Chapter 2

'Not again' Clark thought staring at the innocent smile on Bruce's lips. He had thought that agreeing to hear out what Bruce had to say would quell the urge for him to break into the watchtowers computers. However, looking at Bruce's pale features glowing from the bask off the monitors he knew he should have thought better.

"How do you keep getting in?" Clark wondered and hoped it would be answered from someone within the watchtower. He looked and listened confusedly, it was unheard of for someone not to be here from the team.

"He's gone out." He heard instead from Bruce.

"Who?"

"Oliver," He was going to sternly talked too when he returned "He was here for a while but left to get some take out for us." He explained

"So he left you here?" Clark asked incredulously

"Yep,"

"Alone?" Another affirmative, "In a high tech facility that he owns?"

"He obviously trusts me," Bruce commented and Clark couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

'Right' Clark muttered before steeling himself to get a paper and pen, scribbling a 'gone out' note and grabbing Bruce to run him back home. Instead of taking him to the manor doors like usual Clark dropped him at the gates and turned to face him. "You can't keep doing this," Bruce just gazed back unresponsive like everything in his brain decided to go offline whilst Clark tried to lecture him. It wasn't the first time he had tried to have this conversation with him and he doubted this would be the last either. "Come on Bruce you know you can't just turn up at the watchtower, you aren't a hero or someone that we fully trust. Not to mention you worry Alfred half to death when you run off. What do you think he's thinking right now, knowing that you could be anywhere because you don't tell him."

"He does know," Bruce interrupted with a scowl on his face.

"What?"

"Probability states that if an action is repeated and the result turns out the same each time then chances are that it will happen again on the next round. Alfred probably would have guessed that I would be with you because that is where I've been the last few times. Not that it's relevant to talk about probability, I told him we were on a date today," he sprung and smiled at Clark like it was fun to lie to his guardian.

"A date?"

"Yep. Quite clever really, I said it so that Alfred wouldn't question why I wanted to go over and see you. I was to meet you at the watchtower and then we were going to go to a movie together," he frowned at Clark "Wait. Did I do something wrong, your face is suggesting that I've made a faux pas. Do people not go to the cinema anymore? If not what do young people do for a date, I thought that the cinema was still an 'in' thing but obviously I've missed some social change. But I suppose that's what I get for gathering this information from sitcom re-runs." He paused for a moment "You don't think Alfred would have seen through it do you?"

"What." Clark was baffled by the stream of information that Bruce was sprouting. He would later find it quite amusing if not a little sad that the only social interactions outside of theirs was with his TV. "No, no wait. I didn't mean that going to the cinema was a bad idea for a date I meant 'a date' as in why would you say that to Alfred and then turn up in watchtower. If you wanted to meet me why didn't you just shout or something. I would have eventually heard you."

"But it isn't very discreet. So I went to watchtower to get in touch with you but Oliver said that you would be coming by and he said I could just wait there for you. You know, having your number would make things a lot easier between us." he commented slyly.

Clark paused for a second and considered it. Did he really want a mental patient on his call list, no. But there was always the possibility that he would do something crazy and it would be easier to find or talk to him if he had his number. It might even decrease the Bruce sightings at Watchtower. So with that thought and a bit of groaning on Clarks part he told Bruce his number, he had offered to write it down but Bruce said he could just memorise it.

"So what did you want to see me about anyway," Clark sighed.

Bruce grew attentive and glanced around giving Clark another uneasy feeling. Why would anyone feel unsafe on their own home? Bruce did Clark concluded when he asked if they could go somewhere more discreet.

The place that he decided on was an open aired patch of land that when he set Bruce down he took one look and sat on the grass below them. As soon as Clark was seated also Bruce turned his body so that he could lie back into Clarks lap and look at the sky. He could have pushed him off but Clark was looking forward to this meeting being over.

"Do you ever get the feeling that something's wrong with the world?" He eventually asked

"Well yeah," Clark said thinking back on all the times back in Smallville when he wished that he could feel normal but the universe would put one more thing on the planet to make that an impossibility.

"No, nothing like that. Like, you're in a dream or everyone else is and you are the only one that can see what's really happening." Bruce looked earnestly at Clark as if urging him to understand what he was trying to tell him.

"Like in the Matrix?" Clark asked hoping that this was the right answer. Judging by the death glare Bruce sent his way he guessed wrong. "Alright, we're in a dream."

"No we're not," Bruce sighed and looked back up to the sky, hopelessness on his handsome face.

"But you just sai-"

"No I asked if you every felt that way, not that we actually were. You're interpreting it wrong. Besides to create a machine that could have the whole world dreaming at once is more advanced technology than what's available at this time," He dismissed flippantly.

Clark tried a different method "Is that how you feel? Like everyone is seeing something and you aren't?" Bruce avoided the question.

"I wish I could see earth like you do. You know, like in outer space." he said conversationally before muttering almost too quiet for normal humans to here "I would love to see it again."

Clark was confused at that. 'Again'? so Bruce had been into outer space. There was more wrong with this kid then he originally assumed. "I've never been to outer space," Clark answered.

"Really?" he frowned "Why haven't you just flown up, I know you can."

"How-? Never mind. No I haven't been up, and it's not because I don't want to (well it kind of is) but I can't. Kara's tried to teach me but I just can't get the hang of it."

Bruce didn't ask anything after that for a while and instead busied himself with drawing equations into Clarks legs or the shape of something long and round in the sky. In the end it was Clark that broke the silence.

"I didn't think you were gay," Bruce remained silent

"So the whole dating thing really is a cover?" Clark asked intrigued

"Kind of. It is in the way that I want to have a reason to spend time with you. It isn't in the way that I really do want to kiss you," he brought his hand up to Clarks lips to trace them causing Clark to almost pull back. He was feeling awkward enough to change the conversation again.

"So Ollie doesn't seem that annoyed with you. I'm guessing you two know each other?"

"Heard of, but never really met until today." He smirked "Not here anyway."

"That's not at all ambiguous," Clark muttered

"You should watch him," was Bruce's reply. At Clarks stupefied expression he continued "All of them, you should watch them. Not Chloe or Lana I doubt they would be helpful. But definitely watch the others. Oliver, Bart, Dinah maybe Arthur."

"And why should I do this?"

"So you can see what I do. You won't notice it at first, not until I tell you what to look for but when you do..." He trailed off mysteriously and turned into Clarks stomach curling up into a ball away from the harsh winds. Clark was about to ask what it was when Bruce warned "Think hard before you ask Clark. There is not turning away from it once you notice."

Clark kept his mouth shut. This was it, the answers he had been wanting- well at least some of them- but still he hesitated. And why? Well because looking at Bruce's piercing eyes he questioned whether he truly wanted to know what he did. Sure he could just be insane but even insanity starts from somewhere. So he kept his mouth shut and thought.

The silence lasted a while, but Clark didn't really know how long until he looked down to see Bruce dozing on his lap. His watch read seven meaning that they had been out there for more than two hours and with the wind picking up and the grey world of a storm descended upon them he thought it time to take Bruce back to his comfy bed in Wayne Manor.

Alfred was there to greet them, or Clark since he was the only one conscious, and led him to one of the biggest bedrooms he had ever beheld in his life. Comfort and luxury seeped out of every pore of the room. The quilts were soft and light but warm enough to keep the harshest of winds away from its inhabitants. They lay in a deep red and welcomed Bruce happily back into their arms. The rest of the room had a fireplace that situated itself with two chairs in front near the darkest corner of the room and was lit brightly so heat emanated richly from its embers. Even the windows were luxurious, though there was only two they were floor length and opened onto a balcony. It would have been heaven when it was hot but for now the windows were barricaded shut to keep out the pattering rain.

Alfred had offered Clark a bed for the night and even though he denied he said that he would stay a while to see if the storm lets up. Alfred then left him to get some refreshments which allowed Clark to pursue the books at the end of Bruce's bed. He took one on astronomy, glad to have at least something in common with the strange boy and was about to take it to the fire when his eye caught hold of the bedposts. They were obviously amateur judging from the level of skill at the bottom but it seemed that someone had carved dozens of bats into the bedpost. It started with simple symbols that highlighted the bat form from the bottom and once they had perfected that one they moved onto more advanced drawings. The further up the post he went the more detail and skill was seen, so that when he got to his head height he was looking at the screeching face of an angry bat, talons, teeth and ears, even the fur was expertly carved. The other ones of such skill weren't all furious, some seemed sad, others neutral but mostly they were crying out to be free from the wood.

Alfred came back in and found Clark like that. Just staring at the bats on Bruce's bed, "I'm afraid that's master Bruce's work. He started drawing them shortly after his parents died and never seemed to kick the habit," He remarked angrily.

"They're rather beautiful. I didn't even know he could draw," Clark sighed before brushing one and going over to the fire.

Alfred gave him his tea and some biscuits telling him that he was just down the hall if Clark needed anything and left him once again in Bruce's room. He was mid way through Bruce's book on theoretic time travel, having moved through several books with the speed he read, when Bruce woke up again. He groaned once which was how he caught Clarks attention before realising that there was someone in the room with him and sitting up abruptly. Once he saw that it was just Clark he let out a beam and left his bed to come over to him.

"I like your bats," Clark nodded towards his bed. Bruce stopped when he got to them and gazed at them fondly.

"Would you believe it if I told you I was terrified of them when I was younger."

"You? No," Clark scoffed jokingly causing a laugh to escape Bruce.

He took the seat opposite Clark "I would have thought you would go home after dropping me off."

"The storm made it easier to accept some company before I left," He motioned to the closed windows that showed a shower of rain hitting the panes "Even if you were unconscious."

Bruce rolled his eyes "Gee thanks." He pulled his legs up and looked at Clark seriously after that. "You never asked." Clark picked up the trail of the conversation they were having before Bruce's nap "Do you want to know or not. You can say no." Clark thought this was the best time to start thinking about leaving.

He looked outside and noticed that the storm wasn't going to relent. He would have to take his chances. "I don't know," he mumbled. Then he manned up. He was going anyway "Yes, yes tell me. I may as well hear it."

Bruce looked a bit surprised which pleased Clark. It was nice to think that he had gotten some upper hand even if he was going to go back to being on the lower end after whatever weird bit of information Bruce was going to feed him.

Bruce took a breath before revealing it. "Well Clark the thing you need to look out for is the context of their conversations. You may have not noticed it but they don't make sense sometimes. They speak of people who they've never met and places they haven't been and they aren't aware themselves that they're doing it. Sometimes I even see things that shouldn't been in accordance with this world. You need to start listening, watching. The world isn't making sense Clark!" He paused to gauge Clarks reaction "I see you don't believe me. You wont until you listen. But you need to start questioning them. If they say something weird, ask them about it and you'll see I'm right."

"I need to leave," Clark announced and did just that.

The idea that everyone had been saying things like that scared him. Not because he thought that Bruce was wrong and that he was humouring and potentially damaging a mentally unstable person but because he knew that Bruce was right. Earlier in the day Bruce had mentioned that he wished he could go back into outer space, it could be the ramblings of his insanity or it could be what he described. Either way Clark was freaking out and needed to be as far away from the manor as possible.