Sorry for taking so long! Hope it was worth the wait!
A shocked silence passed through the group like a wave, staring at their stricken leader. He hung his head in shame, both for hiding it in the first place, and for being too weak to stop Slade from putting it on him in the first place.
"Dude... why?" The changeling's small voice startled everyone out of their revenue, but as soon as they processed the words, they turned to their leader for the answers, as they always have.
Robin smiled ruefully, as he raised his head to face them. "He was pissed off. I still wasn't listening. And, he found my other tattoo."
"What tattoo?" asked Beastboy, curiosity evident. Of all the things to learn of his leader... a tattoo? Robin smiled a small smile, and removed his cape so the back of his neck was visible. The titans were amused to find a small bat tattooed to the back of his neck, just under his hairline.
"I got in big trouble when Batman found out about it..." he said, almost fondly of the memory, "He lectured me for days about how I could be compromising my identity -and by extension his- by having 'such a recognisable marking,' even though I pointed out the collar of my cape would hide it when I was patrolling, so nobody would notice it. Really though he was more mad that I got it when I was nine."
"You got a tattoo when you were nine? Mr. Goody-two-shoes nine year old got a tattoo! Dude! How does a nine year old hide a tattoo!" Surprisingly, Robin started laughing.
"Did you really think it was possible to grow up in gotham and not do something bad once in a while? Besides, back then I was a little... over-eager. I had just been officially named Batman's partner, and I wanted to celebrate. Of course, Batman wasn't really one for happy-cheery-good-job-chum, so I got the tattoo, as a symbol. At the time, it was so no matter what happened, it'd always be Batman's partner. Now... it's a reminder of the past." He looked down at his hand, "I suppose this is too."
"Slade tried removing this tattoo, but he couldn't. Special ink of the British variety," Robin said, smirking. Batman still didn't know about that part...
"British...?" asked Raven, confused.
"Batman's British friend tattooed it on me, after I begged him for a couple weeks."
Now, if not before, Starfire was confused. "But Robin, I believed you to not be the type to beg? And who is this British friend? Perhaps a vigilante in England?" Robin muffled his laughter for Starfire's sake, and tried to answer with a straight face.
"A... A vigilante? Uh... no." A brief image of Alfred in the Batsuit flashed through his mind. "He was military and British Intelligence... about thirty years ago. Uh... But the begging? I was nine! I didn't like using logic. Begging was easier, since I just had to walk around pouting."
Seeing the questioning look on Starfire's face, Cyborg added, "Pouting's like the faces Beastboy makes every time he's denied a moped."
"Dude!" As his friends continued playfully arguing, Robin slipped out of the room, having noticed Raven do the same. He caught up with her just before she got to her room.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, voice guarded.
"You seemed upset when you left."
"Well aren't you the world's second greatest detective."
"Raven? Please, if something's wrong, I want to help-"
"Why do you hide from us?" she blurted.
"Huh?"
"Why do you always hide everything? You hid from us when you became Red X. You hid from us that... marking, Slade put on you, you hide your past, your birthday, Azar, you hide even your face. Why?" before he could answer, she added, "And don't give me any of that 'secret identity' bull. I want the truth."
"Well... it's complicated."
"That's life."
"I think it's more of... it's just..."
"Sometime today please."
Raven started to walk into her room when, "I don't want to disapoint him."
"Who?"
"Batman."
"Why?"
Robin sighed. "He's the closest I have to a father. The closest I'll ever have."
"How could you disapoint him by being honest with us?"
"He forbade me from telling anyone my identity. Becuase he doesn't fully trust me, by extention he doesn't trust you guys."
"Do you trust us?"
"Of course!"
"Then what's the problem? If you trust us, that should be good enough for him."
"Nothing's good enough for him."
"Not even you?"
"Why do you think he fired me? I messed up. He doesn't tolerate failure."
"So you think that if you mess up now, or break your promise and tell your identity to us you'd disapoint him."
"Pretty much."
"And the real reason for the tattoos?"
"... sort of unofficial proof that I considered Batman to be my dad. That's why Slade put his own mark on me by force. He... he wanted me to think of him as my father."
"You hide your birthday because...?"
"Because it reminds me of my past, before Batman. I'd rather not relive it."
"Why?"
"Becuase my parents were murdered, Raven! That's why!" He took a shaky breath. "Because two days after my 9th birthday, my parents were murdered. And it was my fault. I couldn't stop it from happening. It was all my fault. If I'd warned them..." They sat in silence for a few moments.
"Why do you hide your eyes?"
"...I'm... afraid. Afraid of what you all might see."
"We wouldn't think of you any differently if we knew who you were."
"Wouldn't you?" More silence. "I'm just... I'm not ready." She nodded in acceptance, content with his answers.
"Now was that so hard?" she asked, a small smile playing her lips.
"No..." he said, returning the jesture.
"We're your friends, Robin. You once told me that I'm not alone. Neither are you." He nodded. "Now, I'd make myself scarse if I was you. If I know our friends, you'll have a surprise party set up by tonight," she said with a smirk.
He just groaned, exasperated, as she closed the door in his face.
Love? Hate? Wish to worship? Want to protest it? Let me know! flames/gushing are both welcome! :)