for knightbynight: For now and hereafter...

[stands_for_hope]

[some time after the events here]

Superman and Batman were partners in more than a work sense. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent were an adorable (if mildly ridiculous) couple. Kal-El of Krypton and a man who defied any definition outside of the single letter 'B' made time on weekends, worked around world crises and teenage tempers, and occasionally fell into bed together when the stars aligned. Thankfully, they aligned relatively often.

Wayne Manor received a delivery of organic produce and baked goods once a week from a small, independent farm in the heartland. Lois Lane was a little less likely to agree with snide comments about the uselessness of Bruce Wayne, especially after seeing the utter madness that was Clark's desk after a few weeks. The texting habits of a certain blond teenager in Kansas rose sharply... and in parallel to that of a certain former street punk in Gotham.

Life was... well, it was good, even if it was also Life. Until it wasn't. Until everything changed.

They all had enemies, of course. But the problem with Superman's enemies was that they were coherent enough to decide to team up. And crazy enough to use the kind of weaponry that could make whole cars just vaporize into nothing.

Crazy enough to point that weapon at a somewhat-pinned Batman and a Wonder Woman who was digging him out from the rock. Crazy enough to point that weapon at Batman.

Bruce.

B.

Clark didn't even make the choice. His heart made it for him. The beam shot out of the Toyman's mechanical monstrosity and Clark flew, the pain of the beam itself nothing on the fact that he was leaving Bruce behind. That his vision of them as old men together would never happen. That he was leaving behind a world that needed him.

The guilt that, if it meant saving them, saving him, he didn't regret a thing.

Comments

[stands_for_hope]

"Fiddly, huh?" because there was no comment needed on the obvious, what with it being obvious. But there was a slightly goofy little crooked grin on his face all the same. Because mmm, the obvious would be good. And he'd made sure to bring a few extra capes and uniforms as well.

"Programming or hardware?"

[knightbynight]

"Both." He finished eating, crumpled the paper in his hand and detoured toward the nearest trash can. "It's an entirely new system. The programming will take longer than the hardware." By quite a bit, probably, but getting the two talking to each other reliably and with a degree of precision Bruce found acceptable would take the longest.

[stands_for_hope]

"Let me know if you want help checking the coding. Copyediting defies language, after all," Clark offered as he tossed his own remains into the garbage with a graceful arc.

[knightbynight]

"Help?" Bruce echoed. "I suppose I did call it that, didn't I? No, I fully intend to hand you the packaging and leave you to it."

Good luck, Clark.

But more importantly it would keep Clark busy while Bruce was busy elsewhere. Clark sitting idle and alone was to be avoided.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark couldn't help the laugh that got out of him and he nudged Bruce's shoulder.

"Shall I be singing for my supper as well?" he asked with a little grin.

[knightbynight]

"Only if you're singing for Alfred and he enjoys it." He didn't miss a beat, just figured he'd leave Alfred to handle that mess. He tucked his hands in his pockets and bent his head slightly, making the most of his hat 'disguise. "Might be the sort of gratitude he'd appreciate."

If by appreciate meant be driven slightly insane by.

[stands_for_hope]

He tilted his head sideways, thoughtful.

"Have you ever actually heard me sing?" he asked, genuinely curious. It wasn't as if he did it all the time, after all. He hadn't sung much since college, honestly.

[knightbynight]

Bruce grimaced, like someone who'd been caught out in a mild, but uncomfortable lie. Embarrassed, a little pained.

"I have not. Am I going to hear you singing in the shower, now?"

[stands_for_hope]

Clark couldn't help the grin... but he shook his head.

"Never have sung in the shower. Just at church and some of the musical theatre stuff I did."

He stuck his hands into his pockets.

"...you know, I think you'd look more enthusiastic at the mention of torture. I promise. No singing. I'll put it in the same slot as poetry."

[knightbynight]

"I should have known that, after seeing photos of you in Rocky." He should have and he didn't know why he was uncomfortable with the idea except... maybe it belonged with poetry and feelings.

The mention of the photos reminded him, though. "Do you plan on going to the farm any time soon?"

[stands_for_hope]

That had Clark feeling uncomfortable and he straightened his back to look straight ahead.

"I'll go when I trust myself. If I hurt her--"

His mother. Kara would be able to protect herself. Though he'd still be mortified at himself. It was at least a mortification that they'd both be alive to have.

"I can't hurt her. So I have to wait a few days."

[knightbynight]

Bruce considered that, considered what Clark had done to Jason and how physically affectionate and unafraid Martha was and then nodded, slightly. "Fine." It wasn't snappish though, just short. "If you start avoiding because you're more worried about what you'll do than is reasonable, or seem to be delaying it-"

He'd have words to say.

[stands_for_hope]

"I explained it to her," Clark said, just as quiet, but a little less stiff. "So she knows. She understand."

She always understood. It was one of the many reasons she was amazing.

"A few days. The incident with Jason... as much as I'm not happy it happened, it at least gave me something to work with."

[knightbynight]

"Something to work with, how?" He could often predict where and how Clark's mind was going, how it was working. He understood right up until that particular remark, but that one-

It wasn't what he expected.

[stands_for_hope]

"I knew I was... prone to overreact," Clark explained, pausing to unlock the outside of his apartment building. "But I didn't know what it would feel like as I am now. How fast. How much control I really had."

He turned to look at Bruce.

"Now I do. I know where my baseline is. I know what I'm working with."

His gaze went back to their path as they made their way in and towards the stairs.

[knightbynight]

"And how does that baseline compare to your expectations?" Just that, as he mounted the stairs and worked his way up toward Clark's apartment.

[stands_for_hope]

He paused on a step.

"Worse," he admitted, letting it hang in the air before continuing up. He was on the fourth floor of the walk up, but the walk was usually pretty pleasant.

[knightbynight]

Bruce paused when Clark did, looked back and considered. He snorted roughly and somewhat derisively. "Funny. It was better than I expected."

He'd known his expectations would be lower, because he didn't expect Clark to be perfect. Clark's expectations of himself, were...

Impossible.

They had that in common.

[stands_for_hope]

He turned to look at Bruce as he started to unlock his own front door.

"What were you expecting?"

Because he was curious. A little more than curious.

[knightbynight]

"Property damage, at least," Bruce admitted, deliberately blunt. "At least some physical damage to whoever was stupid enough to ignore warnings."

[stands_for_hope]

"I didn't look. To see if I'd hurt him. I was just--" he swallowed, "I was just glad I hadn't snapped his neck."

[knightbynight]

Bruce walked in, took off his cap and tossed it onto the couch. "Also possible, but not someone you knew and not in the house. Certainly not Jason, though as much because of his reactions as yours."

[stands_for_hope]

Clark didn't say anything for a moment, just watched Bruce, listened to him. He breathed in and out a few times before a wry smile curled on his lips.

"You have no idea how comforting you can be sometimes, Bruce."

How much you make me a better person just by believing I am.

[knightbynight]

Bruce raised his eyebrows at Clark and gave a soft snort of incredulity - except not really. "You know, most people would have called that anything but comforting."

Clark got him. He got Clark. It all worked out in the end, even if it didn't look like it would.

[stands_for_hope]

"I'm not most people. And for that matter, neither are you," he pointed out before breathing out and putting his own hat onto the hanger.

"Ready to go home?"