Work Text:
The letters stopped coming one day.
It was Clark’s first year of college, and he’d come home to find no mail for him. Ma always forwarded Bruce’s letters to him. When he hadn’t gotten one in his last care package, he assumed Bruce must be busy. But time continued to pass, and no word came. He hadn’t responded to his texts either.
It was heartbreaking.
He knew he was being ignored after a month of no response from Bruce. But was hesitant to delete him from his contacts. He didn’t want to lose everything. He didn’t think things would end like this.
“What do you think Daisy?” Clark pets his sheep. She bleated at him. “Maybe you’re right.” Clark sighed. He wasn’t sure what to do. If there was anything he could do.
“If he reaches out to me, he reaches out to me,” He decided. “For now, let’s focus on classes.”
Clark managed to finagle to get Daisy on campus. He left her at home for a few weeks, but then Ma called to tell him she had become lethargic without him. The campus reps he talked to were all amused when he asked to bring her on campus. As long as Daisy didn’t tear up the dorm or distract other students in class, she was allowed with him. It helped that she hadn’t grown much.
She got a lot of “oh’s” and “ah’s” when he walked around campus. People would sit next to him, just to see her. But he still hadn’t made any real friends. Pete and Lana were both back in Smallville, and he hadn’t connected with anyone the way he connected with Bruce.
Not that he was out to find a new boyfriend, but he missed their intimacy.
~.~.~.~.~
“Nothing?” Bruce asked, bundled from head to toe. He had to trek over twenty miles to make it to the nearest post office. He gave Alfred a forwarding address so he could receive important letters: Clark’s letters.
“Sorry,” the mailman shrugged. “Sometimes it takes a while for things to get here. I would check back in a month.”
“You said that last month.”
“I can’t help it if things are delayed. And you said you’re looking for a letter? That’s dependent on the other person sending it.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” Bruce apologized. He didn’t mean to snap, but he couldn’t see Clark cutting contact with him. Not without saying anything. Then again, he was in college. He had classes and projects and homework. He must not have the time to write.
But he hadn’t even sent a text. Then again, there was no reception out here. Maybe he was sending stuff but he hadn’t gotten it? That was it! The next time he went into town he would pay the extra money at a shop to get the wifi and see what happened.
His newest trainer cautioned against it. He said Bruce needed to be focused to master the new techniques he was trying to teach him. And while Bruce did want to get stronger and protect people, he wasn’t sure if that meant giving up everything. He could be focused and care about Clark.
Right?
After saying as such he was kept busy for months. He didn’t get a chance to go into town until they had to re-up supplies. He found the one place with wi-fi and logged on. He sent off a few texts and got nothing back. Finally, he decided to call.
A woman answered the phone. She said this was her new number.
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am,” Bruce hung up.
Clark changed his number.
Clark changed his number and didn’t tell him!
But Clark wasn’t the kind of person to ghost someone. He would have sent a letter, a text, called, something!
Right?
~.~.~.~.~
“No one thought it was weird,” Clark assured Ma over the phone. “I’m a big guy. I mean a few people got scared but everything is fine…No that’s okay. I saved up enough to replace it. I was thinking about switching to my own plan anyway, so I guess it works out…Okay…love you too.”
Clark sighed when he hung up. He was lucky that the older dorms still had phones in the common area. He wished he had a little privacy but he wanted to let Ma know what happened so she wouldn’t worry. He got a few mocking kiss noises from some of the immature guys. It didn't bother him. He put up with worse back home.
Now he was off to the mall to get a new phone.
He hadn’t meant to break the old one, but when he was angry it was easy to forget his own strength. He hadn’t realized how tight his fist was clenching until his phone buckled and shattered. It came as a surprise to everyone because Clark didn’t look mad. He hadn’t even raised his voice when Lois belittled the story he wanted to cover. But she kept talking down to him because of where he was from. She said he had small ideas because he was from a small town.
“Those kinds of things might count as big news where you’re from Smallville, but it’s not going to cut it here.”
“News doesn’t need to be flashy and ‘hard-hitting,’ all the time. Sometimes it’s a status update or making the people aware of a change in a situation. Either way, it should be reported on.”
“You’re not going to get far with a mentality like that. Small thinking leads to…” She paused when she heard the crack. Clark wasn’t sure what was wrong at first. He watched her eyes widen and her jaw drop as she stuttered and pointed, unable to get the words out.
“Damn it,” He cussed when he loosened his grip and pieces of his phone fell to the floor. He should have kept it in his pocket. He’d gotten too carefree here and was starting to mimic his peer’s behavior. But he couldn’t have his phone in hand all the time or something like this could happen.
“Are you okay?” Lois asked.
“I think,” Clark said. “I don’t think anything cut deep enough to bleed.
“We should still disinfect it,” One of the other members said. They went to get a first aid kit.
“I’m fine, really,” Clark insisted. “I gotta get going. I’ll see you all next meeting.”
Which is why he needed a new phone now. But the best plan he could find wasn’t under his old carrier. He would have to change numbers. He was a little apprehensive to do so, but in the end, he made the switch. He texts all his friends to let them know about his new number, including Bruce.
But the text to Bruce wouldn’t send. The error message said his number wasn’t in service anymore.
But there could be an explanation for that. Maybe he was swamped with schoolwork. Who knows? He might surprise him like he did before? Winter break was right around the corner. He might hear from him then.
~.~.~.~.~
Bruce had an easier time receiving messages from his next training location. After pleads from Alfred, he started taking classes online while he toured the world, mastering fighting styles. He got Alfred’s care packages more frequently, which meant no more stale cookies. But still no letters from Clark.
He tried finding him on social media but had no luck. Frustrated he sent one last letter. It was his only means of communication at this point. He wasn’t sure what to say though. He didn’t want to sound bitter, but he wanted to know what happened. Did he change his number because of him? What had he done to make him hate him?
He took a deep breath and wrote honestly. He let Clark know how much he missed him, and how much he meant to him. He left a list of ways to reach him and sent it off. It was all he could do. If he didn’t hear from him after this then…
Then he guessed it was over.
~.~.~.~.~
“I’m home,” Clark called when he got to the hill on his property. Kansas was pretty flat, but the few dips and bumps they had created great echoes. The family property did just that. Though he was still a ways away from the house, he knows his parents heard his call.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Ma yelled back. That made Clark hurry up. He picked up Daisy and set a reasonable pace home.
“How has school been,” Ma squeezed him the moment he came through the door.
“Good. I aced all my finals.”
“Look at our little scholar,” She beamed.
“Where’s Pa?”
“He’s got a few things to tend to before he’s done for the day. Don’t worry about it. Go put your stuff down and help me set the table.”
It was nice to be home. He had fallen in love with the city, but he missed the quiet of listening to the sky. In Metropolis even the air was noisy. He’d been overwhelmed for a day or so, but managed to recover.
But nothing beats a home-cooked meal.
“We’re so proud,” Ma said at dinner as she served Clark seconds. “I was worried about you being so far from home, but you’re doing fine.”
“No more broken phones?” Pa asked.
“No,” Clark said. “I’ve been extra careful since then.”
“And no one asked about it?”
“Lois was worried about my hand the first day or so, but since then no one talks about it,” Clark said. He didn’t bother to explain that the club is scared of him now. He overheard them discussing the incident. They were worried because he’d looked so calm right before it happened, but was seething. He doesn’t think they would be warming up to him anytime soon.
“Who’s Lois?” Pa asked.
“President and Chief Editor of the Journalism Club. Which doesn’t make any sense. Most of the time I’m spell-checking her. But her stories did the best on the website last year, and it impressed whoever was in charge, and they appointed her to be the leader this year.”
“Were you hoping for the position?” Ma asked.
“No, but she’s rude to me all the time. We don’t agree about what qualifies as news. I wouldn’t mind her as much if she had an open mind.” Clark sighed.
“Maybe you need to open your mind as well,” Pa said. “Maybe she’s trying to guide you and help you.”
“She probably is, in her own way,” Clark shrugged. He didn’t want to get into it.
“You know, even when they get older, girls pick on boys when they like them.” Pa winked.
“That’s not it,” Clark said. Did her heart rate rise when he was around? Yes. But it is more like aggravation than it was arousal. Even if it was, he didn’t like mean people and he was still hoping that…
“Have any letters come in from Bruce. I forgot to forward him my campus mailing address and I think he changed numbers around the same time I did.”
“No,” Ma frowned. “I thought you two switched to texting and calling…” She stopped talking when she saw Clark’s bottom lip wobble. “Did you two have a fight?”
“I don’t think so. But he wasn’t answering texts and then his phone wasn’t in service…I thought his letters were coming here and they hadn’t been forwarded…” He took in a deep breath. He couldn’t cry, he would break the house if he did that.
“I’m sure there’s an explanation sweetie,” Ma rubbed his back. But the way her heart leaped when she said it, Clark knew it was a lie.
“If this is how he’s choosing to end things then he couldn’t have been that good of a friend,” Pa said. His heart rate also jumped.
Tears were streaming down his face, steaming and fogging up his glasses when the hot liquid met the cool air. He took off his glasses to wipe his face.
“I’m sorry,” Ma hugged him tight. She meant it. “But it will be okay. You’ll meet new people, and make friends who treat you better. I promise.”
Clark sucked in a sob, rattling the table as he tried to hold it together. All the emotions he compressed in his chest the last few months, everything he’d been denying, everything he wasn't allowing himself to feel, was trying to push forwards. Had this meant anything to Bruce? Had he been the only one in love?
He freed himself from his mom's embraced and flew outside. The further up he was, the less damage he could cause. He didn’t yell and scream, but soft cries passed his lips as he looked up at the night sky.
A view he and Bruce shared the night of their first kiss.
Fin