Raven jolts awake to the sound of shattering and her shaky breath. Her sweat-soaked body trembles as the air chills her skin. Glimpses of dark images from before filter to the surface of her consciousness and the anxiety revitalizes in her chest. Her hands fly up to clutch at her throat, the erratic thrumming of her heart assures her that right now she is alive. Wide violet eyes flicker in distress around her room, hoping to ease her mind. Familiarity doesn't provide the comfort she seeks, remembering what had nearly overcome her just moments ago.

The corruption of the things that would normally ease her mind no longer felt safe. The darkness of her room was no longer an inviting solitude, now laced with threats of shadows that could attack at any second. The face of Deception that had haunted her thoughts felt like it was still just around the corner, all of the masks and statues scattered amongst the room felt like spies. Her breath trembles as she eyes them suspiciously and timidly waiting for any sign that they might strike.

There's a muffled groan laced with confusion that emits from the pillows, and instinctively her body tenses on the defense. The unexpected movement of her bed next to her causes her to gasp involuntarily, shifting away from the offender. Trying to fight through her heavily sleep-shrouded mind, her body remains stiff, hoping to keep attention off of her presence. Warm slick skin connects with hers under the blanket over her lap and she gasps, immediately reacting as a pulse of power expels from her body and throws the foreign body away from her.

Raven stands quickly from her bed, hands clenched into fists as power radiates from her body. The air against her skin feels electrifying, fueling the adrenaline coursing through her as her eyes scan the opposite of the room waiting for her opponent to rise.

Robin rises swiftly from the floor disheveled and defensive, his hands clenched tightly into fists as his masked face darts around the room. His appearance doesn't ease the alarm etched into her body, the face from the other dimension could only lure her in once with that trick.

"What happened?" His voice was serious and laced with concern.

"Why are you here?!" Raven demands, her eyes blazing brightly.

Robin's posture falters slightly, shifting his weight as he stares at Raven for a moment before glancing around the room again.

"What? Raven," Robin's fists unclench as his arms drop to his side.

"Don't move," Raven snarls, her aura radiating around her hands.

Robin stills, watching her silently far too long for comfort. Raven jumps to stand on her bed, holding out a powered hand, casting shadows over his face.

"What do you want?" Raven reaffirms her question, emphasizing her intent as she towers over him.

Robin shrinks slowly, dropping to his knees onto the floor while his hands come up defensively to the empath.

"Rae, I'm not here to hurt you. It's me, Robin, remember?" He tries, speaking gently as he continues lowering himself to the ground.

"I remember," Her lip curls, and glimpses of the way the last Robin she had seen had lured her into comfort flash through her mind.

She should have known, his smile had been all too charming, and his words were far too expressive. Her Robin was no careless man, his words and actions always had purpose. The minute she'd no longer heard the comfort of the other's voices she should have caught on. She'd been so relieved by the comfort of his presence after being stranded in the abandoned shack they'd been lost in, that the red flags flew directly over her head.

"I think you need help, Rae," Robin says gently.

"I don't need your help," She says grimly.

"Okay, that's fine too," He nods understandingly. "But I think you had a really bad dream that messed you up a little, and I want to help you ease your mind."

"Stay away from my mind," She hisses sinisterly.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to. Okay?" He offers, nodding submissively to her. "Would it be okay if I try something?"

"No," She barks, gritting her teeth.

"I won't have to do anything to you, I promise. I'll only move myself." He pulls his hands slowly back towards his body and up to his face.

Raven watches with apprehension as his hands slowly rise to peel the monochrome mask away from his face to reveal newly familiar blue eyes, still shrouded by the shadow of her magic. She watches him set the mask on the bed in front of him, an offering to her, before he leans back and looks up into her eyes, allowing her to see his full expression. Years of fighting and training have etched lines and details into his face that even her most vivid dreams could never reproduce. Her stance falters, her power slipping from around her hands and she leans away from his offering.

"It's just me and you, remember, Rae?" Robin asks gently, his eyebrow twitching upward as he speaks. "I'm here. I'm real," He slides his hand gently across the bed towards her, stopping when she flinches defensively in response. "You're real, you're here with me,"

Wide purple irises dart between his extended hand and his worry-laced face, she can sense the warmth radiating from his own body, a sensation she hadn't been able to feel before. The scent of fear and feeling of worry wafted off him, reinforcing the honesty behind his words. Her lungs deflate as all the air rushes from her body in a shaky exhale of relief. Crumbling to her knees into the cushion of her mattress her breath shutters, wrapping her arms around her chest as the fear finally overtakes her body.

"Robin?" Her voice wavers, his name catching in her throat.

She longs to be in his arms, his strong embrace and familiar scent could bring endless comfort in such dire times. Trickles of fear along her spine held her at bay, small whispers that she could still be dreaming and this was all a ruse continued to infiltrate her thoughts, scrambling them further. She settles for stretching her hand out to him gently, noting the spike of fear that flows from him at the action. Her hand rests gently against his cheek, absorbing the warmth from his rough skin. His eyes flutter shut, instinctively leaning into her hand as he sighs in relief.

"Yeah, Rae," He exhales breathlessly, his eyes opening to meet hers again as his brows continue to knit together in worry. "It's okay."

"You…weren't…" She stares deeply into his eyes, her brows furrowing as embarrassment courses through her.

Robin's hand slowly comes up to rest against her hand on his cheek, soothingly rubbing at the smooth skin against her wrist.

"It's okay," He repeats, watching her carefully. "You're okay,"

Her head drops along with her hand from his face as her body slumps and she brings her hands up to rub her hands over her face harshly, holding them there, giving herself a moment of privacy to begin collecting her thoughts. Her nails scratch along her hairline, pricking sharply at the skin there as she continues to try and convince herself she'd just been dreaming like he said.

"C'mon," Robin pries her hands gently from her face, extracting them away from her body and pulling her to stand up in front of her bed. "Let's get you some tea, get you out of this room maybe?" He offers.

Her eyes lock on his hands against her skin, reveling in the contact. Her body craves more, but the lingering post-adrenaline shock kept her on edge. Deception hadn't been completely dispelled from her mind, it's hard to allow herself to trust him fully despite how much she wants to. Misconstruing her gaze locked on his hands he pulls his grip away from her quickly and glances around the room while muttering an apology. He grabs his mask from the bed, moving to cover his eyes again but he hesitates, looking up at her and requesting silent permission with his eyes. The question eases her mind further, Robin's usual habits of security a casual affirmation of his identity.

Raven swallows and nods to him, wrapping her arms around her body again as she glances around her room taking in the dark features of statuettes that normally eased her mind. A weight around her shoulders startles her, and she jumps turning to look at Robin with his hands up awkwardly in the air, mask intact but wide-eyed at her sudden movement. Soft fabric settles around her body as she turns, and she glances down at the familiar blue weight of her cloak.

"I thought you might want it," Robin offers, shrugging meekly. "Thought it might help."

Raven's hand comes up to rest on the fabric over her shoulders before readjusting the material and pulling it to cover her body. Shutting her eyes momentarily, a trickle of black power engulfs her hood and flips it quickly up and over her head, shrouding her face. Robin offers her a gentle smile, as he bends down to grab a discarded shirt from her floor and slips it quickly over his head. He gestures toward her bedroom door, and she stalls, her eyes remaining focused on him and he chuckles.

"Still don't trust me completely?" He guesses, carefully strolling past her and moving towards the door.

"Sorry," She can't help but mutter.

"It's alright," Robin smiles. "Trust your gut, I trust you."

He pushes her door open, sliding into the hallway first and taking a few steps away to offer her comfort as he waits for her to catch up. She follows slowly, keeping a step or two of distance between them as they make their way toward the main room.

"So," Robin starts casually, not turning to look at her as he continues walking. "Would you like to tell me about your dream?"

Raven considers it, watching the panels of the wall pass as they walk, waiting for them to turn the corner where the span of windows is that will allow her to gaze out onto the coast. The house feels cold, but that could be a result of her bare feet treading across the cold concrete floor.

"You don't have to," Robin continues, assuring her. "I'm just curious, and I know talking about things that bother you can help sometimes."

"Do you now?" She scoffs softly to herself.

The quick smirk he throws over his shoulder makes her stomach flutter with warmth, and she smiles faintly despite herself. The warmth slips from her body as she thinks back to the dream and how realistic it had felt at the time, but even now the fear that had swelled in her chest was easier to recall than the details of the event itself. Biting her lip and swallowing tightly she slowly begins to ramble.

"We weren't home… in Jump City… we were fighting something we never have before," She frowns, glancing down to watch the floor as she walks. "It was a desert area,"

"We like me and you, or all five of us?" Robin asks.

"All five of us." She confirms before continuing. "This guy…or thing… he could shift between dimensions but you could only see him if you were in his dimension but if you saw him that meant he was going to kill you."

"Sounds like Freddy Krueger," Robin says.

"I guess," She shrugs. "He wasn't a person though. He—" She pauses to think of the best way to describe the face. "It only had a skull for a head, it looked partially human but disfigured, really big, and exaggerated. The eye holes took up most of its face and the bones in its jaw looked stretchy like skin with a smile, but some of the teeth were missing. It didn't have a body,"

She stops rambling and looks up as Robin stops in front of her and she realizes they've made it to the living room. He smiles warmly at her, before entering through the sliding doors waiting for her to follow again. She trails after him, stopping in the middle of the room as he breaks away from her and starts towards the kitchen.

"Would you like me to make you tea, or do you want to make it?" Robin asks, turning to look at her.

Raven stares silently for a moment contemplating, tea does sound nice just to soothe the remaining tension in her body, but she's well aware she doesn't have the energy to commit the action herself.

"You trust me?" She asks him gently, eyeing him behind the safety of her hood.

His expression softens in confusion but he nods. "Of course, more than anyone."

Raven nods in return. "I'll trust you then."

Robin smiles and gestures towards the couch, silently insisting she relax. She follows her leader's instruction, padding the rest of the way over to the couch and curling up near the center; pulling her knees up to her chest and tucking her cloak around her body.

"So the bad guy didn't have a body?" Robin prompts her to continue as he begins clattering around in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it was like an apparition, shaped like a tattered cloak but brown like it was made of potato sacks. His face was the only thing that felt solid," Her hands wave in the air as if she's illustrating the figment as she speaks. "We were looking for you because you had run ahead and wouldn't wait for us. The only thing we could find in the middle of nowhere was this abandoned gas station shack-looking sort of building, but really old."

"Sorry," Robin offers a sheepish smile, apologizing for dream hims actions of negligence, knowing it's one he'd likely follow in reality.

Raven shrugs dismissively and continues talking, "We knew we couldn't split up because if we were alone we were more vulnerable. Star, Cy, and Beastboy were all moving into another room and I thought I heard you calling behind us. I hesitated…for too long…" She closed her eyes and sighs. "I didn't think anything about it when I couldn't hear the other's talking anymore, I was so focused on finding you…"

"Did you find me?"

Raven remains still and silent for a moment, staring blankly ahead at the subtle reflection of the room in the large unpowered television screen at the front of the room. "I followed your voice, and kept calling for you… I ran around nearly the entire building and it kept getting darker. I couldn't find anyone. I was so scared and then I finally ran into you around a corner and you were smiling at me… " She frowns to herself. "You kept trying to get me to come closer to you and I had been so scared and worried about you, I didn't pay attention to how off it was, it was nothing like your usual smile…"

Her eyes flash up to note the soft but crooked smile she was familiar with offered to her, delivering warmth even from a distance and she returns the smile automatically.

Fidgeting with the hem of her cloak she continues. "I ran to you, I tried to touch you," One of her hands rose from her lap to graze the air, picturing the phantom face in front of her. "My arms went right through you… When I looked up and opened my eyes it was the skull face, the noises it made were inhuman, it screeched at me, its smile kept getting bigger and its voice kept getting louder. I couldn't fight it because I couldn't touch it, but it could touch me. Its body wrapped around me and crushed me, it felt like steel. I couldn't even struggle as it lifted me up, it didn't speak but it forced me to stare into the holes of its eyes… It was like our bond…I could feel the way it told me how stupid and weak I was to fall for such simple deception…" Her eyes flutter and her hands shake before she forces them tightly into fists. "I remember screaming and then I woke up."

"Then waking up with me in your room was probably a pretty big shock," Robin's presence radiates warmth as he approaches her on the couch, and she looks up to acknowledge him, her eyes pausing on the steamy cup of tea he held carefully in front of her. She takes it from him cupping the round mug in her hands allowing it to warm her palms as she breathes in the herbal-scented steam.

"Thank you,' She murmurs, her lips peeking over the rim of the mug to sip at the hot beverage, feeling the searing heat pass down her throat and splash low in her empty stomach.

"Anytime," He grins, turning to flop down near the corner section of the couch, allowing her space if she wanted it, but still keeping her company.

She watches him stretch his body and relax into the couch from the corner of her eye, taking small sips of her beverage to continue to ease her remaining nerves. Robin's arm stretches out along the back of the couch, twisting it to allow his head to rest against his hand so he can continue to focus his attention on her.

"I'm not used to people being in my room…let alone sleeping over…" Her voice grows despondent as her mind wanders beyond her control back to the last time she'd trusted someone enough to let them in. "I'm sorry…"

"No," The intensity of Robin's voice startles her, and she jumps to lock her eyes on him. "Sorry," He offers quickly, "But you have no reason to be sorry, Rae." He insists, and he leans forward to emphasize his words. "I understand it's going to take time for you to get used to me being in your space. It's still taking time for me to get used to you being in mine."

She bites her lip, pressing them into a flat line as she listens to his words.

"I don't mind you being in my space, but it's still unfamiliar and uncomfortable at times." He admits. "I'm sure you feel the same way sometimes."

Her teeth cut through the layer of dry skin against her lower lip and she peels it away with her nerves. "Yeah…" She agrees softly.

She can see the tension in his body, the way he's leaning toward her trying to close as much distance as he can without making her uncomfortable. He wants to touch her, to hold her close and comfort her in the way he's become used to. She still wants nothing more than to be in his arms, still just as desperate to feel the safety of his embrace around her body since the moment she thought she had found him in her dream. Shoving her mostly full mug of tea onto the coffee table in front of her, she stands quickly walking over to him. He leans back as she approaches, apprehensively moving out of her way but she slides next to him, curling into a ball against his side and tucking her head against his chest.

His arms wrap around her automatically, engulfing her in the warmth she's been so desperately craving and her body slumps against his in relief. Holding her against his body she can feel the joy trickle off of him and seep into her soul and she sighs contently against his chest. His overwhelming scent surrounds her, any remaining hesitance or fear slipping from her mind as his spicy scent of earth, sweat, and cologne intoxicates her. Tears make their best attempt to be seen, pricking at the back of her eyes as she was solemnly held in his arms. His hands rub over her arms and back softly as he rocks her gently against him.

She mumbles another meak apology into his chest and he hushes it away, leaning his cheek against the top of her head and tucking her cloak around her body like a blanket. He soothes her silently, the relief from his body was slowly working its way over her, easing away the leftover distress from the night. Snuggling deeper against his side she sighs contently, one of her arms slipping out from under her cloak to creep around his waist, holding him close. Slowly his movements dwindle down to simply twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

Sleep weighed heavily on her mind, but there was still a lingering tingle at the base of her skull that worried the dream would come back with a vengeance. Her eyes and body feel just as heavy as her thoughts, drooping further against him. She feels him shift, adjusting their bodies so she could lay more comfortably against him. Micro-movements of muscle twitch under his skin that no one else would be likely to notice unless they were pressed as closely to his body as she was.

Noise suddenly ruptures the silence, echoing throughout the room and causing her to jump up and away from Robin stiffly, half standing half crouching against the couch, eyes wide and alert with shock. Robin frets quickly with the remote to the television, lowering the volume before looking over at Raven sheepishly and holding his hands up apologetically.

"Sorry…" He offers earnestly. "I didn't think it would be that loud, and I thought you fell asleep."

She huffs out a tense sigh, her body relaxing slightly though her heart continues racing at the sudden adrenaline coursing through her again. She drops down sitting with her leg underneath her on the couch and closes her eyes, taking a moment to regain control of her breathing. She rubs her forehead briefly, before dropping her fingers down to her eyes, pressing against them lightly and rubbing at her lids. She looks up at the screen to see bright fluorescent colors flashing and it blinds her momentarily, the shrill laughter of an unfortunately familiar cartoon rings through her ears and her face falls dismally.

"I don't want to watch this," She looks over to Robin with an unimpressed glare, which he returns with a smile of intentional defiance.

"Too bad," He grins, stuffing the remote between the cushions of the couch and underneath his thigh.

"Robin," She sighs, tilting her head languidly to emphasize her dismay.

"Raven," He mimics her. "It's a silly cartoon, you don't even have to watch it. It'll just be there to keep the nightmares away."

"It's also going to keep the sleep away with how obnoxious it is," She hisses, though she contradicts her malice by creeping her way back over to his body, opting to stretch out along the couch this time with her head resting against his thigh, propping it up like a pillow.

"Shhh," He jokingly hushes her, running his hands a little too aggressively to be soothing over her body before giving her head a few short pats as if she were a dog.

She slaps at his hands, rolling against the cushions so she can shoot a glare up directly into his mask-covered eyes. The grin he offers her makes her lose focus, she can feel the heat in her cheeks as a combination of frustration and embarrassment mock her for losing her train of thought so easily with such a cheesy smile.

"What?" Robin laughs, turning his head up and away from her eyes, his hand slipping from the back of the couch to rest on her stomach.

"Nothing," She insists, spinning again so he can't see the flush on her cheeks. "Watch your dumb little show."

His body rumbles with laughter under her, pulling her cloak up and over her bare legs and arms hoping to keep her protected from the chilly air of the night. She pulls her cloak tighter around her torso, playfully pouting with what little amount of energy she has available to let him know she's joking. His arm rests over her waist lazily, his body slouching further into the couch and she can feel the tingle of his brain as he zones out into mindless thoughts.

The droning ramble of the boisterous cartoon continued to pique her consciousness, her body unable to fully commit to sleeping with the illumination of colors and noise. Complaining again was the last thing on her mind, despite how minorly irritating the disruption of his show was, it wasn't nearly as disrupting as being forcefully physically expelled from your sleep so this was the least she could offer in return for the moment. She knew he occasionally needed something to aid his mind, silence wasn't always the comfort he needed especially at these late hours where there wasn't much else to preoccupy him.

Filling her lungs slowly, she holds the breath in her chest for a moment before slowly allowing it to release as she snuggles her head back to lean against his stomach so she can idly watch the screen. A blob of red slowly frets around the screen wailing, a small yellow man behind him is trying to ease him with an idea that's being ignored. As the red blob's distress grows, the yellow one finally gains his attention, descending from the ceiling with a spotlight and a pair of wings.

" , I have an ideeeaaaa,"

His idea is mediocre but shunned viscerally, and Raven can't help but find amusement in the execution. The yellow one continues with his day, upset at the rejection, he finds a pink star with shorts who looks just as irritated as he does.

"Hey, Patrick, are you angry too?"

"Yeah,"

"Whatsa matter?"

"I can't see my forehead."

Raven can't hold back the huff of laughter that escapes her unexpectedly at the comment, and Robin's body and heart both jolt in surprise at the noise.

"Did you just laugh?" Robin huffs breathlessly, looking down at her. "At Spongebob?" Bewilderment rings heavy in his tone.

"I wasn't expecting him to say that!" She insists, trying to ward off her smile.

"Have you never watched this before?" He asks, laughing lightly.

"Not intentionally," She shrugs. "I know Beastboy likes it a lot and that's enough reason for me to stay clear."

Robin chuckles. "BB doesn't always have bad taste, you know. I'm almost positive Cy likes it too, he's just not as trigger-heavy on the quotes as BB is."

"Me and Star have the comradery in that shit going straight over our heads." Raven mumbles.

"You'd be surprised," Robin laughs. "She's picking up on the humor of it surprisingly well. Though I don't think she understands a single thing about it, but Beastboy sure has convinced her we are perpetually out of Diet Dr Kelp."

"...Is that not a real thing?" Raven asks quietly after a moment and Robin's body shakes with laughter.

"Not you too," Robin coughs between fits of amusement.

Raven's silence only seems to encourage his enjoyment of the situation, and he has to lean against the back of the couch to brace himself as he laughs.

"I hate all three of you," Raven mutters, sitting up to lean away from his mirth. "I'm telling Star in the morning that you guys are idiots."

"Me?" Robin barks, turning to look at her in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"You let him join the team, I don't know." She pouts, crossing her arms across her chest as his laughter rises and fills her with warmth.

"Cy is just as innocent as I am!" Robin tried to defend their friend.

"I'm not interested in your rationality right now, Robin. Boy Sponge is on." Raven keeps her expression flatly locked on the television, not giving him any indication of her amusement.

Robin doubles over in laughter, his hand clasping at his stomach as he struggles to breathe. Raven bites her lip, it's hard not to smile when he's so blissfully full of joy like this, especially with the radiant smell of citrus that accommodates the feeling.

"I'm telling Beastboy it's your favorite show," Robin threatens, his face flush from exertion.

"Don't you dare," Raven says quickly before she can catch herself. "He wouldn't believe you anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Robin grins smugly, "I'll tell him to wait until you least expect it and then ask if you can see your forehead."

Raven's eyes shoot up toward her chakra before shutting tightly as she releases another huff of amusement. "God dammit." She mutters and Robin cackles.

"I thought you didn't laugh?" Robin asks, chuckling as he darts forward to stab his fingers into her waist, eliciting a shriek and a rumble of thunder as her powers lash out in surprise.

Raven slaps at his chest and arms lightly, trying to hold him at bay while she glares at him. "You idiot, are you trying to wake the entire tower?"

"Seems like you're in trouble," Robin mocks her, grinning and wriggling his fingers in her direction. "You know who to call…"

Raven holds her hand up to her ear in a mock phone, raising her eyebrows in a challenge as he moves closer. "Hello? Aqualad? There's an idiot in my house and I don't know where Robin is… Can you come help?"

Robin lunges at her grinning, the warmth and laughter that rips through her as their bodies collide is enough to make any remaining memories of her nightmare disappear.