Heroes of the Squared Circle: Takeover (73/74)

[mithen]

Title: Takeover
Relationship: Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, Joker
Continuity: Heroes of the Squared Circle, a DC/pro wrestling fusion.
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
Word Count 3700
Summary: Batman, Superman, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent all have something important to tell Lex Luthor.

Comments

[starsandsea]

“Yes it would,” said Clark, “and you know it.” He turned back to the door. “Lex,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“This,” said Lex through gritted teeth as Clark swung the door open. “This, Kent, is why you will never be champion--your overweening, holier-than-thou arrogance.”

“I’m sorry,” Clark said again, and let the door shut behind him.

Ah, Clark... *pets him*

Clark threw up his hands. “Bruce, no way was I going to ask him about my chances for a heavyweight title shot, you know that! I can’t believe you even wanted me to!”

Bruce looked at his face for a while. “But he answered you anyway, didn’t he?” He watched as Clark rubbed wordlessly at his face. “It’s never going to happen.”

“That’s not a good reason to take over someone’s business, Bruce.”

*pets them both*

“Oh my God,” said Barbara. “I was right! It’s really happening--it’s happening now, isn’t it?”

“What’s now?” said Diana.

“We need to watch this,” Barbara said, grabbing the remote and turning up the sound as Clark and Bruce left catering. “Everyone should probably watch this. Hold on, I gotta call Dick!”

Eeeee, Babs!

the entrance theme for the World’s Finest--the song which hadn’t been heard for months--hit the arena, and Superman and Batman came down to the ring.

Eeeee!

On it were Clark Kent in full backstage interviewer regalia, holding a microphone for Billionaire Brucie in a sharp suit, a red rose in his buttonhole.

Oh, I love how you did that, and how you were able to include not just Batman and Superman, but Clark and Brucie too, how wonderful!

threw his arms up, making dramatic firework noises

Hee, the image of Bruce making firework noises!

Bruce nodded. “It’s true,” he said. “Clark and I are majority stockholders now. The company is ours.”

*flails*

“No,” said Bruce. “No, Lex. It’s about the Graysons. It’s about your greed costing a boy his parents, and your cowardice nearly denying him justice. It was always about the Graysons.”

*flails and hearts this line SO MUCH*

“Cut me off and drop me when I’m done,” he said under his breath, looking Clark dead in the eye. “And make it look good, you son of a bitch.”

Then he raised his mic and started to rant.

It was a monologue for the ages--one of the best heel promos of all time, the message boards agreed later, starting with “You think you’ve won! You think you’ve defeated me! Well, no one defeats Lex Luthor!” and working its way through a crescendo of melodramatic fury as the crowd tried to drown him out with their jeers. “You’ll never succeed without my brilliance!” he eventually announced as Clark and Bruce waited. “That callow, fickle Wayne will lose interest in his latest toy and toss it away, and you will all rue the day he bought your souls. You’ll come crawling back to me one day on your hands and knees, begging me to save your sorry hides, and I will look down on you and laugh.” His eyes flashed as he threw out his hands to take in the crowd. “And these simpletons! They’ll realize what they’ve lost. They’ll come to loathe you! These gullible, moronic, simple-minded sheep who don’t recognize greatness when it stands in front of them, who do not recognize that I, Lex Luthor, am the greatest genius of my generation! I embrace their contempt! I revel in their hatred! Listen to them!”

He threw out his hands and closed his eyes, and for a moment he smiled as the audience howled, drinking it in, supreme in his element. Then he met Clark’s eyes and nodded once, the tiniest motion, before opening his mouth to speak again.

“And so--” he started, but he didn’t finish, because Superman stepped forward and punched him once, a roundhouse blow that dropped him in his tracks.

Mercy came running, glaring at Superman and Batman (and at Clark and Bruce) and helped her boss to his feet, trying to provide support. Lex shoved her away: “I’m walking out on my own, damn it,” he snarled.

And he did.

Oh, I'm so glad, in a lot of ways, that Lex was able to go out like that - I had to quote it all, because it was a perfect ending for him!

[mithen]

Oh, I love how you did that, and how you were able to include not just Batman and Superman, but Clark and Brucie too, how wonderful!

I was so happy when I remembered they could do that time-delay thing, whoo! And it's fascinating because I can totally imagine Lex beginning to suspect something is up, but being unable to bring himself to interrupt and reveal the illusion...

Bruce making firework noises cracked me up! You goof...

And Lex's farewell speech! I was really happy he ran with it and was able to get some closure of his own (while meaning everything he's saying with all his heart!)