Chapter Text
Luke steps off the elevator into the Batcave while looking at his tablet. Oddly enough, not much was happening on the criminal activity front. Well, nothing that required Batwoman’s assistance. The Black Glove Society has been keeping a low profile ever since the attack at the 30 under 30 event and their lead on any remaining Mr.Freeze technology had gone cold (pun intended). After his heart-to-software conversation with his AI father about putting his time as Batwing on hold, Luke had pretty much avoided interacting with the Bat team. He told Ryan he wasn't feeling well to which she suggested he let Mary take a look at him, but that was out of the question. She broke the trust between them by telling Ryan about his private business under the guise of it being her responsibility as “team doctor”. Even if she is right about him and his decision to disable the failsafe, it still doesn't give her the right to act as if she knows what's best for him. Therefore, he has been avoiding her for the past few days and tonight would be no different, or so he believed. As he ventures further into the Batcave, he hears the distinct sound of typing which should be impossible. Ryan and Sophie left to have dinner with the Jets’ nearly two hours ago and he was pretty sure Alice had to stay in Arkham until her furlough paperwork could be processed by Renee in the morning. So the only other person it could be is…
“Mary?” The young woman turns her head at the sound of her name. When she realizes it's Luke, she tenses and turns back to the computer screen.
“Luke.” Luke feels himself recoil at the way she says his name. Her tone is indifferent at best, callous at worst. Desperately needing to change the subject, he glances at his watch.
“What are you doing here this late.”
“The connection at the clinic went down. I need to finish this research for Alice’s treatment. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
“Oh no its ok.” Luke rushes out. He never wants Mary to feel unwelcome in the Batcave. She’s as essential to its function as anyone else. Hesitantly, he continues. “So… Alice and Sophie are roommates now. Crazy, huh?” He walks over to where Mary is sitting and sets the tablet down on the control console.
“Yeah. It’s probably gonna end in disaster.”
“What are you looking at?” He leans in towards the screen and sees an article with a picture of yellow and white flowers at the top.
“Chamomile. It’s for Alice’s psychosis.”
“You mean scientists have experimented for decades to find cures and treatments for mental disorders, and all their patients needed was a cup of tea?” He leans on the edge of the desk area and lifts his eyebrows to emphasize his skepticism.
“No. Alice’s delusions are partially triggered by surges in anxiety and paranoia. Chamomile has been shown to ease that.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh” Mary says mockingly. This gets Luke’s attention.
“Ok. What’s with the attitude?” Luke looks directly at Mary, expecting an answer.
“You’re the one who broke doctor-patient confidentiality and tried to get Ryan to bench me.”
Mary turns away from the console completely and angles her body towards Luke. “I was trying to keep you safe.”
“I am more than capable of keeping myself safe.”
“Obviously you’re not.”
“Yes I am!”
“No, you’re not!”
“Yes I am!”
“No, you’re not!”
“Why do you even care so much?!”
“Because I love you!” Luke stares back at Mary in a stunned silence causing Mary to roll her eyes.
“Not like that.” She takes a breath before continuing. “Luke, whether you like it or not, you are more than a co-worker to me. You’re like family. More importantly you are one of my closest friends.”
Luke watches as Mary gets up from her seat and comes to stand in front of him. “I care about you disabling the failsafe because your father installed it for a reason.”
“Mary-“ she holds up a hand to stop him.
“Let me finish. You were shot, Luke.” Luke looks away at the statement as if hearing it pains him. Moving on instinct, Mary places a hand on his chin and makes him look at her.
“You almost died trying to be a hero. You might not want to talk about it with me, but I know it still affects you here AND here.” She places one hand on his temple and the other over his chest. She could feel his heartbeat and the rise and fall of his chest against her palm. She realizes how close they’re standing and thinks back to the last time they were this close. Luke had less clothes on and she couldn't help but—
Mary remembers herself and steps back bringing her hands down to her sides. “I get that having the suit and being Batwing means a lot to you, and maybe telling Ryan without warning you wasn’t the right way to go about it. But until you work through your PTSD, every time you go out in that suit, you are risking your life and Ryan’s.”
She wants to say more about how she’s afraid of losing him and how her heart used to swell whenever she’d see him smile or hear him laugh, but he hasn’t done much of either since he’d gotten out of the hospital. She wants to tell him that she doesn't only want him to go to therapy to make himself ready for the suit, but also so she can finally have her Luke back.
She stands there searching his eyes, but his expression remains unreadable. "This was all for nothing", she thinks. She poured her heart out and got a blank stare in return. Well if Luke wants to go and get himself hurt, or worse. She will just have to hope she has the ability to heal him (again). A vision of Luke on an operating table like Ryan was when she had kryptonite poisoning flashes through her mind. It’s too much for her to handle on top of everything else going on right now. She lets out an exasperated sigh and turns to walk back to her research. Before she can take a step, Luke grabs her wrist. When she looks back, his eyes glitter with unshed tears.
“You were right.” Luke is suddenly aware of how fragile his voice sounds. He clears his throat.
“What?” Mary’s question is just above a whisper.
“You were right about the failsafe. I turned it back on. Mary, I am so sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. You knew I wasn't ready for the suit, but I want to be.” He steps closer and shifts his hand down so it is holding Mary’s. “And I can be, with your help.”
Mary feels like time has stopped. Luke was saying everything she wanted him to say ever since they figured out about his PTSD. She can tell he is being sincere in the way he is staring at her. “Luke. I appreciate your confidence in me, but I’m not a therapist.”
“I don’t need a therapist.” Mary opens her mouth to speak and now it’s Luke’s turn to hold up his hand and stop her from speaking. “I need a friend. A friend who is a genius at finding herbal alternatives to treat mental disorders.”
“You want me to prescribe you chamomile supplements?”
“I was thinking we could start with tea, but you’re the expert.”
“Well, I might have to charge you. Your attitude these past few days makes you ineligible for the friends and family discount.” She smirks
“Fair enough.” Luke releases Mary’s hand and raises both of his in a surrendering gesture with a laugh. Mary takes the opportunity to put some space between them once again. As great as being able to joke around with Luke is, she can't help but feel as if they are teetering on a dangerous line. She walks back over to the computer she was using for her research. She isn’t aware of Luke’s eyes on her, until she glances back and catches him staring.
“What are you staring at?” she asks, attempting to cover her nervousness up with a laugh.
“Let me take you out to dinner. Sophie and Ryan shouldn’t be the only ones getting to wine and dine tonight.” Mary squints her eyes looking for any sign that Luke is joking around, but the only thing she is able to see is the heat in his gaze.
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“Consider it an apology for my behavior and my application to get back onto your family and friends plan.”
“Okay, sure.” Mary looks back at her computer screen to hide the blush developing on her cheeks. “I, um, still need to finish up this research for Alice, but it shouldn’t take much longer.”
“Cool. I can swing by the loft in an hour. Will that be enough time?” Mary notices Luke's voice dropping a couple of octaves immediately. It takes everything inside her not to squirm at its velvety quality.
“Yeah. That’s perfect.”
“Oh, and Mary.” She looks back in time to see him getting into the elevator and smiling at her. “I love you too.”