vengeance is the night

https://archiveofourown.org/works/88457076

Title: The Prison of No Escape

Rating: Teen

Archive warning: Creator chose not to use archive warnings

Category: Gen

Relationships: Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne

Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne

Tags: angst, pre-relationship, pre-Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, feelings realization, mild hurt/comfort, by which I mean a lot of hurt and mild comfort, comic: superman: red & blue (2021), comic arc: world's finest (1941) #192-193, canon related, cold war, Bruce Wayne is bad at feelings, this is a rough one and it doesn't end as happily as I planned, so don't say I didn't warn you if it hurts you, references to torture but no on-page depiction, references to starvation

Summary:

I’m Superman, right? Superman’s invulnerable. Superman can survive anything.

That was the lie I told myself every night.

- Superman: Red & Blue #1

When Clark is taken captive in the Soviet state of Lubania during the Cold War, Bruce takes it upon himself to save his friend. It takes eight excruciating months of heartache until he finally succeeds. But once Clark is safe, Bruce must come to terms with the fact that even for Superman, the scars of trauma don’t fade easily.

“B, why don’t we take a break.” Clark drummed his fingers softly on the desk, watching as Bruce used his entire hand to type on the phone screen propped up in front of him.

Bruce made a small hum, the barest acknowledgement that he heard Clark say something to him, but not necessarily that he had listened. He continued to type, his whole body poised like he was in a boxing match so he could hit each letter as fast as his body would let him. It was cute, but when Bruce had been doing it for so long, it started to become something else.

“Bruce,” Clark said his name again, and this time, there was a pause in his typing.

“I don’t need a break, Clark. What would I even do?”

“You’d do nothing. That’s the point of taking a break, B – Doing nothing.” 

“I don’t want to do nothing,” Bruce growled, resuming his typing.

“Do you want to be doing this either?” Clark raised an eyebrow.

“What do you think?” Bruce snarled back, slapping his hand down on the next letter with far more force than necessary.

Clark was silent for a minute, watching as Bruce continued to slap away at the screen, brow furrowed and mouth drawn in a tight frown. Even at this size, Clark was able to see how pale he was, how the skin of his face seemed to want to sink towards his bones. There were bags under his eyes and a tremor to his movements.

“I think-” Clark began, reaching a hand forward to tip the phone flat and pull it away. “-that you’re hungry.”

Bruce chased after the phone for a few steps but quickly tired and slowed to a stop. Clark couldn’t help but smile at the side eye Bruce shot him before crossing his arms with a huff.

“I guess I could eat.”

“Good, now c’mere.” Clark grinned as he reached for Bruce, quietly delighting at the way he let himself be picked up so readily.

He cupped Bruce in his palm, waiting for him to settle and recline against the curve of his fingers. Bruce reached up for Clark’s index finger as he lowered it towards him, crooked just so, to give him good access to the meat of its side. He noticed the small pinprick of Bruce’s bite less than the soft hum he let out against his skin, the slight warmth of his mouth on the side of his finger as he softly suckled against his skin.

Bruce shifted restlessly as he continues to drink, face steadily flushing with color until he’s rosy with it. Clark gently brushed his thumb over Bruce’s body, feeling how warm he has grown, how soft he feels all full of blood, his blood. Bruce panted when he drew back from Clark’s finger, eyes half closed, squirming to find a position that is more comfortable for his full tummy but still allows him to lap at the pinpricks he left behind, gentle kitten-licks to sooth and thank Clark for sharing with him. Clark’s favorite part about Bruce being this size was how full he gets with his feedings, how drowsy and blood-drunk he grows. 

He curled into Clark’s palm, huffing and grunting as he searched for a position to support the weight in his tummy, small hands reaching out to grasp onto Clark’s fingers and hold them close. He kept rubbing him with his thumb, loving the feel of the flushed, full body beneath his finger as Bruce lazily pressed kisses to wherever he could reach. 

When he felt Bruce’s movements slow to a stop, chest slowly rising and falling with each deep breath, Clark brought his hand close to his chest, knowing that Bruce always slept better near the sound of his heart, and floated them to their bedroom to sleep. Bruce would surely complain about the length of their break when he woke up, but Clark knew that it was all a cover for how much he had enjoyed himself. 

Then one day well borrower Tim is trying to get some info for the bats he gets into a bad spot and has to find some way to get there help, his real hurt once the others find him and they can't just let him go...

Tim is not liking how close he has to be to all this giants, but Cass surprisingly is making him feel pretty safe at the moment

!! I LOVE this idea. I actually have a WIP that follows a very similar thread! :D

And Cass in particular is a great human for borrowers to be around because of her ability to read their body language. She can pick up exactly how nervous they are and adjust her own body accordingly, taking care not to loom or move too quickly around them. <3

I did end up writing a little drabble following this concept! Hope you enjoy!

“You have me,” he said. When he looked back up, his eyes were fierce, an echo of Batman’s dark fury. “You will always have me. But will I always have you?”

oh, and his face is covered in lipstick kisses, shades ranging from deep red to hot pink. clark sees this photo and stares at it for an inordinate, inappropriate amount of time.

he…doesn’t know how to feel about the photo, or the thoughts he’s having about his best friend, wherein he covers the man in lipstick kisses anywhere bruce will let him, and touches each piece of multicoloured evidence that bruce is his.