Chapter Text
Clark didn't think he'd ever been happier. There was a new spring in the Man of Steel's ability to leap over tall buildings in a single bound.
And it didn't go unnoticed. The cheery Kryptonian's face was splashed over headlines all over Metropolis, with reporters offering sly takes on what could be making him so happy, while others commented that it was a sign of the good times Metropolis had entered.
The economy was doing well, major supervillains had either gone into jail, retirement or were busy scheming. Superman had been busy for the past two weeks, working tirelessly to save lives and brighten faces.
"-Superman's visit to sick children at Metropolis General Hospital, made the day of these youngsters and their tired parents-"
"-Man of Steel has prevented a record number of car accidents-"
"-saved at least fifty lives, and helped rebuild Metropolis's ageing bridge infrastructure-"
"Oh my God," Lois muttered darkly, flipping between channels. "You're everywhere!"
"Keep 'em guessing, right?" Clark smiled, wiping dishes dry as Lois finally turned off the television, growling as she dug into a pint of ice cream.
"Oh shut up. I hate that you're so happy." Lois narrowed her eyes at Clark, kicking off her heels as she sat down at the table. "Why on Earth are you so happy, Clark?"
Clark huffed in amusement and pointed at Lois with a slightly dripping fork. "Hey, friends are supposed to be happy when their friends are happy. Don't be like that."
"I'm happy you're happy, but it's getting obnoxious," Lois grumbled around another mouthful of ice cream.
Clark hummed, unbothered, and continued to wash dishes at Lois's house.
"Hey!" Lois yelled finally, throwing a tastefully patterned throw pillow at Clark's head. It bounced off and landed sadly on the floor.
"You know I'm bulletproof, right?" Clark asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"Come clean, right now. Did you and Bruce get engaged or something?" Lois demanded, picking up another throw pillow threateningly when Clark shrugged.
"Okay, okay!" Clark raised his glove-covered hands in surrender. "No, we didn't get engaged, Lois."
"Bruce's pregnant?"
"What?" Clark sputtered, almost wiping his face with soapy gloves. "What? No! Stop reading fanfiction, Lois!"
"I'm sorry, but Batman/Superman is my favourite pairing." Lois winked at Clark smugly. "Okay, so what is it? And don't you dare say work, because Perry almost fired you for coming in fucking whistling today."
"What's wrong with whistling?" Clark frowned, and Lois rolled her eyes.
"Oh my God, we're in the middle of an apocalypse, Kent! There's climate change and flooding."
"It's everything." Clark finally said, a smile tugging up the corners of his lips and Lois raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
"I mean, things are going well with Metropolis and the Justice League-"
"-God, that name is so nerdy!" Lois declared dramatically and Clark smirked delightedly.
"-Lex is in jail again-"
"-for now-" Lois cut in gloomily and Clark frowned at her but went on.
"-Mr. White is less mad than he usually is because I finally handed everything in on time, Jimmy's having fun with his new job, and Kara's really settling into her own superhero role. And yes, things are going fucking fantastic with Bruce." Clark stared down Lois. "Happy now?"
"No, but you are. And it is sickeningly sweet." Lois made a disgusted face. "I mean it, you're too happy."
Clark rolled his eyes. "You're right, it probably won't last but-"
"Hey, hey! No! Bad Clark!" Lois threw another throw pillow at him.
"Seriously?" Clark stared at the second one near his feet. "What don't people get about bulletproof?"
"It's my job to be the sulky, devastatingly hot realist. Your job is to stay golden, and perfect and naive." Lois glared at Clark and he laughed.
Clark glanced at his phone and chuckled, and Lois raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, it's Bruce." Clark held up his phone.
Lois made a suggestive sound. "He calling to arrange a late-night rendezvous?"
"No." Clark shook his head amusedly, stripping off the gloves. "He's run into some trouble in patrol and won't be free for a while."
"Oh." Lois pouted disappointedly. "He messaged to say that?"
"We were planning on getting dinner, and maybe a movie. I'm going to make Bruce watch this movie about these yellow minions." Clark laughed evilly and Lois couldn't help but join in, her voice incredulous.
"How in God's name are you two together?" Lois shook her head and Clark tilted his head at her.
"I mean," Lois swallowed past another spoonful of melting ice cream. "You're this literal ray of sunshine, that makes dad jokes, dresses like my fourth grade English teacher, believes in truth, justice and the American way."
Clark nodded while Lois rolled her eyes.
"You dress like colour wheel, save lives unironically, and watching you and James geek out makes me feel like the coolest person alive in comparison." Lois finished, her journalist tone creeping into her voice. "In comparison, Bruce is-"
"-he saves lives too." Clark interrupted defensively, crossing his arms. "He's one of the best people alive, he's a genius, he's caring-"
"Oh slow your roll, Romeo. I'm not going after your gothic, wet cat-looking, traumatized boyfriend. I'm just saying. You're literally polar opposites. You work in the daytime, and he beats people to a pulp in the darkness." Lois raised her eyebrows. "If I didn't actually know there was a person behind that mask, I'd be scared shitless of him."
Or turned on, Clark's mind automatically conjured some of his memories of Bruce. Dark eyeliner dripping down his beautiful, nearly otherworldly face, the ripple of his muscles...
The smile rarer than a solar eclipse, and twice as devastating to Clark. He loved the feverish glint in Bruce's eyes when Bruce obsessed over something, the one time his guarded words rambled.
Bruce took Clark seriously too, investigating his ideas and working with him, even on things as ambitious as the Justice League.
The times he took Clark's hand like it was the only thing real. The way Bruce made Clark feel like the only person that mattered.
Clark focused back on Lois before she noticed his daze.
"-don't even know how he puts up with you, with your obnoxiously positive chattering. You don't find it funny, how different you two are?" Lois asked.
"I love him." Clark said simply. "Why think more about it?"
There was a beat.
"Lois, come on!" Clark ducked behind the counter as another throw pillow came his way.
---------- Bruce's POV ----------
Bruce breathed out deeply, turning his sore neck carefully as he stretched different muscles.
His bruised hands shook as he punched in details into the keyboard, and Bruce shook over the looming wave of exhaustion.
He had to get back out there. Bruce slipped off one contact lens, impatiently tapping the table as he waited for the recording to save.
The second it did, he rinsed it off carelessly, pushing it back into his reddened eyes.
His cracked and battered phone buzzed with old messages.
Bruce stared at them. They were Clark's. Some bright coloured gifs of vaguely round, yellow creatures screaming banana. Bruce scrolled past them with a confused scowl, and froze when he spotted the messages from Clark.
Love you.
You busy tonight? I miss you ;)
What are you wearing? Something dark and leather I hope?
Slowly, feeling his heart crack a bit, Bruce typed back, eyes catching on the words love you.
Bruce forced his breathing to even out, feeling like there were shards of glass in his chest, cutting with every movement of his chest.
Why did Clark love him? He didn't deserve it. He couldn't face him right now.
Sorry, patrol is running long tonight. Possible to meet later? Bruce sent it, dying to add I love you too, but it would be cruel right now.
His phone beeped as Clark responded. Of course ;) Lois is disappointed ;(
Bruce stared it, achingly fond of this man. Usually, he'd type back something flirty, but he couldn't summon the energy for it right now.
"Master Bruce."
Bruce tried not to let his chest give away the deep breath he took. Slowly, he turned, fiddling with a kevlar strap on his wrist.
"You look tired," Alfred said carefully and Bruce scoffed at that. When did he not look tired?
"You've done more than enough for one night. And you have that meeting with the Mayor tomorrow. Why don't you just-"
"Gordon sent word, something's coming into the dock." Bruce rasped, keeping his eyes fixed on the strap.
"Then let the police handle it, we need to talk," Alfred's voice hardened and Bruce looked up at him finally.
Talk. The last thing he was interested in at the moment.
"I'll be back later." Bruce slung his leg over the motorcycle, tugging on the cowl as he sped off. No matter how distracted he'd gotten, years of speed racing on Gotham's streets meant it wasn't likely he'd crash.
No matter how much Bruce wished he could crash right now.
Pathetic. He grit his teeth, gunning the engine to get there faster. The adrenaline, the feel of fists and muscle would chase all these distractions out of his mind.
Mercifully, when Bruce returned, Alfred must have gone to sleep. The BatCave was empty, and Bruce sighed in relief, letting his head hang back for a second. The cool air on his flushed skin was heaven.
He wasn't in the mood for an argument right now. Oddly, Bruce wasn't one for arguments. They exhausted him.
That's why Dory was still employed at Wayne Manor. Why Bruce ended up just letting Clark tag along when the stupid idiot dropped by unannounced. It was why Bruce had three meetings with the new mayor in his suddenly crammed calendar, even though he wanted to spend more time at the new orphanage.
Honestly, Bruce needed to build up his stamina. He was much more prone to one or two combative or cutting remarks. It was Alfred and Clark that were big on talking. On hashing it out.
Bruce slammed a hand into the counter. He didn't want to think about Clark right now.
Accidentally, he'd managed to hit a corner of the remote and the TV flicked on.
Bruce stared, feeling his exhausted eyes widen when he saw Clark.
"-visit to sick children at Metropolis General Hospital, made the day of these youngsters and their tired parents." The reporter beamed, as the camera panned to Superman, holding a small girl on his knee as she whispered something shyly in his ear.
Superman laughed charmingly, his dark falling in a smooth swoop over his strong features. The little girl laughed too, clutching a stuffed Supergirl doll under her thin arm.
Bruce swallowed thickly, hating the tears that weighed down his eyes. He shook his head, clicking to a different channel.
"-of Steel has prevented a record number of car accidents, now we hear from one family that was saved-" Click! The channel changed again.
"-Gotham's reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne has taken over the former orphanage. Guilty conscience or publicity stunt?" The click was aggressive enough to dent the remote.
"-parts of the city still under water-" Click!
"-Batman has brought several notorious gang leaders to justice-" Click!
"-some questioning our very institutions-" Click!
"-rights in this country are under attack. We need to bring these vigilantes to justice! Starting with that masked freak in Gotham-"
Bruce smirked at the politician's face, reminding himself to send the proof of his corruption to Gordon. Click!
"-Superman has saved at least fifty lives, and helped rebuild Metropolis's ageing bridge infrastructure. Much like Gotham's very own vigilante, who was pivotal in the city's flood-" Bruce changed the channel quickly.
There was so much more he could've fucking done. Renewal and Riddler were his failures, like they were his father's failures.
Failures. Bruce shook his head, forcing his attention to the bright screen.
"-Superman was spotted in-"
Bruce huffed lowly, turning the TV off. You've been busy.
All he wanted right now was the feel of Clark's arms around him.
His clenched hands started shaking, and Bruce gasped, forcing a sob away. He didn't deserve Clark. Not anymore.
He turned on the TV and flicked shakily to the coverage of Clark interacting with the kids. It did something to his insides, made his heart shatter and reform all at once.
Was it stupid that he wanted Clark to meet the kids he worked with? To see if Clark could make them smile?
There were some kids that were so broken. Like Dick.
Bruce couldn't tear his eyes away from the glowing, happy Kryptonian.
But then he reminded himself that Superman would never forgive him when he found out...
Batman's cold, ruthless logic seeped into Bruce's mind. He turned off the TV, and started compiling data to turn over to Gordon.