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[personal profile] shankie
A quickly written fourth segment, for [livejournal.com profile] tmelange. All segments found here.

Scott invites Clark over to witness a master escape artist in action. But Bruce isn't the only thing that's under lock and key.

A Lifting Fog

Big Barda/Superman/Mister Miracle/Batman, and various combinations therein of various levels of subtlety, notably Big Barda/Mister Miracle (obviously) and Superman/Batman.
PG-13



Bonds

What do master escape artists do with each other in their spare time?

Practice.

Clark had posed the question to Scott that morning at the League embassy, even as the obvious answer popped into his mind, like a teasing in-joke that they both laughed at.

"If you'd like to know, drop in tonight. 7pm sharp, or you may miss it." Scott smirked behind his yellow mask and left to follow Oberon and deal with their latest bit of strife.

And Clark kept the thought in the back of his mind all day, until he landed on their lawn just before the hour.

Barda was waiting with a glass of iced tea, which she gave him with a playful smile, then used the free hand to knit her fingers through his without a word. She lead him inside, and down through the basement door into Scott's workshop.

The basement was larger than it appeared on the outside, with a high ceiling and a dizzying array of technology from both Apokolips and New Genesis, in varying states of wholeness. The arsenal could no doubt tip the balance to an earthly war, but he had little doubt their security was more than adaquate... and it wasn't the most impressive sight.

Without any doubt, that honour fell to Bruce.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of brief spandex shorts and a blindfold, locked within an intricate metal device that strapped his arms around behind his back and his legs to where the entire thing was bolted to a rafter. It was swinging slightly, but Clark could barely see any motion from him, just the occasional tensing of a muscle in his arms or a determined gritting of teeth.

Scott was chewing on the plastic handle of a screwdriver, and looked up from where he was hunched over his long workbench.

"Clark. Glad you could make it."

Bruce let out a terse breath that made them all look over at him.

Scott smirked and rubbed his hands on a towel, swiveling his stool around and leaning back against the bench. He pointedly checked his watch.

"Could you please stop doing that?" Bruce graveled through his teeth.

"I'll stop when you get loose," Scott replied, "You could at least pretend to be unaware of your surroundings when you can't see."

"I don't need to see to know you're gloating, Mister Miracle."

"I wouldn't say gloating," he replied, with a twinkle in his eye, "I'd never think of taunting the less fortunate."

"I'm feeling perfectly fortunate today, thank you very much."

"And still perfectly trussed up in those bonds."

"Hn."

"And distracted," Barda added, not hiding the amusement in her voice, "I don't think you can do it."

Bruce growled and there was a twitching of muscles along his right arm.

"At this rate, we won't have any time to spar before dark fully sets," Barda said to Scott.

Scott slipped the watch off his wrist; a stopwatch, that currently read eight minutes and counting.

"I think you can take it from here," he said, and handed it to Clark.

"And by all means, continue providing distraction," Barda said with a laugh as Scott followed her up the stairs.

Before long, he could distantly hear the clattering of their weapons outside. The stopwatch hit nine minutes and Bruce sighed.

"Think you can do it?" Clark asked.

Bruce pushed his head back and groaned in frustration. Clark couldn't help but feel a bit... empowered.

Distraction he could provide, but it took a moment of working up nerve before Clark stood up, setting the watch on the workbench with a distinct click against the wood surface. Almost by accident, he caught a shift in Bruce's heart rate, almost imperceptible even to him. He put his glass down, too, and approached with caution.

Clark floated up off the floor enough to make his face level with Bruce's bare feet, and blew out a cool breath over his toes. Bruce shivered, and there was another skipped heartbeat.

"You know what I can't figure out about you, Bruce?"

"I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"I'm hoping it's you that could do some... enlightening." Clark brushed his fingers over the calloused instep. "I've never slept with someone without even knowing if they liked me or not."

"I think you're keen. Happy?"

"Impossibly." He traced the soft skin on the inside of his left leg down to the edge of the black spandex and back up again, and smiled as his muscles twitched underneath his touch, as if it tickled and he was trying to deny it. "But I should have known better than to expect an answer."

There was a small grunt, followed by a soft click around Bruce's hands.

"I thought I did answer you."

"You'd think." Clark fingered the inside of Bruce's knees, as much as he could while they were banded to Scott's rig, and nipped at the tip of his big toe. "So you spend a lot of time hanging upside-down. But do you live in a cave?"

Bruce snorted, and there was a more audible clicking noise before his hands came loose and he deftly freed his legs, then flipped over and landed on the floor, pulling the blindfold off. He tossed it to Clark almost smugly.

Clark hit the stopwatch. Eleven minutes, twenty-three seconds.

"A personal best?"

"Hardly, damn you." Bruce pulled on a gray sweatshirt hanging from a nail in the concrete.

"Does that have anything to do with my newfound appreciation for spelunking?" Clark replied with a grin, in spite of the nervous edge he was still fighting off.

"It's a hazardous endeavor."

"I'm sure there are various techniques you could teach me. In the interests of safety."

Bruce smirked, and without a word, left Clark watching him walk back up the stairs, silent as a cat. Clark ran his hands through his hair and sighed, and almost missed the whispered word from the top of the stairs.

"Perhaps."

on 2006-08-15 06:21 pm (UTC)
ext_6175: (Dibs on the amazon)
Posted by [identity profile] elfcat255.livejournal.com
LOL..perfect!...I'm hoping you keep this bunny alive...I'm liking this story idea so much...the interplay between Clark and bruce..is great...Bruce sounds so snarky but you just know he's putting on an act...lol...good work!

on 2006-08-15 09:12 pm (UTC)
ext_55333: (supes)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
Chances are it'll be rearing it's head now and then. :)

Thank you! :D

on 2006-08-15 10:11 pm (UTC)
senmut: modern style black canary on right in front of modern style deathstroke (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] senmut
hehehehe....distractions....

on 2006-08-16 12:11 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (batsmirk)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
And such fun things they are, too. XD

on 2006-08-15 11:19 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] cmer.livejournal.com
Oooh, this was sweet! And I also LOVED your other fanfic, the NC17 one. The foursome between Scott, Barda, Clark, and Bruce was hot. You really do write excellent smut. Please write more? ;)

on 2006-08-16 12:15 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (bat_butt)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
Awesome, glad you did. :D

And I'm sure I will. This story is insidious.

on 2006-08-16 12:13 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sasha-anu.livejournal.com
Very good follow-up.

Of course, I don't appreciate getting the edited version where the smut scene was cut out but I'll take what I can get.

on 2006-08-16 12:17 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (barda)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
::laughs:: As if I'd ever dare to remove smut-ness. XD

on 2006-08-16 04:30 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sasha-anu.livejournal.com
You would.

But unfortunately it wasn't there this time.

on 2006-08-16 01:02 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] tmelange.livejournal.com
Posting for posterity:

I loved it! I have a freaking grin on my face that I just can't make stop. :))) You've managed to completely throw me out of my writing rhythm BUT I DON"T CARE. This series has that unique edge that makes it such a pleasure to read. It's like nothing anyone else is doing, a completely original take on S/B dynamics that is just marvelous for me because I'm always bemoaning the lack of diversity in what currently exists. I know you're all Bruce/Wally, but I can't help but applaud this diversion you've created. It's like a gift you're giving the S/B'ers while you're gearing up to get back into your OTP. :)

All I can say is, thank you. The Clark here is so sweetly insecure but manly enough to get over it.

The perfect paragraph:

>Distraction he could provide, but it took a moment of working up nerve before Clark stood up, setting the watch on the workbench with a distinct click against the wood surface. Almost by accident, he caught a shift in Bruce's heart rate, almost imperceptible even to him. He put his glass down, too, and approached with caution.

It says *everything* about what's happening between them. Everything. In three sentences. I love it.

>Clark floated up off the floor enough to make his face level with Bruce's bare feet, and blew out a cool breath over his toes. Bruce shivered, and there was another skipped heartbeat.

Gah! He's blowing on his toes. I have been slayed!

>He traced the soft skin on the inside of his left leg down to the edge of the black spandex and back up again, and smiled as his muscles twitched underneath his touch, as if it tickled and he was trying to deny it.

Gah!

I can't take it!

>Clark fingered the inside of Bruce's knees, as much as he could while they were banded to Scott's rig, and nipped at the tip of his big toe.

Dead! I be dead!

>"So you spend a lot of time hanging upside-down. But do you live in a cave?"

Hysterical, Shae. Simply hysterical.

Bravo, bravo, bravo! I loved it. Thank you for writing it. I'm still smiling from ear to ear... :)))

on 2006-08-16 04:47 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (bat hand)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
::reiterates glee and such:: XD

on 2006-08-16 03:21 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] hlglne.livejournal.com
exactly-- smiling wide, from ear to ear, at Bruce tossing that last bit out as he slinks barefoot up the stairs.
Breathplay, I believe it is known as-- and it sure didn't feel like PG to moi. Yowza.

on 2006-08-16 04:46 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (bats perching)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
They were certainly having lots of not-sex there. XD

on 2006-08-16 05:42 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] jij.livejournal.com
"I've never slept with someone without even knowing if they liked me or not."

"I think you're keen. Happy?"

"Impossibly."


Gah! Oh, I'm dead with loving this, I am. "I think you're keen." I can totally imagine Kevin Conroy's voice saying that.

Is it terribly wrong of me that I find Clark blowing on Bruce's toes hotter than your foursome? And that was plenty hot, mind you.

Bruce pushed his head back and groaned in frustration. Clark couldn't help but feel a bit... empowered.

Bondage with Clark and Bruce is really tough to write, because Bruce is so good at escaping and Clark is so strong...but Scott Free provides the perfect opportunity to actually manage to hold the Bat in place for a full (very full!) eleven minutes. And twenty-three seconds. It's wonderful.

on 2006-08-16 06:00 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (batsmirk)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
I would love to hear Kevin Conroy say that. XD

Is it wrong of you to think the not-sex is hotter than the actual-sex? I'd have to say I'm quite flattered you think so. :D I'm on kinda a not-sex kick at the moment, all Mina's fault.

I've played with Bruce/Clark bondage quite a lot, actually. ::looks at the random text files and sighs:: But it never really... worked like this did. When I started into this whole thing, I wasn't really thinking at all, so only later it occurred to me that Scott was the perfect way to make it actually fit and all.

They don't call him Mister Miracle for nothin'. ;)

on 2006-08-16 07:00 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] arch-schatten.livejournal.com
What do master escape artists do with each other in their spare time?

Practice.


I think my Bruce-whore is showing, because man, this single sentence makes my day in so many ways it's ridiculous. Bruce and Scott tie each other for fun, and are all smug and snarky and.. yeah, adorable. Scott/Bruce! Woooo!

Ahem, this is S/B, I know. And I love your Clark here, too, he's such an insecure tease. I guess it does takes time -and a couple of reticient admisions of fondness- to get used to Bruce dry manners. Clark and Barda finger wntwining made me go aww. I'm very much in love with these four. Lol, the not porn, also? very, very hot. Escape artists are absurdly hot.

on 2006-08-16 01:06 pm (UTC)
ext_55333: (bruce)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
I'm tickled pink that someone else is into the Scott/Bruce vibes I am. Every single possible combination of these guys is somehow appealing and I love it. XD

I think it'd definitely take some time to get entirely comfortable with the Bruce, but he's getting there. And the reverse, heh.

Escape artists are absurdly hot, especially together. ::laughs::

on 2006-08-21 05:58 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] rubynye.livejournal.com
That was inventive and HOT. Wow.

on 2006-08-21 06:03 pm (UTC)
ext_55333: (scott & mother box)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
Why thank you. :)

on 2006-08-22 03:32 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] mildredmilton.livejournal.com
Heee.
"I think you're keen. Happy?"

Sexay Clark IS keen.

on 2006-08-22 04:24 am (UTC)
ext_55333: (supes)
Posted by [identity profile] victoria-wayne.livejournal.com
Isn't he just? XD

Definitively.

on 2006-08-28 11:52 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] laurapetri.livejournal.com
Distractions....hmmmmmmmm....
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