A/N -Being angry doesn't mean you have to be a dick.
Bing strides across the room, reaching with his recently restored right arm to turn the speakers off, cutting out the music that has been playing for who knows how long. The cyborg frowns, turning to face the spirit huddled in the middle of the floor, watching as it slowly dawns on Natemare that the song has finally stopped.
When the spirit looks up, it's to see Bing, complete with new arm, new leg, and new eye, glaring at him. The cyborg is keeping his distance, hands clutched into fists at his sides as Mare shifts in place.
"I…I don't-"
Bing steps forward, the motion somehow smoother than Mare remembers the half-droid moving before, though he's sure to not get too close. "He did this to you didn't he?" Bing demands.
There's a faint ringing in Mare's ears as he softly nods his head. Even with the music off, he can still hear it. How long has it been? Days? Weeks? He doesn't even know any more.
"This doesn't mean I forgive you." An angered finger raises and jabs at Mare as Bing continues to glare at him. "You messed with my head. I'm all screwed up, and it's all your fault."
Mare nods again, wrapping to curl his arms around his knees. He knows what he did. He knows what lesser sentences to his nightmares do to people, but no one's ever been in there a week. He has no idea what that must be like. And yet Bing's stood right in front of him. "Why are you here?" he mumbles.
Bing's scowl softens before falling away. "When the others told me you helped get me home I knew he'd probably do this to you." He's not smiling, but as Bing crosses his arms, half-hugging himself, his eyes drift away, unable to look directly at Mare. "I still hate you, but no one deserves to be trapped."
It takes time for Mare to have the strength of spirit to pull himself to his feet, time that the two of them spend in silence. It occurs to them both that Bing is right there and he could help him up, but the cyborg makes no move to do so, though his fingers twitch once or twice like he wants to.
As Mare stands, he can still hear the faint echo of the music in his own head, but he's done here. He doesn't want to spend a single second more in this place, so he rises to his feet and brushes himself down, more out of habit than a need to clean himself. "Thanks. I guess." He turns to leave.
"Wait!" Bing calls and Mare pauses, turning back. "If he finds you, he'll just trap you again."
"Then I guess I'll steer clear of him." He means it to sound more sarcastic than it does, but he's still not completely with it, and it falls kind of flat. It won't be the first time he's had to avoid Mad. Probably won't be the last. The maniac'll get over it eventually and then they'll be whatever the hell it was they were before this. Friends, Mare guesses.
"Or you can come back to the building with me." Bing frowns as Mare laughs at the idea. "I mean it. Dark's always going on about how we're protected while we're there. You'll be safe."
Mare shakes his head dismissively, his lips quirked up into a sad smile. "Dark doesn't want me there."
"I don't really want you there either." Bing's arms are crossed again, and the frown is back with friends. "But I don't want you trapped by that stupid song any more either. I've had enough of my brain telling me I'm a bad person without throwing that thought into the mix."
Mare raises an eyebrow at that. "Is that what happened in-"
"Shut up." Bing's face is stern. Of all the people in the world he doesn't want to talk to about that, Mare is top of the list he never ever wants to talk to about it. Ever. "Do you want to come back to the building or not?"
Silence drags out between them. It's almost as though they're holding out, waiting for the other to crack first; both of them headstrong idiots who've made mistakes before and will probably go on to make a lot more.
It's Mare who finally breaks the silence.
"Okay."