Work Text:
“Be careful alright?” Dick tells him solemnly. He stands shoulder to shoulder with Barbara, but the third member of the group seeing Bruce off still refuses to look at him.
Bruce doesn’t blame him. He doesn’t want to leave either. There is nothing he wants more than to stay on Earth, in Gotham , searching. But if they are to get answers five years in the making, all six of the accused leaguers must go to Rimbor.
He can only pray that this won’t take as long as he fears it will.
“I was about to say the same to you three.” Bruce forces a wan smile for his kids, and while Dick returns it...Jason scoffs. Barbara looks between the brothers and sighs under her breath. “I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth.”
Dick looks back at the rest of the bat-family. With its glaring empty spot. His elder son turns back to him with shoulders set and determined eyes. “We’ll manage.”
Barbara mirrors Dick’s resolve, and Jason crosses his arms but doesn’t protest the declaration.
Bruce knows that Jason isn’t going to say anything now. Has already told Bruce everything he feels needed being said.
He goes.
—
“You’re going?! Now of all times?!” Jason shouts at him, enraged and arms spread.
“Jason…” Even before finishing his name Bruce knows it’s no use.
“No! It’s been- it’s been weeks since he went missing, we have to keep searching!” The teen’s voice cracks in his desperation. Bruce can only feel a yawning chasm of despair creeping in as he sees the tears threatening to fall in Jason’s eyes.
“I know. And while I’m gone, I want all of you to continue to search. But Jay, I committed crimes five years ago and I have to go with the others to get them cleared. Earth will continue to be a target otherwise.”
His second son shakes his head. “The mission is all that matters, right? Well, you can just go to hell. You don’t care about him.”
It’s like a stab to the chest. “Jason, please-“
“Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t sacrifice him for the sake of your damn mission .” Jason’s gaze burns into him.
“I love Jack. But he knew the risks just as I do.”
It’s the wrong answer for Jason. He gives him a look of utter disgust, turning on his heels to storm off. “ Knew ? Fine, give up on him. But I’m not giving up on the only real father I’ve ever had.”
All Bruce can do is watch him go.
—
“Batman?”
Bruce looks up to see Diana standing above him, looking concerned. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.” He says flatly. It’s no use. Diana knows him too well to believe such an obvious lie. “...There’s nothing I can do. So it doesn’t matter.”
She sits beside him, close but not touching. She doesn’t like intruding on his boundaries and Bruce is extremely grateful for that. “He’s going to be okay, Bruce. They’ll find him.”
“ You can’t promise that .” Bruce snaps angrily, glaring at her. Diana looks back at him with nothing but compassion. He looks down, a silent apology. “As of the moment we left Earth, Hood was missing for at least 846 hours and 23 minutes. There were no leads. You’ve been around longer than I have Diana. I’m sure you know the odds at this point aren’t... good .”
He closes his eyes and clenches his fists. He can feel the seconds tick by, stacking higher and higher the longer it takes to find Hood. And now he’s just going to let them pile up while he leaves his city, his planet, his solar system to deal with a problem he didn’t see coming years ago. His blind sightedness may just cost him any chance at seeing his fiancé ever again.
Then again, it’s not like he’d made any ground on finding him the five weeks he’d had so far. Diana interrupts his thoughts.
“I know that look, Bruce. You cannot blame yourself. I am sure you’ve tried everything to find Hood.”
“That’s the thing. I have. I contacted his friends in Star Labs’ Central City. I spoke to the rogues who he likes to visit in Arkham. Asked Barry to search the country. Used Wayne satellites to run a program that will notify me if it spots him via surveillance anywhere in the globe. I even asked for a favor from an old friend in LA to keep his eyes out. Done everything I can think of. And still . I don’t. I don’t even have a body .”
Diana gently pries his fist open so she can hold his hand. He knows she wants to hug him just as she knows he would not enjoy a hug right now. It’s a compromise between their comfort zones and desires. Bruce squeezes her hand but otherwise does not react.
They spend the rest of the time sitting like that in silence.
—
The trial goes...slowly. Agonizingly slow. And most of the time all Bruce can do is stand in the assigned box, cuffed and not allowed to speak until it is his turn to give a statement. Over and over again the six leaguers on trial repeat their innocence, the circumstances that lead to them not being in control of their actions. The aliens watching the trial and even the tribunal overseeing it seem to be waiting for more, but they don’t know what it is they need. How many different ways they can present their case.
After the third time Bruce repeated his statement for the tribunal, he stopped actively listening to what was being said. Instead he focused more on their audience, on the guards. The first time the translator went out and took away his understanding of the languages being said was frustrating, but he continued to try to look at body language in an attempt to glean the context at least. A difficult task to say the least given he had no baseline for any of their natural movements or behaviors. This is why he did not involve himself in any of the space-missions.
J’onn links their minds during the trial, in an attempt to allow them to converse with each other without interrupting the legal process. Bruce would be grateful except no one is really in the mood to idly chat amongst themselves after weeks of standing in trial with minimal rest or progress. That is, until the entire audience is abuzz with gossip and suddenly the courtroom is overrun with chatter that Bruce only catches half of. What he does catch is this.
The Reach is on Earth .
J’onn asks John what that means and things only get worse. While everyone is distracted with whispers, and then Mongul as he’s leaving the audience, Diana looks to him despite him avoiding her gaze.
‘Batman .’ Her voice echoes in his head, ‘ You must have faith in everyone to have it handled .’ At that, the others also turn to look at him.
‘ I do. They’re all very capable. They’ve trained and seen more hardships than I would like. But Diana, do not mistake my concern for my family as not believing in them .’ Most of them return their focus to the hearing, and Bruce looks forward so as to appear to do the same. But he does catch that J’onn has kept his eyes on him, despite being the farthest away. Bruce gets the feeling J’onn will be bringing this up again later that night.
The days on Rimbor are spent standing in court in a legal process that is somehow worse than America’s. The nights, or whatever passes for it on this planet, are spent in a cell with cots lining one wall. Bruce does not spend most of the nights sleeping. Why break a sleeping pattern of over a decade now? If he’s lucky, then Diana or Clark will spar with him at night and the workout they force him in is enough to quiet both his worry and his increasing anxiety over the situation on Earth as well as their own freedom.
Occasionally Clark or Diana will attempt to get him to talk while sparring. His stubborn silence during those attempts have led to them trying less often as the weeks have gone by, he hopes to have them cease completely by the time they leave this planet.
When he’s not lucky, then he spends most of the night in meditation clearing his head. It’s harder than he wishes it would be. His mind has never been so disjointed and unfocused since he began his training in Tibet. He knows why that is, but carefully puts those thoughts in a box and shoves it deeper inside, he cannot afford the weakness it causes now. That doesn't stop him from keeping a count of every hour. He's past a thousand now.
—
“The tribunal of the high court of the Polygloture of Rimbor, finds the defendants guilty on all counts ! Take them away! Court is adjourned.”
The courtroom erupts with noise, cheers and sneers at seeing this trial finally end. Clark turns to Bruce from where he stands on the other side of Diana, and Bruce returns it. The look is one of desperate hope. After all, Clark knows that Bruce has paid little attention to the trial and more so to any possible escape routes. He wishes he could have them out as fast as he’d be able to on Earth, but there are a few options Bruce has compiled over the past few months.
But that will take time, and meanwhile they’re to be taken to their cell to await the fulfillment of sentencing. As the floor parts and they descend into the depths, Bruce hears a familiar voice though the floor closes once more before he can hear what it is she’s saying.
In the silence and the wake of losing this trial Bruce decides to voice a thought he had weeks ago, “Was there a reason we didn’t bribe them when it became clear they cared very little about actual truth or justice and were going to sentence us guilty no matter the evidence?”
“ Bruce- ”
“We’re against corruption-”
Both Clark and Diana start but it is Shayera who interrupts them, “We don’t exactly have an abundance of the local currency for one.”
The others look at her in shock while Bruce ponders this. “Hm. I’ve never had the feeling of not having enough money before.”
—
“How does it feel?” Icon asks as they all walk free for the first time in too many months along the streets of Rimbor.
“ Good . To be freed and cleared.” Bruce replies briskly, not slowing down. The only reason he is not running towards a ship is because Green Lantern must make it first.
“And even better to be heading home!” Clark adds on with a relieved look. Their good feelings are cut into by Vandal Savage’s voice declaring Earth off limits to any incursion or invasion, and then showing he has the power to make such declarations with the Warworld.
He has a feeling at least the past six years have all been Savage’s preparation for this moment and it infuriates that so much suffering has been caused all so Savage can announce himself to the galaxy. Bruce clenches his fists and aches to feel them breaking Savage’s nose, but he has more pressing concerns. Like the situation that called Superboy and Miss Martian back to Earth before the League could be released after being found innocent.
The pit in Bruce’s stomach that has been festering for six months grows.
—
“Are we...too late?” Clark whispers as they all gaze at the complete ruins of their once mountain base. But Bruce spots what Clark is too shocked to see, their young proteges coming closer from the sky. They are not rushed so it is not in distress, but they do not look jubilant either.
“Aqualad what happened here?” Bruce demands of the command leader of the Team once everyone has landed. Or as Kaldur tells them, almost everyone.
“Fear not. The crisis has passed. ...Though at a terrible cost.”
—
Bruce waits until everyone else is busy to go over to Dick. He knows Wally was his son’s best friend and this loss must be hitting him hard, especially after…
“Nightwing,” He starts before pausing and putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I am here if you need me.” Bruce hopes he can live up to that, vows to himself that he will force himself to be alright so that Dick can lean on him, even if it means extra sessions with Dinah.
“B, thanks I-” Dick starts before gasping and dropping his jaw. Bruce is instantly on alert.
“What is it-” Bruce turns only to suddenly be punched in the face. Recovering he drops into a defensive posture, furious with himself for letting his guard down. Even if a voice that sounds like him in his head tells him that it’s understandable , he’s had it up for half a year and he’s finally home and surrounded by friends and family.
A young boy dressed in black with a white skull design on his mask and multiple red x stands before him. Before Bruce can do anything else, the boy takes off his mask and reveals himself to be Jason. Immediately Bruce drops his stance and takes a step closer to his younger son. He opens his mouth but doesn’t know what he’s about to say as Jason interrupts him.
“ We found him .”
It is only sheer force of will that Bruce remains standing. Dick slings an arm around his back to support him and Jason turns to look behind him. Bruce follows his gaze and sees Barbara and Dr. Quinzel walking through the group of heroes on the beach with-
Bruce takes half a step forward, then starts running .
4,344 hours since he last saw that face .
Everything else fades away, his focus entirely on those gorgeous green eyes and that wonderful smile. That face that he had resigned himself to never seeing again. He doesn’t know who reached who first, but the next moment he has his arms around a living, breathing , person and is being kissed within an inch of his life.
One hand is cradling the back of his head, the other holding onto his shoulders as Bruce spins them around on his heel. The kiss pauses as the man in his arms starts laughing in joy, and Bruce has never heard a more beautiful sound.
Those eyes gaze into him and that smile blesses him, their foreheads touch as they stop spinning, though Bruce refuses to let go or even let his feet touch the ground. “ Jack .” He utters his name and it feels like the first exhale of air since that awful morning in December, when he woke to find Jack gone with no traces of where he went.
“Hello Batsy. I’ve missed you too, handsome.” Jack’s voice is rough, and he has bags under his eyes, and they have so much to talk about, so much to catch up on, questions that need answering, but all of that can wait. The world can wait until Bruce has had his fill of basking in the presence of the man he intends to marry, at the soonest opportunity.