The Downside of Being A Wayne

1 An Unexpected Visitor

The doorbell rang. On her way through the hallway, (YN) stopped in front of the mirror to check her appearance one last time. She took a deep breath and tugged a strand of lose hair behind her ear—a look she knew her boyfriend appreciated.

(YN) and Clark had been seeing each other secretly for a few weeks now, and things were going great between the two of them. She couldn't believe her ears when he'd even disclosed his secret identity to her, and to his surprise she had taken it well. He of course didn't know that she was familiar with the world of superheroes, let alone that her brother, Bruce Wayne, was Batman himself. But Bruce's secret wasn't hers to tell and he knew his sister would never give it away.

Clark had promised to be at (YN)'s place by 7. That was an hour ago, but she knew of his sudden disappearances and sympathized with his unpunctuality. Besides, he always made it up to her...

(YN) rolled her lips to even out her lipstick and reached for the door handle, ready to let Clark in.

She swung the door open, a bright smile on her face that quickly faded when she realized who was standing behind the threshold.

"Bruce?" (YN) asked, sounding a little troubled. "What are you doing here?" She peeked behind him, fearing the worst, but Clark was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello to you too. I'm here to check up on you. Or am I not allowed to?" Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhm. Right now? Why aren't you at home?" She tugged that lose strand back behind her ear, unease cursing through her body.

Her brother narrowed his eyes at her. "Like I said... To see how you're doing."

"Oh... right," (YN) said, still on edge. If Clark showed up right now... "Aren't you gonna invite me in?" Bruce interrupted her train of thought.

"What? No. I mean yes, of course. Come in," she sputtered before adding a loud "Bruce." She hoped Clark would hear her and would be smart enough to stay away until her brother would leave.

(YN) stepped aside reluctantly to let Bruce come inside and when he headed for her living room she scurried behind with a scowl on her face that he couldn't see.

"Are you expecting someone?" Bruce asked when his eyes landed on the cackling fire in the fireplace, the wine bottle on the coffee table and the candles that were guttering here and there in the dimly lit room. (YN) sighed. It was pointless not to tell him the truth as the older Wayne always saw straight through his little sister's lies. "Yes," she answered brusquely.

"Whom?" he asked.

"That's none of your business."

Bruce looked at her with that crooked smile she knew all too well and hated because it promised no good. "I think I should stay. Make sure he's a good guy, and all that." (YN)'s jaw dropped open and her eyes went wide when her brother plumped down on the sofa.

She threw her hands up in irritation. "Bruce, come on!" She made sure to put stress on his name, just in case... "You can't be serious. Please go! He will be here any minute."

"Why can't I meet him? You think I won't approve of him?" He wanted to know, pinning (YN) with his gaze. She avoided his intense stare, and looked around the room, trying to come up with a quick, believable excuse.

"It's not that," she started slowly. "It's just..." A quiet sigh. "I really like him, and we haven't been seeing each other for that long yet, and I don't want you to scare him off. He'll feel totally scrutinized by you if he sees you here. Please don't ruin this for me." (YN) said and looked at him pleadingly. The emotional approach seemed to be working as Bruce rose to his full height and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, holding his sister at arm's length.

"All right, I'm leaving," he said and tilted her chin up. "He better be worth you kicking me out." His comment made her laugh and she looked up at her big brother with a small smile. "He is."

Bruce let out a deep breath and nodded once before letting go off (YN). They made their way to the front door together that she held open for him shortly after. "I will see you on Sunday for dinner though, right? Alfred's making some fancy British dish, don't ask me." She chuckled, amused by her brother's ignorance when it came to his butler's culture. "I'll be there."

"Good." Bruce leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun tonight," he said before adding, "And use protection." (YN) groaned and pushed him towards the stairs while he laughed like an idiot. "Goodbye Bruce." The last thing she saw was the stupid grin on his face when she slammed the door shut. Letting out a sigh (YN) leaned against it and closed her eyes. A soft knock sounded and she groaned again. "I swear to god! Bruce if you don't-" She stopped herself when she realized it wasn't her brother she was yelling at. Clark stood in the hallway, a bunch of flowers hiding his face. "Clark?" (YN) breathed and he handed her the flowers, revealing his big smile.

"You made it," she said happily and smelled the flowers before ushering him in. "I'm sorry I'm late. Emergency in—," he tried to explain, but she placed a finger on his lips to shush him. "Shhh, I know. No need to explain." She took his hand, squeezed it softly and led him into the living room. "I'll be right back," (YN) said and walked into her kitchen to put the flowers into a vase.

She set them down on the coffee table and let Clark pull her down onto the sofa next to him. She reached for his glasses and set them aside before moving in to give him a soft kiss. "Hey," (YN) said under her breath. He looked at her with that boyish smile she liked so much.

"I heard your brother was here," Clark teased, and it sounded more like a question. She chortled. "So you got my hints?" she asked and bit her lip. "Loud and clear."

She hid her face behind her hands and mumbled, "I'm sorry, I'm not ready for you to meet him," she admitted. Clark gently pulled her hands down and held them in her lap. "Are you sure it's not the other way around?" he asked softly while looking at (YN) with a worried expression.

She hated that she couldn't tell him the truth. Bruce was always going on about how much Superman needed to be taught a lesson and if he found out that Clark was the villain he was looking for...

"No, Clark, please don't say that," she said and cupped his cheek. "Bruce is just... He's difficult. And he's so protective of me. He won't like that I'm seeing someone... from Metropolis. I need to ease him into the idea, that's all."

Clark let out a deep sigh. "I get it. And I trust you. But I wished we didn't have to hide our relationship." It was (YN)'s turn to sigh. Clark was right. Being a Wayne put her in the spotlight just as much as it did Bruce. It didn't matter where she went, people always recognized her face and paparazzi always snatched pictures for the tabloids. Seeing the younger Wayne out with a guy was just what they were waiting for.

"What can I say, I'm a celebrity," (YN) said with a cheeky grin to lift the mood. Clark chuckled and pulled her close to his chest. "So am I, silly." He pressed his lips to hers and she couldn't help but giggle into their kiss.