Rescued (SuperBat fic)

14

Clark looks disappointed by the amount of fencing around the biochemical campus, by how far away from the action we are. He nudges me as we weave to the front of the crowd.
"What's in all the skips?"
"The old equipment," I tell him. "It's being sent to schools around the city in a few days."
Clark nods and makes a note in his pocketbook. I pull us to a stop a few feet away from Lucius.
"Okay, remember you're here in a professional capacity, and as an acquaintance."
He nods, though there's a touch of sadness in his eyes.
I lead him over to the button and say hello to Lucius, ask how the last checks have been, how morale is among the staff. Clark wanders about us, snapping photos of the sad buildings and the skips.
I turn to the assembled crowd of structural engineers, architects, staff and choice journalists.
"Today, we're taking a leap. Today, we put the past behind us and quite literally start to build anew. Here, Wayne Enterprises makes a bold statement: we're for the future, our products are for prosperity, our products will work to save our environment, our world."
I see Stone Heath in the crowd, a small smile resting on her lips. There's a handsome young man on her arm, someone just as cornfed as Clark. As I watch her, she takes out her phone and types into it with one thumb.
"So let's take the step!" I shout, the strength of my voice weakening.
I turn to the big red button, lift the chunky square headphones from it and put them on. I hear Lucius' muffled voice telling the crowd to put in their wax earbuds. I wait for the double thumbs up that means I can press the button.
I hit the button with one hand, eyes on the building, not on the flash of Clark's camera.
Clark comes back to me as the buildings buckle and crash down, as a cloud of dust rises up from them and pushes against the fencing.
I hear the muted applause of the crowd.
I reach across for Clark's hand and look into his eyes.
I take the headphones from my ears and put them back around the button. Then I lead Clark across to Lucius and clear my throat to command his attention.
Lucius looks dour, but on seeing Clark says, "This is the reporter from The Planet?"
"Clark Kent, Lucius Fox."
Lucius reaches across to shake Clark's hand. His eyes fall on our joined hands. He lets go of Clark and straightens up.
Slowly, Lucius says, "Bruce wouldn't stop talking about you, it had to be you to cover this."
Clark shrugs.
"I'm good at what I do."
"And the trip to Gotham wasn't an inconvenience? Are we paying your expenses?"
Lucius looks to me for an answer.
"We're not. Clark isn't staying at a hotel, Lucius."
I take a breath and tell myself to do it.
"Clark is my boyfriend. Expect to see him around HQ. Treat him with respect."
I glance across at Clark. He nods minutely.
Lucius runs his tongue over his teeth. I know he had no trouble with my dates when they were women. He was fond of Kennedy, her Ivy League pedigree and her modesty.
"Alright," he says eventually. "Glad to see you're happy with someone again."
And, exhaling dramatically, I lead Clark elsewhere. Clark rubs my arm with his free hand and doesn't pressure me to talk.
We talk briefly with Stone Heath. She's in tight, green, floral patterned jeans and a dinky little tank top. Her companion has put his hoodie over her shoulders. She tells me that Hansom has calmed down and that her experiments are progressing well. She expects to have new scents for product inside the month and a new formula for sustainable, accelerated plant growth too.
The young man with her looks at her with sparkles in his eyes and a slight bulge in his jeans. He wants to go home and fuck her stupid for being so smart, for making talk about work and labs somehow sexy, for making him so horny while she remains so professional.
I tell her to enjoy her night and lead Clark back to the car. As we drive off, I raise his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles. When I put his hand back to my thigh, I tell him, "I have a present for you."
He smiles for me.
"I can't wait to see it."
When we arrive home, he follows me through to the bedroom, sits on the edge of the bed, and waits patiently as I disappear into the closet to find the bag. Once I'm back in front of him, Clark gives me a curious look as I reach inside the bag and close my hand around the leather. I shake my wrist and pull the collar out, dropping the bag to the floor.
Clark's eyes widen and track over the baby blue leather and the fire red buckle.
"Is that for me?"
"Yep."
I throw it over to him and he catches it with ease, stares down at it.
"It's custom made, but you don't have to wear it."
"Oh I want to, sir," he says, grinning. "Does this mean you want to put me on a leash?"
"Only a figurative one."
I take a seat next to him, cup his chin in my hands.
"You're mine, Clark."
He puts his forehead to mine.
"I should give you something in return," he whispers.
"And what might that be?"
Clark hums.
I press a kiss to his cheek.
"Don't worry about it."
Clark holds the collar toward me and says, "Would you put it on me, sir?"
"I don't have a scene planned."
He shrugs.
"Let me wear it anyway."
I put the cool leather around his neck and leave it a little loose, so that I can slip two fingers inside it.
"How does it feel?"
Clark tilts his head from side to side and rolls his neck.
"Strange, but I'll get used to it, sir."
He gets up and lifts his bag. I stay still and watch him as he loads up his laptop and starts to type at warpspeed.
"Do you have to work?"
Clark grunts, "They want this up this week."
I shift behind him and part my legs around his body. I slip my hands over his shoulders as he works and massage them gently. He drops his head back against my shoulder for a few moments. I lean down and steal a chaste kiss from his lips. Then he straightens up and gets back to work. I continue teasing him, sliding my hands down his arms and under his t-shirt.
He catches one of my hands when I put it over his belt buckle and tug gently at the leather.
I lean forward and bite his earlobe, groan before I let it go.
"Are you denying me?"
He bites his lip.
"Yes, sir."
I skim my lips down his neck and bite gently at his skin. He moans quietly and reaches back to grab at me.
"Would you plan a scene for this weekend?"
"Yes baby. Got any special requests?"
There are a few moments of silence as he thinks. I push my nose into his collar, bite at his skin and watch the dark hickey that blooms there.
"I want to be tied up again," he mutters. "And I want you to take my ass."
"Good boy," I whisper into his ear.
He blushes and swats at me. I stay still and quiet, put my head to his shoulder and watch him work.
When he's done, he pushes me onto my back and takes a kiss from me, his tongue dancing with mine as his groan rumbles through our shared breath.
And then he pulls away.
I stifle my gasp as he puts his things away, strips off and settles behind me under the comforter.
"TV?" He asks.
"You know I don't mind," I tell him.
I undress as he loads up his show and pull him into my arms once I have joined him under the comforter. I am almost asleep when I remember that he is still wearing the collar.
I put my fingers to the collar and start to loosen it. He reaches up and puts his hands over mine.
I chew my lip for a moment.
"You don't have to. I'm not even going to force you to wear it in scenes, never mind outwith them."
He pushes his face into mine, nudges my nose with his.
"I like it," he whispers, his lips brushing over mine.
He lifts a hand and switches off the TV, yawns loud, long and wide. He is awake as I'm drifting off.