horrendousness

[onapalehorse]

From this.

"You will find strength, and peace."

He promises, with belief.

Comments

[onapalehorse]

"I met Rushdie, when he was in hiding."

He admits, and that is an interesting enough conversation that he lifts him up a little, so he can hear better.

"I preferred the Satanic Verses, which is in the library a well, if you enjoyed his prose. Do you know anything about the author?"

[lasiurus]

He's glad for it, even if his arms are bound. Al Ghul got him used to having conversations in surreal situations, at least.

"A bit. I read his short stories my first year of college. What did you find out about him from meeting him?"

[onapalehorse]

"That he is not very good at being in hiding."

He admits, with a metallic snort, and then the conversation will have to be cut short. He drops him down onto his feet in front of the door, and puts an arm about him, holding him against his chest.

"Breathe."

[lasiurus]

What's most surprising is that Bruce starts to laugh at Bane's answer. He might have continued, but then he's pinned and it's gone.

He looks up at him defiantly as he breathes, in and out, slow. His shoulders flex, trying to get comfortable.

[onapalehorse]

"I spent thirty years living in utter darkness, and when I first walked on free land, I fainted away cold and concussed myself."

He informs him, and then pulls open the door.

It's still dark outside, so the air is what hits first. Cool, beautiful, damp and fresh.

[lasiurus]

They might not get a single step outside. Not with the way a clean night breeze seems to intoxicate Bruce, make him literally weak in the knees. It doesn't seem real; he's afraid to believe that it is.

And then comes the hideous thought that it is, and this is as close as he will ever get to it.

"Bane..."

[onapalehorse]

"Don't fall."

He tells him, and then walks them forward a step, two.

Bruce is barefoot. The path is slick, damp stone.

[lasiurus]

He stops every time something moves (bats, his mind supplies, and he has to fight the urge to recoil). But the air is so clean, so full of night flowers and damp earth, he can't help but take it in.

He doesn't even care that whatever comes next will probably hurt. He'll be in the grass.

[onapalehorse]

Bane lets him set the pace, steering him eventually off the train and on to the grass, towards one of the hills he can see from his bedroom, with a sprawling apple tree.

He makes patiently sure he doesn't tumble, bolt or panic.

[lasiurus]

By the time they reach the tree (which shouldn't smell so strong, so perfect) he has decided that he will bring Alfred and Fox here. He will let them nap here if they want, pick fruit if they want.

And he, meanwhile, will do whatever it takes to become the person the world needs. Right now, Bane is the absolute best person to teach him how to become that person.

When he looks at Bane again, the gratitude is overwhelming and genuine, even if he won't say it. It comes out in the way he speaks, clipping off the formal and grammatically correct beginnings to his sentences.

"Best start to a test I've ever had."

[onapalehorse]

"Here."

He has a bag with him. A blanket, for the wet grass, to lay beneath the tree. Scissors, for the top zip tie, so his arms aren't quite so forcibly strained.

Once those things are taken care of, he helps him gently down onto it. The slope faces east. Pink is starting to lick at the horizon.

[lasiurus]

Bruce stares at it so long he forgets he's supposed to be watching Bane. He needs to make sure Alfred and Fox see sunrises, too.

Finally he asks, "What am I supposed to do here?"

[onapalehorse]

"Tell me when you begin to get hungry."

Resituating them, so Bruce leans against him.

[lasiurus]

He had tolerated it in the gym, but mostly out of confusion. Here he glances at Bane curiously, but settles comfortably. Bruce adapts to things very quickly.

[onapalehorse]

He starts on his shirt buttons again, too, tugging it down his arms as far as it will go, letting it hang like that.

Then, his hand is at the front of Bruce's pants.

[lasiurus]

He hasn't been calculating, so his reaction is pure instinct. He tries to elbow Bane, but his hands are bound, and he stops himself from rolling to the side.

He tamps down the shock and looks at Bane again, waiting.

[onapalehorse]

"I wondered if you'd really been stopping yourself from hearing as thoroughly as I thought. I've been telling you this was coming."

Soft, hand resting flat on his abdomen.

[lasiurus]

Bruce licks his lips, and then settles against Bane's chest, proving a point to himself.

"People I've been around say a lot of things. I didn't think I was your type."

[onapalehorse]

"All right. Now that you're conscious of it, what do I need to know?"

Hand still rubbing soothingly at his stomach.

[lasiurus]

"I'm not sure. If this is a test, I'm prepared to do whatever I need to do. And if I am damaged, I need to learn how to get past it."

That and he's not sure how far Bane is actually prepared to go.

[onapalehorse]

"Damaged? What has been done to you?"

Setting him back down, moving instead for the bag.

He's brought breakfast. Bread and a thermos of coffee.

[lasiurus]

"You were a slave. And you know what life as one is like here. I never had it as bad as the others did. Up until you, I could beat them off. So they took it out on other people. I- you said 'damaged', I'm just borrowing your word."

He speaks about it flatly, giving all his interest to the food.

[onapalehorse]

"I will be cautious."

He informs him, handing him a slice of bread.

"It will not harm you physically unless you fight violently."

[lasiurus]

He takes the bread, chagrined. He's reactive but usually very controlled about it. Bane still scares him, he realizes. Not the soul-deep terror of bats or failure, but something that sits in a primal part of his brain.

Or maybe it's just his ego. He is always the strongest fighter in a room. He's never had to deal so blatantly with not being. Either way, he swallows his bread.

"I won't."

[onapalehorse]

"So. The last time someone had you?"

Pouring him coffee from the thermos, into one of the two mugs.