I know I just updated, but I had to get this out. Please enjoy!
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It was his father that found him hours later.
Between his parents, his father had always been calmer with him. Rather, he was more afraid of his father so he never had to raise his voice. He was the no-nonsense parent, the one you knew not to cross. He had always been careful in front of his father because he knew what would happen if he didn't. His father had never even needed to hit him because his tone alone frightened him into behaving.
Kind of like right now.
"The hell is wrong with you?" spat John, his dark eyes glaring into his soul. "I know damn-well I raised you better than this."
Rex tried not to flinch under the scrutiny but glared right back. He wasn't a boy anymore. "Wouldn't you have been mad?" he demanded. "Everything I have with Sophia is fake."
His father raised an eyebrow. "And that gave you permission to shout at your mother?" he retorted coldly. He couldn't remember a time that his father had ever spoken to him like that. "That gave you permission to leave Sophia in literal tears?"
Guilt bubbled in his stomach. He hadn't meant to hurt Sophia and it killed him that he had. But was that how he really felt or was it the goddamn bond? It was like he had to look at everything differently now. "What do you want from me, Dad?" he snapped. He did feel bad for lashing out at his mother, but he'd had so many problems growing up because of his blood.
Normal puberty was hard enough, but no one else had to go through Thanagarian puberty. His skin had flared up like he was molting due to his lack of wings. It had been disgusting. Not to mention that it'd been near impossible to be around girls. His urges had gotten so bad that he'd had to lock himself in his room and deal with the pain.
Not to mention the taunts from Danica about his mother being a traitor. Sophia had never gone there because she adored his mother, but Danica had no qualms. It was part of the reason he hadn't joined the Justice League yet.
Could he be blamed for being just a little frustrated?
John grabbed him by his collar. "I want you to go home and apologize to your mother," he replied harshly. "Then you're going to make things right with Sophia." His grip loosened as his face softened slightly. "I know this is hard to understand and I know it 's overwhelming but Sophia is just as scared as you. Talk to her instead of running away from her."
Rex swallowed, knowing that his father was right. It hadn't been fair of him to leave the way he had. He wasn't the only one in this relationship. "Okay," he agreed.
His father smiled at him, kissing the top of his head. Any other time, he would have grimaced but today he just accepted it. It didn't come often. "Come on, son," he urged, leading him to the Zeta Beam.
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It was around one in the morning when they got back to Detroit. The house was dark save for the kitchen light being on. His mother was sitting at the table, her eyes trained on the ceiling. Rex winced; he had never seen that look of contemplation on her face. If she was like this, what state was Sophia in? "Mom?" he called hesitantly.
She tensed, but relaxed when she saw it was only them. "Oh, you're back," she observed. But her eyes soon narrowed. "Are you done with your fit?"
He flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he muttered. It had been unfair of him to lash out like that, he knew. But his anxiety had a habit of coming out in the worst ways.
Shayera shrugged. "I'm not the one you need to apologize to," she responded flippantly. He knew she wasn't too hurt if hurt at all; they'd had many harsh arguments over the years. Mostly because they were both stubborn, argumentative people.
Rex sighed. "Where is she?" he asked.
"Your room," his mother answered. "Though, she's probably asleep by now." She shook her head. "If she's not, I advise you to apologize if you don't want to lose her."
His heart began to race with unexpected fear at that. Lose Sophia? Could he even consider it? If they really were bonded, could he lose her? "Thanks," he said hurriedly, all but racing up the stairs. He opened the door to his old bedroom and was met with Sophia's slumbering form. He strained his ears, noticing that she wasn't snoring.
Rex crept closer to her, noticing that her breathing was uneven. She was awake. He slid into the bed next to her, carefully wrapping his arms around her waist. She didn't resist, but she didn't lean into his embrace either. "You have every right to be mad at me," he assured her. He lovingly kissed her shoulder, his grip maybe a bit too tight.
Sophia took a deep breath. "I'm not angry with you," she told him.
He grimaced. "Just upset," he observed. Damn it, she was shutting down on him. God, he wasn't wanted this.
She trembled slightly, hesitating. "Just upset," she agreed.
Rex kissed the nape of her neck. "Sophia," he whispered. He swallowed thickly, knowing that he had to pull her out for a moment. If he let this go on, she was going to shut him out and she couldn't do that. Especially not now when she had a stalker on the loose and refused to tell anyone else.
Sophia leaned away from his touch. "What?"
He took hold of her hips, bringing her back to him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing it. "I love you," he muttered into her skin. He closed his eyes, waiting for her reaction.
She tensed under him, turning around so quickly that she nearly smacked into him. "What?" she demanded, her wide and her mouth agape.
Rex took that as an opportunity to kiss her. "I love you," he repeated, kissing her feverishly. His mouth suddenly craved the feel of hers and he couldn't stop. "I love you, I love you, I-"
Sophia pushed away from him, confusion and hurt and affection and anger painted on her face. "What the hell, Rex?" she demanded incredulously. "You couldn't stand to hear those words a few hours ago. And now you're just spitting them out like they're nothing?"
He shook his head, kissing her again. "They're not nothing," he insisted. He did love her. He had never felt this way about anyone, bond be damned. She had let him in, now it was time for him to do the same. He moved away from her lips and onto her neck. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have walked out on you. I should have talked like you wanted to."
She shuddered as he kissed down her throat. "Y-You scared me," she admitted. Her eyes fluttered closed as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips. "I-I haven't seen you that mad since..."
Since her sixteenth birthday.
Rex paused, reaching for her small, delicate hand. It was calloused from the use of her sword, but he didn't mind. "I know, baby," he murmured, bringing it up to his lips. How could he have hurt her so badly? He gently kissed the back of it. "I'm sorry. You have my word that we'll work through this together."
Sophia opened her eyes, which were now full of tears. "I-I forgive you," she accepted. Damn, he hadn't seen her this shaken up since that night. "On one condition, though."
He squeezed her hand harder. "Anything," he swore.
She laced their fingers together. "Hold me tonight," she requested.
Rex chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her to his chest. "That I can do," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "Goodnight, Princess."
Sophia yawned, snuggling into his chest. "Night, Charmer."
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Once they were in the safety of her apartment the next day, Sophia and Rex talked. They talked for what must have been hours.
"I know this isn't conventional," Sophia said gently, adjusting his collar. She had been fidgeting ever since they'd woken up at his parents' house. "But I don't think it's fake. This bond may have brought us together, but can you look back and honestly tell me that these feelings aren't real?" Her fingers curled around his. "That this isn't real?"
Rex shook his head. "No," he confessed. In fact, he had never felt anything more real. "But what if that's the bond? What if it's deluding us?"
She bit her lip. "I could be," she admitted. "But the things that I've told you, I've never shared with anyone. Not my parents, not my brothers, and not Danica. I feel safe with you, Rex. I love you."
Hearing her say those words warmed him from head to toe. How foolish had he been, not letting her say it last night? The sweetest melody in the world couldn't compare to hearing those words from her mouth. "I love you too," he told her.
Sophia laid a hand on his cheek. "Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked gently. "We grew up together and yet I never knew how much you struggled with being Thanagarian."
Rex gave a heavy sigh, vaguely wondering how she could have guessed. "Things were just hard, I guess," he said slowly. He had never told this to anyone before. Not his mother or father and certainly not to Mareena or Jon. "Puberty, especially. I had this period of my life where I just wanted to have sex all the damn time. Not to mention, Danica made sure I never forgot that my mom betrayed the League and almost destroyed the world."
She flinched. "She did?"
He nodded, suddenly feeling guilty. He probably shouldn't have said that. Danica may have been an ex, but she was also Sophia's best friend. He didn't even want to test those waters. "Yeah..." He quickly changed the subject. "Do you know Amara?"
Sophia tilted her head. "Vixen's daughter? Yeah, I've run into her a few times. What about her?"
Rex grimaced. "Well, when I was eighteen, she showed up at my house. She was, for some reason, convinced that my dad was her dad. It caused so much tension between my parents. I thought they were gonna get a divorce." He shut his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "And, I don't know, I guess I always thought that if Mom hadn't been a traitor then Dad wouldn't have gotten with Vixen and Amara wouldn't have caused so much trouble."
She ran her thumb over his cheek. "Was she your sister?" she questioned carefully.
He shook his head. "No," he answered blankly. It was difficult to remember that time of his life. Everything had been turned upside down. "All that and it wasn't even true."
Sophia pressed her lips together, gazing up at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Rex turned his head, pressing a kiss to her palm. "It's over now," he assured her. "Sometimes, I just wish I was only human. Wouldn't things be so much easier?"
She placed a peck on his cheek. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." She took his face in both of her hands. "But listen, you can't forget that your mom was tricked too. She thought she was doing right by Earth. I understand that it's difficult to cope with at times, but she has more than redeemed herself now, don't you think?"
Of course he did. His mother was a hero, and a good wife and mother. He knew that thinking like this was unfair, but he couldn't help it sometimes. "Yeah, I know, I just..." He sighed, gently kissing her on the forehead. "Do you still want to go through with this? I know it's a lot."
Sophia gave him a weak grin. "I killed someone, was assaulted in my office, and am fending off a literal stalker," she reminded him. "For all I put you though, I think I can handle this."
Rex's hold tightened on her, tucking her into his chest. Affection swelled in his heart for the woman in his arms because who else would willingly deal with his crazy genetics? "I love you."
Her arms encircled his and he could practically feel the happiness radiating off her. "I love you too."
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Finally, they said it! I don't know about y'all, but I was waiting for that! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. I especially liked the part with John in it. He's fun to write. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!
