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It was a long day for Clark Kent at the office, and all he wanted to do was go home and take a nap. Of course, that means that as soon as he gets to his street, a villain emerges out of nowhere and starts threatening civilians.
“No rest for the weary,” Clark mutters as he rushes to the nearest phone booth to get changed into his hero costume. The doors of the phone booth fly open as he darts out, flying over to the villain.
The fight barely lasts a few minutes. While a man with a gun and an agenda is threatening to civilians, to Superman, this is just any ol’ Tuesday. The man tries to shoot him, but the bullets just bounce off his chest and fall to the ground unceremoniously. Superman is conscious of the people around who are slowly pulling out their phones. This will probably be on the news tomorrow, he thinks to himself, mentally noting that his boss will once again ask why none of his employees ever seem to be at the scene of these battles. What he can never know is that one particularly unimpressive employee is always there, but definitely does not have time to film the action.
Since he is being recorded, he makes sure to be extra careful with the villain. He punches the man in the gut, which makes him keel over and loosen his grip. Superman grabs the gun, turns on the safety, and throws it aside. The guy tries to flee, but Superman trips him, and scans around for something to help. His eyes lock on a shoe on the electrical lines. He quickly flies up, grabs it, and takes off the laces. He uses them to tie up the man's hands, and stands vicctoriously over the guy.
“And now we wait for the cops.”
He stands off to the side, confident in the strength of the laces he found, and looks around the scene. Minimal damage to the surroundings. The scene is quite clean, and most of the onlookers have left, clearly disappointed that there wasn’t more of a struggle. This happens a lot these days. Superman has been around here a lot, and while some villains are splashy and spectacular, people forget that the majority of ‘bad guys’ are just regular criminals. Gang members, or regular guys starting fights; none of them are any match for an alien. He can always neutralise any regular threat in under 30 minutes, and he has been damaging less property recently. After some of the buildings he has destroyed over the years, the city is very happy with how he has managed to mitigate disaster.
Then, he senses something. He hears shuffling and he has just enough time to turn around and see the villain, shoelace-restraints cut, as he flicks a knife from god-knows-where at a pedestrian. Without hesitation, Superman shoots forth, racing the knife as it careens towards a random passerby. He barely has enough time to stop it. He darts his hand out at the last second. He just manages to grab the handle seconds before it would have hit the pedestrian in the middle of his chest. He looks the pedestrian up and down, checking for any kind of wound. His chest, other than having a knife pointed at it, seems unscathed, his form-fitting black turtleneck not even wrinkled. The muscles underneath his shirt are relaxed, no sign of bracing for impact, like he’s used to taking a hit. In fact, he keeps looking and doesn't see any tension in the other man’s body; his shoulders only have the regular “I take my job too seriously” rigidity. It takes Superman a second to realise that he has been staring a little too long at the man’s broad shoulders, and flushes slightly as he looks away. Although embarrassed, his adrenaline starts to fade and his breathing evens out, knowing that he didn't mess up. This man is unharmed. He finally takes a chance and looks at the person’s face to see if he is as calm as his body suggests.
He knows this man, but it takes him a second to remember why. He has very carefully-styled hair and stern features, signals of a business man. His face is framed by slight wrinkles forming along his brow despite only looking in his mid-30s. Perhaps he is a frowner, Clark reasons. The man’s blue eyes lock with his as if a challenge, and his hard expression immediately reminds him of who this is: Bruce Wayne, of Wayne Enterprises. Superman blinks at him for a second before flushing. He has been ogling the billionaire owner of Wayne Enterprises right after he almost got stabbed. Very tactful, huh, Kent? he scolds himself. He takes a step back and puts his arm down, pocketing the knife. He would have done so earlier if he hadn’t been distracted. Stupid, he’s gonna take this all the wrong way, he thinks. As soon as he steps back, Bruce Wayne’s eyes lose some of the stern look, watching him pocket the knife. His lips quirk the slightest bit, but his eyes stay discerning.
“Are you ok?” he asks Bruce, but he feels ridiculous asking it when the man is unharmed and staring at him with the confidence of someone who thinks he can take any hit.
“Yes,” the man replies. He says nothing more, but doesn’t look away. He leans back a little, relaxing into his analysis of Superman. Superman’s hands start to sweat. Bruce’s eyes stare into him in a way that makes him feel seen. And being seen is not something someone with a secret identity wants to feel. Superman is about to question him when Bruce continues, “Are you not forgetting something?”
“What?”
“The guy who threw the knife?” Oh shoot. Superman spins and sees the villain dashing across the park nearby.
“Oh right! I’m sorry. Be right back.” He could’ve sworn Bruce snickered, but he flies away too fast to double-check.
—
Clark walks into the office the next day and just has enough time to sit down before he is accosted.
“Clark! What the fuck!” Lois Lane appears in front of his desk, grabbing one of the coffee cups Clark brought in. She looks as professional as ever, always dressing with her collared shirts and her vests. She looks exactly like who she is: a hard-hitting journalist who is on the top of her game. Especially when contrasted with Clark whose tie is too loose and his jacket seems a bit too big. He always feels like the lesser journalist between them, but that never stopped their friendship from blooming. In fact, her allyship is what helps him be a better reporter, even if she may be a bit harsh.
“What? What could have possibly happened this early?”
“It’s not what happened this morning, but last night. Have you seen the news?” When he shakes his head, she sighs and comes around so she can load a video on his computer. It’s a news story from this morning. The caption reads: “NEW SUPER POWER COUPLE? SUPERMAN AND BRUCE WAYNE SPOTTED FLIRTING AT CRIME SCENE” The anchors show a clip of what happened the night before, with him saving Bruce, their lingering looks, and even his flushed expression. They caught it all, and the public has been going wild. The news shows tweet after tweet of people discussing SuperWayne, which went viral overnight. He reads on in panic as more and more tweets show up. People have started dissecting interviews of them over the years, claiming they have been dating in secret for years.
At the end of the story is when Clark almost drops Lois’ phone. The footage cuts to a reporter in the streets approaching a man all in black and asking him his thoughts on yesterday. And the man is Bruce Wayne.
“My. Wayne, how do you feel about all these comments about your secret relationship with Superman?”
“He knows where I live. He is welcome any time.” Bruce then winks at the camera and the footage goes black.
“Dude,” Lois adds. “How did you get playboy Bruce Wayne to come out for you?”
“I don’t know! All I did was save him. And sure, we had a moment, but that was it. I bet I’ll never even see him again.”
Lois stares at him, hard. “When a man like that gives you an open invitation, why would you decline? You clearly like him.”
“It’s not that simple,” he insists. She seems unconvinced. He tries again. “We are very different. Besides, Superman is just a persona. Why would he want to be with a regular guy?”
“You’re a journalist, Clark. Just ask him.” Lois pats him on the shoulder and heads back to her desk.
—
“So, I hear you have a new boyfriend. How did you meet?” Superman barely dodges the punch that the villain threw at him, spinning around and gawking at Batman. Superman can barely catch the smirk on Batman’s face as he knocks out yet another bad guy.
“How… what? How did you hear that?”
Batman shakes his head slightly and knees another man in the guts before throwing a batarang at a man aiming a gun at them. He holds his arm out to beam a charging man in the head and replies, “I saw the news. Rumour has it that you are romancing Bruce Wayne. Cute. Doesn’t seem like Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes type, associating with billionaires to gain status.”
Superman just rolls his eyes and flies upwards. He goes up a few floors and uses his laser eyes to break a few snipers’ guns. Why would he tell Batman the truth: that he doesn’t know what he wants. He has never had this type of media popularity before. Everything about his personal life is hidden: from romance to his job and even his real name. It’s strange to see people speculating, even if it isn’t true. It feels like his secrets might not be secret for long, and that rattles him a bit. However, the idea of having a human boyfriend? That thought keeps creeping up on him, but he knows that’s too good to be true. Bruce Wayne is just a flirt; no way he is serious about all this. That doesn’t stop Superman from blushing at the thought though.
“It’s nothing like that. I just saved him, no big deal. I do that all the time. It’s my job. No matter who he is.”
“And the blushing?”
“Shut your face, Batman.” Batman punches him lightly in the arm, but nonetheless he goes back to fighting.
—
Clark expects things to die down after a week. He works in journalism, so he is used to the splashy new story being the talk of the town. These things always run their course quickly and people move on to the next issue.
But people don’t seem to move on from this one. Bruce Wayne is not helping it either. The fans of their supposed relationship make comments about it online, reporters bring these comments to Bruce Wayne during his many other business and charitable interviews, and he answers every one. And not even dismissively. In the last interview, when asked what he thought about the fan edits of them going around, he asked to see a few and provided genuine commentary on the composition: “this shot is really nice, but you should zoom in to his face more here” and “there are not enough rear shots for it to be a real thirst trap.” The fans love it. Now, any news outlet that reports on this story automatically gets a ton of views. It’s been huge in the industry.
“Clark, are you listening? You have an interview set with Bruce Wayne today.” Clark was not listening, but now he definitely is. All he could think about was seeing the man again, in person. Even if they aren’t really together, the fan-constructed fantasy of their perfect relationship has been quite consuming to Clark. However, Bruce Wayne doesn’t know that it was him who saved him. It would be hard to look a man in the eyes again after he is stoking rumours about your fake relationship, even if he doesn’t recognise you.
“Why can’t you give this job to Lois? She’s a better reporter than me.”
“Yes, she is. But she isn’t as… How do I put this? She is a hard-ass, so she won’t be able to get the sappy story we want. That’s what people like you are for.” Perry White, his boss, gives him a stern look that leaves no room for argument. And how would Clark even argue? ‘Oh, I can’t interview him because I’m Superman?’ His boss would kill him for not disclosing this earlier and giving the Daily Planet the first crack at a Superman interview.
He nods his agreement, and Perry White seems pleased. “Good. Now, you better get going. Your interview is in an hour.”
-
Wayne Enterprises is more imposing than he thought it would be. The huge towers and the sleek design make it look so official, compared to the clunky shape of the Daily Planet. He heads for the front doors and passes people in suits. Clark mentally thanks himself for dressing up slightly fancier today, with a vest underneath his blazer. Walking around such official-looking people is unnerving.
He enters the building and starts looking around for a secretary or someone to talk to when he spots Bruce Wayne. The man looks nice in a suit, sharp lines and not a single hair out of place. He looks the part of a put-together CEO. No wonder he is so successful. As soon as they meet each other’s gaze, Bruce starts walking towards him and extends his hand.
“Clark Kent? Bruce Wayne. Pleasure.”
Clark fumbles a bit before reaching out and shaking his hand. Bruce’s handshake is firm, commanding. He winces a bit at how limp his hand feels in comparison, but Bruce does not seem to mind. “Yeah, it’s Clark. I’m here for an interview?”
“Yes, come right this way.” Bruce turns and starts walking towards an elevator on the other side of the room, not bothering to check if Clark is following. Clark has to speedwalk to keep up with the other man’s pace, but they both make it to the elevator around the same time, and as they wait, Bruce turns to him.
“I was wondering when you were going to come by,” Bruce says, and Clark just blankly stares back.
“Pardon?”
Bruce has one of those smiles that don’t look like a smile. More like a smirk, like an I-know-better-than-you smirk, and it would be irritating if he wasn’t so cute. Wait. Clark shakes his head. Now is not the time to be thinking about that. Here and now, he is Clark Kent, journalist. He is not Superman, and he does not like Bruce Wayne. And yet—
“Most of the major journals and TV outlets have contacted me for an interview already. Daily Planet is usually first to a ‘major story,’ so I was wondering when you would pay me a visit.” The elevator doors open and they walk in. Bruce presses the 10th floor button.
“Me specifically?” Clark tries to joke, smiling and leaning in to the bit. He tenses slightly when Bruce leans ever so closer to him and says, “Yes.”
Clark laughs, trying to ease the tension, but neither of them back up. “Really? What’s a guy like you doing looking to see a guy like me?”
“There’s a lot a guy ‘like me’ would want to see of a ‘guy like you.’” He even spoke the air quotes, and the way he spoke had Clark’s breath catching. Before he could say anything else, the doors open and Bruce struts out of the elevator. Once again, Clark jogs to keep up with him, not giving him a chance to fully process what just happened.
They find their way to a large conference room with two comfortable lounge chairs by a window. Bruce gestures to a chair and Clark sits down. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“Oh, no thanks,” Clark responds. Bruce nods, and settles across from him.
The room is swanky, with nice, sleek modern furniture, chic art on the walls, and a greyscale colour scheme that would fit well in any modern home decor magazine. In such a nice room, Clark feels so out-of-place, but Bruce looks natural. He lounges in his chair in a way that is at once relaxed and commanding, like he is at home here, and yet could handle any concern that came their way. As a superhero, Clark is always a little on edge, always ready for if he needs to put on his suit and go save the day. But now, in this room, he finds he can breathe deeper; something about Bruce makes him feel like he can let his guard down and let Bruce handle it.
He looks at Bruce and notices that Bruce is looking at him with eyebrows raised. He wonders why until he realizes what he is supposed to be doing.
“Oh darn, sorry. The room is just so nice that I got distracted. I’m sorry. I’ll just—” and he picks up his messenger bag to get his stuff. Of course, his bag doesn’t want to cooperate, so he has to pull his bag onto his lap and root through the whole thing several times to get everything he needs. It takes him way longer than it normally does for him to get his stuff together, and once he is finally ready to start the interview, Bruce is giving him such a patient look that it makes his heart race, both from stress and something else. Affection? Get your act together, Kent.
“So, uh. The edits. I mean, the secret relationship. You’re dating Superman?” He puts a hand to his forehead and closes his eyes. His sentences all formed properly in his head, but for some reason, they all come out jumbled and he just sighs in defeat. Now he looks like an idiot in front of Bruce Wayne and the man is never going to like him and it’s all his fault for being so anxious and—
“It’s alright. Would you like to try that again?” He looks up at Bruce and the man’s expression isn’t as harsh as it usually is in his interviews. He is usually all class, with a cool demeanour. Now, his eyes soften and he has a small, pitying smile. This is not the Bruce he has been watching over and over again in interviews, trying to piece together the man he met that day from various clips and press releases. This man seems more real, which makes disappointing him even harder. Still, he is going to try his best.
“Yes please.” He takes a second to take a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing on his heartbeat. With his super hearing, he can also hear the heartbeat of others, and Bruce’s heartbeat is quite calm. Compared to Bruce’s, his heart is beating a mile a minute. I need to calm down. Bruce is calm, I should be too, he thinks. So he tries to match his pulse with Bruce’s. When their heartbeats have a similar BPM, he opens his eyes and looks to the man across from him.
“Now, what can you tell me about your supposed relationship with Superman?”
He looks Clark dead in the eyes. “I think you already know.”
“I mean I've seen your interviews, but I want to hear it from you.” Clark’s heart starts to beat faster. Does he know about him being Superman? No, he probably just means the interviews. Calm down.
“Oh really? So you want the insider scoop?” Bruce has that little, almost imperceptible smirk again. It’s infuriating.
“Yes, that’s why I'm here.”
“Well, good thing it’s you. I don’t just give this info out to anyone.” Now Clark hesitates. He has been watching the Bruce interviews religiously, and this tone is the same he uses to flirt with Superman on TV. Is he flirting now? Why? He hears Lois’ words in his head. You’re a journalist, Clark. Just ask him. Might as well take her advice to heart.
“Why me specifically though?”
“Because I know I can trust you.” Clark stares at him in confusion. He is about to ask how when they just met today (well, Clark and Bruce just met today), when Bruce continues. “He saved me. I was walking and not paying attention when the villain threw the knife. Superman caught it and we had a Moment. That’s the scoop.”
Clark tries to hide how he flushes at the admission of their Moment. “What kind of moment?”
“The kind that I wouldn't mind repeating.” Clark’s breath hitches and he hopes that Bruce doesn’t pick up on it. So Bruce might actually like him back. But does he not have the same concerns as he does?
“Then dow do you see both your statuses affecting a potential relationship? After all, he is a superhero whose identity is unknown, and you’re the richest man in Gotham. Do you see that affecting anything?”
Bruce shakes his head. “The richest man in Gotham and the most famous man in Metropolis? Even if Superman was a random office employee, it wouldn’t matter. We would be unstoppable”
“So it’s about fame?” This answer makes a pit form in his stomach. He doesn’t like the idea that Bruce is just after him for his powers.
“It’s not about ‘fame’ per se. It’s about having someone who understands what it’s like to have eyes on him all the time. And us both having this large amount of prestige makes it so that people won’t think too hard about how I'm gay.” Oh. Clark resents his earlier question, but no going back now. Bruce looks at his sombre expression and adds, “Also have you seen his ass? Damn.” Clark’s eyes shoot open and he starts to laugh. He has never heard Bruce Wayne speak so informally (and so crassly). But it’s nice. Bruce lets out a light chuckle, and they sit in the comfortable silence for a bit.
“One more question, Mr. Wayne. Do you have a message for Superman?”
Bruce locks eyes with him once more and responds, “Yeah. See you tomorrow.” And before Clark can ask him what that means, Bruce stands up. “I am out of time, but this interview has been pleasant. You can see yourself out,” and he walks out of the room.
—
Clark can’t stop thinking of what Bruce said the day before. “See you tomorrow.” He goes to work, but can barely focus on editing the interview to submit to his boss. “See you tomorrow.” Bruce must have known that the interview wouldn’t be published immediately, right? So when does he mean this statement for? Does he know how long interviews take to publish and timed it correctly? Is it an insider reference that Superman is supposed to understand? But he is Superman, so why doesn’t he get it?
“Clark, what’s wrong?” Lois looms over his desk, the second half of a turkey sandwich in her hand.
“Nothing, just work,” he replies, but she immediately scoffs.
“Bullshit. Something’s off. Tell me.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Well, your work ethic is shit today, so you are going to have to provide an explanation or White’s gonna be pissed.”
He sighs. “It’s nothing. Just something Bruce said in the interview yesterday.”
“Oh?” Lois grabs a chair from a nearby desk and sets herself up next to him. She stares at him with expectant eyes, laser focused on what he is going to say. He told Lois a while ago that he is Superman, which is normally great since he can confide in her about superhero stuff. But, it is daunting having someone who knows your deep, dark secrets, and can call you out on stuff regarding said secrets.
“He said ‘see you tomorrow’. What does that mean?” She looks pensive for a minute, tilting her head, until her eyes light up and she smiles at him.
“Didn’t you say he was kinda flirty about your interview yesterday?”
“Why do I tell you anything?”
“Because I am your best friend and that’s what I am for. I wonder if he knows who you are, though.”
He rolls his eyes. “Well, yeah he knows who I am. I interviewed him. We had whole introductions.”
She smacks him on the shoulder. “Not like that, dummy. Like he knows knows you. Maybe he figured out who you are and is trying to tell you something?” Clark’s heart starts racing. Has he been that obvious? His costume isn’t that different from how he normally dresses. Heck, he takes off his glasses and parts his hair the other way. That’s not much of a disguise. Maybe Bruce saw through that. But then why didn’t he say anything directly? They were even alone. Ample time to bring it up. And if it was that easy to see through his costume, you’d think someone would have advertised his identity by now. Especially his boss, who seems hellbent on finding Superman and publishing his identity before anyone else.
“I don’t know. Doesn’t seem likely.”
Lois looks unconvinced, but drops it. “Whatever you say. But if you run into Bruce today and he proposes, then just remember I told you so.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She nods and heads back to her desk. Clark tries to work on his papers due this week, but he can’t seem to focus. Answers will probably reveal themselves over time, he thinks. He just has to be patient.
—
That night, Superman decides to fly around and patrol. His mind is still on Bruce’s comment, so he thinks maybe if he flies around, he can catch a glimpse of Bruce. He tries to get the idea of Bruce waiting for him to show up out of his mind, but he can’t seem to shake it. He flies faster, straining himself to try and distract from thoughts of Bruce, but that has been very difficult lately. Bruce Wayne has really used this new popularity to project himself into the pop culture psyche. He is everywhere now, and his already-ubiquitous brand is now spreading across the Upper Bay into Metropolis. All his fantasising of Bruce flirting with him during the interview, Bruce’s comments about wanting to date Superman, and their chemistry after he saved Bruce, all are made extreme by how little he can escape the man. And yet, here he is seeking him out. And for what? Is he hoping that Bruce actually meant something about ‘tomorrow night’ and wants to see him? Or ask him out? Why would he do that? Bruce Wayne is a known playboy. Granted, usually around women, but still. Maybe he is branching out. It’s not worth having this extreme reaction over a man who is a known flirt.
Superman looks down, scanning the streets, very definitely NOT looking for Bruce Wayne, but if he did see him, maybe he would stop. Just for a moment. Just to ask about the meaning behind ‘tomorrow night,’ nothing more.
He sees some commotion happening in a dimly-lit rooftop parking area. Superman slowly descends and sees that Batman is there. It looks like the end of a fight, with a few abandoned motorcycles of people who fled in fear when seeing the Caped Crusader, and a few people asleep on the ground.
“Need any help?” he asks as he lands, and Batman just watches him. He walks closer, but Batman is inscrutable and unmoving. Batman’s mask covers most of his face, and with an already stern expression on his face pretty much 24/7, he is impossible to read. Superman tries again to use his x-ray vision to look under the mask, but as with every other time, the lead-plated mask foils him and he sees nothing. How much Batman plans ahead astounds him every time.
“All done here,” Batman says, but doesn’t move. They stand there for a while, a few feet apart, just looking at each other. Superman starts fidgeting. He has never been one to stay still for long, and he bounces on the balls of his feet. He feels like he should leave, but Batman hasn’t moved. Usually, once everything is dealt with, they say goodbye and both part ways, but Batman is not following that pattern.
“So, I hear you and Bruce might actually become an item.” Superman startles at Batman initiating a conversation, but tries to steel himself.
“What makes you think that?”
“The Daily Planet article. Clark Kent got an interview with Wayne. I assume you saw.” Clark pauses. Does Batman know his identity? Nothing he published about the interview was particular confirmation. He mentioned the ‘power couple’ and him being gay, but nothing confirming a potential relationship.
“Well, I don't know. I haven’t seen him since then.”
“Maybe he’s closer than you think.” Superman’s heart skips a beat. Maybe Batman saw him. He scans the nearby area, using his x-ray vision, but after looking all around, he doesn’t see anyone similar to Bruce.
“Not so sure about that.” He hates how disappointed his voice sounds.
And, as always, Batman clocks this. “Do you want him to be here?”
Superman hesitates. He does want to talk about this with someone. But Batman? “You wanna have bro talk here?”
Batman shrugs. “Might as well. Have to wait for the cops to come and pick up these guys.” Superman chooses to ignore that Batman does not normally ‘have to wait for the cops.’ He really wants to discuss this with someone, and since Batman is willing to hear, and won’t tease him as much as Lois does, then might as well give it a shot.
“Ok.” he takes a deep breath. “Would it be crazy to say that I'm a bit jealous of all these fanedits?”
Batman stares at him blankly. “Why would you be jealous?”
“Because I think I want that to be real. Well, I don't just think it. It’s been consuming my mind.” He flushes, remembering that this is Batman he is talking to, but it feels good to say this to someone. And once the words start coming out, they don’t stop. “I mean, we had a connection, you know? And he seems to like me, and keeps making these comments and I haven't been able to do anything about it and it’s so frustrating because I want to fly to his office and kiss him and be his boyfriend like all these artworks keep showing, but I can't. I don’t know where his office is. I don't know if he really likes me or if he just wants to flirt. I don’t know anything because it feels like I don't even know him, even though I can see that his facade isn’t the real him. And yet.” He pauses to catch his breath. Batman is staring at him, expressionless. Superman looks down, unable to say the next part to his face. “But I really like him and I want to have a normal relationship where someone doesn’t just treat me as a mediocre employee or as a saviour. I want someone I can just be a person around, you know?”
He pauses, waiting for a response, but Batman stays silent. He looks up and Batman is still just staring at him. And that’s when the dread hits.
“Oh jeez I'm sorry I overshared a lot there. That’s a lot to dump on you. Sorry.
It’s fine.”
Batman opens his mouth to speak, but before he says anything, they see the blue and red lights of police cars coming up to the parking lot. The two men walk over and help the police deal with the criminals. Once the police cars have left, Superman turns to the other man.
“Hey, thanks for listening. See you around?” He is about to fly off when Batman speaks.
“Wait.”
Superman turns around, eyebrow quirked. “What’s up?”
“His office is the penthouse of Wayne Tower. He stays late most days, until around 8.” Superman looks at him, eyes squinting. Batman always has an angle, but he can’t see what it is this time. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
“Oh. thanks! How do you—”
“Bye.” And Batman jumps off the side of the parking lot.
“Bye.”
—
It’s the Moment of Truth.
The next night, Superman is flying by Wayne Tower and he is Nervous. It’s around seven, so Bruce should still be at the office. He keeps flying back and forth a few yards from the window. He keeps going back and forth in his mind. Is this a dumb idea? Batman told me to come by, but how would he know what to do? He flies by the windows again and peeks in to try and see if Bruce seems open to the idea of visitors. How he would tell, he doesn’t know, but as soon as he uses his super vision, he sees that Bruce is sitting in an armchair facing the clear balcony doors, watching him fly by. Busted. He sighs and flies closer. I guess I am doing this now. He lands on balcony and walks towards the doors, watching Bruce the whole time. Bruce is watching his ever step. Once he reaches the doors, Bruce gestures to them openly. Superman opens them and walks in the room, closing the doors behind him. He stops walking right in front of Bruce.
“What did you mean by ‘see you tomorrow’?”
“Nice to see you too.” Bruce chuckles a bit and it’s a beautiful sound, deep and sardonic. Bruce looks him up and down, and Superman is suddenly hyper-aware that his costume is very tight in very specific places. He flushes slightly at this realisation, and Bruce’s face lightens a bit at the sight.
“Nice to see you too, Bruce. Were you expecting me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Not used to you having this many questions. Must be the journalist in you.” Superman freezes. So he does know. Bruce just sits back and watches him absorb this information.
“How did you—”
“You don’t get to be this rich and not be observant.” Superman’s mind is still blank, processing this reveal. Why didn’t he say anything? How did he know this whole time and not do anything about it? He kept his secret.
“For how long—?”
“Since day one.” Superman’s chest tightens. That long. This whole time, he has known and not done anything.
“So the interview?”
“Yes.”
“All the interviews?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“Yes.” The flirting. The comments about Bruce waiting for him to interview him. All of the flirting. He has known this whole time, and even Lois picked up on it. How could he not realise?
Bruce continues. “In case you could not tell, I was flirting with you. But it seems you were particularly dense to that.”
“Hey! I thought you didn’t know!” Superman’s voice comes out a little sharp. He doesn’t particularly like being called dense, even if it might be accurate in this case. But then he looks at Bruce and the man is smirking and oh that’s a nice expression. But then it dawns on him. “So wait, ‘see you tomorrow’. You knew I was Superman then.”
“Yes.”
“So the message was for me?”
“Yes.” Seems like Bruce is not particularly inclined towards big answers tonight. His patient expression gives nothing away, making Superman piece together everything and search for all the answers himself.
“But we didn’t see each other yesterday.”
“No.”
“No? Like no we didn’t, or no we did?”
“No, we did.” Superman squints at that. He checks Bruce’s face. Unlike Batman, Bruce’s unmasked face is easier to read. But he is calm, collected. Relaxed even. He isn’t lying. But they didn’t meet last night. He would remember.
“But I don't remember seeing you…”
Bruce finally seems willing to give a longer answer, and is even smirking as he says, “You vented to me about how you wanted to fly up here and kiss me so badly, and yet you seem to be holding back. Not going to lie, I am a little disappointed. I thought you were being genuine.” He pauses. That’s what he said to Batman last night. Was Bruce eavesdropping. But no one was around. He even checked. And Batman doesn’t seem like someone who would blab. Unless…
“Wait. are you—” Superman looks at Bruce's lower face. Bruce even scowls for him, and it looks the same. The same tight expression, the same cool demeanour, the same colour scheme, come to think of it. He sighs, and looks to the ceiling. “Of course it’s you.”
“Glad you finally caught up.”
Superman walks until he is standing right in front of Bruce’s chair. Bruce puts his glass down and puts his arms on the arm rests, freeing his lap. Superman looks hesitantly at the man’s face, asking quiet permission, and Bruce gives him a challenging look while reaching out a hand. Superman takes it and lets himself be pulled into Bruce’s lap.
“Can I kiss you?” Superman asks, quietly. Their faces are inches apart now.
“Yes.”
And they kiss. They kiss and kiss and Superman feels like his heart is on fire. His heartbeat speeds up and he can hear that Bruce’s is doing the same. He can feel Bruce relax into the kiss, his ever-present rigidity loosening as they lose themselves in the kiss. All this panicking and worrying seems so pale in comparison to this moment. This moment where the man he has been thinking about non-stop wants to kiss him. Not just because he is a superhero, but because he is him, in all his dorky journalism-guy nerdiness. And he has never felt as seen as this moment.