Clark's shoulders sagged in relief at his answer, and he stepped forwards, patting Bruce on the shoulder. "Between the two of us, we'll see that this does the good work that it can." He finally smiled again, glad for his friend's company.
"Thank you, Bruce," he said, his voice full of genuine thanks. "Without you ... it just didn't feel right." And he left it at that. He never was sure how much to say around Bruce about their friendship. Bruce usually snorted and told him he was reading too much into it. But Bruce's opinion was important to him, and so was his presence. Clark was very aware that Superman was shaped by those that he knew, and not just his parents or Lois.
Bruce's grim determination and unique way of handling Gotham was a good touchstone to compare to from time to time. His tactics wouldn't work in Metropolis, but sometimes he had the right idea. Or most of the time, anyway. As he'd told him, Clark needed someone else around, who had this life, to compare with.
And more importantly, he just needed a best friend.