Music of the Spheres: Kaleidoscope

[mithen]

Title:  Kaleidoscope
Pairing: Clark/Bruce
Notes: "Music of the Spheres" is a series set in the combined universes of "Batman Begins" and "Superman Returns." Other stories and notes on the series here.
Rating: R
Summary: A Halloween costume party in Gotham leads to a night of shifting identities.
Word Count: 1300
Notes:  Written quite a long time ago and put on hold, obviously, but despite its untimeliness I hope you can still enjoy it!

"Here we go again," Bruce murmured as they climbed the stairs to Kate Wentworth's palatial estate.

"Another year, another Wentworth party," Clark agreed under his breath. 

"It could be fun," Bruce said somewhat wistfully.

"Yeah, like last year where I got the French Maid outfit?  That was great."

"I found it fairly delightful," Bruce leered.

"I still suspect you of rigging the lottery so I got that costume," Clark grumbled.

Bruce's leer was touched with smugness.  "I'll never tell."

"This is a pain," Clark grumbled.  "I get enough of playing pretend in my daily life, thank you."  He fell silent as they entered the mansion and the butler took their coats.  "Besides, I don't like surprises."

Bruce punched him lightly on the arm;  Clark could feel him gearing up into what he called 'Brucie mode,' the voice lightening, the gaze turning shallow.  "I bet I'll figure out who you are even faster this year."

Clark smiled at him and matched his tone as Kate Wentworth advanced toward them.  "You're not that good a detective, honey." 

Bruce dimpled at him and tightened his grip on his arm briefly, his smile going just a touch predatory at the edges.  "We'll see, sweetheart."

"Mes amis!"  Kate air-kissed the space around their cheeks with gusto.  "You're right on time.  Grab a number from the bowl and go upstairs to change."

Clark gritted his teeth to avoid rolling his eyes and reached into the crystal bowl to grab a number.  "See you again soon," Bruce said, giving him a hearty smack on the cheek and trotting up the stairs to his changing room, an entirely innocuous playboy.

Clark watched him go, his master of disguises, his ninja dressed up as a billionaire.  Then he sighed and headed off to what he suspected was his inevitable humiliation.

: : :

Bruce took the box from the smiling assistant and was surprised at how heavy it was.  He let himself stagger a bit.  "What have you got in here, a suit of armor?"

The assistant's grin got even wider.  "You're lucky, sir.  Ms Wentworth is very proud of this one."

Bruce carried the box to a changing room.  As he opened it, he caught a glint of buckles against black matte cloth, silk and kevlar.

Oh, damn.

: : :

Clark finished changing, feeling he had dodged a bullet.  He glanced in the mirror, adjusting his silver antenna and straightening his mask.  The metallic cloth surplice was a little large, but not embarrassingly so.

"Outer space alien" was a disguise he felt he could actually pull off pretty well.

He wandered out into the party, teeming with pirates, cat-girls, and ghosts, looking for Bruce.  "Are you...Brent?  Brent O'Donohue?" asked a princess with a conical hat.

"Graggle hark harkk," he said--a mangled parody of Kryptonian that sounded "alien"--and she shrugged and wandered off.

This was definitely his favorite Halloween costume ever.

He was almost enjoying talking to everyone in gibberish and watching them stare at him blankly when there was a murmur in the crowd.  He looked at the stairs and--almost fell over.

Coming down the stairs was Batman.

Batman, and yet--all wrong.  Batman didn't bounce down the stairs like a schoolboy playing hooky, and he didn't tilt his head like he found all this very amusing.

And Batman certainly didn't smile like that.

Clark recognized the smile and felt laughter start to curl in the back of his throat;  he clamped down on it and enjoyed the view.

"I'm Batman!" the figure announced, throwing his arms out dramatically, and the crowd groaned.

"Bruce Wayne," Kate Wentworth said, her voice heavy with disapproval, "If you don't even bother to try and sound like him, you can't be surprised when everyone guesses it's you right away."

Bruce reached up and pulled off the cowl with a flourish, grinning unrepentantly.  "I'm sorry," he said cheerfully as the crowd started to turn back to chatting and guessing, "Let me try again.  I'm Batman?"  His pitch was only a trifle lower, and Kate just shook her head in disgust.

"You are the worst role-player ever, Brucie.  And after I spent so much on such a good replica, too!"

Bruce dropped a quick peck on her chagrined cheek.  "Sorry, luv.  I'll try to play the part better."

She smiled indulgently.  "That's all right, dear.  You just...be yourself."

She wandered off and Bruce started to mingle with the guests.  Clark tried and failed utterly to tear his eyes away from the entrancing sight of vapid playboy Brucie Wayne dressed up as Batman, his eyes sparkling and his hair mussed.  Someone else tried to talk to him, and he brushed them off with more "alien" gibberish, his eyes on Bruce.  Bruce was trying to teach people something he was calling the "Batusi," to hysterical giggles from the crowd.  The light tenor of his lover seemed even more alluring juxtaposed with all the dark and dangerous paraphernalia of the Batman, somehow.  Layers upon layers, complications within complications, a tesseract of beauty and menace nested within each other. 

Another person tapped on the shoulder.  "Steve?  Are you Steve Jones?"

< Leave me alone, > Clark said absent-mindedly, watching Bruce fuss and flounce with his cape.  < Can't you see I'm busy? >

It wasn't until the other person wandered off again that he realized he'd spoken in Kryptonian without thinking about it.  Well.  It had probably sounded alien enough to be convincing.

After a while, Bruce extricated himself from the crowd and laughingly excused himself.  "Gotta use the little bat's room--I might be a while, too," he said, gesturing at all the buckles and zips to renewed gusts of laughter.  "Don't wait up, you may never see me again."  He disappeared into one of the corridors of the mansion.

Clark followed him.

The bathroom door was untouched;  a shadow disappeared around a corner just out of the corner of Clark's eye.  Into the unlit areas of the Wentworth mansion, through darkened hallways full of echoes, the noise of the party falling away, Clark followed his elusive wraith.

The trail led into a small garden, gloomy and abandoned in the chilly moonlight.  Pausing under an oak tree, Clark felt more than heard the figure dropping down from the branches behind him.  "You shouldn't be wandering around alone," grated a dark voice as an arm wrapped around him, pulling him close.  "Someone might take advantage of you."

"I was hoping," he gasped, pushing back against his captor.

Batman spun him around and pinned him against the oak, bark rasping his back.  Clark raised his hands to remove the silver mask and dark-gloved hands captured them.  "No.  I like you in a mask."  Batman's voice was a gray whisper, talons on stone.  "My mysterious alien."

The dark figure went to his knees in front of him, pushing aside the metallic clothing.

Clark made a startled noise as skin was exposed to chill air, but the dark hands were unrelenting.  There were lips caressing his right thigh, tantalizingly close.  "It's just a little blowjob, honey, no one will catch us," lilted Brucie's voice.  The lips shifted to his left thigh, coaxing.  "I want you here.  Now," said Batman.  "You're mine."

Clark shuddered, his head falling back against the tree.  "Ah, love," said Bruce at last, his voice warm and dear and familiar, breath brushing heated skin.  "My alien, my hero, my reporter, my farm boy, my faerie prince.  All mine."

Above him the ancient oak shifted in the moonlight, endless patterns and layers of leaves as Clark gazed up into them, dizzy with need and mounting desire.  Batman's hands, Brucie's mouth, Bruce's soft sounds of enjoyment, mingling, melding. 

Clark closed his eyes and felt the fragments and pieces of himself fall into new patterns, reshaped again by joy, a shifting kaleidoscope of delight.

Comments

[fictionalknight.livejournal.com]

Hee! I was so glad to see you'd posted something! :) And this was just perfect, too!

I choking with laughter when I noticed Bruce had gotten the Batman costume - and then he walked down the stairs, and it was even beyond hilarious. hee! He rocks, this Bruce!!

And Clark so distracted that he's speaking Kryptonian without meaning to. hehe! Lucky no one there speaks it, too!

..and then the rest. :melts: :) Thanks for sharing!! (wonderful little pause from this thing I'm supposed to be working on. *lol*)

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I loved writing Bruce's "grand entrance" as Batman, lol. Imagining him hamming it up and being silly while in costume made me all kind of happy. :) Kal accidentally speaking Kryptonian was arch_schatten's idea to add! She mentioned it and I loved it...

I've missed MotS! I've gotten an idea for a whole new arc, so I'm in a happy mood this week! *dances* I'm so glad you liked it!

[hitokaji.livejournal.com]

LOL! I love irony! ;)
When Bruce said "I'm Batman", I couldn't help but headdesk! Soooo so funny! XD
I really love reading lighthearted story. Thank you so much for sharing this!

By the way, I guess I joined LJ quite too late because it seems that I missed this series of yours and the link above is not working. ;_;

[fictionalknight.livejournal.com]

Try this link instead. :) It's a wonderful series - definitely worth reading!

Wow, I fail at HTML. Ignore!

[dizmo]

I flailed ridiculously once I got to my computer and saw this. EEEEEEEEEE MORE MOTS.

Ahem, that being said.

"Yeah, like last year where I got the French Maid outfit? That was great."

"I found it fairly delightful," Bruce leered.

"I still suspect you of rigging the lottery so I got that costume," Clark grumbled.

Bruce's leer was touched with smugness. "I'll never tell."

Bwahahahah. He totally did. Oh, Bruce.

Bruce carried the box to a changing room. As he opened it, he caught a glint of buckles against black matte cloth, silk and kevlar.

Oh, damn.

Bwaaaaaaahahahahahahahahhahahahaha. *snerk* Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. *deep breath* ... Ahaha. Ha. Ahah.

"Outer space alien" was a disguise he felt he could actually pull off pretty well.

Yes, Clark. I'm sure you do. *fuzzes*

"Graggle hark harkk," he said--a mangled parody of Kryptonian that sounded "alien"--and she shrugged and wandered off.

This was definitely his favorite Halloween costume ever.

*giggle* Oh... I wanna fuzz him so much.

Batman, and yet--all wrong. Batman didn't bounce down the stairs like a schoolboy playing hooky, and he he didn't tilt his head like he found all this very amusing.

And Batman certainly didn't smile like that.

Oh, Bruce. It's like... It's like the costumery equivalent of Russian nesting dolls.

"I'm Batman!" the figure announced, throwing his arms out dramatically, and the crowd groaned.

"Bruce Wayne," Kate Wentworth said, her voice heavy with disapproval, "If you don't even bother to try and sound like him, you can't be surprised when everyone guesses it's you right away."

Well, it's Bruce Wayne. How could he possibly make a convincing Batman anyway? *cackle*

Bruce was trying to teach people something he was calling the "Batusi," to hysterical giggles from the crowd.

wefhlodrhilauwerjaskdfklasjdflasdyhrfiarfasdhfasdfpiouadtfg *SNORTGIGGLELAUGH* Do you know how much I would pay to watch this? Really? A verymuchlot.

Another person tapped on the shoulder. "Steve? Are you Steve Jones?"

< Leave me alone, > Clark said absent-mindedly, watching Bruce fuss and flounce with his cape. < Can't you see I'm busy? >

... I see what you did there, Clark. *fuzzes* I understand.

It had probably sounded alien enough to be convincing.

Yes, Clark. More than likely.

"You shouldn't be wandering around alone," grated a dark voice as an arm wrapped around him, pulling him close. "Someone might take advantage of you."

"I was hoping," he gasped, pushing back against his captor.

Mmmm, now that's the Bat.

Batman spun him around and pinned him against the oak, bark rasping his back. Clark raised his hands to remove the silver mask and dark-gloved hands captured them. "No. I like you in a mask." Batman's voice was a gray whisper, talons on stone. "My mysterious alien."

Aaaand, of course, the fic takes a total U-turn from bwahahahahahahahah to holy hot *fanfanfanfanself*.

"It's just a little blowjob, honey, no one will catch us," lilted Brucie's voice. The lips shifted to his left thigh, coaxing. "I want you here. Now," said Batman. "You're mine."

Mmmmmmmmmmcontrasts. Yes. Omnomnom.

Clark shuddered, his head falling back against the tree. "Ah, love," said Bruce at last, his voice warm and dear and familiar, breath brushing heated skin. "My alien, my hero, my reporter, my farm boy, my faerie prince. All mine."

Oh, nice throwback to the whole Tam-lin incident. *applaud* And continued *fanfanfanfanfanself*

Clark closed his eyes and felt the fragments and pieces of himself fall into new patterns, reshaped again by joy, a shifting kaleidoscope of delight.

*armflail* Oh, squeeeeeee^maxthrice. Just. Such.. Ah, love. This made my day and a half. Actually, probably more than a day and a half.


... Sweet, and now I have something additional to read in my what seems to be practically weekly MotS reread. *giggle*

*applaud* Bravo, bravo. And wow, this was probably the longest feedback I've written to anything in... like, ages. Well, if nothing deserves it...

Re: Wow, I fail at HTML. Ignore!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

*falls over* LOL, you make my day! What a comment!

I know, I've missed MotS awfully! I still have three arcs I want to write, too! *fidgets*

Oh, Bruce. It's like... It's like the costumery equivalent of Russian nesting dolls.

I love this metaphor! And now I want a Batman nesting doll of my own, lol... It was insane amounts of fun to imagine how Bruce would alter his non-verbals to make himself look ludicrous in the suit--I'm sure he could be very convincingly silly. :) Adding the Batusi--OMG, what I wouldn't give to see Christian Bale in full regalia doing that!

The switch to smut kind of took me by surprise, but the roleplaying always seems to get the both of them going, somehow. And fit the feeling of the different layers...plus it was also just a lot of fun to write, I admit it. :)

I'm thrilled you liked it and tickled by your feedback! *grins* Thank you so much!

[bradygirl_12]

Delightful story, sweets! :)

I'll add you to the list tomorrow. *yawns and gets ready for bed*

I did find the Batusi Brucie to be pretty hilarious! ;)

I loved this line:

Layers upon layers, complications within complications, a tesseract of beauty and menace nested within each other.

And Clark as an alien was pretty cool, too! :)

The last line is perfect:

Clark closed his eyes and felt the fragments and pieces of himself fall into new patterns, reshaped again by joy, a shifting kaleidoscope of delight.

[medie]

SPHERES! *squeal* and this! THIS! *TWIRLS AT YOU* omg. YAY!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks! *beams* Glad you liked it!

[vespa331.livejournal.com]

Wheee, BatBrucie is such fun! I'm proud of him for finding a good solution to a tricky problem. And Clark using Kryptonian as a prop. :D

Typo: and he he didn't tilt his head like he found all this very amusing.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I've only read this story about 40 times in the last three months, so it's perfectly reasonable I'd miss that typo. Yes. :0

Thanks for the catch and I'm glad you liked it!

[tygati.livejournal.com]

Oh purr. *__* The mental images are just Yum.
I especially like Batman cosplaying as Brucie cosplaying as Batman. That was sheer awesome. <3

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I had a lot of fun with the identity play in this one! Bruce was very amenable as well, luckily for me. :) Thanks for the feedback!

[sinloi.livejournal.com]

This is awesome in ways I can't describe. Seriously, you win the internets.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I win my very own internets, yay! I'm so glad you liked it!

[skund.livejournal.com]

This is so brilliant! I'm getting dizzy trying to keep track of all the layers in Bruce's brain. Someone a donkey once said about onions springs to mind. :P

This is beautifully written, and it's great to see the boys just hanging out together to happily.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I love playing around with all the different layers of Bruce (and Kal and how they interact, lol). When he's feeling playful about it, he's a joy to write (when he's crabby it's a while different issue, but that's a different story).

I'm glad you liked it! This series is always my go-to happy spot for Clark and Bruce getting along. :)

[ladyivy.livejournal.com]

That was just brilliant. I mean, really brilliant.

And you have a plot bunny for yet more MotS, yeah!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I got a new one thanks to arch_schatten! I'm delighted because although I've had plans for others, a new arc hasn't really come to me for a while. :)

I had a lot of fun with this little story, it was like distilled essence of the series for me. :)

[22by7.livejournal.com]

holy identity porn! i love the sensuality of this. it's a little scary how they're both such good actors. also, the mangled Kryptonian and the Batusi mention made me grin.

and ooh, series. i've been craving really long-ass S/B fic, this is a feast.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

MotS is my go-to series for identity porn, it seems. They're always willing to play with me, somehow. :) The Batusi kind of made me fall over, imagining it. *grin*

I've got three other fairly long series--Earth & Sky, 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, and The House of the Earth(that one's still a WiP)--there are links on the left side of the LJ if you're interested. :) Hm, I'm totally missing a link to THOTE, what happened to that? *scrambles*

[dm-wyatt.livejournal.com]

Aw...

Short, maybe not particularly good timing, but given the circumstances, anytime is a good time for a story from you....

*grins*

I like the idea of Bruce getting Batman. It's funny and I love that Clark's costume was so much fun for him.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I was just days from posting this when I smacked into my hiatus, lol. I'm glad to finally have the chance to put it up! Costuming and the identity play it leads to is always so much fun...I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[zenithjolt.livejournal.com]

Lol! Fantastic story, i loved Clark speaking in kryptonian to avoid talking to people, that was so cheeky ^_^

Great job!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

*grin* That was all arch_schatten's suggestion upon reading it. :) It cracked me up and I had to add it! Glad you liked it too!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Eeeeee! MotS! MotS!!! Eeee! :D

"Yeah, like last year where I got the French Maid outfit? That was great."

"I found it fairly delightful," Bruce leered.

"I still suspect you of rigging the lottery so I got that costume," Clark grumbled.

Bruce's leer was touched with smugness. "I'll never tell."

*giggles* *pets them*

Clark watched him go, his master of disguises, his ninja dressed up as a billionaire. Then he sighed and headed off to what he suspected was his inevitable humiliation.

Oooh, I love that first sentence! But poor Clark. *pets him*

Bruce carried the box to a changing room. As he opened it, he caught a glint of buckles against black matte cloth, silk and kevlar.

Oh, damn.

Uh oh... prehaps I should be saying poor Bruce? :p

"Outer space alien" was a disguise he felt he could actually pull off pretty well.

*huggles him*

"Graggle hark harkk," he said--a mangled parody of Kryptonian that sounded "alien"--and she shrugged and wandered off.

This was definitely his favorite Halloween costume ever.

Hee! I love Clark deliberately mangling Kryptonian like that!

Batman, and yet--all wrong. Batman didn't bounce down the stairs like a schoolboy playing hooky, and he didn't tilt his head like he found all this very amusing.

And Batman certainly didn't smile like that.

*giggles*

Bruce was trying to teach people something he was calling the "Batusi," to hysterical giggles from the crowd.

*just about dies laughing* Oh, Bruce... *hearts him*

The light tenor of his lover seemed even more alluring juxtaposed with all the dark and dangerous paraphernalia of the Batman, somehow. Layers upon layers, complications within complications, a tesseract of beauty and menace nested within each other.

Ooooh, pretty! :)

"It's just a little blowjob, honey, no one will catch us," lilted Brucie's voice. The lips shifted to his left thigh, coaxing. "I want you here. Now," said Batman. "You're mine."

Clark shuddered, his head falling back against the tree. "Ah, love," said Bruce at last, his voice warm and dear and familiar, breath brushing heated skin. "My alien, my hero, my reporter, my farm boy, my faerie prince. All mine."

I love how you used all the different identities there, Brucie and Batman and Bruce. And I love that last sentence too, all the different parts of Clark.

*hearts the fic* Yay for identity porn! :p

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I have to write more MotS sometime soon! It's always a good cure for the blahs for me. :)

Hee! I love Clark deliberately mangling Kryptonian like that!

Playing with Kryptonian is always so much fun...

And Nolanverse Bruce doing the Batusi was one of the images that I loved most writing this story, lol. It made me grin for weeks. :) I'm glad you enjoyed it! Bruce is such a tesseract, it's a good metaphor for him, I think. :)

[senmut]

That was...Brucie in the Batsuit is made of awesome and win. I'm flailing over that part!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Someone in comments called it a "Bat nesting doll," which made me chuckle a lot--that's exactly what I was aiming for. :) THanks so much for commenting! *hugs*

[asah21.livejournal.com]

OMG love the irony ...........Bruce getting the batman custume

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Hee! *grins* I couldn't resist it when I saw it in my head...

[awils1.livejournal.com]

Of course we still enjoy(ed) it, my dear! Who could possibly resist such a meta-squee—the boys dressing up, but getting it conveniently wrong, and the smidge of smut with such contentment…

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! I know I enjoyed writing it. :) Having them in costume--but not quite--made me very happy to write. *grin*

[eve-k.livejournal.com]

Yay! MotS is back!!
And there´ll be three more arcs?!! *smiles for the first time since FC6 came out - ok, I´m exaggerating a bit*
I love your long ongoing series!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Aww...if I can do anything to counteract FC6 I'm a happy writer. :) I'm really looking forward to tackling the next arcs, too! *dances impatiently* Must...find more...writing time...

[saavikam77.livejournal.com]

Oh, gods, this was just perfect!! XD I so love Bruce's act, with all those layers of persona nested together. And Clark slipping into Kryptonian speech without even realizing it was fantastic. I love how taken with Bruce he was there. And the moment in the garden? Priceless. ^_~

*applauds*

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Eee, I'm so glad you liked it! When Bruce is willing to play around with identity he can be so much fun to write.

(*dances because she heard something about "more Lost Years" somewhere, lol*)

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

*laughs* This was awesome! I love that you keep finding new and original ways to do identity play.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

*grin* I find these two very inspiring somehow. :) Glad you liked!

[juniper617.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this -- I'll be smiling all day. You rock!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

This made me smile to write, so I'm happy to share! Thank you!

[liarashadowsong.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Bruce cosplaying as Brucie cosplaying as Batman. Oh, that is wonderful. The only way this could have been better, I think, is if they'd been a little more specific about *what* sort of alien Kal/Clark was, so then we'd have Kal!Clark cosplaying as public!Clark cosplaying as Superman. But, oh! Bruce in an approximation of his batsuit, flouncing about as the sweet but none-too-bright rich boy was just pure gold! And Clark using Kryptonian as a prop for his costume! ...You write very good identity porn. And MotS is such a great series, especially given just how cute Clark and Bruce are in it!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I can't resist the cosplay stories, lol! They're just so much fun, with all the layers and complications... Next time Kal should get the Batsuit, lol.

I'm so glad you liked it, MotS is almost always fun to write and this little piece was more so than usual...

[brethlessm.livejournal.com]

Fan-freakin-tastic! So good!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I got a lot of enjoyment out of Brucie in the Batsuit, lol...

[super-seme04.livejournal.com]

*is dead from hot and lack of air from waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much laughing*

[mithen.livejournal.com]

*grin* Laughter and hotness together is a tough combo--I'm so glad it worked for you! And thanks for commenting!

[uknoit863.livejournal.com]

YAY You're back! :) So many, many things about this fic made me snort with laughter, and it ended on such a - well, I wanted to say "sweet", but that's not the right term, so forgive me a little bit of ribaldry and double-entendre here but it's the only proper word I can think of at the moment - succulent note that, well. (grins) I think I'm off to reread the series, honestly.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! I'm glad you liked it! As a matter of fact, I've just started another longish arc of MotS, so I'm glad to hear it! :)