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Clark woke up slowly, warm and comfortable in a way that made him want to continue to sleep, but the sound of somebody beside him had his eyes shooting open as memories of the night before flooded back.
Him and Bruce…
He turned and stared at the man beside him, unable to help the smile that formed.
Bruce was still asleep, his breathing and heartbeat steady. He slept on his back - because of course he did - but there was a softness to him in sleep that wasn’t otherwise there. His hair was ruffled and there was the faintest hint of curls at the end that hinted that Bruce’s hair wasn’t naturally straight and had Clark wishing to see what he’d look like without it styled. The furrow between his brow that had seemed permanent was amiss and his body was lax in a way that made Clark realise that even when he’d seemed relaxed, whilst awake his muscles were always tense.
Clark could have spent hours staring at him, but as if being able to sense he was being watched, Bruce awoke.
There was a moment, brief enough that anyone else would’ve missed it, where all of Bruce’s muscles tensed before he locked eyes with Clark and relaxed again.
“Were you watching me sleep?” He asked, voice rough.
Clark huffed out a laugh, “No, I only just woke up as well.”
Bruce let out a noncommittal hum and sat up, stretching.
Clark continued to lie down, not wanting the moment to end. Bruce had asked him to sleep over, but maybe he expected Clark to slip out before he woke? Or should he get up now and get ready to leave? Did he wait for Bruce to kick him out?
“Put some clothes on.” Bruce said, standing up and opening his drawers where he began to sort through various items of clothing. Apparently finding what he was looking for, he threw a pair of worn grey sweatpants at Clark who caught them reflexively. “I want coffee, and even though Alfred is out and Jason is at Dick’s I assume you’d rather not be naked in my kitchen.”
Clark smiled. Well it seemed he was at least invited to stay for breakfast.
By the time Clark had gotten out of bed and pulled on the sweatpants, Bruce had gone to the bathroom and then dressed in a pair of cotton pajama pants and a soft sweater.
Clark was too busy staring at Bruce to notice that Bruce was staring in return.
“I don’t think I have a top that will fit you,” Bruce remarked, still staring.
“That’s alright, I don’t get cold.”
Bruce hummed in response before pausing, gaze focused on the sweatpants.
Clark laughed, a little self consciously, “Ah, yeah I think they’re a bit too small.”
“They’re fine,” replied Bruce, snapping his gaze away.
“I don’t want to stretch them out,” Clark responded, looking down at the sweatpants that were definitely pulled tight.
“It’s fine,” Bruce said, “here,” Bruce threw a robe in Clark’s direction before heading to the door. Clark shrugged on the robe - and whilst it wouldn’t exactly do up it gave him slightly more coverage at least - and hurried after him.
Clark was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t notice that there were others present until Bruce had already opened the door to the kitchen and walked inside.
Jason was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal whilst Dick was sitting on the countertop drinking coffee whilst on his phone. They were both still in their uniforms but thankfully neither one appeared to have any injuries from patrol.
“Off the counter,” said Bruce, and Dick hopped down with a roll of his eyes. “I thought the two of you were going back to yours?”
“We finished up closer to here than mine, figured you’d be alright with it if we both come back here instead.” Answered Dick, not looking up from his phone.
“You’re always welcome, you know that,” replied Bruce, making a pot of coffee with some fancy equipment that Clark couldn’t even name. “How was patrol?”
“Quiet,” replied Dick, at the same time Jason said ‘boring’.
Bruce nodded, before turning to Clark, who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway, “do you want some coffee?”
It spoke volumes to how tired the boys were that neither seemed to notice that Clark was there until Bruce addressed him. Both of their gazes shot to Clark, and he smiled at them, noticing how Dick’s grin contrasted with Jason’s frown.
“Please,” replied Clark.
“Clark! What are you doing here?” Asked Dick, happily.
“We were going over a case last night until late, I offered for him to stay the night” Bruce answered, which at least prevented Clark from having to figure out how much they were supposed to know.
Dick nodded, accepting the answer easily, whereas Jason frowned.
“Couldn’t he have just flown back home?”
“Don’t be rude,” Replied Dick, shoving Jason, who glared as his cereal sloshed off his spoon onto the table.
“You know I don’t like Superman being seen in Gotham,” replied Bruce, handing Clark a cup of coffee, made exactly how he liked it.
“Ignore him, he’s grumpy because he’s tired,” said Dick.
“I am not!” Scowled Jason.
“Wickle baby up past his beddy byes,” teased Dick in a sing-song voice that was interrupted by him yelping as Jason punched him in the side.
“Shut up Dickhead!”
“You can’t call me that!”
“It’s your name isn’t it? First name Dick, second name Head-“
“-it is not-!“
“Boys,” Bruce’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was commanding and both Jason and Dick turned to him, “stop bickering. Please.”
“Jason started it,” Snarked Dick, who didn’t notice that Jason was giving him the middle finger whilst sticking out his tongue. Clark was certain Bruce did see it but chose to ignore it instead.
“Dick you’re an adult, act like it please.”
Dick huffed, rolling his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, Clark, how have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I’ve been good thank you, and yourself? How are the Titans?”
“Yeah I’ve been good, and we’re doing really well actually. Wally helped me on this case in Blüdhaven and it was great to have him there as support, things got sorted so much quicker.” He said, with a pointed look at Bruce, who pretended not to notice. Bruce’s rule about no outsiders in Gotham was notorious, and had been a point of conflict ever since Dick had joined the titans.
“Gay,” muttered Jason, rolling his eyes.
Before Dick could turn his irritation back to Jason, Clark cut in. “Having support is important, especially in our field of work. I know there’s plenty that Bruce helps me with.”
“I’m sure,” muttered Jason, quiet enough that only Clark could pick up on it.
Clark hadn’t spent much time with Jason, certainly not as much as he had with Dick over the years, but Jason had always been relatively friendly towards him. He wondered what had changed, or perhaps it was just part of being a teenager? He’d rather Jason decide to dislike him rather than what happened with Dick. Him and Bruce had been at each other’s throats nonstop during the last year or so of working together. Perhaps he was just at that age where he needed an adult to vent his teen angst at.
“Jason, once you’re done eating, go shower and then I want you in bed.” Said Bruce, pulling out a chair to sit down at the table.
“What?! I’m not even tired!” Exclaimed Jason.
“I don’t care. Sleep is important. If you’re up at night, you sleep during the day.”
Jason huffed and slumped down in his chair, sloshing what was left of his cereal about with his spoon rather than eating it.
“Dick, I know you’ve got plans to meet up with Wally later to work on that missing persons case so it would be best if you showered and slept here so you aren’t tired later.” Added Bruce, pouring himself another cup of coffee from what remained in the pot, before adding in several sugar cubes.
Clark had thought that it was ironic that the Batman liked his coffee sweet when he first found out, but honestly it fit. He still had it black, the stronger the better, but it turned out the big bad Batman had a sweet tooth.
Maybe he should get Ma to bake some cookies and he could bring them over. Usually Bruce had an iron will and his diet was perfectly controlled but if Bruce was distracted Clark found that if you happened to leave any treats in his vicinity he’d almost mindlessly eat his way through them. If he brought them over whilst working on the case-
“I thought I told you to stay out of my city’s business!” Huffed Dick, crossing his arms.
“I’m not getting involved in your city’s business,” replied Bruce calmly, “I’m trying to keep up to date with what’s going on in my son's life. Something which I wouldn’t have to resort to others to do, if the son in question visited more often.” Bruce gave Dick an accusatory look.
“If you weren’t snooping, then how did you know I was looking into that?”
“Wally told me,” replied Bruce, taking a long sip from his coffee.
“Wha- when?!” Dick exclaimed.
“Thursday. He came over for dinner.”
“And why wasn’t I invited?”
“You were. You didn’t respond to my email.”
Jason laughed, interrupting the two’s back and forth. “Who even uses email nowadays, old man?”
“I do,” responded Bruce, eyebrows furrowing. “It’s far more secure than SMS messaging.”
“Texting,” corrected Dick, rolling his eyes, “and Jason’s right, I don’t think I’ve checked my email in months.”
Bruce looked horrified at that. “What if you are sent something important?”
“Everything important comes by post, or I hear it from you,” Dick shrugged.
“I can’t believe…” Bruce cut himself off, shaking his head, “next time, I’ll make sure to contact you via text message instead.”
“Sure thing,” Dick yawned, stretching out as he did so, his hand clipping the back of Jason’s head. Before he could react, Dick had darted to the door, “well, I’m off to bed now!” he called, rushing out.
Jason scowled, “he’s so annoying.”
“He’s just winding you up, chum.” Replied Bruce.
“And it’s annoying!” Jason rolled his eyes and finished off the last of his cereal before getting up to dump his bowl in the sink. He made his way towards the door before being interrupted by Bruce.
“Goodnight Jason,” said Bruce pointedly.
Jason let out a massive sigh before replying, “goodnight Bruce,” and stomping out the kitchen.
Bruce massaged his temple and sighed. “Sometimes I feel like they’re going out of their ways to drive me mad.”
Clark laughed, “I think they’re more trying to drive each other mad.”
“I wish they’d just get along.”
“I think they’re getting along well enough,” replied Clark with a soft smile. He remembered how difficult it had been for Bruce when he’d first taken Jason in.
Jason had seemed happy, hopeful but wary and traumatised in a way that Bruce couldn’t really understand - not like he could with Dick. Sure he had lost his parents, but Bruce never knew the struggle that came with poverty, with having only yourself to rely on at such a young age.
It had led to Bruce realising that for all he’d been doing, so many people still suffered. He said he was thankful for it, for realising his shortfalls but Clark knew it hurt Bruce to realise, to feel as though he had been failing his city and the people even more than he’d thought.
It didn’t help that Dick’s relationship with Bruce was already particularly rocky, worsening even more so after Jason was brought in. Dick felt that he was being replaced and Bruce worried he would fail Jason in the same way he felt he’d failed Dick.
It had been a mess, and one that Clark had no clue how to support his friend with other than be there. Bruce wasn’t one to talk about his problems, especially when he couldn’t see a solution to them, but Clark did what he could by just being there.
He knew some others in the league thought he was being pushy, and perhaps he had been, but it had worked and little by little Bruce began to let his guard down around Clark, allowing him to help on cases and for them to become more like friends rather than colleagues.
Bruce had visibly been relieved when Dick began to come around more, at first declaring it was only to train Jason so he didn’t disgrace Robin, but eventually it became more than that.
Clark knew Bruce loved his kids, he just hoped there was enough room in Bruce’s heart for Clark as well.
The moment of comfortable silence was interrupted by a shriek and a crash, followed by Dick screaming Jason’s name. Clark looked momentarily alarmed, but settled when Bruce just sighed and stood, not seeming concerned.
“I’ll go check what they’re doing, wait here.”
Clark nodded and watched Bruce leave, respecting all of their privacy enough not to Xray through the manor to figure out what was going on, even if he was curious.
Bruce couldn’t have been gone for more than a few minutes before the door opened again, but when Clark looked up it wasn’t Bruce who’d come back down but Jason.
“Bruce went to go see Dick,” Clark said.
“I didn’t ask,” replied Jason, staring at Clark in a way that wasn’t quite a glare but wasn’t exactly friendly either, “why are you still here?”
“Uhm,” stuttered Clark hesitantly, but before he could begin to defend his place at the kitchen table Jason interrupted.
“Don’t think you’re clever. I know what you’re up to.” Said Jason, and Clark realised now that the odd stare he was giving him was an attempt at the Batman Staredown, except it wasn’t quite as effective on the face of a teenage boy who hadn’t quite shaken off the cuteness of childhood.
“Ah,” said Clark, entirely unsure of how to respond.
“Dick and B may trust you, but I don’t. I’ll be keeping an eye on you and if you slip up? I know where B keeps the kryptonite.”
“Right,” Clark replied, awkwardly. He didn’t really know what this was about, but he wasn’t going to ask either.
Jason made his way around the table, getting a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water, just in time for Bruce to re-enter the kitchen.
“Jason?” Bruce asked.
“Just getting a drink!” Jason defended, even though Bruce hadn’t said anything. He gave Bruce an innocent smile, as though baiting him, but Bruce just sighed and nodded.
“Alright,” he watched as Jason left the room and then sighed again, rubbing his face.
“Everything alright?” Clark asked, watching Bruce took the now empty coffee pot off the table and went to the machine to refill it.
“Someone put pink dye in Dick’s shower head,” Answered Bruce, giving Clark a look as he said ‘someone’. They both knew it was Jason, but Bruce also knew to pick and choose his battles when it comes to the boys. With pranks like this if he tried to accuse one or the other then he became an adversary instead of a mediator. Maybe it was bad parenting but with the small things that didn’t cause any harm he’d rather just let them deal with it between themselves.
“Oh?” answered Clark with an amused smile. Dick’s reaction sounded as though something much more drastic had happened.
“Dick thought his hair would turn pink,” Said Bruce, answering Clark’s unasked question.
Clark laughed as Bruce sat back down, pouring himself a mug of coffee from the now full and freshly steaming pot. Clark took the pot after Bruce to refill his own mug. He wasn’t the biggest fan of coffee, as he didn’t really get any affect from the caffeine but he also wanted any excuse for the morning to continue and a half full cup of coffee was the perfect excuse to not begin the motions of leaving.
“Will it?” Asked Clark.
At this Bruce huffed out a laugh. “Of course not. His hair is black, it’d need a whole process to get his hair any color and as smart as Jason is, he wouldn’t have been able to invent a chemical that could bleach and dye hair in a matter of minutes.”
Clark just laughed again and Bruce groaned.
“He is so incredibly intelligent and yet sometimes he can be so incredibly dumb. Maybe I should start pushing him again to go to college and get a degree. God knows he can do better than being a cop!”
Clark raised an eyebrow, “I remember how much of a battle it was to get him to even complete school and you think you’re now going to be able to get him, as an adult, to go to college?”
Bruce groaned again. “Maybe I’ll have better luck with Jason. All I want is for them to have a good education and a normal life.”
“Coming from the guy who dropped out of med school and spends his spare time dressed in a bat costume?”
“Don’t all parents unanimously agree that it’s ‘do as I say and not as I do?’”
“I don’t think my parents ever said that,” Said Clark thoughtfully.
“Your parents are the human equivalent of cherry pie and sunshine. I thank them everyday for the man that you became.”
“Really?” Teased Clark, grinning in amusement.
“Really,” replied Bruce with a teasing smile, “Lord knows if anyone else had your powers combined with a face and body like yours, they’d use it to take over the world.”
“What would I do with the world?” Laughed Clark.
Bruce shrugged, “Rule over us puny humans as a God?”
“Gosh no, would be way too much effort.”
“Well, it’s good to know that humanity would be saved by your lack of effort.”
“Now if there was anyone that could rule the world it would be you.” Pointed out Clark. Bruce scoffed.
“Me? I can barely keep Gotham in check.”
“You’d figure it out. Now if I really wanted to rule the world, I’d have you do all the hard work. I’d be the figure head and you’d be the mastermind behind the operation.”
“Behind every powerful man,” quoted Bruce, teasing.
“-is their smarter other hand.” Finished Clark, subverting it. He then flushed, realising what he’d implied.
“I think you’re plenty smart,” said Bruce, with a soft smile.
“Ah, I ain’t got nothing on you though. You’re the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.” Clark’s gaze dropped to his coffee, then to the kitchen door before going back to Bruce. Bruce was staring down at his own cup, and there was a soft pause before Bruce replied.
“I think you’re the most perfect man I know. I used to blame it on you being an alien, but I think it’s just you.” Said Bruce, cheeks slightly warm. His shoulders were stiff and his fingers twitched as he held his mug, taking a long sip as though preventing himself from saying anything further.
“I’m far from perfect,” Replied Clark, carefully. It wasn’t like Bruce to be so forward spoken and Clark didn’t want to risk Bruce closing up. “I make a lot of mistakes, and I’m stubborn and I know that I can be ignorant, even naive when it comes to others.”
“You see the best in people,”
“And sometimes I fail to see the worst.” Clark looked down at his own coffee. “I’ll always choose to save as many people as I can, regardless of the consequences. I struggle to keep up commitments because I’m always busy.
Bruce didn’t reply.
“I- I can be difficult to be with. Romantically, I mean,” continued Clark, taking a leap of faith in hoping this is where the conversation was headed, “I can’t promise to always be there, or to make every date. That was part of the issue with Lois. Being Superman will always come first.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less,” replied Bruce, finally looking Clark in the eye. “What we do is difficult. More so when trying to uphold civilian identities. My city and my sons will always come above any relationship, and I can’t promise that won’t cause problems.”
“I know,” said Clark softly, “but I want to try.”
Bruce reached out a hand across the table, and Clark took it, hoping this wasn't about to be the moment turned down, to be told that this was a mistake that could happen again.
“I do too.” Answered Bruce, and Clark couldn’t help the smile on his face.
He knew it was too early to say - wasn’t going to risk scaring Bruce off - but in that moment, looking at Bruce across the table he realised he might be in love.