Yaawwwn....this chapter is really long and boring but it was necessary to build the plot and do some last minute characterization on Patch. Here we'll see the first hints that Patch isn't flawless and apparently has some issues. In order to make it up to you, i've uploaded chapter 6 as well, which is the best chapter yet in my opinion. Chapter 7 will be up in a few days and then i really need to start caring about school again.
Chapter 5: Lunch
The main door of the console room zipped open to reveal five beaten and exhausted teenagers. Cyborg looked particularly upset. They took a few steps through the door before noticing Patch was just about to leave through the same door. He was already smiling and did not seem a bit surprised.
"Hello." He said to the surprised Titans. "I was just leaving."
Indeed his bag was hanging from his shoulder. Beast Boy stepped forward.
"Awesome! I'm starving, how 'bout that breakfast now?"
At this five stomachs began to growl. It was just past lunchtime and no one had eaten any breakfast. Patched laughed louder than usual.
"Interesting you should ask."
He stepped aside to reveal a table full of food and set for five.
"I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again and I always keep my promises."
He turned to the others.
"And I know you all missed breakfast as well so I prepared meals for everyone else too."
He looked back to the table to see how the presentation looked from their perspective.
"You arrived just in time too. Everything's still hot."
The Titans were awestruck. They switched looks repeatedly between the food and Patch. Patch beamed at the happy predicament he had caused.
"Won't you sit down?"
He bowed slightly and pointed both arms at the table.
"A chef's greatest compliment is a cleaned plate."
Despite the invitation, no one knew what to say or do… no one besides Starfire that is.
"Oh Patch I am famished!
She floated over to him and gave him a tight Tamaranian squeeze.
"Thank you so much for the unexpected meal!"
He would surely have answered but Starfire's squeeze had forced all the wind out of him. Although his face began to turn purple, his smile remained. Her enthusiasm was enough to bring the other Titans to their senses.
"Jeeze Patch," started Robin, his hand scratching the back of his head. "That's really……nice….of you."
"Like... REALLY………nice" Added Cyborg.
"One clean plate, coming right up!" Announced Beast Boy.
He walked towards the table. Starfire released Patch from her sweet grip of death. And floated over towards Beast Boy. When she arrived he was looking at the table scratching his head.
"So umm….which one's mine?"
Patch walked over to him and the remaining Titans followed. He put his hand on Beast Boy's back and guided him to the spot at the table prepared for him.
"Beast Boy," he said as if he were a professional orator addressing an audience. "It is time you learned that there is more to being a vegetarian than soybean derivatives. I present to you, the vegetarian salad, differing from normal salads in both size and composition."
The giant salad he was gesturing to was a huge gourmet jungle of various dark shades of green, upon which rested a small cloud of threadlike sprouts and a generously sprinkled assortment of nuts and seeds. It was uniformly moist with dressing. Beast Boy sat down, never taking his enlarged eyes off the meal. He stared at it a moment or two longer, his mouth open and drooling slightly, and then looked to the right to find a fork. He slowly reached for it and picked it up. All eyes were on him as he timidly impaled several layers of moistened leaf. He brought the mass to his open mouth and stuffed it inside. He removed the fork from his closed lips and began chewing slowly. His eyes widened further and he began chewing faster….and faster.
"This….is…AWESOME!"
Everyone except Patch jumped back a little from his outburst.
"What kind of dressing is this?!" He asked without looking up and with his mouth full.
Patch looked towards the ceiling and began listing the ingredients.
"Olive oil, lemon juice, a bit of garlic, basil,-"
"You MADE it?!" Exclaimed Beast Boy, looking up finally.
Patch looked down at him, confused for a moment, and then said finally.
"Well…yea. That bottled crap sucks."
Beast Boy looked down at his salad a moment then looked back but Patch had already begun to tend to the anxious Starfire.
"As for you m'lady," He said, his hand on the back of a very excited Starfire. "I tried to warn you but you would not be deterred. To you I present the one-of-a-kind never-before-attempted Turkish fig omelet."
Starfire put her hands to her cheeks and squealed in excitement. She sat down quickly and began eating. She chewed a bit and then closed her eyes and made a huge smile.
"It is quite delicious. Although it would surely be enhanced by 2.6 squirts of mustard."
Patch looked thoughtfully at a closed cabinet off to the side. The others, including Starfire, followed his view and noticed all the dirty pots, pans and dinnerware had been cleaned up and the counter was spotless. There was also a huge bowl filled with pounds and pounds of fruit. He thought a few moments more then looked back to Starfire.
"If you can wait patiently for a few more minutes I can have that mustard for you."
She resumed her closed eyed smile.
"Wonderful!"
That settled, he extended his arm to encircle Robin's shoulder and lead him to a large plate of whole-grain pasta.
"As an ex-gymnast Robin I'm sure you appreciate the energy contribution of complex carbohydrates."
It was true. In fact, at the moment it was a craving.
"I couldn't guess as to your preference of sauce so I made an olio and a marinara. Patch said, gesturing to the two smaller bowls of red and gold.
Robin looked hungrily at the three bowls in front of him. He was about to express his gratitude when Patch went on with the show.
"With two places remaining I'm sure you remaining two can figure out which meal is intended for whom." He said with a huge smile.
At the head of the table was a platter stacked with lamb drowning in a black sauce. At the last empty seat was a small bowl which served as a base for a pile of sectioned pears.
"Hells yea, that's what I'm talking about!" Said Cyborg, hungrily walking to his place by the meat. "I was afraid you'd stick me with some nasty toFU."
Raven continued to stand and looked at her bowl of fruit. She looked to Patch and he was looking at her calmly with a look of slight vulnerability.
"It's your choice of course."
His voice had returned to that gentle and respectful tone that he seemed to reserve only for her. Once again, it annoyed her to no end. Everyone was staring at her now. She had decided earlier that she would be a bit ruder to him in order to remove from his mind this crazy idea that she would tolerate him, but he had obviously gone through a lot of trouble to prepare this meal and to refuse his offer in front of a table full of her fellow Titans, and with him giving her that look and asking her in that tone of voice, would have been more than a little too rude. She cursed her situation. She cursed him. Had he planned it like this? Had he gone through all this trouble of preparing five meals just to entrap her like this, to force her to eat that blasted fruit that he had recommended to her earlier that morning?
"But I implore you."
The vulnerability in his voice had increased. As much as it irritated her, she had no choice. Suppressing a sigh and avoiding his gaze, she walked to her setting and sat down without a word. She knew what was coming now. He was going to stare at her until she took her first bite. He would not rest until he had broken her completely. What happened next surprised her although she supposed it shouldn't have. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She was suddenly flooded with an oppressive warmth that felt much like his presence but localized inside of her, attacking from the inside out. It began where he touched her and spread quickly through her chest and down her arms. It was rushing down her spine by the time she caught it and began to resist it. She froze and let the rigidity of her muscles help to block the flow. The weight on his hand shifted and it was off of her in an instant. The warmth faded slowly as she noticed him walking away from her, back towards the kitchen. It had been only a passing touch, lasting hardly a second. Anyone who had witnessed it could never have expected the extent to which it devastated her. For this she was both thankful for the avoided embarrassment and regretful that he would never realize how he made her suffer. Shaken and exhausted from the fight, she truly wished to lose control and yell at him or punch him, but her face showed only calm and her actions only apathy.
"Now for that mustard." He said cheerfully walking towards the cabinet he had stared at earlier.
"Mm." Mumbled Cyborg, chewing loudly. "This lamb is exquisite. Where'd you learn ta burn a beast like this?"
"DUDE! You made him MEAT?"
"Yea." Said Robin, also chewing but not so obnoxiously. "I've had marinara before but this is something else."
Patch chuckled. He was pooling ingredients from the cabinet onto the counter.
"Glad you like it Cyborg." He said without turning around. "It's a Cajun pepper sauce. I don't really know how to prepare meat but it was all precooked so I just marinated and broiled it a little to bring it back to life."
He turned around and began carrying an armful of ingredients to the blender.
"And thank you Robin; it's really a very simple recipe: Boiled down tomato puree with some olive oil and spices." He said adding ingredients to the blender with professional speed.
"DUDE!" Beast Boy attempted a second time. "Why did you-"
He was interrupted by the blender which Patch had just turned on. The ingredients inside swirled and combined until the mixture took on a dark yellow color. Patch turned up the speed and the mustard gradually became thicker. He cut the power and promptly poured the stuff into a waiting small glass serving bowl. He rinsed the blender jar briefly, then added a serving teaspoon to the bowl and carried it towards the table.
"DUDE!!-"
"I had no choice Beast Boy." Patch interrupted him, avoiding eye contact. "If I had given him something other than meat he wouldn't have eaten it."
Cyborg stuck his black pepper coated tongue at Beast Boy. This only agitated him further.
"Then ya shoulda let'm starve! You're feeding his addiction man!"
"I prepared this meal to nourish," He said placing the bowl in front of Starfire. "Not to convert."
His voice hit that note of sadness it had the last time Beast Boy got over excited about Cyborg's dietary habits. He turned around to head back towards the kitchen area. Beast Boy yelled after him.
"Well you're just making it worse!"
Patch made the rest of his way to the kitchen in unhurried silence. When he turned around to look at Beast Boy, his smile was gone and his eyes looked pained.
"Do you honestly think he's any more of a meat eater now than he was before the meal?"
Everyone was stunned at this new side of him. Even Beast Boy seemed a little put back. Patch saw everyone's expression change and he looked to the jar in the sink and began toweling it.
"And do you honestly think he would be any less of one should he have come home to a big green salad?"
The sadness in his voice had increased and it got a lot quieter. He looked up and stared out the giant windows, seemingly in deep thought. One wouldn't have noticed his slight slouch had they not been so used to his almost comical straightness. Beast Boy had seemingly relented and everyone was quiet. Moments passed and he continued to stare. Beast Boy, intent on getting the last word, however futile, broke the silence.
"Jeeze." He said, almost under his breath, his arms crossed in defeated defiance. "Looks like someone has issues."
The entire table looked at him in disbelief at what he dared say. They looked to Patch and saw that he had not changed his expression nor the direction of his gaze. Their looks returned to Beast Boy, this time with anger. Even Raven had to admit he was out of line. A nervous Beast Boy was saved from a flurry of blows by Patch's chuckle.
"I suppose you're right." He said lightly.
The table looked to him. He was still staring out the window but his expression had become much brighter, as if reminiscing rather than mourning. He finally turned to Beast Boy.
"It is merely a reality that I've come to realize only at great cost."
Beast Boy's fighting spirit was gone. Needless to say Patch's response was not the one he expected. Once again silence reigned and Patch looked back to the window, as if saying goodbye to his thoughts before returning to the social world.
"Patch?"
Patch turned his head slightly to look at Starfire.
"Hm?" He said without moving.
"Your mustard is wonderful."
She blushed as she said it. There was a comfortable silence for a moment and then he gave a light smile and sighed happily. He looked around at everyone.
"You all like your food don't you?"
All answers came simultaneously.
"Oh yes!"
"You Bet."
"Yeas."
"Damn straight."
His smile widened. He looked over to Raven's bowl and saw that well over half of the pear sections were gone. He looked up at her face. She had a section half chewed in her mouth but she stopped chewing when he asked the question. She did not want to give him the satisfaction she only narrowly escaped when she first sat down. Nevertheless, when he looked into her eyes all his previous upset vanished and he was fully himself again. He broke the gaze before any real damage was caused and looked around at everyone.
"It was all prepared without any excessive cruelty. Even Starfire's eggs are from cage-free hens. I've visited the farmer so I know he takes great care of his-"
Cyborg pounded the table with his fist. Plates and silverware clattered. Everyone looked at him. He had his forehead in his left hand and his right fist was buried several centimeters into the table.
"Did I… say something wrong?"
Patch's face showed genuine confusion, not any sort of hurt or fear. Cyborg's showed frustration. Raven's showed nothing.
"He's still a little upset we got our butts kicked by a girl."
Patch looked to her with an honest, angelic expression one would expect him to wear as he slept. She accidentally caught his gaze and his lips curled into another one of his vulnerable smiles. Robin spoke, saving her from the torment of another extended eye-lock.
"But why egg factories?"
Patch looked to Robin suddenly. Raven was relieved to have been freed. Apparently he had taken her act of answering his question as a gesture of acceptance. She made a mental note not to let it happen again. Robin continued.
"Why not a more strategic target like a military one, or a financial center?"
Raven began to pick up turmoil coming from Patch. She looked in his direction, weary of his eyes, and noticed he was staring out the window again.
"I don't know dude," started Beast Boy. "That girl looked American to me. Why would an American wanna bring down America?"
"I've heard that some groups go so far as to bleach their skin and wear contacts to appear American." Answered Robin.
"Man, why would she bleach her face and then wear a ski mask?" Countered Cyborg, only slightly recovered from his frustration.
Raven noticed Patch's turmoil intensify for a moment and then saw him begin to turn his head. She looked away immediately but he was not turning to face her but to face Robin.
"Not all terrorists are out to topple governments."
Everyone had forgotten he was there and was surprised to hear him speak. He seemed to have some difficulty with the word 'terrorist,' as if he had never pronounced it before. When he saw that he had everyone's attention he continued.
"Some merely wish to elicit change."
He looked back to his window, somewhat forlorn.
"…In any way possible."
"So, what?" Started Cyborg, directing his agitation at Patch. "You sayin' these terrorists hate chickens?"
Beast Boy stood up, one hand on the table and one pointing into the air.
"Or maybe…" His voice slowed for dramatic emphasis. "They hate eggs."
Beast Boy's proposition was met with three angry glares. The exceptions were Starfire, who was confused but thankful that it was not her who had made the inappropriate comment, and Patch, who was back to his window staring. Beast Boy sat back down.
"This isn't funny dawg," reprimanded Cyborg. "Terrorists are serious-"
"He's right."
Everyone looked to Patch confused, including Beast Boy. Patch looked to the group from his window and spoke.
"Today I visited several markets. I noticed that all of them were temporarily out of red meat. At one of them there was a news reporter interviewing the deli manager. Apparently, there had been a recall of almost all the red meat in the city due to contamination concerns."
He looked back to the window. Raven once again picked up inner turmoil. There was silence as everyone considered what he had just said. He spoke again without turning.
"American meat-packing standards leave a lot to be desired but such a failure is very uncharacteristic."
He turned finally from his window. His eyes were pained again but there was no defensiveness in his voice, only solemness.
"Many find there to be a lot of cruelty involved in both the raising and slaughter of cows and in the production of eggs. Picketers are ridiculed and such issues never make it to politics by natural avenues."
He referred to the window again as if asking it what to say next. He turned back and continued.
"Some people will go to great lengths to stop practices they consider wrong. Abraham Lincoln declared war on slavery and it seems some animal rights activists are prepared to do the same in the name of their own ideals."
Everyone was silent as they considered the possibility of animal rights terrorism, everyone except Robin that is.
"And these activists are willing to risk the lives of PEOPLE, mothers and fathers, to protect ANIMALS?" He said with resentment in his voice.
Patch looked hurt for a moment but then turned back to his window.
"I'm sure many sixteenth century American soldiers would have shared your opinion."
Robin stood up and started shouting.
"How could you compare Cyborg with a cow?!?!"
Patch was unaffected by the outburst. His only response was to look Robin straight in the eye and respond in a cocky matter-of-fact tone.
"I was comparing nothing of the sort. I was merely underlining the fact that your view of equality is shaped definitively by your surroundings. To you an animal is somehow less than a human but others in different situations may conceivably regard them more equally."
Robin clenched his fists and stared down Patch from across the room.
"You got a lot of nerve comparing great leaders and symbols of freedom with terrorists."
Patch was still unfazed, still cocky. In fact the argument seemed to bring back a bit of his playfulness and all of his straightness.
"And you've got a lot to learn about the frailty of your ideals in a dynamic reality."
This didn't calm Robin down at all, not that it was intended to do so.
"What the HELL did you just say?! What do YOU know about MY ideals?! And just WHO do you think-"
"Boys! Robin! Stop it!" Starfire interposed. "I do not understand that which you argue about but we will not solve the mystery by mean talk."
Robin looked at Patch in fury. Patch looked at Robin as if he was a small puppy who was growling at him to give back his chew toy. Beast Boy and Cyborg were completely lost and Raven was considering what had been said. Starfire continued.
"Robin, you should not be yelling and Patch, you should not have said things to offend Robin. You both should partake in an apology." She said clasping her hands together joyfully.
"Apologize!? Did you hear what he said!?"
"I'm not sorry for I have offended no one. Robin is offended because of his attachment to intangible ideas."
Robin began yelling at Patch with bolstered fury. Starfire sank into her seat, defeated. A dry voice silenced Robin.
"I see this room is not big enough for two egos of such magnitude."
It was Raven. She did not look or sound angry but an insult from Raven tended to cut straight to the bone as she did not mince words. Both boys looked to her. She had her hands on her hips and was apparently waiting for them to apologize to each other. Robin was stunned that she had spoken. Patch laughed.
"She is right you know." He said with a huge smile.
He began walking towards Robin. Robin regained his anger as his opponent had violated his personal space, regardless of whether or not it be to make peace. He gave Patch an angry glare but it didn't faze the approaching boy in the least. Patch spoke as he walked.
"You believe in objective idealism and I do not."
He reached Robin and stopped a handshaking distance away, and looked him in the eyes happily. Robin was still angry.
"Neither of us will agree to the other's side and as Raven pointed out,"
He gave her a knowing glance and returned his eyes to Robin's.
"Neither of us will back down. I don't want to make an enemy of you and I'm sure you as a Teen Titan have enough enemies of your own."
His voice was soft and childlike, despite the maturity of his words.
"It appears we have no choice but to call a truce on this topic."
He extended his hand for a handshake.
"If we become enemies over a difference of opinion then we are no better than the terrorists."
That statement made Robin even angrier. He knew he was not a terrorist and yet he also knew he resented this boy and this truce, not to mention all the attention he received from Starfire. He looked down at Patch's extended hand. He wanted to swat it away but he felt the judgmental silence of all his friends waiting for him to make the mature decision. He looked up into Patch's eyes, determined to accept the truce but make sure Patch knew he hadn't won. The angry look he imparted to him was absorbed into his bright green orbs and they did not waver their friendliness. He eventually realized his anger would go unrecognized. He sighed and took Patch's hand, feeling defeated for the second time that day.
Raven felt defeated as well. Her comment was designed to shut the both of them up and knock Patch off his high horse. It hadn't worked at all; in fact, Patch seemed to use it to his advantage. She pitied Robin, a sore loser by nature who, as smart as he was, never stood a chance against Patch in the battle of wits that had just been resolved. The fact that Robin had completely misunderstood Patch's argument from the beginning didn't help his case. She looked to Patch. He had apparently forgotten about the argument and was fully back to his joyful self. Surely he knew that he was misunderstood; in fact he had tried to correct Robin. And yet he was not disheartened the way she was whenever she was reminded that no one could ever understand her.
And as much as she hesitated to admit it, she knew solid logic when she saw it and Patch was certainly on to something. She loathed making her concession public but she decided stopping these villains was of a higher priority than dismounting Patch.
"As much as he lacks humility," She began flatly, without looking at him. "He does have a point."
She was sure to avoid Robin's gaze as well.
"There are people out there who would kill other people for their beliefs. We met one of them this morning. If what Patch says about the recall is true, then it is quite probable that we are dealing with animal rights terrorists. The only thing left to do is predict where they will strike next and be there waiting when they do."
As much as Robin was the leader, when Raven spoke, everyone listened. Everyone took to their thinking pose and considered what she had said.
*munch munch munch….*
Beast Boy suddenly found himself under assault by several angry glares.
"What? It's good. It is lunch time isn't it?"
Cyborg stood up from his place, leaving only Beast Boy and Starfire still seated.
"C'mon y'all. We're wasting time. Let's go put the data in the console and see if we can't-"
Starfire interrupted him.
"Beast Boy is right."
All eyes diverted to her.
"All right! Two for two!" Reveled Beast Boy.
Everyone ignored him. Starfire continued.
"There is no rush to find their next striking. Now is the time for eating. Patch has visited several markets and has spent much time chefing the kitchen to prepare wonderful meals for us."
Robin and Cyborg looked to the floor ashamed.
"He does not even demand thanks but rather prefers us to present clean plates of gratitude. Only Raven has been so gracious"
All eyes found Raven's empty bowl. She could only imagine Patch's reaction as she avoided his gaze by looking at Starfire and mentally kicked herself for being so gluttonous. She waited uncomfortably for Starfire to continue or someone else to save her from the moment.
"Starfire, it's ok."
It was Patch. He looked up from Starfire and addressed those standing.
"Everyone has already been very generous with their compliments. Yours were especially kind." He said looking down at her warmly. "I in fact have over stayed my welcome. I never intended to be here when you all returned."
He turned around and walked towards his sack in the kitchen. All eyes were on him.
"You all have a very important job to do."
He picked up his sack and ducked into the single strap. He turned around and everyone could see that the strap was across his chest the way it had been when he was about to leave earlier.
"I prepared the food to help you do your job better, not to distract you from it."
He took a few steps toward the door and then turned around again.
"Robin." He said looking slightly more serious than usual. "I'm serious about our truce. I really don't want to leave on bad terms."
Patch looked calmly at a slightly startled Robin and waited for his response. Beast Boy didn't give him the chance.
"You're LEAVING?"
Patch looked to Beast Boy a little confused but didn't say anything.
"You can't LEAVE. You- WE still have to give Cyborg the talk."
Patch stopped and looked down to consider this. It didn't take him long to look up and shrug his shoulders.
"Perhaps some other time when you and your friends are not so busy."
"Some other time? Dude you don't even have an ADDRESS!"
The four remaining Titans widened their eyes in shock.
"You're," started Robin "…homeless?"
Patch looked only slightly ashamed.
"Well not technically. I do have a particularly warm cardboard box behind a Chinese takeout."
The Titans were horrified. Patch could not hold in his laughter for very long at all.
"I'm kidding."
No one laughed.
"I've been staying at motels."
Robin continued the interrogation.
"Don't you have… a family?"
"My mom is in this city…somewhere. I'll probably live with her as soon as I find her."
"Oh!" Exclaimed Starfire. "Perhaps we can locate her on the console!"
"Yea." Said Cyborg. "Just gimme her name and the directory program can find her in no time.
Patch started becoming nervous.
"Uh. She doesn't exactly stick with one name. In fact, she avoids any transactions or agreements that would leave a paper trail."
"What is she? Asked Beast Boy. "A secret agent?" He suggested, inconspicuously looking back and forth through the corners of his eyes.
Patch chuckled lightly despite his growing nervousness.
"No, she's just a little paranoid."
There was uneasy silence.
"Oh I see." Broke Cyborg with an apparent realization. "So your mom is a little…"
He raised his hand and traced a spiral around his ear with his index finger. Patch calmed down considerably and laughed heartily.
"Some would say so, yes." He said with much cheer.
"Well… How're you gonna find her?" Asked Robin
Patch laughed again; he was completely over his nervousness.
"My mom has the same expensive tastes I do. There are only a few markets and restaurants in town that will cater to her needs.
He smiled as if he had just realized something.
"One could say my search consists mainly of fine dining and grocery shopping."
"I GOT IT!"
Everyone turned to Beast Boy. He was sitting next to his giant empty bowl with his fork still in his hand.
"Why don't," He started. "You stay with us."
He looked at his friends, expecting enthusiastic approval, as if the genius of his idea spoke for itself. When it appeared as if they were simply going to ignore him, he continued.
"C'mon. He still owes me a talk with Cy, and he can do our shopping for us!"
His friends all exchanged looks, as if they were actually considering it. Raven was glaring at him.
"I see no problem with it." Said Cyborg, patting his stomach. "Long as he keeps coming out with these finger-lickin lamb entrees."
"And there is much more I wish to learn about Earth parasites!" acquiesced Starfire enthusiastically.
Robin knew it was his turn to speak. He turned uneasily to Raven. She was standing with her arms crossed, glaring. He became nervous as he looked at her. She held his stare a moment longer than rolled her eyes and turned around silently to leave the room. It wouldn't have been the first time her friends were not considerate of her.
"I… don't see why not." He said, defeated a third time.
With all other members in concurrence, all eyes turned to Raven's retreating cloak. They waited for her to speak but she continued to walk.
"Raven?" Beseeched the timid voice of Patch.
She stopped and turned around only enough for her friends to see the side of her face.
"Make yourself at home." She said darkly.
She immediately turned away and continued into the shadows of the hallway.
**********[end chapter 5]**********
glad that's over. If you think reading it was boring just remember that it took you 20min to read it and me like 4 hours to write it! i was so uninterested that i got writers block several times...kinda like the way you can't bring yourself to write an essay on a stupid uninteresting book that you haven't even read cuz you spent too much time writing teen titan fiction? know what i mean? no? well, i do.