Chapter Text
Clark’s parents were starting to get a full understanding of his powers. When he was excited, it was hard to keep himself under control. He accidently broke a wall, lasered a light bulb in the barn, spoke a bit too loud and made the house shake. On more than one occasion he had been caught floating.
He couldn't sleep last night. His mind kept wandering back to what tomorrow was! He and Bruce had been texting all day while Clark helped his parents prepare. The other bed was set up in Clark’s room and the guest room had been made up for Alfred. A few extra chairs had been brought in so they all could fit at the dinner table. And Clark had been put to work straightening up the last few things in the house since he had so much extra energy.
He couldn’t help it. He was giddy and anxious. He had been waiting for so long to finally do this.
What more, Bruce sent one last text before he went to bed. It read, “ Can’t wait to see you tomorrow .” There was a picture to go with it. Clark’s heart fluttered and he had to steady himself as he finally got a real look at Bruce. He was handsome, but still had that boyish charm. His eyes managed to sparkle even in a photo Clark would be lying if he said he hadn’t spent a few moments just looking at the picture and taking in all of Bruce’s soft features. At the same time a blush was crawling up his cheeks. He grinned back at Bruce’s smiling face.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
~.~.~.~.~
“When they said to feel free to move around the cabin, I don’t think they meant you should pace back and forth, Master Wayne.”
Bruce gave Alfred a helpless look. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. This flight had been going on forever, and it left him with his own thoughts for a too long.
“What if he doesn’t like me in person?”
“Sir, I doubt that will happen. You’ve managed to nurture a long distance communication into a strong friendship. As long as you were honest, I doubt he’ll find anything to dislike about you.”
“Or we could get there and have nothing to talk about. That would be weird.”
“You don’t always have to talk. Sometimes it’s better to be quiet and just enjoy the moment.”
Bruce huffed. His nostrils flared in annoyance. He wanted to sulk, but Alfred wasn’t letting him. While he did appreciate it, he needed someone else to be on his side of the worst case scenarios.
“Be yourself, and you’ll be fine.”
~.~.~.~.~
Clark had perched himself by the window most of the day. It took his parents reminding him that he still had chores to pull him away for a little while, but he always came right back. He could feel his heart going a faster than normal; he was so nervous, but in a good way.
Then Bruce texts him to let him know the plane had landed and that they were on their way here.
It felt surreal now. The fact that Bruce was in Kansas and just a few hours away, and would soon be standing in his living room. The sun was just starting to go down now and he realized that he let the whole day slip past him without doing much. Then the anxiety came back. He did another quick check of the house to make sure everything was in its place and that his room was spotless.
“Could you set the dinner table sweetheart,” Ma asked from the kitchen.
The small task helped to settle him. It was one of the few things he couldn’t do super fast without breaking something. He had been given a lecture about running with utensils in his hands. He set a pitcher of raspberry lemonade on the table along with a pitcher of water. Then followed the dishes, one filled with veggies, another filled with mash potatoes, and…
His head snapped up when he heard a car pulling up in the driveway.
“He’s here!” He zipped to the door.
“Clark,” Ma was chasing after him frantically. He was too excited to think about anything other than the fact that Bruce was finally here. Then Ma’s hands were on his shoulders, spinning him around easily because he was floating. Her face was pinched with panic as she said, “You need to calm down.”
“I know but…”
“Sweetheart, listen to me.” She was firm as she spoke, and commanded his attention. “Bruce doesn’t know about your abilities. I know he’s your friend and you’re happy to see him, but you have to keep yourself under control. We don’t need him going back to the city and talking about the kid in Kansas that can lift a tractor with his pinky.”
Clark felt himself slowly descended to the ground as he took in what Ma was telling him. She was right. He had wrestled with the idea of telling Bruce about what he could do. He just wasn’t sure if he could trust him with this big of a secret. He hadn’t even told Lana and Pete yet, so it wouldn’t make sense to let anyone else in on the secret.
“Be mindful of yourself at all times,” Ma looked him in the eye as she spoke. “Your safety comes first. Remember that.”
“Yes’m.”
“Good,” She tried to smile to ease the tension. “Now, let’s go meet your little friend.”
~.~.~.~.~
“This is it?” Bruce looked around in awe. Part of it was because they were here, and part of it was because this wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. The house wasn’t run down, but it wasn’t in the best condition either. It looked like a tornado hit the left side of it, and the barn looked like it needed a new coat of paint.
His hands went to the strap of his bag and he twisted it as he waited for Alfred to get out of the car. They grabbed their bags from the trunk and started for the front door.
This was really happening, after all this time…
“Are you going to be okay?” Alfred asked him.
“Yes,” Bruce answered quickly.
“Then maybe you should knock on the door.”
“You’re right.” Bruce lifted his closed fist to the worn wood and rapped against the door. His breathing picked up, and he had to tell himself to calm down as the knob to the door turned and the entrance opened.
“H-hey,” Clark was the one to greet him at the door, all bright eyes and smiles. The picture that he had sent didn’t compare to seeing him in the flesh. Being near him was almost overwhelming. Clark was tall with a wide set of shoulders. He couldn’t see much else because of the baggy shirt and pants, but Bruce guessed he looked a lot like the pictures. But he was more caught up on his face. Clark didn’t try to hide how happy he was to see Bruce. He was practically glowing when he greeted Bruce, and Bruce gave a greeting of his own. Clark ushered them in with a “come in, come in.” He offered to help with their bags.
The inside of the house was a lot nicer than the outside appearance let on. It was clean, and well put together. The furniture was a bit mismatched, but in good condition. The walls were lined with family photos that Bruce was itching to get a closer look at.
He had envisioned their first meeting being a bit…more? That might be the right word he was looking for. If he was honest he was thinking of something more along the lines of a tearful reunion. Something like him finally falling into Clark’s arms. But the adults were here, so that probably had a lot to do with how tame their greeting had been. The adults were exchanging names and handshakes, and asking how the trip went. Normal small talk, but he and Clark got pulled into the fray as they waited for them to finish up.
“Dinner will be ready in a bit boys. How about you get settled and I’ll call you down in a bit?” Martha suggested.
“Yes’m,” Clark nodded taking the heavier bag. “It’s this way.”
Bruce followed along. He was expecting a ladder that dropped down from the ceiling. Instead, it was a staircase in one of the side halls that allowed access to the upper floor. Past the door at the top of the stairs was Clark’s room.
“T-this is it,” Clark said as he set the bag down by the mattress Bruce assumed had been set up for him. Clark hadn’t been kidding when he said that the room was more than big enough for the both of them.
There was a lingering silence between the two. It was his worst fear realized. Now that they were here, there was a certain level of uncertainty, and neither one knew what to say. So he went with the only advice he had gotten for the situation, enjoy the moment. He was hear in Kansas, with Clark and they had a few weeks together to finally hang out like real friends. Just knowing that was enough for Bruce.
He took off his shoes, which he forgot to do when he first came in the house. Next, he took his bag off and plopped it on the bed. There was a rattling noise when he did so and it caused him to remember what he had brought with him.
“Oh yeah,” he almost exclaimed when the light bulb went off over his head. “I brought some of my Gray Ghost comics and DVDs.” He unzipped his bag and started to pull everything out.
“Really?” Clark peeked over his shoulder, which wasn’t hard to do since he was a few inches taller than Bruce.
“Yeah,” Bruce said holding up one of the comics. “It’s the second edition, but it has some of my favorite covers.” He passed it to Clark.
“Wow! I've only ever seen issue 11-15. You weren’t kidding when you said you had all of them.” He sat down and started to flip through the pages. He was going so fast he must only be looking at the pictures.
“I started collecting when I was pretty young. My dad gave me my first one, and I took off with the idea to make sure I had them all.” He shrugged, trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal.
Clark looked up at him, big unearthly blue eyes sparkling at him through the glasses that perched on his face. He had a strange smile on his face like he was trying not to grin and say what was on his mind. Instead, he said, “Cool.”
Bruce shrugged and sat down next to Clark pulling out his other comics. Clark was laughing as he continued to flip through the first one. In less than a few minutes he was passing it back to Bruce. Maybe he didn’t like Gray Ghost as much as he said he did.
Clark must have caught his look because he said, “I have an eidetic memory, so I can read really fast.” He looked a way bashfully like he was embarrassed to admit it.
“No way,” Bruce was in awe. He passed him the next one and Clark was cackling at the fifth page and was tapping Bruce on the shoulder. “This part, though.”
~.~.~.~.~
It took a bit for them to get comfortable with each other, but now things were going fine. Clark could tell because Bruce’s heartbeat finally started to slow down. It had been racing since his car got to the edge of the driveway, and only got worse when they were face to face.
Now that they were alone in Clark’s room, pouring over comics and laughing over each other’s theories, everything was a lot easier. Ma had come up in the midst of everything and gave them their plates of food. She said they could have dinner up here since she doubted they wanted to be pulled away from what they were doing.
“They’re already knee-deep in comic books,” He heard Ma say to Pa and Alfred, who laughed. “I figure we let them be for the night. Only pop in to make sure they’re not staying up too late.”
“Bruce was up all night because he was excited, and didn’t get any sleep on the plane. He’ll be asleep in a few hours.” The comment made Clark’s cheeks color and he had to focus his hearing back into the room. Bruce had been that excited to see him?
They decided that eating while reading comics wasn’t the best idea. Bruce had bought the DVDs with him, so they cued them up while they ate. Clark tried to keep what Ma had said in mind the whole time. It was hard not to use his super speed or fly whenever he remembered that Bruce was here. He was happy, and want to be able to show him everything Smallville had to offer, no matter how small the amount. He was just glad to finally have this time together.
“I’ve only ever seen a handful of these episodes,” Clark admitted as he laid on his side. The opening theme was starting to play.
“Then it’s lucky for you that I bought all three seasons with me. You’ll get to see all of them.” Bruce was looking down at him as he spoke. His dimples showing as his expression softened in affection. It made Clark’s stomach flip when he realized how close they were to each other. They were alone in his room shut away from the rest of the world in their own little bubble. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.
It made him think back to that time in the winter when he mentioned drinking cocoa and watching movies under the blanket. “ Mind if I join you ?” Bruce had asked, and Clark had assumed he was joking and more concerned about the idea of being comfortable in the cold weather. But now Clark realized that when he told Bruce that he wouldn’t mind at all, how much he meant it, and how nice it was for them to be at this level of intimacy.
It’s just a step away from romance, he thought. Suddenly he was nervous again.
Then the show was starting, and all his attention went back to the screen.
~.~.~.~.~
This was the one time Bruce was watching these episodes and his mind wasn’t on the plot or the characters. He was watching Clark, and his reaction. He felt a small smirk cross his face whenever Clark had to exclaim over what had just happened. He was always look back at Bruce with disbelief.
“Did you see that?” He would ask, and there were a few times when Clark would take the remote and rewind back to a part that he found intriguing. A few times he picked out parts that Bruce hadn’t noticed. It was always something odd that was happening in the background.
The sun had set and night was upon them. Oddly enough, Bruce heard a rooster somewhere in the distance. He looked out the window in confusion before he remembered what Clark had warned him about.
“Told ya,” Clark hummed. “Don’t worry, that was probably one of the last ones for the night. “Probably.”
“Probably?”
“Just until Ken goes to sleep. Ken’s the rooster.”
“How much longer will he be making noise?” Bruce asked. They were already about six episodes into the first season. He looked at his phone to check the time. It was a little past nine in the evening. The fact that he hadn’t slept much the past few days was finally starting to catch up to him.
He paused the show, and was about to suggest going to sleep. Then Clark turned to him, bright-eyed and smiling.
“You want to see something cool?” Clark gave a coy smile.
“Sure?” Bruce shrugged.
Clark opened the window, and motioned for Bruce to follow him as he stepped out.
“Out the window…where are…?” It was now that Bruce realized how watching Gray Ghost had been a distraction. It gave them a false sense of peace. It made them feel at ease when they were both still worried about where this was going, how they were going to get along.
“Trust me, it’s fine,” Clark insisted.
“But what if your parents come up to check on us?”
“They’re asleep by now. We’re not gonna go far. Come on.” Clark was already out the window, balancing on the ledge and holding out his hand for Bruce to follow. Against his better judgment, Bruce took Clark’s hand and stepped out the window as well. He was still unsure of what was going on. It left him nervous and a little unsure. But how could he not go when Clark was smiling with a brilliant gaiety gleam in his eyes.
“Come on,” Clark grabbed onto the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. Again, he extended his hands to Bruce. This Bruce took them without hesitation as Clark helped him scale up the side of the house to the roof. Bruce wanted to focus on how soft Clark’s hands were. He found himself in awe at Clark’s sheer strength and how solid and warm he felt. It was like he was a radiator made of steel. A solid body pressed against him as they maneuvered themself. It was intimate in it’s own way. The way they were pressed together was sensational but brief.
“What are we doing up here?” Bruce was watching his footing as he stepped on the shingles, trying not to slip. Clark was still supporting him and he helped him sit down. Their upper bodies were pressed together from the way Bruce had to lean on him.
“L-look-k up,” Clark said.
His heart skipped a beat and he let out a quiet gasp as he looked up at the lit sky. Hundreds of stars lit the sky in a dazzling display of light. A deep blue stained the edge of the horizon as it melted into the black of the sky. The moon stood alone in a radiant glow. It was overwhelming. It was dizzying to look at. He got lost in the moment and feel like he was floating as he looked at a sky that seemed to stretch on forever.
“Wow,” Bruce laid back against the roof so he was about to look up without craning his neck.
“I know r-right?” Clark was laying down next to him. His hands were folded behind his head to serve as a cushion. “I f-figured it was something y-you don’t get t-to see in t-the city.”
Bruce took notice of Clark’s stutter resurfacing in full force. It must happen when he’s nervous. Bruce came to that conclusion because he hadn’t stuttered that much when they were talking to each other earlier. He did his best to react normally and not draw attention to it.
“It’s beautiful,” Bruce admitted. And for once he didn’t feel ashamed to say it. Clark nodded, agreeing with him.
“I-I t-thought y-you would-d like it.”
It felt like an eternity as they laid there, side by side, just watching the sky. He could get lost as he tried to commit what was before him to memory. Not just the scenery, but this feeling. This feeling of peace and warmth and how comfortable he was so close to Clark. This was something special that he was sure he hopefully would never forget.
He wasn’t even focused on the sky half the time. He found himself glancing at Clark over and over trying to sneak a peek at his peaceful expression and commit it to memory. The supple slope of Clark’s body, and the way his form called out to him. It looked like he could easily slide over and fit into him like a puzzle piece.
He looked over at Clark, who was smiling at the sky. His body was bathed in the light of the moon. His cheeks were pink, like his plush lips. Bruce didn’t even realize he was staring until Clark looked over at him. The corners of Clark’s lips drooped, but he didn’t look unhappy. He was starting to twist his body so he could turn over.
This confused Bruce for a moment and then Clark was over him. His hands were on either side of Bruce’s head. Though it was quite obvious what Clark was about to do, Bruce’s’ mind couldn’t quite catch up. He was more focused on how Clark was lowering over him with so much control it was almost dizzying to watch. It made his heart flutter.
Those pictures weren’t photoshopped! Clark must be as jacked as he was in those pictures. It was just hard to tell when he was wearing that red flannel and baggy jeans. Bruce only snapped out of it when he realized that they were nose to nose, their lips almost touching. Clark’s breath fanned over his face, his arms bracketed him and his body half way on top so they were chest to chest. Clark’s body blanketed him with an opulent warmth.
For a heartbeat, they didn’t move. They just looked into each other eyes as if to confirm that they were feeling the same thing. It was undeniable that they both wanted this. Both their hearts were thundering out of their chest. With the way they were pressed against each other, they could both feel it. Everything, since the first day, felt like it was leading up to this moment.
Clark was the one who closed the gap. It was nothing more than a meeting of lips. But his heart jumped into his throat all the same. His stomach filled with butterflies taking flight. He tilted his chin up to seal their mouths. It felt like the world spun during those few seconds their lips touched. It was soft and intimate and he felt like his body was flooded with passion. Then, just as soon as it happened, it was over and Clark was pulling away. His cheeks pink and mouth upturned in a simper.
He didn’t say anything, he just looked away, and his cheeks were as rosy as Bruce had ever seen. He gave Bruce his space and lay down next to him.
“When you come to Gotham, I’ll take you ice skating,” Bruce decided.
Fin