Fic: The Echo of Bats Wings (4/6)

[starsandsea]

Title: The Echo of Bats Wings (4/6)
Rating: PG
Characters: Bruce/Kal, Dick, Jason, BatClan
Word Count: 915
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts can be found here. Lots of thanks to the amazing mithen for all her help and encouragement and for the beta! *glomps*



Bruce was distantly aware of being held in someone's arms, being rocked gently. There was a noise, like someone was singing softly, but he couldn't hear it properly. He was overwhelmed by memories, memories of his father, a distant one, muffled by time and age, of his father laughing with his mother. And all the memories of his brothers and sisters, playing with them as children, growing up and looking after them, taking punishments for them, protecting them. And then that terrible memory he would never forget, seeing them turn into Bats, dark against the morning sky and pale mist...

He shuddered, and the action seemed, somehow, to bring him back to awareness. He was in his room, not the tiny study that had once been his, with Kal's gentle arms about him, Ace sitting at his feet, gazing up at him with worried eyes. "Kal?" His voice was hoarse, like it had been when he had first been able to speak again.

"My love." Kal turned him in his embrace, so he could see him. His eyes were dark with worry, flickers of gold flame from the fireplace dancing within them. Bruce blinked at him.

"Tim found you in your study. He came to get me, and we brought you here." Bruce blinked again, looking around the shadows, trying to see his brother. "He left, saying I would be better at comforting you." Kal caressed his face softly with his fingertips, carefully wiping away tears.

He remembered now. "There was a letter from... from my Father." Kal nodded. "Where?"

"It is safe, don't worry." His lover squeezed his hand softly, and Ace put his feet up on the chair, whining again. Bruce petted him gently, stroking the soft ears, letting him lick his hands until he was apparently satisfied that he was alright.

Bruce leaned against his lover. "I'm sorry," he barely whispered, but Kal just held him tight.

"There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Nothing." He couldn't see Kal's eyes, but he knew they would be fierce. He was oddly thankful for it.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that, but eventually, Kal moved. Bruce looked at him - he had almost fallen asleep. "Lets go to bed."

Bruce nodded, and kissed Kal briefly, before they moved toward the bed. He was utterly exhausted from the day's events, first his morning with Kal, finally letting go of the grief inside him, then his failed lunch with his siblings, the council session, and then his Father's letter... He was asleep before his head touched the pillow.

*****

Bruce sat at the head of the table in the great hall, empty save for himself and his brothers and sisters. He had asked Kal to be absent - he was out walking with Ace. Even Alfred and Leslie weren't here. He took a deep breath.

"Why are we here?" They had gathered around the other end of the table, Dick at its head. The only exception was Tim, sitting in his usual place, and thus more close to Bruce.

Bruce touched the letter before him gently. "You know that Alfred has been... tidying Father's study." Dick nodded, the others remained impassive. "While he was doing so, he found a letter from Father."

Tim looked at him sharply, and there were gasps from the other end of the table. Jason stood. "Where is it?" Dick demanded.

Bruce touched the letter gently again. "Here. It-" Before he could continue, Jason moved and snatched it up, quickly passing it to Dick, who opened it, and began reading, everyone else pressing closer. "It was only written to-" He was cut off again.

"Why was it only written to you? What about the rest of us?"

"Dick, it was believed-"

"I don't believe this," Jason's angry voice now. "It really was true, wasn't it?"

Bruce blinked in confusion, what...? Dick's eyes had gone cold. "We always suspected it, Bruce, now we know. Father loved you more than he loved us."

There was heavy silence after Dick's words. Bruce felt his mouth falling open in shock. What? That wasn't true, of course it wasn't... Dick laughed humorlessly, throwing the letter down. It fluttered to the middle of the table.

"I don't-" He was cut off once more.

"Save it, Bruce. I really don't want to know."

Bruce looked at Dick, really looked at him, at each of his siblings, at the anger in their eyes, the bitterness, the way they had all, save Tim, gathered around Dick. He swallowed hard. Damn it. It was going to come down to this after all. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, and pushed away every emotion he was feeling, the grief and pain. He opened his eyes and stood, taking a deep breath.

"Alright. If this is the way you want things to be." He stood even straighter, looking Dick in the eye. "With the Princes and Princess of Gotham as my witness, I, Bruce, hereby abdicate to you, Richard. You will be crowned King of Gotham tomorrow morn. Rule your people well, for they will need you, now more than ever. Long live the King." He said the traditional words in the ancient tongue, feeling a great part of him dying as he said them.

Then he left, leaving only shocked silence behind.

Comments

[eve-k.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, so much jealousy and ill will toward Bruce, he doesn´t deserve that, whatever happened to his siblings?
It´s interesting how Bruce reacts - and retreats - when the hostility he so often only presumes towards himself is so openly displayed.

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

It´s interesting how Bruce reacts - and retreats - when the hostility he so often only presumes towards himself is so openly displayed.

It is interesting! I assume its the... ahem... feeling you get when you think everything would be much better if you didn't exist... *huggles Bruce*

Thank you for commenting, Eve! :)