The House of the Earth Part 2 (4/8): Blood-Stained Fingers

[jij]

Title: Chapter Four:  Blood-Stained Fingers
Pairing/Characters: Kal-El, Bruce Wayne
Notes: " The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and enslave its people.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3800
Summary: Bruce is called to an emergency on one of the outlying El plantations and

Comments

[icarus_chained]

*bawls*

My hands have been pressed to my mouth since they entered the slave house. Oh gods. Tim? Timmy? Oh gods. Kal, Bruce ... I don't know as I've ever been so proud of them. And Bruce ... he's read textbooks? Oh, the amount of courage in that ... and Kal, holding the child, giving him to his father to name ... Godsdamn! I'm still crying.

And this:
"It's too big for me," he said again. Silence met him and he shuddered within it.

"It's not too big for us," Bruce eventually said quietly into the darkness.
There! That's everything in DC that I love. That's why the heroes win! That's why I love them as they do!

Thank you! My hands are still shaking, but thank you!

[jij]

Tim? Timmy? Oh gods. Kal, Bruce ... I don't know as I've ever been so proud of them.

Could you tell Bruce was terrified? ;) Contraband medical texts are not really the best preparation!

I have to confess this chapter made me cry--that doesn't happen often when I'm writing, but it was all so intense to write...

There! That's everything in DC that I love. That's why the heroes win!

Yay! I'm glad I captured a little of that because yeah, that's what I love to see in them and why I love to write them...

Thanks so much for the comment! *hugs*

[laurapetri]

This fic just keeps retching out my heart and stomping on it. So beautiful and tragic at the same time

[jij]

Awww. *grin* Thank you so much, this chapter kind of killed me too!

[bradygirl_12]

Beautifully done, Jen! You've described the slaves' pain and despiar wonderfully, and Kal's shocked reaction to it all.

Tim! How beautiful! :)

Kal is such a gentle soul that all this is hard for him, but I have faith that with Bruce's help, he'll survive this and become stronger for it to emerge as a true leader. :)

[jij]

There are surprisingly few canon children being born when Kal and Bruce are young adults! Tim was the only one that seemed in the right range, but it works, too, since his parents would be there in Gotham...

Kal is such a gentle soul that all this is hard for him, but I have faith that with Bruce's help, he'll survive this and become stronger for it to emerge as a true leader. :)

Kal's still rather overwhelmed, but I'm sure he'll manage to toughen up when it matters! *crosses fingers for him* :)

[ex_felonazc]

... I can't come up with anything coherent to say to that. In the best way possible, of course.

*flails*

[jij]

I like flailing as feedback too! *hugs* Thank you so much!

[jij]

They've made a mess of it, they really have. Fortunately there are ways of fighting back, both big and small.

I kind of wish the story was going to continue into another 14 years or so to have Tim there! But I don't think the system will last that long (thank goodness!)