etrayalogs | ( closed ) bred, born, and raised to kick your ass

( he watches the exchange between them — keeps an eye on the way damian behaves as well as clark. there's something almost protective in the way he watches, yet bruce will never acknowledge it. he's still trying to figure out so many things here. with him.

the question comes and bruce stares to clark. quiet. firm. considering. the typical Batman Look most get from him when he's beneath the cowl. )

I don't know yet.

[ clark hums softly. he seems unbothered for the most part. grief is a solid shield from any kind of impact or fear clark could possess. what could bruce do to him that he hasn't already done?

and in the end . . . he did save his mother. ]

That's fine. We can always talk it out whenever you like.

No.

( answering for bruce while he drops his hand. because damian is polite like that.

he keeps his body turned towards clark, but inclines his head back to bruce. meant more for bruce's sake than clark's: his guard is lowered, he's trusting clark somewhat. )

He's not a concern. Yet.

( fleeting glance to damian, he looks back to clark. zeroes in on him as bruce would any rogue he's currently dealing with. he knows he needs to be careful here — knows he's currently not able to match someone who can literally fly, among other things, but. he's also not one to shrink himself to another either. )

Right.

( whether that's to damian, to clark, or to both of them. he said what he said. )

[ clark's grin is wry around the corners, which he tosses at bruce briefly before returning his attention back at damian. ]

Well. You can call me anytime if you need me. I am an ally in protecting people, all things considered.

How you deal with it is up to you.

[ clark can't do anything about his powers, his alien heritage or his past. he is who he is. earth was his world, but these are still people. he will continue to have faith, even if no one has any in him. ]

You're young.

( a statement, not a question. they all already know this. damian's very existence acknowledges it by his standards. )

We'll work on you yet.

( damian got what he needed out of this. his own grin is wide, full of mischief for the few moments he turns it to clark before he's - turning around entirely, back to him as he walks back towards the manor. )

( damian turns to make his leave and bruce stands there. staring still at clark. there's a slight turn he gives, as if to follow after damian, but. he stops. considers something. drops his gaze only for a moment before it flicks back up to clark. )

Is that what he does with you? Calls you when he needs you?

( the batman... the bruce wayne that clark knows. )

[ clark's gaze drops for a moment, contemplative. ]

No. We weren't at that stage. We fought together. Saved the world together. But he . . . wasn't too fond of a Superman.

[ logically, clark knows some of this was fostered by lex luthor. his manipulations were laid bare in the end and bruce knew the truth. but it was still bruce who chose to fight clark while clark never had that choice. ]

( hm. )

Why?

( whichever of those clark wants to answer. )

[ clark pauses. he wants to be as fair about this as possible. after all, the guilt isn't on bruce entirely. ]

I was an entity he could not control or conceive of. Those feelings festered for a long time. And there was a manipulator behind certain events that made it seem worse.

( bruce, no matter the version, does prefer to be the one in control and to have control over situations. things. sometimes people, in the future, it seems. it all stems from a deep-seated fear of not being enough — not being able to protect those he cares for and to never want to lose anyone ever again and experience that pain he still carries with him to this day with losing his parents. it's just a matter of how far he'll go to have that control... and how many bridges he'll burn in the process of getting it.

he's silent. considering clark's words. then allows himself to turn more towards damian. towards the manor. )

We may very well be dealing with a manipulator here as well.

Or something else entirely.

[ clark doesn't know what. beyond the robots, he can't sense much else. but he can be patient. all he needs is the slightest opening and he can handle things. ]

At this stage, we don't know. Jumping to conclusions won't benefit anyone.

( he's about to follow after damian, but. he doesn't. glances over his shoulder slowly to clark. )

Are you suggesting that's what I'm going to do?

I already gave you the reason for what happened before.

So you tell me. Is it? You like to make contingency plans for everyone. But even you missed the manipulator and targeted me instead.

( at that, bruce turns around. faces clark. cape gently flowing behind him in the breeze that drifts by. )

I didn't do anything. I don't even know you.

[ clark smiles faintly. ]

Which is why I'm asking, not assuming.

Lucky me.

( dryly said because, of course it would be. )

[ that prompts a soft chuckle from clark. ]

I think you are, though you may not realize that yet.

I'm not here to force my opinion. You'll have your own, I'm sure. But by that same conceit, so do I.

[ this is his tolerance more than his kindness, in a way. he's willing to extend the chance, but that chance is on shaky ground. he really doesn't want to wake up one morning with a spear aimed at his chest for no good reason. ]

So the choice is yours.

That wouldn't be a thinly veiled threat, would it?

( him not realizing how lucky he is for clark to be asking and not assuming. )

[ his brow furrows as if baffled by bruce's confusion before it clears up and he seems bemused. ]

Obviously not, but maybe you need to meet more people if that's what you jumped to.

[ also proving clark's point about assumptions, but he'll let it slide. ]

I'm not here to meet people. I'm here to save Gotham and the people in it.

( alfred is who he mostly has on his mind there. he's been trying to save gotham on his own for two years now and it just... keeps getting worse. now this. being here. not just with gotham's fate on his shoulders, but apparently the world's. his world. no pressure. no reason to be stressed or wary of others. not at all. )

But you can't do it alone.

[ said rather simply. clark doesn't add anything else to it as he rises back into the sky. ]

Then you don't know me at all.

( can one person make a difference? who knows. maybe gotham's destined to fall. but he has to keep trying. for every corrupt cop and unjust thing that happens, he has to believe there's still good people within it. people that deserve a chance. that deserve better.

regardless, he turns and makes his way back to the manor, cape following behind him as he does. )

( bruce passes the entrance into the manor moments before damian's dropping down from the ceiling and carefully, mostly gently landing on his shoulders. boots cross over his collarbone, but he's not moving to attack him as he had last time.

he's just sitting. comfortably. )

He's not wrong.

( with the sudden added weight across his shoulders, he takes a second to balance himself and, while damian might be unable to see the roll of his eyes, the huff he gives under his breath can be heard.

rather than move, he stands there. )

Did you get what you wanted out of that?

( damian had been the one who wanted to investigate kent after all. )

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