Day 37: Sun Room

[hismastersdance.livejournal.com]

Joe had read some of the larger notes stuck up on the bulletin board when the announcement came on the intercom. All things considered, this Landel guy didn't even seem so bad. Even if these people were held here against their will, he was certainly nice about it.

Apparently, the new patients - including Joe - were to hang around in the Sun Room or go to Arts and Crafts with the kids. Well, there was plenty of information on the board, including maps and descriptions of monsters, for Joe to prepare for the nighttime, when he could seriously get going on fighting his way out. He could look for where the boss would probably be waiting, or where his V-watch might be, and figure out how to fight the monsters. In fact, he had plenty of time to work all that out... but this the first time he'd had to really relax since he got his powers. So it couldn't possibly hurt to enjoy the calm period, could it?

The red-head stepped back from the board, and hopped back onto a comfy-looking couch to digest in the sunlight. He reached up to pull his cap down, and sighed when he realized it wasn't there. "Oh well, nothing's perfect. I still wouldn't call this hell."

[free!]

Comments

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

It was then that Bruce thought of something Dick had once told him—that if he didn’t take his chances and make meaningful connections where he could, then someday, in the future...he’d end up all alone. Except for the fact that Bruce didn’t mind solitude, he had to admit privately that Dick was right. And yet...

People from all over—different backgrounds, different stories, different beliefs and species and goals. It was just like the Flash to say that he’d “made a lot of friends”; Bruce’s focus would not be on making friends, but getting out. Getting out, and back to Gotham. The city that needed him. And his friends...well, his friends were there. Alfred, Dick, Tim, Barbara, Jim...Clark. They were there, and so long as Bruce could just grasp it, grasp the key that’d unlock all Landel’s secrets and leave him free to go home...

It wasn’t impossible. Bruce couldn’t allow himself to even consider that it was impossible. With impossibility came giving up—despair, and absence of resolve. And the Batman would never give up.

“...you’re going to spend the night playing counselor to an alien,” Bruce said dryly, voice almost matching his expression: a bored, carefully disinterested deadpan. Going on the man’s reputation in the news alone, true, Bruce hadn’t exactly expected the Flash to be as focused as say, Superman or Green Lantern, but to spend the few valuable nightshift hours helping a former alien adjust to his new human body...

He caught Wally’s wince as he talked about his powers, and wondered briefly just what the other man was glossing over. Wally seemed to be telling the truth, however, so he didn’t ask for more details. He made a mental note to himself to watch Wally the next time he was eating, just to confirm what the other man’d said about his metabolism. That, and check the bulletin as soon as possible for information about this Marcus Cole.

“Does Tony have a last name?” he asked. “I’ll keep him in mind. Asides from Cole and Tony, do you know anything about the power balance here? There’s a lot of patients—I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some attempt to organize.”

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

Wally relaxed quietly, keeping an eye on Bruce but remaining silent to give the other man time to think. Bats had always been really good a piecing things together after all and Wally had known him long enough to trust anything he came up with from the information he'd been given. He looked up in surprise when Bruce did talk however.

"Well yeah!" he said, not bothering to hide his confusion. "ZEX really needs someone to talk to about stuff and give him a hand with adapting. You should have seen him yesterday. It's just... I wanna help. Besides," he continued, gesturing at his bandaged knee. "I can't exactly do much on my own right now. I was pushing things enough by running after we got attacked, doing the same again won't help it heal any faster."

Bruce ought to see the logic in that right? Flash wasn't going to be much use to anyone if he wreaked his knee beyond all repair, especially considering how his powers were now. Luckily if Bruce had noticed Wally's hesitation when talking about his powers - and let's be honest, he probably had, he told himself - then he didn't feel the need to push for further details. Which was a good thing, 'cause Wally didn't know what he would tell him if he had. On one hand telling Bruce about what had happened with Luthor and Brainiac recently would probably be a really bad idea, but on the other, Wally would have welcomed the opportunity to talk about it one-on-one with someone he trusted. It had only been a few days before he'd been abducted here after all, and he'd spent a lot of that time recovering while the League had been busy with other matters. He was still trying to come to terms with everything he'd learned about himself and his powers that night.

He shook his head to clear those thoughts and managed a smile. "Oh, right. Yeah, it's Stark. Tony Stark. He's my roommate and he's pretty cool, kinda sarcastic and doesn't like it if you 'borrow' his dinner," he said with a laugh. "Said he also used to be a big CEO or something before he came here, so maybe you guys have got a lot in common?"

He shook his head at the next question. "Not much, I think the clubs have something to do with it all, but I don't know, I haven't seen anyone talking about what they actually do you know? Other than the new crossdressing one anyway," he finished with an amused grin.

Turning more serious, he continued, "But if you want I can ask about it on the bulletin board. Like I said, no one seems to think Wally West should be anything special, so it might be safer if I do it."

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

Bruce was a bit startled by Wally’s earnest reaction—as if he needed to explain to Bruce why he’d made his decision. Actually, now that Bruce thought of it, the Flash had a reputation for being unfailingly helpful to anyone who needed it—for matters both big and small. It was no wonder then, that he felt the need to help an alien get used to his surroundings even if it meant sacrificing time that he could be using advancing his own plans for escape. Wally possessed a mentality completely different from Bruce’s: Bruce would just have to learn to work around or with it. Adjusting. Learning.

“...I know. I apologize,” Bruce said with measured calm. It was testament to the fact that Wally was still somewhat of a stranger to Bruce—one that he needed time to adjust to and understand—that Bruce apologized. He’d read about the Flash and done his research, yes. But in reality, Bruce had no experience actually dealing with the man, and though he was beginning to think that Wally was used to dealing with the Batman’s demanding nature, Bruce was still hesitant to accidentally overstep any boundaries or assume too much about what the Flash could tolerate and what he couldn’t.

“Your first priority should be recovering from your injuries, and even if it weren’t, you’re free to do whatever you like.”

It occurred to Bruce now that, in fact, what he was saying was true. Wally did have the freedom to do whatever he liked. It was the ease with which the man accepted Bruce’s control that had lulled Bruce into a sense of false entitlement—as if he had the right to control the other man’s actions and tell him what to do. Bruce wouldn’t make the same mistake again; he had to remember that Wally was not, in fact, some kind of partner or friend, obligated out of some shared sympathy or feeling to work with Bruce or help him. Not yet, and perhaps not ever. True, the man seemed to possess some sort of hero-worship for Batman, but others in Bruce’s life had felt the same way before. Once.

The bottom line was, he couldn’t count on the Flash’s admiration for Batman to keep the man on his side. Bruce would be more careful—try.

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

Bruce’s expression did not change as he listened to Wally talk about Stark. He did note that he did not personally know of a CEO by that name, so the man was likely from an entirely different universe—not just a parallel one. He had yet to decide whether to involve himself with the clubs—judging by the way they seemed to operate, Bruce doubted he would. But it couldn’t hurt to look into them, and if he could, keep tabs on their movements and locations. As for Wally asking about them...

“That won’t be necessary,” Bruce replied to Wally, firm. “No matter how you think people judge you, start asking questions and someone’s bound to notice. The fewer people that notice you and your powers, the better; don’t put yourself at that kind of risk yet. I’ll handle it.”

He paused before adding, “One more thing. Wally West and Bruce Wayne can be friends, but it’d be best not to involve yourself too much with me. If it ever becomes public knowledge that I’m Batman, deny any knowledge of it and back off. There are people here who might try to use my connections to identify people with superpowers—people who might try to use you. Remember that.”

Almost immediately after Bruce stopped speaking, the intercom sounded. The doctor’s voice still managed to jar Bruce every time he heard it, but he’d no doubt he’d be used to it soon.

“Have fun with your alien,” Bruce said with a smile as he stood up. A VUX, was it? Bruce had admittedly little experience dealing with aliens besides the ones that tried to destroy the world, suck blood, or enslave the human population. He had reasons for his distrust—aliens were something that he knew relatively little of, and even if they were now stuck in human bodies, Bruce had no way of knowing whether or not they had gained human emotions or perception with the transformation. He supposed he could always ask Wally, after he met with this VUX. Or Donna, what with her time-traveling Doctor and all.

“I don’t know where I’m staying yet, but once I do, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, before the next time we meet, I want you to write down a list of all the people you’ve talked to since arriving. Details about their physical appearances would be helpful—not everyone signs their name or even posts on the bulletin.”

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

"Uh, right," Wally said, thrown off by the apology and Bruce's sudden change from questioning why Wally would want to help ZEX to agreeing that it was his choice to make.

It was, he realised with a start, almost like Bruce was dismissing his offer of assistance. His comment of taking care of finding out more about the clubs on his own, followed by the suggestion that Wally West and Bruce Wayne couldn't afford to be 'involved too much' - whatever that meant - just made it seem all the more obvious.

Batman - Bruce - was trying to distance himself from Wally.

His first thought was why? He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? Sure maybe he didn't know as much as he should have after nearly four days in this place, but gathering information and piecing it all together had never been his strong point. Or did Bruce just think he was wasting time with talking with people and helping them with their problems, when he should have been concentrating on escaping? Then it hit him. He was still thinking of Bruce as his friend and trusted teammate from the Justice League, when this Bruce hardly knew him at all. What reason would he have to trust Wally West, the complete stranger who just walked up to him in the showers? Who had been here for four days and had nothing to show for it except a few injuries?

None, that was what. No wonder he wanted to leave now. From his viewpoint, Wally must have just seemed pretty useless and desperate for someone to talk to. Someone who he could treat as a close friend, despite the fact that they hardly knew each other.

And it hurt because he had a feeling Bruce was right.

"Ba- Bruce, wait!" Wally said as the other man stood, automatically reaching up to grab at his wrist before realising what he was doing and letting go again. "I... I'm sorry. I haven't done as much as I should have here. I should have been trying harder to find out more about this place and to escape."

He looked away, fingers toying with his shirt nervously. "I shouldn't have assumed things would be the same between us when you don't know who I am. So... I'm sorry. And I'll try harder from now on. Just... please. Let me help, okay? I know you don't know me and don't have any reason to trust me really, but I can help out, really. Just let me try."

At the sound of the intercom, the nurses had started moving throughout the room, encouraging patients to start moving towards the cafeteria again for lunch. Wally shifted, picking up his crutch and standing carefully before looking back to Bruce. He nodded mutely at the request. A list of everyone he'd talked to and what he knew would be easy enough after all, even if it did kinda feel like he was being given an easy task on purpose. "I can have it ready for tomorrow," he said carefully. "Or is that too soon?"

The nurses hadn't noticed them yet, so he should at least get an answer to his question before they had to move away.

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

“Tomorrow’s fine,” Bruce replied automatically. It was a good that the surrounding noise was loud; the Flash had likely had very little experience dealing with the Batman out of costume, and thus was prone to reverting back to “Bats” whenever he wasn’t thinking. Bruce entertained briefly the thought of perhaps warning Wally again of the importance of calling him “Bruce” in this place, but after listening to the man’s unneeded apology and seeing the hurt look on his face, Bruce had a feeling that kind of reminder would just make things worse.

Though the intercom had sounded, and the nurse could be coming any minute...he had to set things straight with Wally before he went.

“You should know I’m not a big fan of talking,” Bruce began, “So I’m only going to say this once.”

He turned around so that his back was towards most people before he dropped his mask. No playful smile to alter the firm set of jaw, no half-lidded scowl to disguise the complete, serious intensity of his focus. Bruce was making a gamble, banking on the fact that Wally could separate Bruce from the Batman, in an effort to secure the man’s trust and assure him of Bruce’s.

“I trust you, Wally,” he said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully, not to condescend but to make sure that the full weight of those words came across.

“I trust you. I don’t know what kind of relationship you had with the other Bruce, but if he’s anything like me, you should understand the significance of that. Things won’t be the same—I guarantee it. But you’ve helped me a great deal already, and the best you can do for me now is take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.”

While Wally did not feel that his secret identity was perhaps in danger, Bruce held no such illusion. Until he could assess fully just how many people thought that Bruce Wayne was Batman, and what kinds of people were around who might try to exploit that knowledge for their own purposes, Bruce needed to be careful with who he associated with and how long—not only but especially if that person was important to him. Surely Wally understood that, and even if he didn’t...he’d have to learn to trust Bruce not to let his personal feelings or emotions get in the way of his decisions.

“As for ‘trying harder’...I may ask a lot of you in the coming days, but that doesn’t mean I’m always right. I meant it when I said you have the right to choose what you want to do with your time, and in what way you want to save people. The Batman has one way of doing things; the Flash has another. You’ve a right to your beliefs, and I’ve a right to mine.”

Bruce paused, thinking of Clark, and remembering all the arguments they’d had over generally everything—especially ideology. Perhaps he had Clark to thank now, for teaching him that people as different as they could also learn to work together, so long as they had a shared goal and shared sacrifice.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t work together.”

A nurse had finally noticed them, and as she came closer, all the sincerity and determination in Bruce’s expression faded and was replaced by a blank, pleasant smile. He waved a bit at the Flash and began to walk away before he seemed to remember something and turned abruptly around again.

“Is it okay if I meet you in the showers again tomorrow?” he called out. In the end, it was Wally alone that Bruce really trusted to see him in the showers right now, what with the scars and all.

"Just in case, you know, I don't meet my redhead quotient for the day."

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

The presence of the nurse meant that Wally couldn't talk too much beyond anything that would have been considered 'normal' for two patients that had just met each other, but to be honest, there wasn't a lot he could think to say in response to Bruce at the moment. Sure, he'd always known that his Bats trusted him - trusted him to do the job asked, to handle himself in a fight and not to screw things up too badly - but this was a Bats that didn't know him at all really, so hearing that from him... it meant a lot.

"...thanks," he said, and though he was still uncertain, his smile was genuine enough. "I'll keep that in mind."

He leant more on his crutch and began to follow the nurse as well, but paused when Bruce spoke again. The question was light and friendly despite the implications, so Wally smiled again, doing his best to seem like someone who'd just made friends with charismatic Bruce Wayne and hadn't just spent the last shift trying to figure out how the Batman had gotten here and how they were going to work together.

"I don't think we'll be having showers tomorrow," he said with a shrug. "Like I said, it's been nearly four days for me and this is the first chance I've had to get cleaned up. Might be better just to run into each other at lunch or something."

The mention of lunch got an insistent rumble from his stomach, so Wally gave a vague wave in Bruce's direction and set off for the cafeteria, where he was certain there would be a tray of hamburgers and hotdogs with his name on it somewhere.