Raven sat staring out the dark window, a kettle of Alfred's freshly brewed tea close to hand. On her other side was an empty cup. He had not come. She was not sure whether to be annoyed or disappointed.
And then, finally, at long last, the door to the room opened. Robin, completely unmasked, stepped through and closed the door behind him.
"Raven?" He asked, a little tense. "Is something the matter?"
She waved her hand at the other side of the table. "Sit." She said. It was more of a command, than a request. Robin stared at her. He looked more confused than angry. "We need to talk." She said.
He nodded, and then sat. She poured him a cup of tea, and then set the kettle gently down on the table.
"Is something wrong, Raven?" Robin asked, his voice softer now. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yes." The answer came before she could even try to deny it. She had to stop herself from feeling a little bit guilty. It wasn't entirely untrue, but she knew Robin well enough to suspect that he would very quickly get the wrong idea.
He leaned forward, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You can talk to me about anything, Raven. You know that. If you need to talk to someone, I'm-"
"Robin." Raven said. "I'm worried about you."
He stopped talking. All of a sudden, he seemed rather at a loss for words.
"Ever since we came to Gotham." Raven said, her voice cool, yet soft. "You haven't been yourself. We all have noticed. Starfire especially."
His expression was easier to read without the mask. The eyes completely gave it away. She found herself wondering if it had been designed for that very purpose.
"There's nothing wrong." Robin said.
"Don't lie to me." Raven said quietly. "I know."
There was a very awkward silence. Raven sipped her own tea, waiting for him to speak.
"Nothing's wrong." Robin repeated, trying to make himself sound more confident. She hadn't been sure the first time he had said it, but she was sure now. He was not trying to fool her. He was trying to fool himself.
"Robin, we're a team." She said gently, reminding him of that simple fact. "We can't keep things from each other."
He nodded. That dark expression on his face, swirling with emotions, seemed somehow sad, hurt, and angry. He was, she was sure, suffering from some of the strongest emotions he had ever felt since they had met. That day…
She thought it best to poke him in the right direction. "It's this city, isn't it?" She asked, her voice still that soft, cool tone. "It brings back many memories."
He closed his eyes, clearly deep in thought.
"Yes…" He said. "Robin was born here. The day my parents died…"
He paused, as if he had said too much. Raven watched him, waiting for him to continue talking. They had never before discussed Robin's origin. The subject, as far as she could recall, had only ever been brought up once. When Robin's most valuable possession had been stolen.
"They were killed." He said. "Right in front of me."
He raised his hands to his face and cupped it. It took everything in Raven's power to keep from getting up and embracing him. She knew that he had to keep talking.
"I didn't know who had done it, or why." He said. "But I knew… I knew that I wanted… to do something."
He seemed to not to be able to find the words. He looked down at his cup of tea, as if to try and distract himself, and picked it up. His hand was shaking somewhat. He set it down again without taking a sip.
"I was… so angry." He said. "I was ready… ready to do anything to bring the people who had done it to justice."
He clenched his hand so tightly that the handle of the cup snapped off.
"I would do anything." He whispered. "Anything."
He was avoiding the problem. She needed to pressure him.
"And then you met Batman." She said.
He looked up at her.
"He was in the crowd… that day." He said. "He knew I had no one. He took me home with him. I lived here, in this Manor." He paused, as if trying to find out what to say next.
"It wasn't… long that I began to notice… that he was never here."
He looked down at the cup, and blinked at it. "How did this break?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused. Raven rolled her eyes and raised her hand, repairing the handle.
"Oh, um, thanks." Robin said. He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. "So what did you want to talk about, Raven?"
He was trying to change the subject. Her eyes narrowed. He was being very difficult.
"He was never here." She repeated, getting him back on subject.
"Oh… yes." Robin said. His face became downcast. "He told me that he was going to be taking care of me for a while, and I… resented him for not being able to replace my parent." He shook his head. "We talked it out eventually, and came to an understanding. He… lost his parents young too."
"Hmm." Raven said, taking another sip. "Go on."
"I didn't understand… I didn't know… who he really was." Robin said. "Not then. It wasn't until we talked that I learned… that he told me… what he was."
He took in a deep breath. Raven could sense that he was holding in wild, powerful emotions, ones that she was sure that he was repressing until now.
Good. She thought to herself. Cyborg and Beast Boy intruding on her mind had, in the end, made them closer friends. Robin needed to come out and say what was on his mind.
"He's Batman." Raven said. Robin nodded.
"When he told me that." He said, his voice quietly. I saw a chance. I saw an opportunity. I saw a way to take revenge for what had happened to my parents. I begged him to let me help him. I begged him to help me become strong, to become resourceful, to understand the criminal mind. I wanted Tony Zucco to suffer for what he did to me, and I wanted to do it personally."
He took in another deep breath. Raven kept her eyes focused squarely on him.
"And he did take you in." She said. "As his sidekick."
"He did." Robin said. "He took me in, he trained me. He paid for my education and livelihood… he did more than simply keep me off the street. He… was a father to me." His voice was tinged with emotion. "For a long time, I was so thankful. I understood what I was doing was dangerous, but I was angry. I wanted my revenge. For years I waited, training, working, preparing for that moment. And when I finally got it…"
He paused, trying to decide what to say.
"I felt… empty." He said, his voice low and quiet. "It didn't bring my parents back."
He wasn't being completely coherent. He was rambling somewhat, not explaining events or his own feelings properly. But she was beginning to piece everything together. The source of his troubled mind.
"Is this why you left Gotham?" She asked.
"No…" Robin whispered. "But it was the start of it. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I couldn't stop thinking about unhappy I was, and how nothing was getting better. I was getting angry, getting sloppy, making mistakes."
He raised his hand to his mouth. She found herself shocked that he was trying to hold back tears.
"After what happened to Tim… and Barbara… I… couldn't do it anymore. I left. But I never stopped fighting. It was… all I really knew. And then I met you."
He took in a deep breath of air and tried to control himself. He had told her quite a lot, she was sure. But he had also avoided talking about the core of the problem. He was angry at himself, true. But he had refused to acknowledge a critical aspect of the problem. Something that she was beginning to realize he needed to face.
"Robin." She said, her voice firm. "You need to listen to what I'm saying very carefully. I think you need to understand this."
He looked up at her. He seemed somewhat taken aback. She had never spoken to him like this before. He never had a reason to. He had always put them first, their needs and feelings above his own. Raven knew now that he had done so at the expense of his own well-being.
"You need." Raven said. "To accept that this life is not what you want."
Robin stared at her, his eyes wide, as she stood up. Although she was in civilian clothes, her dark aura was permeating through her skin and through the surrounding air. She knew she looked terrifying.
"You didn't want to come back to Gotham." Raven said. "You didn't want to fight the Eldians alongside Batman. You didn't want to work with him again. But you won't admit it. You won't admit that you don't respect him."
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, sounding a little hurt. "I respect him… more than anything. He taught me everything I know."
"No." Raven corrected him, glowering still. "You fear him."
Robin's mouth fell open. He stared up at her in shock, completely incapable of understanding her words. It was as she feared. He had been pushed to the point of self loathing, so hard and for so long, that he was completely unable to place blame on the person who had put him there.
"He used you." Raven said. "He used all of you… Barbara, Jason, the commissioner."
She threw her hands outward, and the windows banged open threateningly. "This entire city, even!" She said, almost shouting now. "This entire city is living under constant fear of violence and terror, despite near constant surveillance from the government and the Justice League!"
"It was worse before Batman!" Robin shouted, getting to his feet. He looked angry.
"Was it?" Raven asked darkly, her eyes flashing red. "Was it really? Were the police decked out in higher grade equipment than is provided to the military? Did the Police Commissioner have absolute power over who gets arrested, and how they are punished? Was a King of another country ever arrested for defending himself against a madman?"
Robin placed his hands on the table and bent his head. Staring. Raven leaned in forward.
"Of course not." She said, her voice ice cold. "The people here are terrified, Robin. Not of the criminals, but of the people who run this city. And no one in Gotham has more power and influence than Bruce Wayne, the Batman."
"Stop it…" Robin moaned. "You… you don't know what you're talking about."
She straightened herself up and stared down at him. He was resisting her. He was refusing to believe that Batman, the man who had helped him through the most traumatic experience of his life and had put him on his path in life, could possibly be a terrible person. She felt pity for him, but it was nothing compared to the desire to set things right.
"I do know." She said. "I have lived among you now for quite some time. I have observed the people in this city and lived among them. I have seen how the people live in fear. I have seen how Batman justifies his actions to his followers, and his equals. And after speaking to Eren Jaeger I was sure… he was in the wrong."
She leaned in close to his ear.
"You need to stand up to him." She whispered. "If you don't… this city will begin to choke under his shadow."
She straightened herself and made her way to the door. She cast one look back at him and bent her head again.
"Robin." She said. "I'm your friend, and I know you very well. I want you to picture this: If anyone other than Bruce Wayne had done what he has done, would you support it?"
She shut the door behind her with a gentle push, leaving him along with his thoughts.
..