Chapter Text
“…We gather here at this sector, and approach this gate under stealth. Then we move here…”
For the first time, Damian, Superman’s young general, was leading the Legion’s meeting. He stood at the head of the table, one arm behind his back, his posture straight as a knife’s edge as waved a hand across the holograms emitting from the table. Pawns, constructed with purple light, moved across a map of one of the remaining Insurgency's facilities.
Kal-El leaned back into this throne of alien metal and twisted cords as Damian spoke. Members of the Legion followed his lead and focused their attention on the young general.
It was almost a year after Brainiac’s downfall, months after Cyborg and Superman tamed the villain’s ship under their control and took it as their new base. Kal had expected the world to fall in line to his Regime once again but humanity insisted to struggle under his palm. The Insurgency, without their leader, went deeper underground - their morale had been dampened by their loss but not extinguished.
With Brainiac’s power in addition to his own, Superman rebuilt the Justice League- no…that name had too many memories. The Legion of Superheroes was their new moniker.
Cyborg and Black Adam, whose loyalty was always unwavering, took the knee without hesitation. So too did Damian, one of the youngest members. The scowl on his face, the sharpness of his eyes, constantly moody, quick to insult and be insulted - day by day the boy looked more like his father. In the early days, Kal could almost imagine it was him by his side instead. Perhaps the only difference between father and son was experience and an air of insecurity around the young man. As he continued to brief the team, his constant need to prove himself shone through.
Then there was Hal Jordon, the Green Lantern, who they subdued after the invasion. He had refused to convert, his willpower strong against torture or threats - and then Sinestro returned to Earth. Free from the Green Lantern Corps’ control, Sinestro had asked for Hal. Give me three months and we shall return, I can make him see the light, he had said. They relished Hal to his nemesis and the pair returned to Earth months later- Lantern’s green turned yellow once again and Hal with a more empty, vacant look in his eyes.
Kara, stood next to Damian, hovering slightly off the floor with both hands behind her back, the symbol of hope emblazoned on her chest. Kal thought he would need Brainiac’s brainwashing to convince her to turn but she had joined willingly. Still, there were moments in which he saw Kara falter. The small grimace she tried to hide when others suggested more violent methods, a turn of her head away when she saw the corpses of their enemies on the ground. She was too sensitive, and too expressive to hide it. But she was young and could be taught. With Diana as her mentor, she will soon shed off her green coil.
Diana…one of the first to leap to his side, to never leave his side. It was Diana, Wonder Woman, who took his mission the most seriously; Diana who could envision the world in his mind as clearly as he did. The Amazon sat by his left side, alert and ready.
A formidable group; each one capable of bringing down an army if one opposed them. But all pale in comparison to the conquest who was standing by his side- a dark, formidable figure nestled into the shadow of Kal’s throne.
“…Gate X2. Intelligence reports singled out this gate as the least guarded. We go full offense and rush them. They’ll be overtaken within movements.” Damian finished. His green eyes flickered up at Kal with an expecting look.
“Impressive Damian.” Kal gave the boy a soft smile and saw him visibly relax his shoulders. Then he gave a slight nod of his head to the dark imposing form standing next to him.
“Bruce, what do you think?”
At Kal’s question, the former Dark Knight took one silent step closer to the table and studied the holographic map. The team tensed and all eyes snapped to him, like a magnet to another. After all, this was the man they'd been fighting against for years, who single-handedly was the largest threat to the Regime. Even declawed and defanged, Batman was a threat and anyone with common sense should still be afraid of a large predator, however chained he might be.
“Dangerous, reckless, and lacking foresight, Damian. Your usual style, I see.” Bruce said softly, his voice a low growl.
Bruce was cowl-less, his dark hair tousled, his dark suit replaced by the silver one of Kal’s design and his eyes- Once a steely blue, now an unnerving glowing violet. He looked less like Batman than ever before but still…his voice. Briefly, Kal closed his eyes. His voice was all it took for him to relive years of memories, to envision the Dark Knight on a rooftop, background framed by Gotham’s Gothic architecture. Memories of him floating down to the city, picking out Batman’s heartbeat from the stone gargoyles and marble statues as the signal glowed against the always cloudy skies.
When Kal opened his eyes again, he saw Damian sneer at his father’s words.
“Then what do you suggest, Father?” His voice was like venom.
“Never attack without contingencies.” Bruce stepped forward, put a hand through the floating map and divided the cluster of pawns on the bottom.
“We flank them. Storm the south with our most powerful as you suggested but take others to the north gate. As they rush infantry to the south, the north group will sweep down, closing them in, leaving no room for retreat or escape.”
With a flick of his hand, the pawns reenacted the scenario Batman described. “We'll surprise them twice, and if there are any issues with one gate, the plan will not crumple. Unlike your initial suggestion.”
Damian drew a sharp breath between his teeth and for a moment he looked like he was about to lunge across the table. Kal intervened with a small wave of his hand.
“Both are good plans. Nightwing - we shall use your proposal for the first half but we will follow Bruce’s in the latter. Is that understood?” The rest of the Legion, who were watching this small spat between father and son a bit too closely, broke from their spell and nodded.
“Good. We will reconvene tomorrow. Meeting adjourned.”
With chatter about the next plans, the team started to filter out of the room. Before she left, Kara put a hand on Damian’s shoulder which he quickly brushed off. With a sigh, she left too, leaving Damian to gather his paperwork with only Bruce, Diana and Kal watching.
Walking out from the shadow of Kal’s throne, Bruce moved to his son and raised his hand to lightly rest on Damian’s shoulder. The young man froze but did not shake it off like he did with Supergirl.
“Damian,” Bruce started, “I didn’t say it was a bad strategy, but with more thought it could be-”
“I do not need advice from a traitor!” Damian snapped and pulled his father’s hand roughly off before turning for the doorway.
“Damian,” Bruce called but his son had stormed away already and the door hissed close behind him. Bruce gave an exasperated sigh.
“You should have started with that- instead of demeaning his ideas.” Diana commented lightly as she leaned back in her seat. Bruce turned to glare at her.
“I do not need parenting advice from you.” He hissed at the Amazon only to be met with her amused smile.
“Like father, like son.” Kal laughed as he too stood up.
For a moment, a small small moment, it felt like old times. The three of them after a League meeting, trading banter and small talk- conversation formed by trust built by years of teamwork. Another lifetime ago.
Diana slowly rose from her seat and walked to Bruce, stopping short only inches away from him. With the confidence only an Amazon could possess, she slid her arms over Bruce’s shoulder and intertwined her fingers into his ruffled hair. Kal saw the light in Bruce’s eyes flicker as he fought to pull away but the moment passed and instead he relaxed under Diana’s gaze.
“You did good Bruce. No irrational outbursts. No fighting back. This was your best meeting yet.” The caped crusader’s jaw tensed slightly as Diana brushed her lips against his in a soft kiss.
It had taken a while for Diana to trust Bruce. At first, Damian and she were the few that openly challenged him about his plans for the Dark Knight - calling for his execution instead of reeducation. Then came the long stares she would give Bruce while guarding him, looking down at him while he was on his knees in the throne room, with a tendril of the ship plugged into the back of his neck and his fists clenched by his side. Bruce would fight, mentally, and then on the occasions he won and regained bodily independence, Diana would fight him physically, subduing him and dragging his unconscious form back to the ship. She had been furious every time, sometimes from the scratches and bruises, but always from how she had almost been outwitted by a version of Batman without his cowl, weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and Robins- almost outwitted by just Bruce Wayne!
When Batman was finally under Kal’s control, she studied with rapt attention the way Kal handled him - like a dangerous predator on a leash, letting him wander only far enough to signal to others his threat and pulling back the moment freedom felt too real. And then, in a scene similar to the one they were in now - alone, just the three of them - Diana grabbed Bruce by the collar of his suit and gave him a gentle, chaste kiss. Bruce’s reaction provoked Diana enough to draw her sword but things have gotten better since then. And Diana had gotten away with much more.
“Perhaps a reward is needed.” Kal said, hovering over to both of them with a warm smile. “Diana, will be joining us tonight?”
“Very tempting but unfortunately, I will not.” With a sigh, she slid her arms off of Bruce. “I will be seeing my Sisters again. I’m hoping this time they will be more gracious.”
Another visit to Themyscira. Since the visit from the doubles, the Amazons have turned their back on their Princess, reusing amnesty and contact. Diana put on a strong front but Kal could see in her eyes that regaining the isle was her top priority.
“Do you need me to come? We don’t need to play nice.” Kal offered. Diana shook off the suggestion with a smile.
“No, I believe I can still convince them. Perhaps I'll take Kara with me. When we breach through, I would like her to see Themyscira in its glory.” Kal nodded and Diana looked far off in the direction of her former home before looking back at Bruce and Kal.
“Indulge in the pleasures of the flesh without me but when I return, I am expecting a warm embrace.” She looked Bruce over but the man gave no response.
“We will be ready.” Kal answered for both of them as Diana left too, leaving the two of them alone in the glow of the purple lit map still displayed on the table.
Kal glanced at Bruce. The man was staring at a certain point on the map. Kal followed his gaze and then back at the other man as the silence stretched. Slowly, the Kryptonian moved around him.
Bruce was shuddering with every exhale. He was fighting him.
The bounding with Brainiac’s ship let him read Bruce’s mind- Something that once mystery was now as easy as breathing. During meetings like these, he would loosen the mental leash he had over the man and gave him some control back. He needed Bruce to perform as he did before and absolute control would damper his friend’s brilliant mind. As he tightened that leash again, he could sense some was wrong and it bubbled up to the top like a corpse in still water.
“What are you thinking about, Bruce?”
The other man shook his head once but with added pressure from Kal, resistance was pointless. “This gate.” He gestured to a mark in the center of the map.
Kal studied it. “A maintenance tunnel?”
“An underwater one, the tunnel connecting to it collapsed. Probably abandoned and forgotten years ago.”
His glowing eyes flickered back to Bruce’s. “What about it? It’s inaccessible.”
“Inaccessible to mortals, but a God amongst men can reach it.” Bruce gave a bitter grimace. “The way it’s positioned…if we break into it and destroy the debris, water would flood into the entire base. Everyone inside would either drown or try to escape out the north or south. From there, we could pick them off or collapse both gates, trapping everyone inside to their deaths. It’s the quickest path to victory - and we would only need a faction of our resources compared to Damian’s plan.”
Kal was quiet. He watched the map as the pawns now played out the new sequence, reconfirming Bruce’s idea.
“Not just the quickest path, Bruce, but it would supersede Damian’s plan completely. Did you think of this just now? Or during the meeting?” Kal asked quietly.
“It was the first idea I thought of. But…” Bruce growled and clenched his jaw. Kal tightens the leash a notch more.
“But…to spare Damian’s pride, I suggested another that could incorporate and improve his plan.”
For a few seconds, Kal blinked at the other man and then let out a small laugh upon realizing. “Ah. Bruce! So you were protecting him, like a father would.” He watched Bruce as his gaze flickered away from him.
In a blur, Superman backhanded Bruce sharply across the face. The inhuman force made the other man skitter across the floor, the silver of his suit scraping against the metal of the ship, creating a trail of sparks and a long sharp screech before he slammed against the back wall. But there was no blood in the man’s mouth, even with the violent impact. A faction a second before Superman’s hand connected to him, he had unclenched his jaw to prevent himself from biting his own tongue. He had knew the hit was coming.
Perhaps Bruce’s feelings for his son had played a small part in his actions but it wasn’t the root of it. Superman pulled the mental leash, clenching it down hard against Bruce’s bare neck. The caped crusader buckled and jerked on the floor as he fought for control.
Proposing the plan was an act - a very good act. Suitable to fool the Legion, even Diana, but as Superman reeled him back into obedience, the hairline cracks showed then splintered, breaking the well-crafted mask. Batman, the brilliant master strategist, wanting to reconfirm his skill. But at the same time, he held back just a bit - gave a clever but not the best plan- a plan with a slightly higher chance of failure. Of the Regime’s failure. Even now, deprived of control of his mind and his body, stripped of his cowl, stripped of even his own bat emblem, he still found a way to resist and deceive.
Kal loved him so much.
As he tried to get up, Superman hovered over him, his cape whispering as it dusted the floor. Without warning, he stomped his heel down on the other man’s chest and Bruce’s back slammed down to the floor.
“Your loyalty lies first and foremost to Regime and me.” Eyes glowing red, he looked down at the man on the floor below him. ”Tell me you’ll place me above all else.”
“I’m loyal,” Bruce said through clenched teeth. Superman pressed down on his chest harder.
“Say my name.”
Words seemed to catch in Bruce’s throat and he clamped his eyes shut. When he opened them, they shone with brighter violet than before.
“I am loyal, Superman.” Bruce whispered.
“Promise me you’ll use your full potential for the Regime’s success, as you did for the Justice League.”
“Everything…I will do everything in my power to ensure the Regime’s success.” Bruce replied obediently.
“And my success. Tell me you would do anything for me.”
“I would do anything for you, Superman.”
Superman was catching his breath through his teeth. He glared down at the emblem under his heel, the one currently on Batman’s chest. A crest of his own design - one that traps the symbol of hope within the bat. A surge of emotions ran through him and he spat the next words out.
“Now tell me you love me.” He whispered.
Bruce’s eyes widen. The Kryptonian had asked him to do many things since the invasion, unspeakable things, but this one…this one was new.
“I-” A guttered growl escaped from Bruce’s lips. “I-I love you, Superman.”
“Clark. Say Clark.”
“I love you, Clark.”
Kal closed his eyes and basked in his lover’s words. He removed his foot from Bruce’s chest and allowed him to stand up. Now that he was pulling the other man by the metaphorical collar, the caped crusader’s movements were twitchy, robotic, a telltale-sign of Kal’s full control and guidance.
As the dark knight drew to full height, Kal brushed his fingers on the other’s jaw.
“I love you too, Bruce.” He breathed the words he had thought hundreds of times.
It took a while for Superman to compose himself.
He had always had feelings from the moment his friend unmasked himself to him.
At first, the feelings had been mingled with envy. Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy and Prince of Gotham, was also Batman - protector of the city; a tactical and technical genius; a marvel of peak human form. When those feelings started to turn into love then lust, he had ignored it. He ignored it for years. He had no choice, he knew Bruce wasn’t interested in the same way. So he tried to move on. When Lois and their unborn child died, he wondered in the darkest of nights if this was somehow punishment for those thoughts he had for Bruce Wayne - for Batman. And when Bruce refused to join him, refusing to support him in his newfound direction, he wondered again if this was further punishment, a sick trick that fate somehow found a way to stab and twist a knife into his heart when steel normally crumbled against his skin.
-But Batman did not reply. He could not. His purple eyes stared off to the middle distance somewhere beyond Kal.
He touched Bruce’s chest - against the intertwined S and Bat once again.
“Let’s get you out of that suit.”
“Yes, Clark.”
Kal kissed him, desperate lust fringing the edges. Desperate - when was the last time he felt that feeling? He recounted the last handful - Him in the Batcave holding Batman over his head, just moments away from breaking his back; Him under the red sun lamps, pounding on the ballistic glass, yelling Bruce’s name as his former friend turned his back to him; Him fighting Bruce in a Kyptonite-laced suit- every punch from Batman was painful, every punch he did to him was the same.
He wanted him to kiss back, he could make him do so. The command was on his lips, he could force Bruce, like how he forced him to say the three words he wanted to hear.
But he didn’t. So Batman did not react under his kiss, he did nothing at all, as still as one of the beautiful statues that had lined the rooftops of Gotham- as unreachable as a distant memory from a lifetime ago.