#bc i couldnt think of how to do it wt oliver/roy

[haveihitanerve]

Bruce gets the message a day after it happened.

"B. Wally's... gone."

Bruce doesn't pause to ask his oldest son what "gone" means. He slips on the last piece of his suit and is gone. He knows, in the back of his mind, that he should be there for his son. And he will be. Soon. But first...

He knows, firsthand, the pain of losing a child. Children*. He can't... he won't let Barry go through it alone. The way he did.

Its easy to find his address, not just because Bruce has known it since before he joined the Justice League.

The house is dark, quiet. Bruce slips in with ease, making his way to the living room.

Barry is sitting on the couch, head in his hands, empty bottles littering the floor. Bruce sinks down on the couch next to him, slowly, under no illusions that Barry doesn't know he's there.

"I'm sorry." He breathes. Barry huffs a laugh, wiping at his eyes.

"You'd know all about it wouldn't you?" He mutters, but Bruce doesn't let the insult land.

"Yes." he agrees simply, extending a hand to gently rest on his team members shoulder. "I know the pain. And the guilt. And I am here for you Barry. If you need it. If you want it."

Barry raises his head, glances over. Bruce has slipped his cowl off, his gloves, and sits there, unwilling, or unable to put on a brave face for his friend. Because it hurts. And there are no words, no comfort he can give him. The grief... it is gravity. Bound to pull even the strongest men down.

Barry dips his head in a gentle nod. "Yes." He whispers, and slumps back into the couch, further into Bruce's touch. "I want it. Please stay. Don't- don't go." Bruce nods, scooting closer on the couch to wrap an arm around the speedsters shoulders.

"I won't." He promises. "I won't."

Bruce becomes the touchpoint for grieving superhero parents. When Barry loses Wally, or when Oliver loses Roy, or whenever it happens to whomever, Bruce is there. Not as a leader, not to give them any advice. Just as himself, cowl off, sitting with them for as long as they need a friend