The worried wait for Bruce continued and their spirits were low. They felt horrible about what Batman said, it hurt even more because they knew he was right. They felt like they were just in his way.

But-But this was their mission and while it's exposed their not so great team work skills, that's ok b-because the Justice League have not been around that long and every mission they go on only improves their dynamic. So really Bruce's disappointment towards them was just extra encouragement to recover from this problem. It was this strange sense that they needed to prove themselves to Bruce, make him proud of what they can become, in a weird way.

Bruce returns back to the Batcave around four in the morning, not really trying to be quiet which is what his known for as he rips the mask off his face slamming it onto a metal table. The other Justice League members are already asleep on the floor when he gets in, but Clark hadn't fallen asleep yet and was watching him from where he laid. He had been too worried to sleep. All this talk about failing as a team and the possibility of him getting hurt because they didn't watch his back, kind of made him panic. Being who he is Clark never really had to sleep before and this is the first time his really felt the pull of sleep but he willed himself awake just long enough to see him walk into the medical station.

Bruce wasn't really pissed, more annoyed. With himself. Not with his intuition though. That was spot on. After telling the others to leave he was able to follow the semi-trucks leaving the scene. It was hard to keep up from the rooftops, so he jumped down on top of the last truck as quietly as possible. He leans down trying to open the back to see what they were carrying, when the passenger in the front of the truck must of saw him in a mirror. They started to shoot at him, with terrible aim but to be expected of someone hanging out of a window while driving. But he doesn't risk it. He unlatched the back doors as fast as he could, seeking the safety in the back. He looks at the contents inside quickly noticing strange machinery and weapons like the one that shot his older self. He places small trackers on the bottom of some of the crates and some of the other strange equipment in places he hopes they won't notice the bug. The driver of the truck has started to swerve all over the road and even onto the footpath as he hears the screams of the pedestrians as they jump to get out of the way.

The door that's swinging open clips a building on the corner of the street as they turn, which rips the medal door clean off. Leaving the side of the truck with sharp tattered edges.

The speeding truck passes another vehicle in its convoy and Bruce hangs over the side and quickly throws another tracking device attaching itself to the rim of the trucks tire. In the process of flinging himself back into the safety of the trailer, he cuts his arm on the jiggered side. It slices through the hoodie his wearing and he lets out a silent curse. He quickly leans down again and places another tracker on the inside of the mud flap and rolls off and the truck that barely slows for another corner. He stands up noting the fleeting convoy of vehicles. He realizes that there is quite a bit of blood coming from his arm. It's not a big cut, probably only needs a few stitches. But he takes off his now ripped jumper and poorly ties it around the wound and starts to make the long track back to the Batcave.

His glad his here and not the other league members, surely they'd be crying in pain and completely lost in one of the most crime riddled cities in America.

He walks into the medical station just to quickly stitch up is wound and then begin the next step in this investigation.

There sitting in the one of the cots is Bruce, laptop open, eyes scanning the screen and fingers dancing along the keypad. He doesn't look up but they both know that he acknowledges his presence. Instead of interrupting him, which has become an annoying habit of his teammates Bruce moves to where he thinks the needle and thread should be.

He hears the clink of the laptop closing and eyes start to bare into his back.

'Ah so talking it is'

"How's your shoulder? " Bruce starts, but his voice is stale and cold, clearly uncaring about the answer.

"What did you do?" Bruce retorts, voice also dull but unlike his counterpart draped in heavy emotion.

Bruce's eyebrows scrunched together, before he turned his head over his shoulder to look at the man lying in the bed.

"...Pardon?"

"Tonight" he starts again, swinging his feet over the side of the cot and began to stand up "It should have been simple. Easy to even-"

"You're the one who got shot-"

"-Then you and your team showed up!"

That shocked Bruce. Was he insinuating that that tonight was his fault. Clearly he needed some help so they provided it. Isn't that what this whole Justice League is for. Help? (or at least that's always what Clark tries to tell him) Although himself doesn't actually like it apparently his older self did need it. Honestly back there Bruce didn't want to get involved but everyone else thought they needed to so he went along as well, trying not to leave anyone behind. But apparently that backfired.

Bruce could admit he couldn't handle that himself and if he could have, he's pretty sure his old self could have too. So he stayed quiet while he gave Bruce a pointed look just so he understood that he didn't like to be ridiculed.

"I just couldn't believe it when you saw you show up. Them-" he pointed towards the open area where his teammates were asleep " I could understand, but you. Going out there like that! Putting civilians in the line of fire. I thought you had more of a brain."

'Oh' Bruce thought this wasn't about the fact that they helped him in the fight it was the fact they went out at all.

Bruce's voice lowered dangerously

"Such a disappointment"

"Excuse me" Bruce cracked. "How am I meant to control what the others do I was just providing backup for them anyway I didn't want to be down there!"

"Back up! What kind of back up were you providing them? You did nothing and they did nothing for you! You don't fight together, you don't look out for each other it's like you think it's you against the world and you don't know how to utilise each other's strengths and weaknesses. It would've been better if you didn't come at all."

Bruce was quite once again, fists clenched at the side. Blood dripping down his forearm.

"Then you just run off ditching not only your teammates but a man down. I can understand following the lead but you went alone when there was plenty of other people to go with you and still take me back here to get treated that was just plain stupid. And your arm" Bruce paused looking down at the cut " you let that happen? I bet that was completely preventable."

Bruce didn't want to fight over this. He was used to people not understanding his motives, but I guess he just thought he would be somewhat familiar with himself. Apparently not "...it's fine, small cuts happen all the time" he grumbled

"To you maybe. But in that body, you practically injured an innocent" Bruce sighed in his hands before he wobbled to the right side of the room towards a compartment pulling out a needle and third and other materials such as disinfected and bandages. He went back and sat on the side of his bed.

He gestures for Bruce to join him. Bruce hesitated but sat down and accepted the help of the older man. He could do better than his attempt one handed.

Bruce began to tend to the wound and stich it up and to his younger self's surprise with such delicacy rather than rough patching he does himself (probably why most of his stitch's left scars)

"This won't happen again. Will it?"

What? w-was he lecturing me right now Bruce thought

"...You're serious?" Bruce was met with eyes that bore into him that meant he had no room for negotiation

"Will it?" Bruce repeated in a voice that reminded him of a father who spoke to a child that got caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

"I can't promise anything" he finally answered. Bruce's eyes still dug into him this time flashing red with anger and his Batman voice came out in full force as he told him that

"Unfortunately you're going to have to!"

The silence that followed was deafening, until the anger in Bruce's eye shifted from anger to some sort of sadness. He dropped his head back down to focus on the wound and quietly whispered supposably to himself

"he doesn't need anymore"

What?

'Anymore what?' Bruce thought. Clearly there was something going on under the surface of this charade. He watched as his older self carefully and silently closed up the wound, his mind begging for him to ask questions to interrogate. But the atmosphere of the room stopped him, not wanting to disturb the frustrated man any longer so they sat in complete silence until he finished.

The next day Bruce could feel the judgemental stares of his teammates as he sat at the computer trying to work out how to access the location of the bugs on this new computer. He told Bruce earlier that day about the bugs he was able to plant, but all he got in return was a serious look added on with a "I'll look into it" before he left for upstairs to either do daytime or night-time work, who knew. Bruce decided to use the Batcomputer to do his own research (if he can figure out how to use it that is).

That is until Clark and Diana walked up behind him. Clark looked uncomfortable but Diana was determined.

"Bruce"

"Diana" Bruce swivelled the chair around so he was now facing the duo.

"Get up we're going on a trip" Diana commanded. Bruce sighed and spun back around and continued fiddling with the computer.

"I thought older me would have yelled at you for the little stunt you guys pulled yesterday" Bruce retorted in an uncaring tone.

Diana gritted her teeth and her fists bawled up at the side of her. Clark seeing this quickly stepped in. He grabbed the back of Bruce's chair and swung in around once again. This did not impress Bruce at all as he shot Clark the deadliest glare he could muster. It wasn't the same type of impact on this new face, but it strangely still sent shivers down his spine at the intensity of it.

"Ah yeah Bruce we were" Clark tries in a gentle tone "but we're not going out to investigate or fight or anything. Just going to grab lunch or something. Some team building, you know? So that um... let's be honest that type of teamwork can't happen again. I know it's just lunch, but getting to know each other outside the cape is important for us to function. So come on, up and at 'em!"

"Are you done with your little speech Clark?"

"Um yes?"

"Good because I refuse"

"No Bruce" Dianna said with a tight smile "You cannot say 'no' this time. Now UP." Bruce's gaze lifted up towards where Diana's creepy smile was daring him to refuse her. He stared at her and more importantly the look in her eyes a while longer before he stood up.

"Fine" he sighed

"Good choice!" she grinned a real smile this time.

As they made their way to the back of the cave towards where the dozens of vehicles were parked. They spotted Barry in the driver's seat of what appeared to be a black SUV. Clearly more if it was down in the cave, probably for missions where he needed to blend in more.

Barry beeped the horn, sticking his head out the window, waving his arms and calling out to them.

"Come on guys! Get in, let's go eat!"

Diana smiled at Barry, while Clark laughed as he made his way towards the backseat of the car. But Bruce made a b line towards Barry in the driver's seat. He opened the door before the confused previous speedster.

"Move over" he demanded and proceeded in getting in the car forcing Barry to awkwardly climb over the middle console of the car, careful not to push any of the scary looking buttons.

"Oh come on, why don't I ever get to drive" Barry sulked

"Do you even know how to drive Barry?" Clark asked from the back

"W-what? Of course I do, why wouldn't I"

"I don't know" Dianna continued "seems kind of pointless to me"

"OH are we going to have this argument about cars again 'princess' " In which led Barry into his long rant about having super speed didn't mean he used it for normal day things (even though he totally did). But the getting to know one another was heading off to a good start.

They decided to just get some burgers, much to Bruce's distain in a cheaper part of Gotham considering that they were only able to scab so much off Alfred. It was a small place, a bit run down and most of their custom base looked like they were preparing for a fight to break out in the middle of the day, but my gosh it had to be the best burgers Barry's ever had and that's saying something.

To Clark the day had been a success, everyone was getting along and he likes to think they bonded a little. It's true they were only able to get a few words out of Batman, but it was amazing just for him to add his opinion in something they considered personal enough to talk about and further away from the hero like that they could speak about it openly in public.

They were getting ready to leave stepping out into the street and turning the corner. Everyone was all smiles, except for Bruce but Diana swears she saw his lip twitch and surprisingly the day had been quite pleasant.

"Hey guys look over there" called Andy from the passenger seat of his mate, Sammy's van. Sam in the driver's seat looked at him dumbly with his face stuffed with food while three of his other friends in the back stuck their heads into the front trying to see what Andy was seeing, spilling food as they moved.

"You mean the diner?" one asked

"no no no! Look those four boys getting ready to leave. I swear I've seen them somewhere before, like on TV or something" Andy explained

"Holy shit! your right! That's the Wayne brats!"

"Who?" one in the back questioned

"You know, that billionaire Bruce Wayne guy. Practically owns this city. Seen as a prince around here or some shit. That's his kids! Seen them on TV before. Point is that family is super rich" Sammy told them.

"Oh damn your right it is them! Don't recognise the tall one with the white on his head though"

"Probably a bodyguard or somethin' you know how these people are" They watched them as they paid the bill and got up readying to leave

"You know-" One began "how much you wanna bet that their daddy is willing to lend us a couple million in exchange to see the little ones again"

That gained a sneaky grin from all five of them as they now started to get ready.