VECTOR IN DC

[Tom Hendricks POV] 

The tranquility of the garage enveloped me as I settled into a serene meditation, seeking solace in the quietude. Seated on a comfortable mat in the heart of the garage, I assumed a meditative posture, shutting out the external world with closed eyes.

In the stillness, I delved deep within myself, connecting with the subtle currents of my own bioelectricity. It was an extraordinary sensation; every nerve in my body seemed alive, painted with the hues of red electrical lines. The intricate network of energy flowed like a silent symphony, a visual representation of the vitality coursing through me.

Lost in the euphoria of this internal exploration, the harmonious ambiance was abruptly shattered by the persistent sound of text notifications. Slowly, I returned to the material world, telekinetically drawing my phone into the palm of my hands without breaking my meditative posture.

Opening the texts, I discovered they were from Rachel, inviting me to a New Year’s Eve night party Beast Boy was hosting the next day. With a decisive lack of hesitation, I promptly declined the invitation, my focus on personal introspection.

However, Rachel persisted, expressing a desire to spend the evening together. She revealed her aversion to parties, subtly tugging at my reluctance by mentioning we hadn’t attended one as a couple since the beginning of our relationship. Reluctantly, I found myself agreeing, not wanting her to feel alone at the gathering.

“Okay, I’ll be there… But only because I would like to see how cute and miserable you can be when you get drunk on alcohol,” I responded, a playful edge to my words. She replied with the slightly smiling emoji, sealing the agreement.

“It’s a date,” she texted, setting the rendezvous for 8:00 pm the following evening.

“I’ll be there,” I assured her before setting my phone aside. With the digital world momentarily cast aside, I resumed my meditation, returning to the peaceful cocoon of my garage, the red currents of bioelectricity once again becoming the focal point of my contemplation.

… 

It’s been a week since Darkseid’s invasion, Beast Boy was throwing a celebratory party to celebrate their win against Darkseid and his forces. 

The young heroes had been tense lately and stressed up from the fights with the parademons, evacuating civilians, and completely drained from patrolling Metropolis and neighboring cities that were affected by the invasion, as they provided help to stranded civilians. 

At first when Beast Boy brought up the idea,  the majority of them dismissed the thought as it seemed disrespectful to the heroes who ended up in a hospital bed as a result of their fights, everyone but NightWing. 

He saw the Idea of a party as an opportunity for them to unwind, ease their stressed minds and bodies as they let go of every burden and just focus on having some fun for the night. 

The Invitations and announcements regarding the party were based on Beast Boy being the public figure he was, the non-superheroes who were present at the party were those invited by one of the heroes as their guest for the night. 

The party buzzed with loud music and underage drinking as a lot of the guests geeked over their favorite heroes, the ones dressed in their hero getup at least. Some of the heroes chose to attend the party as their hero persona so they could bond with a few of their fans and sign off autographs in the process, basking in the love showered by their fans. 

Walking through the front door Tom dressed in a casual black jean, topped with black shirt with both sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had two buttons loose from the top row as he fashionably adorned it with a black neck chain to compliment the watch he had on his wrist. 

His white hair was freely and neatly brushed, which was unlikely for him as he usually had it in a less neat but messy state. 

Looking around as he observed the surroundings, he took note of a few checklists to see the nature of the party for the night, as he wasn’t sure how a party thrown by goodie-two-shoes heroes would turn out to be. “Underage drinking, kids abusing drugs, horny girls and sexually predatory dudes left and right. This party meets the checklist.”

He reached for his left pocket, then sent a text to Rachel that he had arrived at the party and was going to be by the bar. Placing his phone back in his pocket, he walked over to the bar, his go-to spot at any party. 

He picked up a bottle of whiskey, grabbed a glass and poured himself a drink. Then turned to look around, observing as some danced to the music playing, some vibe to it, while some were busy making out at every corner.

While the rest geeked over Impulse and Beast Boy who was clearly the life of the party and was wearing sunglasses for some reason, when it was night time and he was indoors. 

Unlike the other guests who arrived at the party, fanboying over the heroes, Tom looked at them like they weren’t as much of a big deal, and casually did his own thing.

Taking notes of his surroundings while sipping on his glass, a voice spoke from his side, drawing him from his own thoughts of mapping out the heroes he recognized. 

“That’s some confident hairdo for someone your age, I must say.” Tom turned to his left, only to see a blond hottie having a flirty look in her eyes as she made reference to his white hair. 

“Unfortunately it isn’t some hairdo or anything like that, it’s one hundred percent natural.” He replied. 

“Wow, that’s quite a unique trait.” She said in response. 

“Thanks, You don’t look bad yourself. Are you from around here?” He asked. 

“Not really, I am from Metropolis but my place got destroyed during the attack so now I am staying with a friend for now and she lives around here.”

“Oh, I literally thought you were one of them heroes. I had a feeling from how cute of a blonde you are, and how blue your eyes are, typical features of a comical female superhero.” Tom teased as a smirk grew on the side of his cheek. 

“Oh, do I?” She flirted back. 

“Of course you do. Now if you’d excuse me, I have to go find someone.” Tom winked an eye at her as they clicked their glasses in cheers before gulping down his remaining drink and dropped the glass. 

Tom walked over to the middle of the party, grabbed himself a disposable plastic cup, then poured himself some cheap beer. “Hey, I know that face.” A voice came from behind as he was in the process of filling his cup. 

“Fuck!” He exasperated then stopped what he was doing. Tom turned around to look Beast Boy in the eye for a second, took a sip of his beer, then just casually walked away without saying a word. 

“Hey, don’t just walk away like that, dude.”

“I think you’re probably mistaking me for someone else, I know you’re a hero and something of a celebrity but I don’t recall knowing you in person.” Tom tried to wave him off, wanting to avoid any bro moment Beast Boy might try to initiate. 

“Remember, back in Central City. We met at an art function.” Beast Boy pressed on with a wide smile spread across his face. 

“Beast Boy, stop pestering him. He’s clearly not a fan.” Stepping beside Tom, Rachel grabbed onto his arm. “Now that I think about it, I think I remember meeting you along with one paranoid fucker back at Central City.” Tom said to Beast Boy with a smirk on his lips as he was being dragged away by Raven.

“I am not the only one who saw that right?” Beast Boy asked no one in particular as he made reference to Rachel’s attitude around Tom, and how she seemed awfully close with him, something that was rare even for her. 

“Nah dude, I think Raven’s got a boyfriend.” Impulse said as they watched her blush while leading Tom elsewhere. “I don’t think so.” He replied. 

“What was that about?” She asked Tom who was busy pouring her a drink. 

“Don’t worry about it, just reminiscing about a time we met at some function back at Central City. Although he was with some paranoid kid at the time” Tom waved it off as he handed her a cup of beer. 

“No, I don’t drink alcohol.” She rejected his offer with a smile. “You literally watched me put down my drink to pour you one.” Tom remarked.

“And I appreciate the gesture, thank you.”

*Sigh*

“More for me then.” He replied as he poured the drink into his own cup, ready to get the party started and willing to persuade her into taking a few sips. 

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