He threw himself to the ground, back to a destroyed, crumbling wall. Chest heaving he cursed under his breath as he tried to catch it.
Raven slide into his point of view and loomed over him. Her hair was messy and knotted, her cape in shambles. She licked her lips and plopped down beside him. She stared intently at him but he made a point of avoiding her gaze. She sighed and fingered her tattered cape. Her hand wandered at came to rest on his leg. She gave him a slight squeeze. He pushed her hand away roughly.
She breathed deeply and grabbed his hand.
"This wasn't your fault."
The scoff he escaped him filled the silence.
"Please. Understand. It's not your fault there are bad people in the world. You seem to blame that on yourself."
"I don't."
"Yes. You do. And just because you can't stop every misdeed they plan to commit, doesn't mean you've failed."
He looked away into the sun, slowly creeping down the sky.
"I do believe it does." Ravens lips tightened into a thin line. She went back to fingering her cape. Empty Silence filled the ruined city.
"I was once taught to sew." She said softly after a while. "I can't remember by whom. I guess it doesn't really matter. I wasn't good at it. I kept pricking my finger and could never keep the stitchings in a straight line, and anything I tried to make was so ugly." He turned towards her, frowning.
"I thought it was a waste of my time" She continued "Years later I ripped one of my favorite shirts. I'm not attached to clothes really, but for some reason it really upset me. I picked up a needle and fixed it. Well, and easily too. I didn't lack the skill before, I lacked the motivation. I still hate sewing." She said with a slight smile.
Robin rubbed his calf deep in thought. "I suppose that was symbolic or something."
She let out a small laugh. "I was never as good at this stuff as you."
He looked down at himself the scars, the blood, the cuts and bruises. Rips and tears. He looked up at Raven her dark eyes betraying the concern she felt for him. He studied her wounds. He was far off worse than her. He sat up on his knees and took off what was left of his shirt.
"I never knew how to sew" And tore his shirt into strips, then tended to her wounds. Raven let him care for her, she knew he needed to.
"Have you heard from Starfire yet?" she asked in a whisper once he was finished.
"No. You and I both know that she's dead. And so is Beast Boy and Cyborg. There is no need to pretend for the sake of me." Her face wavered and her voice cracked slightly
"What are we going to do?" She looked into his eyes, hers wide a fearful.
Robin climbed to his feet and stretched out her hand. She took it and he pulled her up.
"We're going to do what we're expected. We're going to gather the broken pieces and reassembled what we've lost." Raven smiled at his reference, and followed his form into the setting sun.