[Fic] Identities (3/?)
Title: Identities
Chapter: Chapter 3 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 1
Fandom: Superman movieverse, Batman movieverse, and a little alternate DC thrown in for good measure
Rating: PG (for now)
Word Count: 1200
Disclaimer: All these guys belong WB and/or DC, not me.
Spoilers: SR and DK spoilers, so consider yourself warned.
Summary: Richard and Lois face the reality of Jason's school incident, Diana gets a stern talking to, and Clark has a little 8-year-old's wit to worry about.
Lois stood in Richard’s office, leaning against his desk and looking down at him. He was leaning back in his chair, breathing in and out deeply. Admittedly, she wasn’t sure really what to do; Jason’s suspension due to the superpowers was not sitting well with him. Lois leaving for an unknown amount of time was sitting even worse with him. But how could she help that, either one?
Richard sighed and shifted to lean forward against his desk. “You tell me, what do you think we should do for Jason?”
“I think we need to ask him what he wants. He’s the one who is being punished for something that as of yet he has no control over. I think he deserves to give us his say.”
“Lois, he’s eight.”
“All the more reason we need to give him the option.”
“Lois…” He sighed and rested his head in his arms on the desktop.
She frowned and bent down beside him. “Richard, why are you so worried about this?”
He took a moment to respond, and Lois felt her heartbeat speeding up. These conversations always made her nervous; they always made her fear that things were going to go terribly wrong. Finally, Richard looked back up at her. “I feel like every time Superman has more to do with our lives, the less I have to do.”
“Oh, Richard-“
“Lois, you love him. You still haven’t married me. Don’t you think I’ve noticed? The closer Jason gets to having to need Superman, and he will need him eventually, the less important I am. I don’t know what to do, and you never give me very much comfort.”
She didn’t, and she knew it. She wanted to marry Richard, but something inside her wouldn’t let her. Essentially, she loved a stranger -- Superman, not Richard -- and she was afraid the day would come when she would know that stranger better and she’d want to be with him. As much as she loved Richard, something connected her to Superman, though she didn’t know what it was.
“I’m sorry, Richard,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, I know.” He stood up and started out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to my son.”
***
Diana settled down on the stone steps of the palace upon her return from Gotham. She was feeling -- excited. Something about her confrontation with Batman had excited her, and had given her even more drive to do what was right; these people had disturbed their paradise, and now they deserved punishment.
Diana’s bare feet tapped against the stone and marble floor as she walked into the throne room and bowed before her mother. Hippolyta motioned for her to rise and Diana did so with a nod. “He is a simple man. He will not be a problem against our forces. Gotham will be ours.”
“Good.” Hippolyta was a proud and stern woman, but not without her sense of fun. Granted, most of the time her idea of fun included some form of male torture, but she never tortured without purpose. If she was torturing him with weapons, he had earned it. If she was torturing him sexually, well…he was born a man, after all.
Diana hesitated slightly, then said, “The Batman does really want to help, though. Very ideal, more than I am used to in a man.”
“Many of them are idealists, Diana. He will prove to be a nuisance and nothing. Have our spies picked up any evidence that he’s been speaking with the superpowered men?”
“Not so far, Mother.”
“Good. It would be best if it stayed that way.”
“Mother, with all due respect, if he were to call on the help of even five of those so-called heroes, we would still be able to overpower them easily.”
Hippolyta stood and took Diana by the shoulders. Diana held her ground, without letting the queen intimidate her. “Diana, my dear, you are underestimating them. You always have. If Batman chooses to call on the Kryptonian alone, we will need to be ready.”
Diana took her mother’s hands off her shoulders and turned to face her. “He’s just one man. We are many.”
Hippolyta looked hard into Diana’s eyes, and Diana had to fight the desire to tear her eyes away. It had been hundreds of years since she had felt any kind of fear towards her mother, but that didn’t mean that stare downs had become any easier. “Diana, this is one of the many reasons I worry about the day when you need to take the throne from me.”
Diana slimmed her eyes to slits and backed away. “You are growing softer and softer.”
“You are growing colder. We are attacking Gotham to make an example. We cannot hide on the island anymore, therefore we need to show that we are a people best left alone. That is the only reason we are doing this. We are not starting a crusade against the world of men.”
Diana had a hard time not asking “Why not?” but she managed to hold it back. It was obvious that even if she did suggest it, it would do no good; her mother was in no mood for listening.
When she didn’t object, Hippolyta’s shoulders dropped a bit and she breathed with slight relief. “You are dismissed.” Rather than waiting for Diana to leave, she walked out behind the throne and around to the royal chambers, leaving Diana by herself in the throne room.
***
Jason walked back into the Planet with his dad, who smiled warmly at him. Watching his dad return to his office, his mom waiting for him, Jason really had no desire to go see them. Clark was sitting over at his desk typing at his computer, and he really would rather talk to Clark.
He walked over to him and hopped up on Clark’s desk, who smiled but otherwise didn’t acknowledge that he’d shown up. Jason was used to this. “Hey, Clark.”
“Hey, Jason. Long time no see.”
“Liar.”
Clark smiled a little again, but still faced his computer.
Jason watched the words show up on the screen for a minute. “Hey, I’m going with you and Mom to Gotham.”
“You are?” Clark asked, betraying what Jason liked to think was excitement. “Well that’s wonderful! You can help me keep your mom in line.”
Jason grinned and sat up a little bit straighter. “You know how much I love doing that. Do you think Mom will let me spend a night in your room? I think that would be fun, don’t you?”
Clark reached forward to ruffle his hair. “Yes, Jason, I think that would be a lot of fun. We’ll ask her, okay?”
“Okay.” Jason leaned forward, closer to him, pausing before saying anything again. “Do you think we’ll see Superman in Gotham?”
Clark turned his chair away from his computer, and Jason inwardly grinned. He loved to throw Clark off with those questions. It was fun.
Clark cleared his throat before looking Jason in the eyes. “Why would Superman be in Gotham, Jace?”
Jason shrugged, but smiled as he jumped off of Clark’s desk. “Oh, I don’t know, but with the way trouble follows Mom and all that he’d have to come to Gotham, you know?”
Clark smiled again, but this time it wasn’t the usual warm smile. “I suppose that’s a good point. I’m sure if we need him, he’ll show up.”
“I’m sure, too. Well, bye, Clark!” Jason threw him one last grin and hopped back to his dad’s office.
When he looked back at Clark, he had shut down his computer, and he was staring blankly at his desktop.
Chapter: Chapter 3 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 1
Fandom: Superman movieverse, Batman movieverse, and a little alternate DC thrown in for good measure
Rating: PG (for now)
Word Count: 1200
Disclaimer: All these guys belong WB and/or DC, not me.
Spoilers: SR and DK spoilers, so consider yourself warned.
Summary: Richard and Lois face the reality of Jason's school incident, Diana gets a stern talking to, and Clark has a little 8-year-old's wit to worry about.
Lois stood in Richard’s office, leaning against his desk and looking down at him. He was leaning back in his chair, breathing in and out deeply. Admittedly, she wasn’t sure really what to do; Jason’s suspension due to the superpowers was not sitting well with him. Lois leaving for an unknown amount of time was sitting even worse with him. But how could she help that, either one?
Richard sighed and shifted to lean forward against his desk. “You tell me, what do you think we should do for Jason?”
“I think we need to ask him what he wants. He’s the one who is being punished for something that as of yet he has no control over. I think he deserves to give us his say.”
“Lois, he’s eight.”
“All the more reason we need to give him the option.”
“Lois…” He sighed and rested his head in his arms on the desktop.
She frowned and bent down beside him. “Richard, why are you so worried about this?”
He took a moment to respond, and Lois felt her heartbeat speeding up. These conversations always made her nervous; they always made her fear that things were going to go terribly wrong. Finally, Richard looked back up at her. “I feel like every time Superman has more to do with our lives, the less I have to do.”
“Oh, Richard-“
“Lois, you love him. You still haven’t married me. Don’t you think I’ve noticed? The closer Jason gets to having to need Superman, and he will need him eventually, the less important I am. I don’t know what to do, and you never give me very much comfort.”
She didn’t, and she knew it. She wanted to marry Richard, but something inside her wouldn’t let her. Essentially, she loved a stranger -- Superman, not Richard -- and she was afraid the day would come when she would know that stranger better and she’d want to be with him. As much as she loved Richard, something connected her to Superman, though she didn’t know what it was.
“I’m sorry, Richard,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, I know.” He stood up and started out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to my son.”
***
Diana settled down on the stone steps of the palace upon her return from Gotham. She was feeling -- excited. Something about her confrontation with Batman had excited her, and had given her even more drive to do what was right; these people had disturbed their paradise, and now they deserved punishment.
Diana’s bare feet tapped against the stone and marble floor as she walked into the throne room and bowed before her mother. Hippolyta motioned for her to rise and Diana did so with a nod. “He is a simple man. He will not be a problem against our forces. Gotham will be ours.”
“Good.” Hippolyta was a proud and stern woman, but not without her sense of fun. Granted, most of the time her idea of fun included some form of male torture, but she never tortured without purpose. If she was torturing him with weapons, he had earned it. If she was torturing him sexually, well…he was born a man, after all.
Diana hesitated slightly, then said, “The Batman does really want to help, though. Very ideal, more than I am used to in a man.”
“Many of them are idealists, Diana. He will prove to be a nuisance and nothing. Have our spies picked up any evidence that he’s been speaking with the superpowered men?”
“Not so far, Mother.”
“Good. It would be best if it stayed that way.”
“Mother, with all due respect, if he were to call on the help of even five of those so-called heroes, we would still be able to overpower them easily.”
Hippolyta stood and took Diana by the shoulders. Diana held her ground, without letting the queen intimidate her. “Diana, my dear, you are underestimating them. You always have. If Batman chooses to call on the Kryptonian alone, we will need to be ready.”
Diana took her mother’s hands off her shoulders and turned to face her. “He’s just one man. We are many.”
Hippolyta looked hard into Diana’s eyes, and Diana had to fight the desire to tear her eyes away. It had been hundreds of years since she had felt any kind of fear towards her mother, but that didn’t mean that stare downs had become any easier. “Diana, this is one of the many reasons I worry about the day when you need to take the throne from me.”
Diana slimmed her eyes to slits and backed away. “You are growing softer and softer.”
“You are growing colder. We are attacking Gotham to make an example. We cannot hide on the island anymore, therefore we need to show that we are a people best left alone. That is the only reason we are doing this. We are not starting a crusade against the world of men.”
Diana had a hard time not asking “Why not?” but she managed to hold it back. It was obvious that even if she did suggest it, it would do no good; her mother was in no mood for listening.
When she didn’t object, Hippolyta’s shoulders dropped a bit and she breathed with slight relief. “You are dismissed.” Rather than waiting for Diana to leave, she walked out behind the throne and around to the royal chambers, leaving Diana by herself in the throne room.
***
Jason walked back into the Planet with his dad, who smiled warmly at him. Watching his dad return to his office, his mom waiting for him, Jason really had no desire to go see them. Clark was sitting over at his desk typing at his computer, and he really would rather talk to Clark.
He walked over to him and hopped up on Clark’s desk, who smiled but otherwise didn’t acknowledge that he’d shown up. Jason was used to this. “Hey, Clark.”
“Hey, Jason. Long time no see.”
“Liar.”
Clark smiled a little again, but still faced his computer.
Jason watched the words show up on the screen for a minute. “Hey, I’m going with you and Mom to Gotham.”
“You are?” Clark asked, betraying what Jason liked to think was excitement. “Well that’s wonderful! You can help me keep your mom in line.”
Jason grinned and sat up a little bit straighter. “You know how much I love doing that. Do you think Mom will let me spend a night in your room? I think that would be fun, don’t you?”
Clark reached forward to ruffle his hair. “Yes, Jason, I think that would be a lot of fun. We’ll ask her, okay?”
“Okay.” Jason leaned forward, closer to him, pausing before saying anything again. “Do you think we’ll see Superman in Gotham?”
Clark turned his chair away from his computer, and Jason inwardly grinned. He loved to throw Clark off with those questions. It was fun.
Clark cleared his throat before looking Jason in the eyes. “Why would Superman be in Gotham, Jace?”
Jason shrugged, but smiled as he jumped off of Clark’s desk. “Oh, I don’t know, but with the way trouble follows Mom and all that he’d have to come to Gotham, you know?”
Clark smiled again, but this time it wasn’t the usual warm smile. “I suppose that’s a good point. I’m sure if we need him, he’ll show up.”
“I’m sure, too. Well, bye, Clark!” Jason threw him one last grin and hopped back to his dad’s office.
When he looked back at Clark, he had shut down his computer, and he was staring blankly at his desktop.