When We Were Young Chapter 18, a teen titans fanfic

"Hey, Kori!"

Kori paused mid-step in her dash towards the door and her body became stiff, like that of a child who's hand had been caught in the cookie jar. She turned around and smiled broadly, her face flashing innocence. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Don't act so innocent," said Karen, wagging a finger at the red head. "Every day since last week you've been dashing towards the door as soon as school's over."

"What's the rush little lady?" inquired Vic, standing besides his girlfriend.

Kori bit her lip, looking away. "I just... have some place to be, that's all."

"So in other words you're going to go meet with your new friend." Raven noted, arms crossed.

Kori frowned slightly. Since the day she met Xavier she had been spending more and more time with him, getting to know him better and eventually considering him a friend. Since the previous week, as soon as eighth period ended, Kori had been gathering her things as quickly as possible, and running straight towards the door so she could meet Xavier. She had been avoiding telling her friends about Xavier, knowing that they wouldn't approve of her relationship with him, even if that relationship was based solely on friendship. So she kept Xavier a secret and merely told her friends that she had met someone new. Whenever they demanded answers on this 'new' person, Kori would stumble around for an excuse and avoided telling the truth. Now that she was corned she wasn't quite sure what to do.

"It's nothing really, I was just going to go hang out in the park." Kori told them.

"You mean, hang out in the park with your new friend," quipped Gar, winking. He made a kissy face. "Oh la la!"

"Shut it," Kori messed up Gar's hair. "It's not like that. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have somewhere important to be."

With that said Kori left the classroom, her hair swinging behind her. Trailing right behind her came Dick.

"Kori, wait up," he ran to catch up to her. "Spare a minute for your best friend?"

Kori continued to walk but smiled at him. "Always."

"Me and the others were gonna go get some pizza. Why don't you come with. It'll be fun."

"But I already made plans."

"Well... blow them off."

Kori narrowed her eyes, her voice scolding. "Dick..."

"Oh come on, Kori," Dick snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "What's so special about this guy? And why haven't we met him yet? Are you even sure that he can be trusted?.... Kori?"

Kori had frozen up, her face turning extremely red and her eyes wide. By now Dick had frozen too, realizing how close his face was to Kori's. His cheeks turned red as well and he quickly released Kori, stepping back.

"Uh... sorry." Dick muttered, face ducked low as he rubbed the back of his neck. There was still a tint of red on his cheeks.

"Uh... no problem," Kori squeaked, looking away as well so he wouldn't see her blush. "I have to go now..."

"Oh yeah, of course," Dick responded awkwardly. After that little moment they just shared he didn't feel up to engaging Kori in conversation, let alone looking her in the eye. "I'll call you tonight."

"Okay." Kori nodded and quickly took off. Once she rounded the corner Dick slapped his forehead.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he repeated, slapping himself repeatedly on the forehead.

"You got that right," muttered Raven. Dick turned around to face her, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Come on, the others are waiting."

"Do you think Kori has a boyfriend?"

It was a simple question, asked by Gar, that had a chain reaction. Vic, Karen, Dick and Raven each held a stunned expression on their face and the slice of pizza they had in their hands dropped back down on to the plate. They stood silent, their minds trying to think of an answer for Gar's question. Dick was the first to break from limbo, and in doing so he released a chuckle.

"Yeah right, as if," Dick chuckled a bit. "If Kori had a boyfriend I would know."

Dick leaned back coolly, looking somewhat smug. Then Karen popped his bubble.

"You wouldn't know."

Dick rose a brow at her.

"Kori would tell me and Raven first, that's how it works between girls," explained Karen. "And then I would tell Vic, who in turn would tell Gar. And then Kori would finally get around to telling you."

Dick frowned and crossed his arms.

Gar turned his attention to the girls. "So does Kori have a boyfriend or not?"

"No, she doesn't have a boyfriend," answered Raven, biting into the crust of her pizza. She chewed and swallowed. "If she did me and Karen would know by now."

"If she's not dating this guy why is she so reluctant to bring him around us?" questioned Vic.

"Because she knows you three would totally freak." Karen stated, pointing at the boys.

"Not true!"

"We would not!"

"Name one time!"

Karen and Raven briefly glanced at each other and then looked back at the boys.

"When Kori got her first boyfriend," Karen pointed at Vic. "You popped the poor kid's bike tires."

"And you," Raven pointed at Gar. "Pulled down his pants in front of the entire school."

"And you," Karen pointed at Dick. "You beat the kid up."

"He started it," Dick shouted defensively. Gar and Vic nodded in agreement. "And he deserved it too!"

The girls rolled their eyes.

Xavier hummed a happy tune as he walked into the abandoned warehouse which served as his gang's headquarters. Upon walking in, his right hand man Billy emerged to his side quickly.

"Hey boss man. I got the name of that dealer from Gotham City, you know, the new one who people think has lost his marbles. Well he's supposed to send a sample of his junk it, should be here by the start of the new week, it's supposed to be really intoxicating."

"Uh-huh." Xavier nodded absently, a happy smile on his face as he walked to his office.

Billy wore a perplexed expression. "That's it? No questions, no comments?"

Xavier ignored him and entered his office. Micheal and Seemore were in there, playing cards. Billy, Micheal and Seemore were Xavier's closest friends and he trusted them, so he didn't mind that they were in his office at all.

Billy followed Xavier in, making sure to shut the door behind them, and observed Xavier carefully. He didn't understand where this happy mood came from. "Are you high?"

Xavier sat in his new, black leather chair. He leaned back, plopping his feet on the desk, making sure not to interrupt Micheal and Seemore's game, and continued smiling. "I had... the most incredible day ever."

"Thanks to that cute red head no doubt," said Seemore, laying down his cards. "I fold. Let's play a new game."

"Gold fish?" asked Micheal. Seemore nodded and he shuffled the deck of cards.

"Oh," Billy snagged a milk crate and sat upon it, eyes focused on Xavier. "Had a little fun did you?"

"I had fun, but not in the way you're thinking."

"So, are you like, dating this girl now?" Micheal asked.

Xavier colored and narrowed his eyes, looking away. "Shut up."

"Well are you gonna ask her out," Seemore inquired. "Cause if you are let me know. I wanted to ask her out."

"Say what?!" Xavier spluttered, glaring daggers at Seemore while Billy and Micheal howled with laughter.

That's when someone knocked on the door, interrupting the boys.

"Go away," shouted Xavier. "I'm busy!"

Xavier wasn't in the mood for any meetings or dealers. He had spent an amazing day with Kori and was currently having fun with his most trusted friends, he didn't want his peace disturbed.

Unfortunately for him, the person on the other side of the door decided to walk in anyways.

Xavier immediately straightened in his chair, feet coming to the floor. His eyes narrowed into a glare and his voice turned into a snarl. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What, an old friend can't drop by," Fang asked casually, stepping inside. He smirked at Xavier's glare. "I was hoping we could talk..."

"Billy, Seemore, Micheal... You three can go."

"But boss--"

"Go!"

The three boys zipped their lips and left the room, each one of them making sure to glare at Fang on the way out. Micheal even went as far as to growl at the boy. The door shut upon their departure, leaving Xavier and Fang all alone. Fang smirked and sat down on the other side of the desk, his eyes locked on Xavier. Silence filled the room and Xavier was the first to speak.

"Why are you here?"

"I thought I just drop bye, say hello. You know, just two old friends catching up with each other..."

"Bullshit. What's the real reason?"

"I want you to move your forces away from the docks. Our shipments need to get in and your gang is becoming a nuisance."

"Our presence at the docks is necessary. It's our way of a peaceful retaliation for that club your gang raided."

"My gang is currently under new and stronger leadership. I can assure you that no one from my side will interfere with your business."

Xavier rose a brow, suddenly alarmed by Fang's words. "And just how can you assure me that?"

Fang smirked evilly. "You haven't heard the good news? Shame on you, Xavier, not keeping up with current events. Tsk, tsk. Maybe you should spend less time running around with that sexy red head--"

"You shut your fucking mouth before I let Micheal strangle you!" Xavier roared, standing from his seat so fast it tipped over. His hands slammed against the desk and he glared at Fang with hatred.

Fang shook his head, chuckling lowly. He was enjoying this new found power he had within his grasp. "I took over the gang. Randy's gone."

Xavier's eyes widened and he staggered a bit. Randy had been the leader of Fang's gang. He was always such a strong figure in the underworld of Jump City. "What happened to him?"

"Me and a couple of the boys haven't been too pleased with the way Randy had been running the business as of late, so we mutiny. Drove him right out of town. He's probably crossing the boarder for all we know... But let's not talk about that geezer, we have much business to discuss about my docks."

Xavier's mind was still wrapped around the fact that Fang had full control over a gang. He shook his head, trying to regain his thoughts. "The docks are still under my thumb, so I suggest you watch yourself."

Fang frowned, not pleased. "Fine then, but don't be surprised if I take any negative action."

With that said, Fang rose from his seat and made his way to the door, seeing his way out. He walked briskly past Micheal, Billy and Seemore, causing the three to stare after him. The three then turned their attention towards Xavier.

"So...," Seemore was the one to break the silence. "I guess that means you won't be asking out Kori."

"So when do we get to meet this friend of yours, Kori?" asked Vic indifferently.

Kori glanced at her friend, a dumbfound expression on her face. She wasn't sure what to say. "Uh..."

"If this guy is your friend then we should meet him, right?" added Karen, sounding nonchalant.

Kori furrowed her brows, confused. She wasn't exactly sure what game her friends were playing, but she was determined not to be tricked by them. "I don't think so, you guys probably won't even like him."

"Yeah, you're probably right," agreed Gar. "Never mind. Forget we mentioned it."

Kori rose a brow, perplexed. Were they giving up? No, they wouldn't give up so easily. Not knowing what they were up too was beginning to frustrate Kori. "So you really don't care anymore?"

"Like you said, we probably won't even like him," said Raven. "He's probably just a weirdo anyway."

"He's not a weirdo... He's a great guy, really."

"No, no, you don't have to explain to us, Kori," Dick said. "I think we understand why you don't want him around us. He's probably one of those guys."

"Wait, what? What do you mean by one of those guys?"

"You know, one of those guys," Dick shook his head. "I wouldn't want to be around one of those guys."

Kori took it that one of those guys was an insult. She was determined to defend her friend now. "He's not one of those guys!"

"Kori, you don't have to--"

"He's not! I'll prove it. We'll all go out tomorrow for pizza. Then you can meet him and see for yourself."

Dick smirked. "If you say so, Kori."

"I do say so," Kori crossed her arms, feeling as if she achieved something. That feeling of achievement then went away when she realized what she had done. Her eyes widened and she took in the smug faces of her friends. They had tricked her. "Oh crap."

Things were quiet between Xavier and Kori. The two had decided to return to the park, seeing as they had so much fun yesterday they thought today would be even better. As it turns out, things were not better. Things were quiet, extremely quiet. Both teens laid on the grass, their eyes locked on the sky above.

Kori glanced at Xavier from the corner of her eye. She had yet to tell him about the meeting she had set up for them and her friends. She was stalling, that was why she was being so silent. Kori was afraid that Xavier would be upset with her if she told him, but she knew if she didn't tell him that would only make things worse on the other end. Her friends wouldn't stop pestering her until they met him.

"Xavier," Kori turned her head towards him. She would just ask him and get it over with. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

Xavier turned his line of vision towards Kori. "Depending what the question is."

"Uh... well... my friends want to meet you... So I was wondering if you would mind... you know..." Kori trailed off, looking away.

Xavier turned his attention back to the clouds. "As long as I don't have to meet your parents, it's cool."

"Really? Oh, Xavier, I owe you big time!" Kori quickly leaned over and pecked Xavier on the cheek, causing him to smile and blush.

"He's late." Gar said in a sing-song voice.

"He'll be here." Kori assured him and the others, clutching and unclutching her hands under the table. She bit her lip. Why on earth was Xavier so late? He should have been here already.

"It's been twenty minutes, Kori," announced Vic, looking at his watch. "I doubt he's coming."

"He'll be here. He promised he'd be here."

"I'm getting hungry!" whined Gar. Raven slapped him behind his head and he yelped in pain, scowling at her.

"Look," Kori pointed towards the door. "Here he comes now!"

"Where? I don't see anyone." Karen scanned her eyes around.

"Hey, Xavier! Over here!"

Raven cast a worried glance around the table and her expression was returned. She knew of only one Xavier, and that was the one from school with the horrid record. Why on earth would Kori be with someone like him? And where exactly did she meet him? Raven leaned over to Karen.

"Please tell me I'm hallucinating and that's not Xavier Red that Kori is waving to."

"Well if you're hallucinating I guess that means I am too."

"Cutie, sorry I'm late. I got... held up," Xavier said before giving Kori a hug. He looked at the five teens sitting down, two of which looked ready to kill him, and three who looked absolutely stunned. "S'up."

"Guys, this is Xavier Red. He's the one I told you about, the one who pushed me out of the way," Kori smiled at Xavier and pointed at her friends, one at a time. "Xavier, that's Raven Roth and Karen Beecher. Then there's Vic Stone and Gar Logan. And last but certainly not least, my best friend Dick Grayson."

Silence filled the small group as well as an awkward tension.

Raven rose from her seat. "Kori, ladies room. Now."

"Are you freakin' insane! For the love of God, Kori, that's Xavier freakin' Red!" shouted Karen.

"What are you doing hanging out with a guy like him?" demanded Raven.

"I told you, he saved me--"

"You never told us it was Xavier Red! I mean, it's freakin' Xavier Red," Karen paced in the bathroom. "Do you know what they say about him? He's a bad seed, Kori. A bad seed!"

"Whatever you heard was a rumor."

"And let me guess, he told you that right," Raven rolled her eyes. "Kori..."

"Raven," interrupted Kori. "I'm a big girl. I can pick my own friends."

"No, no, no, no," Karen shook her head. "Raven, forbid Kori from seeing him.

A staring contest formed between Raven and Kori. Raven noticed the fierce look in Kori's eyes, she could see her determination. Raven sighed. Even if she told Kori not to see Xavier she wouldn't listen.

"Don't expect me to be nice to him." Raven muttered dryly.

"What, no... No! Don't take her side, Raven," Raven opened her mouth to speak but Karen cut her off. "Oh just forget it, I'll do it. Kori, I forbid you from seeing that... that criminal!"

"Karen..." Kori put 'the look' and Karen could feel herself melting.

Karen pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. "Crap."

"So..." Gar said softly.

"So..." Xavier answered back.

Gar rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with Xavier. In all honesty Gar was a bit fearful of Xavier. In high school rumors fly around all the time, it was only natural that Gar heard a few things, and most if it was bad stuff about Xavier. "Uh... I'm gonna go play some pinball."

With that said Gar quickly left the table. After he left, Vic stood up as well.

"I need to use the john."

With the boys absence, all that was left was Dick and Xavier and their staring contest.

"You were awfully late." Dick commented.

"Uh, yeah. Ran into an old friend of mines. It took me awhile to shake him off."

"Uh huh," Dick crossed his arms. He didn't like the vibes he was getting from Xavier. "This friend of yours, is he in a gang?"

Xavier rose a brow. "Pardon?"

"Why the hell is a guy like you hanging out with Kori? What could you possibly want from her?"

"I don't want anything from her. What's with the second degree?"

"Come on, Xavier," began Dick. "You and Kori are from two different worlds. She's a good girl. She doesn't need someone like you messing up her life. Why don't you just leave."

"Oh, since I'm not some rich asshole of a snob that means I'm not good enough to be Kori's friend?"

"I didn't say that, what I--"

"I know exactly what you meant, and you can forget it," said Xavier lowly, glaring daggers at Dick. "I like hanging out with Kori. You can't get rid of me that easily so I suggest you learn to deal."

Dick glared back at Xavier. "And what if I choose not to?"

"Then you and I have a problem."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Kori asked, stepping up to the table.

Both boys turned their attention to the girl before them. They glanced at each other, then back at her.

"Nothing really," replied Dick. "I was just getting to know your friend here a little better. Isn't that right, Xavier?"

Xavier smiled innocently. "Totally."

SPECIAL THANKS TOO cookiesruletheworld, .Spaz-aatack101, featherpen13, Dancing-StarFrenzy, Blackfire009, ravencherithgirl, Trimacle, Ace.04, BerryDrops, MoreThenLikelyCrazy, tennisgal456, Affinitive AND NegativeCloud FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU ARE ALL SO AWESOME AND I COULDN'T ASK FOR BETTER READERS. I HOPE EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER!

AND THAT'S HOW THE FEUD BETWEEN DICK AND XAVIER BEGAN.

TWO CHAPTERS LEFT UNTIL THE STORY IS OVER!

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