Heroes of the Squared Circle 20: Scattered Fragments

[mithen]

Title: Scattered Fragments
Relationship: Clark/Bruce
Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Waylon Jones, Jack Napier, Dick Grayson, Lex Luthor
Continuity: Heroes of the Squared Circle, a DC/pro wrestling fusion ( click for notes and all chapters).
Warnings/Spoilers: Character death
Rating: PG
Word Count 2800
Summary: Tragedy strikes the DCW.

Comments

[queen0fcups]

Well...it had to happen.

I wasn't expecting you to find a way to preserve Tony Zucco's involvement so I very nearly read that as a twist rather than the appropriate canon call-back it is.

Thank you for the inclusion of Luthor's amusing old timer question about the uploading thing to lighten the misery.

Selina made a choked sound and Harvey put his arm around her.

I never thought I'd say this about any version of these two characters, but suddenly I ship it.

"--That's why you're so good at this 'Billionaire Brucie' gimmick," Clark said, realization hitting him. "You never forget that he's not just some spoiled rich guy, that underneath it all there's a kid who saw his parents die in front of him: a scared kid who doesn't believe that love can come without a price to be paid."

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT MY HEART COULDN'T BE ANY MORE BROKEN. Oh. Oh God. I won't be able to take it, I think, when Clark finally finds out that Bruce IS Bruce.

[mithen]

Yeah, it had to happen! I had a hard time posting this one...

I wasn't expecting you to find a way to preserve Tony Zucco's involvement so I very nearly read that as a twist rather than the appropriate canon call-back it is.

It's funny, I wasn't going to have him, but I kind of felt like someone had to face justice somewhere for it! Having it just be a random accident was almost too painful, in a way...

I never thought I'd say this about any version of these two characters, but suddenly I ship it.

Ha! I thought that too, and it surprised me!

Oh. Oh God. I won't be able to take it, I think, when Clark finally finds out that Bruce IS Bruce.

I just want to pat both of them here! Clark is so close to understanding what's going on--he understands Bruce just fine, but not this one fact about him, and poor Bruce...

[ctbn60]

I knew it was coming but it was really hard to read. You did an amazing job on this chapter. It was heart wrenching! I'm looking forward to some justice happening in regards to the accident. I know Bruce will make sure it happens!

[mithen]

Ah, thank you! I'd been dreading writing and posting it, so it was kind of a relief to get it up and over. Poor Dick... *sniffles for him*

[rdfox]

I'll be back to give more detailed comments later (I have to get to class soon), but for now, I'll just say this:

Beautifully done. It really got across the horror of the moment without seeming like it was exploitative, and showed how things work in the wrestling business when tragedy strikes while still having everyone come across as the normal humans, with normal emotional responses, that they are.

As someone who found out about Owen's death when the news flashed through rec.sport.pro-wrestling and the various wrestling news sites, and sent the then-WWF an email excoriating the decision to finish the show that night (and later regretted doing so after finding out the reasons for the decision)... this was very, very hard to read. And I mean that in the best way possible. Not that it was bad; that it was uncomfortable, and appropriately so. Well done.

[mithen]

I really thought about adding a warning to this one that it deliberately references the death of a real person, but I couldn't figure out a way to do it at all gracefully. To be honest, I had a brutal time writing this not so much because I was killing off characters but because I had kind of boxed myself into having to very heavily echo Owen's death (what was kind of a cool parallel idea when I started brainstorming this series years ago turned out to make me very uncomfortable when the actual scene came around). I'm glad to hear it didn't come off too exploitative, I really wanted to avoid sentimental melodrama with it, but the genre of the fic is so over-the-top that I worried it wouldn't come out right at all.

[qwertylover7]

I've read this chapter at least three times now and I'm still not quite sure how to respond. I'm glad this is in Clark's p.o.v. I don't think I could stand hearing all of Bruce's thoughts as he rushes to Dick and is in the ambulance and the hospital.

I feel like yelling at Bruce. Just tell Clark already. Your in Gotham it'll be easy to prove. Not that Clark would actually need proof, probably.

I liked the end, now Clark gets to see Bruce in action. Clues and puzzles and mysteries and getting justice. I don't think Bruce can be in any form without that part of him shinning through.

I don't know much about people who lose parents but I sure Dick would rather be with you right now than Scott and Barda. Someone who understands what he's going through.

[mithen]

I'm glad this is in Clark's p.o.v. I don't think I could stand hearing all of Bruce's thoughts as he rushes to Dick and is in the ambulance and the hospital.

*shudders* I was extremely glad this is limited to Clark's POV in this chapter, that's for sure.

I liked the end, now Clark gets to see Bruce in action. Clues and puzzles and mysteries and getting justice. I don't think Bruce can be in any form without that part of him shinning through.

I couldn't help chuckling a bit when I realized that somehow Bruce and Clark have managed to find themselves a small mystery! They're incorrigible...

I don't know much about people who lose parents but I sure Dick would rather be with you right now than Scott and Barda. Someone who understands what he's going through.

I know...I think Bruce just felt like he couldn't keep his own issues from being a problem--I thin he was wrong, but I do know he'll be there for Dick from now on, very faithfully!

[starsandsea]

"I'd like to thank you as well," said John as Dick scampered from the room. "For taking him under your wing. He's needed some extra guidance, and--well, no son has ever completely enjoyed taking advice from their father."

"He's a good kid," said Bruce, standing and shaking John's hand. "It's my pleasure."

"I'll see you in Gotham tomorrow," said John. "We Gotham kids have to give our hometown the best show we can, right?" He cuffed Bruce lightly on the shoulder and left.

*wibbles a lot*

Bruce didn't turn back around. "Well, I'm finally back in an angle with you," his voice drifted back as he lifted his hand in a casual gesture: Elementary.

*squees quietly*

"Dick," said a voice at Clark's elbow. He turned to see Bruce, his face white, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Where's Dick?"

D: D: D: D: D:

"I'm willing to go out there and wrestle," said Clark. Everyone turned to look at him. "For the kids in the audience, to give them something to take home other than nightmares. But I don't have an opponent." For Bruce had simply

[mithen]

Ahhh, you know what a hard time I had writing this--and that's even with having the "camera" of the narrative mostly staying away from the details! I just felt so bad for Dick...and for Bruce, who's really struggling with his own demons in this chapter.

I admit I kind of liked the idea of Scott and Barda, who are clearly the most stable couple in the DCW, taking Dick in for now and being there for him. Now I'm kind of curious what their non-wrestling backstory is!

I did really enjoy writing everyone desperately working to get the videos pulled down--I'm going to just assert that in this world they can do that, even though I know in reality they'd crop up forever...

Detective!Bruce in the next chapter, yay! :) Thank you so much for letting me vent and whine while I was writing this, Star...