Robin woke up in Slade's bed the next morning, his legs tangled up in the sheets. Slade wasn't there, but from the looks of the bed, he had slept there for a little while. Robin yawned and slipped out of bed, rubbing his maskless eyes. The room was quiet and outside he could faintly hear the sound of students rushing to the cafeteria for the pancakes and French toast that was served every Saturday morning. Stretching, the young hero shuffled over to the door, but hesitated. He wanted to head back to his own room and change, but he couldn't just leave the room in his underwear. Robin knew that he was being petty. He had walked down those halls naked and covered in vomit before. But that was different, that hadn't been his choice. Looking around the room, Robin found a bathrobe that had been thrown over Slade's desk chair and sighed. That would have to do. He would hurry back to his dorm and change, then return the bathrobe before Slade even noticed it was gone. Robin picked up the robe and slipped it on, tying it as tight as he could around his waist. He was practically drowning in the garment and the extra fabric bunched around his waist and hid his arms completely. Once he had located his mask and pressed it to his face, he opened the door and stepped out.
The passing students stopped to stare at him and their chatter ceased. Robin did his best to pretend that he didn't notice, but it was pretty hard when he could feel their eyes burning holes into him. He suddenly wished that the robe was even bigger for him to hide in. Suddenly, the clacking of shoes echoed in the hall and when Robin glanced up to see who it was, he immediately wished he hadn't.
"Why hello, Robin. Have a fun night with Slade?" Kaine smiled as he took in the boy's attire.
"Stop making assumptions." Robin growled. "And anyway, it's none of your business."
Kaine chuckled. "How'd it feel, Robin. Did he tie you up? I bet he did. Tied you up and listened to your screams as he slammed into your-
"Shut up!" Robin snarled. "Just shut the fuck up!"
"Aw, poor thing. Little faggot whore." Kaine spat.
"Are you jealous or something? You seem pretty hung up on this." Robin snapped. "Or do you just get off on sexual sadism?"
Kaine chuckled and ran a finger over the fading bruises on Robin's jaw. "I'm a villain, aren't I? "
"You're sick." Robin replied. "This whole school is sick."
"Really?" Someone from the crowd spoke up. "'Cause I don't recall ever fantasizing about sucking Kaine's cock." He boy stated with a smug smirk as laughter arose.
Robin reddened in humiliation and anger and for once, he actually found himself wishing that Slade would come and save him from this horrible situation.
"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, fag?" Another boy spoke up. "To get your ass fucked by all the guys here while sucking their cocks. "
Robin allowed his hair to fall in his face as a storm of crude slurs and vulgar comments rained down on him, making him shrink. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the door, waiting for it to end. When it finally stopped, Robin figured that they had grown bored and left. What he did not expect to see was a few of the girls from gymnastics yesterday standing in the middle of things.
"Can you just cut him some slack for one day? God, you guys are so obsessed with him we're starting to think you're all fairies too." One girl stated. "You think he likes being Slade's pet? Yea right. How would you feel if you were the one in that monster's bed?"
With all of the attention on her, Robin slipped back into Slade's room and locked the door. There was obviously no way he was getting back to his own dorm with that mob of homophobes outside. He'd just have to wait until they had all gone to breakfast and the hallways were clear. He scuffled back into bed and selected some homework to work on while he waited, but after a few moments, he let out a sigh and set the papers aside in favor of watching Saturday morning cartoons just like he and Beast Boy and Cyborg used to watch.
Robin gave it fifteen minutes before killing the TV and cautiously opening the door. He peered out, relieved to find it empty and took off sprinting down the hall to his dorm. He cursed when he found it locked and urgently pounded on the door. He prayed somebody was still there. He really didn't want to get caught alone in the hallway again.
His prayers were answered when Seemore opened the door and Robin quickly ducked inside without a word. He gathered his clothes and headed towards the bathroom, but to his dismay, it was already occupied.
"Have a nice night with Slade?" Gizmo cackled from the couch. He frowned when the boy wonder ignored him completely.
Robin unknotted the belt of Slade's robe and quickly shed that and his shirt. He was beyond skinny, yes, yes, he already knew that. And of course there were bruises. How could there not be? But right now, he wasn't in the mood to hear about their surprise. He didn't want their satisfaction or their pity or whatever else anyone in this school had to offer. He just wanted to go home. He dressed in Slade's mandated uniform and once Mammoth had left the bathroom, he made quick work of gelling his hair. Without a word to anyone, he left the room. Without the collar around his neck. With weapons on his hip. With his mask and his gel and everything else, he felt stronger. He wasn't some pretty young boy that some malicious old man could take advantage of. He wasn't a weak little twink to be fucked and beaten. He had pride and dignity and self-respect and goals. He had almost let that slip from him. It was strong versus the weak. Dick versus Robin.
He kept his head high as he walked into the cafeteria and walked in line, grabbing the first chocolate chip pancakes he could spot. Fuck Slade's diet. He was fifteen and he was going to eat whatever the hell he wanted to eat. As usual, he felt all eyes on him but he didn't react, taking a seat beside Slade and sipping his water. To his mild surprise, the criminal didn't even mention the pancakes and went on with eating his own breakfast consisting of egg whites and what Robin believed to be slices of Canadian bacon. Robin said nothing to no one and silently ate his own breakfast before getting up and walking back to his dorm to have some time to himself for once. Sure, he'd been alone tons in Slade's room, but that was different. How could he relax in a lion's den? Robin flopped down on the couch in the room and sat there for a few minutes, just allowing himself to breathe before turning on the television. He sighed. This was how he used to spend his Saturdays. Just him and Beast Boy and Cyborg and Starfire and Raven. Where everybody was nice and nobody got raped or hung from ceilings by chains or outed through magic and manipulation. That's Titans tower.
Eventually, watching TV got boring and Robin stood up, trying to think of what he should do. His homework was done for the most part and he had already completed his training hours for the week. He didn't have combat training with Slade today either. He sighed and considered his options. Extra training, library, or just waist the day watching television. Robin lifted his head and stood up. He walked over to his dresser and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing his bag, Robin stuffed his swim trunks and reflective goggles into it and left the room. He was in the mood for a swim.
Thankfully, the locker room was empty when he arrived, seeing as most students preferred to just be lazy on Saturday. Hard work was for Sunday. Robin slipped inside and over to his locker where he wasted no time stripping and slipping into his trunks. He made sure nobody was looking before exchanging his mask for the reflective goggles and grabbed a towel, padding out to the pool on bare feet. It was peacefully silent and the water was completely still with not even a single ripple to disrupt its serenity. A sense of eagerness pushed its way into Robin and he wasted no time getting over to the diving well. He carefully walked over to the edge and counted to three before diving in. Freezing water rushed at him from all around and he opened his eyes. He was surrounded by dark blue and the silence was magnificent. He was truly alone under there. Of course, he wasn't Aqualad so he had to come up eventually and when he did, cool air rushed to his face and shoulders. He hummed contently and swam back over to the edge. Again.
He didn't shower in the locker room. That was too risky. Instead, he dressed and made his way back to his dorm. When he came out of the bathroom, his three roommates were back to their video games and they didn't bother acknowledging him. It was better that way. He changed into pajamas and lied down in his own bed for the first time in over twenty four hours and sighed. Swimming had left him tired. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just take a quick nap.
"Robin."
Of course. No rest for the wicked.
Robin sighed and looked up at Slade's mask. "Yes?" Behind him the gaming had stopped and the three boys had turned to watch with interest.
"Your things are still in my room and I would like my robe returned. Come with me." He requested. "No, don't bother changing, just keep your pajamas on."
Robin stepped away from his dresser and gathered up Slade's large robe in his arms before following Slade back to his own room. It was just the way he had left it this morning, even the bed remained unmade. His school books stayed in their stack on the night stand and his hold uniform was still in a bundle by the laundry basket. He stepped forward and returned the bathrobe to his spot. Then he got to work gathering his school supplies and dropping it all into his bag.
"Are you alright, Robin? I was told that you were being bothered in the hallway this morning." Slade stated. "Did anybody hurt you?"
Robin shook his head and he stuffed his books into his bag. "Just immature comments." He mumbled softly. "It's fine." The room went silent and Robin relayed the response in his head. It's fine… No, that was wrong. Rape and homophobia and verbal abuse was far from fine and while Dick may have lied down and taken it, Robin's pride was far too strong to stand for it.
"It's not okay!" He yelled, getting to his feet. "Those disgusting , sadistic teenagers think it's okay but it's not! They whisper and taunt and send me those ugly smirks as if I wanted it! Because I'm gay so why wouldn't I want to be raped and beaten by some horrible monster who thinks it's okay too?"
Slade looked up, slightly surprised by the outburst. He stepped forward and placed an arm on Robin's shoulder but the boy smacked it away and backed up.
"I'm a fifteen year old boy and now, I don't even know what the hell I am!" Robin screamed. He ripped off his mask and looked directly at Slade's eye. Tears spilled and he started to shake. "I'm so afraid."
"Robin, I already told you-
"I know what you told me! You've told me a lot of things! Why the hell should I believe anything you say? How do I know that you won't tie me to that bed again and make me feel so dirty and humiliated that even walking around naked in blood and cum and puke makes me feel nothing but dull pain?" Robin cried out. His shoulders shuddered and he sat down on the bed, bringing his knees to his chest so that he could cry with at least a little bit of privacy.
Slade stepped over and stroked his hair as he cried. "I was wrong, Robin. I made a mistake." His eyes flickered down. "And mistakes are unacceptable."