AN: 2/20/18
Written for Titans March (on Tumblr) 2016. Short, sweet, and implies more.
Terra threw herself on her bed. She was shaking, and before she knew it, she was crying. A few tears, then all at once she was sobbing. The tears were mixing with the blood on her face.
Didn't Slade care about her? That's what she had thought, but now she wasn't so sure. How could he? You didn't hurt somebody you cared about like that.
Yet, she felt guilty. It had been her fault, he told her. And she was starting to believe it. Yes, it was her fault. She had made him hurt her. She had been in the wrong. She hadn't listened to him, and she had made him angry. He was only doing it for her own good, after all. He knew best.
Her tears slowed, then stopped. He cared, she knew he did. The pain dulled, then she was numb. It didn't hurt anymore, but she also didn't feel anything at all. Her mind was blank.
She hadn't noticed, but suddenly he was next to her. How long had he been there? Had he seen her moment of weakness?
He pulled her towards him. She weakly braced herself for another hit. But no, he was holding her. He was softly petting her hair. "It's alright Terra," he murmured. He didn't apologize. "You need to be a good, strong girl for me…"
"Lie down," he instructed her. She listened, and did what he told her to. She briefly wondered if he wanted to do… that. It didn't matter, she wouldn't feel it anyway.
Her eyelids were heavy, and her vision was blurred.
"Good girl," he cooed. "We'll retry that training exercise tomorrow. Except, you'll do as I say this time." A warning. A reminder that it had been her fault.