The Eva Project
By: PhoenixJustice
Summary:
He feels it again, that curiousness, as if he is noticed, being evaluated...was he found lacking?
I seeyou.
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For Caesar! I hope you love this!
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The Lockdown Protocol was the first thing every human learned as soon as they could walk on their own; parents or guardians would teach a child the steps needed to survive. All buildings in Gotham (same with Star City and Metropolis) had been reshaped with shutter like implements, of material designed to survive the greatest nuclear blasts, that would come up upon the first Warning signal.
The signals came as soon as possible, but even so, it was up to the people of themselves to make it inside; there were some guards specifically for the purposes of helping in times of Warning, but there were not enough to usher in the whole city in times of war, hence the Lockdown Protocol.
Every child was taught the best methods of reaching shelter (there were designated shelters specifically for war times, but while they held the greatest implements to protect humanity, they were only so large) and if they couldn't, what other alternatives they could do, or try to do, in those cases.
It hadn't always been that way, so Bruce knew, reading through history books and hearing some of the oldest people in the city talk about it, but it had been so through his whole life. The elderly would talk about how life had changed on one fateful summer day; no warning, no sighting, no nothing.
But there had been an Impact.
On the edge of Antarctica, an expedition had been investigating some readings, assuming it to be merely another shift in the ice or one of the hidden volcanoes the continent held. Instead, they had found what they would later know to be an Angel (the first, in fact, aptly named Adam) wrestling him from his slumber and triggering what was known as First Impact, killing nearly all of the expedition (save for one) and causing the deaths of countless others in the world.
Many cities, countries even, had fallen that day, changing civilization forever. The scramble to repair humanity had become the driving force, ironically being the thing to bring people together in ways they hadn't before.
The world no longer ran on strict presidential, prime minister or royal designations; instead there came a world governing body, individuals picked from every remaining country, in some ways like the former United Nations, but many governing bodies were different (many had died, leaving others to take their place) and unlike the U.N. all countries were represented in the newly formed group. After all, life, they came to realize, came before any other squabbles.
And thus WILLE was formed.
But all of this, of course, was very old news, but Bruce had always been keen on knowing the history of everything, even at a young age. It held a horrible sort of fascination for him, ever since he could remember, prodding his father or mother to tell him tales of history about the Impact and what they knew of the Angels. He'd hear a more generic version of the history later when he entered school but to their credit, his parents had thought him mature enough to hear about it ("And he shan't give you any rest until he knows anyhow." Alfred, their butler and most trusted confidant had said in a wry tone.)
He couldn't have said just what caught his attention about the history of the Impact and the Angels most, just that it had. Almost like a tug on his mind, wanting to know more, feeling drawn to something he couldn't quite understand (especially at such a young age.) But still, his parents had told him, even if they had initial hesitations-despite his maturity. Their hesitations, he knew now, stemmed more from later, worrying about him and what role he might want to take in life when he was old enough.
Still...despite their hesitation at him working to become an Evangelion pilot, they had never held back their support and love for him. He had studied hard in school and had went on excursion to Star City-and then later Metropolis-to study in equal measure with the best scientists as well as fighters that all the main cities had to offer (Gotham, Star City and Metropolis were the main centers for the Eva Project and were often called the Trinity, because of how important they were not just to the United States, but to the world.)
Once he had gotten as much study in both those cities as he could, he had come back to Gotham and had studied even harder, if anything, and was determined to show not just his parents, but Oliver Queen and Lex Luthor that he was exactly the kind of pilot needed for the Eva Project.
Pilots were chosen not just by their city but had to be approved by all the governing bodies of the Eva Trinity, except in emergencies. And while Queen and Luthor weren't much older than he, they were still the benefactors of the Star City and Metropolis Eva projects respectively, with the only difference being that Queen was a pilot, like Bruce had been studying to be, and Luthor was in a scientific role instead.
Although he had passed every test with flying colors, including the synchronization test (which tested how well a pilot could synchronize with an Evangelion, something pivotal in the process. Without good synchronization, piloting an Eva was impossible and it wasn't a skill just anyone could do.)
That had gone well if...weird. He didn't like to think about it often. It reminded him of that feeling of falling he had had as a child, of falling into a cave on the Wayne grounds, being left alone in that dark and damp and frightening place, the only sounds of the chittering of bats and his own sobbing breaths. So frightened that he had conjured up daydreams to try and calm himself down and-
He had still been filled with a dread bubbling in his stomach, after the Test, until the bright smile of his mother and father had made him nearly take a knee in his relief.
He had become an Evangelion Pilot.
It was not a mere job, but something critical to the continued survival of the human race. It was a position that many coveted...and only nine were able to inherit. Three for each city, to continue the theme of Trinity.
Even then though, even if it was something so coveted, it was a role filled with such unimaginable pressure (so really, it was no wonder that synchronization was such a critical thing to being a Pilot; if one lost themselves too much to stress they'd be unfit to pilot anything.)
But all of that, the pressure...the extremely hard work, the training, the studying…
He had become an Evangelion Pilot.
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"We're nearly ready for testing." The voice of Pamela Isley, de facto head scientist of the Gotham section of the Eva Project, says over the comm. "Are you ready, Bruce?"
"Yes." He says calmly, focusing on controlling his breathing, a practice which came easy to him now.
"Selina, are you-"
"Yes," The impatient tones of Selina Kyle says. "I still don't see why this is necessary after every trial run."
"Because you were told to, Kyle," the bored tone of Edward Nygma, another scientist of the Gotham section, says. "That should be enough. Be grateful you got to pilot with that temper of yours-"
"I'll show you temper, Nygma-" Selina bites off, before growing quiet.
Bruce takes all this in stride as he usually did, as used to it by now as he was. Edward Nygma was pompous and full of himself, always looking to stroke his own ego-or have someone else stroke it. But he was also an absolute genius, which is why he was not just a scientist for the Eva Project, but one of the leading ones. He wasn't in charge, however.
Technically, Bruce's parents were, but as they also were busy with doing things for the city itself (it was part of the reason why Oswald Cobblepot, the other richest person in the city besides the Waynes was a benefactor for the Gotham side of the Project. He was the primary funder for Gotham's side of the Project so Bruce's parents could devote more time-and money-to the city itself. Cobblepot was someone whom Bruce didn't particularly like, as he was too arrogant for his liking, but his service to the City was invaluable.)
But as Bruce's parents were often busy-and Cobblepot was interested primarily in being a benefactor only-the bulk of duties fell upon Pamela Isley's hands, the head scientist for Gotham.
She was exceptionally beautiful, but although she had the eyes of many on her, it seemed as though the only things she had eyes for, were her work and her girlfriend, Harleen Quinzel, the psychiatrist for the Gotham side ("A pilots mental health is just as important as their physical health," Bruce's mother, Martha, had said. "We rely on your mental faculties to wield the Evangelion efficiently.")
Selina Kyle, meanwhile, was a spitfire of spirit and attitude, with her sharp green eyes looking at everything and everyone critically. It had thrown Bruce off when first meeting her; she hadn't looked in awe of working with a Wayne, which he had greatly appreciated. Too many people had tried to get close to him over the yearsto try and get themselves ahead, but she genuinely hadn't cared less.
She was also a hell of a pilot, if sometimes a bit reckless. She wielded Unit 02 like an effortless extension of herself, putting forth her high energy into battle. Of the three battles they had with Angels now, in Gotham, she had given the decisive blow to two of the Angels, with Bruce dealing the latest blow to Shamshel, the latest Angel a mere three weeks before.
It had been a month and a half before that with a sighting and then the first three months and a day before that; there didn't seem to be any sort of pattern to these things, which was frustrating. If there was, they'd be able to plan even better, but...he supposed he should just be thankful they had taken them out before catastrophe occurred.
"You have, many times," Nygma says boredly over the comm. Bruce could easily picture him in his usual position, head on his hand while going over the basics of the day. "It remains as annoying as-"
"Enough," Pamela cuts in. "We have more pressing matters. We need to finish this last synchro test before the new Pilot arrives."
"I don't see why we need another pilot," Selina mutters. "Me and Bruce have done just fine on our own."
Well. That was rather nice of her to say (usually she cursed in the middle of combat and got impatient.)
"Because all of the Trinity have to have at least three Pilots," Pamela says. "Proper protocol. Anyway, let's continue. Synchro test beginning in five…"
Bruce closes his eyes, breathing slowly in and out, awash in the tank of LCL, sitting firmly in the pilots seat. LCL was the lifeblood, literally, of Evangelions and was a main component of getting them up and running and was required at each entry a pilot made into the Evangelion (he could still remember his surprise of breath as he went into the LCL for the first time, being able to breathe in the liquid that was liquid and also not. It was an odd experience, but not a bad one.)
"...four…"
There was something peaceful about the synchronization process to Bruce. A kind of put together beauty. Simple but effective. It let him gather his thoughts well.
"...three…"
Peace. Stillness of mind. He valued these times more than almost any other. It wasn't just a feeling of peace though it was…
"...two…"
A sense of wholeness in a way that he couldn't define, yet hesitated to ask Selina or any of the others about, as if it was something private, personal, that should not be shared.
"One!"
The voices of the scientists and Selina start to blur out of focus and he shakes his head a bit. Stillness wasn't coming easily to him now, for some reason. It was something...something at the edge of his consciousness all of a sudden, keeping his thoughts running and wild. Something…
He swallows and breathes out again, focusing harder, but the peace eludes him. He hadn't felt his way since...since the synchronization test to become a Pilot. When it had felt, despite everything, like he was being watched.
Which in of itself shouldn't have been a wonder, given that he had been watched then, by the benefactors, scientists and the like to see if he had what it took to become a Pilot and not fail, or be just shy and be a backup Pilot, such as people like Grayson and Gordon.
But no...this was different. It felt...curious? It was very odd, but strangely it hadn't felt out of place or wrong? But apparently it hadn't mattered, because his test had come out with flying colors, so he had just assumed that's how all the synchronizations would go (but none had followed that pattern like the first one did...until now, it seemed.)
He feels it again, that curiousness, as if he is noticed, being evaluated...was he found lacking?
I seeyou.
His eyes open, looking around wildly, but he sees no one else.
"Is everything alright? There was a bit of a spike…"
"Ah, sorry," He coughs. "Maybe I shouldn't have had that coffee before the test."
He hears Selina snorting.
He closes his eyes again and tries to find his center of calm again. In and out, a simple breath…
Look at you.
His breath comes out shaky now.
Look at you…
The rest of the test goes perfectly.
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He exits out of Unit 01 and comes onto the platform, followed a moment later by Selina who exits out of Unit 02 and looking rather good in her bodysuit (he and Selina were only friends-he was "too high maintenance" she had said once-but he still had eyes.)
"Good job you two," Pamela says, over the intercom. "Come up; the new recruit is nearly here."
Bruce gives Selina a curious look but she just shrugs, apparently knowing as little about the new Pilot as he did and they head to the elevator. Once inside Selina leans against a wall, humming something under her breath.
"Do you think…" Selina starts, but then stops. He looks at her, but her eyes are closed and she doesn't elaborate further.
A ding and an open elevator door leaves them both on the main floor, where many of the scientists and like were gathered, working-his parents were absent today, having some charity events they needed to finalize. He looks around but the faces are all familiar.
"Here, you two," Pamela says, gesturing them forward, pushing back some of her long red hair impatiently. "Edward went to get them."
"I bet he was so pleased he had to get up for a change." Selina says wryly.
Pamela just looks at her for a moment, before smirking minutely.
"Where are they from?" Bruce asks curiously. Things were usually wrapped up in so much secrecy. Especially when it came to Pilots; they knew all the Pilots and backup Pilots names not just in Gotham but in Star City and Metropolis as well.
"Ah, I'm not sure." Pamela answers him. He and her weren't friends exactly, but they had a friendly working relationship. "We weren't told very much, other than his skill level-"
His. Him.
He wasn't sure why that, of all things, struck him. There were many male Pilots; he was a male Pilot. And there were plenty male backup Pilots as well. He could almost figure out what it was, on the back of his mind, rather like that curious feeling that had come twice to him now during Synchronization…
"-ahh there they come."
He shakes himself out of it, having apparently missed a few other things Pamela had said, but his attention focuses now, looking across at the opposite side of the room where the elevator that led from outside to main HQ floor lie (whereas the elevator he and Selina had just come from was one that led from main HQ floor down to the Eva floor, where synchronizations, maintenance on the Evas, where the Evas were launched from and the like happened.)
Ding! The doors open and beside an annoyed looking Nygma (which, to be fair, he usually looked) was a boy. Well not a boy but man made it sound like he was older than he was. As they approach, Bruce can see that he is around Bruce's own age, maybe a couple of years younger.
He made an immediate impression with his bright purple pants, cropped shirt and dark green hair. He was pale too; paler than Harleen or Nygma who could often give a ghost a run for its money. Pale and lanky. He didn't have the muscle that those like Oliver, Clark or Hal had and not quite the lithe muscle that Bruce had either.
He watches as he looks around with apparent interest.
"Selina, Bruce," Pamela starts. "This is-"
"J." The new Pilot says, rocking back on his heels a bit (was he wearing black and white heeled shoes? He was.)
"J?" Selina says, apparently unimpressed (she often was, but even if she had been impressed, she probably wouldn't have let it show. She hadn't liked the thought of another Pilot coming in, regulation or not.)
"Yep!" J says cheerfully, his lips deliberately popping the last bit of "p" in yep with extra effort. He smiles at Selina, but pouts when she doesn't take his offered (gloved, he noted, purple, to match his pants) hand. He seems to shrug it off easily enough though, shrugging and turning to Bruce-
Bruce's breath catches.
His eyes…
He had thought Selina's eyes were the greenest he had ever seen, but J's were...he wasn't sure just what shade would have fit them best. They were dark, but not dark like a forest and not bright like Selina's either. They seemed to shine as if within and-
"...se...o…"
Bruce blinks and extends his hand. J pauses in the middle of what he was apparently going to say and takes his hand. His hand was surprisingly strong, J, given his almost delicate wrist, but he feels no heat from the grip and isn't sure why that disappoints him so.
"You must be Bruce," J says, smiling again (was that a dimple? He kept...noticing things about him.) "Unless your parents were super progressive in their naming. I mean what's that one actress's name? She named her daughter after fruit. How daring!"
He leans in a bit, still holding Bruce's hand.
"Are you a fruit man, Bruce?" J says in a mock whisper. "Or fish? Or do you like the whole buffet?"
Bruce stares at him uncomprehendingly. Selina lets out a sound next to them and J steps back, letting go of Bruce's hand.
"Ah but there's plenty of time to see how the grub is around here, right? So! Who's my new roomie? I'm usually bottom bunk, but I'm willing to go top if need be." He smiles again, a sharper edged one.
"That would be Bruce." Pamela says.
Selina had flat out refused, valued her privacy too much, she had said. Bruce hadn't minded and accepted easily enough; he hadn't a roommate before, but he was used to living with people, so it probably wouldn't be too much different.
And he does not think about J's eyes seeming to light up at the announcement.
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"So how much have you seen before arriving?" Bruce asks him amiably as they continue walking.
Showing the main 'war' room of the building hadn't taken long. J had seemed reasonably intrigued by the setup, more so by the large Magi computer set in the back and center of the room. Next they went out to the next floor down where the rest of the main hub was to be found (the shared cafeteria, the dormitories-though most were empty right now-showers, recreation areas and workout areas, things of that nature.)
Which is what led them now to one of the large hallways, painted white with a sharp double line of red down its middle as most floors also shared, pointing to this and that as they make their way to the dorms.
"Of this place? Or Gotham?" J asks, eyes looking around with varying levels of interest at things.
"Both, I suppose." Bruce says, watching him as they walk, unable to help himself. The slighter man had a...energy about him that made it hard for Bruce to look away, even in something as simple as this.
"Hmm, well first time I've come to HQ, as it were. I've seen the places in Star City and Metropolis, but this is a finer place, I think," J says, looking thoughtful, his statement filling Bruce with pride. Star City and Metropolis were good places, to be sure, but Bruce was a Gothamite through and through and pride for his city was a trait he was sure all people of Gotham shared.
"And Gotham? I'm sure I would have seen you before."
J turns to look at him and smiles. Bruce's breath catches and he blinks, nearly missing what he says.
"Ahh well, Gotham is a big city. And I'm sure you and me have never run in the same kind of circles, pretty boy." Pretty boy? And he hadn't even said it in a mocking way either. Bruce resists the urge to flush at J's lilting tones.
"Gotham hides her secrets well." Bruce finds himself saying.
J's eyes seem to almost glow at that and Bruce blinks again, but sees nothing but their beautiful green depths.
"She does, doesn't she?" J says quietly.
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Most dormitories were either single or double, in the style you might find at a college dormitory (hence the need for a shared kitchen/cafeteria area, as most dorm rooms were not equipped for or with kitchen implements.)
The rooms for Pilots, however, were generally much bigger, more akin to a flat than college dormitory rooms. He didn't need much, despite growing up rich (he had gotten used to sparcer living when doing his Pilot training and the like) and he hadn't seen how it was fair to the others who also stayed at headquarters (some people lived elsewhere in the city) but there hadn't been anything for it. He was a Pilot. And to turn it down would have been unforgivably rude so he had mentally shrugged and went with it.
They finally get to Bruce's (well Bruce and J's now, he supposed) room. He watches by the door as J looks around and it hits Bruce then that he would be staying with someone else. Again, it wasn't a new thing to him. And yet...and yet, as he watches J, it really starts to affect him. Was it because the new Pilot was a stranger? But that couldn't be, could it? Bruce had been raised up since he was a small child in manners and diplomacy. Dealing with people wasn't unusual for him.
So why…
J had a lightness about him as he walks around, even in just a simple area as this, as if Bruce touches him that he would pass right through him. He shakes his head and steels his jaw, moving off the door and walking in further himself, so he can be a better host. J doesn't seem to have minded Bruce's rudeness, however and turns to look at him, hands behind his back, rocking back on his heels again.
"So? Where do we sleep? Or is there a bar for us to sleep upside down from?" J asks with a grin. Bruce flushes at the joke. J didn't seem to know HQ, but he knew Bruce's codename it seemed like.
"I don't judge other people's lifestyles." Bruce says lightly, ignoring the burn in his belly when J laughs at that, a genuine sounding laugh.
"Oh you're just a delight, aren't you, Brucey? Is it okay if I call you that?" J stands next to him and lets Bruce lead to the bedrooms.
"If I said no, you probably would anyway, wouldn't you?" He asks wryly.
J pouts exaggeratedly. "Of course not! What do you take me f-well. Okay, I might."
Bruce laughs softly at that, not noticing J's eyes brightening at that. The bedrooms were side by side, with Bruce's occupied one on the right and the empty (though furnished) bedroom on the left. Both rooms held the usual things one might expect, with nothing special of note, outside of the large amount of space and large bed, he supposed. The only difference was his was obviously lived in, with a few things to make it more personalized, like pictures of his family and the like.
J moves past him and wanders over to the bed, jumping onto the soft bedding with an 'oof!' He looks up at Bruce and the look-and the position J was in-strikes through him.
"Come take a load off, Brucey. Even a Pilot needs a break every once in a while." J says, patting the bedding.
"I'm not sure that-" He starts, throat drying.
"Don't worry. I don't bite! Just...please?" J asks, the last part of his sentence coming out quieter, softer, feeling more...real. He wondered how often J asked for anything, saying pleaselike that…
He walks over, swallowing against the lump in his throat and carefully moves to lay on the other side of J (comfort wasn't an issue; the Suit's that Pilots wore were made to be both durable and comfortable, as there could be cases where a Pilot would need to be in an Eva for hours.)
The other Pilots eyes brighten, smiling again. "There! Now was that so hard?"
Bruce shakes his head. What was he doing? Laying in the bed of some Pilot he had literally just met. Bruce was a friendly person, but he hadn't ever...wouldn't have ever… so why then was he lying here now, next to a near stranger and feeling so comfortable?
J sighs happily and snuggles into his pillow a bit more, looking back up at Bruce with an impish look. "So that's the Gotham brand Eva suit, huh? Do I get to pick out the color I want or do they just throw something at you? I was thinking purple with glitter accents but what's the point if the Angels can't see me look so good."
He pouts so exaggeratedly that it makes Bruce laugh again.
"I'm sure you can take that up with HQ." Bruce says, amused. He finds himself propped up on one elbow, talking to J as if they had known each other all their lives. It should have felt unsettling, perhaps, given J was a total stranger to him and yet again...there was that feeling of being comfortable with him.
"I like yours though…" J says, hand trailing across the open air, not quite touching Bruce. "Black is usually so cliched but it fits you like a glove, Bruce. Like you were meant to wear it upon your skin."
His breath hitches as he watches J's hand glide not quite against him, but come so close to doing so.
"You think so?" He finds himself asking.
J's mouth moves in a half little smile, hand still gliding along.
"I know so. I know many things, Bruce. And one of my greatest strengths, I think, is in seeing things. Seeing what makes them tick. Seeing things how they truly are. Seeing the strength in things. I've seen many things, Bruce Wayne. I see many things. But…"
Bruce shivers, unable to stop himself, watches J's eyes upon him, watches the pupils expand, burying the green in black.
"But?" Bruce asks, hoarsely.
"But I like what I see now best."
And he kisses Bruce.
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J's mouth is warm, is Bruce's first thought, out of his shock. Warm and on the edge of insistent, but not quite there...teasing...waiting. Waiting for what? For Bruce's...permission?
His face heats up, but he finds himself kissing back immediately, and can hear the soft sound J makes at that (was he pleased?) His hands move to pull J closer, swallowing J's gasp, deepening the kiss. He groans at the first touch of his hands against J's skin, at the heat there. He had wondered if he'd be cold, given his pale skin, but his skin against Bruce's hands was warm, as if lit from within.
"Ahh," J says against his mouth now. "Wait."
Bruce stiffens, but J's eyes hold no regret or censure as he pulls back slightly. He makes a show of taking off his gloves before reaching for Bruce's hands, which were also similarly gloved (if different colors.)
He had rather forgotten that fact (and what a wonder, to feel such heat even through them.) J raises a brow at him in obvious question but starts to take them off a moment later even before Bruce answers; whatever he saw on Bruce's face was obviously answer enough for him.
J puts Bruce's hands on either side of his face.
"Much better." J sighs happily, eyes drooping closed.
It's quiet and Bruce finds himself stroking J's face with gentle hands. His skin was soft, J, and still filled with that almost unnatural (but compelling) heat.
"It feels good?" He murmurs.
"Yes." J says, but in a contented way. "You feel amazing, Bruce."
He feels his face flush with heat again, but the other Pilot doesn't see it, eyes closed as they were.
"What is this?" Bruce asks. He wasn't angry, but he wanted to understand.
Bruce was no virgin, but he didn't just fall into bed with people. And never had he been with a man before. Not out of prejudice, but he hadn't found himself attracted to a man before. But even then...he had been to bed with women before, but none of them had ever lasted long.
There had been no connection there, beyond a superficial one with their bodies in the act of sex. There had been no intimacy.
"I never liked to be touched before. It's why I wear the gloves, see?" J says, in lieu of answering Bruce directly. "I was...around doctors a lot as a child, as I grew older. All I knew was the cold, impersonal touches of those who wanted to look at me closely, but none of them cared. Even then, Bruce, I…"
His eyes open, showing the brilliant green of them, making Bruce feel as though they pierced through his body.
"I've always been interested in people," J says, a now bare hand trailing slowly and softly down Bruce's arm. "But the thought of being touched by anyone repulsed me."
"But this...and the things you were saying earlier when you arrived-"
J laughs softly. "I told you, Bruce. I'm interested in people. Throwing them off their game is fun! I like teasing people. You can get a sense of who they are in it, you know. If they act angry or sad or...anything! And as for this, well…"
J's bare hand touches Bruce's arm now-and despite him only touching the lycra on the outside of the suit and not Bruce's own skin, it still makes him gasp. The heat…
"You're special, you know." J murmurs, moving in closer to Bruce again.
"You don't know me." He says.
"Don't I?" J says, eyes serious.
I s…
He shudders and grabs J, holding him in his embrace, unable to stop himself. J wraps his own arms around Bruce in return and they lie like that for a long time, silent. Bruce can feel tears prickling at the corners of his eyes and not understanding why.
Why…
"Why?" He whispers.
"Because Bruce, we-"
But he doesn't get to finish his sentence as the sudden, and alarmingly loud, sound of a siren sounds.
An Angel had arrived in Gotham City.
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It takes only a scant couple of minutes to reach the elevators, with J right behind him (and the lingering heat of him still leaving its mark upon Bruce's skin.)
"Selina is already in Unit 02 and about to launch," Pamela's voice says suddenly, coming from the comms installed in the elevators. "You're to remain on standby. Both of you."
"But-" They had always fought at the same time. There was no reason not to, generally. Neither were backup Pilots, after all. The backup Pilots were there in case of injury-or most extremely, death-of an Evangelion Pilot. He wasn't a backup, the same that Selina wasn't. And now that J wasn't either.
"I'm sorry, Bruce." Pamela says. "Higher ups orders."
That gets Bruce's attention. While normally the words 'higher ups' might mean people like Bruce's parents, Cobblepot or the like, they were usually called benefactors.
While they oversaw the operations, the sub company formed by WILLE called SEELE still kept an eye on things and would on occasion give out orders. Luckily they hadn't clashed with anything that went on in Gotham (or seemingly Star City and Metropolis either) just yet, but Bruce still didn't care for how much they kept themselves hands off...except when something seemed to benefit them.
The comms shut off and Bruce turns to look at J. In the dim light of the elevator, J seems to glow almost. He looks up slowly at Bruce, heavy lidded eyes burning into Bruce's. He clenches his fist at the desire to touch the other Pilot.
But then J glances away and the moment passes.
"Well," J says,, lightly, though both of them were wound with obvious tension. "I guess I'll get to see what color my Suit is sooner rather than later!"
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J's suit, it turned out, had purple, at the top, with the rest of the plug suit being a combination of dark blue with black accents and silver in the rib areas. It wasn't as flashy as J wanted, probably, but it suited him. He had gotten ready in no time flat and was back in moments, leaving Bruce to stare at him for a long moment, stunned at how the other Pilot looked in it.
Still, even the sight of J isn't enough to clear Bruce's misgivings at Selina going out there on her own. Not that she wasn't capable (far from it), but the ferocity that the Angels came at Gotham...sometimes it had been a struggle in parts of the fight for both of them, he and Selina, one getting tossed around or something else happening. They both were tough fighters but he didn't think they necessarily worked well together. Team based moves were something they hadn't really gotten down well.
"Zeruel." J says softly, as he comes to stand next to Bruce, looking at the monitor where they were all watching Selina's take off from.
She had exited HQ in Unit 02 and all but sailed as she leaped across the roads and buildings, living up to her Codename.
"I can see why Selina is called Panther." J says musingly. Bruce glances at him but J's eyes are focused on the screen.
"Uh, yeah, she's very graceful, despite her…"
"Short temper?" J asks, amused.
"Yes. But Zeruel? How did you know that?"
J finally looks at him. "Hmm?"
"That's what you were calling the Angel wasn't it? How did you know its name?" Bruce was aware, as was all who worked in the Eva Project, of the formerly Hidden second set of Dead Sea Scrolls. But although they were all aware of them, only a scant few people of higher ups (even in SEELE), knew of their contents.
The only thing that most of them knew was that it held the names of every Angel that would, theoretically, come to Earth. But the only ones who actually knew the names were the higher ups, who would tell the rest of them once contact from a new Angel was made.
So then how…
J shrugs, but he can't keep up a smile on his face now, even though it's obvious he is trying to.
"I-"
A scream from Selina catches their attention and Bruce sees it's not a scream of pain-thankfully-and instead a war cry. For a moment Unit 02 is on all fours, ready to pounce, waiting for the continuing approach of the Angel (Zeruel? J seemed certain that was its name.)
The Angel was surprisingly tall (they could come in literally any shape or size, some which were unbelievably confusing to look at) given how squat its shape was, being top heavy with large, wide shoulders that tapered off and curved into a purple cape like flap. The rest of it was shaped somewhat humanoid shaped and had large red crystal looking things on its arm and legs.
What was most shocking to Bruce was that its Core, what you could call the Heart of an Angel, was so visible, sitting in the middle of its chest with no protection that Bruce could see. It was very...bold. Though it would be stupid to assume there wasn't more protecting it.
AT Fields, the protective 'energy' you could call it, was the biggest defence that Angels seemed to have. Being usually visible barriers to keep things from getting to their heart, their Core. Penetrating them was very difficult, even for the Evangelions; weapons like the Prog Knife, a large knife made of special material, was the usual weapon to get through one, as they were the easiest things to pierce through a Core, but even they could take time to pierce through an AT Field.
The Angel, Zeruel, comes charging at Unit 02, picking up grotesque amounts of speed with each step, until a large piercing sound flies through everything as it does so, making many people in the room cover their ears involuntarily. Bruce manages to keep from doing so, but he still flinches against it.
"All the Angels try to come here, don't they." J says, but it's not quite a question.
"Yes."
Underneath the building, even below the floors which held the Evangelions was...something. Something the Angels all seemed to be drawn to, trying to get to. Bruce wasn't sure what was down there-very few people were aware-but he knew it had to be something powerful. Enough to create another Impact, perhaps?
"The city is protected, as attacks can come from anywhere and be fought anywhere," Bruce continues. "But eventually they all make their way here."
His eyes turn back to the battle. They were far enough away from Headquarters, but even so, the piercing sound from Zeruel's acceleration as well as the sound of Selina's Evangelion are loud enough to catch even this far.
Suddenly the cape like part of the Angels body shoots out (Tentacles, Bruce thought. Appendages. Not a cape at all. Just inert, waiting to strike) at Selina and while she flips and dodges them the first few times, it seemed as though the Angel was getting faster with each strike towards her, like it had went running her way and eventually trips her up, one of the purple appendages wrapping around Unit 02's ankle and dragging her towards it.
"Fuck you!" Selina says over the comms suddenly (had she knocked a button on in her struggle?) "This is not how you get a ladies attention!"
He can see J hold back laughter at that and Bruce finds himself amused too, despite the situation. As always...Selina had a...certain way with words.
He sees as she pulls one of the Prog Knives from the shoulder holsters on Unit 02 and slashes the purple appendage off of her Eva's ankle. The Angel is still eerily silent, even after that, even after blood flies from the wound she had inflicted. Red. An Angel's blood was red, as red as a human and it was always an odd sight to see.
Selina, meanwhile, has gotten herself back up and as the Angel makes a sudden leap at her, she leaps at it in return, grabbing onto it.
"Just...stay...still, you f-" A bit of scrambling over the comms keeps them from hearing what else she was going to say, but he could hazard an amusing guess.
"She's not bad." J says, sounding a bit surprised. "I can see why you like her."
"I don't like her like that." Bruce says immediately. J turns to him, green (wow he had dyed his eyebrows too) brow raised. Bruce flushes. "I mean. It's never been that way between us. I don't just…"
Both J's brows raise now and Bruce finds his face heating even further.
"...get into bed with people." Bruce mumbles. J laughs, but not mockingly. His eyes are light as they look at Bruce, despite the situation around them, with Selina locked into deep battle with an Angel as they were speaking. "She's my friend and that's all."
He felt the need to explain himself, despite knowing J for such a short period of time. Never had anyone Bruce had ever met affected him so deeply. Ever. And it should frighten him. It did, a bit, but more than anything...he felt more relaxed with J than he had with anyone else. He liked this warm feeling, whatever it might be.
"Good." J says, his voice lowering. "I'd hate to have to fight her. My codename might be Joker but I'll be serious if I have to be."
"That...won't be necessary." He says, throat dry.
"Good." J repeats, his face looking more serious than he had seen yet. "Speaking of codenames...is there a particular reason why yours is Bat?"
Bruce stares at him.
Falling.
Pain.
Screeching of thousands of things flying everywhere.
Darkness.
'I wanna go home, I wanna go home!' A sobbing breath, rocking his body, tears falling against the dark ground he couldn't see.
And then… what had happened next? He hadn't thought about the details in so long…
It's okay.
It'll be okay. You're safe now, Bruce-
A scream from Selina pulls Bruce out of his thoughts and this time it is one of pain as he turns to see her clutching briefly at her left shoulder, where an arm used to be. One of the other purple appendages of the Angel pulled away, sharpened to a deadly point as it had obviously severed the Evangelion's arm.
"Pull back, Selina." Pamela says, over the comms now, on speaker where all could hear.
"I'm fine," Selina pants.
She sounded in pain, which Bruce knew she had to have been (although Pilots didn't get physically injured when an Evangelion did, they'd feel it mentally, it racing through their heads and making their bodies feel the pain the Eva takes, just without the actual wounds to show for it) but firm.
She was stubborn, Selina, sometimes to a fault. But she was also one of the strongest Pilots they had. He knew she had a rivalry with Dinah Lance from Star City and wanted a rivalry with Diana Prince from Metropolis (but Diana wasn't interested.)
"Bruce, head to Unit 01 and get ready." Pamela says.
"No!" Selina exclaims. Her Eva struggles for a moment, but still manages to stand, despite lacking one arm and the red LCL spurting from the wound. "I'm nearly done here."
"Bruce." Pamela says.
"Alright." He says, ignoring whatever Selina says next and makes his way out to the elevator, J quick on his heels, coming in behind Bruce as the elevator closes.
"J, you didn't have to-"
"What are you, crazy? As if I'd miss liftoff!" J grins. "Plus if they need another hand, I'll be right there waiting. Or if you need a hand."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
There were screens down on the Eva floor as well and he's standing now on the ladder that would take him up to the entry plug on the back of Unit 01's head where he got in to Pilot it, while they watched-and waited-to see how things were going.
"Alright," Pamela says. "Get ready to-"
"I said no, Pam!" Selina exclaims. "I could do this with no arms, if I had to. Just-wait!"
Selina holds her Prog Knife in her right hand and contrary to the way she had met the Angel head on before, she stands still, waiting. Bruce wasn't sure what Angels thought processes were like (obviously they had to think something, as they were cognizant enough to know where they needed to go when they got to Gotham) but this Angel, Zeruel, seemed much stronger and hardier than the ones they had previously faced-but it also seemed to be pretty single minded.
It runs at her again and again the screeching as it accelerates happens and he waits for her to step aside as it gets closer and closer, but she does not. Instead, at the last moment, when it's almost within reach, she screams another battle cry and junges forward and her screams get louder when the Knife hits the AT Field but doesn't penetrate it.
"Just...die already, you son of a bitch!" She yells, pushing the Knife-and the Eva-forward even harder.
Finally the Knife does pierce through and with a final shout, she pierces the Core. There is a bright white light suddenly and the Angel makes it only sound, a screech that makes everyone cup their ears now and he sees blood spurt everywhere as the Core explodes and the Angel falls with a sudden tumble onto ground. Dead.
There are panting sounds over the comms of Selina's labored breathing, but those soon die down.
"Good job, Selina." Pamela says and Bruce can hear the relief in her voice. She didn't often show her emotions. "Hurry back now if you can so we can get you and 02 taken care of. Or do you need help?"
"I'm on my way." Even if she had been too injured, she'd never have admitted it. "Let me see if I can find the arm."
"Alright."
The comms switch off and Bruce lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, turning to look down at J, who had an odd look in his eyes. He catches Bruce's eyes though and the look passes, smiling at Bruce gently.
"Well, that was an experience and a half, wasn't it!" J says.
"Disappointed you didn't get to show off?" Bruce asks, teasingly.
J pouts. "How did you know? I have all sorts of tricks up my sleeves that I'd love for you to discover, Bruce Wayne."
Bruce flushes again. "Stop that."
J laughs.
"Plus I could do a good job and tell them why I should get a different Suit," J says. "This one might be a bit too drab for-"
There is a sudden burst of white light, blinding him and a scream that is terrifying to hear.
The light fades and Bruce blinks his eyes. That scream...it had been Selina. Even more so than when her Evangelion's arm had been chopped off, this one was...beyond anything. Terror did not cover it.
J says something under his breath but Bruce doesn't catch it.
"What?"
J looks up at him, eyes wide and sad but not scared. Not scared at all.
"Arael." J says. "I'm sorry, Bruce."
"What-"
"Bruce, go. Go now." Pamela's voice, a bit shaky now (she too was obviously affected by whatever had just occurred.) "Go!"
He starts to go up the ladder-
"No, Bruce!" J exclaims suddenly. Bruce looks back at him in surprise. Now J looks worried. "You can't!"
"What do you-"
J pulls him down with surprising strength and he looks at him in shock.
"What the hell do you think you're-"
An alarm suddenly sounds.
"Unit 02, Unit 00...Unit 01!" Nygma's voice exclaims now. "Everything but 13!"
Evangelion 13 had never been operated before, so perhaps that was why…
"What the hell is going on?" Pamela demands.
"They're infected." J says at the same exact time that Nygma does.
Bruce stares at him again before Pamela's voice gets his attention.
"Is it affecting anything else?"
"No," Nygma says. "Just the Evangelion's."
"Alright. Bruce, get suited with the Heurtebize."
He swallows and hits a button on the panel that sat next to Unit is an opening in the floor and out pops...a suit. A suit sized for a human being.
"Where is the Angel?" He asks aloud.
It's quiet for a moment.
"The sky." Pamela says quietly. "It's up in the atmosphere."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
He doesn't have time for anything, not to ask J any further questions or to even ask what the Angel was doing just yet. He suits up as quick as he can and launches up out of the opening where the Evangelion's usually launched and is in the air in moments.
The Evangelion EUROII Heurtebize was a project that had been thought up by Bruce, his parents, Pamela, and Nygma. While Evangelions were extremely powerful and generally used as the weapons to take down Angels, they still had limitations and so they all had wanted to create a Suit that could help where the Evangelions might lack.
The Heurtebize was more akin to armor than it was a mechanical thing like the Evangelions were. It was specially fitted to a body. In this case, Bruce, as he had volunteered to be the test subject for it. It was outfitted for speed where Evangelions were suited for power and equipped with weapons to help balance out the difference in strength.
It also had wings for flight, flight being something which Evangelions also lacked. His suit of Heurtebize was black, the wings stretched out like a giant bat. It's what made people think he had gotten the Codename 'Bat' from, but no, that had come from his experience as a child.
Something which he had been thinking of more lately, come to think of it. Experiences were making him think of things he hadn't thought of it in years, in detail he hadn't thought of in years…
"How is she?" He asks. There had been special vehicles that had grabbed Unit 02 (and its severed arm) and had been taking her back to headquarters while Bruce went in the opposite direction, where he passes by the fallen body of Zeruel.
"Hurry, Bruce." Pamela says instead. "We've located the Angel's exact location. We're sending you coordinates now."
He ignores the incoming information.
"Pamela-"
"Psychic damage." J's voice says instead of Pamela, quietly, softly.
"It hit almost all the Evangelions, but it started with hers." Pamela says. "The light…be careful, Bruce."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
He wills the Heurtebize to go quicker (they responded to thought the way that Evangelions did), trying not to think about the light, or the screams of anguish or the way that J had known the names before they had been spoken by anyone else…
The closer he approaches, the more the sky has gotten dark, despite it still being the middle of the day, as if the Angel was sucking all the light from the immediate areas. He stops in mid air and the sight of the Angel there-Arael, J had said-leaves Bruce both stunned and horrified.
It was beautiful.
It seemed to be made of pure light and it stretched far across the sky like the wings of a bird, with the light seeming to sparkle with something, like a prism or diamond, but magnified a million times over and infinitely more beautiful.
He hovers there, unable to move, shaking his head as a buzzing sound fills his head, not noticing that he has been there longer than he thinks (he has been there for minutes and the screams of Pamela and the others to get his attention do not reach him.)
He looks, reaching a hand forward, despite the fact that the Angel was still so far away. He felt terrible but also not. The Angel was in the atmosphere, as Pamela had said, but at the very edge of it, where the Earth met space.
There was no way the Heurtebize could reach that far. He'd fall into a descent from gravity before his weapons could ever be close enough to reach-and even then, he didn't know if they would penetrate the Angel's AT Field.
Despair.
He rarely felt true despair, but he feels it now, mixed with what must be shock, but also an alien sense of joy that he shivers against.
Psychic Attack. Was that what this was? He had to think and keep thinking. He couldn't let this, this thing keep him from… from…
I see you.
That...that couldn't be. From before? But that had only been...that had just been his thoughts running overtime during his synchronization test to become a Pilot, hadn't it been? And before that, all those years ago, it had just been his imagination-
I see you.
He cries out, clutching his head. No! It wasn't the same voice. This voice was oily, trying to be seductive, trying to push forcefully into his head and overwrite everything.
Just fall, little thing. Anael says in his mind, the voice making him cry out again and nearly fall out of the sky. Just fall. Let me pass. You don't need to fight. Rest your weary soul. Rest.
Rest? Rest sounded...nice. A place where he could just be, maybe? He had always wanted to be a Pilot, but the toll that fighting for the world could take...well, he might hide it well, but even he wanted to just rest for a while. That sounded very nice. He could just fall away and rest. It probably would go so quickly-
Bruce.
He feels the Angel pause. That voice hadn't come from Anael.
Don't listen to Anael. His light is a false light. Words that don't mean anything.
Outwardly the light form of Anael screams, causing massive shaking for a moment.
Throwing a tantrum like a child.
I do not need to be told that from you! Anael screams.
Bruce. Turn. Turn to me. It's okay. The other voice says. It was the...other voice from before, that he had heard before. But how…?
"I can't." He croaks.
It's alright. Look at me. A pause. Please.
He shivers but does so, seeing a sudden band of light come from Anael that tries to strike him silently, but hits a AT Field out of nowhere, shocking him.
He turns. And he sees...he sees…
I see you.
"I see you, Bruce." J says. "I'm here."
J.
Piloting Evangelion 13, which had never been used before. In the air, which no Evangelion could do.
And could only be piloted by two people.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"J...what," He manages to say.
"Hurry, Bruce. Come on inside before Anael tries to strike again." J says.
Eva 13 reaches a large hand forward and Bruce finds it in himself, despite his shock, to marvel how the Evangelion was identical in color and shape to his own Unit 01, other than the fact of needing double pilots and being a bit taller. He lands in its outstretched hand and is quickly led to the back of the head where he sees one closed port where J had obviously gone into and one entry plug still open and waiting.
He lets out a breath (that voice had been...it had been…) and jumps inside.
The flood of LCL passes quickly and he's in a seat in seconds. The surrounding looked much like the one he had in Unit 02, except larger and directly across from him was a second chair, where J sat, looking directly at him.
"I'm sorry." J says. "I shouldn't have left you on your own. Anael is nasty and vicious."
Bruce shakes his head. The stunned and horrible feelings were starting to lessen, leaving him with his own genuine surprise and confusion.
"And how do you know that?"
"Bruce, we don't have time-"
"How do you know, J?"
"Bruce…"
"What are you, some sort of mole? Something to laugh at our miserable struggles?" He sneers, blinking against the sudden rush of tears. "Sent to-"
"You know what I am, Bruce." J says, eyes burning with unshed tears the same as Bruce's held.
"I don't…"
"You know! Why you chose the Bat? Wasn't it because of that day? You remember. How dark it was-"
"And the light." Bruce croaks. "The light after."
J smiles and tears do fall down his face now.
"Yes."
"That was you. You-"
They both move, as if as one, and Eva 13 moves just in time from another strike from Anael.
"He's angry." J says, sounding a bit calmer, despite the tears that were still running down his face.
"I don't know how we'll reach him. I mean I don't even know how you got up here or this thing running…" They dodge another strike.
"You do though." J says. "It goes with the rest, doesn't it? I would have used another Eva but they were all corrupted and it'd have taken extra time to clear them out. Annoying."
He did know now. He hadn't put it together immediately because so much of it had been mere voices. And the time in the cave had been when he was a child.
They move so well together, even talking such as this, that it shocks him. A double piloted Eva like this should have taken weeks, if not months of coordination to work together this well on, but he and J moved together like they were one being.
He knew what J was now, but-
A strike pierces through their dodge and should hit them, but once more a AT Field, larger than any he had ever seen, stops the blow, as if it is a mere trifle.
-it was another thing to say it.
"That should hold him for a minute." J pants.
"J."
"Say it."
"You're an Angel."
"Indeed!" J exclaims. "Have been since, well...forever."
"Then all those doctors you were mentioning…"
"Worked some mojo in a lab and pop! Angel baby all created! They poked and prodded at me. Tried to see what made me tick." J's mouth twists in obvious anger and embarrassment. "It didn't matter that I didn't hurt anyone or even tried to. I had to be monitored all the time, so they said. Didn't matter that I could see from my tiny little room other children playing and wanted to know what that was like. Didn't matter that-"
He pauses as a harder blow from Anael hits the AT Field, but is similarly rebuffed by the Field.
"I managed to break out once. Used a bit of force on one of the doctors; thought I killed him at first, but he was just knocked out and I ran. And ran...and ran…"
"I knew the concept of the city, you see," J continues. "I knew it, read all about it, read every map and history book I could get my hands on. They wouldn't let me leave, but they were oh so interested to see what I wanted to learn. I knew the city, but it was another thing to experience it. It was overwhelming. People going to and fro, seeing and feeling so many emotions from people-I didn't know how to filter it all out then just yet, so I ran. Ran and ran. And the terror also became exhilarating. I was running! It didn't matter where, just that I was running and allowed to be. I never thought freedom could taste so good!"
"I kept running and eventually I found myself on some grounds."
"Land by Wayne Manor." Bruce says. J nods. "How did you end up in the caves?"
"You know why; I was there to help you."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The terror of the dark had never struck him so much before. He had never needed to sleep with a nightlight or anything before. His dad, Thomas, said he was a strong boy and his mother, Martha, said he was a brave boy.
But that was the Manor. He knew the manor as well as anyone else in the family, where things would creak from the wind or where shadows would lay just a little darker. There was a strange comfort in it, if only because he knew it so well.
But this...this was just total, consuming darkness. All he could hear were his own sobbing breaths and the screeching chatter of things around him.
"I wanna go home, I wanna go home." A sobbing breath, rocking his body, tears falling against the dark ground he couldn't see. It became like a mantra, said over and over again. Maybe this was all just a dream and he'd wake up and the pain and horrible darkness would be gone.
"Please…" He whispers, head on his arms. He tries to sit as tightly wound as he could. Maybe then the sounds would start to lessen.
Clatter! He hears something that isn't the sound of himself or the things around him flying around.
"Hello?" He asks, trying to raise his voice louder. "Hello? I'm here! I'm here! Mother? Father? Alfred? I'm here! I'm here, I'm here, I'm here! Please-"
"Please…" He cries out, tears falling down onto his arms again.
It's quiet for awhile. It's still so dark that it shakes Bruce and scares him. But then…
"It's okay."
He jumps at the sound of another voice.
"Here, d-don't be scared, okay?" The voice was young, like his own voice. Someone his own age? But how'd they get here?
"Don't be scared." The voice repeats.
Bruce blinks against a sudden light and looks up. Outlined in a glowing light was a young boy, his own age or near it. And he was floating! Bruce watches astounded, all fear forgotten for a moment, as the boy lands quietly beside him. He kneels by Bruce.
"Are you okay?" The boy asks. He glowed, as if within. It was so pretty! As if he was made up of light. The boy reaches a hand forward, shaking, and touches Bruce's shoulder, looking surprised.
"I'm," Bruce starts. He wipes suddenly at his face. What must he look like right now! "I'm-I'm okay. I just," He looks up where he had fallen from-and where the boy had come from. "I fell down. It hurts but…"
"It hurts?" The boy frowns, brows furrowing as he looks down at Bruce's arm, which was bleeding a bit from the fall. With the light, he can see the boy is really pale, and his hair is green! He hadn't seen anyone his age with green hair before. It was cool!
"Umm," The boy says. "I can help, if-if you want?"
"You can?" Bruce asks.
The boy nods and, after another hesitation, puts his hand just above Bruce's arm. There's a small glow and a moment later, the wound Bruce has is gone. Bruce's eyes widen in shock, before looking up at the boy, who...flinches back?
"I'm sorry." The boy says, looking miserable now.
"Sorry?" Bruce asks, confused. "But why? Thank you! I feel a lot better already!"
"You do?" He asks Bruce, who nods. "You don't...think I'm bad or weird?"
Bruce frowns. "Why would I think that? You helped me! Thank you."
The boy looks at him for a moment, before hesitantly smiling, as if he didn't do it often.
"You're welcome." The boy says.
"Oh I'm sorry," Bruce says, as if he wasn't sitting in a cave he had just fallen into. Cave or no cave, manners set still are deeply ingrained in him and he extends a hand. "Thanks for helping me again. I'm Bruce. Bruce Wayne."
The boy stares at his hand for a moment, then looks at him.
"I'm...J." The boy says.
"J?" Bruce asks. "But that's just a letter."
The boy looks a bit embarrassed now, looking away.
"I have another name they gave me, but it still doesn't feel like mine. J is the only thing they'll call me otherwise."
It's quiet and J doesn't look at him, but Bruce still keeps his hand up. Finally J turns back, whatever he sees on Bruce's face seems to make him relax. He looks at Bruce's still outstretched hand.
"It's nice to meet you, J." Bruce says sincerely.
J's face twists like he wants to cry, but he takes Bruce's hand all the same.
"It's nice to meet you too, Bruce."
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"Um, if you can do what you did before, can you make your way left once you're up there? It's a bit of a ways, but you'll see a house. It's the Manor where me and my parents live-"
"I can take you too." J says.
"You can?"
"Uh huh." J says, dusting his legs off as he stands. Bruce does too. The sounds of the flying things, which he can see now from J's light, are bats, are still loud, but he feels stronger now than he did before. "I'm stronger than I look! Just…"
J leans forward and Bruce nearly jumps back. J laughs, looking surprised at himself for a moment as if he didn't laugh often.
"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" J asks him, grinning.
Bruce shakes his head. "No! I mean...no. I fly in planes with my family sometimes. I like the look of the sky."
"Me too." J looks wistful now. "I always wanted to fly around in it. That high up...no one could touch you. You'd be as free as anything else."
J shakes his head and extends his hands out.
"Here. I'll take us up slowly, okay?" J says. Bruce nods and grabs J's hands. He gasps as his feet suddenly leave the ground and J's hands tighten on his.
"It'll be okay." J says. "You're safe now, Bruce-"
"I promise." J says now. Bruce looks at him, tears falling down his face now, seeing trails down J's face as well again.
"You saved me." Bruce says.
"No. Bruce you saved me." J says. "You don't understand what meeting you then did for me. I had lost all hope. I had been treated as a mere thing since I had been born. But you treated me like anyone else. You were kind to me. And you meant it. You made me want to live and keep living."
"Then why did you leave right after? If you had told me everything then, I would have…" He shakes his head. "I would have helped you."
The look J gives him then is heartbreaking and beautiful both.
"I would have. I would have. But I felt them, the operatives that SEELE had sent. They're incredibly dangerous. I was powerful, even back then at that age, but you were there and I wouldn't have done anything to put you in any danger. Even if only for a brief moment, you were the only friend I had ever had. The only person to be important to me."
"And then through the years," J continues. "I watched you. I mean I knew you enough then, that although they locked me away even tighter, I could reach you with my thoughts and I could see how you were doing. Knowing you were safe…"
"I felt you on the periphery of my life off and on for years." Bruce says. "I didn't know what it was. I knew it never felt bad to me. It felt...safe. Secure-
"And then...then we both grew older and I," J swallows. "I saw you get closer with other people, with women. By then we were both adults and I was...jealous."
"Happy." Bruce says.
J's head jerks up.
"What?"
"That feeling." Bruce tells him. "It made me happy. Confused sometimes at what it was, but it...you always made me happy. Made me feel less alone."
"Bruce-"
"No wonder I felt so comfortable with you." Bruce murmurs, before looking up at an astounded looking J.
He smiles.
"I'm glad I got to meet you again, Jack."
"Jack."
"Huh? J asks, as he sets them gently onto the ground, the cave entrance far enough away now that Bruce could breathe easy again.
"You said they just call you 'J' right? What about Jack? Could I call you that?"
J looks at him astounded. "You're...giving me a name?"
Bruce shrugs, resisting the urge to scuff his shoe against the dirt. Was it bad? Was it not being a good friend to do so? But J seemed so sad about not having a name he himself liked…
"Is that bad?"
"No, no!" J says. "I just...I've never had a friend before. You'd really want to?"
Bruce nods.
"Jack." J says, as if testing it out. Then he smiles. "I like it!"
He extends a hand out to Bruce.
"I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Bruce. It's nice to meet you too."
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But Anael doesn't let them keep reminiscing, as a blow finally makes a small crack in what must be Jack's AT Field (and wasn't it crazy that an Angel was here now, fighting against another Angel? But that he would be an Angel that Bruce had already met. He has no fear of Jack.)
"How do we handle this?" He muses. "Do you know about any extra weapons on this or can you…?"
"I have something." Jack says. He looks amused again. "I uh, might have taken out of some storage in headquarters. They were pissed but, what? Do they want another Impact? They'll get over it!"
He shrugs so exaggeratedly that Bruce cannot help but laugh.
"Alright then, let's see it." Bruce says.
Jack grins. "I wonder if mine is longer than yours."
And with a quick pull of the Eva's hands, in Eva 13's hands was a long blue, spiky looking spear.
"Did you steal the Spear of Longinus?!"
"Steal...borrow...ready to throw into the atmosphere where it won't come back...potato-potatoh…"
Bruce laughs.
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The cracks in Jack's AT Field are larger now but they didn't need any more time.
They fly back, before running across the air as if it was ground and throw the spear.
It sails through the air with such a speed that Bruce almost doesn't see its ascent. A large AT Field covers a large area, but it wasn't as large as Jack's was. The spear pierces through the AT Field as if it wasn't even there and impacts Anael.
A moment, then; an explosion.
Anael explodes in a large piercing scream and light flies everywhere, all around them.
"Well! That went well." Jack says.
They both look at the light that falls, as if glittering diamonds from the sky, like a bright waterfall.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Bruce asks quietly. "I mean they're…"
Like you. Angels. He doesn't say it aloud, but Jack seems to hear it anyway.
"They're nothing to me, Bruce. They want to destroy what holds the thing I hold most dear on it."
"Most…" He feels his face flush at Jack's knowing look. "Oh."
"Oh." Jack says softly.
It's quiet for awhile, the light of the dead Angel, Anael still falling all around them.
"So what now?" Jack says, his voice still quiet.
"What now?" Bruce asks.
Now? He must be wondering, certainly, if Bruce planned to tell the others at HQ who Jack was, what he was.
What he was…
A hand in the dark to save Bruce.
A friend.
A pause.
Someone looking after him nearly all his life.
Someone who saw Bruce as something special. Not because of his skill or his money. But just because of who Bruce was, the person he was.
A hesitant hand upon Bruce's skin, eyes that pierced right through him.
Heat soaring through Bruce's body at the touch of a man who he had thought he had just met.
A kiss…
An embrace…
Warmth.
He swallows against a lump in his throat.
Love.
That was certainly this emotion, wasn't it?
Love.
An embrace.
A kiss.
A kiss…
"What now?" Bruce asks again.
He moves that small distance forward that separates them and pulls on Jack's suit, kissing him.
Jack melts into the kiss immediately, obviously relieved, kissing back with as much passion as Bruce gives in return.
Bruce pulls back and his heart beats faster at the look in Jack's eyes.
"Now...I'd like to watch the lights with my lover, if that sounds good to him."
Jack kisses him again, sighing against his lips.
"That doesn't sound good." Jack says.
"That sounds amazing."
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I hope you enjoyed this!
Let me know what you thought!
-PhoenixJustice