Hey, I finally got another story up, whoohoo! I would have had it up sooner, but I keep getting kicked off of the computer by my family and I get distracted by FanFiction (you know how it is). So this is just a little one-shot I thought of by reading this one comparitive story between the two, I think it's in my favorites if you want to check it out.
P.S. If you point out a grammatical or spelling error, I will love you forever. No joke. Please tell me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Superman, or the lyrics/songs in the beginning (I just like having lyrics, sets the mood if you know what I mean)
Morning breaks another day
Finds me crying in the rain
All alone with my demons I am
Who is this man that comes my way?
The dark ones shriek
They scream His name
Is this the One they say will set the captives free?
As the God man passes by
He looks straight through my eyes
And darkness cannot hide
'Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains
I hold the key'
Casting Crowns - Set Me Free
But the good news
Is there's angels everywhere out on the street
Holding out a hand to pull you back up on your feet
Rodney Atkins- When you're Going Through Hell
Sometimes Perfect Isn't Enough
Superman couldn't calm the screaming boy. No matter how gently he patted his back or spoke soft words of 'it's going to be alright', the child threw the hero's hand roughly off his shoulder and continued hugging the dead bodies of his mother and father. Trying to wipe off the tears staining the little boy's face, his hand was once again slapped away. Clark even tried picking the boy up and carrying him to the police station, but the child squirmed so much that he was afraid he might hurt the him.
After a few minutes of this, Batman couldn't take any more. He had been trying to hide in the shadows, not wanting to get involved with the boy's suffering, knowing full well from past partners of what he'd be getting himself into, but seeing Clark struggle like this, to be so unable to help this hurting boy, Bruce knew he had to do something.
He walked up to Superman, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to motion him to get up. At first, the second man seemed unwilling to move, as if doubting Batman's ability to help, but seeing the look in his eyes, he stood up and stepped back.
Batman knelt down next to the boy at a comfortable distance from his pain. He didn't touch the child, knowing it would only make it worse, having been in his situation before. His words came out soft and low, not harsh like his usual Bat-voice, but soothing.
'My parents died too,' he whispered.
The boy instantly tried to quiet himself, curiosity probing him to hear what the man had to say.
'It was in an alley just like this one, with a thug, just like the one that ran away from here.'
Getting a silent approval with the look the boy was giving Batman, he moved in closer, while still giving a respectful distance.
He kept talking to the kid while Superman looked on with a mixed feeling of emotions. He had never seen Bruce this way, gentle and inviting. For a moment, Clark almost felt something that could have been jealousy: Batman could talk to people in a way that Superman could not. From his own pain had come an understanding of victims that Clark didn't know, and it seemed to be a weakness in a different way than kryptonite.
With all his near unbeatable powers and amazing abilities, Superman could do nothing to help a broken heart. He could stop people from becoming victims easier with said talents, but when they did get hurt, the best he could offer was false hope and a pat on the head, when it was quite obvious it was not going to be alright and nothing could ever be the same again. And as Clark knew, no one respects a man with empty words.
'Does it ever stop hurting?' The little boy asked, looking up to Batman innocently.
'No.' He turned back to his parents with fresh tears. 'But that doesn't mean the pain is bad. You can turn it into something better, something to make you stronger. This pain doesn't have to consume your life. Sometimes things like this will change you for the better. Sometimes it will make you worse. The painful part, is deciding where to go from here.' He let the words sink in as the boy dried his tears.
Hearing sirens nearing the alley, Batman stood up and slid back into the shadows with Superman. 'Come on,' he said, his voice still soft.
'What about the boy?'
Batman paused, looking down at the shaking form. 'He'll be fine.'
As Batman walked away, Superman gave one last look to the child. He was sitting up straight now, hugging himself and looking away from the superheroes to await the police. Clark knew he could believe what his friend had said; this boy was going to be alright. Maybe a little depressed and shaken, but if he could trust Batman, which Clark knew he could, this little boy was on the right path.
He was one more life saved.
From something only The Batman understood.
With powers only The Batman had.