The Alchemist (Batman) (Patreon)

This was a story commission for one of the top tier patrons - hope you all enjoy! It is based on a caption I did for my blog many years ago now.

The Batman had long been a thorn in Bane’s side. Unlike other villains, Bane didn’t seek to rule Gotham or become rich. His goal was much more straightforward - he wanted to kill Batman. He had broken him once right over his knee but merely putting the caped crusader out of action for some eighteen months hadn’t been enough. Bane was hungry for blood and only a permanent and fatal victory over Batman would satiate that thirst. Each time Gotham’s Dark Knight managed to evade his destined defeat Bane was only left more hungry to taste that sweet victory.

His latest attempt to draw out and destroy Batman had ended in a less than desirable fashion for Bane as it hadn’t even been the Dark Knight who had emerged to fight him but rather Nightwing, Batman’s protégé and former sidekick. Even more embarrassingly, the former Robin had used his speed and agility to best Bane in a fight and had almost caused serious injury when he damaged the tubes that kept the venom chemicals pumping through Bane’s body, granting him enhanced strength and an incredible six-foot-eight stature and three-hundred-and-fifteen pounds of muscle. He was a goddamn monster of a man and being beaten by some masked circus freak was nothing short of infuriating. 

With Nightwing now in Bane’s crossfires too - his death would cause quite the emotional impact for Batman too and the prospect of increasing the Bat’s suffering filled Bane with delight - he decided that he needed another approach. He had fought his entire crusade against Batman independently but Gotham was notoriously filled with rogues and scoundrels, many of whom were desperate to see Batman finally defeated too. Of course there were some who Bane ruled out working with immediately - the Joker couldn’t be trusted, the Riddler was annoying and Two-Face still retained some of his morals which made him unreliable at best. Thankfully there was a new player in town, one who claimed to have a plan that would help Bane get his much desired revenge on both the Dark Knight and the original Boy Wonder.

The Alchemist was an androgynous being with pale skin, orange hair and impossibly green eyes. When they smiled they exposed two rows of yellow teeth and their touch was rough like sandpaper. Bony and thin, they couldn’t be further from Bane and yet the hulking brute found himself fascinated by the other’s plan to use ancient magicks to help him take down Batman and Nightwing. “All I need is for you to get Nightwing to me,” the Alchemist declared. “If we get him out of the way you’ll have a clear path to Batman. I’ll make it so he doesn’t even know you’re coming for him.” It was a big promise but after tackling the issue headfirst and achieving no results, Bane was forced to accept that perhaps a more stealthful approach would be more beneficial.

It didn’t take long for the perfect opportunity to arise in which Batman would be unable to help his protégé. All Bane had to do was wait until Batman was out of Gotham working with the Justice League on some big apocalyptic event in Central City and then cause a fuss in the streets of Gotham to get Nightwing’s attention. It took no less than fifteen minutes for the young hero to arrive, twirling his batons and already throwing out ridiculous comments only he found humorous. The joke really would be on him when he realized that Bane wasn’t actually there to do any damage, just to subdue him.

Bane was smarter than people gave him credit for. His last encounter with Nightwing and the humiliating defeat it had resulted in had taught him to go about their next conflict with a different approach. The younger man was fast but he was more than a little rattled when Bane used stun grenades to his advantage, throwing the hero’s senses into chaos and allowing him to wrap a thick arm around the other’s neck, choking him out until he was limp in the villain’s arms. 

Once he had successfully gagged and removed all the unconscious hero’s weapons and gadgets, Bane then transported him to the Alchemist’s lair and laid him out onto a stretcher that looked like it had been taken straight from Arkham Asylum. Ensuring that his captive was properly tied down at the ankles, wrists, head and waist, Bane took a moment to admire the sleeping man. 

He was conventionally handsome with a strong jawline, clear skin and thick black hair. His body was covered in lean muscles and there was no denying that he had a great ass, something Gotham’s trash magazines had never shied away from complimenting. Bane could only imagine how tight the other’s hole must be and it was a delectable thought. 

“What are you going to do to him?” the villainous giant growled, turning to where his partner in crime was playing around with a variety of brightly-colored chemicals in test tubes. “And how will it help me?” The Alchemist had been somewhat infuriatingly vague in their plans but now was the time for both answers and action. They had Nightwing to themselves and there was no Batman in the near vicinity to foil their plans but that didn’t mean it was an impossibility. There was still that other Robin flying around the rooftops somewhere and the last thing they needed was for Batman to get clued into their plans before they had been properly set into motion.

There was no immediate reply. Instead the Alchemist moved over to Nightwing and stuck a syringe into his neck, drawing blood with surgical accuracy. “I’ll need some of your blood too,” the Alchemist suddenly declared, seemingly ignoring Bane’s questions altogether. “And some of the venom drug, if you’d be so kind.” They flashed a broad smile, exposing their yellow razorblade teeth. “Hurry now, please. Science doesn’t like waiting, neither does magic.”

Although growing increasingly irritated with the being he had chosen to temporarily align himself with, Bane stomped forward and allowed the Alchemist to take some of his blood in a syringe and funnel a portion of the venom serum from one of the containers he kept on him at all times. “Is this science or magic then?” he grunted, watching as the Alchemist began mixing his blood and the serum with various chemicals. “I want some answers or I start breaking things.”

“Tssk, so unnecessarily rough,” the Alchemist muttered, although as their eyes locked with Bane it was clear that they had wanted the larger man to hear. “My work is both magic and science. A perfect blending of the two, if you will,” they explained in a proud tone. “My friend, I’m going to give you a direct path to Batman by transforming you into Nightwing and him-” They waved a hand towards the unconscious prisoner. “-into you, where he can easily be kept out of the way in Arkham, pumped full of drugs until he’s unable to remember his true self.”

Bane kept his gaze locked with the other’s for a moment, attempting to decide if they were insane or a genius. It was the embodiment of thinking outside the box for one and it was potentially just chaotic enough that it would work. “You’re going to switch our bodies?” he clarified, turning his attention back towards Nightwing. That perfect youthful body - drug-free and full of potential - was going to belong to him? The thought alone caused something deep within Bane to stir to life in excitement.

“To put it in simple terms, yes. It’s a far more complicated process than you could ever truly appreciate though so I would appreciate space to work,” the Alchemist chided. “If even the smallest measurement is wrong then it could kill you both. For your sake, allow me to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Bane wasn’t afraid of death but he was certainly afraid of being unable to fulfill his destiny of killing Batman first and that was enough to have him reluctantly back away and leave the Alchemist to their complicated work.

After what felt like an hour the Alchemist finally turned from their workstation holding two vials, one filled with a bright red chemical and the other bright green. “I do believe I’ve done it!” they exclaimed in a triumphant tone. “Now, if you could be so kind as to get yourself on that stretcher over there… don’t you worry, it’s reinforced to hold all of that bulk of yours!” Bane wasn’t really a fan of being tied down but he reluctantly did as instructed in expectation that it would all be for the greater good. Putting his life in another individual’s hands wasn’t something he did all too often, nor felt overly comfortable with. Some victories came with sacrifices though and this was one that had to be made.

The piercing of a needle in his neck caused Bane to tense up and he forced his eyes closed as pain began rippling throughout his body. Every inch of him felt like it was compressing at once as the pain escalated, his very bones re-shaping and his muscles shrinking to a size more expected of a high-flying former circus act. The tank top that had once been stretched over his enormous frame soon began to pool around his more slender body and his boots fell from his feet as they dwindled from his monstrous size sixteens to a more suitable size eleven.

Gasps and grunts escaped Bane’s lips as his facial features rearranged behind his mask, his nose thinning and lips becoming plumper. The scars that marred his skin from years of brawling faded away to leave him with the clear complexion of somebody who took great care in looking after themselves. Despite losing much of his muscle mass, his torso became further chiselled with a full six-pack of abs popping out one by one, accompanied by v-lines and two beautiful firm pectorals.

The transformation process only took a handful of minutes but it felt like an hour to Bane; a whole hour of putting his body through excruciating pain just for the chance to achieve his ultimate goal of killing Batman. Finally the pain began to subside and the villain opened his eyes, cleared his throat and growled in a voice that was definitely not his own a simple instruction: “Untie me. Now.” The Alchemist was by his side in a moment, loosening the restraints on his wrist and head.

“How are you feeling?” Bane’s accomplice queried, eyes narrowed.

Bane took a moment to consider his response. He felt… refreshed. Young. Excited. “Ready to kill Batman,” he grunted, pulling himself from the stretcher once he had been completely untied. He glanced over towards the other stretcher, half collapsed under the former Boy Wonder’s massive muscle growth. Pulling off his mask, Bane crossed the room and placed it over the other’s face. He took a moment to truly inspect his own body from an outsider’s perspective and chuckled. It was truly a strange experience - but in some ways, also rather arousing. “What are we going to do about this one?”

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that,” the Alchemist exclaimed, appearing at his side with another syringe in his hand. “This little drug here will destabilise his mind for a good seventy-two hours, enough time for you to get him checked in at Arkham. By the time it wears off and he starts claiming to be Nightwing the doctors will think he’s gone off the deep end. You’ll be in the clear.” The syringe was inches from their captive’s neck when a low moan escaped his lips, followed by a sharp inhale. “He’s awake.”

“N… no…” the former hero croaked. “This… you’re… Bane.” The other’s voice was weak, no doubt having experienced just as much pain as Bane had during the transformation. The poor baby Bat probably didn’t have his pain threshold either, pathetic excuse for a hero he was.

Bane couldn’t help but laugh. While he wouldn’t kill Nightwing as he’d originally envisioned, trapping him in Arkham in his place would be just as fitting for his revenge. “No, I’m Nightwing,” he corrected, leaning down close to whisper in the other’s ear. “You’re Bane and very soon you’re going to be back behind bars where you belong - where you can’t stop me from hurting the big bad Bat.” The other began to thrash at his constraints in response and Bane stepped back, allowing the Alchemist to inject him with the drug that would leave him helpless to fight back against his fate. Eventually the struggling subsided and with a heavy exhale, their captive fell back into a delirious and unresponsive state.

“Now, there’s just one more thing I’d like to try,” the Alchemist declared, turning to Bane - or, more appropriately, the new Nightwing. “On your knees, boy.” 

Bane was about to fire back an offended ‘go fuck yourself’ but instead found himself sinking to his knees. What the fuck? 

“Kiss my feet.” The instruction itself made Bane’s stomach turn. There was no way in hell he would ever degrade himself in such a manner - and yet he found himself leaning forward to press his lips against the other’s boots. It was as if there was another presence in his mind forcing him to obey the other’s instructions.

“Good, good,” the Alchemist praised, running his delicate fingers along the controlled villain’s jawline. “Now, I promise you will get what you desire. You will kill Batman… in time. First though, you’ll be in my service until I decide otherwise. After all, I’ve given you the means to get what you want, so it’s only fair that I get something too.” Bane was horrified. He’d been totally manipulated by somebody he could have broken like a twig! This was exactly why he didn’t usually team-up with Gotham’s other occupants - no fucker could be trusted and this was what he got for going against his own rules.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, the Alchemist’s lips spread into a sinister smile, one that sent chills down the other man’s spine. “Now calm yourself down, dear boy, and get dressed. I want you to take this big lump to Arkham and then return straight here. I’ve got quite a long list of things I’ve always wanted to do to darling Nightwing here, starting with that ass…” The Alchemist’s hand grabbed at the perky round cheeks of the hero’s ass, squeezing and causing him to tense up. His cheeks burned with shame but he couldn’t even bring himself to fire back vocally, let alone physically respond.

Although disgusted and humiliated at the sudden twist in events, the new Nightwing followed the instructions to a tee, donning his new black-and-blue superhero uniform and leaving the lair with the monstrous Bane in tow, ready to lock the other into the madhouse where he belonged and then return to a prison of his own making...