No Miracles

He should not have let Clark have that little piece of vindication, he really shouldn’t have. Now he’s all happy and proud and blushing and ugh. Why. Bruce can’t look at him and his stupid bumbling Clarkness.

If Bruce had bothered to check his emtional state, he might’ve been a little alarmed as to why he was trying so hard to troll Clark. But as it was… “Oh don’t bother yourself, Lucious will handle it.” Which the poor sap actually will. “As for whether you get treat of Bruce Wayne’s quality time…only if you say yes to Italian.” Then Bruce, the suave self assured jackass that he was, pulled out his phone and started dialing right there with a smirk on his face.

Clark couldn’t help how much he blushed under Bruce’s admiration and love of his articles. Not many people like his views on justice or how he seemed to always try and find a story that meant something. He knew some of the other leaguers couldn’t figure just why he picked a person that was the complete opposite of him in every way.

He Smirked a bit just for Bruce to see “ Lucious, is a very great asset to your company if he is always acting in your stead. Maybe a gift would be nice for him don’t you think Mr. Wayne?” He couldn’t help the return of his blushes at the other’s invitation. “ So eager to go out with me Mister Wayne, I hardly mind eating Italian, In fact, it’s been a while since I’ve had it at all..I must say being wined and dinned maybes me wonder if you skip those meeting on purpose just to hang out with me?” 

He cocked his head to side and eyed Clark’s gleeful little smirk. “I’d like to think so. Otherwise, I’d have picked and overpayed a badly chosen CEO.” The seriousness of the comment was quickly broken by the grin he let slip through. “But I’ll think of something,” he added with a wink. “As for my skipping the meeting on purpose...well let’s just say I’m not at a liberty to disclose that in a newsroom. It would do badly on my reputation.” Yeah, that reputation’s he’s constantly deliberately running into the ground. “But you are good company Mr. Kent. Least from what I’ve heard from Ms. Lane.”

“Hush, nonsense. I love your stories. They make the boring stuff so much less boring. I actually swell with a little what’s the word -” he snapped his fingers a few times, looking as if trying to recall something elusive, “hope, after reading them.” Dramatically raising his eyebrows, Bruce then ‘accidentally’ let his voice ring loud enough to carry the first two words over to the editor’s office. “Five times! Geezus Kent, you’ve got to be the most patient man in the city!” Then as if actually abashed, he dropped his volume back down and leaned in closer. “But if you’d like some help getting some details on your sports piece,” a smirk was quicly followed by a smug evaluation of his nails, “I’d be more than happy to help ring in a few names for some sound bites, seeing as how I skipped out on the boring lunch date I had planned.”

Clark blushes shyly under all of Bruce’s attention “ You sweet with hope when you read my articles huh? well, how kind of you to say Mister Wayne, I think this world could always use a little hope don’t you agree?” He was almost petrified when the other’s voice raised he wasn’t to hiss at him and playfully slap him but Clark Kent wouldn’t dare do that to Bruce Wayne. He chuckled “ Yes so I’ve heard but what can I do he is the editor.” He blushed for real this time side eyeing Bruce a bit, the jerk was just enjoying this way too much. “ Mister Wayne are you sure you shouldn’t be at the lunch date? it could have been important, I’m not sure I should accept your help but I know if it get’s back to Perry that I denied such a chance at a story he’d have my head. “ He muttered out speaking only the truth “ So Am I to be your lunch date now?” He smirked slightly daring the other to do something.

If Bruce had bothered to check his emtional state, he might’ve been a little alarmed as to why he was trying so hard to troll Clark. But as it was... “Oh don’t bother yourself, Lucious will handle it.” Which the poor sap actually will. “As for whether you get treat of Bruce Wayne’s quality time...only if you say yes to Italian.” Then Bruce, the suave self assured jackass that he was, pulled out his phone and started dialing right there with a smirk on his face.

Bruce tapped his chin thoughtfully at the implied question. “You’re right. As a parent, the idea is concerning. But you’ll have ask a smarter man for the answer to that one.” He laughed outwardly at the mention of Gordon in a bat costume. “Is it weird that as stiff the old bat is, I think our commisioner is still too stiff for that?” It was at that moment that static rang through the room as the MC finally got back to doing his job and rallying the rattled party goers. “Youch! You’d think that with all the money we threw at this venue, they’d at least make sure the equipment didn’t do that.”

Oswald smiled softly and shrugged “ Oh come now Bruce You are much smarter than you let on. I mean look at it if Dick was one of those bat kids I bet you’d worry all night long about him? “ He used that moment to looking around seeing just how fast things seemed to move after Nightwing intervention. “ I think just seeing him attempted to hope from buildings would be enough for a great laugh” He jumped a bit at the noise it hurting his ears “ God..you’d think so ouch that was painful, I suppose we’ll have to leave soon ? or does the party just resume?”

“Now now, no need to be modest there Mr. Kent,” Bruce smiled wickedly, his cobalt eyes shinning with mirth. “Though I did say two.” He then spun to face Lois, gracefully taking her hand and placing kiss onto it’s back.

Perry watched on, brow twitching. “I hope you’re not planning to take too much of my reporters time Mr. Wayne. They do have work to do.” Bruce then noted a pointed look directed his friend’s direction and found his smirk widening. “Of course, not. I would never. In fact, please continue, as you were. Pretend I’m not even here.” The editor in chief eyed him suspiciously but went on his way as Lois smartly took the opportunity to make herself scarce, clearly having more important things to do, as usual. That however left only Clark, who’s desk Bruce was parked right beside, in his clutches, unable to escape. 

Smug grin not leaving his face, the buiness tycoon languidly leaned against the flustered reporter’s desk. “Soooo, what have juicy stories have you cooked up for this time Mr. Kent?”

Clark allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips “ Yes Lois I’m sure is more your favorite, after all, she is the brains behind most of the Daily Planet “ He scoffed quietly at the actions the other was going on with.

He was secretly glad Bruce had shown unto annoy Perry after all he did just deny his articles for the fifth time today. He watched their interaction silently pleading with Lois to stay and deflect Bruce away from him. After all the other wearing his bruce mask loved women. He knew his pleading was falling on deaf ears when she quickly made her escape. He watched Bruce zero in on him. “Mister Wayne you should know by now my stories aren’t that interesting, mostly about getting justice for fire starters.  my last five rough drafts were shot down by Mr. White so he asked me to cover the sports piece. What about you Mr. Wayne…what are you up to on this amazing day?”

Cobblepot’s answer…caught him off guard. If he didn’t train his expressions so often, it might’ve leaked through. Inwardly, he quickly gathers himself and explains it off as the kingpin lying. There’s no other reason for him of all people to express acutal appreciation for his family’s vigilantism. “Well, old Bat’s has got all those kids he’s training right? Maybe they’ll do the same? I’m not sure how I fell about our police slinking around the shadows in masks and capes all the time.”

Oswald smiled softly, even though the Bat was completely a pain his ass at times, he did think Gotham better for him. It did help the time he’d saved his life in that stupid jungle. He chuckles softly “ I guess so, but what if that life becomes too dangerous for just kids to handle…surely the bat has come to care for these kids as if they were his own. It’s a nice thought kind of like passing it forward in some way” He smiled “ I guess your right can you imagine Gordon dressed in a bat costume? plus I’m sure they’d run out of bird names eventually”

He should be meeting with some business partners for lunch, but considering how those snobs just waste his time, Bruce gave himself leeway to be here instead, at the Daily Planet. He does have to keep up appearances as the air-headed wastrel held up by nothing except the sheer volume of his fortune anyways.

“Perry!” He beams with an apparent giddiness and he swaggers in. “I’ve been hearing good things about this place recently! How’re my two favourite reporters?” Wolfishly his eyes then darted exactly to the spot where he expected one particular mild mannered reporter to be ducking for cover. Time for some payback.

His blood ran cold and he wished he wasn’t this muscular sized thing so he could just hide in the behind his computer. He looked up from his screen just in time to see Bruce, Perry and Lois all center around his desk great he thought “Mister Wayne…You shouldn’t give such compliments, favorite reporter hardly” He blushed a bit falling into his Clark role.

Perry watched on, brow twitching. “I hope you’re not planning to take too much of my reporters time Mr. Wayne. They do have work to do.” Bruce then noted a pointed look directed his friend’s direction and found his smirk widening. “Of course, not. I would never. In fact, please continue, as you were. Pretend I’m not even here.” The editor in chief eyed him suspiciously but went on his way as Lois smartly took the opportunity to make herself scarce, clearly having more important things to do, as usual. That however left only Clark, who’s desk Bruce was parked right beside, in his clutches, unable to escape. 

Smug grin not leaving his face, the buiness tycoon languidly leaned against the flustered reporter’s desk. “Soooo, what have juicy stories have you cooked up for this time Mr. Kent?”

@sonicanary

And just like that Dinah was off, like perchlorate and octane. Sometimes it was hard to tell which of the two was more hazardous. Not that it really made a difference. “So stating facts and my personal preferences makes me an asshole now?” he returned cooly, calm in the face of her fury. “Good to know.” To be fair, he was an asshole for a lot of other reasons, but he was also never one to simply budge from argument.

He knew what Dinah was getting at, what she was aiming for, but her words just wrang up more sad nostalgia than anything. “That was the plan.” How the glamour of his efforts became more then their intended effect on his petrified targets was still an abivalently seredipitous thing. Sliding the folds of his cape back over the fronts of his shoulders, he then rung for the GCPD on that one frequency he knew he didn’t need to speak through to get their mobilization.

“You think this is how I treat my Robins?” Bruce quirked an eyebrow at the fellow vigilante, genuinely curious as to how she arrived at that conclusion.

          “Actually yes.” Batman was the person who got on her nerves the most - after Guy Gardner - especially when he acted like that cold insensitive asshole. Folding her arms over her chest, she bit the inside of her cheek as she was mulling for a more decent explanation. “That’s not what you just said, but how you said it.” His calm was getting to her the wrong way, she was losing it if she couldn’t control herself. 

          She wasn’t even asking for his friendship, but a little bit of respect would have been nice. “Just because I don’t purr, doesn’t mean I’m not good company, && no, totally not that kind of company neither.” 

          “No. If you really want to know a piece of my mind, then I think you treat all of us the same way, besides Superman. && your surely treat your sidekicks even worse.” Not that others did better, obviously Ollie had been a dick to Roy in the first place, && he would never be called dad of the year. “You push people away, that’s what you do when you’re scared. No need to be a psycho to figure that one out.” She sighed, exhasuted to have to explain those kinds of facts to a man like Batman. She couldn’t even tell if he was listening to her, or just making her waste her time. 

          Her eyes followed his moves as he called GCPD. “You’re maybe one of the best vigilantes around, I’ll admit that to you, but you’re not a good person. At least I didn’t get to see that side of you.” 

And then there was the dragging of more people into this. For his part, Bruce felt the mention of Selina was slightly unfair. That situation was complicated, not the least of which being how often they got in each others way. The mention of Clark though earned Dinah a raised eyebrow. “What does Superman have to do with all this?” Before it narrowed at the repeated mention of his children. “Just because you’re angry doesn’t mean you deserve to make unwarrented accusations.” Not he was starting to get irritated, time to get out before things escalated into violent pettiness.

“You’re not a good person” Was one of the last things he heard as he fired his grapple to make his leave. “Tell me something I don’t know.” He sighed and sweeped his cape behind him as the cable hauled him into the air before grumbling, “In case you didn’t didn’t notice, I didn’t refuse your company, just the food.”

“Oh, no,” Bruce laughed, “That’d be too…what was the word again? Presume-tus?” He waved the thought off dismissively. “Besides, it’s just a nickname.” Cobblepot seemed to be prodding for something, as his next question got decidedly more poitical. Bruce scratched his head in apparent deep thought. “Well, they me, and they seem nice, mostly, so I guess? They help catch criminals no?” Behid the antics, he descretely eye Cobblepot for his reaction to that. He might be the mayor now, but Bruce knew where he’s real interested lay.

Oswald smiled good-naturedly leave it to the other to just sweep his tiled under the rug, There wasn’t a house in Gotham that didn’t know The Wayne name. Bruce being the most famous since a young age. “ Well Heaven knows everyone who’s everyone knows the Wayne name,” He smirked softly shrugging, “ I think they seemed to do a lot for Gotham. It’s just I have to wonder how long they will be around you know? People get Older doing such things tend to tolls on their bodies. Maybe the GCPD should be trained by these vigilantes then more people can help them fight Crime”

“Better coffee Clark. Not more of the same stuff.” He was mostly just making fun of Clark now, in his own grumbly Bruce way, but he had no doubt the other would’ve picked up on it. “And you should consider it. You have a better chance of beating Kat Grant than Lois Lane to next pulitzer worthy story.” Cause he makes jokes. That’s a thing he does now apparently.

Bruce snorted at the cooing and turns back to the monitors, deciding he’d humored Clark for long enough now. “Whatever, just don’t get too used to it. I do have a lot of other things to do.” Even though he really did enjoy doing these little tidbits to make the bumbling kryptonian’s life a little easier.

Clark chuckled loudly at that ‘ Well Bruce Next time you’ll just have ordered the coffee from one of those bistros you enjoy so much” He smirked softly knowing the other just to be teasing him. “ True but that would mean writing gossip about my dear friends you know I don’t have the heart in it.  Plus I don’t need a Pulitzer I have Bruce Wayne’s approval on my column and that’s good enough for me” 

Clark smiled turning back to his screen “ I won’t I promise, its just nice that you think of me every now and then “ He smiled knowing that the two were closer than they appeared, He could finally at times count Bruce as one of his closest friends.

In truth though, deep deep down, he really appreciated Clark’s meddling. He made the world seem a little less cold and unforgiving and maybe maybe helped Bruce keep hoping that everything they do will actually eventually make the world a better place.

He was right through sudsing his hair when he heared the bellow through the door but he couldn’t say he was surprised. Shouting matches and conversation from across the cave was hardly a new thing and it wasn’t like he actually gave Tim the queue to wrap theirs out for the moment.

“Penthouse,” he hollared back through the spray and metal. “Business meetings and stuff with his team.” Which meant he’ll have to send in a cleaning crew in a few days but at least Dick’s not out starving on cereal alone again. “Cass is with Steph and Damian’s at the vet.”

“Heh yeah, he has a way of doing that.” The stately butler, no matter the subject, had a way of always offering exactly what they needed from him. It was a wonder Bruce was more than grateful of everyday, especially after having to raise five children.

Clark was just teasing him, he knew that, but personal vows and rationality aside, it was still dejecting to know how false the kryptonian’s words were. He was sincere and earnest, but what his optimism failed to take into account was how few people actually ever even got know the real him, not just the dark mask or the vapid smiles present to the public. And to find one in that number who still liked him well, the math speaks for itself.

He refuses to think about that though so instead he says, “If that’s an interview your trying to angle for you’re going to have to make better coffee.” He jabbed a finger at his mug for emphasis, the proceeded to make another obnoxious crunch with his apple. Clark plea lowered him to a sigh though, and he dropped the hand with fruit before finally admitting. “I know you have issues stowing away your clothes after you pull out your costume, so I’ve been working on a way to help with that.”

Clark smiled looking over at his friend he was very lucky to have such a wonderful Father figure around, at times when Clark found himself missing his father seeing Alfred was a great release from that pain. Throughout his teasing he knew how the other felt about the dating and love, he too found it difficult for someone to love both sides of him. Plenty loved Superman but not many liked just plain old Clark Kent. He laughed shaking his head “ I don’t write for the gossip column, But if you’d like more coffee I’d grab some” He couldn’t contain his excitement he always loved when Bruce would create things, “ Aww you do listen when I talk. I’m so lucky to have such a brilliant friend “ 

Bruce snorted at the cooing and turns back to the monitors, deciding he’d humored Clark for long enough now. “Whatever, just don’t get too used to it. I do have a lot of other things to do.” Even though he really did enjoy doing these little tidbits to make the bumbling kryptonian’s life a little easier.

Bruce could practically see the static fritzing off from Jason in his indignation. That doesn’t stop him for a beat. “Killing with purpose is still killing, which means that expecting there to be dead people in your wake is hardly illogical.” If it was anyone else, anyone else, Bruce would probably have let this go. But it was Jason. Jason was one of his kids, the one he probably failed the worst, the one it hurt the most to see disregarding human life, so like hell was he not going to scold him relentlessly about his short sighted moral decisions. “And you are by far not the first person to have thrown those arguments against me, so I will keep answering them in turn as I see fit.” God, he’s going to get knowhere with this. He knows this, but just as he couldn’t help but want to reconnect with his son, Jason makes him throw all real rationality out of the window.

“No. It’s not illogical at all, in fact it’s the most likely outcome from me showing up in this damn city. But hey! At least I’ll clean up after myself.” his chuckle held no real mirth. “Jesus, you are so… fucking naive!” It disgusted Jason, frankly. “How can you live the life you do with your eyes screwed shut so tightly?” At this point, he knew he was just arguing with a brick wall. They had gone in circles like this so many times, it was starting to make Jason dizzy just from thinking about it. But if he could just get Bruce to see…. The younger pulled off his helmet with obvious aggravation. “You refuse to see things any other way than what you believe, but you still think you have any right to criticize me?”

Cobblepot would comment about Nightwing’s appearance. Bruce had to hold back inward shudder at his recollection of the kingpin’s comments from back when they were stuck on that island. And he was inadvertantly talking about his family again.

Holding himself together, Bruce threw out a vapid smile and preens. “Of course. I am still the prince of Gotham.” At the sight of the mayor struggling though, he automatically ducked over to support him and help him up. “But I honestly don’t know where to go from here. Hopefully the MC has it covered.” He glanced back up to see Dick finishing his short handoff to the police. Then the boy was off again to the sound of swooning fangirls.

Oswald had to admit he rather loved a man in a nice costume, though he was a hero he did seem to know he was handsome with the mask. He allowed the other to help him thinking snapping not to be a good idea. “ The prince of Gotham surely you’ve moved to King by now” He looked around seeing how quickly everything seemed to return to normal, leave it to the rich people to be happy to have their trinkets back. “ Well if they aren’t too busy swooning over Nightwing. Do you think the night vigilantes help Gotham?  I just ask out of curiosity” 

He was right through sudsing his hair when he heared the bellow through the door but he couldn’t say he was surprised. Shouting matches and conversation from across the cave was hardly a new thing and it wasn’t like he actually gave Tim the queue to wrap theirs out for the moment.

“Penthouse,” he hollared back through the spray and metal. “Business meetings and stuff with his team.” Which meant he’ll have to send in a cleaning crew in a few days but at least Dick’s not out starving on cereal alone again. “Cass is with Steph and Damian’s at the vet.”