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Bruce Wayne stared at his sons with a scowl, his hands resting on his hips. This was the most important meeting he would ever be having with his children and he needed all of them to understand that. He couldn’t have them ruining this night for him, it was the most important evening he would be having and they could not ruin it.
“So you’re telling me that you’re kicking us out of the manor so that you can have a date with your boyfriend,” Jason drawled out, giving the man an annoyed look.
“Precisely. And you cannot ruin it,” he told them.
Bruce had the entire night planned out to a T. The children would all be gone, out at their own homes, or in Damian and Duke’s case, spending the night with Dick. Alfred was in England for his yearly sabbatical and that meant that the manor would be completely empty. No distractions, no paparazzi, no issues. Just Bruce and Clark spending an evening together. They would have a wonderful night together and just finally get some time to themselves.
Between being Batman and Superman respectively, as well as being Brucie Wayne, Billionaire Playboy, and Clark Kent, star reporter, there really just hasn’t been enough time for them to simply be Bruce and Kal-El and Bruce just desperately needed that time with his partner. His sanity depended on it.
“I just don’t understand why I can’t be here for it. I love seeing Clark,” Dick whined, pushing his lip out in a pout.
“What? You don’t want to have a slumber party with your brothers?” Tim asked, looking over at Dick curiously, his brow arched in interest. Bruce suppressed a small smile, ever proud of his middle son for being a master at manipulating his siblings. “Because after I have dinner with Cassie, Bart, and Connor, I was thinking about coming over for the slumber party.”
That immediately got Dick’s attention. “Really? Timmy! You’ll come over too?” He then let out a gasp and spun on his heel to face Jason. “Jay, Jay! Jason Peter! Will you pretty please come over too?”
Damian let out a scoff. “Are Duke and I not enough for your entertainment, Richard?” He asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
“You sayin’ you don’t want me there, Gremlin?” Jason snarled out and Bruce just rolled his eyes in dismay.
“Talk about this outside of the manor. Leave, now,” Bruce said stiffly, his arms now crossed over his chest as he glared at the five boys who were now bickering with one another.
“I can’t believe you’re embarrassed by us,” Dick whined as the others started slowly trudging out of the room.
“Can you blame him?” Duke snarked. “I’ve been here for six months and I’m embarrassed by you all constantly.”
Dick let out a dramatic gasp. “Duke!”
Jason turned and gave Bruce what the detective knew was a fake hurt look on his face. “You’re usually trying so hard to get me to come home and now you’re turning me away like I’m a street rat,” he said and let out a sniff.
And if Bruce was not a desperate man, a man in dire need of love and affection from his partner, he would have backtracked right then and there. He would have spread his arms open and hugged his son tight. But Bruce was a man in need and his son was not going to stop him from attaining his goal.
“Nice try. Get out.”
Bruce’s heart still seemed to crack ever so slightly, though, telling his precious boy to leave. But it was for the greater good. His evening was in danger of being ruined if he did not kick his boys out of the manor this instant.
The boys grumbled and stomped out of the manor one by one and Bruce smiled to himself before he walked into the kitchen.
Alfred had given him very strict rules about cooking in his kitchen. He had left a multitude of meals in the freezer for Bruce and the boys to eat while he was away and had left some casseroles that only Jason was allowed to put in the oven.
But how hard was it to reheat a frozen casserole in the oven? It was just reheating for a few minutes and nothing more. And he knew that Alfred had prepared a tater tot casserole for the possibility of Clark coming over. So, the casserole was in the oven and the Kryptonian would be there any minute now.
He opened the oven door and smiled to see that it was cooking just fine, although the cheese wasn’t melting on the top like it was supposed to. Clark looked between the temperature for the oven and the casserole and hummed. Maybe he could turn it on broil and that would make the cheese melty.
He had seen Alfred do that before if he remembered correctly.
Bruce changed the knob on the oven to broil and closed the oven door just as a knock rang through the manor.
The vigilante hurried out of the kitchen and to the front door. He grinned when he found Clark there, his hand half raised as if ready to knock a second time. Clutched in his other hand was a bouquet of bluebells that had Bruce’s heart fluttering ever so slightly.
Not that he would ever say that out loud, of course.
Clark gave him a soft smile. “Hi,” he said, tucking his wire-framed glasses into the front pocket of his button-up.
“Hi yourself,” Bruce said, feeling his face smooth out in relief. He had missed this. The easy comfort and camaraderie between them. He missed Clark.
“I wasn’t sure what to bring, and then I saw these flowers on my way here and they reminded me of your eyes,” Clark said before he thrust the flowers into Bruce’s hand. Bruce smiled down at the bluebells and back up at Clark.
“You know, the bluebell is a symbol of everlasting love,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he watched Clark’s cheeks grow bright red. “If you turn a bluebell flower inside out without tearing it, they say you will win the one you love.”
“Lucky me, I already have won the person I love,” Clark said and Bruce nearly melted in his spot.
Instead, he let out a chuckle, grabbed Clark’s tie, and yanked him into the manor. “Come in here, you freak,” he said and Clark let out a breathy laugh before Bruce took the hero’s face in his hands and gave him a light kiss.
“Love you,” Clark murmured against his lips. Bruce smiled and kissed the man one more time before he pulled Clark into one of the sitting rooms.
“I have a tater tot casserole in the oven, the kids are gone, and Dick is playing Batman for the night so we have no responsibilities, no distractions, just us,” Bruce said as they took a seat on the couch. “I was thinking maybe a movie, dinner, another movie, and then a nice bath?” He asked, his eyebrow arched.
Clark gave him a small smile. “I think that would be nice,” he said before he pulled back and sniffed. “I think something is burning,” he said, his eyebrows up to his hairline.
Bruce let out a curse and bounded out of the room. “My casserole!” he exclaimed and opened the oven to find the dish on fire. He let out another curse and started searching for the fire extinguisher, already thinking of all of the ways Alfred was going to murder him when he found out.
Clark let out a chuckle and pushed past Bruce. He leaned down and pulled the casserole out of the oven and let out a breath of air, extinguishing the fire easily. He set the charred dish down and looked at Bruce, an amused expression on his face.
The vigilante gritted his teeth. “Not a word,” he growled out, marching out of the kitchen as Clark turned off the oven and followed him out.
“We can just order some pizza,” Clark offered, pulling Bruce into his arms, his lips wide with a beautiful and stunning smile.
“It’s not the same,” Bruce said with a sad sigh as he fell onto the couch, pulling Clark with him. The man just laughed and crawled on top of Bruce, trapping him to the couch.
“What’s wrong, Darlin’? We have a night to ourselves, something we rarely get and we can just spend time together. I don’t care about some dang casserole, I’m just happy to be spending time with you,” he said, pressing a kiss to Bruce’s jaw.
“I am too,” Bruce admitted. “We’ve been busy.”
Clark nuzzled against the man’s jaw lightly, a small smile on his face still as his large hands wrapped around the vigilante’s waist. “That we have. That’s why I was so excited for you to call me over. I’ve missed you,” he admitted.
“I’ve missed you too,” Bruce grumbled before he reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. “I’ll order a few pizzas.”
The super grinned and pressed a kiss to Bruce’s nose. “Perfect. How ‘bout we watch a movie, eat our pizza when it gets here and then we can clean up that mess in the kitchen? Then we can just get in that giant jacuzzi bath that you have and just enjoy our time together,” Clark purred and a lazy grin took over Bruce’s face.
“I suppose I can agree to that,” he said, his lids lowering ever so slightly as he wrapped his legs around Clark’s waist and pulled him close.
The front door slammed open and Bruce let out a sigh. “Who is it?”
Clark pulled away and frowned. “Tim, Connor, Cassie, and Bart?”
Bruce let out a sigh and shoved Clark off of him but it was no use. The four teenagers were already in the room and now Clark’s face was buried in the plush carpet.
“Wow this must be so embarrassing for you two,” Bart said, looking between Tim and Connor who were eyeing the two men with horror.
“I think it’s cute that Batman has a soft side,” Cassie said with a smile. “Now come on, we have a mission.”
“And what would that be?” Bruce asked, glaring at the four teenagers, his arms crossed in annoyance.
“Tim’s camera,” Connor said, having obviously gotten over seeing his pseudo-brother lying on top of Bruce.
“Why?” Clark asked, getting up from the ground, a disgruntled look on his face.
“Because we got this idea to do cheesy eighties-themed family pictures,” Bart said with a wide smile, his hands clasped together. “And we can’t just do that with our phone cameras, we need Tim’s fancy film camera to get all the right shots and get that eighties feel!”
Bruce watched as Tim slipped out of the room, a look of horror on his face as he did. He looked back at the other three and crossed his arms.
“And it meant all four of you needed to be here?” He asked.
“Yes,” the three teenagers said simply, wide smiles on all of their faces.
Connor just smirked and looked at Clark. “Jon said hi, by the way. Lois told me to take pictures if I could,” he said and Clark stiffened at the mention of his ex-wife. The two had divorced amicably and there was no ill will between them. But Bruce had a feeling that Clark was worried his new significant other was the jealous type.
He would be correct, but Bruce was not going to tell him that. Instead, he would just make sure Clark knew that he was Bruce’s later on when they were alone once more.
“Kon,” Clark whined, only for the teenager to smirk and lift his phone to snap a few pictures.
“Quit embarrassing them,” Tim said as he came back into the room, three different camera bags strewn over his shoulders. He sniffed and looked at Bruce before a wide grin spread across his face. “Did you burn something in Alfred’s kitchen?”
Bruce let out a grunt in response, glaring at his middle son.
Tim snickered and shook his head. “I am so telling Jason about this,” he said before he all but skipped out of the manor, calling for his friends to follow.
“Are they just friends?” Clark asked as they watched the group leave.
Bruce grunted once more. “I don’t believe so, but I try not to think about it,” he said simply. Clark pursed his lips and nodded his head before he looked at Bruce.
“Let’s just order the pizza,” he said, his voice slightly strained. Bruce nodded once and the couple found themselves back on the couch once more. Bruce scrolled through their pizza options as Clark started the search for a movie for the two to watch together.
“How have things been at Wayne Enterprises?” Clark asked, his arm wrapped around Bruce’s shoulders once the man finished putting in their order. Bruce watched with furrowed brows as Clark continued to flick through the films on the streaming service, still not picking something for them to watch.
“Fine. Tim has most of the control of the company still, I’m mostly there to support him and distract the board,” he said with a grunt. Clark chuckled and shook his head.
“I will never get used to your Brucie Wayne act,” he said.
A small smile hinted at Bruce’s lips. “I will never get used to your bumbling, mild-mannered reporter act,” he said.
“It’s not totally an act–”
“It’s an act,” Bruce said before he took the remote from his partner’s hand and settled on a movie. “Have you watched Star Wars?”
“No?” Clark answered, his nose crinkled a bit.
“Hn, we have to fix that,” Bruce said, selecting the first movie. He loved watching these with his children, Tim and Duke were the only ones who actually got invested in them but the rest enjoyed watching them with him nonetheless. Maybe Clark would enjoy watching them as well. He smiled as Clark shifted around until he got comfortable, resting his head on Bruce’s shoulder as the movie started playing.
Nearly thirty minutes later the doorbell rang and Bruce let out a grunt. “Pizza,” he said and Clark let out a hum, his eyes never leaving the screen as Bruce got out from underneath him to answer the door.
Only to find Commissioner Gordon looking exhausted and Damian and Jason looking pissed beyond belief.
Bruce sighed. “What happened? You’re supposed to be in Bludhaven with Duke and Dick for bonding time,” he said and looked over at Gordon.
“These two were caught trying to take the tires off of GCPD police cruisers,” he said, giving Bruce an annoyed look.
The vigilante pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why?”
“Damian wanted to know how I did it to the Batmobile,” Jason said with a shrug. “Also Dick has no food at his house and we were going to starve if we stayed there,” the twenty-year-old reasoned.
Bruce gritted his teeth. “Get in here,” he grounded out. “Jim, I apologize for their behavior.”
“Kids,” Jim said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I remember when Dick was going through his rebellious stage with Babs. That’s why I brought them here rather than took them to the station.”
“I appreciate it,” Bruce said. “Now, is there any chance I can get you to cart these two over to Bludhaven?”
Jim gave him a wide grin. “Of course, any excuse to see Barbara and get under Dick’s skin is a great time for me,” he said before he grabbed the collars of a pouty Damian and a smug Jason.
“Father!” Damian squawked. “He made us ride in the back like criminals!”
“You’re behaving like one, it only makes sense,” Bruce said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“I am not!” Damian growled. “Todd! Help!”
Jason just snickered. “This feels like old times,” he said, a look of amusement on his face. “Come on, Old Man, take me to Dickie Boy.”
Jim snorted and dragged the two out of the doorway and back to his police cruiser just as the pizza boy pulled up the drive. Bruce took the boxes of pizza graciously and shut the door, shaking his head in dismay.
“Were those your sons at the door?” Clark asked as Bruce set the pizza boxes on the coffee table.
“Don’t act like you didn’t hear it,” Bruce teased, taking a seat beside the man and opening up the box of supreme pizza.
“Too distracted by the movie,” Clark admitted before taking a bite. “I’m really invested,” he said around a mouthful of food.”
Bruce chuckled and got comfortable once more, hoping that nothing else would ruin his night with Clark.
THe evening went by, the couple finished off their pizza (feeding Clark Kent reminded Bruce of feeding his army of children) and made it onto the second Star Wars movie. Outside the sun had finally set and they were now steadily approaching ten at night when the alarms started blaring loudly.
Bruce stiffened. “Arkham,” he said with a sigh, his brows furrowed as he stood up. Clark gave him a small smile.
“It’s fine, B,” he said, grabbing Bruce’s hand and squeezing it lightly. “Superman can help and then we can take that bath you were promising me,” he said and Bruce just gave him a sad look. “Talk to me,” Clark said, running his thumb along Bruce’s bottom lip softly.
“I wanted a night alone, just the two of us. We haven’t had that in months,” he said with a sigh. “And this entire night has been ruined.”
“It hasn’t been ruined,” Clark said with a small smile, his hands wrapped around Bruce’s waist. “I’m here with the man I love. We watched two fantastic movies, ate pizza, I got to laugh at our family, and now we get to go and be heroes together,” he said quietly. “What more could I want?”
“A quiet night in,” he grumbled, resting his forehead on Clark’s shoulder.
“We’ll get one someday. For now, let’s go help your kids deal with an Arkham breakout,” Clark said and kissed the top of Bruce’s head.
Bruce smiled. Oh, how he adored this man of his.