Author's Note: I am sooooo sorry. This one took a little longer than intended. I am introducing an OC in this chapter, which is why, and I wanted to find that balance between Mary Sueness and "let's-blow-this-guy-off-he-obviously-means-nothin g"ness. His screen-time, as it were, is going to be limited, but he will be popping up a couple more times before the story is done. Anyway, enjoy!
Dislaimer: I own nothing. Seriously. I didn't even pay for the computer I'm using. Or the chair I'm sitting in. Or the clothes on my back. I hate being poor. :(
Chapter Three
Connections
"Hey guys, I think he's waking up."
The voice belonged to Cyborg, and true to his words Beast Boy's eyes were open and blinking rapidly, adjusting to the light in the med-bay. Bringing a hand to his head, the changeling sat up and groaned, looking around. The entire team was there for a change, watching him with worried expressions.
"Man, I have got to stop waking up in here."
"Beast Boy, are you feeling okay?" That was Raven. She always seemed to be the first to check on him when something happened. He'd never really thought anything of it; she was the one with the healing powers, after all.
"Yeah, I guess. A little dizzy though. What happened?"
"You passed out. Last night, after…" Everyone in the room paled slightly at the mention of the sight. Even Cyborg, the carnivore supreme, had the firm belief that meat only belonged in the stomach after it was cooked.
"Right. Man, I'd done so well, too! My last relapse was years ago. Damn it…"
"Wait, relapse? This has happened before?" This time from Robin. He made it his mission to know everything that he thought was important about the team. He was respectful enough to not drill people on their pasts, but anything pertaining to behavior he saw as fair game.
"Oh, I get cravings for raw meat all the time. I mean, humans are the only species that actually cook food. I normally have a handle on it, though. I got no clue what made me flip out so bad that I wouldn't even remember to use the door…" He shared a glance with Raven, one that wasn't noticed by Robin due to his being deep in thought, though Cyborg had a bit of knowing look on his face. Truthfully, Beast Boy thought he knew exactly what set him off. He just didn't want to admit it; and by the look on Raven's face, they were thinking the same thing. Robin seemed to snap out of his reverie.
"It's not going to be an issue, is it? If you keep having these relapses?" The relationship between Beast Boy and Robin had been slightly strained after the incident with the Beast, despite how long ago it had happened. They got along well any old day, but there were certain topics that were sensitive, and the fights, though rare, could get pretty heated. Before anything could get out of hand, he raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I don't mean to say I don't trust you; I do. But if this is going to happen again, we can at least know what's going on."
Beast Boy, though he'd looked close to anger for a moment, was willing to let it go. Robin did have a valid point, this time. "It shouldn't cause any problems unless it happens in the middle of a fight. In that case, I trust y'all can stop me doing anything I'll regret. Any other time I'd never go for humans; predators don't like prey that can fight back."
"Well, alright. Since that's settled, who's up for breakfast? I say it's a perfect morning for waffles!" Cyborg bounded out of the room, half in an attempt to diffuse the situation, and half because he really was hungry. The trick seemed to work, since Beast Boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. When the rest of the team arrived and got settled at the table, though, Beast Boy refused any food.
"Dude, you saw what happened last night. I don't think I'll have an appetite for a couple days. I'm lucky I managed to keep what was in my stomach where it belongs, nasty as it is." For all that he tried not to eat meat, it was already in his stomach and he wasn't about to go on a self-induced vomiting spree just to help clear his conscience a little.
"Fair enough. Heck, I made waffles because I didn't wanna be thinkin' about meat right now either." Raven, who had taken a single waffle and was slowly but steadily making it disappear, set her fork upon her plate for a moment.
"Everyone, we'll be having a visitor to the Tower today. He probably won't be staying long, but I thought this a nice opportunity for you all to meet him." All conversation stopped. Actually, all movement stopped, and four pair of eyes turned to Raven. Four jaws had simultaneously dropped. Raven shifted uncomfortably for a moment, not liking all the attention. The first to speak was Cyborg, followed quickly by everyone else.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Raven is bringing someone to the Tower?! And it's a guy?!"
"Who is he? Can we trust him? What's his name? Age? Occupation?"
"Oh, glorious! Raven is bringing home the 'boyfriend!' Quickly, we must do the cleaning!"
"Duuuuuuuude…"
A hand came down on the table, and all talk stopped again. Raven looked pointedly annoyed. "Yes, he is trustworthy. Yes, it's a he. No, he is not my boyfriend. Beast Boy, you're drooling, stop it. This isn't that monumental." After a moment, she sighed and spoke again, to explain the situation. "He's…I met him about a year ago, while shopping for magic tomes and spell ingredients. As it turns out, he's a very good supplier of both. So, I buy from him now and again. I requested a few books on short notice; normally I'd get them through the post, but he offered to deliver them by hand since I claimed it important. That is all."
The reactions were all varied. Robin seemed satisfied for the moment, but obviously had more questions about this mystery visitor. Starfire and Cyborg both felt disappointed, one because her best friend hadn't found love, and the other lamenting the endless potential for teasing. Beast Boy looked and felt strangely…Relieved? The empath couldn't place why the changeling might be relieved, though judging by the sudden spike of confusion a few seconds later, she doubted he knew why either.
"When is he supposed to arrive?" Robin asked with more curiosity than anything.
"Noon. He always keeps his appointments to the minute; he'll be here no later and no earlier." Starfire took a moment to glance at the clock, and gasped.
"Quickly, friends! That gives us only three hours. We must depart with all haste to do the cleaning so that our abode may be most presentable for guests!" Considering the alternative was dealing with the alien's wrath, everyone was quick to agree.
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Raven looked at the clock. Eleven fifty-nine. Everyone had convened in the common room after going on a cleaning spree that was, the team decided after they'd gotten to work, much needed anyway. For all that they were superheroes, they were still teenagers; and teenagers often didn't notice when they made a mess.
True to her word, as soon as the clock ticked over to twelve, the buzzer for the door registered in the common room. The wide screen against the window clicked over to a view of the camera above the Tower's front door, revealing a single figure. He had with him a pair of suitcases and appeared to be dressed in business attire, though his face was concealed by the rim of a rather wide brimmed black hat.
"Is that the guy, Raven?"
"It's him. I recognize that hat anywhere."
Fiddling with a few buttons on his arm, Cyborg was about to open the door remotely when Robin stopped him. "Don't. I'll go let him in. It'll give me a chance to talk to him." Raven sent a glare in his direction.
"What, you don't trust my judgment?"
"That's not it at all. I trust you the most of all of us, actually, nor am I going to tell you who you can and can't be friends with. But letting someone into the Tower is a big deal, so I'm going to meet him first." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Raven, though still seemingly annoyed, had to admit that his reasons were valid. They usually were.
It was a few minutes later that the two men walked into the common room. Robin was examining what looked to be a business card, flipping it over in his fingers idly while reading it. It was impossible to tell what exactly the two had been talking about, but Robin seemed to be willing to let him stay long enough to introduce himself to everyone. The card was slid into a pocket on his belt. Raven seemed to take up the mantle of doing introductions.
"Everyone, this is my associate, Mr. Nagira. Nagira, this is Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire. You've already met Robin."
The young man standing before them was well dressed and spotless, sporting a pitch black slightly modified swallowtail suit, one with two slightly pointed 'tails' rather than simply being lower in the back. He had matching black slacks, a white dress shirt underneath, and a slim black tie. All in all, he looked every bit the part of nobility, from his wide brimmed black hat to his spotless black shoes. Only a single eye with a yellow iris was visible, the other, his left, covered by a practical but undecorated eye patch. His hair was shoulder length, straight, and as black as his clothes. A small teardrop tattoo was inked in an inch or so under his right eye. He looked to be no older than most of them, maybe seventeen at the most, despite how mature his dress made him appear.
"It is a great pleasure to finally meet you all. I have heard much from milady Raven here about her friends." His voice was polite, but slightly detached. A little too respectful, as though he kept the world at an arm's length. Depositing the briefcases by the door, he took a moment to shake both Beast Boy's and Cyborg's hands, as well as giving Starfire a deep bow and a light kiss upon the knuckles. Every bit the gentlemen.
Starfire gave a slight giggle to the greeting, though given her royal upbringing, she saw it for the respectful gesture it was. Cyborg, though slightly put off by the odd clothing choices and distant attitude, gave the man a hearty handshake and a friendly grin. Best Boy, though…He was suspicious. Something smelled distinctly wrong about him. Like a familiar scent was being twisted into something dark. It was a strange sensation, and it set the hairs on the back of his neck to rising. Not to mention, milady? Who talked like that anymore? The guy was just weird. However, he kept a straight face, and shook the offered hand.
"Nice ta' meet'cha, dude."
"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. I've heard much from Raven about you; more than many of your other team members, in fact. But alas, I must be going; I am a busy man, after all. Milady Raven, Sir Robin. I have further business here, so I should be in town for a week or two. Please, if you find yourself in need of my services, don't hesitate to call." With a sweeping bow to the room at large, he turned and made his way out. As soon as he was out of ear-shot, Beast Boy visibly relaxed.
"That dude is weird."
"You've known him less than five minutes and you're already insulting him?" Raven's trademark monotone was accusing.
"What? No. I didn't mean it in a bad way, or nothing. He's just strange." Waving off the comment almost dismissively, Beast Boy started for the door. "Well, I'll be in my room if anyone needs me. Got some stuff to think about. "
True to his word, within two minutes the changeling was laying on his bottom bunk, deep in thought. His thoughts were wandering, for the most part, jumping from one subject to another until…He bolted upright. That was what was so off was about the guy! That familiar but different scent was Raven's! Not the upper layer, like lavender and musty books, but something deeper, almost like sulfur.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.
"Beast Boy? It's Raven. Come to my room tonight, when everyone's asleep. We need to talk." Before he could respond, he heard the soft sound of footsteps leading away from his door. He wasn't all that surprised with everything that was going on and he knew there was no deeper meaning there, but the teenager deep inside went to work tying his stomach into knots anyway. He swore that guy made him nervous just for kicks and giggles.
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It was later that night that found Beast Boy standing outside of Raven's door, his hand balled into a fist and poised to knock. Maybe he should just go and double check to make sure everyone was asleep. His resolve was still wavering when he realized the door had opened and a violet eye was peeking at him from the crack, though the rest of the empath's face was hidden by shadow.
"Is everyone asleep?" Beast Boy could only nod dumbly before the door opened more fully and a hand reached out to latch on his shoulder and pull him inside, shutting swiftly behind. It took the changeling a moment to get his bearings, blinking furiously. The room was bright. He was shocked. Raven didn't do bright.
Well, it wasn't as blinding as he originally thought, but it was certainly brighter than usual, and definitely brighter than the hallway outside. Strewn about on most available flat surfaces were candles, giving the room an almost eerie but somehow comfortable glow.
On her bed were two empty briefcases, those delivered earlier, and what was presumably the contents of those cases were laid out as well. Books. Quite a few of them as well, more than should have been able to fit in two cases that size, surely. Still, learning to take the laws of physics with a grain or twelve of salt was easy in their line of work.
"So…What'd you need to talk to me about?" He asked nervously, somehow already knowing the answer.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going to be studying." She gestured to the books.
"We? Wouldn't it be more like, I don't know, you teaching me, or something?"
The look Raven gave him was flat and dry. "Beast Boy, I've been running from the demon half of my heritage since I was born. I know about as much of all this as you do. Under ideal circumstances, I never would have needed to learn. But, here we are. So, we're going to study."
"Oh. Okay. Where do we start?" Raven, who had climbed onto the bed and picked up a book, turned to him almost incredulously.
"Wait, really? That's it? I was half afraid I was going to have to threaten you with bodily harm to get you to cooperate."
Following along behind, he sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, as if afraid of overstepping his bounds, and picked up a book. The look on his face was amused, in nothing else. "Oh c'mon, Raven. I thought you would've learned by now that even I know when it's time to stop joking and get down to business."
"Fair enough. And…Make yourself comfortable. We're going to be here a while."
He relaxed a bit, hesitantly, as though still afraid of her wrath. Not completely, mind, but when he got no objection and wasn't thrown out bodily, he practically melted onto the mattress. For all that her room was creepy and off limits and all number of similar adjectives, he had to admit one thing; she had a really comfortable bed.
They had both been studying in silence for what had to have been half an hour or so before the changeling spoke. "Hey, Raven?"
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to say, thanks. I know that things aren't turning out how you wanted them to, but you're still helping me out, a lot. I appreciate it. I mean, these books must have been expensive, right? Special delivery and all."
"It's…I owe you this much, Beast Boy. I've done something to you that I can't exactly just take back. Consider this my way of…Apologizing." Her head turned from her book for what seemed like the first time in an hour, and she looked at the surprisingly somber friend. "And what makes you think these books were for you?"
"One plus one, Raven."
The pair of them studied well into the wee hours of the morning, which found them both exhausted. And so it was that the two of them, almost simultaneously, simply lowered their heads to the mattress, just for a few moments; a few moments which stretched into minutes, and then into hours.