You Punch Like a Girl

Thomas groaned, letting a few curses leak from his mouth. He had to be extracted from his mission after defeating the stupid child Amazon. He winced as he tried to tally his wounds, pretending to be Batman he had surely hurt his "brother"'s pride. Whenever the fool came back from deep space. Funny how things worked out in his favor.

Three broken ribs, around seven pulled muscles and an almost ruptured spleen. Damn, he put a number on himself. He knew the only reason he had sustained them because he didn't have time to "take" his medication. With a hiss he successful laid flat on his back trying desperately to get comfortable.

Amanda had been summoned to talk to the other protectors this late. She was walking by the medical bay on her way back to the mansion. She heard someone hiss in pain, it cught her interest. She peeked in and saw Thomas, he had obviously gotten hurt pretty baddly. She walked in. "You got run over by a truck?" She asked in a cocky way, but underneath it was some consern. She walked close to the bed he was laying on. "Want me to patch you up?"

Thomas shot her a pained glare as he growled.

"More like an Amazon and a speedster." Thomas was about to decline her help when he noticed the fact that she spoke almost like she cared. He almost sighed but found that would be in bad taste.

"...Help would be appreciated."

She smiled to him and pulled a medical table with suplies near her as she started to patch him up. "So, other than getting beaten, how is the mission going?" She asked as she carefully dressed his wounds. She then moved her hands to his rib cage. "Sorry." She moved the broken ribs to their places, and put a bandage around his chest. "Alright, anywhere else hurt?"

"Two down, three to go." Thomas gave a loud grunt at the Amazon set his ribs. He wanted to snap at her for it but he knew it needed to be done. But by God if hurt...

"Sorry." Thomas just needed, shutting his eyes and leaning back. It felt nice to be taken care of for once.

"Pulled muscles, but I just need to keep from heavy lifting for a day or two."

"Mhm.." She said thoughtfully as she started to clear the suplies. She walked to the trash can, lifting the lid up before throwing the medical gloves in it. She walked to the medical cabinet, getting some painkillers, taking them to Thomas. "These should help a bit." She said giving them to him. She watched him take them. "If you want I can go."

Thomas heard movements before he peeked an eye open to receive the pain medication. Which he took dry.

"If you want I can go."

Thomas opened both eyes to look at the Amazon. He really did enjoy her company, more than anyone else. Why would he want her to go? Of course, he had just broken up with her for appearance's sake.

"Stay?" A one word simplistic question. One in which he hoped would be answered without a snap at him.

"Stay?" She turned to look at the man, she wanted to snap at him for that. Why couldn't he make up his mind if he wanted her or not. But something kept it down. Her eyes softened. She could yell at him later. He was probably too drugged to even get it. She took the chair closer to the bed and sat down next to his bed. "Allright." She said softly, taking his hand in hers.

Thomas almost wanted to laugh, a dry laugh. A humorless laugh. Why had he been so quick to end something that was, in his mind, so right.

For protection. He did that to protect her whether or not she knew was something all entirely different. He tightened his hand under the hand she had placed. He tried to let her know he did care. Tried to let her know that obviously what had been said earlier meant nothing, it was just words he said in lashed out anger and fear.

Fear of losing her and the fear of getting caught.

She felt him squeeze her hand. It made her feel needed, wanted. But why now, after the break up. She wanted to pull her hand away, but couldn't. It felt so good. She bit her lip. "Why? Why did you break up with me?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Thomas mumbled out, looking at her with half lidded eyes. She would most likely feel insulted if he legitimately told her why he left her. It was never meant to be her in the Arena. It was never meant to be her... it scared him, being that close to losing her. He was just thankful Bruce's dumb ass of an adopted child was too moral superior to everyone else to kill another.

Amanda had been lucky.

She wouldn't get that lucky again.

She narrowed her eyes. There we go again, underestimating her ability to take care of herself. She sighed. "Try me." She looked deep in his eyes, as if willing him to spill the beans.

Thomas wanted to grit his teeth and grind them into an oblivion. Amanda was challenging him, nothing less than what he expected from the woman. Maybe it was time to drop the bomb of his... warming heart.

"I'm afraid to lose you." He stated flatly, moving his eyes away from hers. Afraid she might see something he wasn't ready to admit.

"I'm afraid that if they find out about your protector ties, they're murder you and I'm afraid if you go in the Arena... you won't come out. We weren't supposed to be in there that time." Thomas said, a weird emotion he wasn't used to crawled into his voice. Was it guilt? He blamed himself for not stopping it. He should have been able to.

"I'm... afraid to... lose you, because... because I love you." Thomas shut his eyes, waiting for something to happen. Be it yelling, or hitting, he deserved it. He deserved anything Amanda gave him in the way of pain at this point.

She waited for him to speak, keeping her gaze on him.

"I'm afraid to lose you." She had to blink couple times fast, it sounded so unbelievable coming from his mouth. She searched signs from his face that he was joking. But the little crack in his voice told her he wasn't kidding. She didn't know what to think of it.

"I'm... afraid to... lose you, because... because I love you." Her eyes widened at those words. She had never thought about love. For some reason she and him ran deeper than that. She didn't need to voice everything to him, because they were cut from the same cloth. She let her eyes soften as she looked down at his hand. "I'm too stubborn to die, and you know it. They won't get me." She lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it softly. Hoping the gesture told him something.

Thomas let out a breath, there was no yelling, no animosity, just... this soft feeling of lips brushing his hand.

"I know you are... and I feel completely moronic for thinking of it. But, my mind has run the chances many times over." Many time over. He said mentally.

"I watched the screens during the match, the man you face didn't fight which is the only reason why... we're bringing a child here. Plus, I'm curious is to how you'd act like in a mother situation." For future reference, of course. Plus I'm glad he didn't fight, Batman could take you down... someone that was better than Batman went against you. Fear of you dying was a wake up call. He added mentally.

Honestly, if she'd leave her incognito act behind and just lived in the Protectors headquarters with him he'd marry her. Settle down with her, have a couple of owlings.

Owlings? By God he was starting to sound like Batman, calling his sidekicks his baby birds. Yuck.

She squeesed his hand. "I can take care of myself." She ran her free hand on his cheek. "And to be honest I would have prefered for him to fight back. You know how much I hate martyrs." She then laughed softly when he mentioned the mothering part. "Hopefully I can manage. Haven't been around kids that much."

"Martyrs suck, but thankfully they exist." Thomas weakly chuckled out. The anxiety was still lacing his voice.

"Honest, I think as long as you coddle them and then use proper discipline measures they're easy... then again I did raise a younger brother. He was mister goodie-two shoes." Thomas almost sighed, Bruce had always had his parents eye. He was the mistake child and his father always let him know that.

She smiled. "Yes, well I was supposed to become a good and honorable Amazon, now look at me. I suppose it's in the person itself." She let her hand caress his forehead. "But I think no matter how much of a dissapointment you are to your parents you are never a waste of space. Even if your parents don't think so." She said knowing the history of his family.

OOC: I'm coming back home after 5 pm local time

"I like this you better than any other you the universe to spit out." Thomas mumbled out, shutting his eyes as she caressed his forehead.

"Only Daddy-dearest," He said it with as much animosity as possible while being a little dull by the medication, "Bruce and Mother loved me. Just the reeking sack of shit..." Thomas sighed through his nose, she knew what happened so it didn't matter. He didn't need to explain.

(( OOC: Okay I totally have no idea when that converts to me XD ))

She decided it was better to switch topics before he got too upset. She chuceled. "I like me too. I'm so unsure about how well I will be able to do the mothering part of the plan." She said sounding a bit unsure. "I mean to be honest I would like grandkids one day, unfortunately having kids is a nessacary stop in between." She said sighing in defeat.

Thomas chuckled, letting the internal turmoil leave with Amanda's words.

"A grandmother without being a mother? I'm sure you're going to need kids to get those." Amanda, was always so odd but he loved it. He loved her. It was odd but...

"Plus, if you ever decide to have kids, you're not in it alone. I'm clearly here... well beaten to hell and drugged but here."

She laughed. "I know. That is why I said unfortunately I have to have kids first." She listened to his words, smiling softly as she looked down. "Oh, you are saying you want kids now?" She asked teasingly, caressing his hand with her thumb.

Thomas thought about it for a moment.

"Only with you, though." He honestly wouldn't mind having kids with her. It would be something to use as fire to rub it in Bruce's face while deeper inside of him he wanted to show his father that he could be a Dad and not fail like his had.

And then deeper, he wanted a family with Amanda. Just them in some deserted island with a few kids to fun around with.

She wanted to do an out loud 'awww', but that wasn't her style. She just smiled and squeesed his hand. "Well maybe someday you will." She said softly. "But don't start poking holes in your condoms just yet. Or mess with my pills." She suddenly said in a bit amused tone, pointing at him with her finger. She didn't seriously think he would do that. She was just trying to lighten the mood.

Thomas almost snorted, almost.

"We would be the fucked up couple to try to sabotage the other to have children." Thomas chuckled, trying not to move that much, his hiss as his ribs were squeezed his the shaking of his chuckles. He took a shallow breath, trying not to hurt himself.