Christmas in Smallville

Clark saw the old sign, smiling a bit. “I see they fixed it…” he laughed, driving past an open, snow-covered field. He took a deep breath, sighing happily. “I’ll have to bring you back here in summer, Bruce. The fields are endless green, covered in horses, cows, cornrows…”But he was cut off. Bruce just eyed him. “I’ve seen farms before, Clark…” he mumbled, staring out the window aimlessly. He sighed, breathing hot air on the glass window, then drew the Superman symbol, then the Batman one. He smiled, drawing a small heart between the two then nudge Clark, pointing at his high-quality art. Clark looked, then at his smirking boyfriend. He actually blushed, then shook his head, smiling though as he finally made another turn up a long driveway that had been shoveled. Bruce wiped away his drawing and eyed the house and farm that was coming closer to him. It was…cute.

The house was something that reminded him of a Normal Rockwell painting. Something directly out of a catalog or Town and Country Magazine. Sure, he owned a few farmhouses himself for business, Batman or as Wayne, but they didn’t look so…lived in. Clark parked behind a old brown Station Wagon, then opened his door. He shivered a bit, breathing out air that he could see and his feet made the snow and frozen dead ground underneath him crunch and left prints. Bruce got out as well, still awed a bit by the house. The sound of car doors closing made the elder couple inside of the farm house go to their front door and opened it, looking out at the screen. They smiled to see their son…and the other man his son told them about. The screen door creaked open and they poked their heads out. “Glad to see you finally made it, Clark”, the older man smiled. “We were about start dinner without you” the older woman teased behind him. “Haha, very funny Mom…” Clark laughed, walking up the wood porch steps, then stopped, turning around to see Bruce still standing at the bottom with his eyebrows raise and a smirk on his face. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” he asked, smiling friendly.

Clark looked at him then smiled, shaking his head again. “Mom, Dad, this is Bruce Wayne”, he said, moving out of the way Bruce smiled again, heading up the stairs now, holding out his hand to be shaken. The father took it first, giving Bruce a firm grip and looked him in the eyes. “Pleased to meet ya. I’m Jonathan Kent and this is my wife..” Before he could finish, Bruce had already turned on the charm, taking his wife’s hand and smiled at her. “This must be the beautiful Martha Kent…Clark has told me so much about you, but he never said how lovely you truly are..” he smiled, leaning to kiss the top of her hand. “Oh my my..” the older woman blushed, using her free hand to hold one of her reddening cheeks. Clark just laughed a bit, rolling his eyes. “Stop it now, Bruce. This is my mother you’re talking too..”

“A woman is a woman, as far as I’m concerned...” he smiled at Clark, but released the man’s mother. Jon Kent wasn’t that happy about it either, but Martha was in a good mood now. “Come on you two, it’s freezing out here. Come in and warm up, I was still getting dinner ready, but there’s a fresh pot of coffee…” she smiled, hurrying into the house to make preparations. Jon allowed his son and his son’s…-special friend- in the house first, before he came in last, shutting the doors behind them. He shivered a bit, then went to help his wife. Clark headed to the kitchen as well, Bruce following and looking around at family things. Pictures of Clark growing up filled the house, family gatherings, holiday portraits most likely taken at the closest mall ever year. He stopped following turning his attention to a framed photo of what he guessed was Clark’s high school graduation. He picked it up, smiling a bit but felt a knot in his stomach. He usually did when he saw happy family memories…it’s not something he had a lot of.

Clark got to the kitchen but noticed Bruce wasn’t with him. He peeked out into the living room, seeing Bruce was standing in front of the fireplace holding one of his photo frames in his hand. A quick use of his super sight let him get a good look at what Bruce was looking at and the sad expression on the man’s face. As fast as lightening, he was behind Bruce, looking down at the man. Bruce knew all to well what the feeling of Superman’s gust of wind felt like and leaned backwards, knowing he was there. He stopped sulking though, looking up at Clark from over his shoulder. “You always were a nerd, huh?” he teased. Clark just huffed. “Like I said in the car, we can’t all grow up as Bruce Wayne. Some of us…” He was interrupted by the man leaning on him. “I know I know”, Bruce said, putting the picture back where he got it. “Some of us have to come from little dinky towns in the middle of nowhere too.”