You guys know those fics where it's established superbat and they're older and married, but their relationship is kind of dead, and the fic is them rebuilding it so they don't get divorced and lose the other because they still love each other but it's been so long, they both fell short of how they used to be and so on so on. (If you don't those fics are tasty read them.)
Anyway.
Clark is too tired. He is horrified when his mind conjures up the idea of divorce, but can't help but stew on it. Maybe it makes sense. Maybe it's the best choice. But he doesn't want to. Rao, he doesn't want to. But the idea lingers, and he sets a deadline for himself to make a decision by the end of the week.
Sunday rolls around. And he has seen no evidence that their marriage is worth saving. So he takes one last measure, knowing this will make the choice for him.
He puts on their first dance song.
Decades ago, curled up together on their honeymoon, Bruce peppered kisses over Clark's face, and swore whenever they heard the song, they would dance together. And they have stuck to that promise all along, delighting in embarrassing their kids with dancing in public, risking their identities by dancing during JL events, and twirling each other in the privacy of the manor, just the two of them.
Clark sits at the table, alone, and waits. As the song runs through, and Bruce doesn't appear. As he hears the melody begin to wind down, and he is still alone, and he can feel a cavern opening in his chest as it caves in at the realisation he has lost Bruce for good. That their marriage really is over.
Then there is a crash, and thundering footsteps, and Bruce rushes in, only slowing once he's through the door. He holds a hand out to Clark, using the other to rewind the song back to the beginning just as the last notes play, and gives him a sour look. "You cannot do that without telling me," he grouches, "not in a house this big. I was on the other side of the manor, darling."
And Clark takes Bruce's hand, and lets himself be led through the dance, even when he usually leads, and just listens to Bruce's heart, relishing in being called darling again for the first time in far too long.
Bruce holds him quietly through the entire song, then when it ends again, pulls back just enough to tip Clark's head up with a knuckle under his chin. "What's wrong?"
Clark shatters. "I didn't think you'd come. I thought weโ I thought you weren't going to come," he repeats, and crumples. Bruce catches him, lowers them both to the floor, and cradles him there.
"I promised you, Clark," he reminds, and Clark just clings to him.
"I know. But I didn't think you'd come, and we were over, and we'd get divorced, andโ"
"Divorce?" Bruce's face goes grave, and for a moment Clark fears they'll fight again, like they do more often than not these days, but without the making up that formerly always came with the fights, but then Bruce just tips their foreheads together, and says "okay. If you want that, I won't stop you, but Clark. Darling. I've never wanted any other ending than growing old with you." Then he smirks, and adds "older" to make Clark laugh, to interrupt the flow of his tears, and it works, because they're both well on in their years.
And Clark is laughing, and he's slightly hysteric, but Bruce just hushes him, their heads still touching. "If you want to divorceโ"
"I don't. I swear. I hate it, I hate it, Iโ"
"Okay. Then we'll start today. I'll fix us, Clark. I promise you."
"We'll fix us. Together." Bruce smiles, and they kiss, and it's the first time they've had more than a careless peck in months.
So they stand back up, and Bruce tugs Clark close, rewinding the song and putting it on loop, and they dance for hours, for as long as they can bear, until Clark hears Bruce's hip screaming, then a bit longer when Bruce refuses to stop just yet, then they go to one of the sitting rooms and curl up together, like they used to, and just relax together.
Damian pops by after his shift from the hospital and finds them fast asleep like that, and gets emotional. Because the kids had noticed the shift, the distance, the bitterness, and had many talks about if their dads would get divorced. So Damian takes a picture, sends it to the groupchat, and back out slowly.
The next day, both Clark and Bruce are determined to be better for the other, and each begin their extensive plans they separately conjured while cuddling, in order to keep their husband. Neither are letting the other go without a fight.
Anyway this was all inspired by a video I saw of this woman turn on their first dance song after her and her husband had a fight to see if he'd come in. And he did, and he looked so grumpy, they were both still mad, but he came in to dance with her anyway and I wanted to cry it was so cute.
