Mates: Book Three
Chapter Two
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The Watchtower was in need of some repairs. Sure, the repairs weren't that major…in fact if one were wanting to be anal, they could say that the repairs were unneeded… but to Bruce they were. That and a few parts had come in that needed placing. Never mind the fact that they'd been in the cave for the past few week, gathering dust, and that anybody—including Flash—could slip them in place. Anything to get him out of the Manor.
It was starting to drive him crazy. Couldn't go out as Batman. Oh no. That was left up to Dick or J'onn. No, he was to stay in the cave and play Oracle. (Who had yet to check in and was starting to worry…Alfred.) And that had been fine. For the first week. And some of the second. Because he'd had to focus on getting control of his mental powers and extra sensitivity. Not to mention J'onn and Gotham had proved to be wonderful entertainers.
But now, now it was week three into his exile, he was bored out of his mind, J'onn, Alfred, Tim, Dick, and Gotham were all pissed at him and if he had to sit around that Manor with their glares and silent treatment (which really was anything but silent) for one more second Bruce was going to go crazy. So he had slipped into his costume, grabbed all his tools and had teleported up to the tower, intending on spending the next three-maybe six if he could stretch it-hours alone. In real silence.
Except it seemed the gods were mad at him too because just who did he get on Monitor Duty?
Flash. Fucking Flash.
"And then the cop said—can you believe this—that I was out of line. Never mind the fact that the bad guy had a weapon and could have killed someone! Oh no I was so totally in the wrong!"
Who'd apparently had a bad freaking week and felt the need to rant about it to him. Oh joy of joys. Batman had figured that eventually Flash would pick up on his glares and grunts and shut UP but it was now hour two into the rant and he was starting to lose all hope.
Well…at least Flash was making himself useful; handing him the tools that he needed. In the correct order. Luckily the speedster was really too caught up in his rambling to sense the faint suggestions a certain Dark Knight was sending. Then again maybe if Flash did sense him he'd get mad and LEAVE.HIM.ALONE.
Batman sighed, the tension in his shoulders leaving as his anger and frustration started to fade away. It had been like this for a while now. He'd feel his temper start to reach the end of its rope and he'd get angry…and then in a matter of minutes he was over it. Usually it didn't take much to push his patience, but that differed depending on what the situation was.
Trying to solve a puzzle? Mix up an antidote? Solve Riddles? Crack Joker/Two Face/Scarecrow/Ivy's latest scheme? No problem. He could focus for hours.
J'onn getting angry over an answer to a question that he'd asked?
Alfred pushing just a little too far?
Gotham talking way too much?
Dick and Tim growing pouty just because he made one….seventeen…tiny suggestions?
One hour was his absolute limit.
But even this morning's spats were falling away from him, just leaving behind…
Nothing.
And logically, it made sense. What's said was done and staying angry wasn't helping matters at all. He'd been an ass, time to suck it up and fix the damage.
It was just….shocking to have the emotions agree with the logic for once.
He should have been stewing over this. Until midnight or the next day even! Then he'd finally realize he was wrong and go about apologizing in his own way. Not feeling….anything…was wrong.
Yet neither Bruce nor Batman could find it in themselves to care.
It was like…he was slowly being shoved into a box. A box that was only big enough for him, and none of his emotions. So they started to fade away…
But it was probably…just…all in his mind.
Yeah…
Not worth worrying over…
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"Are you always so cold Bruce?"
"Some days are…harder than others."
"And lately?"
"Lately it's been...one increasingly hard day after the next."
"Do you think it might…have something to do with our bond?"
"I've no idea. Do you honestly think I'd tell you if it did?"
J'onn regretted ever even asking that question. It wasn't the answer that had infuriated him; it was the tone Bruce had said it in. He'd sounded so…apathetic. As if he couldn't care less that he'd just insulted four of his family members (Gotham included). When they hadn't been doing anything wrong.
So J'onn'd gotten angry and then they had gotten into a fight that…hadn't ended pretty, with him calling Bruce an unfeeling robot and Bruce heatedly asking why J'onn even cared since they weren't his family anyway. He'd phased out to the roof and if their bond was correct…Bruce had headed towards the Tower an hour afterwards.
And was now feeling…
Angry, at least for a while. But then that had faded to…..nothing. No sadness, remorse or even humor at the situation. There was just emptiness.
Again.
They'd just gotten into a fight and the human didn't even care enough to feel anything about it! Anger was nice. Anger showed that he felt something. Sadness was preferable. It meant less fighting and more making up. Humor made the making up even easier. But…
Nothing?
How could Bruce just not care? About all the people he'd hurt….Alfred, Dick, Tim, Gotham…a certain Martian.
Didn't he care at all? Just a little? Why was he being so heartless now? Bruce hadn't acted like this before they'd mated. The bond was supposed to make everything stronger. Health, power, emotions. So something must have gone wrong with their bond, in order for Bruce to grow increasingly apathetic.
J'onn felt his stomach churn uneasily. Their bond, the last Martian bond in the entire universe, was damaged? How….why? Was there any way he could fix it? Would Bruce even care enough to try? Maybe if it was damaged enough…it could be broken. Wasn't that what the human wanted? To be free of him?
Perhaps…it's for the best.
Didn't want it to be. J'onn liked the sense of peace that came with being Bonded. It'd been so long… And he liked Bruce, maybe even loved him. Loved the way Bruce made him feel. Emotions that were just so strong and sometimes it seemed the alien was feeling so much that he thought he'd explode. It was exhilarating, terrifying, amazing…
J'onn felt free.
Fact of the matter was, Bruce made him feel alive. And he didn't want to give him up just yet.
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Soooo how'd I do?
