Chapter Text
College certainly wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s idea. If he had his way, he would immediately have started working for his father once he graduated high school. It’s not that he doesn’t love learning, because of course he does, but what he doesn’t love is people. University is a way too social experience for him to be comfortable. But his father and Alfred insisted. Because college is a “great way to find yourself and your people.” He hasn’t done either of those things and it’s already been a year and a half. Sometimes he feels like there is nothing to find within himself. Whatever was there died the night his mother did.
His train of thought is interrupted when two trays clack down on the table next to him. He looks up and sees Clark Kent to his left, that sunny smile blinding him as it always does. The other tray was sat down in front of him by Edward Nashton, a freshman he can’t remember how he met.
“Hey, Bruce,” Clark says with his classic smile. It seems he’s always smiling. Bruce would find it annoying if Clark wasn’t also terribly attractive.
“Hey,” he replies flatly, pushing his food around his plate. He won’t admit it out loud, but he misses Alfred’s cooking more than anything.
“Why didn’t you say you were getting lunch now?! I would’ve joined you,” Edward exclaims.
“Didn’t really think about it.”
“Well, I’m here now,” Ed smiles. His face is round and sweet, though Bruce wouldn’t consider Edward to be sweet at all. He’s nice but… odd. But Bruce can’t help the way he’s subtly charmed by Ed’s insistence and sweet demeanor.
“Uh, I’m here too,” Clark awkwardly pushes up his glasses, one of Bruce’s favorite ticks of his.
Clark is tall and built and beautiful but acts like a shy nerd who blends into the shadows. Bruce thinks it’s incredibly attractive, but he’ll never say that. They way Clark wears baggy clothes to hide his surprising amount of muscles. Maybe all farm boys are built like him. Bruce doesn’t think he’d last a day out in Kansas if that’s true.
Edward rolls his eyes at Clark’s comment.
“And the farm boy is here too, I guess.”
Bruce just hums softly, taking a bite of his food. He doesn’t know why these two seem to talk to him so much. He barely talks back. But they still stick around. Maybe it’s because they want his money. They’ll hang around as long as it takes to get a few pennies out of him. Good thing Bruce hardly does anything other than go to class and hang out in his room alone. He tells them he’s busy studying but secretly he’s been rewatching The Grey Ghost. He can’t let them know he spends his free time bingeing a show made for kids.
“I have a name, Nashton,” Clark’s infamous smile drops for a moment. One thing he hates most is people doubting his intellect just because he’s from a small town in Kansas. In truth, he’s one of the smartest people Bruce knows. But so is Edward.
“I’m aware.”
Clark opens his mouth to say something but Bruce puts a hand over it to silence him.
“Please be civil. I have no idea how you two spend so much time around each other yet seem to despise the other.”
They look at Bruce with sheepish grins on their faces, as if caught in the act. Maybe they weren’t trying to be obvious about their disdain for each other but anybody with eyes could tell. The way they’d glare at each other when they thought Bruce wasn’t looking. Or the way they’d silently fight each other for a chance to walk next to Bruce on the way to the dining hall. It was painfully obvious there was some sort of rivalry going on between the two. Maybe they believed Bruce could only have one friend to share his wealth with.
“I don’t hate him,” Clark says bashfully. “We just… disagree on some things.”
“You’re just below my intellect,” Ed huffs.
“You act as if you’re the only one here on a full ride, Nashton.”
Edward just rolls his eyes, not able to think of a comeback. Both of them were offered full rides from Gotham University. Of course, Bruce would have been offered the same if he had applied for financial aid or accepted scholarship money. At least he thinks he would have been. Or the admissions office would’ve read his name and decided to double the bill just because he can afford it. But Bruce wasn’t interested in taking scholarship money from the kids who really needed it. Kids like Clark and Edward.
“Yeah, well, at least I’m not a transfer student. I didn’t flunk out of my first college!”
It seems Ed and Clark are back at it.
“I didn’t flunk out of anything, kid,” Clark huffs, his beautiful smile gone. It should be a crime to force that smile off his face. “I transferred here because they have a better program for my major.”
“Well maybe you should have thought of that in the first place. Metropolis isn’t good for much. I don’t know how anybody could want to live there.”
“Coming from you! Gotham sucks! The only good thing about it is-”
Bruce gets up, grabbing his tray with him. He was done eating anyway. Without a word, he walks away from them, throwing out his leftover food and returning his tray. He doesn’t have time to deal with their petty arguments today. Or any day for that matter.
“Good going, Kent,” he hears Edward sigh as he walks to the exit.
It’s only been a month with these two and Bruce isn’t sure how much longer he can take.