Dated December 30th

[capable_of]

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.

Comments

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack answered the door, stooped at the waist to lift Dulcita to his chest before the kitten could dart out into the snow. "Lex!" he said warmly as he stepped back to make room, "come in. Get out of the cold."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

"With pleasure." Lex quickly stepped inside, removing the hat immediately. Not only did he hate it, it itched something awful. "I can't wait until we return to tropical weather."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Next month," he assured the man. "Well, if the island stays predictable...in its way. Then we can get back to the heat. Did you come by for the chess set? " He couldn't think of any reason this might be a general social call.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

While Lex could do small talk with the best of them, he greatly appreciated Jack getting down to business. He removed his gloves as he nodded. "Yes, I have. It is finished I hope?" He put his gloves in one pocket of his coat and removed the watch from another. "I realize you said a watch, but I do hope a pocket watch will suffice?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Oooh," he exhaled appreciatively as he took it from Lex and turned it over in his hand. "It will definitely suffice. Thank you."

Into his pocket it went and he beckoned the man to the table where a small, plain box sat next to a board of alternating squares of wood. He opened the lid to the box, revealing the pieces, perfectly matched and carefully carved with meticulous attention to detail. In the crowns of the kings and queens, Jack had even set small pearls.

"I hope this (http://www.naturalchess.com/images/400__27_Set_A.jpg) is what you had in mind," he said. "You mentioned a grand master, but materials are...limited."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

It was Lex's turn to make a small noise of appreciation as his fingers traced the smooth curves of the pieces. He'd collected some of the finest antiques and works of art at home in Smallville and he knew top notch workmanship when he saw it. A Luthor was used to searching out and expecting only the best.

"This is positively exquisite. Anatoly will be thrilled." Lex could only imagine the look on the Russian's face. And he only hoped it would help ease him into the rest of what Lex had planned. "You do beautiful work Jack." He said as he looked up, a small genuine smile on his face. "I feel like I owe you more then just a watch."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Trust me, it's a fair trade," Jack replied. "You've got no idea how much I've missed having a watch of my own. Do you need to keep this here to keep it a surprise? I don't mind." And that was a genuine offer, no bartering or negotiation necessary. Dulcita jumped onto the chair and put her paws on the edge of the table, stretching to take in the scent of the new man.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex considered this for a moment before he nodded. "If you wouldn't mind. I'll come by and get it tomorrow before the festivities begin." He had a place he was going to set it up, but he'd rather no keep it there since it was close enough to Anatoly's yurt that he might find it.

Seeing the cat out of the corner of his eye, Lex offered her his hand with a small private smile. Pets had been one of the few luxuries Lex hadn't had growning up, despite how much he would have loved to have one. "What a friendly cat you have."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Sure it can stay, don't worry about it. She is a slut," Jack said affectionately as he scooped the pieces back into the box and set the whole parcel aside. "Her name is Dulcita. She's from Puta's first littler. Um, a friend of mine's cat."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex listened with half an ear as moved to pet the kitten, scratching behind it's ears and enjoying the small pleasure of it. "She's beautiful. I bet her mother is as well."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Her mother is a pretty cat," Jack agreed. He paused and watched the kitten eat up the attention for a moment before he asked, "So. Who is this for? I haven't met anyone named Anatoly."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Giving Jack a considering look as he continued to pet the kitten, Lex replied, "Anatoly is a friend. He's a Grandmaster and sorely misses the game he loves. So I thought, what better way to celebrate the holiday then to procure a set just for his use." Lex didn't mention how rare true friends like Anatoly were for him but it may have showed in the way his expression softened as he spoke. Gifts and such were the way Luthors showed affection and Lex was doing it in the only way he knew how.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack was familiar with what that tone and that look meant...not from Lex, but in himself. It told him enough to know that anything else he might as was private and definitely none of his business.

"Then I hope he likes it. It'll be here waiting. If I'm not home, you can come in and get it.Just make sure that little slut doesn't try to follow you out the door. She likes you," he said with a warm smile.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

For that, Lex was very appreciative. Because he wouldn't have volunteered any more information anyway. Especially since he hoped that by midnight tomorrow, it will have changed for the better.

Chuckling softly, Lex scratched right behind her ears. "I'm glad to hear it, though I'll make sure she stays home. I've already gotten sick in this weather, I'd hate to see what it would do to her."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"It really can't last much longer. Not much around here lasts long when it comes to crap the island pulls." Dulcita purred loudly as she rubbed against Lex, demanding more and more attention. She really was the perfect pet for a guy like Jack.