Out of Time (BatJokes 18+)

This Is A Bad Idea

The walk to the apartment complex was an interesting one for a multitude of reasons. 

One; it gave Bruce a chance to become more acclimatized with the current time period's diversity from his own. (Most importantly, the smell. Which made him never want to eat again. He was absolutely positive that his lungs and stomach were traumatized for life.)

Two; it was a trip down 'Memory Lane' as they say. There were buildings and stores either just dying out, starting up, or in the prime of their existence that no longer stood in the Gotham he knows. It was bittersweet to see them again and left a pain in his heart by how much he had actually forgotten about from his childhood.

Three; it gave him a bit of time to think about his walking companion and the sure most regrettable decision he made in accepting to stay with this clearly unbalanced stranger. It wasn't his proudest moment, and he hopes to God Alfred never finds out otherwise he'll never hear the end of it.

And quite frankly, he wouldn't blame him. He was already chastising himself for it the moment he called out to the other man in order for him to turn around. He should never have done that. All of this was a terrible idea. There were no pros but an endless list of cons for deciding to camp down in some unknown's living space. 

Call him paranoid, but Bruce already felt like every step he took he sensed that he was destroying reality as he knew it.

Arthur was speaking to him again, "Is this normal for you?" he asked with hands in his pockets, the brown bag dangling off one arm. So far his focus up until now has been either on the ground in front of him or staring intensely at whatever part of Bruce's face that was turned his way. He let him stare - his mind had been on other things. 

However. 

The billionaire could tell that this was something that he wasn't going to drop any time soon, and he himself was not going to get used to it soon enough. 

"I'm sorry, normal for what?" The question had come right out of the blue, and although Bruce hadn't been paying much attention to the man next to him the guy also wasn't the most talkative person to be around. This was the first either of them had spoken in some time.

Arthur gives a haphazard gesture around them, "To, you know. Save people and stuff."

"You mean, like have I done it more than once?" Bruce considers his answer after a pause, "You could say that, yeah."

"Why?"

Bruce shrugs. "Because I want to help people."

Arthur stares at him. He doesn't say anything, just studies his face with those eyes of his. Bruce begins to feel that the other man doesn't believe him. Like he can't understand the existence of a human being who would genuinely go out of his way for the sake of others. 

That notion makes Bruce feel sick. 

"That seems odd." Arthur looks straight ahead again.

Bruce wanted to laugh at that."That's odd? You think that's odd? Says the guy who stares at me like I'm a piece of steak and he's starving." Oh, Christ. Did he just say that out loud? 

Unsurprising, that got an immediate reaction from Arthur. But once again, not the one the billionaire was expecting.

The skinnier man looked as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't. Or perhaps was suppressing it. His eyes danced all over Bruce with increased fascination. Bruce couldn't understand; the man didn't seem the least bit insulted or bothered by the comment.