Confrontation II
Jason doesn’t trust the alien. He could be the goody two shoes any time any where he wants, saving all the cats on the tree in the world and Jason won’t buy any of it.
Throwing someone saved his ass more than one hand could count out of the team only because some contingency plans fall into the wrong hand, when practically every single bad guy cross the path with the Justice League would like to try to manipulate them in some degree and this happened so many damn times, what they are doing could rate the most hypocritical thing Jason ever heard about. Like hello?? Do they really believe world peace is achieved by smiling and shaking hands? And there Jason is thinking Batman is too weak to eliminate the problem from the very existing roots for not killing the criminals on hot action. See what kind of people Batman is hanging out with all these time. It starts to make sense.
But it’s still feeling so wrong and so absurd how things end. Rage is boiling and every time Jason thinks about it only adds fuel to his frustration and this feeling of wrongness. Dick has been quiet about the unravel of the situation if he doesn’t like it he doesn’t show, but Jason knows Tim is feeling the same way even he won’t admit it. Alfred is in another level but he keeps watching closely.
Alfred apparently expects the League shows up in Gotham one way or another after their silly vote ends, just Jason doesn’t think himself will be the one to witness it.
He doesn’t trust Superman, not the night on the rooftop, not tonight with Bruce on the back seat. There’s something the alien was hiding and it was about Batman back then, he is hiding more now. Call it a hunch. Superman knew more than he let on, he made face every time Wonder Woman hided her anger and disappointment when she mentioned Batman’s name. And right now, he just shows up from nowhere and blocks Jason’s way and what, to talk, it’s suspicious as hell.
Tim broke Bruce’s kryptonite safe not long after the League starting questioning the rightful statue of the Bats. Dick gave him a speech when he found out Tim tried to slip some kryptonite in everyone’s weaponry before they met Superman and Wonder Woman, clearly thinking it’s a over kill and in whole heart believed they would just talk and shake hands. Funny thing was he forgot to ask Tim to give all the kryptonite back.
Jason won’t give his share of kryptonite back and things becomes very handy right now. In retrospect, Tim is more like Bruce than Dick and him in constructing plans over plans for emergency and odds.
If anything Jason had learned from Batman, it’s preparation is the key to everything. Jason doesn’t think himself suicidal, despite whatever Dick mumbles all the time, he knows very well confront, if not fight by any miracle, Superman alone, may not be the most wise thing to do, but he is prepared. Or as prepared as he could be at this hot moment.
Jason has no time to entertain some crazy alien wants to play house, if his words aren’t enough to chase him away, then some green rock should do the work.
Dick is going to be so pissed, for not telling them he finds Bruce, for not calling backup right now, for picking a fight with Superman, for everything when he finds out, if Jason makes back to manor in one piece.
The shred kryptonite he laced with the first bullet is more like a warning and distraction. It helps Jason determine how much kryptonite works on Superman. He loads his gun with lead lined kryptonite bullet and regular bullet, keeping an element of surprise when he fires. The alien wouldn’t never know which one could be his death.
Kryptonite does keep Superman on his toe while Bruce is caught in the cross fire in some way Jason couldn’t fathom. Despite the whimper coming from the surprised pain, Bruce doesn’t let out much more noise, but he clutches into himself so hard, Jason could feel him shaking the way he is clinging to Jason. That’s no good. Not at all.
Jason is furious.
Bruce Wayne, the airhead and useless billionaire, is no threat even to a grandma. He is a mascot of Gotham the most, harmless and silly. Even the criminals won’t bat him an eye if they are not after his money. There could only be one reason that Superman is following and targeting Bruce Wayne - he knows, or at least suspects the relationship between Wayne and Batman.
This is fucked up in so many levels Jason’s too angry to count.
He doesn’t know how much Superman knows to initiate some thing like this, but he might have some thing very specific. The cold dread is shoved into Jason before he could even realize.
It starts to cross Jason how suspicious Superman knows exactly where to wait for them right now. It’s not like Jason has been planning to pick Bruce up and drive back to manor.
For a hot second, Jason doesn’t know what to think and what himself is thinking. Everything narrows down to one most important matter: to make Superman go away (to eliminate the threat).
Whatever the fuck Superman says doesn’t register in Jason until the alien takes off and vanishes in the cloudy dark night of Gotham.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
It’s probably not wise to put kryptonite back because with the super speed, Superman could zoom back once he sees Jason puts down his guns, but Jason must find some way to stop the pain in Bruce. Putting kryptonite back to the lead lined pocket is the most formidable first step.
When kryptonite is securely tugged back into the hidden lead lined pocket, Bruce’s pain’s subdued significantly. He almost let out a soft sign when the pain is eased, whole body going limp, making Jason loses the breathe he unconsciously holding.
Jason reaches out and holds Bruce in place. Bruce looks deadly pale, eyes glassy, sweating heavily. His hands clutching tightly on his belly, like holding on his dear life.
“For fucking real...?”
Without thinking, Jason tries to touch the bump for conformation, but stops when he hears Bruce inhales sharply. He raises his head and looks into Bruce’s eyes. It’s a cloudy sky or a swirling sea he couldn’t decipher.
“Say something, old man. Don’t play dumb. It’s not the time!”
Jason probably is yanking his own hair right now if he doesn’t have his hood on. “Is it true you fucked with a alien and let yourself knocked up? Bruce! What the fuck?” He hisses.
Bruce doesn’t reply, slowly turns his head around and takes in everything in his surrounding, especially where Superman’s used to stand, like he doesn’t know what’s going on.
Jason doesn’t like to be ignored, so he grabs Bruce’s arm and yanks his attention back, but with little success.
Bruce seems lost to his own mind. No. He is lost to his own mind. With close examination, he looks like day-dream, hallucinated and high. He doesn’t give much response to the more than needed strength Jason uses to shake him.
Even with the baggy and ill fitted cloth, Bruce still looks much thinner and pale than Jason remembers last time saw him. But there is no obvious scares or wounds on the skins he reveals. When Jason pats him down, he only flinches because of confusion rather than hurt, which is the only relief Jason has right now.
And yes, the baby bump is fucking real. Nothing moves when Jason briefly touches it. Jason honestly doesn’t know what he should expect, but.
Jason needs to calm down and thinks what’s the next move. He should tell his brothers he finds Bruce but he couldn’t explain how he finds him. He should get Bruce check out what drug is running in his system but he doesn’t know what to say about this weird at least, horrified as the most pregnancy. He should stay calm when Bruce is depended on him but he cannot think when his mind keeps screaming what happen and how much he fails his mentor by letting everything happen. He was on his killing path and fighting Batman like three months ago how it’s even possible to feel this way? Must be the god damn hormone and Alpha instincts talking. This close, every inhale is infused with full blown of Bruce’s sick sweet, Omega-ish scents, which damn sure fires his Alpha side.
There is no way to look at Bruce and stay calm.
“We should go.” Jason murmurs. They couldn’t sit in the middle of road and middle of night until every thing sorts out. The chance of Superman coming back or run into gangs are too high. Jason feels exposed in the open field and he wonders how Bruce stays calm and peaceful all this time. Isn’t that pregnancy should make him want to hide away or what? Or it’s just Omega’s thing. He doesn’t know. “We need take you back to manor.”
“No.”
“What?” Jason jerks his head up, not expecting a real response from Bruce.
“Not going back.” Bruce grunts. His eyes darts around, first time tonight looks have some sort of concentration and awareness of his surrounding.
“You not get to decide - wait!”
Jason grabs Bruce before he tries to climb down the bike, seems either Jason does things his way or he will do it on his own. Jason bristles but there is no use to talk sense to a dream walking man.
Bruce is staring him, somehow patiently waiting for Jason’s response.
Jason takes a deep breath. “Fuck it. I’m doing this because I don’t want to lead unwelcome visitor back to Alfred you know.” He hisses. “Don’t try anything silly.”
Yes, Jason needs to find out how Superman locates Bruce, it must be Bruce because Jason knows himself if clean. He cannot give the alien more evidence how Bruce Wayne and Batman are linked before he can send him back to manor, or the most appropriate place, the cave.
They must make it a do with one of Jason’s safe house tonight. Good thing is that there will be some medical device to do a quick check.
- x -
Clark keeps listening while he flies back to Ghost-Maker’s base.
There is a undeniable familiarity in Red Hood’s tone when he talks to Wayne. The young Alpha is clearly frustrated and pissed off about Wayne’s knocked up with Superman’s pup. Clark is glad the crime lord doesn’t do Wayne any harm anything except some yelling.
What Red Hood says he doesn’t want to disturber the old butler by dropping Wayne back to his home makes Clark wince. It’s not like he can just fly back and double his effort to explain he is not a bad guy and has no ill intention. If they are really going to get into how in the world Wayne could end up with a Kryptonian baby, Clark is definitely losing all his credits of being a hero and good guy. He has no explanation in short, which only promises more troubles and disasters.
Red Hood and Wayne takes a turn back to Gotham downtown and not long Clark lost his track over them.
He still could hear Wayne’s heartbeat if he focuses, which, still feels odd. Clark doesn’t think the instinct would catch up him so quick, but he is apparently wrong.
With a sign, Clark lands in Ghost-Maker’s front door. He doesn’t hear any heartbeat in the house but the garage is left open.
Clark gets back into the basement. There is nobody welcomes him and not even the AI voice speaks up. He finds a small portable freezer with a couple tubes of blood inside. Without being told, Clark knows these must be Wayne’s. Clark would like to talk with Ghost-Maker and the man must obtains more information about Wayne’s health statue but true to his name, Ghost-Maker is nowhere to be found.
Guessing blood sample is where he gets start.
Clark takes the sample to the Fortress and asks Jor to run an complete analysis. Jor tries to fish out more from Clark because it’s not normal on any day his son will walk in and ask for a pregnancy test. For sure he doesn’t want to explain to his biological parent he didn’t sleep around and find out, but there he is. Yes Bruce Wayne is handsome, charming and attractive but Clark Kent barely knows the guy. He is not horny teenager any more and he doesn’t do a night for like past ten years. Clark knows how absurd this whole deal sounds and he doesn’t know much better than Jor and what he could tell is hard to believe. Good thing Jor senses his unease and doesn’t question more.
Clark doubts he could get any more sleep and there’s nothing to do except keeping checking at Wayne, Wayne seems doing good now with a slow and steady heartbeat, so he waits in the Fortress the rest of the night for the results.
By the dawn, Jor manifests in front of Clark and for a projection who has completely control over what he lets show on his face, he looks a little pale, if his frown is not enough to indicate how troubled he is.
Clark clears his throat. “Is something wrong?”
“The analysis is going to take longer time to process due to the complicated nature of this situation, and the result of analysis would be incomplete to guide you through the entire course. There is so much more couldn’t be substituted with only a blood sample. A one on one session is highly recommend.” Jor answers. “And I suggest you bring him in as soon as possible.”