Clark listens to what he has to say and in it's own way, it's the first thing he's really heard. Everything else has been reaction: Bruce needed this or Bruce said that, dominoes fall and set off other dominoes, all of it in prearranged, simple patterns. Familiar. Autopilot. Even the outrage.

He doesn't pull his hand away from Bruce. Instead, he leans in and nods without a word.

Right now, there's a man sitting next to him that in all ways makes his life better. Makes him that much more human. And he gets to be with him. Just be here with him.

There's not even anything to say to that.

He's always loved Bruce. When it turned romantic, he'll never quite be sure, but he's loved him for so long, he doesn't remember how not to.

He can wait. The one thing he can do is wait.