Loneliness is a terrible thing

(One Month Later inside Bayview)

Mark finished hammering the wood into the wall and stood back with a smile on his face, it had been a month since he had been staying here and he had finally managed to fix the place up. The house was pretty old but it wasn't too badly damaged, though his fight with his roommate certainly didn't help. Mark looked around with a smile feeling pretty proud of how he'd gotten the place looking, he didn't have much experience fixing stuff or in construction in general but through trial and error, he managed it.

"Walls are fixed, floor is fixed, furniture is fixed, Girl is still ignoring me," he said the last part with a humourless chuckle. Though he was subject to quite a few stares from her when he was working, or when he had dragged a tree over from the nearby forest. He had figured out over the past month how to make his skin harden like that time he did when his roommate attacked him; it had been helpful in allowing him to turn those tree trunks into planks. However, he did wonder how he was able to harden and sharpen his skin like that.

His exploration into his other powers was not as fruitful and he had on more than one occasion made himself look like an ass when attempting to fly. He put his hammer back into the toolbox before putting it back in the cupboard under the stairs —where he had first found it. Walking back into the living area he collapsed onto the sofa next to Raven who was quite annoyed by how heavily he sat down as it lifted her slightly. "Reading anything interesting?" Mark asked as he looked at her.

"..."

"Maybe we should paint, the walls are pretty chipped," he suggested.

"..."

Mark tapped his finger against his chin "White might be a nice colour, it would reflect the sun pretty well," he said.

"...!"

Mark got the hint and raised his hands in surrender at the look on her face. "Maybe a darker colour then, your cloak is purple do you like that colour?" He asked. Raven turned her head back to the book and continued reading.

Mark just chuckled at her attitude before leaning back and closing his eyes. Even if she didn't talk he appreciated her company; Mark had struggled with the guilt that came with being the sole survivor of the boating accident. At night he would lay awake wondering if he could've saved them, he could rip a tree out of the ground and yet he couldn't save a single person... not even John. There were times he'd feel close to breaking down and during those times she'd come in and sit down to read her book; he knew she must've been able to tell when he felt this way as it was a bit too much of a coincidence that she did it every time.

It made him wonder why she was here, and who she was, but he respected her want for privacy; if she didn't want to speak then he wouldn't force her, if he was honest he was content with how they were now. "I looked at the plumbing situation earlier, this house is still tapped into the town water supply, I could probably get it working again, god knows I need a shower, though it must be worse for-"

Mark wisely shut his mouth when he saw her whip her head around with a glare and slightly flushed cheeks. She snapped her book closed and stood up stomping out of the room leaving him alone. Mark sighed "Nice one Mark, tell your only friend she smells." Though that wasn't what he meant he immediately realised that's how it sounded.

'She smells pretty nice...' he thought to himself as he lay down on the sofa. The house was quiet now, it was one of the things he didn't like, the emptiness made him aware of how alone he felt; the only people he had any connection to hated him and he had no memories of anyone before Bayview. 'I wonder if she feels alone too...' he thought to himself before closing his eyes, hoping the feeling would go away tomorrow.

...

When Raven left the room she immediately raised her arm and sniffed herself, she couldn't smell anything bad, but now she felt a bit paranoid about it. She had been using magic to take care of all her bodily functions, but perhaps it hadn't been enough. She washed her magic over herself again hopefully getting rid of any smell that might be on her.

Though now that she thought about it, she did miss having showers, the warm water was very helpful in calming her mind and helping her meditate. Many times she'd meditated for hours in the bath until her skin began to prune; she had never bothered to try and fix anything because she didn't need to, she came here to die. Maybe not literally, but certainly figuratively; her mind and spirit would die and the only thing that remained was her body that walked the halls like a ghost.

She lingered in the hallway and watched the person she now knew as Mark lay on the sofa. She needed to stop whatever was happening, this whole situation was making things difficult, the longer he was here and the more time she spent with him the harder it was getting to think about going back to how she was before. The first few weeks he was here she could feel his emotions spiking, she realised he was having a panic attack and so she thought he might appreciate her sitting with him, though if she was honest she only did it because his emotions affected her.

However, it soon became a habit and she sat with him even when he wasn't having an emotional spike. She would read her books while he sat down either trying to work on his powers or fixing a piece of furniture. 'I'm so pathetic...' she thought to herself as she watched him. She was so grateful and happy just for the fact she had someone to sit with, she hated herself for it especially since she knew it would be ending soon. She watched him for a little longer before heading back up to her room and meditating.

...

Mark sat down in the kitchen having just snuck back from a visit to the town. He'd been doing that a lot recently, mostly going to the library and borrowing a few books, but who could blame him after finishing up all the construction there wasn't much to do and his roommate wasn't one for conversation. He'd figured out his strange powers weren't related to telekinesis, but were gravity-based; Mark stood outside playing around with a coin using attractive and repulsive forces to move it through his fingers and around his hands. "Maybe I was a hero," he said to himself, while he hadn't watched much TV since being here he knew about the Justice League and heroes like Superman and Batman, he remembered watching the unveiling of the heroes who died in some disaster on the Tv with the Evans family.

****

"Woah so Invincible up and killed Joker and Doomsday, that's pretty cool," Gary said as he sat on the sofa next to Mark and his sister.

"It's a shame all those brave souls died, I hope their families are coping well," Amelia said sympathetically.

"Well at least the Joker is gone, I'm just glad we live nowhere near Gotham," Gary said taking a sip from his drink.

"While I usually want to avoid needless death, I can't help but think it's about time someone did something about that man," John said in a rough voice.

"What do you think Mark?" Gary asked.

"Pretty ironic that the hero called Invincible died," Mark said with a chuckle.

****

Mark quickly dismissed the idea as if he was a hero then why did no one look for him or at least try to find him. It wasn't like he was hiding... well he wasn't before. It didn't matter much at the end of the day, he knew he just needed to be patient and wait for his memories to return. Flicking his finger he sent the coin flying at tremendous speeds, he heard a large crack as it lodged itself in a nearby tree. He did have to admit it was pretty fun playing with his power. 'I wonder what else I can do,' he thought to himself as he raised his hand and the coin flew into his hand.

While he did this he was being watched by Raven who had promised herself that she would stop, that she would ignore him. However in the end she was unable to, the prospect of having a companion was too enticing for her to say no; though she did remain strong in not talking to him and keeping their relationship at a suitable distance. 'I need to close myself off again, my magic is growing stronger by the day, and the window to easily slip back into the void is disappearing,' she thought to herself. If she waited too long then the process of doing it would be long and very painful as it involved condensing her magic to a single point.

When she saw Mark manipulating the coin her eyes flashed purple and she was able to see him interacting with one of the fundamental forces. 'Quite powerful,' she thought to herself as she watched the coin orbit his hand; being able to manipulate gravity in such a way was powerful and versatile. However, it seemed he wasn't close to mastering it yet as his movements were stiff and his control was bad. She then watched as he picked up his red three-quarter staff, he was much better at using that than he was his powers; Raven thought he looked like one of the action heroes she saw in the karate films Dick used to put on... 'Dick...' she turned away from the window and went back to meditating trying to cast these thoughts away before they overwhelmed her.

...

"Aaaah!!!" Mark yelled as he sat up on the sofa in a cold sweat, he looked down to his stomach and to his relief discovered there wasn't a hole in it. 'Such a vivid nightmare,' he thought to himself as he sat up on the sofa. He'd dreamt that he was floating above Gotham talking to someone and was then suddenly impaled by Superman and thrown into the sea. He could still feel the pain from the dream where he was pierced "Starting to think maybe I'm better off here if these are my actual memories," he said with a humourless chuckle. He inhaled deeply before wiping the sweat off his forehead, when he opened his eyes again he noticed his roommate sitting in the corner watching him.

Mark couldn't help but laugh again considering what a pathetic sight he must look "You know I've been wondering something ever since I woke up in this town," Mark said abruptly catching Raven's attention.

"Apparently when John and Amelia found me I was pretty banged up, they thought I was dead and maybe they were right."

"I don't know who I was, I know my name but those words have less meaning by the day. If I never get my memories back maybe Mark Grayson is dead."

"Maybe that isn't such a bad thing, no one has come looking for me for months, I must not have been a good person," He said with a laugh while wiping his eyes.

Raven continued to stare at him in complete silence which Mark found oddly comforting. "Do you ever feel alone?" He asked her not expecting an answer.

"Yes..." she answered in a voice so quiet Mark wasn't sure she spoke at all.

"It really is a terrible thing..." Mark said. Raven got up from her seat and walked across the room to Mark's sofa and sat down next to him, such a gesture from someone who was still a complete stranger to him made him shocked but he still smiled.

"You can call me Raven," she whispered answering one of the first questions he ever asked her.

———————————————————-

(Twelve Hours Later Outside Bayview)

Zatara stood with his 'friend' John Constantine outside the barrier analysing its structure and likely source while his daughter and her friends stood to the side in relative shame at not being able to complete the job by themselves. Though Mary Marvel didn't much care, she had been in a bit of a spiral ever since her younger brother Billy had died; she didn't want much to do with the Justice League, but she knew that Billy wouldn't want that 'He was a Hero through and through,' she thought to herself.

"This isn't good mate," John said to Zatara as he took another puff from his cigarette.

"No, it is not..." Zatara said with concern on his face.

"What's wrong father, have you figured out what this barrier is?" Zatanna asked as she approached.

Zatara turned to his daughter "You did the right thing in contacting us, this barrier was formed out of sacrificial magic," he stated with a grim expression.

"That's putting it bloody lightly, hundreds must've died to fuel this thing," John said with a chuckle before flicking his cigarette at the barrier, making it shimmer.

"How do we bring it down?" Donna asked.

"You don't," John replied.

"There might be a way..." Zatara said in a slightly grim voice.

For a minute John looked at him blankly before his eyes widened "You're mental, you can't seriously be considering that," he said grabbing Zatara's shoulder.

Zatara shook him off "We may not have a choice, I just hope Kent is willing to do it once more," he said.

"Father? What're you talking about?" Zatanna asked with slight concern.

Zatara looked at his daughter with a soft expression before raising his hand and cupping her face "Do not worry Zatanna, it will all be fine, for now we should go back to the Watchtower, there is not much we can do here," He said.

"Yes, I need to return to Friend Kara!" Kori said with a bright smile as she took to the skies.

"I hate how happy she is..." Mary commented before flying off on her own leaving the rest of them to transport back up to the watchtower.

———————————————————

Kara lay on a bed moaning as she made herself cum for the fourth time that night. She brought up her phone as she looked at a picture of Mark she had taken back in their home just after they had sex; his dick was still hard and covered in both their fluids and his body was covered in sweat which made his muscles more defined.

She moaned loudly as she slipped a finger into her vagina, with her large stomach she found it difficult to get very far, but she could at least hook her finger to her G-spot sending a wave of pleasure through her. She moved to her knees placing her phone on the bed as she continued to pump her fingers inside her; with her newly freed hand, she grabbed her puffy nipple and squeezed. She felt a gush of liquids spray across her hands as she did, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming in pleasure.

She imagined Mark on top of her, rutting inside her while she wrapped her legs around him. She came again thinking about Mark finishing inside of her; she loved the idea of being bred by him, and she wanted all of his children. Her thumb pressed down on her clit and made slow circles, she hadn't yet come down from her fifth orgasm but she could already feel the next one approaching fast. She looked at his cock, she imagined how it felt in her mouth, the warmth and hardness of it and finally the taste of his cum. She let out another soundless cry as she came again, falling into the bed panting heavily. She wanted Mark so badly, she missed him so much.

"Booooo Friend Kara you said we could flick ourselves together next time." A voice echoed from the window.

Kara looked over to see an orange-skinned woman climbing in through the window already taking her clothing off.

...

*gasp*

Galatea opened her eyes with a sharp inhale. She scowled as she had another dream about her twin —or as she liked to put it her inferior copy. 'Does that girl do nothing but masturbate,' she thought to herself as she pushed herself up from the ground and sat against the wall. She was currently in her room, an empty concrete cell with a red light shining down on her.

Her hand went down to her stomach, though instead of finding a large baby bump it was instead flat with taut muscle. Sadness, anger and envy were the only feelings she could identify; She didn't understand why she felt like this, it wasn't like Kara had an exciting life. Galatea loved fighting and the fights she'd been having recently were amazing and yet she felt empty.

Her home was a good representation of how she felt. Why did it seem like she had nothing and her double had everything. She found her hand drifting to her stomach once again as she tried searching for an answer.

(AN: So Raven finally gave in and decided to talk to Mark, it's hard not to, they are both understandably lonely people. Finally a proper introduction for Galatea, someone who I want to make less comically evil. But yeah if you can guess the barrier has caused a time dilation which just makes it so I can advance the plot without worrying about other milestones that would be reached in that time, such as Kara's birth. Expect more Mark and Raven interactions as well as Raven tutoring Mark in the usage of his powers. I hope you enjoyed the chapter)

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