that older lex and dusknoir idea you mentioned is super neat to think about from how i see it from both sides imo. ramble incoming so watch out for that.
dusknoir being completely thrown off by how calmer lex has gotten in the future is neat because theres a sense of unfamiliarity to how much theres now silence that fills the gaps where *rage* and *(justified) frustration* used to be. the walls are that guard the heart still exist, but they've been almost mellowed down yet constantly hardened over the course of years that you could *almost* not know they are there. lex could still be harboring ill will, but he's doing it in a manner and under a guise of keep-it-together to the point where dusknoir could not believe that this is the guy that he. well. needn't dwell on that, maybe.
and of course, the guilt. getting caught up on the past is always a fool's endeavor, but it's that accursed past that they both share that intertwined them together. a constant grim reminder of how they got here, in this 'un'salvageable mess of love where they cannot look at one another in the eye, and how they both feel everything yet nothing at once. lex is calm, too calm, to a degree where dusknoir might've assumed that he had forgiven him. and dusknoir believed that he shouldn't be given that pleasantry, much less for everything he had done. his little theatric, his play-of-heart, that oh-so-mesmerizing display of bravery that had lex walk right into his hands for him to rip him whole.
but lex dodged the clutches and burned down that bridge, and swore to never get close to the burnt wreckage again. but time's a chump, and it just had to play mediator. so, here they are. and lex is calm, when he should be enraged. how dare dusknoir walk back into his life again, present the idea of peace and make-niceities, show just how much he 'cares', when everyone remembers that same old story of the last time that had happened?
lex should be enraged, and dusknoir would gladly back off if the threat was any more than implied in the slightest.
but lex isn't mad. not now, and such an expression has not been present with him for a while. no reason to be mad when the wounds have long been graciously painted over by his new evolution mended, and he's fiiiiine. even when he isn't. even when none of this is fine. even when he hates letting that vulnerability get to him again. even when he puts on a safe face to let anyone get in.
and lex? lexicon? lexington? oh, brother, that man is doing about as well as you'd like to think he does. yes, a fancy new evolution and a new fur color with a thousand years or so added to his lifespan, what little lex forgot to account for..
is the call that comes from inside.
oh, the years go by, and the wounds slowly close, but never mend. the memories pang, and theres none to share with them but his own dread. it nulls and dulls him overtime, but it's for whatever is necessary. he doesn't need to be angry anymore, not having some contorted rage boil down in an unsafe haven in his heart ever again, to which he can finally be free.
but freedom is a steep reward, and the way to achieve is a straight line with *both himself and dusknoir* in the way.
in a way, lex becomes his own obstacle in his own future. when you never get past your colossal emotional repression and intentionally add a tiny amount of time for your lifespan to think about that repression over, it all just boils down to how it doesn't matter to him, or how it shouldn't matter to dusknoir.
it's already enough to feel those few cracks of anger still mangle his core, but it's another thing to know that what had happened has happened happened, and that mulling it over is useless, or just to how lex can't bring himself to openly admit that hate to dusknoir.
that train has long rode off, and even then, what good will come out of ever trying to confide in dusknoir once more? "oh yes, I kind of hate you, but at the same time it's more of a lighter, bitter and melancholy type of hatred because I practically avoided talking about my issues for who knows how long to the point where it doesn't effect me as much as it did anymore!". he may as well tell Dialga to smite him if he ever entertained that thought.
But ultimately, it boils down to how much Lex just.. feels everything at once when Dusknoir is around once more. Reassuring it was to know that he turned over a new leaf, there's just too much that scars Lex's heart to ever try and see that change through, much less believe that what once was happy can ever not be sad again. You already gave into your heart once, and look at where that got you.
SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO RESPOND, I HAD TO FINISH THIS:
The Awkward First Encounter.
That is the face of a fox who has spent several generations practicing his poker face. As a Ninetales, he knew that it was inevitable that he would come across the future trio again in their own time. All that rage and anger he felt had been smothered down into a small ember, still hot to the touch but barely burning.
To Dusknoir, he had only recently visited the past and saw Lex then, so this is quite the whiplash. And there is a sudden and uneasy chill that runs through his whole body when Lex smiles at him.
BUT YOU KNOW THESE IDIOTS ARE STILL MILES AWAY FROM EVER DISCUSSING THEIR FEELINGS LMAO
I'm glad to finally finish something related to the 200 years later Lex concept, my design notes for him were basically just: "make him scruffier" and so I did.
Your analysis is just [chef's kiss] as always, a couple hundred years of bottling up your feelings has historically always been a good idea with no consequences whatsoever