As the World Falls Down Chp. 3
Title: As the World Falls Down
Author: DarlingLilEve/LittleDarlingeve
Pairing: Bane/John
Rating: R for violence and slight distrubing content.
Word Count: 4,458
Warning(s): Violent imagery that may be distrubing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Beta: cathenian
Author's Note:
This is set before the film has actually been released, so please don't get your panties in a twist. This is my version of what happens if Batman gets taken down by Bane.
Bane also has tattoos instead of being completely uncovered by them. I don't like the fact they're taking Tom's tatoos out for the movie. >:| I believe it adds more character to Bane.
For this chapter, there is an original character that I made for this fic in here. C:
Summary: When Batman fell, so did Gotham. When Batman fell, the world went to shit. When Batman fell, the people lost hope. John Blake is one of the many who fights to survive the now hell hole of Gotham. Unfortunately, Fate is a cruel bitch who loves to play jokes.
Chp. 3: Gatito Poco
John didn’t remember passing out, nor did he remember lying down on the couch that Bane had previously occupied.
The former cop was comfortably lying down on the plush couch while his ‘owner’ was sitting against the couch, on the floor, a book in his lap. The other, much stronger man, was intently reading his book as the fire roared in the fireplace before them. Bane had yet to notice that John had awakened, so the police officer took this time to actually assess his situation.
From what he remembered, John had had a panic attack and literally passed out. So he figured that Bane had placed him on the couch and wrapped him in blankets. What confused him was the fact that Bane was being so hospitable. John had heard tales of what the slave owners would do with their slaves and it disturbed him to his very core, knowing that those unspeakable acts would one day be used towards him. A deep shiver ran through him and Bane turned to look at him.
“Ah, you’re awake. Feeling better?”
“Are you honestly asking me this or are you just being polite?”
Bane didn’t respond, but his eyes were telling him that he was being sincere. John sighed softly, “No. I’m not fine. I just had a fucking panic attack. What did you expect?”
John watched as Bane closed his book and set it down. John slowly rose from the couch, sitting up. He looked downwards at Bane then at the book. “So, what are you reading?”
Bane turned to John, “Don Quixote.” He stated, “Personally, I think it’s one of the greatest books of its time.” Bane starts to slowly get up from his spot. John noticed how the muscles in Bane’s arms and back shifted and moved underneath his skin. He felt intimidated. For all John knew about Bane, the other man could possibly kill a man with a flick of his wrist and feel no remorse. Fortunately for John, Bane didn’t seem like he would kill John any time soon.
“You need a bath.” Bane spoke again.
John stared up at Bane in confusion, “Excuse me?”
“A bath. You know, the activity where you wash your body and become clean.” John’s eyes widened and he gave a shake of his head.
“I’m fine. I mean, I don’t think I smell that bad--”
“You reek. I won’t have you stinking up my home just because you’re stubborn.” He motioned John to stand. John hesitantly obeyed his command and removed himself from his warm cocoon on the couch. John tried very hard to not be cowed by Bane’s intimidating stare, but he was losing that battle. Bane jerked his head to the side and started to move towards the bedroom that John had already occupied once. The two men walked into the bedroom and into the bathroom that was located to the right of the bed. John frowned as he felt silly for not having seen the bathroom, but then again, he hadn’t been very concerned about it earlier.
Once inside, Bane started to draw a bath. John immediately tensed when Bane finished filling the tub and turned to John expectantly. Bane crossed his arms and looked down at John silently. “Get undressed.”
John shook his head, “No.”
“Get. Undressed.” Bane emphasized carefully to the hesitant man.
John gritted his teeth and stared at Bane with a harsh look, “I’m not getting undressed in front of you. I can do it when you leave.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“And why not?”
“Because I don’t trust in your current state of mind,” Bane admitted. “Now get undressed.”
John hissed, “State of mind? Are you kidding? What the hell am I going to do?”
“If I leave you alone in here, you might find yourself a weapon and take your life. Now I’m not going to ask again. Get undressed.” John swallowed at the order, before he looked down at his feet in shame. He slowly started to peel away his red shirt, his pants, and lastly his underwear, before dropping the clothing to the floor. When he looked up, he couldn’t tell what Bane was thinking, the other mans expression blank.
Bane motioned for John to sit in the tub, which John obeyed quickly and got into the tub. When he sat down, Bane immediately sat down on the floor and turned his back against the tub so that he could rest comfortably. Bane leaned back against the tub and relaxed himself as John started to wash himself. After what seemed like hours, John had the courage to look at Bane from the corner of his eye.
He noticed that Bane was staring straight at the door instead of at John. John tilted his head as he scrubbed his neck with a bar of soap and a cloth. “You don’t have to be here to make sure I take a bath. You probably have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“I don’t.” Bane replied as he turned his head towards John. He wore an expression of serenity, “And like I said, I don’t trust your state of mind.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No.” Ban answered honestly. John stopped washing when Bane confessed to this. “The last thing you need right now is to be alone with your mind. It would be a waste if someone like you were to make the disastrous mistake of ending your life.”
The sincerity in Bane’s voice made John turn away from him. They continued in silence once more. John started to wash himself again and Bane continued to play at being his guard. Once John was getting close to being done, he turned to Bane once more, “What exactly did you buy me for?”
Bane turned to John and grinned, “You’ll see. You’re more important than you let on, John Blake. For now, just relax. I will give you my word that I won’t harm you.”
John nodded and washed away the last of the soap off his body. Bane slowly stood up and found him a towel from a small drawer that was located above the toilet. He handed it over to John and watched as John got up and wiped the water off of himself. Once he was done, John was taken to his bedroom and given a new set of clothing. As John started dressing, Bane began to speak again.
“You will be staying in the suite for a while until I am confident enough to know that you are mentally healthy. If I’m away at any time, a member of my inner circle will be watching over you.”
“Whatever,” John mumbled as he pulled his shirt down, finally dressed from head to toe.
Bane lived up to his declaration. Every day, when John was awake, Bane was in the same room as he was. When he was eating, Bane was watching, when John was reading a book from the Bane’s small library, Bane was watching. John didn’t know a thing about the outside world due to the fact that Bane had no television to inform him of the state of things. He had once asked the crime lord why he didn’t have a TV and he simply said that he had no interest in rotting his brain and wasting his time.
Bathing was rather awkward, but not as awkward as the first time Bane had commanded him to take one. Slowly, John was getting used to the other man’s presence. It disturbed him that he was becoming comfortable with a mass murderer. John debated whether or not he had officially contracted Stockholm syndrome.
One morning, during the sixth day of John’s captivity, he awoke to a noise in the kitchen. Not wanting to get up, but at the same time, not wanting to be left in the dark, John left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen to see Bane talking to a teenage girl. He was wearing his mask on, body armour and coat. The two turned to John when he stepped into the kitchen.
“Es este el chico, jefe?” The girl asked Bane with a look of boredom on her face.
“Si. Tienes que mirar mas de el hasta que yo vuelva.” Bane replied with an amused gleam in his eye. “Tratar de ser amable.”
“No prometo nada”.
A chuckle escaped Bane as he turned to look at John, “John, this is Marianna. She will be looking after you until I get back.”
John stared in astonishment at the girl. To John, she appeared to be at least seventeen years old and of Hispanic descent. She wore an orange beanie cap on top of her head, a dark grey heavy jacket, a raggedy dark yellow skirt, red stockings with cream floral patterns and knee high boots. Her long black hair fell to her shoulders and her piercing brown eyes stared John down. It was if she was challenging him to say anything to offend her.
“Uh, pleased to meet you.”
“Whatever gatito poco.” Marianna walked past the two men and made herself at home on the couch.
John turned to Bane in confusion but Bane was already leaving. “You’re letting a kid guard me?”
“Yes.” Bane replied nonchalantly as he opened the door to John’s freedom. He looked right into John’s eyes and gently warned him, “She’s one of the fiercest fighters I’ve got. She’s being nice right now. Try not to get on her bad side.”
And with that, Bane left the two alone in the suite. A loud click came from the door, the lock John presumed, setting in place.
“Oi, gatito poco, I’m hungry, fix me breakfast.” John looked over his shoulder at Marianna. She was making her way towards the kitchen and sitting at the table. She slapped a hand on the table in a rushing motion. “Come on, I can’t guard you without a full stomach.”
John moved so that he was leaning against a counter in front of the young woman. He crossed his arms and stared at her with vague amusement, “It doesn’t take much energy to watch over me.”
“No, I could easily take you down gatito poco. But if you don’t fix me some breakfast, I’m gonna break your hands and blame it on you escaping. So shut up and make me breakfast.” John sighed and did as she commanded.
For the next several days, Marianna kept a close eye on John. She took the place of Bane when John had to wash himself or wanted to eat. She forced her ward to fix her breakfast, lunch and dinner.
John didn’t have a second of peace while Marianna was around. She would pester John in both the smallest and biggest of ways. When it was her time to take a bath, she’d leave her dirty clothes all over the floor. She never thanked John for the meals he made, nor did she acknowledge him by his proper name; instead, going with his unofficial nickname.
Sometimes, when John would be sitting alone by a window, gazing at Gotham from the world above, Marianna would come up behind him and slap him upside the head. She’d then proceed to drag him from the window and over to the fire place to read.
“Jefe tiene que invertir en una television. Yo soy asi putos aburrian,” The young lady growled to herself as she sat on the ground in front of the fire place. She was warming herself up even though it was warm in the suite. When she was satisfied, she moved herself onto the couch beside John. John watched as the seventeen year old laid her head in his lap. He looked down at her with a slight annoyed look on his face. She merely grinned and poked him on the tip of his nose. “Entertain me.”
“And what do suggest me do?”
“Tell me a story.”
“What, are you a five year old?”
“No, but I’m a bored as fuck teenager. Jefe doesn’t like television or the media. I can’t watch my shows, so you’re gonna be my show now.” She lifted her hands and boxed her fingers like she was trying to capture a shot. “Tonight, you are a star; the main attraction.”
John frowned, “Are all of Gotham’s crooks really messed up in the head like you?”
Marianna frowned, “I’m the sanest of them all. Now, I’m interested in watching a soap opera.”
The man rolled his eyes, “Why would you be interested in a soap opera?”
“Because it makes life interesting. It’s an over exaggeration of life events. Even when the script and actors are supposed to be funny, they always wind up fucking it up. They’re better than the shit they put on the TV now a days.” She growled as her hands flopped down to her chest. “Please? Just, do something, anything. I’m bored out of my mind.”
John laughed and the two began to act as if they were in a soap opera. He didn’t understand what the whole point of it was, but it was entertaining none the less. They enjoyed each other’s company.
As hours passed, John and Marianna called it a night and went to sleep.
The days turned into a week and there was still no sign of Bane.
Deep inside, John was hoping that Bane was dead. Marianna, on the other hand, was confident when John had asked about him. She merely shrugged and simply stated that Bane was doing something important with The Six. Both were nearly bored out of hell from all the silence of the suite and utter disinterest in the books that covered Bane’s shelves. So instead, they entertained each other by acting out Marianna’s favorite soap operas.
That night, when John and Marianna had tucked themselves into their respective, John began to think of previous days with the young woman. He wondered what made her start a life of crime and what made her so emotionally harsh. John wondered about his nickname from her, the mocking stares she would shoot at him, and the gentle way she’d address him. Maybe he had grown attached to the girl, but it wasn’t like he had any other person to be friendly with. He had no options. It was only human nature to seek out companionship in others.
As he was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, John was startled by a scream coming from the living room. He jumped up and rushed into the room like a man possessed. John quickly scanned the room around him and noticed that there was no one there besides Marianna. She continued to scream even as he rushed to her side, took her in his arms and tried to calm her down.
The young woman frantically held onto John and started to cry hysterically.
“Marianna, Marianna! You need to calm down. Can you do that for me?” John moved her face so that she was staring straight into his eyes, “Shh, Its okay. It was just a dream.”
Her puffy eyes told a different story. She cried even harder as John held her comfortingly, “It’s not a dream!” She hissed, “It’s not a dream!”
“Shh, it’s ok. I’m right here. This is reality. Whatever freaked you out won’t get you.” John gently reassured as she continued to breath heavily. After minutes of frantically breathing, Marianna weakly let out a final sob and held John closely to her, like a security blanket.
“It’s ok.” John continued to reassure her, as he started to gently rock her back and forth, “It’s okay.””
“Estoy asustado kitty, yo soy asi puto miedo,” She whispered against John’s chest before she fell back into an exhausted sleep.
The next morning, Marianna cooked breakfast for John, didn’t pester him when she was bored, and didn’t try to move him away from the window when he wanted to look at the world below them. He could tell that she was embarrassed about last night and didn’t want to hurt her pride even more by talking about it. She did, however, bring it up when they were having supper.
“I have night terrors.” She softly said as she nibbled on a mozzarella stick. “Or at least I think it’s night terrors.”
John paused from eating, “You think they’re something more?”
“Si.” She simply said, “They seem so very real. I know that’s just paranoia, but I can’t help it.”
“What did you dream about?” John asked.
The young woman tensed and stared down at her plate, “I don’t feel like talking about it gatito poco.”
They sat in an awkward silence, until John spoke once more, “So, what does gatito poco mean?”
“Little Kitten.” A loud laugh escaped her lips as John stared at her with a shocked look.
“You’ve been calling me a kitten this whole time? What the hell!?” He frowned as she doubled over with laughter.
When she was done laughing, she looked up and wiped a tear from her eye, “T-The reason why I call you that is because you reminded me of this tuxedo kitten I had back when I was a kid. I called it my gatito poco.” Her face, once more, contorted into sadness, “You just remind me of him so much.”
“Thank you?”
“Shut up and eat your food gatito poco.”
Finally, after a week and a half, Bane made himself known and had returned to the suite in the late afternoon. Marianna nonchalantly greeted her boss as he came through the door, and John stayed where he was at the kitchen table, eating a plate of spaghetti.
The two criminals were talking amongst themselves in Spanish. It was about something very serious from the looks on their faces. Every so often, Bane’s dark blue eyes gazed over to him with an unknown expression. As their conversation ended, Marianna moved so that she was gathering her belongings. Bane moved over to John and sat at the table with him.
Bane fixed himself a plate and waited until Marianna left the suite to finally take off his mask. John felt somewhat insulted and betrayed that the young girl didn’t say anything to him when she was leaving. It didn’t really matter though. She was just his body guard after all. She was just another criminal that infested Gotham. He was trying very hard to not feel attached to the young woman but was failing. John supposed that being isolated for a couple of weeks has really messed up his brain.
“I had a rather interesting conversation with Marianna.” Bane nonchalantly stated as he ate a fork full of spaghetti. John merely glanced up at Bane, waiting patiently for him to continue. “It seems you two have grown close.”
John cut a meatball and stuffed a piece in his mouth, “So?”
Bane swirled his fork in the spaghetti. Once he was satisfied with the amount on the utensil, he put it in his mouth, “She also said you took care of her when she had her night terrors.”
“I wasn’t about to let her go through and not help.” John said as he finished his last meatball. He started to finish his pasta as he examined Bane with an analytical stare. Bane nodded and ate another fork full of pasta and continued.
“That’s good. Very good,” Bane merely said as he continues to eat. They finished their meal in an awkward silence; awkward for John at least. John had finished eating and watched Bane eat as if there wasn’t a care in the world. As if the world around them wasn’t a hell hole and the fact that John was being kept against his will in a gilded cage.
He honestly didn’t know what in the world he was supposed to do. Normally, Bane would follow him around the suite if John wanted to move around. Now, he didn’t know if he should leave the table or suffer some type of punishment from the other man. When Bane was completely done with his meal, he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and placed it on top of his plate.
“I think it’s time for some good news.”
John blinked, “Good news?”
“Yes.”
“And that would be?”
“You’re going to be leaving the suite.” John’s eyes widened slightly. “I think you’ve earned the right to roam around this level--”
“Level?”
“Oh yes, we’re on the top level of a hotel.”
“Which hotel?”
Bane leaned back and crossed his arms, “It’s not important.” John frowned. “You’ll have access to other rooms outside of the suite, however, I’m still going to be personally watching you.”
“So in other words, I haven’t really gained anything.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“You twisted your words so that it would seem I’ve gained some freedom.” John gritted his teeth behind his lips. His agitation was slowly rising as Bane continued.
“But you have. You’ve only been able to just move about in here, why be upset that you’ve gotten access to the rest of this floor?”
“Because I don’t want to be here,” John hissed. Bane stared down at him with a look of boredom. “I’d rather be back in my apartment than being here with you.”
“Ah yes, you’d rather live a life of fear. Fear for if you will live the next day, or the next hour, or the next minute. Struggling with hunger and drinking your worries away with a bottle of Jack Daniels.”
“Better than living a life in a comfortable lie,” John harshly bit out as he scowled at Bane.
It seemed to silence Bane. The man crossed his arms and nodded his head in acknowledgement of John’s feelings. After a minute or two of silence, staring at each other as if they were having an unofficial staring contest, with looks that could kill anyone with a weak will; a laugh erupted from Bane. Saying that John was confused would have been an understatement. John was absolutely lost.
The smaller man’s eyes widened when Bane leaned over the table so that their faces were mere inches from each other. “You like to live a dangerous life. I like that.” Bane admitted as he took their plates and started cleaning up the table. John just sat there with a shocked look on his face. John wasn’t expecting to be complimented by the crime lord and wasn’t expecting his heart to pump slightly faster as a result.
“How’s about I show you something nice, yeah?” Bane said as he turned from the sink with a smile.
They ended up walking about five minutes down a long corridor to a large, open windowed area that held an indoor swimming pool. John stared in wonder at how serene the atmosphere was. The night sky of Gotham was above them and the winter snow slowly fell down towards them. There were no stars in the sky which was a huge pity. In all honesty, John couldn’t remember a time where there were actual stars in the sky.
Lights came from the built in lights on the ground and at the bottom of the pool. However, they were not on. Instead, the lights from the city lit the room and the white snow, which seemed to surreal, shined softly. The reflection of the water was rather soothing as well.
“It’s a heated pool.” Bane stated as he watched John move around in observation. “So, if you ever feel like going for a swim, I can bring you there.”
“I’ve never actually been around a pool before.” John confessed rather embarrassingly, “Let alone gone swimming before.”
Bane hummed in thought and started to walk around himself. “I think you will be able to learn rather quickly. It’s as easy as breathing. Everyone is born with the ability to do it at an early age. You just need to hone your skills.” He replied as he moved close to John, who was standing by a window. The smaller man was watching the snow fall down to the corrupted city below. He wished he was the snow at the moment.
“It could be so easy, you know.” Bane softly said as he lifted a hand to the back of John’s neck. John’s eyes widened in shock and he continued to stare down at the city below. His body immediately grew tense under the bigger man’s touch. “You could fall down to the ground, just like that. But before you hit the ground, your heart would give out from the fear.” A slight shiver started to consume John. “You want to jump, don’t you? To take your life because you’d rather live a life of freedom than captivity.”
John closed his eyes and started to count in his head. He tried to calm down even though Bane was merely speaking to him. “Yes, I bet you’ve been thinking about it this whole time.” Bane spoke gently in John’s ear. Wait, when did he get so close? “But the truth is that you won’t jump. You’re brave enough to live through this luxurious hell even if it means dying without your dignity. But you’re a coward to not take your life and save your dignity. How sad.”
“1....2....3...”
“You’re taking a leap of faith staying alive. If you died now, you wouldn’t know whether or not you were strong enough to survive in this new world. Well, let me tell you, you’re doing better than most in your situation.” Bane praised the smaller man. John swallowed thickly as he could feel Bane’s breath against his neck and ear.
“4....5....6...”
“Most would have jumped. Maybe it’s because you have more control over your sanity than most. Probably from all the shit you’ve seen. Tell me, do you love being in control? Do you like to know that the world around you is yours to manipulate? Well, I’ve got a little secret for you.”
John’s face was turned so that he was staring into Bane’s dark blue eyes. “Control is utter bullshit.”
With a flick of his wrist, Bane let John completely go. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, giving John a bored look as he walked away from him to stand outside of the pool area, knowing that John wasn’t about to throw himself out the window.
When Bane was gone, John started to breathe fast and heavily. He balanced himself upright by the window and started to shake uncontrollably.
Author: DarlingLilEve/LittleDarlingeve
Pairing: Bane/John
Rating: R for violence and slight distrubing content.
Word Count: 4,458
Warning(s): Violent imagery that may be distrubing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Beta: cathenian
Author's Note:
This is set before the film has actually been released, so please don't get your panties in a twist. This is my version of what happens if Batman gets taken down by Bane.
Bane also has tattoos instead of being completely uncovered by them. I don't like the fact they're taking Tom's tatoos out for the movie. >:| I believe it adds more character to Bane.
For this chapter, there is an original character that I made for this fic in here. C:
Summary: When Batman fell, so did Gotham. When Batman fell, the world went to shit. When Batman fell, the people lost hope. John Blake is one of the many who fights to survive the now hell hole of Gotham. Unfortunately, Fate is a cruel bitch who loves to play jokes.
Chp. 3: Gatito Poco
John didn’t remember passing out, nor did he remember lying down on the couch that Bane had previously occupied.
The former cop was comfortably lying down on the plush couch while his ‘owner’ was sitting against the couch, on the floor, a book in his lap. The other, much stronger man, was intently reading his book as the fire roared in the fireplace before them. Bane had yet to notice that John had awakened, so the police officer took this time to actually assess his situation.
From what he remembered, John had had a panic attack and literally passed out. So he figured that Bane had placed him on the couch and wrapped him in blankets. What confused him was the fact that Bane was being so hospitable. John had heard tales of what the slave owners would do with their slaves and it disturbed him to his very core, knowing that those unspeakable acts would one day be used towards him. A deep shiver ran through him and Bane turned to look at him.
“Ah, you’re awake. Feeling better?”
“Are you honestly asking me this or are you just being polite?”
Bane didn’t respond, but his eyes were telling him that he was being sincere. John sighed softly, “No. I’m not fine. I just had a fucking panic attack. What did you expect?”
John watched as Bane closed his book and set it down. John slowly rose from the couch, sitting up. He looked downwards at Bane then at the book. “So, what are you reading?”
Bane turned to John, “Don Quixote.” He stated, “Personally, I think it’s one of the greatest books of its time.” Bane starts to slowly get up from his spot. John noticed how the muscles in Bane’s arms and back shifted and moved underneath his skin. He felt intimidated. For all John knew about Bane, the other man could possibly kill a man with a flick of his wrist and feel no remorse. Fortunately for John, Bane didn’t seem like he would kill John any time soon.
“You need a bath.” Bane spoke again.
John stared up at Bane in confusion, “Excuse me?”
“A bath. You know, the activity where you wash your body and become clean.” John’s eyes widened and he gave a shake of his head.
“I’m fine. I mean, I don’t think I smell that bad--”
“You reek. I won’t have you stinking up my home just because you’re stubborn.” He motioned John to stand. John hesitantly obeyed his command and removed himself from his warm cocoon on the couch. John tried very hard to not be cowed by Bane’s intimidating stare, but he was losing that battle. Bane jerked his head to the side and started to move towards the bedroom that John had already occupied once. The two men walked into the bedroom and into the bathroom that was located to the right of the bed. John frowned as he felt silly for not having seen the bathroom, but then again, he hadn’t been very concerned about it earlier.
Once inside, Bane started to draw a bath. John immediately tensed when Bane finished filling the tub and turned to John expectantly. Bane crossed his arms and looked down at John silently. “Get undressed.”
John shook his head, “No.”
“Get. Undressed.” Bane emphasized carefully to the hesitant man.
John gritted his teeth and stared at Bane with a harsh look, “I’m not getting undressed in front of you. I can do it when you leave.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“And why not?”
“Because I don’t trust in your current state of mind,” Bane admitted. “Now get undressed.”
John hissed, “State of mind? Are you kidding? What the hell am I going to do?”
“If I leave you alone in here, you might find yourself a weapon and take your life. Now I’m not going to ask again. Get undressed.” John swallowed at the order, before he looked down at his feet in shame. He slowly started to peel away his red shirt, his pants, and lastly his underwear, before dropping the clothing to the floor. When he looked up, he couldn’t tell what Bane was thinking, the other mans expression blank.
Bane motioned for John to sit in the tub, which John obeyed quickly and got into the tub. When he sat down, Bane immediately sat down on the floor and turned his back against the tub so that he could rest comfortably. Bane leaned back against the tub and relaxed himself as John started to wash himself. After what seemed like hours, John had the courage to look at Bane from the corner of his eye.
He noticed that Bane was staring straight at the door instead of at John. John tilted his head as he scrubbed his neck with a bar of soap and a cloth. “You don’t have to be here to make sure I take a bath. You probably have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“I don’t.” Bane replied as he turned his head towards John. He wore an expression of serenity, “And like I said, I don’t trust your state of mind.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No.” Ban answered honestly. John stopped washing when Bane confessed to this. “The last thing you need right now is to be alone with your mind. It would be a waste if someone like you were to make the disastrous mistake of ending your life.”
The sincerity in Bane’s voice made John turn away from him. They continued in silence once more. John started to wash himself again and Bane continued to play at being his guard. Once John was getting close to being done, he turned to Bane once more, “What exactly did you buy me for?”
Bane turned to John and grinned, “You’ll see. You’re more important than you let on, John Blake. For now, just relax. I will give you my word that I won’t harm you.”
John nodded and washed away the last of the soap off his body. Bane slowly stood up and found him a towel from a small drawer that was located above the toilet. He handed it over to John and watched as John got up and wiped the water off of himself. Once he was done, John was taken to his bedroom and given a new set of clothing. As John started dressing, Bane began to speak again.
“You will be staying in the suite for a while until I am confident enough to know that you are mentally healthy. If I’m away at any time, a member of my inner circle will be watching over you.”
“Whatever,” John mumbled as he pulled his shirt down, finally dressed from head to toe.
Bane lived up to his declaration. Every day, when John was awake, Bane was in the same room as he was. When he was eating, Bane was watching, when John was reading a book from the Bane’s small library, Bane was watching. John didn’t know a thing about the outside world due to the fact that Bane had no television to inform him of the state of things. He had once asked the crime lord why he didn’t have a TV and he simply said that he had no interest in rotting his brain and wasting his time.
Bathing was rather awkward, but not as awkward as the first time Bane had commanded him to take one. Slowly, John was getting used to the other man’s presence. It disturbed him that he was becoming comfortable with a mass murderer. John debated whether or not he had officially contracted Stockholm syndrome.
One morning, during the sixth day of John’s captivity, he awoke to a noise in the kitchen. Not wanting to get up, but at the same time, not wanting to be left in the dark, John left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen to see Bane talking to a teenage girl. He was wearing his mask on, body armour and coat. The two turned to John when he stepped into the kitchen.
“Es este el chico, jefe?” The girl asked Bane with a look of boredom on her face.
“Si. Tienes que mirar mas de el hasta que yo vuelva.” Bane replied with an amused gleam in his eye. “Tratar de ser amable.”
“No prometo nada”.
A chuckle escaped Bane as he turned to look at John, “John, this is Marianna. She will be looking after you until I get back.”
John stared in astonishment at the girl. To John, she appeared to be at least seventeen years old and of Hispanic descent. She wore an orange beanie cap on top of her head, a dark grey heavy jacket, a raggedy dark yellow skirt, red stockings with cream floral patterns and knee high boots. Her long black hair fell to her shoulders and her piercing brown eyes stared John down. It was if she was challenging him to say anything to offend her.
“Uh, pleased to meet you.”
“Whatever gatito poco.” Marianna walked past the two men and made herself at home on the couch.
John turned to Bane in confusion but Bane was already leaving. “You’re letting a kid guard me?”
“Yes.” Bane replied nonchalantly as he opened the door to John’s freedom. He looked right into John’s eyes and gently warned him, “She’s one of the fiercest fighters I’ve got. She’s being nice right now. Try not to get on her bad side.”
And with that, Bane left the two alone in the suite. A loud click came from the door, the lock John presumed, setting in place.
“Oi, gatito poco, I’m hungry, fix me breakfast.” John looked over his shoulder at Marianna. She was making her way towards the kitchen and sitting at the table. She slapped a hand on the table in a rushing motion. “Come on, I can’t guard you without a full stomach.”
John moved so that he was leaning against a counter in front of the young woman. He crossed his arms and stared at her with vague amusement, “It doesn’t take much energy to watch over me.”
“No, I could easily take you down gatito poco. But if you don’t fix me some breakfast, I’m gonna break your hands and blame it on you escaping. So shut up and make me breakfast.” John sighed and did as she commanded.
For the next several days, Marianna kept a close eye on John. She took the place of Bane when John had to wash himself or wanted to eat. She forced her ward to fix her breakfast, lunch and dinner.
John didn’t have a second of peace while Marianna was around. She would pester John in both the smallest and biggest of ways. When it was her time to take a bath, she’d leave her dirty clothes all over the floor. She never thanked John for the meals he made, nor did she acknowledge him by his proper name; instead, going with his unofficial nickname.
Sometimes, when John would be sitting alone by a window, gazing at Gotham from the world above, Marianna would come up behind him and slap him upside the head. She’d then proceed to drag him from the window and over to the fire place to read.
“Jefe tiene que invertir en una television. Yo soy asi putos aburrian,” The young lady growled to herself as she sat on the ground in front of the fire place. She was warming herself up even though it was warm in the suite. When she was satisfied, she moved herself onto the couch beside John. John watched as the seventeen year old laid her head in his lap. He looked down at her with a slight annoyed look on his face. She merely grinned and poked him on the tip of his nose. “Entertain me.”
“And what do suggest me do?”
“Tell me a story.”
“What, are you a five year old?”
“No, but I’m a bored as fuck teenager. Jefe doesn’t like television or the media. I can’t watch my shows, so you’re gonna be my show now.” She lifted her hands and boxed her fingers like she was trying to capture a shot. “Tonight, you are a star; the main attraction.”
John frowned, “Are all of Gotham’s crooks really messed up in the head like you?”
Marianna frowned, “I’m the sanest of them all. Now, I’m interested in watching a soap opera.”
The man rolled his eyes, “Why would you be interested in a soap opera?”
“Because it makes life interesting. It’s an over exaggeration of life events. Even when the script and actors are supposed to be funny, they always wind up fucking it up. They’re better than the shit they put on the TV now a days.” She growled as her hands flopped down to her chest. “Please? Just, do something, anything. I’m bored out of my mind.”
John laughed and the two began to act as if they were in a soap opera. He didn’t understand what the whole point of it was, but it was entertaining none the less. They enjoyed each other’s company.
As hours passed, John and Marianna called it a night and went to sleep.
The days turned into a week and there was still no sign of Bane.
Deep inside, John was hoping that Bane was dead. Marianna, on the other hand, was confident when John had asked about him. She merely shrugged and simply stated that Bane was doing something important with The Six. Both were nearly bored out of hell from all the silence of the suite and utter disinterest in the books that covered Bane’s shelves. So instead, they entertained each other by acting out Marianna’s favorite soap operas.
That night, when John and Marianna had tucked themselves into their respective, John began to think of previous days with the young woman. He wondered what made her start a life of crime and what made her so emotionally harsh. John wondered about his nickname from her, the mocking stares she would shoot at him, and the gentle way she’d address him. Maybe he had grown attached to the girl, but it wasn’t like he had any other person to be friendly with. He had no options. It was only human nature to seek out companionship in others.
As he was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, John was startled by a scream coming from the living room. He jumped up and rushed into the room like a man possessed. John quickly scanned the room around him and noticed that there was no one there besides Marianna. She continued to scream even as he rushed to her side, took her in his arms and tried to calm her down.
The young woman frantically held onto John and started to cry hysterically.
“Marianna, Marianna! You need to calm down. Can you do that for me?” John moved her face so that she was staring straight into his eyes, “Shh, Its okay. It was just a dream.”
Her puffy eyes told a different story. She cried even harder as John held her comfortingly, “It’s not a dream!” She hissed, “It’s not a dream!”
“Shh, it’s ok. I’m right here. This is reality. Whatever freaked you out won’t get you.” John gently reassured as she continued to breath heavily. After minutes of frantically breathing, Marianna weakly let out a final sob and held John closely to her, like a security blanket.
“It’s ok.” John continued to reassure her, as he started to gently rock her back and forth, “It’s okay.””
“Estoy asustado kitty, yo soy asi puto miedo,” She whispered against John’s chest before she fell back into an exhausted sleep.
The next morning, Marianna cooked breakfast for John, didn’t pester him when she was bored, and didn’t try to move him away from the window when he wanted to look at the world below them. He could tell that she was embarrassed about last night and didn’t want to hurt her pride even more by talking about it. She did, however, bring it up when they were having supper.
“I have night terrors.” She softly said as she nibbled on a mozzarella stick. “Or at least I think it’s night terrors.”
John paused from eating, “You think they’re something more?”
“Si.” She simply said, “They seem so very real. I know that’s just paranoia, but I can’t help it.”
“What did you dream about?” John asked.
The young woman tensed and stared down at her plate, “I don’t feel like talking about it gatito poco.”
They sat in an awkward silence, until John spoke once more, “So, what does gatito poco mean?”
“Little Kitten.” A loud laugh escaped her lips as John stared at her with a shocked look.
“You’ve been calling me a kitten this whole time? What the hell!?” He frowned as she doubled over with laughter.
When she was done laughing, she looked up and wiped a tear from her eye, “T-The reason why I call you that is because you reminded me of this tuxedo kitten I had back when I was a kid. I called it my gatito poco.” Her face, once more, contorted into sadness, “You just remind me of him so much.”
“Thank you?”
“Shut up and eat your food gatito poco.”
Finally, after a week and a half, Bane made himself known and had returned to the suite in the late afternoon. Marianna nonchalantly greeted her boss as he came through the door, and John stayed where he was at the kitchen table, eating a plate of spaghetti.
The two criminals were talking amongst themselves in Spanish. It was about something very serious from the looks on their faces. Every so often, Bane’s dark blue eyes gazed over to him with an unknown expression. As their conversation ended, Marianna moved so that she was gathering her belongings. Bane moved over to John and sat at the table with him.
Bane fixed himself a plate and waited until Marianna left the suite to finally take off his mask. John felt somewhat insulted and betrayed that the young girl didn’t say anything to him when she was leaving. It didn’t really matter though. She was just his body guard after all. She was just another criminal that infested Gotham. He was trying very hard to not feel attached to the young woman but was failing. John supposed that being isolated for a couple of weeks has really messed up his brain.
“I had a rather interesting conversation with Marianna.” Bane nonchalantly stated as he ate a fork full of spaghetti. John merely glanced up at Bane, waiting patiently for him to continue. “It seems you two have grown close.”
John cut a meatball and stuffed a piece in his mouth, “So?”
Bane swirled his fork in the spaghetti. Once he was satisfied with the amount on the utensil, he put it in his mouth, “She also said you took care of her when she had her night terrors.”
“I wasn’t about to let her go through and not help.” John said as he finished his last meatball. He started to finish his pasta as he examined Bane with an analytical stare. Bane nodded and ate another fork full of pasta and continued.
“That’s good. Very good,” Bane merely said as he continues to eat. They finished their meal in an awkward silence; awkward for John at least. John had finished eating and watched Bane eat as if there wasn’t a care in the world. As if the world around them wasn’t a hell hole and the fact that John was being kept against his will in a gilded cage.
He honestly didn’t know what in the world he was supposed to do. Normally, Bane would follow him around the suite if John wanted to move around. Now, he didn’t know if he should leave the table or suffer some type of punishment from the other man. When Bane was completely done with his meal, he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and placed it on top of his plate.
“I think it’s time for some good news.”
John blinked, “Good news?”
“Yes.”
“And that would be?”
“You’re going to be leaving the suite.” John’s eyes widened slightly. “I think you’ve earned the right to roam around this level--”
“Level?”
“Oh yes, we’re on the top level of a hotel.”
“Which hotel?”
Bane leaned back and crossed his arms, “It’s not important.” John frowned. “You’ll have access to other rooms outside of the suite, however, I’m still going to be personally watching you.”
“So in other words, I haven’t really gained anything.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“You twisted your words so that it would seem I’ve gained some freedom.” John gritted his teeth behind his lips. His agitation was slowly rising as Bane continued.
“But you have. You’ve only been able to just move about in here, why be upset that you’ve gotten access to the rest of this floor?”
“Because I don’t want to be here,” John hissed. Bane stared down at him with a look of boredom. “I’d rather be back in my apartment than being here with you.”
“Ah yes, you’d rather live a life of fear. Fear for if you will live the next day, or the next hour, or the next minute. Struggling with hunger and drinking your worries away with a bottle of Jack Daniels.”
“Better than living a life in a comfortable lie,” John harshly bit out as he scowled at Bane.
It seemed to silence Bane. The man crossed his arms and nodded his head in acknowledgement of John’s feelings. After a minute or two of silence, staring at each other as if they were having an unofficial staring contest, with looks that could kill anyone with a weak will; a laugh erupted from Bane. Saying that John was confused would have been an understatement. John was absolutely lost.
The smaller man’s eyes widened when Bane leaned over the table so that their faces were mere inches from each other. “You like to live a dangerous life. I like that.” Bane admitted as he took their plates and started cleaning up the table. John just sat there with a shocked look on his face. John wasn’t expecting to be complimented by the crime lord and wasn’t expecting his heart to pump slightly faster as a result.
“How’s about I show you something nice, yeah?” Bane said as he turned from the sink with a smile.
They ended up walking about five minutes down a long corridor to a large, open windowed area that held an indoor swimming pool. John stared in wonder at how serene the atmosphere was. The night sky of Gotham was above them and the winter snow slowly fell down towards them. There were no stars in the sky which was a huge pity. In all honesty, John couldn’t remember a time where there were actual stars in the sky.
Lights came from the built in lights on the ground and at the bottom of the pool. However, they were not on. Instead, the lights from the city lit the room and the white snow, which seemed to surreal, shined softly. The reflection of the water was rather soothing as well.
“It’s a heated pool.” Bane stated as he watched John move around in observation. “So, if you ever feel like going for a swim, I can bring you there.”
“I’ve never actually been around a pool before.” John confessed rather embarrassingly, “Let alone gone swimming before.”
Bane hummed in thought and started to walk around himself. “I think you will be able to learn rather quickly. It’s as easy as breathing. Everyone is born with the ability to do it at an early age. You just need to hone your skills.” He replied as he moved close to John, who was standing by a window. The smaller man was watching the snow fall down to the corrupted city below. He wished he was the snow at the moment.
“It could be so easy, you know.” Bane softly said as he lifted a hand to the back of John’s neck. John’s eyes widened in shock and he continued to stare down at the city below. His body immediately grew tense under the bigger man’s touch. “You could fall down to the ground, just like that. But before you hit the ground, your heart would give out from the fear.” A slight shiver started to consume John. “You want to jump, don’t you? To take your life because you’d rather live a life of freedom than captivity.”
John closed his eyes and started to count in his head. He tried to calm down even though Bane was merely speaking to him. “Yes, I bet you’ve been thinking about it this whole time.” Bane spoke gently in John’s ear. Wait, when did he get so close? “But the truth is that you won’t jump. You’re brave enough to live through this luxurious hell even if it means dying without your dignity. But you’re a coward to not take your life and save your dignity. How sad.”
“1....2....3...”
“You’re taking a leap of faith staying alive. If you died now, you wouldn’t know whether or not you were strong enough to survive in this new world. Well, let me tell you, you’re doing better than most in your situation.” Bane praised the smaller man. John swallowed thickly as he could feel Bane’s breath against his neck and ear.
“4....5....6...”
“Most would have jumped. Maybe it’s because you have more control over your sanity than most. Probably from all the shit you’ve seen. Tell me, do you love being in control? Do you like to know that the world around you is yours to manipulate? Well, I’ve got a little secret for you.”
John’s face was turned so that he was staring into Bane’s dark blue eyes. “Control is utter bullshit.”
With a flick of his wrist, Bane let John completely go. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, giving John a bored look as he walked away from him to stand outside of the pool area, knowing that John wasn’t about to throw himself out the window.
When Bane was gone, John started to breathe fast and heavily. He balanced himself upright by the window and started to shake uncontrollably.