Fic: Guardian

[artisticabandon]

Title: Guardian
Characters: Bruce Wayne
Rating: G
Word Count: 151 words
Disclaimer: DC owns. Fair use.
Summary: Jackets and pockets and nameless strangers.
Notes: A standalone vignette that can also be seen as a companion to Lint.

Helplessness.

It wasn't a feeling he was used to.

The playboy Bruce Wayne mask fitted him uncomfortably tonight. He'd never before wanted to be as grim and as serious as he did tonight, but he was constrained by the circumstances of his initial appearance. He had no chance of disappearing to change guises now. His clothing rustled loudly in his ears every time he so much as twitched a muscle. It irritated him...but he had a feeling it wasn't really irritation he was experiencing.

He'd seen two people die tonight, while a child watched on.

And he'd been unable to do anything about it.

It didn't help that he saw the child out of the corner of his eye all the time, while he was supposed to be assisting the GCPD. The child was just sitting there. Such a forlorn figure, all alone on the bench, alone in the world.

How he understood that feeling.

And so he stood a silent guard, watching over the youth, if only from a distance. It was the least he could do, until he came up with something better.

Especially since the kid had his tuxedo jacket.

Comments

[jij.livejournal.com]

This makes a lovely companion to "Lint"--in fact, I can't help but consider them of a piece, really. Dick's trauma and Bruce's helplessness and bedrock determination to do something, somehow, work so well together. I especially love the brusque and yet tender tone of the last line.

And the links posted at batfic look fine but aren't working, somehow. I just followed your username link but you might want to check the links over there...

[anthraciteowl.livejournal.com]

This is lovely. Bruce's pained, awkward, tenderness comes through very well. And the jacket is a great symbol.

[laramoon.livejournal.com]

aww! *sniffles*

These two vignettes are so powerful -- beautifully heartbreaking. Excellent work!!

[hatgrlstargazer.livejournal.com]

These two were very touching. Nice job.

[imagined-away.livejournal.com]

i love how the two fics are connected

[artisticabandon]

Thanks :) I like how they work as a piece too, despite the fact that I wrote them two months apart (an eternity in the writing/online world).

Bruce (for me) is so hard to write, he's such a complex character, but I'm glad it works!

And yeah, I know the links are problematic. I tried and tried to get them right, but... mesch. I gave up in the end. My excuse: Its my first post, and I have no idea how the other posters manage to do it. All I wanted in the post was a simple link to my journal, but no. Too complex, apparently. I ended up with a LJ cut and a link, but yea. There's gotta be a better way.

[artisticabandon]

Thanks :) (The awkwardness is probably my own trouble with the character coming through, but I'll take the credit anyway!) :D On the other hand, I'm getting better at writing Bruce. Should I be worried?

Personally, I loved the jacket too. The sheltering symbol, the connection it symbolises... yeah.

[artisticabandon]

Here, have a tissue on me.

Yeah. Together they make quite a statement, don't they?

[artisticabandon]

Thanks :)

I'll have to get out my writers and start writing more.

[artisticabandon]

Thanks :) Considering how far apart I wrote them, I'm very pleased with the final result.