Archive of Our Own

It was early in the morning and Bruce had already changed back into his civilian clothes, mindlessly adjusting one of the ornate cuff links on his suit as he walked towards the Watchtower's transport bay. Clark was walking swiftly behind him, straightening the ill fitting flannel he had just put on and fumbling the buttons closed over the red S splayed across his chest.

Bruce quickened his pace and coolly kept his focus forward, attempting to avoid a conversation the other man had been relentlessly pestering him about. Just because they were both a part of the Justice League and lived near each other, did not mean they needed to work together. Batman did things solo, unless it was necessary to cooperate for a League mission, but that was it. He preferred to keep all his relationships strictly professional, and be contacted as little as possible. Clark on the other hand thrived on relationships, and would gladly spend time with any of his fellow co-workers, especially the ‘dark and broody’ Batman if given the opportunity.

They had just made it to the transporter when Clark caught up, stepping a little too close and breaching into Bruce’s personal space. Before he could look back and do anything about it, Clark shouted to Jo’n.

“Send us to Metropolis please.”

With that, the two men phased out and soon found themselves located in an empty alleyway in Metropolis, just outside of the Daily Planet.

That was the last straw. Bruce turned on his heel and shot the Boy Scout a scathing look, his face mere inches away from the other. The phrase ‘If looks could kill’ crossed Clark’s mind.

Bruce had just opened his mouth, ready to tear into the metahuman for crossing boundaries and pissing him the hell off, when they both heard voices heading towards them from around the corner.

There were only a couple of seconds before they would be spotted, and Bruce looked down at the still visible S splayed on the chest in front of him. Even though he was absolutely livid and wanted nothing more than to leave that moment, he would never out a member of the Justice League’s secret identity. But more importantly, he would never out anyone in a manner that might also put his identity in danger. He would not be risking his life, but more specifically Alfred's life like that. So he did the first thing that came to mind, and leveraged his entire body weight to shove Clark against the brick wall behind him in a seductive position.

This shocked the other man at first, but his brain managed to catch up to the act just in time. Clark brought his hands up to his collar as Bruce placed his hand against the wall on the other side of his head. Right as the voices rounded in towards them, there was a sort of metamorphosis that happened in front of him.

Where there used to be a cold glare and tight jaw suddenly found a soft glint and a sultry smile. Bruce’s body language changed, shifting his weight to stand a little more slouched, leaning in too close for comfort, and placing a single finger on the top button of his collared shirt.

With one more surprise up his sleeve, he pitched his voice in a way only Brucie Wayne could manage, sounding almost drunk but also silky smooth.

“A reporter huh. Thought you could get the big scoop on me? How about you come back to my place, I’ll give you a special story.” His last words managed to sound both innocent and devastatingly sensual.

Before the end of his little show, the men had stopped to watch the two, and to Clark’s misfortune, they were a group of reporters he worked with. He didn’t recall them ever giving him a problem directly, but they certainly were not pleasant to be around.

The first one to notice him called out in a rather derogatory way,

“Hey Clark, looks like you’ve got a date tonight!”

Bruce turned their way, as if noticing them for the first time. Another man in the group, dumbfounded, said more to himself than anything.

“Holy shit, is that Bruce Wayne?”

That silenced the 4 men, and while their curious attention was on that flashy smile, Clark made quick work of his buttons and tried to slink his way out around them all. Hoping to use the Bruce Wayne spotting as his get out of jail free card.

Bruce however, saw an opportunity to get his message across, and perhaps to punish the man for being so freaking persistent and causing this scene in the first place. If Clark wanted to blur his line between personal space and work, who was he to deny him that?

“You know Mr. Kent, I do have a very important Gala coming up. Or, at least I’m told it’s very important, it’s so hard to keep track of these silly things. You and your reporter friends here should come, I’m sure you’ll find some great stories there to cover.”

He then cast his sultry look back onto Clark, slowly eying him up and down.

“Do make sure you dress appropriately, I would hate for my very exclusive interview to be held with a man who….”

He made a show of tracking his eyes from Clark’s disheveled hair to his heavily worn moccasins, and back up again.

“doesn’t know how to dress…”

Bruce let out a short bark of laughter,

“On second thought, I’ll just have a suit delivered to your place before the event.”

Clark, having caught onto the game he was playing, decided to chance a quip back.

“And just how do you plan on doing that Mr. Wayne? You couldn’t possibly know my suit measurements, let alone where I live.”

Bruce, never one to falter, looked him up and down again.

“Don’t worry darling, I’ve got a pretty good eye for these sorts of things. And I don’t think I’ll have any issues finding where you live Mr.Kent. Money is certainly good for something you know. ”

He turned his billionaire smile back around to the other reporters before leaving, he hushed his tone, knowing Clark would still be able to hear it.

“Do make sure he attends, you all will not be admitted unless he is there.”

And with that he swaggered off to flag a taxi, quite proud of his small victory, though still rather annoyed.

OoOo

A few days later, just as Bruce had said, Clark found a very chic and expensive looking 3 piece suit, with a matching tie and handkerchief delivered to his door. He really shouldn’t have been surprised to find that it had been tailored exactly to fit his body, surely that bloody bat kept a much too detailed file on all Justice League members. Though it was maddening just how exact Bruce was able to get the thing.

OoOo

The following Monday evening before the gala, Clark prepared himself mentally for the night ahead, while dressing himself in the astonishingly comfortable suit. And cursing himself for how long it had taken him to tie his black satin tie.

Making his way to place a small pen and notepad in the inner pocket of the overcoat, he found two ornate golden cufflinks with W.E. etched on each of them. Certain they were the exact gold cufflinks Bruce had been wearing when this whole debacle started a week ago.

He may not have much power in the situation, but he sure as hell would not be sporting matching Wayne Enterprises links. This was something he could take control of tonight. Instead, deciding to use a worn set of silver cuff links his Pa had passed down to him before his death. As the shy reporter with a loose fitting wardrobe, he never got the chance to wear them properly. At least he would be able to find some comfort with them through whatever the evening might bring.

All he had to do now was make it to the gala, schmooze his way through a bunch of socialites trying to kiss Bruce Wayne’s ass, have a ‘personal interview’ with the man of the hour, whatever that meant, and then he could go home.

That was only three things. He could handle three things.

Even if he had to carpool to the event with all his coworkers. He had assured them several times that he would be there on time, but they were not going to be risking their ticket to the hottest event in town. Absolutely insisting that they all ride there together.

He did take a little bit of pride in being the best dressed of the bunch. They each had on their finest suits paired with their nicest dress shoes, but it was nothing in comparison to his custom fit designer clothing. It made the teasing he received on the drive just a little more bearable. Although it was not fun, they certainly had a lot to say on the topic of Bruce Wayne and his new ‘pet’ reporter.

OoOoOo

The group of men soon found themselves arriving at the front entrance of a grand museum. The marbled steps and colosseum style pillars that surrounded them made the whole place feel so… other worldly.

A young man met them to valet the car, and they each made their way confidently towards the front entrance.

When they made it to the large double glass doors, a rather intimidating man with a clipboard stood in their way, asking for a name.

“Clark Kent.” He tried to sound neutral, but it came out flat.

He felt so uncomfortable with this. Usually he would use his press pass to make his way into events, or just try and sneak in the old fashioned way. He was so used to being a nobody and using that to his advantage, he was certainly never one to have his name on the ‘list’.

His train of thought was drawn back by the man in front of him.

“Ah, Mr. Kent, and entourage. I am to alert the host when you arrive.”

The man flashed him a very sincere smile as he warmly directed them through the entrance and towards the main gathering. That struck Clark as odd, he couldn’t quite place why he would suddenly be so pleasant with him. Though he quickly brushed it off.

His fellow ‘friends’ were awed that they were actually there and on the list. Even if it was listed as ‘entourage’, they were way too pleased with themselves for the feat to care. As soon as they made it through the threshold of the exquisite building, they unsurprisingly ditched Clark. Disappearing into the crowds in hope of finding juicy gossip or a breaking story.

“At least I won’t have to deal with them all night.” He mused to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his tie and plastered his friendliest smile across his face. Only two things left. Schmooze and interview. He could do this.

OoOo

It had been some time since arriving and Clark was starting to wonder when he was actually going to have that special interview with Bruce. He hadn’t seen the man all night and was growing concerned that it was all one big joke. It wasn’t until hours after the beginning of the Gala when the man in question walked out on a small stage with a microphone.

Of course he would be the guest of honor, this was a grand opening of the Natural Science and History Museum at the hands of Wayne Enterprises. And of course his playboy act would make it on stage with a drink in his hand. Always one for dramatics.

Though Clark had to hand it to him, his Brucie Wayne act was so well put together. Perfectly balancing his ‘shenanigans and bombastic personality’ with just the right words to properly thank the people who made it possible and highlighting the benefits to the community. All while flashing that dazzling smile of his.

Shortly after his ‘act’, Bruce found his way off the stage and interrupted Clark from a terribly boring conversation with the Gotham city mayor. Clark was actually a little glad to be taken away, ready for a moment he could have a breath to himself, and then actually talk with Bruce about this whole ordeal.

What he didn’t expect was for the Dark Knight himself to interlock their arms and clasp the crook of his elbow with his other hand to lead the way. Leaning into him with a little too much of his body weight. Clark couldn’t be sure if this was to help sell the act, or to just because Bruce knew he could take it.

They walked through several large groups of people, causing many heads to turn. All of them trying to figure out who had the great fortune to be so close to the billionaire. Bruce had chosen the longest route possible, obviously that much was for the show of it all. Clark almost had the audacity to be upset by it, but figured it might be just as much of a publicity show for Brucie Wayne as it was a punishment for him.

Bruce led them up a back set of stairs and through a long hall towards what looked to be a conference room. Passing through one last group people, judging by their badges, were all museums employees, Bruce loudly announced,

“This room will be perfect, we can talk privately in here.” waggling his eyebrows at the last part.

His tone was still flirty and a little slurred. Clark was starting to catch onto the little games the other man played. His last sentence alone would ensure none of those employees came knocking, so they would have some privacy.

Clark was brought back to the moment as soon as the double doors closed. He noticed that quick shift of Bruce’s aura again. Those glistening icy blue eyes became more focused. The jovial and grinning face now hardened and blank, with brows drawn together. He released Clark entirely and moved several paces away, smoothing out his jacket and flicking away at imaginary dirt.

They stood like that in complete silence for some time. Each waiting for the other to break and be the first to say something, to acknowledge the weird moment between them. As if they had not just been side by side, sharing more physical contact in the last few minutes than they had in all the years they had known each other.

Several more minutes passed and Clark finally gave in, he had suffered through the car ride and placated the rich and famous for information, this was the last thing he had to do. And he wanted nothing more than to be home at that exact moment.

“You're an ass.”

Bruce made no acknowledgement of the comment besides turning around to face him. Though a satisfied half smirk curled its way onto his lips. Finally answering,

“Did it get my point across?”

Clark threw his hands up in frustration.

“Yeah, I got it.” His voice suddenly rose as he went on.

“You are a loner. You don’t have friends, you don't work well with others, and you don't care about anybody. I think that is all crystal clear.”

Again they stood in silence. Clark’s words hung heavy in the air, and he immediately regretted letting his emotions get the best of him. In an effort to lighten the mood a bit, he breathed out.

“I’m keeping the suit though. It makes my butt look fantastic.”

For the first time, Bruce was the one with a surprised look on his face. Brucie Wayne would have taken that comment and ran miles with it, but the real Bruce made his way to change the topic as soon as possible.

“You're not wearing my cufflinks.”

Clark sighed.

“No, I’m not. And not that you care.”

He raised his wrists up towards the other man.

“But these belonged to my father. He gave them to me before he passed and I figured they would go much better with the suit.”

Bruce’s face went blank, completely unreadable to Clark. As if he were deep in thought, processing a million things at once. Or perhaps nothing at all.

Clark had put his wrists down, and was almost ready to turn around and leave when he heard the voice across from him, softer than it was before.

“These were my fathers.”

Looking up, Clark saw Bruce’s wrists turned, much like his own had just been.

“He wore them the night he was killed.”

Both men then looked down to admire the elegant silver cufflinks adorning his wrists. Each button face looked worn, but well taken care of. It was clear they meant a lot to him.

There was another long pause between the two. Though this was not uncomfortable or tainted with annoyance like before. It was almost solemn, each man taking in the others words and thinking about its meaning. Realizing just how much emotion was just displayed and how It was the most profound conversation they had ever shared.

Even though they were both founding members of the Justice League, each balancing their own secret identities, and both hailed as superheroes, they had never shared so much in common as they do now.

Clarks baby blues met the soft stare in front of him. He opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say. Perhaps to thank Bruce for not making fun of his cufflinks, or to thank him for sharing his own story. Certainly they weren’t about to bond over their dead fathers, but he appreciated the single wall that was torn down between the two. It made him feel like the other man didn’t hate him entirely. Giving him hope for a potential friendship or a better working relationship. Or at the very least, something more amicable than what they had going on previously.

But before he could find the words to say, both of their phones went off. An alert from the watchtower about a potential threat, requesting their assistance if possible. It wasn’t a code red, and there were already one or two other members who were likely to take the call. But individually, Bruce would much rather be out on duty than keeping up his playboy charade, and trying to find someone to ‘take home’. He really wasn’t in the mood for that now. And Clark would much rather leave as soon as possible and not suffer a ride back to Metropolis with his co-workers.

“I’m assuming you have a plan for a quick escape?” Clark questioned.

Bruce may have called him the Boy Scout, but he was always the one prepared with a plan. And a back up plan. And a back up plan for the back up plan.

Stone faced and methodically, Bruce took his tie and his overcoat off, tossing them to the floor. He then unbuttoned the top two clasps of his shirt and began musing his hair.

Clark knew exactly where this was going, and while he wasn’t surprised, he wasn’t fond of it. Considering it was this line of thinking that got him into this mess in the first place.

Deciding that the reporter had been standing too still watching him undress, he stepped forward and began to mess the carefully combed back locks.

“Okay, I get it, thanks.” Clark was barely able to stop his eyes from rolling.

And with that, he began to move his hands, quickly untucking one side of his button up, taking out the handkerchief and crumbling it to the floor. As he started about making his jacket and pants look a little lopsided, he watched as Bruce made the room look as utterly debauched as they did.

“We will start down the stairs. Just enough people will see us make our way out the back, so please, leave the goody two shoes act at home, we have a story to sell. I've just messaged J’on our coordinates, so once it’s safe, he will lock onto our signal and transport us to the watchtower.” Bruce all but barked.

Clark made a face and leaned into the wall next to him at the insinuation.

“Yeah yeah. I’ll sell your little story; billionaire playboy sneaks out back with hunky reporter.”

Bruce couldn’t help the short bark of laughter that escaped his lips.

“Hunky?”

He stood up from the wall and walked towards Bruce.

“Hunky with a nice ass.”

With that, Clark slid his arm around the firm waist beside him and winked.

Bruce had nothing else to say on the matter, though he did have to forcibly keep himself from looking at the man's rear with that thought suddenly in his head. He didn’t need that in his mind at the moment. So he leaned heavily into the arms around him and snaked his own arm around so they appeared inseparable.

Clark took a deep breath to prepare himself, and watched the metamorphosis of Brucie Wayne once again. It was somehow still as unbelievable as it was the first time.

That dazzling smile took up residence, and they made their way out of the conference room, through the halls and down the stairs, passing a handful of people Clark didn’t know. Though he didn’t pay much attention to the faces he passed, focusing more on the act going on next to him, and his hands that seemed to have a mind of their own. Sensually trailing the man in his arms. The man that was speaking just a little too loudly, saying things that would have made him blush otherwise.

Eventually they stumbled their way out the back door and down towards a parking lot. Disappearing to a quiet spot between two catering trucks, Bruce barely had time to let his smile drop before they were materialized to the transport bay of the Watchtower.

Once they were able to move about freely on board, they silently untangled their limbs from each other and made their way towards their individual rooms. Avoiding all eye contact and pointedly ignoring the previous events of the night. Bruce wanted to get in his gear as soon as possible, and Clark wanted to change out of his new suit. Finding that he was actually quite fond of it, and didn’t want it to chance it getting ruined.

The Flash was standing just outside the bay already suited up, having arrived a few minutes prior, when he saw Bruce and Clark walk out together. With their matching party attire and a very telling trace of ‘physical activity’ plastered across their bodies, he froze in his tracks.

Obviously he was reading the moment wrong. There was no possible way Batman and Superman were a thing. As far as he knew, they didn’t even work together outside of their League duties, and their civilian identities didn't appear to do a lot of fraternizing.

He was suddenly buzzing with a million thoughts and questions, wanting to talk to somebody else about what he just saw. But he knew nobody would believe him if he did, especially based on one fleeting moment and no proof of it. Not a single soul who knew the two men would think for even a second they had something secret fling going on. So he tasked himself with a second mission that night; figure those two out.

Though he didn’t get much time to work out his personal mystery.

Superman, Batman, Flash, and Black Canary were all there to handle the situation. Having been caught early enough, the problem didn’t have a chance to get too out of hand, and so the team was able to manage it quite quickly. Even with the extra time for a case debrief, everybody was home just after midnight.

Batman of course took the rest of the night to patrol Gotham, and superman did a quick trip about Metropolis before settling into his apartment, grateful the night had gone by relatively with ease.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning found chaos in Clark's life.

He could feel the odd energy as he rode up the elevator at the office, and braced himself for whatever it was to come. He had prepared himself to be the gossip of the week. Completely certain some rumors would be started after not riding home with the others last night. Maybe even a pic or two of him looking less than polite. He figured he could deal with all that.

What he wasn’t expecting however, were dozens of Gotham City Newspapers to be strewn about the bullpen. All of them featuring on the front page, a large color photo of Brucie Wayne and himself with deeply tangled limbs, both staring at each other with what could only be described as a wanton look, accompanied by a headline that read;

“Prince of Gotham out of the Closet?”

Followed by the beginnings of an article that could be sued for libel and slander, though he didn’t finish reading it. Instead, Clark focused on tuning out the hushed voices of everybody in the office. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to get through his work day with as few grievances as possible.

For a couple of minutes, he almost believed that he would be fine. Everybody seemed to stay chatting quietly about him in corners, too timid to outright say anything to him. Of course that was all ruined when those 4 guys walked in.

By Rao how he hated them right now.

Each of them loudly discussed last night's events. Mostly just trying to top each other’s stories, putting on a show for the rest of their coworkers, making sure everybody knew they were there. It was a pathetic display to witness.

Clark looked back towards his computer and willed himself to sink down as much as possible, trying to make himself invisible. Perhaps if they didn’t see him, they wouldn’t bother him.

The men didn’t bother him directly, which he was grateful for, but what followed for the rest of the morning had to be worse.

Between rounds at the water cooler, small breaks from work, and any moment of down time in between, they said the most vile and hateful things about himself and that “faggot Prince of Gotham”. At one point, they degraded Lois for dating him, saying she was “his beard, and was probably a queer herself.”

Clark was glad she was on vacation so she wouldn’t have to deal with this. But he was about to lose all sense of self control at the men when his boss stepped out and called him into the head office. Clark forced himself a few deep breaths as he made his way in and closed the door behind him. He took a seat across from his boss and found himself with yet another thing he wasn’t prepared for.

The man held his computer up, scrolling through a few paparazzi photos of him and Bruce walking together. He was glad to know their act worked. They truly looked like they had been physical together and going home to finish, but perhaps that wasn’t the conclusion he should have been making at the moment. In the awkward silence, he started wondering if he would be fired for this inappropriate behavior and public display of ‘affection’.

His boss took a calm breath and started,

“I don’t care what you lot get up to on your personal time. You are each entitled to your hobbies and love lives outside of work. However.”

He paused briefly and coughed.

“When you are working, and do something that might bring… negative attention… to our agency. I would ask that you try and keep it strictly professional.”

Clark wanted so badly to defend himself, to explain a little bit more about the situation. Or even to lie and say he made sure Bruce got home safe and then went home himself. He had just opened his mouth to start formulating a defense.

“Sir, it’s not…”

Clark was cut off. His boss started in again.

“It’s really okay Clark.”

He smiled softly and reached for his cellphone,

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you about my partner. We met in college, and I knew from the first time we met that we were gonna get married. I was so head over heels in love.”

He then turned his phone to Clark, showing a cute photo of himself a few years younger, with a very handsome man next to him. They were each showing gold rings on their fingers and looking deeply into each other's eyes.

Things suddenly clicked in his head. That’s really what everybody was taking from that paper? That he was gay with Bruce and ‘came out’ at that event? And because of that, his boss had just come out to him in solidarity. It made him feel warm inside to be trusted with this information, even though it was under false pretenses. Especially after hearing what the others were saying about himself and Bruce, not to mention what the newspaper wrote, he knew that it had to be hard out there for him. So he just smiled back,

“You two make a handsome couple. Thank you for sharing that with me.”

His boss put his phone up and stretched out his hand towards Clark. As they shook hands, he stated more seriously,

“It’s a cruel world out there. I would suggest staying out of the papers any further.”

He nodded his head in understandment, and with that, made his way back towards his desk with a new point of view. Though when he made it back, there was now a copy of the Gotham news paper with a handwritten note saying “die cocksucker”.

It didn’t take a detective to figure out which asshole wrote that and left it for him. Instead of losing his cool and causing a scene in the bullpen, he grabbed the paper and made his way outside for his lunch break.

OoOo

He landed in Bruce's bedroom of Wayne Manor much louder than he would have normally, mostly to make a point. It may have taken him some X-ray vision and guess work, but he eventually found the sleeping form sprawled on silk sheets.

He knew he risked a negative reaction by just being there, and risked even further a violent reaction by waking him the way he did, but he had dealt with enough shit that morning, and he needed the outlet.

“THIS IS YOUR FAULT.”

His voice boomed a little louder than he had meant it to. The man in front of him was shocked awake and Clark could hear his heart racing quickly. But slowly went back to normal as he took in Clark floating above him. Bruce turned as if we were going to go back to sleep, pointedly ignoring him.

“Obviously you haven’t had the privilege to see the newspaper today. You’re in it.”

There was an annoyed response, sounding deep with sleep

“I usually am.”

Clark was struggling to keep his calm now.

“Yes, well, I’m also in the newspaper. According to your beloved city, we are homosexual lovers that came out of the closet last night.”

Bruce turned to face him at that, one eyebrow rose up in surprise.

“Huh. That’s a new one.”

He turned again in his bed as if to go back to sleep, but Clark was not going to give up so easily.

“BRUCE. I’ve been harassed for this all morning by my coworkers.”

With that, Clark threw the newspaper at him. Bruce turned and took hold of the paper to look at the article, and took note of the less than pleasant message written on it.

“This is a pretty good photo don’t you think? Really shows off the hunky reporter.”

If Clark weren’t in such a bad mood, he would have been completely taken off guard by that comment, and likely laughed hysterically. But right now, he didn’t appreciate the attempt to change the subject.

“Just find a way to fix this. I don’t care if you have to hold a press conference and say that we both just got really drunk and nothing happened, or that you misread the signals and would like to apologize for jumping me, and that I was a perfect gentleman that made sure you got home safely.”

Clark finally touched down, so that he was standing directly next to the other man's bed.

“I think you owe me this, seeing as it’s all your fault anyways. Please Bruce. I really love my job, and I just can’t deal with those guys and their blatant hatred and homophobia. It affects more than just me. Okay?”

There was a silence.

There was always a silence with him..

“Okay.” It was soft but matter of fact.

Clark couldn’t believe this would be so easy.

“Okay?” He questioned.

“Okay. I’ll fix it.”

Bruce deadpanned now.

“Are we done here? I’ve apparently got to get ready for a press release now.”

Clark was quite chuffed that his problems would be over by the end of the day.

With his new found confidence about the situation, he headed back to work, leaving Bruce in bed where he found him. At the prospect of everything going back to normal, he was now eager to finish up his article about the Gala and move on.

OoOo

Clark rode the elevator up to his floor the next morning rather upset. He hadn’t seen any news stories or interviews with Bruce from the day prior. And he personally checked the Gotham daily newspaper first thing that morning, and nothing. Apparently he needed to add ’liar’ to the long list of things Bruce Wayne was.

He closed his eyes for a moment and braced himself for what that day would bring. But much like the day before, there’s no way he could have predicted what was to come.

When the elevator dinged at his floor and the doors opened, he exhaled and opened his eyes. Finding in front of him a much too clean and orderly bullpen. All of the newspapers from the day before had been picked up and everything was organized like never before. It was then that he noticed the back corner where those ungodly 4 reporters worked. They each had cardboard boxes and were cleaning out their desks, muttering obscenities under their breaths as they packed up their belongings

Clark made his way further in and noticed his boss leaning against the adjacent wall, watching over the scene. A triumphant smile fighting its way onto his stoic face, it seemed they both were taking satisfaction in their removal from the company. Though it did strike him as being very odd. What on earth had prompted such a drastic shift in what was going on?

He had just made it to his desk when he heard a loud cough from the front of the room. Clark looked towards the office he had been called into the day prior, and saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway. A deep annoyance filled his body as he saw those icy blue eyes looking him up and down.

As calmly and nonchalant as he could manage, Clark marched towards the man and decided to put on his own show.

“Oh Bruce, what a surprise! What are you doing here?”

He was met with a sultry smirk before Bruce turned on his heel and went further into the office, indicating he wanted Clark to follow.

Once the door was closed behind the two, Bruce made his way to draw the blinds on the windows that led out to the bullpen. Clark was initially annoyed by this move, but then figured it could work out in his favor. If Bruce didn’t have to worry about keeping up his Brucie Wayne facade, he might actually have a real conversation with the man, and get some real answers.

So he waited for him to finish.

The two men now stood across the room from each other, each taking a moment to compose their thoughts. Again, Clark broke the silence first.

“What is going on?”

Bruce exhaled slowly,

“Come on now, surely you can do better than that. Use your ‘amazing’ investigative skills and come to a conclusion.”

Clark thought about it for a moment, deciding that playing along might be the quickest way through this. So he started listing out observations, counting on his fingers as he went through.

“Okay… The bullpen has been thoroughly cleaned and organized from yesterday. My boss is letting you use his personal office for this ‘meeting’. The men who made my life hell yesterday have been terminated, effective immediately. And all of this is following our conversation where you promised to fix it.”

His eyes grew wide. Surely he was jumping to conclusions.

“You didn’t.”

Bruce laughed flatly,

“I said I would fix it, didn't I?”

Clark drew his facial features in, going stone still.

“Say it. I need you to say it out loud.”

Bruce matched the emotionless stone face.

“I bought the Daily Planet and demanded those soulless scumbags be fired so you wouldn’t have to deal with them.”

Clark laughed. He just couldn’t help the unbelieving scoffs that came out of his mouth.

”Of course you did. You’re a ridiculous man, you know that? Certainly this wasn’t the easiest way to go about it! You do realize that the public eye will still think you’re ‘out of the closet’ right? Even more so now that you bought the company I work for. You know, this is really going to affect your little woman-chasing playboy schtick. Is that what you want?”

Clark was almost breathless after his little speech.

Bruce’s face became unreadable again, and much too serious.

“About that...”

Clark stopped in his tracks. He really should stop making assumptions about how the man in front of him was going to act, because he was always wrong.

Taking a few steps forward, he cautioned,

“Bruce… what are you not telling me.”

The man took a few moments to gather himself. Taking on the same sentimental look he had the other night while talking about his fathers cufflinks.

“I was going to hold a press conference. I had every intention to solve this quickly and harmlessly for you Clark. But then the Public Relations AND Human Resources manager for Wayne Enterprises told me to check my email. As it turns out, in the few hours from when that news story had been run and when you woke me up, I received hundreds of personal emails. Emails with stories of how adults and children alike have had such a hard time coming out to their families and being in the LGBT community. Heart breaking accounts of how they have been abused and disowned and living on the streets and harassed their entire lives for something they can’t control. And they all sent their love and support for me, thanking me for my bravery. And every one of them told me, ``If anybody could make a real freaking difference in the community; it would be me.”

He stopped making eye contact now, his emotions threatening to spill over.

“Then I started listening to voicemails. It all just became too much. First and foremost I am for the safety and protection of Gotham City, and I refuse to walk away from this issue. The playboy image can be damned!”

Clark was shocked by the display of the emotions Bruce was feeling, allowing him to see so much of it. And so he took a moment to let those words really sink in. He had only been harassed for a day, and by people he didn’t really even like in the first place. He couldn’t imagine all those people suffering through that blatant anger and homophobia every single day, especially from people they cared about. Clark didn’t hesitate with his decision.

He stepped a little further forward and risked the personal moment. Clark reached his hand out and softly placed it on the turned back in front of him, when he wasn’t immediately told off for it, he breathed out,

“Okay. Tell me the plan then. Whatever you need.”

Bruce turned around to face him and Clark let his hand fall back down by his side.

“The plan is to keep up this public charade of our ‘romantic relationship’, giving the media enough fanfare to drive the cause. Then I intend to start up a foundation to support the LGBT community, and to subsequently get shelters and resources up and running for homeless or at risk LGBT youth.”

Clark appreciated the brief rundown, even though he conveniently skipped over the details of their supposed romantic relationship. Though he thought, out of the entire plan, that was sure to be the easiest.

“Okay. I’m behind you 100% Bruce. And I know you’re a loner and prefer not to work with me, but I would like to help you on those projects as much as I can, and support this cause. I’ve already had somebody come out to me because of this story, and just seeing the look of relief on their face being able to safely talk about it with somebody... I want to be able to create that safe feeling for everybody that needs it. And not to mention, it can only make it easier to sell the dating thing right?”

Bruce took time to consider the proposal. Not entirely thrilled at the aspect of having to blur the lines between his personal and work life with the man even more. Overall, he was tempted to deny the request outright. But in the long run, it would likely be more beneficial for the new foundation if they worked together, and this way he could keep a close eye on Clark to make sure he didn’t blow their story.

He replied suavely, but with a hint of sarcasm.

“Of course darling, you can be the cofounder on the project. But you must know that I expect you to make yourself useful.”

Clark smirked at the use of darling.

“Great. You can message me with more details later, but right now I have to go back to work. I have deadlines to meet, and a brand new owner to please.”

Clark then made his way towards the door before pausing to offer his elbow out for Bruce to grab.

“I’ll walk you to the elevator, you can make some kissy faces for show, and then we can call it a day.”

Bruce shook his head in a disapproving manner, but took hold of the offered limb, putting his Brucie Wayne mask back on and pushing the door open.

Once back in the public eye, they each had goofy smiles plastered on their face and made a small show during their brief walk together. It was an easy task at hand, until they neared the elevator doors and Clark started to wonder what the unpredictable man next to him had up his sleeve.

Once the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Bruce turned dramatically to walk backwards through, all the while saying much too loudly for the space.

“So long my hunky reporter with a nice ass, I’ll see you later.”

And perfectly on cue, the doors closed in front of him, leaving Clark to deal with his co-workers that were left. Thankfully, the 4 that were packing up earlier, seemed to have vacated the premises while he was talking with Bruce.

As he walked back to his desk, nobody looked at him directly, and they didn’t dare say anything further on the matter. Instead, choosing to go back to work and act as if the past 48 hours had never happened. It may have been insane and unorthodox, but Bruce’s method seemed to be working, and he supposed he could live with it.

The more Clark thought about it, the more he found that he was actually a little excited about the prospect of working so closely with Batman’s alter ego. Perhaps at the end of all of this, their working relationship would be improved, and he might even be more willing to team up on cases. Clark quietly resolved to break the broody loner mask and make him see that friendship is not detrimental to effective crime fighting.

OoOoOo

Things went very smoothly for Clark the rest of the day. He was able to get a few articles written without any further disruption, and he almost forgot about Bruce entirely.

About an hour before Clark was going to call it a day, his phone chirped from his back pocket. He doesn’t usually get text messages during the work day, so he grabbed it to see who it was.

Bruce: I’ve planned out 4 ‘dates’ for us to attend publically. Close enough together to keep the paparazzi’s interest, but far enough apart that it doesn’t saturate the news and become too old too fast.

Clark: You’ve already planned our first couple of dates? I didn’t realize you were such a romantic ;)

Bruce: We can meet later tonight to discuss the project, I’ve got some ideas to run through.

Clark: Wow. You’re really going to let me be a part of this thing aren’t you?

Bruce: I might just be a ‘loner with no friends, who doesn’t work well with others or care about anybody’ but if one thing is for certain. I am a man of my word.

Clark: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you the other night, it isn’t true. You do have at least one friend.

Bruce: Don’t say you.

Clark: Me :)

Bruce: Emoticons and friendship. I’m already regretting this whole endeavor.

Clark: Oh, don’t be so dramatic. And I’ll be there tonight after my rounds. See you later darling.

Bruce: You can’t tell, but I’ve just rolled my eyes at you.

Clark let out a laugh at that, imagining the man actually rolling his eyes like a teenager. That was the most normal, and almost personable thing Bruce had ever said to him. He embraced the moment, even if it was just over text.

He was then suddenly aware of somebody standing next to him. Clicking the side of his phone, he turned it off and looked up at his boss with a shy smile.

“Clark, I’m sure you’ve got big plans and plenty of important people to talk to. But I think he can wait until after hours.”

He knew he wasn’t in trouble by the wink that accompanied his boss's amused sentence, but he obliged anyway.

“Of course sir, my apologies.”

With that he placed his cell back into his pocket and got back to work finishing up his last article.

OoOoOo

Clark had spent much too long going back and forth, trying to decide if he should drive to the manor and enter like a normal person would, or sneak through the batcave to avoid being spotted. He eventually figured that if Bruce had strategically planned their outings for the press, that he should probably sneak in. So just past 8pm, Clark found himself standing in the middle of the expansive batcave.

It wasn’t the first time he had been there, Batman had reluctantly invited a few team members over during a case a while back. Though this was the first time he was here for non case work, and not in uniform. It seemed silly that he was nervous, but he couldn’t help the feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked at his surroundings.

Bruce interrupted this moment, clearing his throat a little louder than necessary.

“Are you going to stand there all night, or did you intend on being useful?”

Clark let out a nervous laugh.

“Sorry, Of course. Let’s get to work.”

Clark made his way towards a large table that already had several documents and legal paperwork strewn about. Clark could tell he had been there a while, obviously working very diligently on the task at hand. He suddenly felt very underprepared.

How could he possibly be of much help? He realized how little he knew about Wayne Enterprises, about what resources they had available to them, and about what Gotham City needs. Not to mention how little he knew about the man he was now working with.

Batman was a relatively predictable man. Calm and quiet, ever observant and always formulating plans. He acted with calculated movements and always in accordance with his code of ethics, though Clark could never be certain what that was and how far the man might go.

But now he found himself face to face with Bruce. Just Bruce. Not the Dark Knight and Silent Protector, not the iconic Prince of Gotham Brucie Wayne, but Bruce. A man who seemed to lay between the two masks, or perhaps he was a different man altogether.

Clark realized this way of thinking would get him nowhere. If he wanted to learn more about everything, he would have to start from square one. No matter how tedious it would be, or how annoyed Bruce might get, he needed to know, and so he simply asked.

“I know Gotham means a lot to you, and you seem to be used to spearheading the projects that your city needs. But I’m walking in blind, and I’m going to need you to walk me through it all. Whatever I need to know so I can help you.”

The two men were now standing across from each other, the messy table between them. Bruce looked up and stared directly into the eyes in front of him. It was a power move, and Clark expected to be talked down to, or to be met with dead silence, or even to see those icy blue eyes roll with all the annoyance of a petulant teenager. But again he found himself being surprised when the man nodded his head,

“Okay. We will start from the ground up, ask questions as necessary.”

And with that, Bruce dove head first into the beginning of it all. Starting with how his parents started everything, their original intentions and how they set things up. Then moving into what happened when they died, how he eventually took control over Wayne Enterprise, the changes he made, and his current team.

They were deep in conversation, running down the list of current projects Bruce’s team was managing and their purposes when Alfred made his way down. The two barely even noticed that they now had cups of coffee in their hands and plates of baked goods in front of them.

They went on like this all night. Bouncing topic to topic non stop, Clark asking questions and continually being awed at the sheer scope of what the other man did. He started being able to pick out pieces of Bruce in each community project, each resource that he created and utilized. He truly was 100% for the service and betterment of Gotham, and he loved his city with his entire being.

Bruce started to find that he really enjoyed being able to work through everything with Clark. He didn’t have to keep his useless billionaire facade in place, which usually barred him from being able to talk so in depth about his passions. Not to mention, he was able to talk about the entire scope of it all. From what he was doing as Batman to what he was doing as the CEO of a billion dollar company. He started to allow himself to get excited when Clark got excited about something. It wasn’t until Clark’s phone rang around 7am that either man realized they had been there for so long.

Clark was sitting criss-crossed on the floor, working through a bunch of business proposals and ideas they had come up with, and Bruce stood behind him, looking over his shoulder talking him through the different points.

Without really thinking, Clark asked

“Can you get that?”

And sure enough, Bruce did so without a word.

“It’s Lois Lane.”

“Okay, put it on speakerphone real quick, I'm almost done with these papers.”

With that, Bruce clicked the answer call button and quickly switched it to speakerphone, making his way closer to Clark, who had just started to speak,

“Hey Lo, you’re on…”

He was abruptly cut off.

“CLARK JOSEPH KENT. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY KIDDING ME? I can gloss over the fact that you have been caught fraternizing with the Playboy Prince of Gotham himself. Honestly, good for you, he is absolutely gorgeous and not to mention richer than god himself. And I can even gloss over the fact that he BOUGHT OUR ENTIRE COMPANY, even though that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Does he realize that getting flowers and chocolates is PERFECTLY acceptable? Ugh I’m derailing here, that is not important… So long as you make sure he doesn’t start making ridiculous changes. Anyways. The worst thing about this all is that I found out about all of it today. FROM RHONDA IN ACCOUNTING. Not from you, one of my very best friends.”

At this point, she was a little out of breath and had begun calming her voice a bit.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, mister?”

Clark had frozen, mentally kicking himself. With the drama of it all, he hadn’t even sent her a single text while she was away, let alone any information about what had unfolded. He felt really bad about how she did find out the information.

Before he could even formulate an answer, Bruce decided to try and lighten the mood of it all. Hoping it might dig Clark out of some trouble.

“Did you hear that Clark, she thinks I’m gorgeous.”

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. It hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“That’s Bruce Wayne isn't it. You’re with him right now… so it’s all really true isn't it?”

She paused, before taking a quick breath.

“WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I WAS ON SPEAKER PHONE!?!”

Clark had finally got his bearings,

“In my defense, I tried to tell you that you were on speakerphone, but I got cut off rather abruptly.”

Lois remained silent on the other end, hoping that Clark would explain himself, or expand on literally any piece of information.

“Okay, I am sorry about keeping you in the dark, it wasn’t on purpose. Completely slipped my mind, it’s been a weird few days for me Lo. How about I take you out to lunch today and we can talk about things?”

She took a few moments to think about it, but accepted the offer.

“I’ll think about forgiving you, but lunch sounds nice. I look forward to hearing about what could have possibly led to all of this.”

Bruce, always one to be unpredictable, lowered his voice,

“A lunch date? Should I be worried about the ex girlfriend trying to steal you away?”

Clark couldn’t believe it. He had only mentioned his brief relationship and amicable break up with Lois once, in passing, forever ago. But somehow he had remembered, and had the audacity to bring it up.

Lois laughed,

“No need to worry Mr.Wayne, he’s all yours”

Clark, thankful at how smoothly that seemed to go, made one last remark before having Bruce hang up the phone.

“Har har Bruce. Lo, I’ll be into work shortly, see you then. I’ll bring coffee.”

He then made his way to stand up and placed his phone into his back pocket. Bruce moved to roll out his shoulders and pop his neck. He had been awake for much too long and was in desperate need of a hot shower and a nap.

“What are you going to tell her?”

Clark hadn’t really gotten that far yet. He was certain she could keep the secret, but it might lead to her finding Bruce’s alter ego, and that was not his information to share. He wouldn’t break Bruce’s trust like that.

“Whatever you are comfortable with her knowing. I don’t want to lie to her, but we are in this together, and if you don’t want her to know anything, I won’t tell her.”

Bruce pondered this for a moment. He appreciated the sincerity of it, knowing Clark meant every word he said.

“Do you trust her?”

Clark perked up a little bit, curious to where this would go.

“With my life. She knows about superman, and has never given me cause to doubt our friendship and the trust I put in her.”

Bruce gave a small nod, almost imperceivable.

“Okay. Tell her what you must. Though, I would prefer you keep Batman out if it. I trust your judgment, but I like to keep this information as secure as possible.”

Clark let out a short breath.

”Of course B, I would never do that to you… thank you. I really appreciate this.”

He then reached out his hand, Bruce grasped it firmly and they shook on it. A hint of a smile creeped its way onto Bruce’s face, before he let out a large yawn.

“I’m going now.”

He said very matter of factly, turning on his heel and making his way towards his home without another word.

Clark had to laugh a little bit at that as he readied himself to fly home. He needed a shower and change of clothes before he grabbed him and Lois coffee on his way to the office. He spent the rest of his free time that morning thinking back over everything he had learned, and cataloging the little things he noticed about his friend during that time.

OoOoOo

Lois and Clark spent their entire lunch break in the lonesome corner of a small bistro around the corner from their office. They spoke quietly and frequently ensured that nobody was around them to hear.

He had told her about how Bruce had covered for him in the alley way, revealing that he also knew about superman but nothing that would make her suspicious of his secret. He then explained about the gala and how Bruce helped him find a quick get away so he could fly out on a mission.

When she asked how the two had met prior to it all, he skirted around the real answer, instead saying “we go way back, it’s a long story and a touchy subject that I don’t really want to get into right now.” And she left it at that.

He was always thankful for her tact, she knew when to push and when to lay off of a subject.

He rounded off with the harassment their previous coworkers had given him and why Bruce had bought their company, specifically to fire the assholes that admittedly even she didn’t like. And her position on it all really shifted when he talked about how they decided to use the news story as a perfect way to develop some much needed LGBT resources in Gotham city.

Lois found that to be a good enough reason to keep up the ridiculous charade and even to buy their workplace.

“It’s still absurd, but in his own way, buying the Daily Planet really did solve your problem. It’s actually very sweet, even if y’all aren’t actually dating. I can tell this friendship means a great deal to you both, and I’m excited for this project you’ll be sharing!”

Clark mulled on that for a moment, starting to wish it was a more true statement. He would love to have an actual friendship with the man, though this did seem to be a step in the right direction.

After finishing up their meal and each satisfied with how the conversation went, they headed back towards the bullpen of the office.

Once they had arrived, they each found a bouquet of flowers on their desks. Clark’s was a small vase with a dozen roses and a note that simply said “don’t be upset that hers is bigger.”

Which prompted him to look over at Lois’ desk and the beautiful sunflower and lavender custom floral arrangement she had received. Clark chuckled and walked over, wondering what the little note on her card said. She smiled as she handed the paper over for him to read.

“Lois, I do hope you forgive him.”

The two of them made eye contact after that and smiled. She softly joked,

“Who knew Bruce Wayne was such a sweetie pie. I think I’m really starting to see why you keep him around.”

Clark thought about that for a second. Bruce really was turning out to be quite a thoughtful man. Which again, should not have surprised him one bit. He is a world class detective, so observant of people and behavior, great at recognizing patterns and processing new information. Of course when he applied that capability to their little agreement, he was rather adept at it.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed that sentimental smirk that had found its way onto his face. Lois was about to comment on its appearance when Clark excused himself, saying he should get back to work.

Although he did find a moment of time to shoot off a quick text.

Clark: Well, her bouquet IS much bigger than mine. Should I be the one to get jealous?

About an hour later a response came

Bruce: If you’d like ;)

Clark stared at that little emoticon for way too long, finding himself playfully rolling his eyes.

Putting his phone back up, he mused at the playful tone the man was starting to take with him. Perhaps they were actually on their way to becoming more than just colleagues.

OoOoOo

After Clark was finished with work, placing his last article on his bosses desk before leaving, he wished him and Lois farewell and left. Making his way towards home all the while listening for anything that might need Superman’s attention. As he was stopped at a crosswalk he decided to send off another text.

Clark: last night was really great, I think I’m ready to dive in head first. Wanna meet again tonight to get started?

Surprisingly the next text came in almost immediately.

Bruce: ‘Working’ tonight. I’ll be available around 3am if you want to join me.

Clark: Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you then.

With that he crossed the street and thought about what he would do with the rest of his day. Metropolis seemed oddly quiet and at peace with itself, it didn’t seem Superman was necessary at the moment. So he decided that he might as well head up to the Watchtower to see if there was anything he could to help out there.

OoOoOo

Clark arrived on the bridge and looked at the logs to see who was on board and what current missions they had going. It seemed that Black Canary, Green Arrow, and J’on were the only ones there with him, and there was nothing going on there either. It seemed that his whole world was just too quiet that day.

As he walked past the kitchen on board, he noticed Black Canary and Green Arrow were chatting in hushed tones. Usually he was not one for eavesdropping, but when he heard his own name uttered, his ears perked up. Curious, he paused just past the door frame, out of sight of the couple.

“Come on, there is no way that’s true. You know how the press is, they make shit up all the time. Honestly, it might even be a publicity stunt for one of them.”

Green Arrow seemed like he was trying to end the conversation, but his tone gave him away. He too was obviously interested in the topic at hand.

“Okay, but look at this picture! Clark is looking at him the same way you look at me. There is no heterosexual explanation here, you have to admit that.”

Clark had a feeling he knew what they were talking about, but used his x-ray vision to confirm. Black Canary was indeed holding a copy of the Gotham Newspaper, with Himself and Bruce on the cover. He wondered how they even got it in the first place.

Green Arrow started again,

“You may have a point, it would all make sense really. If anybody in the entire galaxy could get THE BATMAN to open himself up and settle down, it would be Superman. But I don’t think it matters either way. If it’s true, I think They make a handsome couple and I’m happy for them.”

Her voice now a little less hushed and more high pitched,

Clark quietly giggled to himself.

“They are absolutely GORGEOUS together, of course I’m happy for them. Oh, I wonder how the next big mission is going to go. I can’t wait to see them together in person!”

With that, Clark decided to walk away, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation any further. And He found that he didn’t feel the need to correct his friends. It wasn’t important, and honestly, he didn’t want to go through the whole story again. What would it matter if those two believed them to be dating anyways. At least they were supportive of the idea. He couldn’t quite place why, but that fact alone made him smile.

OoOoOo

Things were very slow at the watchtower, Clark did what he could, but there wasn’t much for him there. So he made his way back to Metropolis, managing to find and stop a small burglary before settling himself on the top of a tall building in the center of town. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing all his senses towards his city.

When he opened his eyes and saw the glimmering lights around him, he suddenly knew why Batman had a tendency to stalk on rooftops at night. Not only was it a great vantage point, but it was very serene, almost peaceful.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there, taking in the sights around him. Though when he finally looked at the time on his phone, he saw it had just passed 2:30 in the morning. Figuring there was nothing for him to do here, he might as well head towards the batcave. Surely it wouldn’t be a problem if he was a little early. Maybe he could get a head start on the night's work.

Clark arrived moments later, the bright red of his cape fluttering behind him. He hadn’t bothered to grab a change of clothes, and he almost immediately regretted that decision. So he made a quick trip back home to put on something more apt for pulling an all-nighter. Going for an old college sweatshirt and his most comfortable pair of jeans. When he arrived back to the batcave where he had been just minutes before, Alfred stood waiting. He had with him a covered tray.

“Good evening Mr.Kent, I’m sure Master Bruce will be in shortly. I’ve brought you some coffee and biscuits, please help yourself.”

Clark made his way over to the butler, thanking him and taking a cup of coffee. They chatted amicably about nothing in particular as Clark made quick work of the homemade cookies in front of him. He had just popped a 5th one into his mouth when there was a loud rumble of an engine making its way towards them, indicating that Batman had returned home in his tumbler.

The dark knight parked and made his way out of the vehicle, clutching at his side and breathing heavily. The two men took immediate notice, and concerned looks found residence on their faces.

Bruce shucked off the mask and cowl, trying to control his breathing and making his way further into the cave.

Clark, without a second thought, took a moment to use his X-ray vision for a once over. Wanting to ensure the man in front of him would be okay.

“Nothing is broken. It looks like you’ve jostled a fractured rib that is in the process of healing. You’ll be fine.”

Alfred made an approving humm beside him.

“That’s quite a party trick Mr.Kent. Perhaps we should keep you around. Please, have another biscuit.”

With that, Alfred offered the tray of cookies back to Clark. Laughing lightly, he humored the situation and grabbed a sixth treat. Bruce sighed heavily at the scene but expressed,

“I suppose I can’t deny that. And It seems to have saved all the fuss from Alfred...”

He smirked playfully,

“Maybe this friendship thing isn’t ALL bad.”

Clark raised an eyebrow and gave a Cheshire grin.

Bruce sighed,

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m already regretting it again.”

He then gestured towards the table they had worked at the previous night.

“You can go ahead and get to work, I’ll be back.”

With that, he took off to change out of his gear and into something a little more comfortable. Opting for a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a loose fitting hoodie as to not put any undue pressure on his aching rib. Usually he preferred to look a little more put-together around colleagues, but he decided that if he had knocked down the wall for both his crime fighting life and professional work life with Clark, what was one more wall for his own comfort.

When he returned, Clark had settled himself into their shared work. Already sprawling out papers in front of him and starting to formulate the best locations for their proposed shelters and clinics.

They spent the night standing side by side at the table, looking over resource maps of Gotham city. Comparing the locations of useful organizations and where the largest populations of homeless youths congregated. Trying to find the parts of town that would really need their intervention. Bruce had collected every single email, and mulled over each voicemail he had received on the topic so he could use the information to help guide their decisions.

Just before 7am rolled around, Bruce let out a large yawn. Though he tried to stifle it, he was not able to hide just how tired he had become.

Clark figured they had reached a good enough stopping point anyways.

“Please go get some rest, and be careful of that rib. I should go ahead and make my way back home and get ready for work.”

Bruce gave a curt nod,

“Watch it. Somebody might actually think you care.”

Clark stopped at that, slowly turning back towards the man and taking a more serious tone.

“Hey. I might actually care, thank you very much. When you’re not being such an ass, you’re actually quite enjoyable to be around.”

Bruce openly let out a yawn this time, followed by a deep rumble in his chest.

“Mmmm.”

Without acknowledging the sentiment, he turned towards the back of the cave and started to head for bed. Before making it too far away, he turned back slightly, and very matter of factly,

“Our first public date will be this evening. You can pick me up from the manor. Bring your truck.”

Then he was off again. Wordlessly.

Clark stood there alone in wonderment. He hadn’t expected to say those words to Bruce, but he found that he meant them. He was actually starting to enjoy spending time with the man. When he wasn’t putting on the obnoxious Brucie Wayne or ‘I work alone ‘Batman masks.

Though now he was quite curious as to what their date would be, and why in the world he would need to drive his truck for it. He thought about it for a minute before coming to the conclusion that he would probably be wrong no matter what he came up with. So he decided that he was okay with it being a surprise. It would give him something to look forward to all Friday at work.

OoOoOo

Come 5 O’clock, Clark put the finishing touches on the fluff piece he had been working on, and turned it in before heading out. Bruce hadn’t set a time for them to meet for their date, but he figured 6:30 would be reasonable. That gave him enough time to shower, get dressed, and maybe even pick up flowers before he made it to the manor.

On his way home, he scanned for anything that might need Superman’s attention, but again came up pretty empty handed. If he didn’t know any better, it seemed like Metropolis was purposefully quiet for him.

He quickly found himself in his apartment, wondering what the protocol for a fake date with Brucie Wayne was. They were sure to be photographed and likely stalked by the paparazzi all night, so he would need to be prepared for that. But without knowing what the actual date was going to be, he wasn’t sure how ‘physical’ they would need to be, or careful he would have to be speaking in public, or even what dress code he might need to follow.

Clark took a long hot shower as he mentally readied himself for the ‘date’ ahead of him. Afterwards, he used his favorite cologne, and tried to settle on an outfit. He felt so silly standing at his open closet trying to decide between a suit, nice slacks, or a pair of jeans. It was chilly outside, and he wanted to be comfortable in his clothes no matter where they ended up, so he settled on a well fitting pair of Khaki pants with a maroon button up and a black leather jacket on top. He even took a moment to style his hair with some product.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t remember the last time he put so much effort into his appearance. He decided to not follow that train of thought. But assured himself, ‘well to be fair, none of your other dates were going to be so publicly documented’.

With one last deep breath and look into the mirror, Clark made his way to his truck. Before getting out of Metropolis, he decided at the last minute to stop by a flower shop to pick up a dozen red roses. That also seemed silly to him, but he would be damned if Bruce accused him of not acting his part.

It was 6:30 on the dot when Clark pulled up to the front entrance of Wayne Manor, parking his vehicle as close to the door as he could manage. Hopping out, he grabbed the flowers and smoothed his hair back once more before walking up and knocking on the elegant doors.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Alfred opened the doors and greeted him with a smile.

“Good to see you again Mr.Kent.”

Shutting the door behind them, he indicated that Clark should head toward the front room.

As soon as Clark walked in, he found Bruce leaning against a grand piano, sipping smoothly from a whiskey glass. He was surprised to find him dressed much more casually than he expected. Although it was clear his clothes were still probably more expensive than one months of Clark’s rent. The way his black jeans and button up shirt hugged his body in the most flattering ways. Even his sports coat looked as if it could have fed a family of 4 for a month.

When Bruce turned around, he gave him a quick eye up and down, pausing momentarily at the roses. Taking an almost impressed tone,

“Of all the dates I’ve been on, I don’t think anybody has ever brought me flowers.”

Clark had to laugh.

“Well, let’s just say I’m a little more old fashioned than your usual clientele.”

Bruce downed the rest of his whiskey and set the glass on the piano, exclaiming sarcastically,

“Old fashioned? You? A farm boy from Kansas? I’m shocked!”

They stared at each other in amusement for a moment, before Bruce gestured towards Alfred.

“Could you place these in a vase?”

Another moment of silence.

Always one to break the quiet,

“To make tonight a little more fun, I’ve decided I want the date to be a surprise. So whenever you’re ready to hit the road, you can just tell me when to turn and where to park.

That statement clearly caught Bruce a little off guard, he certainly didn’t expect his planned publicity stunt to be a surprise for Clark. He had a list of details he wanted to run through beforehand, but guessed it wouldn’t hurt to let those things go unsaid. And who knew, maybe it might even be a little fun for both of them.

“I can work with that. Let me grab some things and then we can be off. I wouldn’t want to be late.”

Bruce then grabbed a medium sized box off the piano bench, and made his way to the front door. Asking with a half grin and overly sweet voice,

“Would you be a dear and get the door for me”

Clark shook his head lightly with sigh, but obliged.

Once the door was open, they both put smiles on their faces, and made their way to the truck in front of them. Clark quickly walked his way down to open the passenger door, making room for the mysterious box in the back of the cab. Then helped Bruce into the truck and closed the door before making his way around to the driver's seat.

As he put the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life, Bruce slid down the bench seat to sit right next to him. Leaning his head towards Clark’s ear and cupping his hand to block the view of his mouth,

“There’s a group of paparazzi just on the other side of the gate, drive slowly and put your hand on my knee.”

And with that, they settled themselves to find a comfortable driving position that put their bodies as close together as possible. And just as Bruce had said, they spotted the group of photographers outside the front gate, and so he placed his hand on Bruce’s knee and made his way out. Bruce directed him to take a left out of the drive.

Once on the road, Clark removed his hand from Bruce’s knee but they stayed in the same position, touching from shoulder to thigh. Existing in comfortable silence aside from Bruce’s occasional “take a right here. Just after that light, take a left. You’ll need to be in the far lane.”

It took about 25 minutes to make it to their destination, and before Clark finally figured out where they were going. They had turned down a gravel road with a hand painted sign at the end that read
‘Gotham Drive In Movie Theater’.

Clark smiled wide as he drove up to the ticket booth, where a young teenage girl greeted them.

“Good evening.”

Bruce leaned further over Clark to greet her from the open window.

“Good evening...”

He squinted to read the name tag on her shirt.

“Rachel. 2 tickets to the Wizard of Oz please.”

She seemed to have taken notice of Bruce, making the connection of who the two of them were. A huge smile made its way onto her face as she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to show a rainbow watch band.

“You both are so brave! I saw that terrible news article that outed the both of you, but seeing you here together gives me hope for a better world where everybody can be accepted. I want to come out to my mom, but I’m afraid she’ll kick me out of the house.”

She then paused.

“I’m so sorry, please don’t let me bring down your night. Your tickets are on the house.”

Bruce, still leaning with all his body weight over Clark smiled sweetly at her.

“Nonsense, you are way more brave than I’ll ever be. And I wish you nothing but safety, happiness, and love. Please Let me pay for our tickets.”

A small tear threatened to spill from her eyes.

“Please Mr.Wayne, really, it’s on the house. And I’m really rooting for you guys. Love wins, right?”

Bruce wasn’t sure what to do at this moment. He had never had to deal with this sentiment in person before. And it made him feel so helpless that this young teenager had to hide a part of herself in fear of being kicked out onto the streets.

So he smiled widely, and responded

“Love wins.”

While shoving a $100 bill in the tip jar and telling Clark to

“Drive!”

When she attempted to make a fuss about it.

Clark followed the arrows down another dirt road, making their way the short distance to the correct screen. He pulled into the middle row of cars, parking backwards with the bed of the truck facing the screen at Bruce’s request. He was pretty certain what was going on now, but still let Bruce direct every movement.

They each made their way out and Bruce grabbed the box from the cab and moved them both to the very back of the truck. Clark put the tailgate down and easily hopped up, taking the box with one hand, and offering his other to help Bruce up.

Bruce then sat down in the bed, leaning his back against the cab of the truck and motioned rather seductively for Clark to sit next to him, then taking the box and placing it in front of them. Once Clark had followed the unspoken instructions, Bruce opened the mysterious box and waited for Clark to unpack its contents.

The top two items were pillows that they quickly placed behind their backs for comfort, and at the bottom of the box laid a picnic basket.

A very genuine smile made its way across his face as Clark took the picnic basket out and tossed the now empty box to the side. He looked over at Bruce before opening the lid to see the contents, finding himself surprised yet again.

Where he had expected bottles of Champaign, or luxurious charcuterie boards, or even a fancy dish he wouldn’t be able to pronounce, there was a very simple meal. Two glass bottles of old fashioned Coca Cola, two delicious looking cheese burgers, and a heap of French fries.

Bruce studied his friend's face very carefully, curious as to how the other man would take the set up. He was suddenly a little nervous that Clark would find all of this very cliche and be upset with the obvious stereotype of ‘small town comforts’. But he was glad to find that Clark happened to appear excited about the surprise.

They smiled quite sincerely at each other, both taking in the small joy of the moment. They had just scooted a little closer together and set up their dinners when the screen lit up and the previews began. Though they put on a little show with their food, feeding each other fries and stealing bites of each other's burgers, they were done quite quickly. By the time Dorothy had made it to munchkin land, they had placed their trash and the picnic basket back into the box and Clark tossed it through the open windows of his truck to make more room for them in the small space.

They started making calculated movements to slowly slide down towards each other, so that they eventually were almost completely laying down, just barely leaning up against the pillows they had set up. Tangling their limbs and ending up with Bruce’s head on Clark’s chest.

A few minutes into that position, Bruce looked up and asked quietly with bewilderment,

“How are you so warm?”

Clark laughed at the earnestness of the question, and leaned his head down, whispering directly into his ear.

“I’m essentially a battery charged by Earth’s yellow sun and I can absorb or emit heat at will. Would you like me to stop?”

Bruce thought seriously for a moment.

“No… it’s nice.”

He then placed his head back on Clark’s chest and he could have sworn Bruce snuggled in just a bit more tightly into the warmth. So Clark adjusted his body so he could have his arms around the man in front of him and mindlessly stroke his hand through the dark black locks.

Bruce was either exhausted or unusually comfortable in his current position, because by the time Dorothy met the Scarecrow on screen, he was fast asleep. Clark smiled at the realization. If Bruce had fallen asleep here with him, that meant that no matter how small, there was a part of him that trusted Clark enough to keep him safe. That fact alone brought a triumphant smile to his face, and he decided to let him sleep the rest of the film.

After Dorothy woke up back in her Kansas home, and the credits rolled, Clark tried to gently rouse Bruce. Leaning his head down to whisper,

“Bruce. Bruce…”

Bruce woke up suddenly, his first realization that he was being held by strong arms, his brain immediately registered danger. His whole body tensed as he prepared for a fight.

Clark took notice of his increased heart rate and figured what was happening, and so he loosened his arms and spoke in a soft tone just above a whisper to make sure he would hear,

“Bruce, you’re okay.”

With that, Bruce immediately registered his surroundings and remembered what was going on. His brain slow to catch up, having just woken from a deep sleep he had not intended for. In a flash, the Brucie Wayne mask found its place with a wicked grin.

“How naughty of me, sleeping with you in public.”

Clark rolled his eyes and let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Har har. The movies over, let’s get out of here.”

They pulled their bodies apart, and began getting up. Though Clark thought quickly and matched the wicked grin.

“How about dessert. Your place or mine?”

Bruce’s eyebrow quirked up and his smiled loosened, he was now standing up completely in the truck facing Clark, taking one step closer to the man,

“Mmm, dessert, I think I can work with that. Though I don’t think you want us to go to your place.”

Clark furrowed his brows and stood up straight, facing Bruce head on.

“Why’s that? Is my humble apartment not good enough for Mr. High and mighty?”

Bruce shook his head lightly making a ‘are you serious face’.

“Do you think that little of me? I’m actually looking out for you, figured you wouldn’t want a bunch of paparazzi and press knowing where you live and surrounding your apartment.”

Clark took a sheepish look,

“Oh. Right. That makes sense.”

Bruce stepped forward again, closing the small distance between them with his hands, fixing the collar of Clark’s shirt.

“I suppose I could find it in my heart to forgive you.”

Bruce suddenly looked up, making direct eye contact.

Clark unintentionally did a nervous gulp as the serious icy blues bore into his skull, and his voice pitched down to a silky smooth tone,

“Why don’t you take me home so we can find out.”

Clark let out a cough to clear his throat and the sheepish grin found its way back.

“Okay.”

Bruce let out a laugh and made his way towards the tailgate to get down. Clark stood watching him, unmoving, still so taken aback by the moment. So Bruce joked,

“Come on loverboy, are you just gonna stand there all night?”

This prompted Clark to shake his head to clear his thoughts, and jumped into action. Quickly grabbing the two pillows they were laying on and hopping down off the bed of the truck, then offering his hand up to help Bruce. He shut the tailgate and led Bruce to the passenger side and helped him in. Plastering an eager look on his face as he ran around to jump into the driver's seat and throw the pillows in the back.

The two took up the same position they had on the way there, sitting side by side, Clark’s hand on his thigh, before pulling out of the theater and back onto the road towards the manor.

Nearing their destination, he decided to risk the comfortable silence. Clark asked curiously,

“Did you come up with this date yourself?”

Bruce looked over, trying to read his face.

“Yes. Was it a little too on the nose for a Kansas boy?”

Clark flashed a toothy smile.

“Well, a bit, yes. But I really enjoyed it. Burgers and the Wizard of Oz... Not to get too cheesy, but it reminds me of home. You know, back when I found out I wasn’t from here, that I was different from everybody else, I related to Dorothy a lot. Lost and trying to figure out what was what. Not to mention it was Ma’s favorite film, so I’m very sentimental about it.”

The sudden intimacy of the moment took Bruce off guard, though that seemed to be happening a lot lately. Clark was proving to be such a caring and genuine person, who was completely unafraid to share his life and his feelings. It was almost annoying how easy he was to get along with.

Maybe, just maybe, he would stop opposing their friendship so much. There were worse people to have to spend time with, at least the Boy Scout was tolerable and knew all three facets of his existence, and didn’t seem to mind. Alfred would surely be thrilled if their friendship deepened. He was always fussing and worrying, concerned that he would be alone in this world.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to pick something that would be good for the media, but wouldn’t be too involved so we had room to relax a bit. And then I asked myself, ‘what would Clark Kent like to do?”

Clark squeezed his hand on Bruce’s thigh just a little bit tighter at the meaning in his words. Taking on a sad smile, he tried to joke

“Be careful there Bruce, I might actually start to think you care.”

They had just pulled up to the front gates of Wayne Manor. Unspoken, they both spotted the few photographers loitering around, so they prepared their little scene. Bruce leaned into Clark’s side even more and started pulling his collar, making as if he were kissing his neck. In the short distance to the front door of the home, the two had completely entangled themselves, causing Clark to swerve a bit as he came to a park.

As soon as he took the key out of the ignition, Clark jumped out of the driver's seat and rounded the car towards the passenger side. He opened the door to let Bruce out, but was surprised to find two hands reaching out for his shirt, grabbing fistfuls of fabric and drawing him into the truck. Their bodies practically touching head to toe laying down on the bench seat, from the outside it looked to be quite a compromising position. But Bruce simply held Clark close so he could tell him,

“Don’t let this go to your head, but I just might care a little bit. I've decided to really try this ‘friendship’ thing and that seems to be step one.”

Clark barked out a laugh, and drew his head up just enough to make eye contact.

“You slept with me once and suddenly wanna be my friend. I must be damn good.”

Bruce closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

“You know, that’s my fault. That one is on me.”

He then opened his eyes, and drew his hands up to rouse Clark’s hair, making it stick up in all directions.

“Now get off of me. I think our date is just about over with.”

With that, Clark drew back, but clasped his arms tightly around Bruce’s waist and pulled his body up with him. They were then standing on the ground just outside of the passenger door, square against each other. Clark made a show of pressing his forehead into Bruce’s for the appearance of an emotional moment.

“Yes. It would appear so. Though I think you owe me dessert.”

Bruce let a suave Brucie Wayne smile across his face. With their foreheads still touching, he dropped his voice.

“You seem to be a much better actor than I give you credit for. And we’ll see about the dessert.”

As soon as those words left his lips, Bruce was suddenly in action. Breaking their bodies apart, grabbing one of Clark’s hands as he made his way up the front steps, practically dragging the man behind him. Bruce dramatically flung open the door, and Clark managed just enough momentum to get it shut behind them.

As soon as the door latched in the frame, the two dropped their hands and went about fixing their clothing and hair to look a little less disheveled. A few minutes passed, and the two found themselves suddenly uncomfortable. Uncertain of what to do now that their fake date was over. Bruce was about to ask if Clark actually wanted to stay for dessert when a pinging noise went off.

Looking down and reading the alert, Clark made a noise of disappointment.

“Looks like superman is needed.”

He then looked back up towards Bruce, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“I’m sure you’re eager to make your rounds tonight, and I’ve got a crisis to avert. I can meet back up with you around 3am to work on the project again if you're open. I’ll have to come back later to get my truck anyways. Have a dramatic ‘morning after’ scene.” He laughed a little at the phrasing.

It didn’t take much thought from Bruce, he really did want to get some Batman time in, Friday nights were usually his busiest time. And they were almost ready to put the final touches to their projects plans, so that schedule would work for him.

“Yes. And if you’re lucky, there might actually be that dessert when you get back. Alfred makes a mean cheesecake.”

Clark put his phone back in his pocket and laughed at the offer. Bruce really never did things half way. He was always so dedicated to what he put his mind to, and it seemed like he really was taking their friendship thing seriously. It brought a smile to his face that his effort was being reciprocated.

“Deal.”

And with that, he took flight and found the most discreet way to exit the manor. Making his way back to Metropolis to solve the small crisis that had appeared in his city.

OoOoOo

Clark decided to take a shower and change into more comfortable clothing after he was finished for the night. Grabbing the first pair of sweatpants and T-shirt from his dresser, he dressed and made his way back to Gotham. Arriving just after 3:30 in the morning, he found Bruce already sitting at their table in the batcave, wearing well fitted black sweatpants and a light blue sweater and sipping from a coffee mug.

Before making his way farther into the cave, Clark took a second to X-ray his friend. Wanting to ensure that his rib was still healing and that he had not incurred any more serious injuries in the night. He knew Bruce was very capable at his job and would hate it if he knew, but he still wanted to check just in case. It gave him some peace of mind.

Finding everything a-okay he closed the gap, stepping up to the table across from him. Wordlessly, Bruce offered up an additional mug of coffee, the steam slowly rising off the top.

“I figure we’ve got just a few things to finalize before we draft the actual plan, so we should be ready to present to the board Tuesday morning.”

He was quite excited to hear they would be able to present the project so soon. Clark accepted the mug and took a sip. He wasn’t quite sure how, but Alfred’s coffee tasted so much better than anything else he had ever had.

“Well then let’s get started!”

With that, the two men jumped in once again on the task at hand. Bruce worked on the finance side of things. Figuring what sort of funding would be needed and where to allocate their available resources, along with factoring in the additional workers necessary to make everything functional and how their payroll would break down. Clark was awestruck at the way his friend's mind could work with so many numbers so efficiently. He wanted to ask a million questions, but decided against them, not wanting to break his concentration or distract him.

Just past 7am, they finished typing up final drafts of all their work, making sure everything matched up with their mission and all the figures added up. While they did not need the Wayne Enterprise board’s approval for their project, it would make it easier if they were able to get behind it 100%, and so they took extra care on the finishing touches.

Satisfied with how it all turned out, Bruce let out a triumphant sigh.

At that, Clark looked up, proud of their work. But took notice of the bags under his friend's eyes.

“Bruce, you really should rest more. When was the last time you slept?”

Bruce tried to brush the question off.

“I slept last night, you were there. I’m fine.”

Clark made a face, obviously not satisfied at the answer.

“When was the last time you had a good night's rest? Naps don’t count.”

Bruce tried to remain patient, but the conversation reminded him of many he had with Alfred over the years.

“Well, when was the last time you had a good night's rest Clark? You’ve been working with me and working your day job non stop since what, Wednesday?”

Clark understood Bruce didn’t like to be fussed over, but he really wanted the man to give up and sleep. It wasn’t healthy to go so long without solid rest.

“That’s different and you know it. When you figure out how to draw energy from the sun, then we can talk. But for now, I’d feel much better if you slept!”

Bruce stared, and Clark stared right back. Both not willing to give up on their point. That’s when Clark thought of something clever, figuring it would make the man fold.

“Well, I’f you’re so concerned about me getting sleep, and I’m definitely concerned about you sleeping, then obviously the only conclusion is that we sleep together.”

At that Bruce shot up one of his eyebrows comically high, very confused about the sudden turn of character from Clark.

He couldn’t help but to laugh at his friend's face. But catching his breath he clarified,

“Get your mind out of the gutter playboy. I meant that I could just crash here for a couple of hours, to make sure that you actually go to bed, and you can make sure I do too. Keep each other accountable. We don’t have to share the same bed or anything, but I get the feeling you enjoyed having a body pillow that doubles as a heating pad.”

Clark was almost certain that Bruce would laugh at the whole thought and kick him off the premise. Admitting that he was wrong and letting Clark go without sleeping and probably not sleeping himself. But again, he was surprised.

Bruce finally let out a yawn he had been holding in.

“I admit, that doesn’t sound like the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

Clark stood across the table from him, blinking. Surely he didn’t hear that correctly, would Bruce really be okay sharing a bed with him??? They were caught in a small standoff, each both processing the words that hung between them, when from behind the two they heard a familiar British voice chime in.

“I think that is a fantastic idea. I’ll turn down your bed Master Wayne.”

And with that he was off, making his way towards the manor.

The two men took that as a final say on the matter, and looked back at each other. Clark taking the opportunity to lighten the weird mood that had taken up residence in alfreds wake.

“Lois was right, you really are a sweetie pie.”

Bruce gave a confused smirk, not sure how to take that. So Clark kept on,

“Well, you bought my entire company to fire those asshats that we’re harassing me. You planned an entire date that you thought would make me happy, which really did by the way. You’re letting me help you on this project even though you could easily do everything on your own. And now you’re slowly tearing down all the walls between us you’ve been so diligently building for as long as I’ve known you.”

He now had a large grin on his face truly thinking about everything he had done in the past week.

“I can’t tell you how much this all means to me Bruce. I’m very glad to have you as a friend. And yes, you are a sweetie pie.”

Bruce was still unsure how to take his friends' words. He was not used to such displays of genuine affection, but he found that he didn’t hate it. And so he took a moment to really mull over the meaning of it all. He really had been tearing down so many walls, allowing Clark further and further into his life. It surprised him how easy it had been.

He let a sincere smile settle on his face, and motioned his head after Alfred, and began walking. Leading Clark up to his bedroom.

They made the walk in a comfortable silence, and in a few short minutes they reached their destination. Finding that Alfred had already turned down the black duvet, revealing the silver of the silk sheets below. And he had just made it to the large black out curtains, drawing them closed to keep out the morning sun.

Before he left he announced,

“I’ll wake you for a late lunch, sleep well.”

And then he was gone. Leaving the two men standing on either side, suddenly feeling a little awkward about the prospects of sharing a bed.

Clark wanted to make sure Bruce felt comfortable so he broke the tension. Jumping and falling backwards and landing like a starfish in the center of the bed. Amazed at the luxuriousness of everything, he couldn’t help but shout out like an excited child

“By Rao, this is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever felt! I have got to get one of these in my apartment.”

Bruce laughed, but his lack of sleep was starting to really catch up with him, and he was now quite eager to rest.

“Scoot over you big goof.”

He playfully shoved Clark to the right side of the bed, climbing in under the sheets and duvet. He felt Clark settle more into his side, climbing under the blankets himself. Bruce almost immediately let himself succumb to unconsciousness.

Clark took notice of Bruce’s slowed heartbeat and even breathing, happy with just how quickly he had given into sleep. So he adjusted his position a little bit and prepared to get some sleep himself, quickly passing out.

About an hour later, Clark felt rustling beside him and then heard a few low murmurs. Still mostly asleep, he tried to focus his senses in the dark room, wanting to figure out what was going on. The figure next to him began thrashing about and the murmurs got louder. Was Bruce having a nightmare?

He suddenly wasn’t sure what to do. Not wanting to startle him awake and draw any unnecessary attention to it, he slowly and carefully slid his arm under his friend. Letting him wiggle more into his grasp with each thrash. Eventually, Bruce unconsciously flipped over, landing his head onto Clark’s chest, much like he had been the night before. He was able to wrap his arms around his friend entirely and run his fingers through his hair, figuring since it put him to sleep before, it might work again.

This seemed to calm Bruce down completely, subsiding whatever nightmare he had been having, and getting him back to a normal REM sleep. When Clark was happy with his lowered blood pressure and even breathing, he adjusted his body to be a little more comfortable under Bruce and raised his temperature a bit, and let himself drift back to sleep.

At 1pm sharp, Alfred drew back the dark curtains to let sunshine light up the room. Looking over towards the bed, he found the two figures deep in sleep and entangled head to toe. It warmed his heart to see the two so close and comfortable with each other. No matter the context or underlying meaning to it, he was glad to see Bruce opening up and finding somebody who cared about him. He almost didn’t want to wake them from the peaceful moment, but he knew better.

He made sure to raise his voice loud enough that both men would hear,

“Lunch is ready in the kitchen.”

Clark was the first to stir, looking down at Bruce in his arms, smiling that he had been able to remain asleep the whole time. Shortly followed by Bruce rousing, and finding that he was practically on top of Clark and wrapped in his warmth. Not certain when he had gotten so close, or if It was his doings or Clark’s, but he pushed that out of his mind when Alfred laid down a few tabloids and the Daily news paper on the bed beside them.

“I hope you two enjoyed yourselves, the cover photo is a personal favorite of mine.”

And with that he was off again, allowing them to wake up at their own pace and leaf through the photos.

Bruce had started to untangle himself from Clark, using the newspaper as an excuse to get a little bit of distance from where he was. Sitting up with his back against the headboard, he took notice of the cover photo. It was a remarkably good quality image of them in the bed of Clark’s truck, right before he had fallen asleep. They were looking deeply into each other's eyes and lying entertwined with one another. It must have been the moment he discovered Clark could control his body heat.

The headline read in bold letters,

‘SLICE OF PARADISE: HAS THE PARTY ANIMAL FINALLY SETTLED DOWN?’

The following article was mostly a rundown of their Friday night together, written a little less negatively than the previous article about them ‘coming out’. Maybe they had gotten as much hate mail about their homophobic views as Bruce had gotten in support.

Clark had been flipping through the tabloids as he had been reading. The photos captured of them throughout the night were high quality, and conveyed everything they had counted on. It looked like a very romantic date between two men deeply in love.

Clark got to the last photo in the mix and laughed a bit as he adjusted himself to sit up, leaning against the headboard next to Bruce. He handed it over for the other man to look at.

It was a photo taken of the two at the front of Wayne Manor, standing very closely with their foreheads touching. Clark took pride in that image, having been able to catch Bruce off guard and show his ability to act just as much like a love stricken man as his friend could. Making his way out of bed, he bantered

“Well if we ever need a wedding photographer, we should hire that guy. He really knows how to get your good side.”

Bruce set the papers on his night stand and followed suit, making his way out of bed and stretching out his neck and shoulders. He wasn’t sure what to make of Clark’s comment so he bantered back,

“Of course, anything for you darling.”

Bruce was suddenly aware that he actually felt very well rested, and he didn’t ache as much as he usually did when he woke up.

“Maybe I should keep you around, you're much better than a heating pad. I think that was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

Clark snickered,

“Gee Bruce, that was almost a compliment. At this point, you wouldn’t be able to get rid of me even if you wanted to. I will be dreaming about this mattress for the rest of my life, and I’ll gladly be your space heater if it means you’ll actually sleep.”

Bruce didn’t say anything, but thought about what Clark said, wondering if he actually meant it. But quickly decided he wasn’t quite ready to think too much about that train of thought, so he made his way to the door. Motioning for Clark to follow, they made their way down to the kitchen.

Alfred had prepared them breakfast sandwiches and brewed a fresh pot of coffee, setting the table for two with the flowers from the night before between. As the men sat down and dug into their food, something about the moment felt so… domestic.

It was an unfamiliar feeling for them each, having been so long since either of them had the pleasure to wake up next to somebody and enjoy a meal together afterwards. Most people would probably overlook the meaningfulness of it, but when your life is so chaotic, the normal moments meant more.

OoOoOoOo

As they ate their meal together, Bruce went over how the business proposal would go Tuesday morning. Explaining how they would present all the information and figuring how they could best utilize Clark’s addition to the team while still maintaining their supposed relationship.

By the time they were comfortable with everything, it was past 2pm, and Clark figured it was time for him to head back to his own city. Bruce agreed, as he had other work he needed to get done before he went out as Batman that night.

They both walked towards the front of the mansion, planning on making a deal of Clark’s exit in case any other paparazzi was still out there waiting. They had made it almost all the way to the door before Bruce stopped in his track, remembering,

“Those are not the clothes you arrived in.”

Clark was a little confused at first.

“Yeah? Does that matter? They’ll probably just assume that I keep clothes here.”

Bruce shook his head,

“You know what assuming does.”

Clark turned to face Bruce, now wondering where the moment was going.

“Okay, either that, or they assume that I’m wearing your clothes out. It doesn’t really matter.”

Bruce shook his head, and began taking off his sweater.

“Those are obviously not my clothes. Bruce Wayne doesn't wear such cheap sweats. No offense. They notice these things, trust me, I have a lifetime of living in the public eye.”

Clark had never thought much about that. Bruce really did live his entire life with part of himself in the limelight. From the time he was a child and reeling from his parents murder, to today, when he’s just trying to live his own life. It’s no wonder he mostly kept to himself and came off very broody. He probably developed his Brucie Wayne shell so long ago. That would take a toll on anybody.

Bruce threw his sweatshirt towards Clark and began taking off his sweatpants, jolting him from the thought.

“Just change real quick then I’ll see you out. This wouldn’t be the first time the paparazzi has seen me just in my briefs.”

Clark didn’t put up a fight and began stripping his clothing items and tossing them to the side.

Of course, at that exact moment, when the two men were in nothing but their underwear, Alfred entered the room. He had intended to wish Clark farewell and send him off with some cheesecake. But witnessing the scene in front of him, he decided he didn’t need to know what was going on, nor did he wish to stay longer and find out. So he quietly made his way out of the room before either of them noticed his presence.

It didn’t take long for them to get situated. Clark had just finished adjusting his hair again, before he looked over at Bruce.

“Now that that’s settled. Is there anything else I need to do before I can leave?”

Clark’s tone could only be described as ‘mocking’.

“Go out barefoot? Bite my lip so it looks swollen? Are we gonna do hickeys?”

Bruce, paused, as if he was putting serious thought into Clark’s questions.

Clark took notice and wondered why he brought it up in the first place. So quickly he decided to double down, and taking a more silly but flirtatious tone, drew

“Mmm, well if it’s a hickey you want, you’re gonna have to come to me.”

With that, he tilted his head to the side, as if waiting for a vampire to come and make his move.

Bruce didn’t really think it was necessary to do any of those things, but he was now very curious about Clark. Would he really be that comfortable letting him get so physical? Or perhaps he was calling out Bruce’s bluff. Either way, he would not be giving up that easily, and now he was very curious.

Bruce had put on many romantic shows in his lifetime, learning how to quickly and publicly please those who found themselves in his company. So he wondered if he could make the man blush with a few nips at the neck. So he decided on the challenge, and made a show of it.

“That’s a great idea Clark! I think a hickey or two would really help sell the story we want. Thanks for thinking of it.”

He walked forward, stopping just a few inches away from his friend. Clark closed his eyes and waited for what was about to come. Bruce took notice and leaned forward, very slowly drawing near to the crook of his neck, lips hovering just over a vein about to make contact.

But before he had a chance, Clark bent his head back down and dropped his voice to whisper in Bruce’s ear.

“My skin is literally bulletproof. Do you really think you’ll be able to leave a mark on me?”

Bruce froze, mentally kicking himself. How could he have been so distracted to make that mistake? But before he could close himself off to come up with a way out of it, Clark let out a warm breath down his neck, drawing a slight flush to his cheeks.

“But since you’re so enthusiastic about this, I suppose I could mark you up.”

They drew their faces back so they could look each other in the eye. Clark did his best to mimic the Bruice Wayne smile that he had witnessed so often, and slowly leaned towards the other man's neck. Giving him all the time in the world to decline or move away.

When his lips had just barely brushed under his ear, Bruce angled his head up, allowing him greater access. Clark took this as a go ahead and placed an open mouth kiss at the top of his neck and began nipping and sucking at the skin, playfully lapping his tongue over the area. Once he was satisfied at the mark that would be left there, he moved down and began again. Placing his lips over a vein and mouthing at his skin once again, more confident with his tongue movements now. He decided on one more mark and moved down once again and latched on. As Clark drew his tongue over the sensitive skin, Bruce couldn’t help the low “Mmmmm” That rumbled from his chest up his throat. He could feel Clarks smile on his skin as it happened.

There was a wet ‘pop’ as he released his lips, and drew back. That sound echoed in the silence between them, both unsure how to proceed now. Bruce hoped the other man wouldn’t comment on the noise he made, and Clark tried not to process how much it intrigued him.

This time, it was Bruce who broke their silence. Slowly taking a few steps backward to lean on the door frame, and taking on a cool tone.

“Not bad, Boy Scout.”

Clark laughed, and made his way closer to the door. They were almost as close together as they were a second ago. After a brief pause, He reached for the doorknob, and Bruce moved out of the way, allowing him to open the door up. Just as he did, Clark turned around and raised one of his eyebrows, and playfully said through a smile

“I think we are both full of surprises.”

With that, he opened the door and was off towards his truck. Bruce stood confidently in the open frame, wearing nothing but his black briefs and a sultry grin paired with his new love bites. Clark quickly hopped in his car and made his way off, flashing a wink and a smile as he left.

As Bruce closed the door, Alfred rounded through the front foyer to meet him. Just as they made eye contact, Alfred looked down at the lack of clothing, and then towards his neck, noticing the fresh red marks, still glistening from Clark’s saliva.

Quickly he drew with a dry witty tone,

“Shall I draw up the wedding invitations sir?”

Bruce shot a death glare his way, and made towards his bedroom to get dressed. He didn’t want to think about that moment, or why such a salacious noise had escaped him when it happened. He had no words to explain it to himself, let alone to alfred.

OoOoOoOoOo

The following morning, Bruce found himself being called up to the Justice league station to strategize a tactical mission, and help out if needed. Since it wasn’t necessarily a time-sensitive emergency, he decided not to suit up, instead choosing to wait until after the meeting to see if he would even be needed. And so he appeared in the familiar transporter room of the station in slacks and a fitted shirt.

Bruce then made his way to the bridge to meet up with Hal Jordan and learn more about the mission the Green Lanterns needed him for. As soon as he crossed into the room, he deeply regretted not suiting up. Hal’s eyes immediately locked onto the red markings and his face took on a patronizing look.

“Hey there Bats, looks like you had a good time last night.”

Hal wiggled his eyebrows, and kept on,

“She’s probably back home waiting for you. Look man, if I’m cutting into some ‘personal’ time, I’m sure somebody else can help us out on this project.”

It took more self control than it should have to keep his face and movements natural and unstrained. As best he could, Bruce mustered a nonchalant voice as he kept on into the room.

“He will be fine. What do we know about the threat? Give me the rundown of what I need to know.”

Hal was not surprised that Bruce changed the topic so quickly, he was a deeply private person and never one to discuss his personal life, or anything that didn’t concern the immediate task at hand. But he was caught off guard, having taken a moment to process the man’s response. He stood with a dumbfounded look on his face, his brain short circuiting at the phrase, “he will be fine.”

Overall, Hal had pretty much assumed those unfortunate marks were caused by some combat he had been a part of. But Bruce not only just confirmed that they were in fact love bites, but that they were from a Him???

He suddenly recalled hearing a rumor from Barry that Batman had been messing around with another member of the league. He hadn’t given it much credit, but figured it would have been Wonder Woman above anybody else. But now he found himself thinking about all the men on their team and trying to figure who it might be. Flash probably wouldn’t have started a rumor about himself, even if he is above that kind of childishness. Green Arrow and Black Canary are dating, and the Bat doesn’t seem like the type that would share well…

Bruce swiftly turned on his heel to face the confused man. He suspected what must have been going on in his head, but he didn’t feel the need to clarify the situation. Instead choosing to go about business as usual, curious to see what he might say.

“You have 30 seconds to start explaining the problem at hand, or I will be going home.”

That seemed to have snapped the man out of his spiraling thoughts. Hal shook his head, as if the action itself would clear out his brain, and without a second thought, let out,

“Good for you man.”

Before immediately diving into the mission brief, splaying out the information and data they needed his help with.

Bruce did his best to ignore the comment, but found it to be a little endearing. In the most annoying way possible, Hal had managed to process the information and extend his ‘approval’.

OoOoOoOo

Late Monday evening, Clark received a text message.

Bruce: I’ll send a driver to pick you up in the morning. Don’t feel like you have to dress up too much for the presentation.

Clark: Thanks babe :)

Bruce: Oh? Have we upgraded from darling to babe?

Clark: Just testing it out. You know I’ve got a role to play as the hunky, doting boyfriend to the rich and famous.

Bruce: I think the board would get a kick out of that. See you tomorrow babe.

Clark took a moment to think about everything that had changed between the pair in one week's time. It was so wild to him, but somehow felt so natural.

OoOoOoOo

Come Tuesday morning, a sleek black luxury car came by to pick Clark up from his apartment and take him to Wayne Enterprise. As they made their way into Gotham city, the sky grew much darker and began to rain. It always seemed to be raining in Gotham. Clark regretted not grabbing an umbrella before he left. Though it would have been useless, as he was driven to a private covered entrance around the back of WE. Bruce was already there, lazily leaning against a railing waiting for him.

The car pulled up close, and before he could let himself out, Bruce was already there opening the door for him.

Clark smiled at the action as he stepped out of the vehicle. He was suddenly face to face with Bruce, and not entirely sure what to do. This was his place of work, and he didn’t want to act inappropriately or initiate anything that Bruce might not want to do here.

The billionaire seemed to take notice of this hesitation and made a move to set the tone for Clark. He placed his arms around his waist, and gently rested his hands on his butt, vocalizing,

“Come on loverboy, don’t get shy on me now. These people are my employees and they get paid for their discreteness.”

Clark visibly relaxed, thankful that Bruce was such an observant person and always quick thinking. He then looped his own arms around Bruce and touched their foreheads together, dropping his voice down low.

“Thanks babe, let’s go kick some ass.”

Bruce pulled his head back and couldn’t help but laugh at the enthusiasm.

“Of course dear.”

OoOoOo

The presentation went according to plan, and just as Bruce had predicted, the entire project was approved. They even agreed to fast track the timeline and get started immediately finding architects and contractors. In just a few weeks, they would be breaking ground at 3 clinic locations, and starting the hiring process shortly thereafter.

Clark was so glad that he was able to be a part of the process, and was now buzzing with excitement. As soon as he heard the good news, he couldn’t help but embrace Bruce in a tight bear hug with a grin on his face.

Clarks giddiness was contagious, and Bruce allowed himself to feel excited at the prospect of their dream becoming a reality. As he embraced Clark right back, he very quietly whispered,

“Thank you.”

When they broke their embrace, they each found a rather sincere smile on their faces. Not sure what else to do with the moment, Bruce intertwined their arms and directed them back towards the car.

It was a quick and silent trip back down to the ground floor of the Wayne Enterprise building. The way too expensive car that had dropped Clark off earlier was exactly where it had been when he left.

Bruce walked them over and opened the door, leading the other man to get in. Clark turned around in his arms and put on a pouty face.

“Are you not coming with me?”

Bruce let a toothy grin overcome his face and shook his head lightly.

“No dear, I’ve got some things to finish up here, I am the CEO you know. And we both know you’ve got your own work to get back to.”

He then dropped his voice and leaned in a little closer.

“Don't worry your pretty little head, I’ll see you soon enough.”

He then placed one finger in Clark’s chest and playfully pushed the man down into the car in front of them. Clark had to chuckle at the theatrics of it all. But as the car pulled out of park and made its way back towards Metropolis, Clark found himself suddenly feeling a wave of sadness come over him.

He had only spent a few days with Bruce, but he had really gotten used to hanging out and learning more about the man. And as weird as it was to admit, he quite enjoyed the almost normalcy of their time together, and the friendship they were building.

He knew he didn’t really have a reason to see Bruce outside of their work together with the league, and on the ‘dates’ that laid ahead of them. At least he had those to look forward to, though he was unsure when they would be. So he resolved himself to just stay busy and look forward to the time he would get to spend with his friend then.

OoOoOoOo

Much later that night as Clark was getting ready for bed, a text came through.

Bruce: I think today was a success. Our next date will be Friday evening. It’s a birthday party for a princess. She’s a friend of mine but we won’t need to stay long.

Clark: An actual princess? Brucie Wayne rubs elbows with royalty?

Bruce: Brucie Wayne?

Clark gulped, he couldn't believe he had sent that without thinking about it.

Clark: Yes, Brucie Wayne. It’s what I’ve taken to calling your larger than life, billionaire-playboy-prince of Gotham alter ego.

Bruce: Hmm. I suppose it does have a certain ring to it.

Clark: Glad you like it ;) but seriously, an actual princess?

Bruce: You are a literal alien, and you’re worried about a princess?
Bruce: We will just wish her a happy birthday, I’ll show you off and make a scene of how you’ve turned me into a respectable man, and then we can leave. I will have another suit sent over for you, Brucie Wayne does like to spoil his partners.

Clark:…….
Clark:I suppose that sounds like fun? I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you manage to get my suit measurements so exact?

Bruce: Like I said, I have an eye for these things. I will see you Friday, good night.

Clark clicked his phone off and shook his head in bewilderment. An actual princess. Life with Bruce was certainly never boring.

OoOoOo

The following Tuesday and Wednesday found each man quite busy in their own right. Clark was off planet at least a day, and spent the rest of his time in the Fortress of Solitude. While Bruce dove deep into his work in Gotham, chasing down loose ends and tying up a case he had been working on for quite some time.

It wasn’t until late Wednesday evening when Clark made it back into his apartment to find a brand new designer suite hanging on his bedroom door. He had almost forgotten his date with Bruce the following evening. He could tell it was a party for a princess, the suit looked to cost at least double what the last one did.

He had been wondering how exactly Bruce had managed to get into his apartment unnoticed by his neighbors, when he found a handwritten note taped to the inside of his balcony door.

You should really keep this locked
-XOXO

He chuckled to himself. Leave it to Bruce to break into his home and criticize him all in one go. He thought briefly before finding his cellphone and typing out a message.

Clark: Well if I keep my balcony door locked, how else am I supposed to get hand delivered gifts from my super rich boyfriend?

A response came much quicker than Clark had expected.

Bruce: Mmm, if you leave it unlocked, you never know what unsavory guests might find their way in.

Clark: Oh don't be so hard on yourself, you know you’re always welcome here ;)

Bruce: Careful there, that was almost funny.

Clark: Thank you for the suit though, it’s absolutely astonishing

Bruce: Good, we do have royalty to impress tomorrow.

Clark: So what exactly is the game plan?

Bruce: Oh now you want to know the plan? Didn’t want this date night to be a surprise too?

Clark: To be honest, this date will be much more public and require much closer attention to detail. So, no. No surprises please. I’m going to feel out of place and awkward enough as is.

Bruce: Everything will be just fine Clark, don’t stress yourself out. I’ll pick you up from work, so just make sure you're dressed and ready to party then. And like I told you before, we’ll show up, pretend to party a bit, make a scene, and then we’ll find an excuse to leave. Easy.

Clark: Thanks for the boost in confidence, I suppose I can handle all that.

Bruce: Good night Clark.

Clark: Good night Bruce.

Bruce set his phone down next to the keyboard in front of him. He couldn’t recall another time in his life where he had spent so much time texting back and forth like a teenager. Though he couldn’t find it in himself to be upset about it. He enjoyed talking with Clark, and it was a nice distraction from the depressing case he was closing at the moment.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself to jump back into his work.

Bruce spent most of the night typing up reports, tying a handful of bigwig criminals to a heinous human trafficking ring he busted in Gotham the night before. Usually this type of case would really get to him for a few days, but knowing he would be able to hang out with Clark the following evening helped keep him from falling into that too familiar pit.

OoOoOo

Clark finished typing up an article and a few miscellaneous news columns before turning his computer off. Finding the garment bag he had hung in the back of the bullpen, he went to change into his new suit.

He took a little extra time in the mens room mirror admiring the deep burgundy suit he had on. Somehow it fit even better than the last one, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he swore it fit his rear a little more closely.

He styled his hair much like he had for their last date and put on his favorite cologne. This time opting to wear the WE cufflinks Bruce had included in the jacket pocket.

He had just gotten back to his desk to stash his work clothes when his boss walked up behind him. Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud;

“Going out on a Friday night? I suppose this means I should definitely keep a lookout for your face in tomorrow's paper.”

Clark set his things down and turned to face the man, smirking at his words.

“As a friend, certainly be on the lookout for that front page photo, It’s sure to be an interesting one. But as my boss, I would have to encourage you not to…”

His boss laughed and lightly shook his head, but then took on a more serious look;

“I’m happy for the two of you. And I’m glad somebody is finally getting you to loosen up and have some fun for once. And though it goes against every bone in my body as a reporter, your public charades seem to be making a difference in ‘the community’.”

Clark stood up straight and grinned, knowing the real meaning of what his words meant.

“Thank you, that’s good to hear. And between you and me, we’ve got a few things up our sleeves that we will be announcing soon. I think it will make the biggest difference in ‘the community’.”

His boss gave a knowing smile as he nodded his head, and made his way back towards his own office, leaving Clark to put his things away.

Just as he was heading towards the elevator, his phone buzzed

Bruce: I am out front, don’t keep me waiting ;)

Clark smiled, there was something about Bruce using those silly little emoticons that just made him feel so normal. As if he could pretend to be a normal human, going on a real date, with an actual romantic partner. He texted back,

Clark: I would never keep you waiting, on my way down now <3

Bruce playfully rolled his eyes at the heart and placed his phone into his jacket pocket. Turning to the entrance of Daily Planet building, waiting for Clark to make his way out.

A minute later the doors opened, and Bruce gently lifted his hand in a vague wave to catch attention. Clark’s face lit up with a warm smile as he saw Bruce waiting for him. He couldn’t help matching his own face to it as the other man walked over.

It was hard to place, but something felt so natural about them meeting up after work and going out together. Like they had always been so comfortable with each other.

Once Clark reached his friend, the playboy coyly slid his hands up the front of his silky shirt and made a show to flatten out his collar. Smirking as he spoke,

“Ready for the night of your life?”

Clark playfully rolled his eyes at the scene of it all

“Any night with you is the night of my life”

They both paused, looking at each other before softly laughing out loud.

Bruce dropped his hands down and softly shook his head, letting out a chuckle with his words

“That was terrible.”

He then turned his body, opening the car door up and motioning in.

“Get in boy scout”

Clark promptly followed

OoOoOoOo

The two men comfortably made their way up the marbled front steps of an egregiously ornate mansion. One of the security guards at the front of the large double doors noticed Bruce and immediately went to let them through.

Clark had the decency not to look gobsmacked, but was impressed to be let into such a secure and private event without so much as speaking. He supposed that must come with the life of a wealthy socialite.

Making their way into what appeared to be a grand ballroom, decked out in marble and gold accents, Clark took a moment to glance around. It wasn't anything like the gala they had attended, or even like any events he's reported on before. There were recognizable high rollers in the crowd, other diplomats and foreign royalties, but something was different, he just couldn’t put his thumb on it.

“She has a no business policy.”

Clark was shaken out of his own head at that comment.

“What was that?”

Bruce turned his body, and looked at Clark more head on.

“She has a no business talk policy at her house parties. You could get thrown out just for shaking hands or being too serious here.”

Bruce cracked an almost cocky, know it all smile.

“That’s what's different. The people here are actually having fun.”

It seemed so obvious to him now, glancing between the main floor, and the live music, and tables of laughing individuals. Nobody was trying to schmooze or make a business deal, they were just enjoying the moment.

Bruce again drew his attention away from the room of people.
“I told you everything would be okay. Now then. Are you going to take me dancing Mr. Hunky reporter man?

And with that, Clark shed any anxiety was holding, and took Bruce’s hand.

OoOo

Each man periodically found themselves forgetting they were there on a fake date, and were meant to be there more as a publicity stunt more than anything. Forgetting that their relationship was fabricated, because everything felt so natural. Everytime they held onto each other's arms while speaking to other party goers. Everytime they grasped at each other hips and shoulders to be waltzed around the dance floor. Everytime Bruce made a lavish show of wealth and debauchery and shot a mischievous grin back at his partner. It was all so unusual but yet so comfortable.

By the time they had actually got a chance to make their way to the princess, she had spotted them first

While holding hands and Clark attempting to lead the billionaire across the room, they were stopped by two large men. Wearing all black tuxes and with clear ear pieces trailing down their necks.

“Bruce Wayne, your presence is requested.”

OoOo

The security guards led the both of them down a side hallway and to the entrance of a small room, stopping just outside the open doors and gesturing for them to continue on. Closing them once inside.

A few feet away stood the princess, made obvious by the tiara in her golden blonde hair. The glittery dress she wore almost distracted him from noticing the other woman in the room, arms looped in with hers.

Moments later, Clark saw something he had been becoming quite used to, a personality change. Once the woman saw Bruce, she became an entirely different person.

“BRUCE WAYNE. I knew it. I knew you used me as your beard just as much as I used you as mine. Get over here you bastard.”

Running at full speed to embrace Bruce into a bear hug.

The two embraced for a few long moments, each taking a deep breath.

Bruce stepped back first, looking down at her differently than Clark had ever seen before. This look wasn’t drunk and flashy or fake or broody, but something more unique to Bruce. It read almost nostalgic, in a more familial way. Akin to the way he looks at Alfred.

“Clark”

Bruce was now looking at him, and gesturing to the woman he had just hugged.

“This is princess Cardilia. We met in private school. When we were young, dumb, and tired of being in the limelight. She helped me figure out how to not spiral out of control as a socialite, and in return, I’ve been her ’beard’. I have been her fake date/boyfriend/fling, whatever you can think of, we’ve faked it.”

Cardilia let out a high pitched squeal like that of a teenage girl.

“Oh my god! You really must be in love. Look at you just sharing your thoughts out loud and shit.”

Neither of the men had much time to ruminate on that statement, as Cardilia had squealed again in excitement.

She was now enthusiastically dragging the other woman across the room, presenting her with an arm flourish and a toothy grin.

The other woman stood just about an inch taller than the princess, though the height difference may have been a result of her bushy amber curls that seemed to defy gravity. The woman rolled her eyes at the dramatics of it all, but her brilliant green eyes and cheeky grin gave away that she was quite enjoying it.

“Brucey, Clark, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Margaret.”

The woman, Margaret, did a slight curtsy as her name was announced.

“She is, as of about 20 minutes ago, my fiancée!”

Celebration was in the air, as Bruce properly introduced himself to Margaret, and congratulated the pair on their engagement. Making as if he was whispering, but obviously speaking loud enough for all to hear,

“Did she tell you about the time she was almost caught streaking across campus?”

Slowly, in the midst of embarrassing or endearing stories being told back and forth, each of them found a comfortable position sitting on the floor. Cardilia and Margaret sat side by side, holding hands and absentmindedly feeling over the ring on their fingers. Across from them found Clark sitting with his back against a wall, and Bruce sat between his legs, leaning back casually against the strong form behind him.

They stayed there for quite some time, until Cardilia got a wild idea and shot straight up, standing tall over the others. A look of crazed determination on her face.

“This is my party dammit. I can’t keep my love hidden away any longer, I have an announcement to make to the people!”

OoOo

“Now as a celebration of my engagement, I am pledging a $500,000 donation to the Wayne Enterprises LGBT foundation, in honor of the love we have had to hide for so long. And if you have a problem with that, consider yourself uninvited to the next party.”

The few photographers and reporters that were allowed on the premises were going into a frenzy, wildly taking photos of the princess and her lover, capturing Bruce Wayne and his boyfriend, trying to take formal statements from anybody who was anybody. Desperately trying to learn more about this LGBT fund that was mentioned.

OoOo

Eventually the two stumble their way out of the party, laughing much too loud and buzzing with an unusual energy. Finding themselves grateful to feel the long forgotten thrill of having a good time out with friends.

The date lasted much longer than Bruce had anticipated, but that seemed to have worked out in their favor. For their hidden agenda, for Cardilia, and perhaps even for himself. And from the looks of it, it seems that Clark doesn’t mind one bit either.

Bruce had hailed his driver, and the same sleek luxury car that had dropped them off rounded to the top of the drive to collect them. This time Clark made sure he got to the door first, opening it up and laying on the Kansas charm real thick. He practically bowed ushering the other man in,

“After you darlin’, watch that pretty little head of yours.”

Bruce rolled his eyes, but filed away that accent somewhere in his brain. Not sure for what reason, but it was important. Probably.

“You better get in this car before I leave you out there. Don’t make me go home and sleep in that bed all alone.”

They both knew there was nobody around to witness this particular theatrical display, but couldn’t help themselves.

Clark dramatically put his hand on his chest, standing up, just outside of the car door, barely able to see Bruce from inside.

“I don’t think you could, you like sleeping with me too much. If you leave me, I won’t be able to do that thing you like in bed.”

He waggled his eyebrows, in what he thought might have been a seductive way.

It wasn’t.

Bruce slid across the seats and made a quick grab for Clark’s waistband, pulling him down and forward. Knowing the man could resist or stop himself from falling if he wanted, but figured there was a good chance he wouldn’t.

Clark gave in and practically dove the rest of the way into the car, urging the driver as he landed on the bench seat.

“Go before he changes his mind!”

OoOo

The energy they were buzzing on mellowed out as they drove onward into the early morning, and the two were enjoying the calming hum of wheels on pavement in the otherwise quiet car. Clark hesitated for a moment, but ultimately broke the silence to ask a question.

“Do you regret not being able to tell your friend the truth about us?”

Bruce turned to look out the window and let out a small sigh. He had been thinking about that particular fact most of the drive.

“I did at first. I wanted to tell her it was essentially a publicity stunt, and that she shouldn’t be inspired by us to announce her engagement to everybody tonight.”

He turned back to face the other man, there was a small glint in his eye now.

“But the more I think about it, the more confident I am about everything. That’s why we started this in the first place, Clark. To help people, and to be a support and inspiration for everybody who needed it, and that’s exactly what happened. Plus, I didn’t actually have to lie to her. I said you were my partner, I just didn’t clarify in what sense.”

Clark had a soft but genuine smile on his face now, glad his friend didn’t feel bad about what had happened. And hearing it from Bruce’s perspective reinvigorated him for the project, and he wanted to get back to the manor and find more ways to work on the project with him.

There was another comfortable moment of silence between the two. Then suddenly they both turned to look at eachother and started to talk at the same time.

“Are we going…” “Do you want to…”

They both paused, awkwardly, almost embarrassed. Saying again at the same time,

“You go fir….” “After you..”

Clark opened his mouth again, trying to get his words out before Bruce could, but the ping of a cell phone interrupted him.

Bruce glanced down at his device.

“That was Alfred, there’s an emergency that needs tending to quite urgently.”

Clark nodded his head,

“No worries. I should probably get out of here too, go check on a few things.”

They both looked at each other in silence, wondering what to do at that exact moment. Clark thought for a moment that he would just ask the driver to pull over and let him out near a bus stop, but then he had to think like Brucie Wayne would. He couldn’t be caught getting out of Bruce’s car into the night, that would undermine the whole night they had planned.

They were almost at the manor, so Clark decided to wait it out until they had arrived and gotten inside. Bruce had made one last show of ushering him into the front hall.

“Thanks for the dance partner.”

Clark winked back,

“Anytime, partner”

And with that he was off in a flash.

OoOoOoO

Early Saturday morning Clark sent a text message, including a snapshot of that morning's newspaper headliner,

‘CEO of Wayne Enterprises with a gay agenda?’

Clark: Brucie Wayne really is the Prince of Gotham. The night was all about the Princess, and yet you still stole the limelight. At least they got your good side =D

Several hours passed before Clark felt the familiar buzz of his phone.

Bruce: Welcome to a day in the life.

A few minutes later another buzz came through.

Bruce: Thanks for last night. Sorry to make our ‘date’ more of a personal reunion.

Clark: Don’t worry about it B, I really enjoyed meeting them and hearing about a young Bruce Wayne. It was also really nice to see a different part of you, a part that doesn’t seem so… heavy.

Bruce: ….
Bruce: With what last night turned into, and the media's frenzied attention on us, the princess, and our pet project, we have some extra time before our next date. Barring any emergencies, I will see you next week. Friday perhaps.

Clark: I can’t wait :)

OoOoOo

Their part of the LGBT foundation project had been pretty much completed, all that was left was architect work, internal funding transfers, and staffing. So Bruce and Clark didn’t have anything else to work on together until the official groundbreaking ceremony. Leaving the two men separated, and to their own devices for the week leading up to their next date.

Clark took the time to write through several puff pieces he had been putting off, proving to his boss that he can be the playboys' partner and still be good at his job. Just to offset some of the staring gazes his way after the last newspaper was published. The photo was focused on Bruceie’s winning smile with him raising a glass to toast the engagement, but he was clearly seen in the background. His jacket off and the top few buttons of his shirt undone, hair mused into oblivion.

He also spent some extra time at the Watchtower, mingling with his other friends on the league, assisting in any mission he could get his hands on. He didn’t pay it much attention, but now and then he would hear whispers about himself or Batman throughout the week around the tower. Some of what he heard made something in him ache, he didn’t take them time to think about what he was feeling or why.

Bruce on the other hand took that time to put in as many hours into his work as possible, Alfred practically having to beg him to eat or sleep. He had picked up a new case that had to do with homeless youth and young adults disappearing off the streets of Gotham. Some of the local shelters had been reporting record low numbers of individuals needing their services. So either there was a miracle worker out there, or he was in for a heavy workload.

It wasn’t a miracle worker.

Once he had found the missing people, he realized they were all teenagers, some as young as 13 years old. Many of them had suffered through less than ‘scientific’ experiments at the hands of the Scarecrow and were left terrified and trembling. Commissioner Gordon was able to come in with backup, and take care of arresting that monster of a man, and ensuring each of the minors received the care they needed. But those faces haunted him. The cases involving kids always seem to haunt him.

OoOoO

By the time Friday morning came around, there was an all hands on deck emergency that had arisen for the Justice League, and called the two men to fight side by side. It was the first time they had been called on a mission together since their friendship had blossomed from a one sided acquaintanceship. And just as Batman had feared; it got in the way.

Once the main trouble had been attended to and he was sure everybody was safe and accounted for, Batman cornered superman, with all the weight of a cowled glare on his face, and acidically dug into the wonder boy.

“THIS IS WHY.”

He quickly hushed his tone, not meaning to have been that loud. But still unleashing the emotion he didn’t know had pent up,

“This is why I keep my distance. This is why I don’t make friends, or do the whole relationship thing.”

He tried to take a calming breath, but it didn’t have much of an effect.

“You were going to let a bystander get hurt. You were going to jeopardize an innocent person, risk somebody’s life, just to save me? For fucks sake Clark, all that to keep me from what, falling into some water? How could you be so careless!”

Amidst the hurt words in front of him, he heard Flash from across a slushy river say towards a few other team members, nodding his head in their direction;

“Awe, I hate it when mom and dad fight.”

If he were in a better state of mind, he might have laughed. As he zeroed back into the man in front of him, Clark heard,

“IT'S A WEAKNESS.”

And then the dark cape flared up dramatically and he was off. Making his way towards the rest of their team and staring them down with such an intensity, they all scurried to find something to do before he got near them.

OoOoOoOo

As the league members aboard the Watchtower adjourned from the mission debrief, several of them made their way back home. Wanting to be with their family and loved ones after such a long, taxing day. A few stayed behind, volunteering to keep a watch of things overnight to assure nothing else went wrong. Or even just because they were tired and didn’t feel like leaving.

In all, Batman, Superman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter stayed behind. Making their way to their own rooms on board when everybody else left. Each wanting to change, take a long hot shower to decompress, and go to sleep.

Bruce spent much too long in the scalding shower, hoping the heat of the water might soak through to his bones. He hated the cold, but after a time in the freezing river earlier in the day, he just couldn’t shake it. It was taking all his strength to not crawl into Clark’s bed and share his body heat to warm up. He shook his head at that thought. Just a month ago that would never even crossed his mind, but how impossible that it was even an option for him now.

He turned off the water and dried himself before getting dressed in his sleeping clothes and laid in bed for a while. Bruce knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, no matter how tired his body was. There were so many thoughts running through his head, of the homeless youth he had saved, thoughts of how he had been so harsh with Clark, thoughts of everything that had happened since the gala. He just couldn’t sit there in his own head any longer, so he got up and made his way towards the bridge. Figuring that if he wasn’t going to rest, he might as well make himself useful.

As he approached his destination, he was surprised to find Clark standing front and center, seemingly lost in thought. So Bruce walked up beside him and took in the beauty of the earth out the window in front of them. They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Bruce spoke.

“I suppose you’re upset with me.”

Clark didn’t move, but let out a deep sigh.

“I’m not upset with you. If anything, I’m upset with myself for letting… whatever this is… cloud my judgment.”

He then turned to face Bruce, and waited until the other man did the same so he could look him in the eyes.

“I understand why you don’t see relationships and personal attachments as an asset to crime fighting, but I still think you’re wrong.”

Bruce made a face, and tried to control the anger in his tone as he cut in,

“Clark…”

Clark raised a hand to stop him.

“I think you’re wrong about relationships, but I was also wrong, and I promise to never do anything to jeopardize what we have. I swear to you. No matter my feelings and no matter the consequences, if I have to choose between saving any other person and saving you, I can never choose you.”

Bruce exhaled sharply. Letting the breath soothe the anger that had risen within him. He nodded and let a small grin tug at the corners of his mouth.

“As long as we are clear on that. I think perhaps I might actually like to keep ‘whatever this is’. I find that it does have certain perks I am quite fond of.”

As he finished his sentence, Bruce moved forward and pressed their bodies together, embracing the man in a deep hug. He could feel the overwhelming thoughts in his head being subdued, the familiar arms around him had a calming effect he would have never imagined possible.

Clark then realized that this might have been that empty feeling he had been having. Missing his friend and the closeness he had gotten so used to. Without a second thought, he was hugging the man back and raised his body temperature ever so slightly.

“You’re just using me for my body aren’t you.”

Bruce couldn’t help the laugh that echoed deep in his chest, vibrating his whole body. Another moment passed and he took a step back and looked deep into those baby blues.

“Come to bed.”

As those words hung between them, Clark couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Not realizing just how much he had been missing spending time with his best friend, he was happy at the prospect of spending the night together again. A toothy smile crossed his face as he reached out to grab Bruce’s hand.

“Lead the way babe.”

And with that, Bruce led them back to his own quarters.

If J’on witnessed the whole interaction between the two, he would never mention it, but he wholeheartedly approves of the two. No matter how strange their situation appeared to be.

Once back to Bruce’s room, the two men quickly crawled into bed and turned the lights out. Bruce didn’t want Clark to think that he was actually just using him for his body, so he gave some space between them in the small bed. Clark wasn’t having any of that, he knew how they were going to end up in the morning anyways, and he wanted to let Bruce know it was okay. So he reached his arm out in the dark and felt for his body. Hooking the muscular waist of the man next to him, Clark drew their bodies together and they soon found a comfortable spooning position.

Bruce humored the movement, repeating back what Clark had said earlier.

“You’re just using me for my body aren’t you.”

Clark lifted his head up a bit and lowered his voice, his mouth just level with the other man's ear,

“You would know if I was using you for your body.“

Bruce let out a laugh that came out a little louder than he had anticipated.

“Seems you have been hanging out with Brucie Wayne a little too much.”

He could feel Clark smile behind him.

“I suppose, but don’t tell him we’re sleeping together, might get jealous.”

Bruce let out a soft chuckle, but soon found his breath evening out. He relaxed completely into the arms around him and the warmth convinced him to give into unconsciousness, sleeping soundly for the first time in a while.

Clark could hear his pulse slow down and even out, so he focused on the sound of his heartbeat as he laid with his best friend in his arms. Finding peace in the moment, he allowed himself to fall asleep too.

OoOoOoOo

There was a loud banging on the door of Bruce’s room, jarring the men out of their comfortable slumber. Clark was the first to figure out where the noise was coming from and poked at the sides in his arms. Bruce grunted, his voice deep with sleep,

“Mmm, you get it.”

Clark let out a long yawn as he disentangled himself from the sleepy bat, who immediately let out a soft whimper at the loss of body heat.”

As he stood up, Clark couldn't help but giggle at the most adorable thing he has ever heard from Bruce. He took a moment to catalog the moment in his brain, wanting to never forget it. He was then taken out of his thoughts when the knocking sounded again at the door, so he swiftly made his way towards it.

As he opened the door, he heard a hasty;

“Sorry to bother, but we haven’t been able to locate Cl….”

The figure in the doorway finally looked up and noticed who he was speaking with.

“Clark. Oh.”

A rather annoyed voice came from behind them,

“This better be important Arthur.”

He looked past Clark to the figure in bed, convincing himself this was some sort of dream. Did he just find BATMAN and SUPERMAN… together? In the midst of his mind running a mile a minute trying to make the information he was gathering make sense, his mouth opened before he could think twice.

“Does this mean Diana is single? I always figured one of you was courting her.”

A little more annoyed now, Bruce sat up in his bed and growled out deadpan and demanding,

“Why did you wake us up?”

Arthur snapped his head back as if he just had just remembered why he was there in the first place. Though completely caught off guard again with confirmation that they had just been asleep, together.

“Umm, right…uhh.. We were looking for Clark. The station took some damage from a heap of space debris a few hours ago and we could use some Superman powers to fix it. But, uh, it’s not an emergency if I’m interrupting something…”

His voice trailed off, and he suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. Not sure where to look or what to do with his hands.

Clark laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole moment, but settled himself quickly and lightheartedly answered out,

“I’ll meet you at the airlock in a few minutes. Sorry you had to go on a manhunt to find me.”

Arthur nodded towards both of the men, accepting the words, and rounded to leave. But then he spun back around and wondered out loud,

“So is this just like a one night stand thing, or...”

The door was shut rather abruptly into his face, and so he accepted that he would find out sooner or later and let them be.

Clark leaned back against the door after closing it, looking coolly at Bruce .

“At this point, I’m pretty sure half the league thinks we’re sleeping together.”

Bruce, still sitting up in bed, scooted so that he could rest his back against the headboard. Flashing out a wicked Brucie grin,

“Because we are sleeping together.”

Clark shook his head lightly, playfully rolling his eyes at the phrasing.

“You know what I mean, babe.”

Bruce’s face changed, suddenly mimicking a rather cartoonish frown and drawn together eyebrows.

“Are you embarrassed of me? Ashamed of the tragic insinuation?!?”

His voice got higher and more comedic as he went on, gesticulating in the most theatrical way he could manage from his position on the bed.

“Oh to be the magnificent, wonderful, amazing Superman. With his perfect image, marred by association with the DARK KNIGHT of Gotham!”

By the end of his performance, Clark was about doubled over in laughter, soon joined by Bruce’s own deep laugh.

Once he was able to calm his voice down enough to speak, Clark joked,

“Don’t be such a drama Queen.”

Reigning in his tone and calming his demeanor, he got a little more serious.

“Of course I’m not embarrassed that our team assumes we’re together. I don’t care if they just think we’re screwing around with each other or that we’re deeply in love. It makes no difference to me.”

Clark followed up in a more lighthearted way,

“As long as you don’t mind your dark and broody, lone wolf image being ruined by the insinuation of feelings for… what is it you call me… a Boy Scout?”

Bruce shot a look back, a witty quip at the tip of his tongue, but decided last second that he could manage a deep and assuring response like Clark had shown earlier. It almost shocked him how comfortable he had gotten with Clark, enough to start sharing more serious thoughts and emotions instead of building up walls between them.

“Why would I mind? If anything, after all this time I’ve spent projecting my ‘dark and broody’ image. Having everybody believe me, even capable of ‘feelings’, let alone capable of being loved by you… that’s already way more confidence in my character than I would have ever thought possible.”

Clark met Bruce’s eyes, the sincerity of the moment they were sharing hitting full force.

“And what it must say about my character for them to believe me capable of tricking you into loving me.”

Bruce shook his head, ready to tell his friend how stupid he sounded right now, how he would never have to be tricked into loving him. But there was an unsteady shaking of the station around them followed by the blaring of an alarm.

Clark closed his eyes for a moment, listening to his surroundings, and assessing the seriousness of the issue.

“Seems like that space debris just became an emergency. I guess Superman is off to save the day.”

He winked back towards Bruce before speeding out of the room towards the front of the station, leaving him in bed alone. Thinking a little too deeply about what had just been said, and what he wanted to say.

OoOoOo

Bruce had gotten dressed and determined that he was not needed to assist with the watchtower repairs. Clark had it under control, essentially replacing some missing panels on the outside of the vessel and welding a few solar cells back into place. So he made his way back to Gotham, arriving in the batcave to find Alfred with a cup of coffee and a tray of English muffins.

“Good morning Master Bruce, you look, surprisingly well rested. Have another sleepover with Mister Clark did we?”

Bruce knew this man was the closest thing he had to family, and that he meant well, but he didn’t particularly want to talk about it right now. He didn't acknowledge the comment, avoiding eye contact with the man as he grabbed for the cup of coffee.

“That will be all Alfred.”

He mumbled while shoving a muffin in his mouth, and making his way towards the large work station across the room.

OoOo

He wasn’t certain how much time had passed before he received a text message.

Clark: Hey Bats, sorry to miss you leaving. Are we still on for a date soon?

Bruce: Yes. How do you feel about baseball?

Clark: Do you really have to ask? I’m from Kansas, watching baseball might actually be my first memory.

Bruce: Great. Pick me up around 4pm, and wear whatever a Kansas boy would wear to a game.

Clark: Are we really going to a baseball game for our 3rd date?

Bruce: I’ve got private box seats, a Kansas boy that loves baseball, and a Jumbotron that is sure to show us enjoying the game together.

Clark: Ohh, you really do think of everything. Maybe I should be the one calling you Boyscout ;)

Bruce: Don’t. You. Dare.

Clark: Got it… See you later Bruce.

OoOoOo

Clark showed up to the front steps of the manor wearing his favorite pair of jeans, light washed and worn in all the right places. Also adorning a jersey he was glad he still had, even though it was representing his favorite pitcher from back home. And a baseball cap that had been a gift from Lois when they dated, it was worn and rugged, but he loved it all the same.

Bruce met him at the entrance of his home, looking like the most expensive model in a sports illustrated magazine. Wearing dark and very fitted jeans, a luxury polo with the team's logo embossed on the breast pocket, and loafers that he knew cost more than a month of his apartment rent.

OoOo

Comfortable in their private box seats, they had been enjoying each other's company while waiting for the opening pitch to be thrown. Clark shared about some of his favorite games growing up, and how Pa had taken him to his first major league baseball game for his 8th birthday. He felt so nostalgic sharing about his childhood, but happy he was able to share it with somebody.

There was a slight lull amongst their otherwise lively conversation, when suddenly Clark had a thought, and went about making it his mission to convince the other man that they needed hotdogs and beer while at the game.

“It’s America's favorite pastime! It’s your duty as a citizen to have a hotdog at a baseball game, who raised you!”

Bruce deadpanned,

“My English butler.”

Clark felt a twinge of guilt, and sheepishly replied,

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”

Bruce cracked a suggestive smile and said with a wink,

“I suppose I can forgive you. But I would feel much better if you made it up to me, by getting us some beer and hotdogs.”

Clark had an incredulous look on his face now.

“I feel like I may have just been played.”

The other man put his hand on his chest and tried his best to replicate Clark’s Kansas accent,

“Why, I would never!”

Clark rolled his eyes, so amused by his friend using that accent against him now.

“Whatever you say playboy. I’ll just go grab the goodies. Let me guess, you're a ketchup and relish kinda guy?”

It was Bruce’s turn to take on an incredulous look.

“Educated guess? Or is that the result of your keen investigative journaling skills.”

Clark shot back a wink and a smile,

“If you tell me how you knew my suit measurements, I’ll tell you how I knew your hotdog preferences.”

Bruce nodded,

“Touché.”

OoOo

It was the third inning, and the two were actually enjoying the game in front of them, almost forgetting why they were there in the first place. Clark’s excited cheering when their team scored a point kept Bruce in the game, though he had never really enjoyed baseball before. He even found himself getting in on the booing when the other team scored, Clark’s energy was too contagious for him to ignore, not that he felt the need to do so.

By the 4th inning they had already been featured on the jumbotron twice already, which made sense considering Wayne Enterprises owned the whole stadium they were in. But more importantly, Brucie Wayne had never before been spotted at a sporting event, so this was even bigger news than usual.

It was just after the 5th inning with loaded bases when their batter hit a ball beyond the field, guaranteeing a home run for all. Even Bruce had to jump up and join in with the other fans to cheer on the players, too engaged in his moment to notice Clark’s smile and approving laughter at him.

Clark, while looking at his friend, full of genuine excitement at the play they had just witnessed. It struck him that Bruce didn’t quite look like a true baseball fan yet. So he stood, with one hand he took the worn baseball hat off his head, and with the other he extended his pointer finger and softly hooked it under Bruce’s chin, urging him to look his way. When the man complied, he gingerly placed the cap on Bruce's head with a subtle wink. Their eyes met for a moment, and he couldn't be sure, but there was definitely something in the look that he couldn’t quite place.

In the background, after the deafening fan cheers had calmed down, there was something else that began. Something causing pockets of crowd members to cheer or laugh loudly. Something neither of them had thought of up until that exact moment.

The Kiss Cam.

There was currently an elderly couple that appeared on the screen. The man briefly had a shocked look on his face, before quickly giving a sweet smile before he turned to his wife, and planted a loving kiss on her lips. Something that looked so natural, like they had been doing it their whole lives.

The two men didn’t have much time to think of an action plan if they found themselves featured on the screen, because the very next faces coming into focus were theirs.

Brucie Wayne, always one prepared to make a spectacle in public, turned his body and leaned forward. Reaching his hand to fit snugly on the nape of Clark’s neck, gently pulling him forward. His face may have looked calm and suave, but the metahuman could hear the quickening of his heartbeat, certain that his own was doing the same.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, Clark decided to just let go and give into the moment, if Brucie was fine with it, so was he. So after a last glimpse at his partner's face closing in on his, he closed his eyes and met in the middle.

Their lips met with a nervous energy. It was warm, and light, and lasted perhaps longer than necessary. Clark was almost surprised that it didn’t go farther, thinking the billionaire playboy in front of him would have taken every chance to make it dramatic, or try and draw some sort of noise or blush out of him. Just for the press of it all.

When the kiss was over, they broke apart and charaded charismatic looks towards the camera that had been on them. With one last wink from Bruce, the camera cut to another couple in the stands, this time a young couple, looking at each other nervously and going in for a shy kiss. It was obvious they were still early in their relationship, perhaps a second or third date.

Confident that the camera was no longer on the two of them, there was an unnamable air hanging above their seats with an almost awkward moment passing between them. Clark could hear that Bruce’s heart still hadn’t quite calmed down, and so he took a chance and to distract whatever thoughts were going on in the other man's head. And have a little fun with it too.

“That’s all you got, playboy?”

Bruce looked back at him, eyebrows playfully rising.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

And with that, they both found their way back to a comfortable back and forth, enjoying the game and a chance to be normal people, at a normal baseball game.

OoOo

The rest of the game went by without a hitch. Bruce confirmed that it was silly, but a cold beer and a hotdog did add to the experience. Even though it gave him moments of longing, wishing he would have been able to share this experience with his own father. But his friend seemed to notice when we would feel down, and blindly reached his hand to lay on his knee, giving it an assuring squeeze. Not drawing too much attention, but still letting him know that it was okay.

By the end of the game, their team won with a last second home run. Amongst the cheers and celebrations, Bruce managed to get a ball signed by the whole team, presenting it to Clark with a shrug, as if it were nothing.

OoOo

They parted ways swiftly after the game ended. Superman detected something stirring in Metropolis, and Batman was more than happy to get back to a case he was working on.

OoOo

This time it was Bruce who texted first thing in the morning, mostly because he had been on patrol all night, and had yet to go to sleep by the time the paper was distributed. He snapped a quick picture of a newspaper and hit send.

Bruce Wayne Scores a Homerun!

Directly below the headline saw 2 black and white pictures side by side. One of them was a clear image of them sitting in their seats and giggling between hotdog bites, and the other photo was a little more grainy, featuring Brucie in Clark’s baseball cap, liplocked and on the Jumbotron.

Clark responded back about 30 minutes later.

Clark: Bruce Wayne Scores a Homerun? Those Gotham reporters have got to get better, that’s pathetic.

Bruce: Oh? And what would you title this paper, oh wise and all knowing reporterman?

Clark: Bruce Wayne Makes First Base at the Big Game

Bruce: Oh, you WISH you would have gone to first base with me ;)

Clark: I guess we’ll just have to see how the next date goes XD

Bruce: Actually, our next date will be our last. The project has been fastpassed, and we are able to host our first shelter groundbreaking ceremony in less than a week.

Clark: Oh. That’s great. Just me know when and where to be I suppose.

Bruce: I’ll be sure to do that.

Bruce: You can wear what you’d like, just make sure it’s something with a collar. I have a gift for you.

OoOoOo

There was a nervous energy exuding off of Bruce. Imperceptible to anybody else who saw the man, perhaps even Alfred. But he knew his friend, and he knew when his heart raced, and when his eyes darted around more than usual, refusing to look at him at all, that there was something there. Though he didn’t comment on it.

They sat in the town car in amicable silence. Clark starting to feel a little melancholy about the whole thing, and mad at himself for thinking that way. It was an honor to help Bruce with this project, and he was so excited to see it come to life, and knew it was going to make a real difference. But he couldn’t shake the creeping feeling of loss that threatened to plant itself into his mind.

Bruce took a quick glance at his friend, and looked at him quizzically for a brief second, before making an ah-ha face. He reached into a small bag to the side of him, and pulled out a matte black box.”

“I told you I had a gift.”

Clark shook his head,

“You know you didn’t have to get me anything.”

Bruce laughed, in a flirty Brucie way, but with an edge of sarcasm.

“Don't worry there, boy scout, it’s less of a gift and more of an obligation.”

Clark furrowed his brows, dumbfounded by what that could possibly mean. Knowing he was unlikely to correctly guess what was in the box, he didn’t even bother to use his X-ray vision. Giving in, he obliged and pulled up on the top of the box.

Inside was black silk lining, and 2 items in a mess of brilliant colors. One seemed to be a necktie that had repeating stripes of colors of the rainbow, and the other a bow tie with the same pattern.

“I see now why you told me to wear something with a collar. Do I get to choose which one I want to wear?”

Bruce grinned devilishly,

“No. You’re obviously wearing the bow tie.”

Clark playfully rolled his eyes,

“Then why bother with the theatrics?”

Bruce had already grabbed his tie and paced it around his neck, going about tying a Windsor knot.

“You know Brucie is a bit of a drama queen.”

Clark shook his head in agreement, reaching for his bow tie.

Placing the smooth material around his neck, he paused. Turning to look at the man next to him.

“I, uhh. I don’t actually know how to tie one of these things. I didn’t even know they came undone like this, I’ve only ever seen clip-ons.”

Bruce glanced over, seeing the sheepish look on Clark’s face as he held the two ends. He faked annoyance,

“Can’t even do a simple bow tie? Gosh Clark, who raised you?”

Clark looked back, squinting his eyes a bit and taking on a pinched face. Recalling his same comment the other day.

“Touche.”

Bruce finished his own tie and scooted down the bench seat to get closer to the other man, reaching out to the material around his neck. Deft hands made quick work of the bow tie, and Clark couldn’t help but stare at the soft determination on the face in front of him. Trying to imagine a young Bruce Wayne being forced to learn how to tie an assortment of high end neckwear.

Giving the bow one last pull to ensure it was secure, Bruce then took to straightening out Clark’s collar and brushing invisible dirt off the man’s shoulders.

“Ready for your last publicity stunt, Clark Kent?”

Clark nodded his head slightly, trying to keep upbeat and happy.

“Don’t you mean Wayne Enterprises, LGBT Foundation Co-Founder, Clark Kent?”

Bruce deadpanned back,

“You always were the humble one.”

OoOo

In front of the massive crowd, hovering over a patch of dirt, each man had been handed shovels and directed to pose before they broke ground. Their eyes were bright and wide, smiling for the camera. Though they didn’t have to fake it.

Simultaneously they followed up their pose, turning and enthusiastically inserting their shovels into the mound of earth. Clark suddenly paying careful attention to Bruce’s actions, unsure if he should be taking a large shovelful of dirt or if should keep it small and simple. Being that he was a farm boy from Kansas, he landed on a medium sized scoop. Definitely more than what Bruce had done, but nowhere near as much as he could do with a single dig.

The pictures that followed their symbolic gesture signaled the last moment of Clark’s involvement in their shared vision to increase LGBT resources and shelters in Gotham.

In the very last photo that was taken, Clark had a wild idea. Imagining what he could do with the story and image in his own newspaper, he took his opportunity.

Bruce had already stood back up and took his place right next to Clark, but he suddenly found a strong hand around his waist and felt the slight tilt backwards. He didn’t hesitate as the only man in the world he would trust to pull this off and look good doing it, dipped him and planted a polite kiss on his lips.

More camera flashes went off, and after a few moments, Clark gently brought Bruce upright and released him with a grin. But the face looking back at him had that unreadable look again. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes said his head was on another planet.

OoOo

Clark was shocked at how many people had shown up to the ceremony, and the dozens of reporters and paparazzi that sat in the front row.

But what shocked him the most about the day, was just how quickly Bruce had flagged his town car down and escorted the two of them inside. He had barely even shut the door behind him when he dryly said,

“Thank you for your assistance on this project. I’ve got some things I need to work on, so my driver will take you wherever you’d like.”

Clark wanted to protest, or shout at the man, or knock him over the head for being so… Batman right now. He knew they were officially done with their project, and Bruce likely had no plans of continuing anything past the initiation. But how could he just be done? Wipe his hands of their whole friendship as soon as his promise was fulfilled.

Without another word, or glance back towards Clark, he opened the door back up, and matter of factly stepped out. Swiftly closing the door behind him, Bruce stepped forward and the car began to pull forward. Obviously the driver had been instructed to take off as soon as Bruce left the car. He wasn’t sure why, but the premeditated thought behind this moment hurt him more than anything.

With one last glimpse back to his best friend, he could hear the quickening heartbeat, and a soft,

“Goodbye Clark.”

It sounded so…. Final.

He faced forward in his seat, for a moment running his hands over the leather interior where Bruce had just been. He thought he knew Bruce better than that, he should have seen this coming. But it still felt so out of nowhere.

It felt like he had just gone through a heart wrenching breakup, except it wasn’t even a real relationship. Perhaps none of it was real.

A tear threatened to spill over his eye, he thought about fighting it but didn’t see the point. It fell down his cheek and he told the driver to take him to the Daily Planet. He didn’t feel like going home, so he resolved to work until he felt like stopping.

OoOoOo

The time passed by slowly.

OoOo

Clark: Is everything okay Bruce? Are we okay?

OoOo

Hours turned into days.

OoOo

Clark: I’ve tried calling a few times, and even left a message with Alfred. Bruce, how can you just pretend we’re not friends anymore. Please tell me you’re at least okay?

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And days turned into weeks.

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Clark: I’ve been trying to give you your space, but I can’t take this anymore Bruce. Please.

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It came up on 3 weeks since he had last seen Bruce, in the cowl or not, and he was done. He wasn’t some helpless kid that had lost a parent, or a moody teen that didn’t know what to do after losing a friend. He was a grown man that would not let somebody else make decisions for him. How unfair that Bruce could just excommunicate him without telling him why.

He quickly came up with a plan, sending off a quick text message, and waiting for his moment. Practicing what he might say. What he might demand of somebody who had hurt him so much.

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Clark swiftly made his way through the airlock and made his way to the bridge of the watchtower, calming his nerves as he touched down on the cool metal of the floor. His heart was sure to beat out of his chest, this was the moment he had been waiting 3 weeks for.

Bruce stood staring at a screen, seemingly reading through a debrief of a recent case, paying no mind to anything around him. With a quick once over with his x-ray vision, he determined that he had no new injuries that might have occurred in the past few weeks. His heartbeat was normal, and he looked to be back to his usual sleep deprived and over exhausted state of being. He suddenly hated that. Hated knowing Bruce wasn’t taking care of himself at all.

“You look like shit.”

Bruce turned around, a touch surprised to see Clark behind him, but overall not shocked at his presence. However, he raised an eyebrow at the comment.

“Probably.”

And he turned back to the computer.

Clark was losing his temper now, and moved closer, coming to stand right next to him.

“Bruce Thomas Wayne. You know you’re not going to get rid of me that easily. And I think I deserve some answers.”

Bruce lazily turned half his body towards the man.

“How did you know I was here anyways? I specifically scheduled my time to be here when you weren’t.”

Clark, as it was everytime with the complicated man, had to play the stupid game to win the stupid prize, so he answered the question, attempting to keep his tone even.

“I asked Barry to contact me the next time you were on board. You know, because he’s my friend, and friends talk to each other.”

Bruce started having a vague flashback to the first day this all started. Him trying to avoid having a conversation with Clark, and Clark brashly demanding it happen anyways, and then vaguely trash talking him.

“Well here I am. Does that answer your question?”

He made to turn around again, but Clark had had enough. Raising ever so slightly off the ground as he spoke, his voice boomed and reverberated down the metallic halls of the station more than he would have liked, but he didn’t care.

“Bruce, you are my best friend, and I thought I was yours. How can we go from texting, and sleeping with each other, and sharing meals together, to nothing? Just tell me if any of it meant anything to you?”

Bruce closed his eyes, something inside him threatening to spill over.

Clark touched down on the floor again, his voice almost pleading now.

“Did I mean anything to you?”

Bruce’s eyes shot open in a flash, and something inside him broke open, those feelings flooding their way into his whole being,

“FINE.”

He took a bated breath.

“You meant, everything, to me. I would have moved mountains just to feel the warmth of your body on mine again.”

He suddenly coughed a little, trying to clear his throat and reign in emotions that were causing his voice to shake a little.

“You want to know why I left you? It’s because I love you Clark. It’s because I love you and I don’t do things half assed. I feel things deeply, I commit to everything I am doing 100%, and I knew I couldn’t be around you. Because when I’m in love, I am possessive, and moody, and need physical touch and to be assured that….”

He abruptly stopped his sentence and closed his eyes once more. Taking a deep and slow breath, as if the next sentence was something he just couldn’t share while looking at the man in front of him.

“I stopped seeing you, because I’m selfish. I couldn’t keep being around you, knowing you didn’t feel the same way.”

He opened his eyes back up, and unwaveringly looked into the soulful blue eyes in front of him. The blue eyes he had missed so much. The blue eyes that right now, comforted him just as much as they hurt him.

“So now that you’re here, just tell me no. Tell me you don’t share these feelings, and we can move on.”

Clark tilted his head to the side, confused at the man's words, letting out a soft,

“Why would I do that?”

Bruce had the audacity to look annoyed now.

“Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I’m a big boy. Just tell me you don’t love me back and we can pretend like our time together didn’t happen.”

Clark stepped forward and lightly grasped each of Bruce's arms, urging him to look directly into his eyes, hoping he could see all the feelings he wasn't sure how to convey.

“I wouldn’t trade my time with you for anything in the universe. How can you even think it possible that we forget the moments we shared?”

They stood there, staring into eachother eyes, trying to process everything. Thinking about every look, every laugh, every touch they had shared as a rouse. What was real.

“Clark…”

“Bruce…”

Bruce took a shaky breath.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. Please.”

Clark dropped his arms as Bruce turned his back on the man, now facing towards the computer again, but not actually looking at anything at all. Still taking slow and shaky breaths.

Clark let out a sigh, and responded in a very blank voice.

“Fine, if you want the truth from me, I’ll give it to you.”

Bruce straightened his back, and gritted his teeth, preparing for the harsh words.

“You’re right. You are complicated, and moody, and dramatic. You are hard to read, and your life in the limelight is too much for me to think about at any given moment. And sometimes, I really do think you use me for my body. And I won’t even mention the contingency plan you have against me...”

He trailed off a little, but got back to his point.

“However. You are also kind, and brave, and loyal. You put everything you deem worthy above yourself, and you are so damn stubborn about sticking to your morals. Not to mention you are adorable when you're grumpy. And what I would give just to hear you laugh again.”

Bruce turned back around. His face unreadable, eyes wild and filled with so many emotions.

“What are you saying Clark?”

He let out a chuckle, with a slight shaking of his head.

“You are a world class detective, and literally a genius, and yet you are so dumb.”

Clark moved forward, coming toe to toe with the dummy in front of him.

“What I’m saying.”

He raised a hand and placed it carefully on the side of his face.

“Is that I am irrevocably, and without a doubt.”

He moved his face closer, breathing in the scent that he had missed so much.

“In love with you.”

The two pairs of blue eyes stared for just a moment, before Bruce’s lips came crashing down, and their bodies collided together. This kiss was electric, each of them feeling the heat that was rapidly rising in their bodies, not due to Clark’s temperature this time. They grasped at each other, their needy mouths a mess of teeth and wanton breaths. Clark was satisfied to follow his partner’s lead, harshly worrying Bruce’s bottom lip with his tongue, begging to go farther. Until they noticed a loud and suggestive whistling noise, and they pulled away from each other with a shocked confusion.

Suddenly the two men recalled exactly where they were, and became aware of their surroundings. Bruce turned and zeroed his gaze onto something, so Clark swiveled his head to follow suit. Just on the other side of the bridge stood a majority of their fellow team members, a mix of costumed and civilian bodies, staring at the scene. It took only a moment after the kiss had ended for some of them to cheer loudly and wildly, followed by many, MANY, wads of cash switching between hands, as if settling bets they had made. Green Arrow to Black Canary, Cyborg to Hal Jordan, and about 6 people to the Flash, among others.

Bruce and Clark stood incredulously, deciding if it was worth commenting on the scene unfolding in front of them. That was until a familiar voice echoed from the very back, somehow louder than the whoops and whistles.

“Thank the heavens, it's about damn time.”

Everybody stopped in their tracks. Collectively whipping around to look in awe at who had dared to say that so loud.

Dianna Prince stood a good length back, leaning against a wall and filing her nails. So nonchalant when she finally looked back up at the awestruck faces. With a roll of her eyes, she exasperated,

“I have been trying to set you two up for YEARS.”