Hmm well I'm sorry for the delay! I know I'm terrible! I hate editing this stuff though, especially when it's something embarrassing because I wrote it when I was tired at 12:00 at night! I used to write on this story a lot when I was having sleeping problems :/ well no matter! I will try very hard not to make this fanfiction all moody and such but it should be very obvious to you what pairing I'm going for as of now. And as I do tend to obsess…a lot… you can expect a lot of romance/ fluffy things from me. So without further a due! I give chapter four 3 I hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter Four
A Play on Ethics
Surprisingly, Rachel didn't stick around long enough to receive a full explanation. She was practically steaming as she dragged Harvey out of the Penthouse. He followed her quickly, seeming abit calmer but definitely not like he had been when he first arrived. Bruce had given them small apologies as they left, but Rachel was too infuriated to pay attention. She stormed out the door, not even saying a proper goodbye. Harvey had at least been polite enough to give a small wave as his girlfriend almost shut the door in his face.
Bruce had returned upstairs the moment they were out the door, thankful that he wouldn't have to argue about ethics with Rachel again. Today's commotion had given him a huge headache and he wanted nothing more than to curl up on his bed and go to sleep. Unfortunately that was already occupied, and Bruce was going to be sleeping on the couch for the second time in two days. He brought a broom upstairs and began sweep up the little pieces of glass that glittered on the floor. He could have asked Alfred to do it, but he didn't feel like bothering him and he really didn't mind.
Crane was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window was a sullen look on his face. He didn't even acknowledge Bruce as the man did his best to tidy up the room. The silence was abit awkward, especially because they both had a lot on their minds that they wanted to say, but both held themselves back.
Outside the window he could barely make out the shapes of grey buildings blurring with the sky and the rain. He blinked a few times, unused to seeing the world this way. Jonathan had been so absorbed in the view that he hardly noticed when Bruce plopped down beside him and dropped a hand full of first aid supplies between them. He nearly jumped as one of the rolls of bandages slid down and thumped against his leg.
"Hold out your arm," Bruce instructed and the doctor did as he was told. He was about to say something about knowing how to bandage himself up but he bit his tongue instead. No need to make Bruce madder, he supposed. Considering all that had went on this early, the man looked rather calm…it was almost sickening. When running around as Batman Bruce seemed aggravated and intimidating, but his more normal side was not nearly as terrifying. Most of the glass from his arm had been fairly easy to remove, some of the smaller parts had been harder to spot but for the most part the cuts didn't look that bad. Though there was many of them, none were very deep. A purple bruise was forming around his left wrist where the handcuffs had been.
"You didn't have to do that you know…" Bruce sighed, realizing that all the commotion had been for nothing. Jonathan simply rolled his eyes. He was not about to explain the reasons for his actions to this man.
"I woke up chained to a bed…what did you think I was going to do?" He glared, remembering how petrified he'd been earlier.
"We had you full of painkillers, I expected you to sleep for the rest of the day."
"Little good those did." Jonathan grumbled as he rubbed his now bandaged arm with his uninjured hand. All the medicine did was leave his head feeling foggy, it did little to actually improve his condition. He could easily feel the burning pain that swallowed his entire arm. He didn't want to think about what had happened. It was as though he couldn't control his emotions anymore and it terrified him. The darker side of his mind, the part that he kept in check and locked away was beginning to resurface with less effort than before. Losing control was becoming horrifyingly easy.
"Are you hungry?" Bruce asked, sounding like a concerned doctor himself, "I could have Alfred go-"
"No. I'm not." Crane stated bluntly and returned his gaze to the window. Sure there was part of him that was hungry but then he didn't feel motivated enough to actually eat anything. As of now even the mentioning of food was enough to almost make him feel sick and besides, he didn't want to take charity from Bruce Wayne.
"Well then you could go wash up-"
"No. I don't feel like it." He tried not to think about how much his voice resembled that of a spoiled and stubborn child.
"Well than what do you plan on doing?" Bruce raised an eyebrow. Jonathan trembled a little bit at that. Actually, he had no idea. He had no plan, no fall back, no way of getting out of here. It wasn't a matter of finding the light at the end of the tunnel when he wasn't even sure if he had the tools to get through the dark. He was curled up now, hugging his knees to his chest. It was a pity it did so little to comfort him.
"I don't know." It hurt him to admit defeat, especially when it was so obvious. He had no options, except to sit here and act like the pathetic man he was quickly becoming. He'd been of such fine composure before, always with a plot or an idea, but now as he wracked his brain for answers he found it utterly empty. The mind he had taken pride in for years had been destroyed and now he was left with nothing. Bruce stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say.
"You wanna tell me how it happened?" He finally asked, though he proceeded hesitantly. Jonathan sneered a little bit, his cold chuckle making Bruce scowl.
"How what happened?" Crane joked.
"What happened after I Left you in the Narrows…" That caused the man to stir, in fact, he glared at Bruce as the billionaire clumsily packed the medical supplies back into the first aid kit. He couldn't meet Crane's gaze, but he could practically feel the bubbling anger, even without looking at him.
"Oh nothing I suppose…"Jonathan hissed," They just hit me on the head a few times and then tossed me in the back of some stupid van. Don't feel too guilty though! I only had to endure their bullying for a few days before you heroically showed up!" He was mocking him, and as much as Bruce felt guilty he would not stand for being spoken to in such a tone. Not when it was so obvious that what had happened wasn't his fault, no, he had convinced himself that it wasn't!
"I told you I was so-"
"Sorry wont fix things Bruce! They won't make things any better!" Jonathan was shaking now and Bruce couldn't tell if it was either from rage, or hurt, or maybe it was some odd combination of both. Either way, when he tried to put his hand on Jonathan's shoulder for comfort the man slapped it away.
"What did you expect!" Crane was shouting, his piercing eyes boring into Bruce's own," Do not tell me you left me there without some amount of cruel intent in that mind of yours! Do not tell me that you're truly very sorry and that you didn't mean for this to happen! Think back to three days ago! You left me there! In the crime infested Narrows! Don't tell me that your kind little heart didn't expect something bad to happen to me! Don't tell me that you didn't want me to get hurt!"
Bruce turned his head in shame, unable to face the agonized man. But Crane wasn't finished yet, he grabbed the collar of Bruce's shirt and yanked the man in his direction so that he was staring directly into his face. Being much more powerful and having much more energy, Bruce could have easily made it out of his grasp, but Jonathan's wide blue eye's held him there. He was afraid. It was so clearly printed all over his face. Crane knew he had no alternatives, he knew he had hit a dead end and he was so terrified he didn't know how to live with himself.
"YOU WANTED ME TO SUFFER!" He screamed, "Because you felt like I deserved it! What did I ever do to you?! I helped try to destroy Gotham…I never tried to destroy you! But you, You tried to…destroy…." He let go. It was no use, Bruce would never understand how he felt. He would never understand that agonizing sense of betrayal that was stabbing into his heart like a knife. He had a stupid, dumbfounded look on his face, showing very clearly that he didn't get it.
Jonathan's mind was screaming at him and he bit down hard on is lower lip, but it wasn't enough to surpress the tears. His entire face felt like it was on fire, and hot tears were streaming down his cheeks. Weak! Don't cry! Don't! You're making a complete fool of yourself! You're stronger than this…
No. He was so tired of being strong.
"Look what they've done to me!" He howled, clutching at the long scars that trailed the edges of his mouth," I want to kill them! I want to destroy them all!" He turned so that he was no longer plagued by Bruce's agitating expression, and curled himself into a ball on the bed.
"That would make you the same as them…you have to-"
"Don't try to consul me on ethics! I don't care about your stupid beliefs of right and wrong!" He shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the memories but they were coming back to him in a giant flood. They crammed their way into his mind, filling it with distressing images. He could see himself, tied up in the back of a dark van, his head spinning; arms tied too tightly, the tape over his mouth making it almost impossible to breathe. He was being jostled around, ever turn or bump sent him slamming into a box or the walls of the van. The ride had seemed to drag on forever, each moment introducing him to a new level pain. It was like being in Arkham all over again. Except this time the people didn't have to keep him alive, they could kill him anytime they felt the urge arise.
"I'm sorry…" It was barely above a whisper.
"Shut up…"Crane muttered. Standing up, Bruce decided it better to leave the man so that he could be moody by himself. He felt like a father, arguing with this foolish teenage son. Before walking out the door a thought struck his mind.
"Are you hungry now?" He asked playfully. Jonathan hiccupped between sobs.
"A little bit."
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Rawr! Reviews are very much appreciated 3 as they do keep this little author writing away! I got a job now though so I won't be able to type as much. I'm excited about where this story might be going, but if you guys have any suggestions or anything that you would like to happen then feel free to speak up about it. I always love getting suggestions! Thanks for your support This far!
Review responses!
(only one this time D: )
Falcon-Jade-Darkness: Ohh I know what you mean! I found Rachel to be extremely annoying in the 1st movie, but for some reason I really like her and Harvey in the Dark Knight. Perhaps it was them being together that made her more tolerable. I will definitely be putting more about them in the story so I hope you enjoy those parts! I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out, eh? Thanks for reviewing!
