𝙼𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎!
Enjoy a little warm superbat short fic from me to you this holiday season 💋
Gotham didn’t really do Christmas the way Metropolis did.
There were lights sure, but they were softer here, half-hidden by fog and snowfall, reflected in wet pavement and dark windows. The manor was quiet when Bruce finally came home, snow dusting the shoulders of his coat, the city still clinging to him like a second skin.
Clark heard him before the door even opened.
Bruce didn’t say anything at first. He never did. He loosened his gloves, set his keys down carefully, and only then looked up like he wasn’t sure he deserved what waited for him.
There was a tree in the corner of the room. Not tall. Not perfect. Bruce had insisted on one that felt real, sparse branches and all, decorated with old ornaments Alfred had kept for decades. Soft lights glowed against dark wood and shadowed ceilings.
“You’re late,” Clark said gently.
Bruce exhaled, tension leaving him in a way it never did anywhere else.
“Gotham didn’t want to sleep.”
Clark crossed the room in two steps and pulled Bruce in, forehead resting against his temple. He could feel the ache in his bones, the weight he carried home every night.
“You don’t have to carry it tonight,” Clark murmured.
Bruce closed his eyes and smiled.
They didn’t exchange gifts right away. They sat together instead. Bruce’s boots kicked off, Clark’s arm around his shoulders, the snow falling silently beyond the window. Clark listened to his heartbeat slow, steady, safe.
Later, there was cocoa (Bruce pretended not to like it), a quiet record playing in the background, and a small box Bruce slid across the table. Inside was something simple. Thoughtful. Chosen with care.
Clark didn’t tease him. He never did about things that mattered.
When Clark handed Bruce his gift, it was wrapped imperfectly, corners crooked. Bruce smiled at that. He always noticed.
Outside, the city went on—sirens, shadows, the endless need for heroes.
Inside, for one night, there was only warmth.
Only the soft glow of lights.
Only the knowledge that no matter how dark the world became, they would always find their way back here.
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