nightmares ✩ bbrae

✩ chapter 1 ✩

it was a particularly bad night.

raven had been tossing and turning for hours, fighting sleep, but inevitably it came to her.

that night she dreamt she beat up the teen titans so badly they barely survived.

screaming, she woke up in a cold sweat, tears running down her face. she checked her clock. it read 4 am, and she sighed, knowing she wasn't going to sleep again that night.

feebly, she walked over towards her bathroom for her nightly routine.

turning the shower on to cold, she got undressed, peeling off her sweat drenched pyjamas. as she got in, she let the icy droplets mix with her hot tears, and slid to the bottom of the shower where she sat curled in a ball, with her knees pulled up to her chest.

the girl allowed the soothing drum of the water on her back to ease her mind slightly.

as long as she stayed in her room her friends would be safe.

her stomach suddenly growled loudly, causing her to jump. it had been two weeks since she shut herself in her room, and all she had been eating were the non perishable items she had stockpiled with her.

with a groan, she realized this was her body begging for a fresh meal.

she got out of the shower, making sure to turn it off, and towelled off before heading back into her room to grab clean clothes. she checked the time again. it was 4:15, meaning the coast was probably clear for her to go get food undisturbed.

raven padded softly as she could down the hall of titans tower, until she reached the kitchen. consumed by her own thoughts, the girl didn't even notice someone quietly follow her there.

she opened the fridge and looked wistfully at the leftovers that were clearly from group dinners. with a sudden pang, she realized how lonely she was by herself in her dark room.

she shook her head as if to clear her mind, there was nothing she could do about the situation anyways.

as she reached to grab a plate of cold chicken, she heard a sound. dropping the dish, she whirled around to see beast boy hovering nearby.

"hey rae," he said softly, "do you need any help with that?"

the dark haired girl took one look at the hallway behind him, and ran for it. she didn't stop until she was safely locked in her room. tears threatened to spill as she realized the boy had only been checking in on her.

but she had to protect him from herself.

she had to be invisible to the titans

even if it made her heart ache.

-

a restless hour later, raven poked her head out of her room again, certain beast boy had gone back to bed.

thinking she was safe to head outside, she put one foot out the door, and almost landed in a plate of food.

curiously, she grabbed it, realizing it was the chicken from earlier, along with some rice and vegetables.

beast boy.

the observant teen must've known her body desperately needed nutrients, and he continued where she left off in the kitchen, despite the hour of day.

her face flushed red with the thought of him caring enough to make her food. just in the past few months he had matured more than she had ever realized.

a thought crossed her mind but she instantly squashed it. he wouldn't be able to help her figure out the nightmare situation, besides, it would be unfair of her to ask that of him.

at least now she knew she wasn't invisible to all of the titans.