Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Big Bang Theory.
Chapter 2
He'd left the car at Leonard and Sheldon's and Priya would be spending the night, the roommate agreement had allowed him to know his sisters sleeping arrangements, so he decided to walk home. The streets were well lit and it wasn't too dark yet. The walk would afford him the opportunity to think, about what he didn't know but he needed the alone time.
As Raj neared his building he became excited about starting his comic book. Stuart's comment was going around his mind and he needed to know soon what it meant. Was it bad? Or good?
2 hours of solid reading later and Raj was finished with his book. A good purchase he felt. Now he knew what Stuart meant about Hulkling and Wiccan, they made a nice couple. However it did leave Raj wondering if Stuart was a fan boy. He'd have to ask him and see if they had anymore Young Avengers comic books.
Raj looked at the clock next to him and noted that it was 10 o'clock and decided to head to bed early. It was only as he was laying there trying to get the image of Wiccan and Hulkling out of his head that he realised he wouldn't be able to get to sleep soon, so he just lay there in the dark listening to his breathing and planning the day ahead.
First stop work second stop Comic Book store and he'd skip tea with the guy's.
Raj was addicted to his new comic book so decided to take it into work. In hindsight that might not have been the best idea as he got no work done at all that morning.
Lunchtime came so Raj grudgingly went to the canteen and took up his usual spot next to Howard.
"We missed you at Halo last night we were totally screwed without you there," Howard informed Raj.
"I had errands to run that's all," Raj said trying to defend him but just ended up sounding shifty, "stop grilling me." With that he left, his food barely touched.
"I was only making conversation," Howard grumbled but Raj was too far away to hear.
Raj spent the rest of the day hiding in his office and managed to get a surprising amount of work done. Eventually the time came to leave and Raj headed straight to the store. Upon arrival he headed straight for the till and demanded to know if there were any more Young Avengers comics. If Stuart was surprised or taken aback he didn't show it, he just calmly showed Raj to the shelf were they were kept and watch as Raj perused the shelves.
"What's wrong?" Stuart enquired.
"Oh nothing," Raj replied curtly.
"I know that look and tone of voice. Something is wrong and I'm betting it's your friends."
"Am I really that obvious?" Raj enquired.
"Only to someone who's been there before. You know what you need?" Raj shook his head. "A hot drink and a long chat. I'm not exactly comfortable with it but you can try me if you like."
"If you don't mind, that sounds nice."
"You can stay here until closing or come back later."
"I'll stay; you look like you could do with the company."
Raj headed over to the till where there was a spare chair and sat down. Stuart followed and quickly reshuffled the papers on his desk. Raj was sure he saw a drawing which looked like suspiciously like him but he couldn't be certain so he let it slide. Just sitting there watching the customers browse Raj felt more relaxed than he had in days, he was happy to sit in silence it was comfortable.
"Did you enjoy Young Avengers then?" Stuart politely enquired.
"Yeah it was good. I liked the different relationships between the characters. I'm slightly afraid to admit it but my favourite was Hulkling and Wiccan."
"I knew you'd be a fan boy."
"You're right I suppose I am. I was wondering are you also?"
"Me? Most definitely yes but that's not a conversation for now. Later when we're not at the store."
"Sure."
The time passed quickly with the two discussing a veritable cornucopia of subjects. Eventually it was closing time and Stuart showed Raj up to his flat above the store. The walls were covered in shelves full of comic books. Where there weren't shelves there were posters for films, all of which Raj had seen. Raj felt like a young boy entering a sweet shop armed with buckets of cash.
"You like what you see?" Stuart casually asked.
"Most definitely," Raj replied excitedly, not sure whether it was just the room he was referring to. After their conversation downstairs he was starting to see Stuart in a new light, not just a store owner but a potential friend, or more a small voice in the back of his head was saying. He'd seen the drawing; despite trying not to believe it it was there.
Hours passed and they talked about everything. Their childhood, their families, their hobbies, likes, dislikes. Raj was surprised to find out how much in common they had, and how much he wished to do this again. At some point they had order takeout and the remnants lay on the floor. Stuart didn't have a big enough table for two as he didn't normally have guests over and they found themselves on cushions on the floor. All in all it was a good evening and Raj didn't want it to stop, but stop it must they both had work the next day. They parted with assurances that they would do this again sometime and exchanged phone numbers with promises of phone calls.
