Arthur hasn't seen Bruce since the man asked him for help with the hijacked ship. After he dealt with the issue, he didn't bother getting back to the man. He knew Bruce was monitoring the situation.

Now that he's on his way to the batcave again, he can honestly say he's looking forward to it. Arthur decided to finally face the music in Atlantis so he's quite busy nowadays, dealing with politics and being constantly judged for his attitude. The idea of spending some time with Bruce almost feels like vacation. They didn't really get close over the expanse of their cooperation with fighting Steppenwolf - though all of them felt some kind of camaraderie - but Arthur has to admit he misses teasing the man.

He's in a double good humour knowing that Bruce is not expecting him. Bat asked Diana to help him train Barry - the kid needed it without a doubt - as he thought that the speedster should get used to dealing with both regular humans and those with more supernatural abilities. Barry was on board after it turned out there are other beings who can move as fast as he can - that moment when zombie Superman went for him clearly shook him. Diana was the obvious choice to ask for help considering she is the most experienced and well-trained of all of them. But something urgent came up and she called Arthur to ask to cover for her. He agreed right away, he was looking for an excuse good enough to take a break from Atlantis anyway.

Once he arrives, Arthur manages to catch the glimpse of surprise in Bruce's eyes before the man turns his expression back to a controlled mask. One does not keep his vigilante identity a secret for two decades without being a good actor and quick on one's feet, Arthur supposes. That glimpse is still satisfying.

"Hi, Bat."

Bruce takes him in, probably trying to figure out what Arthur is doing in the cave in general. However, what he does say in the end is:

"I thought I'd find it abandoned somewhere in the Gotham docks."

His eyes clearly indicate the dark blue sweater that actually belongs to the billionaire, one that Alfred presented to Arthur the last time he was here. Arthur grins, noting how Bruce referenced their first conversation back in the village, when he just discarded his clothes on the shore and swam away.

"It's the softest piece of clothing I ever wore and you're not getting it back," he finally replies in full honesty. Bruce barks out a short laugh and Arthur counts it as a point for himself.

Arthur is already relaxed after the rough couple of days in Atlantis. He's thinking of another quip when Barry whooshes into the cave in a red blur and throws some documents off of Batman's desk with the gust he produces as he stops.

"Hi!" the speedster says, looking both over-excited and intimidated.

"Let's get started."

Arthur didn't expect Batman to be a good teacher. He was the one to bring the team together, that's true, but it's obvious he's not that much of a team player. The Atlantean is positively surprised to be proven wrong. Arthur observes as Bruce shows Barry the moves that would be most effective with his skillset and bodybuild, and is doing so with patience. Bat's attitude shows it's not the first time he's doing this - teaching someone to fight and take advantage of their strength, as well as dealing with a trainee that's impatient, if not to say infantile at times. When Bruce said he wouldn't need Arthur's assistance too extensively today as they were covering the basics and he would need a metahuman just for a couple of practical exercises, Arthur expected to be bored. But he's honestly taken in by watching Bruce work with Barry, it's a side of the billionaire he didn't expect to see. And it's quite… alluring.

He observes Bruce presenting slowly how to best block a low kick and Arthur can see that while Bat is focusing on defense now, clearly for the sake of the kid who still seems reluctant to actually fight, the moves can easily be turned into offensive ones. Arthur nods to himself approvingly. Bruce really knows what he's doing. Once Barry is ready to go from blocking to striking, it will go much smoother with versatile basics that can be easily turned into attacks.

Then it is finally Arthur's turn to do something more than just stare. He is to use his meta-human strength to attack Barry and the kid is supposed to draw from the speed force to gather enough power to actually block it. Bruce and Arthur exchange a brief look before the first try and he sees in Bat's eyes that he's supposed to go easy for now. He grins at Bruce mischievously but, for once, he obeys.

ж

Barry looks a bit traumatised at the end of the training, though Arthur really played nice. He supposes the kid is still a bit intimidated by him after Arthur threatened him in the transporter as a result of that farce with the Amazonian lasso. So when Bruce is giving the speedster some final comments, Arthur takes off to explore some more of the cave. He still didn't map out every part of it and he has to admit to himself that he's still childishly fascinated by this place.

He doesn't venture far before he stops in front of a glass case that for some reason fills him with dread. Despite the unexplainable uncomfortableness, he can't stop looking at it. Inside there's a suit, one resembling the style of Batman's in terms of materials and craftsmanship but too small to fit a man of Bruce Wayne's built. It looks much more like something that would be worn by a kid. The suit is clearly damaged and across the chest piece there's an inscription in yellow paint: "joke's on you, Batman". It's that inscription that makes Arthur's skin crawl.

Arthur isn't sure how long he just stands there, staring, but it must be long enough for Bruce to notice him lingering there. He joins him by the glass case in silence. The Atlantean didn't even realize when the speedster had left.

"It's a reminder," Bruce speaks but it's strained and Arthur barely catches it.

He's not really sure whether he should ask for more but curiosity wins. "Of what?" Arthur queries, his voice as soft as Bruce's, and he realizes he is developing a fascination about the man.

"It's no secret knowledge that I had adopted two boys," Bruce says, not looking at Arthur, with a tender expression on his face that is simultaneously painful and loving… "What is not widely known is the fact that they were not only my family but also partners in fighting crime in Gotham…. One of them was killed." That last sentence is totally devoid of any inflection and Bruce's face turns into stone.

"I'm sorry," Arthur responds in the socially expected way because he doesn't really know what else he could do. Asking about the suit might have been a mistake but his urge to get to know Bruce better won. He can't really say he regrets venturing into this topic but even if he did, he can't just leave Bruce like that now, not after unearthing this. "What happened to the other one?" Arthur's not sure whether this will lift the mood even a little bit or turn out to be another topic he shouldn't have poked but at least he'll know for the future and maybe he won't screw up like this again.

"He's alright," Bruce starts but he lets out a little tired sigh before continuing. "From what I know from Alfred. I- We- fell out. A lot. He went to university and over time and distance, we were slowly getting better… Then…" Bruce's eyes go to the displayed suit again and his expression darkens again. "He was grieving after Jason, too, and I, well, was being me. Then Metropolis invasion happened and he reached out to me, to talk some sense into me, but I wasn't listening to anyone. I didn't hear my own son telling me that Superman isn't the enemy."

"But you brought Superman back," Arthur tries to help. He's not sure whether he actually is. "We all make mistakes but you're trying to make up for yours. You brought us all together."

Bruce nods a little but he doesn't look convinced. "But how many mistakes can you make before it's too late to start fixing them?"

Arthur's lips curve in a small encouraging smile and he gives Bruce a small nudge with his elbow. "This kid of yours sounds like a good guy, so I don't believe he's as much of a stubborn ass as me; and even I got around to see through my grudges and give Atlantis a chance."

Bruce looks up at him and Arthur sees a hint of gratefulness in these hard brown eyes. The man nods again, more to himself than to Arthur, and turns away from the glass case. "How about a drink?"