A Future Sooner than Tomorrow

Sit with the Past, He Might Smile at You

Soon, the Justice League congregate in the meeting room of the Hall. Kal sees his teammates send worried, sympathetic glances in his direction and he fights the urge to look down at the floor.

They all sit down in their places, after shuffling around awkwardly for a moment - despite this being their building, it really isn't. It belongs to the other world's Justice League so uniquely in that their Hall back home still looks barely lived in.

A warm hand rests itself on his forearm and he looks to the side to see Diana looking at him with frowning eyes and thinned lips. She leans over, whispers, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, Batman talked some sense into me," he replies just as quietly. "I guess I just needed someone to get me out of my own head."

"I am glad," Diana smiles and the deep frown lines that had had been extending from the corners of her eyes smoothen out. "If you ever need anything, tell us. We are a team for a reason."

Kal nods and hones his hearing back in onto the idle chatter of his teammates. Shayera and Green Lantern are discussing whether hand hoops would be a good addition to the training room back home (Shayera dislikes the idea while Lantern is all for it) and Flash and J'ohn are chatting about... honestly, Kal isn't entirely sure. It seems like Flash is just jumping from topic to topic and J'ohn is somehow managing to keep up.

Kal can hear Batman's voice in his throat before the man even starts to speak. "I hadn't realised those two had become so close recently, had you?"

"Not at all," Kal puts his free hand on Batman's shoulder, "although I'm surprised you didn't notice, world's greatest detective."

Imperceptibly to the rest of the group, Batman and Diana shift their chairs in, getting closer to Kal.

"Do not be too hard on him, Kal. We have all been caught up with everything going on," Diana playfully chides.

Batman lets out a pleased huff and says, "I'm not sure this universe's Batman is the world's greatest detective. Looking at the notes I found in the Watchtower's room, it looks as though one of my new protégés may outstrip me."

Kal swallows his surprise at that - he's never met any detective, official or not, that could out do Batman when it came to deduction. The idea that either Red Hood or Robin could come anywhere close, especially considering how young they both appear, is unbelievable.

Or maybe not. Batman no doubt learned from trial and error, but the boys wouldn't have had to - they would have Batman's wealth of knowledge at their disposal from as soon as he thought it fit to teach them.

"Mourning your title already?" Kal teases. And Batman's entire demeanour seems to soften, shoulders relaxing, head tilted almost lazily to one side. Kal wonders if it's more in line with what Batman would look like in his civilian form.

"No, it'd be a proud day to see one of my children do so well. It's what I want for my Robin, the one who's Nightwing here. To be better than me," Batman says it so surely but casually, as though nothing could be simpler.

Diana takes her hand off of Kal's arm and lets it hang at her side - although she leaves it close enough that she bumps shoulders with him. "You are a good parent, Batman," she says and not a moment later is she looking at Kal. "If you ever do consider Batman's offer, I'm sure he wouldn't mind showing you the ropes."

"She's right, you know? Any time, really," Batman chimes in.

Kal clasps his hands in his lap, closes his eyes and focuses on the sensation of Diana and Batman by him. Diana radiates warmth like fired clay fresh from the kiln and Batman has a marching heart that demand to be heard.