Well, I stumble through the dark and light a candle...

[silver_lined]

Leaving their younger versions behind, he gave Bruce's hand a soft, careful squeeze before tugging him the rest of the way through the warp hole. He wasn't about let him lose a limb to being a smart ass, after all. And it was hell to replace the pieces of the exo-suit.

"I ought to kick your ass for that, Bruce," he said with a sigh as they made their way back into his own Fortress. It was a bit darker, a little more full, and dustier. Definitely dustier. He'd never quite be able to undo the damage that eight years of neglect had done on the place.

Comments

[beyondthebat]

Bruce turned his head and kissed Clark properly - or, well, maybe not properly by the standards of a much younger man, but better than a kiss on the cheek. He let go of Clark's hand, curled it around his cheek and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

"That isn't what I meant." He didn't think. He waved it away and curled his fingers around Clark's again. "It isn't important. Yes, you got here."

[silver_lined]

"I meant the trip to the past," he said once the kiss was done. "I'm not a complete idiot."

[beyondthebat]

"Yes, you are." It was totally automatic, and utterly without heat. Yes, he was tired and he was sure he'd scared the hell out of Clark. "That was worth every bit of it, and I'd do it again." No regrets there, none at all. "You needed a kick in the pants." And then his hand went to Clarks shoulder, since grabbing his own was both awkward and not nearly as effective.

[silver_lined]

"You just wanted a good look at me when I was young and pretty," he teased back before leaning down to kiss that hand so gently.

[beyondthebat]

"I did not," he protested, in a dry tone that left no doubt as to his opinion of that. "You weren't young and pretty. You looked about twelve."

He accepted the kiss then eased his hand free and maybe he was kind of restless, maybe he was just using one hand to compensate for not moving anything else, but he slid his fingers lightly through the silver streak in Clark's hair. Gently. Lovingly.

He'd learned a thing or three over the years.

[silver_lined]

"I'm sad we didn't get to see you then," and his eyes were closed as he spoke, leaning into Bruce's fingers.

"If I was twelve, you were probably still in shortpants."

[beyondthebat]

"You'll have other opportunities," he murmured, almost absently. "Feel free to mock me soundly for being an uptight, pretentious, ass."

Not that he wasn't still all of those things, of course.

He kept his fingers moving through Clark's hair. He still enjoyed - no enjoyed and appreciated so much more - the fact that Clark would just yield and give and relax when Bruce touched him. That he could still give that to Clark.

[silver_lined]

"Why would I do that when I can spend every one of those moments kissing you?" he asked with a slow purr as he leaned into the touch and turned carefully to press a few kisses.

[beyondthebat]

Because sooner or later spending moments kissing him was going to be both creepy and gross, Bruce's not at all really going mind, and still dark sense of humor supplied.

He left it alone. He couldn't force that on Clark and it wasn't all that urgent, anyway.

"To mock him. Pay attention."

He simply made a low sound in his throat and took advantage of the lowered gravity to hoist himself over onto his side. That - hurt, fairly badly actually. His body reacted to that pain and Bruce just - pushed it aside as best he could.

It was worth it for the ability to properly get his hand into Clark's hair. More importantly it let him kiss Clark back, sweet and soft.

[silver_lined]

He wanted to reach out, reach over, put him back in the right position. He knew how much pain Bruce must be in, could see his nerves screaming, but to tell him the danger would be to tell him other things. Things he wouldn't tell Bruce. Not when he was kissing him. Not when his hand was in his hair.

He always paid attention to Bruce. Always.

[beyondthebat]

Bruce didn't stop kissing Clark until he was good and well done kissing him, but then he put himself back in a position that didn't make a body he'd broken and abused for decades try and exact revenge on him.

He left his hand in Clark's hair, anyway, closed his eyes and waited for a second or two for the protest to stop and to catch his breath.

And pretended to be completely diverted while he did it. In truth, he more or less was.

[silver_lined]

Clark let him lose his fingers in his hair and shifted his head the tiniest amount to move his fingers without his own effort.

He'd let his eyes close, but he peeked one open to see Bruce's eyes. He loved Bruce's eyes. They were still the most beautiful ice blue. Always had been, always would be.

His hand reached up and stroked Bruce's cheek. The skin was soft, papery, but it was Bruce's. And he could still see the faint sheen of rainbow light around Bruce that he'd loved to watch for years.

[beyondthebat]

Bruce was exhausted. He wrote it off as a result of his trip into the past, and that was a large part of it. The minimal effort involved in rolling over and kissing Clark - and the pain caused by it - played a role, too.

It frustrated him, anyway. It frustrated him enough that even as exhaustion and the warmth of Clark's fingers on his cheek eased him toward sleep (if only because they were warm, Clark's, and soothing), Bruce fought it like hell. Actually growled through his teeth, just a bit.

"You know I can tell when you fake it."

[silver_lined]

"Who's faking anything?" he asked as he opened the eye a little further.

"I'm just seesawing between one pleasure and another. I like looking at you."

[beyondthebat]

"Sleeping with one eye open to watch me?" he asked, sounding impossibly fond as well as a little exasperated. He tightened his fingers and gave Clark's hair a gentle tug - even by old man standards. "You're allowed to sleep, Clark. Look at me later."

He spent time here. There would be a book and reading glasses around for him in reach.

[silver_lined]

"I'm allowed to sleep when I'm tired," he huffed back before turning to give that arm a kiss to the inside. "I'm going to grab a book and settle in for a bit. Nothing pressing."

[beyondthebat]

"I promise not to make another unsolicited trip until at least tomorrow," he said, a little drily. He let go of Clark, though, and switched hands to reach for his reading glasses and book.

In truth, by the time Clark made it back he'd almost certainly be asleep, no matter how fast Clark moved.

[silver_lined]

He was asleep, his reading glasses drooped on his nose. Clark reached over, pulled them gently off of his face, and put it over onto the dresser. The book hadn't even made it into his hands but he put Bruce's hands back together in the antigrav field so he could cradle him properly.

Bruce had his own book but he never read the book when Bruce was asleep. Instead, he laid down beside Bruce and watched him, running his hands up and down the other man's arms, his chest, along his sides. There was a feel to a touch, something unique and special, when it came to every single person. Every person was an experience and Bruce...

He'd take every bit of Bruce he could get.

[beyondthebat]

When Bruce was much younger that sort of attention would have woken him up in a heartbeat. He was past that point. He knew Clark, inside and out- loved him, trusted him, to degrees and depths that nothing but time could build. Unshakable, infinitely deep, and complete.

It did serve to keep him from slipping too deep, going past sleep and into something dangerous.

He slept deeply, anyway. Kept sleeping deeply for hours.

Right up until pulse slowed down a little too far and his breathing went shallow and then he jolted awake and started coughing.

[silver_lined]

Clark moved almost instantly, reaching up to brace him and hold both the back of his neck and his chest to keep both of them from moving too much and causing damage.

"Careful," he said quickly, "careful. Even out. I'll get you some water once you even out."

[beyondthebat]

Bruce grabbed onto Clark, where Clark was bracing his chest and actually had enough strength in his grip that if he'd been holding onto a human he would have been leaving indentations in skin and grinding bones together.

It was - panic-fueled. Neither panic nor that surge of strength lasted longer than it took him to do what Clark told him to do and gain enough control of himself to actually breathe (instead of the self-defeating hacking attempt to get a lot of air at once.)

He... evened it out. Will power.

"If you're going to bribe me..." It was tired and still short of breath but. Willpower.

[silver_lined]

"I'd offer something better, but I was trying to get you to calm down," he said smoothly. The squeeze had been frantic but it'd been a good sign. Bruce's strength was uneven but it'd been slowly decreasing. That had been a good firm grip.

[beyondthebat]

Bruce snorted and closed his eyes and kept working on just continuing to get his breathing to even out. "You could always try a nice glass of scotch," he snarked. Okay, that sounded more normal. He had this breathing thing back under control. His heart still felt strange, but it was evening out, too.

"Though I suppose I'll take your water and like it, since you're delivering."

He'd made a promise. He was going to keep it. Besides, he had - less of an idea what was going on than Clark did, and Clark wasn't freaking out.

[silver_lined]

"You get a nice glass of scotch when you've been awake for a bit," he said firmly, because scotch could put him right out. And he would admit, he was greedy for time with him. The more time he spent asleep, the less time he could have.

It was so selfish, but he couldn't help it.

[beyondthebat]

Bruce agreed; he was likely to go right the hell back to sleep if he drank anything like a good scotch and that wasn't - that wasn't what he wanted or Clark needed.

He let go of Clark's hand and pushed back a little against the hand at his neck. "Set a timer," he grumped.

He didn't even want the damned stuff, he wanted Clark to know he was okay. "Do that while you're getting my water, and think about getting something to eat while you're at it." Or some sun, but that was basically eating for Clark.

Look, he'd stop worrying when he was actually dead. And not a second before.