Aftercare

[ducttape_hero]

Peter and the doctors were in perfect agreement in checking Aunt May into the hospital overnight. They were in less perfect agreement about Peter himself. He was burnt, huge blisters and long red sears up both arms, with lesser blisters on his face and neck. He hadn't even felt them. He only agreed to be admitted when they promised him he'd share a

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[i_own_this]

Bruce still bears the traces of last night. He's exhausted, feeling brittle. He has a hell of a bruise on his right forearm, various smaller aches and pains all over. And his face very carefully made up and clothing very carefully chosen, to downplay and conceal the heat-burn from one of the other bombs at the park.

Any other time, he wouldn't be up and about -- certainly not this early, maybe not for another few days. But the Joker is still out there, and there's business to be seen to.

It's not difficult to talk his way into Peter's room. He's very quiet and solemn at the visitor's desk, asking for discretion, please, he's a friend of the family...

[ducttape_hero]

He and Peter can be a matched set, then. Peter should still be in that hospital bed, not the chair. Not that Peter's exhaustion shows in the way his head snaps up each time someone passes the door to their room, each new voice in the hall. After all, the Joker's paid this very institution a visit before, and we all know how that went. And May is asleep still.

But Mister Wayne, at least, gets a smile. Yes, it's a little wary. You'd better not be here to pay all the bills again, Bruce...

"Hey... I called HR." He thinks he did. He may have simply intended to. It was a rather overwhelming night.

[i_own_this]

Even if he didn't call HR, it's been taken care of. (And so are those bills, Peter, don't you even think about arguing.)

"Hey," he answers back quietly, with a faint smile of his own. "How are you guys?" Not just Aunt May. Peter, too.

[ducttape_hero]

Oh, he's too tired to argue. He'll just scowl, and see about building up his savings so he can beat Bruce to the check-writing next time.

"She's doing okay." He turns towards her, careful of the burn on his neck. "Just some smoke inhalation, mostly."

[i_own_this]

"And you?" Concern. "I heard the whole building went up."

[ducttape_hero]

He holds up his hands, which are bandaged across the palms and clear to his elbows. He's got a scrub shirt borrowed from that same nurse on, and his own jeans, blackened hems and all. "Okay. Just blisters. You? You look pretty..." Yeah.

[i_own_this]

He doesn't react to that observation. Not really. A half-second of confusion and... something more on-edge, then shoving it all down, hard. And he smiles, wider than he wishes he had to. "Nah. Just a long night. Nothing like..." A gesture at Peter. "Do you have anywhere to go, once you get out of here?"

[ducttape_hero]

He nods, looking down. "Yeah... We've got- well, sort of relatives out of state." He lowers his voice, almost whispering. "Aunt Carol's already out there."

[i_own_this]

It's a good plan, but it won't be enough, not if the Joker is determined. Look at Query.

He's about to protest on reasonable, Bruce Wayne grounds, then... Peter says something to Bruce Wayne, should be a complete non sequitur. (But of course it isn't and don't tell him, he's going to -- if Nigma told...) So he acts like it is.

"...huh?"

[ducttape_hero]

Peter only knows what the newspapers know, about what happened in the park.

He rubs his hand across his face, smoothing back what's left of his hair. "It's gonna be in the newspapers... The fire wasn't an accident. At all. So we need to go just... away. For a while."

[i_own_this]

"It wasn't?" Oh, thank God. That was an unpleasant moment, there. But it's just Peter letting on more than he should.

"How do you know that's enough? Far enough away? And you have school here, and a job..."

[ducttape_hero]

If Bruce had spent the night expecting every passing stranger to open fire, in a crowded hospital, he'd be letting on too much too.

"I can take a leave of absence from both. What else -can- we do? It's a better option than protective custody or something, and we'll be around people we know." Distantly, but still.

[i_own_this]

Well, at Peter's age, maybe. Now, not so much.

"You could stay with me." And because he knows by now he's going to have to talk fast to sell the offer, he does. "At my penthouse. Or the floor below it. I've got better security than your relatives will... no offense... and you'll still be in the city, if you're needed."

[ducttape_hero]

As predicted, Peter's guard flies right up. But he does keep listening. Except... "Like the security at your party?"

[i_own_this]

Hmph. Damn party. "Parties have a lot of security holes, unfortunately. The guests, the staff... I've upgraded since then. And I wouldn't be doing any partying there, while you were staying. I also have a saferoom." A real one, in addition to the one with all the equipment.

Come on, Peter. Please take this offer.

[ducttape_hero]

Peter's a smart kid. He sees the logic in taking this offer. After all, it's not like Wayne likes the Joker breaking in on him. He rubs distractedly at the bandage under his ear, looking at his aunt's sleeping face.

"Yeah. If it's okay with her."