silence is the space between words
pairing: victor stone (cyborg) x reader summary: he likes you a bit more than you give him credit for and a mission gone wrong gives you an opportunity to understand what he doesn’t say. wc: 1.9k+ genre: tw: blood, worry, some softness, small amount of angst, misunderstandings that lead to great convos, really fast slow burn
It worked for you, his silence. Well, not initially.
Initially, it was a suffocating feeling, as if he didn’t like you or that he only tolerated your presence. You thought that his laconic speech and lack of introductory warmth previewed what the rest of your relationship would be like.
Just ships passing in the night, noticing each other every once and a while, but still continuing on your way.
And in the beginning, that’s kind of what seeing him was like.
“Hey, Victor.” You greeted, hearing his mechanical step before you actually fixed your gaze on him.
He nodded. “Hi, (name).”
That was the extent of that conversation.
You’d walk into the kitchen at Bruce’s mansion and he’d tip his head in your direction before going back to his business. Most of the time, you’d nod in return, and other times, you’d spice it up with a small smile or a cough.
Victor was very different from Barry’s mile a minute speech or how jumpy he could be. Diana even had her moments of brief conversation but she was always warm and open, always inquiring if you needed anything.
Victor always seemed just out of reach, intentionally isolating. It felt cold, not fully human. It wasn’t because he was similar to an android, but like a weight sat on him, sapping away his humanity.
Even Bruce, the Bat himself, would say hello from time to time and check on you.
Most of the time, missions ran pretty smoothly with Batman when you ran back up, both of you communicating just enough to give each other warnings. Sometimes a witty comment would come from your end, but he’d get you back in check pretty easily.
Someone had to keep things interesting when Aquaman wasn’t around. Arthur had to worry about “running the kingdom,” whatever that meant.
This was supposed to be a pretty easy mission, but the bullet wound in your side said otherwise.
You were late to the rendezvous point and by the time you’d actually gotten somewhere safe, Bruce had to evacuate to prevent additional damages to structures nearby. Your coms were down for longer than you’d planned so you hadn’t been able to get a message out.
Bleeding heavily due to the intensive moving required to fight your way out of the thug compound, you stumbled into the rain, collapsing on the sidewalk. The dark of the night hugged you, tucking you into the shadows while the rust color of your blood mixed with the water of the rain.
Rainwater soaked through your black suit, clinging to your knees as you dragged yourself into a limp. The cold of the water droplets from the sky sizzles against the heat radiating from your skin.
It burns slowly, starting to spread through your torso. It’s the adrenaline wearing off and when it does, it’s going to be painful.
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