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SM/DC Chapter 145 : The League Wants a Word
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 21:47:14 +0000 UTCArthur stood in the dim glow of Raven’s empty room, phone in hand. The screen was crowded missed calls blinking incessantly: Kara, his brother… even his mom had tried more than once.
He scratched the back of his head, muscles tight.
“Shit,” he muttered.
He stared at the names, feeling the weight of days lost.
“My bad, I guess.”
He sighed, pocketed the phone, and flexed a hand.
“Exchange.”
****
In an instant, he reappeared in his estate’s hallway. The familiar scent of old wood and faint candlewax anchored him back to reality. George standing by the staircase a portrait of calm authority in a crisply tailored suit.
“Master Arthur,” George began, arching an eyebrow politely, “it did seem to take you quite a while to return. You see, I should remind you that...”
“Later, George,” Arthur interrupted with a wry grin, leaning forward in apology. “I’m going to take a bath, as you can see.”
George studied him closely, folding his hands.
“And with that, sir, I cannot argue. You are positively drenched in sweat, blood, and I’m loath to ask... other substances.”
Arthur lifted an eyebrow, amused and slightly embarrassed by the understatement.
“Yeah. Something like that.”
George inclined his head, ever the composed butler.
“Did you come from a place crawling with well, never mind, sir.”
Arthur let out a half-laugh, masking exhaustion.
“Okay…” With that, he strode down the hallway toward the bathroom.
****
Steam curled lazily around the edge of the marble tub. Arthur leaned back, arms resting on the sides, eyes half-closed in rare peace. For once, there was no blade in hand, no shadow to command, no system alert screaming in his mind, yet he felt a bit of unease.
‘I did get stronger, I left with new strong shadows, but I feel no satisfaction whatsoever...’ Arthur thought to himself. ‘I need that black heart, otherwise what I can do will still be very limited..’ he added.
Arthur’s mind was consumed with that kind of thoughts until his senses twitched.
His eyes snapped open, glowing faint blue beneath the haze.
A second later, he exhaled and smirked.
“…Oh. It’s just her.”
The front door of the house had barely shut when Kara stepped inside. Her boots made little noise, but her presence brimming with restrained energy was unmistakable. George, ever the attentive person, met her at the entrance with a slight bow.
“Miss Kara,” he said warmly, hands clasped behind his back, “what a pleasant surprise, your return is rather...swift.”
“Hey, George,” Kara replied, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I was just in the neighborhood... sort of.”
George's eyebrow rose. “I assume you heard him. Or saw him.”
Kara blinked.
That pause was damning.
“Stupid question to ask a Kryptonian such as yourself,” George said with the faintest trace of amusement.
Kara tried to respond, but her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the upper floor, toward the hallway.
And she froze.
Then coughed.
Hard.
Her cheeks turned bright red, and she quickly averted her gaze, suddenly finding the ceiling molding incredibly interesting. “Oh, yeah… definitely heard him. Aaaand that’s why I’m here.” she said too fast, laughing awkwardly as she scratched at the side of her head.
George blinked slowly, nodding. His face remained composed, though the glimmer in his eyes betrayed him. “Of course, Miss. Welcome, as always.”
Arthur, still lounging in the bath above them, chuckled quietly to himself.
“She definitely saw,” he muttered.
He tilted his head back against the edge, letting the warm water lap against his shoulders again. “Might need to ward this damn place from Kryptonian vision. Or… not.”
Back to Kara, she coughed again, clearly trying to erase the mental image and utterly failing.
“Would you care for something to drink while you wait, Miss Kara?” George offered, the very picture of decorum.
“Water. Cold. Please.”
“As you wish.”
Moments later, Arthur descended the stairs with the confidence of someone who had nothing to explain. A towel hung around his neck, another wrapped around his waist, water still glistening on his shoulders. He looked impossibly relaxed for someone who’d just survived a brutal dragon fight in another dimension.
“Good to see you, Kara,” he said with a slight grin as he finished drying his hair.
Kara looked up, her expression softening into a smile. “It’s been a while.”
Arthur shrugged as he walked toward them. “You could say that.”
She tilted her head, voice lowering. “Where were you? You just vanished again.”
Arthur exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temple as he leaned slightly against the stair rail. “Something I had to do.”
Kara narrowed her eyes a little. “You’re still not very trusting. After all this time ?”
Arthur gave a small chuckle. “You’re inside my house. Isn’t that proof enough that I do trust you?”
She didn’t answer immediately, just studied him, trying to gauge what was behind those glowing eyes.
Arthur added quietly, his tone softer now, “It’s just that there are things.. That are hard to explain. Things I like to keep to myself.”
Then he arched an eyebrow, his smirk returning. “Besides… you just used your X-ray vision while I was taking a bath. That’s a violation of trust.”
Kara’s expression contorted instantly. “What!” she stammered, heat rising up her neck. “I didn’t... I mean, I wasn’t trying to...!”
She stopped, blinking thinking to herself. ‘How did he even…’
Arthur laughed, low and easy. “Relax. I’m just teasing you.”
Kara coughed and looked away. “Right… teasing. Great.”
George, who had been silently observing this interaction like a man watching opera from a balcony seat, adjusted his gloves and cleared his throat softly. “If I may say, sir, you should get dressed, there is something to discuss.”
Kara muttered something under her breath and looked toward the wall again, careful to avoid repeating her earlier mistake.
Arthur just shook his head and chuckled as he walked past them, towel still draped lazily over his shoulder. “I’ll get dressed. You two behave.”
“Of course, Master Arthur,” George replied, lips twitching upward in the barest hint of a smile.
Kara, arms crossed now, watched Arthur’s retreating form and exhaled with a soft smile. Despite his secrets, despite how frustratingly mysterious he could be… she was just glad he was back.
****
Arthur joined them again, fully dressed now in a fitted black shirt, dark slacks, and boots that echoed faintly on the polished floor of the estate. His damp ashen white hair was pushed back, still drying from the bath, and a faint scent of perfume clung to the air around him.
Kara sat cross-legged on one of the couches, nursing a glass of water with her boots kicked off to the side. George, always composed, stood nearby with a tablet in hand and a respectful tilt of his head. But the moment he entered, Kara’s drew her eyes up from her glass. Her gaze lingered a beat too long.
She didn’t mean for it to but the moment her eyes landed on him, her breath caught slightly in her throat. Kara blinked and quickly looked away, lifting her glass of water in a casual motion and taking a slow sip to buy herself a second of composure.
Arthur hadn’t noticed. Or at least he didn’t act like it.
Kara, meanwhile, maintained a neutral expression but she pressed her lips together a little tighter than usual, and her legs once comfortably crossed shifted restlessly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, casually brushing it off like nothing had changed.
George, of course, noticed everything. “Sir,” he began, glancing up, “you do, in fact, have an invitation formal, from the Justice League. Miss Kara here has returned to this house no less than four times in the past two days to remind you of it.”
Arthur raised a brow, then dragged a chair out and sank into it with a dry sigh. “Oh. That.”
Kara leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. “Duh. This is your chance to at least be on good terms with them. You’ve been... more than noticeable lately.” Her tone was light, but there was a deeper point beneath the sparkle in her eyes.
Arthur gave her a half-lidded look, lips twitching in mild amusement. “Sure… if they want to pat me on the back and say thank you, I’ll nod and smile. But if this turns into one of those ‘join us’ speeches…”
He stood up slowly, the chair groaning faintly behind him.
“That’s not gonna happen.”
Kara groaned, dramatically flopping back on the couch. “Oh, lighten up! Let’s just go. Even the Titans will be there..." she glanced at him sideways, slyness creeping into her voice "even Raven.”
Arthur froze for a breath. His eyes narrowed faintly, and he tilted his head toward her. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Kara gave the most textbook evasive move he’d seen from her yet arms crossed, head turned away, nose in the air. “Nothing in particular.”
He stared for a few more seconds, long enough for George to discreetly step away and pretend not to hear. Then Arthur simply sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.
“Alright then,” he said with a note of reluctant finality. “Let’s go. It’s not like I have anything better to do today.”
They started walking toward the estate doors. Kara had an extra spring in her step now, like she’d won a small battle. But just as Arthur reached for his coat hanging on the rack, he muttered under his breath, “I don’t want any business with Batman though.”
Kara smirked, grabbing her jacket. “Noted.”
