A storm had descended on the city, blowing through the streets, underneath the darkened skies. On the small island that housed the Titans Tower, the wind flurried around wildly. Barely anything but the lights from the city could be seen through the pouring rain.
The massive door to the tower slid open, creaking and whining, letting in the storm. For a moment, it had free reign in the large room, sweeping across it and covering the furniture in rain, hitting even the part furthest from the door. The wind was heavy. A disheveled figure limped inside, and the massive door closed once more, leaving the room quiet but for heavy breathing.
Raven looked up. She thought the door might have opened just then, but everyone was out. Had they come back early? With a sigh, she placed the spellbook she'd been lost in on the couch and walked through the winding hallways to the entrance. What met her there was a heaving figure, lying face down on the floor, clad in a soaked suit of red and green.
"Robin!" she called out, and ran over to kneel down next to him. She grabbed his shoulder, and shook him lightly. "What happened?" Even obscured by her cloak, the worry in her face was unmistakable.
Robin placed an arm on the ground, and pushed himself up. He raised his head to look at Raven, letting her see the bruises and cuts that now adorned it. "I- I found him."
"Who?"
"Slade. I thought I could take him but…" He trailed off.
"You fought Slade alone? Where are the others? Why aren't they with you?"
"I left... without them," he forced out. "There was a lead, and I couldn't let them get hurt." He winced in pain, and held his free hand to his chest.
She looked at him, annoyed. "So you decided to get yourself hurt instead. Boy Wonder, huh?"
"Rae, come o-" He fell to the ground, whimpering.
Her judging eyes grew wider with concern, and she grabbed his upper body, turning him over to lie on his stomach. There was a large wound going from his the middle of his stomach to the side, where his suit was completely torn. It wasn't bleeding, but it looked to only have stopped recently. She placed her hands on it, her hands glowing a luminescent blue. "This is bad," she said, her usual snark underlined with worry.
"You're telling me."
"Alright, I can do this. Let's get you up and we'll figure this out." With quick hands, she lifted his body on a black, semi-translucent platform, walking hurriedly back the way she came, with him in tow.
When they reached the common area, she placed him on the couch, quickly moving her book out of the way. When he was lying comfortably, she knelt beside him, taking another look at the wound. "Jeez, what did he do to you?"
"He slashed me with... something, look, Rae, it's a bit of a blur."
She sighed. "Alright, whatever. We need to do something about this wound. Do I... get water? I think I should wash it."
"Sounds like a plan."
The blue glow returned, and she placed the mass of magic energy on top of his wound. "This should ease the pain some, but we'll still need to cover it," she said.
She rose and ran to the kitchen, leaving Robin alone on the couch. He looked around the room, squinting. It was familiar, but it was all so very different in his state, like he was in a dream. He grabbed a bit of the couch with his hand, but it, too, seemed... unreal. It felt like an eternity before Raven returned, carrying a bowl of water in her hands. In it was a pink cloth, slowly getting soaked, as it floated aimlessly on the water's surface. She knelt down again, then picked up the cloth and smooshed it in her hands, letting the water fall.
"Alright, this is probably gonna hurt."
"Probably?"
"I don't know. Do I look like a nurse?"
She pulled up his uniform and started dabbing the wound. Robin winced, but contained himself. When she was done, streaks of water were running down his belly, and on to the couch below him.
"I'll go get a bandage."
"I don't think the wound is supposed to be this wet," he said.
She sighed. "Alright." She pulled the top of his uniform off, facing only light resistance. As it slid off, it revealed several smaller wounds, which her eyes followed down his body like a trail. She then folded the uniform messily and started wiping the water off his belly with it. Noticing him stiffening, she looked towards his face, which was heating up rapidly. "Relax. Not like you're naked or anything. And nobody's here."
Robin wasn't sure he'd consider Raven 'nobody', but he kept his objections to himself.
She finished with a few dabs on his chest with a part of the uniform that was still dry, then tossed the ball she'd made of it over to another couch. He moved his hand slightly, as if to reach for it, but stopped before completing the motion. Without a word, she moved out of the room, returning a minute later with a bandage roll and a small, wooden box of supplies.
"Alright, sit up for me," she said. Robin complied, and she started covering his middle with the roll. "You're lucky this didn't end any worse."
"I know. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."
She looked at him, expressionless. "Are you really, or are you just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear?"
He averted his eyes. "Bit of both?" he said, sheepishly.
"Look, I know you want to be out there fighting, and I know you're doing it to help me, but I don't want you doing things this dangerous."
"What we do is dangerous."
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but changed her mind, merely continuing to bandage him. "How many layers should there be?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he admitted.
"Very helpful."
She brought the roll around him a few more times, bringing two fingers two her lips as she observed the final product. Satisfied, she locked it in place with a safety pin. "Is that good?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"Well, do you feel like you're dying?"
He couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly stopped as a pain sore through his chest. "Not right now, no." He laid back down on the couch.
"Mission accomplished," she said in a complete deadpan. "There are still some small wounds. Did you run through a thicket on your way home?"
"Probably Slade's armor. I got pretty close a few times."
"Well, those should be covered up too. 'Scarred badass' is a good look, but infections wouldn't give you much hero clout."
Robin smirked. "You think I'm badass?"
She didn't answer, instead rising to leave again, returning quickly with a first aid kit. She placed it on the floor by the couch, and grabbed a handful of bandaids. Robin was still smiling when she returned to her position before him, causing an eye roll from her.
She placed the bandaids on the couch, then gave the wounds a quick magic passover with her hand. Seeing the wounds shrink slightly, she grabbed the bandaids again. She fumbled a bit with the film, then started covering his bare chest with the thin, brown lines. She dusted her hands off when she finished, a sign of a job well done.
"Now you look slightly less grotesque."
"Thanks," he said, dryly, then laid himself back down. "I think I'll stay here for a while."
"You should. Going after Slade alone was a stupid move, even for you."
"Hey! I wouldn't have done it if you weren't in danger," he said.
Raven's eyes widened, her pale cheeks slowly turning a shade of pink. She turned her head away from him. "You don't have to do this, Robin," she muttered, leaning her head forward. She sighed, her breath suddenly stopping a moment, as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Of course I do," he said. "I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt, by Slade, your dad, or anyone."
She tried to steady her breathing, even as goosebumps started to creep up around her body. She rose, feeling Robin's hand slip off her. "I'll… go make some tea."
"You alright, Rae?" he said, but she was already out of the room.
He sighed, resigned to the fact that he couldn't follow her if he tried. Half the time, it seemed impossible to figure out what was going through her head. The pouring rain against the wide windows caught his ear in the quiet she had left behind, and he let the pitter-patter sooth him. It was a calming sight, the drops bombarding the window, racing each other to the bottom. He hoped the others had found shelter, wherever they were.
He turned back when he heard the light taps of Raven's boots against the floor. She was carrying two mugs of steaming tea, and an uncertain expression. Placing herself on the couch, a safe distance of a few feet from Robin, she put the mugs on the table. Robin's eyes followed her, seeing only little from his limited perspective, lying down. Between them was only silence, save for the rain.
"Why do you have such a hard time believing people care, Raven?"
Raven rested her head on an open palm. "You know I'm a liability. Once this all comes to pass, I'm dangerous to you."
"I don't care about that. Prophecy or no prophecy, I care about you. That's all that matters."
"You're tea is getting cold," she said, bypassing what he'd said with her usual ease.
"I can't drink it lying down," he commented.
Raven scuttled closer, then grabbed his shoulders, lifting him. "Can you sit?"
He nodded. "Mind if I rest here?" he asked, then leaned his head against her shoulder, the rest of his bare upper body resting itself against her forearm. He felt her quake where she sat. "I can move, if you're not comfortable."
"No, it's fine. Just… surprised me," she said. Quicker than she ought, she grabbed a mug and handed it to him. She heard him sip the liquid, then place the mug back on the table and it rung in her ears, much louder than it was in reality. Her shoulder was getting warm. She had left her own tea on the table, but she couldn't lean forward to get it without disturbing Robin, and this felt far too nice.
"I could stay here a while," he softly said.
"You're free to." Her voice was back to her usual deadpan, but she couldn't quite mask her smile.
"I really do like you, you know," Robin muttered.
She felt a wave of comfort flow through her, as her mind let itself relax. "I like you too," she said.
They came home doused in rain, finding their missing friend already there with Raven, the two resting against each other comfortably, both deep in sleep. Before them were two cups of tea that had long since gone cold.