MISTER WAYNE !!
❝ i’m sure that you expected this. ❞
Bruce’s voice is soft as he emerges from the shadow of a tree, gently announces his presence behind Steve. New York is so beautiful, so ——— uncorrupted. It makes him wonder what Gotham even holds for him anymore. ( Gotham’s “golden son”, converting to the other side of the bridge. He can feel his parents spinning in their early graves — but, perhaps they should’ve thought about that before they built their city on blood money. )
The truth is: they were billionaires, Bruce. You can’t amass that kind of wealth without making certain moral compromises. It’s just not possible. That kind of money taints you. It’s never corrupted me.
When Batman invited Captain America to meet in Central Park — no cowls — he honestly wasn’t sure that the man would show / wasn’t sure whether or not the man particularly cared about who lives beneath those pointed ears and holographic eyes. ( He knows that none of the Avengers keep themselves secret from the public — and, despite how often he has to remind Alfred that Gotham needs a hero, he thinks that he would give it all up to live one day without a target on his back. )
That’s why Bruce chose to meet Steve on his own turf, instead of somewhere in Gotham. With all of the scandal ( all of the truth ) coming out about his parents, and the so-called “Children of Arkham” running rampant, the city is far too dangerous now ( — and, after what happened to Harvey, he can’t risk anything happening to Steve. That’s why he chose to meet at all. )
❝ Another rich kid using his parents’ money to play superhero. Least I’m not as flashy about it as Stark. ❞
He offers a hand for Steve to shake, smiles at the corners of his eyes.
❝ Bruce Wayne. Thanks for agreeing to meet me. ❞
He walks Steve over to a nearby bench, takes a seat with his hands in his pockets, head down. ( He knows that he’s at least marginally safer in New York, but anything could always happen. )
❝ Gotham’s falling apart. It’s … coming to light that my parents were ——— mobsters. Did a lot of bad things to good people, and now those good people want me to pay for it all. ❞ He glances down a walking path, watches couples, families with young children and dogs, thinks that he would give it all up to live one day without a target on his back. ❝ Thing is, if it were really just me, maybe I’d let them — but, they’re hurting other people, too, to draw me out — and, you know me, Steve; I can’t let that happen. ❞
He pulls one of his hands from his pocket, pulls a signaling device emblazoned with a Bat-logo button that he places into Steve’s palm, covers it with his palm. ( Perhaps it’s brazen of him to so openly hold the man’s hand, but he’s sure that Central Park has seen worse than two gay men having a conversation on a bench. )
❝ Anything happens, you use that button to call me directly — day or night — and, I’ll be here as soon as I can. They got one of my friends pretty bad — the DA, Harvey Dent. I don’t think their little “revolution” is going to bleed out of Gotham — but, if they’re targeting people that I care about … ❞
He lets the predicate hang in the air.
❝ I can’t let anything happen to you, Steve. Sometimes, I feel like you’re the only thing that I care about. ❞ @dreamseat!
STEVE TRIES NOT TO GO AROUND making quick generalizations about the people trying to protect innocent lives. he’d done that with stark, and he still regrets it, still regrets the way the two of them are always so quick to jump at each others’ throats just as frequently as they get along.
and, perhaps part of that was because he had still been filled with far too much grief, anger, confusion over all that had happened to him ; being iced in the 40s, melted down in an entirely new century --- an entirely new millennium --- to wake up and see that everything has changed, and everyone he had known was dead or dying.
and to top it all off, the dodgers had been moved to los angeles.
he was so confused, and angry, and alone, and tony was the first person he could take it out on --- the first person he could justifiably get angry at. a rich man playing hero with his family’s money, an arrogant sonuvabitch who opted for the easy way out, always. steve had clocked him immediately --- and he had still been wrong.
bruce wayne is the man beneath batman’s cowl ; and, sure, maybe that doesn’t necessarily surprise steve, but it certainly won’t change his opinion on the guy. even if he hadn’t gotten to know batman himself, he certainly wasn’t going to make the same mistake of clocking the guy before he got to really know him twice.
even if steve still thinks nobody has the right to be so stupid rich ; but that’s a conversation for an entirely different time.
bruce extends his hand for him to shake, and steve takes it between both of his own, warmly. he knows that something big must be going on for mr. wayne to feel the need to have this conversation in person, on steve’s so - called turf, as opposed to gotham. and, of course, now that he’s being approached by bruce himself, now that he knows that bruce is the man beneath the mask, more things start to click into place for him ------
because, maybe, he has notifications from gotham’s local newspaper set up in his phone, because it’s the best thing he has to check up on batman when the caped crusader himself isn’t answering his texts. so he already knows about his parents, knows about the children of arkham, and so he’s already acquired a bit of an inkling as to the nature of their conversation.
nevertheless, steve will listen intently to him. “ steve rogers, ” he answers in kind, “ though you already knew that one. ” most likely, anyway. captain america’s identity has most certainly always been out in the open, especially in the years he’s been in the present period.
they take a seat upon a nearby park bench, and even now, bruce tries to retain a low profile as he explains his situation.
thing is, if it were really just me, maybe i’d let them.
how awful is it that steve finds himself almost relieved that it wasn’t just bruce ? that’s another thing that bruce and tony share in common, that he can fairly assess now that he knows the both of them: they both have one hell of a tendency toward self - sacrifice. any hero does, truly --- steve can’t deny that he also has one. when it comes down between one life and the life of countless others, the answer always seems to be clear.
bruce pulls something out of his pocket, then ------ some sort of signalling device, and all the while steve hasn’t spoken a word. and as steve goes to examine the thing itself, he thinks that this is finally batman reaching out for aid, that he’s given them a better method of communication ------ bruce need only push a button, and steve will know to ride down there as fast as humanly possible.
anything happens, you use that button to call me directly — day or night — and, i’ll be here as soon as i can.
or, maybe he was a little off - base about what this pager’s purpose is. it takes some considerable effort for steve not to let out an exasperated huff before bruce has finished speaking --- but, god, he really wants to, because of course bruce is handing him a pager to call him for help, and not the other way around. of course bruce is thinking about the life of a guy who isn’t even directly in the thick of it, as opposed to the man in the middle himself, regardless of how much they both mean to each other.
sometimes, i feel like you’re the only thing that i care about.
“ bruce ------ ” now he allows himself to feel exasperation, and though he slips the pager into his pocket, he maintains a grip on bruce’s hand, holds them once more in the both of his own. something pulls at his chest in a way that is almost painful, and as much as bruce can’t seem to stand the thought of losing steve, steve can’t stand the thought of it being the other way around. he wants to go back to gotham and take care of the whole thing himself, with his bare hands. he wants bruce to move into his small, but cozy apartment, away from all the bad that nearly kills him on a day - to - day basis.
with every passing day, gotham seems to become more and more of a dark parasitic city ; but steve knows that there are still far too many good people there for any of them to be giving up their last remnants of hope. after all, gotham gave him bruce wayne.
“ that goes both ways, wise guy. ” and there’s a smile upon steve’s face, and he can’t help the way it almost looks sad. “ i’ll use this thing --- but this thing better go both ways. you need someone in your corner, i’ll be there in a heartbeat. understood ? you aren’t your parents, and you deserve to live in a better world just as much as the rest of us. ” a beat. “ and i care about you, more than you’ll ever know. now, i got ways of staying in the loop on gotham’s business --- so you might as well keep me posted every now and again, yourself. ”
