The Intervention

The Interest

J'onn J'onzz very slowly strokes my hair, his fingers carefully brushing down the length of my hair till my back. I can feel the bed beneath me, clearly this time I'm still in my room in this weird reality I'll call mind realm. I give up on trying to figure out how I can feel things in this mind realm. It is confusing my brain far to much, unless I'm not in a mind realm and I'm merely dreaming.

His deep voice surrounds me as he chuckles. Yes very funny. I'm sure stroking my hair is amusing. Where is the funny part?

"The part where you refuse to acknowledge this is no dream." His voice makes me want to look up and confirm what I know. To accept what he says as reality but some part of me is knows that I'm to raw around the edges to meet his eyes right now without giving him a glimpse of my pain.

"Look at me."

I don't think I could've resisted that soft, commanding whisper even if I had hated him. Understanding red eyes look back at me when I finally turn my head to look at him and suddenly I want to cry. I've always been one of those people who need something to cry into and all I want to do is throw myself against his chest and let go. There's so much compassion in the crimson of his eyes that I can feel the strength he's silently offering me to lean on but I blink the urge away and sit up to properly talk. After all if I'm back in his mind that means I'm doing something unconsciously which brings me to him.

"Your mind didn't bring you into mine this time."

Ok how is he knowing what I'm thinking?!

"Are you reading my mind?" I'm not really offended but I'm more worried about what he'll think of my less than graceful thoughts. J'onn shakes his head at me.

"No. But me being in your mind makes it difficult to not hear your thoughts." At my paling face he sighs and cups my face. "I am truly sorry but your thoughts are too loud here."

That means he just heard me think about weeping into his chest.

"How can I stop that?" I whisper softly hoping that might work. It's not like this mind realm came with an instruction manual on what I should and should not think about. He probably heard that too. Wait, he probably heard me think that he heard too. Gah!!!

"Do you have a sanctuary? A place where you go in your head to think?"

I actually do. Sherlock Holmes' mind palace really made an impact on me and I had created my own mind palace years back although now I hardly ever visited it. I had created a library, a bedroom, a balcony where I installed the woven lounge from Lord of the Rings, an art studio, ballroom. Lets just say I really made a palace, its easy to get lost in your own mind when most of your problems stem from it.

J'onn's graceful smile makes its appearance. He nods at me in encouragement, I start thinking of the lounge at the balcony and picture us there and lo and behold! I got it right! The bed melts away to be replaced by the couch and J'onn looks around what I have created. I look around with him, it's been years since I visited my mind palace. It's a very effective method to remember things. The balcony overlooks merely greenery, I didn't think of creating anything in the garden. J'onn meets my eyes and yes it is quiet here, I can't even hear my own thoughts.

Wait a... He said I didn't crash land in his mind this time.
"J'onn, you couldn't have accidentally found my mind. How did you get here?" He's a telepath from a race of aliens who probably practiced all sorts of telepathic activities, there's no possible way he would have accidents like a certain blundering human. Me.

He looks at me quietly. Red can be so expressive, as unfamiliar as I am with his body language and expressions, the subtle darkening of his eyes seem to convey sadness. Is he sad?