bakerstreet | Arranged Marriage Meme

Arranged Marriage Meme

Marriage for love is a such a modern concept. In the past, marriage was
recognised as a social contract. Unions were entered into for many
reasons: to obtain property, to unite families, to carry on a bloodline,
et cetera. Whatever the reason, congratulations, you're getting married!

HOW IT WORKS:
❧ Post a comment with your character's name, canon, and any preferences.
❧ If there's a specific set of circumstances you like best, set the scene.
❧ Or leave your comment blank and let others use RNG to choose the scenario. Feel free to mix and match.
❧ Please note the prompts below are merely suggestions and you're more than welcome to come up with your own situation.
❧ Have fun!

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MARRIAGE:
① Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
② Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
③ Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
④ Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
⑤ Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement, alternately you're the spoils of war.
⑥ Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
⑦ Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS:
① First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
② Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
③ Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
④ Wedding day → The big day!
⑤ Reception → The big party!
⑥ Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
⑦ Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The sudden flush makes Bruce blink, wondering what on Earth has caused it. There's a tiny part of his mind, a very small voice, that tells him that he likes this look on Kal-El; that this shyness, this easy embarrassment, is something extremely attractive. Especially since he knows full well that it's him who caused it; him and this brief touch on his hand.

He ignores it with an effort. Stifles the urge to slide his hand further upwards to see if that flush will deepen or even spread further.

Instead, he focuses on the words. ]

Gotham's darkness is the reason why I cannot leave it. [ His control is perfect enough that his voice remains flat. ] I swore as a child that I will better her. Make her a city where all her citizens can be safe and be proud of her.

[ He shakes his head, fully pulling away from Kal-El and crossing his arms. His eyes are dark and serious. ]

I do not break my vows, Kal-El.

[ Come with me, he thinks suddenly. Live on Earth, on Gotham, with me. Fight for Earth, even if you don't belong to it, because you can belong to me.

Foolish, wishful thinking. ]

[Kal frowns, confused. He can and does understand wanting to protect something like that- he would fight for Krypton with all he has, if he had to. He’d thought about joining the military guild, even putting himself through interacting with Zod on a daily basis, if only to keep its people safe. He’d do anything for them and he’d do anything to make his planet a better place.

But he wouldn’t be foolish enough to think that he can save it on his own. He knows it’s not a one-man kind of job. He’d decided, seconds into this conversation, that the man in front of him wasn’t mad. Just a tad weird and trying to get out of a marriage he didn’t want. He’s beginning to reassess that conclusion.

Bruce hasn’t let go of his wrist yet, so he shifts to hold Bruce’s hand instead.]

A single man cannot better a city nor save it. Especially not if that city is under attack by my people, and you know that will certainly happen if we don’t strengthen the bonds between our planets.

I can help. I will help. [How? He doesn’t know. He finds he doesn’t care. He just knows with absolutely certainty that he wants to help Bruce protect his city just like he protects his own planet. He squeezes the man’s hand between his own.]

But I need to do so as your husband.

[ The grip on his wrist makes him blink, but it's those words that truly surprises him. Takes him so aback that he finds himself gaping, mouth open and eyes wide as he stares at Kal-El. Stares at this man he has met for only minutes but who is now telling him that he will help him. Help him save a city that he has never even seen.

What are you, Bruce thinks, suddenly dizzy. What the hell are you?

Kal-El is a Kryptonian. The heir of the Science Guild. Son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. But none of those facts actually answer his question. No, they are the reasons why Bruce wants to break this marriage off - Kal-El is in too high of a position to abandon his planet. And Bruce has always thought of his Mission as being his and his alone. ]

Why? [ The word bursts out of him, and he pulls his hand out of Kal-El's grip, striding away and shaking his head hard. ] You've never even seen Gotham. You don't know how dark she is, how terrible the crime. You've never known her beauty. Why would you even think to help?

[ He looks at Kal-El, eyes bright with confusion and disbelief. ] There are plenty of rich men and women who would be willing to enter a marriage with you. [ You're beautiful, he thinks, but swallows the words back. ][ He looks at his hands for a moment before he clenches them, gritting his teeth as he stares at Kal-El again. ]

You've seen what I am. Why are you insisting on marrying me?

Have I?

[The words are out before he can catch himself, and he makes a face when he realizes it. He’s usually better at controlling himself, especially when it comes to his words. But what’s done is done so he might as well explain himself.

He reaches to motion at the man’s suit. At theman’s glasses, now on his hand. ] I have seen all this, and I have seen what the human press has to say about you. I have seen what you pretend to be, of course I have. But I would rather you not insult me by implying that is all there is to you. What I am seeing right now, what I have seen in these precious few minutes has been more than I ever saw.

And my father… [He frowns as he shakes his head, looking extremely confused.] He would never force me into this marriage; that I know for sure. If I were to tell him I wish to marry someone else he would listen- and if you want me to do it, I will. I think his voice will be heard and we will find another way to create a treaty.

[Probably marry Kal-El with someone else. The Luthors are also wealthy and they have expressed a lot of interest in their culture.]

But he speaks of your family in high regard. And I would like to understand why. Perhaps we do not need to marry yet, these matters take a lot of time and as long as we are seen together everyone will be content.

But I want to know about you. The real you that fights for his city. And I want to know her, as well. I want to see the world, Bruce Wayne. So please allow me to see it by your side.

[ There are other choices for Kal-El, of course. Right now, the Luthor heir is the primary of them - Lex Luthor, of Metropolis. He has declared himself to be bisexual the very moment that the news of political marriages got out, and Bruce knows exactly the reason why. For a man like Luthor, living in Krypton is likely to be a dream come true.

He should let Luthor marry Kal-El. He should step away now, take the opening that Kal-El has given him and tell the man that he truly does not want to marry him. But, somehow, the very thought of Luthor marrying Kal-El, of a man like him having such a beautiful and gentle creature by his side, is enough to make anger start to rage in his veins.

Bruce bites down hard on the inside of his cheek, bursting capillaries and letting metal and bitterness flood his tongue. His eyes remain on Kal-El for a moment more. He doesn't believe in fate or destiny, never has (how can he do what he does if he even has a shred of belief?), but this... this draw he feels deep within him, his ache beneath his skin to touch, it's nearly enough to make him want to find an excuse.

Instead of reaching out and grabbing Kal-El and laying down his claim onto his lips like he wants to, Bruce only nods, his eyes heavy-lidding as he turns away. ]

You'll change your mind once you see all that you have to see. [ With absolute conviction. ] All you have seen of Earth is its glittering surfaces. Gotham has none of those - she is the seedy, dark underbelly; a city where the worst of humanity comes to the fore.

[ Including me, he doesn't say. And Bruce can't stand talking so terribly of his beloved city for long, so- ]

But there are parts of her that shows the best too. The people of Gotham have never lost hope in a better future, Kal-El, and I promised to give them one. [ A pause, and he tilts his head back to give Kal-El a wry smile. ] I make for a terrible tour guide.

[Kal raises an eyebrow. Until that point he’d looked interested in this conversation, intrigued, and very, very focused on Bruce. Now he merely looks amused.]

You are being honest with me, so I feel obliged to do the same. I would not go with you merely to get to know my fiancé better, if that were my intention I would ask you not to leave. But that darkness you describe, that world beyond the glitter and sparkles and everything my people have done to make your world seem more appealing to us…

I want to know it. I want to save it! I want to protect it; I never wanted to stay in Krypton all my life. When my father was younger he disregarded my grandfather’s orders, he traveled the forbidden lands in Krypton and investigated on his own. It is thanks to him that we are now able to travel this far. It is thanks to him that we felt drawn to Earth in a peaceful way because he convinced the council there your people were smart enough to make treaties with, that our people were compatible. An even though Syeg-El still resents his son for not being who he expected to be he is one of the greatest minds of Krypton. [‘And I want to be just like him’. He sounds more and more agitated as he speaks, getting more into what he's saying. No one else had asked, no one else had bothered to listen before.]

So show me, show me everything, show me the dark corners and the unpleasant palces and the worst humanity has to offer because I will take nothing less. I don’t care for Zod’s message, we are not conquerors that will change your ways to make you more like us. This marriage is not to force you to be a quiet presence by my side- at least that is not my intention.

But if I do not see the worst in your world, how am I to understand it? How am I to hope, like your people do? How am I to understand their struggles?

[ As Kal-El speaks, Bruce is becoming more and more aware of himself. Within those words, Kal-El is laying out his dreams on Bruce's feet, and Bruce... Bruce is finding that the tight grip he has on his emotions, his heart, is loosening. And the pieces are falling through his fingers, invisible crystals littering around Kal-El's feet, heartstrings appearing to wind around his body.

This is a terrible idea, he thinks dully to himself. Coming here, meeting this man... has been a terrible idea. He should have tried harder to avoid this. Should have tried harder to turn away. Because his eyes are now fixed upon the brilliant blue of Kal-El's, the blue that no human can ever claim to, and he knows, knows with a certainty that had before been reserved for his Mission, that he is falling in love.

Maybe it's the words. Maybe it's that Bruce isn't listening at all, simply hearing that voice and the passion within. The rawness of emotions he had thought no one capable of, much less an alien. ]

I- [ is that really his own voice, this hoarse, unpolished thing? Bruce swallows. Forces himself to straighten. ]

I can show it to you, Kal-El. I'll bring you to the dark alleys, where the bricks and dirt smell of blood and fluids and everything stinks of evil. I'll bring you to the Narrows, where despair mixes with drugs in the air, and even in bright daylight the darkness lingers. I'll- [ he licks his lips, and presses on- ] I'll bring you to the ballrooms and the hotel lobbies, where the bright lights cannot dim the evil and greed lingering in the walls from countless vultures in human skins.

[ He reaches out, and his hand is calloused and yet infinitely gentle as he brushes Kal-El's cheeks. ]

If you want to see what it means to be human, if you want to see all of it, then I will show it to you. Afterwards...

I only hope that you will not change your mind.

[ This is too good to be true. Too good to last. At the back of his mind, Bruce is starting to think of possible contingency plans. Just in case Kal-El sees all that he wishes to, and finds humanity lacking. ]

No.

[He’s smiling openly right now- grinning, really. He’d expected this to be a boring meeting with the man in the pictures… he’d hoped they would get along eventually but he was pretty much ready to dislike him right away. And instead he gets… this. Whatever this man is. He just knows he wants him by his side forever, wants to show him everything and everyone and see what he has to say about them, what he thinks about every little thing. He wants to show him krypton and see how he’d improve it, wants to hear his thoughts on whatever Kal-El has to say.

Has it really just been less than an hour? Why is he feeling like this? He wants to tell his father, his mother. But he isn’t sure they would understand.

(Or would they? Is he smiling at Bruce the way they smile at each other?)]

When you show me the worse humanity has to offer you will also show me the best.

[ The openness of Kal-El's smile digs into something deep within him, something Bruce thought he has exorcised long ago. The warmth of it have transformed into fingers, wrapping around his own, cradling the heart he holds so carefully and catching all the broken pieces of it. Bruce nearly shivers from the strength of it, dizzily wondering just what this man- this alien- is doing to him that he finds himself so drawn after less than an hour.

Even at the grand old age of twenty-one, Bruce has met plenty of people. Teachers, fellow disciples, people fighting the same fight as he is on a different battlefield, people fighting on the same battlefield except transplanted... and yet none of them has managed to sink so deep beneath his skin. So deep that Bruce's fingers physically ache whenever he's not touching Kal-El's skin.

I want to kiss you, he thinks suddenly. And that- that's the least of it. He wants to kiss Kal-El and never stop kissing him. He wants to step even closer, stand next to him and always have him by his side. He wants to bring Kal-El back to Earth, powers be damned, and show him all of it. He wants Kal-El to fight beside him, the light and joy to Batman's darkness and terror.

So selfish, so very, very selfish, for Bruce already knows the pain and suffering his path brings even though he has been Batman for less than a year. Yet there is strength in Kal-El, strength in those hands around his heart and the heart shining in his star-bright eyes, and Bruce finds himself hoping that this might just be what he needs. What he has given up on.

Hoarsely, he says: ] I will. I will show you the people who keep fighting and hoping despite the darkness and filth. I'll bring you to the dark alleys and show you the cops who patrol them, trying their best to protect the citizens of the city. I'll bring you to the Narrows and show you the doctors who offer free healthcare out of their own pocket out of a belief that they can make a difference. I'll- I'll bring you to the ballroom and show you the few people with money and yet with genuine kindness and wish to help those in need.

[ He stifles down a shudder. Then, in a softer voice- ]

This is the last chance, Kal-El. If you still do not walk away, I'm not going to let you go. I will tear you from your very planet and set your roots down on Earth. [ Beside me. In sickness and in health. Until I no longer draw breath. ]

[He wraps an arm around Bruce’s own, bold and kind of drunk with the excitement of what the future might bring.]

You will find with time, dear Bruce, that I do not back down from a challenge. Ever. Especially not one as intriguing as this one. [Kal is not so sure Bruce will be able to take him to Earth and ‘set his roots’ without any repercussions. He wasn’t going to stay in Krypton forever, of course, but actually leaving the place and staying somewhere else forever are two very different concepts.

But he finds he does not care. Why? He doesn’t know. But he knows that as long as he has this man besides man everything will be alright. It’s like he’s been expecting for something to click all his life and now it finally has. Now he’s finally found a purpose, and someone who understands the things he’s passionate about. Now he’s finally found someone he feels completely and utterly drawn to. And he doesn’t want to let go because he’s afraid if he does he will never see him again.]

Let’s go.

Right now, I mean. The teleporters are still on, are they not? Show me a bit of it, let me breathe the air and meet the people and then we will be back. They will scold me but if I will deal with that.

Please?

[ The touch of Kal-El's arm wrapped around his, the feel of his body so close... Bruce clamps down on his own reactions, his own shuddering.

It's funny. Bruce knows he's alone in the world, the only man mad enough to think that he alone can save a city, and to save it by putting on the persona of a monstrous Bat and punching criminals in the face. To become a vigilante and take the laws in his own hands. There are no one else like Batman in the world. And yet... yet, when Kal-El is beside him like this, Bruce finds himself shifting.

He has a purpose. He has a Mission. But Kal-El's very presence makes him want to hope that he doesn't have to do it alone. That he not only has someone who sees all of him, who knows all of him (he has Alfred for that-), but who can fight beside him.

His eyes fly wide open at the suggestion. Bruce stares at Kal-El for a moment. He knows he's not supposed to leave; knows that Kal-El is supposed to take him around to show the world that he'll be staying in (trapped in) during their marriage. He knows that going against the rules will have consequences.

But Bruce has never been good at rules not of his own breaking. He looks at Kal-El again before he shifts his hand, sliding down his arm and gripping onto his wrist. ]

Let's go, then. It'll be late afternoon in Gotham now. And that's the best time for sightseeing.

[ Before Kal-El can change his mind - and Bruce keeps thinking he will - Bruce is starting to drag him out of the room towards the teleporters. ]

[Kryptonians do not touch each other as much as humans do. That had been evident within the first minutes of observing their behavior. There are countries more given to physical contact than others, of course, just like Krypton with his cities and guilds within them. But overall the humans seem to need some sort of physical reassurance Kryptonians don’t care for.

Or most Kryptonians don’t care for, Kal adds on the back of his mind. Because holding Bruce this close, having him reach for his wrist… it’s not that he doesn’t mind, he finds himself enjoying it. Wanting more. He wants to hug this man, pull him close, let their foreheads meet as they laugh together. He wants to let his head rest on Kal’s shoulder after they have witnessed something horrible, he wants to squeeze his hand whenever something is angering him to try to calm him down.

He wants to kiss him, he realizes as he enters the teleporter, and he blushes brightly at the realization. The teleporter isn’t spacious, which isn’t helping… but it’s fine, isn’t it? He’s going to marry this man; he knows it with certainty now. His father hadn’t lied. So he’ll do more than kiss him one day. It’s a promise to himself. But for that he has to get to know this man better.]

Bruce? Who is Matches Malone?

[ The simple touch of his fingers on Kal-El's wrist is like a tease for himself. A challenge of his control. Making sure that he doesn't slide them upwards; that he doesn't give into the urge to touch Kal-El's skin, every inch of it. It's a difficult test, and he finds himself shuddering inwardly as they step inside the teleporter.

This close, Kal-El's body heat is like the sun. Bruce wonders indistinctly if every Kryptonian feels so warm, or if it's just his fiancé.

He pushes the thought away when he hears Kal-El's question, focusing instead on not freezing up. The teleporters have brought them to Earth, to a little hilltop at the outskirts of Gotham. The car he had used to come here is parked just a little way away, and Bruce walks together as he thinks about what to say.

The truth is that Matches Malone is real. He was one of Falcone's men, a two-bit hood who died during a gang war that broke out right after Batman had first taken Falcone out of the seething underworld. Bruce had been there as he died, unable to stop it from happening. After that... Malone's smirks, Malone's drawl, they became seated in his head, becoming one of the voices offering commentary, and Bruce has simply made use of him the best he can. Like how he makes use of the other voices in his head.

(Technically, if Kal-El had believed him mad, he wouldn't be believing in an untruth. Technically.)

That's too much to tell Kal-El right now. So he says, instead: ]

He is a mask I wear. [ He gives Kal-El a lopsided smile, half-real. ] The rest of the answer to that will have to come after I show you Earth, I'm afraid.

[ Because if Kal-El is to fight beside him, he will have to tell him about Batman. And Kal-El will never understand Batman if he doesn't know Gotham. All of Gotham. ]

Edited 2015-02-15 10:28 (UTC)

[As always he gets more than he expects, with this man. He’d expected a silly answer, maybe some sort of reasoning on why he’d gone so far into making sure he didn’t end up marrying Kal. Doesn’t end up marrying Kal? In all fairness Kal doesn’t feel any closer to convincing him to marry him that he was when the conversation started but he is showing him his world so he must be doing something right.

When is it proper to kiss someone? He has no idea on the matter, Kryptonians do not kiss until the bond has been sealed- or really extreme circumstances. His father had kissed his mother after an earthquake had convinced them Jor had failed at saving his planet when they had yet to get married in front of the council, for example. But is it different for humans? Is he supposed to make it obvious to Bruce that he is interested, or keep it under wraps? Human courtship looks so complicated. Kal decides he will have to look up on it. But that will have to come later, because right now…]

Oh. [Right now Kal is having a hard time adjusting to Earth, and he reaches to cove his ears with a low hiss.] Oh. Earth is so loud, Bruce.

I’m sorry, I should have remembered- I was supposed to get training before coming down. It will take a second to control it. My apologies.

[ Kal-El has no more need to convince Bruce that to marry him. Because Bruce wants to; wants to have this man and have the world see him and know that he belongs to Bruce Wayne. To Bruce, who is unworthy and undeserving and yet has Kal-El by his side anyway.

What he is worried about is Kal-El's own choice. That's the deepest bite of all now: that Kal-El is forced into this marriage just as he is, and though the cause is perhaps just - intergalactic politics and the safety of Earth are good reasons - there is no need for Kal-El to sacrifice his chance at happiness. Of a simpler life with someone who is not Bruce Wayne, who doesn't know the meaning of the word.

The hiss catches his attention, and Bruce turns around. Right, the powers that Kryptonians have on Earth... Slowly, he reaches out, wrapping his fingers lightly around Kal-El's wrists. He pulls down those hands covering the ears, gently replacing them with his own. At the same time, he leans in. ]

Focus on my voice. [ He takes deeper breaths, letting them make sound. ] Focus on the sound of my breathing.

[ Bruce is likely crossing some kind of boundary here. There's no need for him to help this way. But he wants to. This is nothing but an excuse to touch Kal-El, to feel his warmth so close. ]

I've read up on the powers that Kryptonians will have on Earth, Kal-El. [ A low murmur. ] And if you decide to stay here, if you fight for this planet [ by my side, he swallows back- ]... do you know the sheer wonders you can accomplish?

[It’s too much, for a few moments. He hears every bird sing, every needle falling to the ground, every snore and every flap of a butterfly’s wings. There had been theories, of course- and Zod’s soldiers had been known to test themselves by adapting parts of the ship to increasingly mimic parts of Earth’s atmosphere in hopes of slowly learning to live in it Those who were to marry a human and who were be expected to visit Earth at least once in their lives, to meet the press had been told they would have to undergo the same training. And Kal hadn’t had any of it.

But Kal had something the others did not have: he had Bruce. He had his voice and his eyes. he had his touch grounding him and pulling him back to Earth. Pulling me back where I belong he thinks with a pang of guilt. Has he forsaken his people so easily already? Or is it just that he’s already decided he will follow the man in front of him to the end of the world if such a thing existed?

The though makes him smile.] I think I’m better. It is really disconcerting.

You think far too highly of me, Bruce. You’re the one who wants to fight, I am but a tourist who has given powers he does not understand.

[ The Kryptonians have all came and spoke to Earth's leaders using solid holograms unaffected by the yellow sun's radiation. Out of fear, out of a need for peace, Kal-El is the first amongst his people to fully step upon Earth's soil.

Yet Kal-El's eyes are clearing, his body relaxing within Bruce's arms. And Bruce now finds himself dizzied, overwhelmed, for this is surely a sign. If Kal-El can so easily find his calm here on Earth, on this planet who gives those like him powers beyond imagining, then surely he belongs here? Surely he can find his place by Bruce's side?

Foolsih, wishful thinking still. But Bruce cannot help but hope. And such a strange thing it is, such an odd taste on his tongue with shapes he cannot put into words. More than three-dimensional, more than four, more than five, it surrounds all of his senses and is centered entirely in this man in front of him.

Bruce takes a risk. He leans forward and presses his lips to Kal-El's forehead. Chaste; something that would be platonic if not for the way he is trembling minutely to stop himself from kissing that smiling mouth. ]

You are a tourist now. But once you know her, Kal-El... once you understand the colours that make up those who walk atop her soil... I do not think you can walk away. [ He turns his hand and lets the back of it brush Kal-El's cheek. Gently, as if touching porcelain, despite the roughness of his calluses. ]

There is too much passion in your voice for otherwise.

[ A passion that mirrors his own.

Kal-El's smile is wrecking him. Shattering him from the inside, pulling apart the pieces of himself haphazardly shoved together. And drawing them close again, remaking him. Bruce should be afraid; should pull away and never look upon this man's face again. Yet he finds himself even closer, their bodies touching now - chest to chest, breath to breath. ]

Edited 2015-02-17 10:06 (UTC)

[Kal reaches for his hand, entwining their fingers together. He doesn’t think he could smile wider even if he tried- his cheeks hurt, and yet he doesn’t mind. The hearing was only part of it, he knows: he still has to tame his eyes, his nose, his every single cell of his body as the sunlight begins recharging it with energy stronger than what it’s used to. Has it already begun? Is he turning into an autotroph being? Will Bruce like him more for it, or less? Will he admire him? Or will it mean he will always be remembered he’s married to an alien being, not one of his own?

His mind tries to put too many thoughts together and it makes him want to laugh. Is his brain being affected too? He makes a mental note to tell his father. If he thinks his brain would work faster on Earth he might decide to never leave it.

(Like son, like father).]

Will you forgive me if a desire to see Earth is not the only reason my voice is filled with passion?

[ When Kal-El's powers come... when he has all of them and his cells are fed full of Earth's yellow sun radiation, Bruce will teach him to control those powers. Even before marriage, even before a stifling ceremony and the weight of a ring on his own finger, all of Bruce's knowledge already belongs to Kal-El.

His lips still burn from where he has brushed Kal-El's forehead. The warmth of his skin lingers. If this is what it means to be married to a Kryptonian, to an alien, then Bruce will gladly take it. All of it.

A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth at the question. He brushes the backs of his fingers over Kal-El's cheek again, letting out a heavy breath before he leans their foreheads together. ]

Why would I need to forgive you for giving me a compliment like that? [ A little amused. ] You think too well of me already, Kal-El. My wishes to save Gotham, to have you fight by my side... they are not entirely selfless. They are not selfless at all.

[ Slowly, he steps away. ]

Come on. We should get to Gotham before it's dark out.

Then we shall be selfish together from now on.

[Kal nods, but at this moment he’d have agreed to anything Bruce suggested. He doesn’t let go of his hand as he follows him. It’s fun, it’s making him giddy and he really should stop acting like a child but he doesn’t know how. He’s never felt like this, so full of energy and excitement. Bruce said he had passion in his voice- had he been repressing it? Is that why he feels so free now?

Did he need a human to be himself, or was it just this particular one?]

Will it be dangerous once it is dark out? Your city is dark, you said so yourself. And I am an easy target without being able to control my gifts and- oh. [He looks down at himself.] I’ll stand out a lot in these clothes, will I not?

[ If Bruce is the kind of man who laughs easily, he would have chuckled at the sudden rush of questions. Kal-El's eagerness and curiosity makes his eyes shine brightly, and the Earth's yellow sunlight makes the gleam even brighter, like two gems set within bones and skin. No- Bruce corrects himself. Not like gems at all, for they are cold, and no sapphires have ever managed to capture as well as Kal-El's eyes.

He pulls himself back to the present, focusing on the questions. And finally, he does allow a small, wry smile to quirk his lips. ]

I have an extra set of clothes in the car. They're mine, however, so I don't know if it will suit you. [ They are there because he planned to go into the streets after screwing up this meeting, to gather information about Gotham's still-seething underworld and to figure out Batman's next steps. That's obviously not an option now.

Bruce tries to not think too hard about the ramifications of Kal-El wearing his clothes. ]

But no matter what you wear, you'll stand out. [ With those beautiful eyes of yours. With that striking face. ] But you don't have to worry: just stick with me and you'll be fine.

[ He has a feeling that Gotham will be... not kind, exactly, but at least curious about this stranger from another world. ]

Wear your clothes…!

[The startled question comes out before he can stop himself. Kryptonian clothes wear the symbol of their houses, so sharing them probably means a lot more to them than it does to humans. Kal knows that logically, but that doesn’t make him any less nervous at the idea of branding himself with Bruce’s clothes. Sure, he’d been thinking about kissing and courting earlier and they are to be married sooner or later. But that had been in his mind, and in reality taking this little step is making him more anxious than he had anticipated.]

Are you sure you want me to wear them? It is an honor, Bruce, and you have just met me.

[ ... Ah, of course. The Kryptonians hold so much more significance over their clothes. It is on their clothing that their sigils is formed. Bruce is perfectly aware of that; just as he is aware that Kal-El will be putting a ring on his finger only due to Earth traditions. For the Kryptonians, Bruce's marriage will be finalised the moment he dons the robes with the El shield during the ceremony.

His lips twitch a little, and he reaches out and brushes a fingertip over the corner of Kal-El's mouth. ]

Relax. The clothes don't have the sigil of my house on them. [ A little wry. Because he's one of the few people on Earth who actually has a symbol for his family: the Wayne Enterprises logo. Not to mention symbol of the Bat. ] They look just like the clothes of everyone else on Earth.

[ A pause - he swallows back the you have no idea what I'd do to see you wearing my clothes- then he offers: ] But if you find it discomfitting, Kal-El, we can drive back to the Manor and we can get clothes that have never been worn before. Clothes that will belong only to you.

[ When he was little he had a tendency to bit his thumb when he was about to do something he knew his parents wouldn’t approve of. Lara told him, once he’d grown up, that often it was very easy to know when he was about to do something bad because of that habit of his. Right now he feels like biting his thumb again.

It’d be so easy to take him on his offer, to accept the brand new clothes. It’s extremely weird for a Kryptonian to wear clothes that do not have any sigil on them, it’d almost lie turning his back on their family but he knows he’ll have to adapt to that if he’s to spend time on Earth like he’s planning to. That’s fine, he’s ready for it- and part of his mind is giddy because it seems like so far Bruce has stopped being reluctant to marrying him. But wearing someone else’s clothes is going a step beyond. It’s… well, to his eyes it would be like announcing he belongs to the Wayne house as much as Bruce will belong to the El house one day.

Hm.]

It’s… fine, I suppose. And I would hate to make you go through that hassle. We don’t have long here in Earth anyway, and I don’t want to waste a second of our time here.

[ Kal-El's hesitation has him freezing, if only for a moment. You've done too much, Matches mocks in his mind, sounding smug. Why would he even think about marrying you now that he's seen what you are? When he knows that you're filthy and broken inside?

It doesn't matter, he replies fiercely, keeping an effort to make sure that his internal battle does not show on his face. Whether or not he marries me doesn't matter, as long as I can stay in Gotham.

Even without Matches's raucuous laughter, Bruce knows that those words are a lie.

He barely manages to pull his attention back to 'reality' when Kal-EL speaks. And he finds himself blinking for a moment before he nods curtly. ]

Alright. If... if that's what you wish.

[ Taking out the car's keys from his pockets, he presses the button that unlocks the car. It chirps, lights flashing, and Bruce opens the passenger side door before sweeping out an arm. ]

Your seat, my lord. [ It's meant to be a tease, but my lord comes too easily to his tongue. And he can't stop the rest of the words from tumbling out either: ]

For your first visit to Earth, and may there be many others later.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Arranged Marriage Meme

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