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They'd been in his room for about 20 minutes, goofing off and laughing, but they couldn't stay in there forever.
Dating had made them close, but it wasn't because of the word; it was because they felt deep, unwavering chemistry.
They genuinely loved being around each other, alone or with others.
All was just so...natural.
Robin stood looking out the window while Raven sat on the bed, looking up at him.
She'd been paying attention the whole time as he spoke, but something in the dressers and the drawers of Robin's room had called to her nonstop.
Not as if she could explain why she waited so long to bring attention to it, but this was how it was going to be.
"Well," Robin sighed, "we'd better go.
Everyone's gonna start wondering."
"All right."
But as Robin grabbed his cape and made his way toward the door, he realized Raven was not following him.
He paused and studied her for a second, as she wasn't even looking at him.
She only stared at the shelving cabinet in the corner with two drawers in the bottom of it.
"...Raven?"
He walked back to her and waited for her to answer, but when she didn't he sat beside her, laying the cape aside.
His eyes, though veiled through his mask, traveled over to where hers were fixated.
"What are you looking at?"
"Something's different in here.
I tried to ignore it, but it's strong."
Robin took a few seconds to absorb that, unable to form a solid feeling over this news.
"...Oh...
Something bad, or?"
"Not necessarily bad.
It's a lot of things.
Happy, sad, sentimental..."
She craned her neck briefly, as if trying to see through the wooden drawer that hid the mysterious item.
At the mention of sentiment, Robin knew then what she was talking about -- or at least, he had a hunch.
Suddenly he relaxed, no longer fixated on leaving, nor was he worried.
"Here, let's see."
Raven respectfully stayed on the bed, waiting patiently as Robin walked calmly over to the drawer and knelt down.
As with every feeling, Raven masked the extent of her curiosity, but she was squirming inside, deeply anxious to see and interact with the item -- if Robin permitted it.
He returned to her and sat to her right once more, and in his gloved hands he held what looked to be a smaller, shinier version of his old suit.
Additionally, the signature "R" on the chest's colors were inverted.
Raven's eyes widened, interest filling every cell in her person.
"Is it this?"
He held it out to her.
Raven looked at him, back at the shirt, and then back to him.
"May I?"
"Yeah, go ahead," he said softly with a nod.
Raven reached a hand out, gently allowing nimble fingers to trickle down onto the sleek cloth.
It took only that moment for her to sit up taller and nod.
"That's it.
What is this?"
"Uh, well..."
Robin adjusted himself in place, mentally and emotionally preparing to speak about something that had forever been very personal to him.
Raven settled, content and ready for anything.
"It's...actually, it's the suit that inspired...Robin."
They glanced at each other, then back at the shirt.
He'd talked to her about his past far more than he had to anyone else who didn't already know, all of which had flattered Raven.
It was an honor to be allowed so far in, but now she realized there was far more to learn still.
Robin was quiet for a moment, turning the cloth over in his hands and occasionally stroking it with his thumb.
Raven waited, but when he didn't speak, she offered patience to last a lifetime, uttered in one of her softest tones.
"You don't owe me an explanation if you're not ready to give one.
I sense this means...the world to you."
"What?
Oh--"
He sat up, quickly showing more attentiveness to his company.
Though he smiled and chuckled, his nerves and deep longing did not escape Raven's insight.
"No, no it's fine.
Someone ought to know, and who better than you?"
Raven actively returned his smile.
"I would love to hear."
"All right.
Well...
I told you about the circus, and Zucco, and how it...all happened, but I don't think I mentioned...this thing."
He motioned with the shirt.
"No, you didn't."
"Okay.
Well the night everything...went wrong, just following our first run-in with Zucco, we were getting ready for our show backstage.
My mom handed me this shirt, and a pair of shiny green tights."
He shook his head, chuckling through his words.
"I did not like it.
I thought it looked so stupid; I-I was embarrassed, honestly.
Once I came out and showed them I was wearing it, I asked them why it had to be so colorful."
"What did they say?"
Robin smiled a warm, slightly painful smile.
"My mom knelt down in front of me, and said because when she saw me up on the stands, I reminded her of a little robin...
MAN I thought that was dumb!
Hahahah!
I mean -- you know when you're a kid, and someone tries to make you look cute and you just absolutely despise it, hahah.
Aw..."
Winding down, his smile turned a little sour.
Raven could feel the sting in his heart, like a blade cutting through him.
The feelings, the memories that had started so sweet, scorched him inside as the nostalgia turned bitter.
She could feel how deeply he wished to hug the people who gave him life one more time, and say goodbye the right way as opposed to what really happened.
He lowered his voice considerably, much of the joy having slipped away, draining into the cloth as Raven sensed it had done for eight years now.
"Yeah...
But I got over it and we went on.
It was the first and last time I ever wore that costume.
I didn't even get to perform in it...
I took it with me from the center, to the Catholic orphanage, all the way to fighting by Batman.
Uh -- actually this has been in his possession ever since, I just recently requested a mail order for it.
Just for a few weeks.
I missed it...
Sorry, geeze, that -- that sounds stupid, heh."
No sooner than he had finished his sentence did Raven's hand lay upon him, fingers curling around his wrist.
"It's not stupid, by any means.
This isn't just a shirt, it's...a part of your story.
It's a marker of the worst day of your life, and of your turning to fight crime.
It's tragic, but it's also...sort of wonderful."
This time, she smiled to him, the comfort deeply implied.
Robin knew going into this that she wouldn't judge him, but he would be forever defensive about his past.
She knew very well why; there was much to defend, but in her eyes, Robin honored his parents every day, and she wanted to find a way to ease his mind.
He nodded, hesitating at first, but finally looking at her.
"Thank you..."
"So when you joined Batman, you had to pick a name.
You chose Robin, and based the first suit off of it?"
Again he nodded.
"Yup, that's right.
Hehah hah, when I suggested the name, he said the same thing I did.
He said, "like the bird?"
But when I told him it was a "family name," I think he knew it was more than that.
He never bothered me about it again."
Another long silenced passed between them, and again any trace of the straggling happiness that had held on slipped away.
If it could have, Robin's heart would have sank in his chest.
It was a longing that could put the sadness in a wolf's howl to shame.
"...I just hope they know how much I love them, and how thankful I am.
For everything..."
Raven moved a little closer to him, her empathy rolling endlessly.
She slid her hand down to the fabric, knowing now what to do.
"Would it be okay if I...?"
"Oh yeah, sure."
She gently took the shirt from him, the transition as tender as penguins passing their child to one another's toes.
The shirt was even smaller than she thought.
It felt so tiny in her hands, so frail, but yet at the same time, so strong.
"I...didn't ever wear it again because I didn't want to ruin it in a fight."
"Makes sense enough to me.
I abandoned white clothing soon after I got a handle on my powers."
Her thumbs rolled over the red sheen, her right digit resting over the R.
She could hear a cheering crowd, she could feel the adrenaline coursing through Richard's blood.
Blinding lights, blurred faces, the sound of the announcer introducing the small family.
She could feel the love in every fiber of the cloth, and then finally, she felt what she was waiting for.
Her words rang warm, and filled the space in her partner's broken heart, like cool water rushing over burned land.
"...They know."
Robin looked at her, the sudden width of his puzzling, animate mask serving as more than enough to express his shock.
"...What?"
She looked back at him, content, her blue-violet eyes filled with empathy and wholeness.
"They know how much you love them.
They know how grateful you are.
And they want you to know..."
They stared at each other for a long time, but Raven never wavered.
She laid her hand on his wrist once more, cradling the shirt in her other.
"They want you to smile, even when you miss them.
They want you to know that for every tear you loose, and every ounce of pain you feel when you miss them most, they're with you.
You make them very proud; more proud than you could ever fathom."
The sudden, mild shift in his breathing, the sharp swallow in his throat, and the subtle tremble in his person told Raven everything he was feeling without him saying a word.
He understood.
All the while, she never let go of his wrist.
"H-ow...
How did you know that was here...?"
"It was calling."
"To you?"
"To you.
It wanted you to tell the story.
They wanted you to know how loved you still are; how loved you'll always be."
A few moments later, she watched as Robin pushed his fingers up under his mask to wipe away the few tears that had managed to escape him.
Raven leaned on him, and closed her eyes as his cheek laid against her head.
At the touch of their heads, Raven poured all her empathy into him.
How had he been so fortunate as to have her in his life?
To heal him physically, mentally, and emotionally?
To keep him company, to ease the pain, to strengthen the joy, to soften his heart.
How?
Funnily enough, Raven found herself frequently trying to answer the same questions, about him.
He wrapped an arm around her, both of their hands coming to rest in his lap, over the tight little red shirt.
For reasons neither of them understood, yet understood completely, they smiled.
"Thank you..."
She pulled back to look at him, dark lips still spread a tad thin in her smile.
Even though he still hurt, the sadness had turned over, more sweet than bitter.
"The anniversary of...that day is coming up soon.
That's why I asked to have the suit back, but after it passes, I think I'm gonna mail it back.
I think it's safer there."
"I think that's a good idea."
They shared a brief kiss before Robin looked over the shirt one last time, nodded to it happily, and promptly folded it back up.
He laid it back in the box on top of the little green tights, closed it, and laid it back in the drawer.
They finally left, hand in hand until they were almost to the living room.
Only once they passed through the doorway did Raven choose to bring his attention to something else.
"Robin."
"Hm?"
"You forgot your cape."
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