Fic: The Beat of Bats Wings (9/10)
Jun. 17th, 2008 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starsandseaTitle: The Beat of Bats Wings (9/10)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Bruce/Kal, BatClan
Word Count: 1305
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts can be found here. Lots of thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jen_in_japan for the beta! :D
Bruce opened his eyes to gentle golden light. He blinked, hearing voices, loud voices, constantly being hushed by someone.
He could hear his brothers' and sisters' voices.
He sat up, absently noting that he was in his own room; his and Kal's room. He was alone, the voices muffled from behind the door. Bruce slipped from the bed, then almost fell back onto it at the wave of dizziness that washed over him. He took a deep breath and grit his teeth. If his siblings were really out there... he could hear Jason's voice, yelling something.
He staggered over to the door, resting near it for a moment, wanting nothing more than to open it, but at the same time dreading it, dreading his siblings' reactions...
Bruce took another deep breath, then pushed himself off the wall and opened the door. The voices stopped abruptly, and he looked into the faces of his brothers and sisters. Older than he remembered them, but there.
He fell forward, tears clouding his vision, and felt their arms go about him, heard their joyous voices, felt tears flowing freely down his face. He pulled away from them, wiping at his face, to see their faces.
There were here. They were real.
He touched Dick's face, his grin shining through his tears, then touched each of his siblings in turn, and was embraced in their arms again. They were speaking to him, telling him how much they had missed him, Dick and Barbara berating him for almost getting himself killed, Stephanie begging for hugs, Cassandra watching him with solemn eyes, Ace suddenly appearing and woofing happily at him, licking his scarred hands.
Bruce wiped more tears from his face, then saw Tim, with Jason standing beside him.
Tim, who still had a bat's wing.
Bruce moved towards him and touched it very gently, the sight finally convincing him that this wasn't a dream, that it was real.
"I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse, hardly even there, but Tim heard it. Tim shook his head, then hugged him. He could feel the wing pressing against him, as Tim used his only arm to embrace him. Bruce felt tears falling again, tears of grief and self-recrimination. It was his fault, if he hadn't taken so long to make the shirts, if he had had more time...
"It's all right, Bruce. It's all right." Tim's voice, so young and yet so old at the same time. Bruce closed his eyes in pain. He felt their siblings come around them, protecting them. He opened his eyes, and looked beyond them for the first time, to see Kal and the King and Queen, with Martha hovering the background.
He swallowed, feeling pain and guilt flooding through him again. He let go of Tim slowly, taking a deep breath. He stepped through his siblings to stand between them and the royal family of Metropolis, feeling Dick and Jason standing just behind his shoulders. Kal stepped forward and Bruce resisted the urge to hang his head.
Kal's fingers touched his face. "You should be in bed. You need to recover from everything..."
Bruce nodded, not able to look Kal in the eye, afraid of what he would see there. He was such a coward.
Kal's free hand, the one that wasn't touching his face, clasped one of his hands and softly squeezed, startling Bruce. Kal gently led him to their... to what had been their bedroom.
"Martha, would you prepare the guest room for our visitors, please?"
Martha nodded. Bruce's siblings looked rebellious, but Bruce nodded at them. Dick nodded slowly back, eyeing Kal somewhat warily. Bruce was slowly pulled out of the room by Kal, seeing Barbara engaging the King and Queen in conversation. He felt light-headed again as Kal closed the door to the main chamber of his rooms. He looked down at the floor, dreading the conversation he and Kal would now have.
*****
Bruce was sitting next to the fire, a woolen blanket about his shoulders. He was shaking, despite the warmth, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. Kal pressed a cup of wine into his hands, and Bruce gratefully drank from it.
There was silence for long moments. Bruce gathered up the courage to speak. "I'm sorry." His throat hurt when he spoke, his voice still coming out as little more than a whisper. He took a sip of the wine to try and soothe it.
Kal was standing by the window, looking out at the moon-drenched gardens of the castle. "Were you hurt?"
Bruce blinked, not understanding, then realized Kal was talking about the fire. He shook his head.
There was silence again. "So... those are your brothers and sisters?"
Bruce nodded again, a slight smile dancing on his lips.
"What happened to them? To you?"
Bruce took another sip of the wine before answering. "They were cursed. By our step-mother. A friend of mine was able to stop the curse affecting me. The only way I could free them, break the curse, was if I made them each a shirt from Starwart and Nettles, and never made a sound, never spoke a word until I had placed the final shirt over their heads and they had returned to their human forms."
He took a long sip of the wine, his throat sore from his speech. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kal.
"So, you came here...?"
"Zatanna - my friend - warned me to leave my father's kingdom. I never thought I would meet anyone, let alone have a Crown Prince stumble across me."
Kal sat down in front in front of him. "Your... your name is Bruce."
Bruce nodded, savoring the sound of his name, his real name, falling from Kal's lips.
"You are the Crown Prince of Gotham."
Bruce smiled, a little wryly. "I don't know if I'm its Crown Prince anymore. No doubt my step-mother spread lies about us all being killed, leaving the path open for any children she might have." He was frowning when he finished speaking. He took another sip of the wine, then looked up at last, to see Kal frowning too.
"That's right. We heard that all King Thomas' children had died under mysterious circumstances. But I haven't heard anything about him having any new children. We've only heard that Gotham had been steadily declining over the last few years."
Bruce's frown deepened. Kal laughed suddenly, and Bruce's frown lightened. He could never stay so melancholy at hearing its sound.
"So that means you and I were nearly betrothed, once."
Bruce nodded, a small smile upon his face. He wasn't prepared for Kal's quick movement of grabbing him and pulling him into a kiss. He gasped, nearly dropping the cup of wine in surprise. They were both breathless when the kiss finally broke.
"You... aren't angry at me for keeping this all from you?" He placed the cup gently on a nearby table.
Kal pulled him close again, then cupped his face with his hands. "How can I be?" Kal kissed him again, slower this time.
"So things are all right between us?" Kal's reply was lost somewhere against his throat that Kal was kissing enthusiastically, but Bruce took it as a 'yes'. He caressed Kal's hair with his hands, luxuriating at its softness. "What's... mph... what's going to happen now?"
Kal pulled away from him slightly, so he could see his eyes. "Well, we'll go to Gotham, and get you your kingdom back. And then I want to marry you." Kal ignored his shock at that, "But right now, I want to make love to you." His lover kissed him again, giving Bruce no choice but to respond. He closed his eyes and a wave of passion overtook him as Kal held him close.
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Bruce/Kal, BatClan
Word Count: 1305
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts can be found here. Lots of thanks to
jen_in_japan for the beta! :DBruce opened his eyes to gentle golden light. He blinked, hearing voices, loud voices, constantly being hushed by someone.
He could hear his brothers' and sisters' voices.
He sat up, absently noting that he was in his own room; his and Kal's room. He was alone, the voices muffled from behind the door. Bruce slipped from the bed, then almost fell back onto it at the wave of dizziness that washed over him. He took a deep breath and grit his teeth. If his siblings were really out there... he could hear Jason's voice, yelling something.
He staggered over to the door, resting near it for a moment, wanting nothing more than to open it, but at the same time dreading it, dreading his siblings' reactions...
Bruce took another deep breath, then pushed himself off the wall and opened the door. The voices stopped abruptly, and he looked into the faces of his brothers and sisters. Older than he remembered them, but there.
He fell forward, tears clouding his vision, and felt their arms go about him, heard their joyous voices, felt tears flowing freely down his face. He pulled away from them, wiping at his face, to see their faces.
There were here. They were real.
He touched Dick's face, his grin shining through his tears, then touched each of his siblings in turn, and was embraced in their arms again. They were speaking to him, telling him how much they had missed him, Dick and Barbara berating him for almost getting himself killed, Stephanie begging for hugs, Cassandra watching him with solemn eyes, Ace suddenly appearing and woofing happily at him, licking his scarred hands.
Bruce wiped more tears from his face, then saw Tim, with Jason standing beside him.
Tim, who still had a bat's wing.
Bruce moved towards him and touched it very gently, the sight finally convincing him that this wasn't a dream, that it was real.
"I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse, hardly even there, but Tim heard it. Tim shook his head, then hugged him. He could feel the wing pressing against him, as Tim used his only arm to embrace him. Bruce felt tears falling again, tears of grief and self-recrimination. It was his fault, if he hadn't taken so long to make the shirts, if he had had more time...
"It's all right, Bruce. It's all right." Tim's voice, so young and yet so old at the same time. Bruce closed his eyes in pain. He felt their siblings come around them, protecting them. He opened his eyes, and looked beyond them for the first time, to see Kal and the King and Queen, with Martha hovering the background.
He swallowed, feeling pain and guilt flooding through him again. He let go of Tim slowly, taking a deep breath. He stepped through his siblings to stand between them and the royal family of Metropolis, feeling Dick and Jason standing just behind his shoulders. Kal stepped forward and Bruce resisted the urge to hang his head.
Kal's fingers touched his face. "You should be in bed. You need to recover from everything..."
Bruce nodded, not able to look Kal in the eye, afraid of what he would see there. He was such a coward.
Kal's free hand, the one that wasn't touching his face, clasped one of his hands and softly squeezed, startling Bruce. Kal gently led him to their... to what had been their bedroom.
"Martha, would you prepare the guest room for our visitors, please?"
Martha nodded. Bruce's siblings looked rebellious, but Bruce nodded at them. Dick nodded slowly back, eyeing Kal somewhat warily. Bruce was slowly pulled out of the room by Kal, seeing Barbara engaging the King and Queen in conversation. He felt light-headed again as Kal closed the door to the main chamber of his rooms. He looked down at the floor, dreading the conversation he and Kal would now have.
*****
Bruce was sitting next to the fire, a woolen blanket about his shoulders. He was shaking, despite the warmth, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. Kal pressed a cup of wine into his hands, and Bruce gratefully drank from it.
There was silence for long moments. Bruce gathered up the courage to speak. "I'm sorry." His throat hurt when he spoke, his voice still coming out as little more than a whisper. He took a sip of the wine to try and soothe it.
Kal was standing by the window, looking out at the moon-drenched gardens of the castle. "Were you hurt?"
Bruce blinked, not understanding, then realized Kal was talking about the fire. He shook his head.
There was silence again. "So... those are your brothers and sisters?"
Bruce nodded again, a slight smile dancing on his lips.
"What happened to them? To you?"
Bruce took another sip of the wine before answering. "They were cursed. By our step-mother. A friend of mine was able to stop the curse affecting me. The only way I could free them, break the curse, was if I made them each a shirt from Starwart and Nettles, and never made a sound, never spoke a word until I had placed the final shirt over their heads and they had returned to their human forms."
He took a long sip of the wine, his throat sore from his speech. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kal.
"So, you came here...?"
"Zatanna - my friend - warned me to leave my father's kingdom. I never thought I would meet anyone, let alone have a Crown Prince stumble across me."
Kal sat down in front in front of him. "Your... your name is Bruce."
Bruce nodded, savoring the sound of his name, his real name, falling from Kal's lips.
"You are the Crown Prince of Gotham."
Bruce smiled, a little wryly. "I don't know if I'm its Crown Prince anymore. No doubt my step-mother spread lies about us all being killed, leaving the path open for any children she might have." He was frowning when he finished speaking. He took another sip of the wine, then looked up at last, to see Kal frowning too.
"That's right. We heard that all King Thomas' children had died under mysterious circumstances. But I haven't heard anything about him having any new children. We've only heard that Gotham had been steadily declining over the last few years."
Bruce's frown deepened. Kal laughed suddenly, and Bruce's frown lightened. He could never stay so melancholy at hearing its sound.
"So that means you and I were nearly betrothed, once."
Bruce nodded, a small smile upon his face. He wasn't prepared for Kal's quick movement of grabbing him and pulling him into a kiss. He gasped, nearly dropping the cup of wine in surprise. They were both breathless when the kiss finally broke.
"You... aren't angry at me for keeping this all from you?" He placed the cup gently on a nearby table.
Kal pulled him close again, then cupped his face with his hands. "How can I be?" Kal kissed him again, slower this time.
"So things are all right between us?" Kal's reply was lost somewhere against his throat that Kal was kissing enthusiastically, but Bruce took it as a 'yes'. He caressed Kal's hair with his hands, luxuriating at its softness. "What's... mph... what's going to happen now?"
Kal pulled away from him slightly, so he could see his eyes. "Well, we'll go to Gotham, and get you your kingdom back. And then I want to marry you." Kal ignored his shock at that, "But right now, I want to make love to you." His lover kissed him again, giving Bruce no choice but to respond. He closed his eyes and a wave of passion overtook him as Kal held him close.
