I didn't mean to walk in on him like that. Sometimes, despite how hard I try to keep my walls up, I can feel him inside my head across the tether of our bond.

One would think that after…five years? I wouldn't feel our connection as strongly as I did the day I had to invade his mind to save him from Slade, but that isn't the case. Robin continues to remain as aloof and authoritative on the outside as that night when we all formed our motley crew, but I can sense what is really teeming behind the black and white mask.

I know that he lies awake at night plagued by his own nightmares. Just as I was at the coming of my father before my sixteenth birthday. There are nights when I am up late immersed in a book or sitting on the roof looking out at the landscape of Jump City when I feel a sudden jolt of sheer panic and fear. The very core of my being wants to teleport into his room and comfort him as he did for me all those years ago. I want to reassure him that his belief in my hopefulness is not misplaced and for him to place that hope in me again.

But tonight was different. When my own dark thoughts kept me up long past the rest of the citizens of Jump, I decided to venture out from my bedroom to the roof. I immediately sensed a familiar aura as I floated up on to the roof and saw Robin hunched over with his feet dangling over the side of the tower.

There was no movement from him as I slowed my approach and the abrupt tug on our bond halted my movements. My vision was filled with flashes of heart-wrenching emotion: The Flying Graysons falling to their death, Jason Todd's bloodied body, countless battles with Slade, my still body covered in the marks of Scath, even Trigon's attempt to take over the Earth. Shaking out of my stupor, I realized that I was within earshot of Robin, only to be greeted by the sound of broken sobs.

"Robin?" no response.

"Richard?" I whispered timidly, worried that he would be angry with me for discovering him after this emotional outburst.

Robin jumped, clearly unaware that he had been joined on the roof.

"Raven? What are you doing awake, we have training in four hours," his voice was low and rough, the strain from his turmoil still prevalent.

"I have a feeling that it is the same reason that you are Richard." I stated calmly while staring at the middle of his back

For the first time I noticed that he was not in his uniform but was in a simple white tee and red athletic shorts. It is rare to find Robin without his uniform, which is an even rarer occurrence for him than myself or Starfire and so to see him without his cape is jarring. Clearly something was bothering him tremendously if his thoughts of being a Titan and protecting the city had come secondary to journeying up to the roof.

"You know how I was plagued with nightmares prior to the coming of my father? While the frequency might have diminished there are still some nights that I can feel his presence and it terrifies me."

At this Robin finally turned his head to look at me and saw his bright blue eyes meet mine, still haunted by the thoughts from his nightmares.

"Rae…I" he stuttered, breaking eye contact. I approached him slowly and sat down next to him, letting my feet hang down.

"Richard, it's okay. You don't have to say anything," I meet his eyes and tap my forefinger to my temple.

"The minute I stepped onto the roof and saw you here I knew that you were having just as wonderful of a night as I was."

Robin didn't respond but instead looked at me for a long second and sighed before gently lowering his head onto my shoulder.

"Are you always this observant, Rae? Can you feel my pain from across the room when I am forced to eat one of Star's puddings of friendship?" he chuckles dryly but even from his perch on my arm it is clear that the humor is only half-hearted.

I turn my head to look at him resting on my shoulder to see his eyes meet mine and I give him a dry look to tell him how much I appreciated his attempt at humor.

"Mostly you just feel pity for yourself for having to endure such an atrocity to the definition of pudding. You know," I pause unsure if I want him to be aware that I know about his chronic nightmares.

"I can feel your distress all the way from my room no matter where you are in the tower, whether it be 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning. It is exceptionally hard not to teleport directly in to your room to make sure that you are okay" I look away from him to Jump City's skyline, not wanting to see his reaction to my words.

Suddenly a warm hand interlaces with mine and tugs me back to the present.

"Why don't you?"

-)-

Stay golden, my Readers. - Chlover