Beast Boy trudged through the halls of the Titans Tower, iPod in hand, headphones in, volume turned up so high that only animal ears could tolerate it. His hips swayed as he walked, the song he was listening to giving him the urge to sing and dance along with it. But, to preserve what little dignity he had left, he saved his singing for the shower only.
It was a beautiful day; sunny and warm and not raining for once, and Beast Boy and Robin were alone in the tower. Starfire had drug Raven against her will to the mall in search of what she labeled "these Daisy Duke shorts you speak of!" while Cyborg had headed off to browse around the shops downtown.
The changeling made his way into the expansive kitchen, opening the fridge and hurriedly shutting it again after seeing a nauseating amount of meat, but not before grabbing a soda out of the door and popping the tab open, flipping it expertly off into the nearby garbage can.
Walking back to his room to watch some tv (he found it was much cozier on his bed watching the tube than on the giant couch that Cyborg had sat on so many times it felt like sitting on cardboard), he finally yanked out his headphones as he swept his door open.
Bang!
What was that?
Bang! Bang bang! A chain could be heard smacking against something from down the hall.
The sound repeated until finally instinct took over and he had to investigate. Hopefully curiosity didn't kill the cat this time.
The green-skinned teen walked along the walls towards the source of the sound, alert and ready to defend himself should the need arise.
Where was Robin when you needed him?
The noise faltered and went away; instead he heard a different noise that he couldn't quite place. The previous banging noise had led him down the hallway towards the team's training room.
Realization hit him like a train. How could he be so gullible? The noise was Robin training. Nobody else could have gotten in the tower without setting off enough alarms for the entire city to hear. The noise he had heard was merely his fists against the punching bag. What else would Robin be doing on a day off?
Something still didn't seem right though. He edged forward, thinking that one peek couldn't hurt. He tiptoed through the doorway with caution; he didn't want to spook Robin by yelling or confronting him suddenly. He'd learned his lesson from a time when he had barged into Robin's room. He had alarmed Robin by barging in so suddenly and had ended up with a black eye and a few bruised ribs to show for his carelessness.
However, what he saw when he entered shocked him to no end, and he froze in his tracks.
Robin was sobbing, tears running down his face from behind the mask, his face contorted in pain. After looking Robin over for any signs of physical injury that could have caused this but finding none, he took a cautious step closer. The Boy Wonder clung to the punching bag for support, nails digging into the sides, for his legs would not hold him. Sobs wracked his body, causing him to shake uncontrollably.
Beast Boy softly sat his possessions down, electing to try his luck and take a few more steps forward. "Hey, Robin, you okay?" he asked slowly.
Robin whirled around instantly in a battle stance, breathless as his tears continued to paint his face.
Beast Boy inched closer, now standing about three feet away, extending a hand towards Robin. "What's wrong?"
Robin relaxed a bit, straightening his arms to stand normally, realizing that there was no imminent threat. He raised a hand to wipe his face of tears, suddenly embarrassed at his show of weakness. Both boys were silent for a few moments, unsure of how to deal with the situation.
"Eep!"
Beast Boy was knocked backwards from Robin's arms attacking him in a hug as he began to shake and his body wracked with sobs yet again.
If Beast Boy had been surprised before, it was nowhere near the shock of this moment.
They stood that way for a few minutes, Robin's tears soaking through the shoulder of Beast Boy's uniform. "Dude, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked softly, relaxing a bit and raising his arms to embrace his friend. Under different circumstances, such a show of emotion from Robin would be unthinkable.
Robin suppressed the remnants of his pride and cleared his throat so that he might speak.
"Today is the anniversary of my parents' death."
Sudden and intense understanding and sympathy welled up inside of Beast Boy who finally understood. Robin continued, still clinging to Beast Boy.
"They were performing a circus act when a gang leader tampered with the wires. I-I watched them die, Beast Boy."
The smaller boy tightened his arms a bit to show that he was listening, giving Robin silent encouragement to continue.
"It's been eight years and I still miss them as much as I did the day they left..."
The two stood in silence for a few precious moments, Robin's breathing slowing and the tears beginning to subside.
"I lost my parents, too."
Robin pulled back slightly to look at Beast Boy, shocked.
"Boating accident. Took both of them."
Understanding coursed through both of them. They couldn't be more different, yet, they were the same. Funny how that worked.
The two friends held each other, deep in thought. But they weren't just friends anymore.
They were, in a strange way, brothers.