metalogs | ( open ) and what's the worst you take

Entry tags:

( open ) and what's the worst you take

Who: Bruce Wayne/Batman

batsymbol
What: July Catch-all, Bruce assimilating to things, Batman being Batman
When: Throughout July, some August things too
Where: Primarily Central City, will mention otherwise
Content Warnings: TBD but let's just say Bruce being Bruce and Batman being Batman.

BRUCE or BATMAN

open to both [brackets] and prose, i'll follow your lead if you have a preference. if you want something else with bruce or bats, shoot me a PM or PP at

telekinetics to discuss. otherwise things we've planned/discussed can be dropped in here as well. starters in comments.

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Dick pauses, considering that for a moment. It would be easier for Bruce, especially the way he's dressed. "I can always get a taxi back here in a day or so, if you don't mind me leaving the bike inside. Or wherever the garage is."

"You can leave it inside. It's still a little... under construction." And the entrance has more than enough room for storing a bike off to the side.

That being said, Bruce just goes ahead and walks past Dick — pushes the door open to lead them outside and blinks his eyes a little as he does; he wishes he had some sunglasses on him. Looking back to Dick, eyes squinting some, he gestures for him to bring the bike in, offering to hold the door open for him as he does.

Dick notes that squint, which is kind of adorable. And something they all do because they work at night.

He brings the bike in quickly, moving it off to the side so that it's not in the way of people coming in. He also puts his helmet in the lock box, along with the smaller one. Just to keep everything safe.

Then he heads back out, waiting for Bruce to lock the door. "Where's the car?"

Taking a moment to lock up, he heads around the side of the dorm, expecting Dick to follow him, dirt and debris crunching beneath his shoes as he goes. It's a little ways around the place — not exactly at the back, but more off to the side where a smaller wing of the building is. It's damaged a lot worse than the rest of the place and obviously the part of the dorm that's going to need the most work on, but. They can step inside at least, granted Dick's mindful of the debris still around here.

At first glance, it seems as though Bruce has taken Dick to an empty part of the building, but. As he walks in closer towards the shadows, they suddenly move and fall away, revealing the Batmobile in hiding there and yes, it's very year two just as his suit is, but. It's heavily modded, packs quite the punch, and has quite the engine power on it.

Walking around to the driver's side, he opens the door and slips into the seat, turning on a few things as he does.

Well. That's...not what Dick was expecting. He raises an eyebrow as the shadows part, walking forward carefully.

"Take it that's what you got when you came through the Confluence?" It's such a Bruce power to have, though.

He resolutely doesn't gawk at the car. Because while he hasn't seen this exact car, he's seen pictures of a similar one. One Bruce used not long before Dick himself came on the scene. "Can your feet even reach those pedals?"

"It knows when it's me," he says rather nonchalantly, scooting forward some in the seat and taking a look at things. "I don't know how else to explain it. But it's from here, yeah." Because the Batmobile definitely can't do any of that back in his Gotham. There's a certain sort of... connection between the shadows the Batmobile hides in and the shadows Bruce can seemingly manipulate. The Batmobile isn't Kitt by any means, but. It's not as if Bruce is constantly keeping the shadows on either, so. He's still figuring the whole having powers thing suddenly out anyways.

Clicking a few more things, he looks over to Dick. "No," said flatly. "I was just making sure we're good to go." At that, he crawls his way over the seats and for the passenger one, dropping himself down into it with a slight huff, eyeing Dick a little after.

"You know how to drive it?"

Edited 2023-08-02 23:05 (UTC)

"I haven't driven this one, but I've driven a Batmobile before." Not going to mention the last times, he'd been Batman himself. No need to let Bruce know that THAT passes on as well. At least, sometimes.

He climbs in, adjusting the seat slightly before starting the engine. The hum of the engine is different than he's used to, but there's nothing wrong with that. He puts it into gear and drives out of the garage area. "You're the local. Where's the nearest shop that would have what we need?"

Settling back in his seat, he looks out the passenger window as they start to move, looking and feeling so small there in the Batmobile.

"The city center typically, but you can't just go driving this around there." And not be Batman, he means. He's still keeping a relatively low profile here in terms of what he does and where he is. Bruce Wayne might not mean anything here and there may be a handful who know who he really is, but he's not looking to make that public knowledge.

Looking over to Dick, he watches him. "Jason told me to ask you about a batchannel." You know, before all of this happened. "He said it was for group gossip."

"Fair. We'll park a bit away and walk." Because that's the sensible thing. "Just need to get close enough that we don't have to go too far." They can. But not until Bruce has better clothing.

He glances over to Bruce, then back to the road. "Nobody's told you about the Batchat yet?" Because that's absolutely what it's called in his phone. Though there are subsections of the Batchat. "It's basically just a massive text thread with everybody added on. We use it when something needs to get out fast, or there's something to just talk about to everybody." Pause. "Or gossip. There's a fair amount of that going on, too. TJ brought it from our world, probably. I have it silenced a lot of the time because I do like to sleep occasionally."

Staring down to his feet, it's strange to see they can't even touch the floor of the vehicle. He's just... so small. The explanation of the batchat gets him to look over, however, and he's thoughtful for a moment before he looks back ahead.

"I'm sure there was a lot of gossip about me when I showed up." Given who he is to all of them and his age compared to the Bruce they all know.

There's a long pause while Dick concentrates on the road. Because it needs all his concentration. Obviously.

"Imagine Alfred shows up," he says after a moment. "But it's not the Alfred you know. It's Alfred only a year or so after he came to work for the Wayne family. Or maybe Alfred from when you were a toddler? How would you react?"

Bruce"s expression changes from thoughtful to a little somber when Dick mentions Alfred and, rather than answer, he turns some to look out the passenger window. Staring. Watching as things go by them.

After a moment, he presses his back against the seat, legs dangling some, staring up to the ceiling of the vehicle he'd worked on in private... that he was still wanting to work on.

"I'm glad you all have each other here," he says then, finally, softly. "Probably makes being here easier."

"Partly," Dick agrees, looking around and finding an alleyway that the Batmobile will fit into. This is about as close to the center of town as he wants to get with the vehicle, after all. "But I also worry a lot about everybody. I'm not sure if that's a big brother thing or if it's a me thing. But it could be both."

Pulling himself up straight some, he looks around - notices the way Dick is taking the Batmobile down an alley, then turns some in the seat to look over to him better.

"You don't have to worry about me," a beat, staring dead ahead at Dick. "When I'm not like this." Because... ok. He gets it right now. Yeah.

That gets a snort as Dick puts the car in park, giving Bruce an amused half grin. "Yeah, no. That's not how it works, Bruce. People are going to worry about you no matter what, no matter how competent you are at what you do." He shakes his head. "That's one thing I've learned over the years. You don't get to decide who worries about you or not. It's just a thing that happens because they care."

It's just a thing that happens because they care.

Those words have Bruce think back to that moment in his under construction 'Batcave' here. After twisted versions of Thomas and Martha Wayne had come for him and he'd taken Jason back there to patch up... to just get away and collect himself for a couple moments... when he'd found himself holding a sobbing Jason there against him on the stool after telling him how he wouldn't give up on him. The things he felt in that moment as he gently held him... as Jason gently broke down... he keeps that to himself - doesn't even think to bring it up to Dick, but. It makes sense, he thinks. What Dick says about it just happening and Bruce's expression shows that he understands.

With the Batmobile parked, he pops the door open and slips out the passenger side, looking at the way his makeshift shorts dangle there around his smaller legs.

"I just need a pair of pants and shirt... mostly."

Edited 2023-08-04 21:01 (UTC)

"And some shoes. And underwear." It's warm enough that they can probably get away without socks, depending on the shoes. "I'm not going to go overboard, promise. You could end up an adult again tomorrow. But you're going to be properly dressed for today, at least."

"You sound like Alfred..." He says that a little softly, but. It's true enough and he makes his way around the Batmobile before he stops — glances over to it, and watches the way it slowly disappears into the shadows of the alley. Comes in handy when he needs to be discreet with it. Or have it nearby for a quick getaway.

"That is so weird." Dick's had time to get used to his own powers. And Tim's. But the rest of the family having powers is still taking a bit. "And I should sound like Alfred. You aren't the only one he raised, though he was more helping with the rest of us."

There's a lot more to his powers that Bruce hasn't even tapped into yet. Being as emotional as he can be — despite coming off as not being such a good chunk of the time — he's maybe found some things out about what he can do here and there. Also, he tries to work with it when he's out of sight from the others. Not at all mastered and it always makes him tired, but. He's trying to figure it out. On top of everything else here.

He and Jason seem to share the same sort of power. Funny, given how alike they are in various other ways. At least from what he's seen.

"Is he still raising some of you where you're from?"

Dick forces himself to breathe normally, to not give anything away as he turns the question over in his mind and replays their earlier conversation about Alfred in his mind. Has he already given it away, then? Or is Bruce just wondering, thanks to Dick's own age, whether Alfred was still alive in his own world?

Of course, by waiting so long, he's probably saying enough.

"Damian's been raising himself since before he came to Gotham," he manages, voice a little tight, then takes a deep breath. "But, no. Alfred left us about a year ago."

He will NOT say how. Or why. To a Bruce Wayne this young, knowing some version of his father was responsible? No. He's not going to be put that on him.

Steps begin to slow as they go and, eventually, he comes to stop. Dick doesn't need to elaborate, he knows what he means when he phrases it like that — he maybe even knew from the hesitation in answering him, but. Hearing it — especially with his own uncertainty with Alfred back in his own Gotham, it makes him slow down a little.

"How did he... leave?" Because he doesn't want to say it.

"Just his time." Which is what Alfred would have said. It was his turn to save his family. Despite the fact that he'd saved them all so many times just by being in their lives. By loving all of them unconditionally. "We always knew it would happen. Didn't make it easier when it happened."

Slowly, his gaze drops and he stares to the ground there.

"Yeah..." He knows one day Alfred will... leave, he just... doesn't want to think about that — doesn't want it to be anytime soon. He still needs him. So much more than he's maybe ever conveyed to the other man, though he hopes he knows... but it's not enough to just hope he does.

He needs to fix things — let him know, if he goes back to his Gotham. If he's still able to let him know.

"It won't be any time soon for you." Dick can't actually read minds. He just knows Bruce that well. "I told you before, he's stronger than all of us. But there just came a time when he couldn't fight his own body." Or Bane. "He'll be fine. You'll go home and he'll recover and you'll apologize for whatever stupid thing you said. Because we've all said something stupid to him."

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