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Clark feels a bit silly about being nervous to meet Bruce's parents, but given how close he is with them the idea of not being good enough in their eyes is a bit daunting. So while he knows that they’re probably nice, he doesn’t expect to be greeted by smiles and warmth. They're seated in the backyard on a patio with a table for four.
He spends the next three hours eating cucumber sandwiches, sipping at earl grey tea, and learning about Bruce’s embarrassing childhood stories. They sprinkle in bits of information about their own lives, how running the company has been easier since Bruce took over dealing with the board and how Martha’s been able to get away with more charity events with Bruce causing so much chaos.
By the time he gets up to leave he’s pretty sure that they’ll be more than able to get along. He even considers telling them his big secret but figures he should wait a little while longer. At least he planned to until Alfred mentioned how there were no secrets between him and the Waynes.
Clark figured he should just come out with the truth, and even got asked to fly a bit. It was nice to be able to show off with people who were safe. He couldn’t wait to meet the next family member.
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Clark had of course already met Dick, but the kid had become his biggest fan since he had saved him. Now he had to go on a trip to a fair with the kid, after all how could he say no to Dick’s puppy eyes. Bruce couldn’t make it due to work, but Clark made sure to take plenty of pictures of them on rides, winning at games, and even of him feeding Dick far too much sugar in the form of funnel cake.
Bruce replied with several eye rolling emojis. Secretly he and Dick made sure to win a plush version bat after Clark remembered Bruce’s childhood fear of them. The thing was cute and simple with a silly face. He worried Dick would want to keep it but when they arrived to the manor the kid was quick to rush off in search of Bruce.
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He had also met Jason, but the boy had far less hero worship for him. Thankfully he had gotten lucky and a book fair was going on in the Gotham Central Library. He spent the morning with Jason finding books, and the afternoon curled up in the comfy couches of the manor’s library reading. They had even come up with a competition to write a book report on a book the other chose.
The judges ended up being Martha, Thomas, and Alfred. While the reports were typed, Clark was pretty sure Jason cheated to get all three of them to choose his report. Until Bruce read them over and said that he agreed. Jason of course teased him about not being very good at writing for weeks afterwards.
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When Clark met Tim it was because the boy from next door had seemingly come to visit. Over the next month and a half Clark just kept seeing him at the manor and eventually it seemed like he had moved in. Bruce never mentioned it, but Clark figured he should have a special day with Tim so he doesn’t feel left out.
Using his knowledge of the kid that he could gather from Bruce’s parents he decided that he would need some help. Thankfully Alfred knew the kids favorite snacks and made a bunch for Clark to carry to the tv room. He brought several games that Dick and Jason had said they knew Tim liked to play and then went in search of the boy.
Tim happily joined him, and several brutal losses later Clark was relieved to be joined by Bruce, who also lost quite badly. Misery loves company, and Clark loves seeing his perfect boyfriend be flabbergasted at having lost again.
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They had only had Tim a few weeks when Damian arrived. Bruce was the most shocked to have his ex-girlfriend drop their five year old off but he was quick to recover. Clark was too busy being enamored of the mini Bruce to really be too upset about the whole incident. With Dick in his third year of college and Jason starting his sophomore year of highschool the house had felt a bit emptier.
Initially Tim didn’t get along with Damian, but two weeks in and Clark found them curled up in the library with Jason reading aloud to the younger boys who had fallen asleep on his chest. Clark figured it would be a bit harder to plan a day out with Damian as he was younger than any of his brothers had been, but the kid made it easy.
Little Damian liked going to the park with Alfred and was constantly cooing at all the animals he saw. Clark had called ahead to be sure he’d be welcome with such a young kid, and had been told that Damian was more than welcome. After strapping him into his car seat Alfred drove them to the shelter.
They spent a few hours there, mostly with Damian petting the various cats and dogs. All was going well until Damian let out a squeaky cry. Clark raced over worried he had missed something despite having his eye on the boy. Instead he was greeted by Damian excitedly chanting “Puppy, puppy, puppy” at a great dane.
It was in fact a puppy, but Clark wasn’t sure why the kid was so excited. There were plenty of puppies all around. Then Damian reached to hug the dog and said “Can we keep him?”
Clark knew he was in trouble, because just like Dick, Damian was far too convincing with his puppy eyes. Clark signed, said yes, and then had to deal with adoption paperwork for Damian to take the dog home. He had a feeling he was going to be sleeping in a guest room tonight.
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Clark had finally been forgiven for his misstep when it came to getting Damian a dog, just to find himself greeting a new teenager as he entered the manor after work. He learned her name was Cas and before he knew it she had just been adopted by Bruce with no explanation given to anyone.
Clark was far too used to the man’s behavior to care, especially as their empty nest gains another bird. With the knowledge that she’s officially one of his kids Clark gets to work right away on what he plans to do with his new daughter. She doesn’t seem to be interested in anything but Clark refuses to be discouraged.
Seeing as she’s sixteen he figures she’s old enough to know what she likes. Which is how he finds himself at a beginners ballet class the next day, trying his best not to use his powers to maintain his balance. He ends up being the only dad at the class for five year olds who also tries to dance. The other parents just dropped their kids off and left or sat taking pictures and occasionally shouting encouragement.
After the class they get ice cream around the corner and send Bruce pictures. He soon joins them, leaving work early to come join them. “I hope you’re happy, Leslie’s been trying to get me out of the clinic all day and now she knows how to get rid of me,” Bruce says. He gets his own cone of ice cream and they sit enjoying their treat as a little family.
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When Stephanie came down to breakfast three weeks later Clark just asks her what she wants for breakfast, taking advantage of Alfred taking a vacation with Thomas and Martha. The trio are going to be gone for a few weeks so he’s in charge of food to keep Bruce from burning the house to the ground.
Stephanie seems to have gotten the memo that this was a normal occurrence as she asked for eggs and waffles while sitting between Tim and Cas. She also takes the initiative to set their day up and says, “I hope you’re ready to bake cookies after breakfast, because now’s my only chance before Alfred returns.”
Clark wonders how bad things could be then decides it’s best to just bake the cookies and see what happens. At least his powers protect him from burning and allow him to put out fires quickly. They end up baking several different batches so that everyone gets the flavor they want, and he even flies to Dick’s apartment to drop off a box of cookies.
Somehow while he’s gone Tim and Steph managed to create… something, and then set fire to the kitchen island. So if Bruce had to buy a new countertop before his parents came back, maybe that was a little bit Clark’s fault too.
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Their next child is actually Clark’s doing, since he met Duke through work. The kids mom had perished in a fire the night before and Duke had ended up in foster care. When his coworkers had told Clark about the kid he just knew he had to meet him.
Thankfully Bruce didn’t complain when he brought the kid and his case worker home. He even went so far as to agree to foster Duke since he liked the kid as well. They spent that first day as a family, with everyone home to celebrate the holidays. They also didn’t have a repeat of the cookie incident, although they did make a mess decorating their cookies.
With the snow that had settled in, the family spent the afternoon mostly outside engaged in a snowball fight that was mostly Clark and Bruce against all their kids. They were severely outnumbered, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Of course when they came in to warm up Clark was not expecting Duke to feel as comfortable as he did. But the nine year old was more than happy asking for extra marshmallows and then asked, “So how long has B been a serial adopter? Or is Clark the one who can’t help himself?”
Clark’s jaw drops in dismay, “Hey, you’re the first kid I’ve brought home! You haven’t seen B at his worst. He literally just brings them home with no explanation,” he looks at his husband after saying so.
Bruce just shrugs in acquiescence, knowing full well that he’s the one who just brings kids home. The kids laugh, knowing exactly how bad Bruce is about letting Clark know things beforehand. But in the end no one really complained about the family that they now have as a result.
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The new year brings with it another surprise. Clark knew that he and Bruce were foster parents, and sometimes case workers would call them to hang on to kids for a week or two. He didn’t expect to receive a kid as young as Carrie though. The little three year old had arrived while he was working.
After all this time they had an unofficial way of announcing when a kid was new and going to stay, and the lack of any such sign on her is far from unusual. Much as they love having kids, they often were asked to hold onto a kid while custody got sorted.
As one of the most popular couples in Gotham, people felt safe leaving their kids in the care of the Wayne-Kents. So he treated her like any foster kid, except it was hard to not want to keep her when she so clearly belonged with their family. She even got along with Damian, who had let her pet Titus despite being territorial about his puppy.
When the day for her to be returned arrives he goes to work sad, but tries to be strong and focus on his job. So when he arrives home and sees Jason feeding little Carrie he’s surprised and when the little girl doesn’t leave for another day and another he just takes it for what it is- Bruce knowing what he wants and giving it to him.
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Clark’s gotten used to new kids every few months, and was wondering when the next one would arrive. He feels a bit bad that it’s not as nice an occasion when they take little Terry in. His mother and Bruce had been friends in high school, so when she had had Terry two years ago she made him the boy's godfather. Now, in the wake of her and her husband's death, Bruce takes the toddler in.
Terry is quite solemn when he first arrives, clearly grieving his parents deaths despite his young age. Clark doesn’t want to miss out on bonding with him, and since he planned to take Carrie to the zoo anyways, he brings Terry along with her permission.
The trio spend the day laughing at the antics of the various animals, enjoying snacks, and even getting a multitude of cute pictures. Clark blows up the family group chat with the pictures, receiving ‘awws’ from most of the family or heart eyed emojis.
While Clark certainly didn’t think ten years ago he would be married to the love of his life and have such a large family, he can’t help but be grateful for the various fires that brought Bruce into his life.