7 DAYS A WEEK 2019 | SUPERBAT PROMPTS

DAY 07: From Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Chapter Title: la fleur
Day Seven: Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Rating: General
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 749

It wasn't love at first sight, but it was definitely hate at first sight.

Clark learned about the presence of Batman from the news. He was given the authority to write an article about the Gotham bat, and Clark despised him. He didn't agree on the ways he handled those criminals – it was too cruel and inhuman. Just look at that burn mark! Those men would be permanently scarred forever!

Then again, which love story started with one of the main characters ripping off a part of the other's car?

Their relationship was the kind which grew extremely slow. It was planted as a curious seed on their first meeting, and it had only begun to sprout when the misunderstanding between the two was revealed. The seed bloomed into a beautiful flower on the day Bruce confessed in his drunken state.

It wasn't complicated, but it wasn't easy for either of them.

Their relationship was strained due to their unpleasant first interactions. Bruce was ashamed for the many rushed decisions he had made, but he was too proud to admit it.

During the celebration of Superman's return with the Justice League, however, the vigilante drank a little too much and was tipsy.

×

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"Right," Clark replied with a deep sarcasm. "Especially the Kryptonite spear and that finely ground Kryptonite dust."

"You have to understand. We were at war."

Clark frowned. His Ma might had told him what a kind man Bruce was, that Bruce was just badly misunderstood and a poor traumatized soul. Those were just excuses, though – a mask Bruce put in front of Martha, due to his guilt for creating the deadly weapons which had killed her son.

"You were at war, Bruce. Not me."

There was silence. Bruce was pouring another glass of wine, and Clark wasn't stopping him. No, he didn't understand why he should. This is the man who'd tried to kill him. Why should he feel sympathy for him?

"Once," Bruce started again. "I believed in humanity and I paid a dear price for it." He looked straight into Clark's eyes. In the brief moment, as the words rolled out of his tongue – Bruce didn't look drunk. "I lost my child."

At first Clark felt ridiculous. No matter how miserable Bruce's life had been, it shouldn't allow him to try and hurt Clark. However, as he listened to Bruce's rant, he realized how deep of the impact of a child's death was for their parents.

While he didn't entirely forgive the man for what he had done (that Kryptonite dust was too deadly), Clark had come to understand why Bruce had paid constant visits to Ma when he was gone.

He was making sure that Ma didn't go through the process of mourning alone.

For that, Clark was grateful.

The rant went on for a while, but Clark listened with full attention. This time when Bruce began to pour another glass of wine for himself, Clark finally decided to intervene.

"Bruce," he said. "That's enough for tonight." For the first time, he was smiling kindly at the older man. "Let's get you to your quarters."

×

That night, Clark came to understand another side of his enemy – his human side. He decided to let go of his grudges towards Bruce, and become sincere friends with him.

The bond grew stronger, watered by the daily care for each other. It grew slowly like a flower bud that waited to bloom. The gap between them began to turn smaller, as they grew more comfortable beside each other.

Then came the night they kissed. It was the eighth year of them being friends and partners in work. How it happened – neither of them remembered, but there were lots of hints given by each other throughout the years of their friendship that this was inevitable. That night, both of them decided to be brave and confess by action.

The flower blossomed and continued to grow. It became stronger with each passing day, because that was the kind of love Bruce and Clark shared. It was mature, yet innocent at the same time. It needed a lot of nurture and care from both of the men.

Love had its ups and downs, but Bruce and Clark never fell out of it.

The flower of their love would never wither, 'till the last days of their lives.