Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Really? This is our next mission?" Hawkgirl scoffs, arms crossed as she leans back in her chair.

"Mr. Wayne will be in Metropolis for a business meeting regarding a proposed expansion from Gotham," Batman explains. "He is moving in on Luthor's former holdings, though, so a very large target has been painted on his back."

"And he requested the League?" Lantern asks.

"He doesn't know of the assassination attempt. Neither does the GCPD."

"Can it even be called an assassination?" Flash asks quietly.

"That's not the point," Kal doesn't even bother looking at the speedster. "And for the record, yes, Mr. Wayne would fall under the assassination category. By definition, it's the murder of an important or powerful person with motives regarding politics, religion or money."

"Besides the point," Batman interrupts. "We don't know the assassin's identity. Wayne arrives in Metropolis in three hours, his son stayed in Gotham. The six of you will split into two groups and cover both of them."

"And you?"

"I'll be with Batgirl and Robin working leads on who hired him," he stands up. "Superman, J'onn, Hawkgirl, you three will be on Bruce Wayne. Diana, Flash, and Lantern can cover Jason Todd, his fifteen-year-old ward, and Alfred Pennyworth, his butler, at Wayne Manor on the outskirts of Gotham."

"Couldn't you use some help?" Hawkgirl asks.

"I have all the help I need," the Gothamite walks past them and out of the conference room.

Superman flies after him, "How are you actually going to look for leads?"

"I'm not."

Kal doesn't respond, just floats there with a confused look on his face.

"Nightwing and Batgirl will," he explains. "It's basic detective work. If they can't do that by now, they haven't learned anything in the past ten years."

"It's not like you to delegate."

"It's not like me to get assassinated either, so let's keep it that way," he climbs into the Batplane.

"See you there, then," Superman waves goodbye as the boosters of the plane start up.

~~~~~~

"He's right there," Superman points just as a tall man with jet black hair steps off a plane. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie, an expensive brand as usual.

He waves to the flurry of reporters, a dazzling smile on his face.

"Should I even ask why you know what he looks like?" Hawkgirl asks.

"How do you not?" Superman shoots back. "He's the richest person alive and is on just about every tabloid."

He turns to Hawkgirl and Manhunter. Both are clueless.

He chuckles, "Don't let him know that you have no idea who he is. It'll hurt his massive ego."

Bruce Wayne steps down and his smile doesn't falter even as the three Leaguers land at his side.

His ice-blue eyes immediately fall on them and Superman is the first one to greet him, "Mr. Wayne. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Again...?" Hawkgirl whispers from behind him.

Superman ignores him and reaches a hand out for Bruce to shake. The billionaire grabs his hand firmly and his lips curl into a smile, "Superman."

He finally turns to Manhunter and Hawkgirl, giving them a once over.

"I was told to expect security. I never imagined it'd be the infamous Justice League."

"You're the only infamous one here, Mr. Wayne," Superman assures him. "I'd like to introduce you to Hawkgirl and the Martian Manhunter."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne," J'onn nods. Bruce holds a hand out and gives another charming smile.

J'onn's red eyes fall on his hand for a brief moment, as if he was contemplating shaking it. Bruce's smile falters slightly and right before he drops his hand, J'onn reaches out and shakes it.

"Oh, and, call me 'Bruce,' please. 'Mr. Wayne' makes me feel old," he jokes, reaching out to Hawkgirl. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

She briefly touches his palm with hers before pulling away.

Then, he spins around, facing Superman with another wide smile, "How's Lois?"

Bruce flutters his eyelashes innocently in the Kryptonian's direction and nearly breaks out in laughter at the blush that dusts his cheeks.

"Why don't you ask me yourself?"

Bruce turns around and his smile only seems to grow.

"Ms. Lane," Bruce takes a step towards her, only to be tugged back by a pull on his sleeve.

"Hold it," Hawkgirl holds a hand up, standing between the two.

"Hawkgirl, it's Lois," Superman scoffs. "She's not going to hurt him."

"No, she did that years ago," Bruce pouts playfully before pulling his sleeve out of Hawkgirl's grasp.

"Oh, you," Lois rolls her violet eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.

Bruce immediately walks up to the reporter and greets her with a kiss on either cheek, "How have you been?"

"Good. How are you, Bruce?" she asks.

"Fine."

"Fine? No comment on why you're in Metropolis?" Lois raises an eyebrow.

He pulls away from her, "I'm not at liberty to discuss that. It was nice seeing you, Lois."

"Aww," she pouts playfully, "Not even a sentence?"

"Absolutely not, Ms. Lane," Bruce turns around just as his car drives up. "I'm afraid I have to go. It was good to see you again. We'll have to catch up soon."

He begins walking past Superman but stops and looks over his shoulder. He drags a finger lightly across Kal's jaw and laughs slightly, "I'm dying to know how it's going with your flyboy."

"Rao...! Get in the car, Mr. Wayne...!" Superman ushers him in, his face a bright red.

~~~~~~

"Mr. Wayne, you can't-"

Bruce holds up a finger, unable (and unwilling) to speak, and Hawkgirl purses her lips.

"Really?" Hawkgirl turns to her two teammates. She gestures to the couch, where a blonde was currently sitting on Bruce's lap, their lips in an unending makeout session that was really pissing the Thanagarian off.

Superman shrugs, slumping slightly in his seat at the kitchen island, "Meet Brucie Wayne. Playboy above all."

Bruce breaks the kiss, only for the woman to trail kisses down his neck and her hands undoing the buttons to his dress shirt. He gives them a lopsided smirk, "My apologies. We'll take this to my room, right, Katya?"

He grabs her by the thighs as he goes to stand. The blonde - Katya - wraps her legs around his waist and finally looks up at the Leaguers.

Kal scoffs out a laugh. She was a supermodel. Of course.

"They can join us if they'd like," she purrs and Bruce chuckles.

"I doubt they would accept your kind invitation," he carries her to the adjoining room.

He kicks the door shut behind them and J'onn winces when they hear the loud giggles from the other side of the door.

"Is he always like that?" Hawkgirl asks.

Superman sighs, hands going up to cover his ears, "Yes. 100% yes."

He knew Bruce was doing this to maintain his cover identity, but Rao, he could go his entire life without hearing the porno being filmed in the bedroom.

Superhearing was definitely not required, judging by the disgust on Hawkgirl's face and utter disappointment on J'onn's.

It's two hours later when he comes out again, his light blue dress shirt wrinkled and lipstick smeared on the collar. 

"Sorry about that," he flops onto the couch with a satisfied sigh. "I completely forgot that I promised to meet with her today."

"Clearly," Hawkgirl mutters, turning to Kal with a look in her eyes that said 'I'm going to hurt him.'

Kal doesn't respond to her. He bites his lip and takes a deep breath, "You know she can't stay here, right?"

"Oh, that won't do," Bruce looks up from the couch. "She won't be waking up until the morning."

"Gross," Hawkgirl's nose scrunches up.

"Besides, I doubt she'd try to kill me."

J'onn looks up from where he had been sitting, "You do not know that."

"Jesus, I forgot you were there," Bruce hisses. "Do you usually do that?"

"What?"

"Just sit there in the background in complete silence like a creep?"

Superman crosses his arms, "Mr. Wayne-"

"What? I'm just saying, he scared the shit out of me," Bruce stands up and walks to a nearby cabinet. "I need a drink."

"It's three in the afternoon," Kal objects.

"So?"

They watch the billionaire pour himself a drink, "Do any of you want one?"

All three Leaguers reject the offer and Bruce shrugs, carefree. He goes back to sit down.

"So what? This is it? You three just get a free day?" Bruce asks.

"Mr. Wayne-"

"'Bruce,'" he corrects.

The Martian sighs with irritation and Superman finds himself dragging his palm down his face.

"Bruce," J'onn tries, "our mission is to prevent your assassination. We have it on good intel that it will occur today and we still don't know the method."

Bruce scoffs, taking a sip from the ginger ale (very convincing booze, if you ask Clark), "Yeah, sure."

"You'd think Batman would be able to compensate for not having any powers. God knows he just makes shit worse," Bruce mutters into the glass.

There's a loud scrape of the chairs and he looks up to see Hawkgirl and J'onn standing up, looks of anger across all of their features. Superman tries his best to seem angry, but Bruce can see the concern in his eyes.

"You sponsor him," Hawkgirl growls. "How could you say shit like that?"

"Do I?" Bruce puts the glass aside. He huffs out a laugh, "Maybe I do. I sponsor a lot of people. Not everything goes through me."

"You sponsor us-"

"Yeah, that's exactly my point," Bruce raises an eyebrow. "I believe in the Justice League. I just think there's no need for you all to have a violent, vengeance-seeking vigilante."

"He is a hero," J'onn narrows his eyes. "Just as Superman is, just as Wonder Woman is."

"Jeez," Bruce stands up, pouring himself another drink. "Touchy subject, I see."

"Extremely," Superman tugs the two of them down. "But you're way out of line, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce laughs outright at that.

"Sorry if I've offended you, but," Bruce shrugs, "I'm allowed to have my opinions. And my opinion is that Gotham deserves better than a rogue vigilante dressed like a fucking Bat."

"Gotham deserves better than you," Hawkgirl seethes.

Bruce stands across from the island they had been sitting at. He picks up a nearby book and fiddles with the pages. He sighs and turns to look at the Thanagarian.

"I've heard that all before, sweetheart-"

Bruce grunts, the wind knocked out of him as he lands on the floor face down. There's a sharp pain on his cheek and rustling above him. He lifts his head, a hand automatically going to his jaw.

He should have seen that hit coming.

"C'mon, Hawkgirl, stop-" he hears Clark's voice. There are gentle hands on his back and bicep.

Bruce goes to sit and he rubs his lips with the back of his hand. A bit of blood smears the skin and he looks up to see Superman holding Hawkgirl back.

"Enough, Hawkgirl. Go stand watch outside the building. Come back when you've calmed down."

"Please," Bruce mutters. "She's fucking crazy."

He flinches when she raises the mace and Clark easily grabs her wrists, tugging her out the door. He orders her to patrol the surrounding area.

"Are you alright?"

Bruce finally looks over to the person steadying him. J'onn keeps a steadying hand on the small of his back and another on his bicep as he helps him stand.

"Mr. Wayne?" J'onn asks.

Bruce takes in a shaky breath and rubs his cheek, wincing slightly at the pain, "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he tugs his arm out of the Martian's grasp and rolls his shoulders back.

Superman crosses his arms, "'Sweetheart?'"

It frustrates Clark to no end how Bruce shrugs innocently and bats his eyes, "Hey, I never thought she'd punch me over something like that."

"We tried to warn you."

"No, you didn't. Or I wouldn't have done it," he scoffs, tapping his temple. "Not the brightest person in the world, but, hello, I know better than to get into fights I'll lose."

"Hawkgirl was out of line," J'onn goes to stand next to the Kryptonian. "We apologize sincerely."

Bruce looks between the two of them and he narrows his eyes, sure that they're having a telepathic conversation.

"Sure," he mutters, grabbing his book and going to lay back down.

~~~~~~

"Really? This was our big mission? Protect some dick in an Armani suit?" Hawkgirl whispers angrily when she returns. Superman and J'onn both gesture for her to quiet down.

"Actually, Hawkgirl, it's Kiton," Bruce sits back in his armchair, a budget report in hand and a drink in the other, "but, please, do go on."

She turns her sharp gaze onto the playboy, who doesn't bother to look at her as he says, "Believe me, this isn't the dream for either of us."

"I'm sure," she scoffs.

Bruce tosses the papers aside and sits up, "Do you think I want you three here? That I would rather be anywhere else? I get it, you three got stuck babysitting, but, hey, I ended up with some pretty shitty company as well."

"She didn't mean that," Clark tries.

"I'm not some idiot, Hawkgirl-"

"Debatable," she glares.

Bruce rolls his blue eyes and scowls, probably too Batman-like for him to get away with, "I get it, alright? You're upset about what I said about the Bat."

"Yeah, among other things."

"Hawkgirl," both Kal and J'onn warn.

"I'm entitled to my opinion, and my opinion is that I don't like the guy. Maybe I finance the League. That's fine. I believe in the League. I believe that the world could use some good people to look up to. If my company finances the Batman... then that's something I don't know about and need to talk to my business manager about," he picks up his papers again.

"So what? You're saying that Batman isn't good?"

The room falls silent for several minutes.

"I've heard the stories," Bruce finally confesses, "of why he is how he is. So dark. So vengeful. So unforgiving. I've heard just about all of them. And each one is worse than the last."

"My city... Gotham is beautiful," he sighs. "It's gorgeous, and not many people see that. Most people only see corruption and crime. My parents were victims of the darkness that threatens to swallow Gotham."

J'onn narrows his eyes as he thinks back to a similar conversation he had with Batman several months ago. It was very familiar, everything was very familiar.

"I get that Batman wants to help. In a way, I do, too. I use my power, money, and influence to promote the right political candidates, and my charities give millions a year to fight poverty and crime. But Batman..."

Bruce looks away almost ashamedly. He brings his knees up to his chest, his black slacks contrasting against the pale blue of his shirt.

He rests his chin on his knees and his eyes refuse to meet the three Leaguers' own.

"You all don't think about that?"

"About what?" J'onn asks.

Bruce finally looks up, ice-blue eyes meeting red ones, "About the darkness in him."

"You've met him?" Hawkgirl asks.

Bruce gives a weak smile, "You don't need to meet the man to know that he has darkness in him. Besides... he goes toe-to-toe with the worst Gotham has to offer. That has to chip away at your soul in one way or another. All the murders, the gang wars, the freaks at Arkham..."

He looks back down at the floor between them, "Doesn't that affect him? Doesn't it cause someone to lose their faith in humanity bit by bit? What happens when they've lost all faith? When all that's left is the darkness?"

"Rao," Superman whispers, running a hand through his black locks.

"It's not that I don't support Batman's mission. It's that... someone that walks that fine line every day is bound to fall someday. Who will protect Gotham then?"

"We will," J'onn assures him.

"Even against someone like him?"

Superman nods, "Even then."

~~~~~~

It's not even an hour later before they get a call from Lantern.

"We've got a hit here," the ex-Marine announces.

Bruce sits up, eyes wide, "My kid and butler-"

"They're fine, Mr. Wayne. Flash got them out of there the second we heard the gunshots," he assures the man.

"Any clue on who it is?" Superman asks.

"No."

Bruce immediately grabs his phone and retreats to his room, where Katya is still asleep. He unlocks it and goes to Jason's contact, clicking the call button. It doesn't ring twice before Jason picks up, "Hello?"

"Jay, I heard. Are you and Alfred okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, B," his son confirms. "We're okay. I was playing cards with the Flash and Al was cooking dinner downstairs. Wonder Woman did that thing with her bracelets where she blocks the bullets and Green Lantern heard-"

"Okay, kiddo, slow down. Where are you two?"

He's vaguely aware of movement behind him and says, "Alright, Jace. I'm glad you're okay. I have to go now but stay in touch. And, uh, stay safe."

"Will do, old man."

He says his goodbye and hangs up, turning just in time to dodge a knife aimed at his gut.

Bruce yelps, stepping several feet away from Katya as she turns the blade back on him again. He raises his fists, both clenched sloppily and his stance is easily broken by the woman, who presses the knife against his neck.

"Mr. Wayne?" Clark's voice comes from outside the room.

Katya leans forward, lips against his ear and a hand over his mouth. She shushes him silently.

"Mr. Wayne, are you okay in there?" Clark knocks again.

Katya presses the blade into his neck and uncovers his mouth.

"Yeah," he calls, frustrated to no end that he couldn't disarm her without revealing his identity. "Yeah, just spending it here with my banana muffin. Isn't that right, Katya?"

"Of course," she replies. "He was just reacquainting me with the bed."

~~~~~~

Clark hears the rustling from the bedroom while they're still talking on the comms.

By the looks of it, J'onn heard it too.

"Hold on, GL, we'll call you back," Superman flies to the door and knocks politely. On the off chance that Bruce actually was in bed with her, he didn't want to walk in.

"Mr. Wayne, are you okay in there?" he asks, his knuckles rapping at the door.

"Yeah," Bruce calls back breathlessly. "Yeah, just spending it here with my banana muffin. Isn't that right, Katya?"

Kal's eyes widen and he immediately uses his x-ray vision to get a visual of what was going on in the room. He opens his mind to J'onn.

'You need to go in and retrieve Mr. Wayne,' he orders. 'He's in trouble.'

"Of course," she replies. "He was just reacquainting me with the bed."

'I... somehow doubt that,' J'onn answers in disgust. 'Is all of humanity like that?'

'Now, J'onn!'

The Martian almost jumps, but he immediately becomes intangible and the closest to invisible as he can. He passes through the wall and Bruce avoids eye contact, trying his best to give him the cover he needed.

Superman was right. The blade was pressed against Bruce's neck just above the collar of his shirt.

She reaches up, aiming the blade into the middle of his chest. J'onn sneaks up behind Katya and grabs her wrists, pulling both of them away from Bruce. He uses his super strength to tug her away and throw her against a wall.

Immediately after, Superman and Hawkgirl bust the door down and help J'onn secure her.

"Shit," Bruce backs away, hand instinctively going to his throat. He wipes the bit of blood from the small cut on his neck with the back of his hand. He looks down at it and purses his lips when he sees the dark red fluid.

"Are you okay, Bruce?" Superman asks.

The billionaire looks up with a shaky smile, "Uh... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Hawkgirl grabs Katya by the back of her shirt and she begins to guide her out, "I've got her. You two make sure he's okay."

Bruce watches her escort his would-be assassin out of his penthouse. He goes to sit on his bed, his head in his hands.

The two aliens stand in silence in front of him and Kal looks away when he begins to laugh. He knew this was his best friend of a decade in front of him, but he couldn't fathom the idea of him laughing. It made him extremely uncomfortable to hear him laugh, even after all this time.

"Mr. Wayne...?"

He looks up and his eyes meet J'onn's, "I guess you were right after all."

J'onn glances at Clark, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he sighs, weak chuckles still leaving his lips. "Thank you."

~~~~~~

"Smart," Kal comments an hour later on the balcony of the penthouse. "The way you used our phrase."

"It's a stupid phrase," Bruce admits. "But I told you I could work it in anywhere. I can't believe I had to use it."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, it was Bruce Wayne asking for help," Clark jokes. "You've survived with your dignity intact."

"The night is still young, Kansas," Bruce assures him with a roll of his eyes.

They look out at the stars and Bruce feels at peace at that moment. Jason and Alfred were safe, he was safe. His secret identity was safe.

"Okay, but did you really need to call Hawkgirl 'Sweetheart?'" Clark asks.

Bruce scoffs out what seems suspiciously like a chuckle, "At least she'll rethink Bruce Wayne being Batman."

"Was all of this just an elaborate ploy to protect your secret identity? Did you know Katya was your assassin?"

"I had an inkling of it," Bruce sighs. "And why else do you think I separated you all the way I did? Do you think Flash is going to discover that Jay is Robin? Diana's too focused on the fighting and Lantern has no actual expertise to be able to piece it together. Besides, Alfred is very good at throwing off suspicion."

"And us?"

"You already know. J'onn might be psychic, but he doesn't like to read minds if he can help it. He's proving to be a good detective though. In all honesty, I think I would trust him with my identity if push came to shove. Hawkgirl used to be a detective on Thanagar from what she's told us."

"And you were throwing off suspicion," Clark hums. "Well, it worked. I almost believed you weren't Batman."

Bruce smirks slightly, much more Batman-esque.

They stand silent for several minutes before J'onn joins them outside, "Hawkgirl's returned. She's patrolling the nearby area."

"Shouldn't you join her?" Bruce murmurs to the Kryptonian.

"I should stay here with you. You're the mission."

"Aww," the billionaire pouts, swirling the glass of whiskey in his hand, "and here I thought we were getting somewhere."

He raises an eyebrow at the blush on Clark's cheeks and he laughs. A thumb rubs against his cheekbone, "Oh. Maybe we are getting somewhere."

"I think I hear Hawkgirl calling for me," the Kryptonian steps away. "J'onn can stay with you."

"Up, up, and away," Bruce comments as he flies away. The Martian comes up next to him.

"Do you do that on purpose?" he asks.

Bruce turns to him, "What?"

"Annoy him like that. Or what you did to Hawkgirl."

J'onn gestures to the blooming bruise on his cheek.

Bruce sighs, "I'm 90% convinced that Superman is more than just the blushing virgin he lets everyone think he is."

J'onn hums, deciding the change the topic, "Would you like to play chess? I spotted a board inside."

"Ooh, I don't play that. I'm afraid this pretty face doesn't mix well with strategy."

J'onn stays silent for several moments. He looks away, thinking about what he should say next. He turns his gaze over to Bruce and looks him up and down. There was something familiar about him.

He couldn't point it out, but there was something about Bruce Wayne that reminded him of someone he knew. H'ronmeer, it was going to eat at him until he figured it out.

He finally decides he needs to reply when Mr. Wayne raises a questioning eyebrow.

He settles for, "Somehow... I doubt that Mr. Wayne, but... I can teach you if you'd like."

"I'd like that," he gives a flirtatious grin.

Bruce watches him head inside for a while, eyes focused on how his blue cape billowed behind him. He frowns slightly. There was no way he could know.

He'd been so careful.

Bruce follows the Martian and they sit across from each other. Bruce watches J'onn set the board up. He lets Bruce have the white pieces and begins explaining the different movements as he sets the game.

Bruce can't find it in him to pay attention. He only sees J'onn's green fingers point to the squares on the board.

He knows how to play chess. Alfred had taught him as a young boy. It was a way to keep him distracted in the empty Manor and he would often use it to teach himself to strategize.

Several 5-minute games happen before Bruce finally decides on his next move. It was unlikely that J'onn knew and a chess game wouldn't affect that. He just needed to focus a little bit.

It'd never been this difficult before.

Once the board is set again, Bruce moves one of his pawns up two squares. J'onn moves his knight.

This game takes longer than the previous ones and when Bruce calls, "Checkmate," J'onn looks up in surprise.

"I have something to confess," Bruce takes a sip of his drink.

"Do tell."

"I do know how to play chess," Bruce begins to reset the board. "I was taught when I was young. My butler, the man that raised me, taught me how to play after my parents died. It kept me busy. I didn't stick with it though."

"And here I thought I was a good teacher."

"What can I say? Maybe I like the attention you've given me," Bruce smiles, eyebrow raised slightly.

J'onn looks down at the chess pieces, the black knight pinched between his index finger and thumb. He looks up at Bruce, who just watches with the corner of his lips turned up ever so slightly.

J'onn places the piece down and hums, "Perhaps."

~~~~~~

The mission finishes without another issue arising. All the leads Bruce gave Dick and Barbara (plus the ones they found on their own) turn up being dead ends.

J'onn, Superman, and Hawkgirl escort Bruce back to the Manor and watch as he embraces his 15-year-old, who looks extremely embarrassed to be causing a scene in front of his heroes.

"Ugh, get offa me, B," Jason whines. "I'm fine...!"

"I know, I know. I was worried," he looks up at Alfred. "How are you?"

"Alive and well, Master Bruce. For another few years at least."

"Oh, don't joke like that. You know I hate that," Bruce mutters.

"No one is immortal, Sir," he folds his hands behind his back. "Now, I believe I shall get started on lunch. Will our esteemed guests be staying?"

Bruce turns to the League, "You all are more than welcome to stay for lunch. It's the least I could do to return the favor."

"We're just doing our jobs," Lantern speaks up. Before Flash can agree to the meal, Superman shakes his head no.

"My apologies, Mr. Wayne-"

"Oh, for crying out loud. You saved my life, flyboy. Anybody that saves my life or my kid's life gets to call me 'Bruce.'"

Kal immediately looks away and Jason bites his lip to hide a snicker.

"Bruce," Clark corrects. "We would love to stay, but I'm afraid our work isn't done. We've yet to find the person who put the hit out on you and your family. They might not be done."

"He's right," Hawkgirl agrees. "We should get to them before they get to you."

Bruce shrugs, eyeing the Kryptonian, "If you insist. You'll have to take me up on that offer some time, Superman."

Jason buries his face in the couch cushions with a giggle.

"I-uh... We should go. Lantern, would you mind?" Clark gestures outside.

Bruce watches the green bubble envelop them. They take to the skies and Jason lets out a hysterical laugh.

Tears fall down his cheeks at how hard he's laughing and he grips his sides in pain.

"He was so uncomfortable, B, oh my God!" Jason howls, laying back on the couch. "That was fucking hilarious."

Bruce turns back to him, "I've been doing that this whole mission just to make him squirm."

"The things I do to maintain my cover identity," he sighs overdramatically.

"What'd you do?" Jason finally settles down, only a few giggles now and then. He wipes his eyes and lets out shaky breaths.

Bruce turns to him, a serious look on his face, "Before or after I called Hawkgirl 'sweetheart' and proceeded to get my ass handed to me?"

At that, Jason's howling in laughter again, "Is that where the bruise comes from?"

Bruce smiles slightly and rolls his eyes.

He sits on the couch opposite his son and sighs, "But I think J'onn might suspect me."

Jason stops laughing and his green eyes narrow, "What do you mean? How?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not even sure he suspects anything. Just... the way he spoke to me after I was attacked. It set off alarms in my head."

"What doesn't, you paranoid bat?" Jason scoffs.

"I know," Bruce lays back, the relaxing feeling of the cushions behind him making him sleepier than he already was. He wasn't able to sleep after an assassin almost cut him up, so he spent the night tossing and turning.

He runs a hand down his face and sighs softly, "I need to figure out something else."

"You need to figure out a lot, old man," Jason tosses a pillow at his face.

"Oh, don't you start with me," Bruce opens his eyes, grabbing the nearest pillow and flinging it at his son.

Jason returns the favor, and the two of them find themselves in a pillow fight in a matter of seconds.

~~~~~~

Batman feels a person behind him, cornering him before he hears them.

Superman leans down and whispers, "I am going to kill you. Lois was asking if I knew Bruce Wayne had a crush on Superman."

Bruce smirks, "I like making your life difficult."

He turns around, leaning back to avoid being too close to him.

"Clearly," Clark places his hands on his hips, "you like making everyone's life difficult."

"You all make mine difficult every waking hour. I was just repaying the favor."

"By flirting?"

Bruce worms his way out from where he had been trapped between the monitors and Clark, "Why-?"

He stops talking, lips immediately pressing together when he sees the League standing in the doorway.

Superman turns around when Bruce stops talking and they come face to face with their teammates.

Flash is the first to speak. He turns to John, "You owe me $20."

Clark can hear the momentary spike in Bruce's heartbeat before he forces it to steady.

They watch as Lantern fishes out a twenty from his wallet and hands it to the speedster.

"I cannot believe this shit," he mutters when Flash takes the bill from him with a grin. "I know you two have known each other for years but you could have at least told us you were dating."

Clark and Bruce share a look.

Then Batman (Batman), starts laughing, unsettling the five of them. Kal joins in soon after, only serving to further confuse the League.

"He laughs...?" Flash whispers, backing away. "I didn't know he could do that."

"Me neither," Hawkgirl mumbles. "I don't like it at all."

"See what you've done?" Batman looks over at his best friend, who manages to stop laughing long enough to scoff.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You talk about personal things at work and now they think we're dating."

John swiftly snatches the $20 from Flash and pockets it, "Thank you."

"No, way," Flash huffs. "There's no way you two aren't dating."

"What gave it away? His recent dates with Lois Lane?" Batman drawls.

"Oh, yeah? Maybe it was his relationship with Catwoman," Superman adds cheekily. "Batman is my best friend. He's like a brother to me. Rao, you all thought we were dating?"

"You two do spend an awful lot of time together," Hawkgirl crosses her arms. "What else were we supposed to think?"

"That we've known each other for a decade and are friends?" Superman grins widely.

"I don't need to listen to this. My monitor duty's over, I need to get back to Gotham," Batman shakes his head. "I work with idiots."

He walks right past them and Superman chuckles softly, "Besides, dark and brooding isn't my type."

"Blushing virgin isn't my type either," he calls out and Clark immediately turns red, a hand flying up to his mouth.

Hawkgirl points, shoulders bouncing as she lets out a deep belly laugh, "Say what you will about Batman, but he's got you pegged."

J'onn glances at Batman's retreating figure and then at Superman, who was finally managing to pull himself together.

~~~~~~

"Thank you, Commissioner," J'onn rests a hand against the side of the large light. It was the Batsignal. J'onn flips the switch, turning it on and lighting up the sky with the familiar symbol.

"No worries, Manhunter," Jim lights up a cigarette and turns away. "After all you and the League have done for us, call this a small favor. Although, I don't think Batman will be too happy that you're in Gotham."

"I know. I need to speak with him," J'onn turns intangible and hides in the shadows.

Jim and J'onn wait for a few minutes before Batman lands silently behind the commissioner. J'onn's eyes trail up Batman's suit, taking note of the pale skin peeking out of the cowl.

"Jim," he greets and the man turns around with a yell.

"Jesus," Jim mutters. "That'll kill me one day."

Batman gives a hint of a smile before asking, "What's wrong?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Jim extinguishes his cigarette before gesturing to where J'onn was hidden. The Martian steps out of the shadows and Batman narrows his eyes into a glare.

"I'll... leave you two," Jim waves as he opens the door that leads to the stairs.

Batman's lips curl into a scowl, "I have one rule. I would stay on the League as long as you all never set foot in Gotham without my approval. This is my city."

"I know," J'onn subconsciously hides back in the shadows. "My apologies. I needed to speak with you."

"We have comms for that," he hisses.

"This isn't something that can be said over the comms."

Batman frowns. He pulls out his grapple and aims it at a nearby building. He presses the button and the grapple attaches to the rooftop. His feet leave the ground and Batman's cape makes a swooshing sound as the grapple retracts.

J'onn turns the signal off and follows the Bat across rooftops until they reach the tallest building in Gotham - Wayne Enterprises.

Batman crouches on one of the perches in the corner, his black cape concealing his entire body.

J'onn lands behind him and is unsure if this is where his endpoint is. Batman doesn't look back at him, but he mutters something under his breath.

"What do you want?" he snaps.

J'onn is taken aback by the tone his teammate uses. He should have listened to the warnings from the others when he mentioned needing to go to Gotham. Batman does not like any metahumans - or aliens - in his city.

He was its only defender. He was the city's dark knight.

"You had us go on a mission earlier in the week. We had to protect Bruce Wayne, his son Jason Todd, and his butler Alfred Pennyworth."

He grunts and J'onn takes that as his cue to continue, "Only... you weren't there."

"I was chasing leads."

"And you didn't find any," J'onn states.

Batman glances over his shoulder, "What is this, J'onn? What do you want?"

"You said the other night that you didn't know how to play chess."

Batman stays silent for a few moments before responding, "I don't recall ever saying that. I play round after round with Hawkgirl when there's nothing better to do on monitor duty. I've played with you."

J'onn forces the panic in his chest down and takes a deep steadying breath. H'ronmeer, he couldn't afford to lose his nerve now. Not when he was so close.

He hovers up until he was a few feet away from Batman.

"I meant at the penthouse."

He sees the minute movements. The tensing in his shoulders and back. The hitch in his breath. The twitch of his lips. Any normal person wouldn't have, but J'onn did.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

J'onn takes another step forward, "I think you do."

Batman doesn't answer but hangs off the edge a little more. He takes a deep breath and stands, turning to J'onn.

"You mentioned your parents and the corruption that took them from you. Mr. Wayne didn't go too deep into the details, but he mentioned it as well. The both of you love this city despite it. You can see through the crime to the beauty hidden underneath. Both of you lost your parents so young. In fact..." J'onn reaches forward, finally revealing a manilla folder that had been hiding under his cape.

He holds it out for Batman to grab and he flips it open.

"I did some digging. You mentioned that you were eight years old when your parents were killed. You said your family walked into an alley after watching a movie. They were shot in front of your eyes. You said your father was a surgeon and your mother had her charity work."

"What the fuck...?" Batman mutters, flipping through the file.

"All of that... you have in common with Bruce Wayne."

Batman opens his mouth to object, but J'onn holds a hand up, "Before you can call it a coincidence, Batman..."

He takes a deep breath, "Remember that you are a detective. You don't believe in coincidences."

Batman stands up straighter, daring him to say it.

And J'onn complies, "You're Bruce Wayne."

The white lenses of Batman's cowl narrow to thin slits. His scowl grows even larger.

"You had no right," Batman shoves the papers into J'onn's chest.

The Martian shakes his head, "No. It took a moment for the pieces to click. I have been inside your head. A distant and small corner of it, yes, but I have been inside. When I was in the penthouse, there was a sense of familiarity with Bruce Wayne. I don't recognize your mind-touch, not instinctually the way I did with my people, but it's something I would know if I came across it again. And, forgive me, but there was what both you and Bruce Wayne said about Superman. That he was a-"

"'Blushing virgin,'" Batman answers, turning back to face the city. "Never thought that would come back to bite me in the ass."

"You need to understand. I was faced with a dilemma. You gave me this information. For what reason, I do not know. Whether it was for a reason, or if you simply slipped up. And somehow, my reasoning leads me to believe that the latter is not true," J'onn explains. "I tried to make sense of it, but..."

"But?" Batman urges.

"I asked myself what you would do in my shoes," he confesses. He walks a few steps away and watches the people below them. Most were wearing evening clothes as they walked past Wayne Enterprises and towards the nearby nightclubs, movie theaters, and opera houses.

"You would not let an opportunity like that slip out of your grasp," the Martian sighs. "I wish to be a better detective. A better hero. And I'm afraid you were my only example."

"You should find new role models, J'onn," Batman scoffs. "I'm not a good teacher."

J'onn can't help his smile, "I beg to differ. You taught me enough that I was able to find a lead on Batman's secret identity."

"I never said I was Wayne."

"You never said you were not."

Batman finally gets off the ledge and takes several steps into the darkness. He always felt more at home in the shadows than in the light.

J'onn watches his gloved hands go up to his cowl. He reaches for the catches that were on either side of his jaw that were there to prevent unwanted removal.

And he stares as Batman pulls the cowl back, revealing a face he knew. Those familiar ice-blue eyes meet his red ones and J'onn stops breathing for a moment.

"Bruce Wayne..." he murmurs.

Batman - Bruce - scoffs and looks away with a roll of his eyes.

J'onn reaches out, his fingers ghosting across the human's jaw. When Batman instinctively leans away, he knows the bruise Hawkgirl had given him hadn't gone away yet.

"Your cheek..." is the only thing he's able to say.

Bruce raises a gloved hand and gently rests two fingers against his jaw, "Makeup. I've gotten good at hiding the bruises."

J'onn pulls his hand away, "I see..."

The Martian reaches back and grabs the cowl, tugging it over Bruce's head once more and concealing all but the lower half of his face.

Bruce adjusts it slightly and J'onn steps back, "Was the mission only intended to secure your secret identity?"

"No, but I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. There was a hit put out on Bruce Wayne that involved much more than Katya. Probably more than Luthor. And if Brucie Wayne got to act like an idiot in front of the three of you, it was a bonus."

"I don't understand, Batman," J'onn shakes his head. "Bruce... you spoke about Batman's darkness and how dangerous it was. How you despised him."

Batman doesn't meet his gaze but lets out a loud sigh.

"I don't hate myself, per se," Bruce leans back against the nearby door that leads to the stairs. "I just think... I think a lot about what would happen if I went off the deep end. Superman always told me that if I ever did, he would be there. But..."

He shrugs, "The darkness eats at you alive, J'onn. Until there's no longer any more of you to consume. And then what's left?"

J'onn's tongue feels heavy in his mouth. He doesn't know how to respond to it.

Batman senses this and looks up, "I know I walk a fine line. Justice, not vengeance. I make that choice every day. But there might come a time where I make the wrong choice and I need to know that someone reliable will stop me."

"The League will," J'onn assures him.

Batman lets out a stiff chuckle, "Yeah. Okay."

Finally, the Martian manages to relax. His shoulders are no longer as tense as they were before.

"You made it seem as if Bruce Wayne hates Batman," he smiles slightly.

Bruce raises an eyebrow under the cowl, "Oh, believe me, they'll find out soon enough that Bruce Wayne's opinions on the Bat change about as much as the supermodel he walks into a party with."

J'onn huffs, "I get it. You make it seem as if you're an airhead."

"It's not that hard," Bruce sighs.

"I disagree. It must be tremendously hard for someone like you to pretend to be drunk in your public life," J'onn shakes his head. "Let alone act idiotically. It's not who you are."

Batman looks up at him and J'onn says, "I won't tell anyone."

The Bat nods once and walks up to the ledge again, reaching for the edges of his cape.

"I do have another question."

He looks over his shoulder and the Martian doesn't look him in the eye. Batman stands in silence for a few moments and J'onn shakes his head as if arguing with himself.

"Manhunter?"

"It's about the bet Flash and Green Lantern had."

Batman oh's quietly before saying, "On whether or not Superman and I are dating."

J'onn nods, "I was merely curious."

Batman lets go of his cape and it falls around his legs again. He turns around and J'onn rubs the back of his neck.

"Not that it's any of the League's concern, but we're not dating. I don't know if it comes off that way, but we aren't dating. I've known Superman for years. And in that time, I've seen and helped him with his relationship with Lois. Believe me, because we both know Flash won't, but I am not dating Superman. Nor would I. Ever."

"Also, if you ever say anything about my identity to the rest of the League-"

"I know," J'onn holds his hands up in surrender.

Batman turns away from him, "Good. You can see yourself out."

He grabs his cape again and leaps off the edge. J'onn's eyes widen and he flies to the ledge, ready to catch his teammate. Batman extends the edges of the cape and it smoothes out, allowing him to glide with ease.

J'onn watches him land on a nearby roof and from there, he uses his grapple to make his way across rooftops.

The Martian looks up at the night sky. There was a full moon and the stars were bright, despite the pollution and clouds. He becomes nearly invisible and flies straight up, looking down at the city below.

It was lit up in different shades of blue that mimicked the light emanating from Wayne Enterprises' logo. Batman had something right...

Gotham City was beautiful.

He understood why he cared for Gotham the way he did and why he fiercely protected his beloved city.

J'onn takes one last look, vaguely seeing a glimpse of a shadow in the far distance leaping off of a rooftop and to the alley below. He turns around and flies to the nearest zeta, the manilla folder containing the Bat's true identity clutched tightly to his chest.