When I Was Young

Chapter 2: Sudden Realization

AN: Hello! I'm updating! I got a review! Woo-hoo! Inspiration hit, and this story seemed to slap me right between the eyes. So I had to continue, vacation be damned.

"What is it you are doing in friend Raven's personal sleeping place?" Starfire asked, her eyes loosing their glow.

"Visiting." Jaded said, as if it answered everything.

"Dude. You can't just show up out of nowhere, you need to warn somebody first." Beastboy said, exasperated.

"I did, I told Rae I was coming to see her weeks ago." Jaded informed them, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Why is it friend Raven forgot to inform us?" Starfire asked, a hurt tent to her voice.

"Maybe she's keeping me all too herself." Jaded said jokingly, but added with a much more serious tone, "Maybe she's ashamed of me."

"Who would feel shame toward someone with the face of the beautifulest Charifail."

"Your not from Earth are you?"

"No, I am from Tameran." Starfire smiled.

"You seem polite, Starfire from Tameran." Jaded said, taking her hand, and kissing it.

"Thank you, new friend." Starfire said, turning scarlet.

Robin scowled at the boy, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to come to reek havoc and conquer the world." Jaded joked, "but I got bored."

Starfire giggled, and Cyborg grinned.

Beastboy raised an eyebrow, "How do you know Raven?"

"We had ballet together." Jaded said, once again joking. "We grew up together."

"Raven had a childhood sweetheart!?" Cyborg asked, shocked.

"What?" Jaded said, defensively. "Love doesn't care who you are or how you act or dress."

"That is very romantic." Starfire said, hearts in her eyes.

"Well, we forgot to properly introduce ourselves." Robin said, in his leaders tone.

"You've met Starfire" Robin began, "That's Beastboy, he's the shape shifter, and that's Cyborg the half cyborg, and I'm Robin, the leader of the Titans ."

"I'm Raven, nice to meet all of you." Came the same monotone everyone had grown accustomed too.

"Your back." Jaded said, smiling again. "I like your friends."

"I like a few of them." Raven said, smirking slightly.

"I like all of them." jaded began. "Starfire said I looked like a Chair fell."

Raven chuckled, and tucked a part of Jadeds raven black hair behind his ear. "You do look like an angel."

Jaded turned a slight pink, and smiled even wider at the attention. "Your teasing, Rae."

"Well," Robin began, trying to think of an excuse to get them out of the awkward situation. "We have to go train. We'll see you two later."

"Actually, "Beastboy said, still eying the boy. "I'm free, I've already trained."

"Would you like to hang out with us?" Raven said, smiling at Beastboy.

The offer took him by surprise, almost as much as the sudden discomfort in his stomach at the idea of Raven being alone in her room, with some random guy he wasn't familiar with.

"I don't want to intrude." Beastboy said, sadder than intended.

"You won't be." Raven called after the changeling, "Believe it or not, I enjoy speaking with you."

"Really?" Beastboy asked even more surprised. "Then I'll stay."

"Come in then." Raven smiled at him.

Beastboy looked at raven for a moment. There was a different sparkle in her eye tonight. This captivated him, allured him even. It made him want to stare at her.

"So." Jaded said, interrupting Beastboy's thoughts. "Who are you, exactly?"

Beastboy smiled, sitting on the bed, and reluctantly told his story.

"My name is Beastboy. My real name is Garfield..."

"Like the cat?" Jaded interrupted.

"Yeah." Beastboy said, his smile fading. "I'm a Titan, I'm green, I don't eat meat, because I've been most of those animals. I came to the Teen Titans from Doom Patrol. (AN: I think) My blood types O- and I have fangs and pointy ears."

"Your parents?" Jaded asked.

Beastboy's smile disappeared. "They died. Awhile ago."

"Oh, sorry man." Jaded said, patting the changeling on the back.

Raven put her hand on Beastboy's shoulder, and sat to the left of him. Beastboy caught her eye again, and couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

"I like it when you smile." Raven said, without thinking. She soon recovered, "It's simple to you."

Beastboy looked at her questioningly. "I like to smile. It's not that hard, Rae."

Jaded looked up at the name the changeling used to address Raven.

"Hey you guys, where's the drinks around here?" Jaded asked, standing up.

"Um." Beastboy paused, trying to think of away to explain. "I'll go get something." He said, giving up.

"What's your drink of choice, Dude?"

"You got Coke?" Jaded asked.

"Yeah, Rae?"

"The same." Raven said, noticing Jaded's flinch at the use of her nickname.

Jaded waited for the changeling to exit the room before speaking, that was the reason he asked for a beverage to begin with. Neither did he, nor Raven know that Beastboy was standing right outside the door when he began to speak.

"He calls you Rae?" Jaded asked, an unevenness in his tone.

"Yes." Raven said simply.

"You don't mind?" Jaded asked, with the same tone.

"I did at first, but it's just Beastboy."

"I don't know just Beastboy, and the last time I checked only I called could call you Rae without you getting mad." Jaded stated, his tone more hurt than before.

"Things have changed in three years." raven said, bitterly.

"I know. Well, it's not like you became some emotionless drone who mustn't feel to keep control over her powers, right?"

The silence seemed to echo off the walls, and Beastboy didn't want to hear Raven's response. So he began walking towards the kitchen.

"Beastboy?" Robins voice broke threw his thoughts, making him jump back slightly.

"What's up, Robin?"

"I would ask you the same thing." Robin stated, walking towards the boy. "Where've you been?"

"With Raven and that guy friend of hers." Beastboy said, in a bitter tone.

"Beastboy, are you alright? Did you and Raven fight again?"

"No, but I think.. Never mind.." The changeling said, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Robin said, walking to where Beastboy was standing.

"I think I like her."

"Beastboy, we all like Raven."

"I mean, I think I like her."

Robin's masked eyes widened. "Are you sure."

"Almost positive.."

AN: I'm taking my time with this fic. I like the plot, and I'm going to do my best on it. I solemnly swear I will not give up on it! Right now I am thanking God for six things in my life; fanfiction, Teen Titans, Tivo, Naruto, and spell check! It's late, well, to me it is. I tend to write best at nighttime.