Chapter Text
Clark sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his head bowed and eyes closed. His hearing was narrowed down to the med bay -one room in specific- and he could hear every sound inside. Bruce's heartbeat and the sound of his breathing, the beeps and buzzing of the equipment, the whisper of movement as the medical team worked, and the tense exchange of words.
He could be watching through walls to see the procedure as well. He should be watching it but he just wasn't strong enough. Clark couldn't bear to see Bruce lying there on the operating table while the doctors worked to save his life- and the blood. There was so much blood. Clark squeezed his eyes shut tighter.
The attack happened so fast that he had no time to stop it.
In the middle of battle, while he had been engaged mid-fight with Bizarro, Clark allowed himself a small smile when he saw all of Toyman's robots being rendered useless after Batman activated one of the many mysterious devices kept in his belt. Only a fraction of a second later, Clark caught the flash of a dark blur out of the corner of his eye as the figure was thrown several feet away from where he had been standing.
Clark flew after him before he even knew what he was doing and was barely on time to catch him before his body hit the ground. He protected the unconscious man with his body before flying away without bothering to say anything to the rest of the League. Instead, he contacted J'onn and asked him to get medical ready and set everything up to transport them back to the Watchtower from the location of the closest zeta tube.
As soon as they arrived at the satellite, Clark flew straight to the med bay where the medical team was already getting ready to work, but his job didn't end then; due to the many security measures Batman implemented, he had to use his X-ray vision and super strength to find and open the hidden clasps to remove the suit and cowl.
Back when they were still working to set up the Watchtower, Bruce had insisted on the need to protect the identity of League members when they needed medical attention. The idea of making J'onn erase the necessary memories from the medical team was dismissed almost immediately, and they chose to use magic instead.
A special spell had been cast in the medical facilities by a magician by the name Giovanni Zatara, an acquaintance of Batman and whim he trusted to take care of such a delicate matter. To this day, Clark didn't know how it worked exactly, but the basic principle was that the spell made it impossible to commit to memory a person's face as long as you were in the medical area.
Clark knew he should have left once he was sure Bruce was being taken care of and his identity was safe. He should have flown back to Metropolis to help the rest of the League. That was exactly what Bruce would have ordered him to do had he been conscious.
But he wasn't conscious, and so Clark stayed.
He collapsed into one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area as soon as he was asked to leave the operating theater and hadn't moved since then. He forced himself to reach out to J'onn and tell him to contact him if the League needed help, but that was it. The next time he heard from the Martian he told him the others had taken care of everything.
The buzzing from the comlink in his ear some unknown time later pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Superman."
He let out a sigh before replying. "What is it, J'onn?"
"I apologize for disturbing you, but we require your assistance in the Monitor Womb."
The Kryptonian straightened up in the chair. "What's wrong? Did something else happen in Metropolis?"
"No. The situation has been solved. Wonder Woman and Flash have just returned, and Green Lantern and Hawkgirl are helping the local authorities to contain Grundy and Bizarro for the moment."
"What is it then?"
J'ohn was silent for a second. "It is not an emergency, but we have an unusual situation that requires your presence."
"I'll be right there," Clark replied, eyebrows furrowed together.
Clark hesitated before flying away. He used his x-ray vision to look through the walls and into the operation theater and watched for a moment as the medical team continued their work. He didn't want to leave, not even when he knew there was nothing he could do to help Bruce. Even the knowledge that he could keep monitoring him from anywhere in the Watchtower did nothing to reassure him.
He clenched his jaw, hands curled into fists as he forced himself to move.
Superman flew past a couple of League members on his way to the Monitor Womb and ignored the surprised and consternated looks aimed his way. News travels fast, so they must already know about Batman's injuries.
It took Clark less than a minute to arrive, and when he did, the first thing that caught his attention was one of the large holographic monitors in the back. It showed a very angry Tony Stark glaring down at his teammates from what Clark immediately recognized was the Batcave. Of course, the billionaire was using the Batcomputer to contact the Watchtower.
And now he understood why they called him.
Billionaire businessman Tony Stark was in a very public relationship with his counterpart Bruce Wayne, but that meant nothing to the rest of the League since they didn't know Batman's identity. J'onn knew, of course. It was near impossible to hide things from a telepath, but he probably didn't have enough information about Earth society or Bruce's life to know about the relationship between the two billionaires.
Or maybe he did, and that was why he contacted him. Stark was using Batman's own communication line to ask for information on the injured vigilante, and the others had no idea what to do about it.
His teammates' backs were turned to him, but Clark could see Diana standing to the side in an unmistakable defensive posture. In contrast, J'onn looked entirely unperturbed, and at his side, Barry looked tense and unable to stand still. It was the speeder with his nervous shifting who noticed him first.
"Superman!" He called with obvious relief in his voice.
He felt the eyes of every person in the room turn to him, so he straightened his posture and stared straight at the screen.
"Where the hell is he!?" Stark demanded before he could even open his mouth to speak.
Clark was taken aback by the vehemence of the words and the expression on the billionaire's face. He didn't think he had ever seen Stark without a smirk on his face or an amused twinge in his eyes. The change was enough to give him pause.
"Batman is still in surgery, Mr. Stark. I contacted A and told him I would call as soon as I had any information to share."
There was no immediate reply to that, and it took Clark a second to realize the reason. Stark's narrowed brown eyes were fixed on his chest, looking at the messy patch of blood covering the front of his suit. Bruce's blood. Clark looked away quickly, barely stopping from crossing his arms in a useless attempt to hide the stain. Only then did he remember he had dried blood on his hands as well.
"I'm going there," Stark declared, leaving no room for argument.
"What!?" Barry almost squealed.
"Mr. Stark, I'm sure you understand we cannot allow a civilian in the Watchtower. And I don't think Batman would appreciate that," Clark added, putting emphasis on the name to remind him Bruce's identity was still a secret since the billionaire obviously didn't care about the first part.
"I don't give a fuck!" Stark shouted.
"You arrogant man! We-"
"Diana." The Amazonian shot him a glare but didn't say anything else. Clark cleared his throat. "I understand your concern, Mr. Stark, but Batman is receiving the best care possible at this very moment. There's nothing you, or any of us, can do at this time. I will give you an update as soon as I have any information about his condition. You have my word."
"Right. Well, that's nice and all, but I don't need that shit because I will be there to hear it myself."
"That is not possible." The Martian replied.
"I'm not asking for permission!" Stark shot back without missing a beat. "Either you give me access to your little space clubhouse, or I get it myself. Really, you should be thanking me for having the courtesy to ask in the first place."
"You cannot do that," Diana countered.
"Oh, but I can. Do you know who I am, sweetheart?" Clark saw Diana's face darken at the nickname, and he swallowed. "I'm a fucking genius, and if I say I can get in, I will get in. And even if you doubt me, you should really take a long hard look behind me. It's clear none of you are the brains here, but I'm sure you can put two and two together.
"And you know what? You're not very good being the brawn either, so I don't think you can stop me anyway," he finished with a snort.
"How dare you-"
"I dare, Princess, because you're all fucking pathetic. Because even with all your mighty powers and ridiculous monikers, none of you was capable of watching the back of the only human fighting at your side. None!"
Nobody dared to say a word in response to the billionaire's accusation.
Of course. Of course, he wasn't the only one who felt guilty about what happened. He saw it in the way Diana tightened her grip on her sword and the clench of her jaw. Barry's head was hanging low, hands fidgeting a little. Even J'onn had inclined his head slightly down, even though he hadn't been out in the field.
They should have protected Batman. He should have protected Bruce.
Clark closed his eyes and searched for the familiar heartbeat at the other side of the Watchtower.
"What's it going to be, Supes? Do I need to do it all myself or what?"
He paused, exchanging a look with the others even if he knew there was no choice at all. The rest of the League may not know it, but Stark helped Bruce with the design of the Watchtower, and even if he hadn't, the man was a self-proclaimed genius. Of course, he could find a way to get in, especially if he was using Batman's system, and the others weren't going to take the breach well when, not if, it happened.
The only thing Clark could do now was try to maintain some semblance of control over the situation and stop things from getting too out of hand. The last thing they needed was to have a fight in here. Besides, it was obvious Stark truly cared for Bruce and was worried sick right now. Clark couldn't just ignore that. It would be cruel.
That, of course, didn't change the fact Bruce was going to be less than happy about this. All of it.
"Well?"
"We will allow you to come into the Watchtower," Clark conceded after a moment. The minute sag he saw on Stark's shoulders convinced him he was making the right decision. "It will be temporary, of course, and your access will be limited to the medical facilities. I don't think that should be a problem."
Stark rolled his eyes in response.
"It will also be your responsibility to explain the situation and your presence here to Batman."
A flicker of doubt crossed Stark's dark eyes for the first time since the conversation started, but it was gone just as fast as it appeared. "No problem."
Clark nodded, feeling the corner of his lips twitch. It was strangely reassuring to see he wasn't the only one worried about Bruce's possible reaction. "Do you know how the teleporter system works?"
"Of course I do."
"Then you know we will need a moment to make some adjustments to allow a guest in the satellite."
"You have five minutes," Stark warned before cutting off the connection.
A tense silence filled the Monitor Womb.
"Are we truly going to allow that man in here?" Diana asked him, her tone quiet yet sharp.
Clark wasn't surprised by the fact Diana was the first to speak. She was a strong and proud woman, and she wasn't simply going to forget or forgive Stark's insults and rudeness. Clark didn't even know what Stark said before he arrived, but what he heard was enough to justify Diana's reaction.
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"I know this is highly unorthodox, and that the way Stark acted should be enough to deny him access, but this is... complicated," he settled on after a moment. "Besides, you heard what he said. If we don't let him in he will find a way himself."
"Wait. He was serious?" Barry asked, eyes wide behind his mask.
"I believe so."
"So we confront him," Diana countered. "He shall not get past all of us."
"That's not- He's not our enemy." Diana looked ready to argue and Barry still seemed hesitant, so Clark played his last card. "He's in Batman's lair and used the system there to contact us. I think it's clear Batman trusts him."
As Clark expected, the last sentence settled the matter. It was obvious they didn't agree with his decision but were willing to go along with it under the premise that he knew Batman better than they did, and if the Dark Knight trusted Stark with his secrets, it was for a reason.
"Wait! Does he give Bats money?" Barry asked suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "I mean, he's filthy rich, and Bats' toys don't look exactly cheap, you know?"
Clark had to stop himself from squirming even a little as they turned to him for answers. He hated when that happened because he knew he could never betray Bruce's trust, but he also hated lying to his friends.
"It's not my place to deny or confirm anything about Batman," Clark replied simply before turning to the Martian. "J'ohn, can you make the necessary configurations?"
With a nod, the Martian moved to the control panel.
"We also need to clear the corridor from the closest zeta tube to the med bay," he said, turning to the other two heroes. "The fewer people know about Stark's presence, the better."
"I'm on it," Barry declared before disappearing from the room.
"Diana." The Amazon turned her head, chin raised proudly. "Can you please try not to punch him?"
She pondered the request for a moment before inclining her head slightly in concession. She spoke before Clark could sigh in relief.
"I shall, but perhaps I might have to reconsider that if he insults us one more time."
Clark nodded slowly, knowing that was the best he would get from her and it wasn't entirely her fault. Stark did seem to have a strange gift for making people want to deck him, after all. He just hoped the billionaire could hold his tongue for the couple of minutes it would take to get him to the med bay.
Or maybe he should just keep him away from Diana entirely. That sounded like a better idea.