Hanahaki AU. Clark visits Bruce Wayne's mansion for an interview and is immediately struck by the overwhelming presence of flowers, filling nearly every room. Upon closer inspection, he notices something disturbing—the petals are speckled with tiny traces of blood. Alarmed, Clark realizes Bruce is suffering from Hanahaki disease, a fatal condition caused by the pain of unrequited love.
Clark asks Bruce about it, and Bruce admits that he is in love with a superhero who could never return his feelings. However, Bruce doesn't disclose the identity of this person, leaving Clark to make his own assumptions. Clark unknowingly jumps to the conclusion that Bruce must be in love with Gotham’s mysterious vigilante, Batman.
This realization saddens Clark deeply. After all, he is secretly in love with Batman too. But despite his feelings, Clark can't sit idly by and allow Bruce to die from unrequited love. Determined to save him, Superman takes it upon himself to try and convince Batman to return Bruce’s feelings, hoping that it would stop the spread of the deadly flowers and cure Bruce.
However, before long, Clark begins to show symptoms of Hanahaki disease himself, the result of suppressing his own feelings for Batman. As his condition worsens, Batman starts noticing the telltale signs of the disease in Superman.
This seems to confirm Bruce's growing suspicion—that Superman is in love with Clark Kent, the reporter Bruce knows he's rumored to be close with. He resolves to help Superman and Clark be together, all while hiding his own love. After all, if Superman is trying to convince him to love someone else, it only affirms that his affections are not returned.
Diana: Okay, I think I’ve shared enough about my love life. Now it’s your turn, Bruce.
Bruce: Hn. Clark kissed me today.
Diana: Finally! I want to hear all the details!
Bruce: I could barely breathe. I felt like I was on top of the world.
Diana: Wow, that must have been an incredible kiss. I’m so happy for you!
Bruce: So am I. I was drifting in space and running out of air. I would have suffocated if Clark hadn’t found me and resuscitated me.
Diana: That’s horrible! How is this a love story?!
Bruce: Would it help if I told you that he went in for another kiss?
Diana: No! You nearly died!
Bruce: We were surrounded by stars… and the remains of my spaceship, but I wasn’t really paying attention to that at the time. Anyway, I thought it was very romantic.
Damian: Are you two going to stare at each other forever? Because it’s getting awfully cold out here.
Clark: [clears his throat] I brought your son over. I think you left him behind at the zoo.
Bruce: Yes, sorry about that. I have Jon here, I mistook him for Damian. I’ve been meaning to drive him back to Metropolis, but you saved me a trip. Thanks.
Jon: Alfred gave me a huge bowl of chocolate ice-cream, dad! It was sooo good!
Clark: Thanks for looking after Jon. Well Damian, I’m glad to have met you again, even if it wasn’t exactly under ideal circumstances.
Bruce: What did he do?
Damian: Nothing! It was the stupid zookeeper’s fault.
Bruce: Damian…
Damian: The zookeeper’s still alive, okay? The monkey would have been happier here anyway.
Bruce: Damian, I told you to stop bringing home random animals. Don’t think I don’t know about the cow you’ve been hiding in your bedroom.
Jon: You have a cow?
Damian: Yeah! Her name is Bat-Cow. Do you want to meet her?
Jon: Wow, I wanna see her! Can I dad?
Clark: Um, sure, if it’s not a problem for you, Bruce?
Bruce: Go ahead. [Watches Damian pull Jon to his room] God, why did I decide to have kids?
Alfred: You have eight, sir. It’s a little too late to be having regrets now. [turns to Clark] Forgive us for our lack of manners, Mr Kent. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?
Clark stared miserably at his plate, seated across from his latest potential marriage prospect, the Omega son of Obs-Tinate, the CEO of Tinate, one of Krypton’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
"So, what do you do for fun?" the Omega asked Clark.
“I read a lot. Right now, I’m going through a book called ‘The Life and Death of Earth’. It’s fascinating—Earth’s culture and history really interest me. I also write under the pseudonym Clark Kent,” Clark replied.
"Oh, you’re a writer. Anyway, you’ll be inheriting your parents' research company, right?" the Omega said, clearly uninterested. Before Clark could respond, a waiter approached the table.
“Welcome to Gotham, esteemed Omega consorts and gentle Alphas. I’m Dick, your waiter for tonight,” the young man said with a playful smile. “First up, we have the hors d'oeuvre, a Gotham specialty.” He elegantly placed the dish on the table.
“Wait a minute, these snacks are cold. I want them reheated,” Obs-Tinate complained.
The waiter looked confused. “Sir, they’re meant to be served cold.”
“I don’t care, they should be hot!” Obs snapped.
Jor-El, Clark’s father, offered the waiter an apologetic smile. “Could you ask the chef if he can make an exception?”
Dick gave a small bow and removed the dish, taking it back to the kitchen.
A minute later, a large, imposing man stormed out of the kitchen. The occupants of the table shrank back as he stomped toward them, his expression furious.
“What do you mean, you want them reheated? Why should I change Alfred’s recipe to suit your unrefined Alpha palate?” the man growled into Obs-Tinate’s terrified face.
“B-Back off, you... you gargantuan Omega!” the CEO stammered, his voice shaking. His son whimpered, trying to hide behind his father.
“Mr. Butcher!” Clark cried out, recognizing the furious man.
The man’s glare shifted to Clark, his eyes narrowing. “You’re that Alpha who’s always loitering outside my butcher shop. Are you stalking me?”
“It’s Kal-El! I didn’t know you worked as a chef here,” Clark said, eyes wide. “Is this your night job?”
“It’s not. In fact, I was never here, and you never saw me.” The man turned, quickly making his way back toward the kitchen.
Clark stood up from the table, ignoring his parents' concerned glances, and hurried after him. “Wait! Can I at least get your name?”
“Damn persistent Alpha,” the man muttered. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Fine. If I tell you my name, Mr. Floppy Bow, will you leave me alone?”
Clark nodded eagerly, his heart racing. He yelped when the man suddenly grabbed his bowtie and tugged him close.
“Call me Bruce,” the man murmured in his ear, his breath warm against Clark’s skin. He released him with a wink and disappeared into the kitchen. Clark caught a glimpse of Dick giving Bruce two thumbs up just before the doors swung shut behind him.
The shout from behind stopped Clark in his tracks. He groaned inwardly, turning around to face the transfer student from Gotham—the bane of his high school existence—Bruce fucking Wayne.
"Bruce, I’ve got nothing to say to you," Clark said flatly. Bruce glared at him, arms crossed over his bare chest.
"Yeah? Does this look familiar to you?" Bruce asked, reaching into his bag on the nearby bench. He pulled something out and tossed it at Clark. Instinctively, Clark caught it, and his blood ran cold when he realized what it was—his missing red blanket.
"This is mine! Where did you find it?" Clark demanded.
"Your room," Bruce replied with a shrug.
"Did… did you break into my house to steal my stuff? What is wrong with you?"
Bruce smirked. "I returned it, didn’t I? I borrowed it for an experiment."
Clark took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. Oh, how I wish I could strangle him right now. "What experiment?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Various kinds. And guess what I found out? That blanket of yours is impervious to damage."
"What?" Clark said, confusion growing.
"Fireproof and practically indestructible. It's stronger than anything known to man." Bruce’s gaze sharpened. "It’s definitely not from Earth."
Clark's heart skipped a beat. "What are you trying to say, Wayne?"
Bruce moved closer, their chests almost touching, his icy blue eyes boring into Clark’s. "I'm saying that you aren’t from Earth." His voice dropped to a low, menacing growl. "Are you part of the same alien force that destroyed Gotham City Hall?"
"I don’t know what you're talking about! I’m not an alien!" Clark shouted defensively, shoving Bruce without thinking.
Bruce went flying, crashing into the metal lockers with a loud clang. He groaned, slumping to the floor.
Clark's stomach lurched as he realized what he’d done. The lockers were completely dented in. "I—I didn’t mean to do that!" Clark ran over, kneeling beside Bruce. "Bruce, are you okay? I’m so sorry! I couldn’t control my strength!"
Bruce clutched his head, wincing. "Ugh, my head... Selina was right—honey trapping would be more effective than direct interrogation." He paused, eyes half-lidded. "Think she’d give me tips?"
"What?" Clark blinked, utterly lost. "Bruce, you’re probably concussed." He quickly lifted Bruce into his arms in a bridal carry. "You need medical attention, hold on!"
Bruce groaned. "Can we at least wear something? I mean, sure, you’ve got a lot to be proud of, but I’d rather not expose myself to the whole world right now."
Clark blushed, realizing their state of undress. Hastily, he lowered Bruce back to the ground, grabbed his blanket, and draped it over both of them. Once they were decently covered, Clark scooped Bruce up again and ran out of the locker room, ignoring the strange and alarmed looks from the other students.
Bruce turned as a furious man stormed toward him, dragging a child by the arm. The man jabbed a finger at a brown stain on his shirt, clearly ice cream, given the cone still clutched in the boy’s hand.
"I didn’t bump into him! He bumped into me!" the boy protested, yanking his arm free with such force that the man nearly lost his balance. The man glared at the child before turning back to Bruce.
"Well? Aren’t you going to compensate me? This shirt’s expensive!"
Without a word, Bruce extended his hand toward the boy, silently requesting the ice cream. The boy hesitated, then handed it over. To the man’s shock, Bruce calmly dumped the remaining ice cream onto his head.
"There. Now you’ve got a matching hat. And here’s $10 for your knockoff shirt," Bruce said, slipping a bill into the man’s pocket. "Why don’t you spend the rest of the day cooling off instead of picking on kids? Come on, kid."
With that, Bruce walked away, the boy trailing obediently behind him.
Once inside the car, Bruce started driving back to the manor.
"I’m sorry your day at the zoo got cut short, Damian," Bruce said after a moment. "I’ll ask Alfred to get you a big tub of ice cream when we get home, okay?"
"Uh... I’m Jon," the boy replied hesitantly.
Bruce slammed on the brakes.
***
Meanwhile, Clark raised his hands in a placating gesture, trying to calm the angry zookeeper standing before him. A child clung to his back, occasionally hurling small sticks and pebbles at the man.
"Your kid is an absolute menace! You should be ashamed as a parent!" the zookeeper yelled.
"I’m really sorry about the trouble. Let me talk to him, okay?" Clark replied, trying to defuse the situation. The zookeeper gave them both a final glare before stomping off.
Clark sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The kid finally slid off his back and stood, brushing off his pants.
"We’ve talked about this. You have to keep a safe distance from the animals at the zoo. Why did you climb into the monkey enclosure? You know it’s against the rules," Clark admonished him.
"That zookeeper was being mean to the little monkey! He deserves to be free!" the boy argued, crossing his arms defiantly.
"Okay, but that doesn’t give you the right to throw things at the man. You could’ve hurt him. You know we’re supposed to use our powers responsibly, Jon."
"What are you talking about, old man? If I wanted to hurt him, I’d have used the tiny knives in my boots. And my name’s not Jon."
Clark blinked, then reached down and pulled the cap off the boy’s head, revealing a pair of angry green eyes staring back at him.