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

[knightbynight]

"That's right. I have a safeword." like he'd just remembered. He looked Clark in the eye, dead on and said, "I'm willing to go with what feels right." And trust Clark - he already trusted Clark.

A pause and then. "Chill." As in: End this conversation. He was being pushed to assess things about himself and his life with Clark and who he was and what he was doing and what control he did and didn't have and various illusions and realities that he wasn't quite prepared to deal with the implications of.

He needed some room and time with that.

"Not," he added, "about you feeling in control. You looked better than you have in a while."

[stands_for_hope]

"The street noise isn't making me twitchy anymore," he admitted quietly. It had helped. It had let him sieze control of himself, of the situation, and he'd reclaimed part of that time directly from Bruce's skin.

[knightbynight]

Bruce traced his thumb along Clark's lower lip, paused in the middle and tugged down very gently. It was profoundly affectionate, possessive and intimate in ways that went beyond sex and Bruce's usual means of showing any of it.

"I can tell." He was quiet in the admission, too, largely because Clark was. "Your reactions are more reasonable all around, and there's something around your eyes-"

[stands_for_hope]

"I'm not staring at everything like it might attack me," he offered before dipping down to kiss Bruce's hand.

[knightbynight]

"That's a goo deal of it," he admitted, "but you also carry tension around your eyes and mouth. It's faded."

[stands_for_hope]

He leaned in a little as he nodded, kissing at Bruce's wrist, the inside of his arm. This was nothing but tenderness. He paused after a moment and looked up at Bruce.

"You look better too."

[knightbynight]

Bruce didn't have a single moment of hesitation or doubt that Clark was going to be anything but tender with him, now. He waited until Clark looked up then carded his fingers through Clark's hair, brought them together at the end of the stroke and gave a quick, light tug before letting his hand rest on Clark's shoulder.

"I feel better. I needed to..." He paused and searched for fairly unloaded terminology that was still accurate. "blow off some steam."

[stands_for_hope]

He nodded and smiled up at Bruce a little.

"This was good for us," he reiterated. "It needs some polish and we fumbled in the dark a little, but it was still good for us."

He tilted his head towards the door, the outside.

"You going out tonight, you think?"

[knightbynight]

They'd see if it continued to be good for them, or if it was good for them in response to unusual circumstance. Bruce was - a cautious man in some regards and relationship things and Clark were two of them.

It had seemed to be, though.

"Yes. With Jason." Because he was still trying, desperately, to make that work. To give Jason - something he so clearly needed.

[stands_for_hope]

"I'll stay home with Dick," he said, and he definitely sounded almost... pleased with the prospect.

"It's been a while since I spent any time with the kid. I'm almost glad it'll be after this, though. I feel... better."

[knightbynight]

"...I'd forgotten that Dick was staying at the Manor. Yes. Stay home with him. Don't let him be an idiot. Watch a movie, play a game, eat popcorn or ice cream or do whatever it is normal people do on their downtime."

Yes, he had forgotten Dick. Christ, he'd had too many balls in the air lately. It was amazing he hadn't literally, actually, dropped anyone so far. He really had needed this time away. "I'll take him out and do something with him tomorrow." Patrol, maybe not, but something.

[stands_for_hope]

"I'll try to make sure he doesn't poison himself with an overage of cereal," Clark assured him with a faint smile.

"And I'm sure he knows you've got your hands full. Hopefully, though, not too full at this point."

[knightbynight]

"I don't think you can actually die from too many fruit loops, as long as they're the kind you pour in a bowl." THe kind roaming Gotham, on the other hand. "My hands are fine. Better than they were, but I could have managed."

Dammit, Clark.

[stands_for_hope]

"Of course you can manage," Clark pointed out with a shrug, "but I'm still glad you're better. I don't like being any kind of burden on you. Even one you can handle. And one you shoulder gladly."

[knightbynight]

Bruce found Clark's eyes, held them and said slowly and flatly: "You. Are. Not. A. Burden." And he would kick Clark's ass to prove that, if he needed to.

[stands_for_hope]

And Clark looked back, his own gaze sure but gentle. Gentle again in a way it hadn't been since he'd come back.

"I'll take your word for that."

It was a 'thank you' more than anything.

[knightbynight]

Clark being more like Clark was an enormous relief, but - "I'd rather you actually believed me, but I'll take what I can get."

Then again, maybe there was no but, since Bruce was clearly now willing to be just a little bit difficult with Clark.

[stands_for_hope]

"Good."

He glanced over at Bruce with a little smile.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't feel the same way if you were in the middle of something like this."

[knightbynight]

"I would, but you're not me and my tolerance for my bullshit is only so high even when it's coming from me." He smiled faintly back at Clark, though. "I like you more than I like me."

[stands_for_hope]

"Which just proves you have terrible taste."

But that was pure playful teasing.

[knightbynight]

"There was Talia." Which was the worst taste ever.

[stands_for_hope]

He made a genuine face at that.

"We're all allowed one terrible mistake in our lives..." he said 'generously.'

[knightbynight]

"Talia was the terrible mistake for several lifetimes." He stretched his neck and back out, felt the pull of the marks on his skin and settled back into it - and his skin - more comfortably.

"Ready to return to the outside world?"

[stands_for_hope]

...it was entirely unconscious but Clark actually let out a small growl at the mention of her name. Just a small one. And he looked just a little guilty about it.

[knightbynight]

Bruce lifted his eyebrows at Clark. "That's more or less how I feel about it. Are you coming back to the Manor with me, or do you need more downtime?"