He healed so fast that it almost made it hard to keep up, and between the thorough-mix of creaking, cracking bone, snapping like twigs beneath her telekinetic hold, she could feel it, no, hear it, the screaming of his mind as he tried to thrash his . One finger, then two, and three, it was almost rhythmic, the girl caught in the rush of blood and excitement to pay his scrambling thoughts too much mind. With each grip of a digit, she relished the crackling pop of his joints as each one, only moments later, began the steady work of mending itself, a motion that, on its own, demanded her attention as she certain to prod the delicate appendages, adding to their pain in turn.

M'gann had always been taught to start small, start with something...manageable. Breaking something too fast, too soon...it would make building it again hard, and she'd learned well enough the folly of being impatient, so with a smile, she stepped into his head, soothing him with careful coos as his digits snapped back in place...only for her to break them again.

"It's okay."

Snap

"Don't cry."

Crack

"We're almost finished, Oll'ishi. I promise."

Crick

She smiled sweetly at those wide, doe-like eyes, the starkest, palest blues almost washed as white as his skin as his face remained still, nearing tranquil if it weren't from the swarming agony underneath. The girl could feel his thoughts squirming, faltering upon themselves with each snap, struggling to put even the barest string of words together into anything resembling coherency, and that was just what she was looking for. That confounding, blustering confusion that made it so very easy to worm her way in with soft words the then screaming youth couldn't help but hear.

H-hurt...p-please - ,Then she would break another, his thumb this time, shattering it in her grip, scattering fragments beneath his darkening hands, a musical sound that was complimented by the stunned silence, and then the inaudible screech behind sealed lips.

Sweet, sweet music.

"See what you're making me do? See? I don't want to do this, you know. But what was I supposed to do? Hmm? Thinking those bad things...you shouldn't do that. That makes me sad, you know?"The martian girl mused lightly, scolding the boy with quieted, psychic words, invading that sullen head, his mind clambering, she felt, over every word. Despite the thick, cold sweat that drenched his face, and dotted his neck, she could tell he was listening, however subconsciously, to what she was saying. She'd learned this little trick long ago, for those unruly ones that like to scream, that like to yell and curse and bite and all manner of thing to distract themselves from her. M'gann could recall the frustration that was wrought when they would refuse to listen to her, and worse, say awful things, hurting her feelings in the process.

She put an end to that real quick, too.

Bending his pinky back, she held his mind firm, refusing to allow him to slip into the darkness of the unconscious, the teen appearing to try to will himself over the edge where he thought she couldn't reach him.

It snapped under her grip, splintering through the skin, blood soaking her palms as suddenly, Kon jolted, a throttle of muscle and anguish so tangible the couch beneath him shook.

She opened her mouth, surprised at the motion.

"Wow, Konny. I didn't you could move...I must not be holding you tightly enough."M'gann hummed, and with a wave of her hand, she could feel her power wash over him, grasping every inch of him tighter, the hold on his muscles, his very cells, constricting him with the strength of a boa, crushing him to the seat.

He was screaming.

That meant he was learning.

"You can make this stop, you know."She sighed innocently, pausing for a moment to inspect his ruined hands. Just about every digit, and every joint of said digits, were bent and strained beyond where they were meant to be. Barring the pinky that dripped hot, steaming blood from the point of fractured, white bone, sticking out from his skin like an unruly, pale splinter, the others hadn't faired much better, much of them so thoroughly mangled that even the act of them resetting, crackling with motion and snapping back in place, seemed painful enough on its own. His once pristine, wide hands were painted with solemn tones of blue and black, edging down his palms and licking his wrists as his healing factor aged the bruises accordingly.

It was amazing, seeing it in action, his physiology acting as it should, not it wasn't to expected. She knew well enough that he would, and it was good for her, too, as unlike before, she had to be more...discrete. Of course, it was harder remaining so when at every turn he made things so...difficult, the girl spat coldly in her mind as she gave each of his broken appendages as cruel squeeze, paying little mind to the sorry whimper that brushed past his lips, the first sound that he'd made in what was only a few minutes, though to him, she was sure, felt like ages.

It made her frown in kind.

"Do you want me to?"She asked suddenly, running her fingers along his injured ones as if soothing him, though it only made his tense with pain, or...internally he had. The question didn't seem to reach him at first, scrambled thoughts wavering through his addled mind. It took him a moment to even realize that she had at all, that is, asked him anything, and she was sure that his eyes would have been squinting with strain it he could have done so.

W...W-what?...,He sputtered, his inner thoughts croaking.

She tilted her head, pressing her thumb and forefinger to his already realigned pinky, though a strange lump still protruded from its side, pushing it to a strange angle. Raising it up to her lips, she watched his eyes follow, still as she licked the site clean. Her tongue teased the edges of his mending wound, flicking back the loose skin carefully before pushing into it, rousing a despairing groan from his head.

His blood was sweet.

Pulling it from her mouth, the digit shone lazily in the light, a thin trickle of blood dripping from the disturbed wound, but nothing more than that as it continued to heal, painfully so.

Granting him a gentle look, she smiled.

"I mean...I can make this stop. Do you want that, Konny? Do you want me to stop?" She asked, and the clone was still with confusion, she noted, untrusting of her words, even though she remained still at his side, betraying, she felt, no ill will of the sort. M'gann always thought it was strange, that every she asked this, each one of her friends always shared that same disbelieving tick in their heads, a wariness that echoed throughout their whole being, no matter how kindly, no matter how genuinely, she tried to announce her good will. For most, even this wouldn't have been enough, and as such, she would be forced to reestablish her reinforcement, continuing on until they understood the error of their ways. Of course, that relied on time, careful planning, and frankly, M'gann thought, eying the passageway adjacent to the couch that led to the rest of the hideout, nothing about what she was doing was remotely such.

And though she'd managed to ward off any of the attention that the others would surely give if they saw her, she wasn't quite in the mood to keep this going too long, either.

She was hoping this would be all she needed to do for now.

After all: she hated having to ruin something so perfect, so pretty, as her Konny.

Her Oll'ishi.

"It's okay. I promise I'll stop if you just say sorry and promise to be good. If you do that...then we can stop. Would you like that?" The girl asked, her eyes soft, almost...reassuring.

Kon seemed to be trying to organize his thoughts.

B-but...I didn't...y-you were the one that...started...a-all of this! Y-you...you're a - "He paused when he felt her take his hand into hers, grasping it tightly enough that the whole of his appendage was in her grip, held firm by hidden strength not apparent through her thin arms. But there no mistaking it, the cutting dissatisfaction that shivered through her.

Her face had run cold, still, like a rush gale of ice.

"No."

And it was his palm this time. His mind screamed as a horrid crack split the silence around them, and it was no wonder why, the bones of his hand crushed and folded with so little effort on her part that she nearly surprised herself, but she was unmoved, announcing none of her matching shock in favor of a deadpan look.

He wasn't understanding.

But she was patient.

But even she had her limits.

"You can make this stop. This isallbecause of you, you know. Just say you're sorry, be good, and I can stop. Why do you have to make things so hard, Oll'ishi?She pressed, holding his broken hand ever tighter, and his mind, for a split second, almost gave, if only slightly. His eyelids quivered, as if wanting to flutter shut to find respite from the pain.

But she refused it, just as she always did.

He wasn't allowed to leave yet.

Dragging him back, whether it be kicking or screaming or whatever mental image one might conjure of his still body, M'gann thought he felt...strange, that his conscious mind, though tired and strained, was still so...defiant. In some part, she loved that about him, that...difficult streak something of a draw to his immutable strength. It wasn't just his body that she loved, it was...everything, every bit of his nature that kept her reeling, that made her come back. She blushed furiously as he fought her, relishing his meager efforts, however desperate they were; even now, when his bones lay shattered, healing, then breaking, and healing again, he struggled.

Even through the frustration the thought brought, she couldn't help her smile.

She loved when he fought her back. It kept things...exciting.

I...I d-don't...want...please...p-please, stop -

"Say it."She squeezed that same hand, halting the bones' reformation by keeping them in that same, constricted position.

His mind squirmed, swelling with anguish as he fought it, that drawing ache that she could feel was wearing on him.

She squeezed harder, enough that the bruising was made fresh again, and with the addition of her second hand, she pushed the palm, and thusly the bones, out of place with her thumb, moving them slowly from their position outward like pressing an indentation into fleshy sand. The clone went still, and though he was rendered numb by her powers, his mouth fell agape, and just like a weak, passing whisper of wind, the smallest of rasps, akin to a weak cry, trembled past dry lips. When she stopped, lifting her thumb and minding the large gap she left behind and the pulsing swell of tender tissue, she heard panting, as if he were trying to breathe, but just missing each in kind.

He was close. She could feel it.

N-no...no...more...I-I can't...,He croaked softly, weakly, and she watched his mouth quiver, tears budding in his eyes.

So, so close.

Placing his hand gently against his chest, she reached down and cupped his burning, hot face, feverish red taking his once pale features in a storm of contorted stillness. For someone that couldn't move a muscle, he was so expressive, so...so emotional, and she took it all it, smiling fondly as if a mother to a wayward child.

"You can make it all stop, Oll'ishi. All of this can be over and we can be happy if you would just stop being so...difficult. I don't want to hurt you, but what can I do? You make me do this. Everything that I do is because you force me to, can't you see that?"M'gann asserted, giving him a hard look to make her point.

DIdn't he see that this was hurting her, too? She didn't want to have to do this, but...if it meant that she could help fix him, to make him better, than it was worth getting her hands a little dirty, but this...wasn't what she was looking for. M'gann hoped, no, knew, that with time and a tender, guiding hand, he could understand.

And this...this was just the first step of many.

He would understand, he would come around.

He would.

She just had to make him see.

I didn't...d-do anything wrong...why are you...d-doing this? Why, M'gann?,The teen asked, completely, utterly, and totally at a loss, unable to understand.

Just as she knew he wouldn't.

But he would, soon.

"You were bad, and if we're going to be happy, I need you to promise you'll be good. I can help you, Konny. But only if you let me. Now..."She grinned, taking up his opposite hand in the same fashion that she had the other, paying little mind to the far fainter bruising and the mending, if still delicate and tender, fingers that rested in her cruel grasp. Kon understood well the threat that she was implying, and his burning face was still, pale, wrenched with equal parts terror and expectation that she would follow through on it.

She squeezed a bit, mostly teasingly, though with enough force to convey it, how...serious she was.

The clone didn't move, but she could tell his mind was turning with a thousand thoughts.

She spoke.

"Say it." Urging him to speak, and she smiled.

His mind trembled to life again, focusing as well as he could on her words.

F-fine! Fine! S-sorry! I'll listen, just please don't do anymore! P-please!,He almost begged, and at once, she noted some terrible shame that painted his thoughts black, as if some great dignity were murdered right then and there no sooner than the words had left his mouth, and in a sense, she couldn't help but see why, a wash of satisfaction taking her, though she wasn't wholly pleased with his words.

"Do you promise?"M'gann asked, loosening her grasp if just enough to allow him to quit his desperate panting, though it still filtered through, making her arms, leaning against the couch, warm, bordering on hot. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite name, though. Something...disquieted and unreadable that, though his mind leapt upon her words, something...hid there.

Something...harsh.

Like a lit fire that, even when blustered by wind, didn't falter. She noted it, but didn't dwell on it as he'd begun to speak, tone...softer.

Pleading.

I...I promise...n-now, please...s-stop...,He uttered, flushing with exhaustion.

Finally.

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it? That's all I wanted, Konny." She finally said aloud, pecking his cheek lightly, her tone just mildly condescending to the ear that could make note of it. Standing from her kneeling position, she allowed her power over him to falter, releasing every bit of his tensed body in one, singular wave that allowed Kon to jerk back into control. The movement was violent, instinctive as, after a moment or so of tentative stillness, brought his battered hands to his chest, inspecting the bent and bruised appendages before his reddened, solemn eyes caught M'gann just before him. Reaching out, a keen eye noticed him pull away from her slightly when she placed a green hand upon his arm.

She frowned just as swiftly, feeling...insulted.

"Don'tdothat. Youpromisedto be good. Isthatbeing good?" She couldn't help but spit irritably.

Kon gritted his teeth, caught between a grimace and a sigh before shaking his head.

He was...guarded, but he didn't protest, either. Like a corrected child, he allowed her to help him come to a stand, seeing as his hands were still out of commission, and would like be for at least another hour or so...maybe more.

But she wasn't worried.

However long it took, she would be there to help him however she could.

That was what mates did, of course.

Sitting up now, Kon was silent, staring at his marred skin.

M'gann tilted her head, tapping her foot impatiently.

She scowled.

"Well?" She started, clearly irritated, though his confused expression didn't help it, only worsening her mood.

"W-what?" Superboy asked, matching her own annoyance with her own. She could tell that he was becoming...tired, though whether it was because of his injuries or if he were directing it at her, she couldn't tell, but it didn't matter.

Her frowned deepened.

If there were one thing that martians didn't care much for were bad manners. Whether it be accidental or intentional, it was all the same, and now was no different. After she'd imparted knowledge upon him, and helped him sit up...she expected something in return. Something akin to even the barest form of courtesy that she had afforded him.

She said so accordingly.

"Thankyou?~..." M'gann drew it out, really more to make a point.

How was none of this obvious?

That just assured her of what she already knew: he really did need her guidance. At the notion of it, Kon scoffed incredulously, looking to her, then his hands, then to her was beside himself with anger.

"Thank you? Thank you?! For what?!Breakingmy hands? You can't be serious right no - " At the turn of her expression, the teen stopped at once.

Leaning forward, the young martian had his ear, whispering in a low voice that she knew his sensitive ears would be able to pick up.

"Do you want to find out what happens to promise breakers, Oll'ishi?"She started, tone...flat.

Were his hands not enough? Did he need more? More teaching? She didn't mind. No, she didn't mind at all. If that was what he wanted.

She could help him. She couldfixhim. Didn't he promise to be good? Was that a lie? She didn't like liars.

No...no, she didn't like them at all.

"Because I don't like liars...are you a liar, Konny? You promised me you would be good, didn't you? But you're being bad again."She whispered, and though her voice was soft, the girl felt it, a blistering rage just bubbling beneath her verdant skin that made it hard for her to contain herself. That urge to silence that fire, to extinguish immediately as she could still feel it burning in him, an impatient thought from an impatient girl, she knew.

But she contained herself, that other voice shrieking,Wait, wait! Not yet, not yet!, in her ears, though a quivering hand bunched his jacket in her grasp, and pressed hot nails into the shirt, and thusly skin, underneath, coupled only by the force of her mind, bearing down on him.

She was patient.

She had to be, but he was pushing her...so much that she thought she would snap.

It was a good thing she loved him so much, and when she heard his drumming thoughts, she knew that her Oll'ishi was just...misguided. She couldn't act too harshly yet, after all.

He was still learning.

"N-no..."He whispered back, and she could tell he was just as aware as she was of what she could do.

She smiled, and planted her lips upon his own, relishing his taste, despite how dry and cracked his lips were.

That didn't matter at all.

Yet still, he had to learn, and leaning up, a trail of spittle drawn like wires between their mouths, she looked to him expectantly, stroking his face.

She loved his skin.

It was so soft.

"So, what do we say?" The martian girl hummed, drinking his silence, his...reluctance.

His disgust.

Her smile waned a bit.

She'd have to fix that, too.

Then he spoke, voice heavy with resentment.

"...Thank you."He said finally, averting his eyes, unable to look upon her, it would seem. Though she felt compelled to correct that, she knew that not every war had to be fought at once, and she took his words as both penance and victory before helping him to his feet, the clone doing little to stop her, though he was stiffer now, like a carved bust of wood against her touch.

As if he couldn't stand that she was touching him...even after everything they'd done...

The thought hurt her, but she settled herself, knowing that they had time to fix that, too.

There was so much to do, but he'd be perfect soon enough. It just took patience. She could be patient, she mused, as if reminding herself to ground her thoughts.

When he'd come to a stand, she caught his eyes darting around the room, as if looking for something...or someone. Peering into his mind, she knew that he was looking for the other three, Wally, Kaldur, and Robin, and she grinned, giggling under breath as she spoke, voicing his thoughts clearly, minding little the agitated, and more than uncomfortable, expression upon his face.

"Don't worry. I left them at the elevator. They're okay, don't worry." She exclaimed, wrapping her arm around his just as she had before, relishing his strong frame, though he looked back at her, confused.

"B-but...I thought you'd - "

The word that came to his mind made her laugh out loud this time, giving him nervous, uncertain pause.

"Killed them? Oll'ishi, that's silly. You must have been imagining things." She assured him, disregarding him entirely, though her thoughts were elsewhere.

He really did come up with the most ridiculous ideas, though...he wasn't wrong. It was true that the three had walked into the kitchen, that they heard them arguing...but it was more than easy enough to direct them back at to the elevator that they were currently at right now, all but dead to the world as their dreams took up their conscious mind. It was a neat little trick, rendering others completely inert for as long as she needed them to be...though it was hard to do that, and discipline Konny, too.

In fact, she could note the throbbing fatigue that plagued her muscles, dulled her mind. As if she'd lifted a heavy weight for too long, she felt slower, more sluggish, and sore most of all.

This day had already taken a lot out of her.

But she didn't need to have that show.

She'd recover soon enough, anyway, if she just gave herself a break.

Kon wasn't convinced, though, completely at a loss as to what to say.

"B-but...they came in and - " He was stopped again with a roll of her eyes.

"Put to sleep. Why would I kill our friends? How does that make any sense?" The martian asked, giving him a rather dull look. Kon was dumbfounded, mouth ajar with lacking understanding, though he was relieved, more than that, even, the teen, despite his frazzled appearance, looking more relieved than he had in the last few week.

"Thank god..." He whispered faintly under his breath, and she turned her head, inspecting him.

Her voice was more than scathing.

"You should try thinking more. It would be stupid to kill them, wouldn't it? How would that look, Konny? I need you to use your head and stop saying stupid things, okay?" The girl scolded lightly, though it was with as much good will as she could manage, but she couldn't contain it, her irritation as his dense conclusions. That wouldn't do, either, having him get away with not thinking.

Not with such obvious things like this.

But he was less than pleased.

"Yeah, because I was supposed to know that you didn't kill them you PSYCHO - " He was silenced just as quickly by her waiting hand, searing across his face with such quickness and force that he didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence, her anger flaring up with quiet, creeping brevity that surprised her for only a moment before she put her hand down, granting him a taut expression.

She would not tolerate him back talking her.

She'd had enough for a single day.

"I've told you...stop saying things like that. You're making me mad." M'gann stated simply, and though he didn't respond, she could see the shock swell on his face before a faint, red mark graced his cheek...but not before fading just as quickly.

It was as if it had never been there at all.

Then it was as if her anger hadn't been, either, as it was replaced with a calm expression.

It was time to show them all her surprise.

But first, she began to tidy his clothes, his hair, swiping carefully, lovingly at any part of him that was misaligned with her perfect image of him when Kon, thoroughly peeved, gave her a moody grunt, not pulling away, but tensing at every move she made as she finished her work.

She hummed as she did so. A tender, lovely sound that echoed about the lonely kitchen, and it would have been almost pleasant if she didn't feel his darkening, blue eyes peering down at her with so much vitriol that it could be made tangible by the imagination. It was an entity all its own, picking her apart with ceaseless scrutiny that she tried her best to ignore, and his thoughts were no better.

Stop touching me.

I want to leave.

I can't stand her.

I HATE HER -

"Stop thinking bad things. You love me...I...I love you, too. You just...don't know it yet - "

She stopped when she heard him scoff, a cold sound that made her frown.

"No...I...don't...I'llneverlove you. No matter what you try, I won't. You're afreak." He spat, abandoning any kindness or decency or fear she'd felt from him before. Looking up at him, she saw fire, burning so brightly in his gaze that it threatened to blind her with its ferocity. There was a toiling within her mind, a horrid set of machinations that gave voice to the terrible doubts that plagued her every thought.

It's not working, It's Not Working, IT'S NOT WORKING -

"You don't...you don't mean that."She whispered, quieting the thoughts.

He was just confused.

Yeah!

He was just confused.

And worse than that? He was lying.

And he was being...mean.

He didn't mean that,noneof it.

HE DIDN'T MEAN IT.

Kon scowled, but said nothing. Nothing at all.

Swallowing, she gestured to his hands. She smiled, trying to salvage her mood, to amend the situation.

"You should probably put those in your pocket. You know, until you heal." She offered, beaming up at him.

HE DIDN'T MEAN IT -

Silent, he carefully placed his hands into his jacket pockets, wincing slightly, though he seemed unwilling to vocalize his discomfort. They fit well into the dark fabric, concealing any indication of her discipline from the world, away from prying eyes that might question it too much until they were made well again, and before he'd placed them in, she could tell they wouldn't need much longer. For the most part, his fingers were readjusted and back in alignment, with only the barest number of splotches that told of the brutality that she'd administered. The darkest amongst them was his hand, dyed a dark purplish-black as the teen shifted uncomfortably where he stood, and she could see him looking away from her and to where it laid in his pocket, readjusting to put in the least painful position...which she knew wouldn't be many.

She stared at him, amber eyes hollowed with cold thought as finally, he went still, but he wouldn't face her.

He wouldn't evenlookat her.

M'gann's face twitched, but she maintained herself, a crooked smile parting her lips.

"Ready to go? I can't wait to show you my surprise." The girl asked, doing her best to lighten the mood.

Kon didn't answer, even when she linked her arm with his, or even when she stood on her toes to give him a soft kiss upon his cheek.

No reaction.

Nothing.

Only stewing, hateful thoughts, turning and turning in his head as they left the kitchen.

And slightly, almost imperceptibly, M'gann's face darkened.

He was a promise breaker.