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Just when you think that the road's straight ahead, that's when the devil shows up on your dashboard again...
No one ever warned you that being the only kid in the Wayne family that wasnāt a vigilante was going to be a lonely life. Even with all your siblings and guardians. You had Alfred, but he was always busy taking care of the others, while the others were always busy with their mission.
No one was ever busy for you.
You donāt even think they know youāre there. Why would they? They rarely saw you and if they did, it was a fleeting moment.
They werenāt neglectful on purpose. They were great people, yet that somehow made it worse. No one really spoke to you or acknowledged your existence or recognized any of your accomplishments. You were just kind of there for the sake of being there. You really didnāt have any purpose other than being Bruce Wayneās kid and the middle sibling.
Cursed was the middle in being forgotten. Did they know you were studying art? Did they even know you were in college?
You looked around your bedroom, nothing has changed over the years except for the occasional rearranging of furniture.Ā
Being stagnant was frustrating.
You might not be a hero with a mission, that life didnāt really fit you, but you were ever so slightly jealous that your family got to travel so much. Youāve never been out of Gotham.
Perhaps it was time for a pilgrimage.
You decided not to tell anyone you were leaving.
Was it petty? Oh, for sure. But really, youāve been independent for a while. You did your own cooking and laundry and was all around, kinda good at this whole adult thing (for a 23 year old). Besides, why should you bother telling anyone when they donāt even talk to you?
And anyways, itās not like your family couldnāt track you if they did begin to worry. They follow you on Instagram (which you plan on posting your adventures on) and you have your dadās credit card that youāll be using for gas and other expenses. They can find you if they want to.
And maybe there was a part of you that did want them to worry, even for a bit. Not as a punishment, but to see if they really will notice your absence. To see if they cared. Maybe thereās a little bit of wishful thinking.
But mostly, it was for this.
You long since left Gotham by now. Youāve packed all your hiking gear and equipment (actually, you might have to pick some things up from an outdoors store, but still!) and a cooler with water and snacks, and have officially started driving through the Great Appalachian Valley.
And god, what a sight it was. Youāve never seen so many mountains and trees. You rolled down your windows and took in the crisp air that graced your skin.Ā
It felt so clean. Like you could actually breathe.
Why was it making you emotional?
Was this what it felt like to be alive?
You turned up the volume of your music and opened the sunroof, letting the feeling of warmth and freedom flow over and consume you. For the first time in your life, you felt like you finally woke up. And so you laughed and hollered over the blaring speakers, with only the sky and mountains as your witness.
When nightfall began to shroud the sky, you were in south Virginia, close to the Tennessee border, when you found a spot to park your car and pitch your tent. You were glad that your younger self always had an interest in going camping and watched nearly every YouTube video there was about wilderness survival and setting up campfires and tents correctly. Although, you always pictured yourself doing this with your family. Especially with Bruceāyour dad.
You looked up and away from your small fire to witness the faint stars. Gotham always hid them from you. It was almost criminal how the city lights and smoke could dull something so beautiful. Why wouldnāt you want to see the various stars and constellations? They were wonderful and glorious to behold.
You looked down at the phone in your lap. Itās been 11 hours since you left the city, and during your trip youāve already stopped a few times to take various videos and pictures, get gas, and even sat at a restaurant for dinner. You posted the documentation of your first day on the road to Instagram 20 minutes ago and already you had 2.3 thousand likes from people you donāt know or even follow back (perks of being the kid of a rich man, right?), but none from anyone in your family. Not even Barbara, and sheās supposed to be the one whoās constantly online!
For someone whoās seen by so many people, why did this make you feel so invisible?
You checked the time. They were probably getting ready for patrol or for some big case theyāre working on.Ā
Busy. They were busy people.
Too busy to check their phones.
Too busy to check on you.
They probably havenāt even realized you left and crossed four state lines already, isnāt that funny? They have no idea youāre gone! They have no idea you snuck out!
You shook the thought out of your head. It was late and you were tired. You had another day of driving to nowhere tomorrow.
With that in mind, you put out your fire and settled in your tent, not thinking about how easy it was to leave your home.
You were cruising through the mountains early the next morning after changing clothes and brushing your teeth with water from your water bottle. It was incredibly sunny for 8 in the morning, you were glad to be sporting your Goodr sunglasses.Ā
Although, you didnāt think to pack any sunscreen. You never really needed any for always-dreary-weather Gotham. Youāll have to pick some up from the next town you pass through.
You just crossed into Tennessee and weāre heading into the Smokies. You think today youāll actually stop and explore some of the park. Maybe find a trail to run on, you did bring a pair of trail running shoes that youāve been wanting to try out. There werenāt many dirt paths back home. You wondered how different it would feel under your feet.
After another hour and a half of driving, you came across the city of Gatlinburg. And holy Smokies, Batman, it was amazing! It was clearly a tourist attraction, but it was still so wild to look at! It was like the whole city was an amusement park filled with shops and restaurants and family friendly entertainment spots, not to mention how close it was to the national park entrance.
Maybe spending a day here could be fun! And maybe you can spend the night in one of the hotels. While you had no problem camping in a tent, a shower did sound nice. Youāll have to stock up on body wipes to go along with your sunscreen.
The place didnāt seem to have too many tourists at the moment, so you found a hotel and asked if there were any rooms available for the night. You were lucky, there were still plenty of rooms available, so you went ahead and snagged one. Of course, you still had a few hours before you could officially check in, so you went ahead and explored the city on foot and checked out some of the various shops and attractions. Arcades, souvenirs, gondolas to Anakeesta adventure park, you name it. It was definitely a place for families to visit and enjoy.
Would your family like this place? Probably not. They might think thereās no point when there are bigger things to worry about and tend to.
What a sad and stressful life they lived. Always on edge. Always working on something.
But at least they had each other.Ā
A strain gripped your heart. Ouch, that thought hurt.Ā
They didnāt need you since they had each other.
No. Donāt think about it. Youāre in the Smokies! Enjoy it!
An hour before check in, you changed into your new trail shoes and found a four mile loop trail just outside of Gatlinburg. It was perfect. Most of it was flat, but there were a few spots where the elevation gain became a bit of a challenge, but not unwelcomed ones. You finished your run in about 45 minutes and when you drove back to the hotel, your room was ready. You have such excellent timing!
A shower was something you definitely needed. The warm water relaxed all the muscles in your body and scrubbing off the sweat, oils, and dirt from your skin made you feel 100 times better. Even if it has only been a little over 24 hours since you left.Ā
After drying off and changing into a pair of sweatpants and tank top, you decided you were tired enough to stay in for the night, opting to order DoorDash for dinner.
It was around 7pm. You were lounging on one of the hotel beds, nibbling on a fry when you decided to turn on the news from Gotham, having it play in the background while you checked your phone.
You already posted your photos from the day, already having thousands of likes and comments from strangers saying how cool you were for going on a solo trip and running the trails. But again, there was no acknowledgment from your dad or your siblings. Not even a single private message.
Tuning back into the news on the TV, the current story was on how Nightwing teamed up with the others to help put a few Blackgate escapees back in prison. Guess Dick was back in town, now.Ā
Opening up your search engine, you looked up the current news articles. None of them mentioned you being missing. Itās been over a day.
They havenāt noticed. Did Alfred? Surely he would have said something if he did. But you werenāt a priority, were you?
Stop. No, donāt think like that. You are important. They just have more urgent things to do. Saving the world and all that. Hero stuff.
Theyāll remember your existence soon, theyāll wonder why you havenāt been to dinner the past two nights and will try to find you in your room, only you wonāt be there. Then theyāll look around the house. And when they canāt find you, theyāll call you.
You stared down at your phone, willing it to start buzzing with a call.
Youāve been on the road for five days now, stopping to visit, look around, sketch, and run a few miles in cities and national parks alike. Youāve already been to the Smokies, Mammoth Cave, and Gateway Arch. Now, you were in Colorado on your way to the Rocky Mountains.
You audibly gasped when you saw the mountains, even before entering the park.
The eastern mountains were beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but these mountains were something entirely different. They werenāt completely covered in trees and they had snow! In summer!
After another day of hiking, taking in and drawing the view, and having a filling dinner at one of the restaurants in the park, you once again sat next to your campfire.
The stars seem to become more visible and vibrant the more you travel westward. There were so many of them. Trillions. It was incomprehensible and wondrous. It was incredible how close they looked, even though they were light years away.
Holy crap. You were nearly 2,000 miles away from Gotham. Youāre been gone for five days and no one has tried to contact you. Not your siblings, not your dad, not even Alfred.
You were completely alone.
They didnāt know where you were. They didnāt care. You could die tonight and they would be none the wiser. Theyād be too busy being heroes, but who would be your hero in your time of need? Why wasnāt your family? Why wasnāt your dad?
Why didnāt they love you?
Why was it that the veil had to be lifted during the darkest hours? During the daytime, the atmosphere reflects the ocean because of the light. But at night, there is no mirage to blind us from the truth. The vast darkness and infinite stars is our reality, not the blue sky weāre accustomed to.
Youāve never felt this small before in your life. You really didnāt matter, did you? Not to the people that mattered to you, not even to the stars above.
Could you even call your home a home anymore? Or was it never one to begin with? How long have you been homeless?
You didnāt know when you started crying. For a minute, it felt like you left your body. But when you came back, you felt a horrible, violent pain and a prominent emptiness over your entire body. Like you were being split into two.
You sobbed, curling into yourself to try and keep you from falling apart. But that already happened, hasnāt it?
Was this what heartbreak felt like? It was like you were dying.
Scared, in pain, and alone.
Well, not completely alone. At least your fire was dying with you.
Itās been 13 days, damn near two whole weeks since you left.Ā
You visited the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Now youāre in Yosemite. 3,000 miles from Gotham.
No calls, no texts, no missing person reports.
You pretty much disappeared aside from the money trail. You were still using dadāBruceās card. In case they were trying to find you.Ā
You long since realized they werenāt going to.
Sunny California was pretty nice, actually. It felt a lot better than cold and rainy Gotham. You could just stay here. Transfer over to a college here, find a place and a job, build a life for yourself. Maybe build a family you wish you couldāve had.
That sounded nice. Really nice.
You were currently out on the trails for a run trying to make it back to your car. Only, you didnāt plan the route very well.
You must have made a wrong turn somewhere. You didnāt know where you were. There were no markers for the path or signs indicating nearby routes.
You were lost and the sun was setting. You had less than an hour to find where you parked, otherwise it would be dangerous to keep going. But it would also be too dangerous to stay put too. You had no idea what types of nocturnal predators could find you.
Your search proved to have no luck by the time the last ray of sunlight disappeared beneath the horizon. The darkness arrived and now you were once again, faced with reality. You were in trouble. But you had to keep moving.
The moon provided very little light to your path, one, because it was in the first quarter. And two, because the trees were blocking most of it.
You were traveling much slower than before. Cautious of any sounds you or your environment made.
You unlocked your phone and did the thing you didnāt want to do most. You dialed Bruce.
Please, just this once, answer.
When the same result happened, you were about to call Dick until a rustle came from behind you.
Adrenaline overtook you and you turned sharply to see what it was. A bear? Mountain lion? Was it a wolf?
You never got to find out, because when you turned and stepped back, your foot didnāt land on level ground. With a sharp gasp, you slipped right off the ledge of the path, tumbling down a steep slope.
Your arms went up immediately and protected your head. You landed over and over again on rocks and fallen branches. But just as quickly as you fell, your descent came to a rough and ungraceful halt.
You sucked in a painful breath, the wind having been knocked out of you and from possibly a broken rib. A sharp and unforgiving agony made you become all too aware of your body. You let out a cry that doubled as a scream. Tears instantaneously blurring your already limited vision and running down your face. You began to hyperventilate, panicked and burning from pain.Ā
With another cracked sob, you reached a screaming limb for your phone. Miraculously, you didnāt drop it during your fall, only letting go after the final impact.
The illuminating screen revealed a massive crack in the glass, but that hardly mattered. You were thankful the device still worked.
You dialed Bruce. It rang.
āSorry, the number you are trying to reach is not available.ā
āSorry, the number you are trying to reachāā
Please, please, please pick up!Ā
āHey! Itās Dick! Sorry Iām not available to talk right now, Iām probably doing something important or stupid. Maybe both! Iāll call back as soon as I can!ā
You tried again, with the same result.
You called Jason, Tim, and Damian. No one answered.
You were starting to get delirious from the pain. Please, why couldnāt they just pick up your call? Were they really that far from their phone at the moment? Or did they see your name pop up and consciously chose not to answer?Ā
You were alone. You always have been.
No one was coming to save you.
As a last resort, you took a deep breath and let out an ear splitting scream.
Clark Kent shot up from his bed with a gasp when he heard the sound. Someone was screaming bloody murder.
āSUPERMAAAN!!! CLAAARK!!! HEEELLP!!!ā
Whoever it was, they knew him and they were in trouble, they sounded terrified. He had to get to them.
He wasted no time leaving his shared bed with Lois and using his super speed to change into costume and take his place in the sky.
He was in the heart of Yosemite valley within seconds, and what he saw shocked him.
Not only did you know him, but he knew you. You were Bruceās kid. The single non-vigilant (Alfred counted since heās involved) of the family. What were you doing so far from Gotham all alone?
You were injured, bad. A couple broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, broken wrist, many, many deep cuts and scraps, and a twisted ankle. Not to mention the dirt all over you, mixed with your blood and tears, and leaves in your hair. Clark could hear your heart rate increasing by the second.Ā
He hovered down and gently picked you up. From the first contact, you latched onto him for dear life. Your cries became frantic.
āYou came! Youāre here! Youāre here, youāre here!ā You sounded so surprised, like you didnāt think he would. What happened to you?
You were shaking violently. Shock must be setting in.
āDonāt worry, Iām gonna get you home,ā he promised.
āNo,ā you gasped. āNot Gotham!ā
āOkay, not Gotham,ā what was going on? āBut you need a hospital. Iāll take you to urgent care in Metropolis, okay?ā
Clark ascended to the sky and began the journey back to his city, slower now that he had a passenger.
āIāll call Green Lantern to pick it up, save your strength. I have questions for you after you see a doctor.ā
It was around 2am when the doctors and nurses finished setting your broken and dislocated bones back in place and bandaging you up. Clark was in his civvies now, sitting at your bedside. You told him everything.
You told him about how your family never had time for you, how they were all too busy saving the world. You told him how you left two weeks ago and drove over 3,000 miles, visiting various national parks. How you had the best time of your life, but also the loneliest. You told Clark how you made it easy for the detectives to track you, but they never tried to reach you. You told him how you thought about never returning to Gotham again and starting your own life, the one you wished you had.
Never, in Clarkās years, has he felt heartbreak for someone he barely knew quite like this. Never has he seen someone so convinced that they were truly alone. Never has he felt so betrayed, as a parent, quite like this.
How could Bruce forget and ignore you like this? Clark himself was a father and a hero like him, yet he still made time to spend with his family. Why didnāt Bruce? Why didnāt Bruce answer when you called? You could have died and he would have never known.
Clark was livid. He needed to speak to him.
Batman and the rest of his family had just returned to the batcave after their patrol. It was a relatively easy night; just some petty crimes for the most part and some investigations related to a series of likely related incidents. All and all, Gotham was still standing and no major criminals were out on the streets for the time being.Ā
Bruce beelined for the Batcomputer to work on reports while the others were taking care of their equipment. But before any actual work could be done, the batcave sensors went off. They had a visitor.Ā
Superman zoomed down the runway before entering the main cave, hovering sternly over the bats. He descended slowly until he was ever so slightly taller than Bruce.
āSuperman,ā Bruce greeted cooly. āWhat brings you to Gotham?ā
āDo you know where your kid is, Bruce?ā He kept his arms crossed.Ā
The batkids froze and looked at each other, wondering what the Kryptonian meant. They were all here in the cave. Did one of them do something somewhere else? Was there a clone running around pretending to be one of them?
So this was a father on father conversation then. Fine, Bruce can play this game too.
āWhich one? Theyāre all here in the cave.ā Now Bruce was crossing his arms.
āReally? All of them? What about (Name)?ā
āUpstairs. In their room. Asleep.ā It was four in the morning. Why on Earth would Clark think you were out this early? You were his least problematic child.
Clark raised a challenging eyebrow, āWhat if I told you, youāre wrong.ā
He didnāt believe it. Clark had no idea what he was talking about.
Without a word, Bruce was a man on a mission in his own home, marching his way towards your bedroom. Heād have to apologize for waking you up so early because a certain Kryptonian couldnāt mind his own business and thought for whatever reason you were somewhere else.
The super and the rest of the Batkids followed close behind. The others were curious what all the fuss and finger pointing was about.Ā
Ā Bruce knocked on your door and waited. When you didnāt answer, he knocked again, calling your name. When you didn't answer the second time he opened your door and flipped the light switch on.
The room was neat and clean, but you were nowhere in sight.
Bruceās stomach dropped. He was missing a kid.
The group entered the room while Bruce looked around. Were you hiding? Was this a prank? That wasnāt really your style.
Clark cleared his throat, catching everyoneās attention, āAre you aware, Bruce, that your child has been missing for two weeks?ā
The batbrothersā faces each morphed into various expressions of confusion. Bruce was just as shocked.
āYes, but they weren't kidnapped for ransom. They packed their car and left for a solo trip across the country. They even posted about it on their instagram.ā
The boys all dug out their phones to investigate, noticing your missed call from hours ago, and checked your account. Sure enough, there were multiple posts made with photos and videos depicting you on the road, the sites you saw, coffee and food you consumed, trails you ran, and the sketches you drew. The first being dated two weeks ago, just like Clark said.
Bruce took a look at Dickās phone to see the posts for himself before looking back at the super. You were last in California, that was 3,000 miles away.
āWhere are they now?ā He demanded.
Clarkās frown intensified, āAt an urgent care in Metropolis.ā
The tension in the room was nearly tangible.
Clark shook his head, āNo. You donāt get to get angry at me or your kid when this is your fault, Bruce. (Name) got hurt badly on the trails and tried calling each of you multiple times and none of you picked up. They called out for me, screaming bloody murder. They could have died if I didnāt show up. But the real issue is, how did you not know one of your kids was missing this entire time?!ā
How could he have known? You and the rest of the family lived two completely different lives. They always had cases to solve, villains to fight, and a city to save, while youā¦he wasnāt really sure what you were up to nowadays. You were in college, studyingā¦architecture? No, anthropologyā¦aerospace engineering? Your dinner is even at a different time than theirs. When was the last time he spoke to you? The last time he saw you? What about Alfred? He was here with you. But his priorities tended to align more with theirs, didnāt they? Oh, gosh. What did he do?
Damian spoke up, āYou canāt fault us for not realizing sooner. Theyāre our sibling and know how to disappear without a trace!ā
āI wasnāt aware that disappearing allowed daily posts with photo evidence of your activities and pinned location nearly every day. Not to mention the money trail made using Bruceās card. Or are you so rich that swipes made in other states doesnāt seem to bother you?ā Clark snapped.
āThey said to me that they intentionally made it easy for this, god forsaken, family of supposed detectives to track them down when you realized they were gone. How long would that have taken, exactly? Two more weeks? Months? A year?āĀ
Clark stalked closer to Bruce and lowered his tone, that Kansas accent in full swing, āWhen I found them with all their broken bones and injuries, they were so surprised that someone came to get them. Now, Iām no physiologist, but there has to be some serious issues when a child, no matter how old, tries to call their family multiple times and they give up hope because no one will answer. Itās a damn good thing I am who I am. Otherwise, your kid would have been on national television as a corpse found in Yosemite. I can understand the difficulty of balancing a civilian identity, hero identity, and having a family, but at least I make conscious time for each of those. You, however, are obsessed with the Bat. And while itās different having your kids join in on the double life, there are other important people who need you out of the mask as well. I hope you know that (name) was thinking about never coming back to Gotham. You messed up big time, Bruce. For the time being, theyāll be in my care until theyāve completely healed. But after that, they will have the choice to say where they go from there. Iād suggest getting your act together before you make a bigger mess of the situation.ā
And with that, Superman opened the bedroom window and flew into the night, leaving five distraught bats in his wake.
a/n: Everyone say thank you to Noah Kahan for releasing The Great Divide! Now we can all be sad and longing for the mountains this summer! Also, part 1?? Would anyone be interested if I continued this story or should I leave it here? LMK and thank you for reading!
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