Chapter 19: The Perfect Choice
When Alex got to his apartment, he saw Theia asleep, with Ezra on her lap, snoring. He smiled and took a picture of the moment, adding it to his folder with the ones Alessia had sent him before. He walked to his room, got out a blanket, and walked back into the living room, carefully covering them with the blanket before switching off the lights. He decided against moving them in case they woke up. They had had an extremely long day today, so the least he could do was leave them to rest. Hopefully, by morning, Ezra's situation would be sorted out.
Ezra awoke to the feeling of being surrounded by a fluffy cloud and a warm arm hugging him. He snuggled into the warmth for a few minutes before he realized that something was wrong. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with at all. With that thought prevalent, he quickly sat up, looking around sleepily. From what he could see, Alexander Lexington was in the kitchen attempting to make breakfast, and lying next to him, still asleep, was Theia Lexington. He was confused. What happened? How did this happen? Before the memories of what happened yesterday came flooding in. Right, he tried to fake kidnap Theia yesterday, got kidnapped himself, realized he was played by his cousin, and then was disowned by his family before being taken in by the Lexingtons.
Alex saw Ezra jump up sleepily, looking around in confusion, and had to struggle to avoid laughing at him. He looked like a puppy waking up to find itself in a place it had never been before. Just as he was about to say good morning, he saw his face darken, and realized he had recalled everything that occurred the previous day. He watched as he carefully covered Theia's back with the blanket before fixing the pillow under her head and heading over to him.
"Good morning Alexander, and thank you very much for allowing me to spend the night here when I had nowhere else to go. I will try to find somewhere in a while, if you'd just give me the rest of the morning, "he said, his head lowered as though he couldn't look Alex in the eyes.
He grabbed Ezra by the collar and pulled him toward the bedrooms, before pushing him into the one closest to the end. Ezra was startled and looked at him in befuddlement. He didn't understand why Alex would suddenly attack him. He had thought everything was fine between them, until he heard him laughing.
"This is the place you'll be staying in from now on. The room on the other side is Theia's, and the one further down the hall is mine. Feel free to decorate or change it anyway you choose, because it's yours to do with as you wish. There's a bathroom attached that you can get to through the door on that side, and today we'll go out to buy some furniture and electronics so you can organize your school stuff. "
Ezra was overwhelmed. He had thought it was good enough that he was allowed to spend the night and that Theia had taken the time to comfort him, but now he was allowed to live here? He was not just living here, but was given his own room and was being provided for. He didn't understand why. He had done something wrong, and yet the people who were the victims were the ones to take him in afterwards. Why? Why would they do that? How could they forgive him and show more care for him than his own parents did? The more he thought about it, the more it brought tears to his eyes.
Seeing this, Alex pulled him into a hug while he cried. He understood the feeling of being suddenly cared for when your parents treated you like you were air unless they needed you. The first time Theia did something for him, it almost brought him to tears because he had never felt that type of warmth from any family member besides his grandparents, who he didn't get to see very often. It was enough to bring anyone to tears, much less someone who had been abandoned just the previous day.
"Th-*sniffle*-thank you!" Ezra said, crying, "I won't let you down. I'll work the hardest I can to repay you. "
Alex let him go and rapped on his head with his knuckles. When he looked at him baffled, Alex chuckled.
"I'm not doing this to be paid back. I'm doing this because... well, you'll see later on. First, have a shower, then pick something from my room to wear in the meantime before we go shopping and come eat. We have a long day ahead of us."
Ezra nodded and headed off to Alex's room to get something to wear for the time being before showering.
Alex went back to the kitchen, thinking about Ezra and the moves they were required to make today to ensure that his future wasn't marred by yesterday's events. The fact that he's incredibly smart and at the top of his year was reason enough to treat him well. When it came to computer science and technology, the boy was a certifiable genius. Something his parents—former parents—clearly weren't aware of, or how could they possibly give him up so easily?
Then he thought of the way he covered Theia as though she were his little sister, and a smile pulled at his lips. This was why he was willing to do what he did. He saw something in him. If it were just that connection he felt, he'd have still helped him and treated him well, but more than that, he truly felt like family. Those two facts combined pushed him to make the decisions he made last night, and the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that it was the right choice. Not just the right choice, the perfect choice.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone