Ficlet: Ghost Echoes

[starsandsea]

Title: Ghost Echoes
Rating: PG
Characters: Bruce, Clark
Word Count: 362
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Spoilers: Final Crisis - very very mild, and I'm sure everyone knows this by now! :p
Author's Note: For the wonderful mithen, on her birthday! *glomps* I'm so happy to be here to share another birthday with you! :) Unbetaed, so point and I shall correct.



He thought he was going insane, sometimes. He would hear laughter, hear echos, long gone. He would turn, and look, but there would be nothing there. He would explain to himself that he had been imagining it, and then tell himself firmly not to do so again.

But each day he heard the voices, each day they twined about him, mocking him, comforting him, yelling at him, loving him. Why him, he wondered? Why couldn't they torment someone else?

He would talk to them, and they would vanish, leaving an ache in his chest that didn't seem to be physical.

He loved and hated them. Loved them, because ironically, he knew they were keeping him sane. Hated them because he didn't want to be.

He knew that nothing was right - if only he could remember his name, everything would be all right. But he couldn't. And the voices wouldn't tell him.

He tried to ignore them, but they just yelled louder and louder. At nights, under a sky blazing with stars - too many stars, and they were in the wrong places - he would dream of strange dark towers, gleaming with lights that weren't fires. He would dream of flying through them, then wake, the ache in his chest even heavier than normal.

And still the voices came, day after day after day after day. He didn't know how long he had been... wherever he was. It felt like a very, very, long time. He wanted to go home, but he didn't know where home was. Day after day after day.

Then the man in blue and red appeared, looking stunned. He gazed at him, shock and wariness and a sudden joy drowning the voices for once.

The man was smiling at him, arm outstretched toward him, as if afraid to touch him, yet desperately wanting to, tears glimmering in his eyes. "Bruce."

He blinked. The name felt right, and yet...

"Batman."

Everything made sense. Everything. Finally. Made. Sense.

Batman stood. "Superman." He reached out a dirty hand, clasping his teammate's outstretched one. Superman beamed at him. And Batman felt just the tiniest little smile tug at his own lips.

Comments

[angelinachaser7.livejournal.com]

Awesome story as always. Happy Birthday! Hope you are being spoilt today.

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really glad you liked the story!

And thank you for the birthday wishes! I was indeed very spoiled by everyone. :)

Thank you for commenting! :)

[fictionalknight.livejournal.com]

awww! I love this, it's gorgeous! Poor Bruce -- and I really love that everything starts making sense again when he sees Superman. Because...well, that's so the way it should be!! :)

(*happy birthday* I'm sorry I'm so late... if you'd like to give me a prompt and a pairing, I'll write something for you. *gentle hugs*)


ETA: OOOH. And I meant to say... I absolutely adore your new layout. It's magnificent!!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

awww! I love this, it's gorgeous! Poor Bruce -- and I really love that everything starts making sense again when he sees Superman. Because...well, that's so the way it should be!! :)

Bruce has been though so much... I couldn't resist that everything made sense for him again when he saw Clark. :)

Thank you for the birthday wishes! And the LJ gift! :D Um, a prompt and pairing... Uh... I'm very tempted to give you another like 'lampshade'! ;) But I shall restrain myself... Hmm... Since you have some many awesome action figures of Batman and Superman, how about Bruce and Clark talking about them? :p

And I'm really glad you like my new layout! I saw it and I fell in love with it, lol.

Thank you for commenting! *hugs back*

[saavikam77.livejournal.com]

Awww!! *wibble*

I so love that it was Clark calling him 'Batman' that finally made it all click.

*loves*

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

*pets Bruce* I couldn't resist that it's Clark that makes Bruce remember everything... :)

Thank you for commenting, I'm really glad you liked it! :)

[kawahori.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! :D

Superman beamed at him. And Batman felt just the tiniest little smile tug at his own lips.

Awww! I just love these intimate moments. And I can't have enough of reunion fics, LOL!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the birthday wishes! :)

LOL, reunion fics are so fun! I can't wait for Bruce to really be back in canon...

Thank you for commenting! I'm really glad you liked it! :)

[bradygirl_12]

Happy Birthday, Star! :)

What a wonderful story! I like the imagery of the voices haunting Bruce, who can't identify them until Clark shows up. :)

I LOVE your new layout! This isn't offered as one of the LJ layout choices, is it? Pretty!!! :)

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Brady! :)

Poor Bruce has been through a lot, what with all these voices! But Clark made them all make sense.

*grins* I love my new layout too! It's so pretty, I just keep staring at it, lol. No, it's not one of the offered LJ choices, it's from one of the comms that make pretty layouts! :)

Thank you for commenting, Brady! I'm really glad you liked the story. :)

[ilovetobefree.livejournal.com]

He tried to ignore them, but they just yelled louder and louder. At nights, under a sky blazing with stars - too many stars, and they were in the wrong places - he would dream of strange dark towers, gleaming with lights that weren't fires. He would dream of flying through them, then wake, the ache in his chest even heavier than normal.
Poor Bruce *hugs him*

Then the man in blue and red appeared, looking stunned. He gazed at him, shock and wariness and a sudden joy drowning the voices for once.
I loved the blue and red. :)

Everything made sense. Everything. Finally. Made. Sense.
Great!

Batman stood. "Superman." He reached out a dirty hand, clasping his teammate's outstretched one. Superman beamed at him. And Batman felt just the tiniest little smile tug at his own lips.
AWWWWWW! The red and blue sounded so right. But Batman calling Superman’s name – that was – totally AWESOME!

That was wonderfully written Star! Clark finding Bruce and saving him. I loved this story so much! Thank you very much for sharing! :)

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Poor Bruce was really suffering here! But Clark found him and saved him, as he always does. :)

Thank you for your lovely comment! I'm so glad you liked it! :)

[paxwolf.livejournal.com]

Really lovely vignette, Star! I am so behind in reading comics right now but thanks to Jen I know a little of what's been going on while I've been swamped by life. And this fits so perfectly that I wish it were canon.

Anyway, a very Happy Birthday to you! I hope you have a splendid day and a wonderful year ahead.

Take care,

Pax :-)

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Pax! I'm very honored indeed that you wish this could be canon.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I had a wonderful day, made so much better by everyone on LJ. :)

*hugs* I'm sorry you are so swamped by real life - I've been thinking of you, and hoping that you are okay, and doing well.

Thank you for commenting, and I'm so happy that you liked this!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Day after day after day.

Ooooh, that phrase, and its repetition, just blew me away. I really loved this take on Bruce at the end of time! And you can imagine the happy noises I made at the idea that Clark gave him his names back, ohhh, it's perfect! This is so lovely, working canon with such a light, deft hand, and playing on the connections between them...it made me smile so much to find it on my flist! *hugs* Thank you for the perfect gift--and even more, thank you for sharing your day with me and your thoughts and your friendship!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Yay for happy noises! I could not resist that it's Clark who gives Bruce his names back. *grins*

*hugs you* Thank you for requesting it! I had a lot of fun writing it - poor Bruce, so lost and confused! Thank you for your fic too, I'm loved it so much! And thank you just for being here, for supporting me and being my friend. :) <3

[skund.livejournal.com]

*pets Bruce* Love it! :D

Hope you had a good birthday!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm really glad you liked it! :)

I did have a great birthday, thank you!

And thank you for commenting! :)

[hitokaji.livejournal.com]

AWWWW-- that was so sweet. Love the ending. :)

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you liked it, Hito! Thank you for commenting! :)

I love it!

[yuico.livejournal.com]

:D I really love this article.It is so perfect to describe the meaning of superman to Batman.Could you allow me to translate it into chinese?I will put the translated version on a Chinese site, and of course,no money will be made from it.Please let me know if it is okay. Thanks a lot!

Re: I love it!

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked the story! :)

Of course you may translate it into Chinese, thank you for asking. :)

And thank you for commenting, as well! :)