Lex Luthor

This was the most miserable and humiliated Lex had ever felt in his life.

A few days ago, he'd come down with horrible headaches, sore throat and slight fever. Without his mutation, he thought he'd just caught a cold from someone, nothing too serious. But when the first welt had appeared on his neck, he'd finally given in to Anatoly's insistence that he go to the clinic to get checked out. That was where he'd found out that he'd contracted chicken pox, a children's disease, and he couldn't have been more embarrassed.

No one in Lex's social circle growing up got the chicken pox. Children of the elite were sequestered together in fancy private and boarding schools, so there was just no exposure. And if someone did happen to contract it, many parents pulled their kids out of school until the disease had passed. It wasn't fashionable to have a child who was sick with such a common illness and it was even a bragging point if a child made it to their teens without getting it. After the age of nine, Lex hadn't had to worry about it anyway, which had allowed him a small, fleeting glimmer of pride from his father.

But now he was paying for that pride. The embarrassment of having small red welts dotting his pale skin made this worse then when he'd been sick with hypothermia. They were even on his head, dotting his bald scalp. And of course, those were the ones that itched the most, as if wanting to cause a scar where everyone would see it. It took everything Lex had to grip the blankets Anatoly had wrapped around him and not scratch at them.

Speaking of Anatoly, the Russian had been hovering like a mother hen ever since Lex's throat had begun to scratch. At first, Lex had been flattered and ate up the attention, but now he had to hold back from groaning when he heard a soft, accented voice asking if he needed anything. He loved Anatoly, he really did, but all the attention was smothering him. Granted, hearing Anatoly tell stories of taking care of his children when they had the chicken pox was adorable, but it still didn't make up for it. He'd spent more time pretending to be asleep then he ever had in his life.

At the moment he was sitting up in bed, wrapped in blankets despite the heat, trying to read. Anatoly had brought him back a book about Alexander the Great which he'd pleaded from the bookshelf to sooth Lex's temper. It was a good book, with good theories devised from Roman monuments and tombs but Lex was finding it hard to concentrate on the words. Instead he was mainly gripping the cover tightly in his hands so he didn't give into the urge to scratch.

Oh Lex had missed his pool table. It was one of the finest tables ever created and upholstered in royal purple velvet. The balls were a pro set and were shined to perfection, with a cue ball polished so white it looked flawless. It was one of Lex's most prized possessions, behind his cars of course, and one of the few things he'd added to the castle to make it his own.

And it was made even better with a handsome Russian bent over it. Lex stood to the side, leaning on his own personal stick, as he watched Anatoly's set up with one eye, and his ass with the other. "The cue ball is going to go right if you shoot like that." He said with a smirk in his voice. A master Anatoly may be at chess, he was still having trouble mastering the game of billards.

Waking up in an unfamiliar place was starting to become par for the course for Lex since his arrival on Tabula Rasa. Or should he say unexpected places since he was very familiar with this particular location. The expensive sheets, the velvet coverlet, the ancient carved oak bed, the stone walls and the purple and red stained glass windows. Instead of Bangkok, Thailand, this time he had returned home to his bedroom in his castle in Smallville. Of course, how far into his past or his future was still questionable, but he quickly forced the question out of his mind. For now.

Because this time, he didn't wake up alone. Buried in the soft sheets next to him, was Anatoly, still sleeping peacefully. With a soft sigh of relief, Lex wrapped his arms around the sleeping Russian, holding him tightly as he kissed him awake. There were so many things to consider, Clark and his father for one, but right now...right now he wanted to enjoy being with the man he loved in a large, comfortable bed.

Getting away from the studio had been easier then Lex had thought. Of course, Trumper throwing a temper tantrum and distracting all the reporters helped immensely. And Anatoly had been just as ready to get out of their as Lex had been.

Though, the closer their cab got back to the hotel, the more anxious Anatoly got and by the time they arrived, Lex had a hand in the Russian's curls and was saying soft Russian sayings in his ear to get him to focus and calm down. Lex, on the other hand, was just more keyed up, back in his element, in a game he'd been trained from birth to play.

Once back at the hotel, Lex had to practically drag Anatoly up to his room, once he got the number out of him. There they stood by the closed door, the only barrier now between them and Florence Vassey. Ideally, Lex didn't want the coming conversation with Anatoly's former lover either, but it had to be done. After glancing around to be sure the hallway was empty, Lex pulled Anatoly close to him by the hand he'd placed at the small of the Russian's back in it's usual comfort place so that their foreheads touched. "Just remember. We owe this to her. Better she finds out from us then De Courcey or Trumper. And I'll be with you, the entire time, I swear Tolya." He placed a soft kiss on Anatoly's lips then released him to open the hotel room door.

It was nearing the end of the school term and Lex felt the need to celebrate. Teaching had given him a surprising rush since it gave him the opportunity to talk about all the history he'd loved to study as a child and not just while trying to make a point to Clark. He'd never considered teaching before, not that he'd even been giving the choice, but he was glad he'd given it a try. He hoped his students had enjoyed the term as much as he had and he was honestly looking forward to doing it again next term.

With the end of term, Lex wanted to celebrate. Normally celebration meant a night in with vodka and chess but Lex wanted to take Anatoly out instead this time. Anatoly had mentioned a friend of his played at the Willows Room so after leaving Aeneas with Ms. Sandsmark and dressing Anatoly in a proper suit, they left for a night at the club. They'd secured a table amid the small gathered crowd and settled in to listen to Anatoly's friend play. Lex had to admit, he was rather good, even if it was far cry from the music he would normally listen too.

After the first set, while Anatoly was getting them drinks from the bar, Lex moved to head upstairs quickly to say hello to Helen, knowing she wouldn't forgive him if he'd been there and didn't say anything to her, even if they weren't in her part of the club. As he returned, the musician was mulling around the performance space and if he was a friend of Anatoly's, Lex figured he should be polite. "That was quite a performance." He said with a friendly smile as he walked over.

Unlike the rest of the island, the drop in temperature and the sudden snow brought a smile to Lex's face. Or more, it wasn't the weather that had him smiling, but the child like excitement that had taken over Anatoly. They'd prepared their hut with supplies and now were settled in for as long as the storm would last, prepared to enjoy it.

And enjoy it they were. The chess board was set up in it's place, a game underway. Aeneas was curled up asleep in a pile of blankets under the table, next to an empty bottle of vodka. Anatoly, dressed in Soviet army gear, was contemplating his next chess move while Lex, dressed once again in his Marshall uniform, was opening another bottle of vodka, so the snow could be properly celebrated.

Once the bottle was open, Lex took a drink before passing it over. "Have I stumped you already, my dear Grandmaster?" He teased with a grin.

Back in his 'normal' life, Lex had never stopped to enjoy the simple pleasures. Of course, there were many who didn't believe that Luthors even knew what simple pleasures were, as they were too busy crushing people's lives with their Italian leather shoes before running over them in their exotic sports cars to return home to eccentric castles to drink ancient Scotch. And at home, Lex would have agreed with them, or at least, all of it except the first, which he happily left to his father.

Lex had gone from teenage rebellion straight into trying for once to be a responsible human being, so he'd never been on speaking terms with simple anything. Even his relationships with people, such as Clark and Helen, were more like miniature battles of tug of war then simple companionship they should have been.

But here on the island, it was so much simpler. A hand in a head of curly hair. The other gripping at the wall by said head of curly hair. Hips thrusting against just as responseive hips during a heated kiss against one of the outside Compound walls. Just the fact that Lex could suddenly pull Anatoly into a slightly secluded spot and pin him against the wall for a heated kiss just because he wanted to was simple joy enough. And if there was one thing Lex had always been good at, was taking advantage.

Another morning dawned on Tabula Rasa and Lex was stretched out beside Anatoly, debating whether or not to open his eyes and attempt to get out of bed. Instead, he just moved closer into Anatoly's arms, relishing the feel of waking up like this. He sighed softly and finally took advantage of his favorite part of the morning. A hand reached up and stroked the Russian's stubbled cheek. It was a simple pleasure but a pleasure all the same.

Before he was a woman, this had been enough. But things had changed when he'd been female, mainly, they had finally come together, wholly and completely. And now that he was male again...there was nothing. They'd gone back to how they had been before, but now Lex, well to be blunt, he missed the sex.

He knew he should bring itup, ask Anatoly about it...but for the moment, he just wanted to stroke the sleeping man's cheek and watch half-lidded as he stirred.

Earlier in the evening, once he'd been sure Anatoly was set at the party, Lex had left the party again to collect the chess set from Jack's hut. He'd taken it to a secluded spot near Anatoly's yurt and set it up on a convenient stump, before returning to the party. A light snow had fallen since then, but Lex wasn't worried. It would add to the atmosphere.

After they'd put on their outerwear, Lex had retaken Anatoly hand and led them through the snow, answering all inquiries to where they were going with just a happy, but sly smile. Everything was going perfectly.

When they arrived in the small clearing of trees, Lex stopped and moved behind Anatoly, gesturing for him to enter first. The sight was ever more perfect then Lex could have planned. The moon shone directly through the trees onto the stump and the light dusting of snow made the pieces sparkle in the moonlight, especially the pearls set into the crowns of the kings and queens. "Merry Christmas." Lex whispered into Anatoly's ear softly, watching the man's reaction.

Lex rubbed his hand together, from cold not from excitement, as he walked towards the yurt of Jack Harkness. The agreed upon date was today, since Lex needed it for his plans the next night, and the Frenchman's watch was safely in his pocket as payment. Everything was going perfectly to plan and Lex didn't even try to keep a small smile off his face.

As he neared the yurt, he called out, "Mr Harkness. I do hope your home." Just before reaching the door, He reached up and adjusted the hat on his head. He hated the damn thing, but he'd promised Anatoly. Not to mention getting sick was worse then he remembered.

As he walked to the yurt that had been his home for a few day in the past month, Lex couldn't help smiling. All his plans and scheming...it all came down to tonight. Tonight he'd know if it was worth it and he was positive it would. Everything was set up and now it was time to put things in motion.

As he approached the yurt, he carefully schooled his features back to a more amused expression. He was just here to collect Anatoly for a party, as usual. Nothing more. Or so the Russian needed to believe. He didn't even bother to knock as he slipped inside. "Anatoly, are you ready?" He said expectantly, rubbing his gloved hands to warm them up.

Lex was cold.

There was really no other thought going through his head at the moment. Or really, it summarized everything well, with the shivering, and chattering, and coughing, and overall ache that went along with being so very cold.

He had been on his way to see Anatoly for another of their Russian lessons. Not wanting Anatoly to have to cart all the learning materials they had acquired up to the compound, Lex had insisted on continuing to come to his hut, now yurt, despite the change in weather. And he was prepared for it, in boots, thick pants, heavy shirt, sweater and coat, gloves and even a scarf in glaring primary colors. The only thing he'd forgone was a hat but that was thanks to Luthor pride. He never covered his head, never hid his difference so no one could use it against him. Plus, the fact he had it meant he couldn't sick.

Up until the island but Lex had conveniently forgotten that one small detail.

He'd told himself he'd just stop for a minute to take a rest. A Luthor would not be beaten by cold weather and Lex was determined to make it to Anatoly's yurt. Leaning against a tree, he closed his eyes and just huddled in on himself for a moment. A moment that turned into many long ones.