Chapter Text
Batman put on his gas mask and stepped into the green fog, mentally muffling the sounds of terror as he walked through the restaurant, night vision turning on automatically. He walked towards the sound of the swinging scythe and hoarse speech.
“Oh? You're scared of losing your loved ones? That's surprisingly unusual”
He made it to Scarecrow, towering over a crumbled sniveling form, scythe twirling in his offhand.
Batman snuck behind him, using the gas as a cover, and the crying person as distraction.
The gas disappeared, like it was vacuumed out of the room.
“Eh-” Scarecrow barely got out before getting punched in the face at supperspeed. Batman blinked at Superman, standing over Scarecrow's half unconscious body. The hero looked upset, almost like he was pouting.
“What did you do to them?” Superman asked, sounding like a stern parent. A puff of green fog left his mouth as he spoke. It didn't take long for Batman to realize he'd somehow breathed in all that feargas. Thank fuck he wasnt affected. Wait, how did he know he wouldn't be affected?
Batman stepped up to Superman, who turned and smiled at him. “Batman” his voice was pure happiness, he could imagine a wagging tail on him. “Wow. uh. I was free, so I thought I could help out. What was that gas? and uh, why aren't the civilians calming down?”
Batman heard the imagenery sound of glass cracking and a record screech. “You didn't know?” He said, much less inhumane and gravelly than normal, Batman's voice forgotten in his shock.
Superman scratched the back of his neck shyly.
Batman blinked, not that Superman could see it. “You just… breathed in green gas you didn't know what it was?”
Superman chewed awkwardly on his bottom lip. “Maybe that wasn't too smart, but people were in danger, and it's better if I deal with whatever poison that gas may be then all these civilians.
Batman stared at him. “What if it had been mind controlling? or kryptonite? or if the gas actually had an effect on you?”
“I still don't know what it was” Superman reminded.
Batman struggled with the urge to slam his head into the nearest wall, hopefully losing brain cells, so this wouldn't bother him anymore. It would be nice not to have to pretend to be an airheaded bimbo.
“It's fear gas.” Batman said instead.
Superman tilted his head to the side, eyes pleading for an explanation. No he was not cute, he was stupid and reckless.
“It makes anyone who breathes it in feel pure fear, hallucinating their worst nightmare.” Batman said slowly.
Superman blinked, urging him to continue.
“If it had affected you, you could go out of control and destroy the city in your panic.”
At least now Superman had the sense to look ashamed of himself. No, it does not make his heart ache, and Bruce does not desperately want him to go back to smiling.
“I… didnt think-”
"Exactly." Batman cut him off. “When you have power, you have to be careful, and you weren't.”
Superman seemed to deflate on himself, even more ashamed than before. No it was not cute! it did not make his heart ache! and he did not desperately want him to smile again!
He turned with the swish of a cape and disappeared into the shadows, ready to get home. The cops were arriving, they could give the antidote.
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Bruce was finally done with the stupid business meeting about nothing that couldn't have been an email. He'd gone to the closest cafe to calm himself down, have a coffee for some energy, maybe sweeten his day with a little treat.
Just as he sat down with the coffee and cupcake, the doors blew open and men armed with guns ran in. Only three, the guns were an old Lexcorp model, the guns sold without the iconic logo of course, but he'd studied these recently, as they'd made their way into Gotham.
Just his luck too, the would-be robbers immediately spotted him.
“Holy shit, is that Wayne!?” one goon asked his buddies, pointing at Bruce, who had hoped to be able to mind his own business and let Superman handle it.
“Oh my god, it is!” another yelled, placing his hands on his head. “Fuck, thats so lucky!”
“Man, fuck the register! get Wayne!” the first one said to the third. The third, much larger than the others, why have a muscle man if you use guns? maybe in gotham, since Batman usually removed the guns pretty quick. But unless he had super strength on par with Superman, there really was no use, right?
The thirds hand grabbed onto Bruce's arm and started dragging him towards his friends. Bruce fought off the urge to get out of the hold, and instead pretended to struggle.
“Stop moving or we’ll shoot ya!” The first said, oh, that accent, they were from Gotham. Of course they were, who would rob a cafe in Metropolis, other than Gothamites.
Bruce started to pout at the third one, before turning to the first with a sly smile. “You need me alive! im worth nothing dead” Bruce said, finishing it with a ‘hmpf’ sound, sticking his nose in the air.
“Shit he's right…” the second said, looking at the first.
“Dont tell him that!” the first screeched back.
Bruce's smile turned even more mischievous. “Superman! Help!” he yelled, fake struggling to get out of the grip. In a second the third released him and the three criminals bolted, not before firing a shot at Bruce's head. a blur of blue and red, and Superman stood infront of him, the bullet falling to the floor.
Bruce looked out the window to see the three men tied up to a lamp pole.
So, Superman was free for the moment, and Bruce would never avoid a chance to… get to know him. He was quite his type. Dangerous.
Superman looked at him with warm eyes. “Are you alright Mr…?”
Bruce blinked at him. He didn't know who he was? mostly everyone knew who he was, and that wasn't him hyping himself up. “Wayne” he smiled. “But someone as handsome as you may call me Bruce”
Superman's eyebrows rose. So he did recognize the name, at least.
“Ah, well, Mr.Wayne, are you alright? Can I check you for injuries?”
Bruce pouted at the calling, rolled his eyes, and smiled. “You may check me for anything you want” he purred.
Superman's brows furrowed, it was unclear if in confusion or disgust. Either way it looked adorable. Though, if he's uncomfortable…
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Superman asked. Bruce barely noticed it, but his voice was wavering ever so slightly. Like he was unsure what to say. Cute.
Bruce settled back into a pout, sighing dramatically. “My arm. He grabbed it hard…”
Superman looked at his arm, up and down, eyes starting to glow. His eyes were so pretty, with and without the glow. “It will heal soon, nothing lasting” Superman smiled, looking back at Bruce. Then he disappeared.
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Bruce was walking through the floor, just done dancing with Selina, and left her to do her own thing, while he searched for someone to take home. He loves Selina, but he was feeling in the mood for something new. That's when he saw him, the perfect candidate. A big handsome man in ill-fitting clothes and big glasses. Sure, he was more dorky then his usual, and normally he'd go for someone more… dominant. Though for some inexplicable reason, he felt this man was perfect.
“Hello” He said, metaphorically fluttering his lashes at him. “Arnt you handsome, why aren't you dancing with anyone?”
Clark startled, having previously stared at nothing, he now stared at Bruce. “M-Mr.Wayne!”
“Oh, please, call me Bruce” he batted off.
“I, uh, why are you here?”
“In my house?” Bruce tilted his head to the side.
“No, uh, near me?”
Bruce deflated, pouting at the man. He had terrible posture, yet was somehow still about Bruce's height. Wonder how tall he'd be if he stood properly. It was rare to find partners taller than him, despite his preference. “Do you not want me to be?”
The man, Clark Kent as it stood on the nametag, seemed to try and jump out his own skin. “No, no- i- i mean- yes- no- yes?” He took a deep breath. “Thats not what i meant at all.”
Bruce giggled at him. He was adorable. Not at all his usual type, but apparently a new one.
“Well. I saw Cat earlier” Bruce chatted. “Why are you here too?”
“Oh, I'm not, uh, here to work, really.”
Bruce blinked his confusion away. “What do you mean?”
“Me being here is a punishment” Kent explained. His first uninterrupted sentence.
“For what?”
“I keep, uh, missing important things, that I'm supposed to, uh, report on”
“Why?”
“Geez, are you a reporter?”
Bruce chuckled. “Right, sorry. I just can't help but want to know more about you”
“It's okay i-” he looked somewhere off of Bruce's shoulder, wide eyed. “I have to leave… actually… a-a friend's baby shower! Yup. Just remembered! It was nice meeting you” he said before running off. Bruce stared at him as he fumbled his way through, somehow bumping into every single person in his way.
Now. It wasn't too unusual for people to try to escape Bruce. But for a reporter to escape him, without asking a single question, after Bruce himself walked up to them? That was unheard of. Sure, he said he wasn't actually supposed to work, but a quote from Bruce Wayne would definitely give him a raise. Did he truly care that little about his job?
And what was with that excuse!?
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Batman was about to wrap up for the day, go home, shower, go to sleep, when he heard singing from the street below the house he was on top of. He sneaked to the side, curious who'd be out this late, or would it be early?
It was a singular person, big, jogging by, singing a showtune to himself, one that Batman did not recognize.
He swung and landed quietly in the shadows behind the jogger. Now closer, be recognized him as Clark Kent. So from Metropolis, sounds about right.
For a second after Batman had landed, Kent stopped, looking behind him. Batman slunk further into the shadows. Kent turned back around and kept going. Batman noted to train his stealth more.
He ran after Kent, to make sure he didn't run into trouble, being extra careful now. Kent reached a low budget but not horrible hotel. He walked inside, and Batman left.