Fic: Morning Sun (Bruce/Clark)
Title: Morning Sun
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters/Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Rating: PG
Words: 678
Summary: Bruce is back. But things aren't back to normal just yet.
Author's Notes: Written for rai_daydreamer as part of help_haiti. Thanks for the donation! Contains some speculative spoilers for Bruce's return.
No one was exactly sure how to react when Bruce turned up in the middle of Gotham, still wearing the remnants of his mysterious journey through time. A quick genetic scan confirmed that this was, indeed, Bruce, and an examination of his body showed that it was the right version. He seemed coherent, able to answer questions about where he had been and what he remembered. It was just that he seemed...shellshocked, for lack of a better word. Every time there was a second of quiet, his mind seemed to wander, taking him back to wherever he had been this past year. And he slept. A lot. Often 16 hours out of every day. For a man who had trained his body to function on five hours a night, this was an aberration to say the least. Even though there was nothing physically wrong with Bruce, it was clear something wasn't quite right inside.
Bruce had only been in Smallville a few times, but Clark thought a familiar, welcoming place without the stresses of Gotham might be what he needed to get his bearings. Once Bruce had been cleared to leave the JLA medical lab, Clark decided to fly him there in the middle of the night, so he'd wake up to friendly faces. And as he watched the morning sun rise over Smallville, he hoped desperately that he could put the man he loved back together.
"Tell me everything."
Clark spun around as he heard Bruce's voice. Even in his current state, Bruce still had his stealth. "Bruce! You're up. Do you need anything to eat? I can have Ma whip us up some - "
"Later." Bruce, looking like the little energy he had was expended, sat down on a porch chair. "Right now, I want to know what I missed. Whatever you can tell me."
"Right." Clark sat down, trying to process the last year in his thoughts. "Well, there's some good news. Conner and Bart Allen are back. The Legion - I told you about them, right? - had a plan to save them."
"That's great. No one should die that young."
"And they're not the only ones who are back. Barry Allen. He's back for good. I know there were some close calls before, but it seems like he's here to stay this time."
A sly smile flickered across Bruce's face. "I always knew he'd make it back. What about Gotham?"
"Honestly? Your boys carried on for you incredibly. Dick did you proud as Batman. Tim took it extremely hard, but he never believed you were gone. He was the one who found the first piece of the puzzle. Even Damian, loose cannon that he is, seems to be becoming a real hero under Dick's watch."
"I knew they would." Bruce nodded. "They're strong. For everything I've done in Gotham...I'm proudest of them."
There was a moment of silence, as Bruce looked at the sunrise. Clark stayed quiet, afraid to say the wrong thing.
"Was it this hard for you, Clark? Coming back? I always prided myself on being ready for anything, but walking back into your own life after a year of being dead..."
"You weren't dead, Bruce. You were just missing. And we finally found you."
"I might as well have been." Bruce shook his head. "You know, all those months, in all those worlds, fighting to survive...I tried to keep something in my mind, to remind myself of who I was. To remind myself of what I was fighting for. The thing that kept on coming back to me, that kept me sane...was your face."
Clark smiled. He knew, for all of Bruce's stoic exterior, his heart was as strong as any of theirs. He might not have been back to normal yet, but Bruce would get there. And until he did, he would be there for him. In Smallville, or in Gotham. They had both gotten second chances at life, and so had many of the people they loved. That wasn't the kind of thing you wasted.
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters/Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Rating: PG
Words: 678
Summary: Bruce is back. But things aren't back to normal just yet.
Author's Notes: Written for rai_daydreamer as part of help_haiti. Thanks for the donation! Contains some speculative spoilers for Bruce's return.
No one was exactly sure how to react when Bruce turned up in the middle of Gotham, still wearing the remnants of his mysterious journey through time. A quick genetic scan confirmed that this was, indeed, Bruce, and an examination of his body showed that it was the right version. He seemed coherent, able to answer questions about where he had been and what he remembered. It was just that he seemed...shellshocked, for lack of a better word. Every time there was a second of quiet, his mind seemed to wander, taking him back to wherever he had been this past year. And he slept. A lot. Often 16 hours out of every day. For a man who had trained his body to function on five hours a night, this was an aberration to say the least. Even though there was nothing physically wrong with Bruce, it was clear something wasn't quite right inside.
Bruce had only been in Smallville a few times, but Clark thought a familiar, welcoming place without the stresses of Gotham might be what he needed to get his bearings. Once Bruce had been cleared to leave the JLA medical lab, Clark decided to fly him there in the middle of the night, so he'd wake up to friendly faces. And as he watched the morning sun rise over Smallville, he hoped desperately that he could put the man he loved back together.
"Tell me everything."
Clark spun around as he heard Bruce's voice. Even in his current state, Bruce still had his stealth. "Bruce! You're up. Do you need anything to eat? I can have Ma whip us up some - "
"Later." Bruce, looking like the little energy he had was expended, sat down on a porch chair. "Right now, I want to know what I missed. Whatever you can tell me."
"Right." Clark sat down, trying to process the last year in his thoughts. "Well, there's some good news. Conner and Bart Allen are back. The Legion - I told you about them, right? - had a plan to save them."
"That's great. No one should die that young."
"And they're not the only ones who are back. Barry Allen. He's back for good. I know there were some close calls before, but it seems like he's here to stay this time."
A sly smile flickered across Bruce's face. "I always knew he'd make it back. What about Gotham?"
"Honestly? Your boys carried on for you incredibly. Dick did you proud as Batman. Tim took it extremely hard, but he never believed you were gone. He was the one who found the first piece of the puzzle. Even Damian, loose cannon that he is, seems to be becoming a real hero under Dick's watch."
"I knew they would." Bruce nodded. "They're strong. For everything I've done in Gotham...I'm proudest of them."
There was a moment of silence, as Bruce looked at the sunrise. Clark stayed quiet, afraid to say the wrong thing.
"Was it this hard for you, Clark? Coming back? I always prided myself on being ready for anything, but walking back into your own life after a year of being dead..."
"You weren't dead, Bruce. You were just missing. And we finally found you."
"I might as well have been." Bruce shook his head. "You know, all those months, in all those worlds, fighting to survive...I tried to keep something in my mind, to remind myself of who I was. To remind myself of what I was fighting for. The thing that kept on coming back to me, that kept me sane...was your face."
Clark smiled. He knew, for all of Bruce's stoic exterior, his heart was as strong as any of theirs. He might not have been back to normal yet, but Bruce would get there. And until he did, he would be there for him. In Smallville, or in Gotham. They had both gotten second chances at life, and so had many of the people they loved. That wasn't the kind of thing you wasted.