedly.
"Say again?" Bray asked.
"You can't wait to get away from me, for Lex! You've definitely changed. Or," She said taking a step towards him, "don't you remember?" She stroked her hand down his arm, grabbing his hand.
He pulled his hand away, and crossed his arms over his chest. "That was a long time ago."
"Not so long." Ebony said, stepping back. "I remember like it was yesterday." She smirked.
"What are you doing?" Bray said annoyed, "You would have never tried this 'feme fatale' bologna on me in the old days."
"Mysticol (1 If anyone knows what she said here, I'd appreciate being told.). Looks like I chose the wrong brother. But that night, I was tempted. Are you telling me you weren't?"
"Would you believe me if I did?"
"Well, Zoot's gone. Nothing to stop us now."
"Except Lex." Bray mocked.
"You can't be serious!" Ebony growled, sounding incredulous.
"'Fraid so!" Bray said, smirking as Ebony glared at him before she turned and stormed off. Bray watched her go with satisfaction.
It was true, Bray mused, Lex stood between them now. Ever since he had laid eyes on the angry and manipulating teen, he'd known that the strange feeling he'd always tried to suppress, had somehow been satisfied by the vicious blackhaired teen.
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As Ebony all but frogmarched him to Lex's cell, he couldn't help the mix of emotions he was feeling. On the one hand, he would see Lex. On the other hand, seeing Lex so weak, literally dying before his eyes, was slowly tearing him apart. He wished so badly to at least admit his feelings for the cold teen before he died, but knew that he was too much of a coward, even if he ever got the chance.
Ebony stopped in front of a door to their right, and one of her guards opened the door. He followed Ebony through the doorway.
There sat Lex, old and tired against the far wall. Bray felt his heart twinge at the sight.
"I brought your friend to see you" Ebony said, smirking down at the crumpled form.
"Hi friend" Lex sarcastically spoke, looking up at him from the floor.
"Lex?" Bay said, feeling his heart clench more than ever.
"Medicine time. Give it to him!" Ebony said, sounding gleeful. She handed Bray one of the tubes of medicine.
"You're still not taking any chances." Lex observed.
"I never do." Ebony shot back.
Bray walked towards him, holding out the tube. "Here you go."
"You still playing the hero, Bray?" Lex growled, reaching out for the offered medication. Their eyes met, and Bray wanted nothing more than to say "only for you, Lex." But he kept his mouth shut. Instead he sat down at the foot of the mattress Lex was residing on. "You're the hero, Lex. I haven't had a chance to thank you for saving us all in the mall."
Lex coughed, before looking back up at Bray. "I did it to save my own neck."
"Yeah, sure." Bray said sarcastically, showing Lex that he didn't believe his feeble lie for one minute. He still felt hurt though, both because Lex said what he said, and because Lex thought he was stupid enough to believe it.
"Bray," Lex said, looking at the ground and shaking his head slightly, "do me a favour;" here he looked up, "I'm dying, and let's be honest, ay, we never really got on with one another. And it's not like we're gonna become Blood Brothers now, so why don't you just leave?" Bray felt his heart give a particularly heard clench at that, and it was all he could do to stop himself from crying at those hurtful words from the one he felt so strongly for.
Ebony, obviously panicking at the idea that Lex was giving Bray ideas, butted in: "Quit yakking, and drink it!" She snarled from the doorway.
"You gonna come over here and make me?" Lex snarled back. He raised the tube anyway, his glaring eyes never leaving Ebony's. "To your very good health..." He said, waving the tube as if in salute, bringing the tip to his lips, grabbing the stopper with his teeth and pulling it out, before spitting it to the side. "...not." He downed the medicine like a shot. He cringed slightly and pulled a face when he was done, before once again looking at the ground. Bray wished he would have looked up, as a show of defiance, so that only for a second the old Lex would shine through.
He didn't however, just tossed the bottle aside as Ebony left the room smirking, closing the door behind her and leaving the two of the alone. Bray watched them leave, before turning his head back to Lex, only to find the two black eyes studying him. "Bray, tell me, you and her…?
"Honestly?" Bray asked, surprised that Lex would care "not until hell freezes over." He looked Lex dead in the eye, somehow satisfied at the unreadable look at crossed Lex's face. It looked almost… Happy? Content? Bray couldn't tell, But Lex's satisfied snort made him happy, until he started coughing again.
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Ebony's cronies had returned a few moments later to take Bray back to his own room. He looked back at Lex and gave him a smile that was returned somewhat gently, very differently from the Lex he used to know, but he still found it cheering somehow. He flopped back onto his mattress, thinking of all that could have been, had he and Lex been friends, or, he let himself wonder, something more. He knew he was fooling himself, but if it could make him happy, if only for a second, he felt he could allow himself to.
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TBC...