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dceu_kinkmeme2016-04-14 12:37 am
dceu_kinkmod) wrote in dceu_kinkmeme2016-04-14 12:37 am
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DCEU Prompt Post #1
Welcome to Round One of the DCEU Kink Meme!
Please have a look at the extended rules here.
The important rules in short:
- Post anonymously.
- Negative comments on other people's prompts (kink-shaming, pairing-bashing etc.) and personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
- One prompt per comment. Warnings for common triggers and squicks are encouraged, but not required.
- Prompts should follow the format: Character/character, prompt.
- Keep prompts to a reasonable length; prompts should not be detailed story outlines.
- No prompt spamming.
Please direct any questions to the Ask a mod post. For inspiration: list of kinks .
Prompt, write, draw, comment, and most importantly have fun! Please link to your fills on the fill post.
Here's the discussion post for all your non-prompt/fill needs.
We now have a non-DCEU prompt post for any prompts in other 'verses (comics, animated series, other movies or TV shows etc.).
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FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-13 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)"That whackjob?" Bruce says steadily, without hesitation. "He's still around, I think. Kind of a surprise, him living through something that killed you, but then again the man's a coward. Wouldn't swoop around in the dark like that if he weren't. Very model of a modern vigilante, isn't he?"
Clark's face—Clark's face does something entirely understandable, Bruce thinks. He does remember Batman trying to kill him, then. That's good: even if he had sustained some kind of brain damage during the fight or by being dead, his Kryptonian physiology seems to have dealt with it thoroughly. Fuzzy or failed memory is one of the most basic signs of head trauma that there is; not that Kryptonians necessarily suffer the same symptoms as humans, of course, but in the absence of any other framework for making an evaluation, it will have to do.
"Luthor was manipulating us," Clark says—or rather tells himself, Bruce thinks, trying to sound convincing, trying to remind himself to believe it.
"Luthor was manipulating you, yes," Bruce says. "That's why he took your mother. There's no reason to think—"
But Clark's already shaking his head. Already pulling himself together—already prepared to be generous beyond all reason. "No, he—he saved Mom. He must have." He blinks and then squints up at Bruce. "And you must have seen him, if you were there."
Damn. Bruce can't rewrite that; Martha won't lie about it. If Clark asks her whether Batman got her out, she'll say yes.
"I was, but not for that part," he says aloud. "All I know is the men watching me were called away, and the next time the door opened, it was your mother. That woman's awfully good with knots."
Clark doesn't get distracted. "Then he did," he says unsteadily. "I asked him to and he did, and I can't pretend that doesn't count for anything." His hands are still in fists; but he bites his lip and then adds, "And I don't know whether Luthor did anything to him. Set him up somehow or baited him, or—or who knows what."
And oh, Bruce wants to tell Clark exactly how wrong he is: that Lex Luthor hadn't had to do a damn thing to him except tell him exactly what he'd wanted to hear, that he'd swallowed it all from hook to sinker without a second thought. That Batman is the absolute last person Clark should be willing to make excuses for.
But he can't.
Martha saves him from having to scrape together a reply—she comes back in before he can even open his mouth. She has a stack of clean clothes pinned under one elbow, two towels under the other, and a bowl of water in one hand; and in the other hand is a phone. "It should be just about morning where Lois is," she says softly, and then smiles a little. "And that woman's always been an early riser."
Clark stares at her, and then at the phone, and he's looking at it like it's a chunk of kryptonite.
"Her number's already in here," Martha adds. "I'll just explain what's happened, honey, and then you can talk to her." She sets the bowl of water down; and then she tosses Bruce a glance, a little nod toward the porch. She's not wrong: he should go. Clark's forgotten about him entirely, still looking at the phone, and there might not be a better moment for Bruce to bow out.
So Bruce nods back, and goes.
With no one looking, he can indulge in a moment's indecision. He should take off before Clark can get a hold of himself, before he absorbs enough sun and breathes enough air for all his strengths and powers to come back completely—if nothing else, there's still a chance that if Bruce goes right now, Clark genuinely won't hear the Batplane. But—
But Martha's the one who called him here. Martha wanted his help. He shouldn't leave without at least talking to her, making sure she's all right. And she can't handle everything from here by herself. If nothing else, getting a legal declaration of death reversed could prove difficult—but a few consultants from Wayne Enterprises will almost certainly make that easier. He should at least bring it up, so she'll be prepared for it when matters get a little more urgent. (Thankfully, he does own the Daily Planet; if nothing else, he can ensure that Clark Kent won't have any trouble getting his job back, even after being dead for half a year.)
He pauses on the front walk, looks out across the flat Kansas fields and makes a deal with himself: a minute, that's how long he'll wait, just in case Martha wanted him to, and then—
"Bruce."
He turns around.
Martha did want him to; he can see that the moment he looks at her. "Bruce," she says again, and in a rush she comes down the front steps and grabs for his hands.
There's a pause then—she doesn't speak, looking down instead, but her grip is so tight Bruce almost can't tell her hands are shaking. "Martha," he says carefully, and she blows out a long breath and then shakes her head.
"My god," she says, "my god. I thought I might be—I don't know. But you saw him too—"
"He's real," Bruce says.
"My god," she says again, and then laughs, sharp and a little wild. "Oh, listen to me—tell me to get a grip already."
"You've got a pretty good one," Bruce tells her, making a face like a small wince; and she looks at him blankly for a moment and then all at once eases up on his hands.
She doesn't let go, though.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry," she says, and laughs again. "I'm so sorry."
"I've had worse," Bruce says.
"No, I—not just for that," and then Martha hesitates and lowers her voice. "I am sorry, Bruce, really. I wasn't thinking when I called you—"
"I don't mind, Martha, I've told you: I want you to call me—"
"—about your identity, I mean," she clarifies over him, and that makes Bruce go quiet. "I wasn't thinking about how it would look to Clark. And I know you want all that to stay a secret. I didn't mean to make that harder for you." She pauses for a second, and then she must see something in his face, because she adds, "Don't worry, Lois picked up. I promise you, he's not listening to anything but what's on the other end of that phone."
And she's right, no doubt. "It's fine," Bruce says. "He seemed to believe the cover story I gave him. I'm sorry to put you in this position, but if you can—at least not deny it, if he asks—"
"Of course," Martha says instantly. "But if he does decide to be Superman again, to work with you and Diana, you'll tell him."
She isn't asking—because to her, Bruce thinks, it doesn't seem like much of a question. Bruce and Diana know each other's identities, and they both know Clark's, too. It would be strange, lopsided, to forcibly keep him out of the loop.
But that's only because she isn't thinking it through.
"He's going to need my help," Bruce explains gently.
"Of course—"
"No, not as Superman. As Clark. He was declared dead," Bruce reminds her. "That needs to be reversed."
"Bruce," Martha says.
"I have to straighten things out at the Planet. There must be a way to open up a position for him. And his tenancy—"
"Bruce," Martha says.
"There's no reason he needs to know until everything is sorted out," Bruce says. It's common sense.
"Bruce," Martha repeats.
She's looking at him oddly—softly. He's not sure why. He hasn't said anything that warrants it.
"You didn't kill him," she says, very low.
"I know that," Bruce says.
He does. He's reviewed it a thousand times in his head, a thousand more times with the collected footage from the helicopters; he even has Diana's recollections, safely voice-recorded, after he'd explained to her that it would be useful for tactical analysis. The kryptonite shell Bruce had fired at that last instant had been necessary: it had weakened Zod at a critical moment. Compared to the amount of kryptonite on the end of the spear, it's unlikely that what had reached Clark had been the critical factor—that Clark would have been less impalable to the exact degree necessary without it. Clark had chosen to take up the spear, had known what it would do to him. In point of fact, he'd had a pretty exact idea what it would do, given that Bruce had shoved it into his face not half an hour beforehand. It's possible that the experience even helped him brace himself for it, and made it easier for him to withstand its effects long enough to reach Zod. Bruce hadn't killed Clark at all.
He'd just tried to. He'd just walked right into Luthor's trap; he'd just allowed himself to be manipulated in ways that had made it impossible for Superman to collaborate with him until it was too late. If they'd been aware of the true threat, there's no doubt in Bruce's mind that he and Diana and Clark together could have defeated Zod without losing anyone. And he could have ensured they'd get the chance to try. But he'd wasted his time masterminding ways to destroy Clark instead.
Bruce hadn't killed Clark, no. He just might as well have.
"He just doesn't know you," Martha says kindly. "Once he does, once you explain, he'll understand."
"You of all people should know it isn't that easy," Bruce says.
It's something of a low blow; but Martha doesn't flinch. "I didn't say it would be easy," she says, calm, "and I didn't say it wouldn't take time." She's still got hold of his hands: she squeezes. "You're right, I hated you—but it didn't last. I don't see how it could have, after everything you did. And it won't with Clark, either. You told the truth that day: you are a friend of my son's. You've already proven that to me. And my son will be a friend of yours, too, Bruce, if you let him."
She's a kind woman, Martha Kent. Generous; it seems to run in the family. Which means Bruce needs to be careful. My son will be a friend of yours, if you let him. And she isn't wrong, after all: Bruce has ample proof that, given the opportunity, Clark will wholeheartedly make the worst choice available to him regardless of the cost to himself.
(Which surely means that Bruce—as a friend—should make every effort to stop him.)
"For all the good it will do him," Bruce says aloud, wry, because jokes are typically the least uncomfortable way to tell the truth.
But Martha doesn't let it slide that easily. She smiles at him and squeezes his hands again. "It's done me plenty," she says without hesitation, and she's about to add something else when the sound of the screen door creaking open stops her.
She and Bruce both turn.
It's Clark. He's stepped out onto the porch, barefooted, and the suit is gone, traded for a shirt and sweats, but there's still dark streaks of dirt along his arms, ground into the skin along the backs of his knuckles. He's holding the phone, but not to his ear—it's silent now, dark, and he's staring down at it.
"She cried," he says unsteadily. "But she—she's not coming back. This assignment is important to her, and she needs some time."
He recites this like he's memorized it, like it's something he was sitting in there repeating to himself for five minutes before he came out here and told them—and maybe he was.
"Oh, sweetheart," Martha says, and finally lets go of Bruce so she can step away and take the phone from Clark's hands. "You have to understand, it's been months—"
"Yeah," Clark says. He's looking down at his empty fingers, now that the phone is gone: his palms are still dirty, too. "Yeah. I guess it has."
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-14 12:38 am (UTC)(link)I had hoped you would stop abusing it so. But I should really know better. So, that’s on me. Because I am one of your many
foolssupplicants that will gladly offer you encouragementand apparently my internal organs for your general abuse.Already pulling himself together—already prepared to be generous beyond all reason.
Well, Clark is solar powered, so it makes sense that he is an eternal ray of sunshine. Bruce needs that. Too bad Bruce thinks he doesn’t deserve that. Because obviously that’s the only thing that matters in this thing called reality; Bruce clearly doesn’t live in this magical place. <.<
Clark has a lot of work ahead of him.
And oh, Bruce wants to tell Clark exactly how wrong he is…
It’s almost kind how Bruce wants to protect Clark from getting invested in trying to justify and excuse Batman. And then: But he can't. Because it’s a Batman plan designed to follow-through with the groundwork of lies he’s already laid and also to maximize Bruce’s suffering because that’s what he deserves.
Suffer, my pretty. Suffer.
Martha did want him to…
Is it Freudian if I read it as ‘Martha did want him?’ Because Bruce… Of course, you’re wanted.
"Martha," he says carefully…
I know Bruce has said her name in her panic-induced call, but this… It pulls at my battered heart strings because Bruce saying her name, since in the movie it was such a triggering and essential motif. Just…yeah…
Insert entire interaction between Bruce and Martha.
I just…can’t…I don’t even… Guh… So…yeah. Of course Martha’s forgiveness can’t factor into Bruce’s…Bruceness (aka wallowing in self-flagellation?). See 'suffering.' Synonymous with 'beautiful'? Wait, what?
(Which surely means that Bruce—as a friend—should make every effort to stop him.)
Does this count as personal growth? Sort of? I mean, it completely misses the mark, but still… Can Bruce get a gold star for effort?
Now, right up there with “oh, Bruce,” I have “oh, Clark.” My heart. I…can’t…gibberish and crying… I just…
Oh, Clark.
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)Clark has a lot of work ahead of him.
Haha, oh, you are definitely not wrong - honestly that could probably be the summary of every Bruce/Clark fic I write, because ... yeah. :D
It's probably a little wrong just how much I enjoy putting Bruce in these emotional catch-22s: not telling Clark he's Batman is for Clark's own good! Except then it also limits how well he can warn Clark away from Batman. /o\ OH NO WHAT DO
SUFFER, I GUESSSUFFER JUST A WHOLE BUNCHAnd then just, I mean, thank you so so much for everything you've written here about Bruce and Martha - I love them both and I love their relationship
at least the way I headcanon it post-movie, and that all these different pieces of that interaction worked for you is SUCH A DELIGHT :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD And Bruce and his guilt and his issues, gaaaaaaaaaaah. I could roll around in that ALL DAY (and lbr, I basically do :D).:D If there's one thing you totally can give Bruce credit for, it's effort, even when it's TOTALLY WRONGHEADED effort.
... I promise they'll both be okay in the end! Even if I do make them sad ... um, one or two more times ... <.< >.>
As always, thank you so much for all of this! So glad you're enjoying this fill, and I'm so very grateful for your thoughts. ♥
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)The sweetness of their interactions, and Martha's hard uncompromising nature coming up against Bruce's. Martha's very no-nonsense in her way. Which tickles me to no end, because I'm sure Bruce thinks he's the epitome of practically and no-nonsense behavior. Only to have Martha just kind of quietly shaking her head, fond, and disbelieving, at Bruce's incredible depth of self-deceiving faffery.
I think she can see the hurting person that Bruce is. He wants to help Clark--help Martha--and do it in a way where his help will be accepted. Where he doesn't have to deal with FeelingsTM while he's HelpingTM.
Just. Wow. Thank you for this. I always re-read your fills two or three times before I comment so I can soak in all of the good stuff you give us.
This is already some really high-quality identity porn. Having Martha in on this has given this fic such an interesting edge... I don't think I've read an identity porn piece quite like this before. Martha being in on it gives Bruce quite a bit more of an interesting set of overlapping social circles in which to be... all of him.
I am SO excited to see where this goes.
/chinhands
/offers kinkmeme cookies
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)because I'm sure Bruce thinks he's the epitome of practically and no-nonsense behavior. Only to have Martha just kind of quietly shaking her head, fond, and disbelieving, at Bruce's incredible depth of self-deceiving faffery
I'm sure I have no idea what you mean! BRUCE IS EXTREMELY CLEAR-HEADED, AND NOT AT ALL MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON HIS OWN BURIED GUILT AND REPRESSED EMOTION. :D Honestly one of the things I love best about Martha is that I think of her as having, yes, exactly that reaction, much like Clark - and, UNlike Clark, having the insight to understand what Bruce is doing relatively quickly. (To be fair to Clark, of course, she HAS known Bruce much longer, having not been dead for a while at any point.)
/o\ Oh, anon, there are times when I'm just so bowled over that anyone wants to read any of this ONCE, let alone several times! :DDDDDDDDDDD THANK YOU.
It really is kind of an unusual scenario - the movie just makes it SO HARD to explain how Bruce could possibly be at Clark Kent's funeral without Martha knowing who he is. And yes, as you say, it also maybe makes it a little more difficult for Bruce to keep track of who he's ... being at any given moment. OH, BRUCE
:D Aw, thank you, anon - I hope that in the end your excitement pays off! ♥
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)the movie just makes it SO HARD to explain how Bruce could possibly be at Clark Kent's funeral without Martha knowing who he is.
To be fair, the movie implies that Martha has actually no idea Bruce is there. Bruce stands apart, far away enough that nobody really sees him, and when Martha is told that someone paid for the funeral expenses (in the extended edition), she seems to have absolutely no idea who did it.
I mean, this is not a criticism and I love that you went with Martha knowing who Bruce is, but I don't think the movie itself implies that Martha knows. Bruce is just kinda sneaking around on the sidelines and goes pretty much unnoticed.
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)Haha, you're probably right that it's not necessarily Martha - I guess that's just the way that makes the most sense to me when it comes to how he knew where to be and when, given that Clark Kent's funeral presumably wasn't a very big deal in-universe. I didn't think the movie ever showed us him explicitly connecting the dots when it comes to Clark Kent = Superman, not in the same way it had Clark use Bruce's given name to Batman's face. So to me it makes the most sense to think SOMEBODY told him between Clark's death and the funeral.
But then again he is the world's greatest detective! So maybe I'm not giving him enough credit. :D
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)I assumed that Bruce just put the dots together from Clark's mother to Clark, those should be enough clues for the world's greatest detective. ;) And once he knows, it should be easy enough for him to find out when Clark's funeral is even without someone explicitly telling him.
But again, not meant as a criticism of any kind, just thought I'd point it out in case anyone ever wants to write fic in which Martha doesn't know any more than Clark does that Bruce = Batman. :)
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-17 04:03 am (UTC)(link)Oh, of course! If it had been criticism, it would've been very kind and very fair, as those things go. ;) It's definitely more my favorite way to make sense of the ending than anything I would call canonical! (And if anything I do put in here doesn't make sense or is based on an incorrect assumption, by all means feel free to tell me - I've only seen the movie the once. /o\)
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-15 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)And oh, Bruce wants to tell Clark exactly how wrong he is: that Lex Luthor hadn't had to do a damn thing to him except tell him exactly what he'd wanted to hear, that he'd swallowed it all from hook to sinker without a second thought. That Batman is the absolute last person Clark should be willing to make excuses for.
Yessssssssssss, give me Bruce's guilt, give me all of it! I also love how he doesn't run because Martha needs his help, aww (I mean, sure, Bruce, tell yourself that's the only reason you're staying). And aaaaaah, Bruce being all efficient and focused on what needs to be done and Martha trying to reassure him, all of this is so cute.
And she isn't wrong, after all: Bruce has ample proof that, given the opportunity, Clark will wholeheartedly make the worst choice available to him regardless of the cost to himself.
(Which surely means that Bruce—as a friend—should make every effort to stop him.)
THIS IS PERFECTION, ANON! :D gkjdlgjdfgidudbg Bruce trying to keep that distance between them for Clark's own sake, aaaaaaaah.
He recites this like he's memorized it, like it's something he was sitting in there repeating to himself for five minutes before he came out here and told them—and maybe he was.
Awww, my heart. I absolutely don't ship Clark/Lois, but Clark being sad always gets me. This is super great and I'm very excited for how it continues, Clark getting to know Bruce and Batman separately or however that goes. You're the best. <3
/OP
Re: FILL: as to which may be the true; Bruce/Clark, identity porn (3/?)
(Anonymous) 2016-07-17 03:45 am (UTC)(link)... And also more of Bruce feeling guilty! \o/ That's Bruce all over, really: making sure a thing he wants to do is Necessary before he lets himself do it. OH, BRUCE.
Bruce trying to keep that distance between them for Clark's own sake
:DDDDDDDDD YOU KNOW IT.
I'm so glad, as ever, that you're enjoying this, OP! ♥ And doubly glad to have earned your confidence and hoping so much that you don't discover it's been misplaced /o\. Thank you so much for the prompt, and for your persistent kindness!