TITLE: Dark and Light (World's Finest #3, an epilogue)
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Please ask.
CATEGORY: A little of this and a little of that. ::shrug::
RATING: PG for some bad words.
SUMMARY: So, how *did* Batman react when he found out what Superman had done?
CONTINUITY: This diverges from current continuity just after Tim gives up the Robin suit.
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to DC Comics. I just fantasize and worry about them.
NOTES: I just couldn't end this without writing Batman's reaction.
* * * * *
Clark sat atop the highest building in Gotham and waited. It was a clear night and the stars twinkled in a merry fashion--always slightly incongruous in Gotham. But even Batman couldn't insist that the stars be less cheerful in his city, although the image of a scowling Batman waving his fist at the sky was one that would amuse him for days.
Lost in thought, Clark didn't see Bruce until the other man was nearly there, sliding onto the roof with the grace that so often made him look superhuman. Bruce crossed his arms and glared, the full-on Batglare usually reserved for the Joker or Darkseid.
"Save it for the people who are afraid of you, Bruce."
"Maybe you *should* be afraid of me."
"Don't start, I've known you too long. I came here so we could discuss this like the adults we purport to be."
Arms still crossed, Bruce relaxed fractionally. "I can't believe you conned *Alfred* into giving you Tim's name. What the *hell* did you think you were doing?"
"Something you couldn't. And probably wouldn't, but that's another matter."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"I was helping *your* former sidekick. Tim's father would never have listened to you, but he was won over by three squeaky-clean superheroes sitting in his living room."
"So you thought it would be *helpful* to give Tim's identity to three *teenagers*?" His voice was icy cold and Clark sighed.
"To Tim's friends, yes. To the people he needs to help him survive this transition."
"He *needs* to move on with the life he's chosen."
"That his *father* cho--no, I'm not getting distracted from my point. He's supposed to move on without his friends?"
Bruce snorted. "How many times do I have to say it?"
"As many times as you like, but I'm your friend anyway. Besides, Tim isn't you and thank goodness for that." Clark stopped, listening to a strange noise until he identified it as a leaky pump at the Gotham water treatment plant.
"Tim is a survivor, but I can't believe the three of you would do something this idiotic. What the fuck possessed you to show up in my city in costume and blithely agree to let the children come for a visit?"
"Love."
Even without x-ray vision it would have been obvious Bruce's eyes had narrowed. "Love?"
"Yes, Bruce. I love Kon as if he *was* my son. It took some time to recognize it, but it's true. He needed my help to find his friend. And they needed each other."
"What about Flash and Diana?"
"Ah." Clark smiled broadly. "They required a bit more convincing. But love worked for them as well."
"If you think you're being subtle, farmboy, you're sadly mistaken. Out with whatever has you so pleased with yourself."
"I told you: love."
Bruce growled low in his throat, a sound that usually preceded serious mayhem, and Clark decided to stop teasing. "I guess you never really watched Tim and Conner together. And here I thought you were the observant one."
Bruce went so still, he almost disappeared into the gloom. "But...the--"
"If you say 'the clone,' I swear I'll dislocate your shoulder." Clark let his own anger show.
Bruce took a step back, probably more in shock than concern. "Tim...they..."
"Are in love, Bruce. Keeping them apart would have been wrong. Not to mention pointless. They'd have found each other somehow and almost certainly caused a great deal more noise and havoc in the process. Did you really want Superboy flying all over your city looking for Tim?"
Bruce made a strangled noise and leaned against the half wall behind him.
"Are you okay?"
"Just rearranging most of my brain. Nothing too serious."
Clark grinned. "Well, if you can be sarcastic, you're going to be fine."
Bruce looked up. "Tim's gay?"
"I don't want to know any details, do you? Besides, I couldn't ask him that in front of his father--they'd all had enough shocks for one day."
"Yes." Bruce stared down at the gravelly roof. "So, the Teen Titans are going to be visiting my city."
"Yes. But they're under strict instructions to keep out of trouble." Clark was particularly proud of saying that with a straight face.
"You know, very few people know that Superman is a smartass."
"And fewer know that Batman has a sense of humor."
Bruce sighed and rubbed his jaw. "Love?"
"Most definitely."
"And his father's given him permission to see his friends."
"Actually," Clark paused, still unsure how to phrase this part, "he has permission to speak to Nightwing and Oracle and pretty much everyone. Except you."
Bruce's flinch was so small, most wouldn't have seen it, but Clark knew where to look. "Ah," was all Bruce said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to push our luck. But I'm sure in time Mr. Drake will change his mind."
"I see."
"Tim looked much better when I left," Clark offered. "And I, ah, passed by on the way here. He and Conner look happy."
Bruce didn't respond.
"Do you have a message I could pass to Tim for you? Greetings, well-wishes?"
"He...there isn't anything. He knows...how I feel."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." The cape swirled and Bruce was gone. Clark could have found him with some effort, but it was unlikely to change anything. He wasn't going to solve Bruce's problems--or the rest of Tim's--this evening.
With a last look around the gloomy city and the cheerful stars above, Clark lifted off the building to head back to Metropolis. Lois was waiting to hear the latest installment of "As the Bat Turns" and she'd complain if he was late.
At least his meddling had resulted in a partial happy ending. In the superhero business, you learned to take your victories where you could.
Besides, next time he saw Bruce he got to tease him about being unobservant. And they were some kind of superhero in-laws now. Life didn't get much better than that, did it?
--end--
* * * * *
Final author's note: In case you're curious, the comment that started this saga was in response to Te's Tim/Kon story "And Take Me Worlds Away." In my feedback, I said, "I totally agree that Tim's never gonna get rid of [Kon] now. Even if he tries to disappear, Kon will have every non-Bat superhero in the world looking for him. (Hey, a lot of 'em are closet romantics. They'd totally do it. C'mon, tell me you can't see Flash and GL and Superman helping him.)"
Te responded: "*bahahahhaaa* oh God. They WOULD. A bunch of large, ripped men and women trying to be inconspicuous in their civvies, showing up at the Drakes'... 'Can Tim come out to play?'"
So, it's her fault for encouraging me, right?
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Please ask.
CATEGORY: A little of this and a little of that. ::shrug::
RATING: PG for some bad words.
SUMMARY: So, how *did* Batman react when he found out what Superman had done?
CONTINUITY: This diverges from current continuity just after Tim gives up the Robin suit.
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to DC Comics. I just fantasize and worry about them.
NOTES: I just couldn't end this without writing Batman's reaction.
* * * * *
Clark sat atop the highest building in Gotham and waited. It was a clear night and the stars twinkled in a merry fashion--always slightly incongruous in Gotham. But even Batman couldn't insist that the stars be less cheerful in his city, although the image of a scowling Batman waving his fist at the sky was one that would amuse him for days.
Lost in thought, Clark didn't see Bruce until the other man was nearly there, sliding onto the roof with the grace that so often made him look superhuman. Bruce crossed his arms and glared, the full-on Batglare usually reserved for the Joker or Darkseid.
"Save it for the people who are afraid of you, Bruce."
"Maybe you *should* be afraid of me."
"Don't start, I've known you too long. I came here so we could discuss this like the adults we purport to be."
Arms still crossed, Bruce relaxed fractionally. "I can't believe you conned *Alfred* into giving you Tim's name. What the *hell* did you think you were doing?"
"Something you couldn't. And probably wouldn't, but that's another matter."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"I was helping *your* former sidekick. Tim's father would never have listened to you, but he was won over by three squeaky-clean superheroes sitting in his living room."
"So you thought it would be *helpful* to give Tim's identity to three *teenagers*?" His voice was icy cold and Clark sighed.
"To Tim's friends, yes. To the people he needs to help him survive this transition."
"He *needs* to move on with the life he's chosen."
"That his *father* cho--no, I'm not getting distracted from my point. He's supposed to move on without his friends?"
Bruce snorted. "How many times do I have to say it?"
"As many times as you like, but I'm your friend anyway. Besides, Tim isn't you and thank goodness for that." Clark stopped, listening to a strange noise until he identified it as a leaky pump at the Gotham water treatment plant.
"Tim is a survivor, but I can't believe the three of you would do something this idiotic. What the fuck possessed you to show up in my city in costume and blithely agree to let the children come for a visit?"
"Love."
Even without x-ray vision it would have been obvious Bruce's eyes had narrowed. "Love?"
"Yes, Bruce. I love Kon as if he *was* my son. It took some time to recognize it, but it's true. He needed my help to find his friend. And they needed each other."
"What about Flash and Diana?"
"Ah." Clark smiled broadly. "They required a bit more convincing. But love worked for them as well."
"If you think you're being subtle, farmboy, you're sadly mistaken. Out with whatever has you so pleased with yourself."
"I told you: love."
Bruce growled low in his throat, a sound that usually preceded serious mayhem, and Clark decided to stop teasing. "I guess you never really watched Tim and Conner together. And here I thought you were the observant one."
Bruce went so still, he almost disappeared into the gloom. "But...the--"
"If you say 'the clone,' I swear I'll dislocate your shoulder." Clark let his own anger show.
Bruce took a step back, probably more in shock than concern. "Tim...they..."
"Are in love, Bruce. Keeping them apart would have been wrong. Not to mention pointless. They'd have found each other somehow and almost certainly caused a great deal more noise and havoc in the process. Did you really want Superboy flying all over your city looking for Tim?"
Bruce made a strangled noise and leaned against the half wall behind him.
"Are you okay?"
"Just rearranging most of my brain. Nothing too serious."
Clark grinned. "Well, if you can be sarcastic, you're going to be fine."
Bruce looked up. "Tim's gay?"
"I don't want to know any details, do you? Besides, I couldn't ask him that in front of his father--they'd all had enough shocks for one day."
"Yes." Bruce stared down at the gravelly roof. "So, the Teen Titans are going to be visiting my city."
"Yes. But they're under strict instructions to keep out of trouble." Clark was particularly proud of saying that with a straight face.
"You know, very few people know that Superman is a smartass."
"And fewer know that Batman has a sense of humor."
Bruce sighed and rubbed his jaw. "Love?"
"Most definitely."
"And his father's given him permission to see his friends."
"Actually," Clark paused, still unsure how to phrase this part, "he has permission to speak to Nightwing and Oracle and pretty much everyone. Except you."
Bruce's flinch was so small, most wouldn't have seen it, but Clark knew where to look. "Ah," was all Bruce said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to push our luck. But I'm sure in time Mr. Drake will change his mind."
"I see."
"Tim looked much better when I left," Clark offered. "And I, ah, passed by on the way here. He and Conner look happy."
Bruce didn't respond.
"Do you have a message I could pass to Tim for you? Greetings, well-wishes?"
"He...there isn't anything. He knows...how I feel."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." The cape swirled and Bruce was gone. Clark could have found him with some effort, but it was unlikely to change anything. He wasn't going to solve Bruce's problems--or the rest of Tim's--this evening.
With a last look around the gloomy city and the cheerful stars above, Clark lifted off the building to head back to Metropolis. Lois was waiting to hear the latest installment of "As the Bat Turns" and she'd complain if he was late.
At least his meddling had resulted in a partial happy ending. In the superhero business, you learned to take your victories where you could.
Besides, next time he saw Bruce he got to tease him about being unobservant. And they were some kind of superhero in-laws now. Life didn't get much better than that, did it?
--end--
* * * * *
Final author's note: In case you're curious, the comment that started this saga was in response to Te's Tim/Kon story "And Take Me Worlds Away." In my feedback, I said, "I totally agree that Tim's never gonna get rid of [Kon] now. Even if he tries to disappear, Kon will have every non-Bat superhero in the world looking for him. (Hey, a lot of 'em are closet romantics. They'd totally do it. C'mon, tell me you can't see Flash and GL and Superman helping him.)"
Te responded: "*bahahahhaaa* oh God. They WOULD. A bunch of large, ripped men and women trying to be inconspicuous in their civvies, showing up at the Drakes'... 'Can Tim come out to play?'"
So, it's her fault for encouraging me, right?