Fic: Claim #122
Title: Invisible Sun
Author: merfilly
Claim No: 122
Prompt: Batman and Superman's friendship and unsaid feelings from the point of view of J'onn.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1084
Notes: Title taken from the Police song of the same name. Beta by ilyena_sylph.
:-:
J'onn had heard the Dark Knight called a shadow, a part of the darkness that entrenched his city. The Martian had doubted this all along, seeing the long touch of what Batman's deeds wrought.
But it was the awareness of how the Man of Steel reacted to the Dark Knight that slowly drew out the truest analogy he could see.
Batman was an invisible sun, radiating a heat and power that fed the Man of Steel, even as it nurtured all those he protected, all the lives he touched. It had been evident even when J'onn was new to dealing with the two of them on one team. All he had to do was filter over all the experiences, and he could see what was so plain that neither the Man of Steel nor his Dark Knight could place their finger on it. He could only hope that one day, they both would bask in the passion they shared, rather than continue to submerge it in dead end relationships elsewhere.
:-:
It was a perfectly innocent conversation, two men discussing their lives, J'onn could hear. But on another level, despite the perfect control of their voices, their body language, J'onn could not help but hear the cries to one another on a very different level. One that wanted to defy societal impressions, escape the roles they had bound themselves up in. The Martian had to repress a sigh when Clark's sun left him, returning to the dark he gave that passion to. One day, he was sure they had to see what they both denied.
Such thoughts were cut short as an alert went out, one potent enough to warrant the three of them all going to tend to it. Through it all, J'onn was vaguely aware of the measures both men went to in combat to protect the other, even if it did not seem obvious to others. J'onn might have overlooked it, if he did not have to hear the leakage of concern in certain thoughts.
:-:
J'onn strove hard to keep from being invasive. Batman was quite injured, and Superman was not taking it well. The silent dance of mutual attraction had gone on so long, yet both continued to steadfastly ignore it. Now, all the things unsaid, untried were crowding Superman's mind, making him a difficult person for J'onn to be around.
"Kal." He made the Kryptonian look at him. "Please step outside."
"But…"
"NOW." J'onn could not take the pressure Kal's mind presented, not when he needed to reach Batman's upper mind, to be sure he had not suffered further injuries of the hidden sort. The Man of Steel had never looked more like a sulking child than that moment, but he did leave, pausing only at the door to issue a parting word.
"I'll be right here."
"I know you will be," J'onn managed to whisper, before closing his eyes. The battle had been a fierce one, and the man they had fought possessed a psychic scream; it was J'onn's fear that the injured man had been affected by that scream.
{"Bruce?"} When that gentle query provoked nothing, J'onn tried harder, switching tactics. {"Batman, you must answer me."}
{"Get out of my head!"} The urgent, vehement order was staggering, but J'onn had glimpsed beyond it, had seen the image of a torn body in blue and red and yellow…and understood. The scream inflicted emotions, images that evoked those emotions spawning within the mind.
{"He is safe."} The Martian offered his own thoughts of ordering a concerned Kal out of the room entirely.
{"…"} There was along pause. {"You know."} The words were half accusation, half seeking confirmation, and J'onn flavored his thoughts with affirmation.
{"I know many secrets, but I do not share them,"} J'onn said carefully.
{"Don't ever share this one."} The menace of the Bat was very real, here in Bruce's mind, where his will dominated everything.
{"I would not."} J'onn was not one to leave it quite that way though. {"Just remember, friend, that a secret can hurt its bearer and its owner."} He withdrew, with a mild suggestion that Bruce let himself sleep.
:-:
"Why do you choose to be alone?" Superman hovered near J'onn as the green alien worked to correlate mission reports. "Is it a fear of their shorter lives? A feeling of not fitting in? Because you do…you are one of the most human leaguers, it seems like."
"I prefer my privacy, Superman." J'onn would never admit that, like his friends, he feared the evil that would harm those he loved if he pursued relationships seriously. Not that he had not stumbled into a few. Diane Meade had taught him that it was possible to love and never truly be with the one you loved. He still protected her, though it was a rare day that he would let her know it, now that she had discovered what he really was. And then there had been Audrey…he pushed those thoughts away. He was still raw from that relationship, knowing she lived and yet he could never be with her again.
"But…it gets lonely." The tense made J'onn look at him.
"You have the adoration of the world, and a marriage that is the epitome of legend. So why do you feel such loneliness?"
Superman flushed. "They say I could live a very, very long time. Not immortal but…"
"Kal…there is only one time that we all live in," the Martian said. "No matter how long we exist, there is only now to live in."
He watched as his friend mulled that concept over, something more than what he was saying evident on that chiseled face. "What if another person chooses to always live in the plans of the future?"
"Then perhaps, they should be shown the now," J'onn said, surprised that Clark was guarding his thoughts so closely. He wondered if it meant….
"I'll keep that in mind."
:-:
The next time he passed a room they both were in, J'onn had to keep his face from showing what he felt. He had no idea which of them had made the first move. No idea if they had even discussed it. He certainly had no idea how Clark had decided to handle his marriage.
But to see Clark with his head bent to one side, Bruce's hand along his neck, and the sheer weight of hiding raised from them…it made J'onn happy.
Maybe now the two of them could find peace.
Author: merfilly
Claim No: 122
Prompt: Batman and Superman's friendship and unsaid feelings from the point of view of J'onn.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1084
Notes: Title taken from the Police song of the same name. Beta by ilyena_sylph.
:-:
J'onn had heard the Dark Knight called a shadow, a part of the darkness that entrenched his city. The Martian had doubted this all along, seeing the long touch of what Batman's deeds wrought.
But it was the awareness of how the Man of Steel reacted to the Dark Knight that slowly drew out the truest analogy he could see.
Batman was an invisible sun, radiating a heat and power that fed the Man of Steel, even as it nurtured all those he protected, all the lives he touched. It had been evident even when J'onn was new to dealing with the two of them on one team. All he had to do was filter over all the experiences, and he could see what was so plain that neither the Man of Steel nor his Dark Knight could place their finger on it. He could only hope that one day, they both would bask in the passion they shared, rather than continue to submerge it in dead end relationships elsewhere.
:-:
It was a perfectly innocent conversation, two men discussing their lives, J'onn could hear. But on another level, despite the perfect control of their voices, their body language, J'onn could not help but hear the cries to one another on a very different level. One that wanted to defy societal impressions, escape the roles they had bound themselves up in. The Martian had to repress a sigh when Clark's sun left him, returning to the dark he gave that passion to. One day, he was sure they had to see what they both denied.
Such thoughts were cut short as an alert went out, one potent enough to warrant the three of them all going to tend to it. Through it all, J'onn was vaguely aware of the measures both men went to in combat to protect the other, even if it did not seem obvious to others. J'onn might have overlooked it, if he did not have to hear the leakage of concern in certain thoughts.
:-:
J'onn strove hard to keep from being invasive. Batman was quite injured, and Superman was not taking it well. The silent dance of mutual attraction had gone on so long, yet both continued to steadfastly ignore it. Now, all the things unsaid, untried were crowding Superman's mind, making him a difficult person for J'onn to be around.
"Kal." He made the Kryptonian look at him. "Please step outside."
"But…"
"NOW." J'onn could not take the pressure Kal's mind presented, not when he needed to reach Batman's upper mind, to be sure he had not suffered further injuries of the hidden sort. The Man of Steel had never looked more like a sulking child than that moment, but he did leave, pausing only at the door to issue a parting word.
"I'll be right here."
"I know you will be," J'onn managed to whisper, before closing his eyes. The battle had been a fierce one, and the man they had fought possessed a psychic scream; it was J'onn's fear that the injured man had been affected by that scream.
{"Bruce?"} When that gentle query provoked nothing, J'onn tried harder, switching tactics. {"Batman, you must answer me."}
{"Get out of my head!"} The urgent, vehement order was staggering, but J'onn had glimpsed beyond it, had seen the image of a torn body in blue and red and yellow…and understood. The scream inflicted emotions, images that evoked those emotions spawning within the mind.
{"He is safe."} The Martian offered his own thoughts of ordering a concerned Kal out of the room entirely.
{"…"} There was along pause. {"You know."} The words were half accusation, half seeking confirmation, and J'onn flavored his thoughts with affirmation.
{"I know many secrets, but I do not share them,"} J'onn said carefully.
{"Don't ever share this one."} The menace of the Bat was very real, here in Bruce's mind, where his will dominated everything.
{"I would not."} J'onn was not one to leave it quite that way though. {"Just remember, friend, that a secret can hurt its bearer and its owner."} He withdrew, with a mild suggestion that Bruce let himself sleep.
:-:
"Why do you choose to be alone?" Superman hovered near J'onn as the green alien worked to correlate mission reports. "Is it a fear of their shorter lives? A feeling of not fitting in? Because you do…you are one of the most human leaguers, it seems like."
"I prefer my privacy, Superman." J'onn would never admit that, like his friends, he feared the evil that would harm those he loved if he pursued relationships seriously. Not that he had not stumbled into a few. Diane Meade had taught him that it was possible to love and never truly be with the one you loved. He still protected her, though it was a rare day that he would let her know it, now that she had discovered what he really was. And then there had been Audrey…he pushed those thoughts away. He was still raw from that relationship, knowing she lived and yet he could never be with her again.
"But…it gets lonely." The tense made J'onn look at him.
"You have the adoration of the world, and a marriage that is the epitome of legend. So why do you feel such loneliness?"
Superman flushed. "They say I could live a very, very long time. Not immortal but…"
"Kal…there is only one time that we all live in," the Martian said. "No matter how long we exist, there is only now to live in."
He watched as his friend mulled that concept over, something more than what he was saying evident on that chiseled face. "What if another person chooses to always live in the plans of the future?"
"Then perhaps, they should be shown the now," J'onn said, surprised that Clark was guarding his thoughts so closely. He wondered if it meant….
"I'll keep that in mind."
:-:
The next time he passed a room they both were in, J'onn had to keep his face from showing what he felt. He had no idea which of them had made the first move. No idea if they had even discussed it. He certainly had no idea how Clark had decided to handle his marriage.
But to see Clark with his head bent to one side, Bruce's hand along his neck, and the sheer weight of hiding raised from them…it made J'onn happy.
Maybe now the two of them could find peace.