This is basically just a place for me to dump my BBRae ramblings and for me to improve my writing. Reviews are very much appreciated!

I do not own Teen Titans.

A loud thud crashed in Raven's chest and she shot up, her eyes still braced against the blistering heat of Trigon. The comforting darkness of her room brought her to reality, and she deeply breathed in the mustiness of her ancient books. As she sat trembling in her bed, she swallowed the half-shriek still caught in her throat and glanced down to see that her hands were shaking. Sweat had gathered around her temples and neck, and her hair stuck to it in tiny clumps that made her pale skin feel dirty. Nightmares were a common occurrence for her, but she still hated the helpless feeling that accompanied her afterwards. Her racing heart started to slow and her breathing returned to normal as she half-closed her eyes. This was the third one this week.

Her feet tenderly settled on the ground as she slid out from under her covers to stand on shaky legs. While she normally felt more comfortable under her cloak, the thick comforter on her bed worked fine as she wrapped it around her shoulders and huddled in its warmth and security. Her t-shirt and flannel pants didn't provide much heat throughout the frigid, winter nights, but her nightmares usually made her sweat enough to keep warm. The panicked fever was slipping away, however, and the cold air rushed to press against the blanket barrier she had covered herself in.

The door to her room slid open with a quiet hiss as Raven leaned out, glancing around to make sure that she was alone. Her powers picked up a few unconscious forms, but her friends were such light sleepers that it was sometimes difficult to determine whether or not they were awake. While most people greeted others in times of distress, she preferred isolation. Her powers were too dangerous to risk the safety of others over a silly dream. Once she had assured herself that the hallway was empty, she began her trek to the kitchen.

Another hiss greeted her as she shuffled into the dimly lit room and streamlined for the cabinet that held her tea packets. Her thoughts were still swirling, but the warm liquid usually calmed her down enough to meditate until morning. The kettle was quickly filled with water and set on the stovetop with ease. As a quiet bubbling started to ping against the metal, she leaned against the counter and yawned, snuggling into the blanket further as she waited for the familiar whistle.

The cough that startled her sent the kettle crashing into the ceiling.

Raven spun, the blanket dropping to reveal her hands glowing in a black aura. Her feet were spread in a fighting stance as her eyes narrowed in preparation of a sneak attack.

"Whoah! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Beast Boy was sitting at one of the stools near the breakfast bar on the opposite side of the kitchen. His eyes were saucers when she had turned, but now they slanted upwards in amusement. His surrendering hands lowered to settle gently on the counter, where a plate of crumbs was resting. "Nice look, though I think the blanket topped it off."

She glanced down to see her crumpled pajamas and blushed, noticing that her pants had cartoon rainclouds on them. The comforter floated off the ground and dropped to land on her shoulders once again as she stooped to clean up the spilled water. Raven could hear his quiet chuckling behind her and tried not to grow irritated with herself. She must have been too distracted to see him as she came in. Although, she didn't understand why he was laughing. His pajamas were covered in smiling tofu burgers.

"Why are you up?" she asked, refilling the kettle and putting it back on the stove. She knew that the blanket she was wrapped in was silly looking, and she hated looking ridiculous in front of Beast Boy, but she was too tired to care. Her legs crossed under her as she lifted to sit on the counter, the comforter's extra fabric hanging off the edge.

"Silkie's snoring was too loud. I can sleep through a lot, but not World War III." He leaned his chin on a hand, regarding her with a look that said she was in for a lot of teasing. After a moment of silence, however, he slightly shook his head and smiled instead.

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, too quickly for her liking. He saw her annoyed stare and sighed. "You just… I'm not used to seeing you so relaxed. You normally seem kind of reserved, even around us. But you're sitting over there in a blanket burrito and it's kind of cute."

Heat immediately flushed her face and she ducked her head to hide it behind the comforter. Cute? Her? "Oh… I, uh-"

She was saved from embarrassment by the shrill whistling that erupted beside her. Her feet hit the ground as she rushed to turn the heat off. The steam brushed her face as she poured the water into a cup and dropped the tea packet in, and it seemed to melt away some of her worries. This was Beast Boy, after all. They were teammates. Friends. Nothing more.

"So, why are you awake?"

Raven shrugged and resumed her perch on the counter. "Just a bad dream is all." The cup was warm in her hand and calmed the knot wound tightly in her stomach. She sipped at it as she waited for the tea to steep. Beast Boy had gotten up to put his plate in the dishwasher and closed it as she watched him, turning to lean against the opposite counter.

"What was it about?"

"Not anything new. We don't have to talk about it." She did enjoy spending time with Beast Boy, but even though they had been friends for years, she was still uncomfortable sharing her feelings and emotions. The nightmare was a common one of hers, and not one that she preferred to think about. The changling didn't seem to care.

"You know," he started, being cautious about his approach, "sometimes it goes away if you talk about it. I know that you have a lot of nightmares."

Her head shot up as she gave him a surprised look. He gave a sheepish smile and looked down at his feet.

"I can sense a lot of stuff. Not as much as you, but I can still sometimes pick up when others are in distress. There's sweat and heat and..." Her face grew slightly disgusted so he tried to stop ranting. "Basically, I can tell when you have bad dreams. I don't usually pry 'cause I know you like your privacy, but it might help to get it off your chest. You know, if you feel comfortable talking about it."

Raven took the bag out of her tea with unsteady hands and threw it into the sink. It made a loud thunk as she gulped down her drink to avoid looking at her friend. They were traveling into unfamiliar territory to her. After everything that had happened with Wicked Scary, however, she knew better than to hide her fears.

"They're about Trigon," she murmured, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed but he didn't try to interrupt her, so she continued. "He… he tells me that he's returning. That he found a way to escape the dimension I put him in. I know they're just dreams, but they feel so real sometimes. I wake up and his voice is in my head." Her eyes closed and she struggled to maintain her usual emotionless voice. "I don't think it'll ever truly go away. I'll always be his daughter. I'll always be a demon."

A weight on her shoulder made her look to her left. Beast Boy's hand was resting there, and she looked up at him to see a fierce determination etched into his face. It almost frightened her until he spoke.

"Raven, you may be his daughter, but that doesn't mean you're anything like him. That voice you're hearing is just from memories. He's gone, Rae. You did it. You sent him away, and he's not coming back." He paused for a moment before speaking at a lower volume. "I wish you would believe in yourself as much as I believe in you."

Her lips opened and closed as she strained to find words, but she eventually settled on a quiet "thank you" before giving him a slight smile. He returned it and nodded, appreciating her openness with him. Raven had to admit it—while the two constantly bickered, he always seemed to know how to comfort her when she needed it. It was a strange quality that seemed to mature him, though he spent most of his days cracking jokes and playing videogames.

Raven's thoughts were interrupted as she yawned, resting her head on the cupboard by her head. It was, after all, three in the morning. The team had been busy fighting Dr. Light for the majority of the afternoon and she was still exhausted from her excess use of powers. Her teammate noticed the yawn and laughed quietly. "Looks like you could use some more sleep. See you in the morning?"

Though talking had helped, the fear from her nightmare briefly resurfaced and left her with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her expression hardly changed, but Beast Boy picked up on her hesitation. "You know, I'm going to be up playing some videogames 'till morning. Your bed's all the way on the other side of the Tower. If you want to crash on the couch, I won't wake you up. I'll leave the volume low."

"Yeah, that would be… nice. Thanks."

The two left the kitchen and plopped down on the couch. Raven bundled herself into a nest of pillows and blankets on one side as the changling settled down in the middle. Her eyes closed quickly due to the calming effects of the tea, but Beast Boy was wide awake. He dug in the cushions for a few minutes before victoriously producing a remote and controller. The television monitor flashed to life and within seconds he was pounding away at the buttons with an aggression that contradicted his usual mellow state. His score in the top-left corner rose steadily to meet Cyborg's high and his fang poked his lip in anticipation. The excitement kept him from noticing the gradual change on the clock from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Congratulations! You are the new top winner! Enter your initials below.

The green Titan lifted his hands to exclaim victory when he felt a tiny shift near his leg. His arms lowered as he looked down to see that Raven shifted over on the couch, though she was still buried under a mountain of pillows. Her head was pressed up against his thigh, and she twitched again as she rolled to face away from him.

A grin toyed at his lip at her innocence. He had forgotten about her, and after a glance at the clock, he realized that it had been a few hours since they had left the kitchen. The other Titans would be awake soon, and the peaceful night the two friends had shared would end. He wished that it could last longer.

Sighing, he leaned over and pulled the comforter up from where it had fallen from Raven's feet. After the sleepless nights she had endured, he was grateful for the few hours he was able to help her achieve. A yawn found its way up his throat, and he returned his attention to the game, even as a heavy pressure began to work its way into his head. He only lasted a few more minutes before his eyes closed in slumber.

Starfire was the first to awaken, and she floated into the living area with bunny slippers hanging off her feet. Her usual straight hair was tousled about her head in messy tangles, and the yellow crust she was digging out of her eyes seemed almost fossilized. She had slept very well after their eventful afternoon.

She stopped as she passed behind the couch, leaning over when two giant lumps caught her attention. A hand lifted to cover her mouth as she giggled. Raven was curled up on her side, a thick comforter wrapped tightly around her. Her head was on Beast Boy's stomach as he laid stretched out beside her with his feet on the living room table. While his head was leaned back on the couch cushion he was resting on, one of his arms had fallen to rest on Raven and curl around her. His snoring was barely audible as she leaned in to give them each a peck on the cheek.

The Tamaranian quickly flew back out of the room and turned off the lights as she passed through the doors to return to the hallway. Her friends deserved some time off to sleep, and she enjoyed seeing them get along so well. Humming a lullaby to herself, she returned to her room to sleep for a few more hours. Perhaps, if Raven was still in a good mood later, she would accompany her to the mall…