Chapter Text
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“Mr. Kent, it’s a pleasure to have you.” Alfred smiled through the gap in the door. He nodded at Clark with respect before opening the door fully, allowing him to cross the threshold. Clark felt honoured to be let into the household by Alfred, it made him feel extra welcome in a way.
This year, since Bruce was still - though he wouldn’t admit it - desperate to earn the Kent family's approval, Bruce had given Ma and Pa Kent an all expenses paid trip to Fiji for Christmas. He told them they could take the trip whenever they desired, but considering Pa still insisted on running the farm, the winter was the best time for them to go. Ma and Pa Kent, being from the Midwest, were incredibly excited to get out of the country for the first time in many - many decades. It wasn’t often they could leave the farm, and without Bruce's help, they would never even have renewed their passports. They had simply never needed them.
Much to Clark’s dismay, the pair had been so taken by the gift they insisted on going right away, which meant they were missing Christmas. Leaving Clark to find other accommodations. So here he was, standing in the grand foyer of the Wayne estate for Christmas with the bat family.
Clark was excited to spend Christmas with Bruce and the kids, but the family was tense when they all gathered in one big ensemble, as exemplified by last year's incident.
Apparently - with Damien having his second christmas with the household, but his first where Jason bothered showing up - both Jason and Damien had recognized each other from their time in the league. According to Jason, Damien was some “Bruce Wayne fanboy” who annoyed Jason regularly; and according to Damien, Jason was “relentless in his defamation of [his] Father’s character”.
Since then they had settled down, but honestly Clark still never knew what to expect from any of the kids, especially Jason. He couldn’t understand the boy's anger- well, he understood his trauma, but Clark remembered what Bruce was like after Jason’s death. And he certainly remembered how broken Bruce had been when Jason came back, particularly after the clayface incident with Hush.
Clark knew the two of them were… complicated, but looking over to Jason now, where he stood chatting with Stephanie about some TV show - all the while glaring over at Bruce as Bruce himself adjusted Damien’s sweater… Clark just wanted Bruce to have a steady family.
Not that Clark himself had too stable of a relationship with his kids- well, Jon was fine, but he was with Lois this year; and Conner wasn’t really his son- another can of worms in and of itself - so he supposed he couldn’t judge.
“Clark.” Bruce smiled, looking up from Damien and walking over to him. The tension seemed to leave him as Clark set down his bag of gifts to receive Bruce, who ran a tender hand over his shoulder. They still needed to work on public affection, but this was already more than Clark ever could have asked for.
“Ew P.D.A!” Came Jason’s heckling in the background. While Dick snickered, and Tim smacked his brother, Bruce still drew away.
Alfred corralled everyone into the living room, and oh boy did Clark not know what rich person Christmas was until this very moment. The room was decked out wall to wall in decorations. Damien boasted proudly that he had decorated the room with his father and Casandra, claiming they were the best decorators in all the land.
“Hey! I brought the bat family christmas ornaments- I think they bring it all together.” Dick interjected, crossing his arms. Clark could agree with that, seeing how the very grand and somehow alive tree was decorated in ornaments for each member of the family. Most of them where the cheap Gotham touristy ones, with Cassandra and Stephanie displayed on their respective ornamental balls; Jason, Tim, and Dick all had little figurines hanging in the tree- Damien of course had his robin Ornament close to the set of bat-themed ornaments near the top. There was even an older figure of Barbara’s batgirl hanging near Dick’s nightwing- and finally Duke’s signal ornament lit up as the christmas tree topper.
Duke floated up to the christmas tree’s top and beamed at Clark, something Clark naturally did in turn. Duke was about to head out, and Clark had just missed Barbara and Commissioner Gordon- so Bruce hauled out a heap of gifts for Duke - the sack was about the same size as the boy before hugging Duke tight to his chest. Clark’s eye twitched when Jason whispered to Nightwing about Bruce being overly affectionate again.
Of course Bruce is affectionate, he just doesn’t always know how to show it.
Clark grumbled internally, shooting Dick a look. Dick noticed and seized up a little.
Now Clark felt bad, he didn’t want to take Bruce’s side over Dick’s when the boy was essentially his own kid in many ways; but, especially when knowing firsthand how Bruce struggled with being affectionate, Clark couldn’t help but get annoyed.
And it was Christmas for crying out loud! It was a holiday about family, why would they spend time looking down on familial affection on Christmas? It didn’t make any sense!
On the other hand, Clark knew that the tentative peace that Bruce had found with Jason was one Bruce valued more than anything. Maybe Clark just didn’t understand, maybe he just wasn’t used to the way families worked in Gotham… Or heck- even the big city.
As the family drew inward towards the living room, settling in their seats, small incidents kept arising.
Bruce would smile and Jason would roll his eyes.
Bruce would give a gift which was personal, though perhaps childish, and Jason would scoff.
Even when Bruce gave Jason his present, Jason simply shrugged.
Clark felt torn. It wasn’t his business. It wasn’t for him to dictate how they existed with one another. It wasn’t for him to step in.
But he swore his Ma’ and Pa’ would kill him if he let Christmas of all holidays be soured by a bad attitude.
“Bruce- you didn’t…” Stephanie held up an array of boxes with some kind of planet printed on them; in the center a large one sat, illustrated with two cartoons as far as Clark could tell.
“I didn’t go over the budget.” Bruce stated, crossing his arms.
Stephanie placed her gift aside for a moment- well, perhaps aside is a strong statement. She tore her eyes from it for more than two seconds to raise a brow at Bruce. “You don’t think I’m very aware of how much these cost?”
Bruce looked a little stunned. “I only went a little over.”
Stephanie shook her head as Cassandra leaned in. Dick interjected, “Whaddy’a get?” Slurring a little since he had cookies in his mouth.
Sitting in silence for a moment Bruce tried to explain himself. “Well- Cassie has a similar gift- I heard you talking about them and-”
“No way- you got them the Nana collection?” Dick interjected, eyes wide as saucers.
Bruce looked between his children. “Does everyone know what this is?”
Jason eyed them all skeptically, judging by his eyes widening a little, Clark assumed that he, too, knew what this was.
Laughing now, Stephanie held up the center box gleefully, smiling even wider when Cassandra did the same. They both had a set of books it seemed- “He got the Vivienne Westwood anniversary edition of Nana for us.”
Cassandra smiled widely, well, as much as Clark had ever seen her, and nudged Stephanie playfully. She opened the cover and gasped.
“No..” Stephanie’s eyes widened. “They’re signed?” She whipped back to Bruce now, her skepticism turning to excitement. “No way you used your ‘Wayne’ clout to get these signed?”
Bruce looked like a deer in headlights.
After some further rustling, Cassandra pulled out more of the boxes. Her fist moved to her right cheek, then down, then she drew it out slowly- Clark could tell she was placing emphasis on her point - before quickly signing through the rest of her sentence.
“You got all of it?” Stephanie appeared to just be repeating Cassandra’s statement- something Clark was grateful for honestly.
Looking between the two of them, Bruce nodded minutely.
Jason scoffed something about ‘buying their love’. Bruce tensed.
“You got us the whole ass collection?” Somewhere in the background Alfred yelled something akin to “Language, Ms. Stephanie- we don’t curse on christmas.”
“Should I not have-” Bruce looked a little defensive. “I asked Ai Yazawa what she thought- she said that those were the pieces most important to the books, I figured they would make a good compliment-”
Stephanie groaned. “You spoke with the author of Nana?” She shook her head. “The whole world will now think Bruce Wayne reads Yuri.. what have we done?” Stephanie slumped back in her chair and Casandra patted her shoulder sympathetically.
Now tensing with stress Bruce looked concerned. “I thought it was a suited gift, I apologiz-”
“No!- No, it's great!” Stephanie covered. Cassandra nodded. “But Bruce, stick to the budget man.”
Cassie got out of her seat next to Stephanie and walked over to her father figure, leaning down and placing a kiss in his hair. Clark couldn’t quite catch what she signed, nor what Bruce grumbled back, but considering her smile and Bruce's small sigh of relief all seemed well.
Clark thought his heart would melt at the way Bruce melted into his kid’s touch, and he melted even further as the presents continued.
Soon enough they wrapped up presents, Damien very proudly showing off his hoodie with bat-cow - somehow Stephanie had managed to print him a hoodie with bat-cow, who is bat-cow? - and Cass speaking enthusiastically to Bruce in ASL. Joy welled even further as Clark didn’t think he had nearly enough chances to see these kids - well, most of them - smile.
As the group rose to put away gifts before dinner, Clark figured it couldn’t hurt to talk to Jason, Bruce was distracted and maybe he could just see if he could alleviate some of the tension. Besides, it may be good for Jason as well, Clark really in the end just wanted to see him happy. At least, he thinks that’s what he wants.
“Jason.” Clark tried to smile when he spoke, sound gentle, but it came out a bit sharp. A bit wrong.
Jason’s shoulders tightened ever so slightly, drawn in as he turned. “Sup’ alien.” There was defiance in his eye as he met Clark’s gaze head on. Jason always was quite tall, wasn’t he.
Clark felt his eye twitch at the title of address. He’d rather not be reminded of his nature every other second. “Could you come with me for a moment?”
Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Jason raised a brow. “I guess.”
Clark stepped off into some side corridor - the manor was full of those for some reason - and tried to figure out if some random room was private enough when-
“Do you… need help? finding somewhere private, that is?” Jason looked a little bewildered now, eyes darting around awkwardly as he nodded to a bookshelf.
Feeling a little silly Clark nodded, watching quietly as Jason pulled a book, followed by another- then another.. “Jason, what are you-”
The bookshelf soon fell in on itself, collapsing into some hidden space behind what Clark now observed to be lead-lined walls, revealing a concealed stairway. “Emergency entrance to the Batcave. When I’m avoiding Bruce I find he’s always least likely to check his own space.”
“I’m not avoiding him-”
Jason cut him off. “I know.”
They descended the stairway in silence after that.
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