Chapter Text
He and Clark were still on maternity leave. At night during normal patrol hours, they took turns babysitting Jon. The newest addition to the family was getting bigger everyday.
Jonathan Bruce Wayne-Kent was now five months old and was now sleeping a little better through the night. Instead of waking every two hours, he was now sleeping for three hours at a time. Sometimes even four hours!
Most nights, Alfred volunteered for baby duty. But the boys were home. Clark felt that it was best to alternate the babysitting duties so that everyone had a chance to catch up on sleep and rest, himself included.
That evening, Clark voluntold Tim because it was his turn to relieve Alfred saying, “He needs to rest.”
Tim didn’t argue. He simply took the baby from Clark’s arms.
Seriously, he began explaining to Jon, “Dude, we’re going to go watch a classic movie flick. This is the start of your education. The Terminator is a fabulous analysis of the existential threat that AI poses. The double-edged sword of technology shaping our future. Opportunities mingled with the very real risk of losing complete control of our future lives.”
Clark watched him and then looked over at Jason who had been sitting at the kitchen island eating a slice of pie. He was holding the phone in one hand and a fork in the other while still managing to use the pinkie on his fork hand to manipulate the screen.
Jason looked right at Clark and shrugged, “I think it’s impressive that he can string those words together in a way that makes sense. Personally, I don’t think that he can spell most of them.”
Alfred stopped washing dishes.
“I’m fine,” Alfred said turning away from the sink.
He looked upset as evident by the deep creases in his forehead.
“I know,” Clark replied simply. “And we’d all like you to stay that way. I’m not going to push my newborn son off onto you every night because I can. You need to sleep just like everyone else.”
Alfred looked upset, still he turned back to the dishes.
Under his breath he mumbled, "I once went without sleep for forty seven hours while taking on hostile fire. A baby isn't going to jar me." Alfred turned away from the sink and then stiffly snarled, "I will have you know that I did it all with an infected knife wound on my left buttocks!"
Shortly after Kelex had first healed him, Alfred had started showing up every night for the regular training sessions. He’s started to push himself harder than a man half his age should. The usual pains of old age were gone. Old injuries that had sometimes plagued him as residual pain and stiffness were now a memory.
He and Bruce worried that perhaps Alfred was overdoing it. However, the man was resistant to the idea of slowing down.
Somehow, aging had become a slap in the face. Mentioning it was tantamount to betrayal. And it felt as if Alfred was now...sensitive.
Suddenly, there was a minefield layered in eggshells around any situation where Alfred was made to ’feel old.’
Still, Clark wanted to make sure that they rotated any babysitting duties fairly. While at the same time allowing him and Bruce a little adult time.
While Tim watched the baby through the night Clark planned on fulfilling his patrol in Metropolis.
Their official maternity leave from work had quickly morphed into a stretch of R&D, for Bruce, when they weren’t crime fighting.
Bruce’s maternity leave had quickly resulted in a new car for Night Wing. It has always been a project that Bruce had meant to get too, but never seemed to have the time.
Suddenly, he had the time.
Dick was overjoyed and excited at finally having his own vehicle.
“My ride,” Dick had said happily. “Is going to be called Night Bird.”
Bruce was still watching the final download into the car’s onboard computer as he said, “Instead of naming it and worrying about getting the emblem on the car just right, you ought to be worrying about the security and defensive features.”
“I already checked everything,” Dick insisted. “Defensive and offensive weapons are installed, working, and loaded. Smoke pods, the oil slick packets, parachutes, and grappling hooks all checked. And, the fuzzy dice are even in place.”
“Take it seriously,” Bruce grumbled.
As Dick put his mask on, Alfred didn’t hesitate to remind him, “Keep your communications open at all times.”
Dick threw a hand up in Alfred’s direction as he gunned the car happily.
Then he drove out quick enough to be a nuisance, but with just enough restraint for it to not be completely reckless.
Jason had been upgraded to a sports bike.
The paint job was planned as red as his hood.
At the design meeting Bruce had simply warned his son, “It has minimal features, Jason.”
“Ricochet,” Jason had said somberly as he looked at the bike's specifications. Jason had simply shrugged and said, “I just need it to go fast and be maneuverable.”
Bruce seriously warned him, “This is a fast arrival and a fast getaway. That’s all. It’s much quieter than the bike you’ve been training on. The autopilot is on the left like we discussed. Aside from an ejector seat that will shoot up and back a hundred feet, you don’t have anything else.”
Jason had nodded. “That’s all I want.”
“You’re going to need as much stealth as possible. I’ll keep working on the engine and cut the sound down while I can try to increase the speed.”
“What about the thrusters that you put on the Batmobile,” Jason asked seriously.
Bruce took a deep breath in and blew it out as he though it through while he stared at the red bike's design. “I can do it. It’ll be loud as hell.”
“If I need the thrusters, who cares?”
Bruce had only nodded in agreement.
And because it had needed minimal alterations, it was ready at the same time as Dick's car.
“Communications on, Master Jason,” Alfred said as Jason put his domino mask on and pulled his hood down.
Bruce went to stand near Alfred as they watched Jason straddled his bike. He didn't hesitate to take off into the dark maw of the cave entrance and the night beyond.
Alfred hit a button on the computer, closing off and hiding the Batcave’s entrance from the outside world.
Alfred didn’t hesitate to say, “They think that they are grown up and invincible.”
Quietly, Bruce admitted, “Every time I’m not with them out there, I worry.”
“I know this constant state of worry well,” Alfred said simply. “In this family, it’s called parenthood.”
Bruce didn’t respond.
Alfred sat down at the controls.
Kelex was near by.
Floating silently.
Monitoring.
Learning.
Kelex seemed to constantly be expanding its understanding of the family of humans that surrounded it.
And again, it was hovering nearby observing as Alfred watched their backs and monitored their interactions.
Three computer monitors were already up. One was tracking the signal put out by the GPS tracker on each of the boys and their vehicles functions. The second was flipping through all available traffic cameras as the computers tracked their signals through the city. And the third, was real-time map of the city that showed traffic lights, police vehicles, active roadway constructions, and current detours.
Instead of speaking further on the matter, Bruce turned away and to got himself ready for his patrol.
It was a familiar ritual. Warming up his body. Donning his Kevlar and then the armor that shielded his body. Once his utility belt had been refilled and he was absolutely confident in his equipment, he began his walk to the Batmobile.
On his way out, he stopped.
His dark figure was already blending into the darkness of the cave.
“Don’t stay up all night, Alfred,” Bruce had said simply.
Alfred’s only response was, “You’ll be late to beat down some punk…sir.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Usually, Clark arrived first. His patrols over Metropolis were usually shorter since he extended his senses out. He monitored vast distances for the greatest threats and dealt with them accordingly.
The Batman’s patrol was uneventful. By his definition that meant that he wasn’t directly hurt during the few altercations that he’d had that evening.
The police had received the usual kind of wrapped up perps. Sobbing criminals grateful to be alive. Evidence and or stolen goods at their feet.
Clark was a little later than usual in getting home, but it worked out that evening.
Bruce had just arrived.
He had unclasped his cowl at the base of his neck.
He was just dragging his cowl up as Clark touched down.
When their eyes met, Clark couldn’t help but smile. Bruce’s eyes were bright. He wasn’t smiling, but happiness touched his eyes.
Clark walked right up to him and smoothed back his ruffled hair. It always looked wild when the cowl came off.
Bruce didn’t hesitate to take Clark’s hand and kiss it.
Clark smiled.
Finally, Bruce smiled too in that way. It was a filthy thing that mirrored exactly what he was feeling at that moment.
Clark turned to look at the open door to the bedroom at the end of the dais.
The bedroom was there for all the practical reasons.
Bruce turned to see Alfred still at the controller watching; the boys had yet to return.
He didn’t hesitate to say, “There is an extra power dampener on the nightstand.”
Clark smiled.
Instead of answering, he didn’t hesitate to use the very edge of his abilities to get himself naked in the bedroom’s en suite bathroom. Before the water fell, he was standing in the tiled shower area, waiting. The water eventually fell, and he washed off as much sweat as possible.
By the time Bruce walked into the bedroom, Clark was waiting in bed. He was toweled off and ready.
Bruce punched in the door code and scanned his eye. The giant, reinforced, metal disk that acted as a door slowly began to roll into place.
Bruce walked over to the bed as the disk continued to close.
He watched Clark with a content look on his face.
He unlatched the arm braces as he watched Clark open the small led lined box on their night stand.
Clark pulled out the dampener and put it on around his neck.
Bruce had taken the opportunity and time to craft the collar-like piece specifically for Clark. Instead of a delicate chain or cord, Bruce had created a thick foundation that wrapped around him making the squared off oval of the dampener's centerpiece. It housed and slightly altered the kryptonite inside. Under the treated glass, the centerpiece was able to dampen Clarks’ powers so that he could experience a normal life.
Or, as normal a life as two superheroes could have.
Once his arm guards and greaves were off, Bruce's uniform came off quickly.
Bruce slid into bed meeting Clark in a kiss. He slanted his mouth across the other man’s mouth. The kisses were slow. Deep. And messy.
Clark instantly felt the stress melt away as the contact soothed every stress in his body.