Claire Kent, Federal Agent, undercover to find the missing piece within the illicit powers in Gotham believes Billionaire Bryce Wayne will answer all her questions after finding a shell company of a shell company leading to W.E. Which only leads to Bryce pulling out her own ID that proves that she is somewhat of a consultant to the government after her parents death lead her to give up her place in CIA.
Now she propositions Claire to help her find the rat in this corporate espionage-- Because it clearly is one. The prime suspect being Oswald Cobblepot as he is one of the few mafia syndicate that have real legal standing.
Only 3 months after late night stake outs with Bryce on the comms, coffee at Claire's dingy apartment at odd hours that end with Bryce falling asleep on Claire's shoulder. And one proper date before Claire finds out about this secretive entity, it all comes crashing down, when Bryce reveals she is the missing piece, The Bat.
Bryce is Gotham.
"You have good instincts," Bryce sweeps one curl out of Claire's face as Bryce's men hold her down, "But not the survival kind."
“Being a coward? ME? I gave you ten years, Clark. Ten! “
“And you’re the one walking away from it, not me! “
“Like you have been emotionally checked out for at least three years now.”
“Now you're just putting words in my mouth!”
“Oh really, when was the last time you did anything for me? For us-”
“--Acting as if last Friday didn’t happen!”
“Last Friday? Your obligatory lunch with me?”
“Why would I come all the way to Gotham–”
“It takes you two minutes to get here and twenty to finish and leave!”
“I’m here to have lunch!”
“Exactly! You're not making time to come see me! Spend time with me!”
Clark shakes his head, face twisted with a ugly grin, “Fine. If you want to make me the villain.”
Bruce honestly wants to claw at his face, “I’m doing what you have always been too cowardly to do.”
Clark scoffs,“Cowardly! That’s rich coming from a man who has made a bunker of his home!”
Bruce steps behind the kitchen counter, desperately needing more air, “I’m going to divorce you. Leave. Get out. I’m tired of loving you.”
The worst part was how ordinary it had become. Being held through the night. A kiss before Clark left for work. Dinners spent kicking each other beneath the table. He had gotten used to having someone who stayed. A life shared. He had thought he had found forever.
Despite everything, he had always known he was romantic—he was only ever impulsive about love. Sure, he picked the kind of love that would leave him shredded and bleeding, but it made him feel alive—human.
But Clark? He had been the first shot at something real, no rooftop chases, no hits that felt like a kiss- Clark was soft, giving, loving. Clark had made forever look ordinary. Really, Bruce had simply been stupid enough to believe that Superman would want to spend forever coming home to him .
Batman Is at His Best When He Remembers He's a Detective
One of the reasons I've always loved Batman is that, at his core, he's a noir protagonist.
I adore crime fiction, detective novels, hardboiled mysteries, and classic noir stories. Give me a cynical investigator, a city full of secrets, morally gray suspects, corruption hidden behind wealth and respectability, and a mystery that slowly unravels piece by piece, and I'm immediately invested. That's why I always get excited whenever Batman stories return to his earliest roots and remember that he was originally conceived as a detective first and a superhero second.
Don't get me wrong—I enjoy the big superhero stories too. Batman fighting world-ending threats alongside the Justice League can be a lot of fun. But those stories rarely feel as uniquely Batman to me as the noir-inspired ones do.
There's something special about seeing Bruce alone in Gotham, following clues, interviewing witnesses, reconstructing crime scenes, and trying to solve a puzzle that nobody else can. Gotham feels more alive when it's a city of corruption, organized crime, dirty politicians, and hidden conspiracies rather than just a backdrop for the latest crossover event.
The best Batman stories, in my opinion, are often the ones that lean hardest into that atmosphere. The rain-soaked streets. The narration. The sense that Gotham itself is a character. The feeling that Bruce is one step away from disappearing into the darkness he's trying to understand.
Maybe that's why stories like The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Year One, and similar detective-focused runs remain so beloved. They remind us that before Batman was a global icon, a team leader, or a superhero who could punch gods, he was a detective walking through a noir city, trying to solve a crime.
And honestly? That's still my favorite version of him.
Thinking of a college superbat au where Clark and Bruce have a required humanities class together and are paired up for the remainder of the semester.
Things obviously start on the wrong foot because everyone knows the Wayne Heir, either as the most annoying know-it-all in the engineering department or as the life of the party. And Clark wants nothing to do with an engineering student who couldn't care less for ethics.
Worse yet, when they first plan to meet up, not only is Bruce a no-show, but he also yells at Clark when he calls Bruce. Yet there he was Friday night —two days after they were supposed to meet up — at Diana's party, doing a keg stand as the crowd chanted "CHUG!" CHUG! CHUG!
Clark doesn't care about him though, he's only here for Lois. He was gonna ask her out tonight; he had already bought tickets to the panel the Communications department had somehow convinced Vickie Vale to attend. They would get dinner beforehand and get ice cream later while gushing over Vale's articles.
It was going to be perfect.
Except when Clark had decided he was loose enough from the alcohol and so it was the perfect time to ask, Bruce came crashing at Clark as though they were best of friends. An arm slung around Clark's shoulder as he pressed against him. Jimmy winced next to Clark in condolence as Bruce began openly flirting with Lois. Much to Clark's relief, Lois didn't reciprocate--in fact she excused herself to find Diana.
And there went his chance, but at least they weren't completely stolen.
Bruce didn't seem to mind, though, eyes wandering as if trying to find someone. When he found whatever it was he was looking for, he pulled back from Clark, looking apologetic.
"Hey, sorry about Wednesday, you just caught me at a bad time."
Clark rolled his eyes, " No, my bad. I shouldn't have presumed that our agreed-upon time would be a bad time for you. "
Bruce winced, "I'll make it up to you."
"Save it, Wayne, just show up and do the presentations, I'll take care of the rest."
"I'm not gonna coast this class on your work."
"Well, if your booty calls get--"
"Tell you what, you stop spewing nonsense, and I'll get a date with Lois for you."
Clark stopped, stunned. "What?"
Bruce smirked, "What? You thought it wasn't obvious?"
Clark reddened further; Bruce started grinning, "Bonus, I'll coach you on wooing her so hard, she won't even notice the rug being pulled."
Clark shook his head, "Lois is not a-- she's not like that."
"Oh sweetheart, I only meant I'd teach you how to romance her, but if you want those other lessons--"
"Fine! If you can get me a date, we can start over."
"Deal."
But before Bruce spun away into the party, he said winking, "Pick me up at 7 tomorrow; I need to know what I'm working with. "
And then they basically start practice dating to get Clark caught to speed on college dating, except they start falling for each other on the way.
Bonus Drama: Khoa was breaking up with Bruce(another off again situation) the day Clark yelled on call. Bruce basically had Clark date him just so Khoa would get jealous. Clark doesn't realize he's being used until he goes to Bruce's apt to confess to Bruce.
Only to find Khoa connoring Bruce and telling him, "You think I didn't know you were hanging around that country pumpkin to get me jealous?"
Clark bolts, never having felt more embarrassed, so he never hears Bruce say, "It started that way, yes. But you and I, Khoa? We are done. I love Clark."
