Storms were a common occurrence in Jump City.
Though they were less frequent here than they were in Gotham, Robin found he enjoyed them more here- with rare exceptions, the storms were less harsh, less polluted, and didn't last as long as they did in his hometown.
He stood near the entrance to the Tower on the ground floor, the heavy metal doors parted so he could stand in the entrance. The clouds had lingered all day, and when he'd planned on venturing into the city to go on patrol after waking up in the middle of the night, the rain had started coming down. Sprinkling at first, with the sound of distant thunder rumbling in from the distance, until it started coming down more and more steadily and lightning arced across the sky, the flash lighting up the island as bright as day and the thunder booming overhead. Though the wind was chilly and brought the temperature of the spring morning down, the wind was fortunately blowing into the city, and he was still relatively warm in his position in the doorway.
"I shouldn't be surprised to find you up."
Robin turned to see Raven approaching him, two steaming cups in both hands. He reached out and took one from her, his fingers brushing against hers. "Thanks." He dipped his head and gave a small smile, then turned back to watch the storm outside. He lifted the cup and inhaled the scent of the tea and thought, "Raven never lets anyone touch her tea." He blew gently before taking a slow sip. "Did the storm wake you?"
"Yeah. But I took a nap after dinner last night, so I was probably going to be up early today anyways. Were you up all night?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.
He took another sip and sighed. "Yeah..." He shrugged and turned to look at her. "There's work to be done." Raven's lips turned downward ever so slightly, and he looked back out at the storm. "But when this started, I decided to stay here. Unless a villain attacks, the police can handle whatever idiot decides to pull a smash and grab in this weather."
Raven snorted, and her gaze fell to the ground, but she didn't turn away from him. After a few moments of listening to the rain, she murmured, "I'm glad you're here." When Robin turned back to her with a look of surprise, she cleared her throat and turned away. "I just mean- I don't like it when you go into the city by yourself to fight. We're a team, remember? Wake me up if you're going to go work so someone has your back." She quickly lifted her cup and took a drink.
Robin looked back at his own cup, noting that it was about halfway down. "Sure." He tilted the cup, watching as the tea swirled around. "How'd you know I was down here?" He asked.
"The security cameras." She answered simply. "While I was waiting for the water to boil, I saw you down here. I figured you I might as well make an extra cup and come down here."
He nodded in understanding, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
Raven saw it from the corner of her eye and turned to him. "What?"
"Nothing - I was just thinking about how thoughtful you are, making me tea and worrying about me and all. It's nice."
"Well, I care about you." Robin was caught off guard and his eyes widened in surprise; he'd expected her to brush it off or offer a sarcastic rebuke. It was rare for her to be so honest. "You're the most important person in the world to me, so of course I'm looking out for you."
He could feel his heart beating in his chest - suddenly, this didn't feel like a regular conversation between friends, and Robin took several moments to consider his next words before he said anything to avoid saying the wrong thing. "I... didn't know I was the most important person to you. It means a lot to hear you say it." He swallowed hard and looked away, and his voice was low and soft when he spoke next. "You're important to me too, Rae. I don't know where I'd be without you."
Beside him, Raven smiled. She looked out as lightning flashed and lit the island up, and she drank the last of her tea.
"It's lighting up out there." She spoke after a few minutes. "It'll probably be dawn soon."
"Yeah. The storm might carry on, though."
"I don't mind." Raven set down the empty cup beside her, and after a moment of deliberation, stepped closer to Robin and leaned against him. He set his own cup down and wrapped one arm around her. "I'm sure the sunrise will be beautiful, especially when it turns the clouds orange and pink. Hopefully they'll part and we can see the sky."
Robin smiled beside her. "Hopefully."
It didn't matter to him though. Whether the storm lasted or the clouds parted, holding Raven close was bringing him a sense of peace he never wanted to let go of.