Chapter 31: The calm after the storm

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

He could hear. He could think. He could feel the air entering his lungs. He was alive. Alive. How was that possible? How could he have survived after all this? He opened his eyes with difficulty. He was too weak to move his arms or his feet, but at least he could feel them.

He gave his eyes time to adjust to the light. Then he recognized the ceiling of the Watchtower. So their HQ was still there. Impressive. Still in working order. Or was it just a dream? Was it all just a dream?

He tried to sit up and the pain was there. It was certainly not a dream. He looked down at the room and felt a huge relief. The boys were there. All the boys. They were sitting on chairs in front of his bed. Tim was sleeping with his head in Conner's lap, also asleep, and they were taking three chairs. Jason and Dick were next to them, slumped over each other. He noticed that they were all in their civilian clothes and their wounds seemed to have been taken care of. Jason had a skull wound from what he could see and for the others, only scratches on their faces or arms were apparent. He could also see a white tail at their feet disappear out of his view because of the bed. Krypto was here too. If Krypto was here...

Then he heard a growl and a weight next to his arm moved.

"Go back to sleep..." said a doughy, sleepy voice.

Bruce closed his eyes in relief. That voice. He'd been so afraid he wouldn't be able to hear it... He opened his eyes again and moved his arm to the side of Clark's head to run his fingers through his hair. He saw Clark let out a long, contented breath.

"I'm relieved you're alive. "

He noticed that Clark was not in civilian clothes. He was covered in bandages and dressings from what he could see of his torso and he was hooked up to an IV.

"My survival was more certain than yours... I had the Lanterns...," Clark muttered, his voice still slurred.

Bruce didn't know if the Kryptonian was physically exhausted or if it was the drugs that were making him that way. But either way, he was fine. Clark resumed:

"You've been in a funk for days. I told the guys to go home, but they wanted to stay... Dick is keeping Alfred in the loop. Everything's fine, so you can rest... "

Bruce felt he was losing Clark, who was probably going back to sleep. So he squeezed the Kryptonian's hair to say he understood, then closed his eyes in relief.

Bruce read the various reports in the Tower's database on his tablet. After he woke up, Magnus had forced him to stay in bed until he recovered. Bruce hated standing around, so after threatening Dick, he got him to bring back a tablet.

It had been exactly one week since the event that the media had called "Clash of the Titans" or "The War of the Leagues". The fight had been broadcast around the world and soon radio stations, newspapers and social networks were saturated with images and comments on what had happened. The government was quick to censor sensitive information and respond to the population as best it could.

By some miracle, or by the immense diplomacy of J'onn J'onzz with the government and Diana with ARGUS, they were not to blame for such damage. In the eyes of the world, they were seen as the defenders of tyrants and Bruce had to admit, it didn't hurt their image. Of course, there were always those who said they were destroyers and should be locked up, but fortunately they were in the minority this time.

Apparently, after the fight, the military was soon on the scene, led by the ARGUS. Many of the members of the Injustice League had been imprisoned. Some of them had already fled. Within a week, half of the captured members had escaped from ARGUS prisons, Belle Reve Asylum or Arkham. Some had never even reached their destination.

But that was the good part. The rest... they had suffered losses. Batman had missed a good part of the fight, as had Superman. Destroying Brainiac's ship had only ended their own fight, but not the others. They couldn't help them...

Hawkman had died on the battlefield after having one of his wing torn off by Grundy. Blue Beetle had been found in the rubble, killed by bullets. And while they got off lightly, unfortunately, there were many casualties, and some very seriously. If he was very lucky, it was not really the case for others...

Firestorm had suffered great damage and on the field, Jason and Martin were violently divided. While Jason had withstood the shock, Martin currently remained in a deep coma and his condition was declining. Red Tornado had been dismantled in the fight, but was still repairable. Magnus was trying to do everything he could to keep the robot's matrix intact. Green Arrow was still in a coma.

There must have been about 15 of them on the Tower's infirmary floor, but that's a lot of traffic. Bruce and the others couldn't move, but people were coming to them and he had been visited by many people, especially to talk about work or to check in. Diana was amused that every time she came, Clark slept like a rock and still didn't change his position, if at all.

Bruce had promised J'onn that he would give him vanilla cookies and milk as soon as he got out of there, to thank him for all he had done. He knew that the Martian had a great weakness for those little black cookies with a vanilla disk inside. He had already asked Alfred to send a case of champagne to Zatanna, knowing that the magician loved this drink.

Alfred had only been able to see him by video-conference. Until his condition was stabilized, he was not allowed to leave his bed. But the butler was still relieved to know that he was okay. He was looking after Dick and Jason, the only ones who had returned to the Manor. Tim and Conner, on the other hand, had returned to Mount Justice under the watchful eye of Wildcat and Raven. For them, it was important that their absence from the outside world not be noticed. So Tim had to go to school, too.

The Green Lanterns had helped repair the Tower first. During the attack by Brainiac, who had been assisted by Black Adam, Sinestro and others, their HQ had received quite a bit of damage, especially on the lower floors where there had been major depressurization problems. Now the exterior was repaired and the interior had to be restored, as well as their external defense systems and weapons.

Some of their vehicles and ships kept in a special hangar had blown up or been lost in space. All Gardner could find was Booster Gold's ship.

Finally, for the time being, there was nothing more urgent to do. Carter and Ted's funeral had been held two days earlier, and even though he had not been able to attend, he shared the grief of their loved ones. According to Barry, Valhalla Cemetery hadn't been this flowery in a long time. The people were more grateful than ever. They would not be forgotten.

Bruce put his tablet down. After causing so much damage, they would have to clean up and get back to work. There was still so much to do. So much more to do. But he wouldn't be doing it alone. He wasn't alone anymore.

He reached out and touched Clark's curly hair. No, he would definitely never be alone again. He smiled fondly as he stroked his fingertips through the brown locks. No one had asked any questions in front of him about what Clark was doing at his bedside, rather than in his bed to heal. Diana, who had seen them kissing, had merely smirked. Anyway, if no one talked about it, he was fine with it. It would avoid him to send people on the roses. He then closed his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face.

Bruce had been able to get out after a week and a half. That was his maximum. As soon as Magnus had assured him that there would be little chance of him having complications, Bruce had taken his things and Clark and returned to his Manor. If he felt up to the task, the Kryptonian still needed rest, without exaggerating. He had only been lucid enough to greet Alfred, to answer a joke that Jason had thrown at him and after he had laid down on the bed, he had collapsed from fatigue.

This state of exhaustion had worried Bruce for the first few days. But after checking with Niles Caulder and J'onn J'onzz, they assured him it was normal. The solar flare that had previously boosted Superman's powers was fading, and that was why he was having trouble recovering. Caulder had explained to him that he would probably never again be able to drain his cells of energy in this way because this time his body, back to its Kryptonian normal, would no longer be able to take this kind of trauma.

Again, it was a miracle that he had come through it so well. The Green Lanterns had found him after his solar flare and thanks to them, his body had been preserved from many traumas. The injuries from his fights had been extensive and had to be treated in an emergency. Bruce figured that with all he had been through, it was no wonder he needed to rest. So he let him sleep, getting back to his normal routine.

When Clark got up, he felt sick. His stomach hurt and his head was spinning. Quickly recognizing where he was, he casually walked over and turned on the shower water. He sighed with satisfaction as the hot water relaxed his tense muscles. It felt so good. It was slowly bringing him out of this semi-comatose state he was in and he could start thinking clearly.

He was at the Manor. He knew Dick and Jason were there. He knew that Kon and Tim were at Mount Justice. He knew in broad strokes what had happened. It was over. Finally. Bruce was okay. The boys were okay. He was okay. That was what mattered to him.

He quickly got into the shower, eager to see Bruce. To see his face, to know how he was. If he was getting enough sleep, if he was eating enough, if he wasn't in pain, if he was taking his medication, if he was paying attention... He wanted to see him. He needed to see him.

He dressed quickly in the clothes he had left in the room and went downstairs. He had not recovered his powers, he could feel it, but already he was stronger and faster than a normal human. So it would come back little by little. That was something.

"Hello, Mr. Clark!" Alfred exclaimed, a smile on his face.

Clark ignored good manners. He hugged the butler.

"Alfred! I'm really glad to see you. "

It really made him happy. He pulled away from the unsettled butler. Clark got right to the point:

"Where's Bruce? "

"Downstairs. Can I get you something to eat? "

Clark thought for a second.

"I think I'm starving. "

Alfred nodded and Clark went down to the Cave. Not surprisingly, Bruce was in front of his monitors. He didn't really know what he was doing, but for the moment, Clark didn't care. Bruce turned to him when he heard him coming.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Clark hurried toward him.

"I'm fine now," the Kryptonian replied simply.

Bruce was dressed in a light gray shirt and black pants. No Bat in sight. Perfect. Clark grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him unceremoniously.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief as his arms went around Clark's back. One of his hands even slipped into his hair. Clark did the same. He kissed him, again and again, until he was breathless, until he was sure Bruce's taste was soaked into his tongue. He pulled back, letting go of Bruce and reflexively smoothing his shirt.

"That's even better. How about you? "

Bruce gave a slight chuckle as his eyes were clearly amused.

"Better too. "

Clark didn't have the ability to use his X-ray vision yet. So he'd have to do with that. He moved closer to Bruce to hug him again, this time in a gentle embrace. He needed to feel him near him, alive and well.

"I was so afraid of losing you..." Clark let out, burying his face in the Gotham vigilante's neck.

"Me too, Clark. I thought you wouldn't survive. "

Bruce was referring to his solar flare. Clark stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I thought so too... "

Bruce glared at him for a second.

"Unconscious! "

Clark smiled tenderly.

"I love you so much, Bruce. "

He slid his hand over his cheek and kissed him tenderly. Bruce closed his eyes during the exchange. He felt as if they hadn't kissed in ages. He pulled back, however, and Clark turned his attention to the monitors, a serious look on his face.

"Can you give me a rundown on what I've missed? "

Bruce nodded and began his story.

Clark was still deep in thought even at dinnertime. He was having a much harder time than Bruce in processing all that had happened and the consequences, including the loss of their friends. Ollie had come out of his coma the day before and was still in the Watchtower, but as for Stein's condition...

After Bruce's lengthy summary, Clark had left to check on the two critically injured. He hadn't stayed long at Ollie's bedside because he was unconscious, but he had talked with Dinah. Stein, on the other hand, had his sidekick Jason watching over him and desperately waiting for him to wake up, refusing to accept the diagnosis that Caulder and J'onn had made. Stein was dying. Firestorm would need another partner to exist.

He had then gone to Mount Justice. It was the weekend and Tim and Kon could go back to the Manor. Clark had suggested that Tim accompany him to Valhalla Cemetery, where his idol, Ted Kord, aka the Blue Beetle, now rested. Kon had come with them to support the Robin. They had also passed by the grave of Kara, and Carter, and many others. After that, they returned to the Manor.

As usual, when the three Robins were there, the house was always lively. And that night, at the dinner table, they were no exception. But Clark was elsewhere. He was eating while deep in thought, and his worried look did not go unnoticed.

"Clark? "

He received a gentle nudge from Dick. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the men at the table.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. You were saying? "

Tim continued.

"We were just asking what's on your mind. "

Clark ran a hand through his hair.

"Nothing, nothing special. I just... I can't realise it's all over. "

After months of traveling the world, watching his back, training, tracking, stalking his enemies... Yeah, it was hard to tell that Metallo was dead, that Brainiac, even if he was alive, wouldn't be back for a while, and that Cadmus Labs had been reduced to nothing. Whatever he was doing was now over.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do now? "

Clark shrugged.

"Not really. "

"Are you going to go back to being a reporter? "

Tim chimed in:

"Are you going to put the Superman cape back on? "

Dick continued, and the two of them went on to ask questions:

"What about the Fortress, are you going to bring it back? "

"Are you going to go back to Smallville? "

"Would you rather go back to Metropolis? "

"You could stay too! "

"Do you want some more green beans? "

The last question drew a blank and everyone turned to Jay, who looked petty.

"Stop harassing him, you guys are heavy. "

Tim sulked and Dick grinned.

"Sorry. "

Clark was grateful to Jay for stepping in. Bruce spoke up.

"You have time to think about it. And whatever you decide, you're always welcome here. "

The Kryptonian looked into Bruce's gray eyes. He sensed a different tone in his voice. Kon spoke up in turn.

"There's a lot to do, like rebuilding the Hall. I know I'm a newcomer, but I offered to help J'onn."

Clark smiled fondly, proud that Kon had taken the initiative. Tim responded:

"Why didn't you tell me? "

Kon shrugged his shoulders in a detached manner.

"You didn't ask. "

"How could I know there was anything to ask? "

And the two teenagers went into an argument. Kon remained detached and calm and Tim was the hotheaded one. Clark knew that Kon had some anger in him, but he was surprisingly calm with Tim. The two of them had a very particular dynamic.

"You guys are boring," Jay grinned.

"They remind me of others," Bruce commented in a slightly brittle tone.

He and Jay glared at each other. Dick sighed wearily at the side and said to Clark:

"By the way, I saw Zatanna earlier. She told me to remind you that you had to show her the inside of the Titanic. "

Clark vividly remembered telling her that he would. He sighed.

"I'll get back to her. I've got to get my crystal back from the Watchtower, and Krypto has to bring me the key. "

"What are you going to do with it?" Dick asked.

Clark was really confused. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. If he was going to keep the Fortress in stasis, or move it to another location, or bring it back to the same place, or who he was going to leave the key with... He sighed and answered with even more annoyance on his face.

"I don't know. "

There was silence, everyone watching him. The look on his face must have told them that he didn't want to talk about it any further. So Bruce shrewdly changed the subject. Clark didn't follow this conversation either.

Clark listened to Bruce play the piano. The sound of the music echoed through the Mansion, covering the bursts of voices of the boys challenging each other on the game console. It seemed so normal. So quiet. It was as if everything that had happened had never happened. Yet it had. Why couldn't he move on like they did?

He lay down on the roof, looking up at the cloudy sky. There were no stars visible, but it still soothed him to look at the sky. That, and listening to Bruce's notes. He knew the Bat was playing for him. He could feel it. This attention went straight to his heart.

He let his senses expand. He could hear for only a mile, but it was enough for now. He concentrated on the notes of music, on Bruce's breath, on his movements that he could perceive. He had a chance to be with Bruce. To be with this person he had longed for and loved with every fiber of his being. He also had the possibility of being able to go anywhere.

Now that he had no job, no place to live, he could really decide to go somewhere else. He could also do his best to do his vigilante duty and... He slapped his face with the flat of his hand. He had always told himself that he wouldn't do this. That he also wanted to be able to live a part of his life like a normal person. That he wanted to be able to live.

And there, underneath him, was everything he had ever wanted. A person he loved who loved him back and a family. He had Kon, Tim, Jay, Dick and Alfred too. He had a life with them. He smiled, telling himself that his mother had figured him out long before he realized it all on his own.

He felt movement to his right as the Bat, in all its glory, settled in beside him. Clark had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the music stop, let alone heard the Bat arrive.

"I love hearing you play. "

"I know. "

They both remained silent, each lost in thought. Clark sensed that Bruce was preoccupied with something, but he wouldn't be the first to mention it. He knew Bruce well enough to know to let him talk about it on his own. And it didn't take long to come up.

"Rest. "

Bruce's tone sounded at first like an order. But Clark could sense his uncertainty in it. He turned his head toward him.

"Is that what's worrying you? That I'm leaving? "

Bruce kept his mask neutral on his face. He answered in the same tone:

"I see you uncertain and deep in thought. Of course I'm worried. "

His sincerity surprised Clark. Bruce still wasn't looking at him. He exuded so much charisma, even in a situation like this.

"You're afraid I'll leave again. "

This time Bruce turned his head away. His self-esteem refused to reveal more and answer, but that was enough for the dark-haired man. Clark sat up straight.

"I'm not going anywhere this time. "

He stood up as Bruce's silver gaze fell on him. He got up as well and they both walked back into the room. When Bruce closed the window behind him, Clark came around and nuzzled his nose in his neck. That smell... he lovedhis smell.

"You're too affectionate. "

Clark smiled behind his back. He didn't know which gave Bruce away more, the tone of his voice, his flushed cheeks or his racing heartbeat.

"But you love it. "

He kissed his neck and pulled away from him. He undressed with the intention of going to bed. He may have been a superman, but he was recovering. Bruce watched him do it before getting into it too.

Clark lay down on the bed, quickly joined by Bruce. The Kryptonian picked him up in his arms and they stayed there, enjoying each other's warmth, his presence. It was like being able to breathe again. As if they had been holding their breath for all this time. Somehow it was true. This time they could be together.

They were silent for a moment before slowly drifting off to sleep. Clark had vaguely wondered how he'd managed all these years to get to sleep without having this man by his side.