This will be a much darker story compared to my other ones. The story idea came from deathdeathdeath.

In the story, the ages of the Titans are as follows (estimated): Beast Boy is 15, Cyborg is 19, Robin is 17, Starfire is 16, and Raven is 16.

Enjoy!

Beast Boy awoke with a scream and looked around. He was safe and sound in his room.

He groaned miserably and rolled off his bed, rubbing his head.

"I need to do something about these nightmares," he mumbled. "I can't take it anymore."

He walked to his bedroom window and sighed. He opened the window and let the cool night breeze hit his face.

The nightmares about his parents' deaths had been haunting him more often than usual during the past two months, much more often. And every time he saw them, it was worse than before.

Beast Boy had been through all kinds of therapy growing up to deal with the aftermath of his parents' deaths. He'd grown up in the Doom Patrol with Mento and Elasti-Girl as his adoptive parents, whose real identities were billionaires Steve and Rita Dayton.

When Beast Boy first told them about the nightmares, the Daytons entrusted him to their long-time family psychiatrist, who helped Beast Boy channel his pain and grief in alternative ways. His psychiatrist was widely thought of as the best shrink that side of the Mississippi.

For the most part, it had worked when Beast Boy lived with the Daytons. But it appeared as though the doctor's methods weren't working anymore. The nightmares had returned, and now they were stronger than ever.

He sighed again, then transformed to a hawk and flew off toward the city.

He soared through the brisk night air, his feathers rustling in the wind. The water in the bay below shone in the light of the full moon.

Beast Boy reached downtown and touched down on the sidewalk in front of the bank. He returned to his human form and walked the city streets, pondering.

While he was walking, he heard a pair of sketchy-looking men talking in an alley between two shoddy apartment complexes. He stopped short of the entrance into the alley, and listened to their conversation. His ultra-sensitive animalistic hearing could only catch brief snippets of their conversation.

His curiosity peaked, and he knew he'd have to get closer to listen in on them. He transformed into a fly and buzzed toward them, landing on a wall, about five feet above them. As he eavesdropped, he realized they were engaging in a heroin deal.

As soon as the man who appeared to be the customer pulled some cash from his pockets, Beast Boy morphed back to his normal green self and dropped from the wall, landing on his feet.

"Hey," Beast Boy challenged. "What the hell's going on here?"

The two shocked men gasped when they realized who it was. The customer backed away then turned and sprinted out of the alley. The other man, apparently the dealer, stood his ground, but looked completely confused at the young superhero's presence.

"What the fuck do you want?" he said, attempting to sound threatening to the young Titan. Beast Boy flinched slightly, but retained his composure. "You just scared off my customer, you little pissant!"

"Well...ummm," the green Titan began. His nervousness started to show. "Well, I was wondering if you…well…can I get some of that?"

The dealer stared wide-eyed, befuddled at Beast Boy's request.

"You're joking, right?" he scoffed. Beast Boy simply shook his head.

The dealer burst out laughing, to the point where he held his sides to avoid falling to the ground.

When he finally stopped laughing, he looked back into Beast Boy's face and saw the seriousness and pain in his eyes. The two of them remained silent for what seemed like an hour.

"So you're really serious about this?" the dealer finally broke the silence.

"Why else do you think I would come to this shitty part of town?" Beast Boy replied. "I may only be 15, but I'm not stupid. I know what kind of scumbags operate down here."

The strange man started to chuckle.

"You know, you're pretty funny, kid. But just because you're a hero doesn't mean I'm gonna sell this stuff to you. You're just a kid, for fuck's sake. I may be a drug dealer, but I'm not that depraved."

"Come on, man," Beast Boy pleaded. "I'm in serious psychological and emotional pain here!"

The dealer's facial expression showed his skepticism at Beast Boy's plea.

"If you don't sell me the smack, I'll call the cops to come and bust your sorry ass," the Titan threatened.

"Alright kid, alright," the dealer conceded, raising his arms in mock surrender. "But first, we need to get on a first-name basis, like I do with all my customers. The name's Tim. What's yours, kid?"

"You already know who I am," Beast Boy responded sternly. "I have green skin, and I'm a Teen Titan. What more do you need to know?"

"Your first name," Tim insisted.

"The other Titans don't even know my real first name," the changeling snapped back. "Do you really think I'm just going to tell a random stranger my name? Get real."

"Listen kid, you want this stuff or not?" he charged, grabbing one of the syringes out from his jacket pocket. "No name, no drugs," he added, waving the needle back and forth, taunting the young Titan.

Beast Boy growled, and was about to morph when he stopped himself. He realized that getting physical with this guy would likely draw attention.

"Fine," Beast Boy whispered, defeated. "It's...my name's Garfield."

Upon hearing Beast Boy's answer, Tim erupted into uncontrollable laughter, even harder than before. Beast Boy's face was wrought with embarrassment.

"Like the stupid orange cat?" Tim asked between laughs. "That's classic!"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to retaliate to Tim's comment, but he was cut off by a random apartment window opening, followed by an angry shout.

"Shut up, you assholes!" the apartment resident yelled out of his window, unaware of the deal taking place. "It's two in the morning! People are trying to sleep!" Then the window slammed shut.

"Oh man," Tim began, still recovering from the intense laughter. "Tell you what. I'll give you two needles for making me laugh so hard."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out another needle. He handed them to his newest customer, who quickly pocketed the junk, looking around to make sure he wasn't seen obtaining the illegal drugs.

"So can I come by here next week"? Beast boy asked.

"Yeah, I'm here every other day, because of cops and other gangs," Tim declared. "I'm not afraid of them, but I just don't want to cause any trouble for the citizens."

"Huh," Beast Boy scoffed. "A socially-conscientious drug dealer. That sounds kind of like an Amish computer hacker - ya don't see 'em very often."

Tim scowled at the changeling, but remained quiet.

"Ummm...so...thanks," Beast Boy sighed. "I'll see you around."

Tim merely nodded, then turned away and walked to the other end of the alley.

Beast Boy shifted into the shape of an eagle and made his way back to the Tower, the needles in his claws.

"Stupid kid," Tim spat, kicking a can into the wall.

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Beast Boy awoke from another nightmare and realized he was hyperventilating and sweating profusely.

He morphed into a cat and hopped off the top bunk, adeptly landing on his feet. Then he morphed back into his human state, still on all fours, and crawled to the edge of the bottom bunk. He reached under the bed and pulled out a shoebox. He opened it and gazed upon its contents - the two syringes he'd procured just a couple of hours ago.

He stared long and hard at the needles for what seemed like a lifetime. He heaved a sorrowful sigh, then closed the box.

"Not tonight," the changeling muttered morosely, shoving the box back underneath his bed. "I've gotta make this shit last me a week." Then he stood up, stretched a bit and exited his room.

He roamed the empty halls of the Tower for fifteen minutes before finally stopping in front of Raven's door. He lifted his arm to knock on her door, then stopped himself.

"Wait a minute, what am I doing?" he thought. "I'd rather not have Raven tear me a new one for waking her up this early. Maybe Starfire can help me."

He went to Starfire's room and knocked on her door. After a few moments he lifted his arm to knock again, but the door opened from the other side before his knuckles hit the metal door.

"Beast Boy, what is the matter?" the Tamaranian inquired, rubbing her eyes.

"I...umm..." he stammered, looking at the floor beneath his feet. "I was wondering if I could sleep in here for the night."

"I suppose so, friend," she answered, puzzled by his odd request. "But may I ask why?"

"It's the nightmares again," he replied, looking back up briefly at the alien princess with sadness evident in his eyes. "I don't want to be alone right now."

She immediately understood, and gave the youngest Titan a reassuring smile and a welcoming hug.

"You may sleep on the floor," she said with a yawn. Then she led him into her room. "I shall retrieve an extra pillow and blanket for you."

She disappeared into her closet for a moment, then returned to his side with the fluffy pink bedding items.

"Thanks, Star," Beast Boy yawned as he made himself comfortable on the floor, draping the blanket over himself and nuzzling his head into the pillow.

"You are most welcome," she chimed. "Good night, friend Beast Boy."

"G'night Mom," Beast Boy mumbled, already half-asleep.

Starfire smiled to herself at his semi-conscious sentiment as she climbed back into her bed.

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Starfire awoke with a drawn-out yawn, sat up and stretched. The sunshine spread throughout her whole room from the window, and she sighed happily.

She levitated off her bed to make her way to the bathroom, but hovered above the bed for a moment when she noticed something missing - no, someone missing.

She looked at the floor where Beast Boy had fallen asleep just a few hours before, but he wasn't there. She looked around her whole room, but he was nowhere to be found.

She floated away from her bed and flew to Beast Boy's room. She knocked heavily on his bedroom door for a full minute, but there was no answer. She flew to the bathroom, but he was not there, either.

Now very concerned for her teammate, she made her way to the Titans' living room. The other three Titans were already at the table, eating the breakfast that Cyborg had just served fresh from the stove.

She flew over to Robin, sat next to him and pecked him on the cheek.

"Morning, Star," Robin greeted the alien, his mouth still stuffed with a large bite of one of Cyborg's trademark chocolate chip waffles.

"Boyfriend Robin, have you seen Beast Boy?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

"No, Star, I haven't," he answered. "Maybe he's in his room."

"No, he is not," she affirmed. "I have already looked for him there."

Robin turned and addressed the other two Titans, who were still munching on their morning meals.

"When was the last time you two saw him?"

"Beast Boy slept in my room last night," Starfire answered him before the other two could speak.

Cyborg's fork clattered against his plate and his mouth dropped, as did Robin's.

"What?!" Robin shouted. "Why?" he lowered his voice, unsuccessfully trying to mask the jealousy in his voice.

"Do not worry, Robin," Starfire reassured him, trying to calm him down. "It is not in the way you are thinking of. He told me that he was having the nightmares again, and that he didn't want to be alone. So I let him sleep on my floor next to my bed."

"Oh," Robin said, mentally heaving an enormous sigh of relief. He and Starfire had only just recently admitted their feelings for each other, and they hadn't officially declared themselves a couple until just two weeks ago.

"Yes," Starfire contnued. "And when I awoke, he was not there."

"Great," Raven grumbled, obviously annoyed. "Now we have to go look for him."

"Starfire, are you sure you thoroughly checked your room?" Robin questioned. Starfire merely shook her head.

"I suppose not," she admitted, looking away with embarrassment.

Raven rubbed her forehead. "Lets go back to your room and look thoroughly this time," the sorceress instructed condescendingly.

"But...breakfast!" Cyborg whined, holding up the plate with his unfinished meal on it.

The empath, clearly unmoved by Cyborg's attachment to his culinary creations, waved her arms and surrounded the four of them with her dark energy. They disappeared from the living room and appeared in the hallway in front of the door with the name "Starfire" stenciled on it.

Starfire opened her door, and the heroes entered her room. There weren't many places to look for the green Titan - Starfire had a very simple furniture arrangement, with minimal accessories adorned throughout.

Raven thought she heard a whimper come from Starfire's closet, and she approached it slowly, with the other Titans now standing behind her apprehensively. She opened the door and all four of them gasped.

Beast Boy sat on the floor of the closet in the fetal position, his face buried in his knees and crying uncontrollably.

...