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Clark Kent had never considered himself a jealous man. It was something that had exasperated Lana to no end, that in high school she had tried to make him jealous on purpose to provoke a reaction, and that in the end had led to the end of their relationship, because, apparently, he did not make her feel wanted enough.
It was something Clark had never understood: why did you have to act like a possessive caveman to show that you loved a person? It didn't make sense.
You didn't cage someone just because you were afraid they would leave. Nor did you limit their freedom. If someone truly loves you, they will stay, period. He had seen it with his parents, with Oliver and Dinah, and he knew it was true.
Jealousy was a useless thing, and even ridiculous.
Given all this, why did he feel he wanted to smash someone's face while he was sitting in the front row watching Bruce's wedding to an alien prince?
"Big Blue, please calm down," Hal Jordan hissed in his ear, looking ready to pull out the kryptonite at any moment, "Your eyes are getting red."
"I'm calm," Clark lied shamelessly, clenching his fists and trying to smile, but there was something wrong with his face, something too stiff, "See? I am serene and perfectly calm."
"If you pierce Prince Xerxes' head with your damn laser beams, Sinestro will find a way to ally with the Senordians, make them his Yellow Lanterns, and it will be a problem not only for Green Lanterns but for the entire galaxy."
Clark pursed his lips. He didn't need the reminder. If there were a dozen of them, standing there, using the meeting room as a makeshift chapel, it was Sinestro's fault and his thirst for revenge. And of the Senordians, who were angry with OA and his Guardians for rust millennia ago, and who all too easily could have decided to join Sinestro's cause. The last thing the Lanterns needed was an entire planet of Yellow Lanterns.
Rationally, a marriage was an efficient solution, from a diplomatic point of view. Diana had taken care of the pre-nuptial contract, inserting clauses such as oh, now that you are our ally, don't even dream of joining Sinestro, if you care about your balls.
He was convinced that the language used was much more detached and diplomatic, but at that moment, Clark wanted to rip the balls out of that asshole.
There shouldn't even have been a wedding! But it was since the prince had set foot in the Watchtower with his retinue that he had stared at Bruce as if he were a slice of meat and he was a repentant vegan, never losing sight of him, not even for a moment.
It had been sickening.
It was clear that the prince was there out of courtesy, and had no real willingness to ally himself with the Green Lanterns. Hal Jordan had reached such a point of desperation, coupled with the fear of what Sinestro could do with all of Senors' strength, that he said to him, "What's your price. Everyone has one. What's yours?"
And the prince had looked at Bruce and smiled.
In retrospect, if they were in that situation, it was also Hal's fault, and Clark growled at him, "Aren't you happy? This wedding was possible because of you. And you didn't even warn his children."
"There was no time," Hal tried to justify himself, "Xerxes has to leave soon, his father is dying. The wedding had to be before he became king."
"Yes, because he is a slimy man who otherwise would not keep his word!"
"Oh, come on! You're just jealous that you're not the one marrying Spooky! The prince is a man of honor."
"A man of honor who hates the Green Lanterns," he reminded him, trying not to look at the prince's hands clasping Bruce's forearms longingly, "He didn't want anything from you. He would burn the Universe for his petty whims."
"And now thanks to Batman, that's not going to happen. Stop acting like it's the end of the world. It's not a real wedding.."
Clark looked at him as if he had gone mad, "Not a real wedding? All the founding members are there, plus a few new recruits, and all the prince's retinue. Diana is celebrating the wedding. She definitely has authority to perform a real marriage."
Hal Jordan rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean. This wedding, on Earth, will not be valid. Batman in the eyes of the law of the state of New Jersey will still be a free and single man. As soon as all this is over, you can ask him out.'
"I'm not jealous. Bruce is my friend, I care about him and I think he deserves better to be used as political leverage."
The Green Lantern snorted, "Sure, keep telling yourself. Maybe, in a million years, you'll believe it."
"It's true. We're just friends."
"Batman and I are just friends. Flash and Oliver are just friends. Have you ever seen one of them ready to interrupt a wedding just for a friend? Certainly not! You're cooked, Superman. I'm sorry it took this to make you understand, but..."
Hal's words were cut off by Diana's clear, commanding voice cutting through the tension. "The bride and groom may now proceed with the exchange of vows."
Prince Xerxes stepped forward first, his lithe figure draped in iridescent robes that shimmered like oil on water. With his cerulean skin and crimson eyes, he looked almost human, if humans were sculpted by gods with too much time on their hands. His smile was all sharp charm, the kind that made Clark's jaw clench. "From the moment I saw you," the prince began, voice dripping with sincerity, "I knew you were unlike any other." His fingers brushed Bruce's wrist, lingering just a second too long. "Your strength, your beauty, it captivated me. A warrior's spirit wrapped in shadows. How could I not want you?"
Clark swallowed hard, his stomach twisting. The words were saccharine, theatrical, the kind of thing he'd roll his eyes at in a bad rom-com. But then Bruce—stoic, guarded Bruce—lowered his gaze, just slightly, and something in Clark's chest cracked open. He knew that look. The way Bruce's shoulders tensed when he was flustered, the barely-there flush at the tips of his ears. Clark had seen it a hundred times, after late-night stakeouts or quiet moments in the Cave. And suddenly, the prince's grandiose declarations didn't sound so ridiculous anymore.
Because he felt it too.
The realization hit like a freight train. Did I love him? More than a friend?!
Clark spiraled, his heart pounding. What were those confused feelings he was experiencing? Were they affection? Will you want to protect someone close to you? Love? He didn't feel that way with Lois... but then, Lois was a woman, and he had never had problems understanding his relationships with women, just say that terrestrial society was very heteronormative... no, it was not the time to channel his inner Kara.
At that moment, the prince had said a phrase that he did not like.
"... we will reign over our planet as righteous rulers until the end of our lives..."
Our planet? Reign? Did he want to take Bruce with him after all this? Did he want to kidnap him just because they were getting married? None of them had consented to this! There wasn't in the pre-nuptial contract!
Driven by panic rather than common sense, Clark decided to do something very stupid.
He interrupted the prince's vows. By punching him in the face. The silence that fell immediately after the punch was deathly.
The prince was still alive, albeit in bad shape, and his entourage was staring at Clark as if he were Satan incarnate. Bruce looked first at his would-be husband, then at Clark.
"Before all hell breaks loose, what were you thinking?"
"I...he...would have taken you away...and you would never come back. Dick and Jason...he tricked you..."
"There was no trick," Bruce said, his voice calm, despite the shitstorm that was about to hit them, "I would have spent two months on his planet performing my duties as consort every three Earth years."
"What?"
"It was in the contract, if you had read it..."
"What duties were you supposed to perform?!" Clark squeaked, his mind creating unflattering images.
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
That little…
"Well, I object! There will be no such thing! I won't let anyone other than me touch you..."
He trailed off, blushing. "Did I just say that out loud?"
"Yes, Superman," Diana said, unclear whether she was tired or amused.
"I...meant..."
"We know what you meant, Superman," Diana grabbed, ducking in time to avoid an attack, unfazed. "Kudos on the timing, by the way. It's about time you realized that."
"But..."
This wasn't the time for explanations. The Senordians had decided to avenge their prince's honor, and Clark was the primary target. There would be time to apologize later. And to throw himself into the sun and forget the utter embarrassment.
(Bruce hadn't minded that display of possessiveness. In fact, he liked it. A lot.)