That is indeed some very, very extreme hurt/comfort. I believe I gasped out loud when I realized the extent of Clark's injuries. I think what I liked best about the setup--narratively, I mean--was that it gives Bruce an entirely natural reason to be brusque and tough with him, because letting someone wallow in self-pity in this situation is not at all a good thing. Even more than usual, then, the care beneath the harshness shines through. Also, the image of Bruce reading "The Little Prince" made me want to weep with laughter or pain, I don't know which. I was just thinking about that book yesterday (specifically the scenes between the Prince and the fox, of course), and I can very much see Bruce picking it out to read to Clark.
I'm surprised to find that I think one of my favorite scenes was the encounter with the veteran. It worked really well to remind both us and Clark that his situation is hardly unique at all.
(I am also terribly glad you allowed his hearing to dull a bit, because being able to hear and not help would be the greatest agony I can imagine for Clark).
I usually don't enjoy watching Bruce and Lex vie for Clark, but it really worked in this story--maybe because the situation was so very extreme and I was perversely glad this time for Clark to have some concrete evidence that he was still worth fighting for.
"Bruce, I never knew."
"That I had a copy of Vanity Fair?"
Ah, witty banter, misunderstandings, and a romantic clinch at the end. I love the classics. :)
Thank you. Yes, I probably should have put a few 'very's in front of extreme in the warnings. I'm never quite sure what to put in warnings without giving too much away. I intended for the reader to discover the extent of the injuries at the same time as Clark. People who are suddenly introduced to this situation (accidents, combat) react slightly differently from ones that have time to prepare (disease, neural disorders). But it's hard on everyone. Including the caretakers.
I debated on having Clark wake up during The Little Prince, because some of the lines are so quotable and applicable to this situation and to Bruce and Clark in general (the Prince and the Fox or even the Prince and the Rose). It's a beautiful book. But I amused myself with Vanity Fair instead. *g*
As for the veteran, I have to admit that he's a bit of a RL cameo. I don't generally do that with OCs, but I did here. But I can say that despite the isolation, there is some reaching out, mentoring, between people who've experienced this.
I didn't really explain why his powers had diminished with the injuries, but I've already written Clark once in a situation where he could hear everything and couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't do that again.
I usually don't enjoy watching Bruce and Lex vie for Clark, but it really worked in this story--maybe because the situation was so very extreme and I was perversely glad this time for Clark to have some concrete evidence that he was still worth fighting for.
At this point, Clark is feeling incredibly undesirable and so doesn't interpret Bruce's actions as being sexually or romantically motivated at all (and even in normal circumstances, Bruce can be difficult to interpret). He purposefully avoids Lois because he doesn't think he has anything to offer anymore (but I don't think Bruce is so far off the mark in guessing that Clark would have proposed if she stormed into the manor looking for him, and maybe his reasoning for not letting her in are a little less altruistic than he claims). Bruce would see an SV Lex as a temptation for Clark and a threat. I do admit that I've written this triangle a few times (that's how I came into the Bruce/Clark pairing in the first place *sheepish*). But yes, Clark does need to hear something besides the vague reassurances of someone/someday that Bruce gives him earlier.
Ah, witty banter, misunderstandings, and a romantic clinch at the end. I love the classics. :)
So does Clark, in this story. And *very* secretly, maybe Bruce, even though he dismisses this type of ending as trash and unrealistic. *g*
I'm surprised to find that I think one of my favorite scenes was the encounter with the veteran. It worked really well to remind both us and Clark that his situation is hardly unique at all.
(I am also terribly glad you allowed his hearing to dull a bit, because being able to hear and not help would be the greatest agony I can imagine for Clark).
I usually don't enjoy watching Bruce and Lex vie for Clark, but it really worked in this story--maybe because the situation was so very extreme and I was perversely glad this time for Clark to have some concrete evidence that he was still worth fighting for.
"Bruce, I never knew."
"That I had a copy of Vanity Fair?"
Ah, witty banter, misunderstandings, and a romantic clinch at the end. I love the classics. :)
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I debated on having Clark wake up during The Little Prince, because some of the lines are so quotable and applicable to this situation and to Bruce and Clark in general (the Prince and the Fox or even the Prince and the Rose). It's a beautiful book. But I amused myself with Vanity Fair instead. *g*
As for the veteran, I have to admit that he's a bit of a RL cameo. I don't generally do that with OCs, but I did here. But I can say that despite the isolation, there is some reaching out, mentoring, between people who've experienced this.
I didn't really explain why his powers had diminished with the injuries, but I've already written Clark once in a situation where he could hear everything and couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't do that again.
I usually don't enjoy watching Bruce and Lex vie for Clark, but it really worked in this story--maybe because the situation was so very extreme and I was perversely glad this time for Clark to have some concrete evidence that he was still worth fighting for.
At this point, Clark is feeling incredibly undesirable and so doesn't interpret Bruce's actions as being sexually or romantically motivated at all (and even in normal circumstances, Bruce can be difficult to interpret). He purposefully avoids Lois because he doesn't think he has anything to offer anymore (but I don't think Bruce is so far off the mark in guessing that Clark would have proposed if she stormed into the manor looking for him, and maybe his reasoning for not letting her in are a little less altruistic than he claims). Bruce would see an SV Lex as a temptation for Clark and a threat. I do admit that I've written this triangle a few times (that's how I came into the Bruce/Clark pairing in the first place *sheepish*). But yes, Clark does need to hear something besides the vague reassurances of someone/someday that Bruce gives him earlier.
Ah, witty banter, misunderstandings, and a romantic clinch at the end. I love the classics. :)
So does Clark, in this story. And *very* secretly, maybe Bruce, even though he dismisses this type of ending as trash and unrealistic. *g*
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