I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters.


Decision

Beast Boy limped to the door, teeth clamped tightly shut. He had really hoped it wouldn't happen, but it had. The thin layer of fresh skin and scabs on his burns had peeled off as he slept, leaving the burn raw and agonizing again. What was worse, was the strip of healthy skin that had peeled off of the bottom of his foot with it. He pulled the fridge open, staring into it. No tofu. No salad. He opened the cabinet. No cereal. No breakfast.

He limped to the couch, sitting down carefully just as the door hissed open and he could swear the temperature in the room plummeted. He reached for the TV remote but thought better of it. He didn't want to make her mad again. Instead, he lay on his side on the couch, wincing and squeezing his eyes shut as his burned arm scraped the back of the couch. He felt a tear leak unbidden out of his eye and fall to the couch. After a few seconds, the pain faded and he slowly opened his eyes, seeing Raven floating over her chair, back to him and reading a book. He stared at her for a moment, hurt that she would go through the trouble of levitating herself just so she could face away from him. He closed his eyes again, feeling more tears threatening to spill over, though not because of his burns this time. He swallowed his emotions, carefully using his good arm to dry his eyes, keeping them closed. After a bit, the door hissed open and Starfire began to greet them only to stop upon seeing Beast Boy lying down like he was trying to sleep. Cyborg and Robin walked in a little while after and Beast Boy heard Robin's almost silent sigh. An alarm went off suddenly and Beast Boy opened an eye as Raven shut it off with her powers.

"Sit up," Raven said without looking at him.

Beast Boy didn't speak. He silently and slowly lifted himself into a sitting position, taking nearly thirty seconds to get all the way up without aggravating his burns. Once he was up, he released a breath he had been holding and Raven stood, walking over and holding her hand over his burns, white light filling the space between her hand and his arm. Then, she slowly moved it over his burns, the pain slowly beginning to fade as she did. Then, finally, she turned, walking back to her chair and beginning to hover over it facing away from him again, book in her hands again. Beast Boy stared at the floor, a tear managing to slip out before he pushed himself up, limping to the elevator.

"I'll be by the water," Beast Boy said quietly as he passed Robin. "Not that you'll need me."

He left in silence and Robin turned to Raven.

"Why the hell are you so mad at him?" Robin asked.

Raven turned the page in her book and remained silent.

"Answer me Raven!" Robin snapped. "What the hell did he do to piss you off?"

Raven remained silent, using her powers to lift her tea to her lips, taking a sip. Robin growled in annoyance, walking toward her, Raven's hood floating up to hide her face as he did. He stopped in front of her, and still, she remained silent.

"Answer me!" Robin snapped. "Why are you angry with Beast Boy?"

Raven slowly closed her book, then set it aside before reaching up, lowering her hood, Robin's folded arms falling to his sides as his eyes shot up to his hair. Cyborg and Starfire, both of whom were still behind Raven, began to walk around only for Raven to lift her hood back up.

"Raven..." Robin began.

"Don't," Raven said. "Nothing you say will change anything."

"But...Raven, you're an empath," Robin said. "You can't possibly be okay with this."

Raven remained silent, picking up her book again and beginning to read it again. Robin sighed, sitting on the couch and picking up the remote, turning on the TV and sighing.

"This is going to end poorly," Robin said.

Raven nodded and Starfire stepped forward.

"Friend Raven, may we please do the private talking please?" Starfire asked.

Raven set her book aside again and followed Starfire out of the room. Once they were safely out of the common room, Starfire spun around, yanking Raven's hood down before she could stop her. She gasped and Raven pulled the hood back up.

"But...why?" Starfire asked.

"You can't say anything, Starfire," Raven said. "Promise me. You can't say anything to Beast Boy or Cyborg. It'll just make this harder."

"I do not understand," Starfire said. "Why must this happen?"

"Because I lost control, Starfire," Raven said. "I lost control completely. We got lucky. Instead of my father taking control, I simply lost my power. It could have been worse."

"But...but that is already over," Starfire said. "That does not explain this."

Raven sighed, staring at the floor.

"Please don't tell him," Raven said. "Please. He has to think I hate him. Otherwise..."

Starfire nodded, landing lightly on the floor.

"I will not tell him," Starfire said. "But you need to. He deserves to know."

Raven stared at the floor and Starfire walked past her to the common room.


Beast Boy stared at his reflection. His chest felt hollow. His entire body felt like it was on fire, as though her were being blasted all over again each time his heart beat. His pulse only made it worse. So did anything touching it. Even the air. He stared at his reflection, Raven's words replaying through his head again and again.

Do you even know how to shut up?...so annoying!...Too stupid to dodge a practice turret...so useless!...always holding the team back.

He felt his chest constrict, shoulders shaking once as a tear fell from his chin to the water, disrupting his reflection. She was right. She was always right. The team didn't need him around. Raven didn't want him around. And all he had been since the accident was dead weight with the added effect of annoying everyone. The team would be better off if he left. It was his fault he got hurt. It was his fault Raven had to waste energy healing him. it was his fault that she had almost lost control of her emotions. It was his fault that she was so mad all the time now. It was his fault that Slade's spy got access into the team.

He slumped lower, trembling constantly now. He had been messing up since the team started. Getting hurt in fights, falling behind in fights and arriving late, being easily manipulated by Terra. He had always been the weakest link. It was past time for him to face facts. He didn't belong. It was fun while it lasted, but he couldn't hold them back any more. He grit his teeth, pushing himself up and limping back to the tower. He made his way through the common room in silence, keeping his eyes on the floor and ignoring the others when they asked if he was okay. He went to his room, grabbing his backpack and setting t on the floor, pulling out his uniforms before dropping them on the floor, stuffing a single pair of jeans, a plain white tee-shirt, and a pair of boxers into the bag and closing it. Then, he scooped everything on his floor up, throwing it into a trash bag and then carrying the trash bag out of his room and to the trash chute leading to the dumpster outside the tower. He dropped it into the chute and returned to his room. he stripped off the bedding and carried it to the laundry room, putting it in and starting it before returning to the room one last time, lying on his bare mattress.

He was ready. The window was open, his bag was packed, the rest of the room was bare and devoid of life, and his wings could probably last until the city. From there, he could get a cab for a ways before walking. All he had to do was say his goodbyes.


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