Chapter Text
Clark had very few memories of Krypton; of his family; his people. But, he did, in fact, have memories, as few and far between as they may be. He had been only a few years old when his planet exploded, but one of the benefits of having an eidetic memory was his ability to remember his home. To remember the before, the look on his parents faces as they looked down at him with wide smiles and the sound of their laughter. He remembered them.
One of his fondest memories of his mother was her retelling the story of how his parents had first met. She had sat him down one day in their room, after helping him get ready for bed. She had pulled his small frame safely and securely into her lap, sitting face to face with him while he purred contently. He specifically remembered her lithe agile fingers running deftly through his hair, leaving small intricate braids in their wake.
Lara had smiled down at him. “Your Father was the lead scientist speaking at this conference that I was attending. A place for scientists like us to meet and to discuss our bright futures. Futures like yours, Kal.” She paused her story to kiss the top of his head softly.
”We locked eyes across the room and I just knew he was my soulmate. The feeling when his eyes met mine… there was no other feeling quite like it. We were to be married shortly after.” She had told him. “One day you’ll know too.” And he had listened with stars in his eyes, but Krypton was gone, and so were both his mother and father. An entire planet’s population was exterminated in an instant. There was no guarantee that his soulmate was still alive, and even if they were, there was no way of knowing if they were in the same galaxy, let alone the same planet. With his luck they probably perished with the rest of his people. Just like his mother; just like his father.
He had his cousin Kara now, even if she spent most of her time off-planet. He had Krypto too, and as much of a super powered menace the dog could be, he was still a good companion and a loyal friend. He has Lois now too. He had almost thought it was her, even if it was only for a moment. Now she’s his best friend. Well, her and Jimmy, and he wouldn’t change them for the world. He had Ma and Pa too, even if they were older now. He wasn’t alone, not anymore. He would never be alone again, but he still liked to remember. He still had them; he still had hope.
It was a normal quiet night in Metropolis, when Clark got the news that Gotham had been left flooded. He’d been sitting on his couch. Krypto’s head pressed firmly into the meat of his thigh, listening to the serene white noise of the city, when he received a text message from Lois.
”You might want to take a look at this, Smallville.” It read.
Clark clicked on the first link attached with no hesitation. Lois had told him earlier that week that she was going out with some out of town friends that night. She hadn’t specified who, but she had been talking about it all morning at the Planet. If she was messaging, it must really be important.
The link opened to a Gotham Gazette article written by Vikki Vale, its headline read: “Terror Attack Leaves Gotham Underwater.” Oh, so it was important then. He quickly started to skim through the article, until one bit in particular caught his eye. “A man calling himself the Riddler attacked tonight, leaving half of the city partially submerged. The attack was partially thwarted thanks to the help of the Batman, unfortunately enough damage was done to leave dozens injured and nearly two hundred missing or unaccounted for.”
That name sounded familiar. The Batman. Where had Clark heard that name before?
He hummed in thought, already mentally preparing to throw on his suit and start the short flight to Gotham. It was a quiet night in Metropolis, he could justify going out and lending a hand. The police could hold down the fort here for a night. He closed the article tab and clicked on the second link. This took him to a site much bolder and stylized than the previous article. It was a blog, apparently, and an amateur one at that. It went by the name of BatWatch. “BATMAN LEADS THE SEARCH,” it read.
This time, the name truly nagged at him. He knew for a fact that he knew the name somehow, it felt so familiar, but it eluded him, like a word stuck on the tip of your tongue or a vertebrae that just won’t pop. Maybe Hawkgirl or Guy had complained about him? Or, maybe Mr. Terrific had talked about recruiting him for the Justice Gang? Maybe. Just maybe. No that’s not it. Darn it, think. He knows the name, he knows he does. He simply cannot place where he knows it from. It shouldn’t be a big deal, not really. But something about it feels so familiar, like the bedtime stories that his mother would tell him. The ones about the Flamebird and Nightwing. Something about the name almost reminds him of home.
The article itself was basic, it lacked the usual gumption of an experienced reporter, but you could tell the author was passionate about the topic. They used exaggerated language, albeit fairly simple and ranted and raved about the heroic deeds of this so-called Batman. It contained a few blurry images, too, although a bit too blurry to make much out of it. The pictures or the destruction though, those were clear as day.
He closed this article too, his decision now made. He was going to go help the relief efforts. Now that he was aware of where to listen, he could hear the frantic shouts even from the relative safe haven of his apartment. He couldn’t just sit here, he had to help. So he stood up, headed to his room, donned his suit, and left the apartment as quickly as possible.
The fight was fast, faster than he had expected even, the sounds of distress increased in volume as he reached the outer edges of the city. The buildings were tall and dark, he’d never been in the city as a hero before, and he'd never seen the skyline from the top. He’d only ever been in Gotham as Clark Kent, the friendly neighborhood reporter. It was as gorgeous as it was intimidating.
Or rather, it would’ve been.
The city was in chaos. Some buildings had all but collapsed and there was water and rubble everywhere. And somewhere in the distance he could hear a child crying. He followed the sound. He located the source of the sobs, it was coming from a collapsed building near him. He made his way over to the large pile of rubble as quickly as he could.
He used his X-ray vision to decide which pieces were the least load bearing and began to clear away the most stable areas, as carefully as possible. It was time consuming and slow, he had to be cautious lest he crush the boy, but within a quarter of an hour, Clark had a small and malnourished child shaking in his arms.
There was no way the boy was older than 9 years old, and he couldn’t stop himself from releasing a low calming rumble that spread warmth through his chest like a bonfire.
”Hey, kiddo,” He grinned down at the child, gently using his fingertips to brush away the tears from the boy’s ruddy dirt-stained cheeks. “What’s your name?”
”Jason.” The boy replied shyly, voice still ragged from sobbing and choking on both the Gotham smog and the dust from the ruins of the building that had fallen around him.
“You’re okay now, Jason.” Clark double checked what he could with his X-ray vision, just to be safe. His vertebrae were all intact, no skull fractures, no immediate threat to his well-being other than a few small exterior abrasions. He was far too thin and probably beyond dehydrated and stressed but nothing that could be addressed currently.
“Let's go get you somewhere safe okay?” The boy nodded and tucked his head into Clark’s chest, his nose smushed into his clavicle through his suit. Clark could feel the boy hesitantly relax against him and his rumbling purr increased. He felt a rush of pride in the trust this boy had placed in him. Is that how his father had felt when he held Clark?
He lifted off the ground, cradling the boy’s head to his chest with one hand and supporting his legs with the other. There should be Search and Rescue teams set up throughout the city, He’d just have to find one.
Once again Clark was struck by the beauty of the city from the sky, and the juxtaposition of Gotham to his own city. Gotham was a labyrinth of sprawling streets and alleys. A mural of bright lights and bold neons on a black background. Limestone and granite rather than his own red brick and marble. It was an amalgamation of modern and gothic architecture meeting somewhere in the middle. Arching gargoyles and looming buildings painted a breathtaking scene.
Metropolis was all wide streets, marble, red brick and ivy. It had large open spaces and plenty of parks. Its buildings were tall and covered in shimmering shades of silver and gold. Nothing like the city spread out below him.
From his place above the city it wasn’t hard to spot the closest team. A group of GCPD officers stood in a circle, talking to a costumed child. He was small, too small to be on the field in his opinion, looking maybe thirteen or fourteen. He was tan, tall, and thin, but he was well built with wiry muscles showing through his costume. The colors reminded Clark vaguely of a traffic light, in various shades of red, green, and yellow. His black hair reflected the neon lights of the city and flashlights of the search parties.
The group looked to be in an intense conversation. There was lots of gesturing and pointing at various buildings and their surrounding areas. A lot of over exaggerated hand movements and vague displeased facial expressions. He gently descended back down to the street level and waved at the police standing there.
”Hey, I have a kid over here.” Clark exclaimed, and a female officer broke off from the rest of the group and came running over to collect the boy. “Be careful, I didn’t see any broken bones but I’m not sure if he has internal injuries” He told the woman and he gingerly attempted to transfer the boy into her arms so she could take him to a medical station. The boy, however, had a firm hold on his cape and refused to let go.
Clark adjusts his hold and turns him against his left hip instead, turning the boy so they’re face to face. “Hey bud, I know you’re scared but I need to go back out there and help. I promise that you’re safe here.”
The child just tucked his head back against Superman’s chest. Dirty black curls brushed against his neck as the boy shook his head violently. Simply stating, “No.” Clark looked down at him, concerned, but was pulled back to his surroundings by another tug on his cape, this time on his other side. The other costumed boy stood on his right, his grip on his cape loose but confident.
“Can I give it a try?” He asked Clark. He was close enough now that Clark took the time to get a better look at him. The boy was wearing a black domino, white lenses covering his eyes, the top barely visible underneath his messy black bangs. A bright yellow cape wrapped securely over a red shirt and green tunic. Clark was struck suddenly by the fact that this boy wasn’t wearing any pants. Who in their right mind would let a child into the field without any pants? Sure, he had on what might be considered shorts, but they provided a minuscule amount of coverage from both possible damage and the flood water.
”Yes, of course,” He answered the boy, after getting over his initial shock. He would take any help he could get. The sounds of distress were louder down in the streets, they echoed off the narrow alleys and the walls of the buildings that were still intact. It was becoming more distressing by the moment. He had to get back out there.
The small vigilante moved to Clark’s left side. “Hey! I’m Robin! Can I take you for a bit? We can play a game if you want!” This got the little boy’s attention. His head sprung up from its place against Clark’s chest, almost nailing the man right on the chin.
”A game?” Jason sounded much calmer now, more intrigued than distressed.
”Yeah! A game!!” The child, who Clark now knew to be Robin, started to chatter away with the boy, and slowly the boy released his firm hold from his cape. Clark couldn’t see Robin’s eyes through his domino mask but he recognized the moment Robin realized it was working because he held his hands out for the child.
Jason all but threw himself into Robin’s hold, the older boy easily taking his admittedly minuscule weight. And together they made their way towards the medical tent. A casual wave and a quick look over his shoulder was the only acknowledgement Robin gave the other hero before they walked away.
Clark took this opportunity to make his way over to the GCPD officers, the woman who had tried to help previously had already made her way back to the group and moved over to let him join the circle.
He waited for a break in their conversation before asking, “Is there anything I can do to help?” If this was his city, he wouldn’t have had to bother asking, but he didn’t know Gotham, not the way these people did. He wanted to help, and he would not let himself get in the way. He was a stranger here; an intruder. He knew how Gothamites treated strangers.
”Actually, yes,” An officer towards the middle of the circle answered, he was an older man, with greying hair and a large mustache. Glasses sat squarely on his nose and Clark immediately got the impression that this man was in charge. “We received a call from a woman and her daughter stuck in the downtown district. They got themselves to safety, but they’re in the worst of the flooding area, and no one but Batman has the equipment readily available to get them down.”
“Down from where,” Clark might not have been in Gotham often, usually only for work, but he knew the city was immense and full of places people could easily get stuck.
”They’re on one of the gargoyles.” The man answered back solemnly.
”On a Gargoyle?” He looked at him with a face full of confusion. Reiterating the question made Clark feel stupid, the man had said it so casually, like it was a normal thing to see people stuck on gargoyles. Heck, it was Gotham, maybe it was normal.
“They were near one of the shorter buildings downtown when the water came. They managed to climb up while the water was higher, but now that the water has receded they are completely stuck.”
“What Building are they stuck on? I can head right over just give me a direction.”
”They’re not from around here. The mother said they were in town visiting family, and she doesn’t recognize the street they’re stuck on. We don’t know their exact location, just their approximate area. Give me just a second and I’ll pull up a map for you.” The man started to head over to another officer, pausing briefly to hold his hand out to Clark. “Thank you for the assist earlier, Superman, My name is James Gordon.” He walked away again, this time heading directly to an officer who pulled a map out of his coat pocket. Gordon leaned over and braced the map against his knee, using a pen he pulled from his pocket to draw a circle.
”They should be somewhere in here. Luckily the phone lines are back up or we would’ve never known they were up there anyway.” The man handed the map to superman, but didn’t release his side of the map.
”One last thing, if you see Batman, listen to his orders of course, but don’t let him scare you off. You can tell him I sent you if he gives you any trouble. He’s big and scary, but he cares about this city.”
”Will do!” Clark lifted back into the air. He took a second to orient himself to his surroundings and then took off towards the location indicated on the map. There was far too much chaos going around him, and he quickly discovered that he is far too unfamiliar with the winding hazy streets to make much sense of where he’s going.
He descended again, stopping in an alley to try and listen to the city around him. He needed time and space to focus on finding the missing mother and child.
A shadow thunked down behind him, footsteps intentionally heavy and forceful. He hadn’t heard the figure approach, too focused on the other noises of the city to pick out the noise close to him. But he had definitely heard their arrival. Clark whips around at the sounds, it wasn’t everyday that something managed to evade his hearing. The fact that this person had? And had done it well? It caused an odd suspenseful sensation to settle in the bottom of his stomach, and made the hair on the back of his arms stand up in what he almost thought could be anticipation.
The figure was tall, draped safely in shadows like a child swaddled by its mother. Clark gave his eyes a moment to focus on the lack of contrast, and slowly the man stepped into the light, if anything could be considered light in Gotham.
The person, no wait- the man, was hiding his body mostly behind a floor length black cape. The parts that were visible were covered with grey body armor and black accents. His head was covered by a cowl with some sort of ears sticking out of it, and was tilted curiously in his direction. But his eyes were turned down, refusing to meet Clark’s. Clark squinted a bit and saw a black bat scrawled across the other man’s wide chest. This. This must be The Batman.
Clark moves to say as much, but he’s prematurely cut off before he can finish opening his mouth.
“As much as I appreciate your help out here,” Batman’s voice is low and grave, and oh he’s turning his head. Blue eyes meet Clark’s own and his heart stops. Time slows down. And Rao, Batman might have the prettiest eyes Clark has ever seen. Light icy blue, so delicate in color they appear almost grey in the dingy Gotham alleyway. Heaven help him, he can't rip his eyes away and the man is still talking and he’s not even listening anymore.
“-Robin and I have this handled. I don’t like meta-humans in my city, not without my permission.” The Batman continued his calm rant, and Clark’s ears twitched. His trance was broken at the mention of meta-humans.
Clark cleared his throat awkwardly. Batman froze and tilted his head again, almost invitingly. Though that might be Clark being delusional, you know what it’s probably him being delusional he should call Lois, oh yes. Meta-humans.
“I’m not a meta.” He deadpanned.
Now that caught Batman's attention.
“Then what exactly are you?” The calm intonation of his voice had faded leaving a curious edge.
Without thinking much of anything, not that Clark could think much at the moment anyway, he responded. “I’m a Kryptionan. An alien. I’m Superman.” Oh good job Clark sounding like an idiot again in front of the prettiest man you’ve ever seen. “My name is Kal, Kal-el.” He held out his hand in greeting.
The other man looked at him with wide eyes and a disbelieving smirk. “ Batman. Now get out of my city.” He leveled him with a firm glare.
Clark sputtered at the direct demand.
“Gordon sent me, asked me to track down a mother and her daughter. They’re stuck somewhere in this area.”
“Gordon?” Batman questioned him. Eyes flicking over Clark’s body as if he was quietly reassessing him.
”Yes, Him!” He aimed his most confident smile at the brooding man.
Batman seems to consider this for a moment. He looks Clark up and down again, but this time when he is finished he simply sighs, deep and weary.
“Fine.” He bites out. “But just this one task. Then go back to your city, Superman.” Batman’s voice lowers to a growl at his name and it is both simultaneously the hottest and most terrifying thing that he has ever heard.
”Thank you.” Clark takes a moment to stare at the man in front of him, memorizing the details of his eyes, listening to his steadily beating heart. He aims one more patented superhero smile at the man and takes off into the air.
After a few more minutes of searching, he finds them perched on top of an old decaying gargoyle on an even older building. They were close to a place called “Park Row” on the map, and even closer to where Clark had originally found Jason earlier. He had no clue how he hadn’t found them earlier.
They were huddled together, The mother with her daughter clutched firmly to her chest, pushed back on the most stable part of the gargoyle that they could find.
”Ma’am, I’m here to help.” The woman’s head whips around at the sound of his voice and her face practically melts in relief. She’s young too, probably mid twenties, with dark brown hair and dark tanned skin. Her clothes were soaked, pressed firmly to her sides, but her daughter remained relatively dry, from what Clark could see.
”Oh thank God.” She pulls her daughter away from her chest. Clark was right she was mostly dry, but she was small, maybe two or three years old. She thrashed a little in her mother’s arms but was transferred easily enough into Superman’s firm hold.
”Hey little one,” Clark soothed her, gently rocking her back and forth and relaxing another pleased grumble from his chest, it had worked for Jason after all. The child settled in nicely at the sound, obviously sleepy from the nights endeavor and loosing the fight with her crashing adrenaline.
He turned to the girls mother. “I’m going to take her someplace safe and then I’m going to come back for you. Are you okay? Any injuries?”
She shook her head no and he double checked with his X-ray vision anyway. She was clear on broken bones and no outside wounds or visible abrasions that he could see. No immediate threat to her health, it should be safe to leave her there as long as he was fast.
He quickly escorted the girl to the nearest medical tent, then flew back for her mother. Getting her down was much easier than he expected, the medics back at the tent were already prepped and prepared for her arrival. He waved her goodbye, and then reluctantly started the rather short flight back to Metropolis.
As much as he’d like to stay and help, he could feel the eyes of Gotham on him, and he’d very much rather not be on Batman's bad side, not if he could help it.