The light streaming in from the huge window of Titan Tower was dull grey, only just illuminating the room. Beast Boy lay sprawled on the couch, one hand and one lag draped over the back, the other two limbs hanging down the side. Catching sight of movement in the doorway, he turned his head and watched as Robin ambled it, blearily rubbing at his eyes through his mask, which of course, he was still wearing. Even at this hour, when he was wearing only his pajama pants, the teen still wore the domino mask securely over his eyes, and Beast Boy, in his half asleep state, wondered why. And, being Beast Boy, he voiced said curiosity. "Dude, don't you ever take off your mask?"
Robin flopped down onto the couch, slouching down into a position that couldn't possibly be considered comfortable. Yawning, he turned his head slightly, just enough to catch sight of the clock, which read 5:02 am. Groaning, he flung an arm over his eyes, the other hand lying by his side. "Beast Boy, it's 5 am. It's too early to annoy me." His arm lifted a fraction, and he glanced out at his fellow Titan from under it, shooting him a glower before disappearing back under his arm. "Go back to bed."
Beast Boy sat up, still keeping one leg and arm over the back of the couch. It didn't look very comfortable either, and the green teen seemed to realized that, pulling them onto the main part of the couch and angling himself to face Robin. "Why should I go to bed? You're not. And all I asked was why don't you ever, ever, ever take off your mask?" While speaking, Beast Boy tilted his head to the side, waiting patiently-or as patient as Beast Boy can be-for an answer. It's not like it was that difficult of a question, and seeing as it wasn't, Beast Boy was ready to nag for an answer. He was just sucking in a breath and opening his mouth to do so when Robin sighed and answered.
"Because I have a secret identity to protect. Just because I'm Robin most of the time doesn't mean I'm Robin all of the time." The black haired teen sighed again, his arm sliding down from his face to rest at his side. "Does that answer your question?"
BB nodded, then paused, an unbidden thought creeping into his head. Why would Robin have to protect his identity? Like, yeah, he'd have to protect it from their enemies, and everything, but that didn't explain why he wore the mask all the time around the tower. Even Robin wouldn't be that paranoid. Unless-
Beast Boy's face went blank, and he snuck a glance at Robin from the corner of his eye, his hands clasped in his lap, fidgeting nervously. "Uh, Robin? Can I ask you something else?"
Robin yawned again, covering his mouth with one hand, his other arm stretching over his head. As soon as he could speak again, he uttered a groggy, "What is it?"
It was silent for a moment while Beast Boy tried to think of how to phrase his question. He had been told too many times that he was tactless and blunt, and he didn't want to come off that way this time. The silence stretched, and eventually, Beast Boy just blurted out, "You trust us, like, all of the Titans, right?"
Robin's eyes sprang open under his mask, and he instantly straightened. The grogginess of moments ago faded quickly, replaced with more alertness and slight alarm. "Beast Boy, of course I trust you guys. You're my friends."
Beast Boy nodded slowly, and Robin leaned forward, trying to make eye contact- well, mask to eye contact. "You know that, right?" The silence stretched again, just a little to long to be comfortable, and Robin started to feel the tinges of slight worry. He opened his mouth to say more, but Beast Boy cut him off.
"Yeah, dude, sure." Beast Boy smiled an odd little smile before yawning- Robin could tell it was a forced yawn- and stretching. He rubbed an eye with a curled fist and glanced over at the clock. "Well, I'm going back to bed. I don't know what I was doin' up now anyway. I'm going back to bed. Later, dude."
Robin watched as Beast Boy sent a half-hearted smile his way before sliding off the couch and slouching off to the doorway, his walk a combination of morose and genuine sleepiness.
"Okay, see you later… I guess…" Robin trailed off as Beast Boy turned a corner and meandered out of sight. Robin yawned yet again, and glanced over at the clock again through yawn-squinted eyes. 5:17 am. Time to get a start on the day.
It was several hours later; Robin was hidden away, looking over the latest clues about Slade he had gathered from the most recent mission, and Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy were in the living room. The TV was on, some mindless comedy, but none of the teens seemed to be paying any attention. Raven was immersed in a book; Starfire was stringing beads onto a piece of string, humming a tune from her home planet to herself; Beast Boy was back on the couch, leaning his head back, staring up at the ceiling. Cyborg was just coming back into the room, a bowl of nachos and a bowl of dip clutched tightly in he grip. He was passing by the back of the couch at the same moment that Beast Boy yawned, stretching his arms up and over the back of the couch, unknowingly almost hitting the snack bowls out of Cyborgs hands.
The mechanized teen snapped, "Hey, watch it!" and swatted BB's hands away from his precious food and continuing onto his destination. He plopped down on the couch beside Beast Boy, placing both bowls on the coffee table and scooping up a bunch of dip on a chip and shoveling it into his mouth. "Why are you so tired anyway?" he asked, his mouth still full.
"I was up early, talking to Robin." Beast Boy explained, as soon as he stopped yawning. He blinked sleepily, then sat up a little straighter, struck by a thought. "Guys, do you…do you think Robin trusts us? I mean, he told me he did, but..."
His question hung in the air and was met with silence. Starfire was the first to answer, blinking her large eyes innocently, saying, "Of course friend Robin has trust in us. Why ever would he not?" She sat her necklace-in-making on the table and turned to face Raven as she sighed.
Raven looked up from her book to glower at the green shape shifter. "Why would you ask us if you already asked him?" She shot him a look that clearly expressed her distaste at being interrupted in reading, before returning to said reading, turning a page and shutting all outside distractions out.
"Well, 'cause the whole Red-X thing, and the fact that he doesn't trust us with his secret identity," Beast Boy answered Raven's semi-rhetorical question, shifting awkwardly on the couch and fidgeting with his hands again.
Starfire gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth, alarm evident on her face. "Beast Boy is right! What if Robin is not being truthful with us?" She looked from one of her friends to the other, silently asking for someone to reassure her of Robin's honesty.
The Teen Titans all exchanged glances, the green teen's words sinking in. Beast Boy had a point. Robin did keep his identity secret from them, and there was that whole Red X thing, and sometimes there were other, small, less important secrets or half truths, or simply not-telling them things that had made them all question at some point or other whether or not Robin trusted them.
But that wasn't the only thing that Beast Boy's question had brought up. By asking if Robin trusted them, it was a double question. Did Robin trust them? If not… could they trust Robin?
Robin was a great friend, a great leader and team mate, and an all around cool guy, but he kept most of his life a secret from all of them, even Starfire. The Titans could understand that Robin had had a life before them and that he had been the Batman's protégé, requiring secrecy, but that didn't mean he had to keep everything secret from them. They all sat in silence, none of them having anything to say. All of them were sitting, thinking, doubting as to whether or not Robin trusted them, or if they could trust him.
Out in the hallway, just outside of the living room, Robin sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He had been on his way to join his friends when he had overheard the conversation, and the ensuing silence. The silence spoke volumes more than any words ever could. Several moments passed before the sounds of the other Titans taking up their activities again reached the Boy Wonder. Still, he stood still in the hallway, his head still leaning on the wall.
"They don't trust me. Nice going, Richard," he mumbled. A glower slowly crept over his face, and he pushed himself off the wall, almost stomping off towards his room, his cape flapping out behind him.