creation is the core of humanity

“Hello, B.” Clark gave him a tired smile.

Bruce paused. “Is everything alright?”

Clark shrugged, feeling heavier than normal. “Long day, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Bruce studied him, expression undecipherable even for Clark. Finally he took Clark’s hand and started leading him down the hall. Once, there would have been a time where Clark would have questioned Bruce’s motivation. Now he would gladly follow his partner to the ends of the earth, or even beyond.

Bruce pulled open a door and pushed Clark inside, following him in and shutting it behind him.

Clark blinked as he came face to face with a mop. “A cleaning closet?”

“It’s closer than our rooms.” Bruce grunted, turning Clark to face him. Then, without warning, yanked Clark down into a passionate kiss. He froze for a fraction of a second before melting into him.

Bruce’s hands traced patterns on his neck before moving into his hair, carding through his curls and making him groan. Rao, he knew just how to touch him.

Just as Clark was getting really into the kiss, Bruce pulled back. When Clark tried to chase him, Bruce put a gauntleted hand over his mouth. “Wait, Clark. How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Clark said through the hand. Bruce seemed to like that answer, because he stood on his toes and pressed a kiss to Clark's forehead.

“Good. Come back to the manor after monitor duty, Alfred’s making chicken parmesan.” He slipped out from between Clark’s arms and out the closet door.

“Wait, B–” Clark stumbled after him. “What was that about?”

But the Bat was already gone. Clark stood in the hall for a moment, reaching up to touch his lips. The idea of monitor duty seemed a lot less exhausting now.

The glittering champagne and false laughter of galas was a prime setting for reporters to dig up the latest scandal. At least, that was what Cat told Clark when she had shoved the recorder into his hands and gave him a train ticket. To Clark it felt like junior prom all over again, except he was dating the object of his affections, but he couldn’t let the woman currently leaning on Bruce's arm know that he was taken.

Clark shifted uncomfortably. He had already gotten the quotes Cat had needed, but he promised her he would stay the whole time. A mistake, he was now realizing. There were still over two hours left and he was about ready to risk Bruce’s wrath and put on his suit to help patrol the city.

“What are you doing all alone over here?”

Clark started and turned, coming face to face with one of the other reporters. He stood a few inches shorter, with blond hair and an easy smile. Clark returned it, sheepishly fidgeting with his press badge. “I’m not usually on this beat. I owed my colleague a favor, and well…”

“These things are a lot.” He agreed, sticking out his hand. “I’m James Farday, with the Gotham Gazette.”

“Clark Kent, Daily Planet.” He shook the offered hand.

“You’re the Superman writer.” James said, grinning. “I’ve heard about you.”

“All good things, I hope.” Clark laughed. “I wasn’t aware the Gazette cared so much about Superman.”

James shrugged. “It’s just me. I’m studying your efforts in the hopes of capturing a quote from Batman.”

Clark couldn’t help but snort at that. The vigilante would rather let Hal Jordan take over the Batman mantle then talk to the press, but James didn’t need to know that.

“Hey, don’t think too little of me. I’ve spent too many nights chasing after him.”

“Sorry.” Clark cleared his throat. “You might have better luck coming to Metropolis. Superman is a lot nicer to the press.”

“I’ll have to try the next time I’m across the bay.” James leaned a little closer, a slight smirk on his face.  “Would you like to meet up for drinks while I’m over there, get to know each other a little better?” His eyes dragged up Clark's body.

“Oh.” Clark realized a little too late where this was going. “Sorry, I–”

He felt a sudden warmth at his side. “Excuse me Faraway, would you mind if I stole Kent for a moment?” He put his hand on the small of Clark’s back, just barely on the edge of decent.

James seemed shocked for a moment, then shook it off. “Of course. I’ll catch you next time, Clark.”

“Good.” Bruce leaned up and kissed Clark square on the lips “I believe my boyfriend and I have some catching up to do.”

Bruce grabbed Clark by his tie and practically dragged him out of the ballroom.

“Jealous much?” He teased when Bruce released him. His boyfriend just glared at him.

Softening his gaze, Clark ran his hands soothingly up and down Bruce’s arms. “I thought you wanted to keep our relationship a secret.”

“I don’t care.” Bruce cradled Clark's head in his hands, pressing their foreheads together. “I thought I did but watching him talk to you like he had any right and realizing you have to deal with that every day with me… I don’t know how you do it. I wanted to tear his head off.”

“It’s not easy.” Clark admitted. “But you’re worth it.”

Bruce shook his head. “I want everyone to know you’re mine. I want to kiss you in front of everyone and shout from the rooftops how much I love you.”

Clark’s breath hitched.

“I don’t care about the press or whatever they’ll say about me, but I love you.” Bruce closed his eyes. “I’m not going to hide from it any more.”

“You said you love me.” Clark said faintly. He felt like his chest was going to explode.

Bruce’s eyes snapped open. “I’m sorry. Was it too soon?”

If it was any other circumstance Clark could have laughed at the anxious expression on Bruce’s face. “No, Bruce. I love you too.” He pressed their foreheads together. Bruce’s expression softened and he caressed Clark’s cheek. Of course, Clark couldn’t resist a little jab.

“I can’t believe you said it first, Diana will have a field day–

Rolling his eyes, Bruce kissed him to shut him up. It wasn’t the first time this had happened or the last, and Clark let himself enjoy the kiss. Not before turning them around and pressing Bruce against the wall, however.

The early morning light of the manor was some of the most energizing light Clark had felt in his life. Sure, it wasn’t direct sunlight– the Gotham skies were more often layered with dense clouds than not– but nonetheless the light here was some of his favorite.

Like he had heard Clark’s internal musings, the light walked into the kitchen.

Yawning and stretching Bruce entered the room, scanning the place before walking directly to Clark and burying his face in his chest. “You weren’t there when I woke up.” He mumbled, pressing into Clark like he could carve out a permanent place there.

“‘m sorry B.” Clark set aside his coffee and wrapped his arms around Bruce. “I had to catch some sunlight this morning.”

“Hnn.”

“We can go back to bed if you want.” Clark pressed a kiss to Bruce’s temple. Clark had taken the day off and they had no plans until later that evening. Bruce hummed a little at this, settling further into Clark’s arms.

“You wouldn’t feel this tired if you hadn’t been working on the batmobile until four.” Clark reminded him, tracing gentle patterns in Bruce’s back.

“Hng.” Bruce tucks his hands under Clark’s shirt. “Always wanna sleep next to you.”

Well, if that wasn’t enough to melt Clark’s heart. Sleepy Bruce was also sappy Bruce, and with those blue eyes looking up at him from under long lashes, Clark was helpless to resist.

“Bruce, we need– oh ew!”

Clark tore his eyes from Bruce and saw the boys standing in the kitchen doorway, with varying degrees of disgust on their faces. A faint flush settled on Clark’s cheeks but Bruce made no move to pull away, so Clark didn’t.

“Seriously guys, in front of my cereal?” Dick asked, sounding dejected. “I know I’ve been rooting for you since my Robin years, but ew.”

Bruce shifted just enough to see the boys with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Boys, I love Clark, and this is my house. I’ll do whatever I want.” Then, as if to prove his point, he pulled Clark down to kiss him.

There was a chorus of “eeeww” and “Tt.” and a long sigh. The kiss wasn’t anything heated, just a press of lips long enough to gross the boys out. That didn’t mean Clark didn’t enjoy it, if anything he pulled Bruce even closer.

Bruce ended the kiss with a pop, no less sleepy but a lot more satisfied. “Jason, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. Tim, I trust you can get yourself and Damian to school. I’m going to be busy.”

As Clark let himself be pulled away, he heard a shriek (probably from Dick) and didn’t bother to hide his smile. “Do they know we’re just going to sleep?”

Bruce chuckled, tugging Clark down for another quick kiss. “Does it matter?”

As they slipped under the sheets and Bruce curled around Clark, he found that no, it didn’t matter.

Clark let out a heavy sigh, stepping into the Watchtower with a kind of finality. The mission had been brutal. Three months in deep space negotiating tedious politics with aliens that had very specific social rules. Unfortunately it wasn’t something that the Lanterns could take care of themselves, something about both parties respecting only the power of Krypton, maybe? He was too tired to remember.

All he wanted was to go to the manor and take a nice, long shower, then climb under the covers with–

The doors to the airlock opened with a hiss and before Clark even had a chance to look up he was engulfed in black kevlar and a heartbeat that instantly made his shoulders relax.

“Superman.”

With that single, beautiful word he sagged against Bruce, wrapping his arms around him tightly. “Hey B.”

They didn’t speak, just staying there like that while the Lanterns disembarked around them. Any other day Clark would be embarrassed to be in the way and would urge Bruce to at least move near the wall…

But today he was too tired to care.

A gauntleted hand threaded through the hair at the nape of Clark’s neck, drawing a pleased hum from the kryptonian. “I missed you.” He admitted, burying his face further into the armored shoulder.

Bruce let out a half choked noise, and Clark pulled away just enough to see his eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“The communicator broke.”

To anyone else, the gruff voice of Batman was as steady as ever. To Clark, however, he heard the slight tremble, saw the way Bruce’s lips were tight at the corners.

“Oh, Bruce.” Clark brought a hand to stroke his cheek. The Bat leaned into it, just slightly. “I’m sorry.”

Bruce just shook his head, pulling Clark in tighter. They stayed like that until one of the lanterns was brave enough to tell them that the airlock needed to be cleared so the ship could disembark.

Clark pulled away, but still kept ahold of Bruce’s hand as he thanked the lantern (a terrified looking kid who had probably lost a draw). Together they went down to the zeta tubes and back down to the manor, where Clark got his shower. Bruce insisted on washing Clark, and he let him. It was nice to give up control, just for a little while.

By the time they were going to bed Clark felt boneless, pulling on some old sweatpants and one of Bruce’s hoodies. Beside him, Bruce pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed. Clark sank into the mattress, feeling the last dregs of tension leave his body.

Well, almost.

He reached out and pulled Bruce close, looping an arm around his waist and burying his face in his hair. “Hmm.”

He felt Bruce’s smile before he tilted back and Clark had to hold back a whine in response. The eyes of his lover were soft and sleepy and Clark could have gotten lost in them.

Warm breath ghosted over his lips as Bruce closed the gap between them. The kiss was soft and slow and so full of love Clark felt tears– though if they were his or Bruce’s it was impossible to say.

“Welcome home.” Bruce murmured, kissing Clark again.

“You’re a traitor.” Bruce glared at Clark, who just grinned right back.

“I grabbed it first, Bruce.” Clark mockingly shook his head. “I didn’t even use superspeed, you must be getting slow in your old age.” He leaned forward to take a bite of the cookie.

With a growl Bruce launched himself at Clark, rocking him back on the couch.

“Bruce woah– hey!” He held the cookie tantalizingly out of reach, using his other arm to pin Bruce to his chest. “You’re not getting it that easy!”

The man glared at him, reaching for Clark’s sides.

“What are you– hey! That’s ch–cheat– Bruce!”

For all of Clark's kryptonian invulnerabilities and strengths, there was still one embarrassing trait he shared with humanity.

He was ticklish.

Extremely so.

Instinctively Clark brought his arms down to shield himself from the onslaught of tickles, and in doing so brought the cookie within reach. Just as Bruce was about to snatch it, Clark brought it to his lips and shoved the cookie in his mouth.

“Mmh!” Came the muffled sounds of victory. Half the cookie was still sticking out of his mouth. Bruce glared at his boyfriend and leaned close, still practically wrapped around him.

With one hand he carefully tilted Clark’s chin up and closed the last few inches, taking the rest of the cookie in his mouth. His lips juuuust brushed against Clark’s as he bit the cookie in half.

He stayed right where he was, chewed, swallowed, and sighed. “Delicous.” He leaned closer, licking a crumb from the corner of Clark’s lips.

Clark flushed even deeper.

The sun had sunk a little less than an hour ago, but you would never be able to tell from the Batcave. The Batman himself sat at the Batcomputer, but he wasn’t working. He hadn’t been for a while.

Instead, he held a small box. He turned it over and over in his hands, staring at it intensely. He doesn’t need to open it to know what’s inside but he did anyway.

Resting on a simple cushion was a ring.

More specifically, a ring made of kryptonian steel and inlaid with sapphires. The band twisted around itself, forming shapes and loops and if you looked carefully, something that looked suspiciously like the bat symbol.

He had spent months researching and forging, traveling halfway across the planet to train underneath a jeweler in Italy. The ring had been finished a week ago and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He snapped the box shut and resumed fidgeting with it.

Bruce was nervous.

There was no doubt about it, and he hated it. This far into his career, nervousness wasn’t something he encountered often. Not on this level. Sure, he worried about his kids every time they left the manor, but this was different. If this went wrong, his whole life would crumble around his ears. There wouldn’t be a place far away enough to escape the living hell–

“Bruce?”

The man stopped in his pacing. Clark stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking drop dead gorgeous. Of course, he always looked like that but there was something about seeing him dressed in a loose flannel and jeans without his glasses that made him melt.

“Hey, hey.” Clark strode forward and wrapped his arms around Bruce. All the nervous flutters slipped away as he settled into the embrace.

Clark pressed a kiss to Bruce’s temple. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

A hum left his lips and Bruce gave Clark a squeeze before letting go. “After patrol.” Bruce paused. “Come with me?”

“Of course.” Clark sped off.

It was a rare thing for Bruce to invite Superman out with him, but tonight was different. Tonight, he would propose.

The night was quiet. A handful of break ins, an attempted robbery, but nothing that couldn’t get wrapped up without too much trouble. As the night wore on, Bruce led them through the city with a very specific destination in mind.

It was there he stopped.

Clark landed just a few paces from him, a soft smile gracing his lips. “This brings back memories.”

Bruce couldn’t help the faint smile. Of course Clark would recognize it. The rooftop was nothing special, not any taller than the surrounding buildings, not an important place in the city, and not even all that interesting looking.

“It’s where we met.”

A laugh. “More like clashed.”

Bruce couldn’t help but agree with that. He had all but growled at Clark to get out of his city, under severe threat. The Super had completely ignored him and followed Bruce for the rest of his patrol. It was not a good start to their relationship. Yet, here they stood.

“Y’know, after that night I kept thinking about you.” Clark admitted. “I came over because I heard rumors of a man fighting to keep this city alive. No one really knew what you were, and I thought maybe you were a meta or alien.”

“You wouldn’t be the first.” Bruce ran his finger over where the ring rested, in a secure pocket in his utility belt.

Clark laughed. “Yeah, I was surprised when I heard your heartbeat and realized you were just a man.” He took Bruce's hand. “A man giving every bit of himself to the city.”

The look Clark was giving him made Bruce want to fall into his arms and stay there forever. He slipped his hand into the pouch.

“Superman.” Bruce squeezed his hand. “Clark.” This one said barely above a whisper, but he knew Clark heard it. He always heard Bruce. “When I met you, twelve years ago on this rooftop–”

“You’re making me feel old B.”

Bruce glared, but Clark was immune to it by now. He just gestured for him to continue.

“I never thought that I would love you as much as I do. Then we formed the League, and became coworkers, friends. Dick immediately loved you, and I began to understand you.” His heart began to pound. He was really doing this. There was no going back.

“You made me question things about myself, about how I thought the world worked and the kind of person I wanted to be. When we grew closer, I found myself craving your company, which has never happened before. You scared me with how much I wanted to stand by your side.”

Clark squeezed his hand, practically glowing in the streetlight. He looked so beautiful, a beam of sunlight in the dingy city Bruce called home.

“Because of you, I became a better person, a better father. You even turned me into an utter sap, Clark. That’s why I brought you here, to the rooftop we first met.”

“Bruce,” Clark breathed, his eyes flickering over the cowl, doubtlessly seeing the blue eyes beneath. “Are you–”

Bruce dropped to one knee.

Clark gasped.

Carefully, Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he had so carefully sculpted. “Clark Joseph Kent, will you marry me?”

There was silence. Bruce swore his heart stopped. He could only stare into Clark's eyes. Those eyes looked between Bruce and the ring and back again, and for once Bruce couldn’t read the emotion behind them. He could only stay on one knee, on a dingy rooftop in downtown Gotham.

“B.” Were those tears in Clark’s eyes? “Yes. Oh Rao, yes.”

Elation filled Bruce and suddenly those moments of silent panic were worth it. Before he could stand Clark dropped to his knees and pulled Bruce into a kiss.

It was fierce and so full of passion that Bruce started bending over backwards from the force of it, but he didn’t mind. He merely wrapped his arms around Clark’s neck and returned it just as intensely.

When Clark pulled away he stayed wrapped around Bruce, but gave him enough space to slide the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly.

That was all it took for Clark to begin attacking Bruce with kisses, and before long they were floating a few inches above the rooftop. Not that Bruce was complaining in the slightest.

“Y’know.” Clark said between kisses. “I was planning to propose to you next week.”

“Hmm.” Bruce pulled him back down for a long kiss, enjoying the feel of Clark against him. “What’s stopping you?”

Clark grinned at that, then flew them back to the manor.

Now he was here, trapped in his own home.

Clark lay on top of Bruce, arms wrapped tightly around him, face buried in the crook of his neck, and most importantly, asleep.

Earlier in the day Clark had shown up in the manor for their date, exhaustion practically radiating off of him. He staggered a little when he came through the door, setting off alarm bells in Bruce’s head.

“Hey Bruce.” He said softly, leaning down to press a kiss against his temple.

“Are you okay?” Bruce ignored the flutter the gesture sent through hims and started scanning Clark for signs of kryptonite poisoning. He hadn’t seen Superman on the news today but that didn’t mean there were no problems. “Did Luthor–”

“He didn’t do anything.” Clark promised. He blinked slowly, reaching up to tug a hand through his curls. “I haven’t slept in a while, that’s all.”

“I thought you didn’t need sleep.” Bruce hadn’t stopped running his fingers over Clark’s skin, feeling for something strange.

Clark shook his head, wrapping his fingers around Bruce’s. “Not as much as humans, but I still need it. It hasn’t helped that it’s been cloudy for days in Metropolis and Superman has been very busy.”

“You can’t go out like this.” Bruce fretted. “You should go home and get some rest.”

Clark pouted. “I don’t want to cancel our date because I’m tired.” 

That face should be classified as a weapon. Bruce almost folded then and there, but he resisted the pink lips and puppy dog eyes. Barely. “You need sleep.”

As if he was trying to spite him, Clark turned Bruce’s hand in his grasp and pressed a kiss to his pulse. Bruce’s breath stuttered. “I don’t wanna go home. I missed you.”

“Let’s stay here then.” Bruce suggested, cursing how breathy he sounded. “We can cook, and you can rest.”

Clark’s face lit up. “You’ll do that for me?”

He shrugged, trying to ignore the flush crawling up his face. He was a grown man, for crying out loud. “You’re my boyfriend. Of course I will.”

Boyfriend. It still felt strange to say, even after two months. Bruce turned to go deeper into the manor, Clark trailing behind him like a puppy. When they made it to the kitchen, Bruce took off his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves up to his forearms. “What are you feeling?”

Clark eyed him warily. “Are you sure you can cook?”

“Who said I couldn’t?” Bruce challenged.

“Dick.”

Bruce scowled. The traitor. “Despite what he might tell you, I am a competent cook.” With a flourish, he pulled on an apron with worlds best mom written in frilly cursive, rolling his eyes and Clark’s smirk. “Jason gave it to me for mothers day.”

“It’s good he’s coming around more often.”

A faint smile tugged at Bruce’s lips. “Yeah. It’s nice.” He tugged open the fridge, remembering what they were supposed to be doing. “I can make chicken soup, lobster thermidor, or sandwiches.”

“Soup sounds nice.” Clark propped his chin up on his hands, eyes drooping.

Bruce dug through the fridge for a moment before coming up with a plastic tupperware. He put a pot on the stove and reached for the knob, but his hand was knocked out of the way.

He glared at the kryptonian, but he just smiled at stupid, charming, midwestern smile. “Sure you don’t need help turning on the stove darlin?”

“I’m positive, Clark.” Bruce tried to wiggle his fingers under Clark’s, but they didn’t call him man of steel for nothing. It probably didn’t help that Clark had called him darling in that stupid accent of his. “I am not incompetent.”

“Of course not.” Clark’s other arm snaked around Bruce’s waist and pulled him close, resting his chin and Bruce’s shoulder. Bruce went willingly. “I also happen to know that you microwave lobster.”

Bruce flushed. “That was one time.”

“Hmm.” Clark finally let go of the knob and Bruce quickly turned it, feeling a flash of victory. That was quickly quenched by Clark nuzzling his face into his neck.

“You’re handsy when you’re tired.” Bruce managed, biting his lip to prevent any embarrassing sounds from escaping. Whenever Clark touched him he felt all fluttery and warm, like he was a teenager with his first crush all over again.

To Bruce’s disappointment, Clark withdrew with a murmured apology. He wanted to reach out and pull him back, tell him he liked the way Clark’s arms caged him– but the moment had passed.

“You just sit there and look pretty.” Bruce assured, leaning across the counter to press a kiss to Clark's forehead. He got a loopy smile as a reward. 

“You’re prettier.”

Hiding his flustered expression, Bruce dumped the container of leftover soup in the pot and stirred it with a wooden spoon. Logically, he knew he was attractive. It was his children's favorite pastime to send him and Clark thirst traps of himself, and he couldn’t go to any waiting room in all of Gotham without seeing himself plastered across a magazine cover. Hearing it from Clark, though, was different. It made the warm fuzzies start up again.

Bruce risked a glance at Clark and found him staring with what could only be described as an adoring expression. “Knock it off.” He threatened, pointing the spoon at him. “Or I’ll microwave this too.”

“I’ll take that risk.”

While they waited for the soup to warm up, they talked. About their kids, patrol, Clark’s most recent visit to Kansas, things they talked about before they started dating. It was a comfortable kind of familiarity. Every time Clark remembered something small (“Damian had a science fair last week, right? How did it go?”) Bruce had to fight the growing smile.

Once the soup was ready Bruce ladled it into bowls and slid onto a stool next to Clark, brushing shoulders with him.

“Thank you Bruce, this looks really good.” Clark smiled warmly, and Bruce coughed and looked away.

“I’ll make sure to tell Alfred.” There it was, the low laugh that never failed to make Bruce weak in the knees.

They ate the rest of their soup in companionable silence, with the occasional brush of their legs or look that lasted until one of them looked away blushing (Bruce. It was almost always Bruce).

After fighting about doing the dishes (“You need rest, Clark.”/“I am not leaving dishes behind Bruce”) they decided to do them after Clark had a chance to lie down for a few hours. Bruce led Clark upstairs, holding his hand.

When Clark went to turn into the living room where they normally spent their time (re: making out on the couch like teenagers), Bruce stopped him, and Clark turned back with a confused look. “Where are you going?”

“Where are you going?” Bruce gave him a teasing smile. “We’re going to sleep.”

“In a guest room?” Clark puzzled.

“In my room.”

Clark flushed. “Oh.”

Bruce chuckled, tugging him closer and kissing his cheek. “It won’t be the first time we’ve shared a bed.”

Clark flushed deeper. “It’ll be the first time since, you know, this.” He gestured between them. “Besides, I don’t have any clothes here.”

“You can borrow some of mine.” Bruce started walking again and Clark hurried to follow.

In Bruce's room, Clark stood awkwardly as Bruce dug through drawers and threw an old shirt and drawstring shorts and him. He caught them with a slightly confused expression. “Where should I change?”

Bruce pointed to a door. “In the bathroom, or in here. I won’t complain.” He smirked, and Clark only went redder. Bruce couldn’t help but feel a smug satisfaction at his ability to fluster Clark. Of course, he had the power to reduce Bruce to a bright red mess, but he was ignoring that for now.

By the time Clark was done in the bathroom, Bruce had changed into sweatpants and no shirt. Clark paused, eyes roving over Bruce.

“My eyes are up here.”

“I know where your eyes are. I’m looking at your chest right now.”

Bruce’s ears burned. Why did everything Clark do make him feel like this? It didn’t help that he was wearing Bruce's clothes. His arms and thighs bulged under the thin fabric, but Bruce considered that a feature, not a bug.

“C’mon, let’s get to bed.”

Clark let himself be pulled under warm covers. As Bruce guided his head to lay on his chest, he felt Clark go boneless under his touch.

“Tired?”

“You have no idea.” Clark sighed, wrapping an arm around Bruce and pulling him closer. “You’re warm.”

Bruce smiled, running his fingers through Clark’s curls. For years he had wondered if they were as soft as they looked. Now he could touch them whenever he wanted.

“Wait, Bruce.” Clark shot up.

“What?” Bruce followed, glancing around for some sign of danger. “Do we need to suit up?”

“Bruce, no–” Clark put a hand on his arm. “What about patrol?”

Bruce relaxed with a smile. “Clark, it’s okay.” He tugged him back down and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. “My kids have it tonight.”

“Oh.” Clark yawned, nuzzling closer to Bruce. “You’re sneaky. I never saw you talk to them.”

Bruce moved his hands from Clark’s hair to trail down his back, running down the dips and curves of his spine. Clark shivered. “Actually… I’ve had this planned for a while.”

“Why is that?” Clark mumbled, sleep already pulling him away.

Bruce flushed. “I uh– I was planning on seducing you tonight.” He felt a vibration along his chest. “Don’t laugh at me. You’re still in my bed.”

Clark leaned up to press a chaste kiss to Bruce’s lips, smiling despite it. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He nestled back into Bruce, sighing contentedly. Bruce relished in the feeling of Clark’s breath, the sound of his heart, the solidness of him. His breath evened out and he went fully slack against Bruce, fully asleep.

Before closing his eyes, Bruce pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Clark’s head. “I love you.”

A contented sigh escaped Clark’s lips and his arms tightened around Bruce, as if he had heard him. Bruce settled down and focused on matching his breathing with Clarks.

It wasn’t long before sleep claimed the both of them.

Superbat

Masterlist

A03

In the five years since she was left on the island she had been trained with the Kyoshi warriors, but never was formally inducted. There was some desperate part of her that was waiting for her father to come back. She knew it was impossible. The Fire Nation never released prisoners.

A breeze ruffled through her hair and she sighed, fingering her long strands. She really should have put it up today, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Rei stood up and brushed the sand off her clothes. The walk back to her house was quiet, the birds just beginning to wake up.

She slipped in through the back door, coming face to face with Suki. She was standing in the kitchen, pouring tea. "You're up early." She noted, not even looking up from her task.

Rei sat on one of the stools and took the offered cup. "I wanted to watch the sunrise."

Suki nodded, sitting across from her. They were silent for some time, until Suki looked into Rei’s eyes. They were sparkling with tears.

“Hey, are you okay?” She put her cup down.

“Yeah.” Rei cleared her throat. “I’m fine.”

Suki wasn’t convinced, but they were interrupted by Ulaani. She looked at them, then glanced at the sun outside. “You girls have ten minutes to get to the hut.”

Suki looked at Rei, the previous conversation forgotten. They both dropped their teacups and raced out the door. Rei relished the wind in her face as they ran, momentarily distracted from the morning.

They were the last ones to get to the hut, and they hurried to get into uniform. Suki in her bulkier formal dress, and Rei in her simpler one, with less armor and a thinner skirt. The girls pulled their fans out of their shelves and stuffed them into their sashes. Suki put on her makeup quickly. Rei only had to put on the eye stuff, so she finished much quicker.

They burst into the training room and stumbled to their spots. Training was about to begin.

Flushed red under her makeup, Suki started calling moves. The girls followed, extending their fans and fighting invisible enemies. Rei lost herself in the familiar movements. The fan sliced through the air, the edges keen as any knife. 

The doors to the hut banged open and the village elder cane through, panting. “There are intruders on the southern cove.”

Instantly the Kyoshi Warriors were alert and racing out the door. It was their job to make sure no one came to the island without permission. Only a few select trade ships were allowed, and even those were heavily monitored. Briefly Rei wondered how they had gotten here without them seeing the ship. She shook it off as she ran.

They managed to get close enough to see them tramping through the woods, making a lot of racket. Suki glanced at the rest of us and pointed up. We nodded, then spread out and climbed the trees. I scanned the intruders. Two of them looked like they were from the water tribe- a boy and a girl. Rei thought they looked rather familiar, but she couldn’t quite place them- and the other boy was bald, with a blue arrow on his head and orange and yellow robes.

Once we were all situated- high enough in the trees to be concealed but not so high we would fall- Suki nodded.

The Kyoshi Warriors fell upon them.

It was all over in an instant, the intruders not expecting an attack. They landed all around them, fans splayed and on their toes. Three girls attacked each intruder, tying ropes around their wrists and blindfolds over their eyes before the shock could even register on their faces. It was a quick drag through the woods to get to the edge of the village, where they were tied around the Kyoshi monument.

The Elder approached, looking solemn with his hands folded behind his back. “You have some explaining to do.”

Suki stepped up beside him. “And if you don’t answer all of our questions, we’ll throw you back in the water with the unagi.”

“Show yourselves cowards!” The Water Tribe boy shouted, struggling against his ropes. Rei glanced at Suki, who shrugged. Reaching forward, Rei ripped the blindfolds off the captives.

The Water Tribe boy looked ready to fight, but he frowned when she saw the Warriors. “What the- who are you? Where are the men who attacked us?”

“There were no men.” Suki snapped. Internally, Rei winced. Suki might need a shovel after this is over. “ We attacked you.”

The Water Tribe girl’s eyes widened, but Suki continued before she could speak. “Now tell us- who are you and what are you doing here?”

The Water Tribe boy scoffed. “Wait a second. There’s no way a bunch of girls took us down.”

“Now’s not the time, Sokka.” The girl hissed. Rei  bit her lip, knowing what was coming.

Suki leaned forward and grabbed him by the front of his parka. “A bunch of girls, huh? The unagi’s going to eat well tonight.”

“No! Wait!” The girl struggled against her bonds. “Don’t hurt him! My brother can be an idiot sometimes.”

Something sparked in the back of Rei’s head. A snowball fight, two against one. Confident he could beat them because they were girls… She shook off the memory. She needed to be here, now.

The arrow headed kid spoke up. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. I just wanted to ride the elephant koi. That’s all.” He looked down. “We can go if you want.”

The Elder pointed at them. “How do we know that you’re not spies?! Kyoshi Island has stayed out of the war so far. We want to keep it that way for as long as we can.”

The little boy brightened. “This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!”

Rei exchanged a glance with Suki, who rolled her eyes. There was no way this twelve year old knew her. “I don’t believe it.” The village elder scoffed. “Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She’s been dead for centuries!”

The arrow kid looked the Elder directly in the eyes and spoke with wisdom beyond his years. “I know her because I’m the Avatar.”

The water boy mumbled something, and the spell was broken. Suki pointed at arrow kid. “That’s impossible! The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago. He hasn’t been seen since!”

Arrow kid nodded enthusiastically. “That’s me.”

“You’re insane.” The water kid whispered.

“I’m saying it as it is!” Arrow kid protested.

“Throw the imposter to the unagi!” The Elder proclaimed, gesturing to the beach.

Rei opened her fan and glanced at Suki, who nodded. They advanced.

“Aang.” The water girl hissed. “Do some airbending.”

Rei furrowed her brow. The memory kept persisting, snow flying, a squeal as she got hit, a girl getting back on her feet…

Aang leapt up in a blast of air, flipping over the top of the pole. He cut his bonds as he soared over the top of the Kyoshi statue. He landed gracefully, like he had jumped a few inches.

The Elder gasped. “It’s true. You are the Avatar.”

“Took you guys long enough.” The water boy commented as Aang untied the ropes.

Running… snow flying… faces peeking out from behind snow forts…

“You can’t blame them for not believing it.” The girl scolded. “Even you didn’t believe him when you first met him.”

“... fair.”

Aang finished untying the water girl. He stood up and pulled something out of his pocket. “Now, check this out!”

The marbles in his hand started to spin, and he grinned like a hog monkey given a banana. Rei glanced behind her and the assorted villagers and saw them cheering wildly. She even saw Lee foaming at the mouth and fainting at the trick.

Rei glanced at Suki, who shrugged.

“Come on.” Rei held out a hand and helped the water girl up. “I’ll show you where you can stay.” The crowd began to disperse, leaving Rei with the newcomers.

“Thanks.” The water girl took her hand. “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

Rei squinted at her. “...Maybe? Something keeps tickling my mind.

The water boy stood up and stretched. “Look, Katara. Let’s just follow Rei to the beds and food. I’m starving.”

Both girls froze, looking at each other, then the water boy.

“How did you know her name?” Katara asked, her eyes growing icy.

“Sokka?” Rei whispered. She could barely believe it.

“That’s Rei. She used to live in the village.” He reached down to touch his toes. “She went on the Fire Nation ship when it came, don’t you remember?”

Rei looked at Katara, who was glaring at her brother. “And you didn’t think to mention this when they were about to throw us to that giant fish eel thing?!”

He shrugged. “I figured I would be able to fight them off.”

“No.” Rei shook her head, laughing at the thought. “You wouldn’t be able to fight off nine Kyoshi Warriors if you were the Earth King yourself.”

Katara laughed, and Sokka turned bright red, spluttering. “H-hey!”

Rei looked back at Katara. “You’ve gotten taller!”

“Still not as tall as you.” Katara laughed. She was right, Rei still had about an inch on her.

Without warning, Katara lunged forward and hugged Rei. She stumbled back, a little surprised.

“We missed you.” She murmured. “After the Fire Nation ship attacked…” Katara pulled back and touched her necklace. Rei noticed it was the same one her mom had worn. Something told her not to bring it up. “The men left to go fight in the war. And mom…” She bit her lip.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Rei felt her fingers close around her own necklace. “Let’s get you back to the guest hut so we can talk.”

Masterlist

A03

All Parts

“Where did she go?” He mused, standing and wiping the snow from his arms. “I guess I better go back to the village and eat all of her candy…” He waited, and sure enough a girl popped out, her fists held high.

“You won’t take my candy daddy!” She proclaimed, then wrinkled her nose. “Hey, that rhymed!”

“Then come here! It’s bath day.” He advanced, and she threw her fist like she would punch him, despite being several feet away. A small puff of smoke came from her gloved hands. She frowned, looking down at them.

“What’s wrong? Am I not doing it right?” She looked back up at her father.

“Oh, no. No. You didn’t do anything wrong, little spark.” He pulled off his gloves and knelt in front of her, heedless of the snow. “Here.” He pulled off her gloves. “You just need to learn.”

Carefully, he smoothed out her hands. “Firebenders will tell you that putting your hand in a fist is the best way. But what happens when you put a candle under a bowl?”

“It goes out.” Her eyes widened in understanding.

“Same goes for bending.” He held out his hand, palm out flat. “Now try to do this. A simple, steady burn.”

She wrinkled her forehead in concentration, and slowly a small fire formed. The little girl gasped, watching the growing flame with wonder.

“Now, you need to be careful.” The man instructed. “If you make it too big, you won’t be able to control it.” He held out his own hand. “But if it’s too small…” A puff of smoke rose. “And it’ll go out.”

The little girl nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

“I know you will.” The man smiled, tweaking her nose. She giggled, and for a moment the world was perfect.

Then he saw it.

The black snow.

He froze, then started to move very quickly. He put the little girl’s gloves on, then his own. He stood and started to walk back to the village quickly through the deep snow.

“We need to get back, and quickly.” She nodded, doing her best to keep pace. “Things are going to change, okay? A lot of things.” He seemed distracted, staring at the enormous iron ships on the horizon. “But I want you to promise me you’ll do what I say.”

“Yes daddy.” She stumbled, and the man caught her. Instead of setting her back on her feet he chose to carry her on his shoulders. They got back to the village just as the men were grabbing spears and clubs.

“Heit, you’re back.” The Chief nodded, and the man nodded back. “The children are in the back tent. Do you want me to take Rei-”

“No.” Heit cut him off. “She’ll stay with me. I know why they’re here.”

The chief frowned. “You don’t think-”

“I know.” The man gently set her down. “I don’t want anyone to attack. We give them what they want.”

The girl looked up at her father. “What’s going on?”

“Something inevitable.” He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m going to need you to be brave, little spark.”

The little girl nodded, and something inside of her knew she would never come back to the South Pole.

The iron ships cut through the ice with little trouble, coming to a stop a few feet from the edge of the village. The front fell open and there stood a man. He was wearing red armor that cut an impressive figure. His hair was black as night and pulled up neatly behind his head.

The little girl thought he looked a little silly, but she decided to keep that to herself.

The General stopped a few feet from the man, smiling like he was on a picnic.

“Hello, Heit.”

“General.” He nodded back, his grip on the little girl tightening. “What a surprise.”

“You couldn’t hide forever.” the general looked at the little girl. “How cute.”

“She has nothing to do with this.” The man spat. “If I come back with you, will you let them go?”

“I suppose.” The general waved a hand, and two soldiers started down the walkway.

“One more thing.” The man looked the general straight in the eyes. “The girl doesn’t stay here. I want her to go to another island, only a day’s journey.”

The general considered it, glancing down at the girl and the man, then surveying the village. The men were standing with their clubs and boomerangs and spears. Frightened women clutched their children just beyond the tents, unable to move away from the frightening sight.

“Fine.” He turned on his heel and walked back into the ship. The soldiers grabbed the man roughly, and the little girl was pushed on the ship by a third. She glanced back, desperate to see her friends, to know if they were okay-

They were on the ship before she could get a glimpse. The general looked at them, a smug look on his face. “Make sure you find the waterbender.” He told a nearby soldier, and he nodded.

The man looked up, fear in his eyes. “No. No!” He strained against his captor, but he held him steady. “Hakoda! They’re coming for-”

THWACK

The man slumped to the deck, blood dripping from his temple. The girl screamed, throwing herself at him, desperately trying to reach his unconscious body. “Daddy!”

The general crouched next to the girl. “Your daddy is being punished because he broke his promise. When you’re older you’ll understand.” He walked away, and the little girl started to cry.

Hours later, the girl was locked in a metal room with the unconscious body of her father. He was chained to the wall by his wrists. She sat on the floor near his head, her knees to her chest.

She was trembling. Her arms shook and the only thing she could focus on was the sound of the general’s armored fist hitting her fathers head.

“Rei?” A soft voice asked. The little girl swiftly turned her head to look at her father, a small cry escaping her as she threw her arms around him. “Whoa, careful.” he accepted her hug, wincing a little as she jossled his head.

“I was so worried.” She murmured. “What’s happening?”

The man sighed, then moved to sit up against the wall. The girl came with him, carefully tucked into his arms.

“Before I came to the South Pole, I worked for some bad people. But when I had you-” He tweaked her nose. “-I wanted to change. So I came south. But the bad men kept hunting me. Now they’re found us, but they’re willing to let you go. So I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

“Okay.” The little girl tried to smile. “Are you coming with me?”

The man shook his head, a little smile on his face. “No, I can’t come right now. But I promise I will as soon as I can. Okay?”

The little girl nodded again. The man thought about something for a long moment, then drew a necklace out from under his shirt. It was a gold oval, with a sun emblazoned on the front. He pulled it over his head and stared at it when it pooled in his palm. Like a little pool of sunlight.

“I got this on an adventure.” The little girl's eyes widened. “It’s very lucky. I want you to keep it.”

Tears were in his eyes, but he had to be strong. For her.

Gently, he placed it around her neck. The chains around his wrists jingled and he was careful not to get them caught on her dark hair. Her tiny hand came up to clutch the pendant, and she looked at him with soft brown eyes. “But- won’t you need it when you’re with the bad people?”

“I think you’ll need it more.” He smiled through the pain. “For your own adventures.”

He heard footsteps overhead and the boat rocked a little. The man looked at the little girl again, more urgent. “Listen, little spark, and listen well. We’re going to be apart for a long time. Maybe forever. You can’t let the people on that island know about your bending. They’ll think you’re one of the bad people.”

“But I’m-” She started. But the man cut her off.

“I know you’re not, little spark.” He looked into her eyes, almost begging. “I know you’re not. The world can be unfair sometimes. But please, stay there. I can’t bear to lose you.”

The little girl was starting to cry, not understanding. “But- you said you would come find me.”

“I will.” He assured her, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to soothe her. “But I don’t know how long it will take. I’m sorry, little spark.”

The door was opening now, and two soldiers came. They each grabbed one of the little girl’s arms. She screamed, filling her eyes. “No! Daddy!”

He wrapped his arms around her on one last hug, tears now falling down his face. “I’m sorry, little spark. It’s time for you to go.”

“No! Come with me daddy, please!” She kicked and screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t want to leave you!”

The man tried to reach her one last time, but the chains prevented the movement. He strained against them as much as he could.

He could only watch, on his knees, as his daughter was taken away from him.

The little girl sat numbly in the tiny boat as three soldiers manned the tiny engine. Two of them talked and laughed as they sailed  over the waves, but one sat across from the little girl.

After a few minutes he leaned forward and slid his helmet off. He had kind eyes. “Hey, you’re going to be okay.”

She didn’t say anything, instead staring at her feet and clutching the necklace like her life depended on it. The soldier sighed and put his helmet back on.

When they got to shore two of the soldiers didn’t even get off the boat. The kind one helped the little girl down and into the sand, carrying her so she didn’t get wet.

“Come on, Jee.” One of them called. “Let’s get back.”

“We can’t just leave her!” The kind one looked back at them in shock. “What if she can’t find the village?”

He shrugged. “Not our problem.”

The kind one shook his head. “You stay in the boat. I’ll make sure she gets to the village.”

“Fine by me.” The soldier shrugged.

The kind one and the little girl walked through the thick foliage of the forest, silence between them.

In an instant girls wearing armored dresses and facepaint dropped from the branches above. Three of them converged on the kind one while one came over to the little girl. “Hi, I’m Ulanni. Can I take you to our village?”

The little girl looked over the warrior's shoulder. “Are they going to take him with us? He’s the only nice one.”

She glanced behind her while the other warriors tied him up. “Yes, we are.”

The little girl took the warrior's hand and was led through the trees.

Once they were back in a small village, the kind one was integrated thoroughly by a man with a few dark streaks in his gray beard. After he had the little girl confirm his story, the kind one gave the old man a slip of paper.

Ulanni volunteered to help take care of her, alongside her own sister. The old man agreed, and soon the little girl was in a soft bed.

Tears flowed silently down her face as she clutched the necklace. The only thing she had left.

Masterlist

A03

Next

“Huh.” Heinz shuffled his feet, half of him wondering if he would still get that friends and daily discount. “So– some weather, huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Heinz, we both know only one person could have done this. I just want to know what happened.”

“I don’t either!” Heinz put his hands up. “I wasn’t even there when it happened. He just started freaking out and throwing icy magic everywhere.”

“Hmm.” Charlene looked unconvinced, but she let it slide. “What brings you up here then?”

Heinz looked down at his clothes, which at this point had thawed to the point of just being wet. “I was hoping to trade for some winter clothes.”

“Over there, in the back.” Charlene gestured to the back wall.

“Has Roger passed through here?” Heinz asked as he took in the winter stock. It was a couple of folded items and a pickaxe leaning against the wall. “I’m trying to find him.” He picked up the clothes and boots and went back to the counter.

“I’m afraid not. The only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you.”

The door jingled again.

“And that guy.”

Heinz turned to look and immediately his mouth went dry. Standing in the doorway was a man covered head to foot in snow. He was shorter than Heinz but much broader, and something about him looked familiar. He wore a teal fur lined tunic and an orange scarf wrapped tightly around his face. A fedora rested on his head and part of Heniz wondered about the practicality of that kind of hat in this weather. Or if it even belonged to the time period.

He had barely finished taking the man in before he was approaching him. Heinz pressed himself against the counter to try and get out of his way, but he stopped right in front of him. Despite the height difference Heinz was intimidated.

The man brought a fist to the corner of his mouth and twisted it sharply, starting at Heinz. He blinked. “What?”

Carrots. The man repeated. Behind you.

“Oh! Sorry.” Heinz moved out of the way.

As the man was getting his vegetables, Charlene gave him an impressed look. “You know sign?”

Heinz shrugged. “A few years ago one of my inators exploded while I was right next to it. I couldn’t hear for over a month so I learned sign language. It actually wasn’t too hard, the language builds on itself and most of the signs make sense–” He got lost explaining the mechanics of the language as the man gathered a few more things before laying them on the counter. “–and that’s why I don’t use sand anymore.”

“Hmm.” Charlene turned her attention to the stranger. “Is this all?”

He nodded once, sharply.

“Okay then.” Charlene took the items. “That will be forty.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. No. Ten.

Charlene looked to Heinz expectantly. When he didn’t do anything she sighed. “I don’t know sign, Heinz.”

Heinz looked up from poking at a jar of pickled fish. “He said ‘no, ten.’”

Satisfied, Charlene turned back to the man. “I’m sorry, but with recent… changes in the environment I can’t let this go for regular prices. Supply and demand, and all that.”

“It’s not my fault the North Mountain is causing these storms.” Heinz translated, then his eyes widened. “Wait! Did it seem… magical?”

The man turned to him with an annoyed look and pulled down his scarf, revealing a handsome square face. Heinz had to once again get a grip on himself. Yes. He signed. Tell her I only have ten.

“He only has ten.”

Charlene signed. “That will get you the carrots, but I can’t do the rope and pickaxe.”

Crook. The man signed, and Heinz repeated the word without much thought, his mind on the distant north mountain. It was only when he saw the panic in the shorter man’s eyes that he realized he should not have said that.

“What did you call me?” Charlene demanded, pressing her palms to the counter. Heinz had rarely seen that look in her eye, even when they had their worst fights. “Get out!” She jabbed a finger towards the door.

The man shot Heinz a glare and stalked out of the post, slamming the door behind him.

“Some people.” Charlene shook her head. “I never liked ice men. They’re too rugged.”

“Yeah, rugged…” Heinz muttered. If the snows were coming from the North Mountain, then maybe Roger was there. It wasn't far, only a half day's journey to the base of the mountain. Heinz tugged at his wet sleeve in thought. Maybe…

Charlene stacked his purchases in a neat pile. “Do you have money or goods?”

Heinz glanced down at himself. “Could I trade these clothes?”

His ex wife took his arm and examined his sleeve, pinching the cuff of his shirt between her fingers. “Yes, these will do nicely. Once they dry off they’ll be quite valuable.” She released him. “Will that be all?”

“Erm…” Heinz glanced at the discarded supplies, the beginnings of a plan forming.

Heinz stumbled through the snow, clutching his purchases. The new clothes he had bought fit him nicely, the black, fur lined tunic was warm and the white cloak enveloped him. It wasn’t palace clothing, but he was finding he liked it.

The footprints of the man led to a small stable set in the side of a hill, something Heinz hadn't seen when he initially approached the post. The stable glowed with warmth and the gentle sounds of music floated through the still night air. As Heinz crept closer he could hear a gentle humming added to the tune.

Inside the teal haired man laid against a reindeer, strumming a lute, the source of the music Heinz heard. “You’re pretty good.” Heinz said without thinking. The man and reindeer startled, and Heinz realized the reindeer was wearing thick, purple rimmed glasses.

What do you want? He sighed, putting down his lute.

Heinz tightened his fingers around his bag. “I want you to take me up the North Mountain.” He puffed out his chest and tried to look impressive, but judging by the look on the man’s face, he wasn’t pulling it off very well.

I don’t take people places. The man signed, eyes narrowing.

Heinz tossed him the sack full of climbing gear, but instead of catching it, it hit the man right in the stomach. “Sorry! Sorry.” Heinz scrambled to apologize. “I can stop this winter, my brother Roger is just confused and I need to talk to him and hopefully get him back down–” He stopped when he noticed the annoyed look being thrown his way by reindeer and man. “Take me up the North Mountain. Please?”

The man sighed, but took the sack anyway. We leave in the morning. And you forgot Carl’s carrots.

The carrots came next, tossed right at the man’s face, but he caught them. “We leave now.” Heinz started backing out, his hand scrambling to find the door handle. “Right now.”

The air outside seemed colder than it had before, and Heinz pressed his back against the barn wall. The warmth of the outpost and even the barn had felt so tempting. He had half a mind to beg Charlene for a place to stay the night so he could trek home.

On one hand, he could slink back with his tail between his legs to disappointed parents and hope they would even let him stay. That wasn’t very likely. They had left him to be raised by ocelots until he was in his teens and only let him be a prince again because it reflected poorly on their image to have their son living with wild cats.

Disappearing into the wilderness didn’t seem like a viable option either.

As these thoughts threatened to consume him, a shadow crossed the doorway. Heinz looked up just in time to see him tossing the end of an orange scarf over his shoulder. For some reason it matched his teal tunic, though it was a color combination that would give Vanessa a heart attack.

Come on. The man signed. The North Mountain is half a day's journey.

“Oh– okay.” Heinz stood tall. “Does this mean you’re helping me?”

The man raised an eyebrow and walked around the barn. Heinz took that as a yes and scrambled to follow, a giddy feeling bubbling up inside of him. He was one step closer to bringing Roger home.

Heinz helped pull a tarp off a sled and let out a low whistle. “This is nice. Reeeeeally nice. Interesting color scheme though. Why is everything teal?” He climbed in and ran a hand over the polished wood. “Not like it’s a bad color, I like it a lot but is everything you own teal? It’s like your own trademark, like if someone sees a teal and orange color combo they’ll think of you–”

The man rapped his knuckles sharply on the sled, glaring at Heinz.

“Sorry.” Heinz clapped a hand over his mouth. He just rolled his eyes and climbed into the sled.

…

“Do you think that reindeer are better than people?”

Perry clutched the reins so hard he was worried they would slice right through his fingers, but that thought was the furthest thing from his mind as the annoying man next to him would. not. shut. up. 

Of course, he was used to being badgered with questions from every direction. Phineas’s favorite game was “ask Uncle Perry” and Candace always rushed to him for relationship advice, but this was different. He was carting around a spoiled prince that had nothing better to do than run around looking for his brother, instead of sending someone who could actually get the job done.

As Heinz went off on another tangent, Perry wondered once again how he had even gotten into this situation. There was no money involved, and yes he had gotten essential supplies but he could have made the long journey home to get his backups instead. It wasn’t like there was any need for ice at the moment.

It was those puppy eyes. Something about how he had looked at him like one of the street dogs that are so ugly they’re almost cute, and Perry had folded.

“Say, what’s your name?”

Perry almost jumped at the direct address. He glanced over and gave Heinz a calculating stare and shifted the reins to one hand. Why?

“Well, you’re giving me a ride and all, and I’ve been talking for four hours straight and haven’t heard a peep from you! Well, not in the literal sense, I don’t know if you can actually talk, but either way I can understand you well enough and I want to put a name to the face, y'know? If that’s too far–”

P E R R Y. He signed, just to shut him up. And I can talk.

That seemed to sate the man, and for the first time since he climbed in the sleigh, he was silent. At least, for a moment. “My parents send me out here, y’know.” He said quietly.

Perry’s ears perked up, almost against his will. That was new.

“Roger went all crazy up and caused this sudden winter, and apparently it’s my fault, just like everything always is.” The man’s hand traced the scar that ran down his cheek. “If I didn’t go, I was going to get disowned, so here I am. You know how parents are, tough love and all that. It isn’t the first time either, I–”

Perry yanked on the reins to stop Carl and turned to properly face Heinz. What?

Heinz blinked. “Well, I’ve done a lot of things that are shameful for the royal family. I married a merchant– then got divorced, you met Charlene in the trading post– I spend most of my time in one of the towers building inators, I spilled wine on the Duke of Weasletown– or is it Wesleton? And–”

Suddenly Perry felt awful as the prince listed off reason after reason why his parents “loved” him. He… he really had no other choice then to be out here. That’s not an excuse.

Now it was Heinz’s turn to be shocked. “What do you mean? Sure my life sucks, and I’m locked out of the room when there’s important guests but that’s just my fault.”

Perry shook his head vigorously, quickly losing respect for the people that ran his country. That’s not right. No one should be treated like that.

“Hey, don’t–”

Perry made a shushing motion.

The prince batted his arm away. “No, you don’t get to just stop this argument–” But Perry wasn’t listening. He turned his attention to the woods behind the sled, listening for any sound to confirm his suspicions.

“And now you’re back to Mr. Strong and Silent Type. Well I’m not letting that go buster, you don’t get to back out now–” Perry lunged and clasped his hand over Heinz’s mouth, absolutely done with him. Heinz made a muffled sound of protest, but Perry held firm.

Wolves. He signed. That shut him up.

He finally tore his eyes away from the woods to look at Heinz and–

Oh.

His eyes shone in the starlight. Midnight blue that reflected the moon and the anger from their argument, but that didn’t detract from the appeal. In fact, Perry wanted to see those eyes for a long time. The longer he stared, the softer the eyes got, and Perry found himself leaning closer just to get a better look at him–

A piercing howl shattered the moment.

People of all ages celebrated. Music was being played by a group of men and women with homemade instruments as people danced, fountains sprayed water into the air and the smell of strudel wafted through the crowd.

Heinz sat at the edge of a fountain and watched the festivities with a small smile. It was nicer out here. More… alive. No one kept up some pretense of nobility or upper class. People just danced. They laughed when they wanted to and had ale drinking contests and danced to music played on worn instruments.

Soon he was watching the crowd with mild interest, tapping his toe to the beat. His eyes eventually locked on a man standing near a cart. He was strange, with teal hair and dark skin that stood out among the pale faces surrounding him. It wasn’t offputting, Heinz found it rather alluring. Dark blue eyes followed him with interest as the man uncovered the cart to reveal a few blocks of ice. He was dressed in a teal tunic and vest that left his arms bare, and Heinz found his eyes locked on them.

The man negotiated with the owner of the tavern– who had her own cart set up selling drinks. It seemed to end well, with her giving him a bag of coins. When the teal haired man unloaded the ice Heinz couldn’t take his eyes off his arms. With every movement they flexed, leaving no doubt that the man could probably break Heinz in half. The thought alone made his face flame red and he pointedly looked away.

A drink sounded really good at the moment, and it had nothing to do with the very attractive man standing near the cart. Heinz watched out of the corner of his eye for several long minutes before finally working up the courage to approach. Maybe he could open with a joke?

So of course, that was when everything went wrong.

It started with a slight chill in the air. It wasn’t unusual for cold winds to blow through the valley, but this chill stayed. Then people started to cheer, with shouts of “The King!” and “All hail his Majesty!”

Heinz cautiously stood up, the man in teal all but forgotten at the notion that his brother had actually let himself be seen by the lower classes. Then Heinz started to shiver. The temperature could no longer be mistaken for a mountain wind, but a deep, chilling cold.

The music came to the clamorous halt that happens when they aren’t queued to stop, the constant laughter faded, and the footsteps of hundreds came to a stop. Not even a child made a sound.

Then someone screamed.

One of the fountains started to act up, the water shooting higher into the air before it froze– looking like a claw. The crowd started to panic. Mothers snatched up their children and shopkeepers abandoned their goods, fathers reached for their families and the rest scrambled to get away from the mysterious force.

Heinz wove his way through the fleeing crowd, trying to find the source of the chaos. It was only after fighting his way past a woman carrying a large watermelon that he saw.

Roger stood by the frozen fountain with a look of terror on his face. One of his hands was covered in ice and stuck to the fountain– just like when they were kids.

“Roger?” Heinz took a step forward. “What’s going on?”

“I–” Roger looked at his hand and wrenched it free. “Heinz. You need to get away from me.”

“But–”

“Goodbye, Heinz.” Roger forcibly turned away and started running. With each step he took, an icy trail followed. The streets turned slick and cold

“Wait a minute!” Heinz called. “You can’t just run away from a conversation!” Without thinking he jumped on the ice track after his brother.

Some part of his mind had thought that even though he hadn’t been ice skating in over twenty years he could make it all the way through the Tri-Kingdom Area with no skates on an ice path about two feet wide.

He was wrong.

After crashing through several fruit carts that were inexplicably in his path and a pyramid of chickens (where had those come from?), he finally came to a stop at the edge of the fjord.

“Sheesh, what has gotten into him?” Heinz stood up and shook off the feathers. “It’s like someone finally removed the stick from his a…” The words were left to fade in the chilly air as the reality of what laid in front of him sunk in.

The fjord was frozen.

Not the ice chunks they got in the winter, but the whole expanse was frozen over. Heinz frantically looked around in an attempt to spot his fleeing brother, and just managed to catch a glimpse of a cloak before it vanished into the trees.

The ice started to spread. It reached out from the fjord and traveled quickly over the ground, covering everything in snow and frost. Heinz stumbled away from the fjord and started to race back to the castle. There had to be some explanation for this. Roger was always 

As the castle drew nearer, the sky grew darker. Clouds covered the stars and before long, snow started to fall. It started slow, but turned into clumps of white that made it hard to see. It felt suffocating– like a cold hand wrapping itself around him.

When he finally made it back, people were in disarray. It seemed like half the kingdom was in the palace courtyard, talking in hushed whispers and shivering in their summer clothes.

“HEINZ!”

The man jumped and turned to see his mother standing at the top of the steps. Her hands were in fists and her face twisted in anger, and Heinz had never run so fast in his life. He skidded to a stop at the base of the steps.

“Mutter.” He said, bowing slightly. The cold wasn’t the only reason for his trembling hands.

“You– you–” She pointed a finger at him. “Find your Bruder. And don’t come back until you have him!”

Heinz felt his blood run cold. “But– I don't know where he is, or where he’s going, or–”

“Go!” His mother bellowed. “Bring my son home!” She turned and with the fury of a woman scorned slammed the palace door behind her.

Heinz stood in the quickly gathering snow, stunned. He really was going. There was no other choice, really. Unless he wanted banishment but with the state of things it would be wrong to just leave. If not for the people, for his daughter.

“Do you require your horse, sir?” One of the stablehands asked.

“Um, yes.” Heinz looked down at his clothes, which were already soaked through with snow. “And a cloak, if one can be spared.”

“What shall we do?” A woman asked. Heinz glanced around and realized all eyes were on him. Immediately he began to sweat, despite the cold. These people… they were all expecting answers out of him. 

“Uh… someone should organize a party to find as many blankets and cloaks as possible. It’s only going to get colder.” Heinz glanced up at the snow falling thickly. “And wood, to build fires. And hot food, like soup. Or really anything, as long as it’s hot. The temperature won’t do anything in the long run but it will help you feel better and–”

The stablehand approached with the horse, and Heinz stopped talking.

“Your horse, your majesty.” He held out the reins and a cloak.

“Err… yeah.” Heinz took the flimsy cloak and threw it over his shoulders. The horse they had brought out was huge, with a blueish gray coat and red mane. The saddle was at eye level, and Heinz awkwardly tried to hoist himself up, but ended up just tugging on the reins and doing an awkward hop.

“Do you require assistance?” The stablehand asked, his lips twitching to a smile.

He flushed. “Yes.”

The stablehand linked his fingers together and boosted Heinz over the horse’s back. The animal neighed as Heinz attempted to adjust himself on the saddle. “Oh quiet Norm. It’s not my fault you’re so tall.”

The horse gave a cheerful whinny and took off without prompting. “Whoa!” Heinz grabbed the reins just before slipping off and managed to right himself as they galloped out of the courtyard.

It soon became clear that the city tantrum of Prince Roger had spread beyond the kingdom. The mountains as far as the eye could see were covered in gentle drifts of powdery snow. Not that Heinz could see much at all with Norm galloping much faster than a horse should be able to.

Trembling fingers barely managed to wrap the cloak tightly around his shoulders while holding on to the reins, but nothing Heinz could do would stop the cold biting at his cheeks and nose.

Finally, well into the mountains Heinz convinced Norm to slow down.

“You know, for a horse you really don’t like listening to your riders.” Heinz glared at the animal, but there was no heat to the gaze. “Well, I guess here is just as good a place to start looking as any. Come on Norm!” He nudged the horse into a walk.

He had been told quite often that his voice carried places it shouldn’t, so Heinz decided to start calling out for him. “Roger! Come on out! Mother is really worried about you, and she sent me to find you!” He paused. “You know, maybe she isn’t as worried as she should be, because she sent me and we both know what a failure I am, so she must not care that much at all. But still come back!”

He stopped to listen, and only heard the quiet, almost sound of the snow shifting around him.

“You know what, Norm?” Heinz felt his scar start to ache. “Maybe this is all my fault. I was the one that yelled at him right before everything went crazy.” He chuckled. “My first party since my wedding and I'm the reason the Tri-Kingdom Area freezes over. Just my luck.”

Norm nickered.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to the party.” Heinz sighed. “Without me there Roger wouldn’t have freaked out and everything would be fine, and WHOA!”

Heinz felt weightless for just a moment, then his back hit the ground with a thud. Cold seeped in through his clothes and he laid there, debating if it would be worth it to get up. If only he had access to his lab, he might be able to build something that would help him find his brother instead of hunting through snow with no real direction in mind.

That train of thought was immediately pushed to the back of his mind when Norm whinnied sharply and turned to run away, scared off by something in the bushes. A squirrel? Maybe?

“Wait, Norm!” Heinz could only watch as his horse ran back where they had come from. “Come back!”

Only the crunching snow could be heard, and before long that faded.

“Well great.” Heinz struggled to his feet. “Of all the luck in the world, I get stuck in the idle of nowhere and my horse just runs off.” He brushed the snow off his clothes best he could, grumbling all the way.

Decided he had nothing to lose, Heinz continued on foot. It soon became apparent that his shoes were not suited for the weather. He sunk alost to his knees with every step, and his fine shoes were soaking. “If this keeps up I’m going to get frostbite.” He glared at his shoes as if that would fix the problem. Or, at least, glared at the snow where he thought his feet were.

He stopped at the top of a hill for a moment to try and get his bearings. There was a river at the base of the hill, and just beyond that he could see a small stream of smoke rising from the trees. Smoke meant fire, and fire meant warmth.

Emboldened, Heinz stepped confidently down the hill. So of course, he slipped. He barely had time to cry out before he was at the bottom of the hill and in the– thankfully shallow– freezing stream.

“Kalt.” Heinz said as he struggled to his feet. His cloak was gone but that was the least of his worries. “Kalt. Kalt.” He could feel his clothes freezing around him. That wasn’t good.

Every movement felt stiff as he struggled to get out of the river and onto the opposite shore. He tread along carefully, grateful that the snow was only a few inches deep over here.

Before long the source of the smoke became apparent. It was a little trading post, one of many that populated the mountainside. Heinz breathed a sigh of relief. Here he could trade for warmer clothes, or at the very least wring out his socks.

The sign was covered in snow and he knocked it off, reading the words out loud. “Wandering Charlene’s Trading post. Ooo, and sauna.”

His ex wife had quite the empire of storefronts, so it didn’t surprise him that she had one this far into the mountains. Maybe he could even get the friends and family discount…

The door jingled as he pushed it open, and he took in the various goods that lined the shelves. It was mostly summer gear, but maybe…

“Close the door Heinz! You’re letting all the cold air inside!”

Startled, Heinz turned and saw Charlene sitting behind the counter. She was bundled up in a fashionable winter coat and hat, with a matching scarf.

“You won’t get in trouble.” Heinz said offhandedly. “Give me a boost.”

Despite their age difference, Roger was already taller than Heinz. He linked his fingers and helped Heinz step into the cart, where he disappeared under the cloth. He heard a few bangs and a couple yelps of pain before Heinz peeked back out.

“Behold… the Snow Funinator!” He whipped off the cloth, revealing a blocky wooden contraption with a block of ice strapped to one side.

Roger scratched his head. “What… does it do?”

Heinz grinned. “It’ll make the ballroom into a winter wonderland!”

“I can already do that.” Roger held out his hand and a snowflake danced on his palm.

“I know, but now I can too!” Heinz slapped the side of the inator. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

Roger waved his hand and a snowstorm started. “Okay Heinz.”

Heinz flipped the switch on the inator. It started to buzz, and soon snow was shooting out one end. He gave an excited yell, running to stand under the snowfall. “It works! It really works!”

“Amazing.” Roger scooped up some snow.

“Do you wanna build a snowman?” Heinz asked excitedly.

Roger shrugged. “Sure. Why not.”

They rolled the snow into shape, and Heinz popped the buttons off his shirt for eyes and a mouth. “You know, I think he looks pretty– oomf!”

Snow trickled down the back of his shirt as he turned to see Roger packing snow. “Oh, it is on!”

The boys played together for what seemed like hours, throwing snow and giggling as piles of the stuff fell on the both of them. In the middle of the most heated snowball fight yet, Roger threw awry. Instead of the snowball going towards Heinz, it soared straight for the Snow Funinator.

Hitting a large red button.

“No!” Heinz lunged for his brother and tackled him to the ground just as the machine exploded.

Pain blinded Heinz. It felt like the entire left side of his face was on fire. When he reached up to touch it, his fingers came away wet with blood. Beneath him, Roger grunted.

“What was that?”

Heinz opened his mouth to answer, still dizzy, when the doors to the ballroom burst open. There stood his parents. They stared at the scene for a moment, jaws agape, then ran to the boys. Heinz pushed himself up with a sniffle and prepared for questions, but none came.

They ran right past him to Roger.

His mother fussed over his wet clothes and fixed his hair, while his father checked him over for injuries. Murmurs of “my sweet boy” and “you poor thing” were the only sounds.

Finally, they turned to Heinz.

“Was hast du gemacht?” His father asked, his voice on the verge of a snarl.

“I- we were having a snowball fight.” Heinz tried to form words between the pain and relentless stares of their parents. “There was an accident-”

“Of course.” His mother muttered darkly. “There always is. Come along, Roger. We need to take you to the healer.”

With barely a glance his way, Heinz’s parents scooped up Roger and carried him out of the ballroom. The sound of the door slamming echoed through the elegant room–

Leaving Heinz bloodied and alone.

Years later

Heinz surfaced from the dream with difficulty. Even years later, it had him in a tight grip. Constant whispers of what might have been circled in his mind every time he closed his eyes.

Finally sitting up, Heinz groaned and brought a hand to his face, tracing the white scar that went from just below his eye to his jaw. He had been forced to bandage the wound himself, and even now he didn't know if it had healed properly.

He stretched and rolled out of his bed, scratching his back and heading to the bathroom. Then he backtracked. Lying on a chair was the formal clothes he had laid out the night before.

Today. It was–

“It's coronation day!” Heinz said excitedly, grabbing the tunic and getting ready faster than he ever had in his life. Today was one of the few days he was allowed to be in public, and he intended to make the most of it.

His younger brother, Roger, was finally ready to accept the throne. Normally death occurred before the passing of the crown, but his parents were getting old. Besides, Roger had been training for the title ever since they were little. All these thoughts were running through his mind as he wandered the palace, watching people set up.

Much to the chagrin of the staff, he skated all through the castle with his socks– nearly knocking over an elaborate pink cake. “Sorry!” Heinz called to the servants, who just shook their heads and continued preparations.

He reached the top of a staircase and rode the banister down, yelling with glee as he gained speed. He shot off the end of the banister and nearly collided with a suit of armor.

“Whew, that was close.” Heinz said, leaned an elbow against the suit. “Glad you got out in one piece.”

The arm fell to the floor with a clang.

Heinz looked around to make sure no one had seen. After confirming the hall was empty, he grabbed the arm and tried to reattach it. It stubbornly refused to go back into the socket.

“You would think after years of inventing things I would be able to stick this thing back on nooo problem.” Heinz muttered to himself. “Leave it to knights to come up with the most complicated system ever.”

“Heinz.”

He turned and saw Roger approaching, a smile on his face. He quickly shoved the arm behind his back. 

“How good to see you.” He opened his arms for a hug and Heinz accepted awkwardly, still keeping the metal arm behind him.

“Erhm– yeah. It's been a while.” Heinz said, a little bewildered Roger would touch him. The only times they had spoken had been when strictly necessary, and the last time that had happened was over a year ago.

“Well, I hope you are ready for the ceremony tonight.” Roger straightened his jacket. “How is Charlene doing?”

“Uhh… okay, I think. She's been doing well for herself as a merchant.”

“Good, good. And Vanessa?”

Heinz was a little surprised he remembered his daughter's name, as the last time he had seen her was when she was ten. “She's visiting the Visigoths this summer.”

“That sounds pleasant. Will they be joining us?”

“No.” Heinz scrutinized his brother. “Roger, you know Charlene and I divorced like, five years ago, right?”

Roger's smile faltered. “Oh, no I didn't. I'm sorry, Heinz.”

“Eh, it's no big deal.” Heinz tried to shrug it off. “It happened years ago. We're all good now!”

“Right.” Roger looked uncomfortable. “Well, I'll see you tonight.”

“Yeah. See you.” Heinz turned to watch him walk away. Suddenly his plans for a musical number about being allowed at a social event made his stomach turn. Behind him, the suit of armor collapsed. With a sigh he turned and tossed the arm onto the armor. The resulting clank made him flinch.

That evening, Heinz watched from the back of the room as his brother held the scepter and was given the crown by a doting mother. He clapped with everyone else as Roger turned to face them with his winning smile, showering them all with a light flurry of snow. Guests gasped and applauded even louder at the display of magic. Many of them were visiting royalty and had never seen the magical crown prince. Heinz wondered if they would be so amazed if they knew how many times he had gotten startled and frozen his hands together.

“Thank you all for coming.” Roger said, spreading his arms with a swirl of snow. “Now, let's celebrate!”

Heinz found his way to the ballroom, where there was already soft music playing. He headed straight for the food. There had been a rumor that the cook had made those fancy chocolates, and he wanted to grab some before they inevitably vanished. As per usual, the cook had gone all out and laid an extensive spread. Heinz loaded his plate and stood in the corner to eat, making sure to stay out of his family's way. If they wanted to speak to him, they would seek him out. His father did sometimes, but that was only when no one else would listen to his stories.

“Are you enjoying the party?”

Heinz whirled to see Roger standing behind him, carrying his own plate of food.

“Okay seriously, what gives? You’ve been acting weird all day.” Heinz squinted at him. “You weren’t taken by trolls, were you?”

“I don’t understand what you could mean.” Roger said, but Heinz could tell his smile was a little strained.

Heinz set down his food. “Really, are you messing with me? You haven’t talked to me in over a year, but in one day you’ve asked about my ex wife and daughter, and willingly came up to me at a party?”

“You’re my brother.” Roger soothed. He definitely looked strained. “We should have a good relationship.”

“Really.” Heinz felt frustration boiling up inside of him. “Because it feels like ever since I’ve gotten this–” He jabbed a finger at his scar. “You could barely stand to stay in the same room as me!”

“Heinz, I–”

“You know what? Forget it.” Heinz felt something in him snap. “I’m going out. Have fun at your party.” He turned and walked out of the room, bitterly wondering why he had even looked forward to the day.