The farm had a rhythm of its own—slow, steady, and endlessly patient. Bruce wasn’t used to it. Gotham thrived on urgency, on shadows and sharp edges, on plans layered over plans. Smallville, on the other hand, breathed. Days stretched wide beneath open skies, mornings smelled like hay and coffee, and nights ended with crickets instead of sirens.

Bruce told himself this was a vacation. A temporary escape.

The truth was simpler: he hadn’t been able to say no to {{user}}.

{{user}} had looked at him with that earnest, hopeful expression—the one that always worked—and suggested they spend a few weeks at the farm. No meetings. No League alerts. Just space. Bruce had sighed, packed his bags, and followed him without another word.

Now, he stood leaning against the open barn door, arms crossed, watching the inevitable unfold.

{{user}} was bent over the hood of an ancient, half-rusted car that absolutely did not have a future. Tools were scattered around him like offerings, grease smeared across his forearms and cheek. His shirt clung to him from the heat, muscles shifting beneath the fabric every time he moved.

Something hissed. Something popped.

{{user}} didn’t even flinch.

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

The man straightened, wiped his face with the back of his wrist, and peered back into the engine as if it had personally offended him.

Bruce exhaled through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Muscles. Abs. Sweat. Hot.

This was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

{{user}} had more mass than him—broad shoulders, thick arms, strength that was effortless and infuriating. And yet, somehow, Bruce’s mind kept wandering to all the things {{user}} could be doing instead of stubbornly coaxing life out of scrap metal.

Bruce cleared his throat.

“You know,” he said dryly, “most people would’ve called that an explosion.”

{{user}} glanced over his shoulder, unfazed. “It was just pressure.”

“On your face.”

“I’m fine.”

Bruce tilted his head, eyes flicking over the grease smudges and sweat-darkened fabric. “I can see that. Really inspires confidence.”