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“Why are you here, Bane?” John sighed and look at the mercenary filling his doorway, massive arms holding a large box.
“Your cupboards are empty.” Bane said matter of factly and stared at the other man until he stepped aside. He nodded curtly before entering the apartment.
“A lot of of cupboards are empty here in Gotham these days.” John followed his boy- ex boyfriend to the kitchen. Bane said nothing and began to put away the food. Even after being away for several weeks the mercenary knew exactly where to put everything. And there was quite a lot; Bane had brought mostly canned goods and dry groceries but John audibly gasped when he set a fresh pineapple on the counter.
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"You know what I could go for?”
“I thought making love to you would satisfy your needs. I stand corrected.” John had snorted and half heartedly smacked Bane’s bare chest but the effect was ruined when he let his hand wander across the solid muscle.
“Shut up. I could really go for some pineapple.”
“You must think you can wring water from stone.” Bane’s tone was fond despite his words.
“I didn’t- I didn’t mean I wanted you to get me one. I just meant I had a craving.”
“I know. If you were going to ask something if me it would be to stop the bomb.” John flushed but nodded. They’d had that conversation that had turned into a fight which somehow turned into the best hate sex either had ever had. Bane sighed heavily and the air felt thick with regret. “I am sorry, John."
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Later that month they would have the same conversation again but it wouldn’t end in incredible sex but hateful words and goodbyes.
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"Maybe I’m not the one who can squeeze water from stone.” John’s voice was small but it was clear that Bane remembered from the way Bane’s shoulders tensed before the man turned to look at him.
“John, if I stop the bomb I will never see you again. I’ll have to go into hiding or let the League kill me for betraying them. I don’t fear death; I sometimes even welcome it. More now with the prospect of living without you.” Bane opened his mouth to continue but John quickly cut him off.
“Go into hiding?! Or be killed? Are those really the only options?”
“Yes.”
“No. There has to be another way. You just haven’t thought of it yet.”
“John, I am a tactical genius. I’ve played out every possible scenario and those are the only two that won’t end in more deaths than my own.”
“Bullshit! I don’t believe that.”
“John, your belief is not necessary to make it true.”
“Shut up! I’m not going to let you die and you’re not going to make me live without you. So sit down and let me think.” Had any other person spoken to Bane like that they would have been eliminated but it was a testament to his love and respect for John that he simply sighed and sat heavily on the worn couch. John, meanwhile, began to pace and mutter to himself. Under other circumstances Bane might have even found it endearing. But now it only broke his heart knowing that John would break once he’d come to the same conclusions.
“Bane wake up! I’ve got it!” Bane woke with a start, wondering when and how long he’d been asleep. “You’re not the only genius after all.”
“Explain.”
“You’re gonna fake your own death.” John grinned a little manically and Bane wondered if he’d lost his mind.
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Bane wasn’t sure what annoyed him the most: Wayne’s involvement in John’s plan or his seemingly miraculous escape from the pit. Either way, he wasn’t going to show it to John. So if he hit Wayne a little harder than necessary during the fight at blackgate it was simply to be convincing and not out of annoyance at all. The only consolation would be that if, and that was a huge if, the plan worked he’d live the rest of his days with John.
Surprisingly, it had played out remarkably well even with the intervention of Wayne’s girlfriend, who in hindsight should have been informed of the planned so Bane didn’t have to get shot by a bloody rocket launcher! But thankfully the breastplate he wore provided enough cushion that only a small number of ribs were broken. Nothing worse than he’d experienced before.
And now he had the comfort of John fretting over him like a mother hen, amusing him even when the rookie had a fit when he refused to be still after the first month. It was strangely comforting and perhaps Bane even chose to be still a little longer than he would’ve liked for John’s sake. He intended to spend the rest of his days with the man after all.