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They were both at an event they hated, but they were there together. Well, not exactly. Bruce attended as the billionaire that he was. Clark attended as the reporter that he was. They both had the same goal, and they were both trying to find it, but they had to steer clear of each other. If they had stuck by each other, then people would wonder why Bruce Wayne was such close friends with mild mannered reporter Clark Kent. If only they knew that it wasn’t what it seemed.
Bruce was talking to some elderly lady who twirled her pearls around her fingers. Bruce pretended to pay attention to what she was saying, but really he was silently observing the room to find the threat he was looking for. He wanted nothing more than to turn his head to look right at Clark, but he had more important things to do at the moment. And he had just found who he was looking for.
Bruce turned towards the woman he was talking to and told her: “I’m sorry ma’am, but I really must go.”
“Oh that’s alright darling,” she replied before she murmured something angrily that Bruce couldn’t hear.
Bruce turned to walk towards the dark hallways to follow the man he had been looking for. He wore a simple serving outfit to blend in with the crowd, but servers don’t usually carry duffle bags that are difficult to lift up.
“Clark, I’m gonna go change.” Bruce whispered while pressing against the comm in his ear. “I found him.”
Bruce slipped into a bathroom and changed into the batsuit that he put in there before the gala had started.
“All right, I’m gonna do find you,” Clark replied in his ear. Bruce found comfort in his voice.
“Don’t worry about it Clark,” Bruce said as he left the bathroom and continued following the man with the duffle bag. “I can handle this.”
“Bruce, now is not the time to be stubborn. This guy is dangerous, he could wreck this whole city with this thing.”
“Clark, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I can handle this.” Bruce could hear Clark’s frown from where he was. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call you up if things start turning bad.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Okay, see you soon, B.” And their comms were cut.
Bruce managed to follow the man until he turned around and stared at him right in the eyes. He gave Bruce a once over and then a grin started to spread across his face.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” the man said.
“Guess this is your lucky day,” Bruce replied.
“You have your voice modulated?” the man asked, his grin growing wider. Bruce guessed he must’ve been out of town. Everyone in Gotham knew what Batman sounded like. “You must be either really paranoid or really smart.”
“Maybe I’m both.”
“Well if you were, then you would have gotten out of here instead of following me here. That is if you know what I’m up to.”
“I do know what you’re up to. And I’m here to make sure you plans fail.”
“I don’t know very much about you Batman, but I know you are a very stubborn and powerful man. But you see, so am I.” Then he threw a grenade at Bruce. Bruce dogged it, but it still blew up the hallway they were in. Bruce was confused, why would he choose a move that was this destructive.
The man pulled a cylinder out of the duffel bag. “You won’t be able to stop this from happening Batman. This building will go down along with all the greedy within it. It’s only a matter of time.” Before Bruce could catch him, he was gone.
Bruce realized that whatever was in that cylinder was a ticking time bomb and Bruce had no way to stop it. There was only one solution, he had to get everyone out of here.
Bruce pressed a finger to his ear. “Clark, I need your help.”
“Yeah, sure. What do you need?”
“The explosive, I can’t disarm it. It’s biological. So we need to get everybody out of here as soon as possible.”
“I got it. How long do we have?”
“I have no idea, but whatever that substance is, it’s shifting colors so I’m guessing not much time.”
“Okay, I’ll get everyone out.”
“I’ll see you there.”
Bruce ran down the halls to join Clark in getting all the civilians out of the building. When he entered the main hall he expected to see Clark in his Superman suit, but he was ushering people out with his glasses and dress clothes. He guessed it would have taken too much time to change and that Clark didn’t want to take the risk.
They were ushering people out fine, though the civilians were confused to as to why they had to leave. All that confusion left the moment that they heard a ear shattering bang and saw the ceiling collapsing on them. Then everyone was running out and it became chaos.
Nearly everyone was out before Clark and Bruce saw a green light behind them that was coming towards them. The substance was finally reaching them. In an instant, Clark wrapped himself around Bruce as they were pushed into the crowd from the explosion.
When they opened their eyes, Clark’s clothes were burnt and barely on his body. His glasses were cracked and ash was smudged on his face. Then of all things, Clark smiled. Then gave Bruce a crushing hug.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Clark said against his ear.
“Well, it’s all because of you,” Bruce said, wrapping his arms around Clark as well. “But you were wrong.”
Clark pulled away. “What.”
“You said this would wreck the whole city. It only affected this building.”
Clark deadpanned him. Bruce gave him a grin.
“I hate you so much.” He said before wrapping his arms around Bruce’s neck.
“I love you too.” Bruce said before they both leaned into their kiss. It wasn’t that great since it tasted like ash, dust, and whatever caused that explosion, but that didn’t matter to them. They went through situations like this every day, but the thought that they could die that day never goes away.
They pulled away.
“I’m really tired and I’m practically naked, so I’m gonna go home. If that’s okay?” Clark asked.
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Clark went to the Daily Planet but he chose not to walk there like he usually did. The explosion had more of an effect on him than he thought, or more the consequences of the explosion. Either way, he needed some fresh air, so flew to the Daily Planet. Flying always cleared his head.
He quickly changed back into civilian clothes before entering the building. On the way up to his office, he received strange looks from everyone. Some of them were knowing looks. Some of them were shocked looks. He couldn’t figure out what they meant. Did people just suddenly realize that he was Superman?
Clark was worried that was the case for the entire trip up to his office until he sat in his chair. He turned to Lois. “Why is everyone looking at me weird?” Clark asked her.
Lois was typing intently on her computer. “No one’s looking at you weird, Clark.”
“You sure about that? Look around.”
Lois looked up from her computer and around the office. And then smiled mischievously. “Oh I know what this is about.”
“What is it about Lois?” He wasn’t sure what to think, but seeing Lois smile like that only made him feel more anxious.
Lois’s grin only grew wider as she typed something into the search bar and pulled up an article. “This is why people are looking at you weird.”
Clark leaned in and once he saw what the article was about he was frozen. “ BATMAN DATING A CIVILIAN?!” The article said with a picture below of Bruce and Clark kissing. The article continued to talk about Batman and Clark Kent, what happened at the event along with a few more pictures of them in each other's arms, but Clark could barely process it all. The world knew that Clark Kent was dating Batman. It would have been a different story if the world knew Batman and Superman were dating. That Clark could handle. This, he wasn’t so sure. His identity was made so that he could still help people as a regular person without being in the spotlight but right now all the lights were facing Clark and he had no idea what to do.
“If only they knew,” Lois said. “But now that I think about it, how did you get here without getting bombarded by paparazzi?”
“I flew here.”
Lois quirked an eyebrow.
“What, I’ve done it before.”
“Guess you’re going to have to keep doing that till this dies down.”
“How long will that take?”
“I have no clue. You might want to talk to your boyfriend about it. I bet he has a strategy.”
“Yeah, I should do that.”
Clark didn’t call Bruce until his lunch break, he did have work to do after all. Clark went to the roof with his lunch and pulled out his phone.
“Clark,” Bruce said on the other end of the line.
“Hey Bruce,” his voice suddenly becoming shaky. He didn’t realize he would be nervous about this. “Did you see…”
“I did,” something changed in his voice.
“So everyone knows…”
“That we’re dating. Or at least Clark Kent and Batman are.” Clark realized that Bruce was smiling. Why the hell was he smiling while Clark was panicking?
“Okay, what do you think we should do?”
“Nothing.”
“What?” Clark’s voice cracked a little.
“We can’t really control the media, Clark. You should know that,” Clark glared at the sky since he couldn’t glare at Bruce at the moment. “Besides it’ll die down soon enough.”
“I don’t know…”
“Clark, don’t worry about it. I’ve been through similar situations and I’ve survived.”
Clark rolled his eyes. Bruce is a celebrity, he knows what to do in these situations. Clark doesn’t.
“All right,” Clark said. “I’ll see you later, Bruce.”
“Goodbye, Clark.”
Clark went down to his office not exactly feeling great about having to live who knows how long as Batman’s boyfriend who gets chased around by paparazzi.
Bruce, however, went up to the manor with a grin on his face excited by the thought.
Alfred passed him and instantly knew what was happening. “Master Wayne, you are truly a hypocrite.”
“How so?”
“You claim to fight evil, yet you are evil yourself.”
Alfred was gone before Bruce could even respond.
Once Clark got the the ground floor of the Daily Planet, he wished he flew home instead. He managed to avoid most talk about him and Batman, but this time he would have to face it. Through the glass doors, Clark could see the paparazzi waiting around in front of the building. They didn’t notice him yet, but they would soon enough.
“How long have they been here?” He asked a security guard.
“Since 9 this morning,” he replied, exasperated. “Haven’t been able to get them to leave all day.”
“Oh.”
“So...what’s it like dating Batman?”
“Frustrating,” he said before he left the building.
The moment he stepped out of the building, the heads of all the paparazzi snapped towards him. Clark had faced creatures of mass destruction on multiple occasions, but nothing made him feel more fear than all those people with cameras staring at him with hungry glint in their eyes.
Clark gulped, nodded at the crowd and continued walking. They followed. They took pictures of him, which he didn’t like but it was better than it could’ve been. The worst part came when they started asking questions.
“How did you and Batman get together?”
“What does Batman look like under his cowl?”
“What are your dates like?”
These were the questions that Clark had no problem with. There were some questions that made his face turn bright red. Those questions he wished he never heard. Those questions he didn’t believe someone would even ask in public. Loudly.
As he walked home, Clark started to worry about how he was going to go home without the paparazzi following him. He didn’t want them to know where he lived.
“Leave him alone,” said a growly voice. Clark turned around and found Batman hanging upside down from a window ledge.
“What are you doing here?” Clark asked. The cameras started flashing and they pretended they didn’t see them. But he didn’t exactly blame them for taking pictures. The Batman was rarely ever seen in daylight. In Metropolis. Having a boyfriend.
“I wanted to see my boyfriend,” he said. Then smiled. The paparazzi was going crazy. The Batman was never seen smiling before. It didn’t last long though. He glared at them and they slowly backed away.
“I recommending flying to and from work now,” Bruce whispered.
“Thanks, for the help.” Clark replied. “But I was going to see you later in Gotham. You didn’t have to come here for me.”
“I wasn’t lying earlier Clark. I wanted to see my boyfriend.”
“And you couldn’t wait?”
“No,” he said before kissing him. Clark heard a click from a camera and groaned.
“Wow Clark, all I did was kiss you.”
“Shut up, I hate you.”
Bruce smiled and disappeared to the top of the roof of that building. Clark had never seen this side of Bruce. He’s totally working against me.
Bruce was enjoying this more than he probably should. Bruce was in public’s eye constantly. As billionaire Bruce Wayne. As the vigilante Batman. And now Clark was in the same position. And he was going to enjoy it while it lasts.
“Master Wayne,” Alfred said as he entered the cave. “I must remind you of the charity gala you will be hosting tomorrow evening.”
“I didn’t forget about it Alfred. Clark is coming, right?”
“Yes he is. Unfortunately for him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You know very well what I mean by that.”
Bruce Wayne was hosting a charity gala at Wayne Manor. He was the man that everyone came for, but Clark Kent was the man that everyone stayed for. Bruce made sure there were plenty of reporters and photographers were there. They were very happy to see the Daily Planet reporter and the boyfriend of Batman. Clark did not share their joy.
Clark ignored the press and did his job. He wanted to avoid Bruce but he was the spectacle of the show and Clark had to do his job. So reluctantly he walked up to Bruce and faced his grin that seemed unreal.
“Clark Kent!” he said. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Oh really?”
“Well who wouldn’t want to see the man who is dating Batman?”
Clark cringed. “Yes, well, I’m not here because of Batman, Mr. Wayne.”
“Oh, and why are you here, Mr. Kent?”
“For you.”
Bruce grinned a purely sultry grin and Clark turned red once he realized what his words had implied.
“Anyway Mr. Wayne, what do you have to say about this event?” Clark tried diverting. He mentally slapped himself because those aren’t the questions a good reporter asks.
Bruce leaned into Clark’s space. Normally Clark wouldn’t have a problem with this, but normally the media wasn’t so focused on him.
“I think we should have this discussion in private, Mr. Kent.” Bruce said against Clark’s ear, his voice low and suggestive. “There is something important I have to tell you.”
“Of course,” Clark replied simply. Though what Bruce had been suggestive, he could tell that there truly was something going on.
“Right this way,” Bruce directed him to a room away from the crowd. His hand was low on Clark’s back. Dangerously low. Clark hoped that nobody would notice.
Everybody noticed. Clark had decided to spend the night at the Manor which turned out to be a huge mistake. When he woke up, he reached for his tablet and scrolled through the news and groaned at the first headline he saw. “CLARK KENT CHEATING ON BATMAN WITH BRUCE WAYNE!?”
Below it held a picture of Clark and Bruce walking side by side with Bruce’s hand on his back. What made it worse was Bruce whispering his ear. In truth they were talking about League business, but Bruce seemed to have made it look like he was whispering sweet nothings into his ear.
“Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet, has recently been revealed to be the boyfriend of Batman, but it seems that relationship isn’t quite holding up,” the article said. “Last night, Kent was attending the charity gala held by Bruce Wayne for the Martha Wayne Foundation. Here he was with Wayne taking him away from the public eye. That would seem like nothing at first glance, but reports say that once they were gone they were not seen again at the gala, even after it had ended. Bruce Wayne and Batman are known to be friends, and here we have evidence of Wayne stealing Batman’s boyfriend. How will Batman react to the betrayal of his friend and his boyfriend?”
Clark fell back into the bed and turned to face Bruce. “I hate you, Bruce Wayne.”
“What are you talking about?” Bruce grumbled as he slowly woke up.
“This.” Clark shoved the tablet towards Bruce. Bruce read the article and then smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” Clark asked.
“Because it’s funny.” Bruce said cheekily.
Objectively speaking, Clark knew the situation was funny. But it didn’t feel funny to him. He didn’t appreciate Bruce taking joy in this, especially since he knew that he was doing this on purpose, so he decided he was going to do something about it.
It had been a few months and the coverage on Clark Kent dating Batman had died down. Bruce told the press that nothing happened between them that night at the gala. Appearances of Clark Kent and Batman grew fewer under the basis that they lived in different cities and were both busy but the true reason being that they wanted the media off their tail. Whenever their relationship was mentioned to them, they refused to talk about it because it was private. So eventually, the media gave up and moved one to find something more interesting.
But the few months the media was focused on Clark was hell. He had to fly to and from work everyday. His co workers would constantly ask questions about his relationship. His ties to both Bruce Wayne and Batman made it so that he couldn’t take assignments about them or go to Gotham. It became harder to go from Clark Kent to Superman because eyes were on him all the time. Bruce had enjoyed his lack anonymity, but Clark didn’t. Now he was going to pay him back.
Bruce was attending a party that night and Clark had told him that he wouldn’t be able to go as a reporter to see him. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t see him that night.
Bruce stepped out of his limousine and walked down the red carpet showing his fake smile for the cameras around. Clark didn’t attend that party as a reporter to see Bruce that night. Clark attended that party as Superman. Clark chuckled at the surprised look Bruce had on his face as he flew down to the red carpet. His grin grew even wider, all the attention was on them. The cameras flashed brightly at them as Clark walked towards Bruce, but they barely noticed them. Clark only stopped once he was close enough to feel each other’s breath.
“Payback’s a bitch,” Clark whispered until smashed his mouth against Bruce’s and made out with him in front of the whole press.
“SUPERMAN DATING BILLIONAIRE BRUCE WAYNE!?”