#batmanxsuperman

“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.