gotham (k)night

@lbatman​

Damian’s fingers delicately smoothed the surface of the long black cape, grimacing at the distinct memory it began to conjure. Though it was faint, he recalled finding the piece, securing the heavy cowl over his head. Underneath the shroud of dark fabric, a man claimed it as his. His father, unaware of his identity at the time. 

Titus’s soft whines broke him out of the teenager’s brief trance. He turned his head towards his companion, scratching behind his ears with his free hand. A small grin softened his expression. Turning his attention back to the cape, he sucked in a breath. Just before he made his way down to his father’s room, he tapped the top of Titus’s head once, whispering for him to ‘stay.’ Titus made no objections the moment his owner stepped out of his room, draping the cape over his left shoulder.

By the time he reached the front of his father’s room, he knocked twice and waited for permission to stepped through the door. He carefully removed the cape from his shoulder, clearing his throat once in an effort to get his undivided attention.

“I know this is yours, so I might as well explain why I have it,” he said, presenting the article to his father with both hands, gaze wavering while he spoke. “Mother had it for a while until I took it when she wasn’t looking. I figured it was about time I gave it back when I should have done it years ago.”

"You've had it for quite a long time," Bruce said after a pause, his eyes examining the cape held in his son's hands before they lifted to find his face. Talia had taken the cape long ago and Damian had taken it from her, only to attempt to return it to Bruce years after. "I have no need for it. Why don't you keep it?"

Because, at this point, was it even really his anymore? There were two owners separating him from the article and both of them likely held more emotional attachment to it than he ever had- Damian, especially.

Another pause and Bruce found himself smiling ever so slightly, nodding towards the cape. "I'm surprised you managed to take it from Talia. She's a very capable woman- there are few who could would succeed as you did."

“Not necessarily,” he said, huffing out a sigh. Once Mary Jane had secured her drink, Bruce took the remaining cup from the caddy to sip at as he laid out his lunch. Sandwich acquired, he turned to look at his assistant and continued. “Though I would appreciate the company, if you’re willing to go.”

It was a request, not a demand, and one Bruce wouldn’t mind her saying no to. Meetings were boring affairs, however important they may be, and if Bruce weren’t so invested in Wayne Enterprises’ pursuits and research he’d likely be tempted to just skip them. If MJ had other work or even just wanted to sit things out, he definitely understood.

Two bites of sandwich later and Bruce was checking the desk clock, already trying to mame the calculation he needed. There was maybe ten more minutes of time left to eat before he had to get going should he want to arrive on time. It was fine- he’d delt with worse timetables.

…

It was with expert balance that MJ bustled her way into his office, and Bruce couldn’t help but give her a short-lived smile as she made her way across the room. He gave her a hum of acknowledgement- he had seen her most recent reminders, thankfully. He’d needed them, which had been a surprise. Between micromanaging both Bruce Wayne and Batman, it had slipped his mind twice.

He gave her a nod of thanks and found himself smiling with mild amusement at her light jab. MJ seemed to take pride in being able to kick him into gear and he could say truthfully that it had been a good while since his dayjob had been so organized. Bruce himself found it almost comforting to know that his days were scheduled so efficiently, especially compared to his nights.

“Thank you,” he said, sliding the papers on his desk aside to make way for the lunch that had just been deposited before him. He gave a light nod towards the caddy, raising an eyebrow. “Would you like the spare? By the time I would end up getting to it, it would be cold.”

…

Mary Jane smiled at the thank you, and nodded. “You’re welcome.” This might be new, but she had certainly been giving it her all (like she did with everything else in her life, so it shouldn’t be a surprise). She was rocking the assistant thing. It was a learning curve, considering she was used to having assistants rather than being one, but she had her sights set on things bigger than just a career in Hollywood. Having Wayne Enterprises on her resume would open doors down the line, and well, she was in-between projects anyway.

It was a request, not a demand, and one Bruce wouldn't mind her saying no to. Meetings were boring affairs, however important they may be, and if Bruce weren't so invested in Wayne Enterprises' pursuits and research he'd likely be tempted to just skip them. If MJ had other work or even just wanted to sit things out, he definitely understood.

Post-Event

Hands slapped at his wrists and tugged on his gauntlets, the man under his hands squirming to free himself from the iron grip covering his mouth and nose. The building had been an easy cleanup, another weapons shipment waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder hidden in the basement. The man stopped moving and Batman released him, taking a moment to find his quiet breathing before securing him with zip-ties. As he began dragging the various unconscious guards into one group in the middle of the room, he opened the comm line in his cowl.

"Oracle, I need a tip sent in to GCPD," Bruce said, his tone barely lighter than the graveled monotone the cape and cowl usually warranted. "Various arms located in the office building on the corner of Beverly Ave and Montross Road. Six perpetrators, all subdued."

@oracle-online

Post-Event

Hands slapped at his wrists and tugged on his gauntlets, the man under his hands squirming to free himself from the iron grip covering his mouth and nose. The building had been an easy cleanup, another weapons shipment waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder hidden in the basement. The man stopped moving and Batman released him, taking a moment to find his quiet breathing before securing him with zip-ties. As he began dragging the various unconscious guards into one group in the middle of the room, he opened the comm line in his cowl.

“Oracle, I need a tip sent in to GCPD,” Bruce said, his tone barely lighter than the graveled monotone the cape and cowl usually warranted. “Various arms located in the office building on the corner of Beverly Ave and Montross Road. Six perpetrators, all subdued.”

With a spare cord from his belt, he tied the unconscious criminals together before prying open the nearest window and leaping into the night. One shot of his grapnel and Batman was swinging through the air, landing across the street on a building fire escape. As he jumped onto a lower roof, he spoke once more. “Where am I needed?”

...

“You got it, B.” Something she’d be able to get more information on tomorrow, considering her day job. Speaking of, she knew which officers were working overnights and who she trusted most with the information, knew who was the most competent at getting the job done that she needed them too. “Did you say six? Sounds like you had a busy night.”

“ – You’re supposed to be in a meeting in like, fifteen minutes. I set it to your Outlook when it was scheduled and I set reminders for yesterday and today, and I also texted you a reminder… but you didn’t respond. And you look cozy right here in your office, so I’m a little bit worried.” She had rapped her knuckles on the office door, hesitating for only a moment before leaning down to partially open the door, fully opening the rest of the way with her foot. Hands full with a takeaway bag and a drink caddy, she moved to carefully place both on his desk. “Alright, so, lunch and coffee. There’s two lattes because they screwed up the first one and well, free coffee and you’re a busy man.” And she would be damned if they let them fuck up Bruce Wayne’s order. The ins and outs of just how and why she had found herself working for Bruce Wayne were still a bit blurry, but it paid beyond well and she wasn’t in any shows at the moment. Adding Wayne Enterprises to her resume was a pretty big deal too, considering she’d been eyeballing potential charity work down the line…even if it meant she had to take the subway into Gotham or it. “So like, I recommend eating fast.”

He gave her a nod of thanks and found himself smiling with mild amusement at her light jab. MJ seemed to take pride in being able to kick him into gear and he could say truthfully that it had been a good while since his dayjob had been so organized. Bruce himself found it almost comforting to know that his days were scheduled so efficiently, especially compared to his nights.

.

He blinked at her in silence as she closed the slight space between them, coming close and settling into an easy distance that was suited to conversation. Dinah was a strong woman, which was something that really didn’t need to be said. She was intelligent and brave and brazen in everything she did. He respected that about her and always had, though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly surprised when he’d heard the news she wanted to settle down. To leave their world behind. It was something Bruce himself could never do- he was too tangled up in this life to ever separate himself again.

It was a difference between them, but not something he would judge. He understood. He’d been happy that she was happy and it was just one more reason they had to get their job done now. So that Dinah could go home to the life she’d wanted.

He let out a soft ‘hn’ at her jab, rolling his shoulders and resetting his posture. “Do you want to talk about it?” he countered, watching her face carefully. Bruce wasn’t the best to talk with, but he could listen hard and listen well. 

\

Dinah stared back at him for a moment, pausing in thought before her lips twisted in thought as she nodded. Of course Bruce would answer with a question. She found it frustrating but that was Bruce. Bruce was a frustrating person. Omnipresent and with eyes everywhere. Though, she found it useful to remember he was just a person just as much as she was. She knew others forgot that sometimes.

“Nice try, detective.” She answered as she began to walk forward, biker boots starting to crunch the gravel beneath their feet. “You know you can ask me about these things?” She called out as she turned one of the the groaning people over as she inspected him. “I get you have a reputation to uphold but I know you and I know you have questions about everything. Including what I was going to do.”

Bruce met Selina’s gaze easily, even through her expression made it clear that she most certainly didn’t want to be talking to him. Not here, at least. His hands curled in his cape where it fell open at his sides and he let his head dip slightly at her words. Normal people they were not.

“It’s not,” he agreed, letting the seriousness of his voice soften ever so. It wasn’t entirely true that he wasn’t here to check up, but there was another reason more important. “Though, I’m coming as an ally, all the same. Has there been much trouble for you, as of late?”

eyes softened at his face for a moment before eyes glanced away. they had been through so much these past years, even more so before that. a puse before eyes looked back, she couldn’t ignore him. life always came to bite her in the ass more often than most. 

“ course. ” a swallow as she pulled her jacket tighter around her body, one of the things she hadn’t gotten used to was the cold, gotham was cruel. “ trouble ? not trouble as you would think. bruised knees & drugs being sold to children but nothing like what you’re used to. ” a sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. “  – have you been sleeping ? like properly sleeping ? ” she couldn’t lie to herself that she didn’t care.

It was a relief that nothing too serious had happened without his knowledge- nothing that Selina couldn't handle. A twitch pulled at his lips at her questioning, a wry half-smile that lasted for less than a second.

"I'm sleeping fine," he sighed, which was entirely untrue. Bruce couldn't find good rest anymore, what with the mission unraveling at his feet. He paused, looking Selina over for a moment before cutting past would-be pleasantries. "If there's nothing serious going on, then I need your help."

Bruce said nothing on the matter of the pills, though he felt immediate distaste at the sight of them. Not for the pills themselves, he was more than pleased that Ted was actually taking the damn things, but for the circumstances that had made them necessary. For the fact that Ted continued to push himself to the limit when so much was on the line. It was concerning, to say the least. But he didn’t say a word, instead opting to pick up a towel and rub off some of the sweat that had accumulated on his face and neck.

“Hn,” he grunted, shrugging his shoulders as if waving the question off. But that wasn’t an answer and really, Ted was someone who Bruce thought deserved one. So, trying again it was. “It’s still Gotham, just more.. chaotic than usual. There’s been a crime spike due to the refugee influx.” Bruce grimaced, rubbing the fabric of the towel in his hands almost absently. “I’ve been busy.”

Hadn’t they all? Most of their community was scrambling to push back, to save the people of their world, to fight for the good of the planet. It was taxing and cumbersome, but necessary. Hopefully, their hard work would pay off. Who knew what nightmares would come should they fail. 

-

Teddy closed his eyes and in moments the stabbing pain in his chest began to ebb away; thank goodness these were so fast acting. Technically he may have messed with their formula a little bit but he didn’t have time to wait for them to kick in at the rate they would from his usual doctor. But that was a little something he kept to himself, Melody would have his head if she knew. He took a few more gulps of water and lent back, panting a little from the exertion. Honestly if he struggled this much he’d never get chosen for any field missions.

“A more chaotic Gotham is a terrible thought.” Teddy grimaced. He’d worked in Star City, back when there’d been a Star City, but New York and Genosha weren’t nearly so bad, in the city anyway. “I know you like to take care of business in your city Bruce, but I’m available if you need. I used to help Babs and her birds out back in the day.” Before he’d realised how badly his body was messed up.

“I’ve been working on some new tech, and your boy’s been over a few times with his dog.” Teddy chuckled, “Making my robots tinier, better surveillance to try and keep on top of different problems.” Even if they couldn’t be everywhere, seeing everywhere was the next best thing.    

Tuning himself back in on Ted's voice, it took hin a moment to go through what he knew he had heard, a thin half-smile pulling at the corner of his mouth when he had. The tech upgrades would be beneficial for Ted, he knew- especially since his condition limited his activity so sharply. Any help was good help, as the man refused to retire despite the state of his heart. Bruce knew he couldn't say a damn thing on the subject, however much he might want to- he knew that if he were put into Ted's situation, he'd do just the same. His children might jest about it, but He planned to keep working as Batman for as long as he could. No matter what happened. Upon realizing he hadn't said a word in response, Bruce let out a him and nodded again.

The shadows of Gotham were something that Bruce was eternally grateful for. The city itself lent itself to providing them, the buildings providing cover on their ledges and in their alleys through darkness deep enough to seemingly swallow you whole. Batman thrived in the dark, in the nights and under the clouds that always seemed to hang around the city even during the day. Even now, as he watched Selina from yards away, he hung in the shadows. Not because he was spying on her but because he didn’t want to interrupt. Batman wasn’t always the best when there were children involved.

She came to him herself, however, and he dipped his head into a nod, acknowledging that he was unwelcome. But he wasn’t here to cause problems for Catwoman. “This is me calling,” he said, putting an edge of finality in his voice. He wasn’t going to be leaving just yet. “I wanted to talk.”

eyes glanced away, catching sight of a piece of colourful trash ; a sigh, before she shook her head. arms crossed over her chest, finally looking up at him ; an eyebrow rose. he knew how this area worked, the rules. people didn’t like him here, it made a hard problem more complex, she had a hard time trying to keep the peace as it was.

“ normal people have phones, bruce. ” eyes softened, reliaising that he wasn’t going to leave her alone for the time being. “ i haven’t done anything illegal recently. ” that he knew of. “ what do you want to talk about ? this clearly isn’t a social call. ”

"It's not," he agreed, letting the seriousness of his voice soften ever so. It wasn't entirely true that he wasn't here to check up, but there was another reason more important. "Though, I'm coming as an ally, all the same. Has there been much trouble for you, as of late?"

the east end was her home, more than gotham was fully. she grew up here, learnt to distrust people & the world here ; but now ? she just wanted these kids not to face her life again. it was hard enough the first time for her. catwoman helped where batman scared, the kids knew they could trust her over him, as the imagination of a five year old was a potent thing especially with him. fingers carefully wrapped up a small wound on an even smaller child, they had tripped ; there was tears but it was saved when her cats made sure the child was okay. the tears quickly turned to giggles as they played with the various cats around her block.

a pause as she glanced towards the alley behind her, a sigh crossing her lips. she didn’t want to deal with him tonight, she hadn’t done anything note worthy of late ; well that he hopefully knew of. eyes glanced around her as she pulled her coat tighter around her body before she walked into the alley. " — you know you’re not allowed here .. if you wanted my attention, you could of just called. " a grin, head moving to the side before rolling her eyes before the smile dropped slightly.

She came to him herself, however, and he dipped his head into a nod, acknowledging that he was unwelcome. But he wasn’t here to cause problems for Catwoman. “This is me calling,” he said, putting an edge of finality in his voice. He wasn’t going to be leaving just yet. “I wanted to talk.”

Teddy fell back hard, his back thudding against the and knocking some of the breath from his lungs. He flipped his legs backwards and thrust them forward, using the momentum to jump up from his crouch and raise his hands in a ready position while panting heavily. His chest burned some, shooting pains coming from his heart. But he knew his body, his wasn’t a heart attack, just him reaching his pathetic limit. 

He couldn’t even go fifteen minutes into a sparring matching without his heart telling him to quit. Mind you, most thugs probably lasted only a fraction of that time against Batman, it was likely a miracle he’d made it this far at all. 

“S-sorry,” he panted, one eye closing behind his goggles as a hand gripped his chest so tight his knuckles went white, “Pain’ll go in a sec, then we can get back at it.” 

Bruce watched with approval as Ted turned his fall into upward momentum, though he didn’t miss the exertion that was obvious on his face. They’d crossed the line it seemed and he let out a quiet hum as the other struggled with the pain in his chest.

“Don’t be,” he replied as he dropped his stance. “You did well. We should take a break. Get some water.” A break. Officially ending the spar would only make Ted feel worse and that really wasn’t the idea. However, letting him jump right in would simply cause more pain and Bruce wasn’t about to torture the man. He was trying to do the exact opposite, really.