Hey guys! I know I should be updating Parachute and trust me, I will. But for right now, here's a one-shot involving a pairing that I have begun shipping. SuperBat. Let's just say by the end of the story, you should listen to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones. So, while you read this little number, I'll go update Parachute. Enjoy!
*I don't own Clark or Bruce since they both belong to DC Comics and their respectful creators. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Joe Shuster, and Jerry Siegel. Meanwhile Tony Stark, Spider-Man, and Steve Rogers all belong to their respective owners at MARVEL and Stan Lee.
~Five Times that Clark Kent told Bruce Wayne that he loved him. And the one time that he meant it~
1: The First time was casually during dinner. Clark knew that Bruce's business meeting would be over soon and he had to get dinner prepared beforehand. Being the Man of Steel had its benefits and this was one of those times where Clark felt no shame in using his powers, even if he knew that the oven was working perfectly fine. He was preparing steak and had already set up the table with the condiments. The candlelight felt a little too much for his own personal tastes but he knew that Bruce would favor it. He knew that Bruce liked his bread buttered and so he took the liberty of doing so before placing a basket of dinner rolls on the table.
Once he had everything set, he double-checked to make sure that he didn't forget anything. The Wine! How could Clark have forgotten the wine?! He flew into the wine cellar and grabbed a bottle of sparkling champagne and placed it into a bucket of ice that was placed on Bruce's side of the table. He knew that Bruce liked to have a drink once he got home, especially on those nights after a rough day at the office. Now that everything looked perfect, he himself got dressed for the occasion. He wasn't going to tell his billionaire boyfriend that he loved him while looking like he just got back from his day at the Daily Planet.
The doorbell rang as Clark finished getting dressed. He was now sporting a sharp black suit rather than a blue one and his hair was combed in the way that he would normally have it. Gelled back with the spit curl coming down, slightly hinting that he was Superman. Of course, Bruce was the only person to see him like this. When he opened the door, there stood his boyfriend with a smile on his face. Clark slightly blushed when he saw his boyfriend decked out in a black Armani suit and his hair also gelled back.
"Clark", Bruce said. A hint of exhaustion in his voice. Clark stepped aside as his lover walked inside his apartment. "I was taken aback when you said you wanted to have dinner. I thought we were going to do take out at my place and give Alfred the night off." Bruce began to look around Clark's apartment with childish curiosity. It amused Clark to no end to see Bruce look like a schoolboy whenever he came to visit. "What's the occasion?" He said, taking notice of the decor in the dining room.
"I thought I might try something new in terms of personal tastes. Do you like it?" Bruce saw the look on Clark's face and smirked.
"It's a bit much for you, but I'm glad you went out of your way to do this for me." Bruce could've sworn he heard Clark sigh the minute he said that. Clark took his seat as did Bruce as they began to enjoy their dinner. "This is great. Here I am with the man I love, enjoying a nice dinner, and..."
"Bruce, I love you", Clark said as Bruce took a sip of his champagne.
"What?" Bruce said, almost choking. Clark didn't know if he had said the words too early in the relationship or if he said them too fast for Bruce to understand. He got up and patted his boyfriend on his back, helping him recover from the slight scare. "What did you say?"
"Nothing, Bruce. I was just saying how remarkably handsome you look tonight." Bruce wiped his lip, passing off what Clark said and continued on with his dinner.
Clark knew that he had to tell him how he truly felt. But for now, he settled for enjoying dinner with his boyfriend.
2: The Second time occurred when Clark tried to visit Bruce during his lunch break and Clark had the day off. He was glad that he had the day off from being a reporter. This only meant that he would try to tell Bruce what he wanted to tell him during dinner two weeks ago. He didn't like to dwell in the past as much as Bruce did but he couldn't help but let that incident play in his mind again. Clearly it was too early in the relationship for him to say such a thing.
When he drove into the parking lot of Wayne Enterprises, he made sure to park next to Bruce's jaguar and that no one else would have that particular spot. He never realized how protective he was towards Bruce until his partner had pointed it out to him during lunch one day. He walked inside the office and saw Joyce, the secretary who spent her days mainly typing away.
"Mr. Kent, what a pleasant surprise! Mr. Wayne is in a meeting right now but it'll be over in five minutes. You are welcome to wait for him in the lounge. I'll notify him that you're here." He smiled and nodded his head.
"Thank you, Joyce." The middle aged blonde secretary blushed as she went back to her typing. Clark saw the stack of newspapers from the Daily Planet and smiled at the fact his boyfriend requested the same newspaper he worked for. But he didn't feel like reading his own work due to the fact that he could already think of the punctuation errors he might have made in his article. Instead, he grabbed the latest Times magazine, only to see that there was a photo of Bruce and Tony Stark on the photo. They were best friends, just like how he and Steve Rogers were best friends and it was both Stark and Rogers who convinced him and Bruce to get together to begin with. He adjusted his glasses as he heard the door open and Bruce walked out looking rather annoyed. Was something wrong? He looked towards Joyce and saw that she had got up and walked over to him.
"Mr. Wayne, I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but I just need to tell you that Mr. Kent is here. He's waiting for you in the lounge." Bruce turned his head and saw that she was telling the truth and that he was in fact there. Clark fixed himself as he stood up and his boyfriend walked towards him.
"Thank you, Joyce." The secretary headed back to her station. "Clark, I thought you'd be at the Daily Planet? What happened?" Clark had adjusted his tie as a sign of anxiety.
"Oh, I got a day off today and in my place Lois is covering. Are you busy right now, Bruce?" Bruce checked his wristwatch and shook his head.
"I'm never too busy for you, Clark." This made Clark turn a slight shade of pink and he let out a cough.
"Uh, do you mind getting some coffee with me?" Bruce was going to answer him when all of a sudden, Will, the new Intern, had barged in on their conversation.
"Excuse me, Mr. Wayne, but you have an important business meeting that can't be put on hold. Mr. Fox has told me to tell you that he can't cover for you this time and that you must be there. I'm sorry for the inconvience this has caused you, sir. I-" Bruce cut him off by putting a hand out in front of him.
"It's all right, son. Thank you for telling me. Now, where is this meeting?"
"Conference room 511, sir." Bruce nodded his head for him to leave.
"Sorry, Clark, but I guess I'll take a rain check for that coffee. Set up an appointment and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can." Clark knew that what Bruce was really saying was, "I'll talk to you later. Probably at my place or at the Watchtower." Clark knew that this would happen and it was this reason alone that he didn't get his hopes up to tell him.
3: The Third time Clark had tried to tell him was when they had returned to the Watchtower after facing Lex for the millionth time. He had used green kryptonite and it began to take its toll on Clark. Bruce did the best he could to not only defeat Luthor and to save Clark as Batman. He did his job and managed to save his boyfriend by taking him to the infirmary wing. This wasn't how Clark had imagined it but maybe he had an opportunity to tell Bruce that he loved him. They were going to be alone and the moment was right, even if Clark didn't like how they ended up in this moment. He couldn't complain though because it meant that Bruce could baby him and take care of him.
"I'm sorry that he was able to use so much kryptonite on you, Clark." Clark had gotten out of his Superman tights and into comfortable clothing while Bruce was still in his cape and tights. "I never meant for him to hurt you like that and I feel ashamed for not doing anything to prevent it." Clark gingerly pressed a finger to Bruce's lips, stopping him from ranting on about his guilt.
"Bruce, you took him down and you didn't let me die back there. That's all that matters to me and I'm glad you're here with me now." He patted the side of the bed for him to join him and it was there that Bruce sat on the side and took his mask off. Clark could see the sadness in Bruce's eyes and took his hand, Bruce reciprocating the gesture by giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
"What was it you wanted to tell me before? When we had dinner together and when you came to my office and tried to ask me to join you for some coffee, you seemed like you had something you wanted to tell me. Care to elaborate on that?" Clark, who was still reeling from the exposure, was feeling weak and didn't think about telling him.
"It was nothing, Bruce. I just wanted to know if you weren't busy to spend some time with me." Clark wanted to kick himself for not seizing the moment to tell him how he felt. But how could he tell him when he was lying on the bed, weak? Bruce would have thought it would have been from the kryptonite exposure if he had said it. Damn, he had to find some other way on telling him. And he had to make sure that nothing would get in the way of him doing so.
4: This time around, Bruce was the one who was hurt and Clark didn't see this coming. Scarecrow had infected him with his fear hallucinogens and this made it impossible for Clark to get anything through Bruce's head. He knew that his boyfriend showed no signs of fear but this was the one time where he saw him at his weakest point.
Clark had stopped Scarecrow and made sure he was at Arkham, of course, but he had to work overtime to make sure Bruce was okay. When he got him back to Wayne Manor, he had to get him into his bedroom so that he could sleep it off.
"Master Kent, is he-" Alfred began to say, taking notice that Clark was carrying Bruce bridal style.
"He'll be fine, Alfred, I just need to get him upstairs."
"Yes, sir." The butler paid no attention to his master's sexual orientation and just figured that if Clark Kent made him happy then by all means.
Clark had gotten up into the bedroom and laid Bruce in his bed. He heard his partner let out a sigh with a slight hint of a groan, knowing that he was in a bit of pain. When he thought about leaving, Clark got up off the bed and began heading towards the door, and then he heard,
"Clark?! Clark, where are you?!" His head shot up when he heard his partner call for him and he immediately sat back down on the bed.
"I'm right here, Bruce." This wasn't the Bruce Wayne that Clark knew and adored but he had to be with him until he stopped hurting. He took Bruce's hand and held it against his chest, allowing Bruce to feel his gentle heartbeat. "You'll be okay." Bruce looked at him with fear in his eyes and Clark knew that Scarecrow had done a lot of damage to Bruce.
"Clark... I feel like I failed them. My parents are probably thinking that I'm a disappointment and a failure to the Wayne family name. Am I really a failure, Clark?" Clark smiled before shaking his head.
"No, Bruce, you aren't. You're just hallucinating things thanks to Scarecrow's hallucinogens. You, Bruce Wayne, are a hero whether you want to believe me or not. Sure, you have made some mistakes in the past regarding the loss of your parents and Jason Todd but you have saved countless lives as Batman. I bet that Thomas and Martha are looking down on you right now as we speak and they are most likely proud of you. You were their only child and look at where you are now. Your run Wayne Enterprises, you're a multi-billionaire, you are just as powerful in the social world as Tony Stark is. And you kick some major butt as Batman. Believe me Bruce, you mean the world to Gotham even if they don't realize it. And you know what?"
"What?"
"You mean the world to me too." He paused to let this sink into Bruce's head. Bruce allowed a single teardrop fall down his face quietly as he began to take in what Clark was telling him. It was no use in telling him the words, Clark thought, it was better off for him to just figure it out himself. He would realize that sooner or later that Clark did in fact truly love him. Bruce held onto Clark for dear life as he wrapped his arms around him. "What's wrong?"
"Please stay with me, Clark? I don't want to feel alone. I need you by my side."
"Like I said, I'm not going anywhere. Everything's going to be fine, I promise." Clark had laid down next to Bruce on the bed and Bruce had allowed himself to place his head on top of Clark's chest. He also wrapped his arms around him, holding him to make sure he wouldn't leave. "I'm right here, Bruce."
"Thank you", was all that Bruce could say. Clark leaned down and gently placed his lips onto Bruce's lips.
"I love you, Bruce" Clark whispered, Bruce didn't say anything. He had already fallen asleep the moment he spoke those words. It didn't matter, at least he got to tell Bruce that he loved him. This was one of those times where he didn't care that Bruce didn't hear him, he was glad that he was able to tell his boyfriend how he felt towards him. He would have to try again but this time, he was going to do this differently.
5: Clark realized that it had been a month after that night he had spent at Bruce's because of the Scarecrow incident. He wished that he could go see his boyfriend again, even if the hallucinogens did wear off three days later. Clark, not as Superman, had stayed with him for those three nights that Bruce needed him the most. He saw it best to stay with him and it would give him time to spend with Bruce despite the state he was in. No matter what was happening with Bruce, Clark loved to spend time with him.
But things began to get busy at the Daily Planet and this was something Clark didn't know how to handle. Lois had explained to him that if he wanted a bonus, he would have to get a story about the Presidential elections. What kind of dirt was there to get that hasn't already been reported? He knew that Spider-Man was working the Daily Bugle and that he might get some dirt before him. Nonetheless, he thought it best to just think of something about both presidential candidates and pieced together information he picked up during the third debate. He began to type his article when all of a sudden,
"Mr. Kent, you have a visitor." Now? Bruce was coming to see him now?! Why? He was already too busy with the article and he was on a roll with it. He let out a sigh and knew that Bruce was coming to visit him and he was going to be happy about this. After all, he liked having this kind of fantasy happen to him in reality. Bruce would show up, dashing as always, sweep Clark off his feet and then the two of them would see all the best sights in Metropolis since Clark knew all the best spots in Gotham. They had been in this relationship for about 6 months and not once have the two of them said the infamous three words that most couples would be saying at this point. Bruce was afraid of saying anything because in the past, his relations weren't so great. The only other relation that Clark had that wasn't with Bruce was with Lois and that also didn't do so well. Clark had thought that Bruce would end up with Tony Stark, but was relieved to find out that it wasn't going to happen between them.
Bruce made his way towards him and Clark had enough time to make sure he looked presentable for him.
"Mr. Wayne, what an unexpected surprise", Clark began to say, "What are you doing here?"
"Can't I come and see my boyfriend while he's at work?"
"Not when he's working on the story of the year." Bruce could sense the slight sass that Clark had incorporated into his response and he knew that he had picked this little habit up from his time with Lois Lane. He smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Mind if I read what you have so far?" Clark was already aggravated because of the fact that he had to get the article in by noon and now Bruce was here and he didn't have a plan to tell him the words he wanted Bruce to hear. Instead, he was getting him to read something that was still a work in progress and it may lead the Chief to yell at him again. He noticed that Bruce, without permission, had taken his seat and began to read what Clark had written. He began to type something and this caused Clark to jump to conclusions. His article was so bad that his own boyfriend was proofreading it.
"Bruce, what are you doing?" He made sure that no one was looking at what was happening between the two heroes and that he could get away with talking to his boyfriend in public. "Are you seriously proofreading my article? The article that I have been spending hours working on and it's due in about 10 minutes?" Bruce looked up at him and Clark couldn't help but let his heart skip a beat at the sight. He never could resist those eyes of Bruce's, hell, he never could resist anything that had involved him to begin with. His partner looked like he was a little boy, lost and confused, and it was only there and then that Clark had realized that Bruce wasn't reading his article. He had opened a new Word document and had written something for him. He got up and started to head his own way. Clark instantly sat down to read what Bruce had written and it read the following,
"My place. 8pm sharp. Tonight. I want to talk with both you AND Superman."
He looked up from the monitor, slightly adjusting his glasses as they were about to fall off the rim of his nose, and saw that Bruce was waiting for him to respond. "Mr. Wayne!" Clark shouted as Bruce made his way to the elevator.
"Be seeing you, Mr. Kent." Bruce said, winking at him as the elevator doors closed and Clark stood there with his jaw slightly loose. Two can play at that game, he thought to himself. There was definitely another way for him to tell him.
~The one time he meant it!~
It was around 7:30 at night when Clark was getting ready to go visit Bruce in Gotham. Travel was never really a bother since Bruce knew that Clark could fly and he flew at the speed of light. He had said goodbye to his Clark Kent look and had changed it for his Superman cape and tights. Instead of having his hair slicked back like he did when he went to work, he made one tiny change to it. Superman was known for having a spit curl in his hair and that was the little change that he made to his appearance. Bruce often teased him on how similar both Superman and Clark Kent are and it began to bother him. Could anyone other than Lois and Bruce know his secret identity? Clark would make sure never to reveal or give any hints as to who he was, but now this had caused suspicions to arise between him and Lois. Is it possible that as an act of spite, she may have told someone or reported to the Daily Planet that Clark Kent was Superman?
He shook his head at the very thought. He didn't want to think of something so preposterous as that. He was already set to meet Bruce for their special night and he was going as Superman. Would Bruce be himself or would he be Batman was the question on Clark's mind as he left his apartment.
It was strange, there was a note on the front door to Wayne Manor, telling Clark to head over to the bedroom window. Without any sign of doubt, Clark flew towards the window and saw that Bruce was standing there as himself and waiting for him. He had a backpack with him and this sparked curiosity in Clark.
"Wow, a surprise visit from the Man of Steel. Must be my lucky day." He laughed as Clark raised an eyebrow.
"Bruce, what's going on?" His partner had tossed his bag over his shoulder as he held his arms out for him to hold him.
"Clark, I want to stay with you for a few days. If it's no trouble at all." He was confused. He could have just told him that while he was at the Daily Bugle. Something was up. "But not at your place. Your real home."
"Haven't I already told you? Krypton is gone and the Ice Fortress is off limits for you, especially after what happened last time." Bruce shook his head. "What?"
"Not there or the Ice Fortress. I mean the farm you grew up in Smallville. I've been meaning to meet with your parents again, you know. They loved our first meeting and said that I could come back anytime. As long as I was with you."
"I don't know about this, Bruce..."
"Please Clark?" It was one thing that Clark's mother, Martha Kent, loved to see Bruce around Clark but it was another thing to hear that his boyfriend wanted to see his potential in laws again. Jonathan Kent accepted Clark and his life choices and liked the fact that he was happy with Bruce Wayne. He knew that if Bruce made him happy, then he was happy.
"Are you sure about this?" Bruce looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow, confused as to the question that was being asked. "I'll take that as a yes. For all I know, Ma would be really happy to see you again." Bruce smiled.
"Good. Now, let's get going." Bruce took the initiative and jumped out the window, startling Clark to the point where he really did fly faster than a speeding bullet. He caught Bruce in his arms and carried him bridal style as they flew away from the manor.
"I hate it when you do that, you know. It makes me nervous." For only a moment, Bruce placed his hand on Clark's chest and was able to feel his heart racing at his fingertips.
"Do I make you nervous, Superman?" It was there that instead of an answer, Clark merely dismissed the question by letting out a silent laugh. Bruce was really tempting him and Clark knew he wanted to say it. But he thought it would be better off if he said it when they were on ground, not wanting to risk anything happening between them while they were in the air.
Countless times during this trip, even if it was going really quick because Clark was speeding like a silver bullet, Bruce looked up at his partner without him even taking notice and he would smile at the fact that this was the man who made him the happiest. But when they finally arrived at the Kent family farm, Clark smiled at the realization that he was home. Not just home as in his actual childhood home. No, he was home because he had come back to the place he grew up with the man that he loved and adored. That truly made him feel at peace for once in his Kryptonian life.
Martha was the first to welcome them home and it was only five minutes later that Jonathan came inside from working in the barn to welcome his boy and his partner home.
"It's so good to see you boys back here," Martha said, giving the two of them a hug. She held onto Clark longer because she thought it would be temporary and that she would have to let him go again. Motherly instincts, Clark figured and he held onto his mother for dear life before his father let out a small cough. Martha had clearly been crying during the small moment in time when she held him but she was surprised to see him in his Superman costume. "Did anyone catch you while you were out and about flying in this?" Clark shook his head and when she turned to Bruce, he did the same. "Well, as long as you two are safe, that's all that matters to me. Isn't that right, Jonathan?"
"Yes, of course it is. But what brings you boys back? We were thinking the two of you would be showing up to spend Christmas with us like you did last year. We weren't expecting the two of you home so early." Martha nudged him in the side. Clark couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his parents being their normal selves.
"Don't ask them that! If they wanted to come home, they can come home whenever they want to. It's not like we are going to deny them the chance to stay here." She looked at both of them. "You boys can stay here for as long as you need. Clark, I still have your old clothes in your room ready to wear. And Bruce, I still have the guest bedroom prepared if you'd like to stay there. Unless, well... I'm sure you boys have other sleeping arrangements." Bruce turned red at the thought of Martha Kent knowing that the billionaire slept with her son. Clark looked at his mother and father with a smile on his face.
"Ma? Pa? Will you excuse Bruce and I for a moment?"
"Of course, sweetie." Clark took Bruce by the hand and lead him outside.
"What's going on Clark? I thought we were going to spend some time with your parents since I asked that you bring me here." When Clark stopped walking, they were standing on a hill top.
"That's why I pulled you out here for a minute. I want to know why, other than seeing my parents again and being here in Smallville, you wanted to come back here." Bruce looked away for a moment before returning his gaze towards his partner and answering him.
"You said something to me the night you stayed with me after we fought Scarecrow. Clark, don't think I haven't figured it out this whole time. I know you've been meaning to tell me that you love me and I heard you say the words every single time that you tried to say it or when you said it. The first time caught me off guard because there truly is a first time for everything. But then when you kept saying it, I knew that you do love me and it was only a matter of time until you would actually flat out say it and I would be there to hear you. Which brings me to my next point... Are you going to say it now that we are alone and nothing can distract us?" Clark took a step back and Bruce smiled. He was onto him the entire time and he was waiting for him to say what he had been saying or wanting to say this entire time. Clark could see that Bruce was waiting for him and that his eyes shimmered in a way that he never noticed until now. Instead of answering his partner, he grabbed him by both arms and this made Bruce jump slightly. "Clark?"
Clark lifted Bruce at least five feet off the ground before pressing his lips onto Bruce's. Bruce thought of saying something but held back and returned the passion that Clark instilled in this kiss. Slowly, they began to spin in the air and it was there that Clark found the right timing to say it.
"Bruce Wayne, I love you."
"Well, it's about time you said it, Clark Kent." Clark was appalled by the response but let it go when Bruce said, "I love you too, Clark." Clark allowed his feet to touch the ground as did Bruce and he thought about returning to the house but then Bruce pulled on his arm. "They can wait five more minutes." Bruce pulled Clark with him as they fell onto the grass and laid next to each other as they began to kiss and share a passionate moment with each other. This was what Bruce wanted. This was why he had strolled into the Daily Planet and written that note on Clark's computer. This was why he had insisted that they come back to the Kent family farm. All of it was an elaborate plan to get away from all the possible distractions of being who they really are and their superhero identity. He would freak out if anyone at the Watchtower found out about this, hence why he would subtly hint to Clark for some private time.
Nonetheless, he was happy. He had Clark with him and he knew that Clark was just as happy to be with the man he loved.
"I love you, Bruce." He heard Clark say again. He could already tell that this was going to be something that he would never get tired of hearing and Clark would agree.