No Room For Weakness

CODE: T (set in the Trench Rats/Tunnel Rats storyline)

TAKES PLACE DURING (specific story): The Tunnel Rats (unwritten)

PAIRING: Batman/Nguyen Ky (M/F)

EXPLANATION: Oy. This is set in the unwritten Tunnel Rats storyline. The Tunnel Rats are Vietnam's answer to WWII's Trench Rats, a platoon of soldiers practically abandoned in Vietnam when their superiors pull out. Left to their own devices, they decide to become freedom fighters, rather like the Trench Rats...only that whole duty/loyalty/humanity thing isn't quite as applicable here... Batman is the former leader of the 8th Tunnel Rats Division, recently replaced by Lt. Rat Six. He's a very untrusting soul who was brought up to believe that strength is the only way to survive. He meets Nguyen Ky, a sensitive schoolteacher whose beliefs are like the polar opposite of his own...I just thought they would make an interesting combination. As seen here, it does not go very well for either of them, at least the first time around. Any followup scenes have yet to be written.

DISCLAIMERS: I know hardly a thing about Vietnam or its culture...so there must be a LOT of artistic license in here. Just as with the Trench Rats. Also, I'm not positive at the moment whether my own character's name is spelled Ki or Ky! >_<

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No Room For Weakness

Who was it who had started the kiss? She couldn't remember, as she suddenly found his mouth crushed to hers, his tongue exploring, his hands gripping her arms almost tight enough to bruise. The reaction had been so sudden that she couldn't even remember what had led to it. Even as it felt right to her, different voices were warring inside her mind--her mother, saying, He is an American. You must never fall for an American--he will only leave you; her grandmother saying, He is a man. He has the same feelings all men do. I've seen the way he looks at you...and Batman himself saying, I'm leader of this platoon. Maybe not in name but in fact. I have more important things to do than become acquainted with you. His words had struck her as rude and cold, and every time they spoke she thought the same; yet his actions were starting to make her believe it wasn't rudeness or coldness, it was reserve and--a shield?--from what? What was it he was afraid of?

From his own mouth--There's no room here for weakness. If you're weak, you die. If you're strong, you live.

And his final words then: I suggest you get strong.

Did he see her as weak? Was that why he'd spoken so disdainfully? But if she were weak...why did he bother advising her?

And what now--with his mouth covering hers, and his hands on her body--she found herself submitting but knew she wasn't weak, it was he who was weak now--what was he thinking? What would he say if he realized how weak he was right now--?

He wasn't gentle. That she rather expected. He bumped against her, his fingers now working at her blouse, pulling the buttons open so quickly that one popped off; his mouth explored her own, and her neck. He pushed the blouse off her shoulders and a brief moment later she found herself upon her back with him over her, still kissing, removing his own shirt; his hand squeezed her left breast through her bra, tightly; she gasped at the twinge of pain as he pulled the bra off and discarded it. Almost unconsciously, as he pushed at her skirt and pulled down her undergarments, she reached out to undo his pants...

Everything grew hazy--the heat building in her mind--it cleared a second later as she felt his first thrust inside of her, and she gasped again, feeling the blood. He didn't pause or slow down to ask if it had hurt. She sensed he knew, knew that it had hurt, he had hurt her, but chose to ignore it. Why--out of guilt, lust, or a denial of weakness--she didn't know. All she knew was that it had.

And it continued to hurt... Nguyen bit her lip and pressed her head back as he continued to thrust, once, again, again, not rapid but not slow either, his motions forceful--he mouthed her neck, and his hand clenched her breast--she could tell the act itself was pleasurable for him, if not exactly for her--but while her growing feelings allowed her to excuse his behavior--she sensed also that there was something else to him that he didn't want to admit--or rather a lack of something. Even as he kissed her, even as he pushed, his lovemaking was somehow...empty. There was no desire, no longing, no passion...only the physical sensation and the act itself. Even as it hurt her, less so now, she sensed him gaining little from it, and nothing emotionally. Wasn't that what part of it was about?

She opened her eyes to look up at him. He panted, moving above her; once in a while his own eyes opened so he looked back at her, though it was more through her--their eyes met, but there was no contact, no recognition on his part; the emptiness was there, also, in his eyes. Once again, a sensing on her part--that this wasn't the way he wanted it to be--that there was some small part of him that wished to be able to feel this--but his eyes betrayed nothing. The look there was empty...hopeless...dead...

What things has he seen? What things have happened to him, that he would give up all hope? That he would give up a part of himself, just to stay strong? What could do that to a man...?

She felt it wasn't the war. The war helped...but it was something deeper. He'd lost all hope long ago.

She sensed also another feeling rising inside her, slightly uncomfortable but growing in strength, a desire, a pleasure over what was happening with him inside her--but before it could assert itself he had grunted and come, abruptly, the sudden warmth inside her catching her offguard and making her gasp. He pulled out before she had a chance to react, and collapsed beside her, panting with exhaustion.

Nguyen held a hand to her breast and waited for his breath to slow.

When it had he said nothing to her, just turned onto his side as if he didn't wish to face her, and burrowed his head against the pillow.

She knew he would be gone before morning.

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This item is not looking for critique. It was written solely for entertainment's sake. Although a scene from a possibly longer story, it is complete in itself and unless otherwise stated there is not going to be any more of it written. Additional unrelated SCENES may be written, but single scenes themselves are complete as they are. So please do not expect more. If you are interested in reading the series which INSPIRED the scene, just look elsewhere in my portfolio and you should find something. (Use the "story codes" given in the scene headers. For example, "MI" = "Manitou Island" series.)

I am not looking for critique on grammar, spelling, style, sentence structure, flow, or the mechanics of writing. What I AM interested in is commentary on such things as characterization, plot, symbolism, theme, etc.--the deeper aspects of the story. I like to know if a scene is believable, if the characters are interesting, what you thought of how they interacted, if the writing evoked any emotions, things such as that.

Feel free to criticize, but just keep in mind that I'm working on more important projects and shared this just for fun and/or to illustrate character interactions, so I don't plan to revise it any time soon. Comments on the characters, theme, etc. are more than welcome.