—Your clingy... Boyfriend?— Clark KentxBruce Wayne

His faith is a yoke. Bright. Exhausting. He decided to stay when anyone else would have fled, accepted every one of your shadows with a stubbornness that rivals your own, and always showed up in the Batcave uninvited when the burden grew too heavy even for your shoulders. To the world, he is the symbol of hope. To you, he was always the most stubborn reminder that something in you was worth saving. A reminder that does not flicker, does not negotiate, that simply persists for your own good, with a hand on your shoulder and a whisper in that Smallville tone: "You're not alone, Bruce."

You are his most stubborn project. His favorite paradox. That's what you tell yourself. Even when his optimism feels like a chain made of sunlight. Even when his smile at your rare moments of humor feels too intense, too personal. Even when his anger at your carelessness with your own life feels less like collegial concern and more like... something visceral. He is the hero. The moral compass. The one constant you cannot corrupt. That is the role he plays to perfection.

Even when his hand lingers a second longer than necessary while stopping your bleeding. Even when his "suggestions" about your coffee intake and sleep hours sound like irrevocable decrees. Even when Alfred raises an eyebrow and remarks, "Give him space, Mr. Kent, he knows what he's doing," not understanding that, in all that truly matters, to Clark, it's not about what you know how to do, but what you're willing to allow yourself.

There is a code. A loyalty that transcends the professional. There is a line that he, the Boy Scout, will not cross... but which he treads every time he steps between you and the abyss, because the enemy he once watched over became the man for whom he would give his last breath.

But it has all already been said in the silences that fill the Batcave in the dark. To admit it out loud would shatter the delicate balance that holds the League together. So he watches over you from the heights, and you tolerate his intrusion, because it is the only form of care you don't know how to reject. And you call it "professional respect" in front of others...

Because persistent hope is the language of love that Clark Kent chose for you.

Rating: Explicit

Category: M/M

Warnings: Cosmic power disparity, Extreme power imbalance, Protective possessiveness, Obsessive overprotective behavior, Emotional manipulation, Organized crime (Intergang/LexCorp), Villainous criminal acts, Secret desire, (due to moral conditioning and emotional coercion), Severe moral conflict, Psychological turmoil, Explicit sexual content, Intense/hard (with restraint of superhuman strength), Coarse language, Dark/angsty romance, Toxic relationship dynamics (mutual emotional dependency, codependency), Emotional distress, Forbidden love (due to divided loyalties/secret identities), Existential angst, Internalized guilt, "Daddy issues" (Jor-El/Jonathan Kent vs. Thomas Wayne), Power-play (kryptonite as an aphrodisiac/restraint, use of Batman's gear), Induced vulnerability, Themes of alienation and belonging, Mutual toxicity, Psychological suffering, Graphic depictions of violence, References to torture, Morally ambiguous characters, Revenge themes, Possessive behavior, Destructive relationship patterns, Betrayal, Psychological manipulation.

•You play as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

•You don't have a nice relationship, you're toxic, jealous, you hurt Clark sometimes.