Bruce woke up, darkness surrounding him. He didn't know where he was or what had happened. He looked down at his torso to see that there were bandages across his shirtless chest. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't. His body screamed in pain. He grimaced. What happened? "Oh good, you're awake", he heard a kind voice from behind him say. He recognized this voice...Zatanna.
"Wha..where are we? What happened to me?" Zatanna came more into view, her mesmerizing blue eyes meeting his. "We are in an abandoned cave in Apokolips. I guess you don't remember, but you crashed your plane fighting those parademons. Clark told me to take you somewhere safe where you could heal and here, we are'', she said.
Now he remembered. Those Parademons were blocking his view, and he lost control of the plane. He tried to take out Darkseid's larger cannon as he crashed. Last thing he remembered was how he prayed that his mother and father would be proud of the man he had become.
"Sorry I wasn't able to give you a bed to lay on. I don't know if or when we will have some visitors, the unfriendly kind. And I need to have my full energy to protect us from whatever could come running in this cave", she said.
"It's fine. The hard surface will be better for resetting my back anyway", Bruce says, wincing.
Zatanna laughed at his response and mumbled something about his discipline, which was a welcomed sound. It momentarily distracted him from the anxiety he was feeling. How his hands wouldn't stop shaking. He felt helpless. If someone came into the cave, Kalibak or Parademons or whatever it could be, Bruce couldn't do anything to stop it. He was too injured. He couldn't protect Zatanna. He couldn't do anything. He felt as helpless as he had at ten years old watching his parents die in front of him. Breathing was difficult. He felt like the walls were closing in. He hadn't had an anxiety attack in years, but this one was relentless.
"Shh", he heard her say as she sat down and gently laid his head on her lap. He felt her cold slender hands running along his hair, soothing him. He closed his eyes, allowing the comfort of her touch to calm his heartbeat a bit.
Of course, she was able to tell he was struggling. She always seemed to know. Ever since they met in London, she seemed to be able to see right through him. It was for that reason that Bruce avoided her around others in the League. He felt so exposed. So vulnerable. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed.
He felt very vulnerable at the moment, but it wasn't...he didn't mind it right now. Her touch on his scalp felt soothing. Her other hand placed on his neck felt good as well. She clearly had an effect on him. Whether that was good or bad, he could never figure out. He had known her for almost 30 years, but that was one mystery he had never been able to solve.
"You've gotten so gray", she teased.
Bruce groaned, "We can't all age so gracefully."
"You think I've aged gracefully?", she says, lightly scratching his head.
Bruce felt heat go to his cheeks, like he was a teenager with a crush. The effect she had on him was ridiculous and honestly, drove him nuts. He just rolled his eyes, groaning, which caused her to chuckle. Bruce shut his eyes completely, leaning into the soft caress of her slender fingers. Whether he would admit it or not, Bruce yearned for the kindness and comfort of Zatanna's touch.
And sometimes, being vulnerable with the person who could see right through him was something he truly needed.
"And by the way, I never said the gray was a bad thing. Not at all", she says in a sincere tone.
Bruce frustratingly felt the heat return to his cheeks.