Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or any of its characters. Sadly.
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They had been working together for a few hours now and still didn't have anything to show for it, much to Bruce's growing annoyance.
This would be so much easier if the Watchtower were still operating, but that was obviously not the case and while the cave systems were almost as good, things weren't moving as fast as he would have liked. It was clear Superman hadn't bothered to keep the systems upgraded, so Bruce was wasting time doing just that.
The computer worked just fine now, but if he wanted the system to run at its full capacity, he needed to make some major upgrades and that was going to take even longer.
Bruce rubbed a hand over his forehead, willing the pounding in his head to go away as he reached for the coffee Barry brought a few minutes ago and took a sip.
He sent the speeder to Metropolis with one of his many devices to search for any lingering traces of energy in the exact place where they appeared, but Bruce wasn't surprised when that turned up nothing. Too much time had passed since their arrival and they lost precious time dealing with Superman.
While the Flash was gone, he convinced Clark to bring a couple of portable sun lamps to the computer station, so at least he was recharging now while they were working. With the slow progress they were making here Bruce was thinking about flying to the Fortress and it would be good if Clark had his powers fully back by then.
Clark was looking over some documents Bruce handed him, but he found his gaze drifting now and then to one of the monitors to the side, showing footage of the holding cell where Superman was being held. His double woke up a while ago, clearly disoriented and still feeling the effects of the Kryptonite. He had looked straight at the camera only for a moment and hadn't moved ever since.
The red sun lamps installed in the cell made it impossible for Superman to escape, but even knowing that didn't stop Clark from keeping an eye on him.
A few more minutes passed in silence before he felt the light, familiar probing around his brain that came every time J'ohn used his telepathic link. A look in Bruce's direction as the Martian's smooth voice resounded in his brain told him he was hearing it as well.
And so they didn't have to find their own way back home. The rest of the League was already here to help them get back home.
Clark willingly let Bruce take care of the communication while he closed his eyes, sending a silent thanks to whoever deserved it. He had no doubt they would have found a way to return by themselves if they had to, but it would have taken time and he just wanted to get out of here.
It was too much, all of it. The death of this world's Batman, the disappearance of the League, Superman's behavior and his words. He still could hear his double's warnings echoing in his head. The words filled with a grief and pain so deep and raw that he could almost feel it as his own.
"What's up?" The speeder asked.
He wasn't sure what clued Barry in on the fact that something was happening, but he was grateful for the distraction. "J'ohn just contacted us."
"Your J'ohn or ..."
"Our J'ohn," He confirmed. "The League found a way to manipulate whatever technology was used to bring us here and they're in this universe now."
"Oh. That's good." Barry said, his body relaxing. "Are they coming here?"
"No," Bruce replied before Clark could, his gaze still fixed on the monitor before him. "We'll go to Metropolis to meet with them."
Barry frowned. "But you- Right. Got it."
Clark couldn't help but smile at the shift in the speeder's expression as the realization hit him. The rest of the League didn't know Batman's identity yet so, naturally, he didn't want them in the cave under his mansion. Or what had been his double's mansion.
Bruce tuned out the rest of the conversation as his fingers flew across the keyboard, canceling the upgrades that were still in progress and finishing with the rest. The computer would most likely not be used again (if the state he found it in was any indication) but he wasn't going to simply erase hours of work. He took care of a few more things before turning off all the monitors and getting to his feet.
Clark stood as soon as Bruce did, and Flash followed suit a second later, both of them watching Bruce.
"There's something I need to do before we go." He announced, pulling the cowl over his head in one quick, practiced motion.
The Kryptonian didn't need further explanation to understand what that meant. "Are you sure that's wise?"
He gave him only a curt nod and turned to walk away from the computer platform without waiting for a reply, leaving Superman and Flash looking after him.
Clark stood where he was, following the familiar cape and cowl with his eyes until Bruce was fully out of sight, disappearing among the shadows.
Bruce didn't stop until he was just a couple of steps away from the holding cell, staying out of sight. He hesitated a moment before taking off the cowl, placing it on the floor and then walking on silent feet to move away from the shadows and close to the holding cell.
Superman was on the far side of the cell, back resting against the rock wall as he sat on the floor, elbows resting on his knees and head cradled between his hands as the red glow of the sun lamps covered him.
He watched him, waiting patiently for the Kryptonian to notice his presence. It didn't take long for Superman to lift his head, hard and calculating eyes studying him.
"You're leaving," He said after a moment of silent observation.
"I am."
Superman didn't move from where he was sitting, but his hands curled into fists. "You will die."
"Everybody does," Bruce countered.
"They will kill you."
"It's possible," He agreed, because it was the truth and he had accepted the possibility a long time ago. "But I'll rate die fighting to defend what I believe in, what I love instead of living a meaningless, miserable life ignoring everything but my own needs."
Superman rose to his feet and walked as close as the cell bars allowed him. His eyes were clear and bright as they met Bruce's. "You don't have to be miserable without Batman. You can have a happy life here with me. I will be always by your side. Always."
"I can't sta-"
"You can!" Superman interrupted, his expression almost desperate as his hands grasp the cell bars tightly. "And you wouldn't have to worry about Gotham because I will protect it."
Bruce had to look away from the turquoise eyes looking at him like- looking at him like something he was not. His gauntlets creaked softly as he clenched his hands.
Now that there was nothing to fight about and he didn't have to focus on coming up with a plan, he couldn't keep ignoring the pain etched in the all-too-familiar features. It made it harder to say what he was to say, but he didn't have a choice.
"I can't stay and I think you understand that, even if you don't want to accept it." And just like that, any glimpse of vulnerability was gone, and the rage of before was back.
"Then get out of here!" The Kryptonian snarled, his hands clenched even tighter around the cell bars. "Go back to risk your life for nothing! I don't care!"
Bruce didn't even flinch at the outburst, keeping his gaze firm on Superman as he stood there for a moment longer. Finally, he nodded curtly and turned to walk back to where Clark was waiting for him. He took just a couple of steps before pausing. He could still feel the other's gaze on his back.
"It wasn't your fault," He told him, turning back to look at him. "His death."
It was one last attempt to reach out to Superman. To help him.
"You don't know that. You weren't -" Superman swallowed hard, dropping his gaze. "I should have protected him, or die trying."
"It wasn't your responsibility to keep him safe. Batman knew the risks involved in what he was doing and he was willing to fight anyway because he believed it was the right thing to do. Because he needed to do something."
Superman shook his head. "He shouldn't have been there that day. He should have never joined the League."
Bruce refrained from disputing that. It was clear that no amount of logical arguments were going to make Superman change his mind about that. But there was something else he could say now that the Kryptonian seemed to be listening.
"You should stop punishing yourself for his death," He said gently. "I may not be him, but I think we're similar enough that you should listen when I tell you that's not what he would have wanted for you."
The Kryptonian bowed his head, hands still clenched around the cell bars.
"You lost someone very close to you, someone you loved, but you are not alone. You aren't," Bruce stressed when he saw him open his mouth to speak. "You have many friends who love you. You just need to stop pushing them away."
Superman remained silent, still not looking at him.
Words had never been his strong suit, so Bruce struggled to find something else to say. He knew he couldn't fix this, but he had to try to make it better.
"And if your Bruce could be here in my place, he would tell you he forgives you. Not because there's anything to forget, but because you need to hear it." Bruce closed the distance between them again, hesitating a moment before taking off his gauntlet and sliding his bare hand through the cell bars.
"I forgive you."
He saw the moment a lone tear escaped from Superman's pained eyes. Saw him raise a shaking hand and reach to grab his own. The touch was gentle, almost hesitant, but once Superman realized it was real he grasped his hand in a tight grip.
Bruce stayed there while Superman broke down in front of him, still clutching his hand. He wished he could open the door and let him out, but since that wasn't an option he settled for offering him as much comfort as he able to.
The minutes kept ticking and Bruce still wasn't back.
The temptation to listen in to what was happening back there was huge, but Clark didn't even try. His powers may not be fully back yet, but the distance to the cells was short enough that he would have no problem extending his hearing far enough to eavesdrop. Except he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep listening to his double talk about the death of this universe's Batman and the danger Bruce was in.
Still, Clark couldn't resist listening to his heartbeat. He was still a little anxious about having Bruce out of his sight while they remained in this world, especially now that they were so close to getting out of here.
His eyes drifted back in the direction Bruce had gone, but once again he found only darkness. Barry was quiet at his side, but he could feel the speeder's eyes on him now and then.
He wanted to get out of here, that was true, but that wasn't the only reason Clark was impatient for Bruce's return. If he was honest with himself, he just didn't like the idea of Bruce being alone with this Superman. The way his double looked at him was just- It wasn't right.
Clark wondered if he should see Superman before leaving too. He felt like maybe he should, even if he had no idea of what to say to him. The only thing he could think of was 'I'm sorry', and he knew that wasn't good enough. It was probably the worst thing he could say. Besides, he doubted his double would even want to see him after their fight, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to it either.
He only hoped Bruce had done the right thing going to see him.
Clark practically jumped to his feet as soon as he saw the dark shadow appear at the far end of the cave and was at Bruce's side just a second later. The lenses of the cowl were up hiding his eyes so Clark tried to determine how things had gone by studying the small part of his face that was uncovered. That was no help at all, of course.
"Everything okay?"
Bruce grunted in reply, only looking at him for a second before turning to Barry, who had followed Clark.
"I programmed Superman's cell to open automatically in approximately twenty-five minutes. That should give us more than enough time to go meet with the League and transport back to our world."
"Okay," Barry said. "I think- I think I will stay here. Keep an eye on the big guy."
He was pleased- maybe even relieved to know Superman wasn't going to be alone after this, but Bruce offered only a nod before turning to Clark. "We should go now."
"Can I hug you again?" Barry blunted out, surprising even himself. "I just- You're going to leave now and I will never see you again and I didn't get to say goodbye to Bats and I miss him and he-"
Bruce inclined his head in silent concession and that was all the permission Barry needed to cut short his rambling and launch himself at him, the force of the impact eliciting a soft grunt from the dark-clad man, followed by a murmured apology from the speeder.
Clark had to look away when he saw the tears running down Barry's face as Bruce awkwardly return the hug after a moment of stillness.
"Bye, Bats."
...
a/n: I'm sorry for not updating sooner. There were some issues I had to deal with. Anyway, I hope you're still insterested in this fic and that enjoyed this chapter! Just one more chapter to go, which I hope will be posted soon-ish.