stands_for_hope | for justlikeacircus: Returning to Land

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for justlikeacircus: Returning to Land

Despite Bruce's comments to the contrary, Clark was finding it just a little difficult to return to life after, of all things, a four day cruise with Bruce Wayne. Of course, quite a few things had happened on that boat, and some off of it.

For one thing, Bruce had kissed him. For another thing, he'd done a bit more than that, in public, outing not just his more inclusive sexual preferences but also the fact that they were in a relationship. And yet, it wasn't the part of the whole thing that had him feeling as if he was on another planet. Mostly he was still reeling from the fact that he was in a relationship with Bruce. More than a few years of being in love with someone somehow didn't prepare him for actually getting to kiss the man. He's not sure anything could have, to be honest.

Not that things had gone smoothly, were going to go smoothly. He knew that. He was well aware of what he'd signed up for. He also knew that since their original plan to keep things quiet and mostly go about things the way they had been (with the occasional private affection off to the side, as their own business) had been blasted out of the water, by Bruce of all people (the man had a very funny way of showing his affection sometimes), that he was going to be playing the front offense on handling most of their friends and family. In fact, he already had and he was proud that he'd managed to keep Diana from setting up some sort of party, honestly.

...at least he hoped so. She could be surprisingly sneaky at times.

He was far too terrified of Alfred to even begin meddling there, but he knew Dick. He was friends with Dick. Friends slash doting uncle slash coffee buddies with Dick. He'd watched the kid grow up, but he'd made a point of remembering and treating him like the adult he'd become and they had a pretty good relationship. That was why he texted him asking when he had time to perhaps have dinner at the restaurant they'd gone to the last time he'd been in town.

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Dick was quite certain that he would have been one of the first people to find out about this, or at least that's what he told himself, though he maintained no illusions that it would be Bruce that told him, because he knew that wasn't going to happen, he would have expected Clark to keep him in the loop.

If it hadn't happened on a cruise ship that was already being watched by reporters hoping to get some kind of scoop before Clark Kent got back to the Planet, who had eagerly rushed this latest bit of big society news to the presses practically before the rather public kiss had even ended, meaning that Dick heard about it within a day of it happening and so did everybody else in the country. All at once.

He knew it was just Bruce being... well, Bruce, and he was so bad at this sort of thing he probably thought it was a brilliant idea, or maybe he was just tired of hiding everything and thought this was one thing that was too important to lie about, who knew the way he thought most of the time?

Still, despite all that he couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit hurt that he hadn't at least got some kind of heads up, that he hadn't had any warning for the day the reporter from E! News shoved a microphone in his face and asked him what he thought about his father's new relationship, and he had to hide his surprise and pretend it wasn't the first he'd heard about it and cheerfully tell the world he was very happy for them both - which, as it turned out when he discovered what she was talking about, he was. If it was actually a thing that was happening, he couldn't ignore the possibility that it was all just some really, really weird cover story.

When the text from Clark came, he knew it was going to be the explanation he'd been waiting for, so while he was still in the slightest bit of turmoil over the whole thing, he agreed and arranged a date.

He arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early, wondering how this was going to go.

Clark arrived on time to the restaurant, somewhat surprised to find Dick already there even though he probably shouldn't have been. Dick had to have questions, was almost certainly at least a little hurt and angry, and what text messages he'd sent to him from the ship itself had been short, vague, and not terribly helpful.

Mostly he'd just assured the young man that everything had been 100% consensual and, to what small degree was true, agreed upon at the time if not before. After all, technically he'd told Bruce that he would happily proclaim to the world they were a couple if Bruce wanted to gradually transition his wild playboy persona to something a little more monogamous. He just hadn't thought he'd do it, er, that way.

"Hey," was all he said as he held up a hand and walked over to Dick. Given that they now had a very serious pretext for knowing one another and having something of a relationship of sorts, he had no trouble leaning in to try and give Dick a hug on top of that. "Thanks for meeting with me. I... realize things have been a little crazy."

The hug startled him a bit, but...well, he was a hugger, and it wasn't often that people voluntarily initiated them with him, so he happily returned the embrace and weirdly it made him feel just that little bit better about everything. Clearly, Clark was good at hugs.

"Yea I can imagine. Not often you're in front of the camera instead of behind it, but something tells me you've been dealing with other reporters constantly since you got back?" he asked as they broke away from each other, and he turned to head into the restaurant.

"Mostly just my coworkers," Clark admitted as he followed Dick into the restaurant. "People wondering what he sees in me. People wondering what I see in him."

And there was a low current of anger when it came to that second sort of comment. He knew it was necessary, but he did genuinely, truly love Bruce and as much as he acknowledged that their facades weren't going anywhere anytime soon, he didn't have to like the way people treated the other man.

"The worst have honestly been the other socialites. This one woman propositioned me right on the boat." And he shivered. "I've been deep in some... very questionable situations and there are few things that have creeped me out quite so much as that experience."

He breathed out then, low and tired, before giving Dick a companionable wry smile.

"How's it been for you? Other than the fact that I owe you an apology."

Edited 2015-07-23 22:45 (UTC)

"Yea," Dick nodded at the comment about the socialites. He didn't comment on what Bruce and Clark saw in each other, that he understood perfectly - he could imagine why somebody who'd only ever seen the fronts they presented to the world might question it, but having seen the way they were together, both in and out of costume... he didn't question it for a second. In fact, he'd probably figured it out before Bruce had.

"Those women... well, I know the sort of ...'suggestions' they come up with." he shook his head slightly, he'd definitely been on the receiving end of more than a few flirtations at fancy parties.

"I've been... well, keeping busy..." he hesitated, then shook his head "No, you don't owe me any apology."

"I'm sure you do," he said with more than a little sympathy. He'd always been on the periphery of the whole thing, comfortably behind the camera as Dick had pointed out. Dick had grown up that way and there he was, wilting like a flower after how long?

"And you say that but I still... I'm sure it came as a bit of a shock." He ran a hand through his hair and did his best not to fix it the way that Superman wore it, though it tended to happen when he was a little nervous. Feeling like Superman made him more confident than feeling like Clark Kent most of the time, so the subconscious urge was strong at the moment, even though he was with someone he considered a friend.

"The truth is, we sort of... mutually decided to act on feelings we've had for quite a long time. And initially, we were going to address things when we got back to land but..." he spread his hands. The best laid plans of mice and Supermen...

"In a way I'm not sad it happened," because it was Bruce making it clear he had no intention of backing out, but-- "but I wish we could have told you together. In person."

Translation: he's still your dad.

Dick nodded slightly, admitting that it had been a surprise - just because he could see the chemistry there, just because he knew it was inevitable, didn't mean he hadn't been hoping to have a little warning for when it did finally happen.

"That was never going to happen," Dick pointed out softly "Bruce is... not great at that kind of thing, a lot of the time." It didn't mean he wasn't capable of it, because he definitely was, but Dick knew he would avoid it if he could, and for such a confident man he could be terribly awkward at times.

"I'm happy for you both. Genuinely, I mean that."

"And that means a lot to me," and it was clear, very clear, it did mean a lot to Clark. For all that they hadn't exactly met on the civilian side much, Bruce had been something of a fixture in Clark's life for years. And by extension, Dick had been a part of his life for that long too. He cared about the kid.

"It's looking like we're going to keep the public side of things... relatively honest," Clark explained, "at least for the time being. If it seems feasible."

Because that was important, after all. They gave up a lot of their lives. The idea of having to hide their relationship... while Clark had been prepared to do it, he was much more willing to fight for it than even he'd realized when things had began. Not against Bruce, never against Bruce. But the world could go hang as far as he was concerned when it came to his reputation on the point.

"Are you all right with that?"

"Not my place to say," Dick shrugged simply "I appreciate that you want me to be okay with it and everything," he added to clarify "But it isn't about me, if I had anything bad to say about it - which I don't - it wouldn't matter. The important thing is that both of you are happy."

He was honestly glad that Clark thought it was important to check with him, but he wanted to make sure that the older man knew his opinion shouldn't make a difference - just in case anybody else decided to make an issue of it.

Regardless of whether he needed it or not, Clark looked visibly relieved.

"I'm glad you feel that way. More glad than I can say. I really do consider you a friend and I was hoping it would damage things between the two of us."

And he couldn't help a small, glowing little smile.

"I'm happier than I've been in years, honestly. And I think Bruce is too. In his own way."

Which also included being twitchy about most everything in the relationship, not knowing how to accept the more tender side of affection, and getting angry at him for anything complimentary he said to the man in a context outside of crimefighting.

...you know, the usual.

"Definitely not," Dick told him firmly "I'm really glad the two of you finally got your acts together," he added with a laugh.

"I'm sure he is... you know how he is, probably just as well as any of us, I'm..." he paused for a moment, searching for a way to express how he felt "I'm glad it's you? You know him, you know what he's like and you understand him... I'm glad he's found someone who gets him, you know?" Clark was his friend, yes, and he also wanted to make sure that Bruce made Clark happy, but Bruce was his father and more than anything Dick wanted him to be happy, he deserved it after everything he'd done for other people.

And if anyone knew how hard Bruce fought against the idea that he deserved anything, it was Clark. But--

"Finally got our acts together?" he asked with a little grin over at Dick.

"Was someone matchmaking in their spare time?"

He didn't answer the question of knowing Bruce. Clark had known Bruce for years. Bruce had been one of the pillars of his world, and he'd appreciated him more than the man could possibly know. And if he knew anything, it was that Bruce deserved so much more than he'd gotten but at the same time, he couldn't regret anything because it had produced the man he loved...

Well, he loved him a damn lot. Cranky, stubborn, smarmy, egotistical, difficult, twitchy, contrary, controlling, and all. The warts and then some.

...he was even so far gone as to feel that some of those things were mildly adorable, not that he'd ever say it out loud. Definitely not in front of Bruce.

Edited 2015-07-29 20:09 (UTC)

"Well I did what I could," Dick grinned a little mischievously "You remember all those times I suddenly got mysteriously busy on stakeouts and he had to ask you to come cover? I may or may not have suggested you as a replacement..." of course they tended to spend time together of their own accord, so it wasn't like he'd had to work too hard, but he figured the more alone time he managed to get them, the sooner they would figure out their feelings. He had expected to be privy to it when it did happen, of course, but the timing was the only part that surprised him.

Clark couldn't help a laugh and a shake of his head.

"I should have noticed. Especially since I've used tricks like that myself." Usually to get out so he could go do something as Superman, but all the same.

"Guess I should thank you, Dick. Who knows? Maybe one of those stakeouts was when he figured out he could tolerate plaid just enough to reciprocate things."

"I'm very sneaky," Dick nodded solemnly before flashing Clark a mischievous grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bruce wears plaid all the time! You know, it's just... black, on black on black..." he laughed.

...Clark's shoulders were jumping from suppressed laughter. Really, it shouldn't have been so funny except Dick hadn't heard the diatribes against plaid that Bruce had indulged in.

"Don't tell him that. He might implode from pure pique."

"In which case I will save it for when he is being particularly grumpy, that should take him down a peg or two," he grinned. The more he thought about it, the more he liked this whole arrangement, Clark was always his best back up for teasing Bruce. Now he was going to be even better.

"Please do," Clark said, barely able to restrain more laughter.

Because Dick had always been his best backup for teasing Bruce, and now he felt comfortable with their relationship so they could keep doing it.

"Though I shouldn't be too mean," he admitted. "Since apparently he's decided we're replacing some of my wardrobe. Possibly to save his eyes."

"That sounds like him. Do not let him buy you all black, he tried to do that to me when I was 12, he needs to learn that colours are a thing. And that doesn't mean dark grey." he grinned.

"He'll probably buy you more than just clothes, you know. He doesn't really know what else to do with his money, if it's not, you know, his hobbies. Whether you want to or not, you've got yourself a sugar da-" he paused, laughing too hard to continue "Oh god, I can't even finish that sentence."

He shook his head just a little.

"No, no, nothing like that. I'll still probably be late on my car payments as it is," because there was a balance. At least for now. Both of their pride was a little too much for allow for something like that.

"The wardrobe is mostly for show, since Bruce Wayne's 'liberal bleeding heart' boytoy can't exactly walk around in my usual misfit clothes."

Dick was smart enough not to say anything about that and just nodded along, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't last. Bruce would come up with some excuse about the media or something, but really it was just because he wanted to make the people he cared about as happy and comfortable as possible, and sometimes money could actually help with that, as much as they all pretended it didn't.

"Please, oh god, please never again refer to yourself as dad's 'boytoy', I can't take it." he didn't know whether it was hilarious or horrifying.

That got a laugh.

"Oh no, Dick, I'm the boytoy. Can't you just see?"

And he fluttered his eyelashes with a grin.

"No, no, I take it back, this was a terrible idea," he joked, covering his eyes with his hands "This is why I don't read the papers, i do not need to read these words about you."

"You think it's bad reading it," he said with a snort. "Imagine having to copyedit some of it. Or having people walk over to ask you for details."

"Oh god I can only imagine. Wait, no I can't, I don't want to imagine, I don't want to think about it." he'd actually done remarkably well avoiding the details ever since he first realised just how much detail there actually was.

for justlikeacircus: Returning to Land

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