Chapter Text
The dust still swirled in the air, thick and choking as the four heroes pushed through the wreckage of the – would you believe it? – abandoned warehouse.
The sorcerer lay unconscious behind them, Captain Marvel as well as Martian Manhunter standing guard above him while the rest of the league rushed to look for Batman. Despite the man’s continuous lectures about not sacrificing oneself to stop the enemy, Batman always seemed to be the first to throw himself in front of unknown weapons, suspicious rays of light, on one memorable occasion a swarm of cats (whom he then turned against their attackers and as far as most of the JL was concerned gifted to Catwoman afterwards) and in the current case, a wayward spell.
Flash was the first to spot movement – a dark silhouette half-buried under the broken bricks and shattered concrete. “Over here!” he called, voice dripping with half concealed worry.
Superman knelt, effortlessly lifting a slab of rubble to reveal the figure beneath. Clark let out a gasp once he caught sight of his friend, making his teammates shuffle closer to get a look themselves.
Green Lantern’s ring bathed the scene in eerie green light for those not blessed with night vision, confirming what their eyes struggled to comprehend. Clad in a somehow still pristine three piece suit, a teenage boy lay still, his handsome face slack in his unconscious state.
Diana crouched beside him, brushing away the dirt matted to his cheek. “Bruce?” she murmured, disbelief threading through the single word.
Behind her Flash clapped a hand across his mouth. “We’re so fucked.”
oOo
About two hours later TeenBruce sat on a cot of the Watchtower medbay, eying the heroes warily after he listened to their explanation. Which he probably wouldn’t have believed had they not been in space.
“Zatanna, our magical expert, will arrive tomorrow to reverse the spell,” Diana explained calmly, not at all bothered by the boy’s staring.
Bruce did not seem very reassured by her words and calm demeanor, but still he straightened his spine and magicked some regal air around himself.
“I see, Miss Diana, was it?”
The amazon raised a brow in surprise. “Indeed.”
“I would highly appreciate Miss Diana, if you were so kind to inform my butler of my whereabouts.” He placed a hand on his heart. “My poor guardian always worry too much, I wish not to give him a fright.”
His mannerism left every present member of the league slack jawed and staring at the kid sitting before them.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Barry whispered.
“Of course, we will call him here to pick you up,” Clark promised, already walking towards the door. Diana joined him immediately, sending one last smile at the teenager, before stepping out onto the corridor.
“You hold my utmost gratitude, Sir, Madam,” Bruce called after them, his back still straight but his smile a bit too uncertain to actually convince the two remaining men – Hal and Barry – in the medbay.
Bruce turned to Hal with a sheepish smile. “Would you mind telling me the time, Sir?”
Hal’s lips trembled for a second, as if he was holding back laughter, but he nodded anyway. “Sure.” He took out his phone, looking at the screen for only a second. “It’s almost four.”
“Thank you.” Bruce nodded. “I apologize in advance for my request, but my butler and I usually enjoy our afternoon tea around this time of day. It would be wonderful if we could share some as well, only if it is no bother to you, of course.”
Bruce didn’t seem to mind the way the two heroes gapes at him like fish out of water for a solid minute.
“No, no. We have tea… Mr. Wayne,” Barry sputtered at last. “We’ll bring it.”
He grabbed Hal by the arm and started dragging him out of the room.
(They missed the way the corner of Bruce’s mouth twitch in the slightest.)
Once he was sure they were out of earshot Hal stared at Barry. “Mr. Wayne?”
“It felt like the right thing to say!” The speedster protested. “Can you believe that?!”
“That Batsy was a posh, soft spoken teenager? Hell no. But I don’t know what else we expected. He’s the sole heir to the oldest family in Gotham after all.”
“I guess…”
”He was raised by Alfred.”
”Oh, right. That makes sense.”
oOo
On the other side of the Watchtower Superman and Wonder Woman watched in confusion as the always put together butler turned white at the news they shared.
“May God have mercy on our soul.”
Clark exchanged a look with Diana, suddenly not so sure about the situation. “No, Alfred. I assure you Bruce was nothing but polite.”
Somehow that statement made the man even paler. “I’ll be there in an hour, if there isn’t much traffic. In the meantime…” he looked uncertain of what to say, which was concerning in on itself. “Do not let him near any open fire.”
“Uhm… what?”
A loud scream echoed through the corridors of the space station, making every occupant jump.
On the monitor Alfred sighed tiredly. “It is too late, I see.”