Disclaimer: I don't own Injustice: Gods Among Us or any of its characters.

Chapter Summary: "I guess you thought you deserved a reward for saving the world." The corner of Bruce's lips curls upward. "I should be honored, shouldn't, I? Maybe say thank you."

Warnings: Major character death and dark characters.

...

Title: I Dreamed A Dream.

There's a loud noise, immediately followed by another one. Then, comes the pain.

Kal wakes up with a gasp, hands gripping the sheets tightly. He can't sit up and there's a strange pressure on his chest. When he blinks his eyes open he sees a pair of dark eyes gleaming in the dark and a perfect row of white teeth smirking down at him.

"Hello, Kal," Bruce murmurs from where he's straddling him.

The kryptonian merely looks at him for a moment. "What-"

"You're surprised. Of course you are."

Kal tears his gaze away from the familiar face and looks at the dark liquid covering his bare chest. He looks back at Bruce. He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out.

"Kal, Kal, Kal," Bruce murmurs, his hand caressing his cheek. "You never fail to disappoint."

He groans when the human rests his weight on his chest as he reaches to turn on the lamp on the bedside table. The pain is making it hard to breathe and he has to blink away the tears pooling in his eyes.

Bright and warm red blood is painting Bruce's chest when he pulls back, but the human pays it no mind as his piercing blue eyes watch him. He slides off him, easily shrugging off Kal's grip on his arm. He's fully naked, his beautiful body at full display as the light from the lamp gives his perfect skin and toned muscles a soft glow.

There's a gun loosely held in his hand as he walks away from the bed.

All the pieces of the puzzle are there, but Kal can't make sense of them. His brain refuses to accept the obvious conclusion.

"B," Kal calls weakly. He has to turn his head and squint his eyes to see him.

Bruce doesn't react to his call. He starts collecting his clothes from the floor, putting first his underwear and then slacks. There's a white shirt in his hand when he turns around. He doesn't even bother to clean off the blood- Kal's blood before putting it on. "You really thought it would be that simple. That you could appoint yourself Earth's savior, shape the world however you wanted, destroy anyone who stood in your way, and still have this."

Kal forces his hazy mind to focus on the words as he presses a fistful of the tainted sheets to the wound in his chest. He must have blanked out, because when he blinks again Bruce is standing beside the bed again, fully dressed and looking down at him.

"It was a nice dream you had there, really, and I wouldn't deny it was fun for a bit, but this was never going to last." His voice is soft as he speaks, but his eyes are cold and unforgiving. "There's just too much history between us."

"You're a monster," Kal snars, glaring at the human with all the strength he can muse.

"Am I? You killed me first, remember?"

All the fight leaves Kal's body in that second. "How-"

"You honestly thought I wasn't going to find out." Bruce chuckles dryly. "Really, Kal. You expect me to accept everything you told me without a second thought. It's like you forgot who I am."

The familiar glint in Bruce's icy eyes makes the breath catch in Kal's throat. There he is. The brilliant and cunning man he fell in love with so many years ago. The stubborn man that thought he was always right and never let anyone tell him what to do.

But it wasn't him. Not really.

"I know every single thing you did to me, before and after you killed me. I know you waited until you had crushed everyone else under your boot and then you decided to bring me back for yourself. I guess you thought you deserved a reward for saving the world." The corner of Bruce's lips curls upward. "I should be honored, shouldn't, I? Maybe say thank you."

"Why," Kal rasped.

"That's a very broad question, don't you think?" Bruce pretends to consider it. "Like I just said, you did kill me once, so I hope you aren't asking why I am returning the favor now."

Kal can only grit his teeth as he feels Bruce's fingers thread gently through his hair.

"The Lazarus Pit. That's what I'm thanking you for."

"What."

Bruce chuckles coldly. "You were never very bright, were you? Let's just say that little pesky moral code of mine never would have let me do what was necessary to stop your madness. But the Pit fixes everything, does it not?"

There's a soft green glint in his dark eyes as he smiles down at him and Kal shudders as he sees the real face of the man that had been sharing his bed for months now. The monster he brought to life and invited into his life in one desperate attempt to have Bruce back.

Was it all a lie? Were all the months they spent together just part of Batman's plan? Did Bruce know today was the day he was going to do this while he moaned and arched into him as they made love in this same bed just hours before? The thought makes him feel even sicker than the kryptonite bullets buried in his chest.

The smirk on Bruce's face continues to grow, his sharp eyes no missing a single detail of the Kryptonian's crumbling face. Kal knows he's still alive because Bruce chose it that way. He wants him to see and hear all this as he dies slowly and painfully.

One last punishment. An act of cruel revenge.

"I hope you like this happy ending," Bruce whispers against his ear. "I know I do."

He closes his eyes when he feels Bruce's warm lips touch his, a couple of tears finally escaping from his eyes.

With the sound of his own ragged breathing and the loud echo of his racing heart, Kal doesn't hear the moment Bruce exits, but somehow he knows. He knows the exact moment Bruce leaves him behind; leaves him to bleed out here in their bedroom, in the same bed they shared.

Kal doesn't feel anger or fear as he feels himself start slipping away. He makes no attempt to contact anyone either. What is the point when he can't have Lois and his baby. When he can't have Bruce either.

He just keeps his eyes closed and doesn't open them again.

...

a/n: This is the third I write in the Injustice verse, though this time it was a lot darker than the previous times. I was surprised by the direction my mind when with this since I usually stay away from character death stories because I like angst but not that much angst. I guess I was in a bit of a dark place when I came up with this idea.

English is not my native language, so any tips or corrections are welcome.