Fic: Summer Hearts(Bruce/Clark, Barbara/Kara, Dick/Kon)
Title: Summer Hearts
Author: milleniumrex
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark, Kara/Barbara, Dick/Kon, Alfred
Rating: PG
Warnings: Takes place in my own continuity. More details in author's notes.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, they'd be having more fun if I did.
Word Count: 6055
Author's Notes: Takes place in my own continuity, where Bruce and Clark are dating. Clark is raising Kon(16) and Kara(14). Bruce is raising Dick(17), and Barbara(15) is spending the summer with them. Written for The 2008 DCU Fic/Art Endless Summer Challenge, as well as for eight of lady_sarai's summery prompts of awesome! I wrote this fic with the following theme in mind: There's three kinds of love - True Love, Young Love, and New Love, each exciting in their own way.
Summary: Bruce had big plans when he invited Clark and his family to his beach house for the weekend. But even Batman can't plan for everything.
Bruce nervously gazed at his watch. 15 minutes.
"Alright, run the list by me again."
"Sir, everything is done. You made sure of that. Just try to relax. I'm sure Master Clark and his family will find - "
"Just humor me, Alfred. Run through the list."
Alfred sighed. "Very well. The guest rooms have been suitably cleaned out. One has been set up for a 14-year-old girl, the other for a sixteen-year-old boy with, and I quote, 'an unhealthy obsession with extreme sports". The Master Bedroom has been completely redone in blue. Daily delivery of the Daily Planet has been arranged. Information about all local attractions has been procured. The beach house has been outfitted with cable TV and internet, should the kids wish to use it. Fresh lobsters have been flown in from Maine, and fresh-caught Bass and Salmon have arrived as well, for dinner. As for your and Master Clark's...other jobs, alternative protection for Gotham and Metropolis has been arranged. The JLA will be alternating shifts. You will be cleared to take the weekend off. Is there anything else?"
"The package? Is the package - ?"
Alfred nodded. "The package arrived this morning, exactly as you specified. And I must say, I think it's about time."
A loud yell came from the basement of the beach house. "Hey, Bruce! We got a family of raccoons nesting down here. They seem friendly. That's cool, right?"
As Bruce gaped and prepared to run to the basement, Dick stepped out, doubling over with laughter. "Oh, man! Totally worth it, just to see the look on your face. Relax, dad. No raccoons in sight."
Bruce tried to keep a stern expression, but he was pretty sure he failed. "I'm glad you got that out of your system, Dick. I want you on your best behavior when the Kents get here. And do your best not to listen to Kon's ideas. You know what that boy gets you into."
"Man, you're never going to let the Batplane incident go, are you?"
"Not likely. Was Barbara down there with you?"
"Nah, she's been on the phone all day with Kara. Girls."
____
Barbara huddled behind the house, keeping her cell phone cupped to her ear.
"Where are you now?"
Barbara could hear Kara sigh into the phone. "Traffic. Still. I don't get why we can't just fly here, but Clark says this weekend is about getting away from the superhero stuff. I miss you."
"I miss you too. I can't believe we're going to have a whole weekend together! And you know Clark and Bruce are going to be too busy with each other to keep an eye on us."
"It's so cool that your dad's letting you spend the summer with the Waynes."
"Well, it is when Bruce isn't busy kicking my butt in training. But yeah, today it is really cool. Although, dad kind of actually thinks I'm at sleepaway camp."
Kara giggled. Suddenly, there was the sound of a struggle as Kon wrestled the phone away from her. "Hey, Babs! How's my favorite Batgirl."
"Kon. Give. The phone. Back. To Kara. Now."
"Geez. You two are going to be disgusting all weekend, aren't you? I bet - OW"
"Hey, Babs. Sorry about that. Had to heat-vision an annoying older brother."
"I gathered." Barbara giggled.
"I think we're here! See you in, like ten seconds! Love you!"
"Love you too." Barbara could feel her cheeks going red as Kara hung up the phone and she ran to the front of the house as she heard a car pull up.
_________
Clark smiled as he saw Kara tear out of the car and tackle Barbara, the two girls rolling around on the sand. There was nothing better than seeing his kids happy. Except maybe for seeing the face of the man he loved. Bruce looked so different out of costume. As Batman, he was intense, severe, distant. But right now, as Bruce, he looked like the man he had fallen in love with. This weekend would be good for all of them, but he really hoped that Bruce would be able to relax. The man did so much for Gotham. He deserved some time for himself.
The summer sun shone off Bruce's hair as Clark leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. This felt right. Their families together, in what seemed like the most peaceful place on earth right now.
"This is where we're staying? What is this place, some kind of theme resort? 'Chez Dump'?" Kon stepped out of the car, eyeing the house suspiciously. "Seriously, there's a hotel just down the - "
Clark could see Bruce's muscles tense up already. He hurriedly turned to Kon. "Kon, this is the Wayne family beach house. It's been in the family for generations - "
"I can tell."
" - and Bruce has spent all week fixing it up to make sure we're comfortable. So be polite."
"Yeah, whatever. All I know is, I'm missing out on Skate-fest 2008 in the city to be here. Better be something interesting to do in this town..."
Kon wandered off and found Dick standing by the door. "Dick! My man! Ready to tear up this town?"
"Sure. I guess so. What do you have in mind?" Dick was never really sure if he liked Kon or not, but Superboy was such an in-your-face personality that it was impossible not to enjoy hanging out with him.
"Beach town, summer, two guys like us...there's no way we can't make this place a little more interesting."
Bruce's brow furrowed as he watched the two boys walk off. "We're going to wind up bailing them out of jail before the weekend's over.
"They're just teenagers, Bruce. Try to relax. The weekend's going to be wonderful."
"I know, I know. It's just...I spent a lot of time planning it out. I want it to be perfect for us."
Clark smiled, caressing Bruce's cheek. "Oh, Bruce. Always the perfectionist. I have you, and our families, and that's all I need."
"Don't look now, Clark, but we have spectators."
Bruce and Clark turned to the side and saw Kara and Barbara giggling in the distance at the two men's PDA. When they saw them turn their heads, the girls fled behind the house.
"Well, at least those two are happy to be here. The kids will be busy for a while. Let me show you the place."
Bruce opened the door to the cottage. Alfred was waiting at the door.
"Let me take your bags, Master Clark."
"Nonsense, Alfred!" Clark raised his bag over his head, and took Kon and Kara's out of Alfred's hands as well, easily balancing them. "I'm more than capable."
Alfred cleared his throat, obviously impressed. "And might I say again, Master Bruce...quite the catch."
_____
Kara sat on the railing of the porch looking out at the water. Krypton didn't have beaches or oceans, and this was all new to her. She was mesmerized by the beauty as Barbara came up and wrapped her arms around her.
"I can't wait to go swimming! But I burn so easily. Help me out a little?"
Barbara tossed Kara a bottle of sunscreen, and Kara's face went bright red. "You want me to...?"
"Sure! I mean, I'd think you'd like an opportunity to rub your hands all over me...."
Barbara played with her wavy red hair as Kara's nervousness gave way to excitement. Barbara lay down on the floor of the porch, her skimpy bikini covering only a thin line on her back. Kara squirted a little sunscreen onto Barbara's back and began gently rubbing it in.
"I missed you so much, Kara..."
"I missed you too."
Kara couldn't believe how lucky she was. She had only been on earth for less than a year, and she had already found an amazing girl who understood her. It was puppy love, and they were young and a lot of things could change, but right now, she had never been so happy.
"There. You won't burn now. At least I hope not."
"You're a lifesaver." Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara. "Now let's go swim!"
Barbara tore off the porch, and Kara sped after her.
________
"Ah, the native species of the Jersey Shore. The Blue-Bikini'd Beach Babe." Kon smirked as he surveyed the beautiful blonde girl sitting at the side of the pool.
"Why would anyone be at a pool around here? I mean, the beach is ten minutes away?" Dick turned to look at the beautiful young woman. "View's nice, though."
"It's elementary, my dear Richard. The beach is full of tourists. So everyone knows the real action is in the shore towns."
Dick eyed Kon suspiciously. "But...we're tourists."
"Semantics. The point is, we're more awesome than the average tourist, and as such deserve better entertainment."
"You're insane, man."
"Insane....or awesome?"
Dick snickered. "A little of both, maybe."
"HEY! You bennies looking at my girl?"
Dick and Kon whirled around to see a large, hairy man in a tank-top reading "I stole your girlfriend" glaring at them. Kon's eyes darted between the man and the girl lounging by the pool. "THAT's your girlfriend?"
"Yeah! You wanna make something of it?"
Kon smirked. "No, I'm just surprised. I didn't think this town was a big supporter of inter-species dating."
"YOU TRYIN' TO INSULT ME?"
"Well, trying pretty hard, actually. But I guess you're not exactly - "
"Okay, time to go!" Dick grabbed Kon by the sleeve and pulled him out of the pool area. "Are you crazy, man? You nearly got us into a fight on our first day here!"
"So? I'm Superboy, and you're the boy wonder. There's no way we couldn't take him."
"Well...yeah, but that's not the point! We don't want to expose ourselves!"
"Expose ourselves?" Kon laughed. "Dude, it's a good thing I came along! You've been with Bats way too long. He's turned you into a mini-bat. This weekend, it's going to be my personal mission to show you the joys of living life like I do. You're only 17 once, Dick!"
"Should I be scared?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely."
Despite himself, Dick had to admit he was sort of looking forward to it.
______________
Bruce and Clark sat on the deck. Clark moaned with delight as he took his first bite of the Bouillabaisse.
"Oh, my God. Alfred, this is amazing."
"Why, thank you, Master Clark. I'm just sorry none of the kids chose to join us for dinner."
"Hm." Bruce spoke in between bites of his food. "Kara and Barbara haven't been seen since they ran off to the beach this morning, but we shouldn't have much trouble with them. I don't know where Dick and Kon are."
"They're kids, Bruce. They got carried away having fun and forgot the time. How much trouble could they get in around here?" Clark smiled.
"I suppose you're right." Bruce fingered the small box in his pocket. Tonight was supposed to be the night, but with the kids MIA, the timing didn't seem right, exactly. It would wait till tomorrow night, when everyone would be settled in and hopefully things would be smoother.
____________
Kara was mesmerized by the fireflies flittering overhead. They were such strange and beautiful creatures. Holding her hand out, she waited for one to land as she and Barbara walked along the beach.
"The full moon's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, totally." Kara stayed focused on her hand as one of the small insects touched down. She giggled as it lit up. "Look!"
"Fireflies are cool, but I like what it's sitting on a lot more." Barbara purred as she leaned in and softly kissed Kara on the lips.
"Your lips taste like candy."
Barbara grinned. "I know. I heard a song the other day, and it made me want to try candy-flavored lip gloss. Cinnamon, to be exact. I figured it would give you a little extra treat."
Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara as the girls continued walking along the beach. Kara's eyes caught on a fenced-off area to the side.
"I wonder what's back there."
"It's weird." Barbara looked at the fence and the "do not cross" signs. "My dad brought me here two years ago, and none of this was here."
"So....you wanna go find out?" Kara's face turned mischevious. "I mean, we're Supergirl and Batgirl, right? Adventure's what we do!"
"I don't know. Bruce would probably throw a fit if he knew we were doing this."
"So we won't tell him! C'mon, we probably should have been back already. If we're going to get yelled at when we come home, let's at least see what's going on here!"
"Okay, why not!" Barbara scaled the fence and followed Kara into the abandoned area. It looked pretty standard, except for near the back, where Kara spotted a small cave opening.
"Ooh...I wonder if it's a pirate cave or something. Maybe there's treasure."
"Kara, there haven't been pirates around for a hundred years." Barbara giggled.
"So? It could still be leftover or something! Come on!"
Kara darted off into the entrance of the cave as Barbara tried to keep up. Having a super-fast girlfriend was fun, but it was a little bit tiring sometimes. The inside of the cave was narrow, and the girls had to duck to get deeper. But a greenish light could be seen a little deeper down, so they pressed on. As they entered into a larger chamber with some water running through it, Kara hopped across a few uneven rocks over a pool, then stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Hey, you okay, S-girl?" Barbara wasn't used to seeing Kara display any weakness, so this was more than a little alarming.
"I...I don't know. I don't really feel well." Kara coughed loudly.
"But...you don't get sick."
"I know. It's something in here."
Barbara's eyes turned to the greenish glow up ahead. "Wait here. I'm going to go check if it's safe." Crawling up to the top of the tunnel at the end of the cavern, Barbara gasped in shock. Kryptonite. Lots of it, just beyond where Kara was. She had seen on Bruce's computer that a lot of the Kryptonite that arrived with Kara's rocket was still unaccounted for, and a lot of it could have washed into undersea caverns. No wonder Kara was getting weaker. Every second they were in here was poisoning her.
Running back into the main cavern, Barbara could see Kara slumped against the wall. "Come on, Kara. We've got to get out of here now. There's Kryptonite in here."
Kara's eyes flashed with panic. "I don't know if I can make it."
"Yes you can. You'll be fine. Just hold on to me." Barbara helped Kara to her feet as they made their way back to the pool. "We'll have to find a way around."
"No...no. I can make the jumps. Let's just hurry up."
"Are you sure? Just follow what I do, okay?"
Barbara carefully made three small leaps over the rocks to cross the pool, then turned back to watch Kara. The Kryptonian girl was tentative, but made the first jump okay. It was on the second one that disaster struck. Kara's shoe hit a slick spot on the rock, and she fell off, her foot getting wedged in between some jagged rocks at the bottom of the pool. As she went down, she banged her head on the next rock.
"Kara!" Barbara raced into the water. Grabbing Kara's face, she could see her girlfriend softly moaning, her invulnerability clearly sapped by the Kryptonite. She was conscious, at least, although there was a nasty cut on her forehead. "Are you okay?"
"My foot's stuck. It hurts, Babs." Kara whimpered. She hated how weak she was looking, but she was in a lot of pain. Why had she ever wanted to go into this stupid cave?
Barbara bent over to check Kara's foot, which was wedged awkwardly between two jagged rocks. The Kryptonite in the air had obviously taken a toll on her invulnerability. Carefully grabbing Kara's shoe, she pulled Kara free. Kara cried out in pain, but there was no time to lose.
"I'm sorry, K. I just had to get you free. Do you think you can walk on it?"
Kara shook her head furiously. "It really hurts. I haven't felt anything like this since I've been on Earth. I'm scared, Babs."
"Okay, okay." Barbara stroked Kara's hair. "We'll improvise, then."
Helping Kara off the ground, Barbara leaned down and let Kara climb on her back. She wasn't built for carrying another human being, but Kara was even lighter than she was. Besides, to get Kara out of this deathdrap, she'd carry the Batmobile on her back.
___________
Bruce watched as Clark polished off the last of the ice-cream sundaes Alfred had prepared to end the meal. Not his personal favorite type of dessert (he was partial to something a little more composed), but it had been worth it to see his favorite farmboy dig in. There was something incredibly sexy about watching Superman eat a maraschino cherry. It had been close to a perfect meal, from the food to the company. Bruce couldn't say he was too sorry that the kids had all decided to skip out on the meal. His hand drifting back to the small box in his pocket, he thought of what might be the perfect coda to this wonderful meal...
Only to be snapped out of it by the sound of Clark's cell phone ringing. Figured.
"Hello?" Clark paused. "Kara, slow down. Where are you and Barbara?" His face turned grave as he listened. "Just..just wait right there, okay? I'll be there in seconds."
Clark hung up the phone. "Kara and Barbara decided to go cave-exploring. There was some loose Kryptonite in there, and while they were getting out, Kara fell and got hurt. I've got to..."
"Go. I'll catch up."
Clark flew out of the house at top speed, and Bruce said a silent prayer that this ruined moment would be the worst that came out of this.
__________________
Barbara gently ran her hands through Kara's hair as they waited near the exit to the cave. Kara's strength was slowly returning, and the nasty cut on her forehead was showing signs of healing a bit, but her foot was still throbbing terribly, and Barbara could see she was trying to hold in tears.
"It'll be okay, K. I promise."
"I'm so stupid. I ruined everything. Why didn't I listen to you?"
The girls were interrupted by a gust of wind as Clark landed. "Girls? Is everyone okay? I didn't get all the details over the phone."
Barbara spoke up. "I'm fine, but Kara hurt her foot when she fell."
Kara nodded, and Clark knelt down. Gently taking Kara's foot in his hand, he focused his x-ray vision on it and examined it as best as he could. "Kara, I'm not sure, but you might have broken your foot. I think I'd better fly you to the hospital."
Kara nodded tearfully as Clark carefully lifted her into his arms. Barbara kept her grip tight on her girlfriend's hand, not wanting to let go.
"I'll take good care of her, Barbara. But we've got to go."
Barbara watched as Clark lifted Kara off the ground and flew into the sky. As she slowly made her way back to the house, she hoped Kara would be okay, and that their weekend together wasn't broken beyond repair.
______________
"Dude, I can't believe you knocked the pins down 22 times!"
Kon smirked, flexing his muscles. "Those games are all crooked. I figure, if I can take him for all he's worth, it's just evening the scales. The look on his face was priceless."
Dick eyed the giant bag of stuffed green bears Kon was lugging behind him. "But...what are we going to do with 22 stuffed bears?"
"Duh! Give them to cute girls in town tomorrow. I always plan ahead, Dick."
Dick laughed as they walked in the door. Their faces went from happy to grave in 5.5 seconds, though, as they saw the look on Bruce's face.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Oh! Bruce! We were just hanging out at the boardwalk, and I guess we lost track of - "
"Of time? Till 12:30 at night?"
Dick did a double-take as he looked at his watch. "Wow. Really?"
Kon smirked. "Come on, aren't you two usually patrolling until 3 AM anyway? What's the big deal? Besides, I don't see the girls around here, either."
Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Barbara's in her room. Waiting for Kara to get back from the hospital, after she got hurt exploring closed-off areas today. So you'll excuse me if I'm not in the mood for any more smart-ass comments tonight!"
Kon backed away. "Yeah, I'm going to hit the sack. Real tired all of a sudden..."
As Kon walked off, Dick tried to make his escape. But Bruce wasn't having it, as he snagged his son by the arm.
"Come on, Bruce. I just lost track of time. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." Bruce glowered. "I'm worried about you, Dick. You're a smart boy, very responsible. I wouldn't have given you the role I did otherwise. But when Kon's around, you seem to take leave of your senses. I don't know what's going on between you two, but see to it that this doesn't happen again."
"Yes, sir."
Bruce nodded, and Dick walked off to his bedroom. But he couldn't get Bruce's comment of "I don't know what's going on between you two" out of his head. There was nothing going on between him and Kon, was there? Kon was insane, a frat-boy daredevil who seemed to take joy in stirring the pot and causing trouble. He was fun in small doses, but beyond that, nothing...Right?
Barbara poked her head out of her room as she heard the door open. She had been trying to fall asleep, but it wasn't happening. Not until she saw Kara. Darting out of her room, she saw Clark enter the house first, holding the door for Kara. Slowly, Kara hobbled in on a pair of crutches, a fresh pink cast covering her foot.
"Oh my God! Is it broken?"
Kara nodded, sniffling. "In two places. I'm going to have this stupid cast on for a couple of weeks. It'll heal faster than normal, but still."
"I'm sorry, K. But hey, we'll still have fun, right? It'll be okay." Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara, letting the blonde girl bury her face on her shoulder.
"How? I can't go swimming, I can't play sports...I can't do anything."
"Then I'll just stay with you, okay? I want to hang out with you as much as possible, and if that means just hanging out here, I'm fine with that."
Kara nodded. "I'm really tired and my foot is killing me. Can we go to sleep?"
Barbara nodded, and the two girls slowly made their way to the bedroom. Barbara helped Kara into bed, making sure her leg was elevated, and then lay down next to her, wrapping her arms around her.
Outside the door, Bruce eyed this suspiciously. "They're just kids. I'm not sure this is appropriate."
"I don't think they're going to be doing anything. They just need each other right now." Clark turned to Bruce. "Besides, don't you remember what it was like at that age? I thought I was going to marry Lana Lang as soon as we got out of high school."
"When I was that age, I was studying Krav Maga and Jujitsu to prepare myself for my war against crime."
Clark laughed. "My point is, young love is incredibly powerful. The least we can do is let them have each other tonight. And speaking of which, it's been a trying day. I could really use my boyfriend's arms around me right now."
"I think that makes just about anything better." Bruce slung his arm around Clark's shoulder. It had not been the vacation he had been planning so far, but there were still two more days to go.
_____________
Dick had gotten some rude awakenings before, but none quite like a 16-year-old Kryptonian boy pouncing on his bed at the crack of dawn.
"Dude! What time is it?"
Kon looked at his watch. "6:30. I figure, since the 'rents didn't like us being out so late last night, we should get an early start!"
Dick sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Okay, I'm both intrigued and terrified. What do you have planned?"
"It's Saturday at the shore, man! This is when the good stuff happens. Clubs, parties, music...and us in the middle of it. We get a good start, we can hit the entire circuit."
"Five more hours." Dick threw the covers over his head.
"Okay, Dick! Didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Kon pulled his Ipod out of his pocket. A second later, Ace of Base's "Cruel Summer" started blasting in his ears, shocking him out of his sleepiness.
"Cruel summer. That song was talking about you, wasn't it?"
"Hot summer streets and the pavement is burning, dude! No time to waste!"
Dick glared at Kon as he pulled off the Ipod. "Fine. You win. This better be worth it."
"Dude, we are going to have so much fun, it's going to be illegal."
___________
Kara groggily opened her eyes as the dull ache in her foot reminded her of the previous day's events. Barbara wasn't next to her. She had probably gone out to have fun, Kara thought sadly to herself. She couldn't blame her. Burying her face under the covers, she silently cursed her stupidity for the fiftieth time since last night.
Kara was snapped out of her self-pity as Barbara sat down on the bed next to her. "Hey, sleeping beauty."
"Babs! You're still here!"
"Of course I am, K. I told you, I just wanted to be with you. I just had to get some stuff. Just because you broke your foot doesn't mean you can't enjoy the beach." Barbara pulled out a cooler full of snacks. "Cotton candy, salt water taffy, fudge, some fried seafood for lunch, and of course..." Barbara produced another, smaller cooler "Ice cream and popsicles. Can't have a hot summer day without them."
Kara's eyes brightened up as she tore into the cooler. Fudgesicles, creamsicles, italian ices, novelty pops...Barbara had really gotten everything. Tearing the wrapper off a rocket pop, Kara grinned. "I've got the best girlfriend ever."
"Now, how do you expect me to concentrate when you're licking a popsicle?" Barbara giggled. "If you're up to it later, we can go down the beach and lie in the sun a little."
"Maybe later. Right now, I've got all I need right here."
___________
"Who wears a suit to the beach, Bruce?"
Bruce smiled wryly as he and Clark watched the sunset. It had been an uneventful day, and he was enjoying the peace. "I believe in staying well-dressed. Besides, I thought you loved my fashion sense."
"I do. But anything can happen out here. The elements don't account for good taste."
Bruce nodded. "Despite everything that's happened...I'm still really glad you came out here, Clark. I think we needed the vacation. I just wish things went more smoothly."
"I know. But you can't plan for life. Kara will be fine, and this'll be a bad memory soon enough. Kon and Dick are teenagers. They'll get up to things. And Dick's a good kid. You're doing a great job with him."
"That means a lot, Clark. More than you know."
"I mean it, Bruce. I know you sometimes get a bad rap in the League as humorless, but I just wish they could see you like I do. You're the strongest man I know."
As Clark leaned in to kiss Bruce, there was a loud crack above. In what seemed like one second, the skies opened up and poured the heavens down on the beach. Bruce's suit was soaked to the bone as he and Clark ran back to the house, slamming the door on the massive cloudburst. Looking at Bruce, standing there looking akin to a drowned rat, Clark burst out laughing.
"I'm glad you find this funny, Kent. This suit is ruined."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Bruce. But you have to admit that was kind of funny. It's like nature itself decided to agree with me."
Bruce sighed. "Alright, I'll take the hint and buy some casual wear tomorrow. Let's just hope - "
The phone rang. Bruce picked it up. "Dick?"
Bruce paused as he listened to Dick talk. As the conversation went on, his face darkened, finally exploding with anger.
"You're WHERE?"
_______________
The jails at the Jersey shore weren't exactly high-security. Their only company was an unconscious drunk, and Dick could think of at least five ways to escape from this cell without alerting any guards, not counting Kon's super-strength. But there was no way out of just how much trouble they were in, and there was only one person he held responsible for that.
"I hate you."
"Dude, it's not my fault!" Kon tried his best to look innocent. "You saw what happened! I didn't have any choice!"
"Really. You didn't have any choice but to spend half an hour making cracks about every tough guy that walked into the bar? You didn't have any choice but to provoke the one who actually called you out on it by making monkey noises? You didn't have any choice but to throw him through a wall?"
"To be fair, none of that's the reason we're in here. And I really didn't have any choice but to run into that cop. There was only one exit! That place was a fire hazard!"
Dick shook his head. "You're insane. We're both dead, you know."
"Just let me talk. I'll get us out of it."
"No!" Dick exploded. "I've been listening to you and your crazy ideas all weekend, and look where it got us! I'm done!"
"Man, what is your problem? It's like you always try to come up with reasons not to take chances. I'm just trying to liven things up!"
"Liven things up? If your idea of that is nearly getting us killed or arrested every five seconds!"
"It's better than anything you've come up with, mini-Bat!"
"Oh, that's just low, clone."
Kon growled under his breath. "At least Batman doesn't keep my balls in a jar under his desk."
"God, when they cloned you, they forgot the brains!"
"Batboy."
"Ass."
Dick looked at Kon, and before he knew what had happened, Kon had pushed him up against the wall and was kissing him passionately. Dick's first impact was to punch Kon, but that faded quickly as he kissed the infuriating, fascinating Kryptonian boy right back. They were snapped out of their embrace as the doors to their cell slid open.
"Alright, you boys can go. Your dads paid the fine, so you're off the hook." The guard glared at them. Dick walked out of the cell to see a glowering - and sopping wet - Bruce staring him down. Clark looked less severe, although still suitably pissed.
"Bruce, I can - "
"Not. One. Word." Bruce interrupted. "We're going home, and we'll discuss this at length back in Gotham. Over the most challenging training routine I can possibly design."
"It wasn't his fault."
Everyone's head spun at the sound of Kon speaking up. Kon was a lot of things, but he was not known for sticking his neck out when unnecessary.
"I've been the one talking him into things all weekend. I've been coming up with stupid ideas, and he was trying to talk me out of them, and we wound up here. It was all me, though, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't take it out on him."
Bruce nodded. "Well, that does change things. It doesn't let Dick completely off the hook, but I will consider it."
Clark patted Kon on the back. "Good going, son. I'm impressed."
"Impressed enough to forgo the inevitable grounding and chalk this up to a lesson well-learned?"
Clark laughed. "Nice try. Now let's go home."
As they walked out of the jail, Dick cast another eye towards Kon. Suddenly, kissing the crazy Kryptonian again didn't seem like the worst idea in the world.
_______________
Bruce finally stripped off the sopping wet suit and fished the small blue box out of his pocket. It was intact, at least. The only thing left from this disaster of a day. He had wanted this weekend to be perfect, but from the start it had been a disaster. From missing kids, to broken bones, to sudden rainstorms, to picking his son up at the local jail...what kind of start was this to the life he wanted with Clark? Everything had been prepared perfectly, but it was like the universe had laughed at him and decided to show him who was boss. In a fit of anger, he picked up the small box and threw it at the wall.
"Bruce?"
Bruce turned around. "I was such a fool, Clark. I was thinking there would be a perfect moment, but nothing even came close. It's nothing."
Clark's eyes turned to the small box lying on the ground. Leaning down, he grabbed it and gasped as he opened it. It was a small ring, with a perfect diamond set in the middle."
"Bruce...is this...?"
"The engagement ring my father gave my mother almost 40 years ago. I had it sent out, added a special inscription. I was going to give it to you this weekend, but...the time never seemed right. Every time it was going to be, something happened."
Clark smiled. "Oh, Bruce. The perfect moment was any moment. You try so hard to be perfect, and to make everything perfect, but it's all around us. This weekend was a disaster, yes, but it was wonderful in all the ways that matter. We had each other. Kara had Barbara when she needed her most. Even Dick and Kon had each other, in a weird way. You're a wonderful man, with a wonderful family. I just wish you could see it more often, and stop putting so much pressure on yourself."
Before Bruce could answer, Clark dropped to one knee. "Clark...what are you doing?"
"You know my answer. But someone should still do this right. Bruce Wayne...will you marry me?"
"Yes. Of course I will, Clark." Bruce held out his hand for Clark to slip the ring on. "I'm not sure the inscription works, though."
Clark used his x-ray vision to read the message on the band. "You are my Superman. Sounds about right to me."
_______________
It was the following night, at the final dinner of their vacation, as Alfred raised a glass.
"To Master Bruce, and Master Clark, and their engagement. May you find as much happiness together as you have brought to the world in your heroics."
The four kids clapped, and everyone dug into their fresh lobsters. Clark slipped his hand under the table and held Bruce's tight. He looked around the table. Kon and Dick were laughing as Kon related some silly story from his time in Hawaii. He wasn't sure what would become of the two boys, but they definitely had begun something this weekend. He could definitely think of a worse boyfriend for Kon. Kara was playing with Barbara's hair as the red-haired girl signed her cast. Kara had been a point of light in his life ever since she had arrived on Earth, and he couldn't have been happier that she had found love. They were young, but everyone could see that what they had was real. And he had Bruce, the most steadfast, honorable man he had ever met. Alfred completed their family, the glue that held them all together. It had been a hectic, chaotic weekend, and there were a few things they all wished didn't happen. But that was the wonderful thing about family. No matter what, you had each other, and that made everything all right. He couldn't wait to return to the Wayne Family beach house next year...with his husband.
Author: milleniumrex
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark, Kara/Barbara, Dick/Kon, Alfred
Rating: PG
Warnings: Takes place in my own continuity. More details in author's notes.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, they'd be having more fun if I did.
Word Count: 6055
Author's Notes: Takes place in my own continuity, where Bruce and Clark are dating. Clark is raising Kon(16) and Kara(14). Bruce is raising Dick(17), and Barbara(15) is spending the summer with them. Written for The 2008 DCU Fic/Art Endless Summer Challenge, as well as for eight of lady_sarai's summery prompts of awesome! I wrote this fic with the following theme in mind: There's three kinds of love - True Love, Young Love, and New Love, each exciting in their own way.
Summary: Bruce had big plans when he invited Clark and his family to his beach house for the weekend. But even Batman can't plan for everything.
Bruce nervously gazed at his watch. 15 minutes.
"Alright, run the list by me again."
"Sir, everything is done. You made sure of that. Just try to relax. I'm sure Master Clark and his family will find - "
"Just humor me, Alfred. Run through the list."
Alfred sighed. "Very well. The guest rooms have been suitably cleaned out. One has been set up for a 14-year-old girl, the other for a sixteen-year-old boy with, and I quote, 'an unhealthy obsession with extreme sports". The Master Bedroom has been completely redone in blue. Daily delivery of the Daily Planet has been arranged. Information about all local attractions has been procured. The beach house has been outfitted with cable TV and internet, should the kids wish to use it. Fresh lobsters have been flown in from Maine, and fresh-caught Bass and Salmon have arrived as well, for dinner. As for your and Master Clark's...other jobs, alternative protection for Gotham and Metropolis has been arranged. The JLA will be alternating shifts. You will be cleared to take the weekend off. Is there anything else?"
"The package? Is the package - ?"
Alfred nodded. "The package arrived this morning, exactly as you specified. And I must say, I think it's about time."
A loud yell came from the basement of the beach house. "Hey, Bruce! We got a family of raccoons nesting down here. They seem friendly. That's cool, right?"
As Bruce gaped and prepared to run to the basement, Dick stepped out, doubling over with laughter. "Oh, man! Totally worth it, just to see the look on your face. Relax, dad. No raccoons in sight."
Bruce tried to keep a stern expression, but he was pretty sure he failed. "I'm glad you got that out of your system, Dick. I want you on your best behavior when the Kents get here. And do your best not to listen to Kon's ideas. You know what that boy gets you into."
"Man, you're never going to let the Batplane incident go, are you?"
"Not likely. Was Barbara down there with you?"
"Nah, she's been on the phone all day with Kara. Girls."
____
Barbara huddled behind the house, keeping her cell phone cupped to her ear.
"Where are you now?"
Barbara could hear Kara sigh into the phone. "Traffic. Still. I don't get why we can't just fly here, but Clark says this weekend is about getting away from the superhero stuff. I miss you."
"I miss you too. I can't believe we're going to have a whole weekend together! And you know Clark and Bruce are going to be too busy with each other to keep an eye on us."
"It's so cool that your dad's letting you spend the summer with the Waynes."
"Well, it is when Bruce isn't busy kicking my butt in training. But yeah, today it is really cool. Although, dad kind of actually thinks I'm at sleepaway camp."
Kara giggled. Suddenly, there was the sound of a struggle as Kon wrestled the phone away from her. "Hey, Babs! How's my favorite Batgirl."
"Kon. Give. The phone. Back. To Kara. Now."
"Geez. You two are going to be disgusting all weekend, aren't you? I bet - OW"
"Hey, Babs. Sorry about that. Had to heat-vision an annoying older brother."
"I gathered." Barbara giggled.
"I think we're here! See you in, like ten seconds! Love you!"
"Love you too." Barbara could feel her cheeks going red as Kara hung up the phone and she ran to the front of the house as she heard a car pull up.
_________
Clark smiled as he saw Kara tear out of the car and tackle Barbara, the two girls rolling around on the sand. There was nothing better than seeing his kids happy. Except maybe for seeing the face of the man he loved. Bruce looked so different out of costume. As Batman, he was intense, severe, distant. But right now, as Bruce, he looked like the man he had fallen in love with. This weekend would be good for all of them, but he really hoped that Bruce would be able to relax. The man did so much for Gotham. He deserved some time for himself.
The summer sun shone off Bruce's hair as Clark leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. This felt right. Their families together, in what seemed like the most peaceful place on earth right now.
"This is where we're staying? What is this place, some kind of theme resort? 'Chez Dump'?" Kon stepped out of the car, eyeing the house suspiciously. "Seriously, there's a hotel just down the - "
Clark could see Bruce's muscles tense up already. He hurriedly turned to Kon. "Kon, this is the Wayne family beach house. It's been in the family for generations - "
"I can tell."
" - and Bruce has spent all week fixing it up to make sure we're comfortable. So be polite."
"Yeah, whatever. All I know is, I'm missing out on Skate-fest 2008 in the city to be here. Better be something interesting to do in this town..."
Kon wandered off and found Dick standing by the door. "Dick! My man! Ready to tear up this town?"
"Sure. I guess so. What do you have in mind?" Dick was never really sure if he liked Kon or not, but Superboy was such an in-your-face personality that it was impossible not to enjoy hanging out with him.
"Beach town, summer, two guys like us...there's no way we can't make this place a little more interesting."
Bruce's brow furrowed as he watched the two boys walk off. "We're going to wind up bailing them out of jail before the weekend's over.
"They're just teenagers, Bruce. Try to relax. The weekend's going to be wonderful."
"I know, I know. It's just...I spent a lot of time planning it out. I want it to be perfect for us."
Clark smiled, caressing Bruce's cheek. "Oh, Bruce. Always the perfectionist. I have you, and our families, and that's all I need."
"Don't look now, Clark, but we have spectators."
Bruce and Clark turned to the side and saw Kara and Barbara giggling in the distance at the two men's PDA. When they saw them turn their heads, the girls fled behind the house.
"Well, at least those two are happy to be here. The kids will be busy for a while. Let me show you the place."
Bruce opened the door to the cottage. Alfred was waiting at the door.
"Let me take your bags, Master Clark."
"Nonsense, Alfred!" Clark raised his bag over his head, and took Kon and Kara's out of Alfred's hands as well, easily balancing them. "I'm more than capable."
Alfred cleared his throat, obviously impressed. "And might I say again, Master Bruce...quite the catch."
_____
Kara sat on the railing of the porch looking out at the water. Krypton didn't have beaches or oceans, and this was all new to her. She was mesmerized by the beauty as Barbara came up and wrapped her arms around her.
"I can't wait to go swimming! But I burn so easily. Help me out a little?"
Barbara tossed Kara a bottle of sunscreen, and Kara's face went bright red. "You want me to...?"
"Sure! I mean, I'd think you'd like an opportunity to rub your hands all over me...."
Barbara played with her wavy red hair as Kara's nervousness gave way to excitement. Barbara lay down on the floor of the porch, her skimpy bikini covering only a thin line on her back. Kara squirted a little sunscreen onto Barbara's back and began gently rubbing it in.
"I missed you so much, Kara..."
"I missed you too."
Kara couldn't believe how lucky she was. She had only been on earth for less than a year, and she had already found an amazing girl who understood her. It was puppy love, and they were young and a lot of things could change, but right now, she had never been so happy.
"There. You won't burn now. At least I hope not."
"You're a lifesaver." Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara. "Now let's go swim!"
Barbara tore off the porch, and Kara sped after her.
________
"Ah, the native species of the Jersey Shore. The Blue-Bikini'd Beach Babe." Kon smirked as he surveyed the beautiful blonde girl sitting at the side of the pool.
"Why would anyone be at a pool around here? I mean, the beach is ten minutes away?" Dick turned to look at the beautiful young woman. "View's nice, though."
"It's elementary, my dear Richard. The beach is full of tourists. So everyone knows the real action is in the shore towns."
Dick eyed Kon suspiciously. "But...we're tourists."
"Semantics. The point is, we're more awesome than the average tourist, and as such deserve better entertainment."
"You're insane, man."
"Insane....or awesome?"
Dick snickered. "A little of both, maybe."
"HEY! You bennies looking at my girl?"
Dick and Kon whirled around to see a large, hairy man in a tank-top reading "I stole your girlfriend" glaring at them. Kon's eyes darted between the man and the girl lounging by the pool. "THAT's your girlfriend?"
"Yeah! You wanna make something of it?"
Kon smirked. "No, I'm just surprised. I didn't think this town was a big supporter of inter-species dating."
"YOU TRYIN' TO INSULT ME?"
"Well, trying pretty hard, actually. But I guess you're not exactly - "
"Okay, time to go!" Dick grabbed Kon by the sleeve and pulled him out of the pool area. "Are you crazy, man? You nearly got us into a fight on our first day here!"
"So? I'm Superboy, and you're the boy wonder. There's no way we couldn't take him."
"Well...yeah, but that's not the point! We don't want to expose ourselves!"
"Expose ourselves?" Kon laughed. "Dude, it's a good thing I came along! You've been with Bats way too long. He's turned you into a mini-bat. This weekend, it's going to be my personal mission to show you the joys of living life like I do. You're only 17 once, Dick!"
"Should I be scared?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely."
Despite himself, Dick had to admit he was sort of looking forward to it.
______________
Bruce and Clark sat on the deck. Clark moaned with delight as he took his first bite of the Bouillabaisse.
"Oh, my God. Alfred, this is amazing."
"Why, thank you, Master Clark. I'm just sorry none of the kids chose to join us for dinner."
"Hm." Bruce spoke in between bites of his food. "Kara and Barbara haven't been seen since they ran off to the beach this morning, but we shouldn't have much trouble with them. I don't know where Dick and Kon are."
"They're kids, Bruce. They got carried away having fun and forgot the time. How much trouble could they get in around here?" Clark smiled.
"I suppose you're right." Bruce fingered the small box in his pocket. Tonight was supposed to be the night, but with the kids MIA, the timing didn't seem right, exactly. It would wait till tomorrow night, when everyone would be settled in and hopefully things would be smoother.
____________
Kara was mesmerized by the fireflies flittering overhead. They were such strange and beautiful creatures. Holding her hand out, she waited for one to land as she and Barbara walked along the beach.
"The full moon's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, totally." Kara stayed focused on her hand as one of the small insects touched down. She giggled as it lit up. "Look!"
"Fireflies are cool, but I like what it's sitting on a lot more." Barbara purred as she leaned in and softly kissed Kara on the lips.
"Your lips taste like candy."
Barbara grinned. "I know. I heard a song the other day, and it made me want to try candy-flavored lip gloss. Cinnamon, to be exact. I figured it would give you a little extra treat."
Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara as the girls continued walking along the beach. Kara's eyes caught on a fenced-off area to the side.
"I wonder what's back there."
"It's weird." Barbara looked at the fence and the "do not cross" signs. "My dad brought me here two years ago, and none of this was here."
"So....you wanna go find out?" Kara's face turned mischevious. "I mean, we're Supergirl and Batgirl, right? Adventure's what we do!"
"I don't know. Bruce would probably throw a fit if he knew we were doing this."
"So we won't tell him! C'mon, we probably should have been back already. If we're going to get yelled at when we come home, let's at least see what's going on here!"
"Okay, why not!" Barbara scaled the fence and followed Kara into the abandoned area. It looked pretty standard, except for near the back, where Kara spotted a small cave opening.
"Ooh...I wonder if it's a pirate cave or something. Maybe there's treasure."
"Kara, there haven't been pirates around for a hundred years." Barbara giggled.
"So? It could still be leftover or something! Come on!"
Kara darted off into the entrance of the cave as Barbara tried to keep up. Having a super-fast girlfriend was fun, but it was a little bit tiring sometimes. The inside of the cave was narrow, and the girls had to duck to get deeper. But a greenish light could be seen a little deeper down, so they pressed on. As they entered into a larger chamber with some water running through it, Kara hopped across a few uneven rocks over a pool, then stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Hey, you okay, S-girl?" Barbara wasn't used to seeing Kara display any weakness, so this was more than a little alarming.
"I...I don't know. I don't really feel well." Kara coughed loudly.
"But...you don't get sick."
"I know. It's something in here."
Barbara's eyes turned to the greenish glow up ahead. "Wait here. I'm going to go check if it's safe." Crawling up to the top of the tunnel at the end of the cavern, Barbara gasped in shock. Kryptonite. Lots of it, just beyond where Kara was. She had seen on Bruce's computer that a lot of the Kryptonite that arrived with Kara's rocket was still unaccounted for, and a lot of it could have washed into undersea caverns. No wonder Kara was getting weaker. Every second they were in here was poisoning her.
Running back into the main cavern, Barbara could see Kara slumped against the wall. "Come on, Kara. We've got to get out of here now. There's Kryptonite in here."
Kara's eyes flashed with panic. "I don't know if I can make it."
"Yes you can. You'll be fine. Just hold on to me." Barbara helped Kara to her feet as they made their way back to the pool. "We'll have to find a way around."
"No...no. I can make the jumps. Let's just hurry up."
"Are you sure? Just follow what I do, okay?"
Barbara carefully made three small leaps over the rocks to cross the pool, then turned back to watch Kara. The Kryptonian girl was tentative, but made the first jump okay. It was on the second one that disaster struck. Kara's shoe hit a slick spot on the rock, and she fell off, her foot getting wedged in between some jagged rocks at the bottom of the pool. As she went down, she banged her head on the next rock.
"Kara!" Barbara raced into the water. Grabbing Kara's face, she could see her girlfriend softly moaning, her invulnerability clearly sapped by the Kryptonite. She was conscious, at least, although there was a nasty cut on her forehead. "Are you okay?"
"My foot's stuck. It hurts, Babs." Kara whimpered. She hated how weak she was looking, but she was in a lot of pain. Why had she ever wanted to go into this stupid cave?
Barbara bent over to check Kara's foot, which was wedged awkwardly between two jagged rocks. The Kryptonite in the air had obviously taken a toll on her invulnerability. Carefully grabbing Kara's shoe, she pulled Kara free. Kara cried out in pain, but there was no time to lose.
"I'm sorry, K. I just had to get you free. Do you think you can walk on it?"
Kara shook her head furiously. "It really hurts. I haven't felt anything like this since I've been on Earth. I'm scared, Babs."
"Okay, okay." Barbara stroked Kara's hair. "We'll improvise, then."
Helping Kara off the ground, Barbara leaned down and let Kara climb on her back. She wasn't built for carrying another human being, but Kara was even lighter than she was. Besides, to get Kara out of this deathdrap, she'd carry the Batmobile on her back.
___________
Bruce watched as Clark polished off the last of the ice-cream sundaes Alfred had prepared to end the meal. Not his personal favorite type of dessert (he was partial to something a little more composed), but it had been worth it to see his favorite farmboy dig in. There was something incredibly sexy about watching Superman eat a maraschino cherry. It had been close to a perfect meal, from the food to the company. Bruce couldn't say he was too sorry that the kids had all decided to skip out on the meal. His hand drifting back to the small box in his pocket, he thought of what might be the perfect coda to this wonderful meal...
Only to be snapped out of it by the sound of Clark's cell phone ringing. Figured.
"Hello?" Clark paused. "Kara, slow down. Where are you and Barbara?" His face turned grave as he listened. "Just..just wait right there, okay? I'll be there in seconds."
Clark hung up the phone. "Kara and Barbara decided to go cave-exploring. There was some loose Kryptonite in there, and while they were getting out, Kara fell and got hurt. I've got to..."
"Go. I'll catch up."
Clark flew out of the house at top speed, and Bruce said a silent prayer that this ruined moment would be the worst that came out of this.
__________________
Barbara gently ran her hands through Kara's hair as they waited near the exit to the cave. Kara's strength was slowly returning, and the nasty cut on her forehead was showing signs of healing a bit, but her foot was still throbbing terribly, and Barbara could see she was trying to hold in tears.
"It'll be okay, K. I promise."
"I'm so stupid. I ruined everything. Why didn't I listen to you?"
The girls were interrupted by a gust of wind as Clark landed. "Girls? Is everyone okay? I didn't get all the details over the phone."
Barbara spoke up. "I'm fine, but Kara hurt her foot when she fell."
Kara nodded, and Clark knelt down. Gently taking Kara's foot in his hand, he focused his x-ray vision on it and examined it as best as he could. "Kara, I'm not sure, but you might have broken your foot. I think I'd better fly you to the hospital."
Kara nodded tearfully as Clark carefully lifted her into his arms. Barbara kept her grip tight on her girlfriend's hand, not wanting to let go.
"I'll take good care of her, Barbara. But we've got to go."
Barbara watched as Clark lifted Kara off the ground and flew into the sky. As she slowly made her way back to the house, she hoped Kara would be okay, and that their weekend together wasn't broken beyond repair.
______________
"Dude, I can't believe you knocked the pins down 22 times!"
Kon smirked, flexing his muscles. "Those games are all crooked. I figure, if I can take him for all he's worth, it's just evening the scales. The look on his face was priceless."
Dick eyed the giant bag of stuffed green bears Kon was lugging behind him. "But...what are we going to do with 22 stuffed bears?"
"Duh! Give them to cute girls in town tomorrow. I always plan ahead, Dick."
Dick laughed as they walked in the door. Their faces went from happy to grave in 5.5 seconds, though, as they saw the look on Bruce's face.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Oh! Bruce! We were just hanging out at the boardwalk, and I guess we lost track of - "
"Of time? Till 12:30 at night?"
Dick did a double-take as he looked at his watch. "Wow. Really?"
Kon smirked. "Come on, aren't you two usually patrolling until 3 AM anyway? What's the big deal? Besides, I don't see the girls around here, either."
Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Barbara's in her room. Waiting for Kara to get back from the hospital, after she got hurt exploring closed-off areas today. So you'll excuse me if I'm not in the mood for any more smart-ass comments tonight!"
Kon backed away. "Yeah, I'm going to hit the sack. Real tired all of a sudden..."
As Kon walked off, Dick tried to make his escape. But Bruce wasn't having it, as he snagged his son by the arm.
"Come on, Bruce. I just lost track of time. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." Bruce glowered. "I'm worried about you, Dick. You're a smart boy, very responsible. I wouldn't have given you the role I did otherwise. But when Kon's around, you seem to take leave of your senses. I don't know what's going on between you two, but see to it that this doesn't happen again."
"Yes, sir."
Bruce nodded, and Dick walked off to his bedroom. But he couldn't get Bruce's comment of "I don't know what's going on between you two" out of his head. There was nothing going on between him and Kon, was there? Kon was insane, a frat-boy daredevil who seemed to take joy in stirring the pot and causing trouble. He was fun in small doses, but beyond that, nothing...Right?
Barbara poked her head out of her room as she heard the door open. She had been trying to fall asleep, but it wasn't happening. Not until she saw Kara. Darting out of her room, she saw Clark enter the house first, holding the door for Kara. Slowly, Kara hobbled in on a pair of crutches, a fresh pink cast covering her foot.
"Oh my God! Is it broken?"
Kara nodded, sniffling. "In two places. I'm going to have this stupid cast on for a couple of weeks. It'll heal faster than normal, but still."
"I'm sorry, K. But hey, we'll still have fun, right? It'll be okay." Barbara wrapped her arms around Kara, letting the blonde girl bury her face on her shoulder.
"How? I can't go swimming, I can't play sports...I can't do anything."
"Then I'll just stay with you, okay? I want to hang out with you as much as possible, and if that means just hanging out here, I'm fine with that."
Kara nodded. "I'm really tired and my foot is killing me. Can we go to sleep?"
Barbara nodded, and the two girls slowly made their way to the bedroom. Barbara helped Kara into bed, making sure her leg was elevated, and then lay down next to her, wrapping her arms around her.
Outside the door, Bruce eyed this suspiciously. "They're just kids. I'm not sure this is appropriate."
"I don't think they're going to be doing anything. They just need each other right now." Clark turned to Bruce. "Besides, don't you remember what it was like at that age? I thought I was going to marry Lana Lang as soon as we got out of high school."
"When I was that age, I was studying Krav Maga and Jujitsu to prepare myself for my war against crime."
Clark laughed. "My point is, young love is incredibly powerful. The least we can do is let them have each other tonight. And speaking of which, it's been a trying day. I could really use my boyfriend's arms around me right now."
"I think that makes just about anything better." Bruce slung his arm around Clark's shoulder. It had not been the vacation he had been planning so far, but there were still two more days to go.
_____________
Dick had gotten some rude awakenings before, but none quite like a 16-year-old Kryptonian boy pouncing on his bed at the crack of dawn.
"Dude! What time is it?"
Kon looked at his watch. "6:30. I figure, since the 'rents didn't like us being out so late last night, we should get an early start!"
Dick sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Okay, I'm both intrigued and terrified. What do you have planned?"
"It's Saturday at the shore, man! This is when the good stuff happens. Clubs, parties, music...and us in the middle of it. We get a good start, we can hit the entire circuit."
"Five more hours." Dick threw the covers over his head.
"Okay, Dick! Didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Kon pulled his Ipod out of his pocket. A second later, Ace of Base's "Cruel Summer" started blasting in his ears, shocking him out of his sleepiness.
"Cruel summer. That song was talking about you, wasn't it?"
"Hot summer streets and the pavement is burning, dude! No time to waste!"
Dick glared at Kon as he pulled off the Ipod. "Fine. You win. This better be worth it."
"Dude, we are going to have so much fun, it's going to be illegal."
___________
Kara groggily opened her eyes as the dull ache in her foot reminded her of the previous day's events. Barbara wasn't next to her. She had probably gone out to have fun, Kara thought sadly to herself. She couldn't blame her. Burying her face under the covers, she silently cursed her stupidity for the fiftieth time since last night.
Kara was snapped out of her self-pity as Barbara sat down on the bed next to her. "Hey, sleeping beauty."
"Babs! You're still here!"
"Of course I am, K. I told you, I just wanted to be with you. I just had to get some stuff. Just because you broke your foot doesn't mean you can't enjoy the beach." Barbara pulled out a cooler full of snacks. "Cotton candy, salt water taffy, fudge, some fried seafood for lunch, and of course..." Barbara produced another, smaller cooler "Ice cream and popsicles. Can't have a hot summer day without them."
Kara's eyes brightened up as she tore into the cooler. Fudgesicles, creamsicles, italian ices, novelty pops...Barbara had really gotten everything. Tearing the wrapper off a rocket pop, Kara grinned. "I've got the best girlfriend ever."
"Now, how do you expect me to concentrate when you're licking a popsicle?" Barbara giggled. "If you're up to it later, we can go down the beach and lie in the sun a little."
"Maybe later. Right now, I've got all I need right here."
___________
"Who wears a suit to the beach, Bruce?"
Bruce smiled wryly as he and Clark watched the sunset. It had been an uneventful day, and he was enjoying the peace. "I believe in staying well-dressed. Besides, I thought you loved my fashion sense."
"I do. But anything can happen out here. The elements don't account for good taste."
Bruce nodded. "Despite everything that's happened...I'm still really glad you came out here, Clark. I think we needed the vacation. I just wish things went more smoothly."
"I know. But you can't plan for life. Kara will be fine, and this'll be a bad memory soon enough. Kon and Dick are teenagers. They'll get up to things. And Dick's a good kid. You're doing a great job with him."
"That means a lot, Clark. More than you know."
"I mean it, Bruce. I know you sometimes get a bad rap in the League as humorless, but I just wish they could see you like I do. You're the strongest man I know."
As Clark leaned in to kiss Bruce, there was a loud crack above. In what seemed like one second, the skies opened up and poured the heavens down on the beach. Bruce's suit was soaked to the bone as he and Clark ran back to the house, slamming the door on the massive cloudburst. Looking at Bruce, standing there looking akin to a drowned rat, Clark burst out laughing.
"I'm glad you find this funny, Kent. This suit is ruined."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Bruce. But you have to admit that was kind of funny. It's like nature itself decided to agree with me."
Bruce sighed. "Alright, I'll take the hint and buy some casual wear tomorrow. Let's just hope - "
The phone rang. Bruce picked it up. "Dick?"
Bruce paused as he listened to Dick talk. As the conversation went on, his face darkened, finally exploding with anger.
"You're WHERE?"
_______________
The jails at the Jersey shore weren't exactly high-security. Their only company was an unconscious drunk, and Dick could think of at least five ways to escape from this cell without alerting any guards, not counting Kon's super-strength. But there was no way out of just how much trouble they were in, and there was only one person he held responsible for that.
"I hate you."
"Dude, it's not my fault!" Kon tried his best to look innocent. "You saw what happened! I didn't have any choice!"
"Really. You didn't have any choice but to spend half an hour making cracks about every tough guy that walked into the bar? You didn't have any choice but to provoke the one who actually called you out on it by making monkey noises? You didn't have any choice but to throw him through a wall?"
"To be fair, none of that's the reason we're in here. And I really didn't have any choice but to run into that cop. There was only one exit! That place was a fire hazard!"
Dick shook his head. "You're insane. We're both dead, you know."
"Just let me talk. I'll get us out of it."
"No!" Dick exploded. "I've been listening to you and your crazy ideas all weekend, and look where it got us! I'm done!"
"Man, what is your problem? It's like you always try to come up with reasons not to take chances. I'm just trying to liven things up!"
"Liven things up? If your idea of that is nearly getting us killed or arrested every five seconds!"
"It's better than anything you've come up with, mini-Bat!"
"Oh, that's just low, clone."
Kon growled under his breath. "At least Batman doesn't keep my balls in a jar under his desk."
"God, when they cloned you, they forgot the brains!"
"Batboy."
"Ass."
Dick looked at Kon, and before he knew what had happened, Kon had pushed him up against the wall and was kissing him passionately. Dick's first impact was to punch Kon, but that faded quickly as he kissed the infuriating, fascinating Kryptonian boy right back. They were snapped out of their embrace as the doors to their cell slid open.
"Alright, you boys can go. Your dads paid the fine, so you're off the hook." The guard glared at them. Dick walked out of the cell to see a glowering - and sopping wet - Bruce staring him down. Clark looked less severe, although still suitably pissed.
"Bruce, I can - "
"Not. One. Word." Bruce interrupted. "We're going home, and we'll discuss this at length back in Gotham. Over the most challenging training routine I can possibly design."
"It wasn't his fault."
Everyone's head spun at the sound of Kon speaking up. Kon was a lot of things, but he was not known for sticking his neck out when unnecessary.
"I've been the one talking him into things all weekend. I've been coming up with stupid ideas, and he was trying to talk me out of them, and we wound up here. It was all me, though, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't take it out on him."
Bruce nodded. "Well, that does change things. It doesn't let Dick completely off the hook, but I will consider it."
Clark patted Kon on the back. "Good going, son. I'm impressed."
"Impressed enough to forgo the inevitable grounding and chalk this up to a lesson well-learned?"
Clark laughed. "Nice try. Now let's go home."
As they walked out of the jail, Dick cast another eye towards Kon. Suddenly, kissing the crazy Kryptonian again didn't seem like the worst idea in the world.
_______________
Bruce finally stripped off the sopping wet suit and fished the small blue box out of his pocket. It was intact, at least. The only thing left from this disaster of a day. He had wanted this weekend to be perfect, but from the start it had been a disaster. From missing kids, to broken bones, to sudden rainstorms, to picking his son up at the local jail...what kind of start was this to the life he wanted with Clark? Everything had been prepared perfectly, but it was like the universe had laughed at him and decided to show him who was boss. In a fit of anger, he picked up the small box and threw it at the wall.
"Bruce?"
Bruce turned around. "I was such a fool, Clark. I was thinking there would be a perfect moment, but nothing even came close. It's nothing."
Clark's eyes turned to the small box lying on the ground. Leaning down, he grabbed it and gasped as he opened it. It was a small ring, with a perfect diamond set in the middle."
"Bruce...is this...?"
"The engagement ring my father gave my mother almost 40 years ago. I had it sent out, added a special inscription. I was going to give it to you this weekend, but...the time never seemed right. Every time it was going to be, something happened."
Clark smiled. "Oh, Bruce. The perfect moment was any moment. You try so hard to be perfect, and to make everything perfect, but it's all around us. This weekend was a disaster, yes, but it was wonderful in all the ways that matter. We had each other. Kara had Barbara when she needed her most. Even Dick and Kon had each other, in a weird way. You're a wonderful man, with a wonderful family. I just wish you could see it more often, and stop putting so much pressure on yourself."
Before Bruce could answer, Clark dropped to one knee. "Clark...what are you doing?"
"You know my answer. But someone should still do this right. Bruce Wayne...will you marry me?"
"Yes. Of course I will, Clark." Bruce held out his hand for Clark to slip the ring on. "I'm not sure the inscription works, though."
Clark used his x-ray vision to read the message on the band. "You are my Superman. Sounds about right to me."
_______________
It was the following night, at the final dinner of their vacation, as Alfred raised a glass.
"To Master Bruce, and Master Clark, and their engagement. May you find as much happiness together as you have brought to the world in your heroics."
The four kids clapped, and everyone dug into their fresh lobsters. Clark slipped his hand under the table and held Bruce's tight. He looked around the table. Kon and Dick were laughing as Kon related some silly story from his time in Hawaii. He wasn't sure what would become of the two boys, but they definitely had begun something this weekend. He could definitely think of a worse boyfriend for Kon. Kara was playing with Barbara's hair as the red-haired girl signed her cast. Kara had been a point of light in his life ever since she had arrived on Earth, and he couldn't have been happier that she had found love. They were young, but everyone could see that what they had was real. And he had Bruce, the most steadfast, honorable man he had ever met. Alfred completed their family, the glue that held them all together. It had been a hectic, chaotic weekend, and there were a few things they all wished didn't happen. But that was the wonderful thing about family. No matter what, you had each other, and that made everything all right. He couldn't wait to return to the Wayne Family beach house next year...with his husband.