Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans
He's in the gym again. He runs on the treadmill for the third time today. It's midnight.
We are all worried.
Robin stands next to me. We both wonder when the stress will catch up to him.
"I can watch him tonight." I offer. Robin has been pretending to do late night workouts to keep an eye out for Beast Boy.
"I hate this."
"Hate it all you like." I tell him. I know it's not his fault. He didn't know there were two triggers, but the blame is still laid at his feet.
Is it any wonder he won't sleep unless Beast Boy does?
"Is this the part where you tell me that hating this won't change anything?" Robin sneers at me. Robin doesn't sneer at me, not usually.
"This is the part where I tell you to leave." My tone is colder than I mean it to be. "I might be able to talk him into going to bed."
He sneers again, "You don't think I've tried that? He won't listen."
"Then I'll knock him out." I tell him shortly, "Get out of here."
I glare until he backs down. Robin doesn't back down, not usually. He leaves only after he instructs me to make sure I turn off the lights in the gym. Such a weak order; he probably won't remember it come morning.
I enter, not that Beast Boy notices. I think our brief conversation in the shower last week is the most he's talked to anyone. He runs, eats, and sleeps. I approach the treadmill he's on.
"You've been running a lot." I say.
In all the time he's been running, he never shifts into an animal. Never a cheetah or a horse, even though we have a treadmill fitted for his transformations. He's always human.
"Yep!" He says in a huff. He keeps running.
"Why?"
"Gotta be faster."
I'm glad he's responding. Whenever Cyborg or Starfire have tried they've gotten the cold shoulder.
"Wouldn't a cheetah be faster?" I ask. I lean against on of the arm rails.
He actually glances at me. He seems confused that I would ask. He looks forward and ups the speed.
"Cheetahs are the fastest land animal, but they can't run for long. They can't regulate their breathing; humans can. Humans can run longer." He explains.
"Okay. So you don't want to have to rely on being a cheetah?"
"Only good for short distances," He nods, "Won't make that mistake again."
It dawns on me. With a flick of my wrist I disconnect the power cord.
"Hey!" The treadmill comes to an almost immediate halt. Beast Boy glares at me. I can take it. I straighten myself.
"That girl did not die because you were too slow." I tell him, "She died because Robin underestimated the triggerman. She died because Cyborg can't be in two places at once. She died because I didn't think to shield the bomb."
He looks at me, and he resembles a crumbling building. I move to join him.
"She didn't die because of you. She died because some guy thought money was more important than a life."
He pushes past me. He tries to plug the power cord back in. A shadow tears it from the machine altogether.
"Mature." He glares at me again.
I raise my hand, darkness shifts around it. "I told Robin that I would knock you out if I had to."
His glare falters, "Rae…"
I don't lower my hand and I step closer to him. I think I'm trembling once I'm close enough to touch him.
"I know a spell for every bodily injury you can think of." I don't know what I'm saying, "I can reattach limbs, heal broken bones, and I can even restart a heart. I don't know any spells for something like this."
He nods, but he keeps an eye on my hand. He knows all of the other things I can do. Not that I have it in me to do any of those things.
"Please, go to sleep."
The shadows subside. My hand falls. Why do I feel so tired?
"Do I have to sleep alone?" He asks me, he is trembling too.
I shake my head, "No."
We leave for my room. I do remember to turn off the lights in the gym. We fall onto my bed with our clothes on. It's almost Flash-like how quickly we curl around each other.
"Raven, when was the last time you slept?" He asks me.
I give him my most honest answer, "A very long time ago."
He kisses me. It's hard and desperate and I'm not sure who it is supposed to comfort. Maybe it's for both of us. Our cheeks turn wet from someone's tears. We both tremble as we undress each other. The sex isn't hot or passionate. Tonight it's just the thing we do together. Something that might help us sleep.