SUMMARY: You can choose your friends and you can choose your enemies, but you can't choose your family. Or so they say.
DISCLAIMER: These people belong to DC Comics. I just fantasize about them.
NOTES: For the Fanfic100 prompt #24, Family. If you think you see a not-so-subtle swipe at current changes in the Batbooks...it's not your imagination. But there are no spoilers herein.
The Watchtower conference room emptied so quickly, one might be excused for thinking that someone had discovered a bomb under the table.
That wasn't a bad analogy, actually, because Batman and Superman were arguing, and that was something nobody wanted to be near, not even Wonder Woman. Nothing hones your sense of self-preservation like being a superhero.
Bruce stood behind his chair, arms crossed under the cape that enveloped him. His glare was enough to make most men (including such stalwart heroes as the Flash and Green Lantern) quake in their boots, but Clark was made of sterner stuff.
Clark paced restlessly around the room. "You are being completely unreasonable about this."
Bruce didn't bother to respond, since they'd already been through this half a dozen times. He'd wait until a new point was made.
"Completely unreasonable," Clark repeated. "I find it hard to believe that you've really been a member of the League as long as I know you have. You are incapable of working with a team."
Bruce's eyes turned to follow Clark.
"You're such a loner, that it's--"
At that point, Bruce did something so improbable, so unlikely, if Flash or Green Lantern had remained in the room, it's likely their heads would have melted.
Bruce laughed.
Clark stopped in his tracks, turned slowly, and stared.
Bruce pulled back the cowl in order to wipe his eyes.
Still staring, Clark managed to say "Ah..."
"A loner," Bruce said, voice still filled with laughter. "You think I'm a loner?"
"Uh..."
"I'll be certain to repeat that comment to Alfred this evening." Bruce sat down in his chair. "He'll get quite a chuckle."
"Oh."
"And he'll probably tell Leslie before she comes for dinner this Saturday."
"Huh."
"I'm not sure I want to tell Tim or Dick, though, because they'll repeat it to Oracle and Batgirl, and once Oracle knows, then Huntress and Black Canary do, and neither of them will let me live it down." Bruce ticked names off on his fingers.
"Um."
"But I'll really be in trouble if Selina hears about it. At least Onyx won't go around telling everyone she knows. I wouldn't be surprised if Selina even found a way to tell Jim Gordon."
"Okay, okay," Clark said. "I get your point."
Bruce stopped laughing. "So, perhaps you'd like to rephrase?"
"Fine." Clark sighed. "You're not a loner."
Bruce nodded. "Thank you."
"Then tell me, why do you have to be so difficult about everything?" Clark asked plaintively.
"Oh, that?" Bruce smiled, leaning back in his seat. "That's because it's fun."
--end--