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[ There won't be an answer so much as a brief movement of air before Clark is walking through the door into the staff lounge. He'll give him a warm smile. ]

Hey.

Bruce has one cup of coffee in his hand and is in the act of pouring a second when Clark walks in.

"Hey." He actually doesn't feel awkward about this. Weird, but. "My sex drive isn't high enough for this, and neither is my trust. I have a couple of options, but I want your input and to know what you're planning, before I commit to a plan."

Edited 2023-11-29 17:19 (UTC)

He winces a little because, to be perfectly honest?

"I... I've got maybe one option. Possibly... a couple more." He breathes out and lets his shoulders sink as he does. "I don't have a lot of... connections like that in the city."

Bruce is very much an exception to a lot of things, including his ability to trust himself given the strangeness that the city does to him along with everyone else. It's made the requirements difficult as is, but now?

"Yes, and things are going to be much, much more uncomfortable for you if they manage to... remove your inhibitions." It isn't meanly said, but he can't pretend it isn't an issue. Drugged, or sent to the SLUT center, and Clark is going to be both a risk and at risk.

"Which further reduces the options you do have. I think I have one solid possibility, but I'll also need a couple of more. Leaving 'appeal to the network' and 'use drugs'." For him. "Is Jesus who you're thinking about as your primary option?"

His lips press into a line. Precisely. While he's aware that his strength will eventually be contained, he can and will still hurt people in that state. And some of that hurt would be state-sanctioned, even if it isn't what he'd consider 'fine'.

"...yes," which is to several things. "One of them. Though I've been... it still feels like taking advantage, in a way."

Clark's never been good about letting people do things for him. It's a special kind of trust he's extremely bad at. Bruce is the only one here in that small group of people he usually allows.

Bruce considers what he's about to offer very, very, carefully. It could be read wrong, and it's not something he's comfortable with, but-

"It isn't taking advantage, more than the city's taking advantage of everyone" Consent here isn't really, but also: "Do you want the kryptonite?" In a 'do you want other people to have access to that safety net for you. "Or me present?"

While having sex with other people.

Look there are possibilities. Not comfortable ones but possibilities.

That is... difficult. And it's difficult for a couple of reasons. The primary one being that he realizes just how scary the idea of that would be for Bruce. It's not as if there aren't people here who could hurt him. Magic is still perfectly capable of that. But the idea of Clark handing people something that could hurt him, both given the implied commentary of such a 'gift' and the logistical concerns of it... the weight of that feels too heavy. He's not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

"You present would... be my preference, of the two. Or..." he breathes in deep, "I might just need to take the risk. Knowing how things go here, the way they like to push us, I might only be delaying the inevitable."

Is Clark sleeping with people who have magic less scary (for Bruce)? ...Less than 'Clark seriously hurt or killed someone and the city let him', actually.

There are a lot of kinds of damage.

"I'll support whatever you choose,but I don't know what's wrong with delaying the inevitable?"

"Because the longer I wait, the more it... builds. I don't mean to accept it, Bruce. It's never 'all right'. But if I let it be a boogeyman that keeps me away from making meaningful bonds in this place-"

He shakes his head.

"I'm not sure that's better."

"It isn't."

He's aware of how Clark works, his psychology, and psychology in general. He can be reasonable, objective, concerned and give good advice.

That he will not be taking.

"You should build meaningful bonds -- and some level of trust with other people."

There's a pause before-

"...he's the only one other than you who saw me as Doomsday. Who... wasn't afraid of that."

He doesn't add the conclusion, what that means, mostly because he thinks Bruce understands by himself already.

"That's important, and telling."

He also has no concerns about Jesus, which is saying something.

"It's a good start. Maybe he has friends he can introduce you to." Character references, in a sense.

Edited 2023-12-04 17:41 (UTC)

"We talked about that, actually. But I think he might have decided I was... a little too shy and thought I was withdrawing from that offer."

Clark has largely kept his head down. He finds the so public flirting awkward, not because he thinks it's shameful but because it's very different from what he grew up with. He's no prude, exactly, but the pace at which this place goes and the speed at which things turn sexual... it's not really in his wheelhouse.

"I've been relying somewhat heavily on... contact free options, though that's become more complicated since Grayson left."

That is an aside, a bit, just information 'casually' tossed out - because he wants Clark to have it, not focus on it.

"I wish there was an easier answer. When additional requirements aren't imposed, it isn't an issue." Meaning they can just have sex.

"Right," he agrees quickly enough. The same can be said of him.

There's also something to the fact that he's not considering too hard, namely that it seems less of a stretch, less... violating something in his marriage (separated or not) to be with Bruce than anyone else. Lois at least knows Bruce. He even thinks she might understand.

"But it's also not something that is... reliable. That it will always stay that way."

Bruce isn't speaking of Lois - hasn't since very early on - but he sure as hell has not forgotten her and still isn't comfortable with... much there. It's not active evasion, at least.

"No. I do think you need to address it. I think this may be a situation we simply need to get through, but that ultimately the more social and emotional connections you build, the less miserable the inevitable return to this will be."

Is he a jealous person? Yes -- sort of. But he's not married to Clark, there are all kinds of complications and most importantly--

sex and survival entwine here.

He hates this.

He hates this mostly because he feels as if he's a burden on Bruce. That if he wasn't here, Bruce would probably have less trouble with this, one less person and their quota to concern himself with. The fact that they haven't even talked about-

"So that's me sorted, or at least we have a gameplan. What about you?"

he hates this mostly for Clark. He can put up with a lot of shit on his own, but he also knows without Clark he'd be taking a lot more damage, by choice.

"What about me in which regard?"

Ah, the harder part.

"You mentioned you had concerns for yourself."

"Oh."

Oops.

"I have concerns about where I'll ultimately go for this. I may lean into the drugs and then sleep off the... after effects."

He doesn't even like being touched by most people anymore. Clark is different and he's gotten more comfortable there. The public/casual stuff? he's been getting slowly but steadily more averse and evasive the entire time.

Not. Oops.

"Would my presence help with anything? Or would you prefer I do my best to... ignore it?"

He'll always know where Bruce is baring magic nonsense but-

"Is a third option a possibility?"

He sounds very casual. He's even drinking his coffee and leaned back again.

His pulse says he's nervous.

"Of course," is addressed immediately, though he definitely turns his attention just a degree or two away, makes it slightly more casual, when he notices Bruce's pulse pop up.

No caveats. No concerns. If Bruce is bringing it to him, it's something he trusts him to consider.

Why is this still so hard.

If Clark wasn't this good at him, it would be almost impossible.

"Can you do after care without being the initial source of what caused the..." need, "desire for it?"

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