Chapter Text
“Bruuuuuuce!”
Eyebrows shot up underneath the cowl. Not because Superman had used his real name on the JL transmitter. Not because he could hear sultry music in the background. And certainly not because Superman sounded… well, intoxicated. Maybe it was the detective in him, scrutinizing even the smallest details. But could the Son of Krypton even get drunk?
No, Bruce Wayne was surprised because of the way Superman sounded- a little giddy, and a little ..off. Something was not right.
“Hello? Brucie, baby? I know you heard me,” came the voice again, this time deep and low, unlike Bruce had ever heard him use. Batman grunted in reply, and checked the connection settings. At least Superman wasn’t drunk enough to forget to turn to a private channel. If he were drunk, that is. This could be a spell. Or the influence of something else; probably one of the different colored stones from outer space that Superman always, always, seemed to cross paths with. How could such a gullible man be given the responsibility of saving the world? Bruce rolled his eyes in irritation at the ridiculous name Superman had just called him with. He was “Brucie” to the rest of the world, who needed to see him as the silly playboy billionaire, not to his ..allies. And then there was the baseless endearment Superman had used.
“So..,” the Man of Steel continued, “I know this may sound weird.” He laughed nervously, low vibrations rumbling into Bruce’s ears in the mechanical silence of the Batmobile. “But, since you’re heading home for the night, would you like to come and join me for a drink?”
Again, Bruce’s lips twisted down into a confused scowl. There were so many things “weird” about that question, that the Caped Crusader didn’t know where to begin. First of all, yes, he indeed was heading home from the night’s patrol. But it’s not like he had been broadcasting that information. There was no way Superman could’ve known that, unless he was using his superhearing skills on Bruce. Which the Bat highly disapproved of. Second, the JL transmission lines weren’t social networks. The members weren’t supposed to ask their buddies out for drinks on these connections. And third, they weren’t even buddies to begin with! Bruce couldn’t remember a single piece of conversation between him and the Man of Steel that may have seemed like Batman was up for socializing. Though he did remember numerous occasions where Superman had tried to rope him into conversations and rendezvous with other members. Bruce had hoped his glare would work as good as Superman’s laser eyes in such situations, clearing out his personal space.
Apparently, it hadn’t.
And then, his thoughts took another turn. What if Superman was in trouble and was asking for his help, in some code? What if-
A sigh, and Superman spoke up again. “Uh. I’m sorry I asked. Probably stupid of me,” –a self-depreciating huff- “nevermind. Please forget that I ever asked.” His voice cracked.
Superman had taken his silence for his rejection. And Bruce would’ve kept it that way, had not he heard the sadness in Superman’s voice... No, not just sadness, it was grief. Bruce would never admit it out loud, but it sounded like someone had put out the sun. He suddenly left helpless. Something ached in his chest.
“What’s wrong?” he found himself asking, before he could control his own mouth.
“Bruce,” Superman gently whispered after a few seconds, and thank goodness he had called on the JL transmitter; ordinary telephone connections could’ve never picked up his voice over the loud music in the background. After all, the R&D department at Wayne Enterprises had always prided itself on its noise cancellation and voice enhancement software that none could rival.
“She left me.”
Bruce accelerated the Batmobile towards Metropolis as everything finally clicked into place.
Everything, but the way Bruce’s heart had skipped a beat when Superman had called him ‘baby’. That, he would analyse later.