Be a Dragon: Decisions (ch.13) (Patreon)

“Fuck me Daddy! You’re fucking me so hard!” Kitten cried out as I hammered into her, the harsh sounds of flesh impacting against flesh echoed throughout her room. She screamed as she came hard once I pinched her clit, her ass clamping down on me as she was swept away by the crashing waves of pleasure. Her body went stiff underneath me, her breathing sporadic as she moaned senselessly. 

All the while, I continued my relentless assault on her body. Kitten was laid flat on the bed, her arms having long since given out underneath her. A wet spot formed on the sheet, slowly spreading outward as I relentlessly made her cum, intent on making her cum her brains out until she was a heap of goo that was so high on pleasure that she had no idea where she was. I laid on top of her, my hips hammering at her abused ass that glowed a cherry red from more than a few slaps on each cheek. 

“FuuuuuuuuuUUUUCK!” Kitten cursed as I emptied myself inside of her ass, and not for the first time. The action triggered another orgasm that I helped along by sliding a hand between her legs and slipping a few fingers inside of her soaked lower lips. They eagerly accepted the digits, milking them and trying to take them deeper, which I allowed. I curled them upward, massaging her g-spot- “FUcK! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckkkkkk! Fuck me!” Kitten screamed, her body trembling beneath me as she spasmed as yet another orgasm shook her world. 

Kitten gasped for breath, for respite, but I refused to give her any. I turned her on her side, lifting one of her legs to grant me access to a new angle to thrust. Now, without a pillow muffling her voice, Kitten’s cries of pleasure could probably be heard from the city as I ruthlessly pounded at her ass. All the while my free hand snaked upward, going to her breast, but her hands clumsily brought it upward towards her neck. 

Right. I rested my hand around her neck but didn’t clampdown. I knew choking was a thing, and it didn’t surprise me that Kitten was into it. Only I haven’t done it before, and there were things you didn’t learn in the moment. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally hurt her. Or worse. Luckily, Kitten seemed fine with that, just the threat of it was enough to set her off. 

Her back arched, cum gushing from her pussy as the back of her head smacked into my chin as she shouted at the top of her lungs as she came hard. Her hips ground into mine, trying to take me even deeper for more pleasure that I eagerly gave her. Kitten gasped for breath, shuddering and shivering like she was cold but she was so hot to the touch. 

“Oh, just like that! Keep doing that! I want it! I want it! I want it I want it Iwantit!” Kitten screamed, slamming her hips to meet mine. With that demand echoing in my ears, I gave it to her. Time passed as I brought her to peaks and higher peaks, never once pulling out as I reached my own peaks. If it wasn’t for the alarm clock, it would have been impossible to tell how much time passed, but with it, I saw the hours slowly tick upward.

Towards the end, I reached my goal. Kitten could only groan weakly as I continued to fuck her with the same furious pace that I had started with. I hadn’t really noticed it, but I think awakening my chakra increased my natural endurance. I felt the edge of exhaustion, yet it wasn’t so bad that I felt a need to stop. 

Satisfied, I slowly pulled out of her ass, a trail of cum escaping and flooding downward. It was hardly hentai levels of splooge, but there were more loads than I cared to count inside of her and my chest swelled with pride just at the sight. There was something special about fucking a girl until she couldn’t speak. 

“I’ll let you rest for a bit,” I told her, not receiving an answer in return. I covered her nude body with a blanket before I got off the bed, stretching out as my dick slowly went limp with the lack of attention. Realizing that I probably reeked, I took a quick shower before I descended downstairs, wondering what I would find. 

I should have expected what I saw, but it was still faintly surprising to find Neo sitting on the couch, her feet propped up as she watched what looked like a soap opera on the massive tv. She craned her head back to look at me, cocking an eyebrow as she raised her hands to give a golf clap. Despite myself, I grinned in response as I headed towards the kitchen, eager for something to eat. 

However, once I stuffed half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into my mouth, I saw her hold up a sign of an airhorn and a question mark. I thought about it for a second before understanding what she was asking. 

“I have no control over Kitten and how loud she is. But...sorry about that,” I said with a small shrug of my shoulders. Neo rolled her eyes at the half-hearted apology, which was fair I guess. Then I realized that Hinata was nowhere to be found, and I grew worried a little. “Do you know where Hinata is?” I asked, earning an equally half-hearted shrug from Neo as she turned her attention back to the tv screen. 

I frowned in response before I sighed. I should have expected that. I glanced around, just in case I missed her, but she was nowhere to be seen downstairs. It was probably nothing, but I wanted to check in on her. She knew about Kitten and why we were able to stay here. Even still, it was one thing to know that the guy you’re sleeping with fucks another girl for rent, and another thing to meet the girl and listen to them go at it. 

Neo seemed to sense my apprehension since she made a great big show of looking at me before she rolled her eyes. Once I saw that she was being extremely sarcastic, Neo pointed at the door that led downstairs with her ice cream spoon. I let out a small huff of laughter before I shoved the other half of the sandwich into my mouth, and drained my glass of milk. 

“Thanks, Neo,” I said, starting to walk downstairs, but the images on her sign changed. A picture of her and a present and a question mark...my eyes narrowed, puzzling it out after a moment of thought. 

“You’ll get a reward for being a good girl, as promised,” I told her, wondering how I was going to balance this. Between Kitten, Hinata and now Neo...my poor penis. Was it possible to have too much sex? I never once considered it a possibility but now that I was staring down three beautiful women who wanted to sleep with me, it was a real concern. It was probably the best problem to have, right up there with having too much money, but expanding my chakra reserves so I could perform the shadow clone jutsu became priority number one. 

Neo’s eyes switched colors as she flashed a dangerous grin at me and I got the distinct impression that she had something planned for her reward. And it was far more than what I figured she deserved and clashed quite heavily with what I intended. Neo turned her attention back to her shows, popping a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth as she did. Realizing that it wasn’t up for debate, I got the hint and walked downstairs. 

The downstairs had changed considerably since I opened Dragonfly Express. A portion of the garage was claimed as a prep area, walled off with white resin from my flames. Inside that walled off area were ovens, cooking utensils and a small touching up area. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s where I found Hinata, making a rice ball.

I knocked at the door, just to be polite since I’m sure she knew I was coming. If not because of my lack of stealth then because of her eyes that could see through pretty much everything. Hinata paused her work to look at me, a smile on her face that couldn’t look more faked even if she drew it on. 

“Hey,” I greeted, leaning against the doorway, preparing myself for an awkward conversation. 

“I made snacks,” Hinata informed, avoiding the subject. She pushed out a small plate of rice balls -- onigiri, I think they were called. I knew them by sight better than the name. Despite the name, they were shaped in small triangles made of white rice with some kind of dried seaweed on the bottom. “I didn’t know how to make anything from here, but I hope you like it.”

I was tempted to let her avoid the subject because I didn’t want to talk about it either. We were in an awkward situation with no easy answer because there weren’t any realisionships involved. I wasn’t dating either Hinata or Kitten, both at their request, but neither girl really knew the other. And with one of them, sex was a transaction, and the other a desperate desire for closeness. And both were now living in the same house. 

Right. There was no way that this was going to get complicated. Now I was really tempted to just not talk about it so I wouldn’t have to think about it. 

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing one, going to take a bite out of it but vague lessons from anime reminded me of certain manners. “Thanks for the meal,” I told her, wondering if I did that right. Anime wasn’t exactly the best place to learn about Japanese mannerisms. With that, I took a bite and, to my surprise, it was filled with salmon. 

“This is great. Thanks,” I said, trying to politely stuff my face as I could. Hinata smiled warmly at me, this time far more genuine, as I swallowed one down and quickly grabbed another. I never paid much attention to my diet, but given that I was rarely this physically active, I figured I should make it a habit to take in more calories. 

It only took a moment for Hinata’s smile to lose its edge. “Are...you done with Kitten today?” Hinata questioned, trying to go around the subject. She pointedly didn’t look at me, going back to making more rice balls. My gaze lingered on her before I found myself glancing around the room, chewing to buy myself a few seconds to think. 

The color in the room was slightly off and mismatched. On one wall were several ovens with white resin stuffed between them to serve as insulation. There were six in total, spaced out so we could cook multiple things at once. Along one wall was a long stainless steel table, but the color was off for some of it since it started as a practice run for me to get used to making colors with the white flames. Above it were cabinets filled with utensils, and on the other wall were recipes and instructions for easy checking. 

I modeled it off of the old coffee shop I used to work at. All in all, it was a nice little nook in the wall that did what I wanted it too. 

“For now, I guess. She’s a normal human, so she doesn’t have a lot of stamina like you. Or Neo, I guess,” I answered after a moment. There was a moment of tense silence at that, and I wasn’t the only one that felt it. Surprisingly, it was Hinata that broke the silence. 

“I...don’t have a right to be jealous,” Hinata spoke, sounding like she was talking to herself more than to me. “You told me that this would happen,” she continued, her shoulders slumping as she continued to make her rice balls. 

Right. As much as this conversation needed to happen, I really didn’t want to have it. I liked my relationships simple and clean, without any unnecessary drama. I hated arguing and heavy conversations, doing my best to avoid them like the plague.Even still, it did need to happen. 

“I wish I knew what to say to make it better, but I don’t. Honestly, I have no clue what I should be telling you right now,” I admitted easily enough, pushing myself off the wall and reaching out to place my hands on her shoulders. Surprisingly, Hinata leaned into my touch, pressing her back to my front, welcoming my arms when I wrapped them around her, resting my chin on top of her head. Her hair smelled like lavender. 

“It’s a part of the deal I made to stay in this place. Things are different now, though with you and Neo. Especially you,” I added, hugging her that much tighter. I should have figured out exactly what I was going to say before I entered this conversation, but speaking from the heart had its own appeal. “And now we’re not completely reliant on her generosity. Things have changed.”

“If it really bothers you that much, then we can move. The place won’t be as nice as this, but we can afford it-” I continued, feeling Hinata shake her head. 

“No, it’s...does it not bother you to sell your body?” She asked, catching me off guard with the question. I mean, I knew I was technically a whore, probably amongst the most expensive ones in history, but…

“Not really?” I edged, feeling Hinata shift against me. Though, thankfully, she didn’t pull away. “I mean...it’s just sex and what I got out of it was kinda insane all things considered,” I answered, knowing that probably wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. It didn’t bother me. At the time, I was more bothered by the fact that Kitten was being too generous. And now, I was more bothered by Hinata’s reaction than I was to the fact that Kitten came to collect on rent. 

There was a beat of silence that was only broken by Hinata letting out a small sigh. “You’re not doing anything wrong, Nero-kun,” Hinata decided, and that was surprisingly reassuring. “It’s something with me. I...never pictured…” She trailed off, unsure how to continue. 

“You never pictured yourself with anyone but Naruto?” I guessed and it took a long second for Hinata to nod. 

“I didn’t,” she admitted quietly. “And I certainly never thought I would be in this situation,” Hinata confessed. 

“Do you regret it?” I asked, and with those four words, I grew nervous about her response. I knew going in that she was in love with Naruto, and I was the rebound guy, but I thought we got on pretty well. Maybe we would never fall in love, get married and the whole shebang, but I thought where we were was pretty good.

Hinata seemed to think about it for a worryingly long second before she shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t regret being with you, Nero-kun,” she told me, placing her hands over mine. They were cold from working with the rice, but it was a reassuring gesture. “Being with you and the comfort we shared...is what I needed to help me move on. It’s still helping me.”

It was my turn to fall silent at that, mulling over what she said. “If what’s going on with Kitten continues, would you want to stop?” There was more that I wanted to add, but I couldn’t put my feelings into words. “I understand if you do. It’s a pretty weird situation to start with.”

Hinata pulled away from me, and my heart sank like a stone. However, it bounced right back where it was supposed to be when she turned around to wrap her arms around me. Tension eased out of me as she buried her face in my chest, holding on tight. 

“I...don’t want to stop. I...Neo...Neo thinks that I should get used to the idea and...I...didn’t mind it so much when I was there. With Neo,” Hinata admitted. I blinked slowly, realizing what she was getting at. Which was honestly probably the last thing that I expected. “I...don’t like the idea that you’re...selling yourself for our sakes. I know that it doesn’t mean much to you, but…”

Ah. The biggest issue was how we viewed sex. To me, sex was normal. Casual, almost. There was something special about it when you were doing it with someone you cared about, then it got bumped up to ‘making love.’ To Hinata, sex was something special. Sacred. There was only making love and the idea of casual sex was a new concept to her. Neither of us was wrong, per say, but it was just a case of different views on a subject. 

“Nero...do you intend to sleep with Neo?” Hinata asked, looking up at me. The question caught me off guard, and I thought about it.

“I’m not going to go chase her tail, but she’s showing interest,” I admitted. I felt like I probably deserved a smack in the face -- things were getting messy between me and Hinata. She was in love with another man, and I was the rebound guy, but feelings were getting involved. Given that I was sleeping with other girls, it felt like I was standing with a powder keg in the room with a lit match. 

Hinata nodded, unsurprised. “I...think Neo might be right. In a way. I’m...jealous, but...it’s not fair to you. I’m the one that decided that we shouldn’t be in a relationship and...it’s unfair of me to expect you to act as if we are...but...I...want…” Hinata trailed off for a few seconds, gathering her thoughts. I gave her all the time that she needed. “It felt...as if you were cheating, but you weren’t. I think...back when you were, erm...punishing Neo, it felt different because I was there?”

This conversation really wasn’t going how I thought it would. 

“I...can bring it up with Kitten…?” I tried, fighting off a smile as Hinata buried her face into my chest as she fought just as hard against a blush creeping up her cheeks. Even still, she nodded, confirming that I should. I felt like I should say something about it since...well...I was expecting a lot more drama. Maybe some shouting, or ninja poking my spleen to make it explode. Not...self awareness and acceptance. 

If I could say anything, I lost the opportunity with my hesitation. Instead, I said, “I was going to get a jump start on work for tonight. Would you want to help out?” I asked, an olive branch to put the awkward conversation aside for now. 

Hinata looked back up at me, her pale skin still slightly flushed, but she was smiling. 

“I would like that.”

…

There was a knock at Raven’s door. She knew who it was, just as she had the moment she felt the inner turmoil that slowly approached from down the hall that stopped at her door, walked away, then walked back, stopped again, walked away again, then walked back, and finally knocked. The entire ordeal lasted five minutes and for those five minutes, Raven was left staring at the same page of a novel Nero had recommended. 

Raven knew that she should answer it...but her body refused to move. So, she simply stared at the door, every muscle so tense it was as if she were in combat. She should answer it. The man standing on the other side worked up his courage -- she had felt him bracing himself, gathering his courage before he knocked...Raven knew she should answer the door. 

But she didn’t. 

“Rae?” Garfield asked, his voice just loud enough to be heard through the door. “You in there?”

Raven’s grip tightened on the book in her hands, her eyes staring at the words on the page but she couldn’t read them. Her heart started to pound at her ribs. She should get up and answer the door. Even if she just to tell Garfield to leave her alone. Raven felt his hopes fall. It hurt to feel, especially since it was caused by her cowardliness. Even still, she hoped that he would leave if only because she wanted to go back to reading. 

“Rae...please open the door,” Garfield spoke, practically begged. Raven’s heart went still in her chest, realizing that he wasn’t going to assume that she was out or meditating. “Can we just, like, talk or something? About why you’re ghosting me?”

They should talk. Nero’s advice rang in her head like a bell. She had a right to feel hurt. It was such a small thing, but it was relieving that he thought that. Since Garfield’s romantic feelings for her vanished like smoke in the wind, Raven had wondered if she was just being...clingy or desperate or crazy for feeling hurt when they weren’t dating or anything. 

“Is...it because of Terra?” Garfield asked, and of all the time to display any kind of perception skill, it had to be when she didn’t want him to. Garfield was irritating like that. Raven slowly closed her book. She wasn’t in the wrong for feeling hurt and Garfield wasn’t in the wrong for feeling how he did. The entire situation was...not ideal, but wishing that it would change wouldn’t solve anything. 

Raven covered herself  with her cloak, pulling up her hood to cover most of her face as she walked towards the door. 

“Raeeee!” Garfield whined like a child that wasn’t getting his way before she opened the door. Garfield’s green face flinched backward, as if he never in a million years expected for her to open the door. And, before everything with her father and without the advice she received from Nero, she probably wouldn’t have. 

“What?” Raven asked, the word coming out sharper than she had intended. 

“I…” Garfield trailed off, looking away from her as he scratched at the back of his head. He stole a glance before he quickly looked away. “I...there’s a briefing. About...that guy-”

“Nero. My friend,” Raven corrected and Garfield recoiled like she slapped him in the face. That was...an overreaction, but she wasn’t surprised by it. Her friendship isn't something that she gave easily. It had taken her years to stop hating Garfield, and even now she would be hard-pressed to call most of their team her friends. They were her team, and she would die for them if that was the asking price for their lives, but Raven wasn’t sure if she had more than one conversation with Wally West. The one that was displaced from the universe because of the Speed Force. 

Garfield sharply looked away, letting out a sigh. “Yeah, that guy-”

“Nero.” He...wasn’t going to bring it up. He lost his nerve. That was...disappointing. Raven hadn’t looked forward to the incredibly awkward conversation, but she had wanted it to be...done with. Over. 

“Nero,” Garfield corrected begrudgingly. “So, Dick sent me down here to get you.” Had she misunderstood why he had to gather up the courage? Raven wouldn’t put it past Dick to try something like this. For all his talk that he was nothing like Batman, he was just as manipulative when it suited his needs. In this case, the cause was to make two friends talk again.

“I’ll head there now,” Raven told him, taking a step forward and forcing Garfield to take a step back. The door to her room closed behind her. Garfield opened his mouth to say something, to start the conversation that they desperately needed to have to clear the air, but he closed it not a second later. 

Raven looked at him for a moment, Nero’s words echoing in her ears. She wasn’t wrong for feeling hurt at how...easily his love for her was replaced. And if it was replaced so easily, then they shouldn’t have been together in the first place. They were things that she already knew, but when Nero said them, she had a much easier time believing it.

“Garfield?” Raven started, staring into his emerald green eyes. Garfield winced slightly before he answered. 

“...Yeah…?” He asked, as if bracing himself. 

“You should be with Terra.” Raven meant a lot with those few words, but she was never much of a conversationalist. They delivered the meaning that she wanted. Most of it would be lost on Garfield, but that was okay. The message was more for her than it was for him. Garfield’s eyes widened, his mouth opening to say something, but, again, he hesitated. 

And in that moment, Raven vanished. She could only hope that exit hadn’t given away that she was running away. 

Leaving him behind, Raven found herself in the living room. A massive tv hung on the wall, almost to the point that the tv was the wall. A half-circle black leather couch was set for easy viewing. The kitchen was left open on one side and given that they fed two speedsters, it was more of an industrial set kitchen rather than a normal one. A counter to eat at, another set of couches and tables for more private meals…

This place was her home. It was nothing like Azarath. If anything, it was the exact opposite in most ways. For the longest time, Raven couldn’t adjust to how different it was -- how lax and free and easy-going. Even now, she struggled with it at times, but she wouldn’t prefer it any other way. 

Dick stood in front of the tv, dressed in his Nightwing uniform minus the domino mask. Dick was...handsome. Almost too handsome. Enough so that she had tested him to make sure that he wasn’t art succubus. The test came back negative, but still, Raven wasn’t completely convinced that he wasn’t. His black hair was swept back, perfect despite the lack of gel, his naturally tanned skin because of his Romanian heritage made it appear as if he had the perfect tan. 

It brought out his bright blue eyes, and his mouth that was made for smiling flashed perfect white teeth. Add that to his near unnatural flexibility, his slim build...Kori was a lucky girl. And, judging by the adoring smile Kori sent her boyfriend's way, she knew it too. 

“Ah, Raven! Been awhile, how have you been?” Dick greeted her as she rose through the floor behind the couch. “Did Gar talk to you?” A loaded question if there ever was one. His greeting brought the others attention to her -- Victor, Donna Troy, Cassandra Sandsmark, Terra, and Tim Drake. 

“Where is everyone else?” Raven asked, deflecting the question.

“Missions. Wallys are in Central City, Anlantians are in Atlantis. And everyone else is doing their own stuff elsewhere," Tim Drake answered, nibbling on a slice of pizza placed before him with an energy drink clutched in the other hand. Raven only saw the one can, so it seemed her messages to Alfred did some good. Raven hadn't read the label, but she doubted that it was healthy to pour energy shots into energy drinks. 

Tim was smaller than the original Robin. His hair looked like he just rolled out of bed, dark bags underneath his eye told that he hadn't slept. He was handsome, but his single-minded focus had a habit of punishing him for skipping meals, sleep, and the occasional shower. He was the same age as she was, eighteen, but he looked younger because of his skin build. 

"Before we begin," Raven started, her gaze gliding over those in attendance. Victor was chowing down on a piece of pizza, the Wonder Woman expys sat next to each other, though one looked like she cared more than the other. While Terra...Terra looked at her like she was trying to decide which ribs to stab between. "Did you bug Nero's house?" 

Dick's smile became a lot more forced, "I didn't." He answered swiftly, exasperation rolling off him in waves. "I said I wouldn't, right? We decided to leave it to you-" Dick cut himself off when Raven pointedly looked at Kori, who looked like she was trying not to smile. And did a very poor job of it. 

"I threatened to withhold sex I'd he did not keep his word," Kori informed delightfully as Dick facepalmed. Tim let out a huff of laughter while the others began to tease him good-naturedly. 

"You phrased it a bit different...but, no, I didn't bug Nero's house. Or, Kitten's house, depending on how you look at it." Dick said, referencing that particular relationship. When she had asked where he was staying...well, Nero hadn't made a secret of it. Raven suspected that he was completely unaware of Kitten's history. She was hardly the hardest criminal they've fought but it took a special kind of crazy to get your dad to threaten to destroy a city unless Dick went to her junior prom as her date. 

Raven nodded in acceptance, looking forward to sharing the good news with Nero. 

"Well, to jump right into it -- I want a threat ranking on him. The Fearsome Five went to ground after they failed to break out Gizmo, but that won't last forever. They're going to be gunning for him when they're done licking their wounds." Dick said, his tone adopting an authoritative edge to it. She hadn't been a part of the original team, so her tenure with Dick at the helm of the Teen Titans was brief, but he wore leadership well. 

"What kind of reaction can we expect from him?" Tim asked as if he hadn't already compiled a psych evaluation that answered that exact question. "And how are his lessons progressing?" 

"Has his heart recovered?" Kori questioned and that was the only question that she wanted to answer. Even still, this had been the condition to letting her handle Nero. Updates, progress reports, and evaluations. Simply because Nero was powerful. He was learning how to walk now, but already Raven caught hints of what to expect from him and… 

There was no way to say it. 

"Nero's magic is directly tied into the source of creation...and I would give it about a year before he could be classified as a minor god," Raven answered bluntly. There were no exclamations or shouts of surprise, or anyone declaring it impossible. In this line of work, with this lifestyle, nothing was impossible. If anything, impossibility was proved possible so regularly that the word itself lost any meaning. 

Even still, there was a stunned silence that Raven took advantage of. "His magic is innately powerful, but he has a great deal of control over it already. Usually, it takes years of practice to reach his level of progress," Raven continued, thinking of her own progress back on Azarath. Her magic was extremely powerful and it wasn't until her sixteenth birthday that she realized how powerful. Her early years were learning to control her emotions, and thus her magic. What took people years was measured in days with Nero. 

"His magic corresponds with his will. What he wants to create or destroy is only hindered by his knowledge and creativity." At that, Tim frowned deeply. 

"A reality warper," Tim muttered the words like a curse. And, to be fair, he wasn't wrong too. Reality warpers were incredibly dangerous and rarely ever friendly. The only one that could be considered a hero was herself, and she never dared to alter the fabric of reality. Perhaps one day she would have the confidence to, but until Raven learned her limits, that day was a long ways away. 

"He's proven himself capable to destroy the concept of space, letting him teleport. It's rough, but he's learning. Eventually, he's going to learn how to create concepts as well." Traditional magic was lost to Nero, but in exchange, he could find other methods to achieve the same goal. Whereas a god could simply stretch their awareness into the past or future, Nero could theoretically burn a hole through time between two points and step into the past. 

"He's not there yet," Raven admitted. "But he will be eventually." 

Raven could see the warring feeling on Dick's face without the need to sense his emotions. Torn between what he wanted to do and what he was trained to do by Batman. 

Nero...could be a threat. In a year's time, he could be unstoppable. Even their traditional methods for dealing with godlike beings and reality wrappers might not work because of his connection to the Source of Creation. Everything had a pecking order, and so did gods. A direct connection to the Source...would put him up there with the likes of Lucifer. And herself. 

"But he wants to be left alone. He has no interest in being a hero or a villain. He's opened a bakery instead. He's not a threat and he has no intention of becoming one." Raven stressed, her dark violet eyes scanning over the seated Titans to take in what they thought and felt. Doubt was the most prevalent feeling, unsurprisingly. 

“Just because he doesn't want to be a threat doesn't mean he won’t become one,” Donna commented, playing devil's advocate. “He already has a target on his back, and the Fearsome Five are going to prepare next time.”

“A reality warper is too dangerous to leave alone. Or, at the very least, we need to be prepared for him…” Tim seconded, glancing at her. Raven stared right back at him until he looked away, sighing. 

“He,” Raven started, her soft voice cutting off the argument before it could begin. “Doesn't want any involvement in this life.” Dick and Tim...they were Bats. Planning for every threat was what they did. However, with a reality warper, especially one as powerful as Nero was going to become...the only option was for her to deal with him. 

Because they had no idea what her limits were. Years ago, on her sixteenth birthday, when her father had used her as a portal to enter this universe to destroy it, Raven had sealed him away. Trigon the Destroyer who had scoured entire universes of life… Sealing him away had been easy. There was no need for finesse. Raven had simply overpowered him until he was sealed away in the gem that resided in her forehead. 

Defeating one of the most powerful beings in the universe hadn’t pushed her to her limit. It hadn’t even come close. And that was a terrifying thought. It was why, even years later, she was so cautious in experimenting with what she could do. Raven was afraid of accidentally challenging something that she couldn’t defeat, or because she didn’t understand her own powers. 

“Or, you’re saying that because you’re emotionally compromised,” Terra stated, earning a hard look from Raven, who was all too eager to meet it. 

“If I was, you would know,” Raven warned. Her issues with Terra ran deep. All the way back to Terra’s betrayal of the Titans -- the things she had said then couldn’t be unsaid, and Raven wasn’t going to let them. 

“Ladies,” Dick interjected smoothly, smiling a charming smile that didn’t betray his alarm. His baby blue eyes drifted to her, “I know he doesn't want anything to do with this life. Honestly, I’d be content to let him be. But just because he wants a simple life doesn't mean that this life will just leave him alone.” Raven could feel his point coming and she didn’t have a way to refute it. Not easily. 

“The Fearsome Five- Four, now, I guess...they want him dead. We figured out who he was easy enough, and they will too. He doesn't have a secret identity, and Dragonfly Express...well, it’s not a subtle name. Worse, it’s becoming popular,” Dick started, prepping his argument. “It’s only a matter of time before they attack again.”

“He doesn't have to join the Titans,” Victor spoke up, smoothing over a growing concern. “Not unless he wants to. His lessons with you are a good start but there are other things he should learn to prepare himself for that day. As bad as it sounds, some of those things are how to avoid bystanders dying in a fight.”

Raven glanced at him. It was a good argument. It made sense and it was logical. What’s more, joining the Titans would serve as a deterrent for wayward groups. But…

Nero didn’t want this life. She couldn’t sense his emotions but she could feel the regret coming off of him in waves when he spoke about fighting the Fearsome Five. He wanted nothing to do with putting on tights and fighting in the streets, regardless of the good he could do. And because Nero didn’t want it, Raven didn’t want it for him. 

To be a hero, it...you had to have a calling. A motivation. For most, it was a personal tragedy, and for some it was a natural desire to do good. Nero didn’t have that calling. He...he was someone that had stuck his hand on top of a stove, burnt his hand, and now he refused to touch an oven again. That was the exact opposite mentality that a hero needed. 

Raven let out a soft sigh because as much as she didn’t want it for him, the argument was sound. 

“I’ll talk to him about it.”

She could only hope that he would listen.