Chapter Text
Bruce Wayne was not in a good mood.
More specifically, he hadn’t been in a good mood since the very moment he received word that Hal Jordan had returned to Earth.
Naturally, he’d assumed the flyboy would show up immediately, flashing that infuriatingly smug grin and tossing out something like, “Hey sweetheart, miss me yet?”
Instead—
Nothing.
Not a visit.
Not a call.
Not even a single message.
An entire week passed.
By the seventh night of waiting, wide awake and increasingly annoyed, Bruce made a firm decision:
Tomorrow, at the Justice League meeting, he would not be civil. Not even slightly.
But when he walked into the conference room, face cold and unreadable, he found something unexpected:
Hal Jordan.
Sitting in his usual seat.
Looking—confused.
And Oliver Queen was beside him, a hand on his shoulder, face grave like someone had died.
“What’s going on?” Clark was the first to speak, picking up on the tension.
Oliver sighed. “Hal had an accident. He’s, uh... temporarily lost his memory.”
Bruce’s composure faltered—barely perceptible, but there. His lips parted as if to speak, then tightened again, and a sharp furrow creased between his brows like the first crack in a mask held too long.
For a second, he actually questioned his own hearing.
“Amnesia?” Diana frowned. “Hal, how much do you remember?”
Hal looked up, wide-eyed and unguarded.
“Uh... I know I’m a Green Lantern, from Sector 2814. That’s Earth, right? The blue one?”
Bruce: “…”
Of course Hal Jordan would ask that. Of course the universe would gift him this moment—a grown man, a veteran pilot, staring him dead in the eye and asking, “Is Earth the blue one?”
Barry, barely holding it together: “Yep. That’s the one, Hal. Earth’s the blue one.”
“Thank god I’m not a complete idiot,” Hal sighed, visibly relieved as that familiar crooked grin returned to his face.
“The rest’s a bit of a blur, though. I woke up on OA and one of the Earth-based Lanterns gave me a quick summary—said I’ve got some sort of ‘League’ to report to. But honestly? I don’t remember anyone in it. Um, and about that… any chance someone could remind me who exactly I’m supposed to know around here?”
His gaze swept across the room, eventually landing on Bruce.
The man’s posture was rigid, his jaw tight, and his face so unreadable it made Hal pause.
Leaning toward Oliver, Hal lowered his voice—though not nearly enough—and asked,
“Uh… who’s the vampire with the ‘I-will-end-you’ face? Is he always this intense?”
A muscle twitched near Bruce’s temple, and though he didn’t say a word, his stare conveyed enough to make the air feel colder.
Oliver gave Hal a slow, pitiful pat on the shoulder.
“That’s Batman. You two used to get along… or at least, that’s how you told it.”
Hal hesitated, then gave Bruce a tentative smile—one of those polite, slightly-too-charming ones.
“Batman, right? Okay. I guess I don’t really remember you right now, but… maybe we could, I don’t know, start over?”
Bruce stared at the outstretched hand.
Seriously? Amnesia?
Given recent history—particularly a certain “kept man” situation—he had very strong suspicions that this might be another one of Hal’s elaborate jokes.
His mind flicked rapidly through possibilities, weighing reactions, consequences, motives.
Outwardly, he was the picture of calm.
After a few seconds, he reached out.
“Batman,” he said, deliberately pitching his voice low and smooth.
Hal blinked at him—just for a moment—then lit up with a grin.
“Oh. Bats. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you again, Lantern.”
Bruce’s grip tightened just enough to let his fingers trace against Hal’s palm—just enough to feel the sudden jolt when Hal flinched, startled by the contact.
“Did OA give you any tips on how to get your memory back?”
“Uh…” Hal pulled his hand back and frowned in thought.
“They said it’ll probably come back on its own eventually. Gave me a leave of absence in the meantime.”
Perfect.
Bruce’s mood improved immediately.
As he watched Hal go around the room, reintroducing himself like some overly friendly intern, a quiet little plan began to take shape in the back of his mind.
A very satisfying plan.