maskormenacelogs | [CLOSED]

Entry tags:

† bruce wayne | batman

[CLOSED]

WHO: Bruce Wayne & Clark Kent
WHERE: De Chima, Wayne Tower
WHEN: After contacting Tim Drake
WHAT: Super Friends being super friends
WARNINGS: Will adjust as necessary

[It was late afternoon now, and after making contact with his family Bruce was able to stay somewhere familiar. It wasn't that his home in Heropa wasn't nice, or even appreciated, but Heropa reminded him of Coast City and Coast City reminded him of too much sun. Too much... green. And while his office was still unfamiliar to him, built by another him, it held a strange, subconscious familiarity. Bruce found himself able to navigate the room with ease, never having to look too hard for what he was looking for.

Dusk was approaching, and people were beginning to go home, leaving Clark the cover of anonymity. Back to the tower's observation deck, Bruce had been expecting him any minute. Clark always teased him about personally having to make an entrance, but his choice of the window rather than the elevator did not go unnoticed to Bruce. In fact, it's what he expected, so he left it unlocked...]

It's open.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh, Kal may nag at Bruce about his entrances, but he’s always been a bit of a hypocrite. As Superman he hardly ever uses the door. He learned very early on that theatrics is a huge part of being a Superhero, even though his are different from Bruce’s.

So, yeah. An alien in bright primary colors is currently using Bruce’s window to get into his room.]

Hey. [He says with a hesitant smile. It’s not easy to see, but Bruce will probably be able to see the telltale signs of Clark’s nervousness, a mix of anxiety, gear and pure eagerness.

And, as always, hope.]

Can you tell me something only I would know? Something private. I need… [A shaky breath as he reaches to rub the back of his neck.] I need to know if we’re from the world. If it’s really you.

You live at 344 Clinton between 30th and Broad Street, you live with Lois in apartment D on the third floor. I know because I bought it for the two of you as a wedding gift.

[Alright, that's good, Bruce.]

Your neighbors are April and May Marigold, they both think they have psychic abilities-- I don't-- and Nathan Warbow. Frank Jackson is your doorman, he's ex-Hall of Fame baseball player with a .359 batting average. Nice guy.

[Uh... alright, Bruce.]

You cook dinner for your wife every night, something that is still beyond me, and eat together on an ugly brown couch that Lois consistently loses her shoes under and that you should really let me replace for you.

[BRUCE.]

Edited 2016-09-05 17:05 (UTC)

Bruce!

[Yeah, really.

But Clark’s tone isn’t chastising, or exasperated. It’s… it’s actually kind of amused, fond, hopeful. It’s honestly a tone of pure relief in that one word, because this is him. This is Bruce. Not any Bruce, but the Bruce in his world. The one he lost, the one who died and left his cowl behind for Dick to take.

He honestly doesn’t care if that was creepy, at least part of it. He doesn’t care how he knows who cooks and where, he doesn’t care if he knows where Lois’s shoes end up when Clark is feeling playful and refuses to tell her where she lost them. He doesn’t care because it’s so Bruce and he learned to live with that long ago.

He just cracks up, rushing to pull him into the tightest hug Bruce can take without being hurt.]

Rao, Bruce. I missed you so much. [He is still laughing as he speaks, his entire body shaking.]

[Bruce anticipates the hug, because of course Clark would, and tries to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that says Clark could crush his entire chest at any given minute if he wanted to.

But he won't. Because he's Clark.

And now Bruce hangs with his feet a few inches off of the ground, emoting about as much as a piece of granite might, while this large, laughing man with unlimited power laughs and hugs him.]

It's good to see you, too, Clark.

[He says flatly. Maybe he's a little happy to see him...]

[Clark ain't letting go any time soon so you deal with it buddy.]

I know it's selfish of me to be glad you're here, when you could be back home in your city and with your kids. But I- [Well. He'd lost him, thought him dead. Plain and simple.]

I was here for a year, before I got ported out. I should- if you have any questions, I could help?

[A year. Just like Karen said. He can't say he isn't bothered by that, but he certainly doesn't let it show.]

Just one.

[A beat.]

Can you put me down?

[Clark snorts, but he does let him down. It should bother him more than he isn't being hugged back, but he knows the fact that he wasn't pushed away or kicked out means the world.]

So. Have you seen Luthor?

[Bruce brushes himself off and pulls at the coat of his jacket gently to readjust himself once ground again.]

With his clever little gem collection? Sure.

Never let anybody say the man lacks in subtlety.

[But even the implication of having Kryptonite is a dangerous one.]

[He reaches to rub his forehead, sighing. All humor and relief at Bruce being here has gone out of the window.]

So you noticed what was missing. There's absolutely no way he didn't do that on purpose.

[Bruce let's Clark be the emotional one-- he's always been the straight man. He circles around to the other side of his desk and takes a seat.]

So, what do you want to do about it?

[He snorts.] What I want to do is to keep him away from every piece of Kryptonite, ever. Every color.

But I... don't think he found what he was showing me. [He swallows. The fact that they all get powers as soon as they step into this world weights heavily in his mind right now.]

So there's not much we can do about that, is there?

[Bruce is unmoved by his worry, and seems rather cold and sober to the whole thing.]

Clark, if you thought there was something I wouldn't do in advance to prepare for a threat then maybe I'm not the person you thought I was.

[And just like that he gets the urge to hug Bruce all over again. Just the urge, though. He's aware he maxed up his hugging coupon earlier.]

If I'm right he may be able to make an endless supply of it. Tell me how you can help me if that happens, because I'm at lost. I can't just cover myself in lead permanently.

That's a shame, because my solution was going to be another lead suit.

[Bruce closes his eyes and takes a measured pause.]

You want my solution, Clark? Get over it.

[Clark blinks. That’s the only reaction out of him, for a second. Eventually, and with a slight hint of frustration in his tone:]

Get over my worst enemy having what’s one of the few means to kill me?

[Bruce is... unmoved, to say the least. There's a pause before he replies.]

I spoke to Karen earlier.

She told me about the world... before this one. And while it's gone, you and I have the luxury of sitting in my office talking about a man with a bunch of rocks.

[He stands up and circles back around to Clark.]

Let's be clear, Clark. If the threat isn't Lex Luthor with Kryptonite it's going to be something else. Because it's always something else.

[He pokes him hard in the chest, pressing his finger right against the symbol on his chest.]

And as long as you're wearing that, that means you're prepared to do something about it. The moment you decide you're not is the day you can take it off.

So, yes, Clark. My solution is to get over it.

If it happens... when it happens, you and I and everybody else wearing a symbol representing something bigger than us will stand up to do something about it.

[Kal almost snarls, at him using Karen to prove his own argument. Using his family. But he holds back (even if barely), because that’s not what Bruce is doing. And it’s not like he’s above doing that same thing, when he needs it.]

I can’t do that. I can’t just… wait, and deal with it when someone gets hurt. Not if I knew I could have done something to stop it.

I never, ever told you to get over the Joker.

But we're not talking about him hurting somebody. We're talking about him hurting you. And not much can hurt you, and that scares you, doesn't it?

But I think what scares you even more is that he's doing nothing, and you're personal investment in this is going to make you do something stupid which is exactly what he wants, because he's smarter than you.

He'll destroy your credibility, he'll destroy everything you've already worked for here, and then he'll come after you.

But people don't think about how smart you really are, Clark. They're too busy waiting for you to rescue a cat from a tree, but for once I want you to stop using that big dumb heart of yours and use your brain.

It’s not the same. My reputation in here- it’s not the same. I’m just one more. He just doesn’t know that yet.

[His knuckles are nearly white, and he can feel his nails leaving a mark on his skin. He breathes through his nose, trying to count to ten before he speaks. Then backwards, in Kryptonian.

He knows he’s right, logically. There’s a part of him that’s as Kryptonian as his genes, and that part works better with logic than he does with emotions. He needs proof to believe in an argument, and that’s what Bruce is providing. He knows Lex used the rocks to get at him, and that he shouldn’t let it work. Shouldn’t give Lex the upper hand.

Emotionally, though…]

Can you- Will you help me keep an eye on him, at least?

[It's the 'at least' that annoys him. To him, it means that Clark thinks he's dismissing his concern rather than what he's really dismissing-- his fear-mongering approach to his concern.]

I don't know what kind of impression this other me has left you with, but he's been on my radar the moment he said hello.

[Kal… he doesn’t quite smile. Not really, it doesn’t reach his eyes. But some of the tension does leave his shoulders. This conversation is shaping to be quite a roller coaster, but… well, getting his best friend back from the dead and having to face Luthor on the same day will do that to you.]

It’s not like that. The previous you… he didn’t know me. Had no reason to trust me. [He reaches for a pendant he keeps under the neck of his suit. It’s shapped like a mix of the S-shield and the bat symbol.] But he did his best to help.

This is a locator. I can press it, and it will turn on in an emergency. I would only trust you on the other end of it, specially now that Luthor is here.

Well, I can't say I don't appreciate his effort.

[He extends his arms out around him, gesturing to the office they're standing in.]

But, I'll be there.

[A beat.]

I don't imagine you can tell me where the other one is?

[He shakes his head as he glances down at the pendant.]

I only had this end, to press if I got in trouble. I don't know where it went when I left. [He looks back at Bruce.] I could press it and follow the signal?

[Bruce shrugs and looks around the office.]

Call me the world's greatest detective, but you're the one with x-ray vision and super hearing. Knock yourself out.

[Clark snorts (which, considering the anxiety that was rolling off in waves of him a moment ago is a huge step forward). It doesn’t take him that long to find the locator, once he’s pressed the button. The only reason he never found it is because he never really looked for it.

He hands it to Bruce.]

I guess it’s a good idea for you to have this, considering. If he hurts anyone with the green K it will be me, like you said.

[Bruce raises an eyebrow and stares at it for a minute.]

Not the most discreet thing I've ever seen...

[He slips it into his pocket.]

But I'll be there when he does.

[Kal chuckles, shaking his head.] If you want to make a smaller one, I'm all for it. But I kind of like the design of this one.

[He points at the combination of the S-shield and the bat with a shit eating grin.]

I'm not surprised. It'll have to do for now.

So, anything else I should know about this other me?

[He thinks about it. He knows he wouldn't like talking about another himself, but that's because an alarming number of them happen to be on the evil side of things. And Bruce has always been different.]

He was younger. Way less experienced. He didn't know me, but Alfred had files on all of us.

He wanted to pretend he was you. [A one shouldered shrug.] I helped him.

Alfred was here?

[He seems surprised, a rare moment to be sure. He closes his eyes and smiles thoughtfully-- he does miss him.]

So, that's why they're so organized. I'm not surprised.

[Clark smiles, nodding.] Yeah, he was here last time I was here. Helped me a lot as well, because that's what Alfred does.

We... [The smile kind of flickers away for a second.] We came from a similar point in time.

You all think I'm dead.

[He remarks like he's reading off of a fact sheet.]

I'm not. It's a long story, but... well, you won't remember it when you get back anyway.

[He raises an eyebrow.]

Sorry if I worried you.

[He may be a little sarcastic. It might have been a hairy situation... getting sent back in time by Darkseid and essentially becoming a living bomb. Never let anybody say Batman doesn't play things down, though.]

[He glances down. He hadn’t meant to make him think of his own death, in all fairness he didn’t even know he knew. He should have guessed, there is little in this Earth Bruce Wayne doesn’t know.

He swallows.]

I lost you the same year I lost my father. The same year I lost a lot of New Krypton. It’s… not bean an easy year.

But it’s- [Wait. Bruce didn’t say ‘know’, he said ‘think’. You all think I’m dead. Which implies-

He looks up at him with a frown.]

You’re not?

No.

[He says simply, and leaves it at that, walking past Clark and slapping him on the shoulder. He stops at the window and takes a look outside. You also have a son not too far along, too, Clark. But not even he'll spoil something like that. He smiles very subtly at the right, though. He's sure Clark will be a better father than he was.]

[He could ask.

He should ask, really. But he knows Bruce well enough to know that if he wanted to offer any more information, he would have already. And him nagging will only make the man either clam up or lash out and neither would be productive. He’ll get it out of him eventually, he always does.]

Well. [He walks up next to Bruce.] I’m… sorry I didn’t look for you, then. I should have known.

[Bruce's head lulls to one side, a quirk of his eyebrow.]

That's not... entirely accurate. Give yourself some credit, Clark.

[He places a hand on his shoulder.]

Technically, it's in the past. [FUNNY, BRUCE.] Try not to worry about it too much, hm?

[Drumroll goes to you, Bruce.]

I'll try. [He'll probably not succeed, because if Bruce wasn't really dead it means he was alone and lost somewhere else and no one knew. And Clark has been there, done that.]

I... met your son, by the way.

[Well, congratulations, Clark, you finally got a reaction out of Bruce. He tries not to react that much, because he knows now that Clark is from before it happened, but his eyes betray him. He finds himself turning to Clark before he can keep himself from doing so.]

Damian was here...?

[He shakes his head, but he likes that reaction. It means he cares.]

Back home. When you were- well. Gone? Dick kind of took over. I wasn't on Earth at the time, but I... heard a bit about it. About who was the new Robin.

Oh. I see.

[His voice is colder, a bit distant, but not much. He's careful about that. Bruce turns back to the window. Thanks, Clark. His son is dead.]

He always wanted to prove himself. Headstrong.

Wonder where he got it from.

[Clark don't know that, sorry B.]

Yeah. Definitely not from his father, right? [He reaches to squeeze Bruce's shoulder. He notices the slight coldness, of course he does. And he knows he either said something wrong, or Bruce is trying to hide something from him. Maybe both. But as always, he trusts Bruce and he figures he'll be able to tell when it's time to push it.]

Thanks, Bruce. For calming me down. Distracting me.

[His rigidity remains, but he turns his head slowly to the hand on his shoulder, and then to Clark.]

You know me. [He responds sarcastically.] Don't worry about it.

At least there's someone else I can trust here.

[Awww... that means he likes you, Clark.]

[Clark just... smiles, eyes shining and bright.]

Missed you, too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[CLOSED]

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject