Only Human By Chicago (PG)

[marag.livejournal.com]

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Bruce Wayne/J'onn Jonzz (aka Batman/Martian Manhunter)
Author on LJ: chicago_h
Author Website: Chicago's Library
Why this must be read:

If there was ever a story that will convince you of a pairing you thought you'd never believe in, this is it. Seriously, when I saw that this fic had Bruce/J'onn as its pairing, I didn't read it. I didn't read it for a long while, until I was desperate for something to read, because c'mon, Bruce/J'onn?

I read this story and then promptly became obsessed with reading the rest of the (happily very long) series. In Chicago's hands, the pairing works and the series ranges from humor to angst to action. There's something for everyone.

This first story occurs in the aftermath of a comic canon incident, in which J'onn nearly died in a fire. In the comic, we see Batman telling J'onn to live, that he's not alone. (You can see scans of the relevant panels here.

In his years with the JLA, Batman had watched his Martian teammate bounce back from truly horrific injuries, regenerating organs and limbs with a matter of fact manner that hid how much those injuries must have hurt him. True, fire proved a particularly nasty challenge to J'onn, but a few dozen Chocos and a little time to heal and the Martian Manhunter was right back to work. Even the episode with Ra's, when J'onn's skin had been made flammable (with your plans a voice nagged. Batman suppressed the guilt), even then, he had not been out of the game for long. But now?

Never had Batman seen J'onn so nearly dead. Had Ray not been available to confirm the faint heartbeat, Batman was not at all sure they would've been able to find any sign of life. It had shaken them all deeply, the idea that the heart of their league could be so broken.

Only Human

Comments

[calliopes_pen]

This is one of my favorite stories, too. I wouldn't have even considered Batman/J'onn a possibility if not for that series.

(Must....resist....signing up for a ship_manifesto...)

[marag.livejournal.com]

::grin:: You've become a manifesto junkie :)

[calliopes_pen]

I know. *laughs* Apparently, writing those essays is fun.

[azarias.livejournal.com]

Aie! Yay! I started reading this series a few days ago and was ready to start accosting people to recommend it in more places. It's lovely and plotty and well-characterized (and to be honest, I'm more impressed by the author's ability to write Bruce as part of a functional, non-sick-in-the-head, not-with-a-Robin relationship than with her ability to pair someone with J'onn). Also, it deals with one of my favorite questions in s.f. shipperfic: just how meaningful are human notions of sexuality in the context of an alien sentience (particularly a shapeshifter)?

[marag.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, she writes a *fabulous* Bruce and the stories that deal with sexuality are some of the most interesting.