#hope x clarke

[bittwitchy]

LEGACIES (2018—2022) Fate’s a Bitch, Isn’t It?

[thesocietalmisfit]

[bittersweetremains]

[somemultifandomshit]

Prompts: OPEN

“i should have seen it coming.”

“given your history, i should have known better.”

“please tell me that at least a part of it was real.”

“[friend’s name] tried to warn me about you, but i didn’t listen, you know.”

“i was ready to give you my heart.”

“you should have killed me earlier, so i wouldn’t live to see this.”

“get away from me.”

“kill me right now then, i dare you.”

“i should have left you bleeding to your death.”

“do you have any regrets doing this to me?”

“i hope you will remember this until your death.”

“i loved you in this lifetime. i won’t make that mistake in the next.”

“no one could have saved you.”

“somehow, i expected that this would happen eventually.”

“do we really have to end it all?”

“the worst of it all, it’s that if you ask now, i will forgive you.”

“are you expecting me to beg for my life now?”

“you made a promise.”

“we could have had a thousand of tomorrows together.”

“i lost, didn’t i?”

“i deserve this. you deserve to kill me”

“technically you won’t kill me, because i gave it to you. do it properly, then.”

“make it quick, please.”

“please tell me why.”

“was i not enough for you?”

“please forgive me for pushing you this far”

“i forgive you.

—

Feel free to inbox prompts; check the tags for couples.

[mondieuwordnerd]

I was a bit (super) disappointed the cancellation took the wind out of some of the first promising story lines in Legacies for almost two seasons...

Jed and Ben learning to live without their 'curses'

Finch becoming the Alpha and having this responsibility and expectations to meet

CAROLINE AS HEADMISTRESS!

Who is Hope without her core mission of 'save Landon'? (I was also picking up some groundwork for a Clarke relationship and that interested the heck outta me).

Crosssing my fingers the streaming numbers on Netflix give us two more seasons to explore and wrap up the show better

[doodlesforfics]

Two for One Special by @halfagone is a freaking hilarious one-shot.

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Supersons +1 propmt fill Part3 Tr3s

The sprinklers activated in an instant and covered the centre in a deluge of water. Whatever scientists remained scrambled to recover what remained of their creations before the water could irrevocably damage them. In a hidden corner, one Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent made knowing glances to each other, a mutual agreement reached in seconds after decades of friendship. With the help of a crowbar, the men quickly pry open one of the exit doors, making way for panicked civilians to exit the premises, 'Brucie' giving comfort to those distressed by the recent events. It wasn't long before they had to make themselves scarce. They had their sons to rescue, there was no time!

As Bruce and Clark snuck out into the empty hallway, having been quickly evacuated by a Gothamite's natural self-preservation instinct and discipline from years of attacks. They nodded, and went their seperate ways. Clark to go change into his Superman outfit, and Bruce to calm the inevitable deluge of reporters before changing into his own costume.

Cameras flashed over the front entrance to the event, blinding the last few stragglers to leave, and Bruce, standing tall against the crashing sea.

"Mr Wayne! What can you tell us about the new villain that Joker has teamed up with?"

"Mr Wayne, how does Wayne Industries intent to secure future events from attacks on this scale?"

"Where is Damian Wayne? Sir how can Wayne Industries secure the future of Gotham if you cannot protect your own children?"

"Mr Wayne is it true that you allowed Jack Fenton to attend the event despite knowing he was a quack?"

And on and on and on. Bruce never intended to give these people what they wanted. He had children to save, and investigations to conduct. Before he could excuse himself, however, a roaring boom echoed down the street like summer thunder. Reporters screamed as they trampled over each other to escape the path of a silver behemoth charging down the road. Thick metal plates lined its exterior. A large satellite dish adorned its top, and jutting out from the sides were massive guns. The van sported too many OSHA violations to be anything less than a tank on four wheels than any civilian vehicle. Batman will have to crack down on whatever corrupt whitecollar criminals allowed this monstrosity on the roads.

The van charged right up to where Bruce was standing on the pavement, before coming to a terrifyingly rapid halt, so sudden that the entire vehicle jerked forward from its momentum. It would have been cartoonish if it hadn't stopped cleanly right in front of him. The front door slammed open, and a pair of black-gloved hands grabbed Bruce by the shoulder. In public surrounded by cameras, Bruce was helpless but to comply.

"BRUCIE WAYNE! I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU!"

Bruce scanned the interior of the van in an instant, clocking in the undignified Clark Kent clinging to his seat like a child to their parents leg, tie messed up and suit creased. His classes were crooked on his face. "He just scooped me up like I was paper mache, Bruce!" The man's voice was shaking.

"Strap in Brucie, because the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle cares for no trivial matters like traffic laws, or even physics laws!"

What kind of branding was this? "The Fenton Family wha-" Jack slammed the gas. The GAV rocketed into max gear in an instant. The force threw the poor man off his feet. Bruce went hurtling into the backside of the GAV and crashed with a bang. The G-forces kept him glued to the wall like a black-suited starfish, at least until Clark extended an arm to peel him off.

"I'm starting to think you might be right about him being a supervillain." Clark whispered.

Bruce grimly nodded.

"Alright so now that we're all together, here's the plan folks!" Jack said, tone all too cheerful for the chaos he was creating on the road. Innocent cars swerved out of the way of the advancing war machine. Pedestrians clung to lampposts and fences as gale force winds blasted them from its wake. "Let's start with the bad news: Our kids have been spirited away by suffering spooks! The good news: The Fenton Radar works!" Jack tapped on a screen on the van's console, showing two beeping dots on a radar map.

"BUILDING!" Clark yelled. They were rocketing right into a townhouse.

Jack yanked the wheel to the left. The GAV turned 90 degrees in about half a second, turning both passengers into ragdolls thrown across the side. On the outside, a subtle Superman-shaped dent was visible. "Thanks for that, Clarkie! Now I'm sure you guys aren't as experienced as me and my lovely wife Maddie are in hunting ghosts, but don't worry! I can give you a crash course."

"Please don't say crash course." Clark quivered.

"Could you maybe slow down?!" Bruce yelled over the roaring engines.

"No can do, Brucie! Any slower and the GHOSTS will leave the Fenton Radar's range, and then we'll never get our kids back!"

"I think I'm going to be sick." So Kryptonians can get nausea from high-speed vehicles, interesting. He'll have to update his file.

"The Joker and his associates entered your portal and set it to blow, how can we even get the kids back if they're on the other side!"

Jack turned around with a smile. "That's what the Fenton PortaPortal version 2 is for! Never leave home without a spare, my grandpa Fenton always said!"

"Dr Fenton, that bridge was destroyed in a gang fight!" Bruce shouted. Construction workers were already scattering, but a thick concrete barrier stood in their way.

"No need to worry, Fenton engineering can handle a little hole here or there!"

"The entire bridge was destroyed, we're going to fall off!"

"I love your sense of humour Brucie, but even if we did it wouldn't matter!"

"I really think it does, Dr Fenton!" Clark gripped the bottom of the nearby seat hard enuogh to dent.

"Nonsense, watch this!" Jack pushed the gas even further, as if that was even possible. The GAV reduced the concrete barrior to smithereens. "Go go Fenton Famliy Ghost Assault Vehicle: Aerial Mode!" The mad scientist's shouted in glee. He pulled another lever, activating a pair of wings from the sides.

Clark would deny screaming like a girl to the end of his days.

~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in the Zone...

Danny shifted nervously in his position, atop the swarm of Lydia's bats, and flanked by the freaking Joker of all people on one side and Freaking Freakshow on the other. What did he do to deserve this?

If It was just the Joker and Freakshow, he would just happily transform and kick the snot out of these clowns, but sadly he's not alone.

Also tied up with rope both human and ghostly were one Damian Wayne and Jon Kent, the former of which looked none too pleased about the current situation. While Damian spat vitriol upon the Joker and his "D-list half-rate assisstant," with man himself largely ignoring his words to fawn over the chaos of the Realms, Danny contemplated his options. Good news: Freakshow hadn't blown his secret yet, which was cold comfort for the moment, seeing as if he had, he'd just be able to punch these suckers and be done with it, but nooo. Maybe he could overshadow the other boys and hypnotise them into forgetting? Was that a thing that can be done? Would've been convenient, and because of that, Danny suspected it's wishful thinking. If it worked, great, if it didn't work, well Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne have ties to the Justice League, who have ties to the government, who hire the GiW, so there's a non-zero percent chance such a stunt would end up with him on a dissection table.

Which means he's left playing the waiting game, spectating the Joker jumping up and down like a fangirl over all the green, and purple, and fighting, and death. First day in Gotham, guys.

"Psst." Jon whispered to him.

Danny said nothing, but leaned a little on Jon's side.

"Don't worry, we're gonna be ok, I'm sure the J-J-Justice League will be here. Just sit t-t-tight, ok?"

Wow, that was really touching that he was trying to comfort Danny, but the ghostly part of him didn't even need to feel Jon's shaking, or hear his stutter to know the kid was absolutely terrified. Now that he thought about it, it really should be him doing the comforting.

"Eh I wouldn't hedge my bets on it." Causing the other boy to squeak in fear. Curse you, snark instinct. Why can't you be heroic and reassuring instead.

"Neither would I, boy." Freakshow said, almost like he was rubbing in just how much danger his secret was in.

"You will unhand us, or you will know the meaning of pain in every sense of the world. This I tell you. I will feed you to my chickens. I will cut up your flesh and grind it into paste and then fertilise my vegetable garden with it. You will regret crossing me."

Jon let out the faintest whisper, something Danny would've never heard if he wasn't a ghost, and a master of quiet sounds. "Really selling the normal kid act here, Damian."

"On the contrary, lovely chlidren, I believe it is you who will soon become ghosts. NEYEHEHEYEHEH" Oh god here comes the gratuitous laughter. "I can't believe such a t~~tttttTANTALISING opportunity has been out there for me this whole time! AHAHAHAHAAH. And for you, my little children, to have come to this wonderful little science expo alongside your dear old daddies only to become part of the exhibit?" The Joker cracked into laughter, slapping his knees and collapsing in fitful giggles.

Each of the free boys gulped, each of them considering how to save the apparent civilian(s) among them without exposing themselves...

@impyssadobsessions

[lycheeloving]

ANOTHER MULTIVERSE FIC because I can't stop myself, apparently. An injustice!Superman one, this time. I imagine you were a small-time hero/vigilante in this one, so Superman knew (and liked) you before he turned bad, but you weren't super close, before.

-You wake up in an unfamiliar room, tied to a chair, not knowing how you got there. Kal doesn't ever let you leave the fortress. But you don't know how anyone else could have gotten in to take you here, wherever here is. Maybe it was Kal? But why would he do that?

-You spot a woman tied up in another chair next to you, it seems like she also just woke up. She reminds you of someone, but you can't remember who exactly... You want to ask her if she knows more about what's going on, when you realize you're both gagged. Shit. You can't even communicate with her!

-A man comes in, rambling something about how he's glad you're finally awake and about his plan finally taking shape. You feel like you should know this guy, but can't quite put a finger on it...

-Being unsure if you know who he is, as you're "not from here", he introduces himself. He's Lex Luthor.

-Wait. Lex Luthor? The Lex Luthor? The dead one, who was killed by Superman? Is this a prank? Because if so, it isn't funny at all. And quite dangerous for everyone involved.

-Luthor (if that is his real name) then focuses on the woman next to you. He addresses her as "Mrs. Lane".

-Lane as in Lois Lane? Like, Lois Lane from the Daily Planet? Clark Kent's, Superman's wife? Now you know something is extremely wrong. She's dead, too, and everyone knows not to mention her name unless they want to face Superman's wrath... You make a few muffled sounds beneath your gag, itching to ask about just what is going on here.

-Luthor says he's going to explain everything, don't be so impatient! He has a machine that can open portals to parallel universes, which is how he got you here. His plan includes kidnapping the person that is most important to Superman in his own universe (Lois Lane), the person most important to Superman in a second universe (You!) and then making the Supermen fight each other by threatening your lives. The only way to save you is if one Superman dies. This room is Superman proof, he can't hear or see anything that's happening in here, so they can't just swoop in and save you. After the fight, he's going to let the winning Superman enter this room, promising him that he can rescue Lois or you. Except not really, because he's going to try to kill the winner too, because that should be easier after he just fought another Superman, right? He hasn't opened a portal to let the Superman from your universe know about how he can save you, yet. He closed the portal he got you through immediately after kidnapping you, so he had more time to prepare everything. How he found you? Something about being able to detect kryptonian dna residue on you. And you were in Superman's fortress. Easy to combine that you must be important to him.

-That's... actually not a terrible plan! Sure, it might not work out exactly the way that Luthor is planning, but beating Superman with Superman is a great idea! Actually it'd be great if Luthor got a third one here. Two Supermen should definitely be able to defeat one Superman, right? Unfortunately you can't communicate any of this through your gag. Damn, you'd love to help him improve his plan...

-You wonder if he chose your universe completely randomly, or if he chose an evil Superman on purpose. You don't think he did, he didn't mention the regime with one word, and if it existed in this universe he wouldn't be working on this stupid plan. And Lois wouldn't be alive, probably.

-Before you can let your thoughts spiral even more, Luthor falls over. Huh? Is he unconscious? You spot Batman coming towards you. Ah. That explains that, then. Man, you haven't seen Batman in such a long time...

-"Are you two alright?" He quickly cuts through the ropes tying you to the chairs, freeing you. "Good thing you used your bat emergency-signal, Lois. I was able to get to you before Superman could fall for Luthor's trap." Wait, why would Lois contact Batman? Oh, right, sometimes you forget that he and Superman used to be friends, so obviously his wife would trust him too.

-He takes off both of your gags and then turns to you. "We figured out you're from a parallel universe, but don't worry, Nightwing is currently working on a way to get in contact with the Superman from your dimension, so-"

-"NO!", you scream, making Batman look at you in confusion. You quickly tell him to contact Nightwing, to make him stop trying to open a portal or god forbid, contact Kal!! Noticing the urgency in your voice, Batman quickly complies and lets Nightwing know to stop what he's doing, before asking you to elaborate. Phew! The last thing you need is an angry Superman wreaking havoc in a second universe.

-You start explaining to Batman about how your Superman started changing for the worse after Lois died (sparing the details, as she's kind of sitting right next to you), started to get darker, kill villains, everyone who did something bad, people who disagreed with him. Other heroes, even. People he used to be friends with. How everyone who didn't agree with him and join his regime, including you and Batman, had to go into hiding, trying to find a way to stop him. Clark, no KAL-EL found you at some point, but instead of killing you, he unexpectedly took you, basically imprisoned you. Kept you like a pet who's not smart enough to make their own decisions. (You never even knew he liked you like that at all, before that. Sure, he was always nice to you, but he had Lois!)

-Lois seems visibly shocked, whereas Batman just listens to you stoically. "All this to say, it's good to see you alive, Lois!" You smile weakly. She tries to smile back, but before she can respond, Batman cuts her off. "We should leave this place. I doubt it's very safe here. We should return to the Batcave, think of a plan." You spare one last glance at Luthor, who's still lying on the floor (Are we just going to leave him here? Huh. Ok.), then follow Batman outside.

-As soon as you're out of the building, something rushes past you. "Lois! Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Not something. Someone. You try not to flinch as he fusses over her, while she reassures him that she's fine multiple times.

-After he's convinced she's not hurt, he turns to you with a gentle smile. "Hello! So you're close to the Superman in another dimension, then?" As he takes a step towards you, you instinctively take a step back towards Batman. Clark frowns at him quizzically. It's funny, he almost looks like a confused puppy. You would smile if you didn't know that this is all a facade to distract from his god-like, destructive powers.

-"Turns out the other version of you is some kind of evil dictator." Well, leave it to Batman to get straight to the point. Clark opens and closes his mouth a few times, thinking about what to say. "Well, I can assure you that I'm not like the Superman you know. I promise you, I'm a good person! At least I try my best to be one. You don't have to be scared." His voice is getting increasingly gentle, trying to reassure you.

-"Oh yeah? That's exactly what the Superman from my dimension would have said, before..." You don't mention his wife's death, not wanting to anger him. "The same thing could happen to you. You might be nice now, but who knows what the future holds?" As you're saying this, you slowly move slightly behind Batman. Just in case. He should have some kryptonite on him, right?

-Superman just frowns harder, then turns to Lois. "We should go home." He picks her up and turns to Batman. "Contact me as soon as you have plans for... handling the other me." With that, he takes off.

-Batman ushers you into the Batmobile, where Nightwing (another ghost, to you) is already waiting. You keep turning to look at him during the drive to the Batcave, while Bruce explains the situation to him. If they notice your weird looks, they don't mention it.

-You allow yourself to feel some hope. Maybe you can contact your Bruce? Help him out! Send a few still good Supermen! Your head is spinning with ideas, and you're sure Batman can come up with even better ones. You can't help but smile, your nightmare might finally be over...

[livingdeadvoid]

Jason: Clark or Selina?

Bruce: I'm not answering that Jason.

Jason, about to go on a whole rant about how Bruce didn't kill Jason's murderer: Uh-huh

Bruce:

Bruce, whispering: Clark.

[general-fanfiction]

Are you going to make a part two of hopes and fears?

Just thought I would give some context and a quick explanation as to why I haven’t answered these questions yet. First I would just like to say a huge thank you for the love hopes and fears is getting, I’m truly overwhelmed by it all! As for hopes and fears part two, i promise it is coming soon! Really soon! I’m hoping to start the second chapter either tonight or tomorrow morning, so it should be up within the next few days and I will tag all those that wanted to be tagged. As for the context, I am currently working two jobs and beginning the process of moving to a new country so everything is a little bit hectic and chaotic at the moment, hence why writing hasn’t been at the front of my mind. It is coming though! I promise !!

[bittwitchy]

LEGACIES (2018—2022) Fate’s a Bitch, Isn’t It?

[fabiolajyx]

What happened? We went to talk to Candice's dad.

Superman and Lois - S03E04

[bruciemilf]

bestie i need some fluffy superbat hcs pls <3

Omg I'm a fucking sap, so of course I'll pass that down to Clark (and Bruce, ofc, this is 50/50 business)

Bruce and words are eternal enemies, so his love is in his hands and his kisses and his quiet morning cup of coffee by Clark's kitchen table before he leaves when Gotham calls. This baby cannot accept gentle affection without erupting in a blush.

I just have a hunch that Bruce loves physical affection but he's way too shy to ask for it or seek it out, so Clark simply just...Does it all the time. A hand in Bruce's, always. A hand on his thigh, on his back, on his face, never before softly asking " is this okay?" " it always is, if it's you"

ALL THE PET NAMES!! Clark called Bruce " baby" once and Bruce about melted in the carpet. HE LOVES BEING CALLED BABY SELINA KYLE TOLD ME AND ASKED TO SPREAD THE WORD -

Such a weak, weak soul I have for Bruce calling Clark " Sweetheart " because he truly is; Clark preening and puffing his chest when others teasingly refer to him as " Bruce's/Batman's Sweetheart" like " Hell yeah I am; Can you believe how lucky I am?"

Clark is so attached to that nickname that he doesn't respond to his own NAME sometimes; He will assume something is wrong if Bruce calls him by his name

" Clark--"

" What did I do?"

Everytime Clark visits the farm means a bouquet of daisies or sunflowers being sent Bruce's office. Held together by a pretty baby blue ribbon, with soil caking on the green. Bruce follows gardening courses to take care of them personally

Clark cried when Bruce asked him if he'd like to meet his kids, his babies. " I trust you; I'm sure they'll love you. They'll be obnoxious, and petty, and they'll kick at your feet, but they'll have to, because I do."

[brokentrafficknight]

Great Responsibility

[bonebrokebuddy]

Okay, I just saw ur WIP challenge post, and cuz I'm addicted to DPxDC, could I ask about numbers 22 to 25? Cuz W H A T- all of those short-circuited my brain to think about consecutively

(If I can only ask about one per ask, could I ask about the Amity Park Nuclear Blast Zone one? Cuz omg that would explain so much if the timeline was lined up JUST the right way-)

Ty for all these suggestions because I now have the motivation to complete them. Most of 22-25 I have nearly completely done or have the beats planned out but need more research.

I'll make sure to tag you when each gets finished so you can see the ones you requested!

So far, you got me to finish up 22!  

A Summoning Going Dead Wrong (an ask by @sagaduwyrm I commandeered from @stealingyourbones that got stuck in WIP hell for the past month and is FINALLY done.)

The original ask: 

--------

stealingyourbones original intro section:

---------

Oh my god. 

I love this so much this is incredible.

Batman is grumpy, Flash is pissed, Superman is confused, all of the leaguers are frustrated because Madame Xanadu’s instructions weren’t working.

Go to the middle of bumfuck nowhere Illinois: check.

Recreate an insanely intricate summoning circle using a grocery list worth of extremely rare items: check.

Precisely at 3am start chanting the words from an ancient scroll that was written in a long forgotten dead language: check.

They followed Madame Xanadu’s instructions to the “T” and yet the ritual isn't working.

----------

Where I continued: 

-----------

It always starts the same. An icy wind tears out of the circle as a it begins to glow a viscous green hue.

 A metallic taste filling their mouths as the taste of ozone thicky permeates the air. The static almost reminiscent of touching your tongue to a 9V battery. 

 Oozing toxic green sludge begins to seep upward from the center of the circle, the color so bright it flickers out of human perception. The pile suddenly loses it’s viscosity and like popping a balloon of paint over someone, the goo splashes down, disappearing into the summoning circle, revealing, once again, the wrong damn person floating in the center. Danny Fenton.

Hal let out an annoyed groan as he sunk into the shitty lawn chair and let his head fall limp to the side as he watched Batman’s fifth attempt that week to summon The Ruler of Infinite Realms, yet again the wrong guy.

They knew Danny already, hell, he was a sweet kid who helped to set up the damn summoning circle on the first day of the JL’s arrival.

Danny and his Aunt Alicia were the ones who offered to let the League use a small section of her cornfield to do the ritual.

That same Danny, now out of his farm working clothes and in his pajamas, is currently floating above the summoning circle meant to bring The High Ghost King to earth. Hovering as if an invisible wire is holding his chest up while the rest of his body is slack for just a moment as Batman finishes the last incantation. 

The humid night summer air hits them with full force as the icy wind gets harshly sucked back into the portal leaving their ears and noses bitten with the rush of cold air, leaving their ears pop with the pressure drop, along with it disappears the eerie green glow. 

The only sign that the circle was active is the lingering taste of acid and the quickly dispersing feeling of static electricity. As last words are spoken Danny drops like a sack of potatoes from his position floating five feet in the air. 

The Flash zips over to and catches him before he hits the ground. The movement jarring Danny awake instantly, who quickly takes a glance around him at the cornfields and back at the Flash and relaxes. 

Then immediately tenses again as Flash zips him over to an empty lawn chair, the cornfield rustling his wake, and sets him down before heading back to his own lawnchair next to Hal’s. 

Bonelessly, Danny seeps into the lawnchair’s hold as he groans, looking exhausted, then glancing at his clunky neon green and white watch with his father’s face peering up at him from the end of the watch’s hands. 

“You guys know that I get up at 5 to milk the cows, right? Not at 3. Thanks for the wake up call but this is a little earlier than I’d like.” Danny said. 

Batman turned to face the pajama-clad farm boy and sighed, “We’ve had this discussion before, Fenton. The summoning must begin at the witching hour per the instructions or we risk summoning another entity instead.”  

“World’s greatest detective and he cant punch a hole through reality right,” Danny groaned as he limply flopped his head toward Batman who was heading to join the rest of the group around the fire, “At this point I should just stay up with you guys and wait if this keeps happening.”

Batman narrows his eyes and begins to open his mouth when Danny cuts him off, “If you say another word about me knowing what nights you try to summon the Ghost King on may interfere with the process and might decrease the odds of a successful summon, I am going to find the High Ghost myself and ask it to remove every gargoyle and grotesque perch in gotham and dump them into the sewer.” 

Flash scrubs his face in his hands and distantly looks over to Batman, “Give the kid a rest Bats. It’s been five times we’ve dumped him in this field without a warning. I can’t blame him for being at least a little displeased.” He turns to the yawning kid fighting off sleep next to him,  “Sorry man, we really thought it would work this time” 

“No, that's fine. Again, I really shouldn’t have tried to sleep if I knew you guys were going to keep up at it.”  Danny looked around at the other supers huddled around the campfire, sitting in lawn chairs that were all similar states of decay. 

“We still doing s’mores?” 

Hal grabbed the mostly empty bag of jumbo marshmallows next to his seat and tossed them to Danny, “Saved some just for you, kid.”  

Batman’s eyes narrowed from where he sits, now also sitting on the opposite side of the fire as Danny with Wonder Woman on his left and Superman on his right as he maintains direct eye contact with Hal.

The fire crackled inbetween them as Hal sighed and looked at Bruce, “No kidding, he’s pissed Bats. You're the one who keeps pressing that we need to summon this Ghost King. From what the kid says, if it’s still summoning him then it’s just finding the highest source of ectoplasm in the area and bringing it to the circle. Doesn’t help that the kid’s ecto-contaminated enough from his upbringing that it just pulls him in. I cannot imagine that he’s pleased at being awoken at ass-o-clock in the morning for the fifth time.”

“Hhm, you’re just mad you’re not getting your beauty sleep, Hal.”

“Oh trust me, I am. But we can’t just keep summoning this poor kid over and over.” 

“I’m 18!”

Ignoring the kid, Hal continued, “We need a way to fix this. Have we called Constantine yet?”

Batman sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, “I’m aware this was another failure,” 

“You can say that again” Danny grumbles as he assembles his s’more with more force than necessary.

“It’s been a repeated mistake so far, I will admit that Daniel.” 

“Don’t call me that.” Danny snaps.

“Dan.”

“Don’t call me that either.”

“Danny, then. It is important that we keep trying. Constantine will be here in three days if this is not sorted out by then. However, I’d prefer to not interact with that man if I can help it so we will continue until then to do it with our own efforts.”

Danny, not Daniel and especially Not Dan, now gripes, roasting (or more accurately, burning the everloving shit out of) his smore over the fire, “I don’t even understand why it’s so important to summon him- oh shit!” 

The marshmallow melted off the stick and fell into the flames, already being a charred brick of carbon, it probably wouldn’t taste all that different from the cinders it fell on. 

Danny turned to Hal, “do we have more?” 

“Sure do, kid. Got a whole bag.” Hal grabbed and handed Danny a new marshmellow who viciously skewered the poor thing and shoved it mercilessly back into the flames. 

As his marshmallows immediately burst aflame, he turned back to Batman and repeats, “I don’t even understand why it's so important. He’s not even that cool of a guy, I swear.” Danny retrieved his newly made lump of coal from the fire and turned away to assemble the rest of his s’more, clearly not done with complaining but deciding to not test any more of Batman’s limit to dealing with half-dead children. —-- Clark sighed to Bruce’s right. His cape rustled lightly in the slight breeze that ran through the cornfield. That same breeze was also blowing the smoke from the fire directly in his face. He was told to be in this spot. Or more accurately, he was bullied to by Hal and Barry while Bruce, (who Clark just knew was getting a kick out of seeing Superman, The Man of Steel have to deal with directly inhaling campfire smoke for hours on end) stood watching from the shadows with a slight grin on his face because while Bruce didn’t admit it out loud, he was an asshole who liked seeing Clark in minor amounts of misery) who said that there wasn't enough spaces around the fire for someone to not be directly in the smoke’s path so he should sit there because technically didn't need to breathe.

The bane of his existence, the lot of them. Especially Bruce. At least tomorrow he’ll be able to watch Bruce struggle to milk a cow. The nerve of city boys these days. 

Clark took his eyes off the fire and turned to look at the asshole who’s made his days a little more bearable, “What do we do now Batman? This clearly isn’t working right.” He spoke quietly, turning his unnaturally sky blue eyes to observe Danny who was now making his second s’more while asking(interrogating) Hal again about the aliens he’s met while working for the Green Lantern Corps.

To his right he could hear the sound of heavy shifting fabric and quietly squeaking leather, the beat of Bruce's heart still as steady as ever as the white lenses of the cowl’s eyes stared at Clark’s back. 

Despite his frustration, Bruce hid it well, as he always did. But Clark could tell. “We did everything exactly as Madame Xanadu instructed. Either her instructions were wrong or we’re missing something,” Bruce spoke back in barely a whisper as he knew that Clark would be able to hear him no matter how quiet he attempted to be. 

After all, there was no need to talk louder on Bruce’s end. As long as Clark spoke loud enough for him to hear, they could converse partially in secret among the heroes around the fire.  

“Constantine is coming in three days.” Clark shifted his gaze back to Bruce who sat in his lawnchair with his typical guarded posture, the fire casting dramatic shadows across his face covered in the sculpted cowl, “You sure Captain Marvel is not available?” Clark asked.

“Marvel is currently dealing with matters at the Rock of Eternity.” Batman whispered. “It’s important that we continue to try to get incontact with the Ghost King with as least outside help as we can manage. Madame Xanadu said that he may be a powerful ally but could turn into a great threat if we’re not careful. The faster we establish contact, the faster we can determine whether this Ghost King can be trusted.”

“And be able to determine how to take him down if he goes rogue.” 

“The faster we get him on our side, the longer I have to-” Clark huffed and cut the Dark Knight of Gotham off. 

Leaning his arm back over the chair, he raised his eyebrows at his friend. All too used to Bruce’s need for contingency plans. “And the faster you’ll be able to find a way to take ghosts down? I know that you need us here in case something goes wrong because otherwise you would have done this yourself.” 

Clark continued, “But if this doesn’t work, Perry is going to threaten to fire me again if I don’t come back with a story about a peace treaty with the Ghost Realm.”

Bruce shifted his cape around himself, “He’s a powerful ghost with unknown abilities and is rumored to be able to take down entire cities with a massive skeletal army. I’m obviously out of my depth here, Clark.” 

“Hm.” 

They both fell into a comfortable silence for a moment. A light rustling breeze passed through the cornfield, making them wave softly as the sound of crickets in the distance and the crack of embers, pierced the humid night air. The sky overhead was filled with stars with the moon almost at its fullest. 

The silence was quickly broken by Hal who piped up from across the now dying fire, “Hey lovebirds! Now that you’ve stopped having one of your creepy one way conversations. I’d like to head inside for the night.”

Clark could hear Bruce just fine, it wasn’t his fault that Hal didn’t have the superhearing necessary to understand the other half of the conversation. It helped that the reactions it got were funny.

Hal continued, “it’s now 3:30 in the morning and Danny over here,” he nodded his head in Danny’s direction, “looks dead on his feet.” 

Danny, sure enough, looked absolutely exhausted.  

“Pfft, nah, only about half dead. I used to only get way less sleep in high school. Guess I’m just not used to it anymore.” Danny yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Hal patted Danny on the back and stood up, “Come on, kid. Let’s head back inside so you can catch up on your sleep.”

Danny waved him off, “It’s all good. I went to bed at eight so I got a good seven hours of sleep. Just not quite used to being magically summoned in the middle of a cornfield at 3am yet,” he said, brushing off his pajama pants and standing up.

“I better head inside and change so I can get a head start on cleaning the cow shed.” Clapping his hands on his legs, Danny hauled himself to his feet freeing himself from the ratty lawnchair’s grasp and headed down the gravel path to the farmhouse.

To the average human, the night sky just ever so barely illuminated the long path back. But to Clark, he could see the boy retreat as if it were day. Watching the boy reach the junction of the path then pause and think for a moment. Turning around he called out to the group of heros,

“By the way, who is Constantine?”

[spiralcass]

Jon Kent 🤝 Hope Summers: Knowing what the main characters of their franchises are about.