For Anatoly, Dated Jan 30th

[capable_of]

To put it mildly, today had been a long day and Lex was very thankful to be stumbling home. Once he'd made sure Harris had gotten Helen safely to the clinic and been forced to get checked out himself, he'd slipped away from the chaos as soon as he could. There was nothing he could do here except take up space from someone who needed who'd come from the station after him and the only place he wanted to be now was home with Anatoly.

The only time he paused on his way back to the hut was to witness the space station falling into the ocean. It was a spectacular sight that Lex watched with mixed emotions. The station would have been of so much use to them on the island, he was pointedly not thinking about all the advantages it would have given him at home, and he'd genuinely enjoyed being in a lab again. But the place had also tried to kill him, as these things where want to do, and his closest friend was now fighting for her life because she'd come back to save him from the cyborgs. It was probably for the best that it was now heading for the bottom of the ocean.

Every step he took became hard the closer he got as the adrenaline from fighting for his life began to wear off to the point that he stumbled when he finally got to the door. He had to lean on it for a moment before he could open it, completely bone tired all of a sudden.

Comments

[chesspolitik]

Even though Anatoly had lost his battle with Freddie and had quite the array of bruises to show for it, there was a tiny part of him that was proud. He'd fought Freddie and hit him - something which the bastard had very much deserved for a long time.

The other part had been exceedingly worried over Lex and the space station and it was only the fact that he was still fairly battered and couldn't move fast at all that had kept him from searching anxiously.

"Lex!" He scrambled from the bed and went to hug him as tightly as he could. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but they could wait until he'd held Lex for a good long while.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

For his part, Lex was glad Anatoly was right there because he didn't know if he could take another step. He practically fell into Anatoly's arms and clung there for a few long moments that felt like forever. It was very good to be home.

When he did have the energy to let go, it was to lead Anatoly to the bed so they could sit down. And it was when he went to turn back to wrap his arms around the Russian that he saw the bruises. He definitely wasn't tired enough for his anger to rise as a hand reach up to touch a bruise on his cheek. "What happened?" He had an idea, Trumper, but he wanted to hear it anyway.

[chesspolitik]

"It is nothing," Anatoly said with a slight wince as his face was still very much sensitive. "Especially compared to yours. Lex, what happened?"

The silver lining in this fight with Freddie was that he could tell Lex they had gotten into an argument that had turned physical and that could be the end of it. It was, perhaps, a sorry state of affairs to be in, especially after he had promised Prior he would try to behave but it wasn't his fault that Freddie was an utter bastard.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex gave him a long, hard look that said this wasn't over. The wince just made his anger burn hotter. "Answer me first. You said you weren't going to fight with Trumper anymore. What happened?" While he knew that neither man would have been able to resist given the opportunity, he still wanted to hear it from Anatoly.

[chesspolitik]

"He was just himself," Anatoly said, realizing to his dismay that Lex wasn't going to be content with simply hearing that there had been a fight. If he had thought more carefully, he would have realized this, but with everything going on, he hadn't thought it through properly. "And it got out of hand."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex knew Anatoly wasn't telling him the whole story, but frankly it didn't matter. This was getting ridiculous and Freddie needed to know that. And there was no better person to teach him that lesson then Lex. "You're alright?" He asked, carefully moving Anatoly's chin so he could see the extent of the damage.

[chesspolitik]

"I am all right," Anatoly reassured him, turning his head at Lex's direction. He wasn't relishing Lex's reaction when he took off his shirt but there was little he could do about that. "It is just bruises. Nothing is broken."

"Will you tell me what happened at the space station? Please?"

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

This wasn't over and Lex's gaze said as much.

But then he sighed and let Anatoly's chin go as he looked down. "The space station turned on us. Stark did something that pissed it off and suddenly it was trying to kill everyone on board. It started with toxic gas that Uhura and I were able to turn off in my lab and then it unleashed zombies on us." He paused, looking up again despite the far off look in his eyes. "I went to make sure no one was trapped in one of the other labs and got cornered by a group of them." He swallowed thickly, remembering eerie voices in the dark room that had almost been the last thing he'd ever hear.

[chesspolitik]

Anatoly bit his lip as he heard the story, unconsciously pulling Lex as close to him as he could. It was a frightening tale and he had to wonder how much of it Lex was downplaying to spare him the worry.

"God, Lex," he murmured. "How did you get out?"

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex was in fact only telling him the bare minimum. It was best for both of them. "Helen. She was looking for me and thankfully, found me before the zombies could do more then grab my arms. We fought for a bit until they brought me to the floor." He swallowed heavily and looked down into their laps. "She fought like a wild thing so I could get up and to the door. Then...she was horribly injured and alls I could do was grab her and run."

[chesspolitik]

"Is she all right?" Anatoly gasped, bringing a hand to his mouth in horror. It all seemed like something out of a horror movie, not something that was real and had actually happened.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

"I..." Lex would hate to admit it but his voice broke. "I think so. I hope so. The doctors said she'd be alright but she felt so broken. There was damage to her throat and lung..." He stopped himself before he lost his dignity and his emotions with it. Now he was clutching at Anatoly, needing to feel him safe and secure next to him.

[chesspolitik]

Anatoly held Lex tightly, his shoulders shaking as he tried to keep his emotions in check. Lex was safe and he was here - everything else could wait for awhile because he was not letting go for a very long time.

"I - I am just glad you are safe," Anatoly murmured softly.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

As if to try and lessen his burden, Lex took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. He leaned into the arms clutching him, his eyes closed, and fought to compose himself.

When he finally did, he took another deep breath and pulled back. "I think the adrenaline is wearing off. Come, let's go to bed." He leaned forward to kiss Anatoly deeply as he tugged on the Russian's shirt to get it off. He wanted to feel the man he loved next to him.

[chesspolitik]

The bruises on his chest were quite the colorful array but there was little point in trying to delay this revelation. Lex would see, sooner or later, and perhaps it was just better to get it all over with all at once.

He carefully peeled off his shirt, trying not to wince too much and tossed it over the side of the bed. "I think getting some rest would be a very good thing."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex's eyes grew harder as he spied each new bruise and his hands carefully traced them on Anatoly's chest. "I'm going to kill him." He said darkly before taking a deep breath. "But you're right. Now we need rest." He removed his own shirt, revealing his own bruises and scratches and pulled Anatoly into a soft kiss to distract him from them.

[chesspolitik]

"We are a pair, aren't we?" Anatoly had to laugh at the spectacle they both presented. It was either that or rage and there had been more than enough violence going around. So he laughed ruefully and settled into Lex's arms. Everything could be dealt with in the morning.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

"We always are." Lex said as he held Anatoly close and sighed heavily before closing his eyes. Today had been a long day but, besides Helen's injuries, this was the single best way he could think of to end it, in the arms of the man he loved.