Fic: A Soul Hidden Out of Sight
Dec. 4th, 2011 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starsandseaTitle: A Soul Hidden Out of Sight
Rating: PG
Pairing: Bruce/Clark
Word Count:
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
worlds_finest Gift Exchange. Prompt F3: A soul-bonding fic with a happy ending, because I have a definite weakness for this. I'd love plenty of sap, misunderstanding, and angst, but the only real condition for this prompt is that the bond should not be because of Superman's Kryptonian physiology (though I don't mind if this complicates matters ;) ). If you could throw in a choice as to whether or not they keep the bond and they do keep it, I'd prolly die of joy though. Unbetaed, so point and I shall correct! :)
Batman stared at the little aliens, who hardly came up to his knees. They were chittering, obviously deeply excited about something. He attempted a polite smile, and glanced at Superman. The Xhphxtratrxian’s language was unlike any he - or the translator - had ever seen. Of course, after only a little study, Superman had been able to speak it more or less fluently.
Superman said something now, and it was lucky, really, that his vocal cords couldn't be damaged. The little Xhphxtratrxian’s nodded and swayed, and seemingly started to chant something. Batman looked at Superman again.
“They want us to kneel so they can give us a blessing.” He was already bending to do so, of course, checking to make sure no Xhphxtratrxian’s were hiding under his cape, or something.
Batman sighed, sharply - he hated off world missions, they took him away from Gotham for too long - but reluctantly knelt beside Superman. The chanting intensified, seemed to leave a buzz, just behind his ears, and then...
And then his life was changed.
*****
Clark was sitting stiffly beside him, kept opening his mouth as if to speak, then closing it again, the words unspoken. He didn’t need to speak them, because Bruce could already hear them.
The Xhphxtratrxian’s parting ‘gift’ to them was to bind their souls together.
Only, of course, with Clark being a Kryptonian, it had complicated matters, turned what was apparently supposed to be a low level empathic bond into a telepathic one. It was... unbearable.
He could shield his mind, a little, due to techniques he had learned in Tibet, but... Every major thought slipped through, even the stronger emotions. Like hate. Like love. It was, frankly, horrifying to have such an invasion of his privacy, to have the sensation of someone being beside him, all the time, and be unable to be alone. He could hear Clark’s thoughts like a whisper, and no matter how much he concentrated on something else, no matter how much he tried to block them, they were still there.
Clark shifted suddenly, unfolding his arms, his jaw set, not looking at him. “I know how much you hate it, okay? You don’t need to carry on thinking about it. Once we get back home we’ll go straight to the Fortress, and do the ceremonies to break it.” Underlying his words were a wealth of emotions: frustration, annoyance, some regret, a longing for home, and an odd kind of pain.
It hadn’t helped matters that Kryptonians apparently had similar bonds, that were forged at their marriages. At least there was a way to undo all of this, though the thought that he might be now be considered to be married to Clark, to Kal-El, to Superman...
It left Bruce feeling... Odd. And he made sure Clark couldn't feel that, made sure it was shielded by annoyance. Clark was, by all accounts, dating Lois Lane; the sooner... this... could be broken, the better.
No matter what that made him feel, no matter... Clark deserved someone far, far better than he. He, who would most likely be dead, in a handful of years. Someone who wasn’t... like him.
So Bruce nodded shortly, adjusted their course, slightly, to avoid a meteor, and tried not to hear Clark’s thoughts, soft whispers, in the back of his mind.
*****
The Fortress was, as usual, cold. It was slowly warming, but Bruce still had to hide his shivers as they walked through it, walked to where the crystals shone in ice blues.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting any visitors, I would have had it, ah, turn the heating on, if I had known.” Clark was looking at him with anxious eyes, and Bruce hid both a sigh and a curse. Of course, Clark had sensed that through the bond, too.
“It’s fine. What do we have to do?”
Clark shifted a little, looked away. That odd pain whispered through his mind again, and Bruce frowned. “I’m... not all that sure, to be honest. It’s rare that... bonds like...this... are broken.”
“Well, on Krypton, the two people were already lovers, yes? So why would they? Presumably they wanted this. Not that such bonds of marriage stop people from getting divorced here.” He was babbling, he realized, closed his mouth with a snap.
Clark blinked at him, but nodded, and he now seemed to be doing a fine job of hiding his thoughts. He turned to the ice blue crystals, and they chimed softly, almost on the edge of his hearing, before glowing pure white, then settling to a warm blue. Clark - Kal-El - spoke to them now, and Bruce listened intently. He was getting better at Kryptonian, could translate many of the words, but still had difficulty speaking it.
Kal was asking about Soul Bonds and how they were formed, how they could be broken. The Fortress responded back in a flurry that was far too fast for Bruce to understand, and he scowled.
Kal winced, as he turned to look at him, his apology clear. “Sorry. It says... here, see?” Glowing Kryptonian text covered the air before them. Bruce stared at it, pleased that he could understand much of it, felt pride that was not his own, and glanced at Kal.
A blush touched his cheeks, and he looked away. “It’s good. That you can understand so much Kryptonian. This is the part, here.” He highlighted a part of the text, and Bruce squinted at it. “It says that the Bonded must sit three days in contemplation in the Temple of Rao. If they still wish to proceed with the Bond-Ending, these words must be spoken by a priest of Rao.”
“Does it have to be a priest?” Bruce asked, and Kal frowned.
“I’m not sure. Maybe... I’ve come across references to other rituals, and the Head of the House has spoken words.”
“So, all we have to do is for you to speak the words?”
Kal blinked, and, surprisingly, Bruce felt his sudden anxiety, reluctance, quickly overshadowed by uncertainty. “I’m... not sure. We should probably do the meditation anyway. Just to make sure.”
“You’re suggesting that we just sit up here for three days?” Bruce asked, somewhat incredulous.
Kal shrugged, looked embarrassed. “We’re back a day earlier than we thought, anyway, and it’s Friday, so I don’t need to worry about work... I’m sure everyone can look after things for another two or tree days, Bruce.” Somewhat alarmingly, there was affection in his voice.
Bruce sighed, scowled again, felt a strange hope from Kal, refused to acknowledge that we he was feeling it himself. “Fine. Let me contact Oracle so she can advise the others.” He really should not feel so happy, he thought. And nor, for that matter, should Kal.
*****
He was not sure how much time had passed. He and Kal had entered two separate rooms, and begun ‘contemplating their union’. He had slept once, he knew that, so this must be Saturday, everywhere, or the early hours of Sunday.
His thoughts, as ever, turned to Gotham, but at Kal’s request, he had left all his communication devises outside the room, just as Clark’s room was shielded so he could not hear anything. Only in the case of code red alarm would they be disturbed by the Fortress.
Which left him with nothing to do but think. Not that it was a hardship - he was loner, being alone like this was almost a paradise - but normally he could read or tinker on something in the cave, or update the computers... Something.
Because simply sitting like this, Kal’s own vague feelings of frustration whispering in the back of his mind was... It made it difficult to concentrate on anything else but him, made it difficult to remember just why this bond between them needed to be broken. Why it was such a bad idea on any number of levels, why it could simply never be.
Kal deserved someone better, anyway. Besides, everything that he had heard said Clark was dating Lois. Why would he want...?
Bruce opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh light of the crystals, after his eyes had been closed for so long. He should be half way through now, at least, perhaps he could sleep the rest of the time remaining...
Bruce?
It was like a whisper on the edge of his hearing, and he startled, tensed.
I... I don’t know... I have to speak with you, I’m sorry, I...
Bruce blinked at the flow of words, wondered if Kal was even aware he was broadcasting.
Of course I am, I just said I wanted to speak to you. I’m... I’m not dating Lois, Bruce. Not anymore, she’s seeing Perry’s nephew. And I have to tell you...
Not words, this time, but a cascade of feelings, of images, of memories, all tied with such a deep and unfathomable emotion... Bruce gasped, felt his eyes go wide, as he finally realized, at last.
*****
The door to the chamber finally opened, at the end of the three days. Kal was standing outside, looking hopeful and embarrassed all at once. His face was flushed, but his eyes... Bruce cleared his throat as he stepped forward.
“So... Um...” Kal’s hope was like a burning flame.
“You realize we’re going to have a do a great deal of training to be sure that this bond won’t effect us? And, of course, to fully understand how we can use it use it to our advantage is going to require a great deal of... intimate study.”
Kal’s eyes lit fully, his hope and happiness and love were almost impossibly bright emotions in his mind. “We’d better get started as soon as possible, then.” His voice trembled a little, and Bruce nodded, his own heartbeat less than steady.
“Yes. Yes, we must.” And then he kissed him.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Bruce/Clark
Word Count:
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: For the
worlds_finest Gift Exchange. Prompt F3: A soul-bonding fic with a happy ending, because I have a definite weakness for this. I'd love plenty of sap, misunderstanding, and angst, but the only real condition for this prompt is that the bond should not be because of Superman's Kryptonian physiology (though I don't mind if this complicates matters ;) ). If you could throw in a choice as to whether or not they keep the bond and they do keep it, I'd prolly die of joy though. Unbetaed, so point and I shall correct! :)Batman stared at the little aliens, who hardly came up to his knees. They were chittering, obviously deeply excited about something. He attempted a polite smile, and glanced at Superman. The Xhphxtratrxian’s language was unlike any he - or the translator - had ever seen. Of course, after only a little study, Superman had been able to speak it more or less fluently.
Superman said something now, and it was lucky, really, that his vocal cords couldn't be damaged. The little Xhphxtratrxian’s nodded and swayed, and seemingly started to chant something. Batman looked at Superman again.
“They want us to kneel so they can give us a blessing.” He was already bending to do so, of course, checking to make sure no Xhphxtratrxian’s were hiding under his cape, or something.
Batman sighed, sharply - he hated off world missions, they took him away from Gotham for too long - but reluctantly knelt beside Superman. The chanting intensified, seemed to leave a buzz, just behind his ears, and then...
And then his life was changed.
*****
Clark was sitting stiffly beside him, kept opening his mouth as if to speak, then closing it again, the words unspoken. He didn’t need to speak them, because Bruce could already hear them.
The Xhphxtratrxian’s parting ‘gift’ to them was to bind their souls together.
Only, of course, with Clark being a Kryptonian, it had complicated matters, turned what was apparently supposed to be a low level empathic bond into a telepathic one. It was... unbearable.
He could shield his mind, a little, due to techniques he had learned in Tibet, but... Every major thought slipped through, even the stronger emotions. Like hate. Like love. It was, frankly, horrifying to have such an invasion of his privacy, to have the sensation of someone being beside him, all the time, and be unable to be alone. He could hear Clark’s thoughts like a whisper, and no matter how much he concentrated on something else, no matter how much he tried to block them, they were still there.
Clark shifted suddenly, unfolding his arms, his jaw set, not looking at him. “I know how much you hate it, okay? You don’t need to carry on thinking about it. Once we get back home we’ll go straight to the Fortress, and do the ceremonies to break it.” Underlying his words were a wealth of emotions: frustration, annoyance, some regret, a longing for home, and an odd kind of pain.
It hadn’t helped matters that Kryptonians apparently had similar bonds, that were forged at their marriages. At least there was a way to undo all of this, though the thought that he might be now be considered to be married to Clark, to Kal-El, to Superman...
It left Bruce feeling... Odd. And he made sure Clark couldn't feel that, made sure it was shielded by annoyance. Clark was, by all accounts, dating Lois Lane; the sooner... this... could be broken, the better.
No matter what that made him feel, no matter... Clark deserved someone far, far better than he. He, who would most likely be dead, in a handful of years. Someone who wasn’t... like him.
So Bruce nodded shortly, adjusted their course, slightly, to avoid a meteor, and tried not to hear Clark’s thoughts, soft whispers, in the back of his mind.
*****
The Fortress was, as usual, cold. It was slowly warming, but Bruce still had to hide his shivers as they walked through it, walked to where the crystals shone in ice blues.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting any visitors, I would have had it, ah, turn the heating on, if I had known.” Clark was looking at him with anxious eyes, and Bruce hid both a sigh and a curse. Of course, Clark had sensed that through the bond, too.
“It’s fine. What do we have to do?”
Clark shifted a little, looked away. That odd pain whispered through his mind again, and Bruce frowned. “I’m... not all that sure, to be honest. It’s rare that... bonds like...this... are broken.”
“Well, on Krypton, the two people were already lovers, yes? So why would they? Presumably they wanted this. Not that such bonds of marriage stop people from getting divorced here.” He was babbling, he realized, closed his mouth with a snap.
Clark blinked at him, but nodded, and he now seemed to be doing a fine job of hiding his thoughts. He turned to the ice blue crystals, and they chimed softly, almost on the edge of his hearing, before glowing pure white, then settling to a warm blue. Clark - Kal-El - spoke to them now, and Bruce listened intently. He was getting better at Kryptonian, could translate many of the words, but still had difficulty speaking it.
Kal was asking about Soul Bonds and how they were formed, how they could be broken. The Fortress responded back in a flurry that was far too fast for Bruce to understand, and he scowled.
Kal winced, as he turned to look at him, his apology clear. “Sorry. It says... here, see?” Glowing Kryptonian text covered the air before them. Bruce stared at it, pleased that he could understand much of it, felt pride that was not his own, and glanced at Kal.
A blush touched his cheeks, and he looked away. “It’s good. That you can understand so much Kryptonian. This is the part, here.” He highlighted a part of the text, and Bruce squinted at it. “It says that the Bonded must sit three days in contemplation in the Temple of Rao. If they still wish to proceed with the Bond-Ending, these words must be spoken by a priest of Rao.”
“Does it have to be a priest?” Bruce asked, and Kal frowned.
“I’m not sure. Maybe... I’ve come across references to other rituals, and the Head of the House has spoken words.”
“So, all we have to do is for you to speak the words?”
Kal blinked, and, surprisingly, Bruce felt his sudden anxiety, reluctance, quickly overshadowed by uncertainty. “I’m... not sure. We should probably do the meditation anyway. Just to make sure.”
“You’re suggesting that we just sit up here for three days?” Bruce asked, somewhat incredulous.
Kal shrugged, looked embarrassed. “We’re back a day earlier than we thought, anyway, and it’s Friday, so I don’t need to worry about work... I’m sure everyone can look after things for another two or tree days, Bruce.” Somewhat alarmingly, there was affection in his voice.
Bruce sighed, scowled again, felt a strange hope from Kal, refused to acknowledge that we he was feeling it himself. “Fine. Let me contact Oracle so she can advise the others.” He really should not feel so happy, he thought. And nor, for that matter, should Kal.
*****
He was not sure how much time had passed. He and Kal had entered two separate rooms, and begun ‘contemplating their union’. He had slept once, he knew that, so this must be Saturday, everywhere, or the early hours of Sunday.
His thoughts, as ever, turned to Gotham, but at Kal’s request, he had left all his communication devises outside the room, just as Clark’s room was shielded so he could not hear anything. Only in the case of code red alarm would they be disturbed by the Fortress.
Which left him with nothing to do but think. Not that it was a hardship - he was loner, being alone like this was almost a paradise - but normally he could read or tinker on something in the cave, or update the computers... Something.
Because simply sitting like this, Kal’s own vague feelings of frustration whispering in the back of his mind was... It made it difficult to concentrate on anything else but him, made it difficult to remember just why this bond between them needed to be broken. Why it was such a bad idea on any number of levels, why it could simply never be.
Kal deserved someone better, anyway. Besides, everything that he had heard said Clark was dating Lois. Why would he want...?
Bruce opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh light of the crystals, after his eyes had been closed for so long. He should be half way through now, at least, perhaps he could sleep the rest of the time remaining...
Bruce?
It was like a whisper on the edge of his hearing, and he startled, tensed.
I... I don’t know... I have to speak with you, I’m sorry, I...
Bruce blinked at the flow of words, wondered if Kal was even aware he was broadcasting.
Of course I am, I just said I wanted to speak to you. I’m... I’m not dating Lois, Bruce. Not anymore, she’s seeing Perry’s nephew. And I have to tell you...
Not words, this time, but a cascade of feelings, of images, of memories, all tied with such a deep and unfathomable emotion... Bruce gasped, felt his eyes go wide, as he finally realized, at last.
*****
The door to the chamber finally opened, at the end of the three days. Kal was standing outside, looking hopeful and embarrassed all at once. His face was flushed, but his eyes... Bruce cleared his throat as he stepped forward.
“So... Um...” Kal’s hope was like a burning flame.
“You realize we’re going to have a do a great deal of training to be sure that this bond won’t effect us? And, of course, to fully understand how we can use it use it to our advantage is going to require a great deal of... intimate study.”
Kal’s eyes lit fully, his hope and happiness and love were almost impossibly bright emotions in his mind. “We’d better get started as soon as possible, then.” His voice trembled a little, and Bruce nodded, his own heartbeat less than steady.
“Yes. Yes, we must.” And then he kissed him.
