And it's here! The slashy epilogue that will fully wrap up this story it's here! Enjoy it!

So I'll just shut up now and let you get to the long awaited end. Enjoy!

...

"He kissed me."

The words were simple, spoken in the same plain inflection Bruce always used, but the meaning was so unexpected that they made Clark pull back in less than a second, his wide eyes fixed on Bruce's face. It took him a moment to speak, and even when he did, he wasn't able to form a full sentence.

"What?"

"Superman," Bruce confirmed. "He kissed me."

"What- When did it happen?"

Bruce blinked. Of all the questions Clark could have asked that was perhaps the less relevant. That, of course, didn't mean it wasn't interesting. "When I went to see him just before we left the cave."

So the anxiety he felt back then as he waited for Bruce's return had been justified. Somehow, that didn't make Clark feel any better.

"I know it had nothing to do with me," Bruce said after a moment, eyebrows drawn together. "I was just a substitute, but even now I can't be sure if he did it as a way to say goodbye or something else."

He cleared his throat. "Something like what?"

"Maybe he used the only opportunity he had left to kiss Batman, even if I wasn't the one he wanted."

The thought of someone wearing his face, someone so close to him in personality kissing Bruce left a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. Why could his double come and take what wasn't his? Why did he get a taste when he- Clark didn't let himself end that line of thought.

"Does it matter?"

Bruce paused for a beat. "No, it doesn't."

Something tugged painfully in Clark's chest. "Why are you telling me this?"

He opened his mouth to speak but had to close it when no words came. "I don't know," Bruce admitted through clenched teeth.

Bruce's piercing dark eyes watched him, studying his reaction. He hadn't planned to share this, but now that he had, he couldn't stop himself from looking for ... something.

It wasn't hard at all to imagine his double hiding his feelings for years, content to have Bruce's friendship rather than risk losing him entirely if he dared say a word. Clark had been doing the same thing for as long as he could remember. Except that other Bruce was gone now, leaving his Clark filled with sorrow and regrets.

Clark wasn't going to let that happen to them. Before he knew what he was doing; before he could think of all the reasons why this was a terrible idea he moved and closed the distance between them.

The touch was tentative, just a brush of soft lips, but when Bruce didn't push him away after a couple of seconds Clark allowed himself to deepen it. He poured into that kiss all the love and passion he had kept hidden until now, coaxing Bruce's mouth to move against his. A shudder went through his body when he sense Bruce responding after what felt like forever, fingers burrowed into soft dark hair and a warm tongue pushing inside the other's mouth.

The kiss was everything Clark had ever dreamed and so much more. It was warm and intense and maybe a little rough, just like the man himself, and Clark never wanted it to stop.

They had to break the kiss eventually because Bruce was human and needed oxygen, no matter how much both men wished otherwise at that moment.

Bruce's eyes were wide, dark pupils swallowing the blue iris and cheeks flushed a light shade of red as he struggled to catch his breath. The sight was enough to take Clark's breath away.

"Why," He asked simply, still trying to wrap his mind around what happened in the last couple of minutes. He licked his lips, feeling more than a little pleased by the reaction he saw on the Kryptonian's face.

"Because I've wanted to do that for a long time." The lingering sensation of Bruce's lips moving against his gave Clark the confidence he needed to admit it out loud. "And because your calm reaction to the other Superman's kiss encouraged me."

He frowned. "You thought I would have attacked you if you had kissed me before."

"What!? No! Of course not. I just-" Clark sighed, frustrated with himself for his poor reaction. "I didn't want to risk what we have."

Bruce resisted the urge to let his lips curl upward. That sounded like one of the many reasons that had stopped him from pursuing this. Clark's eyes were on him, dark and wide, and he couldn't resist the urge to make him suffer a little bit longer.

"Now what?"

"Now I want to kiss you again. But only if you want me to," Clark added hastily.

Bruce didn't say anything for a long moment, watching him carefully. When he asked Clark to stay behind he honestly hadn't expected the conversation to turn into this. Not that he was complaining. This development was certainly unexpected, but far from unwelcome.

"Are you waiting for an invitation," Bruce challenged, an eyebrow arched.

The way Clark's whole face lit up made something warm flutter in his chest. This was probably a terrible idea. If things didn't work out between them this could blow up on their faces, affecting not only their friendship but also their working relationship.

But, with Clark's lips on his again, warm and demanding, Bruce couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

There will be time for everything else later. Right now, he needed this. They both did.

...

a/n: So, that's it. Finally. I promised many times that I wouldn't abandon this story no matter how long it took me to work on it, so I feel happy and irelived/i that I was able to finish it. I hope you enjoyed the whole fic and that the too long pauses between updates were worth it in the end. And please do let me know what you think!

I cannot thank enough the people who stayed with me on this right from the beginning, or the people that decided to give it a chance even when it become clear what a mess I am. Thank you so much everyone for the comments and adding this story to your favorites! :D

And now, to work on the rest of my unfinished fics...