Status: This is really just a test for the time being. I'll write a few chapters and if I get good feedback I'll keep going :)
Suffering Builds Character
Neuf.
Sido could tell Bane was angry, though she couldn't tell if his anger was aimed toward her or himself. He was colder, more demanding, and tense. He was trying to contain it, that was obvious. She couldn't be frustrated with him for his actions. It's what she had wanted. She wanted to get a rise out of the hulking man, and she got what she was looking for.
He wasn't used to anyone challenging him, or pushing his limits intentionally. Though, she was sure anyone else would be punished for doing so. He wouldn't truly injure her, save for a few minor bruises during training, and those were mostly her fault. But she wanted to know why. What made her worth protecting from his own brute strength?
It lasted for days, and she never mentioned it. She let him treat her as he saw fit. Until one evening when she decided it was time to confront him about it. She sat outside of his office, waiting for him to finish his work in the warehouse, and stood up when he finally exited the larger building. She was going to approach this as indifferently as he would.
"You're angry," she said as he came to a stop before her. He said nothing, only looked down at her with the same cold expression he always wore. "You can't blame me for learning anything about you. You said it yourself, you and I both come from dark places," she continued.
"I know what I told you," Bane said flatly.
"And because of our backgrounds, we have a sort of bond, if you will. I'm just about as comfortable with that as you are. But you have to understand that I'm bound to learn just as much about you as you're learning about me because of it, whether you like it or not," she said. Those words, and that infuriating, challenging look in her eyes, were what set Bane off. He couldn't stop himself, this time, from grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her almost too roughly against the wall with an animalistic snarl. Her shoulders were definitely going to bruise something awful from his grip, they both knew it. He was bent low, his eyes level with hers, and he couldn't help but notice how she barely even winced at his attack.
"You will not pry into my past, Sidonie. You will not challenge me. You will learn only as much as I allow you to learn of me, regardless of the bond we share. This bond does not grant you any power over me, and you would do well to remember that," he growled, enunciating every word carefully, his voice rumbling in his chest. He stared at her for a long moment. In that moment, he realized the look in her eyes was just as menacing as his, just as thoughtful. It wasn't the acquiescence he expected to see. She knew exactly what she was doing. It was enough to bring him to a more conscious state of mind, and he straightened up, relaxing his grip on her shoulders.
"We will not train tonight. I do not wish to harm you further," he said, his tone of voice softer as he ran a thumb gingerly over the spot of flesh it was previously crushing. He pulled the collar of her sweater to the side. She was already starting to bruise. Sido stood still, watching his face carefully as he inspected her throbbing shoulder. Underneath the lingering anger, and the constant hardness, she could make out guilt. He moved her collar back into place carefully before a small hum escaped him and he left her there, shutting the door quietly behind him.
She pushed herself off of the wall and started walking back toward the warehouse when she noticed Barsad and several other men staring at her in bewilderment. They had seen the entire thing, it seemed. Barsad dismissed himself from the other soldiers' company and approached her quickly. She stopped to wait for him.
"Sido, are you out of your mind?" he asked, staring down at her with a panicked expression on his face. She smirked.
"Aren't we all?" she shot back. Barsad let out a huff.
"We're all sane enough to keep our distance when he's angry, but you. What the hell were you thinking? You're lucky he didn't put anything out of place," he chastised.
"I know what I'm doing, Barsad, I was the one who made him angry in the first place. I know it comes with a price," Sido said, exasperation heavy in her voice.
"Then what exactly are you doing?" he asked.
"Learning. The only way I'm going to learn anything is to push his limits," she said simply. Barsad stared at her for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're insane, Sido," he sighed, a smirk touching his lips as his sleepy eyes gazed down at her.
"That's one way to put it," she said with a shrug, and with that, she left Barsad to go get some ice to put on her shoulders, not that it would help much.
He wasn't used to anyone challenging him, or pushing his limits intentionally. Though, she was sure anyone else would be punished for doing so. He wouldn't truly injure her, save for a few minor bruises during training, and those were mostly her fault. But she wanted to know why. What made her worth protecting from his own brute strength?
It lasted for days, and she never mentioned it. She let him treat her as he saw fit. Until one evening when she decided it was time to confront him about it. She sat outside of his office, waiting for him to finish his work in the warehouse, and stood up when he finally exited the larger building. She was going to approach this as indifferently as he would.
"You're angry," she said as he came to a stop before her. He said nothing, only looked down at her with the same cold expression he always wore. "You can't blame me for learning anything about you. You said it yourself, you and I both come from dark places," she continued.
"I know what I told you," Bane said flatly.
"And because of our backgrounds, we have a sort of bond, if you will. I'm just about as comfortable with that as you are. But you have to understand that I'm bound to learn just as much about you as you're learning about me because of it, whether you like it or not," she said. Those words, and that infuriating, challenging look in her eyes, were what set Bane off. He couldn't stop himself, this time, from grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her almost too roughly against the wall with an animalistic snarl. Her shoulders were definitely going to bruise something awful from his grip, they both knew it. He was bent low, his eyes level with hers, and he couldn't help but notice how she barely even winced at his attack.
"You will not pry into my past, Sidonie. You will not challenge me. You will learn only as much as I allow you to learn of me, regardless of the bond we share. This bond does not grant you any power over me, and you would do well to remember that," he growled, enunciating every word carefully, his voice rumbling in his chest. He stared at her for a long moment. In that moment, he realized the look in her eyes was just as menacing as his, just as thoughtful. It wasn't the acquiescence he expected to see. She knew exactly what she was doing. It was enough to bring him to a more conscious state of mind, and he straightened up, relaxing his grip on her shoulders.
"We will not train tonight. I do not wish to harm you further," he said, his tone of voice softer as he ran a thumb gingerly over the spot of flesh it was previously crushing. He pulled the collar of her sweater to the side. She was already starting to bruise. Sido stood still, watching his face carefully as he inspected her throbbing shoulder. Underneath the lingering anger, and the constant hardness, she could make out guilt. He moved her collar back into place carefully before a small hum escaped him and he left her there, shutting the door quietly behind him.
She pushed herself off of the wall and started walking back toward the warehouse when she noticed Barsad and several other men staring at her in bewilderment. They had seen the entire thing, it seemed. Barsad dismissed himself from the other soldiers' company and approached her quickly. She stopped to wait for him.
"Sido, are you out of your mind?" he asked, staring down at her with a panicked expression on his face. She smirked.
"Aren't we all?" she shot back. Barsad let out a huff.
"We're all sane enough to keep our distance when he's angry, but you. What the hell were you thinking? You're lucky he didn't put anything out of place," he chastised.
"I know what I'm doing, Barsad, I was the one who made him angry in the first place. I know it comes with a price," Sido said, exasperation heavy in her voice.
"Then what exactly are you doing?" he asked.
"Learning. The only way I'm going to learn anything is to push his limits," she said simply. Barsad stared at her for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're insane, Sido," he sighed, a smirk touching his lips as his sleepy eyes gazed down at her.
"That's one way to put it," she said with a shrug, and with that, she left Barsad to go get some ice to put on her shoulders, not that it would help much.
The weather had started warming up, and Sido had found her place just fine in the warehouse. The men treated her with caution, for fear of the consequences. It was no secret that Bane favored her, and any harm done to her wouldn't go unnoticed or unpunished. She was intimidating on her own, as well. She was blunt, she was smart. Her brain operated on an entirely different level. Sido had a piercing gaze, it set many people off. It was as if she saw every bad thing a person had done.
She had already changed a lot since she was first brought to the compound. She was still quiet, still observed more than she spoke, but she had no problem speaking her mind. Barsad noticed she liked to play mind games with the other soldiers, given the opportunity. She liked to get in their heads, and he could tell exactly when she was going to. She would get a sudden glint in her big, blue eyes, and a small, barely noticeable smirk would plaster itself onto her face just before the games began. She had gotten the same look on her face, aimed at him, several times, but he learned to stop her before she even started. "Oh no you don't," he would say, to which she would tilt her head and ask "Oh no I don't what?" and he would only shake his head and grin.
Sido was quietly watching Barsad and a group of men play a card game one afternoon, legs pulled loosely to her chest, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and snapped her head back to find Bane standing over her, watching her with his usual hard expression.
"Come with me," he commanded. She stood up and followed the hulking man outside. He led her over to one of the cars parked in the back of the lot. "Do you know anything about cars, Sidonie?" he asked as they walked, not bothering to look behind him.
"Not much, but I can learn. Why?" she asked curiously as she struggled to match his pace.
"I need your help. You can reach the parts that I cannot," he said.
Sido let the man explain the problem with the car, though she didn't quite understand, before putting her to work. He would explain what she needed to do in terms that she could understand, and she would perform the task just as he had explained it. She could feel his gaze on her back as she was on tiptoe, bent over the open hood of the car, tinkering with this or that. His stare was so intense, it was hard to believe anyone could have gone without noticing it.
By the time they were done and the van was back in working order, Sido had grease on her hands and a smudge on her cheek, and her skin had a thin sheen of sweat over it. She stood up straight and turned toward Bane just as he handed her a bottle of water. She opened it and took a few large gulps, managing to let a small amount miss her lips, sending it dribbling down her chin. She wiped it off quickly, and saw that Bane hadn't missed the clumsy action. The corners of his eyes were crinkled just the slightest amount, his eyes holding a hint of amusement, and she felt an embarrassed flush rise to her cheeks.
"You may go wash, if you wish. Thank you for your help," Bane said with a nod, turning toward his office.
"I'll see you this evening then," she called after him as she turned toward the warehouse.
"What happened to you?" Barsad asked casually. He found Sido scrubbing the grease off of her cheek in the wash room. She looked up at him through the reflection of the grimy mirror.
"Bane asked me to help him fix one of the vans," she replied. A moment of silence passed before she heard the European start chuckling. "What?" she asked.
"Sido, as smart as you are, you miss the most obvious things sometimes. That van was used yesterday afternoon and it came back in perfect condition, you know that. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it before," Barsad said. Sido only stared at him quizzically. "Bane did all that to the van himself, I saw him last night," he added. She only stared at him harder.
"Look, Sido. Bane is not good at apologising. Don't think I haven't noticed how he's been treating you, because I have. It's my job to have a sharp eye. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's only been avoiding you and giving you the cold shoulder to avoid getting close to you. Having you help him fix that van is the best apology you're going to get from him," Barsad explained. Sidonie stared at him for a long moment before an involuntary grin spread across her lips. It had been a long time since she grinned like that.
"You know a lot about him, then?" she guessed.
"I know enough. He's still human, no matter how he acts. I think it just scares him how much you remind him of that, Sido. There's something about you, Sido. I think he needs whatever it is," Barsad said with a smile before leaving Sido to her thoughts.
She had already changed a lot since she was first brought to the compound. She was still quiet, still observed more than she spoke, but she had no problem speaking her mind. Barsad noticed she liked to play mind games with the other soldiers, given the opportunity. She liked to get in their heads, and he could tell exactly when she was going to. She would get a sudden glint in her big, blue eyes, and a small, barely noticeable smirk would plaster itself onto her face just before the games began. She had gotten the same look on her face, aimed at him, several times, but he learned to stop her before she even started. "Oh no you don't," he would say, to which she would tilt her head and ask "Oh no I don't what?" and he would only shake his head and grin.
Sido was quietly watching Barsad and a group of men play a card game one afternoon, legs pulled loosely to her chest, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and snapped her head back to find Bane standing over her, watching her with his usual hard expression.
"Come with me," he commanded. She stood up and followed the hulking man outside. He led her over to one of the cars parked in the back of the lot. "Do you know anything about cars, Sidonie?" he asked as they walked, not bothering to look behind him.
"Not much, but I can learn. Why?" she asked curiously as she struggled to match his pace.
"I need your help. You can reach the parts that I cannot," he said.
Sido let the man explain the problem with the car, though she didn't quite understand, before putting her to work. He would explain what she needed to do in terms that she could understand, and she would perform the task just as he had explained it. She could feel his gaze on her back as she was on tiptoe, bent over the open hood of the car, tinkering with this or that. His stare was so intense, it was hard to believe anyone could have gone without noticing it.
By the time they were done and the van was back in working order, Sido had grease on her hands and a smudge on her cheek, and her skin had a thin sheen of sweat over it. She stood up straight and turned toward Bane just as he handed her a bottle of water. She opened it and took a few large gulps, managing to let a small amount miss her lips, sending it dribbling down her chin. She wiped it off quickly, and saw that Bane hadn't missed the clumsy action. The corners of his eyes were crinkled just the slightest amount, his eyes holding a hint of amusement, and she felt an embarrassed flush rise to her cheeks.
"You may go wash, if you wish. Thank you for your help," Bane said with a nod, turning toward his office.
"I'll see you this evening then," she called after him as she turned toward the warehouse.
"What happened to you?" Barsad asked casually. He found Sido scrubbing the grease off of her cheek in the wash room. She looked up at him through the reflection of the grimy mirror.
"Bane asked me to help him fix one of the vans," she replied. A moment of silence passed before she heard the European start chuckling. "What?" she asked.
"Sido, as smart as you are, you miss the most obvious things sometimes. That van was used yesterday afternoon and it came back in perfect condition, you know that. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it before," Barsad said. Sido only stared at him quizzically. "Bane did all that to the van himself, I saw him last night," he added. She only stared at him harder.
"Look, Sido. Bane is not good at apologising. Don't think I haven't noticed how he's been treating you, because I have. It's my job to have a sharp eye. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's only been avoiding you and giving you the cold shoulder to avoid getting close to you. Having you help him fix that van is the best apology you're going to get from him," Barsad explained. Sidonie stared at him for a long moment before an involuntary grin spread across her lips. It had been a long time since she grinned like that.
"You know a lot about him, then?" she guessed.
"I know enough. He's still human, no matter how he acts. I think it just scares him how much you remind him of that, Sido. There's something about you, Sido. I think he needs whatever it is," Barsad said with a smile before leaving Sido to her thoughts.
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I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but I was trying. I apologise if this chapter wasn't what you wanted, but please be patient! It's kind of just some insight to Bane and his emotional struggles. Enjoy!