@causeimanartist man this took a while lol
Funny thing about Batman is that when you first meet him everyone just kinda assumes he's ‘something’.
No one is quite sure what but there is an agreement amongst all the heroes and villains that interact with him that Batman must be more than human, after all, he can be thrown off a roof and be up and about the next day.
When Clark and Diana first started getting close to Bruce they hoped he would open up about what it was that made him so special.
Afterall Clark was always happy to answer any questions on being an alien and Diana never shut up about her home amongst the Amazons. Yet despite talking about detective work and science he never told them what he was and honestly, as more time passes the more it began to hurt.
“Do you think maybe… he doesn't trust us?” Clark asked nervously while Bruce was in the other room preparing a bowl of popcorn for their movie night. It had been a challenge to get him to say yes until they mentioned they were planning to work their way through the Sherlock Holmes movies.
He said yes very quickly after that.
“Bruce is complicated and as much as I hate it he's damaged, for all we know whatever reason he has his abilities is tied to his past trauma.” Diana sighed stretching out on the couch giving her poor legs a break before Bruce returned to fill up the now empty middle space “maybe he will tell us one day maybe he won't We can't let it change anything between us.”
Clark nodded solemnly “I know. It just feels like all this progress we made with him doesn't really mean anything if he won't tell us something like this. If we didn't figure out who he really is for all we know he would never have told us and then maybe we would never have become so…”
“Close?” Diana finished for him. She hated to admit it but the same nagging doubt had been at the back of her mind. “He cares about us as much as we do him. We have to trust that.”
“Trust what?” Bruce asked walking in carrying a large bowl of popcorn that was likely the work of Alfred judging from the lack of burnt chunks peppering the food.
“Nothing. Nothing it's fine” Diana said quickly wanting to avoid the topic and not ruin their nice evening but it seemed like Clark decided enough was enough.
“Bruce be honest you trust us right?”
Bruce looked stunned for a moment, setting down the popcorn on the table in front of them “Of course I do, what kind of question is that?”
“it's the kind that comes up when you've been keeping secrets from us since we met. Bruce, why have you never told us what you really are?” Clark continued.
For a moment the two believed they had made the right decision up until the colour drained from Bruce’s face and he began to have a panic attack.
It was nothing short of terrifying watching a man who had stared down Darkside and threatened to blow up his entire freaking planet on a bluff begin to crumble in on himself.
Super speed meant Clark got to him first but he just fluttered around in worry not sure what to do.
Diana however gently pushed him to the side and took hold of Bruce’s shoulders.
“Copy my breathing Bruce. In and out. In and out.”
It took a few minutes before those awful gasping breaths turned into more steady be it still a little shaky ones.
Eventually, though Bruce let out a slow steady breath and gently pulled away from Diana. “I never really lied to you guys. I just assumed since I had the surgery that it wouldn't matter or that it wouldn't matter to you in the first place. I'm sorry I wasn't upfront with the fact I'm trans I just-”
“That you what?” Clark asked in confusion.
“The fact that I was born a woman I assumed that's what all this is about.”
And just like that Clark looked back on his poor choice of words and began to feel very guilty “What no Bruce that never meant anything to us i didn't even know.”
“Me either but the sex one is born as means nothing in my home i assumed the same was here, Clark was simply referring to the mysterious nature of your powers.”
Bruce stared at them for a moment before he began to laugh.
Even after all this time, it was still a sound that left the two heroes weak at the knees no matter the situation but they managed to snap out of it in time to ask the important questions.
“What's so funny?” Diana crossed her arms glancing at Clark just in case there was a joke she was missing. He, however, looked as confused as she was.
“I don't have any powers I'm just a normal human. Did you two really think I was a meta all this time?”
“I honestly thought you were a vampire or something.” Clark coughed awkwardly.
“I believe some kind of healing magic or ability,” Diana added.
This, of course, sparked another fit of laughed that was only stopped by the pair each grabbing a hand and pulling him onto the couch.
“Sorry it's just well i assumed you knew.” Bruce snorted.
“If we knew you were squishy do you think we would have let you pull half the shit you do?!” Clark asked thinking back on the amount of times he had seen Brucheadfirst first into the fire to save the day.
Diana began to dwell on all the training sessions where she failed to hold back, how she could have easily punched a hold through him.
Either way the two of them were very much freaking out.
“You still fight someone with Kryptonite how's that any different?” Bruce asked raising an eyebrow.
“Because that stuff hard to get hold of, you can get a knife from Walmart.” Clark exclaimed “wait all those times you'd been hurt but turned up to the watchtower the next day you were still hurt.?”
“You were hit by a bus yesterday and you seem fine.” Diana’s eyes narrowed catching onto what Clark was saying.
Without any warning she lifted up his shirt to reveal a patchwork of scars and bruises of varying ages decorating his skin.
“BRUCE! You shouldn't have patrolled with this.” Clark hissed x-raying his chest and finding a couple set broken ribs as well.
“ What else would i have done?” Bruce rolled his eyes going to stand up but instead was pulled into a hug by the pair.
“We care about you! Please don't make us lose you.” Diana said softly as Clark nodded.
Bruce sighed realising things from this point on we're going to be different if he liked it or not.
In all honesty it wasn't too bad, the league did notice Batman being tailed by Superman and Wonder Woman a lot more often.
The biggest difference was that it seemed like Batman had lost his healing ability, any time he was hurt on missions we would take time off to go to the medical wing and actually recover.
Those with powers felt sorry for him, while Alfred was already planning the wedding as to keep his idiot of a son with those that finally made him look after himself.