If it was what he needed, feeding Steve is never in any doubt. He trusted Steve enough to allow him into his inner circle, enough that Steve knew his secret. For Bruce, that's more than enough to consider Steve one of his own. There isn't much that would change that. Unless, Steve's done something especially egregious. But then, they would be having an entirely different conversation.
He follows Steve to the corner of his office but doesn't sit, opting instead to lean back against the bookshelf. It seems a casual gesture, but it was always easier to be prepared when he's standing. Besides, he never really stays sitting for long.
As he listens, there's a...shift in him. It's work to always be Gotham's Golden Boy. It's down to an art by now, but that doesn't mean it's not work. It's easy to turn it off though, like the flip of a switch. He'd known about the Accords passing, but hadn't looked into it any further.
"What do you need from me?" Asked in a way, not to suggest a reluctance to help, but to make sure Steve knew whatever he needed, Bruce was willing to provide.
Steve wouldn't be able to explain what that shift looks like from the outside - too subtle, too fast - but it's something he at least recognizes all the same. Something around the eyes, maybe, or just Bruce feelings more present to him.
Either way, he actively breathes easier and is more comfortable for it. He trusts Bruce, period. How to interact with Gotham's 'Prince', even knowing what's behind that mask and trusting Bruce enough to be here - and trusting Bruce trusts him enough to let him be? Not well enough not to be awkward as hell.
"I need information about the prison they're being held in - as much of it as I can get. Security systems, guard schedules and changes, the transportation system being used for supplies and staff. Ideally who the staff is. Bare minimum I need to know what the outer layer of security looks like." Which is obviously also the bare minimum of what he needs. "Time to turn that information into a plan for getting them out, and to be able to move and move them once they are."
He was... not as prepared as he should be. Not with Peggy's funeral at the same time, but mostly not for 'just stopping' to be something they wouldn't let slide for even the non-enhanced guys like Clint and Sam. ...or Batman, technically, though for all his worry and really trusting Bruce, he doesn't see that happening. Not with the secret identity, not with all the security in place around it. If that was going to break into an arrest, it already would have.
He rubs his eyes between his thumb and forefinger. "And I really need food." That bit? Is embarrassed. Still Steve warm and blunt, but embarrassed.
Bruce doesn't answer to that. Not at first. Steve's needs have set his mind off in several directions at once, sorting out what he could get his hands on immediately and what would require a bit of work. The prison, he figures, would have to be something that could hold enhanced humans but also be prepared to hold Superman if they ever got their hands on him, doubtful however that might be.
At his computer he inputs a few queries but turn up no results, at least none near Gotham. He would have to send out feelers for anything beyond that.
"Give me a little time, Steve," he says, "I'll get you what you need."
With his kind of resources, the shadow he casts can be as long or as short as he needs it. But that is some nebulous future thing that Bruce doesn't have a way of predicting the outcome of just yet. There's still right now to take care of.
"There's a chef here. He'll cook whatever you like." He gets up from his desk and crosses the space again to where Steve is. "And if you need a place to sleep, come with me to the manor. I'll let Alfred know to prepare one of the guest rooms."
"We've got time." He stands back up when Bruce starts walking back toward him and takes a few steps toward him. "I need to get them out, but they're not likely to be in any kind of immediate physical danger."
He drops one shoulder against the bookcase, and studies Bruce for a moment. Quiet, steady, warm and somehow just a little amused. "I don't have a problem with going home with you." Sleep he can go longer without, but he'd rather not. The Manor's one of the safest places on earth, and he likes Alfred almost as much as he likes Bruce. "but when was the last time you ate - or slept for that matter?"
Already, Bruce is putting his long reach to work. Oracle is the best bet when it came to the technical things - schematics, guard roster and rotation. But the small people, with eyes and ears out everywhere and who owed Batman a favor would get them the bits that might seem inconsequential but would prove valuable in the long run. It would just take time. Time, Steve assures him they have. Bruce never liked going into a situation blind, but if that changed, he's prepared for that too.
He smiles wryly at Steve's question. Eating, he did far more of than sleeping. But still the answer to Steve's question would be the same - a while. "I've been busy," he says. He isn't sure how much Steve's heard about the Arkham City debacle, but Bruce gives him a basic summary regardless, while leaving out the bits too personal to recount (namely that he was infected with Joker's blood and that infection might not be cured).
"Joker's dead. But nothing is ever over in this city. It's quiet for now, but for how long? I'm going to be ready when it gets here."
"Yeah, you will be. And you'll be a lot more ready if you've had food and at least a nap, recently." There's some gentle humor there, but there's also something a little stubborn in it. Steve's starting to hit walls all over the place, and he's more than familiar with stubbornly pushing himself--
but he's got being a successful laboratory experiment assist.
Bruce? He can't be clear on timing of those things, or even current state. That man's ability to function and at least seem fine through almost anything is a complication (for Steve's desire to take care of him). Joker being dead though? That is a damn big clue that 'busy' is an understatement and it's been a long while.
"So." After looking at Bruce with a slightly tilted head for probably long enough to be uncomfortable. "Back to the Manor, food for both of us and then we can discuss at least a nap?" Take your breaks where they come Bruce. Or fight him about it first.
Steve's another voice to add to the chorus. He's not the only one to ask after Bruce's brutal pace. It's part of the reason why he's been shutting out Tim and Dick and Barabara when he doesn't need her intel. He appreciates that they care, that they want to see him be okay in the wake of everything. But it slows him down and he can't afford to be slow about anything. People die when he's too slow. People he cares about.
He knows its hypocrisy to insist on Steve resting so he can be ready to save his people. He could go to the manor for the night and finish his work in the Cave. Lucius already had the designs Bruce was after, so it wasn't like there was much to keep him here. Really, he's avoiding the manor because he is avoiding Tim. It's something he can set aside for one night, though. Maybe he'll even have a nap when he's satisfied with his progress. "Car's in the garage. I'll drive." He would let Alfred know he's coming with a guest on the way.
And if a single, solitary member of Steve's team suggested that he need a meal and some sleep, Steve would refuse. Because they're his team. Because they're his people. Because they're his responsibility.
Bruce? Isn't. He respects Bruce, likes Bruce, trusts Bruce and cares about Bruce -- but Bruce isn't his responsibility.
Not that that stops him from using some obvious leverage against him, or from wanting to see Bruce take care of himself. It's just from a position of more even footing.
"Convenient, because I don't have a car." There's a slight smile to go with that, but he's pretty content and ready to fall in with Bruce and follow him to the garage. Keep his mouth shut while Bruce is on the phone or driving.
He doesn't know what's going on, is missing big swaths of information that would worry him more, but he has enough to worry some, anyway. Do what he can. To pay attention to the individual in front of him. And to hope Tim doesn't become an invasive presence for everyone's sake.
Bruce takes care of himself by taking care of others, by making sure they had what they needed when they needed it. He's trained himself to thrive on less than an average person, because he always wants to be ready to go when it's necessary.
Doesn't mean he doesn't crash out sometimes. He very much does, because he is still just an ordinary man and there were moments where his body wouldn't give him any other choice. There are hardly ever signs. Just moments where he vanishes when he needs to recoup.
He matches Steve's slight smile then leads the way to the garage beneath the building. Tucked away in the corner is a small fleet of luxury vehicles, parked neatly in the spaces there. Using the fob to unlock one, he hops into the driver's seat and nods for Steve to join him in the passenger.
On the way, he dials up Alfred and arranges a place for Steve to sleep as well as a meal. "Make sure there's enough for two," Bruce adds, "He insists."
Tim is thankfully out with Barbara tonight so he wouldn't be a problem at least for a few hours. Gave him to time to help Steve get settled and he could get back to work himself.
Steve climbs into the passenger seat and buckles his seat belt, like he's not - well, he's not invulnerable, actually, but he's pretty sturdy and doesn't have a lot of self-preservation, much less fear.
He leans back, and closes his eyes while Bruce makes the call to Alfred and stays that way until he's off the phone.
"That man should be nominated for sainthood." For many reasons. Like still being even passingly sane while managing (on any level at all) Bruce Goddamn Wayne.
"Don't tell him that. I'll never hear the end of it." But he didn't disagree. None of this worked without Alfred. Not Bruce Wayne and especially not Batman. Alfred is as vital as anyone who's out in the field with Bruce. He'd never deny that.
The drive to the manor is for the most part uneventful. He puts the car away in the garage and they're greeted by Alfred who offers Steve a warm welcome. Bruce ducks inside to avoid the welcome he was sure to receive. It'd been nearly a week since he'd last set foot in the manor. Their dinner was laid out in the dining room at one end of the impossibly long table. "Thank you, Alfred. What would I do without you?"
Starve most likely, Sir. He's not wrong about that.
Steve returns Alfred's greeting with real warmth, albeit more subdued than usual if only slightly. The kind of slightly more that would be noticeable only by Batman and Alfred. He really is starting to flag. Eating will help and deciding he's somewhere safe will help, but-
That may not work out in Bruce's favor because help or not? Yeah. He's likely to direct at least some more of his own 'take care of your people' onto Bruce. Especially since Bruce is doing him a favor.
Wayne Manor, as always, feels... strange to him, in some indefinable way. Something that suits both men, but doesn't. Something that's about wealth or elegance or just size and too much space and too many memories too close to the surface, even if those aren't his. Points of commonality and contrast with Stark Tower.
There's no discomfort or unease in heading into the dining room and to the table at least, or in sitting down at it. Once he's picked up his fork, though, he just looks at Bruce and waits. No muss, no fuss, no drama, but waits on Bruce to remember he's also eating.
In a sense, Wayne Manor is a strange place. There were lives being lived here, but the vastness of the house gave it a haunting sort of quality. So did the giant portraits of his parents Bruce kept on the walls. A reminder that, once upon a time, things could have ended very differently for the Waynes. And maybe they would not have taken all of the warmth with them when they died.
Food was the last thing on Bruce's mind. He needed to eat and he knows that, but there was still so much left to do before the night shift started. He sits when Steve sits but he isn't the first of them to reach for his fork. And when he realizes Steve is waiting for him he finally picks it up and starts to cut into the protein. It's easiest to eat and often the most necessary to maintain muscle mass. He often just preferred to have in a way that was faster and more convenient than this.
It was a good thing he did not mind the company.
It's funny how Steve's question nearly startles him. There isn't a day he doesn't think about the Joker. The clown often came unbidden, often alongside Jason's gruesome last moments. And for Bruce he can't help but run their final confrontation through his brain to see what he could have possibly done differently to save him. But it always ends the same. He has the cure in hand and Joker stabs him.
"A year," he says. "While I was in Arkham City." Doesn't feel like it's been that long. Sometimes, it feels like it just happened.
Steve's body composition is not exactly fixed, but it's not far off that, either. The serum ensures that his muscle mass is prioritized, anyway. The serum also means that even his resting metabolic rate is insanely high. Activity level or healing just crank it (and his caloric needs) higher. He leans into protein bars, meal replacement shakes, and energy gels out of necessity and is glad they're options in this particular time period.
He'd still rather eat actual food when he can get away with it, especially since he can see the difficulty of doing t hat in the future coming from here.
All that does mean that when Bruce starts eating, Steve pivots his plate around and starts with the carb heavy portion of the meal. "Are people," who aren't Bruce, "approaching that as if it's some kind of win with you?"
Steve knows better. He might also hit someone if they are.
Nobody in his inner circle is foolish enough to think Joker being dead meant an ending. Gotham is a powder keg. They were just waiting to see who was going to be the one to ignite it. It's hard to see when the crime rate is down and the other rogues have all but made themselves scarce. But it's not in Gotham's nature to stay still for long. Just like it's not in Bruce's. He shakes his head. "No." Not if they wanted to stay close. Or as close as Bruce was willing to let them. "There are still things happening, they're just smaller in scale."
Still, it isn't all doom and gloom. "We're rebuilding. Fixing what Strange tried to destroy."
Bruce Wayne has surfaced in the chaotic aftermath to help in the rebuilding efforts. It's a slow process, since most outside investors aren't interested in revitalization. Their money is made when Gotham is off tilt. But Bruce is working his magic and turning some of those No's into a yes. Maybe it doesn't help his case that something is brewing. But it does give ordinary people hope and that was also part of the goal of Batman.
There's some relief for Steve in that, though he mostly shows that by looking up between bites of food and a slight nod of acknowledgement.
"I'd be more surprised if things weren't still happening. On person, no matter how powerful, is ever the whole of the problem. How they got where they were and where they found supporters, and the opportunities they saw are always there whether they are or not."
That may not be the most coherent statement ever, and it's certainly too blunt, lacking... eloquence, but he does see bigger pictures just fine. Not with the kind of intelligence Bruce has, but his own.
"I don't think a single person on my side of things knows I even know who Bruce Wayne is, including headlines about him, but if we've got information by then or not I'm going to get out of your hair and away from you within a couple of days. Is Tim still here?"
Steve is right. It's a power vacuum waiting to be filled and Bruce could not take his eye off it. Not even for a single night. He would not be caught off guard by it. He finishes off his protein, spins the plate to take a bite or two of the carbs, but he rarely eats carbs. Not in the bulk Alfred liked to pile on the plate. The rest, he'd save for another time. Maybe.
"The people on your side don't give you enough credit," Bruce says, leaning back into his chair. He studies Steve for a moment, imagines him brought into the fold. He already knew the secret. It was all a matter of training then. But Bruce also couldn't see Steve walking away from the Avengers. Not to come here and take orders from Bruce. He's a leader himself. There'd be a clash eventually.
"But you don't have to be in a hurry, Steve. Stay as long as you need."
The question about Tim goes unanswered for a moment. "For the most part. I've got him working on something else so he's been away."
Edited (I straight up forgot to answer the question about Tim lol) 2024-11-19 16:48 (UTC)
They would clash eventually. Steve doesn't have a secret identity or any anonymity. He probably couldn't maintain one much longer than he could manage following orders instead of calling the shots himself.
That doesn't mean he couldn't work with or for Bruce in a given scenario, the same way it doesn't mean he's... using Bruce and Bruce's resources to try to get a handle on the absolute shit show his life has turned into.
And God he has got to find a way to get past how hurt and pissed off he is at Tony.
"Sometimes. Most of them don't quite get the serum. I'm okay with it." Most of the time. Sometimes, not. Even when not, not enough to bother to fight the assumptions.
He continues to eat and clears his plate while he waits on the answer about Tim, puts his fork and knife down then and looks back to study Bruce. "I was prepared for shit to get bad. I wasn't ready for them to sweep up a guy with kids and a military vet who are in no way enhanced. I don't know how the hell I'm going to manage this long term, but I've got to get it figured out. I'll stay until I do or I get so much as a hint I'm about to bring trouble down on you or Tim."
Bruce listens to Steve with a detached sort of awareness. As he'd said before, he didn't disagree with the premise of the Accords. Ordinary people needed a contingency, an assurance that people who were out saving the day weren't going to one day turn on them with impunity. Bruce had contingencies for every enhanced human he's ever come across - including Steve. He just thought the government didn't have enough insight to understand. To them it was about control, not safety and that is where the disconnect is for Bruce. (nevermind the hypocrisy there).
"You'll get them out." Distantly, a clock chimes and Bruce gets up. It's time to go to work. "And if you can't, I'll help you." Whether as Batman or Bruce Wayne, either way the hand would be extended.
He nods for Steve to follow. If he's never seen the Cave, now was the time. He opens an entrance and steps into the elevator that appears. "As far as I can tell, it isn't on the mainland. And if the Accords aren't just targeting your friends, then they're going to need a facility that can hold Superman. There's not a prison within a thousand miles that can do that." Which is the biggest clue. "So I've got Oracle tracking a few leads. If anyone can find your friends, it's her."
Steve gets up and follows without hesitation, though his breathing in the elevator is so precisely even it has got to be controlled.
Whether that's discomfort at the confinement and bad associations, or the result of trying to work with Bruce and not start a (stupid, unnecessary) fight just because he want to lash out at someone is a mystery, even to Steve.
Especially unnecessary and stupid since Bruce is helping him, Steve doesn't even wholly disagree with Bruce - just going with a bigger picture and broader scope, but also more trust in individuals.
Triply more stupid because this, at it's heart, is that Tony fucking hurt him, and Steve is not handling it well but that has nothing to do with Bruce.
"I know. I trust you and your judgement on approach."
At least once out of the elevator his breathing stops being... mathematical and deliberately slow. "Though if they think they can contain Superman, they've moved straight past stupid and into delusional." He knows Superman can be contained or killed. That doesn't mean he believes the UN has the ability. And not because of kryptonite or lack of. More... allies.
Ultimately, trust is hard to come by and Bruce didn't really trust anyone. There were degrees to it, of course, people he allows into his life and into the family. But his trust is never particularly deep. It's not that he expects or even desires betrayal. He's just...aware of the possibility and plans accordingly. To a point, he didn't even trust himself fully. It's part of the reason for the limits he puts on himself. He knows once a line is crossed, he'd never go back to this and he could become something someone like Steve would need to stop one day. He didn't want it to come to that.
The Cave comes to life when Bruce steps foot inside. He strides over to the computer to check info, see if Tim or Barbara has reached out. Tim's messages only indicate no change in his current project, while Barbara's sent a few possibilities for the whereabouts of Steve's friends. Bruce doesn't mention it just yet.
"Earlier you asked my thoughts on Stark. I assume he's got his hands in this. What's his play?"
It would be smarter of Steve to be less trusting. He won't be. He won't be, and his reasons aren't all that far of Bruce's reasons. Awareness of what kind of danger he could become, and a refusal to cross those lines. He made a promise to stay the person he was and part of that is not just trusting, but having faith in, individuals.
He finds a spot along a work bench or counter to lean, out of the way and in no danger of knocking anything over. Close enough to Bruce for easy conversation and to watch Bruce do whatever he's down here to do.
"Peggy's funeral was the same day the Accords were signed. Tony knows that, and has just enough respect for me that he'll leave me alone until I move or whatever he decides is an appropriate amount of time has passed. A couple of weeks is a safe bet, a month would be pushing it. Once either of those happen he will come after me with everything he's got. That means Nat, Rhodey, Vision and anybody else who signed and picked up." And, you know, Stark Money, Stark Tech, and government backing.
It makes sense in a morbid kind of way. It gave Steve the chance to grieve, not only Peggy, but whatever comradery he had with Tony and the people who sided with him. Then it would be over. It's ruthless in a way that Bruce understands. He'd have probably done something similar if he were honest with himself about it.
But Bruce exists in a weird sort of limbo. Involved but not really, because no one who might have tried to take him into custody knew he was Batman. He'd convinced everyone that he was a ditz with too much money and time on his hands.
"With his money and the government backing him too." Bruce nods resolutely. "If you need it, I can provide funding and information." Tony wasn't the only one who had nigh unlimited resources. What Bruce lacked in government contacts, he more than made up for in being a one man army all his own. And if he felt like it was necessary, he'd give Steve an idea of how to actually bring him down.
"But first, your friends. Oracle has sent a few possibilities. I'm not convinced, but maybe there's something you see that could help narrow the search parameters."
"Tony's also dependent on a suit he can't even move without a power source, a team that's mostly comprised of people who don't dislike me. He hates me but even he doesn't want me dead, at least not yet, and too much ego to go with anything ranged." That's all just him thinking aloud and somewhat distant sounding.
He goes silent, staring into space for another moment or two as he continues to think, then blinks hard and shakes his head slightly to refocus. His tactical brain is working, but not exactly at peak capacity. Hazards of being relatively safe and knowing it letting shit catch up with him.
"You're writing a lot of blank checks to help me evade a thing you didn't think was a bad idea." Which is observation and mild confusion but nothing too much heavier than that. "And let me see what she's got for locations." Narrow down search parameters he can do.
Bruce glances at Steve, then taps a few keys to bring up the locations Oracle has sent. One tucked away in New York. The other in the middle of no where. Both meant to be top secret, but not secret enough apparently.
"And because I trust you enough to believe the Accords shouldn't be used against you like this."
It's a truthful statement, one that Bruce is confident in. He didn't know all of the intricacies of Steve's falling out with Tony. He didn't need them right away. He'd get them in time. "But you should know this: people only betray me once."
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He follows Steve to the corner of his office but doesn't sit, opting instead to lean back against the bookshelf. It seems a casual gesture, but it was always easier to be prepared when he's standing. Besides, he never really stays sitting for long.
As he listens, there's a...shift in him. It's work to always be Gotham's Golden Boy. It's down to an art by now, but that doesn't mean it's not work. It's easy to turn it off though, like the flip of a switch. He'd known about the Accords passing, but hadn't looked into it any further.
"What do you need from me?" Asked in a way, not to suggest a reluctance to help, but to make sure Steve knew whatever he needed, Bruce was willing to provide.
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Either way, he actively breathes easier and is more comfortable for it. He trusts Bruce, period. How to interact with Gotham's 'Prince', even knowing what's behind that mask and trusting Bruce enough to be here - and trusting Bruce trusts him enough to let him be? Not well enough not to be awkward as hell.
"I need information about the prison they're being held in - as much of it as I can get. Security systems, guard schedules and changes, the transportation system being used for supplies and staff. Ideally who the staff is. Bare minimum I need to know what the outer layer of security looks like." Which is obviously also the bare minimum of what he needs. "Time to turn that information into a plan for getting them out, and to be able to move and move them once they are."
He was... not as prepared as he should be. Not with Peggy's funeral at the same time, but mostly not for 'just stopping' to be something they wouldn't let slide for even the non-enhanced guys like Clint and Sam. ...or Batman, technically, though for all his worry and really trusting Bruce, he doesn't see that happening. Not with the secret identity, not with all the security in place around it. If that was going to break into an arrest, it already would have.
He rubs his eyes between his thumb and forefinger. "And I really need food." That bit? Is embarrassed. Still Steve warm and blunt, but embarrassed.
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At his computer he inputs a few queries but turn up no results, at least none near Gotham. He would have to send out feelers for anything beyond that.
"Give me a little time, Steve," he says, "I'll get you what you need."
With his kind of resources, the shadow he casts can be as long or as short as he needs it. But that is some nebulous future thing that Bruce doesn't have a way of predicting the outcome of just yet. There's still right now to take care of.
"There's a chef here. He'll cook whatever you like." He gets up from his desk and crosses the space again to where Steve is. "And if you need a place to sleep, come with me to the manor. I'll let Alfred know to prepare one of the guest rooms."
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He drops one shoulder against the bookcase, and studies Bruce for a moment. Quiet, steady, warm and somehow just a little amused. "I don't have a problem with going home with you." Sleep he can go longer without, but he'd rather not. The Manor's one of the safest places on earth, and he likes Alfred almost as much as he likes Bruce. "but when was the last time you ate - or slept for that matter?"
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He smiles wryly at Steve's question. Eating, he did far more of than sleeping. But still the answer to Steve's question would be the same - a while. "I've been busy," he says. He isn't sure how much Steve's heard about the Arkham City debacle, but Bruce gives him a basic summary regardless, while leaving out the bits too personal to recount (namely that he was infected with Joker's blood and that infection might not be cured).
"Joker's dead. But nothing is ever over in this city. It's quiet for now, but for how long? I'm going to be ready when it gets here."
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but he's got being a successful laboratory experiment assist.
Bruce? He can't be clear on timing of those things, or even current state. That man's ability to function and at least seem fine through almost anything is a complication (for Steve's desire to take care of him). Joker being dead though? That is a damn big clue that 'busy' is an understatement and it's been a long while.
"So." After looking at Bruce with a slightly tilted head for probably long enough to be uncomfortable. "Back to the Manor, food for both of us and then we can discuss at least a nap?" Take your breaks where they come Bruce. Or fight him about it first.
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He knows its hypocrisy to insist on Steve resting so he can be ready to save his people. He could go to the manor for the night and finish his work in the Cave. Lucius already had the designs Bruce was after, so it wasn't like there was much to keep him here. Really, he's avoiding the manor because he is avoiding Tim. It's something he can set aside for one night, though. Maybe he'll even have a nap when he's satisfied with his progress. "Car's in the garage. I'll drive." He would let Alfred know he's coming with a guest on the way.
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Bruce? Isn't. He respects Bruce, likes Bruce, trusts Bruce and cares about Bruce -- but Bruce isn't his responsibility.
Not that that stops him from using some obvious leverage against him, or from wanting to see Bruce take care of himself. It's just from a position of more even footing.
"Convenient, because I don't have a car." There's a slight smile to go with that, but he's pretty content and ready to fall in with Bruce and follow him to the garage. Keep his mouth shut while Bruce is on the phone or driving.
He doesn't know what's going on, is missing big swaths of information that would worry him more, but he has enough to worry some, anyway. Do what he can. To pay attention to the individual in front of him. And to hope Tim doesn't become an invasive presence for everyone's sake.
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Doesn't mean he doesn't crash out sometimes. He very much does, because he is still just an ordinary man and there were moments where his body wouldn't give him any other choice. There are hardly ever signs. Just moments where he vanishes when he needs to recoup.
He matches Steve's slight smile then leads the way to the garage beneath the building. Tucked away in the corner is a small fleet of luxury vehicles, parked neatly in the spaces there. Using the fob to unlock one, he hops into the driver's seat and nods for Steve to join him in the passenger.
On the way, he dials up Alfred and arranges a place for Steve to sleep as well as a meal. "Make sure there's enough for two," Bruce adds, "He insists."
Tim is thankfully out with Barbara tonight so he wouldn't be a problem at least for a few hours. Gave him to time to help Steve get settled and he could get back to work himself.
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He leans back, and closes his eyes while Bruce makes the call to Alfred and stays that way until he's off the phone.
"That man should be nominated for sainthood." For many reasons. Like still being even passingly sane while managing (on any level at all) Bruce Goddamn Wayne.
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The drive to the manor is for the most part uneventful. He puts the car away in the garage and they're greeted by Alfred who offers Steve a warm welcome. Bruce ducks inside to avoid the welcome he was sure to receive. It'd been nearly a week since he'd last set foot in the manor. Their dinner was laid out in the dining room at one end of the impossibly long table. "Thank you, Alfred. What would I do without you?"
Starve most likely, Sir. He's not wrong about that.
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That may not work out in Bruce's favor because help or not? Yeah. He's likely to direct at least some more of his own 'take care of your people' onto Bruce. Especially since Bruce is doing him a favor.
Wayne Manor, as always, feels... strange to him, in some indefinable way. Something that suits both men, but doesn't. Something that's about wealth or elegance or just size and too much space and too many memories too close to the surface, even if those aren't his. Points of commonality and contrast with Stark Tower.
There's no discomfort or unease in heading into the dining room and to the table at least, or in sitting down at it. Once he's picked up his fork, though, he just looks at Bruce and waits. No muss, no fuss, no drama, but waits on Bruce to remember he's also eating.
"How long has Joker been dead?"
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Food was the last thing on Bruce's mind. He needed to eat and he knows that, but there was still so much left to do before the night shift started. He sits when Steve sits but he isn't the first of them to reach for his fork. And when he realizes Steve is waiting for him he finally picks it up and starts to cut into the protein. It's easiest to eat and often the most necessary to maintain muscle mass. He often just preferred to have in a way that was faster and more convenient than this.
It was a good thing he did not mind the company.
It's funny how Steve's question nearly startles him. There isn't a day he doesn't think about the Joker. The clown often came unbidden, often alongside Jason's gruesome last moments. And for Bruce he can't help but run their final confrontation through his brain to see what he could have possibly done differently to save him. But it always ends the same. He has the cure in hand and Joker stabs him.
"A year," he says. "While I was in Arkham City." Doesn't feel like it's been that long. Sometimes, it feels like it just happened.
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He'd still rather eat actual food when he can get away with it, especially since he can see the difficulty of doing t hat in the future coming from here.
All that does mean that when Bruce starts eating, Steve pivots his plate around and starts with the carb heavy portion of the meal. "Are people," who aren't Bruce, "approaching that as if it's some kind of win with you?"
Steve knows better. He might also hit someone if they are.
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Still, it isn't all doom and gloom. "We're rebuilding. Fixing what Strange tried to destroy."
Bruce Wayne has surfaced in the chaotic aftermath to help in the rebuilding efforts. It's a slow process, since most outside investors aren't interested in revitalization. Their money is made when Gotham is off tilt. But Bruce is working his magic and turning some of those No's into a yes. Maybe it doesn't help his case that something is brewing. But it does give ordinary people hope and that was also part of the goal of Batman.
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"I'd be more surprised if things weren't still happening. On person, no matter how powerful, is ever the whole of the problem. How they got where they were and where they found supporters, and the opportunities they saw are always there whether they are or not."
That may not be the most coherent statement ever, and it's certainly too blunt, lacking... eloquence, but he does see bigger pictures just fine. Not with the kind of intelligence Bruce has, but his own.
"I don't think a single person on my side of things knows I even know who Bruce Wayne is, including headlines about him, but if we've got information by then or not I'm going to get out of your hair and away from you within a couple of days. Is Tim still here?"
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"The people on your side don't give you enough credit," Bruce says, leaning back into his chair. He studies Steve for a moment, imagines him brought into the fold. He already knew the secret. It was all a matter of training then. But Bruce also couldn't see Steve walking away from the Avengers. Not to come here and take orders from Bruce. He's a leader himself. There'd be a clash eventually.
"But you don't have to be in a hurry, Steve. Stay as long as you need."
The question about Tim goes unanswered for a moment. "For the most part. I've got him working on something else so he's been away."
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That doesn't mean he couldn't work with or for Bruce in a given scenario, the same way it doesn't mean he's... using Bruce and Bruce's resources to try to get a handle on the absolute shit show his life has turned into.
And God he has got to find a way to get past how hurt and pissed off he is at Tony.
"Sometimes. Most of them don't quite get the serum. I'm okay with it." Most of the time. Sometimes, not. Even when not, not enough to bother to fight the assumptions.
He continues to eat and clears his plate while he waits on the answer about Tim, puts his fork and knife down then and looks back to study Bruce. "I was prepared for shit to get bad. I wasn't ready for them to sweep up a guy with kids and a military vet who are in no way enhanced. I don't know how the hell I'm going to manage this long term, but I've got to get it figured out. I'll stay until I do or I get so much as a hint I'm about to bring trouble down on you or Tim."
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"You'll get them out." Distantly, a clock chimes and Bruce gets up. It's time to go to work. "And if you can't, I'll help you." Whether as Batman or Bruce Wayne, either way the hand would be extended.
He nods for Steve to follow. If he's never seen the Cave, now was the time. He opens an entrance and steps into the elevator that appears. "As far as I can tell, it isn't on the mainland. And if the Accords aren't just targeting your friends, then they're going to need a facility that can hold Superman. There's not a prison within a thousand miles that can do that." Which is the biggest clue. "So I've got Oracle tracking a few leads. If anyone can find your friends, it's her."
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Whether that's discomfort at the confinement and bad associations, or the result of trying to work with Bruce and not start a (stupid, unnecessary) fight just because he want to lash out at someone is a mystery, even to Steve.
Especially unnecessary and stupid since Bruce is helping him, Steve doesn't even wholly disagree with Bruce - just going with a bigger picture and broader scope, but also more trust in individuals.
Triply more stupid because this, at it's heart, is that Tony fucking hurt him, and Steve is not handling it well but that has nothing to do with Bruce.
"I know. I trust you and your judgement on approach."
At least once out of the elevator his breathing stops being... mathematical and deliberately slow. "Though if they think they can contain Superman, they've moved straight past stupid and into delusional." He knows Superman can be contained or killed. That doesn't mean he believes the UN has the ability. And not because of kryptonite or lack of. More... allies.
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The Cave comes to life when Bruce steps foot inside. He strides over to the computer to check info, see if Tim or Barbara has reached out. Tim's messages only indicate no change in his current project, while Barbara's sent a few possibilities for the whereabouts of Steve's friends. Bruce doesn't mention it just yet.
"Earlier you asked my thoughts on Stark. I assume he's got his hands in this. What's his play?"
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He finds a spot along a work bench or counter to lean, out of the way and in no danger of knocking anything over. Close enough to Bruce for easy conversation and to watch Bruce do whatever he's down here to do.
"Peggy's funeral was the same day the Accords were signed. Tony knows that, and has just enough respect for me that he'll leave me alone until I move or whatever he decides is an appropriate amount of time has passed. A couple of weeks is a safe bet, a month would be pushing it. Once either of those happen he will come after me with everything he's got. That means Nat, Rhodey, Vision and anybody else who signed and picked up." And, you know, Stark Money, Stark Tech, and government backing.
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But Bruce exists in a weird sort of limbo. Involved but not really, because no one who might have tried to take him into custody knew he was Batman. He'd convinced everyone that he was a ditz with too much money and time on his hands.
"With his money and the government backing him too." Bruce nods resolutely. "If you need it, I can provide funding and information." Tony wasn't the only one who had nigh unlimited resources. What Bruce lacked in government contacts, he more than made up for in being a one man army all his own. And if he felt like it was necessary, he'd give Steve an idea of how to actually bring him down.
"But first, your friends. Oracle has sent a few possibilities. I'm not convinced, but maybe there's something you see that could help narrow the search parameters."
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He goes silent, staring into space for another moment or two as he continues to think, then blinks hard and shakes his head slightly to refocus. His tactical brain is working, but not exactly at peak capacity. Hazards of being relatively safe and knowing it letting shit catch up with him.
"You're writing a lot of blank checks to help me evade a thing you didn't think was a bad idea." Which is observation and mild confusion but nothing too much heavier than that. "And let me see what she's got for locations." Narrow down search parameters he can do.
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Bruce glances at Steve, then taps a few keys to bring up the locations Oracle has sent. One tucked away in New York. The other in the middle of no where. Both meant to be top secret, but not secret enough apparently.
"And because I trust you enough to believe the Accords shouldn't be used against you like this."
It's a truthful statement, one that Bruce is confident in. He didn't know all of the intricacies of Steve's falling out with Tony. He didn't need them right away. He'd get them in time. "But you should know this: people only betray me once."
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